Of Wind and Sea - [Attn: Aiel/Anyone]

[Kenneth]

Taesh Durlaen Calm Seas

Somewhere on the ocean, just off the coast of Illian, an Atha'an Miere stood on the deck of a beautiful ship. It was no raker, the largest and most prestigious ships of the Seafolk, but it was as close to one as the man was going to get without going back to his Clan. A gentle breeze blew across the deck, and Taesh, the Asha'man from the Grey Tower, allowed the air to embrace his skin. Around him a few deckhands moved about, checking rigging and heading, more busy work as the ship rolled on the waves. Taesh barely noticed them as he soaked in the senses of the sea.

If anyone who did not know him saw him in that moment, they would not think him an Asha'man. He had forgone the trappings of the Grey Tower to instead dress as he was most comfortable, in the clothing of his heritage. His chest was bare, and his pants loose, a rich cream color that swayed slowly in the breeze. The Head Clerk's eyes were closed as he took in deep and slow breaths, capturing the taste and smell of the sea. His bare feet gripped the deck of the ship, the smooth wood feeling comfortable to the arches of his heels.

The ship he was on was a gift, from a House of Illian, grateful for a succession dispute that would have turned ugly, and probably bloody, if not for the assistance of the Greys. The issue had become so heated that the Head Clerk decided to oversee the mediations personally. His calming influence and ability to create an environment full of laughter had helped to smooth things over, and left an impression of the new Lord. The late night private meetings with the both the new Lord and his opposing presumptive heir had also probably helped leave another kind of impression as well.

Still Taesh was grateful for the gift, and the gift of harbor, as the Grey Tower was land locked, but he accepted on behalf of the Tower itself instead of personally. So the ship, now called the Guiding Star belonged to the Tower, but was Taesh's to use when not out on Tower business.

He stretched, arms high with his fingers spread wide, the breeze picking up slightly to play through is fingers. A bright smile spread across the Asha'man's face, it had been sometime since he had been on a ship out to sea. So lost was he in his reverie that he barely heard the sound of feet hitting the deck behind him. He turned, looking slightly confused, having almost forgotten the gateway that stood open above the deck, the saidin created doorway looking into the Traveling Grounds of the Grey Tower beyond the image of the person who had just stepped through. The Atha'an Miere had to take a moment to recall that he had made it know to the Tower that he was taking the Guiding Star out on a pleasure trip, and anyone who wanted to was welcome to attend.

[Avyra]

Avyra

Avyra couldn't believe she had actually been invited to go on a pleasure voyage in the sea. This was something completely new, something exciting and wonderful. She couldn't really pack much, but she didn't trust the grounds to properly care for her birds while she was away, so she had brought all three hawks, perches, food, and supplies for all. She didn't think she needed much clothing, not that she had any, and had packed herself one spare dress. She figured shoes would be no use. However, Avyra was interested in making this trip useful. She had heard of using osprey for falconry, although not widely used, and she wanted to trap and man one, even if she wouldn't be keeping it. However, she didn't know what to expect when she walked through the portal, but it wasn't this. The air tasted odd, like someone had dumped a world's worth of salt in it. But the colors! As far as the eye could see: blue. And the world was shaking. She yelped a bit, unused to the odd rocking motion the waves caused on the ship, and looked around for a familiar face, trying to find some sort of familiarity in this odd place. Then she spotted Taesh, clad in only a pair of khaki shorts. Avyra hesitated, then walked over, trying to catch her grip on the railing. "Is it always like this?" She asked simply, feeling slightly ill.

[Alianora]

Accepted Liaran din Chelai Morning Star

The ship she stood on wasn't quite what Liaran had expected. She judged it to be somewhere between a soarer and a raker in size, but subtle differences in its construction indicated to her that it was not an Atha'an Miere ship. Unfamiliar though it was, just being on board a ship, any ship, sent a thrill through the Accepted. She bent down, pulling off the boots she wore and shoving them off to the side. Wearing shoes didn't bother her in the Tower, but they would only be a hindrance aboard a ship. Liaran frowned down at the white dress she wore, wishing she could be rid of it as well. She couldn't imagine something more impractical to wear on the coming trip, but the dress she wore and others exactly like it were all the clothing she had, leaving her little choice.

She walked gracefully across the ship, leaning over the railing to peer into the sea below. The wind lifted her curls away from her face, and the Accepted smiled. It had been a long time since she'd seen the ocean, and it felt like coming home to her, even if the ship bore little resemblance to the darters she'd been raised on.She stood there, watching the crashing waves and inhaling the salty air until it occurred to her that she probably needed to report to someone. She had noticed that there were hired deckhands aboard getting ready to sail, but there were always tasks needing done on a ship, and the Accepted doubted she'd be allowed to spend the whole time without a single chore to do. Liaran looked around her, but there didn't appear to be many people aboard yet. Across the deck, a woman in a dress identical to her own clutched the railing, talking to a man Liaran hadn't really noticed.

