Donde Tsorovan

[Astarael]

//This is going to be an attempt to RP via the forums, a mini experiment of sorts. At the very least it might provide some entertainment!//

The Aes Sedai stood by the large, oval window that afforded her a view of the city. It was night time and tiny, flickering lights glittered below like jewels and gold in the coffers of the rich. Watching was what she had grown accustom to; watching, observing, recording and waiting.

She turned away from it now, and walked across to a mahogany table upon which a set of writing equipment and an assortment of papers rested, both sat alongside a carafe of Tairen red. With haste that belied the calm expression of her face, she poured two glasses; one for herself, the other for the stone-faced man seated rigidly in one of two armchairs by the fire. She carried the carafe and the two glasses over, handing him the other glass and sat down in the remaining chair.

"I have waited a long time for this moment," she said quietly, swirling the wine in her right hand as she stared into the firelight. "The fact that it comes at a time when the two Towers are practically at each others throats and we are fighting to keep the knowledge that certain Ajahs are doing the same or worse to one another is no consolation at all," she said.

She drained the wine glass of its contents quickly and poured herself another. The wine was good, she thought, the only red luxury she allowed herself in recent times. The bitterness of the drink served as an ever poignant, poetic reminder of former affections.

"She is alive, Caetrin, and I am so sorry for what must happen next," she said, wearing her mask, as she handed him the wafer thin parchment upon which the news was written.

[hearmeroar]

“Killing a woman.” The thought left a sour aftertaste in his mouth, urging him to wash it down with the wine that he had been offered earlier. And he nearly did.
He shook his head lightly for himself as he took the parchment, scanning it briefly before he folded it in two and tucked it away into a pocket. He made certain that Elenara could feel his dislike of the task that he had to do, but Duty is heavier than a mountain, Death is light as a feather.
Honor and duty. It was the single two things that had driven him most of his life, and he was not about to shirk his duties now. Not to the Light nor to Elenara.
In his own way, he cared for the woman. In a sense, she was harder than steel and colder than glacial ice, yet there was a strange softness underneath the layers of cold and metal, one she seldom displayed to anyone, only those she allowed close, which was essentially none.
His feelings truly ran deep for this woman, though he couldn't allow them to cloud his judgement and as such he kept them for himself.
He wasn't certain if it would make things easier if he were to grab a hold of her and kiss her deeply, he wanted to.. But he wouldn't. His duty was to protect her, to do her bidding and sometimes her dirty work as well, and this was something he would not allow to become clouded by judgement. It was enough that she knew that he cared for her, and trusted her. It was enough.

Giving his head a solemn nod, he stood and grabbed the curved, heron-marked sword resting up against the side of the table. With great familiarity, he strapped it across his back and without a second thought, he was out the door and soon in the street outside, which was covered in darkness.
He moved with a purpose, and he knew the exact street and house which he was to visit next. He had been there before, scouting the street from rooftops, watching the comings and goings of the house from behind a corner, making certain that none would spot him.
With years of practice, he passed through the street as nothing more than a shadow, his colour-shifting cloak making him blend into the environment around him effortlessly and before he knew it, he was at his destination.

For a moment, he considered breaking down the front door, but soon decided on a different approach, and like the spectre of the night that he had become, he scaled the side of the building with felinesque grace, climbing up the drain-pipe leading down from the roof.
From there on, it was a simple task to sneak into the quiet house..

It took him less than a minute to have done the deed and be back down into the street, disappearing like a shadow in the night..

[Astarael]

Elenara glanced up from the writing desk as her warder returned; she did not need to ask if the deed was done, his expression and the bond told the full story. As did the object in his right hand.

"Your distaste is duly noted, Gaidin," she told him, feeling that the sensation he was giving off warranted acknowledgement. "I do not like the fact we are so deeply involved in this, but there is a saying as old as the adage you cling to," she continued, the only sound audible was the scratching of her pen as she wrote, "That when you make your bed, you must lie in it."

She concluded her letter and lowered her pen quietly, placing it once again in the velvet lined writing case. As she did so, she looked out of the window. It was morning, and she allowed herself the distraction of a brief smile; the sight of Tar Valon in the first light of dawn was beautiful to behold. It would be a dark day indeed if I can no longer find time to appreciate that which I fight to protect, she thought.

"It is my understanding that our contact will be meeting us in Camron Caan," she said quietly. "The meeting should proceed quite simply. We will enter the city from the south and proceed to the central garden. Someone will meet us there and escort us to one of the noble houses therein," she added.

"Once we are in the house, we will be required to observe all of the tedium of a formal dinner," she said, exhaling slowly, "After this is over, we will make the exchange and depending on how...smoothly...that goes, we will know how to act next."

Standing, she turned to the corner of her room that she reserved for such purposes and embraced Saidar. The One Power filled her to the brim like a river swelling under the weight of flood water in the spring thaw. It was beautiful, and she did not shy away from the sensation. She then proceeded to channel, the threads of spirit coalescing into a vertical line of purest white. The beam then rotated clockwise until it formed a large gateway with the view of a city on the other side, flurries of snow and cold air whistled into the room. She tied off the weave and moved towards a door at the back of her sitting room.

"Dress for a Shienaran winter, it will be a formal occasion," she said, opening the door to her bedroom before hesitating and smiling to herself, "With added excitement."

Caetrin sensed the thrill of anticipation from the bond as he stalked towards his room to change.