Don't laugh at me! (anyone in need of WS2-3 conflict?)

[Lannie]

It was a dreary day in Tar Valon and it found Esthelle with a mood to match it. Last day she had practiced with Kynwric until she thought she couldn't pick up the quarterstaff anymore because somehow it felt like it had been weighted with pure lead, but today was a new day and she would have to practice at well. Going to the bathhouse last night had not helped a bit for either her sore muscles or her frustrations over her ineptitude.

 

Kynwric was telling her to be patient, that she couldn't run before she could walk and that she was progressing as should be expected for someone who has never trained vigorously before. He kept telling her that she was coming late to her weapon and that her hand/eye coordination would improve, but all Esthelle saw was her own ineptitude and she found that she just could not deal graciously with it.

 

Her roommates, only two weeks in the room with her, had quickly learnt not to bother her when she came back from training... or when she got up... pretty much all the time, unless she initiated the contact herself. Kynwric had himself under good control when it came to teaching her, but even he had been sighing an awful lot the past few days.

 

And today, Esthelle was aching all over - in muscles she didn't even know she had - and yet there was another day of training that lay ahead of her. And to make things even worse, it was drizzling with a cold and mostly very wet rain that morning. The sky was grey as steel and the clouds were heavy. It didn't seem like it would let up soon, and she would have to stand in the rain all day.

 

This was one of those days that she hated the world.

Her quarterstaff both seemed as heavy as the whole world and as slippery as an eel, she couldn't just keep a good hold on it. "Bloody heap of trolloc feces!" Esthelle cursed when she let her staff fall for the millionth time that day. She had picked up on an awful lot of curses since she had entered the Yards for some reason. Who knew that Tower Guards and gaidin were such potty mouths?

 

Irritated with herself and the whole world, she stomped on the back of her staff so the other end would jump up in her hand and she would start over yet again -- at least, that was the plan. For some reason she missed... she MISSED, and because she was standing hunched over just enough, the staff painfully collided with her face.

 

She heard the crunching sound only a moment before she actually felt red-hot pain bloom up in her cheekbone. She let out a shout of pain and frustration and felt hot tears drip over her face before she reached out to the right side of her face to survey the damage. As soon as her fingers even touched her cheekbone, sharp shots of pain made her dizzy. She tried to feel how bad it was, but her cheek was already swelling up. Broken. Oh for the love of the Creator! I suck! I suck SO badly! And to have to explain this to everyone else...

 

And someone... SOMEONE... someone behind her...

someone was laughing at her misfortune.

Laughing. At her.

Oh you filthy bastard!!

 

 

~Esthelle

PO'd Tower Trainee

[TaeaDawn]

Ursana was tired. Tired as he never thought he could be without at least a river of alcohol involved. Getting no sleep would explain this. Having slept plenty the night before and still feeling exhausted was just no good. He'd always lived an active life, but training in the Yards was on a completely different level. His body ached all the time now and it seemed everytime he got one part to stop hurting another 2 started. It was frustrating and humiliating to find himself a beginner at anything this late in the game. There were so many kids younger than him that had passed his skill level completely. He was learning though. He knew that while his mentor was working him hard, it was paying off. He was a fast learner and some days he actually felt a little proud of that.

 

Today, was not one of those days. He was walking through the grounds after failing miserably and all he wanted was a hot bath and a long bottle to drown himself in. As he walked across the Yards though he caught sight of a young woman. The way she moved, she seemed to feel the training even more than he did. He was about to move on when she dropped her staff and bent slightly to pick it up. Then the darnest thing happened. She stepped on the end as she was reaching... and smacked herself in the face. Before he could think he let out a loud laugh. It wasn't meant to be against the poor girl, but so little had given him a jolt and he needed to laugh. Needed desparately to get out his frustrations in the yard and fighting certainly wasn't doing it.

 

She looked up at him, her eyes flashing warning to him and he tried to hide his smile, but failed. "I'm sorry. Are you OK?" He bent to pick up the offending weapon even as he wondered if she'd smack his hand for it. She wasn't looking too grateful when he stood up with it in hand.

 

 

Poor tired Trainee :P

[Lannie]

His laughter was cutting Esthelle until the deepest of her heart. How dare he laugh at her? Normally she was the first one to laugh with anyone else but today, and in this pain... there was nothing funny about this. Nothing!

 

The guy with the bad sense of humor actually had the audacity to stand next to her and hand her the quarterstaff while grinning. "I'm sorry," he said with mirth twinkling in his eyes, as if he didn't mean it at all. "Are you okay?" As if he was making fun of her.

