<span style="font-style: italic">"Permission, to speak freely, Aes Sedai?"</span><br/><br/>Ilia merely nodded in his direction. She didn't like his formal way of addressing her. She was still Ilia! The girl had to fight back her sudden swell of anger. Well, not sudden, it had been slowly building, but she<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>have to fight the urge to release it. She turned to face him with her arms crossed, and leaned against her bed post. She noted he still stared at the wall, which didn't help her mood. Her face held an Aes Sedai's calm, but it seemed shadowed, almost petulant.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"With respect, Aes Sedai...I did not wish you ill will... rather I confessed to you my worst nightmares."</span><br/><br/>Ilia almost sniffed. He sure had an odd way of confessing his concerns over her. Of course, everyone was different and sometimes it was difficult to express oneself-no! She would not begin sympathizing with him! Even if she could see his stone hardened Warder-to-be exterior beginning to crack.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Bond or no bond...to lose you... would be worse than death,"</span><br/><br/>Ilia refused to react, despite her heart jumping clear into her throat. She did purse her lips together and, had she not been an Aes Sedai, one might have said she was pouting. Wait...why, under the light, was he smiling?? And not at her, but the wall. She couldn't take it anymore. Who cared about Aes Sedai calm? She passed her test! They couldn't take the shawl from her now!<br/><br/>"Will you look at me!" Ilia balled her hands into fists and even went so far as to stomp a foot! Goodness, she was practically having a tantrum! "How do you think Luna Sedai would have felt at you two leaving? She would have probably postponed the trip to find other Warders to bring. Who knows for how long!" She practically stomped up to Shadow. "And even if she didn't, what if someone attacked us from behind? With no bond, how would you know something was wrong? Being days ahead, how could you get to us in time? And if you weren't, don't you think we'd find you?"<br/><br/>Ilia threw her hands in the air and sat back down on her stool, arms folded and legs crossed, in an attempt to calm herself. They certainly didn't seem to think their plan through. Speaking of they, where had Moe been? "Where was Moe?" She paused momentarily to give him a little window to react. "You said you and Moe. I didn't see him out there in the stocks with you." Ilia had succeeded in gaining control of her emotions and her last few questions were much more even.