But standing in the hallway outside Andraste Alhandra’s quarters, he felt like a right idiot. He wasn’t trying to court her, for Light’s sake! Though that was probably what this would look like to an outsider. He wasn’t wearing the uniform — it had felt too formal for the occasion — instead opting for a dark blue coat cut in Andoran style and black trousers. Marle had given him the clothes, and when Mael had asked whose wardrobe he’d raided, as Marle himself was considerably smaller, the Healer had only flashed an enigmatic smile. Evidently, Mael didn’t need to know.
Alright, he could live with that.
He knocked on the door before he could change his mind about this whole thing… And from how quickly the door opened, he had to assume that she’d been expecting him. “Andraste Sedai, I presume?” He’d seen her before in passing, a short woman with dark hair and brown eyes, not one to immediately draw the eye but beautiful in a more subtle way, which her self-assured demeanour only accentuated. He smiled faintly. “I take it Marle spoke to you, too… He seems to think I should get out more, and who am I to argue with a Healer? Mael Akashi,” he added by way of introduction, unnecessary as it was; the Red Ajah was small enough that everybody would know of a new member.
“I was thinking of heading out to the city,” he went on, “for drinks or dinner or… something, doesn’t matter. And I’d be greatly obliged if you would care to join me?” A trip to the city would involve lots of walking — he wondered what the Aes Sedai would think if he suggested they Travel at least out of the Tower to skip most of the stairs — but he preferred to be out in what could be called neutral ground with someone he didn’t know. Not because he didn’t trust her, but because it was less awkward than being invited into her quarters while they were little more than complete strangers.