Arath nodded. "We did get them. And most are still with us, thank the Creator. As for your quarters, they're probably just as you left them. Skechid returned not long ago and found his place untouched. Seems the men get a little worried about moving into a former Storm Leaders place." He shrugged. Considering everything else the men went through, a little paranoid superstition wasn't that bad.

"Things have changed a lot since you've been gone," the Storm Leader said, starting off toward the Asha'man barracks area. "Some good, some bad." He paused for a moment, then added, "More bad than good probably. Between the Aes Sedai, the Dragon, the Dreadlords in the Borderlands ... it's a bloody mess."

Arath took his time as he walked the training ground, observing the progress of the Soldiers and Dedicated that he had been training only a few weeks before. Odd as it seemed, he kind of missed it. Dealing with foolhardy Soldiers, and Dedicated who should have known better than to make some of their stupid mistakes ... it was far less stressful than dealing with Aes Sedai. He'd been spending more and more of his time in Tar Valon, so this chance to be ... home ... was a welcome break.

Making his way past the western side of the training grounds, close to the stables, Arath noticed a familiar looking man leading a horse into the newly rebuilt structure. Curiosity getting the better of him, the Storm Leader closed in on the stables, reaching them just as the Asha'man emerged. It took a moment, but Arath recognized the newly returned member of the Black Tower.

"Ragnar ... this is certainly a surprise. Though in light of recent events, I can't really say why." Ragnar had been a Storm Leader once, back when Arath had still been in training. It seemed as though the pattern was drawing everyone together again. It made Arath ... apprehensive.

"How have you been? WHERE have you been?"

So is this a dreadlord bio, or a run of the mill darkfriend with uncommon luck?

Arath could barely contain his disgust. Not that it really mattered, since Zarinen could certainly feel his emotions bubbling around in her own head, but he fought to keep a lid on it. Outrage and loathing raged inside, but he kept it out of his voice. "Did you ever wonder why things happened as they did? Why the Asha'man bonded all those Aes Sedai by force?" He paused for a moment, waiting for any response. When none was forthcoming, he continued. "I bonded Serena after she tried to drown me, shield me, and burn me. A random explosion blew us both away from the battlefield. When I came to my senses, she was on top of me with her knife driven into my shoulder. A few more seconds, and she would have finished me off entirely.

"What I did, what most of us did, was end the battle in a way that kept anyone else from dying. And every single day thereafter we were screamed at, cursed, reviled as monsters and rapists. And in the end, we let them all go. We used the bond to save your lives. And you'll use it to end ours? It is not the taint that makes a channeler a monster Zarinen."

"When it comes to 'dealing with us'," the Storm Leader said, voice flat and emotionless, "I have more experience than any of you. Than any ten of your ajah. I've had to destroy more of my friends and trainees in the last year than your whole ajah has in the last thirty. We do not need, or want, your assistance in this. The only comfort that any of us have is knowing that when our time comes, our brothers will take care of us. We will not be thrown to the 'mercies' of the Aes Sedai."

"No, Zarinen. We would prefer to not be 'dealt with' as problems that need fixing. We came to you seeking allies we could trust to watch our backs, not plant a knife in them. The dreadlords are already doing an admirable job at destroying us without the White Tower adding their part."

DM Handle: Rags

Contact Info: Vandar30@gmail.com

Character Count: This is the only one

Character Name: Ragnar

Nationality: Andoran

Age:by now...mid 20's

Physical Characteristic: 5'8" 170 lbs Brown Hair Brown eyes.

Physical Description: Lean and toned. He has had sword training and it shows in both his attitude and movements.

Personal History: Ragnar's father was a guardsman in Andor who died during the Aiel war. His mother soon followed. He was sent to live with his uncle who told him nothing of his parents. Can't currently recall the town, but I'll Rp it in when I find my old info. His father had earned the Heron. His Grandfather is a Warder and Grandmother his Green Aes Sedai. (Previously approved, up to you if you want to OK it.) He discovered his ability to channel when the head Guard of his Uncles estate was killed for teaching him the sword. He called fire, killing his uncle and the ensuing out of control fire burned down the house and surrounding trees. He wandered until he began hearing rumors of a gathering of channelers. Arriving at the Tower he trained and was at last recollection an Asha'man. After his training Ragnar discovered he was capable of working metal with the One Power and began producing common swords and other weapons with Saidin. During this time he met a woman who came to the tower and he fell for her. He learned to work metals more delicately, creating several pieces including a lifelike rose of Gold and silver that he carries with him. The woman betrayed him, and it crushed him. He attempted to destroy himself, but was stopped by Feran and others. He also was involved with meeting the Aes Sedai when the original treaty was being established. After time spent brooding, Ragnar left the black Tower, supposedly to recruit others like himself but more to escape the memories. He has come back to the Tower now because he feels he may be needed in the coming days. He's a harder man than the one who left the Tower.

