The Rose in the Stone Tower [Attn: Bella/Nykkolaia Sedai]

[Sean]

Now it was Val’s turn to stare dumbfounded.

Some time passed as he stood with his hand still extended for the platter. With a blink he realized that the plate was not coming and the dull burning embers of the Sister’s eyes warned of the consequences should the matter have been further pressed. Not knowing what else to do he retook his seat, the hard flat surface of the stool sending waves of discomfort through his backside. No protest came forth as he considered the woman before him.

Twice in the same evening she had proven to be unlike the other women of her status. Even now the wringing of her hands denoted a very un-Aes Sedai-like disposition, one that Valadin wasn’t sure he felt comfortable with. Sisters were expected to be distant and emotionless in their actions, postures, and even in their associations. For one to be so…prone to her feelings was…unusual. Failing to come up with any answers on the subject, Val uttered the first thing that came to mind as a response,

“Well, tell me about your father then.”

So simple a statement, yet as the inquiry passed his lips, fear rippled through every fiber of his being. No matter the oddities any Sister demonstrated, they were by right and standing his superiors. At her utterance he could be whipped senseless and while Master Seth had seemed nice enough in their meetings—regardless of previous punishments doled out—the Master of Soldiers did not tolerate disrespect of any form from his charges. More than one Dedicated had found his hide stripped for addressing his betters poorly. Val could only imagine what that might mean for a Soldier.

Craning forward into a bow, Valadin was about to apologize when his head struck the table where the food and drink rested. The items were sent spilling onto the crisp blueness of the Sister Zeran’s gown before tumbling onto the floor.

“Sister, I—please all-allow me. I-I-I’ll help,” he stammered as he rushed to his feet with a cleaning cloth in hand.

Drawing closer to her, Val noticed that even drenched in sweetberry tea the Aes Sedai coolness never left her features. Only the scars seemed out of place on an otherwise comely face. So lost in his thoughts was he that noticing a dinner roll beneath his heel seemed impossible and his first step proved ruinous as he lost his footing. Reaching out to gather his balance, Val avoided falling headfirst into the small lake of tea and other lubricants now swirling in a puddle upon the floor. A gentle clearing of the throat brought his attentions upward where he found a handful of blue clenched between his fingers…

…a strip of cloth torn from the dress of Zeran Sedai.

“Oh…Light…”

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Have been experimenting with Press. Trying to pick up the stuff I need to learn for MoS on my own is no joke.

[Bella]

Where did this evening go so far off course?

Nykkolaia had never seen such a sequence of ridiculousness unroll before her in her life. Not that she was lacking in experiences throughout her existence, that was a tale literally written on her body, but this evening had been something else. Was it the mistake of trying to interact with other human beings outside a more 'formal' situation? When she was called upon outside the Tower, that was one thing. This had just been dinner in her room.

Perhaps she had been away from the Tower and out of this life, out of its business, for too long. She had forgotten how to...be. Before she had left for her long time away, she had not been long raised to the shawl. Was she doing it wrong? Was she a failure to her rank? She knew that Aes Sedai were not supposed to be plagued by such self doubt, but she was only human and still fairly young, comparatively, and she could not help herself.

She had been broken once, and maybe they were right. She never would be fixed. She would never be right, never be normal, again.

Hearing his utterance, as her dress was torn and decorated with the remnants of her dinner, she looked down. One of the rare strips of decorative binding had come off in his attempt to hold his balance, which (to his credit) had not pulled her down with him, but did leave bare a small bit of skin near her shoulder where the superfluous fabric had pulled out other stitching. It wasn't truly revealing of her, but did show that her scars went further down than her face.

Nykk almost laughed. It was... It was too ridiculous to believe. She lifted her face to meet his gaze. "Please, stop," she said softly. She curled her fingers around the fabric in his hand, brushing his with her scarred one in the meantime--those scars being unlike the ones on her face--and gently pulled it free. "I am not like other Aes Sedai. I will not report this to anyone." Although her expression was far from warm, it was not quite so cool as before.

OOC: No worries! I understand. I'm not quite on my game with the hectic week I've been having.

