As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue.

Credit to tyranniod overlords for the bus scene, which is based off some apocrypha he did for his Age of Legends AU story. All Legends End (Wheel of Time AU) (discussion welcome)

Interlude XXI - Age of Legends Careers
Approximately 3,100 years ago
"Hmm yes, a most impressive resumé young lady." Taija already hated Professor Garion's smug face along with his smoothly patronising Paaran Disen accent. "Of course I see that you completed your undergraduate studies and doctorate at the Adanza People's University…"

"Yes and then I spent time as post-doc at the Paaran Disen Central University before going on to lecture there as a reader. You can see the list of my publications just below…"

"Yes yes, of course, a very worthy institution, but the Collam Daan is not just any university we must make sure that we take only the best." He paused and smiled, "we do have a junior lecturer post in the physics department."

Taija's mouth dropped open. "That would be a demotion. A large one. As you know I applied for the junior professorship that you were advertising, not for… that."

"Mmm of course, but this is not one of your provincial institutions, this is the Collam Daan. I am sure that you would be able to contribute, but you simply do not have the background to waltz in like that. A few years to prove yourself and then perhaps we could consider a move up to a full lecturer position."

This was pointless. "Thank you for your time Professor Garion. I have an offer of a full professorship at the Jalanda University of Science, while I acknowledge the Collam Daan's reputation, I've got no desire to take a demotion for it."

"Ha, a provincial institution with no particular strength in the field. You would be making a mistake young lady, the Collam Daan does not offer positions to just anybody."

"Thank you for your time professor." She got to her feet and gave him a bow, impolitely shallow, before turning to leave.

========

"Are you sure that was a good idea Taija?" Mierin lifted the bottle of wine and refilled her glass. "I can see why it annoyed you, but well, the Collam Daan is the Collam Daan. People would kill for the opportunity to work there."

Taija shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was a mistake. My mother would probably tell me it was, but I just couldn't face it. He was just so… arrogant! Judging me the second I opened my mouth."

"Well, you don't always help yourself you know."

It was heading back onto old ground, an argument they'd rehashed too many times. "I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not just to please some fuddy duddy old men and women who think your pedigree should be checked like a dogs."

Mierin gave her a languorous smile. "I do hope you are not including me in that." Despite her smile there was a hint of warning in her tone.

"Oh no, of course not, you're my friend. Anyway you never tried to check my family tree or worried about where I went to university."

"Hmm."

"And you're anything but fuddy duddy. Practically the opposite."

Mierin grinned at that, "well that's true. Anyway, the more I think about it, the better I think it will be for you."

"Oh, why's that?"

"Autonomy. You're going to be leading your own team already. I am happy with where I am, but because I have worked my way up the ranks of the Collam Daan I am still having to play second string to washed up old has-beens. You will be a full professor and you are not much past seventy."

"That's what I was thinking, although I'm a bit worried about the step up. It's all very well when you're… well when you're someone like you." Taija gestured vaguely at Mierin. "But I've never had to run a team, be the one taking the lead on everything. It's quite scary."

"Pfff," Mierin waved a hand dismissively. "Don't be ridiculous, you'll be fine. You're hugely talented, why do you think I've helped your career along? One day, when the current generation of big names have retired, Beidomon, Sivia, Gaidon the rest, it'll be us two everyone will be talking about."

"And won't that be nice. You'll have your third name soon, if everything goes well with your latest project they'll have to give it to you." Taija grinned.

"Well, maybe." Despite her words, Mierin preened, she was always terrible at modesty. "Then give it another few decades and you'll be right behind me!"

"Ha, I should be so lucky. Anyway, how is it working for Beidomon? He always seemed a bit too serious to me."

========

Approximately 3,070 years ago.

Taija sat on the bus admiring Shorelle's architecture out of the window with half an eye. Most of her attention was focused on preparing her speech for the conference at the Shorelle Technical University. She'd Traveled to the city in the morning, but rather than go directly to the university she'd indulged herself by deciding to take the bus across the city. As she told anyone silly enough to ask, you couldn't get the feel of a place just Traveling between all its top locations. People said it was un-aes sedai like. Pff. Anyway she found it relaxing and the architecture there really was unique.

Regardless she was in no hurry to reach the university, it was just going to be another boring session of mediocre researchers who didn't even share her specialisms congratulating each other. She was only there because Eleshta had come down with something unpleasant and she'd been begged to fill in. Apparently the Jalanda University of Science absolutely had to be represented there, it was unthinkable that it wouldn't be.

She was the most junior professor with a vaguely relevant specialism, not that there was much competition for that, and so here she was. Not for the first time she wondered whether she should have just taken the demotion thirty years ago and gone to the Collam Daan instead. They wouldn't be so desperate to send someone here. After a moment she shook her head. That would have been a terrible idea and she knew it, she wasn't going to take a demotion, have to give up her own research ideas or let someone else take credit just to get a fancy name on her CV. She might be the most junior professor, but that was because she'd jumped into a full professorship far earlier than anyone had any right to expect and that let her do what she wanted, really make a difference to her field. The fact that the Collam Daan didn't exist anymore didn't help either, poor Mierin...

