Bubble of Light Aftermath: You did what?!

[Guest Estel]

It wasn’t so much the fact that it was morning, nor was it the grey light in the room that heralded the few rays of sunshine escaping the horizon, rather it was the something that was tickling his neck.  When Brent finally squinted his eyes open, it was a few strands of red hair.  There seemed to be a lot of this hair spread out in a tangled mess on the pillow.  Last time he had checked, his hair wasn’t nearly that long, nor that colour.  He craned his neck to check for the head that the hair belonged to; Annie’s face lay opposite his, still fast asleep.  So, what his groggy mind had dismissed as just another dream... wasn’t actually a dream.

 

‘This do be getting complicated now, I be thinking.’ Brent thought wincing, lying back down on the pillow.  All the same, he certainly didn’t regret it, although he wouldn’t have minded avoiding the upcoming “what happens now” conversation.  However, he wasn’t in the habit of abandoning the women he slept with, or at least hadn’t been before his unintentional bout of celibacy at the Black Tower, particularly on the off-chance of a return visit.  But that was sheer idiocy wasn’t it?  He was the M’Hael, she was the Amyrlin Seat.  They might have been able to forget their titles last night, but now it was morning and he had a half dozen Asha’man and Dedicated to lead home.

 

Leaning over, he kissed her cheek and gently shook her shoulder.  “G’morning.”  A bit of the lame side after last night, but he wasn’t sure what else to say and even a few moments of procrastinating asking the inevitable question was better than ripping the bandage right off.  “I do probably be uh... needing to go quickly...”  Brent left the sentence for her to finish silently, still unwilling to slide back into his black uniform and title.

 

[Arette]

Some people were gifted with awesome sleeping talents and not even the loudest noises could disturb their sleep. Annais was certainly one of those blessed few and if she was asked, she wanted to wake up as late as possible every day. Sadly she had made the mistake of hiring an early morning bird maid who was of the opinion that all proper Aes Sedai should be up and doing what ever it was that Aes Sedai did well before midday. It had become a morning ritual that Lia pulled the blankets off her and shook her awake. Annais then moaned and complained, got to sleep a bit longer and then ate breakfast while her maid worked on perfecting the elaborate curl coiffures that had become her trade mark.

 

Annie's first reaction to being shaken was to curl tighter into the bed and snuggle against the wonderfully warm body beside her. "No, not yet, you cruel thing", she murmured her protests groggily. "There is still time. Sleep..." This morning there was something different about it, though, something that penetrated even her sleep foggy brain. She still had her blankets, Lia wouldn't kiss her on the cheek and no one was supposed be sharing her bed.

 

Her eyes flew open and she blinked in the faint light until she could make out the face she had been dreaming of for weeks. It felt natural that Brent was there. Annais laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him making faint 'mmmm' noises against his shoulder that expressed how comfortable she was feeling. He had said something. Her tired mind processed it for a few minutes until the meaning impacted on her. He was leaving, he had to go. She didn't want him to go but that was bad somehow too.

 

She clung to him. "Yes, it's not safe for you. Brent, I..." The last night was coming back to her and with it a satisfied glow. "Mmm... wonderful. A stalemate, yes? Kiss me."

 

Annais Nevell

Not a morning person

[Guest Estel]

It appeared Annais was not one of those people for whom the mantra “sleep is a waste of time” held true.  Generally, most of the men in the Black Tower were up well before sunrise and while Brent was hardly one of the crazies who had been running the track for three hours before sun-up, “up and down with the sun” was generally his life—the latter being the more flexible rule of the two.  The cynical voice in his mind deigned to remind him that he could rest when he was dead, seeing as that wouldn’t likely be far into the future.  Now was not the time for cynicism, however, not with Annie curled up against his body.  Brent was more than happy to oblige her request and for more than just an excuse to put off asking “the question”.

 

However, without the barrier of clothing, emotions and memories from the night before surfaced.  When his blood began to heat again, Brent backed away.  Damnit, he couldn’t get the vision of the door banging open and Linten catching him, with her, out of his head.  What if someone caught them?  What would happen?  “Careful, Annie, or you do no be getting rid of me.”  The M’Hael of the Black Tower tried to cover a sigh with a forced laugh.  Wasn’t it funny that last night, wearing the coat and pins, he could forget and yet now, wearing nothing at all, somehow there seemed a constant reminder?

 

She seemed in no rush to ask and the longer he stayed, the higher risk they ran of being found out.  Blood and ashes!  He hadn’t wanted to be the one to broached the subject.  “So...?”  Blah... she could get the question from that, right?

[Arette]

There was no need for complaints in neither Brent's eagerness nor skill. The kiss that started as a cozy 'goodmorning honey' smooch begun to gather ardour. Annais could feel exactly how happy he was to be sharing a bed with her, and the arousing knowledge and feelings were better and much more pleasurable wake up than a mug of stark tea. But it couldn't last and they didn't have the time for it now. That was the only thing she regretted. This really would be a one time only experience but she didn't want it to be. And that was a problem. From his faked laughter, he wasn't too enthusiastic about the prospect either. Still, there was nothing neither one of them could do about it.

 

"So?", she repeated with confusion before it dawned to her. Of course, he was trying to ask about the future. Only they didn't have a future together except as leaders of two factions with an alliance. "We can't anymore, Brent." Her voice was thick with regret. "It would be too dangerous for you. You deposed Dalinarius for being too pro-White Tower and I doubt that he actually literally slept with the 'enemy'. Linten would have a field day if he found out. So we... we will meet. Professionally that is. I like you very much so it will be nice. But we... we just can't. Not like this."

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Guest Estel]

He had known the words were coming.  Hell, had she asked the question, his response would have been the same.  So why then, if he was expecting the denial, did it still sting so much?  Damnit, she got under his skin so easily!  He felt like boy after his first kiss, again, so sure that the girl he likes was the only girl in the world.  This wasn’t practical!  It was dangerous and stupid and besides, sneaking around wasn’t his style.

 

Oh but it felt so good!

 

With a sigh, he rolled out of bed.  Trying to lighten the situation a little, he bowed joking.  “As you be wishing, mother.”  For all her words, her eyes weren’t on his face, though he guessed more than knew since his eyes weren’t exactly on her face either.

 

Now the real question was, where had his smallclothes gotten to?