 

A red haze clouded Esthelle's vision as she pushed him over and climbed on top of his chest as the air slammed out of his lungs on collision with the soggy ground. "I'll SHOW you sorry, you bastard!" she shouted, and punched him in the face before he had any idea of what was going on. It hurt nastily, but she found her other hand (the one with the burn scars) curling into a fist as well, to join its brother in the other Trainee's face.

 

The rage and embarrassment was overwhelming - like that other time when she had lost all control - that one time when she had nearly killed her husband with the poker. Blind rage, just lashing out with all her power, with all her strength. She wasn't very strong or a proficient fighter, but in her anger it seemed like there were no limits to her explosion. She thought she had heard something snap under her fist, but she was not sure. And she did not care, either.

 

She'd teach him. Nobody would mess with her.

Never. Again.

 

~Esthelle

Tower Trainee flying off the handle... big-time. O_o

[TaeaDawn]

Ursana had no idea what was happening. He had been taken aback by the hilarity of the moment, then had felt bad and had tried to make amends by checking on the poor girl. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, pain blossoming in his head. He understood the weight on his chest, understood that the girl was pounding into him with everything she had, even if he didn't understand the why of it.

 

He brought his arms up, trying to catch her wrists, trying to get ahold of anything but she was swinging wildly and he couldn't seem to get ahold of her. In the end he stopped trying to catch her and went for a different approach. He rolled over, throwing her off him and onto the ground as he did so. She was trapped beneath him for a moment, but he knew enough of women to know it was a bad way to pin someone who seemed beyond the brink of reason anyway.

 

He pushed off her immediately, taking steps back to give her distance. "By the light woman, what's wrong with you?" He wasn't sure she heard him though. Something in her eyes seemed wild. He braced himself for another attack, waiting for her to make a move. Light, he didn't want to fight her. He didn't want to make an enemy of her. A spar was one thing, an honest to Light fight another, but he had no idea who this girl was or what had set her off. "I don't want to fight you."

[Lannie]

She managed to get a few hits in (or so she found out later) before her victim rolled over, pinned her onto the ground for a moment - which caused a jolt of panic and fear to rush through her rage-clouded mind... and then jumped out of her reach. "By the light woman, what's wrong with you?" he nearly snarled. He seemed somewhat out of breath and looked at her with both surprise and a bit of repulsion. His eyebrow seemed split, and a trickle of blood was running over the side of his face. Otherwise he seemed in better shape than she was.

 

Esthelle sat up from her sprawled position in the mud and wrapped her arms around her knees to hug herself. She blinked at him and wondered what was wrong with her, indeed. The rage was quickly fading, leaving her fatigued beyond relief. That, and aching. Light, the side of her face hurt. "You're bleeding," she noted. Her voice sounded distant and disconnected to her own ears. She felt as if she wasn't quite there, as if she was dreaming. It felt like a nightmare, indeed: the drizzling rain, the hot pain in her face, the fact that she had lost control so completely... She looked up at the male trainee and murmured: "I made you bleed. You should get it fixed... I am sorry."

 

Why had she lost control again?

She'd better not turn this into a habit or she might be a danger to herself and others. Esthelle bit her lip and wanted to curl herself into a tiny ball that made the whole world go away. Way to make introductions, Esthelle, she thought wryly. What in the name of the Light IS wrong with me?

[TaeaDawn]

"You're bleeding," She sounded like she wasn't a part of it. Like she wasn't there. Sitting there on the ground, her arms wrapped around herself, she looked... small and scared. "I made you bleed. You should get it fixed... I am sorry."

 

Peace! The woman attacks him out of the blue, knocks him to the ground and pummels him, then stops as suddenly and looks like the violence was done to her! He shook his head trying to understand the unfathomable, knowing what his own reaction to this sort of thing would be. Well, no one ever really claimed his family was in their right mind.

 

He sqautted down beside her, hoping he wasn't about to set her off again. "Looks like your face needs a looking at too. A Sister could fix that all up for you." He said, grimacing as he did. It wasn't all that long ago that they had truely had to fix him up and his family had left him stranded in the city, in the care of the sister he had spent years avoiding. "Come on, the mud won't help either of us. My name's Sana by the way. Sana Tahn Sakhr." He said as he stood and offered a hand up.

