09-15-2016, 04:30 PM
Nythadri was an Accepted and as good as untouchable, but she was still a woman, and the lingering intensity of his gaze was like the shiver of soft fingertips. Don’t tempt me. She only arched a brow at such empty promises, the closest to admonishment she could express at such flagrant use of her appearance to vex another woman. As she settled herself, ready for the barbs to come, she considered playing the heavy hand of her serpent ring to sever hostilities before they really began. Few this far south knew the intricacies of Tower hierarchy, and she doubted the domani would take the chance of offending an Aes Sedai. But the acid was minimal, which meant her seeds were sewn else the threat Nythadri presented was negligible. Maybe she did know what the seven stripes meant.
“How refreshing to find concern for my delicate health. I’m so glad you don’t mind if I sit for a while.”
Ice buried under a layer of sweetness, the sarcasm steeped in enough genuine charm to make it difficult to detect unless you simply knew Nythadri. Easy work to use a deliberate misunderstanding of the woman’s attempt to demean her; her mistake had been assuming Nythadri was a rival for Jai’s attentions – in which case such a remark might have been mortifying – but as it was she just settled into the role of inexperienced youth like an old glove, seeming blissfully unaware that she had intruded upon something private. It left her on uneven footing, but being foreign and a stranger did that anyway. And there were some games she really did have no interest in playing.
Like any normal man confronted with the uncomfortable reality of two fractious woman, Jai retreated. Startled by his sudden laughter, she studied the line of his shadowed jaw, vulnerable throat disappearing into the high collar of the black. Did he have any idea that the wolves circled at a distance, pouring poison in willing ears? Or, she assumed it was poison; she was undecided on that. And does it matter to me anyway? Was she really going to choose Red, to make it her business to police such possibilities? She had suspected lack of control back in the entrance Hall, and if she had really cared she would have hailed a Sister there and then. It wasn’t moral rightness that had swayed her.
Ice-pale eyes turned to the beautiful golden cobra as the silence began to stretch and it seemed the Asha’man was quite determined to pretend he was on another continent. There was little about her that was not alluring, from the curve of golden skin to the kohl smoking her eyes – though they narrowed to faint distaste when they alighted on Nythadri. Still, Jai was either a fool or a gentleman not to take advantage of what was laid out for him. Has she any idea what they say of him? Probably. Clearly she had her own intentions for Jai, but was not beyond a disparaging lift of the eyebrow when the man’s laughter faded to silent contemplation of the ceiling.
Nythadri shrugged.
In the crowd, many eyes had turned at the loud laughter; some remained even now, if subtly; she imagined Tamal’s fervent whispers building. But rumours and gossip were just that; she doubted Jai truly cared what others thought, any less than she had ever cared for the hearsay that followed her. She didn’t blame his absence, but it didn’t exactly bode well for his state of mind. Touched by the taint, Tamal had suggested, but was that even possible? She realised she didn’t know enough about the workings of the Black Tower to know. Would the Amyrlin allow such a man to walk free? Particularly given the devastation the White Tower had suffered at the hands of Kentrillo Orander – and he had no such excuses.
Between the recesses of her musing, the same words whispered. Some friendly advice. It revolved in her head, and with it came a sense of disquiet. She searched for Imaad Suaya’s face, but found him turned away. It’s been too long since I played the Game. It was easy to get paranoid – though usually it only happened when you tried to find your own place in the tangled web of daes dae’mar. Seeing the snares around other people was easier, so she wouldn’t dismiss the feelings in her gut out of hand. But it was too early to judge if there had been a warning laced with that advice, she decided, and wished she had considered more thoroughly before acting on instinct.
Still… (and she loathed the way her mind ticked three steps ahead, even as she tried to detach herself) she wondered if this liaison she had interrupted might prove useful down the line –plenty of people had seen the coy touches and flirtatious banter; that Nisele showed no cautionary fear of a man with a violent temper - though Jai would do better to keep his appearances with her public until the hunt was over; she had the distinct feeling that Nisele would turn if it suited her, and the vapid cry of a woman calling assault made a distinct impression, particularly in the ears of other men. If Tamal Suaya’s veiled hints were anything to go by, Jai would do well to keep a low, amenable profile altogether; and a good start would be stop insulting such a malleable ally.