Arath looked at the offered gemstone with a frown. "You've not been that big of a burden. I really don't think that ..." he trailed off at the look Michelle was giving him. There was no way for him to win this, he could already tell. The best thing to do was shut up and do as she said. Taking the offered stone, he stuffed it into his belt pouch with a sigh. Well ... she couldn't very well complain about what he might plan to do with the stone. This was definitely not the last she would ever see of it. "Fine ... but if we find another one I'm making you keep it."

As it turned out, they didn't find any other gems washed up on the beach. There were a number of small glistening stones of different types and colors, but nothing that was quite gemstone quality. Frankly, Arath wondered how the sapphire had managed to find it's way there in the first place. Still, it was a strangely enjoyable activity to pass the time, combing the beach for the hint of any exciting treasures. A chill breeze picked up after a short while, and Arath resorted to Saidin once again to keep them both comfortable. A complex barrier of air and fire shielded them from the wind, while warming the air in a bubble around them. It made the day almost seem like late spring.

After another hour or so of beach hunting and pleasant conversation, Arath decided it was time for a change of pace. "So," he said, turning to face Michelle, "what do you feel like doing next? We still have a lot of time to do whatever you'd like. I don't suppose you're hungry yet?"

A little concerned that he may have just upset her more, Arath followed slowly behind Michelle, far enough away to give her her space, close enough that his water warming weave would still work for her. She walked in silence along the waters edge, until suddenly she stooped down to scoop something up from the sand.

"Look Arath! Isn't it beautiful? What would it be doing out here in the sand?"

Curious as to what would have distracted her so much, Arath quickly closed the distance to examine the object. It was dirty, covered in gritty sand that stuck to much of it's surface, but from what he could see the stone was a deep blue color. Using weaves of water and air, Arath pulled a small globe of sea water from the swells at their feet and raised it in the air between them. At his urging, Michelle hesitantly pushed her stone into the water, where Arath began to swish and swirl it around. A moment later he released the water, letting if fall away with most of the sand and leaving the shiny stone suspended in the air.

"A sapphire ..." he remarked with surprise. "Tai mentioned that raw gemstones sometimes wash up on Mayene's beaches, but I wasn't sure I believed him. I certainly didn't think they'd be so large." Releasing his air weave, Arath let the stone drop down into his hand and turned it back over to Michelle. "Quite the find there ... what do you plan on doing with it?"

Glad that she was enjoying herself some, Arath followed Michelle down the beach as she chased birds of all things. "Arath, you don't blame me for what happened, do you? Do you blame me for being so scared?"

He frowned slightly. "Why would I blame you? What happened wasn't your fault, and I understand completely why you would be scared. I grew up with all the same stories that you did about male channelers. My first few days at the farm were terrifying. By the end of my first week, one of the other recruits I arrived with went mad ... he set another Soldier on fire ... he would have turned on me too if one of the Dedicated hadn't been quick to act. I could barely touch Saidin, let alone do anything with it. I wasn't able to defend myself at all ... completely helpless."

Realizing that this might not be the best conversation to be having, Arath tried to get to his point. "What I mean to say is that I understand how you feel. But trust me when I say that letting that fear paralyze you is worst thing that you could do. Refusing to live because of fear of what might happen ... how is that any better than dying?"

Looking back up the beach, Arath reached out with flows of air and picked up their discarded shoes. As they landed in a pile a bit closer to them, he turned his attention back to his friend. "I found that I had to just focus on the pleasant parts of life, not exactly ignoring the dangers, but not living as slave to them."

"You'd be surprised at some of the things I remember," Arath said with a shrug. And so would he apparently. He had no idea what she was talking about. Oh well. Returning the hug, Arath led the way back toward the water. Pulling his boots off, Arath took a step into the water, narrowly avoiding a shiver. The sea water was far colder than he would have expected from the warmth in the air. But it wouldn't remain that way for long.

