07/31/2000

Prison, Cubiyari'Shain

The smells of blood, of waste, of sweat and vomit mingle in a sickening
display. Guards in red and black stand two to a cell, hands on weapons,
despite the fact that the heiar'cue (sinning hearts) are unlikely to
escape, for their only options are a return to Fort Cubiyari'Shain or the
Arena. Neither an attractive prospect. Each cell is about the size of a
closet. What comfort need the heiar'cue? There is room to stand, and room
to sit. The long hallway opens up to a large room filled with chairs,
tables, and a dozen impliments meant for causing pain. A sickening little
dining room. Most of the heiar'cue, no doubt, would prefer to stay in their
cells. Some, the lucky few, are there only for an appointed time. The
interior of each cell contains one other thing. A copy of The Rules, one on
every wall. Even prisoners of war, who have committed no official crime and
may eventually become 'educated' into serving peacefully as one of the
de'sovin find themselves staring at those four little caveats through every
moment of their incarceration.

Strangely, though they must surely happen, nobody ever hears a single
scream from the Dining Room (as it is commonly called in this hellish
building.) Channelers -- the male variety, at least -- would easily see the
weaves of Air meant to muffle sound. Most of the heiar'cue are left
clueless and confused, for they are unable to see what goes on. After all,
those who are merely uneducated or straying slightly from the path -- here
for the relatively small crime of refusing to work, for example, or
refusing to report, need not be terrorized by necessity. Such is the will
of the Asha'Cor (guardian of night).


Suddenly there's a loud groan from a certain red head in the prison and
after a moment the young man pushes himself up off the floor. Groan. Groan.
Neelkan has to stand up so that he can stretch, rolling his shoulders and
neck and trying to work out a million kinks. Then he flops down into a
sitting position, leaning against one of the side walls so he can face the
other two he knows here. He rubs his face a few times, wishing for once he
could have a nice bath for a change, and this a guy who dislikes water and
never much cared, but he feels like he's about to claw off his skin here.
After a yawn he finally mumbles, "Mornin', 'r whate'er."

"Morning." Verbena replies, softly. Or whatever indeed. This inability to
know what time it is, the Rules, the lack of space and the lack of
bathing...all of that together, if it went on long enough, would probably
enough to drive anyone bannanas. She props her foot up in another corner of
the cell, flexes her toes, then gracefully bends her body slowly over the
knee in a dancer's stretch, groaning slightly as things pop.

"Whatever," Denn replies in a half mumble, as she continues to rock upon
the floor. She looks a filthy mess also, and has taken no steps to correct
that. The Light in her eyes just isn't there right now. "Are you alright,
Neel?" she asks, without breaking her eyes away.

Ahem. Neelkan shouldn't watch as a woman stretches out her legs and does
things like that, but he's not really in the frame of mind to think about
it and divert his eyes, as he should do. Yes, he was a bandit, but he /was/
raised a proper young man before that. By six women. He does get distracted
by the sight of his friends, eyes taking on a worried expression before he
shrugs, managing a small grin, "Blood 'n ashes, believe it 'r not, 'spite
all.. 'is.." he glances around his cell, "I've actually been gettin' some
decent sleep." Maybe because, for a change, whatever he could see in his
dreams can't be worse then waking up in this. "But ye'h. I'm a'right. Ya,
Denn? ... Verbena?"

"I am better." Verbena assures him, as she totally un-selfconciously
switches legs. "I apologize for my outbursts." She sounds all the more like
the cool white than even her normal self. "There are..." she pauses for a
moment. "There are things in my past that have made a worthless coward out
of me all of my life, I am afraid."

Denn'ryiel answer quietly. "I'm as well as can be expected," she says,
still wearing a rut into the floor of the cell. "It is alright, Verbena S"
She cuts off before she says Sedai. She still thinks it, but isn't willing
to push the other woman when she's in this kind of mood. "The Battle must
have been an exception then. You did not look a coward leading the forces
against the Dark."

There's a long pause while Neelkan continues to look worriedly at his
friend for a few moments, wondering what happened to her that he doesn't
know about. Well... perhaps nothing. Perhaps it's just the conditions. She
misses her bed, her friends, proper meals, being clean... Yeah. That's all
it is. He nods, having explained it to himself so he can think onward. To
Verbena, "'ey, it's a'right. I got a couple 'ings 'at set m' off too. But
e'en so, yer not worthless, 'r a coward." Not that he knows her all that
well, but he doesn't like people thinking such things about themselves.