He looked somehow familiar to her, though she was sure she'd never seen him before. His clothing wouldn't have been out of place on any Atha'an Miere ship, and his dark coloring was similar to her own. He appeared as distracted as she had been earlier, and Liaran wasn't sure he even knew that the other Accepted was speaking to him. He certainly would have fit in among her people, and Liaran wondered if that could actually be true. It would be very unusual, but not so much more than her own presence in the Grey Tower. She watched the other two from across the ship, idly kicking at the edges of her skirts. She couldn't help but hope that the man did also come from the ships. Liaran only knew of one other besides herself, a reclusive Brown she hadn't actually seen since her return. It would be nice if there were another in the Tower who might understand how difficult it was for her to live on land when she had been born at sea.

[Kenneth]

Taesh gave a beautiful smile to Avyra as he recognized her. Something about being on a ship, back in the sea, brought a joy and glow to Taesh's entire being. It almost looked as if at any moment he would launch himself into the blue waters, and he was very much contemplating doing just that.

"Is it always like this?"

Taesh laughed at herm realizing that Avyra had no sea legs. This might not be the most pleasurable of trips for the Accepted if she did not develop them soon, although the Atha'an Miere knew that many of the land locked never did develop them.

"You have spent too long on solid ground Avyra" the Head Clerk replied. "Hopefully you will become use to the motion of the waves, that is what you are feeling. I felt something similar when I first came to the Tower. It was as if the ground was always moving beneath my feet, my body was so used to this feeling. Feeling it again, I did not realize how much I had missed it."

Taesh presented Avyra with a steadying hand as he helped her stand upright. He didn't want her to use the railing as a crutch or she would never get use to the rolling of the sea, and he very much wanted everyone to enjoy the trip as much as he would. At least as close to as much as he would as was possible, and Taesh did not think anyone would enjoy this trip as much as him.

"As soon as the other's who sent word that they would come along make it, we will set off" he told her then looked around.

Just past a pair of laughing workers someone caught Taesh's eyes. It was another woman, dressed in the same banded white, but what stopped Taesh's roving eyes was the familiar look about her. The Atha'an Miere would be willing to bargain the ship he was on that she was of the Clans like him. He had not met her before, but he was more than glad that she had elected to take the pleasure trip. Taesh had known that there were other Atha'an Miere in the Tower, but they were reclusive. The circumstances that led them to any Tower were different than how Taesh had come, and he had yet to have more than passing conversations with them. He was hoping, though he was many years removed from the Star Song or Rossaine, having spent more time in the Tower now than life on the ship, he desired speak with the Accepted Atha'an Miere.

[Alianora]

Liaran

Liaran only managed to pull her eyes away from the dark skinned man when it occurred to her that she had been staring at him for some time, and should perhaps stop before he noticed. She redirected herself, glancing around the ship, but few other people joined them, and nobody she recognized. Without much to do, the Accepted turned around to look out over the water again. It felt wrong to her to be idle, without any sort of work assigned, but Liaran had no idea who was in charge of the ship. Most of the others she had seen coming aboard were learning ranks in blacks and whites; she had not seen a single Asha'man or an Aes Sedai among them. Unless that man I noticed is an Asha'man. She'd been too distracted by contemplating his heritage to consider his rank before, but it made sense. Just as she was stuck in the completely impractical banded dress of the Accepted, Soldiers and Dedicated would have had to wear their black.

She allowed herself to look across the boat and found the man in the same place, now clearly talking to the Accepted she'd seen earlier. Liaran retrieved her boots from where she'd abandoned them and held them in one hand as she walked across the deck towards the pair. She was hesitant to interrupt their conversation, and was relieved when she reached them to find that they were no longer talking, and she would not have to wait there awkwardly for a pause in their discussion. Liaran smiled warmly at the other Accepted before directing her attention to the man she thought was an Asha'man. She hoped she wasn't wrong and addressing some Dedicated or Soldier who'd managed to escape wearing his uniform. She took a deep breath, curtsied, and asked, "Are you the Asha'man in charge of this trip?"

[Kenneth]

Taesh stared at the new Accepted. The air of familiarity about her laid to rest any idea that she was not one of the Seafolk. He had never met her before, but her look reminded him too much of his mother, and the other women of the Star Song and clan Rossaine. If she was in the banded white dress of an Accepted, that meant that she would have been a Windfinder on the sea, and though they were of different rank in the Tower, something of a bit of reverence touched Taesh's eyes as he spoke to her.

"I am he" the Grey said playfully, an excitement taking over him at the prospect of being at sea with one of his own. This trip was turning out to be grander than Taesh could've first imagined.

"Are the two of you acquainted?" Taesh asked as he turned back and forth between the two Accepted. It never occurred to him that some of the people who would come on the trip might not have the best of relationships. He hoped that these two Accepted, if not the best of friends were at least cordial to one another. He didn't want his pleasure disrupted by bickering.