[Zachary]

Maldrin looked up at the sky. One hour or so until his break was done, and he'd have to go back to the field. Rubbing his chest, he sighed. I always seem to get injured in the ribs, he thought morosely. It gets so repetitive. Why can't I get a nice leg injury, for variety's sake? Chuckling at that, he started down the path. He was thinking of going out to the city for a bit. There was a barmaid there, with a twinkle in her eye just for him. Grinning slightly, he picked up the pace.

 

Glancing over to the side, he saw someone on the ground. But someone was already there, helping the person up, so he was about to continue when he noticed who was helping the person up. That was Sana, his roommate. Only he looks like a stampede of trollocs stepped on his face. Stopping, he looked longingly towards the city, then turned towards the two, sighing softly. Maybe he could get into a good fight with whomever tried to tenderize Sana's face.

 

"Hey Sana, what happened to your face? Looks like a horde of trollocs stampeded on it." Maldin said, looking Sana over. Looked like he'd fallen to the ground too. Then he turned to look at the person on the ground. "Youch. I'm guessing that one of you were fighting someone, the other jumped in, and you both got beat." Sighing, he shook his head at Sana. "I just hope you drew some blood. Otherwise I'm ashamed to have you as a friend. Now than, let's get you two to an Aes Sedai and you'll get all fixed up." Reaching down to help the person on the ground up, Woman, he realized belatedly, Maldrin looked up at Sana. "You really shouldn't make a habit of getting Healed. It can't be healthy."

[Lannie]

Squatting down next to her, he said with a vague look of concern on his own battered face: "Looks like your face needs a looking at too. A Sister could fix that all up for you." He grimaced, perhaps not looking forward to a real Healing. Esthelle had never experienced one before, but she knew that it was quite intense. But then his blue-gray eyes softened again and he said: "Come on, the mud won't help either of us. My name's Sana by the way. Sana Tahn Sakhr." And he offered his hand. His hand! He was bleeding and his face was blooming up with bruises, his clothes and hair were full of mud, but he offered her his hand. It was unbelievable, but he smiled at her and seemed to forgive her!

 

Esthelle could have kissed him for his gentle spirit. She was just so used to Yoran and his temper, so used to having to pay dearly for every mistake she made. Yet today, in the drizzling rain, she had found someone who was willing to step over her moment of insanity. And Esthelle realized that she had never even experienced such a thing. Sure, Evan had been forgiven all mistakes he made by her parents, but she had always been punished. And later with Yoran... well, she was just so used to hurting for her faults that she didn't know otherwise anymore. And that was what she'd been preparing for. And here, this Sana... She just wanted to reach out her hand and she was smiling up at him, when suddenly a new voice piped up and another young man broke in rudely.

 

"Hey Sana, what happened to your face? Looks like a horde of trollocs stampeded on it." It was a darkhaired young man with the same bloody mirth lacing his voice. "Youch. I'm guessing that one of you were fighting someone, the other jumped in, and you both got beat," he prattled on. "I just hope you drew some blood. Otherwise I'm ashamed to have you as a friend. Now than, let's get you two to an Aes Sedai and you'll get all fixed up." He finally turned to Esthelle and reached out his hand much like Sana had done just moments ago. But this time it just felt all wrong. He had ruined the moment, Sana's gesture and her own acceptance. "You really shouldn't make a habit of getting Healed. It can't be healthy."

 

"How about you mind your own bloody business?" Esthelle sniped, not taking any hand but pushing herself out of the mud on her own strength. The side of her face felt like an inferno; almost burning as much as her hands had done during the fire incident with Yoran, and she was hurting once again, hating once again. He had ruined everything. "Who do you think you are anyway, butting in on us like this?"

 

~Esthelle

who's bouncing a bit around between moods atm ;)

[Zachary]

OOC: Crap! Almost finished, and it got deleted!

 

Maldrin didn't like the tone of her voice. Here he was, graciously offering to help her out, while he could be doing all together more pleasant things with a certain barmaid, and he was getting a look that should kill him and a tongue lashing that would be far more deserved if he were trying to get her into bed, not help her out. But, he reasoned, she'd obvious come out on the wrong side of a fight, which never helped out with one's disposition. So he decided to ignore it.

 

"I'm sorry, I'd forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Maldrin, Sana's roommate-" And a very big idiot, those eyes seemed to say,"-and friend. I was passing by when I noticed you two, both the worse for wear, so decided to come over to see if I could help out." Obviously a severe lack of judgement on his part. "So, what happened that made you both look like you'd fallen off a cliff?"

