Best Laid Plans [Attn: Jenny/Kaira & Marla/Dax]

[Bella]

Miahala had a plan.

The Mistress of Novices she once was felt that this was a good plan. The mother in her felt it was a bad plan.

The former only won out because she wasn't actually Kaira's mother.

At the end of their first meeting, they had agreed that an outing was in order. With how it sounded like the girl's mind and thus the block were built, sitting inside stuffy classrooms would not reap any benefits in the breaking of it. There were emotions to be stirred that would be easier to do outside of those walls. Nothing was impossible, but why make life harder than need be? So, outing it was.

Mia had spoken with the Mistress of Novices, to be all proper and such. Although the Green really didn't have any qualms about doing...well, pretty much anything she wanted when she wanted to, she decided that it didn't hurt to play by the rules and afford courtesy. Besides, there was not cause to make the girl's life more difficult because Mia felt that being this old and once-dead gave privileges.

After that, she had another person to make arrangements with. This time, it was an Asha'man with a skill set that was useful to her plan. She chose a male channeler just to be on the safe side, since an Aes Sedai might give it away too soon if luck was not on the side of her and her plan.

With all that done, the stage was set. Mia arranged the time with Kaira, where they would meet in the stables. She had no plan to go much further than Hama Valon, since it wasn't needed, but she would lead them just outside the city on their pleasant ride. Of course, as they say, the best laid plans...

Miahala ushered away a stable-hand who tried to take Seren out of his stall for her. The Saldean would be damned if anything but the most desperate of circumstances let anyone groom and tack up her horse but her. She led the stallion from his stall and hooked him to the cross-ties, knowing she was like to still be tacking up--maybe even brushing him down--when Kaira arrived. But this didn't bother her.

As always, she just went about her business and waited for everyone else to keep up. The young woman would be here soon, and the day would begin.

OOC: Not too exciting just yet, but gets things set up, lol.

[Jenny]

Kaira sat on her bed and stuffed her feet into her worn, leather walking boots. Across the room, a tall, freckled girl with dark hair lounged in bed, her nose deep in a romance novel. When Kaira stood and went to her mirror, her roommate peered up over the cover of her book.

“Do you really have no idea where are you going? Or are you just not telling me?”

In the mirror’s reflection, Kaira winked.

“Don't worry, Nas. If I die, then I'll come back as a spirit and haunt you forever.”

Nasrin rolled her eyes.

“Stay safe,” she said. “Don’t make me come avenge you.”

Kaira laughed, though the look she exchanged with her roommate held more than just good humor. Both girls had seen their fair share of tragedy.

"I will," she promised.

She gave one last cursory glance at her reflection. Pristine white novice dress - check. Neatly braided brown hair tied with a white ribbon - check. Scarf around her neck - check. Belt pouch - check. The weather had warmed significantly in the weeks since her ordeal in the blizzard. Still, she slung a pale grey riding cloak around her shoulders to ward against the chilly spring air. Then she left the novice quarters for the stables.

Miahala was there, brushing her horse. Kaira paused a short distance away, struck by the image of the Green sister doing something so mundane. Storybooks never told of these small things that made up the grind of daily life. Once, she had believed that adventuring would make for a grand tale. Reality had been much different. Would this adventure be the same? Then Kaira shook away these thoughts. She was with an Aes Sedai. What could go wrong?

She moved into Miahala’s line of sight and offered a timid smile in greeting. Then she waited for the Green sister’s instruction.

[Bella]

"Good morning, Kaira," Miahala greeted when she caught sight of the Novice. Her sharp gaze swiftly took in the white dress and wondered at the wisdom of horseback riding in it, but that was the girl's choice and not hers. Seren shook his large head from side to side when she moved the brush away from a spot he liked, so she turned her attention back to him and the brush back to that spot.

She wondered how much experience this girl had with horses. Most everyone in the Tower knew how to ride at some level, and those who came in without that knowledge were taught soon. Excepting the Aiel. For those inclined, it was a useful skill. To Mia's Saldean mind, she could not imagine doing without it.

"Do you have a mount or need one from the stablemaster?" she asked. She nodded to the horses and the stable-hand sitting there wanting to be useful and a little agitated that the Aes Sedai had ushered him off. "Danel can help you get a horse tacked and ready."

[Jenny]

Kaira nodded and curtsied.

