Naming Day attn: Zarayne

[Alianora]

Accepted Amaranie Tice

Sitting in the library, Amaranie flipped idly through the pages of the book in her lap. Though she'd come here with every intention of reading it, she couldn't seem to focus on the words. It wasn't that the book was boring; in fact, on any other day, the study of the ter'angreal kept in the Stone of Tear would have kept the Accepted happily occupied for many hours. Today, however, would have been Keegan's naming day, a day that was always difficult for Amaranie, and she didn't think she was doing very well with her attempt to distract herself.

She pressed her lips together and lifted the book up, closer to her face as if that would force her to pay more attention to her task. Bending her head, she flipped through the pages until she reached the beginning of the section she had meant to read. Amaranie's grey eyes slid over the words on the page without truly understanding any of them. The Accepted sighed, blinked, and tried to make herself reread the passage from the beginning, again, but it was just no use.

She looked up, frustrated by her own inability to make herself concentrate, staring blankly at the mostly empty chairs surrounding her. Without meaning to, Amaranie's mind drifted back in time to this same day, many years ago now. It should have been a pleasant enough memory, of her younger self being chased playfully by her brother through the small yard of their home, but every thought she had of Keegan still hurt. She didn't think that would ever change, especially not on this day which should have marked another year of his life.

Her eyes stung, and Amaranie squeezed them shut, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall. For a few seconds, it worked, but then one drop slipped past her closed lids to trickle down her cheek, and then there was no more chance of stopping herself. She closed the book on her lap and lowered her head, trying not to be noticed as she allowed herself to cry.

[Craig]

Zarayne

The Tower's Library was not a natural place to find a tall, red-haired daughter of the Aiel. She walked through the shelves of books like one may cautiously step through an unfamiliar canyon, eyes watchful for two-steps and other hidden dangers. After a impassioned disagreement with some of her fellow Yellows on how best to proceed with a patient's care, Zarayne was trying to avoid further confrontation by... well not hiding. Tactically evading. That sounded like a term the Gaidin may use. Yes, she was tactically evading further confrontation.

She paused to consider a shelf picked at random. The first title she read was Ebou Dari Horseracing. She smiled childishly. How impractical and pointless. The next book was Selected Works of Teo Keech. There was no mirth in that. Glancing to yet another spine, she wondered how the Browns organised all of these works. Someday she would add her own title to the Library, on the practical benefits of her methods of care. I wonder where it will go? Maybe these books were all jumbled precisely so no-one could find them. Well, I'll not let my efforts go to waste.

Zarayne stepped along to the end of the aisle, bare feet silent upon the floor. There was a gap in the rows ahead, where a collection of chairs and tables were set up for reading and research. Only one person sat amongst the tables. Not a Yellow, thankfully, but an Accepted. Head down, book in her lap, eyes closed. Even from this distance, Zarayne could see the woman wasn't asleep.

None of my business, the Yellow decided. She wasn't one of those sisters who pulled up the learning ranks; it hadn't been so long ago since she'd worn whites. Just as the Aielwoman started to move into the next row of shelves, she saw something fall from the Accepted's face. Tears? Zarayne pivoted on her heel to walk towards the Accepted. She let her feet scuff across the ground, making sure her presence was known in advance of her arrival.

"Are you... alright?" It was a silly question, but wetlanders liked broaching subjects with silly questions.

[Alianora]

Amaranie

With her eyes closed, Amaranie had shut out the world around her. The book on her lap and the studying she'd meant to do were entirely forgotten as she lost herself in her grief. She cried quietly, her only sound the occasional sniffle, until she was distracted by the sound of footsteps sliding across the floor. She did her best to ignore the noise, not wanting to speak to anyone, and her eyes were still closed when the footsteps stopped and she heard someone speak.

"Are you... alright?"

The voice sounded awfully close to where she sat, and Amaranie reluctantly opened her eyes to see who it was. A novice could be ignored, even another Accepted, but if the speaker were an Aes Sedai, pretending she hadn't heard wasn't a risk Amaranie wanted to take. She looked up with reddened eyes, blinking away the last tears that blurred her vision. Standing over her was a very tall redheaded woman, someone Amaranie didn't know although she seemed vaguely familiar. What was more important, and unfortunate for the Accepted, was that the redhead was clearly not another Accepted or a novice. That meant that Amaranie would have to answer her question whether she wanted to or not.

