Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Bella » April 28th, 2018, 12:19 am

When he awoke, Murdock was in for a surprise.

He was no longer alone in the basement. In fact, there was one other person. This person was a woman. Actually, she was an Aes Sedai. A really, really angry Aes Sedai. A channeler who, for some reason, could not channel at that time, even though she knew she was not shielded. She had a few ideas about why, and didn't like any of them.

Miahala ni Sha'hal t'Darrow pounded on the door at the top of the stairs with a strength and ferocity one might have expected more from a man than a woman of Mia's...stature.

"Let me out of here!" she shouted at the door, with no idea if anyone was on the other side or not. She pounded again, but stopped when she realized there was blood on her hand. With a stream of expletives suitable to the seashore, she all but stormed back down the steps and sat on the bottom.

She looked across the basement at the Asha'man she was trapped here with, and wondered...why? How? (Something she had wondered repeatedly already.) She knew he was alive at least, but that was about all she could do for the moment. So she sat and waited for him to wake up, or for someone to show their face from above.

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Matty
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Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Matty » April 30th, 2018, 12:15 pm

Murdock There was a lot of noise going on. When Murdock opened his eyes he tried to work out what it was, but then he realised it wasn't anything in the strange room he found himself in; it was a tinny whine in his ears all of its own. Unpleasant. Was there a way to replicate this? He'd have to think about that, it was surely something to do with prodding the brain in the right place with a hard enough knock.

It was at this point that Murdock realised his leg was broken. It was a sensation he was familiar with, having Healed it and Rended it many a time in the past. It took a while for his brain to register the pain, so for a while he floated in a comfortable bubble of ouch-ness.

Murdock sat up unsteadily, and once upright leaned heavily on his hands to remain in this position. His eyes adjusted to the dark and he balked at the figure sitting there looking at him. "Eugh! Oh, it's you." Miahala, how... erm. Lovely wasn't the right word but hey, at least she wasn't a Darkfriend and she was active enough to know how to get out of this mess. A glance told him that the way out was well and truly sealed still. "Is there any chance you know how to Heal? My arm's broken - no, my... my..." he gestured to his leg, the words escaping him. You've knocked yourself too hard in the head, he knew this was but one of those symptoms. "My bottom-arm," he finished lamely. He had to speak loudly, louder than his normal grumbles, in order to be heard over the tinny white noise in his head.

If Miahala wasn't a Healer (he doubted it, she didn't strike him as the sort) then he was going to have to make do with a splint until he could be seen to. Using his stick as a lever, Murdock tugged at a nearby stool and nodded at the long, slim legs. He began to pull them off. Using this and his coat, he could at least try to line his leg back up and... well walking was going to be interesting considering that his limpy leg was not the broken one. Murdock exhaled slowly, slivers of pain making themselves known now he was moving. When the adrenaline wore off he knew he would feel it all the more keenly.

"What are you doing here? You didn't push me down did you?" Murdock asked, asking for conversation rather than because he believed it. It was too sneaky for her and he didn't think the figure he'd seen was female, but he could have been mistaken there. It was dark, it was late, and he'd taken a tumble; could he really rely on his own mind? In fact, was this even the real Miahala? For all he knew his mind could simply be projecting the image of the woman to his mind as a representation of the strong, powerful female heroine. His antithesis, someone who could blow their way out and to safety. Blinking slightly glassy eyes, Murdock went on, "if you're even real." It really was too much of a coincidence for them both to be there, wasn't it?
Image
------ Murdock -------------- Nathaniel --------------- Maever -------

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Bella
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Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Bella » May 4th, 2018, 12:58 am

He must have gotten quite the hit to the head, Mia thought.

"So far as I am aware, I am real," she assured him. "Try not to move too much if you're injured. No, I did not push you down the stairs. I was lured away from a visit with my family and thrown in here myself." The venom over this fact was clear in her words since she simply did not care enough to hide it.

The bond was loud in her head, and it was distracting. Ravak had sensed her anger, and would now be looking for her. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long to find her...

"I can Heal," she said, "to a degree." She rose from her seat on the step and approached him. "Give me a moment to look over your injury and Delve it, and I'll tell you if I can help." She embraced the One Power, and again railed at the whatever that was preventing her from forming a Gateway. "Alas, something is preventing me from simply making a damned door out of here."

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Matty
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Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Matty » May 14th, 2018, 8:35 pm

Murdock It was rather odd that someone thought to put them together in this basement, wasn't it? Murdock couldn't fathom the "why" of that, and he made a face as he worked on making his splint extra secure. An unnecessary act in the end as it turned out Miahala could do more than set things on fire. She could Heal as well? It was probably blunt and tactless, weaves imitating their owner...

...

But the man was quite grateful when the Healing weaves settled over him, cold and unpleasant to a man who was normally Healed by other men. The leg was fine, but the head not so much. Miahala wasn't sure that she could quite work it out, and matters of the mind were best left to the Yellows at the best of times. "The leg is fine, it means I can walk. But no channelling for me." Murdock wasn't even going to attempt it. "So... no Gateways? That's not good." The Brown prodded at his leg for a while before deciding Miahala could indeed Heal. He nodded a little, making a face at the movement. "Thank you." Then he stood, using his cane to lean on his still limpy arm-foot thing.

