It's drafty today! >.> (ATTN Claire)

[Nynaeve]

Zoe sighed in delight, soaking in the hot vanilla scented water. The bathing area in the Fortress of light was quite well maintained. After all, you can't fight the dark forces of evil when you smell. Swishing her legs in and out of the water, Zoe giggled to herself. She liked going to the bathing area early in the morning, when most people would not bathe, so she could have her privacy. Public bathing made her too self conscious and she'd feel rushed to finish up quickly so the next CotL could use the tub. This early, she didn't have to worry about it. She could relax as long as she wanted, or at least until the water grew cold. Which was, sadly, coming to that point.

 

Getting out of the tub reluctantly, Zoe dried herself with a towel and then wrapped it around herself. Walking to the bench where she left her belongings, she was shocked to find that they were missing. Searching the entire bathing area, she found nothing. One of the maintenance woman walked by and Zoe questioned her whether she saw anyone else in the bathing area. She only noticed one other woman entering. The description the woman gave her matched Selindra perfectly.

 

Zoe sighed. She knew Selindra would take revenge after what happened with Drak, at some point. But she never thought it would be done in such an underhanded and childish manner. Childish, yet effective. Zoe sighed again. She'd have to make her way to her room without being noticed. Waiting wasn't an option because the morning activity would no doubt begin at some point. Her safest bet was to leave the bathing area as soon as possible and make her way, in hopes she'd be able to avoid any early wakers.

 

And so Zoe darted away. Sneaking through corridors. Hiding behind corners whenever she saw anyone passing by. Be it servants or CotL. Not many were about, but a few was enough. If any high ranked CotL discovered her little streaking, she could easily be cast out from the CotL. It was probably what Selindra was counting on. Her revenge, that earlier seemed so immature, suddenly started to seem more and more astute. Bloody woman. She was going to get hers. All Zoe needed was to reach the room, where her closet and clothes slept. And where Selindra was, no doubt, pretending to be sleeping. Zoe wondered if choking was appropriate.

 

Lost in thought, Zoe made a turn without first checking if it was clear. Swallowing hard, she realized she was facing a CotL head on. And a high ranked one at that! Zoe trembled as the man looked at her from head to toe. Trying to relax her mind, she smiled forcefully. "Fine day for a stroll, isn't it?".

 

 

 

Zoe

CotL

[Winter Mist]

~Darin~

 

The razor slid across one cheek, denuding it of the coarse beard hairs that sprouted on the attractive half of his face.  Of course, even if it had been the dark of even dusk filtering through the tiny window to his room rather than the early light of the morning, Darin would still not have liked his reflection any more.  He was grotesque.  He saw in his mind’s eye the newest recruits watching him, staring, staring at him as though he were the Darkfriend they sought to rid the world of.  Darin sneered.  The women were always the worst.  They would forever be something unattainable to him.  It did not stop him from watching them.

 

Clink.  The blade landed on the porcelain of the bowl and span so that the blade ended up facing his chest.  Ironic.  For a time he just looked at his reflection, and then with careless hands he folded the blade back on itself and splashed water over his face to clear the remnant shreds of soap.  There was time yet before he had to face the recruits and their stares.  Time to put this retrospective examination of his personality behind him and put the stony façade back into place.  He shrugged and threw on the trousers and shirt of his uniform, fastening the cloak over the top so that the knots of his rank insignia were on display.  Darin seldom forgot his place in this society. 

 

He left his room, thinking he would soak for a time in the baths before the training began.  Warm muscles would work better than cold ones – he would have an advantage over the recruits from the off.  When he drew closer to the bathrooms, Darin kept on going, ignoring the looks he was getting from the few servants up at this time.  Otherwise, it was quiet.  His boots made the only noises, ringing quite loudly on the floor tiles.  And then he saw something he was not expecting to see.

 

A young woman; slimly muscled from what he could see of her in the thin towel she just about wore, sneaked across just ahead of him and stopped as soon as she saw him.  It was all he could do to not stare.  Even though there was supposed to be little discrimination between the recruits, this was still a young woman barely escaping the bounds of propriety with a strip of cloth, sneaking around like some lover caught in a tryst!  Light, what was happening to morals in the Children of the Light these days?

 

The truth of it was, though, that Darin had not seen such a sight in far too long.  His mouth opened slightly, seemingly of its own volition, and he did not say anything in response to her greeting.  He swallowed and looked around, wondering if there was any way he could get out of this.  Seeing none, and knowing that the human body was created by the Light even if propriety was next to that luminosity, Darin looked at her again.  Was that a blush he saw on those round cheeks of hers?

 

“Quite!  It is a lovely day for a stroll; that’s why I am partaking in the opportunity.  You, however, seem to be either sleepwalking or someone has dared you to this.  Which is it?” 

 

[Nynaeve]

"Quite! It is a lovely day for a stroll; that's why I am partaking in the opportunity. You, however, seem to be either sleepwalking or someone has dared you to this. Which is it?" Zoe tried her best to work an innocent expression. "Can't a girl enjoy a nice walk without being put to the question?". The CotL in front of her frowned, which made the scars on one side of his face wrinkle a bit.