Verbena pauses to smile slightly at Denn'ryiel. "That is because battles
are not on the list of things that frighten me. But thank you, both." But
she doesn't ask for her ring back, either. "Perhaps the tatooed man will
return and we can figure out how to figure /him/ out. Turn him to our
advantage, use him to get us out of here." Neelkan thinks lockpick, the Aes
Sedai thinks: find a person to use. Oh well. "I cannot analyze his actions
at all, however, thusfar. They were...very strange."

Denn'ryiel nods her head once. Her eyes flicker up from her skirt, only to
be stung by the sight of The Rules again. She promptly lowers her head back
down. "I'd... I'd be careful with him," she says softly. "Not that I've
figured him out much, but I think some of the residents here want us to try
to escape. They're looking for a means to get around Tetrarch's order not
to harm us. The Tattooed man may be a party to that."

"He has a good singin' voice though." Neelkan says in a deadpan voice, then
a second later can't help but snicker. Someone has to keep their sense of
humor in prison, and this guys the one who's going to make an attempt at it
at least. "Mine's better though." he adds with a small shrug then tries to
think over what the women are talking about. He's got everything he needs
to escape tied around his waist right now. At least as far as out of the
prison... getting out of the Fort will be the hard part... Especially with
two women. By himself... Bah. "I.. don't know if I like the idea of ya
tryin' t'... d' whate'er ya plan t' with 'at man... But..." Who's he to
tell an Aes Sedai (even one who doesn't want to be called it) what to do?
.... He's Neelkan of course. So he's going to anyway! "I just don't like it.
Leave 'scape plans t' me." He crosses his arms lightly afterwards.

Verbena nods a bit. "I just don't see why he would hand me his spear and
try to get me to kill him with it." Verbena says, frowning. A sour look
crossing her features. "Which I should have done."

Denn'ryiel blinks, and actually does look up at this. "I... must have
missed that. But... But that might just confirm what I was saying. If he's
trained, he could have kept a woman with no weapon experience from harming
him, while giving him the excuse he needed to hurt you." She grimaces, and
then turns to Neelkan as he asks to take the burden himself. "To you?" she
asks, curiously. Still no light in her eyes.

"'r he could've just been tryin' t' see if he could get ya t' join 'im. He
seemed to have kinda... taken a likin' t' ya." Neelkan shrugs his shoulders
a little, not sure how else to explain it. But he /did/ catch the little
inuendo... No doubt the Aes Sedai's methods of... 'figuring him out' didn't
help all that much in diswading him. But the young man won't say anything
on /that/. Instead he glances at Denn again and shrugs his shoulders, "'a
course m'." He's the man! And the ex-bandit. "Don't worry 'bout it. I get
all of us outta 'ere." He sounds positive enough...

Verbena wrinkles her nose. "I didn't get the impression he actually felt
emotions." Though she goes around acting like she doesn't feel emotions all
the time and managed to shatter that in three seconds flat, didn't she...

Denn'ryiel seems to take Neelkan's word for it, and a small smile appears
on her face, but no warmth returns to her eyes. She settles her forehead
against her legs again and proceeds to begin rocking once more. "I'd rather
not know what emotions that one has," she says, knowing it would chill her.

"'n I don't particularly care either." Neelkan says with another shrug, and
he means it. There's all of two people who he happens to give a second
thought two in this place, and he's talking to both of them. The rest can
die for all he cares...

Verbena nods her head and lets it drop. She's grasping at straws anyway and
knows it. She gets her feet as far apart as she can in the closet sized
cell and bends over to touch her toes.

Denn'ryiel finally presses her face against her skirts and stops rocking.
The sides of her face turn beet red. Though she doesn't make any noise, a
wet spot can be seen growing from where her face rests.

........ Neelkan watches both the women for a long time and seems unsure of
what to do... This isn't fair. He doesn't like women! (Or so he says, and
most the time thinks.) He finally sighs and sits up a little, moving over
to reach a hand into Denn's cell, trying to stick it in far enough to touch
her on the shoulder. "'ey. I'm gonna get both of ya outta 'ere. I promise.
A'right...?" It's all he can think of to say..

