On the Road to Bandar Eban (Atten: Dante and Visar)

[Rasheta Ardashir]

OOC: I didn't want to start two threads...because I'm lazy. LOL So the first bit is in the WT and then we will be on the way. Don't worry I'll label it. *laughs*

 

IC in the WT:

 

Rasheta was tired of staring at her ceiling in her sitting room, as she was doing now, and the way her two warders were being to courteous to each other. Ever since she had confessed her love for Dante, Visar seemed unsure of himself and stepped carefully around both her and Dante. It was a little strange, she still treated Visar the same, or she tried to. She wasn't totally sure she was the same as before but who could really blame her, she was trying to understand again how to behave with a man you loved. She sighed and put a hand over her eyes and wondered what to do. She needed to get out of the White Tower. Give herself and her warders some space, they would all either learn to live with each other. Although it wasn't too bad for her warders they only had her emotions to deal with she had both of them in her head. Or they would all just continue in the same way they were. She had a thought she hadn't been home since before she lost Adrian. She would travel there with her warders, she was fairly sure Visar would be interested in the Domani women. She smiled, she hadn't enjoyed embarrassing a warder in awhile. Visar gave her a strange look as she sat up in her chair quickly and said.

 

"Visar go and find Dante, he should be down on the practice yards. Tell him to get ready to leave we are going to be going to Arad Doman." She paused and added "you are also coming so once you tell Dante get ready yourself." She stood up and just as he was leaving she added. "Visar be sure to tell Dante to bring a plain cloak as well as his fancloth. You the same, it is wise to hide the fancloth for awhile once we leave."

 

She turned and went into her room she packed quickly and lightly. She needed a change of clothes and of course she needed some money. That wouldn't be hard she was paid annually by the White Tower and she rarely spent what she was paid these days. She folded one of her Green Shawls and then picked up one that was plain but well made. One could never be too sure about the way people viewed Aes Sedai, she put one of her Domani style dresses in her pack. She smiled imagining how much enjoyment she would get teasing Visar with that on. She knew Dante would enjoy the dress as well. She laughed softly to herself and dragged her things out to her sitting room. She had forgotten to tell either Warder when they were leaving. She focused on her warders and smiled they were both returning to the room she would just wait for a moment till they got there. She sat back down and rested her chin on her fist and stared at the door. She didn't have long to wait. Both warders entered the room and she smiled brightly at them both. "Good you both are here, make all your preparations tonight we leave in the morning." She stood up and said. "You can find me in the city if you need me I never sleep well the night before leaving the tower." She paused and added. "I'm sure one of you or both will join me later. I know you can't be without me for long." She was teasing them and from the amused feeling she was getting from them they knew it. She winked at them and then left the room going toward the city. Tonight was going to be fun and tomorrow well she would make it through the day even if she got no sleep tonight.

 

OOC: Just go ahead guys and post whatever you are doing to prepare and whatever you do at night.  ;D I couldn't think where to end it without going on and on but if you need more lemme know. :)

 

[Visar Falmaien]

Visar paced the room uncomfortably, wondering what was going on.  He knew that something was up; and that Rasheta was deliberately hiding something from him.  It must be something she found funny that she shared with Dante, he concluded.  Yet the looks she gave him indicated that he might be included in on the "fun" as well.  Whatever could it be?  From what he could tell from the bond, it seemed almost...scandalous.  Thankfully, she stopped the waiting game and finally told him what was up.

 

"Visar go and find Dante, he should be down on the practice yards. Tell him to get ready to leave we are going to be going to Arad Doman."  Visar blinked, giving Rasheta a strange look.  Arad Doman?  That was leagues and leagues away, easily a month's ride, and she wanted to depart tomorrow?!  And she had not said anything of this before! 

 

He turned to leave.  The Aes Sedai wanted to leave tomorrow.  He wasn't even sure the three of them were capable of preparing for such a long journey with only one night to prepare.  Hopefully one of Dante's exit strategies might cover a sudden departure.  She stopped him just as he was out of the door, reminding him to bring a spare, non-fancloth cloak.

 

"Uh...Right,"  he acknowledged, and sprinted quickly down the halls, his mind racing, completely oblivious to panicked servants jumping to the side to get out of his way.  As he went he compiled a mental list of things that they might need.  They would need to check on the horses and get them saddled.  They would need to pack plenty of provisions, but how much was enough?

