An unexpected trip - Chore for Andreil

[Guest Faile1987]

~Faile~

 

She didn´t know why exactly but somehow after this rather nasty and very complicated incident that had made her path cross with Corin Danveer, Faile al´Rahien felt less than comfortable going to Tar Valon on errands on her own. She wouldn´t admit it to herself and hoped in the name of the Light that no one would ever find out, but she was deadly afraid of something like that happening again. Of being alone, trapped and helpless as someone´s whim. At a man´s whim. No, she woudln´t let anyone do this to her again. She wasn´t paranoid. No. She was careful. Over careful, yes, maybe paranoid. A bit...but she wouldn´t be as gullible as she once had been as a Novice.

 

Even though Accepted were likely not to take anyone along when running errands in Tar Valon, Faile had decided to get herself some help to do the shopping her mentor Elyssa Sedai had requested of her. It was nothing big only some material and herbs that she needed to get, but still Faile liked to be better safe than sorry and somehow she felt immensely better when she had someone with her, even a novice, foolish as it might be, but she hated to go to the city alone and she knew that Corin Danveer wasn´t the real reason. Him using her and making her his spy wasn´t the real reason either. Her secret lay way deeper,hidden inside her and was way more painful to admit. No one ever would know it, yet there were already too many people knowing about the incident when she had gone to town with Aeveryn and that male channeller...No, she wouldn´t think about it. She just wouldnt.

 

Ignoring the cold shudder that was running down her spine all of a sudden, Faile tried to shake it off without letting anyone notice it and went in search for the Novice she had been told to look for.

 

She finally found the girl sitting on a table, absorbed in a book that she remembered having studied by herself once. A small nostalgic smile curved her lips as she spoke to the girl. "I´d say you leave the History of White Tower and the World be for now, Andreil and help me on a little shopping trip to Tar Valon. What do you say?" She made it clear that this was no question and yet, she preferred to be the friendly kind. She had known what it meant to be scared to death as a Novice too much not to care about making others feel comfortable in her presence, regalty or not.

[Shareina Alshavar]

Normally, Andreil tended to snap at anyone who tried to talk to her when she was working; she hated to have her trains of thought interrupted to chat when she had work to do. But the offer to go into Tar Valon, even on a chore, was a welcome excuse to look around the city and enough to make her forget her testiness. Closing the book and folding the essay so that it fit inside her pocket, she nodded and the Accepted- Faile she thought her name was- led her out of the library, through the maze of corridors and, blinking, out into the bright sunshine of the main marble stairway into the Tower.

 

As usual there were a few petitioners walking hesitatingly up to the Tower, but aside from them next to no one in the square. Following the Accepted down the stairs, belled braids jingling slightly, she tried to look everywhere at once; even though she had been in the Tower for several years, that was not long enough to really have seen everything in the city, especially when you were only allowed a free day once every few weeks. The beautiful fountains and fantastical buildings kept her attention so much that she nearly lost Faile when she left the nearly empty square and turned into one of the busier streets. The noise level and amount of people increased dramatically with everyone from fellow Arafellins to even a woman who looked to be Amadician wending their way through the bustling area. Every now and then, an Aes Sedai walked through the group, shawl on striding proudly a Warder or two at her heels, or a rich noble borne in a chair carried by several strong men, his face almost scrunched as if he thought the crowd was too low for him to even be carried through. Hawkers were crying for people’s attention, merchants were bargaining in loud demanding voices, horses whinnied and she had to almost shout to make sure that Faile could hear her ‘So, what sort of things will we be buying and where do we have to go to get them?’

[Guest Faile1987]

~Faile~

 

She couldn´t help but smile at the girl´s stunned curiosity when entering the inner city of Tar Valon. Sulky and defiant as Andreil had seemed at first, provoking no outward reaction or open reproach from her as Faile knew how to deal with defiant ones, having had more and more experiences with the not so mousy ones over the years, Andreil reminded her a bit of herself when she had followed Evaida into the city numerous times, yet innocent and ignorant about the dangers of a city such as Tar Valon, only fascinated by the sheer magnificience of her surroundings.

 

And magnificent it was, yet she had had to discover very vividly and painfully how quickly wonders and paradise could transform into all the horrors of hell combined. She could smell his foul breat and see the yellow whites of his mad, leering eyes fixed on her body as he pushed her against the wall, beginning to rip at her bodice. There was no way that she could cry for help or even move a hair, let alone get away from him. She was as trapped as Aeveryn was and none ofthe peasants and merchants only a street away would hear their muffled cries of desperation. His iron grip held her in place just as the tight-knit bonds of air did. There was no escape as he reached out for her. They were lost, both of them, she would be only the first...

 

Andreil´s question ripped her out of her stupor of the nightmare that had come reality only a while back. "Uh...sure. Just...we need some healing herbs and...forkroot for Elyssa Sedai, so I suggest you go over to the herb shop while I see about getting some material for a couple of new Novice dresses in the shop nearby. Just wait for me inside, I´ll be right back."

 

Light, she would need to keep her head at matters at hand. This was a simple chore, nothing big. Nothing to be hysteric about.

[Shareina Alshavar]

OOC: reposting!

 

IC: Andreil had to wonder what was so wrong with Faile that she was talking like that and was so distracted but she kept her curiosity to herself. Most Accepted would not take kindly to a novice asking them everything about themselves, and if it was something that potent as to make her become (apparently) frightened, Faile would definitely not appreciate inquisitveness.

 

Receiving a small purse of coins and a neatly written list of herbs, she turned to the small herb shop while Faile went a different way, presumably to get the cloth. She watched her, slightly concerned for her, before quickly turning and entering the shop. A mixture of pleasant but very strong smells went through her as soon as she entered the door, and she had to duck her tall frame at some points because there were several long herbs dangling from the ceiling as well as stacked neatly on shelves. Looking around, she realized that she really had no idea which herbs were which, and decided to wait for the shopkeeper, a smiling woman of about twenty with her hair in the braids of a Taraboner to leave another customer and turn to her with the words ‘Do you need any help?’

 

‘Yes please,’ Andreil said in a relieved voice, quickly consulting the list. ‘I have to get these herbs for somebody, but I can’t tell them apart; could you tell me which of these are sunburst root, five-finger, and ground ivy; and then I also need greenwort, goatstongue, chainsleaf, gheandin blossom, and forkroot.’ She had to wonder what the forkroot- although she knew next to nothing about herbs, everyone had heard about the forkroot and what it did. Perhaps Evaida Sedai needed to study it for something. The other woman cocked her head too at the last, but immediately bustled around the room pulling down everything she had mentioned and wrapping them separately in old bits of cloth so that they would not mix and then putting them in a cloth bag that would allow Andreil to carry them all without constantly worrying about dropping something. She asked only a moderate price, so Andreil did not try to bargain her down, but instead paid the silver and left the shop to wait outside in the warm sun for Faile.