[Sean]

As the Sister began to gently clean the remnants of supper from her blouse, Valadin remained stunned. He rested upon one knee before her, the muted darkness casting shadows upon both their features and a puddle of mushy food mess surrounding him. The sensation of her hand brushing against his own kept his mind unconcerned about any of that. Her touch had been softer than he’d expected despite the scars and for another thing it was much warmer. He’d always imagined Aes Sedai ran ice water through their veins, but the woman before him was as she’d stated ‘not like other Aes Sedai.

Falling onto his rear Val fought of an uncontrollable chuckle that rumbled up from the pits of his stomach until it forced its way into his throat before finally bursting past his lips in a full, hearty laugh.

The Four Kings was a place of tradition. Merchants had always needed to travel up the Caemlyn Road on their way to the gem of Andor. Most villages lived and died by the passing trade. Sons usually grew up to become smiths, farmers, fletchers, or took up any number of roles that their fathers allowed them to inherit whether with pride or in spite. Daughters were expected to tend to the kitchens, husbands, and when the time came children. Life in the Four Kings was decidedly trite, but the people seemed happy enough with their lot.

Valadin would’ve given anything to feel similar to them.

Given the chance he knew he’d enjoy a sedentary life filled with predictable days of work and cherished nights amidst family. He had no father to inherit a trade from nor had he mother whom could curry favor for him to take up a mentor. Orphans were urchins regardless of their disposition in the eyes of villagers. Most treated them fair enough under normal circumstances, but it was always clear that the parentless were tolerated, never accepted. That isolation made contact with others difficult…often painful. Val could remember many a time when he simply wished to be left alone—to disappear in the eyes of others—so that he might spend the remainder of his days managing horses and observing flowers when he could. Of course an occasional opponent for Stones wouldn’t have been minded either.

Alone was how Valadin had grown up and in the years that counted as the beginning of his manhood he was forced into demeaning interactions with one person after the next. Soon he’d loathed humans altogether as the darkest sides of men and women were exposed to him on a daily basis. Everyone had a motive, a desire to use him for their personal pleasure; in fact it was never about their happiness, but his debasement. As a slave Val found that the more pain or discomfort he suffered the happier his owner and the man’s clientele were with his performance. Usually he’d feign both if only to make the time pass quicker.

The Grey Tower at first had proved to be little different.

Dedicated barked orders at him, the threat of punishment varied only by them taking the overseeing of penance into their own hands. For his elder ‘brothers’ he made certain to follow their rules never wanting to risk too much interaction with even the most amiable of them for fear of the consequences. The others Soldiers either ridiculed him for his awkwardness or were anxious of him because of his volatility. Even amongst his peers he adopted an act that would shorten the length of time spent in each other’s company. Aes Sedai and Asha’man were easy enough to handle for most basically ignored his presence when they could and treated him with masked disdain when they couldn’t. For them the effort required to stay hidden was the least hence why Val tried to spend most of his time in the Ajah halls.

She knows what it’s like to be…forgotten. Or unwanted. Whatever the case, she’s like me. Maybe not all the way, but…she’s almost not even Aes Sedai.

Shimmering tears rolled down his cheeks as the quaking mirth died. When quiet set in again Val found himself being watched by those sharp blue eyes, the question in them both reprimanding, but earnestly curious. “Forgive me, Sister,” he said, grunting with the effort of rising to his feet.

“Burn me, my trousers are completely soaked through…I think I’ll need a change soon.” The joke got little reaction. Though the edges of her lips seemed to have softened from the pursed reservation he’d garnered before. “You know, Sister, I…I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you. Not Aes Sedai or merchant, or guard, light, I’m not sure if the Creator meant to make someone like you!”

Again no response he could perceive, but it mattered little at this point. “I’ll cut to the quick. If there’s ever a lady who deserved better than what she got; it’s you. I mean that. You’re like me…like any other useless lout out there who’s got no one and nuthin’. You’re…different. Not bad for an Aes Sedai, I’d say.”

Noticing the pale white patch of skin where the dress had torn for the first time Val blushed, but quickly took his Asha’man coat and draped it about Zeran Sedai’s shoulder so that it at least partially covered the exposed flesh; a deserved kindness…given her discretion.

[Bella]

It was just one hit after another, Nykkolaia thought as she looked at him. If she had been shocked by the sheer ridiculousness of the evening, then she was more startled by what he had just said. The words that echoed in her mind, ricocheting against the inside of her skull, were, You're like me. No one had ever said that to her. No one. Ever. She had been witness to people saying it to other people, but no one had ever said it to her.