 

Zoe sighed heavily, knowing that she wasn't going to get away without having to explain her lack of clothes. She couldn't tell on Selindra, though. It wasn't Zoe's style. The perfect revenge was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary happened that day. That would leave Selindra steaming. Which was all Zoe wanted. But now the predicament was getting out of the situation with minor consequences.

 

"I'm not walking in my sleep. Though if I were, you're not really supposed to wake me, you know. Standard procedure." Zoe smiled widely. The man did no seem amused. Zoe lowered her eyes. "No one put me up to it either. I took a bath. When I came out I found that my belongings have been misplaced. It is possible one of the servants saw them and decided to toss them. Who knows. Either way, I found myself with no clothes and I thought heading back to my room was the smartest way to proceed. Sir." Zoe only then noticed the CotL's insignia. She winced, hoping her explanation was sufficient.

 

Waiting for the man's response, Zoe took a long look at him. He was an attractive man. Zoe was sure many missed that because of the scars that decorated the side of his face. But after seeing her mother with all the burning scars, no scar could ever frighten or disgust her. She wondered how he got them.

 

 

 

Zoe

CotL

[Winter Mist]

~Darin~

 

“And this person that took your clothes.  Do they have a name?”  There is a girl in front of me wearing nothing but a towel, and you’re thinking of the right thing?  How much of a Child of the Light you are!    Darin shook his head to clear the unwanted thoughts and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand.  Which, admittedly, was rather difficult.  He stared right into the girl’s eyes, not knowing where else would be safe to look at and at least this way he had a chance of appearing menacing.  The Light alone knew that his face helped with that for the most part.

 

The girl did not say anything when he asked for a name.  She merely stood there, accessing her memories to see if there was anyone she thought could do this to her.  The lack of anger and the unsurprised look on her face (except for Darin having surprised her – imagine if all the male trainees knew about this.  They would have a hard time concentrating on their lessons.)  An idea occurred to him that perhaps if this Child of the Light were to stand around in a towel while the other initiates tried to practice working the blade, they might find valuable lessons in concentration and this one might be a little more protective of her clothing.  It was not that he wanted her to stand around in a towel at all … not that, no.

 

“Very well, as you seem to be so decided about not informing on the person or persons that did this to you, you leave me with no alternative.”  She needed proper clothing in case any of the others did see her and one with less restraint than him found himself wondering about a good time.  He was doing her a favour, really.  Reaching up to his shoulders, Darin unfastened his cloak and swept it from his back rather theatrically. 

 

“You should take this.  Fasten it around you so that you can at least make it as far as your room without attracting any more attention.”  He looked at her appraisingly, once, to get an idea of her size and was reminded of her state of dress.  Or undress, he should say.  He swallowed.  “Yes, that will suffice.  It will cover you to the floor.  A good job I happened by.  Now then, you will write an essay for me, to be handed to me when you return my cloak to me later today, about the necessity of maintaining the propriety of the Children of the Light.”  He swallowed again and looked past her head into the middle distance as he handed her his cloak, and waited for her to settle it on her shoulders.

 

[Nynaeve]

"You should take this. Fasten it around you so that you can at least make it as far as your room without attracting any more attention. Yes, that will suffice. It will cover you to the floor. A good job I happened by. Now then, you will write an essay for me, to be handed to me when you return my cloak to me later today, about the necessity of maintaining the propriety of the Children of the Light." Zoe sulked. She had hoped she would get away with it after she noticed the senior CotL seemed less strict to a certain degree. She judged that by him trying to discipline his eyes, which was rather amusing in itself.

 

Zoe took the cloak and fastened it around her, while trying to keep the towel in place. A bloody essay? meh. Finishing to cover herself properly, Zoe looked up at the man and smiled as she realized how much effort he was putting into looking away from her. It was very honorable of him. Any other man would have gawked at her, if not tried to get a few sideways glances.

 

Zoe put on a friendly smile. "Well this was enjoyable. We should definitely do this again." Zoe laughed and turned around to leave, only to find a recruit staring at both of them, rather dumbstruck. Zoe's cheeks reddened. She could see how what she said could be taken out of contest, but she figured she'd let the senior CotL deal with the recruit and decided it was time for her to reach the comfort of her room before activity started to pick up.

 

Looking back one last time Zoe hurried off. She had some clothes to find and an essay to compose. She also had to find out what was the name of the senior CotL she encountered, as she had no idea who he was or where she could find him to return the cloak and hand in the essay. But she figured it wouldn't be too hard to find out by the description of his facial scars. And for some reason, she was actually looking forward to a second encounter.

 

 

 

Zoe

CotL

[Nynaeve]

Darin. That was the name of the Child of the Light Zoe encountered in her little naked rendezvous. And he was a 1st Lieutenant, no less. Apparently finding out didn't even involve leaving her room. Selindra seemed to know the name, rank and quarter's location of every male CotL within the fortress of light. Zoe was more then happy to stay ignorant regarding Selindra's resources and focusing on the information the little twit had to offer.

