Demandred stared out at the Porta Potty in the former flowerbed. It was
starting to smell really awful. He forced himself to take a step towards
it, his muscles straining as his conscious self fought his animal instinct.
There could be nothing good from something that smelled as putrid as
*that.*
Another step. Then another. He was almost within reach of the door when he lost his nerve, and Barid Bel Medar shrieked with terror and ran back to the house.
Nyneave watched his flight from an upper window. Something had to be done about Rand, and soon. It was either that, or take the logical step of getting a replacement Porta Potty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Shelly was slowly crawling across a table. He stopped to glare balefully up at Shaidar Haran. The eyeless creature tried to return the glare, but there are some things that myrdaal just cannot do. In shame, the Hand of Shadow dropped its gaze and gestured mournfully towards the tortoise.
"Go back to him," he said. "I won't keep you apart any longer."
Mr. Shelly glared balefully for a little while longer, and then continued crawling along the table on his way back to Moridin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wetlanders." The word sounded like a horrible curse in Aviendha's mouth, and it probably was. She didn't sound particularly thrilled to see the mess in the kitchen which had resulted from Semirhage's mad quest for a non- lettuce meal. No one had bothered to clean up, and so the kitchen lay in ruins.
A barely perceptible sound made her turn, readying herself for combat. Standing in the kitchen doorway was Siuan Sanche, looking as regal as she could.
"We really ought to do something," the older woman stated imperiously. "These Forsaken don't belong with us civilized people. I don't know why we've been putting up with them."
"You don't understand? I thought it was because they were all far more skilled in the use of your One Power than the rest of us combined. Besides, it would be rude to do anything to them when we're sharing a house."
Siuan moved away from the doorway, to the middle of the kitchen. "Whatever happened to that Aiel oath, the one about using the last breath to spit into Sightblinder's eye on the last day? I thought your people were devoted to fighting against Darkfriends, and you can't get much worse than these three."
On the very first day, a truce had been called, as Aviendha remembered. It had all been Demandred's idea. He had pointed out that they would probably need to work together to get out of the house, so there would be no killing based on allegiance. Now it seemed that any killing would have purely personal motives.
"You know, I saw Mesaana just now, up at the bathroom," Siuan put in slyly. "She was talking to Rand." As expected, Aviendha's eyes snapped up, and she leaned forward.
"Tell me more about this evil plan you are hatching to rid our house of evil."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two female Forsaken were right now oblivious to the evil scheming that was going on in the kitchen. Right now, they were engaged in a game of dice with Mat and Nyneave. Mat was winning, as was usual, but this might not have been due to his abnormal luck. The three women didn't seem to have their minds on the game.
"We need to do something!" Nyneave was yelling.
"What should we do?" Mesaana asked, in the tone of someone who has asked this question many times before.
Mat took advantage of their distraction to slide a chip out of the pile to his left, the one in front on Nyneave.
"I don't know!" Nyneave shouted back at Mesaana. "But you must agree, something needs to be done."
Semirhage nodded in agreement. "This situation can't continue. That Porta Potty is most unhygienic."
"I notice that everyone keeps saying that, yet no one ever comes up with any solutions."
The other two women stared at Mesaana, and Mat took that opportunity to slide a chip away from Mesaana's pile to the right.
The stare continued until Semirhage spoke up again. "You do realize that those chips are worthless, don't you? There is no real reason to want to acquire many of them."
Mat glanced around, and then smiled stupidly. "I have no clue what you're talking about," he said in an overly innocent tone of voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let me in."
"No."
"Why not?"
"You're in league with Demandred."
"Why, so I am. What does that have to do with anything?"
"See! You even admit it!"
"Admit what?"
"To being in league with Demandred."
"Of course."
"Huh?"
"I *AM* Demandred."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the cramped dark room, a tortoise sat on a desk. It was not eating, nor glaring, but merely waiting. The one who belonged here was out. He would return, soon enough. He would surely return.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mesaana walked out of the room in a huff. Mat had joined Nyneave and Semirhage in complaining about Rand and the Porta Potty (although his complaints were in the Old Tongue and wouldn't have made much sense even if he'd been speaking in his original language). She supposed it was all well and good to complain about the bad things, and yet, they weren't even trying to come up with a solution to their problem.
As she passed the bathroom, she stopped, and then turned. It never hurt to try, so she knocked on the door.
"What?!" came Rand's muffled yell.
"I don't suppose you're ready to leave the bathroom, are you?" she asked, careful to keep her tone polite.
"No! And I'm getting tired of you Aes Sedai who are in league with Demandred coming up here and trying to lure me out! Lews Therin thinks I ought to balefire you for that!"
"Are you getting along with Lews Therin now? I remember when you couldn't stand him."
"We get along fine. Go away."
"Are you sure? You know, Aviendha was saying earlier that she couldn't love a man who hogged the bathroom."
Silence on the other side of the door made her hopes rise, but the dream was shattered by Rand's cries. "Noooooo! How can the woman I love want to destroy me, too? I will be strong Aviendha! I promise you, I will never give up, no matter what you try to do!"