Seizing Saidin again, Arath wove thick cables of fire, threaded through with spirit, and dropped the weave into the sea. The water immediately began to heat up, the bitter cold subsiding enough for the water to be tolerable. It was a difficult weave to get correct. Too much fire and the water might boil or flash into steam. Too little and the tides would overcome the heat entirely. It was a balance, like so many other other things about the Power.

It didn't take long before Michelle joined him in the water, seemingly delighted with the temperature change. "I'm glad to see you enjoying yourself," he said, kicking at a small wave that swirled up around their ankles. "Glad to be away from the Farm I take it?"

It took a strange kind of person to willingly show a known thief where she lived, but by now Arath was beginning to expect strangeness from Michelle. Not that he intended to ever steal anything from her. Except maybe part of her lunch from time to time ... that bread was pretty good. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He looked up at the building that Michelle was living in. It was pretty nice looking. The sort of place he'd never be allowed into. Not that he really had a reason to go inside. Still ... it was nice to know where he might find a friend. "I guess I'll see you soon then?"

When Michelle disappeared inside, Arath made his way back to more familiar parts of town. There were still a few hours left to go make a few coins ... wherever he might find them.

Arath tried to voice his approval of the bread, but his mouth was too full to do more than mumble. He simply nodded instead, quickly chewing down the mouthful of bread and cheese while Michelle spoke. When he finally managed to work the too-large mouthful down, he grinned and finally paid his compliment. "Tastes like your employers made a good choice. Where did you learn to make this?"

Laughing, she took another bite of the bread. It was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Thank the Light she had been a good student in Lugard. "Our Housekeeper taught it to me, actually. My family wasn't rich by any means, but both of my parents were busy, so we had a housekeeper that took care of the cleaning, the laundry, and the cooking. It was her family recipe and given that she had no daughters, she taught me how to bake bread, decorate cakes, do sewing and beautiful stitching, and all the things a real mother should." Especcially given that her mother was always too busy to have the time of day for her.

Arath took another appreciative bite of bread. "So what made you want to do this for a living? What do your parents do?"

Taking a small bite of the cheese, she thought about how much she wanted to share. Was there any point in really explaining her parents? She didn't even understand them, so how was she supposed to describe them and have someone else try to understand them. "Well, my parents were Silk Merchants. Well known in Lugard, actually, to the upper class. Me, well, I didn't have a love of trying to sell products. I like working with my hands and creating something beautiful and tasty at the same time."

"Well, I think you made a pretty good choice. If everything else you make is this good, you should do fine. If the bakers you work for ever let you escape that is." He laughed as he took another bite. "I wish I could cook half this good. And a place to cook I suppose."

Michelle had to smile to herself. It did seem as though they wanted her to cook constantly. Thank the Light they were giving her a day off a week, and a second one every other week. She liked the hard work, but until she could pass her recipes onto them, she would be constantly busy. "The place you live doesn't have a kitchen? My apartment does but I am always too tired to cook at the end of the day. I would rather just pass out. I could teach you though, if you wanted. It isn't that hard to toss some spices in a pot."

"Maybe ... though the few times I've ever tried cooking I didn't make anything but a mess. Anything that required mixing and patience never ended well." Arath shook his head in mock sadness. "If you couldn't put it on a stick over the fire, my father couldn't cook it. I don't do much better."

Laughing, Michelle imagined her brothers attempting to cook. Light, they were yelled at for even looking at the Kitchen door way back when. she was certain that they stuck to a fire as well. "Well, just because you cook it over a fire doesn't mean it can't still taste good! You just have to pair it with other things! Take for example any piece of meat, put it on a piece of bread, add a slice of cheese and a few vegetables, the vegetables being raw or cooked over a fire as well, and you have a healthy tasty meal." Thinking about it for a moment, she just laughed and shook her head again. "I would suggest not cooking over a fire in the city though. Perhaps you should stick to the market place."

"Good idea," Arath agreed. "Much better to leave that kind of dangerous job to the experts."

Laughing, Michelle finished up her last few bites of bread and cheese. Her sides were starting to hurt from all this smiling and laughing. "Never fear, as long as I am around, I shall keep you well fed."

Finishing off his own bread, Arath dusted off his hands and picked a pair of apples from the basket, offering one to her. "Sounds like a good deal for me." Taking a bite of the juicy fruit, Arath fell silent for a little while. Not really caring for the silence, he tried to prod the conversation along again. "So when you do set up your own shop, where do you think you'll do it? Here in Caemlyn ... back to Lugard?"

