The Grey Tower

Taesh slowly paced the floor of his quarters within the Hall of the Grey Ajah. Being Head Clerk, the suite of rooms he had been given was just a bit more spacious than some of the other rooms. The Atha'an Miere's room were not lavish at all, though the trappings weren't sparse either. Sculpture made from driftwood, most of them of sea creatures both real and imagined, hung on walls or rested on the floor or table tops. Here and there plants, thriving due to attention and application of the One Power, added color and scent to the room. It was the mirrors however, in various sizes and styles, that brought a sense of mystery, antiquity, and gilded touch to the room. And it was the mirrors that the Asha'man was most frustrated with.

He looked up at one of the mirrors, this one was encased in silver filigree, designed to look like men and women with the long fish-like tails instead of legs. Taesh frowned slightly at his reflection in the mirror, he knew it not to be, but it seemed like his own reflection was mocking him. Ever since he had discovered the client for Scrying, there had been one thing he could not yet figure out. How would one of the Aes Sedai create the weave. Scrying depended on the channeler knowing the place that the wanted to Scry, so the more who knew the ability, the larger the Scryable network. The Atha'an Miere had taken wholly to his Ajah's mission, and he knew that being able to check in on the Grey's eyes-and-ears speedily, would greatly help.

So, upset that he could not come to the solution on his own, Taesh had made inquiries to find an Aes Sedai who might be able to assist. He had no Talent for Illusion, but research had revealed that Illusion and Scrying may be somehow related. That helped narrow the Head Clerk's search, and eventually he was put in contact with a member of the Red, one who show a strong Talent in Illusion. The Atha'an Miere was waiting on her now, and hopeful that soon he would be able to cross this hurdle.

And hopefully she will be willing to teach the Aes Sedai who run my network he thought to himself.

If there was any Ajah that Taesh thought to be the almost complete opposite of his own, it was the Red, though he felt there was no tension between the two grouping of channelers, there was no camaraderie beyond that of the Tower either. Still, this was a ship that he felt he could sail to mutual benefit.

Walking from her bedroom, into her sitting room, Torianin smiled to see Abby sitting on the couch, legs stretched out. It was good to see her claiming the Aes Sedai's quarters as her home. Her daughter had even taken her shoes off as she read. "Would you like me to find a blanket?" she asked, her smile turning into a grin.

Abby's black curls moved as she turned her head to look at her mother. "No, Mother. Thank you, though. The fire is enough." She smiled back, then took a look at Torianin's dress. The Aes Sedai had chosen a more muted red than she normally wore, and it had intricate embroidery on the sleeves and bodice. She was also wearing a cloak. "Are...are you going out?" Abby asked, uncertainty in her voice now.

Shaking her head, Torianin responded, "No, not away from the Tower. I am meeting with an Asha'man of the Grey Ajah. He says he's discovered a new Talent, and it's possible that I may be able to help." She was not used to working with the Grey Ajah. Being an Aes Sedai herself, she was used to politics and diplomats by now, but working with someone whose mission it was to adhere to the law was...cause for a bit of worry, but not much. They were meeting about something entirely different from politics and government, after all. Still, she had chosen a softer shade of red, not knowing how his Ajah may feel about hers.

"Oh," Abby responded, her blue eyes blinking in interest. "That sounds exciting." Her daughter smiled at the thought of learning something new. Most girls Abby's age wouldn't have found a meeting like this exciting, except for the fact that they would be channeling. Torianin's adoptive daughter would have relished the new knowledge, and the puzzle as well.

With one more smile, Torianin said good bye to Abby, and left their rooms, then the Red Ajah's Quarters, then to the Grey Ajah's Quarters. It was not hard to find Asha'man Taesh's quarters. As she walked up to the door, she wondered what this new weave would be. He had mentioned that her Talent in Illusion may help. As she wondered, she smiled as she realized how Abby felt about everything she read about. The prospect of new knowledge was exciting. Knocking on the Asha'man's door, she waited for an answer.

Taesh heard the knock and started towards the door after giving his reflection one last challenging look. A sweeping gaze was given to his quarters, and he found nothing out of place as he opened the door to his guest.

"Hello Torianin Sedai" the Grey intoned with all sincerity. He had never met the Red before, and so decided to err on the side of caution in greeting her. Some of the fully ranked members of the Tower liked to be called by their Titles, others preferred Brother or Sister, and still others, like Taesh, cared very little for titles.

"I would like to thank you for agreeing to meet with me" Taesh began as he showed the Aes Seda to a seat. The chairs had been moved from where the normal sat, in front of the window in the bedroom, to out near the sitting area of Taesh's quarters, facing a large mirror that hung on the wall, rimmed in obsidian.

"I need you assistance, or rather the Aes Sedai of the Tower need your assistance" he smiled and then told the woman of the Red Ajah everything. From his discovery of the Talent now called Scrying, to his experiments. How it worked for him and male channelers, and the dilemma he now faced.

"You see, I can not figure out how a woman might create the Weave. The way I do it does not work for any Aes Sedai. I would not hoard this knowledge to myself or to just the men, it does me, my Ajah or the Tower no good. I've made inquiries amongst the Indigo and Browns, and as much as they can figure, it seems Scrying and Illusion may be close cousins, and from there I found that you are an authority on Illusion, and thus the invitation."

Taesh was talking fast, and at times rambling a little, the excitement and hope of finally being able to solve this problem overtaking his Tower training.