Verbena looks over at Denn's crying and decides that Denn hid her face for
a reason, and so does not comment on it. Instead she goes back to leaning
in the corner.

"It's... It's not that," Denn says, trying not to let sobbing disrupt her
voice. "I've never been deprived of the Source f-for this long... it feels
like I'm only half here... And it's... it's still there in reach," she
moans, burying herself further. So what if she's in a smelly, dirty,
rat-infested hole. She'd give nearly anything to be able to wrap herself in
Saidar and fill herself, even if it means making the smelly things
smellier, and the ugly things more vivid.

There are a couple things Neelkan just will never be able to understand.
Women in general being one, and the Source being another. He chews on his
lip for a few moments, then pulls his hand back and sits in his cell again.
"I'm sorry..." He hates feeling useless, but right now his sympathies is
all he can offer.

"Take a deep breath," Verbena advises in a low voice, "and let it out. Then
remember, very firmly, that you have not been stilled. That the shield is
only temporary, and that as long as we walk out of this alive, you will
have it once more. Think about another situation you were in that was bad
and seemed to drag out forever, and then remember that it did not. It
passed."

Denn'ryiel nods weakly and does so, bringing her face out of her skirts and
breathing in in, holding it until she expels it. Her eyes close as she
tries to regain control, and think of a time similar to what Verbena
suggests. That day 35 years ago when she had to wait in a Sedai's closet
for her to leave, because of the prank she was pulling and almost got
caught in, comes back to her. Soon the tears dry up, and she collapses
against the back wall.

Neelkan frowns as he watches Denn go through all that, and he wants nothing
more right now then to just get into that cell with her and hug her, but
blood 'n ashes. Grrrr. When she finally seems to go out, he lowers his head
to cover it with a hand for a moment, taking a few deep breaths of his own,
then mutters in a slightly muffled voice to himself, "I'm gonna get 'em
outta 'ere."

Verbena glances at him and looks irritated. "I have never in my life needed
anyone to take care of me," she mutters. Well, that's not precisely true.
But she never /got/ that person to take care of her, so in her eyes it is
the same thing.

Lowering his hand, Neelkan glances over, eyes a little more narrowed then
normal, "Ya may not need it, but I'm goin' t' anyway, lady." He pushes
himself up and starts to work his arms and legs again. If he's going to try
any kind of escape plan he's going to have to make sure he can /move/ when
he starts it.

"I am attempting to keep you from making unecessary sacrifices, woolhead.
We must approach this as equals." Though Verbena knows bloody well that if
it comes down to it she is going to be the one insisting on the sacrifices.
She is the Aes Sedai. Just because she hasn't been much of one thus far
doesn't mean she can't redeem her titles.

"Not plannin' t' make any sacrifices right now." Neelkan says, stretching
and rolling his muscles around. Looking like just normal attempts to get
his body out of a knoty mess that it's in. "So don't worry 'bout m'." He's
got things to do and can't just up and die before he can do them. Promises
to keep, and 'sides. He just plain doesn't want to die. And he's seventeen,
so he pretty much has that 'I'm immortal' outlook on life.

Which is yet another thing to be worried about. Immortal seventeen year
olds are usually immortal only becuase people remember the names of those
who die young. "Denn'ryiel informs me you underwent some interrogation. Are
you alright? Do you think that...Asha'Cor..." mentioning him still causes
her to shiver a bit, "finally believes the truth?"

Having leaned against the bars to massage the middle of his back for him,
Neelkan pauses for a moment in movement. "Eh.. well, he gave us food 'n
water. 'at has t' be a good 'nough sign 'at he believes us. 'n if he
doesn't... it was 'is loss." Literally. "'n ye'h. I'm a'right." Wasn't
himself he was worried about in the interrigation.

The White nods with a sigh. Believes but still wants to see if he can
squeeze some gold out of the Tower. "Bastards like him are all the same,"
she growls. She takes a few steps forward and back-kicks the wall. Very
gracefully. The woman can kick! "Its probably not even the gold. Its just
because we're 'his'. 'His' prisoners. 'His' possessions. Or maybe he just
wants to turn us over to the Dark. Well he can forget that too!" She front
kicks the bars. "Take that, Tetrarch! You haven't managed to keep me from
wanting to strike out yet!"

