Loraine Sedai, Kynwric, Thera and the Merry Band of Trainees Finish a Trip

[Talavin]

OOC: Wooooaaaahhh! I completely missed this thread! Everyone seems to be tied up with someone else, but luckily I can RP with myself :) I have a feeling that we'll never actually get to Amadacia... XD

 

IC: The days after the fight in Caemlyn seemed to go by in a whirl of constant motion. All of the sudden they were all forced to be alert and on guard at any given moment. Before Caemlyn, there was always a chance of them ending up in combat, but it never seemed like it would actually happen. Leaving Caemlyn, though, they had all been on high alert, and ever since then they were constantly watching their backs. Night watch went from a boring activity to a practice that made the difference between life and death. This buzz of activity didn't cease after they reached Jasine's farm.

 

Jasine and Thera went off to speak with his family, and from what Arath gathered his younger sister had gone missing, supposedly kidnapped by the Children. Melenis and Kynwric were both off somewhere and from the atmosphere around them they weren't exchanging friendly words. Perivar had been a bundle of guilt ever since getting wounded in Caemlyn, and Loraine was attempting once again to relieve his guilt. Arath looked around and spoke to himself: "What's happened to our group? We used to have such good dynamics and now it seems like we're on the verge of falling apart."

 

"Yes, it seems like you and I are the only ones who aren't having some sort of drama right now."

 

Arath jumped. He had completely forgotten about Anluan, just as the others had likely forgotten about the both of them. He merely nodded in agreement as Melenis went to Loraine and started a new conversation. Luckily, Kynwric and Perivar didn't find it prudent to have a spat, and both of them went in different directions. Arath and Anluan made eye contact, before going to practice the forms with Perivar.

[Quisalas Selene]

Kairyn's esteem for Thera went up a notch as the girl began describing how hard and grueling the life in the yards was, and she silently thanked the woman for not leading her daughter off on fanciful notions of the romantic life of a woman in the Yard.  She frowned again when her son said that their love was off-limits and not to be spoken of.  Did the whelp think he could tell his mother what she could or could not speak of?  But she had been a novice in the Tower long years ago and she knew of the little secrets that the girls had had to keep for each other and she decided not to pass judgment on the woman until after Lasael was home... if she came home.  She shook herself visibly and steered away from that line of thought.  It would do no one any good to get herself all wrapped up in emotions and blubbery.  If they came home without her daughter there would be time enough for that in the privacy of her own home.

 

When Thera had leapt off the cart to do... wardery things, she assumed, Kairyn leaned over to her husband and barely breathed the words "I like her" into his ear.  Tad smiled and drew the horse to a halt and then got the cart turned back to where Thera had left the road and followed.  When Thera returned, Tad's furry eyebrows drew down a bit and he leaned down to speak to her. "If it's all the same to you, Mistress Trakelyn, I'd rather keep my girls in Four Kings at the Inn where they'll be in less danger away from the action and I imagine you will all be in less danger if you don't have them to mind."  He spoke kindly and with respect, but it was clear he didn't fancy the idea of stalking through the bushes searching for kidnappers.  "And we'll have to be back to the farm by tomorrow at the latest to tend to the horses, I just wanted to come and give you any help we can in finding my girl."

 

Cairlyn balked and opened her mouth to protest, and likely loudly, that she wanted to stay with the warders but was silenced by a look from her mother.  Sulking again, she turned her eyes back to Thera and a wistful longing for the freedom and strength of a Warder's life lit them from within.  As of yet, the al'Thorin family had no idea that the group the party was searching for might be the Whitecloaks.

 

Jasine made brief, if thorough, introductions to everyone all around.  He hesitated at identifying Loraine, his parents knew that he had come from the Tower and that he had come in the accompaniment of an Aes Sedai.  He didn't want to jeopardize their mission any, however, so when he gave Loraine's title he gave it as "Lady Loraine" with a softly whispered "Aes Sedai."  He held a finger briefly to his lips after speaking the title and was a little impressed when all three of his kin merely nodded their heads as if they perfectly well understood the need for secrecy.

