<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fd/Valdar.jpg)</div><strong>Character name:</strong>Galvren Valynar (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=234819.msg11585469#msg11585469)<br/><strong>Position:</strong>Valdar (Newly Risen)<br/><strong>Bondmate:</strong>Open<br/><strong>Tag:</strong>Theraeve Sedai, mentions Rhoven, Shayella and Kalain.<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Afternoon, Saven 6th, 990NE<br/><strong>Place:</strong>Southern District, near The Harbour.<br/><strong>Warning:</strong><br/><hr/><br/>Galvren squinted in the afternoon sun as he surveyed the bustling streets of the Southern District of Tar Valon, his face twisted into a partly annoyed, partly worried grimace. Call him a country bumpkin, but he'd never liked large crowds of people; during his first year or so in Tar Valon, they had made him uneasy due to their sheer size and power, so many people in such a small space, all squashed together like sardines trying to travel in eight different directions, bustling and shoving and shouting to be heard over each other, with any inexperienced traverser being unable to truly tell where they were going or how close they were to the edge of the cluster of people going about their business...there weren't<em>supposed</em>to be that many people in one space, surely, and it felt somehow wrong that the people present in the streets were only half the population, the rest being inside the thousands of buildings or out of the city for some reason...there were just too many people all trying to do their own unique things, oftentimes getting in the way of other people trying to do a slightly different thing, the noise and heat and sheer overwhelming numbers making the inexperienced country lad inside Galvren recoil at the sheer size and apparent endlessness to the crowds...he was from a small village with only maybe a hundred residents, and even that had felt like a lot at times given the relative size of the settlement, but these crowds made his home town look deserted by comparison which made him extremely uneasy...there were more people on the streets in any given district than there were in Harlons Bridge and the nearest three villages combined! How could there possibly be so many people in one place? And as he understood it, Caemlyn and Tear and the other big Capitols of the world were often times just as busy, if not more so,<em>at the same time!</em>Truly, the size of the human population was staggering when you considered it for any noteworthy length of time.<br/><br/>But Galvren had gotten over that relatively quickly - honestly, it was either "get over it" or stay in a permanent state of overwhelmed shock and awe, which wouldn't be useful as a Warder - and come to despise crowds for an entirely different reason; whilst he retained his dislike of so many people in so cramped a space, the Warder inside him was repulsed at the idea of so many potential<em>threats</em>in one area. With so many people doing so many different things and attempting to go in so many different directions, it was almost impossible to spot any meaningful pattern in the crowdgoers dress and mannerisms, and with so many people to keep an eye on, the chances of missing something and letting somebody suspicious get too close or being shuffled off to one side accidentally and losing their way or having people subtly surround them and close in, using the crowd as a hiding place until the last possible minute were far, far higher than if the street was completely or even just relatively empty. Further, if you were trying to chase or follow somebody and they slipped into the crowd, the chances were good that you would never see them again, especially if the crowd was going the same way or were dressed in a similar way...then your chances of discerning who among them was your quarry would be next to nothing. This was a problem for any Warder; you needed to protect the Aes Sedai, but you also needed to let them go about their business as they saw fit. And if that business included crowds...well, that was one giant security risk. Don't get him wrong, crowds could be useful - for pretty much the same reasons he hated them - but they could also be extremely dangerous and inconvenient. Take now, for example: he had been following somebody as closely as he could, but every time he attempted to catch up in order to speak with them, the crowd conspired against him and allowed her to increase the distance once again. And at that very moment in time? The crowd had obscured his vision for long enough that his intended company had somehow escaped his gaze. Despite how much he looked around, he just couldn't see her anymore, which infuriated him no end.<br/><br/>He had come out of the infirmary that morning in a relatively good mood; so far as he was aware, there were no complications with the injury he had sustained on his shoulder from the Gaidin test, he had gotten to speak to Shayella Sedai - a friend he had amongst the Yellow Ajah -<em>and</em>he had been flirted with by a cute volunteer nurse. As far as starts to the day went, that one was pretty high on the list of "good ways to begin your day." Yes, not having an injury at all would maybe have been preferable, but then, he wouldn't have gotten to speak to Shayella Sedai or been flirted with, so the Wheel Weaves, as they say. But that day had been quickly soured when he decided to, on a whim, wander past the training grounds to see what was going on and whether there was anything interesting that he could at least watch, even if he couldn't get involved...and whilst there was indeed something interesting happening, it was not exactly something he particularly enjoyed. The