Supply and Demand

[U4ea]

Mordre looked up from her collection of bottles as Shri stood up from her table on the other side of the room. She'd been working on a draught for Siura's son for days and nothing had worked to help ease the poor boys pain. Shri stretched and Mordre soon her head, wishing there was something she could do to help the woman. She'd been told to leave her alone often enough in the last few days that she didn't offer to help again. She'd busied herself with taking stock off their herbal supplies and noting which ones they were running low on.

 

"Where is the trenal root?" Shri asked, standing over her shoulder. Mordre refrained from flinching by reaching for a small bottle on the table and handing it to her. "Is this all that's left?"

 

Mordre nodded, "Yes. It's actually what drew me to check the other herbs to see what needed gathering. We're low on fennel and mandrake, as well."

 

"It'll take days to reach the Termool for more. Siura's son may not have that long..." Shri seemed distracted by that and Mordre cleared her throat.

 

"Perhaps I could go?" She asked quietly. "It would free you up to keep working on the draught and what's here should last a few days. I'll be back before you run out completely."

 

Shri didn't answer right away and Mordre held her breath. Apprentices didn't get to go off on their own and Mordre knew that. She was seriously pushing her luck. A few minutes later, Shri exhaled and shook her head. "Take a spear with you. Don't go alone. I expect you to leave before the sun sets and be back in four days. I can't afford to give you more time than that."

 

She turned to take the latest draught to Suira and Modre grinned after her. Now, to find a spear...

 

~Mordre

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc had been working in the ring, spear-work mostly, with a bit of knife-work tossed in for variety. The day had been unusually cool for the middle of summer in the threefold-land, which had made practice slightly less grueling that it would have normally been. He was still no displeased to see it ended for the day, he was tired and sore from the near constant pummeling he’d taken at the hands of several of the Shaen m’Taal over the course of the last few days. Ever since he had made the decision that Mordre had pushed him towards and had come to accept that it was what was best for him and the Aiel. The side benefit of his not being gone from the hold nearly every moment and thus got to see more and more of Mordre, when her schedule permitted, was an added benefit. That being said he was still surprised to see her nearly bouncing down the street in her blouse and skirt instead of the usual determined stride she carried herself with.  He didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was watching her as she came down the street, even going so far as to lean against the wall to the Stone Dog’s roof as he watched.

 

Finally her eyes reste don him and he pushed himself up straight and uncrossed his arms. “You look particularly pleased with yourself.”

[U4ea]

Mordre couldn't stop the bounce in her step as she crossed the Hold in search of Madoc. She made no attempt to pretend she was interested in anyone else going on this journey with her. If the future was coming, she wanted to know this man better. The boy, she knew. The man, however...

 

She smiled brightly when she spotted him, leaning so casually against the wall and watching her get closer. He knew she was after him, did he? She felt the interest in his gaze as she grow closer enough to see it and her smile widened.

 

"I am, indeed," she laughed. "I have been tasked with gathering herbs. Siura's son is not responding to any of the draughts we've prepared, and our supplies are getting low."

 

She paused, unsure of herself, for a moment. Would he be able to leave his training to escort her? She settled on teasing him, to buy time. "I cannot make this journey on my own and Shri ordered me to take a spear with me. I thought, perhaps, Grisal would come with me..." Grisal was their age, but thinner than Madoc. His easy smile and sparking eyes kept him in constant supply of female company, something that Mordre had never been interested in taking part in before. She watched him under her lashes while she pretended to look for Grisal. 

 

~Mordre

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc raised an eyebrow at her, “You need a spear to go and gather herbs? Where are you getting them from, the Shaido’s stores?” he said with a laugh. He then listened to the rest of what Mordre had to say, “I am certain Grisal would go with you… if he were in the Hold.” Madoc knew the man was in the hold, but first of all he wasn’t letting that man alone with Mordre if he could do anything about it and second he didn’t trust Grisal’s spearwork, the man was too enamored of his bow and used it when other weapons would have been more use. Madoc pushed himself up straight and stood so that it would be more difficult for Mordre to see around him and make out the lie for what it was. “Besides, I’ll go with you. I haven’t anything pressing to do other than train, and certainly leaving the hold is far more practical training than staying here.” Particularly since Shri has said you must take a spear with you, he thought to himself.

[U4ea]

Mordre's eyes danced, but she refused to tell him she could tell when he was lying. She took it for the compliment it was and let it go. He didn't want her to leave without him. That's all she needed to know.

 

"I believe you are right," she grinned. "What better training, indeed. We leave with the sun in the morning." She turned to make her way back to Shri, but paused. "Make sure you tell your mother I'll look after you."