 

  They would need either plenty of money or a week or two's provisions, or both.  It seemed like Rasheta wanted to travel light, so two weeks was out, plus the horses -with Rasheta, Visar, and Dante's help of course- would consume all their provisions well before the two weeks was over no matter how many provisions or extra pack horses they took with them.  They would have to bring half a week's provisions (ooc: read 5 days) at the very least, and plenty of money to buy more along the way.  Yet their mobility would be severely hampered by having to tow along a packhorse.  They would have to bring maps to study any additional potential sources of water and grazing grounds for the horses, as well as know how long it would take between each village and town so they would know how much they would need in between resupplying with their money.

 

And that was once they cleared the city!  First they had to be sure, or otherwise Visar's head would be chewed off by Dante, that their exit from the city was completely secure.  Visar was breathing heavily by the time he reached Dante at the practice yard.

 

"Dante!"  Visar gasped, trying to convey the urgency of the situation but stuttering and wheezing befuddled his attempt.  "R...Sedai...Wants...to leave...Ar... Doman...tomorrow."

 

The man told him to calm down.  Of course he would!  Visar growled and regained his composure.  They still had plenty of time to sort this out.  No need to panic. Right?

 

"Rasheta wants to leave for Arad Doman on the morrow, and she plans on staying in the city...Yeah I don't like that part either."  He frowned at Dante suspiciously.  "Did you know about this little trip beforehand?  She didn't tell me nothing, though I know something was up for a few days."

 

"And she tells us to bring spare non-fancloth cloaks, as if that's the most important thing to worry about..." Visar muttered, annoyed at the extreme late notice of this trip, as if it had been decided out of the blue at a whim.  She hadn't even told them Why she wanted to go to Arad Doman!

 

"Dante, I'll try to get the horses ready and get all the provisions we'll need.  Why don't you talk to Rasheta, see if you can..umm...persuade her not to stay by herself in the city.  It would be easier to pack if one of us didn't have to stick by her the whole time.  And uh, while you're at it, I suppose check your city contacts for any possible threats and make sure our exit through the city is secure?  I'll see if I can scrounge some accurate maps from the library as well to find the safest route to travel."

 

Awaiting any further task suggestions or offers from Dante, Visar was eager to rush off and get ready.  Although he didn't appreciate the late notice of the journey, he couldn't help but be excited.  A trip to Arad Doman!  He would learn how to eat with sursa, eat some excellent food, and more importantly, set eyes on some of the most beautiful women in the world.

 

He quickly wiped off the grin he realized was on his face, and focused on the task at hand.  Maps, horses, food and drink for five days...Then he could perhaps worry about packing for himself, which wouldn't take very long he hoped.

[Sangreal]

For some odd reason those who came to the yards all seem to carry their own baggage. Dante himself had to come here to find his own. Thankfully with Rasheta's confession he dropped it all. The Guard with the most baggage this day was Guard Hanlin. Hanlin had no respect for women at all and struck his girlfriend, another guard. So Hanlin was getting some anger management lessons. When they wanted him to lose his temper they requested Dante's service.

 

By the time Visar was running up Dante had run through every joke he could think of about Hanlin's ancestry, small manhood, promiscuous mother, and body parts that resemble other unattractive objects. It was during a duel of course as Dante found that soundly beating someone while hurling insults was a great form of mental warfare. He could even get to Sandre on occasion though many days sparring with Visar made him a rather immune and boring partner. He didnt dare try it on Edana. That woman demonstrated skill beyond her training when she wanted to hit you bad enough.

 

As Visar spoke Dante didnt even stop dueling. Visar had glanced over and Dante excused the red face Hanlin with "Dont mind him... he was castrated in the womb and is still working out the frustration." When a breathless Visar finally finished up saying what he had to say Dante allowed Hanlin to trip over his own feet. "She wants to leave?... so soon?" Dante scratched his head. There went his plans for the night. He had been playing a game of cat and mouse with Rasheta since she confessed her feelings and ever since that day when Dante tried to get... alone time... she was busy, or he would always arrive to see her too late.. always by minutes of course. It was a game, one she was better at.