 

Maldrin was no longer having a good day. Not even a little bit did those eyes soften. They seemed to get harder. He could've been looking into melting eyes right now, if not for his need to help out a friend. And curiousity, he admitted silently to himself. He had a feeling he was going to regret what he was about to do, but he couldn't resist. Adversity always had an adverse affect on him. So he resigned himself to his urge, and gave her his best smile. It had always gotten him into good or bad situations, and he had a feeling this would be a bad one. Oh well, he shrugged mentally.

[Lannie]

"I'm sorry, I'd forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Maldrin, Sana's roommate... and friend. I was passing by when I noticed you two, both the worse for wear, so decided to come over to see if I could help out." He shrugged. "So, what happened that made you both look like you'd fallen off a cliff?"

 

She glared at him, at his misplaced smile and sense of humour that was totally passing her by at the moment. This Maldrin with his sparkling green eyes was rubbing her completely the wrong way, and she let temper and the pain in her face get the better of herself. Maybe if she could have stopped herself, she wouldn't even have wanted to. She felt like shouting, and this meddling idiot was in the way.

 

"I refer to my former statement," she told him icily. "Which is, as you might remember if you had enough braincells left that aren't occupied with your meddling, is to stay the hell out of other people's business." That last part came out sounding a little like a hiss. She had picked up her quarterstaff somewhere along the lines and held it with a grip that was certain and steadfast; the steady grip she had searched for in the past weeks but never seemed to find. Seems like her defense mechanisms knew things about her staff that even she didn't know. When cornered, her body knew instinctively what to do.

 

"This was something between Sana and myself, you don't have any right to poke your nose into it. The only poking that will be done is by a Healer, which I am fairly sure you are NOT. So take a hike, or I'll help you leave." Esthelle centered her weight and put her hands in the basic offensive position, so he'd know she meant business.

 

 

OOC: I'm having SO much fun! *squeals* thanks guys!

[TaeaDawn]

It was, perhaps, the most insane thing that had ever happened to one Ursana Tahn Sakhr. Having a bad day in the beginning had turned into an even worse day when the Little Lady at his side had decided to hurt herself. He hadn't meant to laugh, not really, but all the stress he'd been feeling had needed some release and it had happened before he could try to stop it. Then Little Lady had taken to beating him . He hadn't been prepared for her to snap and he had been even less able to defend himself when all he wanted to do was find out what made her snap. And almost as soon as it began, she was staring at him like she wascrazy and maybe about to go hysterical on him so he'd just tried to step in and make sure she was OK. Now, they seemed to be on better terms, which meant she wasn't pummelling him or yelling at him, when his new roommate showed up and she took offense at him. This was... beyond... insane to him.

 

Somewhere in the back of him mind he wondered if he was in shock because he had this terrible urge to just sit back and watch his Little Lady take a chunk out of Maldrin the Mad. The urge to laugh was coming back as Maldrin dug himself in deeper.

 

"I'm sorry, I'd forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Maldrin, Sana's roommate and friend. I was passing by when I noticed you two, both the worse for wear, so decided to come over to see if I could help out. So, what happened that made you both look like you'd fallen off a cliff?"

 

Oh... that look was so not good. Little Lady was ready to fight again and Sana wasn't sure he was gonna get in the way of it again. Honestly, he'd have to talk to his roommate about talking to people who were beaten up in the yards. People didn't normally like to discuss their wounds while they were still bleeding, in his opinion. Part of him knew that Maldrin was just being friendly, but another part was instinctively protective of Little Lady. He didn't know anything about her, but something in her reaction sparked protectiveness. Not in the, gotta-defend-her kinda way. Mostly in the, she-had-it-bad-somewhere-and-I-need-to-make-sure-she-has-it-good-here-somehow way.

 

"I refer to my former statement which is, as you might remember if you had enough braincells left that aren't occupied with your meddling, is to stay the hell out of other people's business. This was something between Sana and myself, you don't have any right to poke your nose into it. The only poking that will be done is by a Healer, which I am fairly sure you are NOT. So take a hike, or I'll help you leave."

 

Oh, offensive stance, you gotta recognize that Maldrin, he thought to himself. But why wasn't he stepping in himself? Why was he letting Little Lady throw herself into this and not trying to settle it? Because he needed to let her handle it. She needed to fight this out it seemed and he was gonna let her. His new roommate could fend for himself, he was sure. He wasn't about to bud into this unless he had to. As much as he wished he could say he'd step in as soon as Maldrin needed help, part of him was quite certain that no matter how much he liked his roommate, he would stand at Little Lady's back on this one. A slightly disturbing thought, but then he never claimed to understand women, or their effect on men. He wasn't that big a fool.