Neither woman had spoken since Jai’s laughter had fallen to nothing. The domani began to smooth the material over her shapely legs, the lazy recline of her posture like a cat finished basking itself in the sun but not yet ready to saunter on. She was bored, but to leave now would be to accept a defeat. It did not stop her thick-lashed eyes roaming, nor the faint trace of smile on her lips as gazes were caught in her snare. Nythadri suddenly realised that she looked an awful lot at Daryen; that her whole body seemed minutely turned to give him the best picture. Clever woman.
And then the uncomfortable moment was over; Jai returned as though he had never left. Nythadri glanced briefly at the ceiling, as though to grasp what fascination had sparked his interest up there, but her attention was distracted as drinks arrived. And maybe that was the point. It felt strange to see the glasses move without being able to sense the power that wound about them – and she did, in that brief moment, try very hard to sense something. It was infatuating, the effects of a force she couldn’t touch or control or sense; there was something thrilling in the unknown and unpredictable. Her fingers smoothed the cool glass, but there was no trace of saidin’s touch.
Nisele Kedar. Another name, and another face she had wished to avoid. Of course, the hope to float on the periphery had all but vanished the moment she had reacted to Tamal’s comments and sat down. Her own introduction was a stark reminder that Jai knew nothing about her, and she little about him. So why get involved, Nythadri? She owed him nothing; had barely known him an hour. He had left something of an impression, she granted him that. And he had the charm, the humour, the looks that drew many women in. Nythadri appreciated beauty, but she did not consider herself led by it. She would not follow a pretty face to the cliff-edge, and jump. So why am I here?
She tapped her fingers along the stem of the glass, rippling the liquid within, but ultimately set the drink aside. “I think I might take Lady Nisele’s advice. Perhaps the spice of domani wine is not for me.”
A smile, a small nod of deference. The infinitesimal pursing of plump lips was the only indication that the lady was only now realising the trap of geniality that she had laid for herself. Placing herself the wiser woman had only made it easier for Nythadri to nestle beneath her wing, and it would be unwomanly to rebuff her now. She could expect plenty of snide comments veiled in niceties, of course, but it made it difficult for her to dismiss Nythadri altogether. It was a truce that would hold, for now.
She hated how she found these games so easy.
Jai might wonder at her change in tact; certainly she did not use such caution when it was her own reputation at stake, and she doubted he would appreciate the gesture - if he even ever realised that she acted for his benefit.
After her initial displeasure, Nisele slipped effortlessly back into perfect repose and demonstrated the reaffirmation of her prowess by taking the reins of the conversation. She played up her relationship with Jai, of course, with plenty of coy touches to arm and hand to remind Nythadri to whom he belonged. The roles of the game were set, and it was easy to drift behind a wall of reverence – a tactic most usually employed when speaking to the more self-righteous of Aes Sedai, who liked to remind Accepted that they were mere children. It was easy but dreary, and the life behind those pale eyes winked almost out of existence, if her animation and involvement in the conversation remained fluid. And no matter how placid the façade of the current nature, she simply couldn’t help her flirtations with sarcasm, so carefully hidden that only brief glances at the Asha’man and knowledge of an uncannily similar sense of humour marked their existence. She began to regret rejecting the wine, the pleasant haze of her earlier glasses already beginning to fade.
Nythadri’s display of deference, genuine or not, made an easy path for Nisele to excuse herself with dignity and superiority intact, once she was ready to leave. After a few taut minutes of polite small-talk, she made a show of having others to greet before the call to the hunt was announced. Nythadri was not often quick to envy, but even rising from floor cushions Nisele was graceful. A warm golden hand brushed Jai’s as she stood, so close he would be able to smell the subtle scent of her perfumed skin. “Until the hunt.”
A twinge of jealousy buried in her stomach, swallowed by the frustration that the woman sauntered away so bloody slowly.
With Nisele’s beautiful back turned, Nythadri let her head tilt back in mimic of Jai’s, though only for second, and in a gesture of pure relief rather than abdication from his company. “Oh. Light.”