[Avyra]

Avyra took his hand, and part of his forearm too, to steady herself, welcoming the comfort while out here far from home. He was, honestly, one of her only connections to home while at sea, and she wanted to stay close. Besides, he was one of the most wonderful friends she had, hands down. One of the only friends. She wanted to love this trip, for his sake, hopefully to know him better as well. He had helped her see how wonderful she was, and she wanted to help him with whatever he needed. Another Accepted, one who she hadn't met before, approached, and seemed just as steady as Taesh was on the undulating wood boards of the ship. She must have been one of his people, and that's why she was here. "Are the two of you acquainted?" Taesh asked, looking to them in turn. Avyra smiled. "Not officially, no, aside from maybe a few classes we might have had together. Liaran, right?" She held out a hand, slightly shaking from the unease of being on a ship. "I'm Avyra, its good to meet you." She looked back out over the deck, brightening again. "How big is it? I can't see the end! How deep is the water?" She paused. "You don't actually... like... swim in such deep water, do you?"

are we the only ones here? I was waiting to post just in case we had another few joiners

[Alianora]

Liaran din Chelai Morning Star

Liaran shook the other Accepted's offered hand, grateful that she'd introduced herself. She vaguely recognized her, but did not think she'd ever heard her name. She smiled, impressed that Avyra had managed to recall her own. "Yes, Liaran," she said, them, with a look back at the Sea Folk Asha'man, added, "Liaran din Chelai Morning Star." The other girl seemed unsteady, which didn't surprise her. From her questions about the water, Liaran suspected that she had never been on a ship before. "I don't usually swim in water this deep," she told the other girl. "I could, if I needed to, but I'd prefer to swim in slightly shallower waters." In her experience, the currents this far out made going for a swim more than a little dangerous, a risk she didn't care to take, but Liaran did not want to scare the girl by mentioning that.

Instead, she turned back to look up at the Asha'man, curious about what his answer to Avyra's question would be. This close, she could see the blue lines of the tattoos on his hands, erasing any doubt she might have had that he was Atha'an Miere like herself. She studied them, trying to identify which clan he came from, and while she did, wondered how he had come to leave the ships for the Tower. Even as a deckhand, the Accepted had learned the options that were given to a man who was caught channeling. There were two, and neither offered much hope of survival. As she considered how it might be possible for someone so condemned to live, Liaran found herself recalling an old lesson from one of her novice classes, detailing how it was far more common for a person to need to learn to channel instead of drawing the One Power involuntarily, as she had. That the Asha'man might be one of those who could learn, but would not channel on his own, might explain how the Asha'man had managed to avoid being labeled as a male channeler, though that did leave the question of why he would leave the sea. Their people rarely did, unless taken by force.

Abruptly, Liaran realized she'd been staring, and quickly shifted her gaze to look out at the sea instead. She hadn't been able to see the Asha'man's hands well enough to determine what clan he came from, and that annoyed her. She watched the waves roll, enjoying the feeling of being on a ship again.

[Kenneth]

Taesh continued smiling as the two Accepted spoke to each other. He knew Avyra pretty well, but it was Liaran that his attention seemed to fix on. There were many questions that he wanted to ask the Accepted, the least of which was if she had any information on his ship and clan. The Atha'an Miere was sure that he would have plenty of time to chat up the Accepted during the trip, so he didn't press the issue immediately. Instead he tuned in to their conversation.

"I love the deep waters" Taesh admitted. "It's cool down there, lots of space to just float. More than once someone jumped from the Star Song to drag me to the surface, thinking I had drowned. I think once I almost did" as scary as the event had been for his mother and father, really the entire ship, Taesh could laugh about it now. Of course the punishment he endured for weeks after was no laughing matter.

Changing the subject Taesh looked back out to the open ocean, ready to put the wind to the sails and test the ships mettle on the waves. "So what made you future Sisters of mine accept my invitation to ply the waves?" Taesh asked both of them. He could guess at Liaran's reason, but hoped that her answer would give him more insight. Avyra he was sure had reasons all her own as well.

[Avyra]

Avyra only shrugged. "I've never been at sea before. It was a chance to get away." She paused, feeling a wave rock the boat a tad harder, and her grip tightened on his arm instinctively. "And besides, I never get invited to things." She smiled at him. "Thank you. For remembering me." She looked back at the ocean. It was obvious he wanted to talk with the other Accepted, them both being Atha'an Miere. The only Atha'an Miere she knew was Taesh, so she figured he didn't get to see his people much at all. She couldn't blame him. She paused, glancing back at all of her stuff. "One sec. Someone else might enjoy this too." She released her hold on his arm, slipping a bit from her shoes as she made her way across the deck. Then, she took out her glove, opening one of the boxes, and pulled out the pure white gyrfalcon Tempest. She made her way back, trying to keep her balance with bird on fist, then took Taesh's arm once more. "This is Tempest. I brought Kyella and Theta too, but she really likes the wind best." She paused, watching the gyfalcon, who had spread her wings. Avyra lifted her high into the air, letting her play on the seabreeze. "Sorry I can't get you up higher, dear. I know you'd like that better."