To the Captain-General's Office (Attn: Silas)

[Trent]

Durent walked confidently through the halls of the Green Ajah again from his quarters there. The morning dew could be seen glistening outside and some mist flowed through the Tower grounds from the mountains. It was picturesque and made him wish slightly that he was out riding rather than attending to social business, but this is what was needed today. Another beautiful day would come when he had more time, certainly.

Today he made his way to meet, since his return, another person of importance to his matters here. He’d sent a message requesting a meeting and had received a prompt reply with this morning meeting time. Silas Asha’man, current Captain General of the Green Ajah, was someone he would need to establish at least a working relationship, if not eventually a strong friendship and camaraderie. The Greens would need to be as strong as ever, if the coming dread Durent could feel buzzing on the horizon was any indication. The Tower would need them. Then again, Durent hoped part of this just might be him being suspicious and easily worried in his old age.

As he approached, Durent tried to remember what he knew about Silas. He was pretty sure he had known Silas at least cursorily as a Soldier or Dedicated before Durent’s absence. To know that he had matured, successfully completed his training and was now leading the Green Ajah spoke highly to Durent about his talents and character. Especially since returning, he had seen that the Ajah was in very good shape, Silas was obviously a competent leader. It was something he had been very happy to note upon his return.

When he arrived at Silas’ office, the door was slightly ajar. He knocked and opened it slightly. He peered in to see Silas. “Good morning, Captain General. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.

[Silas]

Silas paused in the process of cleaning his office to take a few seconds and ponder the strangeness of his situation. Two returning Greens, in as many months, both of them having been his superiors at one point, now coming to see him as their superior. It was an interesting reversal of fortune. He hadn't known Durent as well as he had Miahala, but it was enough to remember that he'd been an Asha'man while Silas was only been a mere Dedicated. And then he'd disappeared, and now he was back, as seemed to be the trend nowadays. Not that he minded- he was glad to have his ranks bolstered once again, especially with such experienced members as Miahala and Durent.

He turned at the sound of a knock at his door, and smiled as Durent Antian made his way inside.

“Good morning, Captain General. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me." Silas gave a respectful nod.

"Of course, Asha'man. I'm glad to see your return- the Green Ajah has needed more brothers and sisters in its ranks for some time." He reached out to shake the other Asha'man's hand. "You've been gone for quite some time. If you have any questions about how things may have changed in your absence, I will be happy to answer them."

[Trent]

Durent stepped inside the office, taking in the differences from what remembered of those that had been Captain General before. This was one office he'd never held, and Durent was grateful for that. He'd never been extremely comfortable in leadership positions, taking them up only as required. In fact, a battlefield full of trollocs was less daunting to him than a desk full of paperwork. Durent also took in the man whose office this was. Dark hair with sharp features, he figured Silas could strike an imposing feature, especially to those of the learning ranks. The man seemed to give off a good amount of warmth though, at least to Durent right now, in welcoming him back.

Durent wasn’t sure if he should bring up the letter summoning him back to the Tower. He was fairly confident in his Ajah Head, but the Black and the Shadow had corrupted those all the way to the very top before. He would wait. Certainly if Silas had been the one to summon him back, he would probably bring it up.

"I'm grateful for your time, I'm sure your position keeps you very busy. As for questions, I suppose the first one should be where I should begin. What are the Ajah's most pressing needs? In my return I am dedicated to the Tower and its safety, and first and foremost. To me, that begins with making sure our Ajah is strong. How is our relationship to the Warder Yards and to the other Ajahs?

[Silas]

Silas waved off Durent's concerns about his business. "Busy's better than dead, Asha'man. But even so, don't worry- I always make time for my subordinates. I can't very well run an Ajah without its members, after all. I made this meeting a priority as soon as you requested it." He then chuckled at Durent inquiring about their relationship to other Ajahs- and to the Warder Yards.

"The Yards? Do you know what the learning ranks call me there? The Captain. Half of them fear me for what I can do with a quarterstaff, the rest of them revere me for it. I even spent some time training Ubriel Bryne. Believe me, our relationship with the Warders and their trainees is well in hand. As for the other Ajahs..." He sighed here, running a hand through his hair in a manner that could be considered exasperation. "That's a little more complicated."

He sat down, motioning for Durent to do the same, should he wish it. "I will be completely candid with you, Asha'man- I despise politics. The Great Game, the twisting words, whatever it is they want to call or justify it as... it's all rather pointless. I suppose it's why I'm here," he said, gesturing around his office, "because this job is straightforward. Find the Shadow, stab the Shadow, have dinner, go to bed. As it is, I've had success with those Ajahs that are similarly single-minded.