The bus pulled to another stop. Shorelle was… Not quite what she'd hoped for. It seemed to lack the prosperity of Adanza or Jalanda, let alone Paaran Disen or V'saine. Not that they were perfect, but she couldn't imagine the council of any of those cities allowing them into this state. Everywhere she looked there were signs of neglect and poverty. Even the bus she was on was dirty! Perhaps she should write a letter of complaint to… somebody. She wasn't sure who.

She paid no attention to the group of youths coming up the stairs to the top deck of the bus. They were a positive riot of tattoos, face paints, odd piercings and frankly mismatched clothing, but frankly the elaborate, if dingy, architecture outside was much more interesting than the vagueries of current youth fashion.

She didn't pay them any more attention until they stopped in front of her, crowding the aisle and looking slightly ridiculous. She looked up as the tallest of them spoke. "Yo, I think we left our money in yo wallet."

He had a smirk on his face that suggested he thought he'd just said something clever. What…? Even when Taija had deciphered his thick accent, surely it must be an affectation, his words still didn't make any sense.

After a moment he spoke again, anger in his tone. "Yo, lady. I think you be deaf a wee bit. I said, YO, We left our money in yo wallet."

Were they trying to rob her? She'd read that crime was rising around the world, but it hadn't really seemed very real. Taija cocked her head at the youths. "Are you trying to rob me?"

A thrum of agitation went through the seven youths, anger painting itself across their faces as they puffed themselves up. They were all much bigger than she was. Around them other passengers shifted uncomfortably, being careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Yo you sound like Adanza lady. Well we doing things different here in da big city, so give us yo cash and I won't carve yo face up."

Again, it took Taija a moment to work out what he'd just said. Once she'd worked it out she carefully considered the kind of day she was already having and what would be an appropriate response. "Fuck off."

"Well, home lady, this is on you for being such a dumb bitch, so don't blame anyone but yo inbred family." The leader pulled out a switchblade, flicking it open and waved it at her. "Now. Get open yo wallet and give us our money and we'll only cut yo a bit."

Taija stated at the blade for a second, hardly believing what she was seeing. After a moment she looked up again. "Seriously, fuck off and bother someone else. I'm not in the mood." She looked away again, perhaps the drinks reception after the event would be alright, surely there'd be some interesting people there.

If looks could have killed, the death glares she was receiving and ignoring from the punks would have made her explode with the fury of a thermonuclear fireball. One of the girls spoke up.

"Ya think we joshing, ya low-bitch?" She growled out, piercings jangling with her seething hatred. "Ya think ya can mock the hoodies and not get yo inbred face cut up, Adanza girl?"

With a sigh Taija looked back at them. "Do I need to call the police?"

"Ya think the hoodies give a flying fuck about the pigs, I'm gonna show you low-bitch!" The leader thrust forward at her face with the knife. She hadn't actually expected him to do that! He was actually attacking her!

In a fraction of a second Taija embraced saidar and spun air, sloppy in her panic. The leader's hand froze mid-thrust, only centimetres from her face. Taija was almost trembling from the sudden adrenaline dump, but she still spun more air, freezing the rest of the punks before they could do anything.

There was a long pause, confused glances going between the passengers and then the leader started shouting. "Yo you let me go, what the fuck some aes sedai bitch doin' on the bus?"

Absent mindedly Taija spun air to gag him, adding to the number of flows she was maintaining. This really wasn't what she'd expected and now she had a load of youths to deal with. She should probably get them off the bus at least so they weren't bothering the other passengers. Decision made, she reached out and pressed the button to notify the driver that she wanted to get off at the next stop.

It took a bit of shuffling bound punks around, but eventually she managed to work her way past them and down the stairs, followed by the seven floating youths and the silent, wide-eyed stares of the other passengers.

The real question was what to do with them once she had them off the bus. Maybe there was someone she could call? She pulled her phone out and started searching for what to do when you'd apprehended someone.

"Honoured aes sedai?" The voice made her look up from her phone to see an exceedingly solemn-looking young man walking purposefully toward her. As he stopped he held out his police identification and gave her a polite bow. "Officer Caleb, ma'am. You have just apprehended repeat offenders, robbery and theft, five counts as of their latest attempt. Nice work by the way."

This was perfect! He could take them off her hands and she wouldn't need to worry about them anymore. Taija smiled at the young man and gave him a bow of her own. "That was fast, I hadn't even called! Oh. You were already in the area I suppose." After a second she remembered herself. "Taija Kosola." She gave him another bow. "Would I be able to leave these children in your custody?"

"Ma'am, I am sorry to impose, but may I request you accompany me and the suspects to the Bureau of Youth Statistics, and then to the station? I'd prefer to go straight to the station but...regulations."

Taija tried not to wince. That sounded like a complete pain. She couldn't have been that successful because Caleb quickly continued.

"I know you likely have much more important things than this on your plate, but trust me, Ma'am, your presence will be a wonderful help, and would greatly expedite the whole process. I would be most in your debt if you did help."

Actually… She'd already been thinking about how much she didn't want to go to the conference and this would make a great story in the staff room next week. No one could possibly criticise her for helping law enforcement after a gang of kids, no… after a violent street gang of armed, criminal thugs had tried to murder her in public and only barely been stopped… Yes that would make an excellent story. "You know, I think my business can probably wait. I'm always ready to help expedite justice. If you could just let me make a quick phone call I'd be happy to come and help you officer." Maybe he'd have some good stories too. Her colleagues would be so jealous!