Remembering the past and toasting the future... (OPEN! COME ON IN!)

[U4ea]

Edana pulled the cart into the little room just off the Yard with a practiced ease. She'd been hauling carts just like this into the tavern she visited for a long time, so handling the thing wasn't giving her any trouble. She smiled as she looked around, glad she'd bribed the new trainee to clear the room out and set it up for her. He'd done a good job arranging all the chairs in a big circle and setting the fireplace up so it could be lit to ward off the cool night air. Perhaps it was lazy, but she truly just didn't have time between training and wall duty to set it up. She should've set this up for a different night, when she had a break from one or the other, but...

 

Today was a special day. Not special in a good way, but special nonetheless. She refused to spend it moping around in her room waiting on Sandre to be released from his duty. She hadn't posted fliers to invite people to this little candle light vigil, but she'd spread word the good old fashioned way. She'd told the biggest braggart and rumor spreader that she could that she was going to spend the night here. By the end of the hour, it was everywhere.

 

She smiled and sighed, sinking into a chair to await the others. Her thoughts moved back to the Blight and the good men she'd had to leave there. Her expression fell into one of sadness and remorse. She shook it off, getting back up to situate the cask where it could be reached by everyone. She took the flint kit from her pack and lit the fire, searing for something to keep her thoughts and hands busy.

 

That done, she had nothing to do but wait. She sank into a chair again, with her back to the flames. A mug of ale in her hands, she could only let her mind drift to the memories that had plagued her for the last year. In the crackling fire, she thought she could hear the screams of the Captain as the trollocs tossed him their cookpot...

 

~Edana

haunted

[Vanion]

Slipping silently into the room, his black scarf tied around his forehead for the purposes of this evening, instead of around his eyes, he observed Edana. She didn't seem that same woman who had interceded on his behalf in the Yards before.

 

No smiles now. No mirth in her eyes. Only shadows. Ghosts of the past.

 

He almost wished he had elected to wear the blindfold this evening so he couldn't see her pain.

 

It was the same look his father had in his eyes when he finally spoke of his time as a border guard. That haunted look when he spoke of friends and comrades that had been lost. He hadn't liked seeing that look anymore then, either.

 

Filling a mug from the cask, he sat down opposite Edana, watching over the rim as he took his first mouthful.

 

She didn't even seem to notice he had entered the room at all, so lost in her memories.

[Eqwina]

Adela was often timid about going out without Adamin. The twins had been attached at the hip so long that it seemed strange to her to stand only, to not be the other half a whole. Leaving him a note as to where she would be she walked down and knocked on Lone’s door.

 

In the weeks since their kiss she’d avoided him, unsure of what to say or how to act. Even taking cues from her flirtatious brother had given her no clues. Rapping on his door she gave him a small smile and let her eyes wander approvingly over his naked torso. Just because she had not yet mastered her brothers vocal charms did not mean she couldn’t make full advantage of her large dark blue eyes. “I hope didn’t catch you at a bad time?” Smirking she tossed her dark hair away from her face and handed him a small slip of paper. It named place to where she was going. “If you’re interested, this is where I will be.”  Without another word she sauntered off in search of the gathering.

 

Once she was sure Lone could no longer see she slouched slightly and let out a breath. Perhaps she shouldn’t have invited him? If it was going to make her feel so..tense. When she opened the door to the small room she stopped in the doorway, surprised at being only the third body in the room. She did not know either of the others gathered. Putting on, what she hoped, was a confident face she walked in and helped herself to a mug of ale.

 

The chairs in the room had been placed in a circle and she took the one across from the small group already gathered. Everyone seemed content on the silence and Adela would not be the one to break it. Burring her face in her mug she watched her boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

 

Adela

Unsure

[Lone]

Looking at the note Adela had handed. Lone soon remembered hearing about this gathering that was to take place. He didn't really know what it was for and hadn't planned on going as he didn't know that many people. He had been so focused on training he didn't use his free time for much socializing. But if Adela was going to be there, he decided to go. He hadn't seen as much of her as he had wanted, but when he was around her he felt more relaxed and planned on using this to his advantage. Maybe he might develop a few friendly relationship in the Yard.

