04/21/2001

Zaidah's Room, White Tower, Tar Valon

A bed, small but soft, rests beneath a large window. Fluffy blue and white
quilts are tossed over it, meant to provide a measure of comfort and
hominess. A oaken dresser and wardrobe are also present, as are a washbasin
and pitcher full of water. A single lantern rests on the bedside table.
Saferan carpets in purple and blue cover the floor, giving an interesting
mix between luxury and simplicity.

There are a few paintings on the wall, the bland sort of still-life scenes
one expects from a room that belongs to nobody at all. Daisies and
sailboats, painted in soft colors and left small, to hang over the various
pieces of furniture. There, mostly, an afterthought to be looked at and
forgotten, by some nameless artist who likely never went far.


There are benifets to having been a bandit in a former life (well, sorta
former life, it seems like one at least!). This particular benifet includes
the fact that Neelkan is easily able to get inside rooms that he should not
have access to. Tsktsk. Didn't his mother tell him it wasn't nice to enter
without invitation? Yes, but since when did he listen to Madame Busty?
Anyway, he has entered this room without permission, and without
invitation, and without the knowledge of the person who lives within. And
the person wasn't there when he did either, so bonus! Unfortunate bonus, it
seems like she had reason to stay out of the room for a while, so
surprising her is getting kinda trying on his patience! And he's like a
five year old, so it's impossible for him to just sit down and wait! He's
gotta move! He's gotta do something to keep him from tearing hair out. What
if she went out on the city for the night? What if she's... ahem...
visiting someone else? Aaarrrggg. Must... pace! Paceing is good. (Perhaps
he should stop before he grounds a whole in Zaidah's floor).

Why am I suddenly reminded of Mojo Jojo? She was absent when he came into
the room, and she was not there! She did not invite him to come in, and he
did not get her permission! This note is from, and was written by: ...
Sorry. *Zaidah glares at her player who has a tendency to get carried away*
Can we just get on with the scene? Yes, yes. The person to whom the room
belongs' week is finally up. Days of sleeping in a hammock are over, for
now anyway, and she gets to finally make it back to a real bed. Oh joy, oh
rapture. Zaidah did actually go into the city, but it was only to test
Jakeb. No (ahem) visits. ;) She stops at the door and turns the knob.
Locked? Nope, why would she need to lock her door? Anyone other than a
Gaidin would be noted coming into the wing, and none of -them- want her
clothing.. er.. I hope! That would be horrible if she came back and her
closet had been raided by cross-dressers. Slowly the door opens to admit
her.

And she opens the door to find a red-haired, white-streaked Gaidin pacing
around her room muttering to himself. Yes, muttering to himself. Neelkan is
not good at this waiting thing, and he needs to talk to /somebody/, so it
might as well be himself, right? At least he's muttering and not outright
talking. Light knows he normally yells (by other people's defination) when
he speaks, so that would probably attract attention to anyone passing by
Zaidah's room. There's something laying on her bed, a large buddle of
something or other, covered mostly by his cloak, so it doesn't really stand
out too much. Or at least, it fades into the color of her covers fairly
easily. His head jerks up as the door opens, actually startled. She's here!
.... ... ... He should say something now, right? ... ... ... Speak! Don't
just stand there with your mouth hanging open! (Why not?) Because you look
like an idiot! >.< ... "Uh.. Zai.. uh.. G'day?" He looks really sheepish
for some reason.

Zaidah is of course astouned with his eloquence. *.* What's better than
looking like an idiot? Sounding like one of course! ;) She grins and steps
inside, brown eyes takeing in the room (she is a Gaidin after all). "It is
now." She winks, clearly pleased to see him here, though surprised of
course. She closes the door and tilts her head to the side to peer at his
sheepishness. Does she needs to get a pair of shears or something? No, no,
that just calls up all sorts of bad images. Her eyes flick around the room
again and pause at the... lump on the bed. She arches her scarred eyebrow
and folds her arms, leaning back against the door. "And what have you been
up to, pumpkin? Hmmmm?"

"Who, me?" Neelkan blinks a little, as if confused by the question. Did he
have a few drinks or is he normally this dense? (He's normally this dense.)
It takes a second, but before she can answer, he jumps lightly and adds,
hands raising to wave briefly, "I'm not doin' anythin' in 'ere, I swear! I
just.. wanted t' bring ya some stuff.. ya know.. welcome back stuff?" He
scratches his hair and then goes towards the bed, picking his cloak up off
and starting to unroll the bundle. Basically it appears as if he's gotten
her a new coat (actually fairly close to the right size for her, though a
little too big -- not to mention red), a new belt (with knife sheaths) and
what looks like a thin silver choker. "It's nothin' much, just.." he
shrugs. What's he supposed to say really? That he doesn't want he to leave
again? ... That would be too awkward.