[Jehaine]

Melenis approached Loraine after hearing her voice. She was somewhat relieved in finding out that the Aes Sedai still wanted to be found by her, and took it as proof that things hadn't gone that wrong due to her comment, though the bond between her and Kynwric could have something to do with that as well. She suspected she'd likely never be able to fathom the true meaning of the Bond until it would happen to her. Perivar walked off now, for which she was grateful. It would be hard enough as it was.

 

- "Lady Loraine? I wanted to... apologise. I believed making this much noise was a bad idea, in fact i still do, but... i may have expressed myself wrongly. I did not mean to overstep myself."

 

She waited, looking at the ground to avoid Loraine reading her emotions. She wasn't sure what the Aes Sedai would end up reading herself, she really wasn't used to this. She had simply pointed out a mistake in the same manner others pointed out mistakes of her own, though possibly the fact that those people were trying to teach her something at a time could have thrown her judgement off a bit. And honestly... she didn't really know any other way to bring up a mistake she had made, used as she was to how a teacher treated a student for all her life.

 

 

Melenis

Apologising.

[U4ea]

Loraine watched Melenis approach, noting the square of her shoulders was slumped slightly and the trainee couldn't seem to lift her eyes. She sighed inwardly, wondering what Kynwric had said. What she could see of Melenis' face was still set, though. Whatever it was, he hadn't completely set aside Melenis' belief that she was right.

 

"Lady Loraine? I wanted to... apologise. I believed making this much noise was a bad idea, in fact i still do, but... i may have expressed myself wrongly. I did not mean to overstep myself." Loraine dropped her guard and chewed on the corner of her lip a moment.

 

"Will you walk with me, Melenis?" She didn't actually wait for the trainee to consent, just turned started walking a circuit along the path she'd found. She walked a few moments before she said anything, trying to decide how to approach this. "Do you now who is responsible for this mission?" she asked, looking to the side of the path, watching the trees. "I am. I outrank everyone on this mission, Thera and Kynwric included. If I told them to head West, they'd have to do it, because I said so. If I told them that we were hunting one of the Forsaken, they'd have to follow me, because I ordered it. If I flattened this entire area searching for these girls, they'd have to protect me while I did it, simply because of this ring." She lowered her eyes and played with her ring for a moment before turning to look back at Melenis. "Do you also know who will carry the most guilt if anything happens to any of you on this trip?" She raised her eyebrow, then nodded.

 

"Me." She looked away and continued walking. "I understand what I did, and I weighed the risks long before I slid off my horse. And though I don't have to justify myself to a trainee, if it sets your mind at ease, I will. After what just happened in Camelyn, any cluster of White Cloaks in this area will be forced to regroup. They don't know an Aes Sedai thwarted their plans. What they know is that two of their men are dead at our hands. Worse, that their last mission failed because of us. You'd think that would mean they'd have a few well armed men heading our direction, right?" She shook her head slowly. "No, it doesn't. Because I have yet to see White Cloaks only travelling in groups of three. It's my belief that for every one you see, there's another you don't. If they were going to such lengths to hide themselves, then there had to have been at least one who did a better job of it. The biggest idiot among them would've noticed that one of them was after me with a rather obvious intent. He's reported Aes Sedai to his commander, if only to cover his backside."

 

She walked for a while, taking a deep breath. "You think I became a liability by making so much noise. I say I became one as soon as that man started my direction. I can only hope, if they heard all that noise, that I've given them a reason to think before they attack us." She looked back at Melenis. "Either way, I'm rusty with those weaves. If they know about me, I'd rather tell them where I am and have worked on the weaves, than have them fall on us while I'm still out of practice. It's a chance and I know that. I weighed the risks before I did it. I can take the chance that they know how strong I am and know where we are. I can't take the chance that they find us by accident because I'm being quiet, Melenis."

[Jehaine]

Melenis nodded as Loraine explained herself, confirming what she had concluded from Kynwric's words. She hadn't been in the common room when the fighting started, and thus had not seen the man target Loraine, she was a bit surprised to hear that the Aes Sedai had been attacked as well -- perhaps the Whitecloaks really did have a way to detect girls that could channel. Still, when talk shifted to liabilities she felt she needed to explain herself.

 

- "Loraine, you misunderstand. I never saw you as a liability. Quite the opposite actualy, as you're the only one of our group that can detect channeling. There is this... weave, if i recall, that can dampen sound. The main reason why i spoke up was because i didn't understand why it was not used. I mean, if..."