 

Tracing a trail of clothing from the bedroom floor, out the bedroom door, and back over to the sofa.  Finally fully dressed, he caught his reflection in the mirror.  Mostly he was decent though his hair looked... well, it looked like he’d been doing exactly what he had been doing.  Well, at least it was early enough that there shouldn’t be too many people in the hallways.  Light, if someone noticed...

[Arette]

Brent was clearly disappointed but he knew her argument by himself too. And it was his safety that Annais worried feared for. The Hall might not like what she was doing but the worst that they would do was try and get her to use it as a leverage against Brent. And it would be bloody horrible to be reporting of her relationship to the Sitters but they could be careful. No! It wasn't an option. The Black Tower wasn't as forgiving as the White Tower and Linten was a frightening psychopath.

 

The sight of his fit naked form was enough to wake up Annais more and she was following intently the ripple of his muscles under the olive toned skin as he searched for his smallclothes. His comment that was meant to be taken lightly... well, she could do that but it was too close to being back to their positions. "I am not your mother, Brent, unless you have some fantasies that I am not aware of", she retorted in an amused voice.

 

The trail of clothes lead Brent to the sitting room and out of her sight which meant that Annais had to abandon the warmth and comfort of her bed. With a groan she kicked off her blanket and reached for the comfortable large shawl that lay on the chair beside the bed. Wrapping it around her, she was at least semi proper. The shawl revealed some cleavage and displayed nicely her legs, a body part Annais liked the most, but it covered all the strategical spots. The effect seemed to be the desired one as Brent's attention was divided between her and getting dressed.

 

She grinned when he buttoned his cloak like a drunkard. "Here, let me help you." As she reached to unfasten the lopsided buttons, she hadn't taken into account how the shawl would slip. "Whoops. I think that you will have to help me stay decent. Or do you even want me to?" She knew that she didn't, not until he was out of the room. It wasn't truly over until that. Never mind the buttons. She kissed him again.

 

Annais Nevell

Not letting him off the hook just yet

[Guest Estel]

The sight of her coming through the bedroom door in nothing but a shawl was enough to make Brent completely forget about the buttons he was supposed to be doing up.  He honestly didn’t notice how botched a job he had done of it until Annie was pressed up against him, “helping”.  Only “helping” seemed to involve less fingers and more tongue.  She definitely wasn’t letting him go easily and while the longer he dallied in her rooms, the more dangerous it became for both of them, Brent couldn’t find it in him to move any faster—not that he was moving at all, unless one counted aforementioned tongue.

 

When the whole dressing process threatened to move from neutral and into reverse, he forced himself to break the kiss.  “You do be knowing very well I do no be wanting you decent.  But wanting be woefully different than reality and much as I be wanting to stay, I can no be doing that without endangering your position with the Hall.”  He pecked her on the cheek and headed for the door, straightening the buttons.  “I’ll be seeing you at the ceremonies later, then, Annie.”

 

Slipping out of the door as inconspicuously as possible, and running his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to somehow straighten it out, Brent ran into one of the last people he wanted to see just then.  “Mia!”  The exclamation of her name sounded very much like a chicken being stepped on.  It was simply amazing how fast the human face could turn from its normal colour to a brilliant shade of crimson.

[Wayfarer]

Making her way up yet another flight of stairs, it occurred to Mia that for all the vaunted powers of the Aes Sedai, it was slightly disappointing that after nearly three millenia that they had not discovered a way to move between the levels without walking.  They could heal just about anything short of death, they could now use traveling and skimming gates to get from place to place, yet they still insisted on using the stairs.  It probably wouldn't have occurred to her if Aran hadn't noted it a few years earlier, but then his irreverence was a touch contagious.

 

Of course, it had helped a little, but in the end she was still the same person she always was.  She'd just matured, gained some years and shed some of the notions that she had once bound herself in, like the infallibility of Aes Sedai.  So many of them could be so stupid, so many of them could do the right thing, they were no different than other people even if they wanted others to think they were.  But, oddly enough it didn't cause her to despair like her brother.  No, instead it became doubly important to stay behind and try and keep them safe so they could eventually do the right thing, even if they needed prodding like Annais.

 

The very person she was going to visit in fact, Mia had been summoned to meet with her this morning.  That was what Odelia had told her, up until the woman had then added that there was something she needed to see.  That had made Mia curious enough to hurry in her preparations and she was immaculate as she ascended the final stairs to the level upon which the Amyrlin's quarters could be found.  There had better have been a good reason for having to go to her quarters, or she was going to have words with Annais.

 

Rounding the corner of the hallway that led to the woman's quarters, Mia almost missed a step as a figure entered her vision.  Sneaking out of the Amyrlin's private quarters, the man was still fixing his buttons when he realised that Mia was there and released something that was a mixture of her name, surprise and an entirely unmanly squeak.

 

It was for good reason as Mia stopped in her tracks, her face as white as the walls around them.  Not so much shock, though that was certainly present in the ball of emotions bouncing about within.  No, it was a good deal of anger at Annais doing something she had said she would not do, and Brent being as bloody mindedly stupid and doing so too.  There was only one plausible reason for a man stumbling out of a woman's quarters so messily at this hour, and as far as she was concerned, Odelia had been right.  There had been something for her to see.

 

Quickly resuming her approach until she was but a couple of feet away from the man, Mia simply pointed down the hall as the dark anger in her eyes said everything else that needed to be said.  She was not happy, and while she knew that they couldn't afford to be caught, that didn't mean that Brent was off the hook by any means.  No, he was in a good deal of trouble and that would be addressed in good time.

 

Annais would be her concern for now.

 

Stepping through the doorway as Brent quickly fled the scene of the crime, Mia slammed the door behind her with enough force to suitably convey her discontent to an Annais who was garbed in nothing but a Shawl.  An Annais who was rapidly realising that she was in ten kinds of trouble after having told Mia repeatedly that there was nothing and that nothing would occur as she stood behind a chair to maintain some form of modesty.

 

Hitting Annais, while tempting, was something that Mia refrained for and not because it would have technically been an act of treason.  No, there was a much better way to communicate her incredible displeasure at the situation, and it was found in the form of a box that was sitting beside an assortment of brandy.

 

Walking over to it, Mia swiped it off the table and with an aggressive stride made her way to the balcony as she deliberately ignored the protest that showed that it was dawning on Annais exactly what Mia was going to do.  Hurling the box with a fury, it sailed in an increasingly downward arc through the air, carrying its cargo of prized cigars with it as it plummeted the better part of five hundred feet.