She had been told she was different many times. Or that no one had met someone like her...but it usually felt like a thinly veiled insult rather than a compliment; if not an insult, then an obscure way of saying 'I don't know what to do with you.' She'd heard that she wasn't like other Aes Sedai, from her own mouth as often as others, although she was usually the only one who purposely said it within her own hearing.

But that anyone should say that she was like them, it nearly made her brain stop working all together. The idea of someone empathizing with her was almost too much to bear. It was almost painful. Although his gesture of kindness almost improved it. Kindness might have made it worse, but she was used to people trying to cover her up. That was more familiar. She knew it wasn't his intent, but still...

"Thank you," she said softly, although precisely what she was thanking him for was vague, even to herself. "I don't believe you ever told me your name."

[Sean]

Her appreciation brought a delighted glow to his face. The feeling felt foreign after months spent in somber apathy. To finally have the drought broken in wake of a Sister’s gratitude was nothing short of the Creator’s doing; everyone knew Aes Sedai didn’t apologize even after being pulled from death’s door.

“I’m Valadin Manelle, Soldier of the Grey Tower, Aes Sedai,” he provided formally, his introduction accompanied by an ill-performed salute and bow which nearly sent him tumbling back to the ground. Decorum hadn’t been his strong point despite many lessons on the proper manners when addressing those above his rank.

Even in the Four Kings, whose Queen had traditionally been Tower-trained, it had often been said that “An Aes Sedai never lies, but the truth she speaks may not be the truth you think you hear.”

As he watched the Sister the motif came to mind like a darkening cloud heralding a storm. For a moment he considered that the vulnerability that the woman displayed was part of ruse to manipulate him to some end. Stories built up over the ages had recounted many unfortunate folk whom had fallen prey to the machinations of an Aes Sedai. A single look at the twin pair of ice-water lakes staring at him was enough to dispel any distrust that existed between himself and her. Their bond, however tenuous seemed to be beyond labels such as Aes Sedai or Soldier; at its heart they were two reflections of the same person.

An unexplainable warmth crept through Val as his eyes traced the curves of her cheek and wondered what she might have looked like before scars. Light, I wouldn’t mind seeing her without all the darkness… The dull drumbeat of his heart pounding against his ribcage made him break his gaze from hers as the coloring of his cheeks threatened to give away thoughts best left unshared. Coughing to temper the mood, Valadin tore a strip from the hem of his tunic and began dabbing at the mess on the floor.

“It seems the thanks should be mine though, Sister…after all even if other Aes Sedai don’t hear of this night—the chef will likely have me spitted if he ever finds out what happened to his precious meal.”

Though the jest was intended to be lighthearted it was an unpleasant realization that Val stumbled upon. If he brought the platter back to the chef emptied of food questions would undoubtedly be asked and even if he covered up his clumsiness, his newfound friend might not be so ready to cover for him on numerous fronts. In the midst of struggling to soak up the spilled gruel Val noted he’d decided this Sister was now a…friend. Since Cyn’s death he hadn’t shared anything with anyone else for fear of losing another precious connection; he’d had so few in his life and he’d do anything to preserve those that he did make. As he looked to the woman, hands resting upon his knees he realized he’d forgotten something.

“While I do already know your name, we’ve not been introduced proper-like, Sister. Care to make nice with me?”

[Bella]

Her eyes followed his movements intently, the intensity of her gaze like an animal uncertain if something would attack it or not, but it wasn't fear in the gaze...just that she focused with unblinking intentness.

She didn't like looking down at people. Not being a woman of exceptional height, she wasn't used to it. And she hadn't been an Aes Sedai in the Tower setting or the public eye enough to develop a taste for it. The truth was, that she wasn't sure she ever would. Why should she? Did the color fringe on the shawl truly mean a change to one's intrinsic nature?

Nykk knelt down before him, coming close to eye to eye now. Perhaps closer than they had been before. She even smiled. It was a tiny fragment of an expression, a small turning up of the corners of her mouth and the light of it reaching her eyes. "My name is Nykkolaia Zeran," she said, choosing not to add her title. He well knew it, after all.

Pulling the napkin off the table, she started cleaning too. Flame it all. If she was by herself, she wouldn't call a servant but do it herself, so she might as well now. "Just tell the chef that his meal was good enough to wear," she said, her expression its perfect blankness of before except for the light of humor flashing through her eyes as she looked up at him.

