This is all your fault! (Attn: Serge, Open to all)

[Rapture]

Deidre had felt Serge grab her by the arm and her first instinct was to jerk her arm away. Unfortunately, he had a good grip on her and he wasn't about to let go. She glanced up at his face and wondered why he looked so annoyed with her. She would've thought that he would be happy to see her, and at least somewhat proud that she managed to track him down.

 

He began leading her towards the group of black coated men and she resisted until she realized that he was going to drag her if she didn't walk. He didn't speak to her, which worried her so she asked quietly, "I do be wonderin what you be doin here, an why is't you be with them? Is't true?"

 

She prayed for him to answer no. She prayed for any explination other than the one that she knew she was going to hear. She wished she could stop trembling.

 

The other men looked intimidating, donned all in black with expressionless faces. Their eyes seemed to bore into her. "I do be sorry, Serge," she heard herself whisper, "I will leave an follow you no more, jist turn loose an I will." She worried that her brother had already gone mad, he didn't seem like himself and she was getting so nervous that she felt like she was going to empty the contents of her stomach right there on his shoes.

 

She heard him whisper something to one of the other men, but she couldn't make out what it was. The other man nodded and Deidre watched in horror as he turned away and in front of them a large gash appeared out of nowhere. It expanded into some type of hole and she could see a field on the other side. She whimpered to herself and looked up at her brother.

 

The men began stepping through the hole and soon after the last one had gone through, she felt Serge tugging her towards it. "Serge, no...please," she whimpered, but he would not stop. She began breathing harder, like one does after running hard for a long period of time, and she felt her heart thumping in her chest. She began to feel dizzy and even stumbled a little bit and cry.

 

The last thing Deidre could remember was standing right in front of the hole, with Serge nudging her towards it.

 

Deidre Karminov

[Guest Faile1987]

Listening to Serge Karminov´s instructions, Ged´s mind was trailing off – again…- somehow leaving the routine of patroling and distributing their times of vigilance as usual behind as he looked at Noy standing opposite him, listening to Serge inently and a smile curled on Ged´s lips as he watched him. As always a strange warmth was suddenly filling him, always the same whenever he looked at Noy, the man that had first become his best friend and eventually, or rather abruptly the man he didn´t only trust with his life and would gladly sacrifice his own for, but the man he loved and who marvellously loved him in return, unconditionally and openly unlike anyone had ever before.

 

His eyes resting on Noy not concealing the loving affection he felt for him in the weirdest moments, even now on discussing such dry matters as patrol and taks they would be given according to their new ranks as Dedicated now. Smiling rather absent-mindedly at him, admiring how dashing he looked, the black coat wih the silver sword pin both of them had earned only recently excellently showing off what Ged knew lay beneath there. And how he knew….he thought coming short of snickering actually, just keeping himself under control very hardly.

 

In fact Ged seemed to ignore nearly everything going on around him as he was so fixated on Noy that he hardly found himself able to concentrate on anything else, inwardly laughing about himself. It was just hilarious how besotted he got over a man, a man of all people despite he had always been thinking of himself as being straight only to find out exactly how mistaken he was. Amazing what paths the Wheel someties chose for one´s life, he mused, still not taking his gaze from Noy.

 

Yet all of a sudden his attention was distracted by Serge dragging a blonde girl along, her eyes as startling blue as Ged´s own were of a bright smaragd green. Deep like the blue sea they were yet what they held now was utter terror short of panic when one of them opened a gateway on Serge´s command and him waving them to go ahead, while not letting go of the girl on his hand made Ged suspicious though. What was the man up to and why in the name of the Light was she, whoever she was, that afraid, staring at them as though she was facing a group of madman.

 

Light that is exactly what she thinks is happening! Ged suddenly felt a pang of guilt and something else…shame? go through him, making him bit his lip. Of course. Over all his ogling at Noy he seemed to have forgotten what they really were, actually his own visions, the pictures haunting him day and night, seemed to have faded at least somewhat, even though he woke up screamind and covered in sweat next to Noy all too often at nigh and it always took a long time and a lot of soothing and reassuring words by Noy and sometimes even more than that to get him back to sleep. But how could he forget that? Light, he really seemed to lose his wits over that man and actually gladly so, ever so gladly.

 

Still he couldn´t let Serge just drag her along like that, curiosity taking over along with the urge to find out what he was bloody doing, startling handsome and higher in rank than him or not. He laid his hand on Serge´s arm, just before he could make him go through the gateway before he followd with the girl. “Wait Sergeâ€, he said, pointedly looking sharply at him “Don´t you see she´s afraid?†Taking a deep breath, his voice calm and gentle as he looked down at the golden-haired girl, he said sofly: “You don´t have to be afraid. We won´t harm you. Just come along and in the meanwhile tell me a bit about yourself, will you?†he pointedly ignored Serge´s glare at him again, knowing that he woould live to regret that later, yet he wasn´t afriad of that right now. He just felt like he had to help that girl of whichever reason but he didn´t want to see anyone looking at him with that blind fear in her eyes again. No, never again. He just couldn´t stand it. Maybe it was that that made him take her hand and shrug off Serge for now, bowing to her swiftly, faintly becoming aware of how foolishly he was just acting. “I´m Ged Maevere, Dedicated of the Black Tower…Would you honor me with your name perhaps?â€

[Rapture]

Deidre couldn't have been out for too long because when she opened her eyes again, they were all standing just on the other side of the hole in the air. They...herself and all of those men in black. She felt her heart begin to thump hard again and her stomach continued to threaten to empty itself.