 

Not even looking to see where it fell, Mia stomped back into the room where Annais was as she roared.  "What in the Pit of Doom do be wrong with you!  You did be saying that you no be entertaining such an interest and that you no be doing such a thing and then what do I be finding when I be coming here!?  What do you be having to say for yourself!?  And do be putting some clothes on!"

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Guest Estel]

There are a great many things that intimidate a child that still carry on into later life.  A five year-old will get over his fear of the dark, but never the fear of his father’s disappointment.  A five year-old may get over his awe and respect for the fearsome, older babysitter, but usually that is after growing up alongside her and realising that their “almighty babysitter” was really no different than them, only a few years older.  However, when said babysitter abruptly leaves and rumours float back home, idolizing them as a hero Warder, saving the world and Aes Sedai, it is much harder to remember that the babysitter-turned-hero was still a regular person.  This held true even when one sat in so exalted a place of power that one commanded armies, frightened kings and queens into submission, and slept with the most powerful woman in the world.  It didn’t even matter that, technically, Mia was completely out of line or that Brent could snag her in flows of Air, flip her up-side down and shake her until she quit intimidating him.  Or... well... he could if he could remember how to use the One Power, just now.

 

With her every advancing footstep, Brent regressed a few more years.  One moment he was thirty, suddenly twenty-five, then eighteen, fifteen, twelve, eight...  By the time she was standing face-to-face with him, there was nothing left but a tiny five year-old clutching his binkie, his only pathetic shield from the formidable wrath of the big, bad, babysitter.  A bottom bearded lip practically quivered as she pointed down the hall.

 

The M’Hael, reduced to a pitiful mewling toddler, followed the scary finger, tiptoeing his way back to his room, terrified she might notice him again.  If he were thinking straight, he might have considered what sort of remarkable changes she might have on Linten—or the rest of the egotistic Black Tower.  However, being as good a boy as possible was occupying the better part of Brent’s mind.

 

By the time he had returned to his room.  Some of his swagger had returned and, luckily, the room had not seemed to notice his absence.  Laying down on the bed, he contemplated catching a few more hours of sleep but found he could not get the idea of taking a quick bath out of his mind.  So, after finding himself a handy servant to draw some hot water, Brent found himself happily soaking, Mia completely forgotten.

 

So if she was forgotten, why was he taking such care to check that behind his eyars and under her nails were clean?

[Arette]

 

It hadn't really been Annais' intention to have them tousling the bed again or maybe the sofa or the carpet this time. She had just wanted to give him a proper goodbye kiss as it was the last one they would ever share - or at least in a while, a treacherous voice whispered in her mind. The kiss just turned alot more heated than she had expected and so did they. Finally it was Brent, who had the willpower to pull away. She wanted to say something really witty for him to remember her well but all that came out was a disappointed 'mpfh'.

 

Get yourself back to check, woman, she scolded herself. If you are going to moon after him like that at the goodbye ceremony, everyone and their sister will know just what the two of them had been up to. And that would threaten not only her position as the Amyrlin, but also her reputation as a negotiator too. Everyone would assume that she had slept with Brent in the Black Tower and that had aided in her talks with him. She missed him already. Sighing deeply, she walked to prepare herself a brew of viciously strong tea.

 

The door banged open and Annais dropped the pot on her toes in shock. Her heart nearly stopped when she imagined one of the Sitters barging in. Oh they would just love it, having caught her red-handed. The sight of Mia was a small relief but a hundred times more embarrassing because she had assured the woman not long ago that this would never happen. What was she doing here anyway? Had she suspected that Annais and Brent couldn't keep in their clothes?

 

She made a half-hearted effort for decency by grabbing a chair and holding it in front of her but Mia wasn't interested of her. Instead the enraged Tower Guard headed to her desk where lay the original copy of the cigar box in her office. Annais cried out in protest when the woman picked it up and strode toward the balcony. "No! Not that. Please." The box had been a gift from Natalie and it was one of her dearest memorabilia. It didn't even occur to her that she could have stopped Mia with the One Power until it was too late and the box was gone forever.

 

The first angry words made her flinch and she felt even worse with every new uttering. The last sentence had the most impact and she rushed blindly to her bedroom. A silk robe was at its ordinary place and she fastened it around herself with surprisingly steady hands. At least the woman hadn't followed her so she got a moment to draw some deep calming breaths and try to recompose herself.

 

She wasn't accountable to Mia but because she had a connection to Brent and her opinion meant something to Annais, there was an apology to be made. "I am sorry for not being honest to you and myself, Mia. I really hoped that this wouldn't happen but now I wouldn't take it back. And I am not sorry about it. I am glad to have been with him this once because that is all we are going to get."

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Wayfarer]

"Ooo, I'm glad that I could be with him this once because thats all we're going to get."

 

While Mia's hands didn't need to communicate the sarcastic anger that her voice positively seethed with, they did an admirable job as they mimed a plaintive attempt to explain a very very stupid thing.  At least the particular idiot who was doing the explaining had finally put on a robe, though silk didn't exactly scream modesty.  To think that Brent had spent the night entwined in those arms, it was enough to make it difficult for Mia to draw breath.

 

But breath she did, loudly through her nose as she attempted to steady herself.  Not that it was working, that Brent spent the night in this room was disastrous and for a woman that she was trying to keep out of trouble, Annais seemed to be doing everything in her power to drive Mia nuts.  Staggering from one disaster to the next like a drunkard reeling between pubs that he was evicted from.  But this was different, this was Brent, and it wasn't only Annais neck or the Tower's pride involved, it was also her Brent and she'd be damned if Annais got him in trouble as well.  Her only stay at the Farm had been enough to show her what kind of trouble awaited Brent if they were discovered.

 

Stabbing the air with a finger, Mia felt like she was going to fly apart as she spoke.  "You bloody well will be sorry when I do be through with you.  You do be telling me one thing then you be doing another, and all the while you do be practically inviting disaster upon any single chance that both the Towers be getting along by risking the chance of the pair of you being painted as victims of seduction by the other.  You'd be stripped of your stole and Brent being stripped of the M`haelship do be just a hairsbreadth away!"

