A Night on the Town

Kiani looked a little sheepish as she followed Sofia off the balcony and through the halls of the Tower.  Was it such a crime to want to be with a man she thought she loved?  Evidently it was, in the Tower’s eyes, especially if that man was a former Dedicated and had disappeared without a trace.  Kiani knew how fishy it looked, but she didn’t care; Ty wouldn’t have done anythingi to hurt anyone….but he had killed that Darkfriend.  A spark of doubt was drifting about her brain, a spark she didn’t like beingi there.  He had killed that Darkfriend…out of defense, right?  She was troubled, now, but she didn’t think that bringing up this subject was right, especially with her Captain-General.

Her black hair was brushed back a little in the wind as she moved, and Kiani closed her blue-gray eyes, letting out a deep breath to feel the fresh air in Tar Valon against her cheeks.  Light, but it felt good to step out of the Tower every now and again. Unconsciously, she fingered the Serpent Ring on her finger, reminding herself that she was Aes Sedai, and she was allowed to move about as she pleased, now.

She felt lke a child, in truth, one that had dones something horribly wrong as Sofia directed to her the correct ways of interacting with her fellow Aes Sedai.  Kiani couldn’t begin to fathom everything all at once for the complexities of Aes Sedai were many, but she was beginning to get the picture.  A dark blush stained her cheeks as Sofia, finished her tirade, and Kiani answered with a simple yes only because she didn’t want to add anything to it that would set Sofia off. 

Kiani’s attention snapped back into focus when Sofia began talking about choices of Warders, and what to look for in a Gaidin.  Reliability.  Devotion.  Communication.  She thought that she and Ty had had all those things…but in all reality he had kept much from her at times.  She felt like a fool.  To think that Ty would actually be there to become her Warder was absolute craziness, she realized that now.  It was time to forget him…time to move on, to select a suitable Warder, or three, to become her protectors, the swords at her back, her confidantes.  Kiani whispered  hoarsely, “Yes Sofia, I understand.”  She felt as if her entire world was crumbling around her, but her face never broke that mask of Aes Sedai calm.  Oh that mask….that mask that hid so much.  For the first time, she was truly grateful she had learned how to put on that mask.  Otherwise, she thought that she would have been crying by now.

Kiani gazed curiously up at the sign as they drew nearer to it.  The Wilting Radish…an interesting name, by far.  She inhaled deeply as she entered, taking in the smells of the tavern, which reminded her so much of her home in Saldaea.  By the Light, she missed her home…but there was nothing for her there now.  Her mother dead, her father an open Darkfriend…Kiani’s only home now was the Tower.  As they entered, she felt not a few pairs of eyes on her and grinned.  Two Green Aes Sedai coming into a tavern could mean one of two things; either they were already bonded to some Gaidin and their Gaidin were here, or they were searching.

Kiani mused for a moment, How will I know if they’re bonded or not?  She shrugged her shoulders.  She supposed it would come up in conversation if she met someone who would be suitable anyway.  Sofia had drifted off, probably to join her Warder, and Kiani walked up to a table filled with young-looking Gaidin playing cards.  “Mind if I join you?” she asked, a polite smile on her face, though not so much to twist her scar up unbecomingly.  Hearing assurances that she was welcome, Kiani sat, watching the game they were playing.  It was one similiar to something she had played as a girl in Saldaea, where one tried to get the best hand over his opponents.

One of the Gaidin at the table, a tall Andoran man with dark brown eyes and a head of equally dark hair pulled back in a simple tie behind his neck, had been casting curious glances at her as her eyes followed the card game.  “Do you want to play, Aes Sedai?” he asked, his voice quiet, with a hardness of steel underneath it.  Even sitting, he appeared to be ready to spring into action if he needed to, with that catlike grace that all Gaidin possessed. 

Kiani smiled.  “No, thank you, I’d prefer to watch.”

Another man at the table, a Taraboner with his hair in braids, asked her, “And what’s a young Aes Sedai doing here ina  tavern with teh likes of us?  Surely your Warders must be close.”

“I have no Warders,” KIani answered simply.  “I’m in the process of trying to find suitable candidates as we speak.” 

The Andoran glanced over at Sofia, from where she was sitting with Tashen.  “You’re here with the Captain-General, so she must be looking after you, ocrrect?  Or at least showing you the way of things?”

Kiani looked at this Andoran closer, her blue-gray eyes narrowed slightly.  He picked up on things quickly, this one.  He was only a handful of years older than she, to lell the truth, but he acted as though he had seen a alifetime of trials.  “Yes, that’s so.  I’m Kiani al’Jaqhar, formerly of Saldara.”  She bobbed her head a little.  “Pleased to meet you all.”

The five heads around the table touched their hands to their heads in greeting, and the Andoran smiled at her.  “I’m Jael al’Seth, formerly from Andor.”  He wore an amused smile.  Kiani glanced over at Sofia, to see if she was watching to see how things were progressing.  Maybe tonight wasn’t such a bad idea after all.