It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Hama Valon, the city around the Grey Tower.
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Welcome to Hama Valon! The aptly named 'mountain guard' is the city that has grown up at the gates of the Grey Tower at the western edge of the Two Rivers. Like all cities, there are quiet quarters with pleasant inns, such as Elman's Creek, which used to be the nearest village when the Tower was young, but was absorbed as the new city grew; its Band of Brothers Inn is still a favorite relaxation spot for many of the Tower's denizens. And again, like all cities the world over, there are less pleasant places--narrow, nameless streets that house hells and other houses of ill repute. Most of the city falls somewhere in between, with hawkers crying their wares in the streets, respectable shopkeepers ready to serve you, and petty cutpurses happy to follow you.

Novices, Soldiers, and drin'far'ji must be accompanied by a chaperon when outside Tower walls or they risk being picked up as runaways and duly punished.
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Bella
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PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
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Location: New England

Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Bella » October 15th, 2017, 7:28 pm

Without meeting Ravak's gaze, Haeden wrapped his fingers around the empty mug and felt the condensation on the outside under his fingertips as he idly twisted it around. There was a part of him that was still formed of logic and rationality, but that part was very small compared to other parts of him right them.

Liquor was making those parts louder, because it was good at doing things like that.

From Liaran being grabbed from the room and him blockaded, then her being gone when he made it to the alley, all the riding, and then spotting her... Everything overlaid with other images, and other thoughts, and it turned into a shadow that slowly ate its way through his mind and called for more ale.

"Yes, we both returned home," he said quietly, "but this person will never be the same again." He picked up the mug and looked inside, checking that he had drank it all. Sighing, he put it down and pushed it away. "However, I am still Gaidin. I simply must work harder."

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Craig
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Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Craig » October 17th, 2017, 9:56 am

Ravak
Whatever Haeden was dealing with - whatever had happened to this person he was with - wasn't going to be something Rav could get out of the other man just now. Whatever had happened had happened, but that was now the past. A man lost in the past cannot live in the present. And Haeden had to live in the present if he was going to be any use to another channeller. At least he's admitted he is Gaidin. Rav placed his mug aside. He didn't want Haeden using the half-full vessel as an excuse to order another drink.

"The world doesn't always go where we wish it to. We've all made mistakes; Light knows I have. But you can't dwell on the past. It's easy to get lost in what-might-have-beens. Would Kaia Sedai still be alive had I never gone into the Waste? If I had been more observant, could I have stopped Mirin before she killed all those children? If I listened more to... to your mother, would my mockery of a witch hunt have been halted before it begun?"

Ravak sighed quietly, dipped his head to stare at the pools of spilt ale on the bar. "Easy to lose yourself in all that. Easy to lose yourself in something as simple as asking for a pretty girl's name at a festival. 'What if I asked her to dance? Could she have been my wife? What other life could I have lived?'" He shook his head. "If you can get lost in that..."

Digging into one pocket, Ravak pulled out a few silver and copper pieces. Gold flashed from the dragon's head along the back of his wrist. Another what-if. He placed the coins on the bar, making sure the sound of metal was audible. "C'mon, let's go shall we? The answers to our future problems ain't going to be found here."
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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Bella
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PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
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QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Bella » October 18th, 2017, 7:36 pm

This man married my mother. That thought still bounced around strangely in Haeden's head every now and then. Most of the time, it was easily to just...accept it and live life. Every now and then, however, he was reminded of what the years of his life had done to him...

When he was just eleven, his mother had died and his father had killed himself along with her. He had lived over twenty years with that knowledge upon his shoulders. Then, suddenly, his mother was alive. His mother was home. His mother was his mother. (Where is my father?) Then his mother was pregnant...then married and bonded and out slaying hordes of Trollocs again!

Meanwhile, Haeden, still had no bond, no lover, few friends, and had failed the channeler who counted on his most.

For several long moments, Haeden looked longingly at his empty ale mug. Then he considered the man standing beside him, who wasn't any older than himself and yet...so much better off...and he considered ignoring the question and just drinking some more. Somehow, for some reason, he didn't. He got to his feet and sighed.

"If not here, then where, Ravak?" he asked quietly.

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Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Craig » October 24th, 2017, 9:29 am

Ravak
"C'mon," Ravak repeated. Once he got Haeden walking, directing him homewards would be easier. It was the whole 'getting Haeden moving' he had to accomplish. "Better places to be."

The Master of Arms put his back to the bar, giving the room a visual scan. A tavern could turn dangerous for any man, but Ravak had found his unfair share of trouble within them before. He made a mental note of the faces, both for his own piece of mind, but also to see who had witnessed Haeden in this state. Always protecting the Tower.
OOC: Sorry it's short.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Bella » October 26th, 2017, 9:52 pm

Haeden still didn't respond right away. He naturally did not miss that Ravak had not really answered his question, but even in his inebriated state, he knew that it wasn't likely the other man even could answer it. His broad shoulders rose, held for a moment, and then slumped with his long exhale of defeat.

"As you say," he agreed resignedly. He pushed his stool back and stood, balancing himself against the edge of the bar until he was sure that he could walk without falling over. He still had some shred of dignity left. Maybe it was a small one, in his condition, but it remained.

