The Grey Tower

"Let's walk." That didn't answer the Dedicated's question, but Ravak began to march out through the gates towards Hama Valon without another word. The city was the wooden setting that surrounded the shimmering jewel that was the Grey Tower. Elia followed afterwards, keeping apace with her brother, but making sure Felix followed behind. She had always been the diplomatic one, taking after her father.

"Peace favour you, Felix," Elia responded in kind. "Ravak Gaidin and I would like to see what scents you can pick up in the city, away from the Warder Yards. This is going to be a simple case on my part of observing you and taking down what you experience. We don't have written accounts of what a Sniffer senses, so we will learn as we go along." Her attention turned to the fancloak-wearing form of her brother. "Ravak is here if we encounter any actual danger."

They moved along the streets in relative silence for a few minutes, Ravak occasionally commenting to Elia about shops they should visit. Elia was glad that Ravak had relaxed enough to settle into small talk, even if it was sparse and to the point. Eventually they found themselves walking along a long curved road of houses when Rav finally caught something recent. His gaze drew down towards the end of the road where there was a tavern. Intuition suggested that the source of this scent would come from a place like that.

The trio moved down the street, neither of the Darrows acting as if anything had changed. But Rav was onto a trail. He could smell greed, but not as strong as he would have suspected for a robbery. There was also something of mischief in the air, as if the crime was partially down to pushing the odds, as opposed to being an emotional reaction. His brow knitted together in thought. The closer towards the tavern they moved, the more he could smell and the stronger it was.

"Do you sense anything yet, Felix?" Elia asked for the twelfth time. It was only now that Rav expected an answer.

Ravak Gaidin just replied "Let's walk" and marched off into the city, Elia Sedai followed with Felix in suite. He had ignored the question posed by Felix, the slight caused a prickle of irritation. He focused on the void and kept his calm. If he every wanted to become Asha'man he had to learn how to hold his temper.

The group walked as Elia Sedai explained their goal in venturing in the city. The group walked for a time through the streets, Felix kept his senses aware. He watched around himself with what looked like idle ease to the casual observer, in reality he watched the people and places around him. His nose got whiffs of sweets on the wind from passing street vendors. The scent of alcohol wafted on the wind from a tavern that the group passed. Boisterous voices could be heard coming from the building. Elia Sedai asked multiple times if he could sense anything yet. Every time he sensed nothing, they were away from the Tower and its persistent metallic training scent, the only thing he noticed on the air was day old light training scent of passing guards.

The group walked down a street that led to a Tavern at the end, Elia Sedai asked the question again, ""Do you sense anything yet, Felix?"

They walked the near empty street with neither haste nor apprehension. Felix in the calm of Ko'di let the scents of the area assault him. The scent of alcohol, food, and the smell of unwashed bodies floated by along with a scent unknown to him. It was an earthly dirt kind of scent, the first thing that popped into his mind was money. Confusion permeated the void. The thought made no sense, money had nothing to do with violence. He knew the smell was his ability at work but it made no sense.

He would have to rely on the knowledge of the Indigo Aes Sedai Elia. "Elia Sedai, I do sense something. To be honest it makes no sense though. I smell what I can only describe as an earthy dirt smell, almost like a cave or mine. The first thing that pops into my mind is money. Now money has nothing to do with violence except in tandem with robbery. This is not robbery. It just does not make sense!"

Ravak turned to his sister and gave an imperceptible nod. The Dedicated was onto something, although he was only using his senses and not his head. Then again, maybe the Dedicated wasn't one to frequent taverns.

"Let's keep moving. Maybe the scent leads this way." Rav knew that it did, that it led straight to the tavern. He'd puzzled it out, more or less. Some sort of illicit gambling was taking place, or perhaps someone was swindling the odds in their favour. No violence though, at least not yet. A bunch of booze-soaked bar patrons wouldn't be much of a match for him, but he really didn't want the hassle more than anything.

"Earthern... smell..." Elia murmured. She had produced a small notepad from a belt pouch, and then much to Ravak's displeasure, she was also holding onto his quill ter'angreal. You need to learn about boundaries, sister. He turned back to lead the way down the road.

The Three Fishes Inn was a three-storey building, painted blue with various nautical bric-a-brac attached to the outside. A piece of rigging hung from the lintel, to gave the impression of being under the sails of a ship, Ravak assumed. He couldn't sense it with his dulled-to-nothing sense of smell, but the place reeked of smelly fish and questionable ale. The smell of crime unerringly led to the doorway, although Rav made his approach seem natural, not scent-led. The three men loitering outside of the pub gave the Gaidin a long look, but they made extra space around the entrance when they saw him approach.

"Think you can find the source, Felix?" Ravak asked, wary of saying too much in front of the men outside. Trouble could start too quickly in a place like this, and he didn't wish to provoke them.