 

"In the city you say?... odd but ok. Could be fun. I have a pack made already so we just need to worry about the pack horse which I will take care of while you pack I suppose. Meet us in town?"

 

Dante smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder and walked towards the horses.

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Rasheta was pushing the horses and her two warders harder then she should be but she was anxious to get away from the Tower now that she was on her way. The day had started with her waking up Visar and Dante. Dante wasn't that hard to wake up considering he had been right next to her. She had been out in town and had found Dante, or rather he had found her in one of her favorite Taverns. She was saying goodbye to all her favorite places in the chance that she wouldn't return from the trip. It was not likly that she wouldn't as she was only going to Arad Doman but it was never for sure that you would come back. She had known Dante was upset she hadn't seen him alone since she had told him she loved him. It was daunting for him to know that she did but not be shown she supossed would be the word. She watched him come toward her and she had smiled over the mug at him. Things had been interesting after that. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night and Dante hadn't either. Although he seemed more awake then she was. The bond allowed Warders to sleep less then there Aes Sedai and still function. She looked over her shoulder and could still see the White Tower she nudged her horse a little faster he was happy to run for as long as she wanted. She was fairly sure Tyr would run till he was dead but she didn't want that to happen so she had him in check. Visar and Dante were curious about why she was pressing so hard but she didn't pause to answer the curious feelings through the bond. She hadn't known what Visar had done the last night in Tar Valon. She hoped he had some fun, or said his goodbyes to places that he may or may not see again.

 

 

After it was dark Rasheta checked Tyr and started to walk him she knew they weren't far from a small village the village would have an inn. She didn't mind sleeping outdoors but when you didn't have to it was nicer. She saw the lights and nudged the horse a little faster toward them. She asked for two rooms next to each other she told her warders to clean up and then meet her in her room. She had somet things to discuss with them. She cleaned herself up and wasn't surpised when Dante knocked fist. SHe smiled at him as he came in. SHe was combing out her long hair and she told him to sit and wait for Visar. He probably wouln'dt Dante was impulsive. He didn't listen to her unless he felt like he needed to. She got annoyed with that sometimes but it was probably for the best. Hed saved her when they were in the boarderlands. Visar knocked then and she waited till he was seated before asking them. "Have you been to Arad Doman? I'm going back because I want to visit the home I grew up in. I should have told you th at before but I didn't think it was important." She paused and added. "You both have seen the Ajah head for the Greens. She has told you that we fight now against the Black Ajah.' She twiseted her mouth in distaste. She was distressed that any of the Aes Sedai could want to join the dark one let alone any of the Greens. Although she had heard at least one green had been found out. She pulled herself back to the present though and added "You have my promise that I will look out for you both." She smiled. "I know that seems like a strange thing to say when you are sworn to protect me but the black Ajah is cunning and you cannot fight Saidar, be careful always my Warders I couldn't handle loosing either of you. Now go on and have dinner. Let me know if you need me for anything. I am tired so I will eat here. Have a good night." She added with a smile and turned back around to the mirror to finish tying up her hair. She wondered what Viar would get up to tonight. Or Dante for that matter.

[Visar Falmaien]

The excitement of the rush to get everything ready quickly wore off as they made their way on the road to the west.  Rasheta Sedai was clearly in a hurry, and although Visar wanted to ask why, he didn't.  She was the Aes Sedai, and she would set the pace.  It wasn't his place to question her, and it had been a while since he had pushed for speed in his riding.

 

His eyes scanning the road ahead for any possibly anomalies, Visar soon found himself drifting ahead of Dante and Rasheta on the road, lost in his thoughts.  From what little he sensed of the bond last night, he really didn't want to disturb the two, especially not now that they were more open toward their feelings towards each other.  Yet with the two lovers, that made him feel like the odd one out. 

 

His night had been practically uneventful.  He had talked to a couple comrades who had been in the Guard with him in a tavern, shared a small drink with them although they were much freer in their consumption than he was.  But for the life of him he couldn't remember what they had talked about.  It couldn't have been important or interesting, he decided.  He wished it had, for that would be the last time he saw any of his old friends in a while.  Life didn't always make time for goodbyes, he reflected to himself almost sadly.