Finally turning, he left that inn with Ravak. There were some looks, there always would be, but he didn't really care. Once they were outside, he stopped and looked up at the sky with another long sigh. "I don't care if you tell my mother," he said. "I wouldn't ask you to keep secrets from her. She...is your wife."

Haeden snorted derisively and started walking again. "Besides, I'm sure she'll hear about it on her own. If not her then my sister, and she will react much as if she was my mother."

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Craig
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Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Craig » November 3rd, 2017, 12:10 am

Ravak
It was still an unanswered question whether Ravak was going to tell his wife about her son. Nothing had happened – yet – that merited a mandatory mention to Mia. Haeden had been drinking, and so what? So long as Haeden rolled into the Warder Yards tomorrow, no-one would need to know anything had happened.

The Master of Arms scratched at the bottom of his chin with his thumbnail. "I have no inclination mentioning this evening to anyone," Ravak replied. "I'm not a spy for your mother. And besides, women don't need any assistance when it comes to finding something to shout at us about. I find myself in much the same position when it comes to my sister."

Sadira was not someone Rav knew well. The Blue didn't remind Rav of his wife, beyond the eyes, and Sadira had to be decades older than Haeden. Living with channellers made family life a mite complex.

"I'll keep your mother in check," Ravak said with a confidence that wasn't entirely deserving. "So long as you keep yourself in check. Please don't try and outdo Dax on the over-drinking front."
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

User avatar
Bella
Female Channeller Representative
Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Bella » November 6th, 2017, 8:57 pm

Haeden laughed.

It started as a short bark of a sound, but then it was hard to stop. He even had to pause in his walking and leaned forward slightly, feeling all the liquor in his stomach roiling about with the shaking and amusement. Finally, he coughed a little as he brought himself around and held up his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said, half-laugh sounds escaping here and there. "I thought I just heard you say that you would keep my mother in check."

That started another round of laughter, but it was shorter-lived. "Death couldn't even do that, so what makes you think you stand a chance?" He actually grinned now, looking across at the other man. "I think you're good for my mother, Ravak. And I imagine she is good for you, why else marry? But I don't believe anyone keeps her in check when she doesn't want to be kept."

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Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Craig » November 11th, 2017, 1:03 am

Ravak
Ravak could feel the heat rising in his cheeks once the source of Haeden's amusement was made clear. Sometimes bravado could cloak a deception, but Haeden was one of the people who knew Miahala better than he did. Rav wasn't sure if the Hama Valoner's grin was kept to be conciliatory or triumphant. "I do what I can," Ravak said with a touch of resentment. Being caught out smarted the Shienaran's pride.

Rav attempted to smooth out his discomfort with Haeden's other words. They sounded like the first genuine words of acceptance that had come out from his stepson about the marriage, Haeden being goaded by his mother at the reception notwithstanding. He loved Mia because she made him feel like no-one else did. His pride had endured a number of assaults throughout the years, but Miahala had restored that. The faults in his past couldn't be forgotten, but someone had opened their heart up to a man who really didn't deserve it. A history with runaway Accepted and murderous Darkfriends wasn't one that anybody could overlook or see beyond.

He pulled a glove out from behind his sword belt and tugged it on, one finger made shorter than the others. The thick gold ring around his shorn finger made for a tight fit. His other glove fit better; his wedding band was not quite as large as his uncle's old ring.

"She is my heart," Rav said quietly. He looked towards the Grey Tower standing tall in the distance. The walls around the Tower's grounds blocked the view of the Ajah Halls, but Ravak could pinpoint precisely where Mia was. He looked longingly through stonework, imagining what his wife was doing at this hour.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

User avatar
Bella
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Posts: 5615
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: It's Not Always Sunnier [Attn: Ravak Darrow]

Post by Bella » November 13th, 2017, 9:58 pm

Haeden eyed the other man, already feeling like he was sobering up. It was rather annoying on the one hand, but the laughter--even if it was at Ravak's expense--seemed to have helped him in some way. It felt odd still to speak to this man as his mother's husband, but it was starting to feel...less odd.

"I do not know you very well, as men, but I know my mother. If she married you, then your heart is true. I know even less of marriage, but I recall my parents. Caden Ives was..."

He looked off in the direction of the city and took a long breath, trying to not harden again. "Caden Ives was a hard man. He was little more than a form made of ice and bloody fury. But there was still a man within, and my mother found it. And she gave him me, and for a time...we were enough."

I was not enough on my own...

"She can do much for someone who is good to her. Whether she is to be tempered or kept in check or not, I do not imagine it's a choice you'll ever regret." He put his hand on the other man's shoulders with a faint smile. "I hope we can rectify the fact that we do not know one another well. We have many years ahead of us as family.

"Thanks for the talk tonight. You should get back to my mother." Haeden smiled slightly and bowed his head in respect. "Good not, Master Darrow."

With that, the blond Gaidin walked away. His thoughts were still deep and dark, but there was something a little lighter about it all now.
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OOC: Thank you for the thread, dear. <3

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