"First and foremost, the Indigo. My wife is well-respected amongst their numbers, and Mistress of Novices, besides. As it is, we have a very good working relationship with them, helping them reacquire artifacts that have been lost or stolen over the years, as well as providing support, if needed, when their expeditions take them into less-savory territory.

"The Yellows are also on better-than-speaking terms with us- as the Battle Ajah, it stands to reason that we need an effective cooperation with them, given our proclivity for being injured. They may have a slight issue with me personally, however, considering how many of my students and sparring partners end up in the infirmary...

"After that, it's rather hit-or-miss. No one treats us with outright or even veiled hostility, but the Green Ajah, especially now, is regarded as somewhat of the black sheep by some: too single-minded for the Blues, too violent for the Greys, and too emotional for the Whites. And the Browns ignore everyone else, as I'm sure you remember."

He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts, then continued. "There is another project I have on my agenda, however. I'm sure you've heard about, or met someone of, the Red Ajah. There has been some... debate, lately, about whether or not they should have even been allowed to take root here in the Tower. And I've gained no favor from those who take issue with me and my policies by supporting them. I am in the middle of trying to negotiate some sort of working relationship with them, but they are... somewhat difficult. Passionate." He chuckled ruefully. "Now I know how the other Ajahs feel when talking to me.

"But enough of that for now. Are there any other questions you have?"

[Trent]

Durent listened intently as Silas laid out for him their political standing with the rest of the Tower. It was not quite as he'd once hoped, but then the Greens were certainly not very political, preferring to muscle their way into and out of their issues. The only relationship that really surprised him was their relations with the Grey. When he was last a Green, the 'Greeyns' as they'd been jokingly referred to had a very strong, if under the radar, relationship. Maybe that still existed and Silas just didn't want to tell Durent about it, which would be understandable. The Greys and their game played on a completely different field that Durent could barely understand. His field was the battlefield.

He was happy that their relations with the Yards were strong. That was paramount to their success as Greens, both for bonding warders but for making sure the military might of the Tower, such as it was, was strong. From what he'd learned of their 'version' of the Reds interested him in this vein as well. He might have to chat with the Amyrlin about that, since she was one of the few Reds in the Grey Tower right now. How that had happened he had no idea, and no one had told him yet.

"Thank you, Captain General, for all of that information. I should tell you that my return was prompted by... strange circumstances that I don't quite have my finger on. I unfortunately don't have much to tell you about it yet either, but let me assure you that my goals are to help make the Tower as strong as it can be for the coming times. As I learn more about it, and as our relationship strengthens I hope we can work closely in these goals."

Durent looked out the window for a moment, distracted momentarily by the rising sun. "I suppose my only other question, one that may prompt further discussion, is simply: As my Captain General, what would you have me do to serve the Ajah and the Tower?"

[Silas]

Silas nodded happily at Durent's dedication at getting himself back into the community, as it was. He would need people like him in his Ajah in the days to come, he was sure. The Last Battle was not going to wait for them, after all, and there was still much to be done before that day came upon them. At least I can rely on my Ajah to support me when the time comes.

"To be honest, Asha'man, you have already done myself, our Ajah, and the Tower a great service in returning. As I mentioned before, our Ajah has waned somewhat in the years since you left. But with members like you and Miahala returning from Light-knows-where... it gives me hope, Durent, especially someone so willing to serve as you are. I am most grateful for that.

"I don't have anything specific that I wish to request of you, for the time being. I suppose I could ask that, if you possess any skill with weaponry of any kind, you continue to maintain our relationship with the Yards- our bonds with our Warders will be paramount to our success in our endeavors, as you well know. Aside from that, you are free to serve as you see fit. Fair?"

[Trent]

Durent nodded in return at Silas' direction. It seemed fair, and his most likely response given the circumstances. The Tower was in an interesting period of regrowth and change, and Durent was excited to see it come to fruition. "Indeed, the return of Miahala Sedai especially will be a great benefit to our Ajah and the Tower at large. Of course, if anything specific should arise, please don't hesitate to call on me. I will see to getting into the training schedule at the Yards at my earliest chance."

He stood again, and offered out his hand to the Captain General. "It was good to get reacquainted, with your leave I'll be on my way."

OOC: Thanks for the thread! I look forward to many more. Sorry about the delayed response, life got crazy in July for me.