 

One of the men came over to the two of them and with a very soft voice, he spoke to her brother, "Wait Serge, don't you see she's afraid?" Then he turned his gaze to her and introduced himself.

 

"I," she started and then looked up at Serge, only to find him glaring at the man who called himself Ged, "I do be Deidre Karminov," she finished quietly. She was suprised to find that she could even speak at this point, her stomach was in knots.

 

Ged took her hand and tried to ease her along to wherever it was they were taking her, and she was suprised again when her feet started moving. "I do be frim Illian an Serge is me brother," she heard herself say, "Where is't you be takin' me an where are we?"

 

She looked back over her shoulder at Serge and said, in a pleading tone, "They did try t'make me marry, Serge. I thought you would understand."

 

She turned her gaze back to Ged. He didn't seem like he was mad, actually, he seemed quite nice. That didn't mean that she had to trust them though. She would just bide her time and then try to get away. She began to wonder if she'd have been better off marrying the wrong sort of man.

[Muirenn]

Oh Light no! Serge groaned audibly when he heard his name called. That shrill voice was the same as he had always heard in childhood when he had been caught doing something he oughtn't. Deidre. He supposed after the way he had gone she was right to use that tone. But it wasn't as if he had been given a choice in the matter. Hurt his family by leaving without a word, or kill them by explaining. The look in Deidre's eyes now confirmed that he had been correct. That look of utter betrayal. And now he had to make the entire situation worse to make it better.

 

She started to run and he went after her, grabbing her arm to keep her from getting away. She looked up at him and he thought for a moment that she would try to escape, but she simply allowed herself to be led back to where the others were gathered. He didn't answer her questions, didn't want to admit what she could see with her own eyes. That he was tainted now. He hated having to do this to her, but explanations would have to be for later. Deidre had never been one for screaming, but if she did now, at the wrong moment...it did not bear thinking about. And then the begging started, the pleading whispers for release, and something inside him tore free. She was now as much a prisoner as he. When the gateway opened, she fainted, which Serge counted a mercy. He picked her up gently, and carried her through.

 

Nearly as soon as the gateway closed behind them, one of the other Dedicated came up and began to tell Serge how frightened Deidre was, and to be kind to her. As if he could not see with his own eyes what this curse had done to his sister. He gave the other man a withering glare which was promptly ignored. Deidre came to then, and Serge forgot about the nattering jay for a moment as he grasped saidin and delved her to ensure that she had suffered no lasting harm. She pushed away from his chest and he let her down gently, not wanting her to harm herself trying to get away.

 

Then Ged was back again, trying to talk to her, to find out her name, which she curtly supplied before turning back again to her brother and asking where they were going. Serge sighed, it could be put off no longer. "Deidre," he began, haltingly, not knowing the words he should use, "You do be correct in your thoughts. I do be one of the Dedicated, a man of the Black Tower, in service to Jarron, the Dragon Reborn. I do be able to channel, and I can no help that." The last trailed into a whisper. "I did no want to upset you, or Ma, or Da. I did think it best this way," he shot her a heated look, "I did no think you would try to follow me! What were you thinking?"

 

Her next words stunned him, that she had been to be married. And he thought he knew what she meant by the 'wrong sort of man'. They needed to talk, and alone. He had to find out exactly what had happened, and find out how matters were with her now. He also had to explain as gently as possible that she would not be allowed to leave the Farm, could not be allowed to leave. Stepping quickly, he came between Deidre and Ged, who had continued blithely on, apparently oblivious to the undercurrents of the situation.

 

Serge snapped at him, rather more roughly that he had intended, "This do be family business, Ged. Go be making yourself useful and tell the M'Hael Haran that we do have another new civilian to look after. I be taking her to the Weaponsmaster's home for now. The other ladies can be seeing to her care after that, and making her a sight more comfortable." He turned back to Deidre and led her toward the small house he shared with Marden. On the way he asked, "Tell me what happened, Deidre, and how you came to find me here."

 

-Serge Karminov

Dedicated of the Black Tower

[Guest Faile1987]

"This do be family business, Ged. Go be making yourself useful and tell the M'Hael Haran that we do have another new civilian to look after. I be taking her to the Weaponsmaster's home for now. The other ladies can be seeing to her care after that, and making her a sight more comfortable." Startling blue eyes glared at him narrowly as Serge spoke to him, short of snapped at him actually, telling him off quite roughly to see to his own matters and leave him alone with his sister who indeed looked like his very mirror-image just the opposite gender.

