Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the Gateway snapped into existance, the group members shuffled through, leading their horses by foot. The Gateway was not large enough to ride through and be safe about it. They stood in a distant field outside Tear, much like the one they stood on moments before in Illian. The hills were taller, yes, but only by a little. They were more like large mounds of grassy earth that had been wrinkled during the formation of the Stone of Tear. But age had made them natural here.

The layout of the terrain was very bland. For miles in every direction, they could see nothing by the grassy mounds and somewhere off to their East stood the massive mountain of the Stone itself. On the horizon, it was a small blackened haze that seemed to materialize out of nothing. It was their destination. But there was a lot of land in between them and their place of refuge.

What lay several miles ahead of them was a stone pillar that jutted up from the group. Without a doubt, the group would pass it. If they took notice, it was their own doing. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before in their travels. But yet again, they had a duty to see to. Deliver the letter to Tear, to the innkeeper, and see that it is finished. Once done, they could find their path to the Borderlands. Knowing the name of the city they had their choice. But first things first. Duty over obligation.

(Just as a note, Dark Red is Nozrin. DON'T FORGET IT! Mwaha)

He stepped through the Gateway without a second thought. Clad in his Asha'man black, he wore the Dedicated pin on his collar with pride, even if it was a cold pride. He was quiet, as usual, and touching Saidin. He was holding onto it a lot, stretching with it, using it for anything he could just to strengthen that muscle. He was considerably stronger than he had been when he first entered Illian. He felt deep down that he could grow stronger yet. Already, he knew he could make a Gateway himself. But that was for dangerous times.

He paid little attention to everyone else. The two newcomers were interesting to say the least, but a Seanchan was not one he wanted to talk with and a young girl who looked about ready to bite someone's head off it they didn't utter something on the right tone didn't strike his fancy. He had a bad attitude, he admitted, but sometimes mixing that with other bad attitudes was a disaster waiting to happen. Instead, he drew in on himself more than he had been before. But he remained intent on watching the landscape around them, expecting ambush at every moment. Stop being so flaming bloody paranoid, you goat-headed wool-brained fool! He shook his head slightly in protest.

Looking out over the saidin enhanced landscape, he could see every blade of grass, every miniscule detail of the land, the sky, the mountains to the east. He could see it all. Birds flying through the sky, foxes on the rolling hills far away. It was as if someone had pulled the landscape right up to him. But that landscape remained far away.

In his saddlebag, his gleeman's cloak, flute and harp, as well as a book he had been writing for the past little while were securely packed. The book was all the stories he knew. His memory was fading with some of the stories, meaning he needed to go visit some people again. He needed his medallion back. Last he knew, the person who had that medallion was in Ebou Dari. At some point, he would need to gather that last piece of his gear. His cloak and quarterstaff had been left in an Andoran town near the Two Rivers. He had found the group he traveled with now in that very town. He had been pulled in. He didn't remember the exact reason.

"Maybe there wasn't a reason," he muttered, not realizing he had spoken. It had seemed odd that he just stopped what he was doing to join into the companionship of these strange people. They're not stranger than I. I'm a channeling gleeman with a sour attitude, if you want to be brutally honest about it. Blood and ashes! Shaking his head, he rode on in silence, his hand holding onto the quarterstaff made of mahogany that rested across the pommel of his saddle. Etched into the wood was script of gold and silver. While the weapon should have been soft and not even a choice for a true weapon, he had blocked sword strikes with it. It was of Aes Sedai design from long ago.

And it held more mysteries than most people knew existed.

Watching the landscape, he saw nothing for miles upon miles except a grayish stone. It was just a small sight far off, even with his Power-enhanced vision, which meant it was a good distance. It must be a good seven miles away. An hour, maybe less and we could be on it. Whatever it is. He hoped it was just a pile of rocks. Somehow, deep down, he knew if it wasn't, the group would stop and investigate it. He wanted to be back into a city, where he could go about entertaining people again. It was his original joy, his original duty.

I should have died in that Borderland Town. Light have mercy on Shol Garela. I saw the aftermath of its destruction once, I pray I never see it again. It was never his true home, but it was the home he had come to learn to name his own. Andoran by blood, Afafellin by citizenship, Gleeman by trade, and a training Asha'man by choice.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally pulled his harp free of its saddlebag and case. Tuning it quickly, as it didn't need much tuning, he began playing a melody suited for the beautiful scenery about them. It did not match the mood of his face, but then, little did anymore. As they rode on, he plucked at the strings with nimble fingers and played as well as any harpist could play on their best day. He was gifted, but it was not persay all his ability.

Sighing, he let the thought go. He focused on the notes and the tune he played. It was all that soothed his soul anymore. It was the last bit of something that gave him true peace.

There will never be peace.

Nikoru let the gateway close behind them, frowning slightly into the distance. As she mounted her horse again, she looked again out onto the vast expanse of land, noticing the gray stones in the distance. Well. They would in all likelihood be there when they got that far..if not, well, stranger things had happened recently.

The sound of the harp reminded her that Nozrin was once again with them. Eyeing him warily, she decided not to get into anymore fights right at the moment. There'd been enough enmity. Then she noticed something she hadn't felt strongly for a long time and it filled her with joy. Though they were nowhere close, the open land seemed to help. The wolves were a comfort at any time, but especially after recent events.

She knew that she would not sense them for overly long, but it made her happy, her kin were nearer than they had been in a long time. Grining at Jazral, she let a twinkle of happiness show through. She knew that he would understand it.

