This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things [attn: Maureen]

[Silas]

Silas was going to need oosquai after this meeting. LOTS of oosquai. In the corner of his mind, he remembered Illyria telling him that Saffiah liked the strong Aiel drink, but that thought was quickly brushed aside. The alcohol was very much not for her. It was for him.

Saffiah Ella, his wife's once (and possibly current) best friend had returned to the Grey Tower after eight years. And whatever the woman had been anticipating, he was willing to bet that it wasn't him having usurped her position, not only in the hierarchy of superior/subordinate, but as Illyria's confidant. For there was absolutely no reason to believe that, given the circumstances the two would soon be meeting under, that Illyria had not told her of their relationship. And given what he knew about Saffiah, such news was not going to be taken well in her mind at all.

Saffiah had never liked him much. The woman had tended toward a jealous slant when it came to Illyria, taking upon herself to be some kind of protector toward her when they were all still relatively new at the Tower. And when Silas had rather non-subtly began pining over Illyria, the Kandori had taken exception to that. Vocally. It soon became an object lesson in proving one's dedication to the Tower, and later to one's Ajah once Silas had been Raised. To be perfectly honest, he had quite forgotten that Saffiah was a Green when he had joined them. It was an unpleasant surprise, to say the least.

Of course, the tables now being turned toward his favor, he at least had some sort of advantage over the woman. Not that he believed that would help much- Saffiah could be dreadfully pushy when it came to getting her way. And since Silas was dead-set against caving into his erstwhile subordinate's demands, it was going to be a very long meeting indeed. He looked again at the note she had sent him, requesting an audience. Surprisingly short, and lacking in epithets, even. He supposed she was saving that sort of thing for when she actually arrived.

Silas sighed, passing a hand over his face, looking every bit as exhausted as he knew he was going to be, and continued to wait for his unfortunate comrade to arrive.

[Maureen]

When Saffiah had found herself back in the Tower after nearly a decade spent in the Waste, she had expected some changes. A few departures, a few arrivals, raisings, a few more additions to the expansive library, perhaps, but not for her one-time best friend to be pregnant and married. And for the husband and father to be the Asha’man who had assumed her former position of power? Certainly not.

It made Saffiah antsy and she didn’t like it one bit. It wasn’t as if she expected Illyria to remain stagnant, or to ask Saffiah for her permission to be wed, but Light, Silas Malkom? What did he possibly have to offer? Saffiah hadn’t left yet when he began to hover about Illyria like a flea on a dog’s back, and she had very distinct memories of him being an incredible ninny. They had been younger then, and as fixated as she was on disliking him, she knew that he would never have been given a position of power if he didn’t have some sort of qualification.

After several impassioned discussions with Illyria, which Saffiah was sure the Indigo relayed directly to her husband, she had written him and ‘requested’ an audience, though she had made it clear that she would be arriving in his office whether he consented or not. Her interest in meeting Silas was multifaceted, and she felt obligated to pass judgement on him not only as Illyria’s husband, but as the father of the woman’s child, as well as the head of her own Ajah.

Though Saffiah was hardly one to hold her tongue, she recognized that Silas outranked her, and if she said anything too terribly rude, he could make life difficult for her. She didn’t know enough of him to determine whether he was the sort to use his power to his advantage, but was it something she was willing to test?

So she rapped on his door with a firm hand and weighed her options, considering how aggressively it was best to proceed. If she ever came to a conclusion on her strategy, she knew she would simply toss it out the window in the heat of the moment, so she gave up as he answered the door. Planning and politics were not her strong suit and never had been, and that meeting was not the time or place to test her skills. No, it was best to take it step by step.

“Captain-General.” Saffiah acknowledged, her mouth in a firm line across her face, save the twisted left corner.

[Silas]

Silas stood, perhaps slightly too fast, as he heard the firm rapping at his door. He composed himself, sighing deeply at the thought of what was to come. Here we go, I guess, ready or not. He crossed from behind his desk and to the door in a few quick strides, hesitated only slightly, and opened the door, revealing Saffiah Ella.

She hadn't changed much since leaving, aside from her darker skin- eight years under the sun would do that to you, he imagined. But from the scars on her face to the hard look in her eyes, she was every bit the woman he remembered her to be. All he needed now was for her to berate him for something trivial and the image would be complete. Thankfully, such was not to be just yet.

"Captain-General," she said, giving him no further acknowledgement than that. Not unexpected- I'm sure she's here to weigh how "worthy" I am to hold her former title. He nodded in response, perhaps mildly too tersely for what was, ostensibly, a professional meeting.

"Saffiah Sedai," he acknowledged in response. "It's been a long time- glad to see you back at the Tower." He tried to mean that, and in a way he did- they could always use more experienced Greens nowadays, but the fact remained that it was Saffiah. Whatever the case, if his greeting came off as insincere, she didn't show that she recognized it as such. He held the door open wider.