Mesaana shook her head. Rand's cries didn't make much sense, but maybe men who heard voices weren't supposed to make much sense. Well, it never hurt to try, but sometimes it could irritate and annoy.
Another step. Then another. He was almost within reach of the door when he lost his nerve, and Barid Bel Medar shrieked with terror and ran back to the house.
Nyneave watched his flight from an upper window. Something had to be done about Rand, and soon. It was either that, or take the logical step of getting a replacement Porta Potty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Shelly was slowly crawling across a table. He stopped to glare balefully up at Shaidar Haran. The eyeless creature tried to return the glare, but there are some things that myrdaal just cannot do. In shame, the Hand of Shadow dropped its gaze and gestured mournfully towards the tortoise.
"Go back to him," he said. "I won't keep you apart any longer."
Mr. Shelly glared balefully for a little while longer, and then continued crawling along the table on his way back to Moridin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wetlanders." The word sounded like a horrible curse in Aviendha's mouth, and it probably was. She didn't sound particularly thrilled to see the mess in the kitchen which had resulted from Semirhage's mad quest for a non- lettuce meal. No one had bothered to clean up, and so the kitchen lay in ruins.
A barely perceptible sound made her turn, readying herself for combat. Standing in the kitchen doorway was Siuan Sanche, looking as regal as she could.
"We really ought to do something," the older woman stated imperiously. "These Forsaken don't belong with us civilized people. I don't know why we've been putting up with them."
"You don't understand? I thought it was because they were all far more skilled in the use of your One Power than the rest of us combined. Besides, it would be rude to do anything to them when we're sharing a house."
Siuan moved away from the doorway, to the middle of the kitchen. "Whatever happened to that Aiel oath, the one about using the last breath to spit into Sightblinder's eye on the last day? I thought your people were devoted to fighting against Darkfriends, and you can't get much worse than these three."
On the very first day, a truce had been called, as Aviendha remembered. It had all been Demandred's idea. He had pointed out that they would probably need to work together to get out of the house, so there would be no killing based on allegiance. Now it seemed that any killing would have purely personal motives.
"You know, I saw Mesaana just now, up at the bathroom," Siuan put in slyly. "She was talking to Rand." As expected, Aviendha's eyes snapped up, and she leaned forward.
"Tell me more about this evil plan you are hatching to rid our house of evil."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two female Forsaken were right now oblivious to the evil scheming that was going on in the kitchen. Right now, they were engaged in a game of dice with Mat and Nyneave. Mat was winning, as was usual, but this might not have been due to his abnormal luck. The three women didn't seem to have their minds on the game.
"We need to do something!" Nyneave was yelling.
"What should we do?" Mesaana asked, in the tone of someone who has asked this question many times before.
Mat took advantage of their distraction to slide a chip out of the pile to his left, the one in front on Nyneave.
"I don't know!" Nyneave shouted back at Mesaana. "But you must agree, something needs to be done."
Semirhage nodded in agreement. "This situation can't continue. That Porta Potty is most unhygienic."
"I notice that everyone keeps saying that, yet no one ever comes up with any solutions."
The other two women stared at Mesaana, and Mat took that opportunity to slide a chip away from Mesaana's pile to the right.
The stare continued until Semirhage spoke up again. "You do realize that those chips are worthless, don't you? There is no real reason to want to acquire many of them."
Mat glanced around, and then smiled stupidly. "I have no clue what you're talking about," he said in an overly innocent tone of voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let me in."
"No."
"Why not?"
"You're in league with Demandred."
"Why, so I am. What does that have to do with anything?"
"See! You even admit it!"
"Admit what?"
"To being in league with Demandred."
"Of course."
"Huh?"
"I *AM* Demandred."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the cramped dark room, a tortoise sat on a desk. It was not eating, nor glaring, but merely waiting. The one who belonged here was out. He would return, soon enough. He would surely return.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mesaana walked out of the room in a huff. Mat had joined Nyneave and Semirhage in complaining about Rand and the Porta Potty (although his complaints were in the Old Tongue and wouldn't have made much sense even if he'd been speaking in his original language). She supposed it was all well and good to complain about the bad things, and yet, they weren't even trying to come up with a solution to their problem.
As she passed the bathroom, she stopped, and then turned. It never hurt to try, so she knocked on the door.
"What?!" came Rand's muffled yell.
"I don't suppose you're ready to leave the bathroom, are you?" she asked, careful to keep her tone polite.
"No! And I'm getting tired of you Aes Sedai who are in league with Demandred coming up here and trying to lure me out! Lews Therin thinks I ought to balefire you for that!"
"Are you getting along with Lews Therin now? I remember when you couldn't stand him."
"We get along fine. Go away."
"Are you sure? You know, Aviendha was saying earlier that she couldn't love a man who hogged the bathroom."
Silence on the other side of the door made her hopes rise, but the dream was shattered by Rand's cries. "Noooooo! How can the woman I love want to destroy me, too? I will be strong Aviendha! I promise you, I will never give up, no matter what you try to do!"
Mesaana shook her head. Rand's cries didn't make much sense, but maybe men who heard voices weren't supposed to make much sense. Well, it never hurt to try, but sometimes it could irritate and annoy.