 

She cut herself short before starting to voice her concerns again. Chances were, Loraine was more than aware of them as it was given her clear advantage in terms of experience. It was one thing to suspect Aes Sedai involvement, but if, on the other hand, they were certain of it, she guessed there'd be crossbows in the thicket to snipe the female members of their group. She didn't know about Whitecloaks, having no previous experience with them, but if they were really out to kill or capture Aes Sedai, then that would be what she believed they'd do.

 

She couldn't help but scan the nearby thickets nervously before looking at Loraine again. Would she sense it if there was trouble nearby as well? Would she be able to stop an arrow? She took a deep breath, hoping she could. If not, they would end up knee-deep in a pile of trouble.

 

 

Melenis

Doesn't know about the wards

[U4ea]

Loraine sighed. She could've used a ward, she'd thought about it. Perhaps it was frustration that had turned away from the idea. She shrugged the thought away. There would be time to worry about that, later. Plenty of it. She wrinkled her brow a moment and looked back at Melenis. "Where did you learn so much about weaves?" She realized it wasn't the first time the trainee had tossed around terminology usually restricted to those being trained by the Tower, itself and their warders. "It took Kyn years to piece together half of what I could do. We were in the Blight a long time before he got used to the things I could do enough that he took it into consideration while he planned things. It's strange to hear these things on a trainee's lips..."

[Jehaine]

Melenis looked a bit flushed as Loraine brought up her knowledge of the One Power. To be honest, she was a bit surprised to hear that it was rare to know as much as she did. She was, however, quick to reply.

 

- "Well... Remember back when we met, and i asked about the One Power? And you used Air to lift me up? I figured that if i were to be a good Warder, i'd need to know everything i could about what an Aes Sedai would be capable of, so i went into the library and just... read books about it. I asked some questions too, i think the Brown sister was amused that i asked, but answered the questions i had regardless. Though admittedly, that sound dampening weave was something i overheard from two Accepted talking there."

 

Still, she frowned, tilting her head as she looked at Loraine. It had taken Kynwric years to piece it together? Couldn't he just have asked, or looked it up in one of the books in the library? She looked a bit puzzled that Loraine would be surprised at her knowing some small things about weaves. Though she couldn't channel herself, the books she read were quite descriptive, allowing her to form an image of its worth in combat.

 

- "Wait... This isn't common practise among Warders? I won't call myself an expert, far from it, but i always figured some basic knowledge of channeling to be necessary if i am to protect an Aes Sedai."

 

 

Melenis

That's Path of Knowledge for ya...

[U4ea]

Loraine felt her lips quirk and gave in to it. "Alas, it depends on the warder. Kynwric, as I'm sure you can imagine, is not the 'read and find out' type. He's rather more hands on and learns things as he goes. I'm afraid being bonded to a Green didn't leave much time for research, either. Not long after I got my shawl, I was sent to the Borderlands. Had he been bonded to someone who had the time to sit and discuss things with him, I'm sure it would've been different. Spending as much time as we have worried about our next breath, it was far easier for me to show him on the go."

 

She tried to imagine Kynwric holed up in the Tower Library with a book about channeling and shook her head, unable to stop her laughter. He'd go stark raving mad before he'd been in the stacks ten minutes. "Your curiosity will serve you well in your bonded life, Melenis, as long as you've the time for it. I'm sure your Aes Sedai will appreciate your understanding of what she does, though I must caution you about voicing it. Even as a suggestion, an Aes Sedai could take it as an insult. Insults do horrible things to trust, you see. And if you can't trust the blade you depend on, what's the point in having one?"

[Jehaine]

Melenis thought on Loraine's words for a moment, then nodded. As the Aes Sedai laughed however, she smiled as well, though it needed to be mentioned that the majority of it was from relief that she wasn't upset with her. While she was still a Trainee, a few mistakes were still considered inevitable, but making your superiors angry at you... never was a good thing to do.

 

- "I see. I must say i'm relieved you're not that angry at me for my mistake. It's good to see your spirits returned as well."

