Tea and Brandy, Ladies? (Attn: Rossa and Aevy)

[SerenaMorrigan]

Reluctantly stepping out of her bath, Serena pulled her towel and dressing robes on quickly. Perhaps it was the draft that so frequently snuck between the stones of the White Tower, or maybe it was the details of her recent escape from a horrible place. She tried so suppress a shiver as she stepped into her breeches and pulled on her tight fitted coat. No, I would not wish what happened upon any Aes Sedai. Aridhol had always been a place that peaked her interest. Even as an Accepted, before she petitioned the Blue Ajah, she had spoken with two older members of the Blue that fobade her to ever enter the horrid place. Granted, they had just made her want to visit it even more. Not like this, though. Never like this.

 

Channeling briefly, the small Saldaean Aes Sedai warmed her tea as she took a seat on the sofa in her quarters, her reflection glaring back at her. Never had she felt so violated by a mission that she herself had helped create. How had it all gone so wrong? Reaching into an inside pocket of her coat, Serena produced a flask of cherry brandy and poured some of it into her tea. Something needed to take the edge off.

 

Breathing in deeply, taking sips of brandy-tea, Serena attempted to calm herself. It wasn't that she was terribly anxious, she just felt...dirty. She had merely grazed the long arm of he Shadow in her life as an Aes Sedai. Now, the Shadow had manipulated her in a way that no Aes Sedai would ever wish to have been handled. He Healed her! She wanted to spit to get rid of that awful acrid taste that seemed to linger within her. Her companions on the excursion had even allowed him to do it.

 

Running a small, pale hand through her short, pixie-like raven hair, Serena glared at her reflection in the mirror across from her. Tilted emerald eyes that normally held a fire behind them, seemed somewhat dulled. Biting the inside of her cheek, the Aes Sedai tried to avert her eyes from her own image, and leaned back where she sat. Pulling out her pipe and tabac, she had resolved to ponder the excursion and the circumstances around it.

 

That was, until she heard a knock at her door....

 

 

Serena MOrrigan

Blue Ajah

Bonded to Thera Trakelyn

[zemiorco]

It had been pure chance that had informed Aeveryn that Serena Sedai had returned. She knew little of where the Saldean woman had been, in fact she knew little of this fellow blue sister at all. As she had been on her way into Tar Valon, she happen to overhear two stable boys complain that this sister‘s horse looked as if it had been ridden a little too hard. That statement on its own had sparked Aeveryn‘s curiosity, not that it had to mean anything. The grooms always had a reason to complain. They even sometimes complained she rode her horse too hard. That of course was silly. But, in any event, it meant Serena was back. She had been gone a little while.

 

Serena… Aeveryn tried to remember what she knew of this particular woman. She was not the type to listen to gossip, but she was coming to the conclusion she should have. She knew way to little about the other women living in the white tower. Another novice had once, a long time ago, claimed this woman knew some dance called sa'soura, whatever that was. It was also said, she had lost her entire family to trollocs. But apart from that, she knew not much, if not to say nothing.

 

Aeveryn had gone to Tar Valon to meet one of her contacts. She had not been idle since she had been raised and had begun to set up a few contacts in Illian, Murandy and her native Andor. But the type of information she was gathering was not something she wanted to be known in the white tower. Hence, the pigeons carrying them did not head for the centre of the island, but landed near south harbor. The day turned out to be a disappointment. No message had arrived since last week. No news, were bad news in her mind. Maybe it was soon time to go out again and set up new sources of information.

 

She was just returning to the white tower when her attention was captured by a rather worn wagon, and a man that made the wagon look almost new. He was old, his face weather worn and his hair could do with a cut. Something about they way his eyes shifted constantly made her wonder if his mind was is need of some healing. But that was secondary. He had a few statues and porcelain bowls on offer that looked rather aged. Some in fact were cracked, tattered or the glazing had gone. But between them were sea folk vases and, even more surprising, items that could be nothing but heartstone.

 

„Aes Sedai.“ the man mumbled. She was sure he had not seen her ring. That he was able to recognize her was quite a deed, since her agelessness just started to set in.

„Where are these from?“ She inquired.

„Those…“ he pointed at some pieces of Cuendillar „…were found off the shore of Altara“

„These…“ his finger moved to a porcelain set clearly from before Hawkwings time „…are from the Plains of Maredo.“

„And that is from what used to be Aridhol.“ It was a statue the height of her arm, from fingertip to elbow.

„Aridhol?“ She inquired, considering the man questioningly. But if he lied, he lied well. His gaze did not waver. „I found it in the outskirts of that forsaken town. And as far as I can tell, it is not tainted.“

Her brow climbed. Whoever he was, he knew a bit.

„How much?“ She asked.