 

"And now you do be tying yourself to him!"  That was the worst part of it all, unless she'd misjudged Brent while they'd been at the farm.  "If he do be stupid enough to be spending the night with you, then he do be stupid enough to be thinking that more can be coming of it.  Meanwhile, if he did be meaning anything, you do be mooning over him like some lackwit and between the pair of you you can be feeling all kinds of miserable instead of just leaving it be.  But noooo, the pair of you did be knowing better!"

 

Light, she just wanted to hit something, or someone, more than anything else right now.  It was too hard to focus as furious as she was, and there was something that she would now have to fix.  Turning around, she stepped towards the door as Annais asked her where she was going.  With a look that could have traumatised small children, Mia barely managed to force about between clenched teeth.  "Do you be thinking that bloody box and those bloody cigars do be just apparating back up here?  I'll be back in ten minutes with those damned things, and you'd better bloody well be decent and the door had better be unlocked or so help me I will blood and bloody well kick the damn thing in!"

 

At that, Mia stepped outside and slammed the door behind her.

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Arette]

Mia's angry and mocking tone as she mimicked Annais' poor explanation made her wince. People were not often angry at her and she was at loss how to deal with it. Especially since it was deserved. She loved peace more than anything and it was painful to be chewed out. But still a rebellious streak in her did not want to make amends this time and grovel and apologize. She had wanted it and she had taken what she wanted. She wasn't sorry for it but the payback was painful. Mia would keep the secret but at the cost of loosing any respect she might have had toward Annais.

 

Their affair coming out would give the perfect excuse for those opposing the Towers working together to make things difficult. The Sitters would also loose respect for her and they would think that they had her under their thumb. The worst thing was that Annie wouldn't be deposed, instead they would try to use the affair to make her get concessions from Brent. If she succeeded, his precarious position would be endangered even further. They could never find out. And the Asha'man even less because his life would be in real danger then.

 

That subdued any prideful and willful objections. She had risked his life. Of course he had been a most willing accomplice but none of it would have happened if she had stayed firm. She had made the initiative and even though Brent might have pursued her, she could have stopped it. It was her fault. Her gaze dropped to her toes with shame but she looked up with alarm when Mia accused her of tying herself to Brent. That was not true! They might wish and dream... alright, even moon but it didn't change the harsh reality that there was no future for them. Any time she would start faltering, all she would have to do was think Mia and her accusations, and she could control it.

 

Mia begun to stride out but she couldn't leave yet. Not until they had worked this out. Although it might be better if the Illianer cooled down a bit first. When she asked urgently where she other woman was going, she got a reply that caused another wince of guilt. Light! Natalie's box. She hadn't thought of it as this debacle had been in the forefront on her mind and it felt like a betrayal of her memory. As Mia closed the door behind her with a crash, Annais rushed to her balcony and peered down over the railing. She embraced Saidar but the ground was too far away even for her One Power enchanted sight. She gave up with frustration and tried to reconcile herself with the fact that the box was in pieces and Mia likely couldn't find them all. Her fault also.

 

But the Tower Guard would be coming back and Annais needed to be decently clad by then. She would have to wear something high necked and extremely decent and luckily she had some Andoran dresses in her warderobe. The buttons were a problem and she almost popped her shoulder off its socket as she struggled to close the top and lowermost buttons. The middle ones gaped but she just govered her back with another sizeable shawl. Wearing the same shawl in which Mia had caught her would likely just agitate the woman further and she wanted to avoid any provocation. She wondered briefly where her maid was as usually Lia would be already here waking her up. But this morning her mysterious absence was just a good thing. Annais didn't need a second person to lecture at her.

 

She was dry washing her hands nervously in her high backed chair by the time Mia finally got back and thrust her the pieces and a pile of cigars. Annais dropped the cigars to the floor as they weren't important and gave the Tower Guard a steady look that was spoiled only by her chewing her lower lip. "Thank you for retrieving it." Of course, it was the least Mia could do as she had been the one who threw it out, but Annais was fairly certain that she had kept the sarcasm out of her voice. "What is going to happen now?" She bent her head over the broken box and started to see which pieces fit together.

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Wayfarer]

Returning to the Amyrlin's private quarters to find the woman adequately dressed now, perhaps to the point of overcompensating with the Andoran dress, Mia was still displeased as was shown by the vicious swing of her heel that shut the door behind her.  Shoving what she had collected into the woman's hands as soon as she could, and the woman could be grateful that she'd managed to do so without being questioned and burn any thoughts she might have on the matter.

 

But then, there didn't seem to be many thoughts on Annais part as Mia found herself asked what was going to happen from now.  Her fingers twitching at the thought, Mia decided that it still wasn't a good idea to slap the woman across the face.  Apart from it technically being treason, it also wasn't going to do much good beyond making her feel better.  No, there had to be another way to deal with this, it was just that she didn't want to think.  It was much easier remaining incredibly angry with the woman infront of her who was now trying to piece together that damned box.

 

"What is going to happen now is I'm going to refrain from pitching you off that bloody balcony is what."  A little bit more in control of herself than before, it was a start but she was still horridly angry.  "What is your problem Annais?  Are things not difficult enough in themselves that you must then make an effort to tempt fate?  Linten at the Farm I could barely excuse, but I try because I realise you were just being ten kinds of optimistic and naive."

 

"But this."  This was entirely different altogether.  "This was just so bloody selfish of you.  You just had to go rob the cradle that I used to tend.  You jeapordise any and every bit of good that has been achieved, and you ask me where we go from here?  Light, you couldn't even wait until a more secret meeting could be arranged, it had to be one that was known.  You had just better pray that no one connects the dots, because you are in so much trouble if they do and they can make it stick."

 

Holding a hand to her head as she tried to massage her temple as best she could, Mia ploughed on.  "You're just damn well lucky that it was me that strode through that door and not someone else.  I won't carry such a story around, and you can be bloody well happy that I'm doing so...  I can't believe you!  How could you do something so utterly stupid?!  What possessed you to go an-"

 

It was as if all of her weight had gone to her eyeballs even as she pitched forward into a floor as awareness gave way to darkness.

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Arette]

It was expected that Mia would continue to vent and Annais wanted to give her the chance to get it all out. She doubted that it would make Mia any less angry and it wouldn't change what had happened but at least she might feel a bit better. Her start made Annais flinch again. She could of course wrap the woman in binds of Air if she actually tried to get physical but the thing was that she believed that Mia could do it if she was provoked further. Reminder of the Linten event made her flush. It had been pure stupidity and Brent had been rightfully angry at her because her gullibility could have lead to her getting killed, and the blame would have landed squarely on him. You would think that over a century of dealing with some extremely ruthless people should have taught her something but no.

