04/05/2001

Knock? Ha! Knocking is for... well... Zaidah doesn't know who it's for, but
it's definately not for her. Besides, she might catch him in a
compromising... state of dress and how fun would that be? Very. So she
simply opens the door and walks in. Besides, she's too excited to be back
to knock. "Neelkan?" Ok, first things first. Since when does Zaidah
voluntarily wear dresses? Especially Essenian dresses. Well she's wearing
one now. Red and black lace, with sleeves off the shoulders and.. well...
the neckline... we probably just shouldn't go there. The skirts are divided
though. And she still carries dust from the road in her hair and on her
clothes, but she's never been afraid of a little dirt.

And what does she walk in on? Well, Neelkan's laying in his bed, his shirt
off, trousers on at least. He's laid back, one arm over his eyes to block
out the sunlight streaming in here. Yup, he's got a room with a window. He
doesn't seem to be asleep though, because when the voice calls out he lifts
the arm to glance, recognizing the voice but not seeming to believe that
he's really hearing it until he sees the person. He's forced to blink a few
times. What the bloody? "Zai?" He sits up fully, still blinking. Is he
seeing things?

Zaidah just stands there for a moment, not bothering to hide the fact that
she's admiring him. She wouldn't be Zaidah if she didn't. After she gets a
nice eyeful though she closes the door behind her and smiles at him. "In
the flesh, pumpkin." She'll get to why she's here in his room in a minute,
but.. uh.. she'll do him the favor of letting him absorb the fact that
she's here at all before she gives him more shocks, and she certainly has
plenty in store for him. Pulling pins from her hair she just lets them drop
to the floor and shakes some of the dust from her hair (which has grown
considerably since she gave up her Corain act) while she walks over to..
wherever he keeps alcohol. It has to be there, right? This is Neelkan we're
talking about. She proceeds to rummage through his room, looking for it,
and making herself quite at home it seems. She'll clean up later, but right
now she just wants to get comfortable.

Oh, there's some alcohol, though it may take a little while to find.
Neelkan hasn't drank a whole bottle since Kaomi bonded him. Though he has
drank some, so don't die of shock right away. Just hasn't drank as much as
he used to. He watches her as she shakes her hair out, an almost stunned
expression on his face. He continues to watch as she starts to move around
his room. He makes no comment as she begins to rumage around. It's not that
clean to begin with anyway. She might notice a bunch of paper work though.
More than he would normally have had in his room. There's rosters listing
students and lesson plans and letters from Aes Sedai and Gaidin reporting
things to him. Some letters from Army representives, everything that a
Master Gaidin would need to have handy, even if his reading skills aren't
exactly the best in the world. It takes him a while to say anything, "Ya're
back..." Thank you, Master of the Bloody Obvious.

Zaidah laughs at his expression and the words that come from his lips and
finally finds a bottle and a glass, yes she's actually going to drink it
from a glass rather than straight from the bottle. So they've both changed
a little. "That I am. You are now looking at Lady Zaidah Queldyn of House
al'Caar." She takes a grinning sip, watching him over the rim of his glass.
She never promised to give him -much- time to get over the initial shock.
Normally... the thought of Zaidah being a Lady would be utterly laughable,
but... in the time she's been gone things have changed a little. She seems
more self-posessed. Well, that's not entirely acurate. She was pretty
confidant before, but this is a more mature confidence. "I have to go talk
to Jedan and Raeth pretty soon to see if they'll let me back in but I
thought I'd come pay a plea-" A stray glance catches the paperwork... and
she slowly lowers the glass from her lips, looking slowly back and forth
between him and it. What is this?

Lady Zaidah Queldyn of Hou-- ... Neelkan almost looks like he's going to
need that drink in a minute. Luckily, for the moment perhaps, he seems able
to cope with the idea. "Ya look great..." he mutters breathlessly, watching
as she starts to drink. Well, it's the truth! She does look great. He was
worried about her, you know! Grr. Not that he's going to admit it or
anything, but he was. He would have gone to look for her himself if he
could have, but he's sort of commited to staying here at least part of the
time, unless he has offical business. Then of course she starts to go into
the subject of Jedan and Raeth and his mouth starts to work, then she stops
and starts to look between him and the paperwork. His cheeks color, making
him look more and more like the nineteen year old boy that he's trying to
pretend he isn't. "Um.. Zai.. ya won't have t' go see Jedan, though I'm
sure Raeth'll wanna talk t' ya." He rubs a hand through his hair. "Jedan
isn't the Master Gaidin anymore."

