A Matter of Urgency [Attn: Valadin & Riahana]

[Bella]

Not having been in their rooms for all that long--rooms that seemed oddly serene without the twins there, who were off about their day's lessons--Gareth looked up and offered a smile for his wife. "Remarkable, I know," he rumbled good-naturedly. "It looks like we have been summoned for an adventure." He paused, his smile almost being a smirk. "Well...I've been summoned and you just have the misfortune of being bonded to me."

[Roan]

Riahana snorted, "I'm not sure I would say misfortune." Her smirk grew as she removed her sword belt and hung it by the door. "Besides, we would not have come back to the Tower if we didn't want a little adventure, no?" It was more of a rhetorical question, though, as she crossed the floor to stand in front of her towering husband. "Two things come to mind, though. First. . . do you know more of what is involved with our adventure, and secondly. . .what to do about the Twins?"

[Bella]

Gareth leaned his somewhat hulking frame back against the sideboard in the room, which was stacked with books that the Browns had been kind enough to let their son borrow, and folded his arm across his chest. "I don't know the availability of your Great Grandmother, but I know that your..." He paused as he tried to think through the familial relationships. "...uncle, I think...Derren? Derren Asha'man is in the Tower, and my friend in the Infirmary--Thea Sedai, she was bonded to your Great Grandmother's first son--has offered to assist.

"Fortunately, the twins are infants any more, but do need something to keep an eye on them. I'm sure between family and friends we can manage," he said with his crooked smile. "As for the other, I just know what was in the note. We are being sent to Cairhein with a Blue, Nykkolaia Sedai, and someone from the Green. Apparently there's some trouble."

[Roan]

Riahana's smirk grew as she rolled her eyes in a I should have thought of that manner, "I suppose it helps to have such a lineage as mine at the Tower. Perhaps splitting the responsibilities between Derren and Thea Sedai would be best. I could ask Memma, but there is a distinct possibility that she might be the Green representative."

The Warder paused as she considered what the note said, "Representatives from the Blue, Green and Yellow halls hints at some kind of trouble, to be sure. Needless to say, we should see about packing, and perhaps checking in with Nykkolaia Sedai to learn more."

[Bella]

Pushing off from the sideboard, he moved nearly and leaned in to steal a kiss from his wife. "Sounds like a plan," he declared before heading into their room to start packing...

OOC: Okay that sucked. >.> TIRED! But I'm gonna do the next post here shortly with Mia to start things rolling.

[Bella]

Miahala Ives It had been two days since the Green Ajah had received word of the necessity of a representative to go to Cairhein. There was trouble brewing, and frankly, Miahala was bored. It was not befitting an Aes Sedai to ever admit such a thing out loud, but it was probably rather obvious by the fact that she volunteered for the mission in the first place. She had learned of it because a Green was sought, but surely no one had expected it to be her...

...and yet, two days later, she and her bay were standing at the Traveling Yards. She already knew who would be in attendance of this trip, and she was looking forward to the time with her Great Granddaughter and her husband and bondmate. The large Yellow rather epitomized the idea of a "gentle giant." She didn't know as much of the Blue and the Dedicated, but she knew enough. "Enough" being the thought of any Green needing to know who she was traveling with.

And so she stood before Seren, stroking the broad white blaze down his nose, whispering in the Old Tongue to him as she waited on the others.

[Roan]

Riahana had said her good-byes to the twins not long after breakfast and left them and Gareth in their quarters as she headed to the stables to get their horses ready. She was thorough but quick in grooming both her mount, Lex, and the grey draft mare known as Lightning. It didn't take long to saddle and bridle both beasts, though it took Ria three times to make sure Lex's girth was tight enough. "You stubborn beast. . .when will you ever learn that I will always win the girth game?" she teased as she scratched at her withers.

Once both horses were ready, with gear and supplies attached to saddles, Riahana lead them both to the Traveling Yards, where she saw her Great Grandmother waiting. They were not, however, in their family quarters, and Ria stuck to formalities, "Good morning, Miahala Sedai, and beast Seren. Looking forward to our. . .adventure?"