 

They quickly agreed on a price. He did not charge as much as she had feared he would, but maybe the earnings she had in the white tower had just ruined her jugement of what was expensive and what not. But she had not gotten that piece for herself. She had bought it for Serena. The little carved ivory statuette wore garments she was sure she had never seen in her life before, and the way it was crafted was not typical for any contemporary artist. It was also withered, the ivory had darkened in places, as if it really was a few thousand years old. But none of that had made her purchase the thing. The girl remotely looked like a Saldean. And she was dancing some dance. Maybe the sa'soura? Some day she would have to ask what kind of dance that was.

 

„I have matters to attend to, tonight, but I would like to talk to you some more about your wares.“ The man bowed. „Sure, Aes Sedai. In fact, I have more in a storage house. When would you like to speak?“

„Tomorrow evening? In the South Harbor Pearl?“

He nodded. „Tomorrow evening. I will bring something with me you will find particularly interesting.“

She nodded.

 

Wrapping the piece into cloth, Aeveryn went back to the white tower. She hoped the older sister would like her little present. Had she been Cairhien, she might have contemplated longer if her choice was appropriate. She would have wondered what meaning the other would read into it. But Aeveryn was Andoran. And she knew little of the game of houses. Her gift was no more and no less, a gift. And she was making it in the hope to please the other woman.   

 

Serena still looked like she had, when they had last met. Well, maybe a little tired, as if the journey had still effects on her.

 

Smiling Aeveryn entered her quarters, and asked: "Welcome back, Serena Sedai. I hope I am not disturbing? I was hoping for a little talk. I am still fairly new to the shawl, and wanted to get to know the other sisters of the blue Ajah better, including what they like to do and what keeps them busy. Oh, and..." She lifted up the wrapped up bundle. "... I got you a little something. I would have bought flowers, but I don't know which kind you like."

[Winter Mist]

~Rossa~

 

It was purely a matter of curiosity that saw Rossa Sedai at the door of the recently returned Serena Sedai.  A fellow sister of the Blue Ajah, Rossa had only heard about Serena, and knew that she was recently returned from some trip somewhere.  Besides, the dark-haired Aes Sedai had been the sixth person in line to welcome Rossa to the Blues, receiving both a kiss and a fish pie made by Rossa’s own hands.  From memory, it had not been that bad a pie.  She knocked smartly on the door, wondering if it had been faint conversation she had heard from within the room. 

 

The door opened, and Rossa saw Serena Sedai with her unconventional short hair looking sweet and infinitely more practical than wearing it as long as Rossa did.  Her own fell in waves to just past her shoulders and it was usually worn in a single tail down her back.  Occasionally though, she liked to braid it into a coronet as she had seen the fashions of Cairhien introduce.  It definitely made her look taller and more imposing when she did that, but it was too impractical to wear everyday.  It was something she was considering, changing her hairstyle.  Perhaps it would make her feel a little more like an Aes Sedai than just the shawl alone.  A new look…

 

Two Aes Sedai met her gaze rather than one.  One held the door open while the other was just inside, as though she had just arrived herself.  A busy time, it seemed.  Rossa smiled at Serena Sedai and Aeveryn Sedai, acknowledging her Blue sisters and she waited as the door closed behind her. 

 

Idly, she wondered what business Aeveryn had with Serena, but it was none of her business.  Blues followed their own Causes and if they chose to share them with others, then that was indeed down to the individual concerned.  She could see tea steaming faintly on the sideboard and realised how nice it would be to have a cup of something to warm her up. 

 

[SerenaMorrigan]

"... I got you a little something. I would have bought flowers, but I don't know which kind you like." Serena tilted her head to the side as she unwrapped the little figurine. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she studied it. A gift? It was hard for her not to be skeptical. The only gift she had ever recieved was her daggers from her Gaidin. A gift with no strings attatched? She doubted it. Aes Sedai did not randomly hand out gifts to Sisters they did not know; however, Aeveryn was still young and new to the shawl. Perhaps her motives were pure.

 

"Thank you, Sister. Please take a seat." Just as she was gesturing at the small seating area around the hearth, another knock erupted at her door. Instead of using the One Power to open her door, Serena got up and walked over to it. To her suprise, another young Sister was on the other side.

 

"Rossa Sedai," Serena bowed her head in greeting. "what brings you to my door?" How odd... Two Sisters she had never really spoken to, here at her door. Was something going on that she had missed?

 

Taking a step back, the short Blue Sister took a step back and, again, gesuted towards her seating area. With a small strand of Air, Serena billowed the fire in the fireplace.

 

"I don't have much to offer the two of you, just some tea." Her eyes flickered to her flask on the table between the seats. "Or something stronger if you prefer." Taking her seat again, still holding on to the small figurine that Aeveryn had brought, she turned it over in her fingers.

 

"Where did you find this Aeveryn? It looks quite familiar."