A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

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Jack
"Lord of Chaos"
Posts: 470
Joined: May 25th, 2015, 9:01 pm
PC: Malcym Ashe

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Jack » September 14th, 2020, 1:42 am

Malcym was an astute observer of human nature. It came in handy, except when his own temper got in the way, but it was especially important when one was a soldier having to scout for enemy activity.

In this case, Catasina’s actions were minute but very ... understandable. The way she had attempted to straighten a few strays of black hair back into her braid ... the way she looked down at the hem of her Novice grown and her shoes.

Nobles were such interesting people sometimes ... there were ones like a certain Indigo he knew and then ones like Catasina, who might fuss over simple flecks of dirt on her gown.

Mal also knew better than to press the issue -- especially when he was more concerned with her reaction to his description of Jessa. The Ji’val had a casual brutality about her, even in the sparring arena.

He took a step forward and raised a calloused hand in concern at her pale like before he withdrew it. The thought of what Jessa was capable of only seemed to fuel her desire for payback.

The young soldier nodded, returning his hand to the sword at his side.

“A week, agreed,” he said simply, grimacing slightly. “If I have to endure a week of sparring sessions with her to bring her down a notch, it’ll be worth it. I’ve been through some gnarly battles before, but what she did to you and me is ... ” He shuddered at what occurred in the stables today.

His silver-blue eyes glittered in the dimming light. “I’ll gather the itchweed when it’s time and make for the appropriate delivery time ... there’s bound to be a few potent strands around here that may make her days all the more unbearable.”
Jerid Walker Asha'man
"We all suffer. It's how we move past it that defines us."

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Alianora » September 18th, 2020, 12:50 am

Catasina do Moerin a Mathira, Novice
In her desire for revenge, Catasina would have been willing to gather the itchweed herself, but when Mal offered to do it, she wasn't about to complain. Instead, she nodded and asked, "You know what it looks like, and where to find it?" It wasn't an uncommon plant, but Catasina had only seen it here at the far boundaries of the gardens. She tilted her head and added, "I think we'll need a lot, for both her clothing and her sheets. The more we get, the better for our purpose....and the worse for her." The novice smiled at the thought, already feeling impatient for the week to pass.

"So." she said. "If you're going to gather it, do you think you could bring it to me in a week's time? We won't really have to hide, nobody ever looks twice at a novice carrying a bundle through the hallways." A wicked gleam lit Catasina's grey eyes. This was going to work, and work well, she just knew it. Looking up at the Drin, she said, "If you can do that, I can get it into her laundry without any trouble. I'd suggest you not bring yours in that day though, I know I won't be." Catasina meant to try her best to get it only into the belongings of their intended target, but in a tangle of identical whites and greys...well, she'd already warned him that there might be some unintended victims of their work.

Jack
"Lord of Chaos"
Posts: 470
Joined: May 25th, 2015, 9:01 pm
PC: Malcym Ashe

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Jack » September 19th, 2020, 2:19 am

Malcym nodded at Catasina’s question.

“Aye, it grew in abundance in the area I lived in as a child ... much to my sister’s delight and my torment,” he said. Mal loved his little sister dearly but she did delight in tormenting him for years.

His lips twitched in a smile and added, “You’ll have all the itchweed you could possibly desire, Catasina. Just ... be careful when you decide to add it to the laundry. Wouldn’t want to find yourself with itchy hands.”

His silver-blue eyes danced with a bit of mischief at the whole concept before looking at the sky. It wouldn’t be long before the evening meal and other studies would require him to be elsewhere.

With a slight nod to his new partner-in-crime, Mal murmured, “Fair night to you, Novice Catasina.”
--- One week later Malcym Ashe had not a care in the world. The grey-clad drin carried a fairly large basket of what he had called wash ingredients through the corridors of the Tower toward a pre-arranged meeting location for its intended recipient.

Concealed inside was a pretty large quantity of itchweed, picked and cut to make it manageable fit in the basket. He’d picked it over the past few days as the time grew closer to executing its intended use.

