07/24/2001

Hall of Blood, The Citadel, Jaramide

        The Hall of Blood is the most feared place in the whole of the
Citadel. Not really a hall, but more of an enormous dungeon with cages
suspended along the walls where prisoners are kept. Below them are the
tables (complete with built in clamps for the restraint of hands and feet)
where torture takes place and apparently making the prisoners watch is
another form of torture because those residing in the cages can hardly help
but watch with the view right there before them. All manner of devices for
causing all manner of pain reside here, and are unfortunately often in use.
Tsk. Tsk. Why can't people just be bad like they're supposed to? Ah well,
here they pay for their 'crimes'.



This Hall is not all cages and torture impliments. There is a door at the
back of the room, which leads to a very special cell, for a very special
prisoner. So why exactly is Neelkan there? Perhaps because he has enemies
in... semi-high places. And because the previous occupant was just recently
executed. It was fun, you should have been there. Zaidah looks around her
at the pain and suffering as she casually walks through, stopping to nod to
the guard. "Night Bringer Raeth sent me." She rests a hand on her hip, and
waits as the door is opened, letting in a ray of dim light into the
otherwise dark cell.

This isn't the fun part for Neelkan. He'd rather go back to being
Graendal's personal play thing any day. But unfortunately... Shayol Ghul
decided to turn it's deformed ugly head on him and tear apart his life.
He's holding together pretty well though. As well as can be expected.
Zaidah was the one reason he was holding on as well as he was after all.
Sitting in the corner of the special cell, the red head has his knees
folded up towards him, arms resting on his knees. He's staring straight
forward, trying to ignore anything that may come his way... but he hears
that voice. Just barely hears it. And he stiffens all over. Light no.
Anything but that right now. He lais his forehead down on his arms and
closes his eyes. Maybe she'll go away if she thinks he's asleep. (Though he
hasn't slept much since this happened. Dreams are no longer his escape
without his firefly.)

Zaidah saunters into the cell and the door clangs shut behind her, but the
little sliding door over the barred window remains open to grant them some
light. She knows... that something strange is going on. This world is
different from hers, but she hasn't got it all figured out. But she does
know... that he is not the Neelkan she killed. She -knows- she killed him.
She -saw- him all over the bloody cliff. It was fun, but this could be fun
too. "Hey lover." She grins and crouches down in front of him, letting her
hands hang loose between her thighs. She glances around, fliping some of
the hair from her face with a gentle shake of her head. "Nice accomodations
you got here... I mean, your own straw... roomates... background noise."
She grins almost as if it's.. actually funny and she's not just taunting
him by refering to the rats and the sounds of torture outside. "Yup, you
must just be living the life."

Go. Away. Can't you see he's trying to sleep here? Grrrr. Neelkan tries to
keep from moving too much. He's asleep. She'll go away if the torture
victim is unresponsive, right? Zai was always the type of person that would
kill for a response (literally and figureatively). Without the response,
there wouldn't be much of a point, right? So all he has to do is pretend
that she isn't there. There's only one problem. His breathing isn't exactly
steady, and his body is way too stiff to actually be asleep.

Can I have your attention please? Will the real Zaidah please stand up? Oh
yes, she lives for the response, which means she's very good at getting
them. Zaidah pauses and then stands up as if she might walk back out again,
but instead, she steps forward, her boots clicking softly on the hard floor
beneath the straw. She leans down and gently runs her fingers through his
hair, before jerking his head back and slowly licking his lips. Sleep
through that, fang boy. She grins down at him, obviously thoroughly
enjoying herself. She has that.. delightfully evil gleam in her big brown
eyes. "What'd you think? That I was just gonna walk away? Think again." She
sighs softly and lets her eyes trail down his face, and neck and... it's
almost as if she's trying to figure out just what to do with him.
Decisions, decisions. Just -what- is a poor girl to do?

Well, yeah. That definately got a response out of the young man. Eyes open
and Neelkan jerks away from her as much as he can with her hand locked on
his hair. Blue-green eyes narrow darkly, shadows casting in their depths.
"Leave. M'. Alone." He says slowly, puncutating each word. "And let go of
m' hair." He clenches his teeth as he looks at her, lips peeling back to
show them off, almost like a bemused and angry puppy.

"Awwwww. Now why would I want to do that?" Not only does Zaidah not let
go... now that he's jerking back she takes the opportunity to impose
herself on his lap, resting one knee on either side of his legs as she
keeps a tight hold on his hair. "Especially when I can think of much more
fun things to do," she whispers softly... She leans forward as if to kiss
him... and then stops and chuckles. "No... not yet. Maybe if you're a good
boy though... and tell me what I want to know... But... knowing you you'll
much rather do this the hard way." She sighs and rakes the fingernails on
the hand in his hair down his scalp to grip the back of his neck instead.