 

Well, he had hoped that this trip would prove an interesting break in the normal routine, but so far the familiar road and the wide expanse, unbroken save for the great spire of Dragonmount which they rode around, of the plains were painfully monotonous.  Visar was glad to finally arrive at a small village, their stop for the night.

 

They got two rooms, one for Dante and Rasheta, and a small one for Visar.  He was only partially glad it was next to his Aes Sedai.  On the one hand, he could reach Rasheta quickly if anything, however bloody unlikely, happened.  But as he lightly tapped the wall between their rooms, Visar noted that it was very thin, and wouldn't stifle sound from the other room very well.  He idly hoped that the pair would be too tired for any loud noises, or Visar doubted he would be able to sleep well tonight.  At least in the White Tower he could afford to relocate immediately to his old bunk in the barracks and save himself considerable annoyance.

 

Settling his things quickly, Visar quickly knocked on the adjacent room and went in.  Dante looked like he had made himself comfortable already and Rasheta was combing her hair.  Visar took a seat to the side, wondering if then he might hear some details of this Arad Doman trip.

 

"Have you been to Arad Doman? I'm going back because I want to visit the home I grew up in. I should have told you that before but I didn't think it was important."

 

Visar nodded, if half to himself.  He had remembered their destination, and it only made sense for his Aes Sedai to want to return to her homeland.  Sometimes, despite all reasons not to, he found himself missing Tear, if only because it tended to be warmer down there.  How he had lived in Shienar for a year, and Tar Valon for several, without losing his fingers and his toes from frostbite were beyond him.

 

He tensed at her mention of the Black Ajah.  The threat inside the White Tower made him feel vulnerable and helpless.  How could he fight against an Aes Sedai's awesome power?  There were ways and no one had a perfect defense, but the thought of going against someone wielding the Power had a level of intimidation that he had never felt before when considering his or others' defense.

 

Thankfully, the briefing was, well, brief, and Visar rose with a slight nod, moving to go downstairs to get something to eat.  Dante went with him, and Visar gave a half smile as Dante joined him down the stairs.  They obtained their food without too much of a fuss, though at the loss of a few more coins than Visar thought was necessary.  Visar was looking forward to talking to Dante for a few minutes when his friend and fellow warder rose, carrying the extra plate for Rasheta.

Oh right.  Have to go back up to give her her food.  Nevermind that...  Somehow Visar managed to just nod, and mumbled a quick question before Dante left,

"Could you ask her if we're leaving first thing tomorrow or staying a bit?"

Visar wondered if Dante would come back down to talk to him after giving Rasheta her food.  If he did, which Visar was doubting he would do, he wasn't even sure what they would talk about.  But it had been a while since they had shared a good drink just to themselves.  Dante was his friend, yet the fact that he loved Rasheta and spent a lot of his time with her made Visar feel like their friendship didn't matter anymore.  Or that something with it was missing somehow.  Dante was not quite the outgoing rascal he used to be, and Visar was surprised at how much he himself had changed over the years.  Sometimes his dull, quiet, dutiful habits seemed alarming, especially considering how fun living on the edge in Tear now seemed in retrospect.

[Sangreal]

Dante was fine with the hurry. It gave him a chance to check into his plans in the event they had to leave in a hurry while being pursued. As they traveled he showed Visar where cache's of weapons and gold were hid and how to get to them. He pointed out areas where they could hide and how to travel if the area was over run.

 

When they reached the Tavern Dante first sized up every single person in the Tavern, carefully weighing their threat level and then walked around it checking out escape routes and areas where an enemy could hide and fire upon their window. He went through the common room and the hall outside their rooms slowly, checking every single area that the floor creaked, memorizing the sound it made so he could know the location of someone outside door. He checked the room for the same and closed the shutters. Satisfied, he relaxed a bit. He waited on Visar and amused himself watching Rasheta brush her hair. When Visar arrived he waited quietly while Rasheta explained her plans. He nodded where he needed to and went down stairs to grab Rasheta her food, not trusting the Tavern maids to bring it up. He dropped it off to her leaning over her slightly as he set it upon the desk she was sitting at and with his free hand lightly brushed her neck on one side and allowed his breath to lightly tickle her neck on the other. He smiled innocently when she looked up knowing full well his intention and walked away with a smile.