The grin disappears from Zaidah's face as he unwraps the bundle. She
certainly has been getting a lot of gifts from men lately hasn't she? Not
that she's going to complain. Her eyes widen though and she just breaks out
in a gentle smile. "Neelkan... thank you." She walks over and looks down at
the gifts, and turns around, indicating for him to help her put the coat
on, since he's got it in his hands. She gets the coat on, and then the
belt... and then she runs the choker through her fingers before handing
that back to him as well, turning around, and pulling her hair up away from
her neck. "Would you...?" she asks softly, glancing back at him over her
shoulder. She doesn't care if he's dense. She likes him that way. Then she
looks away and bows her head slightly. "It is much, and I love it." And
even if she didn't like the gifts, she would still cherish them always
simply because they came from him.

Wanna know something funny? Neelkan's cheeks actually turn kinda rosy when
she starts to pick up the choker. Why? Well... perhaps there's something
special about it that he isn't going to mention. But at the offer of the
choker he takes it carefully, blinking at her. It's almost as if he thinks
she doesn't want it. At least until she turns around... Then he blushes
more and starts to inch his hands around her so he can get the choker on.
He's very careful with how he attaches it, then pulls his hands back. But
he doesn't let her turn around. Instead he wraps his arms around her from
behind and pulls her up against him, pressing his face into her hair. His
breath brushes againts her ear as he speaks, "I'm.. glad ya like it. 'n I'm
really glad 'at yer back 'n a Gaidin 'gain."

Zaidah gasps as Neelkan hugs her from behind. Ok, she definately wasn't
expecting that. He never really struck her as the hugging type. Not that
she minds! And why the blush? Odd. She shivers slightly as his whispered
words caress her ear and melts back against him and into the embrace and
closing her eyes. "Neelkan..." Slowly she turns in his arms and presses her
palms against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. "I missed you...
I promise I won't run off again... ok?" Wait, did he say anything? No, but
not everyone can be as bad at reading people as he is. She lifts her head
to look up at him and smiles reassuringly.

Normally, Neelkan isn't much for hugging, but this is a little different.
He doesn't know exactly why she left, but he knows he never wants it to
happen again. He kind of wishes he would have gone after her when she /did/
go, but his mind (and heart) was too full of Kaomi and nothing else wanted
to shine through. Not Zaidah, or Denn'ryiel or anyone else. Rubbing his
hands along her arms for a moment, he laughs softly against her ear before
pulling away enough so she can look at him, "Blood 'n ashes. I'm bein' 'at
obvious, aren't I?" He scratches at his hair and laughs somemore, starting
to pull away more. "I promise I won't run off without tellin' ya either,
how's 'at?" Just so they can be fair... Of course, he didn't say he
wouldn't run off, just that he'd tell her before he did.

Zaidah slides her arms around his neck and doesn't let him pull away
anymore. Er.. well.. unless he -really- wants to, but then she might have
to do something drastic like tie him down and- ahem. *^^* Eharoni women are
known for that you know. "Yes, you are, but I like it." Run off without
telling her eh? No, no, that doesn't work. Hmmm.. maybe the bed would be
useful after all. Since it's behind him, Zaidah glances quickly over his
shoulder, and then tries to push him backwards onto it and pin him there.
Ok, maybe she's pressing her luck here but... she's Zaidah. She can't just
not do it! Whether she gets him where she wants him or not she arches an
eyebrow. "Without telling me? No, no, how about if you're going to run off
you take me with you." Can't have him getting in trouble without her there
to watch his back.

"Zai--mrph!" That would be Neelkan's reaction to getting pushed backwards
and pined down on the bed. Could he have stopped her if he really wanted
to? Probably. He's not a slouch when it comes to such things. So that might
mean he wanted her to pin him down? Well, at least he doesn't /not/ want
her to. In fact, he blinks up at her and starts to move around *ahem* under
her (nearly squirming!) and says, "Ya know, 'is is a compromisin' position,
my dear Zai." He teases softly, reaching up to brush some of her hair
behind her ear so it doesn't fall into his face. Of course, gravity forces
it to escape eventually, but it's the gesture, right? "Take ya with m'?" He
doesn't say anything at first, because he added that for the main reason
that as Amyrlin's Gaidin, he might get called away on some super dangerous
mission... and he doesn't want to take her on one of them! She might get
hurt! (She can take care of herself!) So. He knows that. But he doesn't
want to endanger her more than she needs to be...