 

She waved at Grisal over Madoc's shoulder and laughed as she walked away.

[_Kynwric_]

“My mother will be pleased to know I am going to guard an apprentice from the dangers of threefold land, as all know that none of them should be out of braids yet.” Madoc retorted, turning to find grisal behind him which caused a rueful shake of his head. Now he owed her even more toh than before, it had been a small lie and one she had wanted him to make, he was certain, but it had been a lie. And one she had caught him in, not good. He returned home from there by way of the sweat-bath to clean the days grime from his body.

 

 

 

The next morning he was up well before the dawn and waited at the entrance to the Shri’s roof for Mordre to appear, he’d asked his mother where they would go to gather the roots Mordre would need and the reply has surprised him a bit. The Termool, or nearly there anyway, that was a long run for two days travel.

[U4ea]

Mordre didn't waste a lot of time getting ready. She had forced herself to sleep early, knowing the distance they had to travel wouldn't allow for much leisurely travel or more than a few hours of sleep. Shri had spent the night under Siura's roof to give the woman a rest, so there was no need to tarry here. She tried to convince herself that it was the dire situation that hurried her steps, but in truth, she was eager to be free of her obligations here, even if only for a few days.

 

She smiled at Madoc, who was already waiting outside when she stepped through the door. "I thought I'd have to fish you from your mother's skirts this morning. Did you say goodbye to all the Maidens who will cry in their cups until you return?" She didn't stop for this conversion, knowing every second was precious on this journey, her stride lengthened as far as her skirts would allow.

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc 'harrumphed' at Mordre's comment about the his mother's skirts and Maidens crying in their cups, "'t'was not I who met you outside my door Mordre." In his experience Maidens didn't cry about anything other than a broken spear or lost knife, and certainly not because a man was going out of the hold for a few days. He fell into pace beside her, letting her set the speed as it was her mission and she knew what her deadline was... besides, he was certain he could keep pace with whatever stride she set. As they ran through the streets he kept quiet, it was enough to be starting out on this journey together and there would be plenty of time for talk when there was no chance of anyone else overhearing their conversations. Madoc had decided this because their talks seemed to turn to things that should be private an inordinate amount of the time here recently and he'd rather not have them out where anyone can hear, no matter how much toh was earned from eavesdropping some of the Sept were horrible gossips.

[U4ea]

Mordre feel into an easy pace until they were away from the reaches of the Sept, then picked up the pace. Worry nagged at her as she hurried, though it was matched step for step by the feeling of freedom singing through her. She hadn't felt this free since long before Shri had appeared and ruined her life. Ruined.

 

She observed the changes surrounding her as they ate the ground before them with their long strides. She hadn't been outside the walls of the small settlement they'd called home in a very long time.

 

"Things have changed since I was last away from home," she said softly. "I never noticed the changes much when I was free to see them every day..." was she avoiding a much more important conversation? Yes. She wasn't ashamed to admit that, even if it was only to herself.

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc had noticed the changes in the Three-fold land. They were subtle differences, ones even an Aiel could miss if they were not paying close attention to their environs. He was slightly impressed that Mordre had noticed them so quickly. “Much has changed, yes. It is as if the three-fold land is drying up.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, there was too much danger in running across the landscape to waste attention on niceties such as looking at the people you were speaking to, that was for when you were travelling in a large group, and quite often not even then. He wasn’t about to bring up the subject of the night on the rooftops. It seemed to Madoc that they were now in a perpetual dance, one that was just as serious as dancing the spears, perhaps more so because of the prize at stake. Well, they were stuck in this perpetual dance while both of their inhibitions were not weakened by oosquai.

[U4ea]

Mordre nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. She hoped the drying trend wouldn't have reached the trenel growing in Tremadol. She worried her lip a bit, cursing slightly under her breath at the added weight of her skirts as she ran. She could run much faster in her other clothes. It was frustrating being so restricted.

 

She distracted herself with conversation, instead. "Why do you suppose Shri insisted on someone coming with me?" She wondered aloud. "She didn't seem as if she didn't trust me, but there aren't any warring septs along this route..."

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc glanced over his shoulder at Mordre, "Because the three-fold land is a dangerous place Mordre. Because there's too many things that can go wrong when you are out in the three-fold land alone. Because you are neither warrior nor Wise One, yet, and any clan or sept or hold could take you and keep you for more than the year, since you carry no weapon. Because, from what I hear, you are one of the more talented channelers to come along in a generation or more. But the most likely answer is one I couldn't fathom, that Shri has some plan I don't begun to understand involving you and me."