And she really didn't mean to worry anyone. She just... had to go take care
of some business. A grin wrinkles that scar she bears on the left side of
her face as he compliments her and she leaves the papers behind to settle
herself on the edge of the foot of the bed. She's not snuggling up next to
him, and it's unlikely that a causal observer would find anything forward
about how close she is since she leaves a good few feet of space between
them, and for very good reasons. But she's still grinning at him, and just
generally looking... happy. "Wow. I go away for a little bit and you go and
hit the big time on me." He's so cute when he blushes, but of course she
can't actually say that. "Master Gaidin Neelkan... I have to say that does
have a nice ring to it." She glances at the glass, and then offers it to
him since he does look like he needs a drink. "And I must say I'd rather
ask what I have to ask of you than Jedan." She doesn't even bother saying
that he looks great too. Not that he'll be able to see it, but the words
reside completely in her eyes. Sometimes it really is a shame he's so
clueless.

Cluelessness is the mark of a great man! ... Or not. Anyway, Neelkan leans
over and takes the drink, taking a gulp of it before handing it back. "Um..
I didn't mean t' 'hit it big'. I certainly wasn't 'spectin' it." That is
perhaps an understatement. If he hadn't been bonded to Kaomi and able to
feel that she genuinely thought he could do it, he probably would have
figured she was lying when she asked. She wasn't lying though. And so far
he still has doubts in if he's any good at this, but he's trying. "Just
call m' Neel, please. I still don't like titles." And probably never will.
But the last part makes him blink. Um... rather ask him? "Rather ask m'
what?" Yup, clueless.

Zaidah laughs and takes the glass back, setting it on the floor before she
turns and tucks one foot under the knee of the other so she can face him,
and look at him. "I know you didn't mean to, pumpkin, but don't worry. I
think it suits you." The position, not the title. He will always be pumpkin
to her. Now it's time to get down to business though and she sighs a
little. "I abandoned the Tower in leaving. I gave up my cloak and my staff,
and the path of the warrior when I left. And I hurt people here that I care
about in the process. I wanted to tell you... that I'm sorry." Yes, she's
actually apologizing. "And I understand if you don't want Raeth to give
them back, but that is what I would like..." For a moment she pauses...
just gazing into his eyes... "I want to serve the Tower again." Serve??
Since when did Zaidah ever want to serve?? "I want to come home. If you'll
let me." She is completely and totally calm, though it's clear that she
cares deeply about... his answer.

For a long, long while, Neelkan just stares at her. As if he's either
unsure what to say, or shocked beyond shock. One or the other is true. Or
perhaps it's something else entirely. "Zai..." he starts softly after a
moment. Then his bare feet slide off the bed and he stands up. He moves
over to where she is and removes the glass from her hand, moving to the
nearest flat surface (besides the floor) and setting it down there. He
takes a breath, back to her (and what a nicely muscles back it is, ne?) and
starts again, "Did you know that Raeth was going to go look for you? I
don't even know if he went or not, but he was going to go to the Fort and
rescue you." Uh-oh. No accent. That has been happening more and more
lately, though she may not notice. There's also a lot of things different
about him. His body is a little more toned than it was (not that it was
ever not) and his hair is longer. He's also more... controlled. Weird, huh?
"I would have gone myself if I hadn't told Kaomi I'd take over as Master
Gaidin a short time after you left."

Startlement... is clear on her features, and she just lets him take the
glass. For once she's undistracted by the fact that an extremely good
looking bare chested man is standing so close to her. "He... he was?"
Zaidah looks slightly.. confused as she looks up at him from her seat on
the edge of the bed. "You would have?" Why should that surprise her?
Because she pretty much thought everyone was going to hate her after she
ran out on them... "Neel... I-" She's really not the blushing type, and
it's hard to see with her dark skin but it's there, ever so faintly. "I
didn't just come back for my cloak... You know that don't you?" There is a
faint hint of... pleading in her voice when she asks her question. Mostly
because she -doesn't- know if he knows that. Wait, hold up. She's not
getting all prickly about someone wanting to rescue her? Desperately she
wants to go to him and... make him look at her, but.. she doesn't have the
right. And whereas the old Zaidah would have cared... or at least would
have pretended she didn't, this one cares very much. And then a realization
tugs at her attention and she blinks. "Your accent...?" Ash, she's missed
so much... when did all this happen without her?

Neelkan's head lowers, hair spilling over his eyes and forehead, though she
wouldn't be able to see that very well, as he has his back to her. His
fists clench, knuckles pressed against the table top, then... slowly, they
unclench and he turns to look at her. His eyes aren't angry at all, though
they are partely obscured by his hair. "I don't know... Why did you come
back?" His voice is very deep and slightly breathless, much softer than his
voice normally would have been. Has Gaidinhood really changed him so much?
No. It wasn't Gaidinhood. It was the trip to Aelgar, and the lovespell that
changed him like this. Some would say it forced him to grow up. Others
could say that it opened his eyes a little more.

