<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>Shayella Sedai, mentions Avalyn Sedai.<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Morning, Saven 6th, 990NE<br/><strong>Place:</strong>Infirmary, Main Ward<br/><strong>Warning:</strong><br/><hr/><br/>Galvren had to grin as Shayella Sedai's expression went from abject horror at the extent of the bruising along his collar and shoulder to sheer delight in the span of about five milliseconds; it was amazing how quickly terrible news could be transformed into great news simply by the addition of a little context, wasn't it? Just being hit by a stray training bolt while sparring was an unfortunate stroke of luck that could - in the right company - garner plenty of sympathy and lots of understanding pouts and nods, or - alternatively, in the wrong company - earn harsh reprimands and plenty of not-so-friendly mocking. However, add in the fact that it had been in the line of protecting somebody - it didn't have to be an Aes Sedai, but you got bonus points if it was somebody important from some people (which Galvren never understood; surely protecting<em>anybody</em>is good, so why does it matter how much coin or influence they have from a moralistic standpoint?) - and you'd be seen as a hero. Right there, when he revealed that his injury came from passing the Gaidin Exam, Shayella Sedai actually<em>lost her composure</em>for a moment in her surprise and joy...and it was genuine pleasure for<em>him,</em>which actually touched him more than a little. She actually cared whether<em>he</em>succeeded or failed, which made all the difference in the world. He couldn't help but beam at her out of sheer pride. Her composure and her professional attitude returned as quickly as it had fled, of course - even if you managed to put an Aes Sedai off-guard, they never stayed there for long - but he did have to smile a little at the slightly awkward throat-clear. Would she have been as pleased for him as she was if he was just another average ex-trainee, rather than an old friend? Or was the calm-cracking grin reserved only for people as friendly with her as he was? He preferred the latter, if he was honest. It made him feel all special. In any case, he grinned at her and inclined his head in thanks; she quickly moved on to diagnosing his shoulder, but he would never let it be said that he didn't have the appropriate manners.<br/><br/>But, it was down to business first, then socialising; as he had expected, his shoulder was healing at a relatively slow but natural pace. No infections were obvious, no secondary damage of any kind, no permanent issues that might have needed to be addressed sooner rather than later, no complications and nothing really other than him having a large bruise that would need to be nursed and taken care of to the best of his ability. He had figured that would be the case - Aes Sedai healing tends to heal all of the body at the same time rather than allowing for targeted healing, so the chances of any serious side effects slipping through the cracks as they worked on his shoulder were slim to none, but it still helped to hear it from a trusted, trained Sister of the Yellow Ajah...they were the experts in healing, after all, and if anybody was qualified to give him a definitive "you're fine, you just need to heal," it was the Yellow Sisters. Was it a little disappointing that Shayella Sedai wouldn't use The One Power to get rid of the annoyingly tender blemish on his shoulder? Yes, a little. It was difficult doing anything one handed, and sleep was a near impossibility some nights as well...the only consolation was that he was excused from training until he was healed, so it wasn't like he couldn't catch up with his sleep with a little bit of a lie-in. But the simple fact of the matter was that the Yellow Ajah had policies in place to ensure that everybody got the healing that they needed...had the Yellow Sisters the previous week healed every bump and scrape that they were brought that day, it was very likely that they might not have been able to heal his shoulder as quickly as they did, so he didn't begrudge them their refusal to treat his bruise; he was never expecting it and it was, in the grand scheme of things, only a bruise. He could deal with it, so long as he managed to keep it from taking any more punishment until it was better.