When she sat forward she liberated her glass from the floor and took a long sip before nestling it back in the cushions. No point letting Nisele see, and undoing all the hard work of flattery. “That’s the last time I come to save you from insufferable company.”
Raised brows dared him to refuse that he had been bored, or that he had sought her out from across the room. “I got stuck with Tamal Suaya. Whatever Daryen’s planning, I think he can count on their support.”
No point dancing the subject; she wanted to read his reaction.
“How refreshing to find concern for my delicate health. I’m so glad you don’t mind if I sit for a while.”
Ice buried under a layer of sweetness, the sarcasm steeped in enough genuine charm to make it difficult to detect unless you simply knew Nythadri. Easy work to use a deliberate misunderstanding of the woman’s attempt to demean her; her mistake had been assuming Nythadri was a rival for Jai’s attentions – in which case such a remark might have been mortifying – but as it was she just settled into the role of inexperienced youth like an old glove, seeming blissfully unaware that she had intruded upon something private. It left her on uneven footing, but being foreign and a stranger did that anyway. And there were some games she really did have no interest in playing.
Like any normal man confronted with the uncomfortable reality of two fractious woman, Jai retreated. Startled by his sudden laughter, she studied the line of his shadowed jaw, vulnerable throat disappearing into the high collar of the black. Did he have any idea that the wolves circled at a distance, pouring poison in willing ears? Or, she assumed it was poison; she was undecided on that. And does it matter to me anyway? Was she really going to choose Red, to make it her business to police such possibilities? She had suspected lack of control back in the entrance Hall, and if she had really cared she would have hailed a Sister there and then. It wasn’t moral rightness that had swayed her.
Ice-pale eyes turned to the beautiful golden cobra as the silence began to stretch and it seemed the Asha’man was quite determined to pretend he was on another continent. There was little about her that was not alluring, from the curve of golden skin to the kohl smoking her eyes – though they narrowed to faint distaste when they alighted on Nythadri. Still, Jai was either a fool or a gentleman not to take advantage of what was laid out for him. Has she any idea what they say of him? Probably. Clearly she had her own intentions for Jai, but was not beyond a disparaging lift of the eyebrow when the man’s laughter faded to silent contemplation of the ceiling.
Nythadri shrugged.
In the crowd, many eyes had turned at the loud laughter; some remained even now, if subtly; she imagined Tamal’s fervent whispers building. But rumours and gossip were just that; she doubted Jai truly cared what others thought, any less than she had ever cared for the hearsay that followed her. She didn’t blame his absence, but it didn’t exactly bode well for his state of mind. Touched by the taint, Tamal had suggested, but was that even possible? She realised she didn’t know enough about the workings of the Black Tower to know. Would the Amyrlin allow such a man to walk free? Particularly given the devastation the White Tower had suffered at the hands of Kentrillo Orander – and he had no such excuses.
Between the recesses of her musing, the same words whispered. Some friendly advice. It revolved in her head, and with it came a sense of disquiet. She searched for Imaad Suaya’s face, but found him turned away. It’s been too long since I played the Game. It was easy to get paranoid – though usually it only happened when you tried to find your own place in the tangled web of daes dae’mar. Seeing the snares around other people was easier, so she wouldn’t dismiss the feelings in her gut out of hand. But it was too early to judge if there had been a warning laced with that advice, she decided, and wished she had considered more thoroughly before acting on instinct.
Still… (and she loathed the way her mind ticked three steps ahead, even as she tried to detach herself) she wondered if this liaison she had interrupted might prove useful down the line –plenty of people had seen the coy touches and flirtatious banter; that Nisele showed no cautionary fear of a man with a violent temper - though Jai would do better to keep his appearances with her public until the hunt was over; she had the distinct feeling that Nisele would turn if it suited her, and the vapid cry of a woman calling assault made a distinct impression, particularly in the ears of other men. If Tamal Suaya’s veiled hints were anything to go by, Jai would do well to keep a low, amenable profile altogether; and a good start would be stop insulting such a malleable ally.
Neither woman had spoken since Jai’s laughter had fallen to nothing. The domani began to smooth the material over her shapely legs, the lazy recline of her posture like a cat finished basking itself in the sun but not yet ready to saunter on. She was bored, but to leave now would be to accept a defeat. It did not stop her thick-lashed eyes roaming, nor the faint trace of smile on her lips as gazes were caught in her snare. Nythadri suddenly realised that she looked an awful lot at Daryen; that her whole body seemed minutely turned to give him the best picture. Clever woman.
