Return to the Tower.. (Chore for novice?)

[Ladria Damin]

She walked through the halls of the Tower, watching young novices skittering around on their way to or from one of many classes or chores. Accepted in their banded dresses walked swiftly around. Ladria was home. She walked into the Ajah quarters for the Greens and opened the door to her rooms. Not surprisingly, they were well kept. She motioned to the man who brought her bags in to put them on her large table.

 

"Will there be anything more, Aes Sedai?" the man asked.

"No, thank you," Laddy replied.

"Then I'll be off," the man said, walking out of Ladria's rooms.

 

Ben was still in the city, so she had plenty of time to get her rooms to rights before her Warder returned. She removed her traveling cloak and placed it in the wardrobe that contained all her cloaks, and turned to look over the rooms she hadn't seen in a long time. Small figurines still sat on the mantle. Her teapot and small lovely cups still sat on the other end of her large wooden table. With a sigh, she turned and walked to the hallways to find a novice to unpack her belongings.

 

A novice came from her left,"Girl, please come to my rooms. I have a task for you."

 

"Those bags on the table, they need to be unpacked and the clothing in them put away in one of the wardrobes. When you happen across items not clothing, leave them on the table. And when you are done with that, I need some fresh water in my pitcher."

 

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Nesyer walked along the hallways, being just released from her classes to do whatever chores awaited her, or whatever any passing Aes Sedai wanted her to do.  She had been learning about the History of the White Tower, from before the Trolloc Wars.  It was a fascinating subject, about the White Tower since its founding, and how several different bands of Aes Sedai came together to form a collation of Aes Sedai, the central authority of the One Power.  Nesyer had absorbed it all with fascination and delight, and could not wait to return to the next lesson about the history.

 

"Girl, please come to my rooms. I have a task for you."

 

Nesyer jumped as an Aes Sedai whom she had not even seen before loomed out of nowhere.  Following the Aes Sedai, she resigned herself to another hour of chores.  She followed the Aes Sedai into the room.  By the musty smell of unaired rooms, this Aes Sedai had just returned.  From where was none of her buisness.  But Nesyer could anticipate the chore coming.

 

"Those bags on the table, they need to be unpacked and the clothing in them put away in one of the wardrobes. When you happen across items not clothing, leave them on the table. And when you are done with that, I need some fresh water in my pitcher."

 

Nesyer curtised and walked hurriedly to the bags on the table.  Opening them, she saw an array of clothes and other personal belongings.  Unfolding her clothes, Nesyer took them and hung them in one of the closets.  Then, she arranged the remaining objects on the table neatly, and set the bags on the floor before rushing out to refill the pitcher in the kitchens.

 

When she had returned with fresh water, she set it on the table and curtsied again to the Aes Sedai.  "Is there anything else you want me to do, Aes Sedai?"

 

Nesyer Yoshan

Healer of the Five

[Ladria Damin]

"No, that is all. You may go," Ladria said, looking around her rooms again after the novice had left.

 

She opened the windows, and looked out over the view that never ceased to move her. The fresh air began to move into the room and Ladria turned to walk to the table to retrieve the pitcher of water. After pouring some water into a bowl, she embraced the One Power to warm it before going about cleaning up after the long ride on horseback.

 

Ladria walked to her wardrobes, opening them to look for a dress Ben hadn't seen her wear since they'd been gone. She selected a white dress with a small mass of lace at the neck and wrists with much green embroidery that made tiny leaves throughout the dress, before stepping behind a partition to do her bathing.

 

Several minutes later, she was refreshed, dressed, with her hair braided, folded over and wrapped in leather straps.

 

She began walking around her rooms, readjusting some things, while she waited for Ben to arrive.

 

[U4ea]

Loraine took a quick step back as the Novice hurried from one of the Green quarters. She wrinkled her brow as the girl dropped a quick curtsey, murmured a soft apology and then hurried away again. She felt her lips quirk as she remembered having much the same demeanor as a Novice. Hurry away before they find you something else to do was a pretty common mindset. She seriously doubted that had changed much.

 

She turned her attention back to the door the Novice had bustled out of and the frown in her brow deepened. The didn't remember the last time this door had been opened, Light knew it hadn't been since she'd come back to the Tower. She'd heard movement within the room before the door closed behind that Novice. Was the sister back in residence, then? She wasn't sure she'd ever met the woman who lived beyond these walls.

 

She ran a quick hand down her torso, smoothing imaginary wrinkles as she moved towards the door. Her other hand checked the intricate knot her hair was twisted into. She'd finally gotten used to the true Cairhienin style she'd been forced to abandon for so many years. She was pretty sure even her grandfather would approve of the current twists and tucks. That thought helped her smooth out her features as she lifted her hand to knock on the door. She shook off her normal apprehension about what could be on the other side as she let her knocks ring out. She was a Sitter in this Ajah, after all. It was only right that she welcome this sister back from wherever she'd been. She let a small smile lift the corner of her lips as the door opened.