[Sean]

Again the infectious happiness that polluted the air drew a boyish grin from depths that Val hadn’t explored since days spent quietly studying flowers off the Caemlyn Road. They were days marked by freedom, adventure, and peace—all those feelings returned to him now as he worked diligently alongside…Nykkolaia…she didn’t mention Aes Sedai at all. Well burn me for a fool.

“I’ll tell him that and when my hide is stripped clean, it’ll probably be me that’s served on a platter next time,” he shot back, a chuckle shaking his large frame as he tried to maintain a modicum of Soldier discipline. Beaming smirks ruined the effort until finally he relented letting the corners of his lips pull up until he was certain he looked like a fool.

As the last of the ruined meal was gathered up in soiled clothes Val stole furtive glances at Nykkolaia—Light, that was going to take some getting used to! Of course the night had provided ample opportunity to leer, but the fluttering he felt in his stomach was more than base desire of a man for a woman. Lank strands of gold hair fell over face while she worked, her small frame in stark contrast to his own. With their closeness came her scent. At first it struck him as odd that he’d never considered that Aes Sedai had a particular order like any other human being; he’d not been close enough to one to test the theory nor had he any reason to before. Now though he couldn’t help trying to discreetly draw closer to her, the warmth radiating from her skin calling him like a beacon.

What if… The thought made Valadin swallow and gasp. Certain the noise would draw her attention he rose to his feet quickly and turned to place the last of the napkins in a nearby pile. Praying the shadows would hide the red of his cheeks and the longing in his eyes he tried to change the course of the mood; anything from allowing what foolishness had crossed his mind to pass through his lips.

“So now that I’ve ruined your sup, perhaps there’s something else I could drop for ya? Maybe send the bed flying through the window?”

This time the jokes were weak. The humor behind them a motley bulwark against the telltale signs of perspiration beading at his hairline or the increasingly quick rise and fall of his chest. What in the Light am I doing? I…I should go. This ain’t normal. Probably just what happens when an Aes Sedai bewitches ya.

All that was needed was an excuse that he needed to see to some other duties for the night. She certainly wouldn’t have kept him any longer. Looking back towards Nkkolaia, he opened his mouth to feed her the lie—one she would undoubtedly see past with those clear blues of hers. Instead he found himself saying, “D’ya mind if I call Nyyk—at least in private milady. I understand out there, it’s all Soldier and Aes Sedai, but at least in the quiet moments like…”

His words trailed as his gaze fell on her lips, small and pink as they were. The scars of her past were at the edge of the shadows on her face, the poor lighting of the room capturing the rest of beauty with startling clarity. Blood and ashes if she didn’t say something he’d kiss her right then and there. Consequences be burned!

Guess I’ll be joining ya soon enough Cyn…

[Bella]

Someone was making jokes...with her. She still couldn't really believe it. No one treated her like this, like a human being. Not since she was fourteen, of course. For nearly a year, she had been a possession to be experimented on. When she was rescued, she had become blighted; a monster that no one knew how to handle. Scars upon her face marking her as Other; marking her as the source of pain.

She'd come to the Tower and had been a curiosity, then her strange way of things and usually flat affect, her reticence to interact and her desire for solitude, drove her further away. There had been some that had come close, but life always danced them away. Then she'd had to leave the Tower for so many years, and now she was returned and she was again Other. Again, Unknown.

Even those who did not fear her, or were not disturbed in some way by her, were not comfortable with her.

Her pale eyes were slightly wide as they looked over his eyes and face. There couldn't be any...trick here, could there? With the mess he'd made here, he couldn't be so callous as to trick her and pretend interest in her humanity. She could believe playing nice to keep her from eviscerating him, but this was beyond just being nice... The way he looked at her...

Well, she wasn't really familiar with the subtleties of such things, but she thought it looked like his kindness and his joviality was in earnest, so she was going to trust in that. And trust that he wasn't so evil or stupid as to play a trick on an Aes Sedai who could hold his life in her hands, so that meant he...meant it.

"If you like," she said quietly. "My friends call my Nykk." She paused, looking down to collect the pile and put it on the tray to be moved out of the way. "Or I did, when I had friends," she added, almost too quietly to be heard. The sorrow she swallowed broke the moment of humanity suspended in her mind and pushed herself to her feet, pushing strands of hair behind her ear.