Accepting the apple, she smiled and took a bite. She had just a little cheese left and took a small bite of it, enjoying the flavor of the sweet apple with the salty cheese. Something about the combination of the flavor was just heavenly. "Heh, you seem to have more faith in me than I do. If, Arath. If I am fortunate enough to set up my own shop. And here in Caemlyn I think. Or perhaps another city. Not Lugard though. Lugard is the past..." A past she wouldn't return to. The air felt like pure evil, and she had no real family left there. At least none she would return to. No, she prefered the bright beautiful city of Caemlyn, and having friends like Arath. "And what are your plans for the future?"

Not quite sure how to answer that, Arath took another bite to stall for time. His plans for the future didn't extend very far beyond where he'd sleep for the night, or where to hide from an angry pursuer. "Well ... I really don't know. I'd like to get an apprenticeship with one of the smiths in the city, but that's a lot harder than it sounds. There's no shortage of people looking for the same thing." He shrugged, not quite sure what he would do. "I haven't really thought about it much lately."

Michelle thought about it for a moment. He had mentioned before that he used to work in a Smith. Even if he could find a position, he was clearly out of shape for the work. "I know you like Caemlyn, but why not go elsewhere to look for work? There is plenty of large towns that could probably use an Apprentice Smith. Just start traveling and see where you end up!" She highly doubted he would ever do that, but it was all she could think of for ways for him to work as a blacksmith. "If that doesn't appeal to you, you may need to look for a change in career..."

"Yeah ... well ... I didn't really mean for things to happen this way." That was certainly the truth. By the time he'd figured out what was going on in those first days since running away from the mess he'd left at home, he'd been driven to desperate acts. Things had just grown harder the longer he'd been here, until he'd simply fallen into a survival routine. It was getting easier ... though he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be. "Going elsewhere might work, but I wouldn't know where to go. Travelling is hard enough when you know where you're going ... as I'm sure you know."

Well, lunch certainly didn't sound like a bad idea, though Arath doubted that she was having as much trouble finding her way around as she let on. By all accounts, Caemlyn was one of the most organized cities in the world ... far better than her native Lugard. Still ... who was he to make a fuss over whatever little white lie she might be telling when he had already set her up to think she had found him by chance?

"I guess I can't say no to that," he said with a shrug. Pushing off of the wall, Arath led his companion up the street, headed toward the Inner city. "Most of the 'beautiful sites' are in the Inner City ... stuff they say the Ogier built." Arath wasn't sure if he believed in Ogier, but that was how the story went anyway. "Lots of interesting buildings there ... worth spending some time looking at at least once. But there isn't really a lot to DO there, unless you're disgustingly rich, or a noble. Most of the interesting stuff is in the New City. These markets, most of the inns ..."

It felt strange to be talking so much. He'd never really done that before, though he found it became easier the more he did it, and the less he thought about it. Michelle asked a few questions here and there, but mostly listened as he led her around to what few places he was familiar with. A strange statue shaped fountain, of what Arath assumed was an Aes Sedai, water pouring from her hands. A large square where a gleeman or two could be found most days. About half an hour into the tour he even stumbled upon a large rose garden that he hadn't even known existed.

"So ... I'm running out of ideas," Arath said as they took in the sight of the rather impressive garden. "Is there anything in particular you wanted to see or do?"

Arath nodded. "I would imagine so. I've heard that even the land around Mayene is watery ... they call it the Drowned Lands or some such thing. Swamps I suppose, but mostly to the north. But yes. Lots of water."

Arath appraised Michelle quickly, noting that she'd managed to clean herself up very quickly. She looked quite nice, though he tried to keep his looks discreet. In light of her recent troubles, he doubted she would appreciate any such attention. "Are you ready to go then? We shouldn't really need anything." Walking quickly to his own room, Arath shucked off his black Asha'man coat and grabbed a more casual one. It felt strange. He rarely wore anything else anymore.

Heading back out to the hallway, he gave Michelle a smile and led her downstairs to the Travelling room. Siezing Saidin, he slowly and carefully began to weave, holding the image of the destination firmly in his mind. Light send the description was accurate enough. Otherwise this wouldn't work. As the last thread fell into place, the familiar blue line split the air, and the square portal rotated open to a sandy beach which looked far more inviting than the frigid snow drifts of Andor. With a grin, he waved Michelle through, quickly following behind her. Light willing, everything would go well.