"Don't let me fall asleep," Murdock cautioned as he looked around the room, squinting a little. Bookshelves, how novel. Books on them as well. Murdock made a face at the blank spines, and went to take a look at the table where there was a small map of what looked to be Saldaea. There was also a large sheet of paper depicting what looked to be a family tree. "Did you see any of this?" Murdock asked Miahala. Given the average reading ability of a Green was not dissimilar to that of your everyday shrub, the Brown doubted it. He leaned in close, making a face as he struggled initially to form the words. It was a broad tree, and as he looked closer Murdock realised it actually folded out to the sides too. "Huh."

There wasn't much else to do here so Murdock figured he may as well have a look. The whole thing looked quite new, as Murdock trailed his finger down one of the trees. "Hang on a second. This is your family tree." Miahala's name was just above his finger! And it even had her blundering idiot husband and their sprogs on there as well. "Someone's been keeping a track of your family tree." That had to be a full time job, no wonder someone wanted to kill her. Murdock shrugged and looked further along at all the Saldaean names, blinking as they came across.... Murdock Mather. His own family tree, much smaller than Miahala's at the bottom, was much larger outside his immediate family than he first realised. "My father married a Saldaean woman who remained in Far Madding. But I have family in Saldaea and it looks to me as if... ohhh gross," Murdock saw that some of their relatives were very close indeed. Close enough to have children. The Keeper cleared his throat and went to sit down on a chair because he was dizzy enough without thinking about how many times removed he was related to this woman.
Image
------ Murdock -------------- Nathaniel --------------- Maever -------

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Bella » May 16th, 2018, 8:44 pm

As she stood next to the rather unsavory Keeper, looking at the large paper, there were many warring emotions in her head.

"I don't enjoy the thought any more than you do, I assure you," Mia said, her tone low and tight as her mind chose to give voice to her annoyance and borderline disgust first. Anyone who would see a connection, even so distant as this was, and say "oh, gross" was not someone she would be thinking highly of.

But beyond that, there was a great deal else in her reaction... Anger. Fear. Concern and curiousity. Who was tracing her family, and for what purpose? It couldn't be anything good, she was sure. It never was.

He went to sit, and she ignored him from then on. Although she had initially ruled out trying to use fire to burn her way out of their prison, the house was increasingly at risk of burning down. She knew she could make it out alright, although couldn't make any such promises for Murdock...but she'd keep that thought at bay. For now.

She traced her fingers over the paper, following the lines. "Iain," she said, voice dangerous. "Whoever has been tracking this has some connection to the Tower, to know a more recent detail such as my youngest son."

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Matty
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Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Matty » May 19th, 2018, 6:17 pm

Murdock The Keeper sat on his chair and tried to process everything that was going on - a task made much more difficult by the fact that his head was still ringing somewhat. Normally he might not have been quite so vocal with his thoughts on being even distantly related to the inbred brood that was Miahala's Saldaean tribe, but that filter didn't seem to be as effective as it normally was. Still, he'd said his bit, and neither of them were thrilled, so there was nothing else to do but move on. "It's a concern of mine," he said softly, looking into the middle distance. "Someone knows enough about current events that they can accurately document them. They must be someone in the Tower, or at least with reliable informants. Furthermore, they must have quite a head for data gathering and research, to put together this family tree."

Hmmm! A good Brown in the making! A shame that Murdock might have to destroy them utterly.

Miahala seemed intent on ignoring him from then on, perhaps her delicate ego bruised by his not being a fan of her family or some such drivel. Intrigued about the rest of the room and what it could contain (he needed something to do), Murdock stood and hobbled along to the bookshelves, perusing the books. No titles, but he took one out to take a look at its contents. "A log of all the entrants at the three gates into Far Madding," he realised. There were dozens of books. This had to be years worth of entries! "Bloody ashes," he muttered. He could probably find his own name in here from years ago. This couldn't be all of the people ever, surely? A sample of some of the titles next to one another said there were gaps in years, but it was hard to know without checking every single one.

He put it back and was happy to leave it there, but then it occurred to him that somewhere in this, there could be an indication of when the girls left Far Madding! Murdock knew the date that had been reported, so it would surely be in one of these books. Or, if they were hidden in the city then smuggled out at a later date to put people off the trail, one of the books afterwards. Murdock began to look through in earnest, working out which book it could be by checking the dates in the front of the book, and promptly tossing it on the floor when it turned out to be incorrect. Soon he had a veritable pile of books around his feet, but three volumes he would be happy to peruse over in search of his daughter's names. If they left through the gates, they would be in these logs.