The clenching.. is noted with curiousity and when he turns back to her
Zaidah has this... look on her face. It is the look of a woman who is
slowly steeling herself to doing something she know she may regret. Slowly,
efortlessly she glides to her feet with a grace she certainly poseses
before, but chose not to use. And she closes the distance to him. "Are you
really that much of an idiot?" The question is gentle, and very fond
though, not even close to an accusation. She reaches up to start to brush
his hair from his eyes... but stops herself before she actually touches
him. "I came back because the idea of living life without... my friends was
like the idea of living life without being able to breathe. I came back
because I owed it to myself, and to you... and to Raeth... and..." She
trails off and glances down to the floor for a moment, faltering as her
nerve starts to leave her. She clenches her own fist though and holds tight
to it. "And because I love you, you moron." How can she be so relieved and
terrified at the same time? It's a very... interesting sensation. Brown
eyes fix on his blue-green ones. "You don't have to say anything. I don't
expect..." She shakes her head and looks away again. "I just had to say it
I guess." She looks... sadly resigned.

She... loves him? Neelkan's arms hang at his side for a moment, almost as
if his mucsles just gave out on him. His legs work fine though! He doesn't
have to say anything? Good, because his mouth was starting work, but no
words were coming out. When she looks away from him though, he blinks.
What's with the sad look? He stops trying to say anything and just... acts.
He was always better with actions than words anyway. His hands reach up,
finding her face. His fingers cup her cheeks, a thumb rubbing lightly over
the scar as he turns her to look at him again. One might think he would say
something then, but again, he does not. He just looks at her, peacock
blue-green eyes studying her own. What? Has no one ever said they loved him
before? Honestly, except for his sister and Kaomi under that spell... no.
She may have enough time to start speaking, but he plans to cut her off if
she does. And how does he cut her off? Well, he leans forward and kisses
her of course! Just a simple, mostly caste kiss, but it's a kiss. From
someone who's normally not the kissing type.

Ok, Zaidah's brain was in that head of hers somewhere. Really it was, but
it seems to have flown the coup. This was not something she expected in her
wildest im- scratch that. Zaidah has always had a pretty wild imagination,
but she never actually thought it would... he would... She's one of the
evil women isn't she? Did he say she was worse than his sisters? Hence, her
confusion. A thousand questions much like these run through her head. What
about that Aes Sedai? Though really... she has similar questions to ask
herself, questions she doesn't really want the answers to. So she puts them
away and closes her eyes, letting her lips linger for... as long as he'll
allow really, but she doesn't try to deepen the kiss. That would just... be
wrong somehow. When the kiss ends her eyes slowly flutter open and she
looks up at him. "Neelkan..." she whispers breathlessly because.. she
really doesn't have a clue what else to say. So she just looks up at him,
if anything even more confused than before, but... much more pleasantly so.

Yes. She's an evil, evil woman. But when he told half the Tower that he was
in love with every woman in the Tower, he meant her too. Even though she
wasn't in it anymore. Neelkan lets the kiss break, settling back. His hands
drop and then raise again, fingers immediately going into his hair to
smooth his floppy bangs back. "Uh.. sorry. It's just.. I'm not used t'
people sayin' 'at, I guess." He looks a little sheepish for a moment, then
adds, "If ya want t' come back, 'n if Raeth won't object... yer welcome t'
stay. 'r.. at least.. I want ya t' stay." He smiles a little weakly, then
starts to turn away, towards her glass again.

Oh dear... Raeth. Zaidah actually chuckles softly. Somehow she doubts that
meeting will turn out as pleasantly as this one did. That thought seems to
snap her out of her confusion though. She puts a hand on the arm closest to
her glass, and gently turns him back to her. "I can get you used to it. If
that's what you want." There is hesitation, and a bit of fear, but
excitement too. Never let it be said that Zaidah doesn't go after what she
wants, even if how she goes about it changes. Raeth will understand. He has
to. And she'll probably end up being his whipping girl for the rest of her
life because of this but if that's what it takes then she'll do it
cheerfully. She blushes again, some of her forwardness fading as she
releases her hold on his arm. "I'm sorry, I should.. you don't have to..
um.. I'm going to.. go see if I can.. find Raeth... um... thanks..."

Neelkan laughs softly at her words, though he doesn't get a chance to say
anything before she lets go of his arm and starts to stutter off to find
Raeth. "Um.. a'right. 'n.. 'ere's one thing ya need t' know, if ya plan
t'.. make m' used t' 'at." He looks a little sheepish, then he continues,
"Kaomi bonded me. But I don't think she'd b' like some Sedai would.
She's... better 'en 'at I think." He shrugs. Mainly what he means is that
she won't get pissed at him for smooching on another woman or anything. But
that's something he's going to need to talk to her about soon. Especially
with Zaidah back. *c.c;* Uh.. "Good luck."