The Meeting

Resisting the urge to smooth her dress, Michelle returned Zarlash's frigid glare with a defiant one of her own. The image of that afternoon flew back into her mind and she had to keep her mouth shut so she would not chortle. Basically, the gentling circle had collapsed with Dallah's departure, followed closely by Sephirael's, and then hers and Yavanne's. Zarlash probably had to summon other Red Sisters to complete the task, which would have been a blow to her pride.

"Do you even have an inkling about what you are doing?"
Zarlash's razor-sharp voice snapped Michelle from her momentary reverie. The throbbing tension in the Reds' Parlour, the designated meeting place was pulpable. This breaking of the silence did not alleviate it and it was not helped by the persistent humidity despite the breaking storm.

Michelle flashed back with a question of her own, "Why do you always attempt to spread your shadow over everyone?"
Laurya retorted, "Is your loyalty to the Ajah and its policy, Michelle? If it is, you would not openly support... Dallah." She twisted the name like saying the name of some sort of insect.
With unusual spitefulness, Michelle said, "Well, at least, Zarlash has one remaining disciple." She knew full well that her defection from the conservatives, as a senior herself, had greatly unbalanced the stance of the other seniors. And Zarlash would not forgive her at all for that.

Everyone started as the door swung open.

***

A nest of venomous vipers. A den of ravenous lionesses. A cage of ferocious she-bears.
Those were all a hundred times less threatening than the room that she entered now. Walking in smoothly and seating herself down, arranging her skirts as casually as if she was out relaxing in the gardens, Dallah gave a brief glance over the congregation. Good, all Reds residing in the Tower were in attendance. She segregated her allies from her enemies from the swingers.

"As we all already know, the Wheel has spun a new part of the Pattern within our lifetimes, a momentous era, to say the least. We all know what this new thread is, as Michelle has pointed out this afternoon," an amicable flicker of an eye to her friend, "In short, we are here to discuss the existence of the Black Tower and the positive steps we have to take about it."

Dallah felt like flying. She was tired of jumping to Zarlash's tune. It was time she severed all the strings.
"It is time for a new direction," she declared, sweeping her gaze over every Sister's, holding each for an instant, before resting on Sephirael.
"Sephirael," she said, startling the Sister from her dreamy state, "You have just come back from the Black Tower Embassy. Your first hand experiences with those organized male channelers are invaluable. Please enlighten us all."

Laurya hissed in vexation as Dallah took the lead. Things were NOT going as they ought to have. The pigeon she had been expecting this morning had not arrived, and that would likely hand the Ajah to the Head. She ground her teeth and glowered at Michelle who had so brazenly insulted her. No, this was not a good day. First, Daelin escaping, then this. Light, she was in a bad mood.

As Dallah passed the right of speech to Sephirael, Laurya felt a slight tingling... she flashed a smile, and excused herself.

Sephirael really hadnt expected to account for her experiences at the Black Tower...she had thought that her Red sisters wouldnt even want to consider ANY possibilities other than the existing policies for male channelers.

She was caught quite off guard...

As Sephirael stood, she watched Laurya leave, subconsiously calling more attention to the act than it perhaps deserved...the room fell silent as she prepared herself to speak...

"...The Black Tower does indeed exist...and organization is not something that a sister, or anyone, would expect from those who are rumored to be "mad men"...but this does not change the fact that they are indeed almost as organized as the White Tower itself."

She waited for the murmured surprise that spread through the room to stop, and she quietly spoke again.

"These men, and they ARE men, not savage beasts like we have labeled them, have lives...they are as human as you or I..." she paused slightly as she thought of the man who had saved her life, and had taken her heart in return for it...."they have hopes and dreams, aspirations for the future...they even have wives whose love surpasses the challenge of caring for one who could inadvertantly destroy the world.....they have honor, and rules.....and they obey these rules as well as any sister who is bound by the 3 oaths...and the consequences for breaking these rules are even harsher than ours...
It is true that they are dangerous, but a man who is believed to be going insane is not even given the benefit of a doubt before his life is ended..."
She sighs,
"Maybe it is not our place to condemn these men who have been tainted by circumstances out of their control...maybe we should instead work together with them...maybe...(she feared the day that her beloved Ryoshi might slip into madness...she barely contained her composure), just maybe we could find a better way together..."

Sephirael noticed the some mocking,some amazed,and some undecernable looks that she was recieving from her Red Sisters....she realized that she had said too much and quickly sat down before she could make even more of a fool of herself.....what had she been thinking,trying to make them see what they obviuosly could never understand...

Idenya had been so tempted to leave the room behind Laurya—she couldn't understand Dallah's motivations at all. Idenya had always known that Dallah was certainly a new breed of Red Ajah. However, Red she was, through and through. There was no question in her mind that Dallah was too independant to even desire a Warder; and that Dallah, like all other Reds, wanted to deal with the very real threat of male channelers. The other Ajahs tended to overlook the threat. A threat Idenya had felt, in part, well before coming to the White Tower. A threat made even more timely with the rise of this Black Tower. Yes, Dallah was Red, through and through; and while young for the role of Head, Idenya did feel Dallah would come into the role nicely given time.