 

Selfish was exactly the word to describe it and it was a small comfort that Brent had wanted it as much. He was a man and a very deprived man at that but the decision had been hers. Mia's protective feelings for him were the root of the issue and it was very telling that she still saw him as a boy she needed to protect. But he was a grown man, actually older than Dulain had been when he had died. But hadn't she still felt the same about him all those years ago and felt extremely guilty for lusting someone she was meant to protect and guide. That wasn't the case with Mia but it was hard to let go of a protege mentality and let them grow up.

 

Of course any friend would feel the same. Maegan would be horrified if she ever found out what she had done and Lillian... The suggestion of a secret meeting made Annais blink. Yes, it would have been sensible. But it would have also meant that they both would have had to admit that they were in a relationship and there would likely be more meetings like that. Now they could just tell this off as a mistake, a wonderful lapse of control. Annie had sworn that she would never ever sneak around for any man after Milos but she was sorely tempted now. But she wouldn't.

 

What if it had been someone else than Mia who had seen Brent sneaking out of her room? The thought made her stomach tighten with fear but she got something else to worry about when Mia's eyes rolled showing the whites and she fell like a tree. Annais reached forward urgently to catch her but Mia's weight pulled her to the ground too. At least she was able to soften Mia's stumble a bit. "Burn you, Mia. Don't you die on me", she spat urgently. She turned the woman to her back and Delved her certain that she had gotten some kind of a seizure. The result made her gape. Mia had just fainted. Mia! Well, it was more an overload of rage and upset than a feminine dizzy spell but still. Annais placed a pillow gently under her head and brushed her hair before she set to prepare some strong tea laced generously with honey. It would do Mia good when she woke up. No Healing was needed so all she had to do was to wait and let the tea cool a bit meanwhile.

 

When the woman's eyelids begun to flutter, Annais hovered over her. "How are you feeling? I am very sorry, Mia. Everything you said about me was very true, the selfishness and stupidity." Her jaw set stubbornly. "But Brent isn't the boy you still see him as and you need to stop treating him as one." Wrong approach to the situation, she shouldn't be crowding Mia now. Taking the tea mug, she cooled it with a small weave of Air. "You should drink this. It will help you to feel better."

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Wayfarer]

Consciousness came with light and a dull throb at her forehead.  Wincing even as her vision began to return to normal, Mia recognised the woman looming over her.  The reason she'd felt so angry, then she'd ended up on the ground it seemed and a pillow behind her head?  A spell it seemed, they came rarely because she usually had a better handle of her emotions.  It was one of the reasons that she had chosen the path she had, ordering her emotions helped her avoid those moments were she lost consciousness.  She hadn't had such a moment in years, and any who knew of it would have long forgotten it, and now Annais had seen it.  Perfect.

 

Speaking of whom, the woman was speaking.  Sorry, yet she wasn't.  No simple accepting that she'd done something wrong, no, it was Mia's fault as well for being overprotective.  Just a simple assumption, and while there might have been some truth to it, Mia wasn't about to go down that path in her thoughts.  Besides, there was much more to it than a simple bit of personal feeling in regards to Brent, though that wasn't simple either.  Refusing to take the tea that was offered to her, Mia spoke instead.

 

"You just don't get it do you?"  More tired than angry, Mia forced herself to sit up and shuffled over to the nearest seat so she could lay back on it at least.  Annais was so frustrating, it would have been so much easier if she hadn't cared to begin with.  "I've served five Amyrlins, you know that?  Kathana, Karana, Lanfir, Sirayn and now you.  Five.  Each one of you testing my resolve when it comes to the Tower, each for different reasons but tested all the same."

 

"Kathana wasn't proactive enough, Karana almost broke the Hall, Lanfir favoured her own Ajah too much, Sirayn was dangerous to everyone around her and now you.  Do you have any idea how frustrating you are?  You have a head on your shoulders, you can listen to people rather than just Aes Sedai, you have the potential to be the sort of Mother that a lot of us would like to see.  But you make such stupid mistakes, you dropped your guard in the Black Tower, you risked the worst possible scandal that could easily destroy any authority you have and undo Brent as well.  You make rash decisions, you don't think before you act and any good you do will go up in a flash if you keep tempting fate."

 

Easing herself against the chair more, light she felt weak at that moment, she looked up to Annais as she spoke plainly.  "I've served five Amyrlins, one of whom almost took me for their Gaidar, I will not serve a sixth.  You're it, either you work out or I leave this Tower and this city, put my back to it and travel elsewhere.  Faith can only be broken so many times and I don't have the will to keep doing this.  This Tower has so much promise, it can do so many good things, and you have the chance to do these things.  You can't do it if you're undermined, authority destroyed or even stripped of your stole, and I won't wait to see if another Amyrlin can take up the mantle."

 

Raising a hand to her forehead, she could still feel the vein there where it had risen but that wasn't why.  She couldn't believe she had just spoken those words, she had resolved to keep her counsel and see what happened.  A fine commitment she had followed through with there.  Closing her eyes for a moment as she gathered herself, her hand trailed the side of her face as she opened her eyes again.  "There it is, I suppose.  Its you or I leave now, and you wonder I get worked up over something like this?  Before I even get to thoughts of Brent, thats what is there."

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Arette]

Mia's anger was gone and with it had alot of her energy had left. Annais watched with worry how she got herself to a chair but didn't even try to help since likely she would be rebuked. What came next was quite unexpected. Mia had had a long and definately respectable career in the White Tower and Annais agreed with her assesment of her precedessors. But Mia's opinion of her was very surprising and humbling. Of course she wasn't allowed to bask in the praise as the Tower Guard went on and listed her failings which were also true.

 

It was an honest speech and to say it out loud was a lot braver than most could manage even if they felt the same. A needed reminder that her choices didn't affect just her. She had placed her priorities when she had chose to become an Aes Sedai and again when she had accepted the Amyrlin position. She had abandoned love before when the Tower had summoned her back. She and Brent weren't there yet but they could have been with time. Would have been, she was quite certain of that. But it was much better, much less painful to cut it in a bud. If she hadn't been so selfish and weak, there would be nothing to cut. She had caused them both unnecessary misery and no matter how great last night might have been for him, she doubted that he would consider it worth the trouble.

