<2> The gryphon ride to the Moonglade was a swift one for Vinnia, and as the last rays of the sun disappeared, the darkness of the glade began to glow with magical sconces of conjured light. The dark-haired draenei happily skipped along until she came upon a large, nature-covered home which boomed with vibrant dancing music. Members of all races of the Alliance milled about with drinks in their hands, many of which seemed to chat with the opposite sex more than anything. As she stepped through the open front door, a cry of "Over here!" met her ear. From among the throng waded a stylishly-dressed female draenei with similar dark hair, albeit hers was tinged with red and heavily braided. "It's about time you made it! C'mon, I have someone you must meet!" Vinnia flashed her a giddy smile and went off with Luuria to socialize the night away. Most of the party's denizens were of their respective maturities, and few would suspect the developed Vinnia to be otherwise. Drink flowed freely, smoke rose like a chimney, and hours later the party would only outwardly begin to wind down. Couples and groups of promiscuous individuals flitted off to rooms and dark corners of the forest, and just past two only a dozen remained sitting in a circle at the center of a trashed common room. "Oh oncesh wash a dwarf named Brunhildesh! Who shat on a shtool of... manflesh!" cheered Vinnia, sloshing a mug of dwarven ale about in the process. Her hazy gaze turned to Luuria next to her, and both girls instantly burst out in drunken laughter, along with the others around them. "You sing like a true poet," replied the male night elf who sat on Vinnia's other side. Deep purple hair dropped halfway down his back, and his glowing blue eyes were... not so subtly fixated on Vinna's askew dress. The two elves on his other side nodded in agreement with his words as he added, "Perhaps a victory brew is in order?" Vinnia quickly downed the rest of her cup before slamming it down on the floor and yelling, "ANOTHER!" Her clearly unfocused eyes drifted over the others in the room as she added, "And passh me that elvish herb again, wouldst thou?" One of the elves quickly got up to fetch her a drink, while another handed her a half-burnt roll of herbs wrapped in paper, which she took a very long draw from. It wasn't her first of the night, but the added influence visibly slowed her movements even more. The elf returned with a filled cup, though it took her a few tries to actually wrap her fingers around the handle... only to immediately slosh half of it over her already ale-stained dress. It was then that Luuria's delicate hand touched Vinnia's shoulder. "Perhapsh *hic!* perhapsh we'd besht be headed home now? The hour ish quite late-" "Nonsense," rumbled the first elf as one of his muscular arms draped itself over Vinnia's shoulders, casually brushing off Luuria's hand. "We night elves live for the dark and the moon. Who could stop the party so soon?" Despite her drunkenness, Luuria's eyes narrowed at the male suspiciously. "We draenei don't shubshcribe to shuch nonshenshe. Vinnia, we should really go." Vinnia looked to her friend... blinking each eye separately. She flopped one arm upward as if to make a declaration, only to fall backwards into the waiting arms of the elf. Suddenly all three elves were working to help her to her hooves. "Don't worry so much, Luuria. She's in good hands. We'll get her straight up to bed," he spoke, deathly calm. Suddenly things were looking crystal clear to Luuria. "Wait! She ish exshpected home tonight!" she cried, stumbling to her hooves in an attempt to regain some semblance of leverage with her intoxicated friend. The elves a bit more brusquely pushed her away. "That's not what she was saying earlier," the lead elf added dismissively before turning his back to her outright to deal with Vinnia. In a moment of quick thinking she shot a hand out to Vinnia's dress just before she was carried away, and just in time she pulled the communication crystal straight from Vinnia's bosom. The drunken draenei stumbled toward the front door as the elves were struggling with the semi-conscious Vinnia at the foot of the stairs, and once outside she activated the holographic device as quietly as possible. To her good fortune, she was met with an almost immediate answer as the image of a prone Artaan appeared before her. "Oh thank the Light... Artaan, please, come to Moonglade ash quickly ash you can. Vinnia ish in trouble." Artaan was instantly fully awake as he bolted upright, clear fury in his eyes as he scrambled to grab a shirt. "I'll be there in minutes. Whatever is happening, make sure to keep it at bay for as long as you can. Don't worry." His words were intense, but collected. The hunter was in peak physical condition, and he knew he could handle whatever troubles might have arisen. Luuria nodded shakily and quickly cut off the transmission to stumble back into the house, her panic steadily overriding her intoxication. The elves were already halfway up the stairs to the second floor, and Vinnia had stopped responding to their movements for the most part. Her eyes were still moving, albeit slowly as if she were a child looking at some new scenery. "Don't drop her!" Luuria called to them. "Bring her back down, heightsh shcare her!" "We have her!" the lead elf called back, the call appearing to hasten their ascent with Vinnia. Her mouth opened and closed as if to speak, but only slurred groans left her. It was almost frightening how adept the elves were at maneuvering her dead weight so quickly. Luuria felt her panic swell even more. She moved toward the stairs to follow, but nearly lost her balance mid-step, forcing her to cling to the railing for dear life to continue. The elves reached the landing and disappeared down the left hall before she was even halfway up.