Katrie
Katrie couldn't say what insanity had taken hold of her thoughts, seizing her mind in a vice-like grip that would not relent. She cast a furtive glance around her near empty bedroom, dark brown eyes narrowed. Even though the door was shut and she was the only one within, part of her half expected Liza Sedai to materialize out of thin air, gold and yellow jewelry winking. Her suspicious gaze swept over the sparse interior: a bed, a single chair, a small table, and long minutes passed before she took a deep breath, satisfied that no one was watching. She could almost hear the Yellow's lecture again with perfect shuddering clarity – she would be given more furniture when she'd earned the right to it.
The Cairhienin Accepted couldn't have cared less whether or not she had a closet or a dresser again. But she wisely kept that tidbit of information to herself.
Sighing quietly, Katrie permitted the madness that so utterly consumed her to surge to the fore, a furrow appearing between her brows. This... wasn't a good idea. Any Aes Sedai – or even Asha'man – could walk in at any time... but she couldn't stop thinking about... him. She let out a shaky breath, barely able to stop herself from reaching out for... Stop.
She had thought that once Dax was freed... so too would she be. Only... she hadn't expected the emptiness, the loneliness, of being the only one inside of her head. It... hurt. And that hurt confused her. Light, he confused her. Slender fingers pressed against her temple for a moment, piercing pain flaring up behind her eyes.
Time passed, seconds, minutes, hours... she couldn't tell. But eventually the pain receded enough so she could think again... and immediately, her thoughts chased after him. This had to stop. Katrie sighed, shaking her head. But she couldn't stop... Light, what was the matter with her? Dax... She wanted to see him again. Abruptly her memory fixated on the last time she had encountered him. Had it been less than a week ago? More than? Almond shaped brown eyes glanced up at the ceiling as she tried to remember. It had been here in her room and she froze as she could feel his skin slipping beneath her fingertips again as the perfect mesmerizing blue of his eyes burned through her soul.
She shuddered, and shuddered again, wrapping her arms around herself in hollow comfort. The pretty Cairhienin embraced saidar, feeling the sweetness pulse through her. The warmth had soothed her once, long ago, suffusing her with joy. But compared to the inferno of crimson fire and golden light, even just the memory of it... the warmth of the Power did not quite bring the world to life as it once had. But it could help... She swallowed. It could help.
Katrie let that need fill her, trusting it to guide her this time in much the same way it had before. She spun out flows of Air into the area in front of her. A roughly rectangular shape, taller than she was, lacking in details and familiarity. She frowned at the featureless form wrought from the Power, taking a moment to decide how she wanted to proceed. She just had to... shape it... give it form... She could do that, couldn't she?
She held out her hands, and soon she was mimicking the motions she was making with saidar, the physical gestures helping her focus and better visualize what she was doing. She tugged and tightened the top of the block, smoothing and rounding the threads, rolling the weave around until it could pass for a human sized head. A narrow cylinder that would be a neck... to flare out into a rough square... shoulders. She made a little noise in the back of her throat. Dax had broad shoulders. The figure needed arms, and a torso... waist, hips, legs, feet... The Accepted felt her nose wrinkle as she attempted to create fingers and ended up with crooked stick-like failures instead.
The weave... shuddered and wobbled, and rather than fight to hang on to it, the Accepted simply let it collapse in on itself before she released it. A clap of startling noise sounded, followed by a gust of wind sent the banded hem of her skirts billowing out around her. Katrie sighed sharply, staring at the floor. Unbidden, the image of crystal clear blue orbs floated through her mind's eye and she couldn't help but smile a little, even as her stomach flopped slowly over itself. She wove together threads of Air, a small sphere floating roughly a handspan in front of her, level with her eyes that she tied off.
My eyes... Dax's eyes... came the disjointed thought and she buried her face into her hands. Light above, what is wrong with me?
The pretty Cairhienin did not remove her hands, though her fingers did shift a little so she could peer up through them. Air spun out again, the flows gossamer thin and delicate as she 'set' the two small weaves in the same approximate position where one would find eyes in a human head. A thread of Spirit to give solid definition, a touch of Fire to imitate the light and reflections, a swirl of Earth for depth, then finally... a fine net of Water, for the perfect crystal blue. Katrie blinked as the flows settled into place, her hands slowly dropping back down to her sides.
