The Grey Tower

Brynmor wasn't so sure about that "not being awkward" thing either, but he also kept it to himself.

He swirled the wine in his glass, looking into the dark red liquid for a few moments, before he spoke again. "To be quite honest," he said with some amusement. He looked up at her again and one side of his lips rose with that emotion. "Were you any other Aes Sedai, with any other kin, I would be considered how I might...repay the favor.

"That being said... Your family terrifies me, in thoughts of what might come should I try any such thing." The smirk became a grin as he toasted his glass to her and took a long drink. His blue-eyed gaze danced at her over the rim.

Tia laughed softly, “If I were any other Aes Sedai with any other kin, I am not sure this would have happened. To be fair, I have no proof we’ve been set up, but my intuition is screaming at me and I’ve come to rely on it.” Tilting her head, she gave him a puzzled look, “I am amused that my family terrifies you. They aren’t that bad are they?”

It wasn’t necessarily meant to be a rhetorical question, but as she took a sip of her wine, she thought who her Memma was, who her Aunt was, and who her Mother was. “Ah. You don’t need to answer that,” she replied with a wry smile. “I take for granted who my family are in the Tower, and their reputations. I dare say you would not be the only person to be terrified of them,” she added.

“I’d say so long as you are not a Darkfriend, you have nothing to worry about from my family. Well, most of my family. I can’t promise my parents won’t be somewhat protective,” the Green added, still with a wry smile. She took a final bite of her meal before setting her cutlery down and met his gaze with her own, “If they did set us up, though, it means they think well enough of you to throw us into this together, so I’d say you have nothing to worry about.”

He chuckled, glad that he did not have to explain the reputations that her kin had--particularly the female side of the family--had within the walls of the Grey Tower. The former Mistress of Arms turn Mistress of Training and Blademaster was bad enough, but a woman who was known to burn up armies of Trollocs...after coming back from the dead?

Bryn would have been an idiot to not be at least a little concerned about that, and Bryn was many things, but not an idiot.

"It is high praise, indeed," he agreed, "and does bring a small amount of comfort that all of my body parts and every inch of skin is likely to remain un-sliced and un-burned." Smiling crookedly, he took another sip of wine. "You, however, have nothing to fear from my family, since I have very little of it and they certainly have nothing of the reputation of yours."

Tia laughed softly, “I would make sure my family were all well behaved in any case. She took a sip of her wine and set her glass aside as she gave him another wry grin, “Though I am amused that we are discussing the idea of talking about meeting kin and haven’t really even been on a proper date.” She studied those blue eyes of his, the wry grin turning to more of a smirk, “If you were to ask, I would say yes, in case you were wondering.”

It took quite a bit of will power not to pick up her glass of wine she’d just set down, and picked up her napkin instead. With a soft laugh, she looked down as she felt heat on her cheeks once more, “Though perhaps given where we are and what we’re about to do, I shouldn’t, or we shouldn’t allow ourselves unnecessary distraction.”

One of her inner voices was kicking and screaming that the ‘rational side’ won out. Who needed rational when you only live once, right? (Miahala Sedai notwithstanding.)

Bryn looked into his wine glass, which was nearing its end more rapidly than even he had realized, and mused for a few moments. His thoughts ran around rampantly through his mind, but none of this inward racecourse showed upon his face. He forced himself to be the man of forty-plus winters that he was.

"Logically speaking," he finally said, "I somehow don't believe that we are to be less distracted by not speaking of it." He lifted his icy blue eyes with that same amused, crooked smile. "As we saw from the earlier parts of this very meal, the not speaking of it or considering it led to awkward distraction all its own."

He finished the wine from his glass and then set the empty vessel away on the table. Rising from his seat, he looked down into her eyes as his own glittered. "So, when this trip is over, I will ask, and hope you still wish to say yes." He bowed to her. "However, we need to leave early in the morning and should rest. I'm going to retire now. By your leave, Aes Sedai."

Holding her gaze for another long moment, he smiled again, turned, and went to the small warder room attached to this main chamber. Many thoughts still swirling in his mind.

Awkward distraction. The phrase amused Tia and she laughed softly as she nodded in agreement, her finger tracing the rim of her wine glass before she raised her gaze to meet his once more. She watched as he stood, and felt butterflies in her stomach do a somersault when he said he’d ask once the trip were over.

What Tia was not expecting was for him to choose that very moment to retire. As he stood over her, it felt as if her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest as something akin to anticipation seemed to build for her. Anticipation of what, she couldn’t say, but the disappointment she felt as he left her chambers was not insignificant.

Staring at the door that led to the his small room off of hers, the Green couldn’t help the breathy laugh and shook her head. It was turning out to be an interesting adventure at the Citadel, and they hadn’t even been there a full day. Who knew how long they’d be there?