Happily holding the books tucked under his arm, Murdock realised something about the bookcase in front of him. "Would you look at that," he said, prodding at the back with his stick. "Hollow behind it." He moved to the side of the bookcase and tried to pull it forwards, but with books in one hand and his cane in the other, it wasn't going to work. Ah well isn't this what Greens were good for, breaking shit down and charging off? He gave Miahala an expectant look.
Image
------ Murdock -------------- Nathaniel --------------- Maever -------

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Location: New England

Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Bella » May 22nd, 2018, 9:21 pm

He looked at her. She looked back. His expression was expectant, but he didn't say anything. Miahala almost just stood there, waiting for him to actually ask her like a person, just as she would have with a child, but she didn't. He certainly wasn't her child, and she didn't even want to imagine that.

Offering a faint, dark smile, she moved towards the bookshelf and looked it over. She examined the shelves, and the books, and everything on the wall to either side.

Once again, she was highly tempted to just light something on fire or make it explode, but she knew that she risked both of their lives in doing so here. She didn't know just how deep underground they were, how it might affect the elements, or just what-all was in here that might be contrary to such a brazen effort. And so, she resisted her natural instincts and thought it through.

The small bundle in the back of her mind was increasingly agitated, and moving toward them...but was still a ways off and Mia wanted out of this basement and out of Murdock's company.

As she was contemplating that, she noticed that one of the lightsconces was different than the one on the other side. Blue-green eyes narrowing slightly, she moved toward it and pulled. Nothing. So she moved to the other, and pulled...

The bookcase swung open, revealing a dark passageway behind it.

Miahala stepped toward it, peering within. It was pitch black, and silent. Her brow knit slightly. Calling upon Saidar, she wove a ball of light to lead the way as she stepped cautiously into the tunnel...not really caring whether Murdock followed her or not.

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Matty
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Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Matty » May 25th, 2018, 11:57 am

Murdock Murdock would have expected the woman to simply barge on through the bookshelf like an angry bull but instead she actually took her time, thought about it, and pulled at one of the lights. The bookcase swung open and revealed an eerie, silent passage beyond. Well, it wasn't his first choice of destinations but it beat waiting in the cellar for whomever had trapped them there. Did they know about this, and if so did they anticipate their attempt to escape?

"Ladies first," Murdock muttered as the woman barged on ahead, lighting the way. The Brown would have been right behind her but it took him a moment to sort his cane out and balance his books under his other arm so he could totter along in her wake. The Asha'man was ready to go but then the bookcase swung itself shut, separating the two channellers. Typical, it was probably on a timer. Murdock went to pull the sconce...

...

The bookcase didn't budge.

Oh dear.

"Miahala?" Murdock called through the bookcase. "The switch isn't working. It won't open!" He clucked his tongue in vexation, prodding at it with his stick. He couldn't seize Saidin, the mere thought of it made his head swim, so he couldn't try setting it on fire like a Green either. The man went to pull on the light again, grunting at the effort when he had his hands full already. Still nothing. "Miahala? Can you hear me? I swear if you've wandered off without me... we're family now so you have to be nice to me right?" The man grinned toothily to himself as he spoke, but then he was back to sounding worried because hey, this was a worrying situation! "Is there any way of breaking this bloody bookcase down?"
Image
------ Murdock -------------- Nathaniel --------------- Maever -------

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Bella » May 26th, 2018, 12:38 am

The temptation to just keep walking was so strong.

'What? You were stuck behind the bookcase? Oh, I'm terribly sorry... I didn't hear you...' She wasn't Oath-bound anymore. She could lie, and do it damn well after spending more than a century figuring out ways to lie without truly lying. It wouldn't be too hard, and who would really blame her, right?

Miahala sighed. She wasn't really that sort of person. She had heard him, and he was a fellow Brother of the Grey Tower. Even if she didn't like him, for reasons she struggled to put her finger on, she wouldn't just abandon him to the whims of someone villainous enough to lock the two of them together down here.

Was she more upset by the being trapped or the company? She wasn't sure.

Turning around, she walked back to where the bookcase was and let her ball of light dance around it. She found a palm-sized panel and pressed it. The door swung open and...

...hit something on the other side. Possibly a person. She peered in to check.

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Matty
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Re: Special Delivery [Attn: Murdock Mather Asha'man]

Post by Matty » May 30th, 2018, 6:18 pm

Murdock Yes, the door swung open. The big, wooden bookcase slash door swung open with speed and as it so happened Murdock was stood right behind it, so when it did open it conked him right in his Saldaean-esque nose.

"Ow!" Seeing stars, Murdock stumbled back, his bad leg making him limp and then totter into the nearby non-moving bookcases. "Blood and bloody ashes! That hurt! Oh for the love of-" Murdock gave up on words and instead opted for inarticulate growls as he took his kerchief from his pocket and held it to his nose, the pale fabric blooming red. He straightened up, his brow furrowed, and gave Miahala as impatient a look as he could manage whilst holding his hand up.

"Cab ee leev now?" he asked, his voice a little nasal. Quickly, before the bloody bookcase closed again and they had a repeat performance. No bookcase had the right to move so quickly, or to be so heavy. Burn it all!
Image
------ Murdock -------------- Nathaniel --------------- Maever -------

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