Eye of the Beholder

Eight.

By the time Lord Ravencrest and his squadron were completely out of the Square, Eliana had faced forward again, her tears staining her cheeks. No matter how hard she tried to wipe the evidence away, she knew her eyes were still swollen and red. Without a doubt, there was no way she could hide her appearance from Tyrande and when the other priestess turned to say something to her, she gasped upon seeing her friend's face, just as Eliana suspected she would.

"Eliana! What is wrong?" Tyrande questioned, reaching for her friend's hand.

Eliana let her intertwine their fingers as she shook her head and muttered, "Nothing. I am fine."

Tyrande lowered her eyebrows in consternation. "I know you well enough to recognize when you are not fine. Are you worried about Illidan and Malfurion? From what Illidan said, it seemed as if we have no reason to worry about him anymore..." she trailed off, her expression clouding at the mention of Illidan.

Likewise, Eliana's lips tightened and she pulled her hand out from Tyrande's grasp. She wasn't really angry at her friend for having Illidan's affections; she knew the other priestess hadn't exactly encouraged him in that regard. In fact, Tyrande had all but admitted that she didn't know which brother she truly cared for, though Eliana had more than an inkling of suspicion that the other priestess was leaning towards Malfurion. It was just that Tyrande herself had yet to fully realize it.

Nevertheless, the sound of Illidan's name coming from her friend's lips caused a spike of anger to course through her. He'd finally declared his intentions—directly to Tyrande's face no less—and the priestess hadn't even said anything in return. What Eliana wouldn't give to hear those words from him. Instead, she'd merely observed as he gave his heart to someone who likely had never actually wanted it.

"Things could still go horribly wrong and Lord Ravencrest could somehow find out about Illidan's involvement in Broxigar's escape. Besides that, Malfurion is still yet to be found. Of course we still have reason to worry," Eliana retorted, her words laced with anger.

Tyrande's eyes widened at Eliana's reaction and she hesitated before responding. When she did speak again, her voice was soft. "I am sorry, Eliana. I did not mean to imply that I wasn't worried. It is so unlike you to speak so heatedly. Are you sure that you are not upset about something?"

Eliana turned away and stared intently at a building off in the distance. She'd tried so hard to hide her feelings from her friend, because of the knowledge that both Stormrage brothers were vying for Tyrande's affections. She hadn't wanted to get in the way, and besides, she had been trying to figure things out between her and Cytheas.

Now that they were no longer speaking, and Illidan had revealed his intentions towards Tyrande, Eliana realized that perhaps this was when the truth would come out. She wasn't sure whether she could tell Tyrande how she felt about someone the other priestess had known since they were children, let alone someone who had just confessed to her.

"I admit that I am upset, but I'd rather not say why," Eliana mumbled.

Tyrande reached for Eliana's hand again, grasping it tightly within her own. Quietly, she pressed, "Does this have to do with Illidan?"

Eliana sharply faced Tyrande again and stammered, "W-Why would you think that it did?"

In a tone that was a bit too close to condescension, Tyrande said, "Eliana...I am not blind. I know that you have not confided in me about this, but, I see the way you look at Illidan. Whenever he is around, you...you are different. You were not upset earlier before Illidan arrived, and now, you are. Forgive me if this sounds patronizing but...it does not take much to see why you are upset."