Things with the Storm Leader went a lot more smoothly than Arath could have hoped for. He'd been all but banished from the Farm for 'however long he needed'. It certainly paid to have friends in high places.

Making his way back to the house, Arath went over the plan in his mind. Not that there was much to it ... there were simply a few things to remember. The location that had been described to him to travel to by Tai was clear in his mind, as well as suggestions for other locations to visit. The biggest feature of the day was the total lack of planning. Being able to do whatever sounded interesting at the moment ... that was nice. Hopefully Michelle would agree.

Climbing up the stairs again, Arath heard Michelle open the door and saw her peek around the corner. "So? Are you going to spend the day with me?"

Arath shrugged. "Depends on how long you can stand me. Covai basically told me to come back when I wanted to. Don't think I want to push that limit, but ... we have at least a day."

"So ... I don't suppose you've ever been to Mayene before?"

"You know ... staying out of trouble. Mostly." Arath shrugged and returned her smile with a nervous grin. "I had an ... interesting situation I had to deal with, and you'd moved by the time I was able to get back to your inn. I can't imagine why, but the innkeeper wouldn't tell me where you'd gone."

Arath made a show of examining Michelle's burdens, even though he already knew exactly what she was carrying. "You look busy now, but I think I promised to show you around the city. If you haven't already figured it out in the last few days that is ..."

So far, this day was looking very much like the last few since the attack. Michelle was being stubborn about everything, not leaving the house at all, not leaving her room unless Arath was there ... and not even that when Tai or Aria was around. Things felt ... tense. There was no other word for it. And it was beginning to wear on Arath. Despite all his best efforts, nothing seemed to help the situation. In fact he might have said that things were getting worse.

He was about to give up on breakfast, again, when Michelle's door flung open. Even though she still wasn't wearing the ring, it was plainly obvious that she was starving, between the look she gave the plate and the noises her stomach made. But she simply put the plate on her desk and returned to her bed. The same as she did every time. Stubborn ...

After it looked as though she was going to ignore him again, Arath turned with a sigh to make his way back downstairs. As he stepped through her door, a small sound made him turn around, just in time to be tackled in a crushing hug. "Please, don't go Arath. I am going insane inside this house. Spend the day with me, please."

Arath didn't say anything for a moment, simply returning the hug. That was a pleasant change at least. And it so happened that he'd been thinking about the same thing the night before. She needed to get out. Away from the house, and away from the Farm. Where to go was a bit of a challenge in the middle of the winter, but surprisingly, help had come from the most unlikely of places on that account.

"I'll make you a deal," he said, breaking off the hug and looking down at his friend. "You, are going to sit down and eat that." He gestured to the plate of food on her desk. "All of it." She looked defiant for a moment but said nothing, waiting for the rest of it. "While you're busy with that, I'll go speak with Covai and inform him that I need a day off." That might be a little tricky, since Asha'man didn't get 'days off', but Covai was aware of the situation already, and was usually more accomodating. Usually. "However, if there's anything at all left on that plate..." Arath let the threat hang with a small smile. He doubted he'd need to worry about that.

Arath was out the front door before he felt the knot of awareness spring up in the back of his mind. A torrent of emotions and feelings raced through it in rapid succession. Surprise, confusion, a hint of excitment ... and through it all an underlying sense of fear and anger. He tried to keep his own emotions calm and stead, so that it wouldn't overwhelm Michelle, but the connection was severed a few seconds later anyway. At least she had been willing to give it a try.

Leaving his own ring on, just in case she should change her mind again, Arath set off toward the central Tower. There was a mess in the woods that needed cleaning up.

He knew he should have put that discussion off until later. Now she was on the brink of hysterics again, and this time it WAS his fault. Bloody fool ... You knew this was a bad idea.

About to admit defeat, Arath arose from his seat and took a step toward the door. Then he paused, an idea forming suddenly. It might not be any better than his last one, but at least it didn't involve channeling at Michelle. Siezing Saidin, he wove the complex pattern of spirit to open a gateway. Working very carefully, he placed the final threads, and a small window opened up in the air in front of him, leading down into his basement workshop. Satisfied with the gateway placement, Arath reached through the small hole in the air and opened a box on his workbench, pulling out a small velvet pouch. Feeling the contents inside, he withdrew his arm and let the gateway collapse.