 

((OOCly... what a long post to say he did nothing :P))

[Zachary]

"I refer to my former statement," she told him icily. "Which is, as you might remember if you had enough braincells left that aren't occupied with your meddling, is to stay the hell out of other people's business."

 

Wow, Maldrin thought. I didn't know people could actually hiss almost exactly like a cat. Completely ignoring what she was saying, he focussed to resist the urge to snap his fingers repeatedly and say 'Here, kitty kitty kitty.' And also to resist trying out the hissing to see if he could do that.

 

Whoa whoa whoa, focus Maldrin! See what she's doing? She's getting ready to attack! But why? He wondered. He'd completely missed what she'd been saying while trying not to provoke her. So here he was, looking at a very grumpy woman who had it in mind to beat his head into his neck, while his roommate stood by doing exactly nothing. At that reminder, he gave Sana an annoyed and slightly upset look.

 

Ok, so he had to figure out what to do. He had a Wildcat, Hmm, Wildcat, I like that,a Wildcat with a big stick about to bash his brains in for a reason he didn't know why. Wait, she said something about brain cells! Was she talking about my brain cells, her brain cells, or brain cells in general? Or maybe it was an odd threat I've never heard before... Not the time, Maldrin, not the time.

 

Concentrating back on the Wildcat, he went through his options. Running didn't hold much appeal. He got the feeling she'd chase him down if he did. Trying to persuade her didn't seem likely. So that left fighting. He had been wanting a good fight. But she had that staff, which meant he should use his scimitar. But that didn't feel right. Oh well, he thought once more resigned with his nature. Quickly, he undid his weapon's belt, keeping an eye on the Wildcat, then threw them to Sana.

 

I really am an idiot. Maldrin thought sadly, as he went into a fighting stance. He'd always been able to hold his own with the lads at the stable, and in barfights, but somehow he thought it'd be different when the other person had a long weapon. This is gonna hurt. With that thought, he quickly closed the space between himself and the Wildcat, and threw a left cross. He was already beginning to grin. He liked fights.

[Lannie]

He wasn't even listening to her, she could tell from the glazed, vaguely amused expression in his eyes. He just responded instinctively to her challenge with the ease of someone who doesn't mind fighting. It was obvious that he was further in his training than she was, and he had the air of someone who is very comfortable with hand-to-hand offensive contact.

 

Esthelle's hands tightened around her quarterstaff for just that quarter of a second before she acted. She didn't think, she just wished to hurt this blathering idiot with his loud mouth and his meddling. That same red haze before her eyes, that same clouding of her mind; just pure bloodlust. Later she would recognize this as the same feeling she had when she finally struck back with that poker, but at the moment all she wanted to do was strike out. And so she did; interestingly enough in exactly the same manner she had struck out before, with Yoran and the poker.

 

Never before had she handled her quarterstaff so surely, with such strong grip and such fluid movements. Perhaps she wobbled a little because the staff was so much longer than the poker had been, but the motion was smooth and sure, and it went fast. She had not even realized what she was doing until the staff had finished its arc and collided with a cracking crash with Maldrin's shoulder.

 

He had never even anticipated her move, probably as little as she herself had - but this was the bloodlust kicking in once again: she wanted to hurt someone and thus she lashed out in the only way she knew how: by hitting, instead of the moves she had practiced with Kynwric.

 

Maldrin doubled over in pain, choking out a sound that might have been a howl if the oxygen had not been all but knocked out of his lungs - and all Esthelle could do was drop the quarterstaff in horror.

 

I must be out of my bloody mind, she thought in a moment of startling clarity. I have problems. Definite problems

 

So she turned tail and ran. But from what, she didn't quite know...

 

 

 

OOC: Feel free to follow Esthelle, gents! ;) She's pretty much mellowed out now. Maldrin: I kept your injury vague so you can make it as horrible as you want (or not)! :)

[Zachary]

She'd obviously been aiming for his shoulder. But, of course, with his luck it ended up right into his chest. Into his already injured ribs. Maldrin heard a crack as his ribs broke. Sometime later, he was staring up at the sky. Always the ribs. Always. Maybe I should start wearing armor everywhere. It really wasn't an appropriate time to laugh. He knew that. Yet he was always injured in the ribs. It was ridiculous. The pain from his ribs as he laughed made him wince and groan. After the pain settled to a dull ache, he opened his eyes again, this time absorbing more of the current situation.