"You don't know me at all then." Neelkan says softly, watching her. She
wouldn't have to torture him to get him to tell her everything. Actually,
torturing him is a good way to make him stay quiet. But if she were really
Zaidah... if she was the woman he loved... he would have told her
everything the second she asked the question. But this is obviously not
her. Could he really have known her so little? Or is something grander
going on here? He's heard of Aes Sedai using illusion to look like other
people. Perhaps Graendal is having one of her channeling lapdogs do the
same.

"No... I guess I don't," she muses softly. "But I knew someone once who
looked an awful lot like you. He went by the name of Shun'u and he was the
Master Gaidin at the White Tower, and the Amyrlin's Warder. See... there
was this great guy... this guy I was head over heels in love with. But...
what'd you know? He was in love with someone else. In fact, he was in love
with a lot of someone else's. Funny how things work out that way you know?
It's ok though. They're all dead now... and he has eyes for only me. See?
It had a happy ending after all. But see... there's one itty bitty little
problem. I have no clue how you fit into that story 'cause... babe, I hate
to break it to you, but you died just before the climax." Ahem, and no, she
doesn't mean -that- kind of climax. Though she probably -does- mean the
insinuation. c.c

For a few moments, Neelkan wonders if the 'great guy' might be him. It's a
possibility, after all. He is in love with a bunch of people. But then she
gets to the end and he feels like he's trapped in a very long, very
confusing dream. What in the bloody Light is she talking about? "Last time
I checked, I was very much alive. Unless Graendal's had m' 'ere longer 'en
I thought." He moves his arms to put hands around her waist and try to lift
her off of him as he finishes, "'n yer missing a few, lady, so why don'tcha
just go back t' yer 'great guy', a'right? "

Yes, and doesn't it make you greatful -your- Zaidah isn't as vindictive as
this one? c.c It could be him... in another time, and another place. Zaidah
is not so easily moved though, as she narrows her eyes at him, squeezing
her knees together to hold onto him. "You're not being very helpful..." She
grimaces and then hangs her head, leaning it forward onto his shoulder, as
she begins to cry. Or at least it -seems- like she's crying. "You don't
have any idea what I'm going through! All of a sudden everything's
different and I don't know who anyone is any more and people I love hate me
and..." and people she hates love her, but that's another story entirely,
"and I just want to know what's going on!" Please pardon the melodrama.
She's not entirely... 'with it'.

Melodrama. A good way to go with Neelkan. "I do know. Somewhat," he says
softly. He's having a moment right now himself. Gone for a few weeks and
suddenly Zaidah's acting all funny and apparently hates him and thinks he's
dead. Definately a twilight zone moment. "But I'm not dead. 'n... I don't
hate ya." He's definately softened up to the tears. His hand goes to her
hair and he pets it gently. "I wish I could explain what's goin' on, but I
wanna know almost as bad as ya d'."

Muahahahah. She knew that would get him. He was always a sucker for the
waterworks. Zaidah continues to sniffle softly and nuzzles her face against
his neck. "You don't?" She sounds so... hopeful, so... vulnerable. She
lifts her head to look up at him, eyes ever so slightly moist, but it
should be enough... to convince him. After all.. she grew up in Essenia..
where what you say and what you mean are always two different things.
"Then... maybe... we can help each other..."

Neelkan smiles briefly. He's either completely suckered, or doing a damn
fine impression of someone who's been suckered. "Anythin' ya need, Zai. Ya
know m'. Though I don't think I can d' it unless ya get Raeth t' let m'
outta 'ere." Oooo. Perhaps he knows something is up. Normally he wouldn't
put an ultimatum on any offer of help.

"I don't know about that," Zaidah whispers softly as she leans forward to
kiss him softly, gently biting on his lower lip to pull it out slightly and
release it again as she leans back. Kind of makes you wonder just how in
love with Raeth she is if she's all over a guy she supposedly hates but...
he was never faithful to her either so why bother. Heck, the reason she met
Neel in the first place was because -Raeth- sent her to seduce him. Yes,
it's a messed up relationship. "Especially since all I want.. is for you to
tell me a story. Tell me how you know who I am, and I'll leave you alone."
That is what he wants at this point... right? Just to be left alone...?

Well, Neelkan was about to push her away at the kiss, but she pulls herself
back, so he doesn't bother. He'll do anything but that right now. This
isn't exactlu the place he wants to get nookie in. He watches her for a
moment, then nods. Even if this is an illusion trick, telling someone about
him and Zai won't hurt anything. "I first saw ya at a parade in Tar Valon.
'en 'gain at a Tavern 'ere. Ya challanged m' t' a drinkin' contest, 'n we
got drunk..." And one thing lead to another. But he isn't going to tell
that story. "I didn't see ya much 'gain after 'at, til ya dressed up as a
man 'n entered trainin' in the Tower. I recognized ya, but helped ya keep
yer secret so ya could continue trainin'. 'en ya 'came the first female
Gaidin the same day 'at I became a Gaidin."