[U4ea]

Mordre stopped running at that and stared at him. She wasn't sure which part had shocked her to stillness more, that he said she was talented or the allusion to an ulterior motive. She wrinkled up her brow, considering them both and decided to attack the latter.

 

"Do you think they are pushing us together?" She asked when he stopped a few steps later. "Your mother would be in on it, too, would she not?"

[_Kynwric_]

It took Madoc a moment to realize that she wasn't running with him anymore. He stopped and turned back to her. "My mother is a Wise One, and was one long before I was born. So, if this is a plot to push us together, then... well, yes she is in involved." He then furrowed his brow, "I hope it is not though, for if you think it is you will fight it with every fiber of your being... Even if it is what you want too." Madoc then turned to take up their pace again, not really wanting to delve into that whole topic out under the midday sun.

[U4ea]

Mordre let him set the pace as they crossed an one hunting ground from their childhood. His father would bring him out hunting and Mordre would tag along. Come to think of it, there wasn't much in her life that didn't have Madoc in it. Were they being pushed together? Had they been pushed, even then?

 

And did it really bother her or was her pride getting in the way, again? She stared at his back a few moments, gritting her teeth. She truly wished that seed hadn't been planted, now! Not knowing what pant would grow from it was slowly driving her crazy! Just because someone else guided her to plant and tend it, did it change how she felt about it?

 

She knew these feelings coursing through her were new and different, so this relationship was anything but a habit. But how much was the product of persuasion? And how much persuasion was Maroc going to throw in the mix?

 

Midday was approaching, either way. "I packed food," she offered quietly. "Let's find a rock to his under so we don't sweat through our clothes."

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc nodded his agreement, they were near the place where they'd sheltered as youngsters out hunting with his father for meals and he figured it was as good a place as any to stop to eat a midday meal. It was a small outcropping, one that would not shelter them for long as the sun traversed the sky, but it was cool now and would stay cool for another hour or so. The change in temperature was dramatic as he stepped out of the sun and into the shade, it almost made him shiver as he came to a stop. The sand under his feet was still cool, as was the rock face that he leaned against as he sat down. He reached around to his pack and produced a waterskin and passed it to Mordre as she entered the shade of the outcropping. "Slowly..." he said, absently, not thinking that she had been going out into the three-fold land as long as he had been.

 

He waited while Mordre drank, then took the waterskin back and drank himself. Making sure not to over indulge as that would cause trouble later on when they needed to run again. He also waited to see what Mordre produced from her pack to eat, he was betting on some dried fruit and cured meat. it was a typical fare for a days travel such as they were doing. He had seen she had been hard at thought as they ran, she had been particularly quiet during the second half of the morning. "If you do not talk soon, Mordre, those thoughts will eat their way out of you and leave you with nothing but a stomach-ache."

[U4ea]

Mordre bit off the urge to remind him that she'd run as often as he had through the Waste, until very recently. She had other things on her mind, anyway. She spotted at the water and passed the skin back to him, before opening her pack. She removed some dried meat and fruit and passed it to him. She then found some dried bread and passed that to him, too.

 

"Are you sure you want to hear them,Madoc?"

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc took the proffered food and ate slowly, partly because eating too fast would be as sure to cause problems as drinking too much water would and the other because dired food just took a while to chew and re-hydrate enough to taste like anything. He glanced up at her when she asked, peering at her through the hair hanging over his face. "Who is sure of anything in this life Mordre? All I know is you will be as prickly as a disturbed gara if you keep it all in."

[U4ea]

"Don't look at me like that," she muttered, looking away. She bit off a chunk of dried meat and leaned on the stone wall of the small cave created by the outcropping of rock. She couldn't tell him that look had been haunting her dreams since that night on the roof. "In truth, I'm not sure whether I should care if they're trying to push us together." She looked at him over her shoulder, briefly, to see how he took that. No doubt he expected her to balk at the idea of someone's interference. She'd baked account everything else that had been taken out of her hands, so why would this be any different?

 

"There is no one in our clan I have ever felt the smallest tremor of emotion beyond sisterly affection for. While that doesn't mean someone in another clan might not have drawn my eye, it doesn't bode well for watching my sisters grow up." She looked away again, watching the sun move overhead. It was ticking away theft time she had to get to Termool and back, but this felt nearly as important.

 

"What do you think, Madoc? Would it bother you greatly if it were someone else's design for us to be together?"