"Good morning Miahala Sedai," she said, politely. Then she peered to the side and smiled sweetly at the young stablehand. "Can you bring a horse for me? Sidesaddle, please. Any would do, as long as it can keep up with Miahala Sedai's stallion."

The young man grinned. Soon, he led out a beautiful young grey gelding. He helped Kaira up. She arranged herself with little fuss and offered another smile of thanks at the young stablehand. Then she wrapped the reins around her right hand, firmly, but not too tight. Kaira was not an expert, but she certainly knew the basics of riding a horse! She followed Miahala out of stable and across the Tower grounds.

They left through the Tower gates and rode along the road in silence. It was a beautiful day with a cloudless blue sky and a gentle, cool breeze. The first blooms of spring dotted the grass and peeked through new sprouted leaves. Kaira took a deep breath of fresh air, delighted at this small taste of freedom away from the usual constraints of novice life.

However, despite the beauty of her surroundings, her attention continued to be drawn to the Green sister riding in front of her. Did she dare ask their destination? Or would she prefer that it remained a mystery? She tucked her tongue between her teeth, and then grimaced and sighed. Ignorance is a coward’s blessing, she thought. With a nudge of her foot, she urged her horse forward and drew up next to the Aes Sedai.

She tried to sound nonchalant.

“Where are we going, Miahala Sedai?”

[Bella]

It was a beautiful day for a ride, and Miahala almost (almost) felt bad for the plans she had put into place. At any other moment, it would have been lovely to just enjoy the weather and the company of a good horse. It seemed like many times, she would rather the company of a horse than a human, but that was just her age speaking. Perhaps.

As they rode, though, she wondered how long it would take the girl to ask. Kaira was well-mannered, but clearly not timid with her mind. She seemed forthright, and this was cause for curiosity.

"Not far," Mia replied with an evasiveness to do any Aes Sedai proud. "To learn, sometimes one must remove themselves from a more sterile setting. Much of the time, the classroom will serve just fine. However, when one encounters a problem, a change of scenery can help relieve the mind of some of its burden." She glanced sideways at Kaira. "Don't you think?"

[Jenny]

Kaira met the Green sister's glance with a wry smile.

"Of course," she said. "So long as the scenery remains pleasant."

And as she looked around from the back of her young grey gelding, she agreed that the scenery was very pleasant indeed. Here at the outskirts of Hama Valon, the lush greenery of spring abounded. They continued along the road. There were few travelers in the early morning. The path was silent except for the gentle clip-clop of their horses' hooves.

Kaira felt a nagging sense of unease. Novices were rarely allowed out of the Tower. Surely Miahala did not intend for this short journey to be so quiet or uneventful. Did the Aes Sedai really think that this, a simple change of scenery, would break Kaira's block?

She peered within at that part of herself that came to life when she channeled, for that enticing light which filled her with a wonderful joy and glowing warmth. It was both seductive and frightening - a feeling that she could never forget. Yet she found nothing. She knew the temptation of saidar and yearned for its light, but she could not reach it. That place within her lay as cold and dead as the most barren desert.

Suddenly the day didn't seem so bright. Kaira took in the reins of her horse and stopped at the side of the road. She wanted to trust Miahala, but she had been betrayed before. Her uncertainty was plain.

"This can't just be a pleasant jaunt," she said. "Why is our destination such a mystery? What are you hiding from me?"

[Bella]

Seren seemed to know as well as Kaira did that there would be more to this trip, because she could feel him shimmy beneath her. His skin shook beneath the saddle, and she could feel the movement against her legs. Every moment or so, he would do a slight sidestep and she would gently rein him back to placidity.

Mia wondered how he knew, but horses could have uncanny instincts. Perhaps there was tension in her that even she did not recognize, but he did.

When the girl pulled her horse to a stop and moved to the side, Mia drew Seren to move along with her. As ever, there was little that showed on her impassive expression. Another Aes Sedai may have just kept riding until the Novice caught up, given the general impertinence of the move, but Mia did not.

Amusement and curiosity circled within her, but she kept her face still. "Do you always find it within your rights to make demands of Aes Sedai?" she asked, her voice suggesting it was nothing more than idle curiosity, though the words themselves could be interpreted in many a different way...

However, no matter how much one might plan...one might anticipate, and think they knew how things were going to go... Well. They often did not go that way.

As Mia poised to ask another question, her entire plan for the day went out the proverbial window...