good news was that Theraeve Sedai - one of his oldest friends at the White Tower, and one with whom he shared a "unique" relationship - had apparently returned from her business outside Tar Valon, and was getting back into the habit of visiting the training grounds to practice her technique, specifically her unarmed combat skills, since she deemed that as her "speciality," as she put it. He remembered keenly some of their hand-to-hand sparring matches - he was amongst the few Valdar and Gaidin who didn't hold back on her, partly because she'd know if he did and partly because he knew that she wouldn't hold back against him and if she thought<em>he</em>was...well, he wouldn't walk away with<em>just</em>a bruise; some of his more serious injuries occurred when sparring Theraeve Sedai - and could vouch for her skill...there weren't many individuals who could match her in that regard.<br/><br/>The<em>bad</em>news was that she had apparently utilised that infamously sharp, treacherous tongue of hers on the Master of Arms himself, and had reportedly instigated an unarmed duel with him, as confident as she was in her skills....or, perhaps since to his knowledge Theraeve Sedai had never met the man before, she simply didn't know who she was dealing with. Either way, he arrived just as the sparring match was ending with a decisive victory for The Master of Arms - as you might expect; he was<em>supposed</em>to be the toughest Gaidin in the city, the person who trained all the other Warders in weaponcraft and unarmed combat - after what was - if he gathered correctly from the crowd - a surprisingly close match. Nobody was surprised that he won, of course, but they were surprised that an Aes Sedai - who were generally not known for their talent in fighting without the aid of<em>Saidar</em>- could potentially provide a "match" for the person responsible for training all of the Warders currently in the city, and a good many of them who were know bonded and off in the world somewhere.<em>Galvren</em>wasn't - she had beaten him soundly enough enough times for him to have learned never to underestimate her - but the point still remains....unfortunately, that wasn't where it had ended. Theraeve Sedai had never been one to handle failure particularly well, but even Galvren was surprised when she ended up leaping to her feet, assaulting her opponent from behind, then storming off into the crowd. After a brief glance at Kalain - who was already getting plenty of attention from the watching Warders, trainees and even a few Yellow's who had wandered over to investigate the disturbance - to ensure that he was getting the attention he needed, Galvren had opted to set off after Theraeve Sedai. He couldn't offer anything in the way of meaningful aid to the fallen Master of Arms, but he could<em>definitely</em>do something about Theraeve Sedai's foul mood, if he was lucky. He did almost catch her when she shared a few sharp words with Rhoven, but she set off afterwards in such a hurry that Galvren ended up having difficulty keeping up. Had he been at full strength he could almost certainly have caught up quickly, but what with his still-tender shoulder and the instructions he had to keep it as still as possible, he couldn't risk bumping into anything or moving too quickly...so a brisk walk was the best he could reliably do.<br/><br/>See, he and Theraeve Sedai had a....unique...relationship. Despite being of the Red Ajah - who, he had found out upon arriving in Tar Valon, were stereotypically very distrustful of males and generally scorned their company altogether -  his initial interactions with her had been extremely friendly and positive. True, she had just saved his village from a group of criminals led by a newly "Snapped" Male Channeller and his first interaction with her was one of fawning, overawed gratitude, but the point remained. She had been gracious and humble in accepting his thanks, and had even stayed in the village for a few days to ensure that they had no more trouble from the other escaped criminals before heading back to Tar Valon. But that wasn't the whole story. Officially speaking, of course, it was; she saved his village, he was inspired and decided to travel to Tar Valon for training to become a Warder. Whilst that was true - his second extended interaction with her began when he approached her to ask if he could accompany her to Tar Valon - it wasn't the whole story, since he and Theraeve Sedai tended to leave out the fact that the evening before they left for The White Tower, they ended up...."enjoying each others company." Yes, in<em>that</em>sense of the phrase. Galvren wasn't ashamed of their liaison - quite the opposite, in fact; he and Theraeve Sedai got on extremely well, she was a strong willed and attractive woman and he liked her rather a lot, despite her oftentimes prickly nature - but he understood how it would look if word got out that a Red Sister had "enjoyed" the company of a male, especially one who then accompanied her to Tar Valong to undergo training as a Warder. Even if what got out wasn't representative of the truth, gossip didn't care about the truth. Much safer and easier to keep it to themselves....of course, keeping it to themselves didn't mean it was a one off thing.