In the middle of her words to Darz, Gwynne felt herself being yanked to her feet and dragged out of the room by Nanako, who had come back for her, probably in order to make sure she didn't make any more blunders that would set the Seanchan on their trail. On the entire ride out from Illian, she tried to regain her equillibrium. When the gateway snapped shut behind them, she finally dared to look at Darz, who seemed to have decided to be patient. She noticed vaguely that there were more new people in thie group, but didn't care. Just as the gateway had opened, she was sure she had sensed someone besides Nikoru channeling. But by the time her attention turned away from the gateway weave and thoughts of what Darz was, the feeling was gone, and it was clear none of the Aes Sedai had noticed anything of the sort. Now she had no idea where to focus her thoughts first. When she suddenly felt the ability to channel in Selene, and watched the woman's face change to Aes Sedai agelessness, she realized that there had been weaves hiding both. But she wasn't channeling... Gwynne was sure that Selene hadn't been using anything like her cloaking weave, as there was none of the residue that weave left behind, so this had to be something else. She had never seen tied-off or inverted weaves. If she had not been so distracted by events, she would have realized sooner that she had sensed no ability in Selene. Forgetting even Darz for a moment, she caught up to the Green. "Aes Sedai," she said, carefully respectful, "may I ask how you held weaves without channeling, and how you made weaves others can not see?" Once again, the want of knowledge had overridden her emotions. Nevermind how interesting Darz was; he couldn't teach her anything about saidar. And nevermind disliking Aes Sedai; there were things to be learned. Gwynne was more acutely aware than ever of how much knowledge the White Tower might still have of the Power, despite all that had been lost since the Breaking.

Sitting upon what she believed to be her new mount, Nanako was attempting to clear her head some more. Her forehead throbbed from her unexpected reaction to Gwynne's earlier words still, and she cursed herself again for that and the drink.

Seeing Aorn come towards her, a smile grew upon her face, followed soon after by a look of utter surprise and a blush she could not hide. He had given her his horse, and the words that followed stirred something inside her heart, bringing the rose color to full form. Still, the thought of her old friend stung, and mourning returned to her heart, not just for Aldo, but the other part of their group as well, especially Aorn.

Laughing inwardly, she couldn't help but remark. The rouge that change my mind about males, especially those that can channel. Thank you Aorn... for everything.

Dismounting her previous horse, she leaned her head against Cloud's, looking into the animal's eyes.

"I guess we are newfound companions. I promise to do right by both you and Aorn Cloud." Smiling, she looked around only to realize that Gwynne had yet to join them.

Grimacing somewhat, her impatients got the better of her and she went to retrieve the comfort and newfound burden in her life. Light, let even the next few hours be uneventful, or else I may just throttle her.

Switching her saddle bags over to cloud, she gave her old mount to Gwynne, and couldn't help but notice the girls... well... lack of zest. I hope she's ok. Then again, realization may have just dawned on her. Little did Nanako know how much realization had set in with her friend, nor was she soon to find out.

Before Nikoru created the gateway, Nanako could feel something she was only now associating with channeling, though very faint. Simply putting it of as unimportant since no one reached, she once again dismounted to follow suit with those in their party.

The tune Nozrin played soothed her heart somewhat, aided by the scenery, schucked of the worry of being chased, her optimism returned, and with it her normal scenses.

The sound of Gwynne's voice brought her attention around to her immediate surrounds, instead of the landscape around. The question posed also caught her attention, and perked her own sense of curiousity. Nudging Cloud to catch up with both Gwynne and Selene, a smile spread widely across her face.

Perhaps this will result in another lesson, for us both. They do have yet to teach me how to tie my weaves. Suddenly the realization that she actually knew what Selene had done, while Gwynne had not struck her, making her giggle ever so slightly. It was simply commical to her now that one who had "known" so much, knew less then one who admittingly knew little about the world in general.

Gwynne found herself thoroughly rebuked by Selene's words. The smile the Aes Sedai gave her appeared so genuine that she wanted to cry. She'll give me another chance to prove myself a good person? A surge of gratitude was washed away by a wave of sadness. If an Aes Sedai was so much more forgiving and tolerant than her... What does that make me? What am I, that the feared and despised of the Pattern are so casually better? saidar flickered in and out in her perceptions, wavering crazily with her emotional pattern. She seized a grip upon it desperately, remembering Selene's implied question.

Fire and Air wove together, forming nameless shapes in nameless colors in Gwynne's hands. Water and Fire spun around each other in the image of a seven-spoked wheel, the Wheel of Time, before Selene's eyes. Fire and Earth caused a rock they passed to explode. Wind suddenly whistled through their hair as Air and Water drew it. Gwynne lashed out over and over with weave after weave of the Power, every weave an image or a weapon.

"I must learn, Selene Sedai..." Gwynne glanced back at Darz. From you and the da'es shan...

For a moment, Selene's words birthed a surge of irritation in Gwynne. Arrogant Domani... But it was quickly buried beneath the emotions recent events had formed above her more typical reactions. Concentrating fiercely, for this stretched to the very limits of her abilities, she forced weaves of Air and Water into far finer threads, lifting three small rocks and setting them in a complex dance around her hands. She could only maintain the weave for a few seconds before the rocks fell lifelessly to the ground, one of them striking her foot painfully. The grimace distracted her, and saidar fell away. Ashamed, she looked away and pulled back gently on the reins of her horse, falling back to ride next to Darz.

Nikoru watched silently as Gwynne demonstrated her abilities for Selene. She too noticed how she struggled. Strong as she was, that block was going to make things quite difficult. However, it was not uncommon for Aes Sedai to have to teach someone with a block, and now was not the time to stop doing so. They could use as much help as they could get. Riding over to Selene, she glanced back toward Gwynne before speaking softly.

"It will take much time to teach her what she does not know. She does not like us. And I have yet to think of a pennance for her. She does not wish to be a novice, and I don't blame her, really. But we must think of something..for both her and Nanako."