Bryn was right, though. . .they did have an early start in the morning, and who knew how long it would be before they got a decent night’s sleep? Reluctantly, Tia pushed herself from the table and also retired for the evening.

~~~

Morning came all too soon for the Green Sister, especially given how giddy she felt when she tried to drift off to sleep. Both Aes Sedai and Gaidin knew what had to be done and it didn’t take them long to dress, eat breakfast and get their mounts ready for the day. They were leaving the Citadel gates just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.

Storm pranced at a walk, steam coming from the horse’s nostrils in the morning’s chilled air. Tia spoke softly to sooth her mount, wanting to give the beast a bit of time to warm up before breaking into a trot or canter. “Is it paranoid of me to wonder why the man didn’t wait for help to travel with him? Traveling alone in this region is generally discouraged, yet he came on his own and opted to leave on his own too. Is it blind trust that the Citadel would send someone and hoping they find the right village?”

It had taken Bryn longer than he would ever admit to fall asleep that night.

His thoughts had not quite been so thoroughly roused in some time, and it made their discordance difficult to quiet enough for him to drift off. Normally, he lived by the soldier's words--eat when there was food and sleep when you had the chance, because you never knew when you might go a while without a chance at either.

Yet, the advice did not sink in and work out so much that night as it had on every other night over the years that had passed. And when he finally had slept, his dreams had been full of blue eyes and shy smiles.
* * * In the morning, he pushed away any tendrils of fatigue and focused on the mission at hand. They had a day of travel before them, and they were in the Blight Border. That meant caution and constant vigilance was not just smart, it was a requirement. No matter if he hadn't slept at all, he would do his duty as a Gaidin.

The morning's preparations were seen to quickly, and they were on their way.

"No, I don't think that you're being paranoid at all," he agreed somberly. "Even Aes Sedai, Asha'man, and Gaidin are discouraged from traveling this land alone. If you're desperate, then that is one thing, and he might have been when he came here. If you need help and are the only one to go, then that's one thing.

"But he did not have to return alone, yet he chose to. So perhaps there is something suspicious...or he's completely crazy. That can never be ruled out. Especially here."

...or he’s completely crazy.

Could it be as simple as that? The Citadel provided a certain level of protection to those that lived in relatively close proximity, and for those near the blight border, a three day journey was considered close enough.

Tia was a Borderlander, and she knew it took a special certain personality to live so near the Blight. Sometimes that special something leaned more towards insanity than it did a strong will and hearty constitution.

The Aes Sedai and Gaidin didn’t have all that much information to go on, what with the thread to the village being either bandits or Trollocs. She let go a frustrated sigh, “I am not good with not knowing. Having said that. . .I’d rather this than be tied to the Mistress of Novices office back at the Tower.”

She looked to the Gaidin and flashed a warm smile, “And I appreciate your company too. I just hope the knot of worry in my stomach is unfounded.”

He returned her smile with a small, crooked one of his own that he hoped was reassuring. In as much as anyone could reassure another about things like this. He was not a Borderlander himself, but in his years between the Grey Tower and the Citadel, he had spent enough time here to know enough.

"I hope that it is as well," he said simply. "Unfortunately, we won't know much until we get closer and can actually assess for ourselves. I wish this were the odd circumstance, but I can't remember ever attending to a mission or a task out here that had more information than this..." He laughed softly and shook his head. "It would have made for a nice change of pace, though."

Tia laughed softly, “We don’t visit the Citadel and think we’ll have an easy go of it. Nothing is simple out here, and if it appears simple, it may well be a trap.” She shot a smirk towards Bryn, “Listen to me. I’m beginning to sound paranoid, but remembering stories told by my parents, or Memma? I don’t think it so much paranoid as firmly planted in reality.”

The two continued to ride towards their destination, stopping from time to time to give themselves, and their mounts a break. Eventually, the sun started to sink on the horizon and Bryn suggested they find a place to camp so they could set up while they had some daylight left.

The pair found a clearing off of the main road that would keep them out of sight from other travelers. Once the horses were taken care of, both Tia and Bryn turned their attention to other matters, such as a shelter, fire and other matters. The Green used what she knew of Wards to put up barriers to keep out unwanted guests, and to keep their sound from being heard by passers-by. It was easy enough for her to tie the Wards off, and once that was seen to, she released her hold of Saidar.

Bryn hadn’t been idle while she’d seen to the Wards, and had both a tent set up and a fire going. Tia moved to her saddle bags and pulled out some provisions the kitchen staff prepared for them. “Are you hungry? I can see about making a simple stew out of the dried meat and some of the veggies they’ve provided.”