"Please, come in, sit down," he said, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk as she passed by. He closed the door, taking a deep breath, then crossing back to be seated in his own chair, across from his... companion. There was a brief, yet still uncomfortable silence as they sat, facing each other, locked in some kind of impromptu staring contest. Silas broke the silence first, not out of any sense of submission, but because someone needed to take the reins in this conversation, and he certainly wasn't going to let it be her.

"So. I understand you have some questions or concerns to level with me, hence your being here today. So, of course, you won't mind if I level some of my own with you. First and foremost, where have you been these past eight years? What exactly has kept you from the Tower for so long?"

The words weren't harsh or biting, but they were firm, brooking no argument against getting some kind of an answer from her- as her superior, he felt entitled to that, at the very least.

[Maureen]

The person who answered the door was much the same as he was so long ago. The bags that hung under Silas’ eyes had probably never left him, and he was wearing the same rumpled coat that he had worn every time Saffiah had seen him. It was a bit shocking that Illyria hadn’t held the man down and taken to him with a hot iron to smooth out all of his wrinkles and folds, but she supposed that the Indigo was too busy gently scolding Novices to correct her husband’s poor appearance.

He greeted her with a surprising amount of civility for someone who had so often been exposed to Saffiah’s many charms, but then again, he had always treated her, and others, with a degree of affability. Whether it was for Illyria’s sake or he was simply an incredibly patient person was yet to be seen. She seated herself across from his desk- the desk that had once been hers- when he so requested, and she felt at once as if she was about to be scolded by an instructor for fooling about during lessons. It was a strange thing, the realization that Silas Malkom was able to demand punishment of her or had the authority to chastise her. Saffiah didn’t like it one bit; years away from the Tower had freed her from the ridiculous hierarchy and she’d forgotten how stifling it was.

The Captain-General sat down behind his desk and looked over to her in silence, and Saffiah met his gaze firmly. It was juvenile at best, the way they held eye contact like schoolyard rivals, but Saffiah found absolutely no difficulty in being petty and childish. The silence, too, was a sort of test, not for dominance, but for some small gift of pride. And Saffiah was unduly satisfied when her opponent spoke first.

"So. I understand you have some questions or concerns to level with me, hence your being here today. So, of course, you won't mind if I level some of my own with you. First and foremost, where have you been these past eight years? What exactly has kept you from the Tower for so long?" Well, he certainly knew how to go straight to the point. That was something Saffiah appreciated; she was not one for double-meanings and words that sounded one way and meant the opposite.

“The Waste. I couldn’t give my exact location because we moved around a bit, but I was in the Waste. There were signs of darkfriend activity and I thought my abilities could best be used in the field, rather than in an office. So I went to deal with that nasty bit of business and left my chair to be sat in by another arse.” She said, her face falling into a self-assured smile as she leaned on one of the arms of her seat. “Couldn’t write much- couldn’t risk interception. But I’m sure the Greens needed a bit of a break from me anyhow.”

[Silas]

Silas nodded as Saffiah explained her absence, straightforward, as usual. As much as he disliked the woman's myriad other traits, such as the self-satisfied slouch she'd currently sank into, he was glad she hadn't dispensed with her to-the-point attitude. That should make things easier, somewhat. And so, dispensing with criticisms for the time being, Silas decided to mull over the information he'd been given. Hunting Darkfriends in the Waste, hm? At least she was keeping herself busy. He gave a noncommittal shrug at her last statement.

"Perhaps you sell yourself short- as you may have noticed, we are not as numerous as we once were, and it is advantageous to have a skilled Aes Sedai like yourself in our ranks." None of that was strictly a lie- while what she said about the Ajah needing a break from her was true, he couldn't afford to be picky about who wore his colors on their cord or shawl. And Saffiah was capable at what she did, despite her shortcomings in other areas. "But I digress. The Wastes, hunting Darkfriends, you said? A worthy cause, assuming you found anything. Which leads me to my next question.

"Given that you spent eight years at your project, I assume that you at least found something worth pursuing- therefore, what is your report, regarding your doings? Did you find anything worth mentioning?"

[Maureen]

The Aes Sedai had dreaded, above all else, reporting her complete failure to her higher-ups. Her time away from the Tower had been all for naught, and each time one of her fellows inquired about how she had been spending her time, she was forced to admit that the grand Darkfriend conspiracy she had been expecting to foil had been a few disorganized and unconnected happenings. If it had been a few months or a year, Saffiah would have been able to accept that she had overestimated the scope of her investigation. But it had been such a long eight years in the Waste, drawn out by her own pride and stubbornness.

To Silas’ remark that she had sold herself short, Saffiah gave a small sniff of acknowledgement. There was no use commenting any further on that subject and she was eager to have her defeat put out in the open so she’d never again have to speak of it.