 

With a relieved sigh, she looked up, noticing Jasine approach with a number of other people. She glanced at Loraine, but judging by the look on the Aes Sedai's face she was already expecting them. She concluded it must have been due to one of those weave-things again, and made a mental note to ask her about it later on. As Jasine introduced her, she gave his relatives a friendly nod, assuming Loraine would need to give them a couple of instructions as well. Jasine looked a bit worried for some reason though, and she looked at him, waiting for the report she knew would follow shortly. That is, if Loraine wanted her present.

 

 

Melenis

Didn't forget about Jasine arriving, see? :P

[U4ea]

Loraine nodded, "Anger is a luxury in my line of work. And your observation would be quite a silly thing for me to get angry about. Just promise you'll be more cautious when you're around other Aes Sedai?"

 

She stopped, her attention pulled towards their visitors as their walk took them back into the camp. She smiled softly at Jasine's family, though the haunted creases around their eyes told her that their fears had been founded. The creases that now ruined the lively laughter that usually bubbled in Jasine's eyes nearly broke her heart. She nodded as Jasine introduced her, hearing the softly whispered "Aes Sedai" and the faint acknowledgement in the others' eyes.

 

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am sorry it has to be under these circumstances. Would you care to stop here, or find more comfortable lodgings to discuss your daughter's disappearance?" She felt the urgency in finding the girl and finding her quickly. But she didn't want to make Jasine's family more uneasy in doing it...

[Quisalas Selene]

Jasine's father wasn't a man given to fancies and the blunt honesty that marked Kairyn's greeting of Thera was shown here too in his response to the Aes Sedai.  He dipped his head to her from the cart and said simply, "We're here, may as well do what we came for now."  He tied off the reins and dropped from the cart.  He resembled Jasine markedly and 30 years ago might have been as unlined and pretty as the boy, but his face had grown leathery with the long hours in the sun, and his frame had thickened to the point where it would be his children or wife that first sat in the training saddle of a young horse, not he.  He turned and helped Kairyn down while Jasine did the same for his sister.

 

It was Kairyn who moved to Loraine Sedai and bobbed a curtsy that was remarkably spritely considering the apparent age of her children and husband.  She showed considerably more deference to Lor than Tad did.  "Lady Loraine." She tipped her head, adopting the title of nobility for the woman as her son had. "I'm not sure how you knew about our Lasael missing, or why, but it's been quite a while now.  If we could sit down together somewhere, I'll tell you all I know about when we saw her last and where.  I've heard stories of other girls going missing west of here, but I didn't credit it for much until Lasael went missing too."

 

As his mom moved off towards Loraine, Jasine helped his dad with the horse and tried to find out what had everyone's hair on end.  Of the whole group, only Anluan and Arath seemed to be in normal spirits and he hoped nothing had happened while he and Thera were gone.

[Eqwina]

Thera smiled from Jasine to his family and back. She had hoped that when they met she would feel the same affection for them that she did for their son. As Loraine went off with his mother and Jasine with his father  Thera walked over and put an arm around Cairlyn.

 

“Come, I will introduce you more personally to the rest of Jasine’s and my friends.” It was strange to think of her trainees as friends, but Thera knew that soon after this trip that is what they would be, if anything at all. “Cairlyn, I would like you to meet Arath, Anluan, Jehaine, and Perivar. I am sure they will all make you feel welcome.” You would have had to have been a stone blind fool not to catch the mood among the group so Thera set herself the task of calming everyone’s ire.

 

In no time Cairlyn had entangled herself in conversation with one of the boys.  A thing Kairyn was not likely to thank her for, Thera noted and everyone else seemed at least more relaxed than they’d been. Leaving the children to their conversations Thera walked over to where Kairyn and Loraine were talking and quietly took her seat. Kynwric had joined them as well and was also sitting quietly, observing and if she knew the man taking note of anything that might be of help.

 

[U4ea]

Loraine grinned at Jasine's father, watching him drop down from the cart. She was far too old to care about his tone, or perhaps she was too young to care. It was difficult for her to place which, so she settled for a grin. "Indeed, good sir." She nodded to him, but the smile didn't leave her lips. Did the man even consider how old she must be? That she could easily have been his mother was daunting enough. Any other time, she'd have prodded him with memories of things he'd not remember as aught but stories from a history book. Ah, some other time, she thought to herself. If her theories were right, she was sure she'd be using her advanced age and pretty ring to get Jasine's missing sister into the Tower for training. That is, if they found her in time...