 

~Loraine

[Ladria Damin]

She had been bent over, putting books onto low shelves and placing a miniature chest back on the same shelves when there was a knock at the door.

 

"Just a moment please," she called out, glancing around to make sure the sitting room was to rights and it didn't smell musty any longer.

 

Ladria picked up a small figurine of a fish carved out of soft rock, that she had purchased from a farm owner that had happened upon and took a meal with while she and Ben were away. The blasted man wouldn't take a gold crown from her without insisting on it being for goods or services rendered. She had about one hundred of the tiny horses, birds and other animals, which was the only way she could pay for his children to see a village Wisdom and put some food on the table.

 

Some people have too much pride..

 

She set the small fish on the table next to the door before swinging it open. On the other side was a woman with her hair in Cairhienin style, smiling slightly.

 

"Yes?" Ladria asked, questioningly,"May I help you?" 

[U4ea]

"Yes? May I help you?"

 

Loraine smoothed her expression and nodded. "I was concerned that someone was rustling around in this room that shouldn't. I am Loraine," she said, holding her expression still. She was terribly out of practice here. "I don't believe we've met, but I trust you're finding things as you left them."

 

This conversation felt stilted, but one look at the woman on the other side of the door brought back a flood of rules and games from Cairhien. Memories of stilted conversations, flashing fans and whispered insults were difficult to push aside. She felt Kynwric's sudden alertness through their bond and mentally shook her head. She'd have to control that better. She'd become terribly out of practice with their long stint away from the Tower and even being home for a few years hadn't completely brought it all back. The halls were far too empty for that. Would this woman force her to the standards her grandfather set, just out of habit?

 

~Loraine

[Ladria Damin]

Ladria smiled,"Thank you, Sister," realizing the woman was an Aes Sedai as well,"Things are as I left them, though the air had grown quite stale in my absence."

 

The woman looked a touch tense, though an untrained eye would not have noticed.

 

"Would you care to come in for some tea, Sister? I was just going to make some," Ladria motioned in, wishing the sticky feeling of discomfort would melt away.

[U4ea]

"Would you care to come in for some tea, Sister? I was just going to make some," the woman seemed a little... uncomfortable?

 

Loraine nodded, though she couldn't stop the smile that spilled free at the mention of tea. "I would love a cup of tea," she said. "I don't believe there's a soul in this Tower who knows how to make good Cairhienin tea, or that appreciates it when I offer. I do believe it's a standing joke with some younger members of our Ajah." She made her way inside, following the woman who still hadn't introduced herself. That just made Loraine curious about where she'd been for so long.

 

She paused, waiting for the Aes Sedai to indicate where to sit. It gave her the opportunity to look around a bit, and she took it, trying to get a feel for this woman she'd never met. There were some masculine things here and there, but that could be another trait of a Green, rather than an indication of a warder. She did get the impression that the woman was waiting for something, though. Perhaps someone? "I remember when I came back, it took a month to get the staleness out of the air. I'd only been gone twenty years, but it smelled more like fifty. I tried every weave I could think of, picked fragrant flowers out of the gardens, kept tea steeping at all times," she smiled, looking at the window without moving towards it. "Nothing worked but living in it. I'm still not sure if that smell actually went away or if I just got used to it..."

 

~Loraine

[Ladria Damin]

"I know exactly what you mean, and please sit on the plush chairs," Ladria said, motioning to the sitting room to her left.

 

"Fortunately, there are ways of buying the leaves without making the journey to Cairhien! I have forgotten my manners. I am Ladria Damin. I have been gone with my Warder, Ben Tomas. We had business to attend to and then time marched on without us here," she sighed and turned to her teapot,"Though it was a nice time away, I missed the Tower."

 

Smiling in a glance at Loraine, she heated the water with threads of Fire before pouring it over a small mesh ball full of leaves and herbs to make the tea. She hoped that she wasn't talking too much. She felt almost a childlike glee at being back to the only home she had had for many years.

 

"Now then. Tea is made," Ladria said, pouring it into her favorite cups. Delicate little pale green with small flowers in a creamy white, that she reserved for special occasions. She set the cups on the small table between the two overstuffed chairs.

 

"Do you take honey or milk?" she asked, while still standing.

 

 

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled, recognizing the woman's name, if not the woman herself. She watched her move around and fix the tea, taking no small amount of pleasure at the scent of good Cairhienin tea. "You must tell me your source for those leaves or I shan't allow you to step foot outside this door, Warder or not." She grinned, unable to stop it. It felt good to smell it, reminded her of her family house...

