Welcome to Gaia! ::

"How is Lanmak? As handsome as ever!" she exclaimed, as a handsome young man strode toward them, a huge grin on his face.

"Kiae! It's wonderful to see you again!" the young man exclaimed, sweeping her up in a hug before releasing her. Another boy, in his early teens, ran up to them as well.
"You're back!" he exclaimed, and she nodded as she bent down to hug him, despite her injury.

"I promised, didn't I?" she asked indignantly, ruffling the boy's hair. "My, you've grown, Asanu," she said wistfully, and he blushed before running off to his wagon.

"Let me get you two some warm clothes, and something hot to eat," Charu said briskly, striding off with surprising energy for such an elderly figure. Lanmak strode off, his backward glance promising he'd return.

"I've known him since he was a small boy," Kiae sighed, taking a seat near the fire with a sigh. "He was so cute!" she added, still gazing off the direction the young boy had ran off to.

(AIGH!!! You were supposed to ask, who, that kid? And then she'd go, no, Charu! Damn you!!!!!!!)

"He's very nice," she agreed. "And he's always been willing to help me out when I get into trouble," she added thoughtfully, as if recalling a distant memory. "I helped him out a while back, and they feel they owe me a debt of some kind."
Kiae shrugged in embarassment, hating to have people practically worship her as the small Tinker band obviously did.

( stare )

"Oh, it was before that," she assured him, and tapped her chin with a frown of concentration.
"Let me think...Charu was only about eight, so...I can't count, I'm too hungry," Kiae admitted sheepishly, seeing nothing odd about what she said. "I scared a group of bandits that were attacking their band, and they seem to think I saved their very existance," she said with an amused snort.

Kiae blinked, and leaned back nervously as he stared at her. "Uhm, Cobain, you're creeping me out," she started, but shook her head. "And he's closer to eighty right now, I believe," she added absently.
Narrowing her eyes, she only shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I spent a long time as a Novice...we don't keep track of time in there, exactly. And I blocked a lot of it, so...I don't know? Why?" she asked bluntly.

(I win!)

She shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable, and stared down at her lap. "I didn't think it - no, I did think it would matter," she said firmly, looking up to stare at him. "Which is why I didn't say anything. I wasn't even Raised when we met - how could I explain when I didn't have the excuse of being a proper Aes Sedai to back me up?"
She seemed about to continue, but Lanmak suddenly appeared beside them with two bowls of stew in his hands.

"Here you are, Kiae. And Cobain," he added, sitting on Kiae's other side. "How have you been? You're wounded!" he realized suddenly, frowning at Cobain in reproach.

"Maybe it mattered to me," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, before gratefully inhaling the food in front of her.

"I thought a Warder was supposed to protect their Aes Sedai," the young man said, obviously disliking Cobain. "Doesn't matter if you're too slow."

"Calm down," Kiae said mildly, shooting the Tinker a look that caused him to flush with some embarassment.

"Well, it's true!" he protested in his own defense.

"You must not be a very good Warder, letting her get hurt like that," the young man pressed relentlessly, brushing Cobain's poke aside easily. "Do you remember when you promised to make me your Warder?" he suddenly asked eagerly, turning back to Kiae.

She sighed and covered her eyes, hearing Cobain choke, and shook her head patiently. "You were a child, Lanmak," she explained tolerantly. "You are not meant to be a Warder of any kind."

The young man began to protest, but was stopped when an older woman approached Kiae. "Excuse me, Aes Sedai?" she asked, more hesitantly than the others.

"Yes, Suni?" Kiae asked, swiftly getting to her feet and leaving the two men to deal with their issues alone.

"I've found some clothing for you until we can properly wash and mend your current garments," the woman told her, and Kiae inclined her head.

"Thank you very much. I'll go change now, if you can show me to a wagon," she agreed, and followed the woman away without a backward glance.