 

Visar almost seemed surprised when he sat across from him. He sighed deeply thankful they took a table by the stair case so he could see who went up and still hear the sounds of the hallway. He gave the man a grin and ordered a glass of wine for both of them. He also ordered more food than any one man should be capable of consuming. How he kept so skinny was a mystery around the yards.

 

"So... long time no see old friend." he said as the soup he ordered arrived with enough peppers in it that Visar looked as though he would sweat just looking at it. He had survived Kaldun house cooking for a year though and as much as he wasnt as big on the spices as them must have come to appreciate the warmth when in the frozen lands. "Supposedly... my eldest brother's wife is pregnant again... third child and I have yet to meet the second. His wife trained at the Tower but was not strong enough. Apparently Aes Sedai had a friendly visit as they put it though... and were very interested in his daughter." Dante shook his head "Father was right... once they found out that most of our women were chosen for abilities or were Tower trained, if weak in the one power, they will not leave us alone. Look at Sandre and Edana... his mind like a steel trap and her almost unholy strength and skill. Those kids would be tough to raise, attractive though... as long as they take after their mother." Dane said the last part with a smile.

 

"Shes going to want to start early tomorrow unless I can stop it." he said as he watched a rather intoxicated man go up stairs. "I was thinking about what she said... the black are as vulnerable to a knife in the dark or an unseen arrow as any of them though." He began to push around potatoes on his plate to look like a battle plan. "Two of us...Rasheta and one of us is more than enough to distract a single Black... if we position one of us here." He said pushing one potato at an angle away from Rasheta so the black would have to watch two areas. "The second of us can go behind..." he said pulling back in satisfaction at the basic yet feasible plan. "We will have to practice it. We will have to work on our stealth and build speed and control in our legs, we will need to be extremely fast to pull it off.... what do you think? Im no strategist like my brother Im afraid."

[Visar Falmaien]

(ooc: yes I know Visar is being a whiny melancholic, it's all part of the plan :P )

 

Visar looked up to Dante's return with some surprise.  Dante was not going to help Rasheta settle in?  Or was he merely stopping by for a quick chat before he did?

 

He glanced down at the food they received, and wrinkled his nose at the aroma of spicy peppers.  He hoped these were not served quite so strong as some of the dishes which had sustained him in Shienar.  He didn't fancy the feeling of repetitively burning his tongue off at every meal again.

 

Apparently Dante caught on to the direction of his thoughts, and started talking about his family.  Visar listened, only vaguely interested.  Aye, he had served the Kalduns for a year, and they had made him one of their own in a way, but he would never consider them his true family.  His family of birth he abandoned and all but betrayed a long time ago in Tear. Even though he knew that they were well taken care of now, he could never bear the thought of facing them again.  His true family was with Rasheta and Dante now, it seemed.  But even this family felt uncomfortable to be around.  Visar clearly was not much of a family man.  He idly wondered if he would ever marry or have children, the sort of thing that normal family men might do.  But no... that was not the life he chose.  He chose the path of the sword, and his hands were stained with its dirty blood already, too drenched with violence and sorrow to bear bringing anyone too close to it.

 

Visar was glad that Dante seemed nostalgic about his family.  At least he still had the luxury of remembering them with fondness.

"Shes going to want to start early tomorrow unless I can stop it."

 

"Oh? An early start.  That must mean she intends to leave before noon." Visar said with a half smile, his heart not really in the joke, but he had to try.  Dante and Visar shared a small chuckle, but neither of them seemed in much of a jovial mood tonight.  Dante had other things on his mind, and the conversation turned serious and dark.

 

Visar listened to his friend scheme about taking on Black Ajah, and he could not help but shake his head.  Could they really expect to confront the almost mythical Black Ajah, who had hidden themselves so terribly well within the White Tower's ranks?  He was sure that Rasheta Sedai could not be of the Black, but what of the other Aes Sedai of her peers?  There was no way of telling.  And here, Dante thought that they could solve a possible confrontation with a simple distraction and back stab.  If the Black Ajah did strike, Visar was sure they wouldn't have a chance if they were in the Tower.  They would do what any intelligent attacking force would do: attack in reasonable numbers to easily dispose of Rasheta Sedai, and any feeble attempts to defend against them with steel would fail.  No, they were better off doing other things to protect Rasheta from the Black Ajah, Visar thought, but he didn't want to argue with his friend this night.

