Post by Elira Flanagan on Aug 22, 2021 3:49:51 GMT
The Black Tower certainly looked the part: its imposing black walls of cuendillar had sent a shiver down her spine as soon as they had come into view. The Red sister escorting her wore the stony, unreadable expression of an Aes Sedai, while the other three Accepted with her attempted to imitate it with varying degrees of success. Elira didn’t even try. She just glared on ahead, mouth set in a thin line. She was ready for this, she told herself. As ready as she’d ever be, anyway.
Elira couldn’t know how very wrong she would be.
The first sign that her expectations might need to be adjusted came when a whole host of Soldiers and Dedicated appeared to greet their party. Oh, they weren’t overbearing or stern—the opposite, really. A good four of them approached her personally, asking if she needed any help with her horse. Or her bags. Or her coat. She tried to protest she didn’t need any help. Eventually, however, Elira found herself handing off her things, if only because they seemed so put out about it.
The one who led her horse away didn’t seem any less sulky, but the other three soldiers carrying her things seemed quite happy about it. At least until a Dedicated, who had been watching warily until now, butted in. He tried to talk to her about weaves until it became clear that he and Elira had no real base of comparison. Even so, he tagged along.
Elira was beginning to realize that Ginelle, in fact, had been correct. She could probably shoo them all away, but something stopped her. Elira suspected none of them had seen a woman since arriving at the Black Tower. She actually felt sort of sorry for them.
Was this what her sister usually felt like? No, Ariel usually had more, er, competition. She would’ve liked to see her handle…this.
The pack of lonely nerds, while vaguely endearing, also proved to be a nuisance as they started to drag her things up the steps to her quarters. Elira grimaced when one of them dropped a bag with an unpleasant thump. She really could carry them herself—
“We’ve got it,” he told her hastily. Elira looked around helplessly for some figure of authority who could scatter the swarm, but her chaperone had clearly been overwhelmed herself. Light! Her eyes fell on a new man approaching, also in a black coat, only he was full Asha’man: the red-and-gold dragon pin pointed that out clearly.
Johar Salenas
Elira couldn’t know how very wrong she would be.
The first sign that her expectations might need to be adjusted came when a whole host of Soldiers and Dedicated appeared to greet their party. Oh, they weren’t overbearing or stern—the opposite, really. A good four of them approached her personally, asking if she needed any help with her horse. Or her bags. Or her coat. She tried to protest she didn’t need any help. Eventually, however, Elira found herself handing off her things, if only because they seemed so put out about it.
The one who led her horse away didn’t seem any less sulky, but the other three soldiers carrying her things seemed quite happy about it. At least until a Dedicated, who had been watching warily until now, butted in. He tried to talk to her about weaves until it became clear that he and Elira had no real base of comparison. Even so, he tagged along.
Elira was beginning to realize that Ginelle, in fact, had been correct. She could probably shoo them all away, but something stopped her. Elira suspected none of them had seen a woman since arriving at the Black Tower. She actually felt sort of sorry for them.
Was this what her sister usually felt like? No, Ariel usually had more, er, competition. She would’ve liked to see her handle…this.
The pack of lonely nerds, while vaguely endearing, also proved to be a nuisance as they started to drag her things up the steps to her quarters. Elira grimaced when one of them dropped a bag with an unpleasant thump. She really could carry them herself—
“We’ve got it,” he told her hastily. Elira looked around helplessly for some figure of authority who could scatter the swarm, but her chaperone had clearly been overwhelmed herself. Light! Her eyes fell on a new man approaching, also in a black coat, only he was full Asha’man: the red-and-gold dragon pin pointed that out clearly.
Johar Salenas