 

She fought the urge to close her eyes, not wanting to think about what must've happened to that house by now. "Do you take honey or milk?" She lurched at the opportunity to avoid those haunting memories. She'd plan a trip to check on the house soon. She needed a breather, after all. "Honey, please," she answered, accepting the delicate cup once it was ready. She inhaled one more time before placing the cup to her lips. "I, too, have only returned to the Tower in the last few years. Between battles along the Borderlands and following leads and notes from Eyes and Ears most of the way across the world..." She shook her head, taking a sip of tea. "I drug Kynwric back here, knowing there was some work I should be doing. One of the contacts happened to pass along that Jaydena was looking for me." She smiled. She'd often wondered how long that message had been waiting for her to find it. She'd have to ask Jade some day. "What brings you back, Ladria? Was she hunting for you, too?"

 

~Loraine

glad to find someone else who appreciates good tea

[Ladria Damin]

Ladria sat down with her cup of tea and smiled,"I feel that since we left word that our business out of the city was quite important and quite unavoidable, that lent itself to our not being disturbed. I had not heard that there was need of us until I returned. I am glad that if we returned at a time when needed, the Light blessed the trip and made it possible for us to return as we were needed."

 

Ladria sighed and thought to their time away. The only other family she had now was Ben's, and though ties to the outside world were to be cut, she could not very well leave her Warder to his familial duties without some support.

 

"Ah, the man who brings the tea leaves does business here in Tar Valon. He operates a small shop near a dress maker's shop. I am so used to just passing there that my mind slips the name completely. I cannot believe there are many dress shops near a tea merchant and a banking house," Ladria shook her head, idly wondering if her wits were leaving her.

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled, glad to hear she'd have real tea again soon. Not even the good blends of leaves in the Two Rivers was as good as the smell of this tea! "Perhaps we can venture out and hunt him down once you're settled," she offered. "I'm always up for a trip out into the city, especially if it keeps my eyes from crossing reading the reports and missives that seem to land on my desk in droves, lately. I know Kynwric looks forward to our shopping trips, as well, though I believe he protests just so no one questions him too closely about it." She paused to think for a minute and shook her head, too. "At least, he enjoys them until we walk near a book shop. Then his protests are truly quite genuine..."

 

She grinned and took a sip of her tea. "I believe he thinks I joined the wrong Ajah. That is, until I blow something up..."

 

~Loraine

[BenTGaidin]

Ben walked calmly down the halls of the White Tower, turning into the familiar corridors of the Green Quarters. He could feel Ladria ahead of him; as they had planned, she had already had her rooms reopened, and was waiting there for him. Another turn, and a quick step to the side to let one of the Accepted scurry past on whatever duties sent her here, and he was almost at the door.

 

He paused outside the entrance to Ladria's rooms, letting her feel his presence through their bond, and then knocked softly on the door.

 

[Ladria Damin]

Ladria smiled,"Certainly! We shall have to go soon, as I am longing for some of a blend I sampled while gone rumored to be carried there. And I am sure Ben would like to retouch bases in the city as well, so we could perhaps truly make a day out of it. I believe I need to refresh my dresses as well, perhaps you could help me with that. Fashion is not my cup of tea," she shook her head.

 

Before she forgot, she placed her tea cup on the table and stood again, crossing toward the door-side table to retrieve the small figurine she had placed there earlier,"I purchased these while we were away. I had not wanted to make a purchase so much as gift, but here they are and now I intend to make gifts of them. The man who makes them is really quite talented," she handed the tiny fish to Loraine,"Notice the detail of the scales. I have to say I had not seen anything like it pri--" she was cut off by a knock at the door and a tingling that told her it was Ben.

 

"Sister, that is my Warder. Please stay and make his acquaintance," Ladria said turning to open the door.

 

"Ben! Please come in, this is Loraine," she motioned to the woman.

 

Ladria

Green

Ben's

 

(OOC: Sorry guys if this is super lame. I'm tired and still mono-plague ridden.. )

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled, noting the intricate details in the little fish with unfeigned wonder. She could weild a knife, but it was hardly for anything as constructive as this! The knock drew her attention and she drew herself to her feet out of habit.

 

"Sister, that is my Warder. Please stay and make his acquaintance," Her smile was still stretched across her lips when the door opened to admit Ladria's warder. "Ben! Please come in, this is Loraine.

 

A small part of Lor's mind warmed at the lack of title. She only stood on ceremony with Novices and Accepted. She would be damned to the Dark One's bore if she allowed a full ranking sister or a warder bonded to one to call her "Sedai." That had started as a thumb to her nose at her grandfather, but she'd found she preferred it that way since then. Perhaps annoying him and truly become her second past time. Even if he was long dead. She turned her smile towards the man walking through the door. She greeted him as she would any noble in Cairhien, a slight curtsey and lowering of her head. It only lasted a second before she was back and meeting his eyes again, though. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gaidin," she said brightly.

 

~Lor