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc's eyes just narrowed at her, he was certain she had just told a falsehood, one way or another, he flicked his eyes up to the sun and then back down to Mordre when she asked him what he thought. "I know what I know Mordre, what others think or do is up to them. It is not my Ji at stake when they make actions and decision, just their own. If they are pushing in a direction I want to go then that is fine and they suffer less Toh for it, if it is a direction I do not want to go, then their Toh is more. Simple no? Does it bother me that they try? No. Does it bother me that they may succeed? No. But then I am a leaf on the wind compared to you, going wherever it may lead." He couldn't resist the smirk at recalling her protestations the day she was taken from the Maidens to be Shri's apprentice, the entire Hold knew what Mordre though of that situation. He thought he'd heard his mother say she was approaching the record for runaway attempts back to her spear-sisters, but he wasn't positive about it and so didn't bring it up as a salient point. Finally he put the last bit of dried meat in his mouth, chewing slowly and giving her time to respond; but he never did stop looking at her through the hair falling across his eyes...

[U4ea]

Mordre saw his eyes narrow and wondered which part of what she'd said was so difficult to believe. That she wasn't sure whether to fight this? She sighed inwardly. He probably thought she was a termagent, always balking when she didn't get her way. It wasn't necessarily true, not that anyone in the Hold would believe her.

 

"Are you sure this is where you want to go?" She asked quietly. "Strapped to a woman who argues whenever things don't go her way?"

[_Kynwric_]

"Am I sure this is where I want to go? With you? Not if all you feel is sisterly affection, no." he swallowed the last of the meat and took another drink of water before rising. "I want you to make up your mind about how you really feel, then decide if you have Toh for what you said a few moments ago. I do not believe you really mean what you said and that your intransigence is harming not just you, but others, as well as Hold, Sept and Clan." He took a peek out at the sun and nodded, "Time to run Mordre, we can make it far enough that we will reach the Termool late tonight."

[U4ea]

Mordre looked up at the sun and nodded. "We should be moving," she said softly. She packed upon her meager fare and took one last sip of water before stowing her water skin, as well.

 

She set a faster pace than they'd previously been running to allow herself time to think. She hadn't lied when she said she'd never felt anything but sisterly affection for anyone, has she? Madoc was matching her pace and she cat as glance at him. Until the other night on the roof,  she hadn't considered there being more between she and Madoc than that. Had she?

 

Her thoughts swarmed around in her head and she let them run on, following the trail towards Termool by habit as the sun set around them. They paused a few times for water, but she didn't start a conversion and neither did he. Her skirts were heavy and didn't make running very easy, but she didn't give in to them. She longed for the strapped leggings she wear when training and running before Shri made her plans known.

 

Sweat rolled down her back, distracting her for a moment. She looked at the ground around them and nodded. "The roots we're after are on the North side of Termool," she murmured. They'd made good time getting here, but it would be far too late for them to return to the Hold tonight. In fact, it would be to late to dig for the route she needed.

 

Shecast a glance at him again, to point those things out. He was still looking at her through that swatch of hair over his eyes.  Giving in to the crazy urge that leapt into her head, she landed towards him and pressed her lips to his. Her pulse jumped and her body warmed, but she fought the temptation to wrap her arms around him. She was already cursing herself for being so impetuous. Would he push her away?? He probably should. She was definitely earning toh for this...

 

 

~Mordre

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc had come to the same conclusion, that there was not time left in this day for much else but heading in the right direction and finding some sort of cover for the night. However, as his gaze drifted across the Termool had little hope of finding anything in that flat barren land. He saw the movement out of his peripheral vision and he half expected Mordre to attack him somehow she she leaned in close to him. At the last moment he realized she was going to kiss him, and he had just enough of a moment to tilt his head down a bit so she could. The hand that held his spear at the ready remained by his side, but his free hand curled around her hip as he returned her kiss. He wanted more from that kiss, but he had long ago known he had to wait for Mordre to come to her own decisions about how she felt and he didn't push more than she was willing. When their lips did part he kept his eyes on hers as she settled back down to her heels, waiting for her next move.

[U4ea]

Mordre felt his arm curl around her hip, bracing her. The warmth spread quickly from his hand and his lips and she just wanted to stay there. Reluctantly, she pulled away, her eyes wide and her lips parted. His eyes were pinned on hers and she searched them for some response. He wasn't fighting her. He wasn't pushing her, either. "Say something," she whispered, realizing his hand was still on her hip.

 

"Please, say something," she begged, her hand lading itself on his shoulder. Something had clicked in her head with an audible snap and she was more frightened than any time she'd seen a trolloc that he would back away from her.

 

 

~Mordre