Neelkan watches the woman kick and stuff and he raises his eyebrows a
little. He'll have to remember that. Might come in handy for the escape! He
knows what he can do, but knowing what the Sedai can do helps a lot. "See?
Yer brave 'nough." He says with a small grin, then steps away from the bars
he was leaning on. All of the one step he can manage without nearly
pressing his face into the other set of bars. "But save yer strength a lil'
bit longer."

"It feels good to move, even a little bit." Verbena replies, though she
stops. "My skin feels tighter the longer we stay in here. I can only
imagine what it must have been like for the two of you, as I have a good
idea of how long I slept." She frowns deeply. "The Healing alone would have
knocked me out. I don't understand why that...rat...put a sleep weave in
there as well."

"I slept fairly long too." Which was a shocker to him. Neelkan usually
can't sleep longer then a few hours at most, and waking up is usually a
blessing. Now... he almost didn't want to at all. But the healing likely
had something to do with sleeping as much. "I hope nothing bad happened t'
Denn while I slept." He glances down at the woman who looks young, but
isn't and sighs a little.

"She should be raised." Verbena says absently. "Or let go. Keeping her at
semi-Sedai status is..." She shakes her head. "Not that anyone will listen
to /my/ recommendation."

"'ey, I like 'er just the way she is. 'n 'sides, if she left 'en I wouldn't
get t' see 'er anymore..." Neelkan shrugs, still looking at her. "'n if she
was raised 'en I'd be... uh..." Breaking that rule. The... entanglements
one. "Ne'ermind. I don't really know. She'll just a'ways b' Denn t' me."

Verbena blinks for a moment, then lets out an understanding "ahh." She lets
that matter drop. She sighs and shakes her head, pacing again. She starts
murmuring logical postulates to try to calm the caged rat feeling. "A is B.
B is C. Therefore A is C. Valid. A is B. B is not C. Therefore A is not C.
Invalid."

"But 'ey, if she did become a Sedai 'en I guess I could a'ways be 'er
Warder..." Neelkan says in a whispered voice, not really meaning to say it
outloud. He's just thinking and his mouth is working at the same time. Then
he glances at the Aes Sedai who's muttering, as far as he's concerned,
rubish and... looks confused. That's the best explaination for the raised
eyebrows, and tightened expression on his dirty face.

"Postulates." Verbena explains. "Certain statements have valid
logical...nevermind. Its like saying your times tables to calm down."

Times tables? Neelkan just kind of looks for a long moment, then nods. Like
counting cracks on the wall or something. He's done that sometimes.
"A'right. Keep goin' 'en if it keeps ya calm." So he won't have to worry
about her flipping out again. Glancing over at the guards, he moves over to
the door and sticks his hand out, feeling for the placement of the lock.
Might as well know where it is and make sure he has room to work with ahead
of time...

The guards look totally unworried about any actions anyone might take.
Until people are out of the cells, what goes on is nothing that bothers
them any. Verbena, for her part, watches Neelkan's actions.

Nodding at the placement, Neelkan pulls his hand back inside and looks
around the cell again a few times. One might notice that one of the ends of
his sash is looped into the fold of the cloth at his waist, and there's a
slight bludge there. And the stone that he knocked off during his so-called
'break down' from the back wall is no longer laying on the floor, and the
thin bracelet is still there. Hmm.

Verbena hmms but doesn't mention them, lest she call attention to them.
What is that boy up to, anyway? Whatever it is, she sure hopes it works.
She absently puts a hand back behind her head and grimaces as she slams up
against her shield one more time. Maybe if she gave some sort of oath that
she wouldn't channel they'd let her embrace...just embrace...for five or
ten minutes.

Neelkan's up to something... but he's going to need to come up with some
distraction first. He's gotten something to make a lock pick with... he's
gotten something that can act as a weapon until he can get a sword off one
of the guards... then he's just got to worry about getting out of the Fort.
Hmmm. He leans against the back wall and slides down, pulling his knees up
like Denn had hers and rests his arms over them.