<br/><br/>And....that was that. She gave him some basic advice and told him to come back to the infirmary if his shoulder got worse or if he hurt himself again, but that was pretty basic for injuries of that nature; he wouldn't even have gone back if Carella Sedai hadn't recommended it to him. "My gratitude for your time, Shayella Sedai," he said, smiling at her, "It's comforting to know that I'll be able to keep my arm on this occasion." He grinned again. Just a bruise or not, he did appreciate her attention, her time and the ability to actually speak to her for a few minutes around her busy schedule. It was, he thought wryly, the only way to go any way to guaranteeing some interaction with her; just get injured on one of the days when she is on-shift in the Infirmary, and there was a good chance you'd run into her! But, either way, the only thing that remained was her redressing of his wound with fresh bandages - more for padding and protection against the friction of his clothes than anything else, so far as he understood it - which Shayella Sedai set to with rapid efficiency and a not-surprising level of gentle tenderness. See, this was where he believed Shayella Sedai to be head and shoulders above the rest of the Yellow Sisters in the infirmary; she had an excellent bedside manner, and actively took care to respond to the patients body language to avoid as much pain as possible, regardless of how busy the infirmary was. She would move faster, yes, but she would never rush. Of course, he was also just a little bit biased. He grimaced a little as a strip of padded bandaging pressed against a particularly sore spot, but the pain quickly passed as he looked sidelong at Shayella Sedai, frowning just a little. That was the downside of being injured during his test; he wasn't exactly in a fit state to be bonded right that moment. He sighed quietly. "Unfortunately, Shayella Sedai, I have no idea who I want to bond with. My training has kept me from truly investigating the matter until now, so as far as I know, there aren't any current Aes Sedai that I would specifically like to bond with<em>and</em>are likely to need or want a Warder...and I don't want to Bond with just<em>anybody.</em>It's not exactly something that can be undone or altered easily, after all." Shayella Sedai, for example, would be an excellent Aes Sedai for him to "Ward;" they got along, he knew she was a genuine, kindhearted individual and he saw her mission as an Aes Sedai as a righteous one...alas, she didn't leave the tower enough for her to consider needing a permanent Warder, and when she did, she just took along one or two of the Unbonded ones or the Valdar that were close to graduating...so she was out. He also, to his vague embarrassment, had entertained fantasies when he was younger of becoming<em>Theraeve</em>Sedai's Warder - she was the saviour of his village, one of his oldest friends and, honestly, his first real "flame," so why wouldn't he consider it? - but that was evidently out of the question. She was a Red Sister, and more, it could start undue rumours about their relationship. So that was out as well. "Besides...as it is, I think that my bonding with an Aes Sedai won't be happening for a while either way; I can't rightly protect anybody effectively with<em>this.</em>" He gestured to his shoulder and, as if to punctuate the point, a small throb of pain emanated from the central crossbow wound. He bit back a grunt of discomfort.<br/><br/>He also remembered what passed for a "celebration" upon his ascension; some of the older Warders who had heard the news took him out for a night of drinking once he could actually get out of bed unaided, but due to Carella Sedai's strict instructions - which none of the senior Warders wanted to disobey - they only partook of a little amount of alcohol - which, in and of itself, wasn't a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination; Galvren had been known to get drunk on occasion, but he never went out specifically to get blind drunk. He at least liked to be able to remember the previous night in the morning - and were back in the Gaidin quarter - where his new room was, incidentally - before midnight. Add onto that that he didn't really know any of the older Warders, so the night was filled with awkward silences and tense card games, and...well. It wasn't the "roaring celebration that tore the town down" that he had been led to believe would be occurring upon his ascension. It was possible, of course, that everybody was holding off until his shoulder recovered...but that didn't change the fact that thus far besides that night, he had largely only been given handshakes and courteous congratulations in the corridor. But honestly, he didn't mind; he didn't want a raucous night out with strangers. There were only really a handful of people that he actually wanted to celebrate with, and none of them seemed to be available. "As for the celebration...in all honesty, Shayella Sedai, there hasn't really been one worth mentioning. None of the people I would want to spend a fun evening with are around. One has been utterly consumed by her studies, so I haven't seen her in a good few months-" Accepted Ishara, one of the novices that was studying when he arrived at the tower, was an old friend probably only preceded by Theraeve Sedai herself and was currently - as far as he was aware - swamped with her assignments as an Accepted "- one of them left the tower and, as far as I am aware, hasn't returned yet-" Theraeve Sedai "- And one seems to never be able to escape from her work long enough for me to seek her out for some social time." He glanced at Shayella Sedai for a moment, then pointedly looked away, though a small smile did tug at his lips. He was respectful, sure, but he didn't have to be humourless, now did he?