Dallah wasn't being given time, though—although it was Dallah's own fault. Zarlash, on the other hand, seemed to keep her wits about her, even in the face of advesity, Zarlash was strong; admirable! And furthermore, correct: Dallah had indeed wavered during the gentling circle the other day!

But Idenya didn't follow Laurya out of the room. For one thing, it wouldn't mean much if she did. For another, though, she wanted to face the tension in the room, and do what she could to ensure that Zarlash and the other Red sisters could help Dallah... see... how wrong she was.

When Sephirael first stood to speak, a shiver went down her spine. Sephirael, a beautiful Red sister who, quite bluntly, made Dallah look *conservative*! She'd recently visited the Black Tower, hoping to do what Idenya never could fathom. Surely, anything Sephirael said would be rubbish: colored by her own wanton ideology, far too naive for a Red sister.

However, Idenya was literally struck by what Sephirael said. No: not by what she said, but by her delivery of the words. Sephirael wasn't playing sides or anything of the sort here—her report was indeed heartfelt, but not as naively so as Idenya had imagined she'd be. She was sincere.

Idenya recalled her own past, then: is it just because of a horribly bad experience in my own past that I've—'condemned'—all men? Clearing her throat that had grown thick with sudden anguish, she continued listening to Sephirael. The sister is the only one amongst us to have visited this Black Tower. She's... she'd done what a true Red would do: tried to deal with the issue, without letting historical policies guide her.

She grew ashamed of herself, not for wanting to continue gentling male channellers, but for not being a true Red: for not being open to new ways of dealing with circumstances as they changed. Blinking back tears, she suddenly felt the need to go ask for penance. Not for being too focused on gentling male channelers; and not for being "weakened" by Sephirael's speech. Rather, for not living up to the standards of Aes Sedai; for not being even willing to face change head-on. Possibly, for letting her past influence her actions far too much. She felt like she'd done her Ajah a disservice, and thus the White Tower, and thus the world.

She looked over to Dallah, who was remarkably calm; then over to Zarlash, who was remarkably unaffected by Sephirael's report. Standing, clearing her throat, she voiced one thought: "Sister Sephirael: I'm sure I speak for... many... when I put forth my _gratitude_ for the dangerous journey you've just made." Starting to take her seat again, she stood again and said, "I'd... I'd like to know more about how the... Black Tower... ensures that their members won't... cause harm. When the Taint starts to affect them, that is. Especially regarding their leader, Mr. Taim. Are there any plans in place, of which you're aware, for Taim's... replacement?... when the inevitable occurs? Thank you." After airing her question, she resumed her seat. Though she felt eyes boring into her from all directions, she finally felt she was going to make her tenure at the White Tower mean something; she was going to help show that the Reds were an Ajah with which to be dealt adriotly; and that they would help lead all the Ajahs into the uncertain times ahead.

In the moment of silence following Idinya's question, the doors burst open and slammed against the walls. Laurya was full almost to brimming with Saidar, having just withdrawn the weaves of Air that had thrown the doors open. She stalked into the room, around her sisters, and stopped in front of Dallah. Sensing that all the women were staring at her with utter amazement, Laurya spoke, loud and with perfect clarity.

"I call you to question, Dallah. Answer truthfully, or meet the wrath of the White Tower. You were away from the Tower some time ago, on a search for angreal with lost Ja'varan. You brought back reports of Darkfriends and Shadowspawn and male channellers."

Her voice indicated no real difference between the three.

"Answer now. No hedging; acknowledge or deny my allegations plainly, so that we know you speak truly. Have you at any time knowingly linked with a male channeller?"

She inhaled, and held her breath, waiting for the older woman to response.

Zarlash rose from her place amongst the other Red Sisters, eying Laurya with disgrace. The girl's run off with the chickens and I fear the dogs will catch her this time. Smoothing her dress, she began almost too quietly for her normal manner of abruptness,

"Laurya, please take your seat. We have matters that need discussing, and without your acting a child."

Laurya stared at her blankly, as though taken aback. She straightened, adjusted her dress, giving Dallah one last menacing gaze before taking her seat.

It is enough that the girl shows her anger so openly, much less spatting all that out in one breath. It is foolishness, running headlong into a den of irritated vipers. Turning to face Dallah, Zarlash continued on Laurya's comment,

"Dallah, does she speak the truth?", Zarlash said all too knowingly. It is best to play it safe and see how the snake reacts to being tapped with a stick.

Zarlash's gaze held no more mercy than that of a beheader. If she dodges this one, I'll still have something to use against her. One way or another... I will have her thrown from her high chair.