Looking for Trouble (attn: Bella)

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran looked up towards her Warder again as he spoke, wondering if she'd ever really understand these lands she now called home. She had assumed that orphanages would only be found in the largest of towns, possibly only in cities, and it irritated her that she'd been wrong to think so. Through her frustration, she was still grateful for Haeden's explanation, well aware that he would never judge her for what she did not know. When he moved his hand to lay beside hers, Liaran covered it with her own, an affectionate gesture she thought safe enough now that they were alone in her room.

She left it there, dark eyes intent on Haeden as he spoke of a nearby town that certainly sounded like the sort of place where Nykkolaia might be found. With no proof that this was so, it could be a dead end, but the idea sounded far more plausible than anything Liaran had come up with during her very brief search. She nodded, then turned her head to look at the town's location on the map. "I think we should at least visit, and see if she's there," the Aes Sedai said. After thinking a little, she added, "Even if she isn't, if there are a lot of people passing through town, we might be able to learn whether she's been seen, or if there have been any further mysterious deaths we haven't heard of yet." Liaran raised her head to look towards Haeden again and asked, "Shall we leave for Harmon in the morning, then?"

[Bella]

Haeden always felt better when they had a plan.

With a small smile, he nodded once. "Yes. I think that would be the best course of action." He held her eyes for a moment longer than was perhaps necessary for holding attention, then he turned to look back at the map. He traced points with the fingers of his other hand. "What reports we have regarding her suggest she's in this region often. It seems likely that this town, with a new orphanage and children needing help, will have heard something of her...if not her having been there recently."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran smiled and nodded, relieved to have settled the question of where to search next. "I wonder if she's from this part of Andor," the Aes Sedai commented. "That could be why she spends so much time here." She didn't think Nykkolaia's reasons for where she chose to travel really mattered, but in a situation like this where they had so few facts to go on, wasn't willing to ignore anything that might be at all useful.

With their task complete, Liaran moved her hand off Haeden's and laid her fingers on the edges of the map. "I can put this away now," she suggested. "I don't think we need it anymore, now that we know where we're going next." She continued with a touch of reluctance, "And we should probably both get some rest before we leave." Liaran rose from her seat, directing a warm smile at Haeden as she did. "Good night, my Gaidin," she told him. "I'll see you in the morning."

[Bella]

Haeden did not want to leave. Deep down, his heart urged him to stay.

He wouldn't, of course, but he couldn't help the feeling. He returned her smile. "I'll see you in the morning," he agreed as he stood as well. He took her hand and kissed it lately. "Good night, my Aes Sedai," he said before lowering it. "Sounds like we will have a few tasks on the morrow, so I hope you rest well."

With one more faint smile, he inclined his head and then turned to go.

The distance from her room to his was rather short, but it felt a great deal longer at that moment. Once inside, he pulled off his jacket and shirt and tossed them over the end of the bed. Turning to the basin and pitcher, he poured some of the water out and then splashed it onto his face.

With that, he leaned his sword against the wall right by his bed and stretched out on his back. Staring at the ceiling, a restless sleep was long in coming.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

As Haeden left, Liaran sat back down in her chair, but her gaze lingered on the door. If it had been entirely up to her, and her decisions not dictated by the Andoran sense of morality, she would have wished for him to stay. Since that couldn't be, she'd done what she had to, but that didn't mean she liked it. The sense of separation she felt through the bond, of Haeden's presence growing just a little fainter, did not help at all. The distance between was hardly more than it would have been if they slept in their own rooms back home, but somehow, it felt greater to her here.

The Aes Sedai sighed, forcing herself to stop staring at the door, and scolded herself for her foolishness. You don't need your Warder with you at all hours. Standing, she folded up the map, put it back where it belonged, and got ready for bed. When she was done, there was nothing to do but lay down and try to sleep. Liaran did try, curling up on her side and closing her eyes, but her mind drifted from thoughts of Haeden to the many questions of what they would find when they left in the morning, questions which brought her no peace.

If Nykkolaia is there tomorrow, how are we ever going to approach her?

She had no clue how to handle the situation, especially since she still had no proof of anything, just a collection of suspicions and possibilities. The uncertainty worried Liaran, and it took some time for her to settle down enough for sleep to find her.