[Sunny]

The job had seemed simple enough, if rather dramatic, while he sat at the Blue Heron. Dax had tuned out the details after learning that he was simply to return his target to the safety of the city. The man he had been told was his competition had been easy enough to dispose of. If the unfortunate sod woke up later he would have a nasty headache, but Dax couldn’t make himself care. Instead, he checked that his identity remained masked by rough clothes, mud, and an overgrown beard, and found a different place to hide.

As he waited for his quarry the Tairen absently toyed with a thumb-sized bit of amber that hung on his chest. Back and forth it spun without thought, a warm gold reminder of a time he was doing his damnedest to forget. A man’s voice crossed his memory unbidden. We’re picking up some goods for safe delivery tonight...it’s a pretty little package from the image our employer showed us. Black rage, panic, brown curls caked with mud...then crimson and gold, gold, so much gold- Light, NO.

The Gaidin -could he even call himself that anymore?- yanked his hand away from the pendant, his fingers curling into tight fists against the ice-hot pain of loss that crashed through him as if it had all happened yesterday. I told you, Jem murmured in an uncharacteristically subdued tone. I told you she was trouble. Dax barely heard the quiet commentary, his entire existence wrapped up in one question: Why?

Eventually the Tairen could take no more and reached for the Oneness. Nothing could reach him there and he could focus on the job he had accepted. This girl, whoever she was, would be far safer in Hama Valon than out on the roads anyway. Oh yes she would, Jem laughed. I wonder if she's pretty?

Some time later the fighter became aware of hoofbeats and faint women’s voices. “Right on time,” he muttered, glancing at the sun. By some stroke of luck they paused just ahead of him to talk, but the chaperone’s mount blocked him from his quarry. Frustrating, but not an impossible hindrance.

The sellsword reached behind him for a decent-sized rock and threw it at the woman’s head to get her attention. Then he scrambled forward on Gaidin-trained feet to grab her leg from the stirrup and push upward with all his strength, essentially tossing her off her mount on the opposite side. Wasting no time the would-be abductor stepped quickly away and around, avoiding stallion hooves to get to the white-clad woman on the other side.

White-clad. Dax supposed that should have bothered him. It didn’t.

[Jenny]

Demands? Kaira reeled in confusion. She was simply asking questions, not making demands! She did not understand Miahala's question, but she did realize that it was an attempt to redirect the conversation. Frustration reared its head and hissed with fury. Ugh! She was not a child, even if she wore novice whites. Her eyes narrowed.

"I am not - "

Her sentence broke off as a dark blur shifted along the side of the path. Something came flying out of the greenery. Kaira gasped and ducked. Her horse bucked forward. Quickly she grabbed for the reins and then spun to look behind her, just in time to see the rock smash into Miahala Sedai's head.

"Miahala Sedai!" she cried.

She pulled hard on the reins. The grey gelding bucked and wheeled around. Everything happened too fast. The shadow - a man - took two long, quick steps. He grabbed her reins and launched himself into the saddle behind her. With a kick of his heels, the horse took off at a wild gallop.

Kaira screamed at the sudden jolt. Then she began to squirm, attempting to throw herself off. An arm clamped down painfully around her waist, securing her to the seat. She pushed against him in vain. What under the Light was happening?

"What are you doing?!?" she yelled. "Stop!"

[Sunny]

Dax could not claim to be a great horseman, but decades of traveling, fighting, and personal resourcefulness had led to a certain amount of knowledge. Taking another rider’s horse happened to be one of them. He doubted his methods were graceful, and they certainly would not pass any kind of noble-bred showcase. They were effective, however, especially in the aftermath of an unexpected attack.

The girl had brown hair and a slender body, and her scream was entirely unfeigned. The Tairen closed his eyes and clamped his left arm across her thighs to hold her in the saddle, then urged the gray horse forward, away from the woman his captive had been riding with. The older one had been hit, but had not fallen, which told him all he needed to know about her skill. If he did not get away now, he might not at all.

“Shut up,” he growled, yanking the girl against him. She did not listen; his elbow dug into her sternum as he lifted his hand, wrapping it over her face and muffling the girl’s cries with his palm. She tried to bite him, and he laughed despite himself as he glanced behind. Then he looked forward once more, and as he shifted, he caught a glimpse of his companion’s face for the first time.

“Uncle Dax! You scared me!”

Dax clamped his jaw shut against the stream of invective that wanted to pour from his mouth, tightened his grip around Kaira Darrow's waist, and wondered who in the bloody Light hated him this much.