 

"It would be a good thing to practice, brother to battle." he said, though he knew he was no good at masking the sadness in his voice at the thought of fighting the Black Ajah and losing.  And Dante's family might have informally adopted him, but the relationship between the two of them had hardly been brotherly for a long time.

 

"If there was but a single sister of that cursed order-there may be dozens-and we would probably have no way of knowing that they were a darkfriend until the moment they struck.  But outside of the Tower, the chances of that are thankfully low.  Rasheta is probably safer with us out here than in that white marble labrynth and its dangerous politics."

 

Visar looked down on his half-finished plate, no longer feeling very hungry.  He didn't want to discuss the Black Ajah.  Not here, not now.  He didn't want to discuss anything right now.  He just wanted to be alone to his thoughts.  He rose to his feet and took a final swig of his ale.

 

"I'm going to have a walk around." he announced suddenly.  "Need the air.  Goodnight, Dante."  With that, Visar made his way out into the chilly night air, hoping that seeing the stars might help him make some sense out of why he felt so miserable.

 

It was a cloudy night, with barely a star to see.

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Rasheta was a little surprised when Dante left shortly after Visar, but she made no comment. She just stared at the wall and wondered if she had done the right thing to tell them about the Black Ajah. They could do little for her if they met one unless she had a Warder. In which case her Warders could handle him, she was not the strongest person in the tower either which meant that most of the Tower was above her in power. She didn't regret that much but it was a little depressing. She sighed and then jumped when Dante leaned over her brushing the side of her neck with his fingers. This caused her to shiver and then he breathed lightly on her other side she looked up at him knowing exactly what he was hoping for later. She opened her mouth to say something but he just smiled at her and left the room.

 

Rasheta shook her head it wasn't nice for him to leave her like that, but she'd get him back later. She ate contemplating when they were going to leave and what they were going to do once they got to Arad Doman. She was lost in thought and didn't realize she'd been sitting in the same spot for over an hour till the door opened and Dante appeared in the room. She started and turned to him she opened her mouth and got out "I thought you.." before he kissed her. She let him and then pushed on his shoulders till he moved back a little. "Where's Visar?" She asked just to annoy him. He'd left her alone awhile he could stand some teasing. It didn't last too long and she did remember to mask Visar's bond and use the weave to stop sound from leaving the room.

 

Mid morning the next day she was annoyed she'd wanted to leave earlier but Dante had distracted her long enough that she was later then she wanted to be. He was smug about this and she was attempting to ignore him. She knew Visar wasn't in the inn and she knew in the vague direction he was. It was another delay, she paid the innkeeper and got there horses. Visar was somewhere close to the edge of town. She and Dante mounted up and waited till Dante was ready and then they left. She paused and frowned when they got to the edge of the village. He was in the last house on the lane. She dismounted curious if he had found comfort for the night. She knocked on the door and waited a few moments till a woman answered the door. Rasheta was a little surprised and shortly after Visar appeared with another young lady hanging on his arm. "Come along Visar we must leave."

 

Rasheta eyed the girl and said "I'll give you a moment to say goodbye. We have to go now though." She left the two in the house and returned to Dante. He was trying to hide his smirking and she said "your wild behavior rubbed off on him." Visar appared a moment later and she said "are you ready now?" It would take them several days to get to Arad Doman, or weeks really. She liked traveling as a general rule but Visar seemed a little different somehow. She glanced at Dante and then back at Visar maybe he just needed a talking to by another Warder. She touched Dante on the arm and motioned for Visar to go ahead. "Something is wrong with Visar. Could you have a talk with him when we stop later?"

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Title: Re: On the Road to Bandar Eban (Atten: Dante and Visar)

Post by: Sangreal on August 31, 2010, 10:59:28 PM

It was a change to see Visar get up and leave. Dante turned his head sideways as he watched the man walk away. Yet he sensed a familiarity about it. He had done that too... when he wanted Rasheta. Perhaps Visar now was also finding that duty was not enough. Dante thought on it as he finished the stew. When he went back upstairs he set about to his favorite hobby of teasing Rasheta. He wouldnt get away with it for long.