In the morning, Liaran was up with the sunrise, eager to depart for Harmon and see if they could learn anything further there. She packed quickly, then left to meet Haeden downstairs. Aware of the others seated around the common room of the inn, the smile she gave Haeden was restrained, but her emotions were not. The bond between them would convey the pleasure she always felt at seeing him. Liaran rushed through a quick breakfast, and once they were finally free of the inn, allowed herself to relax a little.

"I hope you slept well," she said to Haeden as they fetched their horses from the inn's stables. "I'm afraid it's going to be a long day. I can open a Gateway close to Harmon, but we're still going to be riding for a while before we get there." She didn't think this would bother Haeden at all, but despite the great improvements she'd made in her own riding ability, it was something Liaran didn't much like.

[Bella]

"I slept well enough," he answered once they had a moment of privacy. There had been relief come the morning, although still plenty of folks around and Haeden's respect for his Aes Sedai's boundaries was paramount. Once they were a little more on their own, however, they could relax.

A stable-hand brought the horses from their stalls, but Haeden took care of tacking up each one himself. He handled Liaran's horse's gear as well since he was the more experienced, and responsible for her safety.

"We've had long days before," he commented with a small smile as he worked, almost not even needing to look at his hands as he did so. It was rote by now. "Perhaps we can use the time to contemplate more plans and theories for what we'll find in town and having to do with our task here." Not thrilling conversation, but necessary.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

While Liaran could easily admit that Haeden was far better with horses than she'd probably ever be, the Aes Sedai was not about to stand around watching her Warder do all the work. She moved to stand beside him and offered what little help she could, wishing she could do more and doing the best she could not to let the frustration she felt with herself take hold of her. "I was trying to make some plans for today last night," Liaran said in response to Haeden's comment without taking her eyes off what she was doing. "We can talk about it more once we're out of town."

She was relieved when they were done, faster than she would have been if she'd been the only one caring for her horse. Minutes later, they were both on horseback, riding towards the same spot where they'd just arrived yesterday. As soon as they left the village behind them, Liaran nudged Seawind closer to Haeden's horse so she could speak to him of what she'd mentioned earlier.

"I've been trying to decide how to approach Nykkolaia when we find her," she said while watching the path in front of her. Liaran allowed herself no uncertainty about it. They would find her, it was only a question of where, and how far, they'd have to travel until they did. "If it's at all possible," and she knew it might not be, "I'd prefer to avoid an outright confrontation with her. I think it might be best if we try to behave as if we're only asking her questions about what's been happening. After all, we don't have any proof that she's behind it." Liaran sighed and tightened her grasp on Seawind's reins.

She managed to look over at Haeden as she rode, very briefly, then continued. "I know that seems dishonest and I don't much like it, but I don't think we can just walk in and accuse her of murder, either, even if we could prove it." All the talk of what they did not know made Liaran feel a little uneasy about what might lay ahead of them in Harmon. She stayed quiet for the rest of the short ride, though she paid attention in case Haeden said anything.

Finally, they stopped in the middle of a field. Still seated on her horse, Liaran embraced saidar and began to create the intricate weaves of Spirit that would form a Gateway into their next destination.

[Bella]

Haeden was quiet and thoughtful during the ride, listening to everything his Aes Sedai said and nodding along to let her know that he was listening and paying attention. He couldn't recall having been on a mission, a task, quite like this before, even when he was playing warder to his sister.

It was a hand of cards that had to be played very differently than he was used to, but he was up to it. He was up to anything, to do right and to protect Liaran.

When she opened the Gateway, he pulled his sword. He kept it low, non-aggressive, but ready to use if he had to. He didn't expect trouble, but trouble often came when you weren't planning for it. Once the silver slash split the space between Here and There, he urged his horse through to the other side and made a thorough sweep.

All was clear, so he turned and waited for her to come through.

Once they were side by side again, and the discomfiture of their temporary distance was relieved, they fell in step with their steeds and continued on their way to the city. After a moment, he began to speak. "I think you are right," he said. "This is not like other occasions where it's simply charge in and start swinging. Tact is called for.

