A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Hama Valon, the city around the Grey Tower.
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Welcome to Hama Valon! The aptly named 'mountain guard' is the city that has grown up at the gates of the Grey Tower at the western edge of the Two Rivers. Like all cities, there are quiet quarters with pleasant inns, such as Elman's Creek, which used to be the nearest village when the Tower was young, but was absorbed as the new city grew; its Band of Brothers Inn is still a favorite relaxation spot for many of the Tower's denizens. And again, like all cities the world over, there are less pleasant places--narrow, nameless streets that house hells and other houses of ill repute. Most of the city falls somewhere in between, with hawkers crying their wares in the streets, respectable shopkeepers ready to serve you, and petty cutpurses happy to follow you.

Novices, Soldiers, and drin'far'ji must be accompanied by a chaperon when outside Tower walls or they risk being picked up as runaways and duly punished.
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Bella
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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Bella » July 24th, 2018, 3:14 am

"We did, yes," he replied warmly, giving her hand a light squeeze. "But we also can't ignore that our work is a big part of who we both are and what we do, so it's okay to talk about it when we speak of our days and how we spend our time."

The buildings were just beginning to reflect the slightest tinges of red and orange as the sun continued to tease the sunset, but not so low that it wasn't still very bright out. There were people coming and going along the street they walked, some of whom he recognized and others that he didn't.

He led her to the eatery he had spoken about where a young woman greeted them at the door.

"Table for two?" she asked in an accent he couldn't place. He smiled quickly at Liaran, liking that it was for two and not for one anymore, and then he nodded to the young woman. She pulled a pair of thick parchments from a small table from the door and then led them out back to a covered patio with small tables scattered.

When they reached the table, he pulled a chair for Liaran before sitting himself down. The girl left the menus then left them to their devices.

Set within clear view of their table, in the distance but not too far, was the Grey Tower. It gleamed in the low sun's light and made him smile. "It's kind of hard to forget the beauty of the building when you spend so much time inside it," he commented, nodding toward the gleaming building.

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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Alianora » July 24th, 2018, 9:15 pm

Liaran Sedai
The streets seemed to be getting more crowded the further they traveled into the city, and Liaran was relieved when they arrived at the place Haeden had mentioned. She reluctantly let go of his hand as they entered. Her heart skipped a beat when the woman asked if they wanted a table for two. She felt silly for a moment until Haeden smiled at her. That smile would have told her that he felt much the same as she did, even if the bond to him hadn't confirmed it. Liaran flashed a smile of her own at him before they both followed the woman outside.

Liaran liked what she saw on the porch. There were a number of tables, but not too many, spaced far enough apart to allow for a little privacy. It made her smile as she took her seat and listened to Haeden speak of how pretty the Grey Tower was. Her head turned to look more closely at it as he spoke. Liaran had never thought the structure itself was any more attractive than other buildings, but she did like the way the setting sun hit it, making the Tower glow in shades of red and orange.

"It is pretty in the sunset, isn't it?" she asked. "I'd never noticed it before." Liaran smiled again, remembering how she'd felt about the Grey Tower when she was much younger. "I once thought the Grey Tower must be the ugliest building in the world," she commented. "I still don't really care for the look of it, but it's my home......well, our home," she corrected herself. Liaran turned back from where she'd been staring at the Tower to look into Haeden's eyes instead. "It's a much more pleasant sight to me now than it used to be."

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Bella » July 25th, 2018, 3:00 am

He met her gaze warmly. "I am glad to hear that," he said in earnest. "I'm an acolyte of the place, I have to admit. It's always been home, so it's always been beautiful. I saw it through the eyes of my parents when I was young, and then as my haven after my parents died. It was the place I came back to after every mission, and the place I sometimes thought I might not see again."

That was when he paused and laughed quietly, almost sheepishly. "I could wax poetically for a long time about it." He didn't apologize, but there was still a sort of apology in his tone.

"Tell me about your life before?" he asked, taking a semi-turn on the conversation. It was still about the past and about homes, but just not about him. "If you don't mind talking about it, that is. I've been to a lot of places in the world, done many things, but your experiences are still something I've not had."

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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Alianora » July 25th, 2018, 9:46 pm

Liaran Sedai
Liaran shrugged, then smiled at Haeden. "I don't mind talking about it at all," she told him, "but it really isn't that interesting. Life on the ships is a lot of hard work." She paused, considering how to start describing her old life for Haeden, and decided it would be easiest just to start at the beginning.

"I was born and grew up on a darter called Seaspray, which is the smallest of Sea Folk ships," she explained. "My mother was the Sailmistress, my father her Cargomaster, so they were always busy. There was never much time for us to spend together as a family. Once I was old enough, I spent most of my time on the deck, watching the deckhands work and learning whatever small tasks I could." Liaran's hands were in their usual location underneath the table, and she tapped her fingers idly against her thigh as she continued to talk.

"The older I grew, the more I learned. By the time I'd reached my eighth summer, I was spending all day on the deck and working at the same tasks as all the other deckhands. Childhood on a Sea Folk ship doesn't last long, but I never minded the work. I was happy enough to be useful among the crew, and though I didn't see my parents much, I was never lonely. I think what I loved most was the constant motion, from island to island and port to port. I found it quite difficult to get bored when there was always something new to see."

Liaran decided then that she'd gone on for long enough. "It's probably not nearly as interesting as you expected," she said to Haeden, still smiling.