<br/><br/>Soon enough, them either meeting up or Theraeve Sedai intercepting him and dragging him off for more "company enjoyment" became a rule rather than the exception, and their friendship pretty much developed along the lines of "friends with benefits," more or less. It was inconvenient at times - intimacy with Theraeve Sedai tended to be<em>extremely</em>rough which, whilst not a problem, did lead to some mornings where he could barely move as training<em>began</em>- but it was always enjoyable and they always seemed to get along, more or less. Theraeve Sedai wasn't as warm and cuddly as Shayella Sedai may have been, but she was still loyal, kind at heart when it came down to it, and surprisingly easy for him to talk to, especially considering that she was a Red. Of course, she was always the one in control - he didn't think he personally could even<em>imagine</em>Theraeve Sedai submitting in any way - but he liked strong women, so that wasn't really an issue...but her love of rough play did lead to a somewhat awkward situation only a couple of months previous. She had to leave for an assignment - one that she had just gotten back from, apparently - and had elected to have one more "ride" with Galvren before she left. Everything was going as it usually did - hot and steamy, with plenty of scratching, biting and hair pulling - when she placed his hands around her throat and ordered him to squeeze. He hesitated but ultimately obeyed - as he said; she was the one in charge, and he'd gotten into the habit of doing as she said - and restricted her breathing while they "went at it." She disappeared soon afterwards, leaving him to try to process what had just happened...and he couldn't. He'd never done anything like that before, and the memory of it made him intensely uncomfortable, even more so considering that he couldn't exactly talk to anybody about it...the feel of her throat beneath his fingers, the pallor her skin took as he stopped her breathing, the thought that he might have....he shuddered just thinking about it. He tried to ignore it at first, but it soon bubbled up in the form of a semi-regular nightmare where he accidentally squeezed too hard...and that told him all he needed to know; he was<em>not</em>ok with what she wanted him to do, and he promised himself that he would never do it again, even if she ordered him to.<br/><br/>That being said, she was still a friend and he was still concerned about her; she had taken a fair beating in that sparring match from the looks of it - he had never seen her with such an obvious injury on her face, which meant that she had obviously taken a few sharp, nasty knocks - and he had never known her to lose her temper so completely that she would attack a sparring partner from behind, of all things. If nothing else, Theraeve had a strong sense of justice and honour, so that act alone was by far the most alarming thing in that whole mess, and the thing that made Galvren actively worry about Theraeve's wellbeing. He means, Theraeve<em>Sedai's</em>wellbeing. He needed to remember to keep that honorific at the end of her name, at least in public. If anybody was worthy of his respect above most others, it was Theraeve Sedai. He wouldn't be standing there today if it weren't for her. And now....now, he'd lost her in the crowd. He had thought that he had been catching up with her, but apparently not. That was the problem with Tar Valon; so many nooks and crannies that people could slip through, so many buildings they could enter, so many side streets they could take...it was impossible to follow somebody who didn't want to be followed, or somebody who got out of your sight for more than a handful of minutes. He grit his teeth in annoyance and stopped where he was, forcing a few irritated-looking people behind him to pause and go around him. So....he'd lost Theraeve Sedai in the crowd. He could give up and go home? Not likely. He hadn't seen his friend in a good couple of months,<em>and</em>she evidently needed help whether she acknowledged it or not, even if it was just a case of helping her bandage her wounds. He wouldn't find her in the crowds now that she had apparently disappeared, so...he could try and predict where she was going, couldn't he? She was in the Southern District, heading towards the Docks...if he knew Theraeve Sedai - and he did - she would likely be looking to drown her sorrows in the cup for an afternoon. She seemed to be in a bad mood, and whenever she got overly angry or upset, she would always go to the drinking section of the harbour. Which establishment in particular was a more difficult question to answer, but it gave him somewhere to start looking.<br/><br/>So, he made his way to the taverns in the next street over, doing his best to weave through the crowds as quickly as he dared without moving his shoulder more than was necessary. A few times something caught hold of it or somebody bumping into him or he twisted the wrong way, eliciting a pained grimace from him and a muttered curse - whilst not broken anymore, his shoulder was still a bit tender to the point where the wrong contact could send a lance of pain through his body...not a long lasting one, but definitely a sharp, noticeable one - but for the most part, he was able to navigate the crowds relatively easily and without incident. And, apparently, he made it onto the next street over just in time; just as he was turning onto the main road that ran down that particular line of buildings, shops and street-stalls, he caught sight of a familiar shape in very familiar garbs slipping out of an alleyway and turning to head down the street in the opposite direction. It may have been his imagination, but she seemed to be moving a little slower than she had been a few minutes previously...perhaps she was starting to find the crowds difficult to traverse as well? But no, this was Theraeve Sedai...she wouldn't be slowed down by anybody. Perhaps she was more hurt than she let on? Or perhaps she was simply distracted? He didn't know. Either way, he needed to catch up with her before he lost her again, so - pain in his shoulder be damned - he gritted his teeth again and surged forwards, breaking into a light jog. Whilst the activity didn't particularly do anything to his breathing rate, the sharp stabs of tender ache that radiated from his shoulder did, eliciting a few sharp intakes of breath as he struggled to catch up with the still-moving form of Theraeve Sedai ahead of him.