Loosening the pouches drawstrings, he dumped the pair of white gold rings onto his palm, shifting them around with his thumb. This was the last thing he had to offer as far as security went. Not quite as good as actually bonding, but it was the next best thing. And in Michelle's eyes, it would probably be the better option. Maybe.

Slipping one of the rings onto his own finger, Arath took his seat again and reached out for Michelle's hand. She resisted at first, mumbling something into his pillow, but eventually she relented.

"I'm sorry I brought it up. I'd never do anything without your permission though. I have another option for you though. You don't have to accept it, but at least this way there isn't any channeling." It still involved the One Power indirectly, as all ter'angreal did, but he wisely kept that point silent.

Pressing the other ring into her hand, he closed her fingers around it. "This will have some of the same effects. Not quite as effective, but it would be your choice. You could take it off whenever you wished ... or you can just ignore it entirely. It's up to you." Hopefully she wouldn't throw the ring out the window or anything like that. That would be more than a little frustrating.

Remaining silent for a moment, Arath considered her questions. They were legitimate concerns, and not ones he had answers for. At least not answers she would like.

"You're safe in the house. I have protections placed on it that let me know instantly if anyone channels at the house, or if anyone other than you, Tai, or Aria comes in or out. I'd be here within seconds."

That was all well and good, but only a half solution at best, and both of them knew it. She would be safe inside the house ... provided she never left it. Which wasn't bloody likely. Reluctantly, Arath sighed and began to tell her about the other option.

"There ... is another thing I could do, though I don't know if it's a good idea ... especially right now. Do you know anything of bonding?"

She looked confused. "Like ... a sibling bond? Or what?"

Arath grimaced and shook his head. "No ... I mean ... Like the link between an Aes Sedai and her Warder." Michelle just shook her head, still not understanding. Blood and Ashes ... I didn't want to have to spell it out for her ... Well, the best way to do it was probably just to do it quickly. "It's a thing of the Power. A link between two people so that they can ... feel each other. They can always find each other, and know if the other is safe, or in danger. If you want ... I can do that. Create a link between ... us."

Arath hesitated for a moment as Michelle spoke. He'd been meaning to leave her alone to get the rest he was sure she needed. And take advantage of the break to go clean up that mess in the forest. Instead, he walked around the bed to the big chair in the corner, and sat down facing Michelle. She looked miserable. "I can stay for a while. But I'll need to go ... take care of something soon. But I'll wait with you until you fall asleep."

As far as days on the street went, these last few hadn't been so bad. A trifle busy perhaps, but he couldn't complain. Much. One sore point had been missing his promise to that Lugarder girl to show her the city. His business the next day had become a little bit involved, and he hadn't been able to get away. Two days on a job, and another one laying low ... by the time he'd gone to see Michelle, she'd moved out of the inn. And the innkeeper had been less than forthcoming with exactly where she'd gone.

And so Arath had simply returned to his old routine. Surviving day to day. He had kept an eye out just in case he ran across Michelle, and had even walked into a bakery or two wondering if he might stumble upon her. In the mean time, he was living quite well. Compared to the usual. He'd even bought a new shirt. It was a muddy brown color. Durable, and good for blending in among crowds. And not too bad at hiding the inevitable street filth he'd pick up, just in case he ran across the girl again.

Half a week or so after that first encounter with Michelle, their paths crossed again. Under slightly better circumstances this time. Arath caught sight of a familiar face walking down the street, a basket in hand. Seeing as he had nothing else to do at the moment, Arath decided to follow her for a bit and see where she ended up. He stalked her through a few streets, making careful note of the bakery she stopped at, then followed her around as she stopped at a few more food vendors. Once she began making her way out of the market areas, Arath decided it was time to say hello.

Weaving his way through the crowd, Arath made his way up the street, quickly passing by Michelle without being noticed, then finding a good place to lean against a wall where she was bound to notice him. He'd much rather that she think she'd found him, rather than him stalking her around the city.

Arath was having a little trouble readjusting his mental state for a true bonding again. Not that this was very similar to the last time he had been in this situation ... Zarinen wasn't going out of her way to cause him distress, but the sensation was unnerving.

Odd as it felt for him though, what he could feel through the bond was far more agitated. The Asha'man was mildly surprised to see a calm, serene looking woman when he walked through her door. He'd expected her to be bouncing off the walls or some such thing if her mental state was any indicator. Arath simply took it as evidence that no man, even one with an actual view of her mind, could understand women.