Well... that's similar enough... except that this Zaidah never bothered to
actually finish the training once her mission was done. "Huh. So I'm a
Gaidin?" She chuckles softly and shakes her head. "Go on. You're skipping
all the juicy details aren't you? We're lovers, right? If that wasn't
jealousy on your face when Raeth kissed me then I don't know what is." And
she is -intimately- aquainted with that emotion. So... he knows a different
Zaidah... and Raeth did say she was with the Tower. How sickening. So...
somewhere out there, there's another version of her running around who's
actually in love with this light-blinded idiot?

"We... weren't 'xactly lovers t' begin with. Not til later." Neelkan
explains, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter." He closes his eyes and
sighs. "I did become the Master Gaidin though, 'n the Amyrlin's Gaidin,
'long with Raeth. I quit though, cause I didn't like teachin' a bunch'a
kids. 'sides, most e'eryone thought I was too young t' b' Master anyway."
He is only 19. Was he that young when he was Master in your world? Now he's
mostly talking about himself, not her. "So how did I die anyway?"

Zaidah balnks slightly at the question. Just how is she going to answer
that? She shrugs. Why the flame not? "Well, after I killed Kaomi you came
after me and I ended up pushing you off a cliff. Pretty straight forward,
really." She glances down to inspect her nails. "It was your own fault
really... you coulda had me at one point there. Guess there were still some
fuzzy feelings in there somewhere." She tousles his hair. Or maybe just the
fact that he doesn't fight women... except that she really really really
deserved it. "So.. if your Raeth is here... and the other Zaidah is back at
the Tower... guarding the Amyrlin..." Zaidah chuckles softly. "Well maybe
she's not so different after all." She actually sounds proud of herself,
like she assumes that the other Zaidah is following in her footsteps, and
just.. .hasn't gotten as far as she has yet.

Kaomi... dead? Well, Neelkan /knows/ Kaomi isn't dead. He can feel her in
the back of his head after all. "Yer really not m' Zaidah, are ya?" He
whispers softly. "What are ya? 'r ya just someone 'at Graendal's havin'
pretend t' b' Zai t' torture m' 'r what?" There is a little bit of relief
about him. If she's not his Zaidah, then that means that his Zaidah might
not be in love with Raeth! His Zaidah didn't kiss Raeth! His Zaidah may be
safe and sound back in the Tower! Then... wait a minute. What did she mean
by that last part? "What d'ya mean yer not 'at different?"

Zaidah grins. "No, I guess I'm not." His Zaidah -might- not be in love with
Raeth?! Might?? :P Well that's accurate. Safe and sound back at the Tower
isn't entirely though... there is a battle going on out at that island
after all. Anything could happen. Anything may have already happened. "But
I've never even met the Chosen... not that you're going to believe me." She
grins some more at his question and shrugs again. "Just that she may not be
everything you think she is. I mean... -I- was sent to kill the Amyrlin.
How do you know she really loves you and she's not just using you to get
close to your bond?" Then again... why would Zaidah rat on herself if she
was really loyal to the Dark and wanted her other self to succeed? Unless
she assumes success is already the only possibility. After all, Neelkan and
Raeth are here, and Zaidah... is there.

"Zaidah isn't like that. 'n besides, we were close 'fore Kaomi e'er bonded
m'." Neelkan says, almost defensivly. Zaidah would never use him like that!
He protected her identity when she was training. He loved her before he
ever bonded Kaomi. He fought his love for her too, but in the end he lost
to it. "I know 'at she loves m'. I've seen inside her." Meaning of course
the dream he went into. If she hadn't cared about him, she wouldn't have
acted like that when she still thought it was just a dream.

Zaidah shrugs slightly. "Think what you want lover. You may have seen
inside her but... I -am- her. Think about it." She finally stands up and
goes to knock on the door so they'll open it to let her own. "Not that it
matters... I doubt you're ever getting out of this place alive." They open
the door for her and she walks out, leaving him once again in his solitude.

"You are not her. I don't know what happened to make you the way you are,
but you aren't her!" Neelkan yells after her. Though it almost seems as if
he's trying to convince himself of the fact. She's different. Completely
and utterly different. But... not completely different at the same time.
Maybe know that he has reason to hope his lover's dreams will not be a
nightmare to him, he might try to escape to them. If he can get into the
right mindset to do it. "And I've been in worse situations then this and
got out just fine!" ... Okay... maybe not.