To Mourn a Friend

[Sunny]

Jaryd Kosari Translucent white curtains moved in the gentle wind pouring through a door that led out to a private balcony; sun and cloud-shadow played on the walls. The M’hael of the Grey Tower sprawled across the settee that had been placed against one wall in his office, lost in thought. He wore simple wool breeches and a white cotton shirt, no mark of his rank anywhere about his person. To anyone unfamiliar with the Tower, he would have been fairly unremarkable.

Outside the carved door across from his desk he knew Comasi Devierin of the White Ajah sat behind a desk stacked with paper, his pen never stopping as he penned “recommendations” to the M’hael. The Keeper of the Archives had passed the Great Stair decades before Jaryd’s birth, and did not hesitate to allude to his considerably greater life experience –and thus apparently sounder logic- any time the Altaran questioned what was written. He wore his dark hair cropped short and held in place with some kind of oil that smelled strongly of lilacs and made Jaryd’s nose twitch. How a glorified secretary managed to wear blinding white and never show a single smudge of ink on his person baffled the young leader, but somehow Comasi managed it.

If the spotless Keeper knew that Jaryd lay on the settee instead of working through his own mountain of paperwork, he would probably give birth to kittens. Thankfully, he had learned the hard way not to interrupt Jaryd in his office; the Ward that surrounded the room would send any uninvited intruder flying. Comasi complained about the ‘inconvenience’ of being prevented from entering, but Jaryd chose to ignore the man’s passive aggressive remarks.

His irritation at his Keeper stood low on Jaryd’s priority list on that day, but fixating on it was easier than thinking about the real problems he faced.

In the flurry of caring for Liri and coming up with a plausible and reassuring explanation for Carra’s disappearance he had not been able to slip away to check on Amadie. Thus it was that nearly two days passed before a novice discovered her body. The poor girl had run screaming from the Blue quarters, thus destroying any hope of keeping the manner of Amadie’s death quiet.

Thankfully –and Jaryd felt a worm of horrible guilt twisting through him at the thought- no one had connected Amadie’s death with Liri’s injuries or Carra’s disappearance. The Domani woman’s ability to enter Tel’aran’rhiod was known to her Ajah, and it had only taken a few words from an Indigo with the same Talent for them to accept that she had encountered an unexpected danger in the World of Dreams.

The half-truths burned unbearably, even from inside the Void. Jaryd could not remember what it was like to live without that cold blank bubble surrounding him. Ever since he had returned half-carrying a bleeding Lirievin, he had been encased in the Void, his emotions distant and cold like flies bumbling against glass. It had kept his face still through every half-truth, every lie by omission, every moment of vulnerability. People who were used to watching his emotions and responding accordingly stumbled and faltered, and those who made a habit of waylaying him as he walked the halls quickly learned to set an appointment with Comasi instead.

He had earned their respect, but at what cost? Could he live with himself knowing that Carra was missing, an Accepted was injured, and his friend was dead, and instead of taking the time to mourn, he had instead twisted the truth into pretzels to avoid facing the consequences of his lack of judgment?

He glanced to the clock on the wall above his desk, then sat up. It was time to attend Amadie's funeral and say good-bye to yet another friend...and then he needed to speak to Lirievin.


OOC: This is more of an introspective "This is where Jaryd is sitting right now" post than anything else. Liri, if you read this and would like to respond, Jaryd has something to give you.

That said, people are welcome to post here to show their reactions to Carra being gone, Liri's injuries, Amadie's death, or Jaryd's sudden transition from Class Clown to Captain Concrete.

[Siera]

Lirievin Tesiva To Ask a QuestionLiri walked along the Halls, if was one of the first days she had actually been allowed out of the infirmary so she was pleased at the experience. She didn't really have a destination in mind but if felt good to see more then just the same four walls day in and out, she had had far too much of that recently. Her walk had gotten a lot slower since she returned from Hama Valon, but it was understandable, the man who had kidnapped her had broken her ankle. Even with the most knowledgeable Aes Sedai in Healing had not been able to completely fix it, so she was left with an unattractive limp.

Clearing her mind Liri had realized she had no idea where she was, she didn't often have days off to just mindless wander the Tower, so this was a first for her. Walking a bit in each direction Liri knew she was close to Jaryd, the M'hael's office. Liri had spend much of the last few days sleeping but her body was finally caught up, and now her mind was working again. Jaryd has rescued her but where had Carra gone? For the matter Carra was still missing, she wondered if he had any idea where she had gone.

She never really knew what had happened with Carra, the Aes Sedai had meet her in Tel'aran'rhiod, who she now knew was Amadie, had come for her then Jaryd. Liri always assumed Carra had been with him, but with Carra not yet returned she really had no idea and she was starting for worry for her mentor.

Knocking on the door, Liri entered when the voice of an elder man say enter. He was the Keeper of the Archives, Liri didn't know him per say, but she knew he would know where Jaryd was.

"I'm Lirievin" She said, although with her dramatic return to the Tower, most people knew who she was. "I was wondering if I could speak to Asha-" she paused remembering to call him Father. "Father?". She had no idea what the Keeper would say, she could only hope for the best and let her in.