Ooooo. Squirming. Zaidah certainly isn't going to complain about that. She
grins, "It is isn't it? I wonder what someone would say if they walked in
right now." She leans down to nibble on his neck gently. "I bet we could
cause quite a scandal... if we wanted to." She pulls back and smiles down
at him as he brushes the hair behind her earlobe, but his silence is a
little... worrisome. "Yes, take me with you. I'm not... I'm not asking you
for any kind of commitment Neelkan. Neither of us is the type... but as
long as you -do- want to keep me around... then keep me around. I want to
look out for you," and before he can argue, "and I want you to look out for
me too." Woah, she's actually admitting to that? "I want to go where you
go, and help you with all the ash life has to throw at you, to share in
your pains and your joy... for as long as you'll let me." Gently she runs
her fingers through his hair, gazing down into his eyes. "I want to love
you..."

"..." Yes. That is what you think it is. Neelkan has been rendered
speechless. Sorry, but that is quite literally the most that anyone has
ever said to him on that. Espi told him that she liked having him around,
and she cared for him, and for a long time that was the most he'd been
showered with affections wise. And of course Denn, but she never really
/said/ any of those things. Even Kaomi under the love weave didn't say that
much! He's just a little stunned. Give him a little bit. His first actual
coherent thought? Light, I wish I'd had 'at talk with Kaomi... Sad, but
true. That's his first thought. Of course, he could always do something to
trigger the talk... The problem was he hadn't got up the nerve. What was he
supposed to say exactly? 'D' ya mind if I seek romantic options?' >.> It'd
be weird. Especially to someone he still kinda has feelings for (though not
really the intense love stuff he had before, more the same fondness he's
gotten for most the women who reach fluke rank). Finally he manages to say
something, "Uh.. A'right." Is that it? Well, let's just say he's not really
the most eloquent.

The wait is ever so slightly agonizing. No wait, who is she kidding? She's
more terrified than she's ever been in her life, or at least that's how it
feels right about now. Uh.. A'right? That's what she gets after all of
that? Instead of getting upset though she actually dissolves into a pile of
giggles atop him. c.c Yes... Zaidah is giggling. She recovers quickly
though and pulls back to look at him again, gently stroking his cheek with
her fingertips. Do more words come from the female Gaidin? Nah, she only
recently got good with them apparently, and her more preferable form of
communication has always been action. So she takes his words as an
invitation and leans down to plant a kiss on his lips. And um... she
doesn't do half-hearted kisses... c.c So yes, her tongue tries to make its
way into his mouth. n.nV

No half-hearted kisses? Well... alright. Neelkan makes a soft 'mrph!'
again, but he returns the kiss as much as she's giving it. His arms wrap
around her and he pulls her a little bit closer to him. After a while of
this kiss (about the time most people need to come up for air), he pushes
her away a little, saying, "Zai... d' ya mind if I stay the night 'ere?" he
sounds breathless. (Hey, you're lucky he can form a complete sentance after
a kiss like that. Much less worked up the nerve to actually ask something
like /that/ sober!) "I've.. uh.. ne'er.. uh.. ya know.. with someone I
actually..." Oh, shut up, Neelkan. >.< He cuts himself off and just pulls
her back in for a kiss. But what he was meaning is the only times he's ever
*ahem* been with someone *ahem* is when he was drunk or really didn't know
the person. He pulls back again, to add in a tease, "But if ya try t' hold
m' boot hostage 'is time, I'll beat ya with yer own staff." He's kidding.
And quite honestly, she probably wouldn't /have/ to hold his boot hostage
if she wanted him to stay longer.

Can we say 'big huge goofy grin?' I knew we could. ;) Well there is one on
Zaidah's face right now, and for a while she's a little too stunned to
speak, especially after he hits her over the head with the question, and
then another kiss. "I thought you'd never ask," she replies with a wink
before leaning down to nibble gently on his neck some more. At the boot
comment she gasps and pulls back and looks down at him oh so innocently.
"Hold your -boot- -hostage-?? Would I commit such a crime?? Is that what
you think of me?" She pretends to look hurt, and feigns a little sniffle.