<br/><br/>Thankfully for him and his shoulder, he caught up with her relatively quickly, soon arriving just behind her, allowing him to slow to a more normal walking pace. He looked her up and down, making certain that it was in fact her - telling people apart from a distance, from behind, in a crowd could be rather difficult - and when he was certain, he increased his walking pace a little to pull up beside her, though he made certain to keep a respectful distance between them. This was partly due to not wanting to appear too cosy with her, but to also avoid taking her by surprise; injured or not, she would still have that brutal right hook. He winced a little just thinking about the last time he caught that on his cheek...he had a black eye for a week. He turned his head to look at her, bending his neck in a respectful bow, though he made certain to keep half an eye on the path in front of them, just in case...now that he was in the presence of an Aes Sedai, he needed to have his head on a swivel, just in case. He wouldn't deny that in the early years of his training, he had held a secret hope that he might be Theraeve Sedai's Warder when he graduated, but he knew from the start that was unlikely, if not impossible; Red's were famous for never taking Warders. Still, she was a friend<em>and</em>an Aes Sedai, and he was<em>her</em>friend and a Warder. It was his duty and his honour to protect her if necessary. Besides, keeping an eye on everybody in a given area was an excellent habit to get into as a Warder. There was no sense in dropping his guard for any reason. "Theraeve Sedai," he began, attempting to get her attention, "It's good to see that you're back in the city...I hope I'm the first to say 'welcome home.' It hasn't been the same around here without you."<br/><br/>He offered her a hesitant, tentative-but-genuine smile. Despite the incident in the training grounds, it<em>was</em>very good to see her again. Honestly, he'd kinda missed her...he didn't have many "old friends," and despite the fact that they had to keep it largely a secret, she could always be relied upon in a pinch if you could contact her. That was a rare enough trait as it was, and when you threw into the mix her willingness to have fun despite her rank....well, she was always a lot of fun to hang out with if she was in a decent mood, and even if she wasn't, she would at least make the effort, which is more than a lot of people did. Of course, you could never tell what might happen when Theraeve Sedai was in a bad mood, so caution was advised. She might greet you back, or she might yell at you and storm off. Either/or. He was hoping that the fact that she knew him personally and - hopefully - liked him would at least stall her getting angry at him for a bit. He looked her face over as non-obviously as he could, though she probably still noticed. He'd have to at least try to be a little delicate about what he said next, but...well, there was no point in dancing around the subject. Theraeve's "Nonsense Detector" was second only, perhaps, to Shayella Sedai's, and with him at least, she was always able to tell when he was avoiding a subject or had some ulterior motive. The curse of her knowing him for so long, he supposed; he was never really able to keep anything secret from her for long. Not that he'd ever wanted to, of course, but the point was that it was probably better to get straight to the point. Dancing around it would likely only annoy her further.<br/><br/>"I, um...saw the tail end of what happened at The Tower," he began carefully, "and I thought I should, you know...offer to keep you company....if that's ok, of course." He was nervous. He always got nervous when Theraeve Sedai was in a bad mood...how could he not? She was<em>scary</em>when she was angry. "Are you....ok? Are you injured at all?" Despite his caution and uncertainty, there was genuine concern in his voice. No matter how secret they had to keep it, she was still his friend and he was still worried about her. Not only did she do something so utterly out of character - at least as far as he knew - but she stormed off without getting medical attention and, now that he's up close, he can see that she's more injured than he initially thought. He wouldn't talk about the incident directly unless she brought it up, and he definitely wouldn't ask for information that she didn't want to give, but the least he could do as her friend was ask if she was ok and show concern for her. If that got him yelled at, then so be it. For him, at least, compassion, loyalty and concern for your friends came first. And right now, he was worried about her in more ways than one. Even if she got angry at him and berated him for whatever reason or even if she just clammed up and refused to talk about anything, he would be damned if he was going to pretend that he wasn't concerned about her. It just wasn't something he was prepared to do at this point in time, regardless of what might happen. Better to get in trouble doing the right thing than get away with doing the wrong thing, as his father always said, and regardless of the outcome, standing by your friends when they needed it was always the right thing to do. And right now, Theraeve Sedai obviously needed company, whether she wanted it or not. It was the least he could do to offer his own; when push came to shove, she was a friend...and it was as simple as that.