 

It hurt because she wouldn't have to bury just dreams of happiness with him but the hope that she could have it at all. Maybe when the Last Battle was done if they still lived. But why would he want her then? Still, she wouldn't let herself to get overly depressed. There would be still the other pleasures of life, friends and laughter. They would have to be enough.

 

"I'm glad that you were so frank, Mia. I don't know if I am worth your faith but I will try to be. But no matter my best intentions, I will make mistakes, you and I both know that. You will likely be frustrated with me in the future too but not over this again. I might... I will need some help staying firm, though. I'm... he... hurting him is the last thing that I want to do but that's how it will end one way or another. He is really lonely, Mia. That's how leaders are, I suppose. But he shouldn't need to be. You will be there for him, won't you?"

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Wayfarer]

There was Annais' heartfelt words, the same feeling behind them that gave Mia hope and were the reason she had decided to stay.  She'd come close to leaving after Sirayn's disappearance, so close to believing her brother was right.  That the Tower had not been worthy of his sword, and that she was ready to accept that it wasn't worthy of her sword either.  Individual sisters were different, there were plenty that Mia liked and had confidence in, but the Tower itself was a different matter.  Too many things had been done, and it had become worse and worse.  Annais represented for her a chance that things might turn around, that her years of service might not have been wasted, a hope that she planned to hold onto.

 

The question of whether she would be there for Brent, now that was a question she had come to terms with when she had been with Annais at the Black Tower.  As much as she would like to be, that was something that never could be.  She would if she could, but there would be no chance for her to do that, not really anyway.  She was of the White Tower, to be there for Brent would only sabotage him.  Knowing it was a painful thing, but she accepted it nevertheless.  That and there was a practical consideration before that, one that she was loathe to admit but there it was.  "I can only be there for one person at a time."

 

"I think that he needs you more. You could go with him to the Black Tower for a while."

 

Looking sharply at Annais, Mia was surprised that the other woman didn't catch what she was saying.  Then again, Annais' more subtle senses shut down around those she liked, or so she'd noticed.  It was one of the more endearing traits that helped sustain her faith, even if it made her question whether the woman was all there sometimes.  Perhaps it would be easier to just come out and say it rather than to just keep hinting.  Not that it would be of much use to either of them for now, but all the same.

 

"To be there for him would be to harm him at the Black Tower.  Besides, I made my choice awhile ago, even if you seem too obtuse to see it.  I am here for you, that is my commitment now.  I will not serve a sixth Amyrlin."

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Arette]

Anyone from the White Tower going to the Black Tower would make Brent's position harder, Annais admitted with an inner sigh. But they would have to start getting used to it. The only way the relations between the Towers could improve was by regular exposure. When you really got to know the 'others', it usually helped to shift attitudes toward mildness at least. "You're right, I wasn't thinking", she admitted meekly. But that was what friends were for, they would correct you and you didn't always have to be so careful with what you said around them.

 

"And obtuse, hmm? I guess that I can be sometimes." What choices was Mia talking about? Her next words confused Annais even more but the intent was so nice that she smiled. "I really appreciate it that you put up with me despite all. I have no intention to kick the bucket any time soon and the Hall does not want to see another Amyrlin again in such a short time either. So they might give me trouble but they are willing to co-operate."

 

Then she made the connection between what she thought that Mia was possibly implying and it made her gape. Serving just one person at a time... But Tower Guards served the whole Tower, not just one Aes Sedai unless they intended to Bond. Only it wasn't the Tower Guard's choice, but the Aes Sedai's and she hadn't asked Mia. Commitment... to her? "Umm, Mia? You aren't saying that you want to... that you and me would...? No, of course not. Never mind." Sipping her tea as she tried to think of something intelligent to say, she gagged some of the liquid and begun to cough. Small comfort was that at least she wasn't sputtering the tea around but she felt like a total woolhead.

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Wayfarer]

Mia couldn't help it, she began laughing as Annais began to cough as her tea went down the wrong way.  There was something eminently comic about her saying that she wasn't going to kick the bucket then the next half drowning herself with her tea.  But Annais misread Mia, to a degree, there was a difference between opportunity and making a decision.  Reaching over and slapping the woman on her back to help her with her cough, she was succinct as she spoke.  "It is not the place of a Tower Guard to ask, so I do not ask.  But if you were to ask, then you would be in your right as an Aes Sedai to do so.  Then I would give my answer."

 

Usually when someone was coughing, you patted their back and didn't laugh at them. Well, Mia had done both. But since it had been quite stupid, Annais chuckled herself too when she could breath again. She could think of a few ways how to joke about the Bonding but it was something serious and she didn't want to insult Mia. She hadn't seriously considered Bonding and hadn't seen Mia as a potential candidate but now she did. And she really couldn't think of anyone who she would rather have as her Warder. If she ever did get one. There was just the doubt that Mia wouldn't adjust quite so meekly to being directed by her. Oh no, instead she might have another Odelia at her hands who would boss her around and wouldn't take no for an answer. And it would be even worse because Mia would know what she was thinking. And there would be the mirroring and the close mental connection. Both reasons why she had never wanted to Bond beside the bad memories of a Warder. Even now after all these years she could see the man spearing through her father.

 

Discarding the old unpleasent image, she eyed Mia intently. "I am very honoured if you would consider it. I'm not really asking, not yet at least. But if I did, would you accept?" It would require careful deliberation but to think it, she had to know what Mia would say. Though if she would refuse Annais, she likely would have said so already.

 

Raising an eyebrow at the look and the words that Annais was giving her, Mia had but a wisp of a smile as her head leaned slightly to the left.  She had not thought that it would need to be spoken of at this point, if she had not considered it then she would not have hinted at it to begin with.  Having said that, she hadn't entirely given herself to the idea, there were issues that came with bonding, for women everything was mirrored and there were some things that she would not abide.  One of those was waking up in the middle of the night to sensations that weren't hers.  But, she still had to answer.  "If you should ask, then I will give you my answer then.  It wouldn't be seemly to do so beforehand."

 

Phaw, Annais wouldn't have expected Mia to withhold an answer like that. But then until the question was asked, it was all ifs and maybes. "Fair enough. But I would like to know why you would consider it." It wouldn't be just so that Mia could make sure Annais didn't bed Brent again but she wanted to hear it. "And what would you expect from it? I mean, the Aes Sedai is supposed to be the one who calls the shots but I think that you might have certain... ahem, strong opinions about what would be good or bad for me. I would rather sort that kind of things out beforehand."

