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Kiae frowned, sensing Ethin was withdrawing into the void and unsure what to say or do about it. She sighed and glanced around, concentrating on the problem at hand. "Right over there," she replied, gesturing to a door further down the street. She quickly reached it, using a knock known only to the Yellow Ajah and their eyes-and-ears for security reasons. Within moments, the door was opened and the pair was ushered into a bright room, not the cloak-and-dagger kind of area at all.

"Sister, thank you for coming. I was hoping someone would arrive from the Tower soon," the woman who had let them in said gratefully, sounding strained. Kiae nodded and took a seat, gesturing for the woman to do the same.
"I am Kiae Sedai - this is Ethin, my Warder. What news do you have for me?" she asked, peering sharply at the haggard woman, who sat down with a sigh.
"My name is Lianre, milady. Saldaea is an even worse place than usual, begging your pardon," the woman began, brown eyes fixed on Kiae's hands, folded on the table. "There is a man, like a shadow. His name is Erasmus, we think. Not associated with the New Order. In fact, he has killed several of their members in the last few months."
"I suspected as much." Kiae nodded at the confirmation. "What of the king's guard that was robbed? What was taken?"
"Milady, he narrowly avoided being killed. He walked in on the thief, but is unable to provide accurate information about him," Lianre replied, recalling information accurately and sharply, as if reading from an internal list. "There were maps of Saldaea, but those could be gotten anywhere in the city. The only other thing taken was an amulet given to the man by Rand al'Thor as a gift for his service during the Blight," she continued. "We're still looking into the significance of such an item, milady," she added apologetically.
Kiae frowned and remained silent, mentally running through what she knew in hopes of recalling something.

Kiae considered this before shaking her head. "It could," she conceeded. "It just doesn't make sense to me. You're sure the guard is nothing more?" she asked, abruptly turning back to Lianre, who stammered for a moment in surprise.
"Yes, milady, positive," she managed. "He was not the only one to receive such an amulet, anyone who served in the Blight was given one in honor of their service," she added quickly.
Kiae drummed her fingers against the table impatiently. "Perhaps it was hidden in plain sight?" she murmured, before rising to her feet. "Nothing makes sense about this right now. Alert me as soon as you know anything else," she ordered, folding her cloak over her. "I have several other contacts to speak with," she told Ethin, turning away from the woman and heading towards the door.

Kiae nodded. "I wish to speak with a few other people in the city first. Surprising the man could be a mistake, after all," she replied, resting her hand lightly on the man's forearm as they made their way down the street.

She nodded. "Of course I do," she replied, only half-joking as she smiled up at him. He had come back to her and her relief was only partially hidden from her face. "The poor man has been questioned by others, I'm sure. We'll wait until tomorrow, I want to try to gather more information before speaking to him," she continued,

Kiae had been surprised by his contact, unused to being shown affection, let alone in public, but it hadn't been unpleasant. "To the other side of town, unfortunately," she replied with a sigh. "There's someone I wish to speak to before anyone else."

She nodded, pleased he was fine with the idea. "I forgot how busy Saldaea is," she remarked, looking around. "I usually only receive reports, I haven't been here in years," she added thoughtfully.

Kiae looked at him quizzically. "I thought you had met Esole's family before," she remarked, then mentally shrugged. Meeting Esole's family had at least settled one thing in her mind - Kiae was much, much older, although the matter of power had still to be settled. The city hadn't even been called a city the last time she had ventured the journey.

She nodded. "Was there anywhere you wanted to stop on our way?" she asked, unsure if Ethin had any business had had to attend to in the city. She didn't think so, since he had never been here before, but assuming was not her habit.