The Accepted sniffled and wiped at her wet eyes with one of her sleeves, dropping her head and fixing her eyes on the book she'd forgotten she held. She shrugged her shoulders as she mumbled a few quiet words.

"I'll be fine," Amaranie said, hoping that would be enough to get the Aes Sedai to lose interest and let her be alone.

[Craig]

Zarayne

Pausing for the length of two breaths, Zarayne just observed the Accepted. As an Aes Sedai, the Yellow knew how to read people. Unlike many an Aes Sedai, Zarayne didn't do it in order to play Daes Dae'mar; the emotions she sought to deduce wasn't for the furtherment of political agendas.

She considered sitting down, despite her distaste for chairs, but that could be perceived as 'crowding in' on the Accepted. Standing over the Accepted wasn't a great deal better, but at least she was out of eyeshot whilst the Accepted was concentrating on the book.

"I'll be fine." A common enough statement from the learning ranks. It was tough at the Tower regardless of your rank or status. Unfortunately, it didn't reveal much of anything. That something was wrong at the moment, yes. That it would be better later? People lied to themselves all the time. Lies like I am tactically evading my brothers and sisters? She held back a self-pitying sigh.

"I'm trying to hide from some Asha'man and Aes Sedai," Zarayne confided. "May I sit with you for a moment? If they see me talking with an Accepted, they may leave me alone for just now." She placed a hand on the back of one of the chairs and added a wan smile to her face. "I am Zarayne in case you don't know, although I don't see why you should."

[Alianora]

Accepted Amaranie

While Amaranie did listen to the Aes Sedai's words, they hardly made any sense to her. Hiding? From Asha'men and Aes Sedai? She had to bend her neck to silently watch the woman from the chair where she sat, grey eyes wide in a pale face still blotched with red from her earlier tears. She blinked at the woman as she thought, not that there was much to think about. The Aes Sedai needed no permission to sit where she pleased, regardless of what Amaranie might have preferred.

"Of course you can sit," Amaranie said, though the uncertainty in her voice made the response sound more like a question. For a moment, she continued to study the redhead, and she quietly offered her own name after the Aes Sedai had introduced herself. "I'm Amaranie Tice," she said, knowing her rank would be clear enough from the colored bands on her sleeves and hem. She worried that Zarayne Sedai would want to keep talking, but when she said nothing else, Amaranie ducked her head and opened her book, trying to forget the other woman was there.

She had no more success in getting back to her studying than she'd had earlier, and read the same two pages three times without absorbing a single word on them. The book stayed open as Amaranie tried to at least pretend to be occupied so that she could avoid any further notice from the nearby Aes Sedai. Unable to focus, Amaranie's mind was still far too quick to provide her with memories of this day many years in the past, the last naming day Keegan had had before the One Power had torn their world apart. She turned the page, swallowing down the lump that threatened to grow in her throat as she struggled with her own thoughts.

She had never been able to do that very well, and it wasn't long before Amaranie was crying again, giving no thought to how her tears were falling on the open book in her lap. Her left arm lay across its pages, and Amaranie pushed the sleeve up to trace the faint scar there, carefully not thinking about how she'd gotten it. The Accepted hung her head and closed her eyes, hoping that Zarayne Sedai had left and wasn't still sitting there watching her.

[Craig]

Zarayne

She was there, and she was still watching.

It was conceited to think a few words would be enough. Zarayne had hoped Amaranie would have engaged in some conversation, but whatever emotions controlled the Accepted's actions clearly overwhelmed any care for engaging in wetlander civilities. 'Small talk'. It was a curious concept, yet one that her mother had mastered. The apple had fallen far from the tree on that point.

A Brown sister may have pitched a fit about the book in Amaranie's hands, but if tears were necessary then they had to come. Less delicate souls would have ordered the Accepted to stop crying. Less sensitive souls would see crying as a weakness. It took some strength to cry when you knew you could be observed. Showing vulnerability in a place such as this where it could be exploited was evidently dangerous, yet also clearly brave.

All of this awareness and comprehension was for nought. It didn't bring the Yellow any closer to helping Amaranie.

Time to be a heavy-footed Aes Sedai.

"I suspect you may not be fine. Would you like to go somewhere more private?" Zarayne suggested. Her own rooms weren't far.