And now that day was here. The drin’s mind was spinning at all the possible outcomes -- but mostly just the sweet justice brought down on Jessa after the stunt she pulled last week.

Light, but there were a few times when he swore he could still smell the horse dung, no matter how many times he bathed.

And Mal had followed Catasina’s advice to the letter. Neither his sheets nor his laundry was in today’s wash schedule.

His eyes fell on his partner as he reached the pre-arranged meeting place and politely handed the young woman the basket.

“Novice, here are the requested laundry ingredients,” he said calmly. “Please have a pleasant day and I look forward to your company after the entertainment has begun.”
Jerid Walker Asha'man
"We all suffer. It's how we move past it that defines us."

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Alianora » September 20th, 2020, 6:46 pm

Catasina do Moerin a'Mathira, Novice
When Catasina caught sight of the waiting Drin, she had to press her lips together to stop herself from bursting into laughter. The size of the basket he carried was more than adequate for their shared purpose, and the sight of it suggested to the novice that a most satisfying revenge awaited them. She did let herself smile widely as she reached him and shifted the container into her own arms. Catasina looked down into it, then gave Mal an approving nod.

"I'm sure these ingredients will prove very effective," the novice said, and her grey eyes shone. "I hope you have a pleasant day as well, I expect that it will be for us both." Lowering her voice, Catasina said, "I'll find you in a couple of bells...when the fun should start." Then she scurried away with both arms wrapped around the basket, not hurrying, but not dragging her feet about it either.

She was a little early for chores to begin, but just as she'd expected, nobody had reason to notice a novice carrying a basket regardless of the time. When she entered the laundry room, she was the first to arrive. All this was something Catasina had planned in advance, and she took up a place at a table near the door where the laundry would soon be arriving. The basket was shoved under the table and out of sight. She kept a careful eye on who was coming and going while she sorted laundry into piles, and was rewarded eventually with the arrival of her victim. The novice kept her head down as she accepted the woman's pile, and when the girls with her weren't looking, dumped the clothes and sheets into her lap.

Once the stream of incoming laundry slowed, Catasina pulled out the basket, which could easily pass for any other basket the laundry kept for this purpose, and tossed in the clothing that had been on her lap. She had to bite her lip not to laugh when she did. After gathering a number of other items to lay on top, the novice moved to an empty vat and began to wash them.

The entire basket of itchweed ended up going into the vat, but Catasina didn't worry about that. It had to go somewhere, and if a few innocents were caught up in the prank, it was just too bad. She inspected the basket carefully, making sure no stray pieces remained, then set herself to stirring the vat.
It was hot and heavy work that Catasina normally hated, but the anticipation of what was to come made the rest of the time easier for her to tolerate. Once she finished her share of the work, she left the room, leaving the basket behind to suggest that it had been there the entire time. She moved through the halls as fast as she dared to go, opening a door to emerge into a part of the Tower grounds that would afford a good view of the Warder yards. The front of her white dress was wet, and her braid was coming undone, but as she redid it while waiting for Mal to join her, Catasina's smile was bright.

Jack
"Lord of Chaos"
Posts: 470
Joined: May 25th, 2015, 9:01 pm
PC: Malcym Ashe

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Jack » September 21st, 2020, 1:33 am

Mal carried both his longsword and his practice sword as he gracefully danced around the crowd of people coming and going through the Yards. Despite the light steps, the perspiring drin had to resist wincing every five paces as every movement set his muscles on fire.

Underneath his uniform, his body might as well have been one big flaming bruise. While Catasina had undoubtedly executed their plan, he’d been “volunteered” by a cantankerous Warder to spar with Jessa for nearly an hour.

The red-haired Ji’val might have looked slight but she was deceptively strong. And while Malcym Ashe may have served nearly six years in the military, Jessa Sember benefited from nearly as many years of dedicated training under the tutelage of that one particular Gaidin. As such, she had a superior advantage when it came to wielding a sword -- and the delightful brutality to strike without hesitation.