 

Going to his closet, Lone put on his usual black sleeveless shirt & dark gray coat. He followed the directions on the note and arrived at the door relatively quickly. Upon entering the room he took what little there was to see. All three people occupying the room sat well apart and were keeping pretty mush to themselves.

 

Lone casually walked over and sat next to Adela. Giving her a quick smile, Lone asked, "So, What exactly is this for? I'm sad to say I don't know anyone else in here."

[U4ea]

Edana saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and flinched. Her hand was at her waist, grabbing for a beltknife that wasn't there as she turned towards the noise. She shook her head and relaxed, a forced motion that wasn't at all hidden. It had only been a trainee talking to the other trainee he'd sat next to. She smiled, recognizing two people in this room, though she doubted Adela would remember her. She'd been buried in the crowd in that inn, after all.

 

She flicked her gaze to the other person in the room and let a hollow smile lift the corners of her lips. "I apologize, I didn't hear you all come in," she said quietly. She nodded at Vanion. "Nice to see you again. I do hope D'Ashan remembered to return your blindfold." Her lips twitched again.

 

She turned to the other two, standing to offer them her hand. "I'm Edana," that was it. As many rumors as this Yard held with her name wrapped around them, she doubted there was a single trainee in the Yard that didn't know her name. "I'm glad you could come."

 

She adjusted her gaze to the male trainee. "To answer your question, we've gathered to share a night of remembrance, to honor our fallen friends with our memories and raise a glass so that they may know that, while they're no longer with us, they're always WITH us." She smiled, again, it was a bit hollow. "I'm truly not as formal or preachy as that just sounded, I promise..."

 

~Edana

[_Kynwric_]

Kynwric had seen the flyer Edana had put up around the yard, he too had done something similar sometime ago when it was necessary to remember those who had gone before them in service to each individual and sometimes the group as a whole. He slipped into the room quietly, noting the trainees already assembled. Normally it would be his nature to instruct those here, but tonight he was content to watch and listen. He knew Edana had recently arrived from a bloody mission to the blight-border and he was certain that had prompted this night. Kyn quickly found a seat deep in the shadows of the room, settling in so his back was to the wall and he could see all that went on, he knew some of the trainees here but many were new to him and he was interested to see what they would make of this sharing of loss.

 

As he watched Kyn could feel Loraine settled in the back of his head, she was likely pacing the rooms they shared in the Tower wondering what he was up to. It may hap that she decided to find him, or it may not, but he knew if he took up drinking tonight she would shortly be by his side to see what was so interesting.

 

When Edana began to speak Kyn knew more of what had happened, her timbre had changed, there was a gravity to her speech that had been missing on their scouting mission. It seemed she had taken the loss of men hard and now all that was left was to see if she could bear the weight of those losses.

[Eqwina]

Adela looked up as Lone walked in and she shot him a smile. The last words she’d said to him before today still burned in her ears. Never in her life had she flirted, or told a man she longed for a kiss! She had felt so silly for saying it, which was at least half the reason she was avoiding him until now.  She hoped that in a group he would not bring up what she’d said and done. Though by the way he glanced at her she did not think he would forget seeing her in her shift anytime soon.

 

When he asked about the gathering Adela searched her brain. She’d been so caught up in wanting to see Lone again that she’d forgotten to learn anything more than the location. Lucky for her Edana saved her. Del was almost sure she’d never seen the woman before, but something tickled the back of her mind as she introduced herself. Perhaps it was just seeing her around the yards??

 

When Edana was done speaking Adela stood up and introduced herself. “I am Adela Naurel. I’ve only been here about a month, but I too know about loss.” Sitting back down she flushed. Now why had she said that? After Lone introduced himself and had sat back down Adela caught his eye and gave him another grin. She hoped that tonight would give them a chance to get to know each other better, as well as some of the others. She’d been in the yard far too long without making any friends.