[Alianora]

Accepted Amaranie

Amaranie jumped when she heard the Aes Sedai speak to her, embarrassed to have been caught crying here where just anyone might see her. It was hardly appropriate behavior for an Accepted, but she'd never been able to make herself stop once the tears began to fall. While they had stopped now, it was only because they'd been replaced by the shame she felt for having been noticed. Her cheeks had began to heat as soon as she'd realized that Zarayne Sedai was talking to her, and she knew by now that they were flushing pink with her humiliation.

The Accepted opened her wet eyes, but she kept her head down. She fumbled with her belt pouch for a moment before pulling out a handkerchief, which she used to wipe her eyes and runny nose. Shoving it back into the pouch, Amaranie wondered what the Aes Sedai wanted with her. She would have had every right to scold or punish her for her less than exemplary conduct, but she hadn't. She supposed she should have felt more grateful for that, but instead, Amaranie felt trapped, forced into doing what the Aes Sedai had asked.

She sniffled, and was still looking at the floor as she managed a quiet, "All right." She closed the book and stood, but she didn't move any closer to Zarayne Sedai, still feeling more then a little wary of the woman and whatever it was that she wanted.

[Craig]

Zarayne

Zarayne let her rank take over for now. With a quiet "If you'll follow me", Zarayne led the way out of the Tower's Library through the eastern entrance. It took another five minutes to walk the corridors and descend the flight of stairs to Zarayne's quarters. The yellow tiles on the floor and walls denoted a feeling of danger for Zarayne, mindful that she was not held in high regard with her peers. Fortunately, neither of the Asha'man they passed paused to lecture her. She soon reached her door, differing from the others in the corridor only by the name on the plaque beside her doorway.

Her quarters were modest. Two rooms, a living area and a bedroom, layered throughout with numerous carpets and rugs. Opposite the doorway was a large fireplace with a fireguard in front of it. Although the hearth was dead, residual heat still warmed the room. In front of the fireplace were two large chairs. They were exorbitant pieces that would have been suitable for a monarch. Even Zarayne couldn't deny the comfort they brought just from sitting in them. It was even possible to fall asleep within their arms. The other furnishings in the room included a writing desk and a tea stand, with a closed doorway that led into the bedroom.

Zarayne held the outer door so that Amaranie could enter, then the Yellow gestured to the two chairs. "Please sit in whichever seat you prefer." After a pause, Zarayne closed the door and took the other chair. They weren't quite facing one another, with each slightly angled towards the fireplace.

"Let's start again," Zarayne suggested with a soft smile. "My name's Zarayne. I'm a Yellow, clearly, but I focus on helping people with their problems instead of Healing their physical injuries. I..." She wavered, considering the paths between bluntness and meekness. "I can see you're upset. Are you able to tell me why?"

[Alianora]

Accepted Amaranie

She sat where she was told to sit, but Amaranie felt out of place in a room so different from the small, white one that she occupied. While the Aes Sedai sat, the Accepted opened her belt pouch, pulling out the handkerchief she'd used earlier. It was still damp, but Amaranie had a bad feeling she'd be needing it anyways. She held it in one hand while she watched Zarayne Sedai nervously, not at all comforted by the Yellow's assertion that she enjoyed helping others with their problems. Her discomfort only grew worse with the woman's seemingly simple question. Amaranie looked away from the Aes Sedai and down at her own white skirt, not sure she could bring herself to answer.

Amaranie had never spoken of Keegan to anyone, not since she'd come here all those years ago. It simply hurt too much. Even memories that should have been pleasant were overshadowed by those that were most recent, and still painful, those she did her best not to remember at all. The Accepted sniffled, then took a deep breath to attempt to answer the question, but the only sound she produced was a squeak. Still looking down, Amaranie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force back the tears that were already threatening. When she opened them just moments later, she blinked, then did her best to speak of the unspeakable.

"It's just...I miss my brother," she managed to get out, and with those words, began to cry again. Giving up on her futile attempts to stop them, Amaranie wiped at her wet face and tried to continue. "It would have been his naming day today.....and I keep thinking of him....and how I wish he hadn't died." Her voice had grown quieter as she spoke, her tears falling faster, and by the time she stopped talking, Amaranie was crying so hard that she shook. She was distantly aware that Zarayne Sedai was likely watching her, but in her grief, Amaranie couldn't bring herself to care.