 

The first question was easy enough to answer.  "Linten.  Even though I found Brent, I had no way of knowing where you were for certain.  You have no concept of how worried I was, and if something happens to you again I want to know exactly where you are so I can come and get you.  I want to be free to do so without other responsibilities and I wish to make it my first priority.  As to what I would expect, if you want someone meek and willing to do what they're told without question, then I am not the Warder you want.  Also, I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to all sorts of strange feelings flowing through the bond.  By the same token, you wouldn't want to be in the middle of a meeting and become very flustered for no apparent reason."

 

The Linten event certainly explained something. Mia had been given duty to protect her during the mission and it was gladdening that she wanted to continue it even now. Likely she wouldn't have if she hadn't felt like they would get along. "Meek and obedient are not important really, I don't think that I could respect a Warder like that. I'm just... well, I don't like being bossed around either even if it really was for my own good, so there might be some headbutts about that. And I doubt that you would do anything like that when I am in middle of something important. And I wouldn't have you wake up all surprised into something like that. Or do you mean not at all? Because I am not going to become celibate for the next fifty years. But if you are saying that it could be done if we just... well, worked it out beforehand among each others, that would work. And then there is this trick that Aes Sedai can do to fuzz the bond. So you wouldn't have to feel it all."

 

"Fuzzing the bond only works when you have enough sense of mind to do so."  Mia replied drily.  It was all well and good to say that would work, but if the company that was kept was pleasing at all, that wasn't a very effective solution.  But it seemed her issue had hit a sore spot, but it wasn't quite so bad as the woman portrayed it.  "As to the other concern, I very much doubt I would last ten years, let alone fifty as your warder.  I'm forty one, Annais, and Tarmon Gaidon is approaching.  Assuming I survive as your Warder for that long, once that is done I doubt there will be a need for me.  Even if there was, I only have a few years left in me as a fighter and once that ability is spent then you would have to release my bond and find another to protect you.  If you were to ask me, you would be asking for my final years, if we even have that long."

 

Mia didn't really answer her question. Annais wanted to know simple yes or no, or maybe on conditions and what they were, to having a lover. But the Tower Guard continued and what she said made Annie frown with displeasure. The speak about dying didn't bother her so much, even though it was disheartening. She wondered if she herself would live through the Last Battle either. She might be kept away from the fighting but she was one of the prime targets of the Shadow. And even if they won, no, when they would win, the remnants of the enemy would likely see her as an easy way to shake the White Tower. But first they should get there. "You have an interesting view on what being a Warder means, Mia. A Warder is not a tool to be used and discarded when they grow old. It is a work relationship but also much more than that. At least it is for me and I would never even consider it in any other way. It is until death do us part, yours or mine. Can you accept that? And you never said whether lovers were possible."

 

"I know that the Warder's duty is to guard their Aes Sedai from all harm, that includes my death echoing through the bond.  Don't be so quick to make assumptions about how I view bonding and what it entails."  It remained unsaid how long she had thought about the ramifications of it for, but it was long enough for Mia to have considered as many angles as she could and that was one of them.  Aes Sedai who lost their warders through death were devastated, and it was one thing for that to happen because Mia had died protecting her, another for it to happen simply because Annais had been stupidly wrong headed and refused to let it go. "As to lovers, no, and to be blunt thats a small priority at the moment.  You have Tarmon Gaidon approaching, a mess to clean up and preparations to make so the Tower is ready when the day comes.  If you fail, then we're all dead.  A hug and more at night isn't going to have done us any good by that point."

[Arette]

Annais was about to reply Mia right away but she thought it best to let her finish first. Her stance on having lovers, no, rather the blunt way how she painted it frivolous and selfish, didn’t sit well with Annie. She regarded the Tower Guard through slightly narrowed eyes. “That is why are having this conversation, to clear out what our views on bonding are. There seem to be differences and we have now moved onto another topic, how we carry out our duties. I know very well what mine are and I have no intention to falter. However, I am not on duty every hour of the day. If I was, I wouldn’t be of any use to anyone in few months. When was the last time you got laid anyway? Why do I have a feeling that it was some time ago.”

 

Raising an eyebrow, Mia responded.  "If that petty stab is the best you can do to try and get a rise out of me, you're in dire straits.  We may only have a few months, Annais, this isn't some lark, this isn't something other Amyrlins have had to deal with, even if they've known it was coming.  You could be the Amyrlin when Tarmon Gaidon comes, you're on duty every hour of the day now.  The same as if I were bonded, from that moment, you are it.  There are no distractions, there are no indulgences, there is the course to stay with and that is all.  You don't just take on something half hearted, was that your intention when you accepted that stole?  To just be there during the working hours of the week and the rest of it is your own?  We're on the edge of an age that could end all ages, you don't get that luxury, none of us do now."

 

You should never speak in haste and annoyance and Annais wanted to take back the words the moment they escaped her. It had been petty and not at all how she had imagined a conversation between her and her prospective Warder candidate to go. But then this was likely what she needed, someone to whip her and to keep her on the right path. A Warder, who respected her so bloody much that she would do exactly what Annais said, wouldn’t be doing her any favours. She lifted her hands in a gesture of appease. “Peace. I shouldn’t have said that, Mia. I’m sorry.” Likely it wasn’t a good idea to make such decisions when you weren’t all calm and deliberate but it seemed fairly inevitable. She regarded Mia solemnly. “If it is your duty and mine, then why postpone it. Mia Stavros, will you become my Warder?”

 

Annais & Mia

[Wayfarer]

There it was.

 

The question.

 

Mia had thought that the woman would not ask, she had tried to be so insistent on those little points.  Well, they were little to her, not so little to the woman in the striped stole before her, but they had not been great enough to stop Annais from asking the question.  A question that had almost been asked by an Amyrlin once before, something that Mia had yearned and then never been granted.  She had been cast aside, she hadn't been there when that woman had needed her and she'd been stilled, she could have been there.  But she was not, years had passed by since then and now the opportunity was being offered once more.

 

To be a Warder, for some it was so appealing just to be able to claim one of the fancloaks.  Such prestigous items, such practical items, the cloak was still only a tiny material thing compared to what the bond granted.  She would know where Annais was at all times, their feelings would be open to one another, the pain that one experienced would be felt keenly by the other.  She would be a bulwark, a rock to hold Annais steady and to shelter her if need be, to constantly discipline herself and her feelings so that they would complement Annais' when they were needed most.