 

The sun was quite a distance from last he looked. His teacher, Talyn, wasn't going to be too happy with him. He was also alone. The Wildcat had left, and Sana had either gone with her or for help. Hoping he was getting help, but determining that help should have already come by now, Maldrin crawled over towards some bushes. On the way, he got his weapons belt. By the time he reached the bushes and hid into the underbrush, he was hissing in pain. What do you know, I can hiss like a cat too. I'll have to try it sometime when I'm not in this much pain.

 

After being sure he was hidden from view, he took off his shirt and took a look at the damage. That's not too pleasant, he thought to himself, suppressing a shudder. Splotches of black, red, and blue covered his chest, as well as what looked like a stick under his skin trying to press out. Sighing deeply, he shook his head. "How do I get myself into these situations? All I wanted to do was go into the city and spend some time with a sparkle-eyed barmaid, and instead I wind up getting my ribs broken by a wildcat."

 

Suddenly, he heard a sound. Someone was walking towards him. Or was that more than one set of footsteps? Whatever the case, Maldrin unsheathed his scimitar and seax. He wasn't taking a chance that wildcat decided to finish him off. And this time he had no reservations about cutting that pretty face of hers.

 

But really, he hoped whoever it was wouldn't find him. He was not in the best of moods.

[TaeaDawn]

Ursana watched the whole thing in a wild haze of disbelief. Maldrin taking a swing at Little Lady and her using her staff against him. The thud had been painful to listen to and he was sure even worse for his roommate. To his relief, his mad friend stayed down and Little Lady dropped the staff. He dropped Maldrin's weapons belt and was about to check on him when she turned and ran. He shook his head in disbelief. One friend in need of help lying on the ground in front of him and... well... her... running around who knows where.

 

A part of him wished it had been a dificult decision, but his choice had been made before Maldrin stepped into this really. He left Maldrin and took off in the direction Little Lady had gone. He greabbed another trainee as he passed. "Maldrin needs help. Possibly healing." He said, then was off as soon as he could see the Trainee seemed to understand him.

 

He kept running until he finally caught up with her. She was still going, but he'd always been a fast runner and had the stamina to go with it. "Hey! Wait up!" He called after her, hoping she'd slow down so he didn't have to resort to tackling her.

[Zachary]

He'd been laying there for what felt like hours. Whoever it was that had been around earlier had gone off, after searching for a bit. There had been a woman's voice, though he couldn't remember what she said, he just knew it wasn't... wasn't... wasn't somebody. He was starting to feel a tad hot, even though the sun was beginning to set and logic dictated it should be cooler. He was starting to lose focus, and his mind started flitting about. There was a barmaid for some reason. He also saw a cat, hissing and her ears laid back. If he had some faculty of his sense, he'd wonder how he knew it was a she. But since he didn't have much sense to spare at the moment, he just marvelled at the fact that the cat was holding a staff. It wasn't something you saw everyday. There was something about that that bothered him. Oh yes, cat's have no opposable thumbs. How's she holding it?

 

OOC: Ok, so now you two can get through an after violence talking, and hopefully keep enough awareness of Maldrin to save him at some point. I must warn you, delirious or not, I think he'll react badly to Esthelle. Should be fun. I'll get back in if you guys decide to help him out.

[Lannie]

He caught up with her behind a row of bushes, where she simply leaned against a tree. She could not see anymore for the tears blurring her vision, so running on would not have been a smart idea... and Esthelle was quite done with acting stupid for today.

 

"There you are," she heard him say gently behind her. "Are you alright?"

 

Esthelle opened her eyes and turned to him. He was watery and blurry, but she found him easily enough. She wrapped her arms around him and buried the good side of her face in his shoulder, sobbing heartbrokenly. "You must think I'm not quite right in the head...that I'm some kind of violent psychopath. I am so sorry, I am not like that..." she cried, hating herself, hating today, thinking that the world was not fair for letting this happen to you. She thought she was getting over what had happened but it seemed that this was less the case than she'd hoped it would be. I thought I was dealing so well... Reality check...

 

"I'm sorry for hurting you," Esthelle confessed, looking up at him. The bleeding had stopped and the rain was starting to wash away the stains on his face. "I know there's no excuse for what I did... but I just wanted to tell you that I'm genuinely sorry. It seems I..." she sniffled, "I have some problems. I need to talk to someone and deal with it I guess." She sighed. "I never meant to let you be on the receiving end of it. Or that Maldrin guy for that matter, even though he had it coming."