[Bella]

Miahala Ives Perhaps they were not in private quarters, but Mia chose to not be quite so formal. She had lived long enough to do whatever she blood well pleased, hadn't she? She gave her great-granddaughter a warm smile. "As I am pleased to see you again, Riahana Gaidar," she said with an almost teasing air to her voice and a blatant tease to the glittering of her blue-green eyes as she looked on the girl. She does so favor her grandmother, Mia thought, her memory trailing to her youngest daughter Tianna for but a moment.

Seeing the two horses being led by the younger woman, a slight brow arched on the Aes Sedai's face. "Are you planning to do some trick riding on this trip, or shall your bondmate-husband will be joining us?" The prospect of a trip out of the Tower and perhaps feeling...a bit more useful again had her in a mood that was a bit less stoic than usual.

OOC: Feel free to interrupt, Valadin, lol.

[Roan]

The teasing tone was not lost on Ria, as she looked to her Memma with a smirk and raised brows. There was even a hint of a blush to the woman's cheeks, and feeling the warmth, she couldn't help but chuckle. Few could have such affect on the Warder, and the majority of those that could would be in her company for the foreseeable future.

The Gaidar wore her fancloak, of course, along with a pair of black, form-fitting breeches, well kept, but well worn riding boots, and a set of blue-black leather armor over the rest of her outfit. She was unsure what they would face, and the armor was easier to wear than to pack. Riahana, the Warder. . .ever prepared.

Letting the smirk grow as she gave Lightning a side-long glance before looking back to Mia, Ria replied, "Gareth will be joining us. . .as a matter of fact, it was his presence that was requested, so you get two for one, I suppose."

[Bella]

Nykkolaia Zeran Sedai The Blue Aes Sedai walked through the corridors of the Tower. She felt...nervous, although she wasn't entirely sure of the source of her nerves. It was not the first mission that she had ever been on for her Ajah, of course, and it was hardly her first time out in the world. Although this will be quite different than...before. Although it was her first task out of the Tower walls since she had returned. The nightmares had begun to dull, but would abandoning the safety of the walls make them return again?

Of course, there was also the fact that she would be traveling with others. That alone would be enough to discomfit her, but there was also Valadin... Oh. Valadin. If anything had caused a tangle of emotional threads in her head, that certainly did. Naturally unlike the other knots, very unlike any other knot, but a tangle nonetheless... She had no idea what to do with him, yet she knew she wanted something. Maybe many things.

What a mess her head was, but then, it had been some form of disaster or another for a long time.

Reaching the door that would lead to the outer spaces and then the traveling yard, a very large man appeared beside her with shocking silence for someone his size. He wasn't all that much taller than Valadin, she realized, but he was broader. Thicker. The shoulders and arms on him reminded her of the blacksmiths she had met, like a man who spent most of his time hefting hammer. Maybe even hefting the anvil, with arms like that.

"Nykkolaia Sedai," he greeted, his voice was a deep rumble from the bottom of his chest, like mountains moving against each other.

She blinked at him, but then put the pieces together. "Gareth Asha'man," she returned the greeting, her expression blank as usual. "You are the Yellow that will be traveling to Cairhein with our group." Not that she understood why she felt the need to express the obvious, but apparently she did.

A faint smile perked up the corners of his mouth. "I am indeed," he said simply. "My warder is waiting for us at the traveling yard already."

Even though it was the addition of another person she didn't know, having a warder among the group would be an extra level of protection that gave her some comfort. "We shall also have a Green, although so far as I am aware, she will not be bringing a warder."

That made his smile grow a little. "Miahala Sedai," he said. "I know her, and no, she presently has no warder. She doesn't really need one, though. She can take care of herself."

Not being as up on Tower gossip as some, she wasn't aware of the family tree that grew in those particular stones, and thus she didn't understand his knowledge but she didn't question it either. Instead, she simply nodded and tried not to think about what it would be like to travel with that woman, and instead focus on...everything else.

They split off when she had to go to the stables to fetch her horse and he went straight to the yards. She didn't mind a few more moments of being alone to help gather her thoughts before getting her grey mare, small but docile and quick, and led her out to the traveling yards to meet the others.