 

Shaking his head slowly, Ged nearly laughed at himself inwardly. Actually he had caught himself more than once gaping openly at the more than handsome Illianer, seemingly the very image of the man everyone dreamed of in rather vivid fantasies, his body seeming as perfect as it could be, blonde hair framing a startlingly delicate and smooth tact that would have almost looked feminine I not for the typical Illianer beard he wore, neatly trimmed as befit his entire appearance. There was just not a single flaw about his appearance, Ged had to admit, in fact feeling a small sensation of heat raising inside him as those deep blue eyes looked him face to face, even his angry stare not lessening his gorgeous looks.

 

As he took his sister who had just introduced herself as Deirdre Karminov an shyly, intimidatedly in fact had asked him where they were going as they had nearly arrived back at the farm already, Ged wouldn´t leave it like that though. Those scared blue eyes, exactly resembling her brother´s, yet full of horror and fear of what was awaiting her at a place she didn´t know, being the only woman among a crowd of men she seemingly regarded as even worse than untamed and uncalculatable animals, rabid dogs in fact, had just left a deep impression on him, burned themselves into his mind and he just couldn´t forget that, couldn´t let her brother have his way just fueling her fear. No, Serge´s eyes had told him unmistakably that he should mind his own business if he knew what was good for him, yet once again Ged couldn’t care less about himself, just knowing that he couldn´t bear anyone being that afraid around him, afraid enough to have fainted before which only added to his urge to act.

 

Setting his teeth, he unconsciously brushed back a strand of his long blonde hair that had been blown into his face, before he took Serge by the arm hard enough to halt his rapid pace. “You might have family business to see to, but this concerns me as well as youâ€, he said as calmlay as possible. After all he didn´t want to start a fight or make it even worse for Deidre, feeling guilty enough about merely being the subject of her fear. But then again the small, persistent voice in the back of his mind nagged him if he honestly thought he had deserved anything better? After all what did he expect? Cursed as he was with the taint on Saidar, inevitably doomed to go mad and die, rotting alive, people actually couldn´t be scared enough of his kind, better staying clear of them if they didn´t want to be dragged down the whirl of madness and destruction as well. So was he in a position to actually try to help a scared girl? He who had killed nearly a dozen people in cold blood, enraged and allowing the tainted curse inside him take over? Indeed he wasn´t the person to judge or criticize others but still he felt obliged to try and help this one, no matter what.

 

“Why don´t you just let her go, Serge?â€, Ged asked, still not letting go of Serge, actually surprised about himself feeling nothing, the heat that had welled up on the mere sight of the other man´s flawless body entirely gone as he just felt a faint sense of anger and incapability to understand what the other one was at, why he dragged his sister, who he apparently had some affection for judging his looks, along by all means? “Why do you make her come with you although she doesn´t want to? Do you really want to make her live among men like us, men like you? Don’t´you remember the M´Hael´s words, Serge? Old ties are broken, our past and everything lies behind us. The Black Tower is the only family we have now and you have to leave everyone else behind for their own good. Do you really want to hurt her like that? Burn you Serge, you know what will happen! You should know at least, but apparently you´re too witless to understand that.†Ged knew that he had overstepped a border now, that he had gone too far, having openly insulted Serge, humiliated him by talking to him like he was a mere child in front of their entire party. He clenched his teeth, green eyes suddenly ablaze as he directly faced the other man, the expression on his face unrevealing, nearly coldly watching the other one. “In all your time here you seem to have understood nothing, Serge. Nothing at all. I´m sorry to have to work with one like you who drags others, even more so those closest to him down the same path that you should go on your own.†Those words came calmly, placidly yet cutting in their tone as Ged didn´t care what the other thought anymore. He didn´t care what anyone thought about what he was just doing. Pure madness, he knew. Yet he couldn´t help it. It just broke through and although he was aware that he was very likely to regret it later, he just couldn´t help himself. “The Light burn you fool, you haven´t understood anything at allâ€, he repeated flatly, in as low a voice as seemed almost inaudible. Yet Serge would hear it that much was sure.

[Rapture]

Deidre had opened her mouth to answer her brother's questions but was interupted when Ged came trotting back over to stop them. He whispered something to Serge and that in turn earned him a look that Deidre knew all to well.

 

She looked back and forth between the two men for a moment and then tugged on Serge's arm gently, "Serge, let's begone so we can be talkin'. There be tings ye need t'know." Ged had been nice to her and she didn't want to see him hurt, even more so, she feared that the two of them would start channeling on each other and she really didn't want to see that.

 

Serge did not move though, his gaze fixed firmly on Ged's own. This does no bode well, Deidre thought and tried to reach Ged instead, "It do be aright, Ged. I be fine now," she said softly, "I do no tink me brother means t'harm me. I am no scared."

 

She lied, of course. She was terrified still, but she wanted to get the two of them apart. "Come, Serge," she said again, this time tugging his arm a little harder than before, "We do be needin' t'have that talk now."