 

Sana had his arms still around her in that gesture of comfort, and she found that she was quite comfortable there. For some odd reason, she was starting to like him and would want him to be her friend. It was very possible though that she had messed up beforehand, though. How would he respond to her apology?

 

 

OOC: Maldrin-> Esthelle and Sana will re-join you as soon as they've this talk & a healing out of the way. :)

[TaeaDawn]

Ursana slowed down as he came upon Little Lady again. There was obviously more going on then he understood and he didn't want to scare her anymore than it seemed like he already had. "There you are," he said lightly, letting her hear his voice before he moved to close. "Are you alright?"

 

She opened her eyes and Sana could see the tears in them. When she suddenly moved forward and wrapped herself around him, he simply let her and held her close. He had no idea what was happening or why, but she needed someone and it seemed he was that person today. When she started talking he didn't interrupt, but let her speak her mind.

 

"You must think I'm not quite right in the head...that I'm some kind of violent psychopath. I am so sorry, I am not like that..."

 

"I'm sorry for hurting you. I know there's no excuse for what I did... but I just wanted to tell you that I'm genuinely sorry. It seems I... I have some problems. I need to talk to someone and deal with it I guess. I never meant to let you be on the receiving end of it. Or that Maldrin guy for that matter, even though he had it coming."

 

Sana signed. "No, I don't think your psychopathic. And yes, I think Maldrin had it coming too. He just likes a good fight is all, and you certainly gave him that." Sana looked down at her then reached a hand down and tilted her head up slighlty. "And you don't need to keep saying you are sorry. You said it once, and I believe you. And if you need to talk, about this or anything else, I'm always around here somewhere." Sana smiled then. "Just move slowly around Maldrin if you come to visit our room so he doesn't think you're going to beat him up again." He pushed a stray hair off her cheek then, wiping away the remains of a tear. "Of course, if you don't know where to start talking... your name would be good."

[Lannie]

He sighed and reassured her that he did not think she was crazy; it sounded like music to her ears. As if not all was lost yet. His hand touched her chin, raising it slightly so their eyes met, and she could see the gentle acceptance in his eyes.

 

"You don't need to keep saying you are sorry. You said it once, and I believe you. And if you need to talk, about this or anything else, I'm always around here somewhere." And then he smiled. "Just move slowly around Maldrin if you come to visit our room so he doesn't think you're going to beat him up again." He touched her in the face again to wipe her tears away and she let him. It felt so different than Yorans touches had. This felt right.

 

She could feel herself smiling up at him despite the pain, despite her feelings of confusion.

 

"Of course," he added with a smile, "if you don't know where to start talking... your name would be good."

 

Esthelle laughed softly. Suddenly, the world seemed a whole lot brighter. Despite the rain and her throbbing face, she felt as if the sun was shining. "I didn't tell you, now did I? My name is Esthelle Vinder. And I'd love to take you up on your offer; how about I take you out to dinner sometime to make things up to you, and I'll buy you beer. And for now... let's get ourselves patched up and healed, okay?"

[TaeaDawn]

She laughed. Somehow in this whole confusing mess, Sana found he had said something right.

 

"I didn't tell you, now did I? My name is Esthelle Vinder. And I'd love to take you up on your offer; how about I take you out to dinner sometime to make things up to you, and I'll buy you beer. And for now... let's get ourselves patched up and healed, okay?"

 

He smiled broadly at her. "I think that's probably a good idea. We both look a little... worn around the edges." He said kindly. Now that the chase was off, he was starting to feel his injuries again. Nothing near as bad as what had landed him here in the first place, but the pain that was starting in his head was making him think he'd be feeling a lot worse later unless they took care of it now. He took a step back then and felt the loss as soon as he lost contact with her. He offered her his arm then, as if they were going for a stroll on Sunday. "Now, My Lady Esthelle, if you'd lead the way?"

[Zachary]

Maldrin was currently on hands and knees, outside of the bushes, and washing himself. He felt no pain as he licked his hand and washed his face, although he felt a bit hot. The sun had set, so it should be cool, but he supposed his fur was keeping himself nice and warm.

 

Presently finished with his bath, he looked around curiously. Sniffing the air, he tried to scent dinner, but sadly there was nothing but the plants and the crispness of the night air. Perhaps a hint of moisture, as of storms coming. Meowing disappointedly, he went farther from the trail, hoping to find a bird of some kind, perhaps.