Since then, more training exercises and drills had taken up Mal’s time and the only thing that made the pain bearable was the reaction he could imagine on the Ji’s face.

As the young soldier neared his destination, he could pick out the Novice white from the others. For a second, he nearly mistook Catasina for someone else given the disheveled state of her black hair. The thought lasted but a heartbeat as he saw the Novice begin rebraiding her hair.

It had to be some small comfort to know you had control over some things, he thought to himself as he sidled up to Catasina. Their pre-arranged meeting spot provided a nice overlook of the courtyard leading to and from the barracks housing the Ji. At this hour, several came and went, preparing for late studies, running errands -- changing out of training clothes into clean uniforms.

His lips curved in a slight smile as he nodded toward a particular door at the Yards courtyard slightly below them. Malcym had made it a priority to know their target’s schedule over the last week -- and Light have mercy but Jessa kept a pretty meticulous and routine schedule.

Below, the red-haired Ji’val walked with her fellow middle ranks, three others she socialized with and with as much of flair for ... blunt motives. The drin’s lips curved into a full smile as he looked sideways at Catasina, his silver-blue eyes dancing in mischievous delight. He adjusted his weight slightly and winced visibly, gripping the railing tightly with one hand.

That’s when he noticed Jessa beginning to squirm slightly, followed by two of the other Ji. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch of people,” he said with a bit of wistful sarcasm.

“Excellent work, Lady Catasina,” he added more genuinely, more respectfully.

He tilted his head and looked at the Novice again just as a light flickered in his head and his eyes darted a little further away at an approaching Gaidin. The grizzled dark-haired slender man looked more onerous than normal and ... his hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

“Yeah, you should probably avoid the Yards for a few days ... I forgot Jessa delivers her laundry along with the Warder she serves as an aide to,” he murmured. “Very acceptable consequence, but still that one ... best to stay outside his realm of awareness. Take it from someone with personal experience.”

His smile never wavered. "But again, excellent work, partner."
Jerid Walker Asha'man
"We all suffer. It's how we move past it that defines us."

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Alianora » September 25th, 2020, 1:15 am

Catasina do Moerin a'Mathira, Novice
Catasina let go of her finished braid just as Mal appeared beside her. Turning her head towards him, she smiled a greeting, then went back to watching the Warder Yards. Their entertainment was likely to begin very soon, and she didn't want to miss any of it. She was still paying some attention to the Drin, though, and didn't miss the nod of his head towards a particular door. She looked down in the direction he'd indicated, and was rewarded with the sight of a certain redheaded Ji.

Her eyes flickered towards the man beside her, and Catasina grinned at him. The novice bounced on her toes with eager anticipation as she continued to study the woman below. Catasina was still smiling as the Ji slowed her pace and begin to twitch. Her smile grew, and when the two others near her began to move in the same awkward way, Catasina clamped a hand over her mouth to dampen the sound of her laughter. She had to turn away, shoulders shaking as she did her best to be quiet, for once not wanting to draw attention to herself from those below.

By the time Mal spoke to her, the moment had mostly passed, though Catasina still smiled. She looked at the Drin and listened to what he said, though his words didn't worry her. The novice shrugged and said, "I'm not allowed in the Warder Yards anyways, so it should be easy enough to avoid his notice." She beamed at the compliment he gave her, grey eyes sparkling.

"I couldn't have done it without you," she told him. It wasn't true; she could easily have gathered the itchweed and carried out the prank alone. But a little flattery never hurt, and besides...working with an accomplice was much more fun. Catasina darted another glance down at the Yards below where the group of Ji continued to writhe. "Should you ever encounter anyone else who is.....similarly deserving....I'd be happy to work with you again." she said. Pulling pranks like this on people like the Ji, who'd certainly earned what she'd gotten, was quite enjoyable, in Catasina's opinion, and it didn't hurt that it also brought some fun into the boredom that was life as a novice.