"I don't know that it is truly dishonest, since we don't know for a fact it's here. So we need to talk to her and learn more before we can make such decisions."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Once she and Seawind had passed through the Gateway, Liaran rode beside Haeden again. She couldn't look at him much while she rode, but the bond made it largely unnecessary. Though she kept her eyes on the path ahead of them, Liaran was listening carefully. It was a great relief to her to learn that her Warder felt much the same as she did about the situation they were facing. She turned her head to flash him a quick smile and a nod, then they continued on and entered the city of Harmon.

It was far larger than the little village of Jornhill, but not so large as to be overwhelming. Liaran did her best to pay attention to the streets they rode through, just in case any of them held the orphanage they were looking for, but her first priority was to find somewhere to spend the night. This wasn't difficult, since they'd entered on the main street, and by the time they reached the middle of town, Liaran had spotted an inn that looked suitable.

She brought Seawind to a stop, smiling at Haeden as she got off the horse. "That ride was easier than I thought it would be," she told him, relieved to find that while she was tired, she wasn't nearly as sore as she would have been once. After tying Seawind to a post, Liaran disappeared inside to arrange for their rooms.

She stepped into a common room packed with people, suggesting that Harmon was indeed the quickly growing town Haeden had described. Unfortunately, there was also a line of people waiting to reserve rooms. She took her place in the line, keeping her eyes on the door in case Haeden decided to join her. While she waited, the line continued to form behind her, and Liaran couldn't help noticing that the pair of men directly following her were being fairly loud. She tried to politely ignore them, and did, until one of the men said something that forced Liaran to pay attention.

"....Attacked in her own home...," she clearly overheard. The Aes Sedai didn't move, but she did listen, wondering if this town was experiencing anything similar to the events they'd been investigating in Jornhill. She'd missed exactly what had happened, but once the second man answered, Liaran knew that she was right. He spoke of the suspect, a woman with terrible scars, and how it was possible that she hadn't been found yet, and Liaran was sure then that they were speaking of Nykkolaia. It didn't mean she was still here, but it did tell her that she and Haeden were heading in the right direction.

[Bella]

Haeden stayed outside with the horses while his Aes Sedai got things sorted, but he was posed and ready for if he needed to rush inside to aid her. So far, all he sensed from her was the usual things...until curiosity joined it. Something stronger than had been there before, which in turn piqued his curiosity, but it clearly wasn't an immediate threat or any sort of urgency.

He stood by the horse's head, petting each ones soft noses in turn. Occasionally, his horse would twitch his upper lip over Haeden's hand in the hope that a carrot or apple had mysteriously appeared in it since last checked.

"Sorry to disappoint you," the large Gaidin chuckled.

"Beautiful horses."

Haeden lifted his head to glance at the young woman who had stopped to admire Seawind and Haeden's horse, whose name Bella is too lazy to go track down right now. "Thank you," Haeden replied with a faint smile. He took in the girl. She looked a touch older than the average Novice, maybe seventeen, with a tiny nose and large eyes. So much so that he wondered if she was real.

She smiled. "Strange things afoot in town lately. It's nice to see something pretty like them."

"Would you like to pet one?" he offered. It wasn't something he'd normally do, but both steeds were trained well enough to not be bitey, and Seawind was more placid than that. He'd chosen her specifically for Liaran, after all, who'd grown up on ships and not on horses like he had. But the girl's statement made him want to know more, and this was usually a good way to do that.

"Yes, please," she said, brightly yet shyly at the same time. She came around to stand next to him, at their heads but just to the side so the horses could see her. Seawind being nearer and smaller, she pet the mare.

"Strange things been going on around here lately?" he asked as lightly as he could.

"Mmhmm," she said languidly, obviously more interested in the horse than what she was saying. "Missus Willow got killed, you see. Not that it made anyone too sad. She was sour as a box of year-old lemons, and her kids hated her most. I think they been shipped off to a relative in another town, since their pa died some years back."

Something too familiar was poking at him. "Even if she was unpleasant, still a terrible business," he said carefully. "Do they know who did it?"

The girl shook her head a little. "They suspect this woman, bad scars and pretty grumpy herself, had something to do with it, but they aren't really sure. They just know that the kids were in the house when Missus Willow was attacked, but ain't nothing touched them at all. They didn't even wake up, if you can believe it."

Oh, he could believe it... He knew what could be done with the One Power.