 

Suddenly he went still. There was a sound coming from a bush. Going slowly towards it, being sure to make no noise, he spotted a rabbit. It was looking away from him, and was upwind. He wondered briefly why he hadn't caught it's scent, but discarded it quickly. It didn't matter. But food did. Getting close enough to pounce, he waited a second. Then leapt at it, caught it under his paws, and, mewling in triumph, ripped it's throat out. It was a little harder than it should have been, but he gave it no mind as he dug in, purring softly.

 

It was troubling, however, that not all the blood was that of the deceased rabbit's. As he pounced, one of his ribs had pierced the skin and a steady stream of blood was streaming through. But that was of no matter to Maldrin. It had been Maldrin the Man that that had happened to. Maldrin the Cat was uninjured and feasting. Maybe a little hot and perhaps congested, but uninjured.

 

OOC: I couldn't resist.

[Lannie]

OOC: Um... while kind of funny, this kind of does not fit with the rest of the RP that we had in mind hun...

you think we could disregard that post and just RP out a normal confrontation?

 

cheers, Esthelle

[Zachary]

OOC: Perfectly alright with me. Like I said, just couldn't resist.

[Lannie]

Healing felt every bit as horrible as her roommates had warned her about. Esthelle hissed in a sharp breath as the sensation of being dunked into a ton of ice water overcame her. Her skin tingled and pulled and there were things going on underneath it that she would prefer not to know about - but the pain left soon enough and her face felt right again. When the sensation subsided, it left her gasping for breath and dizzy and incredibly tired. "Light, that wasn't fun," she spluttered.

 

"Take it easy for today, dear," Faith Sedai adviced her gently. "A Healing takes quite a bit out of you and I wouldn't want you to collapse."

 

"I think I can do that," Esthelle reassured the Yellow Aes Sedai and waited for Sana's Healing to commence. He had graciously let her go first, like a true gentlemen, and Esthelle couldn't help but feeling touched by his gestures. He was so different from Yoran; Sana seemed so eager to please because he got joy out of it, as well. She admired that in him, she thought, as she watched him shudder slightly under Faith Sedai's healing hands.

 

When the Healing was over, Esthelle smiled at him: "I don't know about you, but I could sure use a bath now. I kind of messed us both up, filth-wise..."

 

And he joined her. They soaked together in the bathhouse and Esthelle had to keep herself from checking him out (and admiring) his forms through the water surface. She hoped he didn't notice, but on the other hand she decided she didn't really care. He probably thought her odd already anyway, so there wouldn't be any harm in it. Apparently the oddness was not enough for him to avoid her. They even had fun; they laughed and teased with the ease of friends. Looking at him through the steamy air Esthelle reflected that she hardly could not imagine ever being angry at this wonderful young man. She hoped that she was making it up to him now by being his friend... because she didn't even just like him, she was probably even starting to fancy him a bit. She grinned. How about that?

 

That left her one more problem though: "Maldrin. I should check on how he's doing, and apologize for attacking him," she mused as she was rinsing out her darkblond hair. She didn't exactly look forward to it, though...

 

~Esthelle

[TaeaDawn]

"Maldrin. I should check on how he's doing, and apologize for attacking him,"

 

Sana sputtered slighlty at the unexpected mention of his roommate. He had been enjoying the relaxing bath. This was his second time having to be healed since coming to Tar Valon. At least this time he was just a little tired. Last time he'd slept for days to overcome the experience. The bath was settling him just fine and his eyes strayed to Esthelle when she wasn't looking a number of times. Light she was beautiful. Probably not a good thing to think about. Definitely not a good thing to think about the girl who had just beat him up. And his roommate. And who, if her words were anything, seemed interested in Maldrin.

 

They had been teasing and laughing with one another, but somehow Maldrin had popped into her head. The goat-headed roommate who loved to fight. He sighed. It had been a stupid idea anyway, to think about her like that.

 

"He's probably OK. He likes a good fight from what he's said since we became roommates. I grabbed another trainee to see to him, but I don't know if they went or not. Probably not. If you want i'll help you find him."

 

It was not high on his list of things to do really. Maldrin and Rodrik, two of his rommates, seemed to enjoy a good bar fight where Ursana prefered to stay clear of them himself. He'd defended himself in fights to protect himself but he wasn't the type to start anything. It was beyond him to think like they did. And the way he had thrown a punch at Esthelle back there... well he'd have to have words with him about that sometime. Course, maybe not. She'd clobbered him good for the effort.

 

"We can drag him to a healer. Or to our rooms if he doesn't want that." He smiled at her then. "Although, if he's in any state like we were, we might need another bath once we're done."