“It was a fool’s errand, quite frankly. I left under the impression that there were large clusters of Darkfriends to be found when in actuality there was the odd one here or there, but nothing organized. I was out there much longer than I bloody should have been.” Saffiah said, shifting her weight to the other side of the chair, careful to maintain her guise of nonchalance. She was livid over her own shortcomings, but she refused to show that to the Captain-General.

“And I regret that I abandoned the Tower for a snipe-hunt.” She continued. Did she regret that she had left? Hardly; she found that the regularity of the Tower had made her restless, and she missed the thrill of travel and adventure. There was a freedom of independence that she had lost when she had become Captain-General. But she did wish that she had something to show for herself upon returning, and that her time had been productive. “Though, shockingly, I do think you’re far better suited to the Captain-General title than I was. I’m not fond of being responsible for others, and you’re a bit, er- I’d say the other seats are a bit more receptive to you than they were to I, and you more receptive to them.”

(OOC sorry this took so long!)

[Silas]

Silas' frown deepened slightly as Saffiah explained her progress- or lack thereof. He almost wanted to be frustrated, but firstly, there wasn't much he could do about it now- he hadn't even been close to being her superior when Saffiah had departed on her wild chase, and initially, she would have been well within reason in withholding information for fear of interception. He still simmered slightly about it on principle. When it became clear that the conspiracy that she'd imagined was just that, imagined, she should have made every effort to return. But, of course, this was Saffiah. He was lucky her pride allowed her to return to report to him at all.

He was slightly caught off-guard by Saffiah's only-mildly-backhanded assessment of him as Captain-General. He raised an eyebrow, then gave a nod of acknowledgement for the comment. "Well, that's... kind of you to say. I think. I rather feel like I give everyone ulcers, most days. Many in the Tower find me somewhat... abrasive. I'm sure you can relate." He shrugged. "In any case, I am sorry your endeavor was not more successful. There's not much that can be done about it now, but in the future, if you decide to go off hunting again, I expect you to keep in contact. Don't forget, the Ajah is here to support all of its members, including you, and there are ways to mitigate the risks of interception between us. Also, as strange as it is to say, I am your superior now. And I would prefer to be informed on the condition of my subordinates. These days, we need as many Asha'man and Aes Sedai as we can get, and we can't afford to be as scattered as we once were.

"But enough about that, I suppose. As I said, what's done is done, and we will discuss any further excursions at a later time." He sighed deeply, bracing himself for what he was likely about to unleash. Light give me strength. "I believe now is the time for you to address any questions or concerns you had with me?"

[Maureen]

The relief that Saffiah felt upon airing her failures to Silas was substantial, but not nearly enough to soothe her wounded pride. What she would pay to be able to see inside his head- his reaction was restrained in the usual Asha’man way. The scolding, too, was restrained; while his words were firm but not unfair, Saffiah was sure that he was likely much more annoyed with her failure to contact the Tower even once in the eight years that she was gone.

At his remark that they had common ground in their lack of cohesiveness with the higher-ups of the Tower, Saffiah could only laugh. It was clearly not mocking, but came with a bitter sort of remembrance at the looks she had been shot while meeting with the other officials. Oh, how they’d found her abrasive. If they found Silas abrasive too, well, perhaps being aggressive and unlikeable was just a common trait amongst Greens. She didn’t appreciate the reminder that he was her superior, however, and it was something she doubted would ever sit quite right with her. Saffiah greatly disliked anyone having authority over her, being called a subordinate, as if she were some lowly footsoldier or a chambermaid. While the Captain-General said he’d have preferred to know of her whereabouts, it was clear that it was not a suggestion, but a command.

“Yes, it is strange, isn’t it? I’ll keep that in mind.” The Aes Sedai remarked a bit shortly. I need the support of the Ajah like I need a bloody kick in the ass.

Saffiah took a deep breath and switched her weight on the chair again, trying to calm herself. She was there with a purpose, and her impulse to really dig into her superior would have to be suppressed for anything to be accomplished. Besides, considering he was married to her oldest friend, she supposed that she would be given many opportunities in the future to give him a piece of her mind. And now was the time to bring such things to light.

“Not questions, that is to say, but I do have some concerns. Perhaps not concerns. Comments.” She began, leaning back and clasping her hands together. There was no use in attempting to formulate some plan of attack, she intended to simply do as she did best. “I’m sure you can understand how alarming it must be to return from nearly a decade of hunting down evil in the single most desolate place in the world to find your good friend the approximate size and shape of a winter pumpkin. And how alarming it must be to find that the man responsible for that state is your boss. There was enough decency between the two of you to wed, so I suppose that’s something to be said.”

“But,” She said, leaning forward. “I want to establish that I will continue to be very, very present in Illyria’s life, even if you have other thoughts on the matter. You’ll be seeing me quite frequently, I expect. And regardless of being your ‘subordinate,’ I will continue to make my bleeding opinions well known.”