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Bella » July 27th, 2018, 5:46 pm

He had listened quite intently as she spoke, and by the time she finished, he was smiling warmly again. "Don't undervalue yourself, Liaran," he said sincerely. "The idea is fascinating." He considered for a few moments. "I have never minded hard work myself either, though I was a few years older then that started as a constant thing.

"But to me, it's amazing to consider a life so...mobile. The things you speak of that you loved about your childhood are almost the precise opposite of what I loved about mine, which was the stability and familiarity. But it feels like because I knew it that way and loved it, I can understand why you loved the opposite. It must have been hard to come to the Tower after a life like that."

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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Alianora » July 27th, 2018, 10:05 pm

Liaran Sedai
"It was hard," Liaran said quietly, "but I didn't have a choice." Her smile disappeared as she thought back to her time as a novice, which contained no pleasant memories for her. "I'm sure that if I'd been raised on land, in one place, I would have learned to like it," she said, attempting to change the subject to one that was less difficult for her. "But I wasn't, and even though I've made my home here, I still like to travel and get restless if I remain in the Tower for too long."

The smile came back as it occurred to Liaran that from now on, Haeden would be with her whenever she did choose to leave the Tower. The thought was more of a comfort than Liaran had ever dreamed it would be. "I'd like to see all the different countries, someday," she commented, "or at least as many as I can. I've visited a lot of them, but it isn't quite the same, since all I ever saw was the ports." She hadn't minded it at the time, but now that she lived on land, Liaran wanted to see more than that. She was quiet for a minute until another thought came to her.

"I still visit the ships sometimes," she told Haeden. "I don't go often, but there have been a couple times when I've been asked to assist with some task as an Aes Sedai. The next time I return...you can come with me," she said. "Then you'll be able to see life on the ships for yourself."

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Bella
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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Bella » August 2nd, 2018, 1:25 am

He felt the pleasure she felt at her own thoughts, and imagined it was related to some of the things she was saying though he also imagined that there were many thoughts he couldn't guess at. Still, he liked what the bond said alongside her as she mentioned him going with her to the ships.

If she went anywhere, he certainly would be going to...unless she told him not to. It might be a hard sell.

"I'd really like that," he replied, and the bond would equally tell of his sincerity. "I'll admit that having been almost always on land in my life, ships and sailing have been a curiosity for me. But I would much more enjoy learning about it with you." He smiled. "And I imagine that we'll see most of the world otherwise, in the time we have ahead of us."

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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Alianora » August 2nd, 2018, 10:03 pm

Liaran Sedai
The bond between them told Liaran that Haeden meant what he said, though she did not need it to believe him. She smiled at him, leaning slightly forward in her chair. "I'll look forward to traveling with you," she said, "To the ships, and....wherever else our life takes us." It was easy for Liaran to imagine the future that stretched before them both, one in which they would go wherever her work called her, and have their home here waiting for them when the work was done. It wasn't something she'd ever expected to have, and she didn't think she'd ever felt quite as content with her life as she did then.

She was distracted from her thoughts by one of the servers coming over to take their drink orders. Liaran turned her head and made her request politely, but when the woman left, her eyes returned to Haeden's. "Have you spent much time away from the Tower?" she asked, wondering if he found traveling the world as interesting as she did.

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Bella
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QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Bella » August 4th, 2018, 1:11 am

Haeden considered the question, searching his memories and trying to compare them in terms of time. "I have spent a lot of time out of the Tower, yes," he said thoughtfully. "Being unbonded for so long, I was often at the top of the list for any channeler needing a guard for a trip, and I was always on-call for my sister."

Bringing Sadira up actually made a faint red tint flush through his tanned cheeks, recalling the conversation that she'd had with him and the fact that she'd been "scouting" Liaran before that.

"I've gone most to the Borderlands, though," he went on. "Since that seems to be a place much in need of channelers with sword-swinging warders." He smiled wryly. "But I've been to a few other places throughout the nations, though rarely toward the sea. I'm not really sure why that is."

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Re: A Night on the Town [Attn: Liaran Sedai]

Post by Alianora » August 4th, 2018, 11:11 pm

Liaran Sedai
Looking at Haeden, Liaran couldn't help noticing the redness that had suddenly colored his cheeks. Though she could sense his emotions through their bond, and feel them change, she had no idea what he was actually thinking to cause that reaction. It wasn't something she'd ever seen him do before, and because she cared for him, it concerned her. Liaran kept her eyes on Haeden, but said nothing to him about it, not wishing to pry. Remaining quiet, she let Haeden finish talking.

Still just a little worried, she was relieved when he seemed to relax as he spoke of the places he'd been and those he had not. "I don't know why that is either," she said in response to his last comment. She thought about it for a short time before adding, "It could just be that some of the countries closer to the sea are Amadicia and Tear.....places most of us are not going to visit, for obvious reasons. I think the Seanchan are a threat in some of the southern countries too, though I couldn't say which ones. I know they're a problem my people still face."

Her eyes drifted away from Haeden when she spoke of the Seanchan, remembering her own fight against them as a young girl. She'd channeled for the first time then, forever altering the course of her life. In a strange way, that long ago battle was what had brought her to where she now sat. Liaran's focus returned to Haeden, and she smiled as she told him, "I'll be happy to show you the sea, when the time comes."

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