[Sean]

Somehow her words were what he had hoped they’d be…and yet the touch of sadness at the end made shame burn through him as now both of them stood in a room that suddenly seemed too small for them.

“Of course,” Valadin replied, his stare falling to the ground. Like her he’d known the pain of having a precious few people to feel normal around; to lose them was the same as losing a piece of oneself each time—and for those like them, the paltry husks that were left behind couldn’t afford the loss.

His ribcage still thundered with the unchecked thump of heart, but his face had become a canvas of neutrality. To confess now would’ve…sullied the bond they’d forged tonight. The woman before him deserved honesty, not masked motives.

Watching her gently press rebellious elements of her hair behind small ears made the desire to draw nearer flare once more. Now with them both standing the light, the shadows couldn’t hide the scars and Val’s eyes settled on the grotesque leftovers of the world’s ugliness. His hand reached up before he understood what it was doing and his fingers were inches from touching the old wounds. Just a graze…so that she’ll know. No, she’s your friend. And Aes Sedai. You…you can’t possibly.

The moment came and passed…his feelings, raging in cadence with the pulsating of Saidin beckoning his awareness to drink in its wild power; to be filled with something—anything larger than himself seemed preferable to the smallness that plagued him now, but he restrained himself.

His hand fell instead on Nykk’s shoulder. Her skin’s as soft as a Blue-eye petal when summer’s bloomed it.

A smile stretched across his features, its warmth never reaching his eyes as the meaning behind it warred with the opposing nature of his urges. More than a head taller than her, Valadin felt that his embrace would fold her into him and they would be united forever; never having to face the madness of Tarmon Gai’don or the cruelness of others who deemed them different alone.

“Well Nykk,” he said after a while, “We’ve found each other today…and…that’s enough, right? Perhaps the Pattern put two broken shells together to make a single good thing. Or something like that. I’m not…much for pretty words or the like. Just sayin’ what I know.”

Dizziness nearly overcame him as he mechanically turned to gather the platter and its contents. Even as he didn’t look at her, the silhouette of her shape against the night-lights smoldering behind her set his heart racing anew. He needed to be away. Somehow the coldness of the serving dish in his hands grounded him and he was able to affect a mild look, a mask of lies that he willed her not to see through.

“I…I…I,” he began clumsily, but his throat tightened at the thought of leaving her. Maybe a few more moments wouldn’t hurt, “Guess it’s time we part ways…Nykk.”

Though it was customary for a Soldier to be dismissed before leaving, Val knew that Nykk wouldn’t have minded; she wasn’t the sort to start trouble of trifling things. Still he waited for her to say…something. Anything would do to see him through the days and nights that she wouldn’t be near.

OCC: I hate that it has to end…just feel like it’s a good point to. If you want to keep going then definitely let’s push ahead. Just figured this would leave a lot of points for them to connect on for future developments.

[Bella]

Nykkolaia felt something. There was a feeling in her that she had trouble identifying, because she wasn't sure she had felt it before. As her eyes followed him and her ears listened, the feeling began and grew. Turning inward, she tried to comprehend what this sensation was...

She didn't want him to leave. That was it. That's what this feeling was: she actually desired the company of another person.

Had she really been that alone for that long? The truth was that she had, and she knew it. She hardly needed to analyze her history and her inner self to know that. It was as plain as the nose, or the scars, on her face. Nykk was not so stupid as to not understand that she had been out in the world, but she had not been a part of the world for a long time.

This evening, the moments that had constructed it no matter how ridiculous or odd, had actually made her feel like a person who was not so apart from things, and she didn't want that to end. Who could blame her? In her position, who would want to see it end?

Reality tried to dance through her mind, however. The dimness of the room, of the night, made it feel like it was outside of existence but she knew it wasn't. He was a Soldier and she was an Aes Sedai. She was sure he had duties to attend to, and rules to abide by. She didn't want him to get in any trouble on her account. And she was Aes Sedai. Was it inappropriate of her to wish his company in this way?

Then again, did she not attain the shawl so that she could do whatever she wished...?

"I would not wish to keep you if you have...other duties to attend to," she said hesitantly, carefully. She glanced at her shoulders and saw the dark jacket that had been around her, which she reached up to pull off. "I...imagine you'll need this back."