"Yes." Neelkan says in a /completely/ serious voice. No teasing at all. It
would of course be because she tried the tactic once on him! Of course,
that was a long time ago, (okay, okay, about two years or something), and
they've both changed a lot. He does lean up to nip very briefly on her
lower lip, showing that there's no hard feelings, before he lays back on
the bed and looks up at her. In fact, to make things a little odd, he folds
his arms behind his head as a pillow, like he's waiting to see what /she's/
going to do. But before she can do much more than possibly a few more
kisses and nibbles (and maybe start getting his shirt off), he blinks
suddenly, as if he just thought of something. That is followed by him
chewing on his lower lip with a fang uncertainly. He's /already/ having
doubts? Not about Zaidah! Just... about other things. Of course, she may
not understand that at first.

Arg, why does he have to go and get serious at a time like this? Well
Zaidah is a fairly quick worker, so yes indeed she got as far as having his
shirt half off before she notices the uncertainty, and she freezes, looking
down at him. Did she do something wrong? Didn't he kiss her back? Didn't he
-ask- to spend the night?? "Neelkan...? What's... what's wrong?" Does she
really want to know? Yes and no. Of course she's fearing the worst, and her
hands are trembling.

"Eh?" Neelkan blinks, pulled out of his thoughts. Did he really somehow
miss her stripping off half his shirt? Well, yes, but this is something
pretty serious. He's only told a few people about it, and normally only
when he had to. It isn't something he /likes/ to talk about. But if he's
going to stay the night... there's no telling what might happen. And it's
better to tell her now than for her to find up when he wakes up yelling,
right? He seems to decide that, because he nods, "'ere's just somethin' I
need t' tell ya. If I'm gonna stay 'ere. It's.. uh.. ya could prolly say m'
big secret." He laughs a little bit, looking up at the ceiling for a few
moments. Yeah, it's his big secret all right. Oh, and since the last time
that she probably had a good chance to look at him shirtless, he has a few
scars on his chest and shoulders, probably from 'Gaidin stuff'. "You see, I
sort of.." How is he supposed to explain this? Grrrrr. "Do you know
anything about Aes Sedai 'Talents'?" It's how he learned about Dreaming, so
it's one way to start.

You mean it's not her? Phew! That, she was ever so slightly worried about.
No, wait, that she was ever so slightly terrified about. She peers at him
curiously. "A little. You mean like Healing?" His big secret? She gets to
find out his big secret? *.* For some reason that makes her feel all warm
and fuzzy inside. She rolls off him, since this is supposed to be somewhat
serious, and instead curls up against his side, letting her gaze wander
between his eyes.. and the scars on his chest. She doesn't mind them at
all. Their bandges of honor, just like her facial scar... which.. she could
probably actually get Kirra to heal but... no. That would be so not her.
She likes her scar. Meanwhile, back to Neelkan's story...

"Uh, ye'h, sorta." Back to the accent again, huh? Yup. Neelkan pulls a hand
up from under his head, just to scratch at his hair as he continues to
watch her for a few moments. "Ya see, I kinda have one. A Talent 'at is."
Wha? Yeah, he can understand how that would make people go 'wha?' so he
continues, blue-green eyes turning to the ceiling again. "It's not really
'power' related though. 'r 'at's what 'ey've said, but I know some 'Sedai
who got it too..." He's trailing off the subject. He shakes his head and
continues, "It's called 'Dreamin'. Basically I have bad dreams 'at
sometimes come true, 'n dreams 'at're real 'nough t' leave m' with scars in
the mornin' if I get hurt in 'em." He laughs a little, shrugging his
shoulders, "It's kinda 'nnoyin', but ya should know.. ya know.. just in
case..." He's never been one for sleeping well. Look at his hair.

What indeed. Zaidah, by the end of this is looking at him with a very...
arched eyebrow. Does she believe him? Of course.. she's just... a little
wierded out by it all. "You can have a Talent without being able to
channel?" Obviously heccan't, or he wouldn't have lasted at the Tower this
long, but... it's still very confusing. "Is there anything I can do to
help," she asks softly, peering at him gently.

"'parently." Neelkan laughs a little more, tugging on one of his many white
streaks. "'n 'ere's nothin' ya can d'. 'ere's no way t' get rid of it, 'n
ya can't teach m' t' control it." He shakes his head a little.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to control the part that has
bothered him most his life. The dream-walking itself he can control... to
an extent. It's the dreams that haunt him that he wants to get rid of.
"It's just.. I didn't want ya t' get worried if I start kickin' 'r
somethin'."

Zaidah grins and reaches up to wind a lock of white hair around her finger.
"That's all right. I think I can handle a little kicking." She leans
forward to nibble on his ear. "I could always just make you too tired to
dream when you go to sleep." And just how would she accomplis- wait,
nevermind. Guessing isn't that difficult. ;)