And then the uncomfortable moment was over; Jai returned as though he had never left. Nythadri glanced briefly at the ceiling, as though to grasp what fascination had sparked his interest up there, but her attention was distracted as drinks arrived. And maybe that was the point. It felt strange to see the glasses move without being able to sense the power that wound about them – and she did, in that brief moment, try very hard to sense something. It was infatuating, the effects of a force she couldn’t touch or control or sense; there was something thrilling in the unknown and unpredictable. Her fingers smoothed the cool glass, but there was no trace of saidin’s touch.
Nisele Kedar. Another name, and another face she had wished to avoid. Of course, the hope to float on the periphery had all but vanished the moment she had reacted to Tamal’s comments and sat down. Her own introduction was a stark reminder that Jai knew nothing about her, and she little about him. So why get involved, Nythadri? She owed him nothing; had barely known him an hour. He had left something of an impression, she granted him that. And he had the charm, the humour, the looks that drew many women in. Nythadri appreciated beauty, but she did not consider herself led by it. She would not follow a pretty face to the cliff-edge, and jump. So why am I here?
She tapped her fingers along the stem of the glass, rippling the liquid within, but ultimately set the drink aside. “I think I might take Lady Nisele’s advice. Perhaps the spice of domani wine is not for me.”
A smile, a small nod of deference. The infinitesimal pursing of plump lips was the only indication that the lady was only now realising the trap of geniality that she had laid for herself. Placing herself the wiser woman had only made it easier for Nythadri to nestle beneath her wing, and it would be unwomanly to rebuff her now. She could expect plenty of snide comments veiled in niceties, of course, but it made it difficult for her to dismiss Nythadri altogether. It was a truce that would hold, for now.
She hated how she found these games so easy.
Jai might wonder at her change in tact; certainly she did not use such caution when it was her own reputation at stake, and she doubted he would appreciate the gesture - if he even ever realised that she acted for his benefit.
After her initial displeasure, Nisele slipped effortlessly back into perfect repose and demonstrated the reaffirmation of her prowess by taking the reins of the conversation. She played up her relationship with Jai, of course, with plenty of coy touches to arm and hand to remind Nythadri to whom he belonged. The roles of the game were set, and it was easy to drift behind a wall of reverence – a tactic most usually employed when speaking to the more self-righteous of Aes Sedai, who liked to remind Accepted that they were mere children. It was easy but dreary, and the life behind those pale eyes winked almost out of existence, if her animation and involvement in the conversation remained fluid. And no matter how placid the façade of the current nature, she simply couldn’t help her flirtations with sarcasm, so carefully hidden that only brief glances at the Asha’man and knowledge of an uncannily similar sense of humour marked their existence. She began to regret rejecting the wine, the pleasant haze of her earlier glasses already beginning to fade.
Nythadri’s display of deference, genuine or not, made an easy path for Nisele to excuse herself with dignity and superiority intact, once she was ready to leave. After a few taut minutes of polite small-talk, she made a show of having others to greet before the call to the hunt was announced. Nythadri was not often quick to envy, but even rising from floor cushions Nisele was graceful. A warm golden hand brushed Jai’s as she stood, so close he would be able to smell the subtle scent of her perfumed skin. “Until the hunt.”
A twinge of jealousy buried in her stomach, swallowed by the frustration that the woman sauntered away so bloody slowly.
With Nisele’s beautiful back turned, Nythadri let her head tilt back in mimic of Jai’s, though only for second, and in a gesture of pure relief rather than abdication from his company. “Oh. Light.”
When she sat forward she liberated her glass from the floor and took a long sip before nestling it back in the cushions. No point letting Nisele see, and undoing all the hard work of flattery. “That’s the last time I come to save you from insufferable company.”
Raised brows dared him to refuse that he had been bored, or that he had sought her out from across the room. “I got stuck with Tamal Suaya. Whatever Daryen’s planning, I think he can count on their support.”
No point dancing the subject; she wanted to read his reaction.