It... it was unnerving to see spheres of bright blue looking back at her, without eyelids or lashes... or well... the rest of a face -his- face... but the shape... and the colour... The Accepted shuddered and let go of saidar completely, her breathing suddenly uneven and ragged. Light, but that was creepy. What had she been thinking?! Katrie shook her head angrily at herself, crossing the room in three quick strides. She hadn't been thinking – that was the problem. She opened the door, and escaped out into the hall, afraid to look back at the empty space in the middle of her room that the memory of blue eyes occupied.
The Cairhienin Accepted couldn't have cared less whether or not she had a closet or a dresser again. But she wisely kept that tidbit of information to herself.
Sighing quietly, Katrie permitted the madness that so utterly consumed her to surge to the fore, a furrow appearing between her brows. This... wasn't a good idea. Any Aes Sedai – or even Asha'man – could walk in at any time... but she couldn't stop thinking about... him. She let out a shaky breath, barely able to stop herself from reaching out for... Stop.
She had thought that once Dax was freed... so too would she be. Only... she hadn't expected the emptiness, the loneliness, of being the only one inside of her head. It... hurt. And that hurt confused her. Light, he confused her. Slender fingers pressed against her temple for a moment, piercing pain flaring up behind her eyes.
Time passed, seconds, minutes, hours... she couldn't tell. But eventually the pain receded enough so she could think again... and immediately, her thoughts chased after him. This had to stop. Katrie sighed, shaking her head. But she couldn't stop... Light, what was the matter with her? Dax... She wanted to see him again. Abruptly her memory fixated on the last time she had encountered him. Had it been less than a week ago? More than? Almond shaped brown eyes glanced up at the ceiling as she tried to remember. It had been here in her room and she froze as she could feel his skin slipping beneath her fingertips again as the perfect mesmerizing blue of his eyes burned through her soul.
She shuddered, and shuddered again, wrapping her arms around herself in hollow comfort. The pretty Cairhienin embraced saidar, feeling the sweetness pulse through her. The warmth had soothed her once, long ago, suffusing her with joy. But compared to the inferno of crimson fire and golden light, even just the memory of it... the warmth of the Power did not quite bring the world to life as it once had. But it could help... She swallowed. It could help.
Katrie let that need fill her, trusting it to guide her this time in much the same way it had before. She spun out flows of Air into the area in front of her. A roughly rectangular shape, taller than she was, lacking in details and familiarity. She frowned at the featureless form wrought from the Power, taking a moment to decide how she wanted to proceed. She just had to... shape it... give it form... She could do that, couldn't she?
She held out her hands, and soon she was mimicking the motions she was making with saidar, the physical gestures helping her focus and better visualize what she was doing. She tugged and tightened the top of the block, smoothing and rounding the threads, rolling the weave around until it could pass for a human sized head. A narrow cylinder that would be a neck... to flare out into a rough square... shoulders. She made a little noise in the back of her throat. Dax had broad shoulders. The figure needed arms, and a torso... waist, hips, legs, feet... The Accepted felt her nose wrinkle as she attempted to create fingers and ended up with crooked stick-like failures instead.
The weave... shuddered and wobbled, and rather than fight to hang on to it, the Accepted simply let it collapse in on itself before she released it. A clap of startling noise sounded, followed by a gust of wind sent the banded hem of her skirts billowing out around her. Katrie sighed sharply, staring at the floor. Unbidden, the image of crystal clear blue orbs floated through her mind's eye and she couldn't help but smile a little, even as her stomach flopped slowly over itself. She wove together threads of Air, a small sphere floating roughly a handspan in front of her, level with her eyes that she tied off.
My eyes... Dax's eyes... came the disjointed thought and she buried her face into her hands. Light above, what is wrong with me?
The pretty Cairhienin did not remove her hands, though her fingers did shift a little so she could peer up through them. Air spun out again, the flows gossamer thin and delicate as she 'set' the two small weaves in the same approximate position where one would find eyes in a human head. A thread of Spirit to give solid definition, a touch of Fire to imitate the light and reflections, a swirl of Earth for depth, then finally... a fine net of Water, for the perfect crystal blue. Katrie blinked as the flows settled into place, her hands slowly dropping back down to her sides.
It... it was unnerving to see spheres of bright blue looking back at her, without eyelids or lashes... or well... the rest of a face -his- face... but the shape... and the colour... The Accepted shuddered and let go of saidar completely, her breathing suddenly uneven and ragged. Light, but that was creepy. What had she been thinking?! Katrie shook her head angrily at herself, crossing the room in three quick strides. She hadn't been thinking – that was the problem. She opened the door, and escaped out into the hall, afraid to look back at the empty space in the middle of her room that the memory of blue eyes occupied.