 

When they found Visar at the home of a village girl Dante really did see himself. He merely nodded to Visar as they continued on to wait for him at the edge of town. They rode in silence. When Rasheta asked him to talk to Visar he nodded but said nothing on it. He waited for camp that night. Visar had gone off alone again and Dante followed. Visar was the better warrior, Dante could find few rivals for stealth though. He was a good distance away when he spoke.

 

"Its not enough is it." Visar's hand moved only an inch towards his weapon before he relaxed again. "Duty... I thought I could live just for duty... make it my life... then when I saw her I thought... is this all that I am? Even just as a Warder I knew it would not be enough... when I died I would be a few artifacts in a dusty vault. The only proof I ever lived. No... duty is not enough to give life meaning and we find ourselves trying to cling to what we were before we had these duties... or trying to blur out that life outside of it with booze.. women... dueling in Sandre's case."

 

He stood by his friend as the two gazed towards the stars. "Im the wrong person for this Visar. I would expect that a normal person would say cheer up and just find a life outside of your duties as a Warder. Stop sleeping around and drinking and... whatever." Dante shook his head. "But I am not going to... If you can forget for a few hours in the arms of some willing woman then do it. Do whatever you have to to make your spiritual journey to find meaning. When you are done... we will be here waiting." There wasnt much he could say. To his friend's surprise Dante gave him a hug and turned to walk away and stopped. "You tell anyone about that and I will tell everyone about when you hit that bar maid at that bar fight." Then he vanished in the shadows.

[Visar Falmaien]

Visar stared blankly as Rasheta and Dante just rode up to the house he had stayed at for the night. They had just caught him in the act. What had he just done? It began as a slight tickle in the back of his head. Reluctantly, he said goodbye to the girl he had met last night, the weaver's daughter. Not that he had had to confront the weaver, thankfully. The man was still on the other side of the village. She clung to him for a while, but eventually she seemed to realize that it was Visar's job to keep traveling with this other woman who had just arrived. He would always have to travel around, or be stuck with her, and not be able to settle down like a normal person...

 

Visar pretended that nothing particularly important had happened the night before as they rode out of the village, but that tickle was beginning to itch at his conscience. He only spoke when spoken to, spending most of the journey lost in thought, even as his eyes and ears scanned the horizon for any possible threats to their party. It wasn't until later that night that Dante decided to give him a pep talk. Visar clenched his fist, angry at himself that he had initially perceived Dante's presence as a threat. What was he turning into, all of a sudden?

 

What Dante said made a lot of sense. It was hard to focus just on duty, and one had to find some sort of balance outside of that. Yet why did Visar feel so low and degraded the morning after he had been in that village girl's house? Why did it feel so wrong, yet he hadn't cared or felt anything during the moments it happened? It was almost as if he was becoming desensitized to any true feeling. The endless cycle of violence, training, meager attempts at love... it was all adding up to nothing in his mind. Why did he feel so confused right now?

 

"Thank you, my friend. I'm sure I'll have no reason to expose that incident." was all he managed to quip back half-heartedly, even if he didn't feel like what Dante advised him would work. After all, he was not like Dante. He was not given the gift to love, lose, to fight or kill, and then move on so easily with his life as if nothing had happened. Everything he had done, both right and wrong, lingered tantalizing and painfully in his mind like it had just happened only a moment before. Everything, and yet somehow it was nothing.

 

He yearned for sleep, even as he could not possibly sleep. He stared at the fire. Duty came first, right? It's not as if he would have lived happily with that village girl anyway. This was his life, and he just had to be a man and deal with it. Breathing deeply, Visar meditated as the fire died out, trying to shut out his feelings of confusion and alienation. He would do his job, and he would do it well, and that's all that mattered at this point. But what would happen if he couldn't keep this bottled up inside of him for long?

 

That, he would just have to deal with when it happened. Helping to break camp in the morning, Visar busied himself with every possible extra task imaginable. As they neared Arad Doman, he found himself conversing casually with Rasheta about the country and its strange customs. Not that he hadn't expressed his concern before for people who ate most things with a pair of tiny sticks, but it was something to talk about. To keep his mind off other things.

 

"So, I know I've practiced this a little before in your quarters, but Domani really only eat with sursa all the time? How do they eat soup with those things? I've seen you revert to fork, spoon, and knife often enough. What do they think of those who eat with these non traditional implements?"