 

[Lone]

Following Adela & Edana's examples, Lone also introduced himself. "I am Lone Revicana. I too have only been here about a month. I see this night as an opportunity to come know my fellow trainees & trainers, but not only that. I believe that this is the greatest honor any warder could receive. As my father says, "To be forgotten is worse than death."

 

And with those words still hanging in the air, Lone sat, taking drink from his mug & listened to the next speaker.

[Sangreal]

Sandre arrived later than he would have liked. His Captain had drilled him for every detail he could about training heavy cavalry since he had returned from the Borderlands. Every day he had a new list of questions. Sandre had stopped to see if Dante wanted to go but the man was in a drunken stupor. Old feelings of hatred towards Aes Sedai he thought long gone flared up inside him. Worse still he knew this one.

 

When he made it to the room he saw the look of light in Edana's eyes when she saw him. He never noticed it before they had separated. It was a new thing. New things were good. He shook his head in regards to Dante. The light diminished slightly. He leaned against the door. As names came around it was as though they had all just discovered he was standing there. He smiled as he had to be an imposing figure with his height and build and in his uniform on top of that. He had a reputation as a beloved hard ass on the yards and wanted to keep it that way, but this was no ordinary get together. So his smile for them was warm. Which he suspected scared some of them even more.

 

"Sandre Kaldun.... Im not on duty. Please go back to your introductions."

[U4ea]

Edana shot a half-smile at Kynwric, knowing she hadn't really had time to talk to him since she'd come back. To be honest, she wasn't sure she could handle his... well, he wouldn't ask questions. Perhaps that would bug her, too.

 

She listened as the other two trainees introduced themselves and looked up at the shape in the door. She couldn't stop the smile stretching to include him. She'd started putting all of his letters in a trunk in her room since she'd come back. That is, after they'd been read until they were so ratty you almost couldn't read them, anymore.

 

She looked away from him, back to the folks who'd taken her up on her offer. How should she start this? She sighed inwardly, but tried to laugh outwardly. It didn't come out as more than a muffled "ha."

 

"So, I guess I'll start. Memories are what you make of them, right?" She sighed, deciding she'd avoid talking about the Borderlands a little while longer. That memory haunted her far too much, as it was. Giving it light would probably just make it worse. "I lost my father when I was young. My mother died before I could remember her, but my father..." She shrugged and looked down at her hands. "He was an amazing man, even my five year old mind could read that. He was a Captain of the Queen's Guard in Camelyn. As he aged, they put him in charge of training new recruits." She paused and her eyes turned to Sandre, humor adding a little twinkle to her eye. "He was a wise, but harsh old task master, and he brought that home with him, too. As soon as I could handle myself, I was cooking and cleaning for he and my brothers, right alongside the housekeeper he'd hired after my mother died."

 

She paused and shook her head. "He died the hero's death he'd always dreamed of, defending the Queen from an assassin. I was angry with him for that for a long time, though my brothers all accepted it as his due. I can only pray my death is as worthy as his."

 

She raised her glass and took a drink.

 

~Edana

 

[U4ea]

*nudges thread with her foot*

[Sangreal]

It was a worthy toast. Sandre himself had fond and not so fond memories of her father. He raised his glass and seeing the discomfort he was causing he decided to make the second toast himself. Perhaps when he had made it and they realized it was ok to take a drink he wouldnt be so disturbing.

 

"While we enjoy our freedoms here I often feel that we do not show enough appreciation to those serving in the Borderlands. The Blight and the things there in are a bigger threat than any other. Yet kingdom wars on kingdom wasting lives that could have been spent eliminating a bigger threat. All their resources go to that task and every day spent knowing it may be their last." He paused for a moment. He wasnt great at speeches. Dante and Eldest had the way with words. "Even with the best tactics I buried over a hundred men at arms in my time in the Borderlands... men who will not go home to wives and children. Who felt the need to serve a higher purpose and give the rest of the world a chance to live in peace. A chance we seldom take." He raised his glass. "To the men who serve in the Blight. May the Light protect them and welcome the fallen home."

 

He wasnt sure he did them justice. The others didnt seem to mind though.