 

She smiled warmly at Jasine's mother, accepting the title without argument, before moving off with Kairyn. "To be honest, I've been praying since Jasine mentioned the possibility of his sister being missing that it was not your daughter. I only knew she was missing because he'd never have dragged you all the way out here if she was at home where she should be. I would greatly appreciate any information you can give me, as well." She listened as Kairyn talked, their walk taking them towards the quiet spot she'd retreated to after extolling her energy earlier.

[Quisalas Selene]

((I'd wanted to keep Kairyn and Lor's talk off-screen, so if we're going to finish this thread, can we have the plot advanced to where we get into the actual conflict of the thread and save Lasael from Whitecloaks and save the day?))

[U4ea]

OOC: Works for me. Just waiting on someone to pipe in! *laughs*

[Jehaine]

OOC: *nods* Same here, i'm fine with it. Melenis apologised to Loraine, so she's all set ^^

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric was stretching outside the House of Jasine's parents early in the morning. It had been three days since they arrived and the initial scouting and preparation had been done. Jasine's family had a good bit of information to share, some very good, some no more than gossip. But every lead had helped narrow things down more. Yesterday the break they had been looking for appeared, almost literally on their doorstep. A girl who looked worry-worn and road-weary had limped her way into the farm, the story she told was similar to what they had pieced together that it was easy to believe her. She said she had been gone for 4 days, hiding in the woods and trying to move at night to keep from being recaptured. Most importantly she knew roughly where the Whitecloaks were hold up, and it was about a days hard ride from the farm. He knew the Jasine and Eqwina were inside saying goodbye, Loraine was still inside as well, the others were out moving about as they prepared to leave. Looking up the sun was just peeking over the horizon and it had turned the sky a bright pink, <i>Good day to travel</i> he thought to himself and turned as he felt Loraine creeping closer. He asked once more time as she appeared in the doorway. "They're still okay with keeping the girl?"

[Sieve]

Perivar sat Nightdancer trying to appear patient, inside he was a bundle of nerves.  He hated being idle, he was eager for them to be on their way even knowing that at the end of a hard day's ride they could possibly be facing Whitecloaks.  More than likely that would be the case, if not today than tomorrow.  One way or another they would eventually catch up to their quarry, hopefully before they found another girl.  From everything they had heard they would be outnumbered by the Whitecloaks.  It was always best to be prepared for the worst so that any surprises would be pleasant ones.  One consolation was that they had an Aes Sedai and two Warders.  Hopefully that would be enough to offset the Whitecloaks numerical advantage.  It had to be enough, they had it to do.  Jasine's sister was one of the captives.  He could not imagine what his friend was going through.  Perivar had no sisters, the closest he could come to what Jasine was feeling was when he imagined Kabria being captive.  Imagine her being a young girl never making it to the Tower.  Imagine her being in Whitecloak hands.  He sought the void and tamped down the anger that was feeling at the thought.  All the anger, the eagerness to be away sat on the outside of the void.  He let it go then waited a moment to make sure he felt at ease.  The thoughts had passed for the moment. 

 

Perivar scanned their surroundings, his head was on a swivel as the others finished seeing to their things and getting mounted themselves.  When not scanning his surroundings, Perivar studied Master Kynwric as he did often.  He intended on being Kabria's Warder so he looked to his mentor trying to understand exactly what a Warder's duties were.  He studied Mistress Thera as well though most often it was Master Kynwric since his Aes Sedai was amongst their party.  Being in Loraine Sedai's presence was a learning experience as well, her words and wisdom were very valuable.  He had studied her as well so he knew what to expect from Kabria when she became Aes Sedai.  The true weight of this mission rested on her shoulders though she barely seemed to notice it.  There was so much to take in if you were wise enough to notice it.  This trip had been worth his own weight in gold and then some.  The experience gained was immeasurable.

 

Nightdancer stamped a hoof, he was as eager to go as his rider.  Perivar glanced at the horizon, the sun was just peeking over the trees spilling a bright pink glow as far as he could see.  The color reminded him of blood, of the veil that had covered his eyes when he was enraged.  He brought back the void pushing all his emotions into it so that he sat Nightdancer like a statue, only his head and eyes moved.  He was still for the moment but he was ready to move at a moments notice.   

