08/10/2000

Denn'ryiel's Room, White Tower, Tar Valon

        Denn'ryiel's room is rather large for a servant's. A feather bed is
against the west wall, facing the east window in order to catch the sun's
morning rays. Plants of all variety grow in pots throughout the room. Some
of them don't appear to be indoor plants, and a few flowers look completely
unique. They all combine to give a rather fragrant aroma, that becomes
apparent the moment anyone crosses the threshold into the room. A hearth
against the north wall provides warmth during the cold seasons. There's one
half-filled book shelf, but nothing else that would interest a Brown Sedai.
An oaken drawer with images of leaves carved into it sits next to the
window and holds her clothing. The only other furniture in the room are a
couple of birch chairs, a changing screen in one corner of the room, and a
well made Saferi rug covering the floor near the chairs and door.


It's been about an hour or two since Neelkan finally caught on to the
rumors about Denn, /the/ Denn, being raised to Aes Sedai. At first he
wondered if it was a joke, because she always said it would /never/ happen.
And even Verbena was talking about how unlikely it was... But when a Novice
got a hold of him and said that he was going up to visit Denn'ryiel
Sedai... well... it was hard not to take it seriously. So after a trip up
to the Aes Sedai section, with a Novice escourting him up, the young
Trainee knocks lightly on the door before pushing it open and peeking in.
"Denn? Can I come in?"

"Yes," comes a weak voice from the feather bed, the same one as before
hauled up the stairs into the new room. The new Sedai is under the sheets,
looking quite tired. She still smiles to the trainee when he enters though.
"Neel... I was hoping it would be you," she says. Hanging on one of the
closet handles is one of Denn's rose dresses, with a large burn mark and
hole where her stomach would have been.

Neelkan steps fully inside and closes the door behind him, glancing at the
dress with a furrowed brow and a frown, then he moves closer into the room,
towards the bed, "'ey. I..uh.. congratulations." That's what he's supposed
to say, right? But she looks so... miserable... And he doesn't really look
all that excited either for some odd reason. He moves closer, then sits
down on the edge of the bed, offering a small, and somewhat forced, smile.

Denn'ryiel smiles a little more. "Sorry," she says quietly. "I was just
Healed... a bit extensively, and put through a ringer before that, so I
might not be in the best shape for visits. But I'm still glad you came.
Thank you." She tries to move up a little bit, to prop her head against the
backboard of the bed.

Standing up a little, Neelkan instinctively reaches out to help with the
sitting up, saying, "Ya look like 'ey put ya through quite an ordeal..."
Thank you, Master of the Bloody Obvious... He sits back once he's helped
her enough and frowns at her, then shakes it off. She doesn't want to see
him upset right now. "So how does it feel t' be an Aes Sedai now? Is it
different at all?" He hopes not... She's always been just.... Denn.

Denn'ryiel smiles and accepts Neelkan's help, smoothing out her shift.
"Yes... they gave me lessons on the evil things I'm supposed to do now as a
woman," she says with a small smile. There's no sarcasm in her voice since
it's a light-hearted jest not a slam. "No... maybe it will feel different
when I'm not so tired. I've been asleep most of the time since the
ceremony."

"I figured. Guess now m' feather bed rights are retracted?" Neelkan jests
lightly, bouncing a little on the bed in that playful fashion he sometimes
gets. "If ya do start feelin' different, I think I'm gonna have t'... I
dunno... do somethin'." To keep her from losing her status as... someone he
cares about. Sigh. He reaches over to secure one of her hands and squeezes
it lightly.

Denn'ryiel sighs and closes her eyes, nodding. "I don't understand why the
Gaidin would forbid access to the Sedai Quarters without permission, but I
guess we'll have to live with that." She opens her eyes and smiles at
Neelkan. "If I do start acting different, you can feel free to hit me or
something," she says, adding quickly, "Significantly different, that is."