Jack
"Lord of Chaos"
Posts: 470
Joined: May 25th, 2015, 9:01 pm
PC: Malcym Ashe

Re: A situation most foul (attn: Alianora)

Post by Jack » September 25th, 2020, 3:08 am

Mal couldn’t help but smile slightly at Catasina’s reaction. She looked as if she had just received a feastday present from a favorite relative.

The young soldier remembered similar reactions very well from his sister and from his ...

The memory faded, snatched back with wicked claws by Malcym’s own sheer strength of will. Some things were left in the past. Others should be embraced in the moment that they happened.

And in this moment, he at least found a common cause with another person of the learning ranks. And at it seemed a possible future partner in crime.

His silver-blue eyes sparkled in the filtered sunlight and he smiled at the offer. “I would look forward to that -- though perhaps never again under the circumstances that brought us together for this venture.” His nose wrinkled at the memory of that day in the stables.

Mal cast one last look at the group of Ji and the now-departing Gaidin and smiled confidently. Even if Jessa did figure out what made her so uncomfortable, there would be sheets to contend with. Maybe it would give him a slight edge in sparring over the next few days.

“Farewell, Lady Catasina do Moerin a'Mathira, Novice of the Tower,” he said respectfully. It was a rare mood that Malcym Ashe actually paid proper mind to a noble’s birth in this place, especially if they were technically of the same rank.

With a smile on his lips, the young solider left, knowing that some form of justice had been executed, indicating the pair of them.

---
Jessa Sember Ji’val Light, but she itched all over the bloody flaming place, even parts that were inappropriate to speak of in polite society. And what’s more, her ears were burning as Kile Gaidin stomped off in a cold fury.

Whatever ailment inflicted her and two of her fellow Ji also inflicted him. And it didn’t take long to rationalize what had happened. Someone had dosed their laundry. Someone who very shortly would learn the definition of pain and suffering as she could only inflict.

Jessa’s lithe form squirmed as she resisted all urges to scratch every part of her body. One of the other two affected Ji, a slim man with Shineran features, wasn’t as disciplined but a look from the redhaired Gaidin made him stop.

It was the fourth of their party, Kassie, a giant of a woman from Murandy who moved quite elegantly, that drew all too subtle attention of the other three to something occurring on the veranda above them. Kassie had been unaffected by the current dilemma.

Jessa swore under her breath, her face red with anger. That bloody whelp of a drin! And the Novice looked vaguely familiar ... and her eyes brightened with recognition.

The bloody stables a week ago. All because of some flaming harmless fun — well, harmless for her — and now she had had her hide chewed out by her master and would likely have a rash for days now.

She’d wring both their necks and hammer that brat of a drin into pulp the next time they faced off in the sparring arena. But she checked her emotions almost immediately. No, she thought, a better way was slow, simmering revenge. One that would humiliate them ... and damage the flaming drin’s reputation beyond all measure to serve in the Yards.

“Geruin,” she said, looking at one of the two Ji, a pretty young lass from Illian with a skill for knife play, “are you still friendly with that Accepted that’s been batting her eyes at you?”

The quiet Illianer nodded. She seldom spoke. Jessa smirked slightly, a devious light in her eyes. It was a look the other three knew all too well ... and one they could fear if things went south.

She looked at the giant Murandian. “Kass, your brother still has connections with a few lords that owe him quite a few favors, yes?” The large woman nodded. “Have him pull a few in, find out about Malcym Ashe’s record in service to his country. A man like that’s bound to have some secrets.”

The fourth member, Jhim, frowned and whispered, “But what about Joram Gaidin? Or Liana Gaidin? Both ...”

Jessa waved the notion away. “Let the Master deal with those two. If they get in the way ... well, we’ll think of something.” Jhim nodded, still uncertain.

The lead Ji smiled darkly. “Jhim, you point me in the way of the icoberries you mentioned a few days ago, that’s where our revenge comes in play ...”
Jerid Walker Asha'man
"We all suffer. It's how we move past it that defines us."

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