 

She would have the duty of protecting Annais in all ways.  Not just the dangers of blades and poisons and those who tread quietly in the night.  She would protect Annais from bad counsel, she would know what Annais knew and be someone that Annais could speak to without fear of ever being betrayed, that what was said to Mia would stay with her.  In private to be honest and open with her counsel, to not shield it in the slightest and to pierce any veil of deception she saw.

 

To always watch over Annais.  The bond would give her the strength to do so, she would need little sleep and gain much in stamina and even strength could be drawn from what they could hold.  If need be, she could sacrifice herself so that Annais would live, for the greatest shame that a Warder could bear was to outlive their charge.  The sole duty and point of her life from the moment the bond was laid upon her and the piece of Annais seated itself in the back of her mind would be the woman who was sitting on the ground with her.

 

All of that filled Mia's awareness, everything that would be expected of her, and in that moment she gave an answer.

 

"No."

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Wayfarer]

The pause was heavy as a single word hung in the air.

 

Reaching over and taking one of Annais' hands, Mia squeezed it gently before she smiled.

 

"Yes."

 

 

Mia Stavros

Tower Guard

[Arette]

She had done it, she had really went and asked someone to become her Warder. Hundred and ten years she had worn the shawl without someone to share everything with, and now Annais had made the offer. Excitement and dread alternated and she doubted if she had really made the right choice. Mia could get under her skin too easily and now she was giving her even deeper access. They didn't even know very much about each others yet and Mia knew more about her than she of Mia. Still, with some people you just knew it. You felt comfortable around them instantly and there was a connection, a feeling of kinship. There had been such a feeling with a certain man but this would be almost certainly a kiss of death for that.

 

He had been kind of the reason why they had just been arguing a moment ago. This could yet end up badly with both of them wanting to strangle the other. But when they were Bonded, there would be a forcing reason to work it out. And it would be good, Annais was certain of it. Mia was upright and dependables and she could easily trust her life and secrets in her hands.

 

No. Such a simple world but it conveyed utter rejection. All the glorious hopes and dreams of friendship and solid support were shattered. Annais' face fell and she lowered her gaze to hide the hurt. Maybe there was a tinge of relief too but it was like being told that you couldn't enter the final Arch to claim the shawl. She had been fully prepared to take the plunge and when it had been robbed from her after being lead on, there was a keen sense of betrayal.

 

She plastered a polite smile on her lips and faked a shrug when Mia took her hand. She was prepared to tell her to get out and stop wasting her time and then the woman suddenly said yes. Annais just stared Mia with uncomprehension. Then her face flushed with red and she reached for the closest object. For Mia's luck, it was a pillow that smacked on the top of her head repeatedly.

 

"You bitch, you bloody shrewish harridan!" Annais kept hitting and shrieking but soon helpless laughter of relief took her over. She laughed until her eyes watered and her sides hurt. Breathing was a chore, but she managed to pant. "You'll be the death of me." Mia supported her to sit upright and soon the simple function of inhaling and exhaling became available again. "Mia? Are you really certain about this? This is the last chance to back out because I will never find anyone as crazy as you." Annais finally responded the smile and squeezed the hand back.

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Arette]

The response was simply a smile and a nod and Annais could read nothing but confidence from Mia's face. It was more than she felt. She was confident that she could do the weave, she had been to quite a few Bonding ceremonies over the years and watched the deed performed. No, it was more what would come afterwards, having Mia in her head and vice versa and how being so intimate with someone would feel. It would be even closer than being in love and making love.

 

She rubbed her palms a few times on her thighs and licked her lips before deciding that it was just best to get done with it. They didn't need any fancy ceremony or witnesses but there would be a small, private celebration and Mia would just have to suffer it. Annais reached over and laid a hand on the Tower Guard's forehead. The weave was complicated and she took great care forming it, glad that Spirit was her strongest element. When the flow was ready, she let it sink slowly and gently.

 

Her eyes widened with the awareness that came. It was like linking when you felt what your Sisters felt, only the Bond was even more intense. With Mia, the feelings were condensed into a small ball at the back of her mind and she wasn't certain if she was reading her right. Excitement, maybe even a touch of giddiness, warmth. But most prominent was just generally feeling good. Mia was glad and so was she. Her own feelings changed slightly or magnified as Mia's emotions strenghtened them. It was mirroring at work and it was slightly frightening at first. But they would figure it out and Mia wouldn't do anything to harm her.

 

"So how does it feel to be my Warder?", she asked with a voice slightly thickened with emotion. It became laced with amusement in an eyeblink. "Was it really worth going through all that trouble just to stop me from sneaking to Brent's bed?"

 

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

[Wayfarer]

Awareness.

 

Mia felt like she was a touch tipsy at the feeling that rushed into her.  A little trepidation, but a good deal of happiness and if she knew her Bond lore right, that was also being magnified by her own feelings.  Amplified by mirroring back and forth, there was a sense of shared goodwill that was between them that could only before be perceived, not felt.  It was a unique feeling, and one that left Mia speechless as she simply allowed it all to wash over her until Annais spoiled the moment.

 

A joke?  She could feel the shift from simple good feelings to amusement, Mia made sure to take note of that emotion even as she smiled herself.  If laughter was infectious to begin with, it was going to be difficult for them to get anything done when it carried through the bond.  Probably Annais' greatest threat was now her, if they laughed too hard then they'd die of asphyxiation.  But, Annais still needed dealing with, just because they were bonded didn't mean that too much was going to change.

 

Well, maybe a little.

 

Frowning as she leaned close to Annais as if examining something, Mia flicked Annais' forehead and immediately winced.  Their close proximity meant that she felt it exactly as it must have hit Annais, and she didn't hold back from it.  "Definitely not."

 

Grinning, Mia looked over to where her tea was and retrieved it, remaining on the floor.  It was remarkably comfortable there all things considered and Annais, her bondholder and light it felt strange thinking of her like that, was at her side.  No, she couldn't think of Annais as a bondholder, as far as she was concerned, no one 'held' her.  There was a fine distinction between submission and surrender and Mia drew the line between the two.  "So, I'll be moving in here later today, you do have a spare room don't you?  Or will I drag a bed into your room?"

 

 

Mia Stavros

Transformed