"Arath. Please, make yourself at home." Zarinen waved him to the other overly ornate chair across from her, then gestured to the wine. "Help yourself."

Wondering what her game was, because all Aes Sedai certainly had some sort of game going on, Arath poured for himself, taking in the room he found himself in. Extravagent wouldn't begin to describe it. He'd thought his own home was fairly nice. Plain, but a good sort of place. This one room made it look like something out of Illian's Perfumed Quarter. He could only imagine what the rest of it looked like.

Taking his seat and a sip of his wine, Arath turned his attention to his ... what was the proper term for her? The title for the last Aes Sedai he'd bonded had been 'captive' but that certainly didn't fit. Warder didn't seem like a good choice either. Bonded just sounded too ... intimate. Well ... that was a thought for another time. Right now, he had business.

"Well, the rest of the Guardian Council has been told of the arrangement. Some of them weren't too happy about it, but it's been accepted. The Lord Dragon has been informed as well. He was a little amused by the outcome, but he finds it acceptable.

"I suppose," he said, shifting in his chair, "that we need to flesh out the terms of the agreement a little. Set some rules. I'm still not sure what it is you expect of us, or why you wanted this arrangement in the first place, so I'm honestly at a loss of where to begin."

Setting his wine glass down on a side table, Arath leaned forward and stared at his host. "So ... where should we start?"

Arath took the abuse stoicly, flinching at some of the more well placed attacks, but otherwise holding his ground. Eventually, thankfully, she began to tire. The punching, scratching, and kicking all died down, and screams of anger were replaced with sobs. Eventually she gave up entirely and started talking again. "He tried to.. to take advantage of me. How could he do that, Arath? And how could you let him? Where were you? I called for you, and you... you weren't there!"

"I know ... I'm sorry," he said gently. "I came as soon as I could find you. I didn't know where you were." There was a solution to that, but he really doubted she would like it. Especially right now. He really wasn't quite sure how much he would like that solution at the moment either. Maybe he would bring it up later. Much later.

"You know I'd never hurt you." He hugged her close, for once not worrying about how awkward it made him feel. "You know that, right?"

Arath beat a hasty retreat from Michelle's room after making his goodbyes. That hug had definitely not been something he'd expected. It felt strange. It wasn't unpleasant in its way, but he'd felt terribly ... awkward. Ignoring an inquisitive look from the innkeeper and the cook who were arguing over something in the common room, Arath headed out the door and quickly made his way back into the outer portion of the city.

Once back in more familiar parts of town, Arath began hunting for a good place to spend the night. All the while, he was unable to shake the thought of the strange little baker girl out his mind. He would definitely have to keep an eye on her ... he had a feeling that she'd be running into him again whether he wanted it or not.

Once again, Michelle didn't fail to confuse Arath completely. One moment she was holding his hand tightly, and the next she was throwing herself off the bed, charging out the door, and barricading herself in his room, screaming at him as though he'd been the one to attack her! How was he supposed to deal with that?

After a few unsuccessful minutes of trying to persuade her to open the door, Arath leaned back against the wall, at a total loss. If anything she sounded even more hysterical now. She was going to end up hurting herself if she kept this up. For a moment he considered going to one of the healers for help, but quickly discarded the thought. The last thing she needed right now was yet another strange man channeling at her. He certainly wasn't getting anywhere with her from this side of the door though. That much was clear.

Plan of action decided on, Arath called through the door one more time. "Michelle, please. Let me in. I'm not going to hurt you."

"GO AWAY!!!" she sreamed, thumping on the door.

That thump was what Arath was looking for. If she was next to the door, then he could safely Travel inside. Splitting the air with the familiar threads of spirit, he quickly jumped through the gateway and let it snap shut on his heels. He definitely didn't want her hurting herself trying to escape through the portal. Michelle didn't take well to his sudden appearance. An ear splitting shriek and a well placed kick at his knee slowed him down for moment, but he quickly crossed the distance and fell to the floor next to her, pulling her protesting form into his arms again.

She didn't respond well. She flailed around, shrieking loudly and trying to hit him in any way she could, scratching and clawing with her nails. All he could do was keep his face clear, hold on tightly, and whisper reassurances to her. Light send she grew tired of this quickly and started acting rationally again.