Saldaea

[Professor Inky]

Ethin sighed and continued on in silence all the way to their inn. He opened the door for Kiae and followed her in, leaving Haidar to open the door himself at their rear. He trudged up the stairs and entered his and Kiae's room, tossing his cloak to the side and planting his butt firmly in the small couch in their room.  

[Color Me Fubar]

Haidar followed stoically, finding it amusing that his presence irritated the other Warder. He had no designs on the Yellow, however attractive she may be, and was trying to follow his increasingly-difficult orders.
"I'd like a room next to the Aes Sedai's," he requested of the innkeeper, who swallowed thickly. It was easy enough for him to hand the Warder the key, as all the rooms surrounding Kiae's were empty due to fear of what might happen. Haidar nodded at the man before heading up the stairs, pausing momentarily in her doorway.
"Do you need me for anything, Kiae Sedai?" he asked, glancing at Ethin with a thin smile.
"No, one of us will get you when we're ready tomorrow," she informed him, waiting until he had shut the door to turn to Ethin. "I'm assuming something is wrong, since you haven't said a word the entire way," she began wryly, undoing her hair as she moved over to the washbin.

Haidar chuckled to himself as he locked his own door and sprawled out on the bed, deciding if there were any threats Ethin would know of it first and rolling on his side for some sleep.  

[Professor Inky]

"You and Esole treat Rosalyn like she is a walking disease. It will a refreshing having someone more upbeat traveling with us. Things have grown far too morbid," Ethin said sternly, trying to appear as if he was in control.  

[Color Me Fubar]

Kiae's eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline as she stopped to turn and stare at Ethin. "You consider that woman upbeat?" she stammered in horror. "Besides, the woman will not be traveling with, Esole and I have already decided that. I don't know Esole's reasons," she lied, "but the woman informed me she wants to court you, even after I informed her she was out of her mind!" Kiae informed her Warder with a glare. "Anyone who is so stupid, I don't want anywhere near me! Besides, I think you're just jealous of Haidar. Whom I am not going to Bond," she added calmly.  

[Professor Inky]

"You honestly believe I am jealous of Haidar? Blood and ashes you could not be more wrong. I am irritated by his presence but he refuses to leave even though it is clear I am your Warder," Ethin began angrily. "And I think it is you who is jealous. Do you actually think that I will allow her to court me?" he continued, gradually calming down. "Just give her a chance."  

[Color Me Fubar]

"She has no respect. I don't think it matters to her what you want," Kiae replied coolly, ignoring his remark about her jealousy. "And I will not have her flinging herself at you, which is why she is. Not. Coming. With us," she repeated, enunciating each word with a frown.  

[Professor Inky]

Ethin looked away, exasperated with how things had panned out. He knew there was no way of getting Rosalyn away from him short of killing her and decided he would just wait until Kiae was forced to face the facts about the situation.  

[Color Me Fubar]

Kiae narrowed her eyes, guessing his thoughts. "If you don't think I will remove her myself, you are wrong," she said curtly, turning her back so he couldn't see her face. "I don't share. You are my Warder and my love - I have no patience for such ridiculousness. Unless you change your mind and decide a noblewoman is better suited to you," she forced herself to add through set teeth. She had no doubt the blasted woman would do anything Ethin asked of her, unlike the Yellow herself, and feared his exasperation with her would only grown in comparison to the damned lightskirt's pathetic sweetness.
"I don't think I've even hated the New Order so much," she thought wryly.  

[Professor Inky]

"How shallow you must think I am to even suggest such a thing!" Ethin spit angrily. He grabbed his cloak from the floor where he had thrown it and stormed out of the room. He found the innkeeper and acquired for himself his own room. It was directly across the hall from Kiae's room but at least it put distance between the two.
"That blasted woman things me just some superficial boy who will leave her for the next pretty girl to walk by," Ethin thought furiously. "If that's how she wants to play, then I'll just go ahead and prove her right."  

[Color Me Fubar]

Kiae stared at the door, tears welling in her eyes as she tried to figure out what had happened. "That damned woman is already causing trouble!" she thought, the urge to go to Esole somehow suggesting itself. Not that she thought the Green would be sympathetic, but she seemed the only one who shared her opinion regarding the noblewoman and her fixation on Ethin.
She was tempted to shut the Bond off just to spite him, but she had already tried that and it hadn't worked the last time. Taking a shaky breath, she shook her head and gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed, wincing as the memories of what she had shared with Ethin only the night before crept back.

Haidar had woken up with the slamming of doors and stomping of feet, having only been dozing anyway. He got to his feet and curiously looked down the hallway, wondering what was going on. "This is why Sisters need Bonds, it makes life so much easier," he thought wryly, deciding to make sure nothing had happened. He knocked on Kiae's door and crossed his arms. "Are you all right, Kiae Sedai?" he asked, trying to keep his voice down.  

[Professor Inky]

Ethin stood by the door, back leaning against it, when he heard Haidar trying to sneak in with Kiae. He had only been gone for five minutes and the man was already trying to impede on his territory. Ethin had half a mind to challenge the man and settle things that way. But he knew that he and Haidar would be a close match and didn't want to risk leaving Kiae to him. So he continued leaning against his door, waiting for Kiae's reply.  

[Color Me Fubar]

Haidar took a step away from the door as it opened, revealing the Yellow with red eyes. He peered down at her, absently wondering why so many Sisters seemed small and frail right before they exploded in your face.
She returned his look calmly, as if nothing was amiss. "I'm fine, Haidar," she replied.
"I just wanted to make sure nothing had happened, Kiae Sedai," he said. "I heard a lot of noise coming from down the hall." He waited for a reaction, receiving none.
"If I needed you, I'll yell," she informed him, trying not to be rude. The man was trying to be an attentive Warder despite the lack of a Bond and it was no reason for her to take her bad mood out on him. "Go get some rest, we'll be busy tomorrow," she added, before shutting the door in his face.
Haidar blinked before grinning and chuckling in amusement, shaking his head as he strode back to his own room. "Honestly. I'm surprise she hasn't burned the inn down with that temper," he mused, wondering how Ethin managed to survive.

Kiae returned to the bed before changing her mind and sinking onto the couch with a groan. "I bloody hate people," she informed the dresser matter-of-factly.  

[Professor Inky]

Ethin's fist hit the door audibly when Haidar walked away. He had not meant to hit anything but the air but he underestimated his anger. After he realized no one intended to comment on the thump on the door, he walked away and threw himself onto his bed. Within minutes his anger subsided and turned into wistful thoughts of sleep.  

[Color Me Fubar]

Kiae remained in the chair, unsure whether she would be able to get any sleep at all that night. She had grown used to Ethin's presence in the short time they had been traveling together and the even shorter time he had been her Warder and having him in a separate room was strangely unsettling. She considered going across the hall and knocking, but sighed.
"If he didn't want to be alone, he'd come back," she reasoned to herself, tilting her head back and looking at the ceiling.  

[Professor Inky]

Ethin rolled over and started at the dark ceiling, thoughts racing through his mind. He didn't like sleeping alone. He picked up his cloak, again from the floor, and strode across the hall to the room he shared with Kiae. He knocked gently. "May I come in?" he asked softly.