[Jehaine]

The look on Melenis' face as they rode off was one of focused determination. She kept repeating to herself that they were going to liberate the girls from kidnappers. She too cast glances at Jasine however, trying to assess how much he was affected by the fact that one of the girls that had disappeared had been his sister. There were many possibilities ahead of them, and she hoped the girls would not be kept at different locations. While they would have the advantage of surprise on their side -- though they suspected an Aes Sedai to be present in the area as per their failed kidnapping attempt, it was another thing entirely to have them know the location of their camp -- she doubted security would not be put on high alert in case there were more camps to raid.

 

Shaking off further thought, her mind played and replayed combat scenarios, trying to get all the angles covered and planned for in advance so she could anticipate easier. They were off to fight kidnappers, Darkfriends even. She knew that regardless of the outcome, there was a large chance that people were going to end up dead, and she was trying her hardest to dehumanise their opponents. The less she could think of them as human like herself, the easier it would be to cut them down with her ashandarei. This is what she was trained to do after all, what she would have to do when the time came for her to get Bonded. Perhaps the one to Bond her would be amongst the girls they were about to rescue, perhaps she would already be in the Tower... It was hard to predict, but the safety of the girls would come first above all.

 

 

Melenis

Preparing to kill

[U4ea]

Loraine reached Kynwric's side and walked slowly towards her horse. She hadn't slept well and probably wouldn't until they'd saved these girls and returned to the Tower. That's all she would expect, too. She simply couldn't wrap her head around losing any of them.

 

"They're still okay with keeping the girl?" Kynwric said it low, so no one would overhear it. He needed to know whether this was going to be a fight or not. Her will would win, but it made things easier when the parents when they could understand the need. Luckily, Jasine appearing with a future daughter-in-law for them, had softened the blow for them. Perhaps having come to the realization that they may never see their daughter again helped them accept that, if Loraine's theory was correct, if their daughter had the spark, they wouldn't be seeing her for a long time.

 

She sighed and nodded, walkin with Kynwric the few steps to their horses. "They've accepted it. They'd much rather we find her and take her to the Tower, than find her..." she led off and shrugged. He could fill in that blank. A parent always could. "How far do you think we have to go before we find what we're looking for? Should we let the WhiteCloaks find us or do we hunt them?"

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric looked at her for a moment and then realized he hadn't breifed her on what had been found. She had been asleep when Perivar had come back in from scouting and he hadn't taken the time to breif her this morning, he had been setting things in motion to leave. "We're hunting them, back to their hovel... the girl gave us good information and we scouted it out and there it was... it might still be a trap, but it is one I think we should spring... and all only about hard days ride away."

[U4ea]

Loraine nodded slowly, glad she'd slept for most of the night. "I'll let you lead, then. When we spring it, it'll require every bit of strength I have." She patted her horse, turning to look over her shoulder at the others. "They seem to be handling the mess we left at the inn well enough. Do you think they're ready for what we'll find in a White Cloak camp?"

[_Kynwric_]

Kyn flicked his eyes to the Trainee's and then back to Loraine. "We shall see... we shall see..." He had confidence and they had performed well in the Inn ambush, but being set upon and willfully going into battle were two different things and took two different mentalities. "Nothing too truly be done about it now, either we take them all or we leave them all here... and I don't think they'd stay if we left them."

[U4ea]

Loraine felt the smile pull at her lips before she could restrain it. Trying to imagine this bunch left here to cool their heels while they raided that White Cloak camp was beyond entertaining. She nodded, schooling her features as she checked the lashings and buckles on her saddle. "So, we ride in, get what we came for and get out? No time for being subtle or quiet?" Without much preknowledge of the area, much less the fortifcation they may be riding into, this was going to be tricky. "We'll need to scout a bit, specifically entrances and exits when we get there. If they've turned those girls into scouts, I wouldn't be able to hide our tracks or cover us from detection without giving our location away. I trust the camp isn't out in a clearing?"

[_Kynwric_]

"Yes, we will need to scout some more. They are camped in a series of small clearings, no one large group all together, but the central most is the largest and also the main encampment. Now let's get moving so this can be finished, I'd like to be nearby by nightfall so we can scout in the darkness." He gestured to the horses being held ready and turned to look back at Thera and Jasine through the doorway. "They'll catch up in a minute. Once they realize we're leaving."