 

When she first got to the room, she found Selindra sitting on her bed, reading a book. Surprising, at that, since Zoe always thought the woman did not know how to read. She was more into body language then any other sort. But seeing the little smile Selindra held behind the cover of the book, made it obvious that she was just trying to seem occupied and not suspicious. Her involvement, however, was quite obvious.

 

So Zoe refrained from choking the woman in first sight, as she initially planned and decided there was a better way. After slipping into a descent attire she told her friend how she ran into an upstanding CotL in her way back to the room and that he asked her to visit him tomorrow in his quarters. Of course, Zoe left out the part where she was to give in an essay about the necessity of maintaining the propriety of the Children of the Light. Selindra didn't need to know that.

 

Flaunting Darin's fancy cloak, Zoe told Selindra how he offered it to her because it was chilly. Selindra's frown felt rewarding. She was probably beating herself up for finding Zoe a new admirer rather then embarrassing her publicly, which was obviously the purpose of her ridiculous scam. After describing Darin's features and mentioning that she never did get his name because she was too busy speaking to him, Selindra volunteered the information.

 

After Selindra finally exited the room for one of her training, Zoe grabbed a paper and decided it was time to write the yawn worthy essay. She didn't want to risk doing it around Selindra, so this was her window of opportunity. Chewing on her lip for a bit, she began.

 

There is a great necessity to maintain the propriety of the Children of the Light. Simply because we are the Light's authority, placed by the Creator to uphold his ways. We must always be representative and spotless. Maintain decency and honesty. Be a positive example for anyone to see. We must never stray from this route and continue representing the Creator rightfully.

 

Rereading what she wrote, Zoe hoped it was enough. It was just a paragraph, but she couldn't think of anything to add. She felt that she summed up the topic quite well and decided to leave it at that. Worst case scenario her next essay would be about 'The necessity to write a long essay about the necessity to maintain the propriety of the CotL'. Laughing, Zoe hid the essay and went out for her set of training for the day, looking forward to the next day.

 

 

 

Zoe

CotL

[Winter Mist]

~Darin~

 

He looked up from his examination of her essay, resisting temptation to comment sarcastically on its length.  The woman has a glib tongue!   He had spent the rest of the day working as hard as he could in order that he might forget the sight of the, ah, well-appointed young woman wearing nothing but a bathing towel.  Such thoughts were not proper, really, even if his own feelings on the matter told him otherwise.  The Light would not condone marriage if it were not proper.  Not that anyone would marry me.  Such is my life.    He slammed an angry fist on the polished wood of his desk, the one privilege granted to him for the amount of writing he did. 

 

May the Light burn me for my sinful thoughts!    Darin remembered her outline through the thin fabric and looked up at the earnest face staring back at him.  Even with the uniform of the Children of the Light over her form, the girl was undeniably attractive.  He bit his lip.  And then promptly cursed himself for his laxity in maintaining the propriety of the Children of the Light. 

 

“It seems,” he began slowly, pulling his thoughts back into order “that you need to do more research into this area.  However, I can think of something far more suitable to drive the lesson home.”  Darin did not mention about driving her through the streets of the Fortress wearing nothing but her bathrobe so all of the other initiates could understand the lesson of propriety too.  “You will accompany me on a patrol of Amadicia.  When I point out something that is an abomination in the eyes of the Children of the Light, you will tell me why.  If I am not satisfied with your answer, your training will begin an hour earlier every day.”  He watched her for expression, satisfied that she was taking all of this in and was properly contrite.  “Your friend will accompany us, as will any other trainees who need reminding what it is to be a Child of the Light.”  Darin nodded, dismissing her.  “I will see you at first light tomorrow morning.”

 

[Nynaeve]

"You will accompany me on a patrol of Amadicia." Zoe grinned. For some reason the prospect of spending some time with Darin seemed rather appealing. He was an interesting man and she was dying to know how he got his scars. For some reason, markings always drew her attention and she was always too curious for her own good. However, she had to wait for the opportune moment. If she'd outright ask him, he might take offense, and she didn't want to risk that.

 

"When I point out something that is an abomination in the eyes of the Children of the Light, you will tell me why. If I am not satisfied with your answer, your training will begin an hour earlier every day." Zoe's eyes widened for a moment, until she managed to shrink them to normal size and conceal the surprise. Yet another task. Was the essay not enough? Meh. Bloody Selindra. She should be writing bloody essays and doing tasks.

 

"Your friend will accompany us, as will any other trainees who need reminding what it is to be a Child of the Light. I will see you at first light tomorrow morning." Zoe's eyes widened. Friend? what friend. Was Selindra discovered? Oh, she hoped she was. While Zoe wasn't entirely sure how Darin managed to find out that her roommate was the one who set her up, she didn't care to dwell on it.

 

Leaving Darin's office, Zoe closed the door behind her and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened again. "First light?". Zoe sighed. She was definitely not a morning person. She detested getting up early, though sometimes some of her training required it. Still, she didn't enjoy doing it when it wasn't absolutely necessary. Grating her teeth, Zoe walked back to her room, making plans for Selindra.

 

 

Zoe

2nd Squadmand