08-15-2020, 03:29 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-15-2020, 03:32 PM by Jay Carpenter.)
With a snort, Jai shot straight in the chair. His head was woozy like he’d been punched in the skull. Course that hadn’t happened, or if it had, he’d remember it. Probably. Actually, now he thought about it, getting punched in the head tended to be followed by painful oblivion. Which obviously he preferred the blissful oblivion of drunkenness, but since that whole stint at Araya’s, he’d sworn off drinking.
Twenty faces sat around a circular table: lords and ladies of the ruling academy of Arad Doman. Jai rubbed his eyes and realized those nearest to him were looking at him blandly.
Lady Krora, a senior noble with streaks of white through her raven hair, lifted an eyebrow across from him,
“Nice nap, Asha’man?”
Jai snatched the cup of wine from the table in front of him. So he swore off drinking, but wine didn’t count. He lifted it in her honor and nodded. Nearby, the conversation grew heated. Economics, policy, trade. The only reason Jai was even sitting at this table – actually he had no idea why he was here at all.
He shoved out of the chair, rubbing the back of his neck. Bloody uncomfortable way to sleep, he thought, glancing at Daryen. He was currently occupied by Lord Qoaos, a dark-skinned Tairen High Lord resplendent in a bright red coat, but despite the surely thrilling topic at hand, the king glanced upward. Jai shook his head in disappointment and shuffled toward the side of the room. Despite the sea breeze blowing through high windows and the promise of evening’s cooling temperature, sweat slicked his chest.
A servant hurried to his side as Jai started to rummage through the wine bottles, “My lord, may I help you?”
Jai barked a laugh. “I’m no lord,” he said, tapping his collar. The pins were obvious enough, but the young man of probably sixteen looked white as a ghost. Before he started to stammer apologies, Jai cut him off. “If you’re stuck on tradition, call me Asha’man Kojima,” he plucked a bottle and held the label up to the light. Nope, shitty wine. Too spicy.
“Is there something I can help you find?”
“How about a reason not to fall on my sword rather than endure another hour of sleeping in those blight-forsaken uncomfortable chairs?” The bottles clinked as he moved them about.
The servant’s voice went up two octaves, “Do you want a pillow sir?”
Jai laughed, “Actually that’s not a bad idea. Keep that in mind for next time,” he pat the kid on the shoulder, two hands shorter than Jai, and nudged him onward. He finally plucked a bottle from the back, barely been touched. “Here we go,” he poured himself a glass then held it up to the servant. “Want some?” The kid’s eyes flared wide. Jai smirked. Poor kid. “How new are you?”
He seized the power, and before the kid could explain much more than it was his first week, the glass was chilled to ice and Jai gulped it down with soothing relief. “You’ll get used to the channeling but watch your back. You never know when the taint will make me snap and turn everyone into sacks of blood and guts.”
He left the poor kid basically trembling. He was kidding of course, but at least he’d think twice about begging to serve Asha’man Kojima in the future.
Jai wandered outside having abandoned the chilled glass to the capable hands of the servant.
After sunset, the same group expanded to a larger dinner party. Jai found Trista at the head banquet table and slipped into a seat near her. Nearby, the king was dressed in a long purple tunic with gold roses sewn along the seams. His silk pants flowed as he walked, the thin material pasted against the line of his legs as he moved.
Jai swallowed, looking the man up and down. As he slipped into a seat at the table, he whispered a few choice words, but the damn woman still didn’t laugh.
The meal was uneventful except for the accidental bite of pudding that Jai regretted as soon as he licked the spoon. Who puts spice in banana pudding? After that, he had to chill down three glasses of wine to wash the heat from his tongue. The only thing that ruined the night was when two Aes Sedai that Jai didn’t recognize joined the dinner. They mostly kept to themselves, but his skin crawled every time they glanced in his general direction.
Twenty faces sat around a circular table: lords and ladies of the ruling academy of Arad Doman. Jai rubbed his eyes and realized those nearest to him were looking at him blandly.
Lady Krora, a senior noble with streaks of white through her raven hair, lifted an eyebrow across from him,
“Nice nap, Asha’man?”
Jai snatched the cup of wine from the table in front of him. So he swore off drinking, but wine didn’t count. He lifted it in her honor and nodded. Nearby, the conversation grew heated. Economics, policy, trade. The only reason Jai was even sitting at this table – actually he had no idea why he was here at all.
He shoved out of the chair, rubbing the back of his neck. Bloody uncomfortable way to sleep, he thought, glancing at Daryen. He was currently occupied by Lord Qoaos, a dark-skinned Tairen High Lord resplendent in a bright red coat, but despite the surely thrilling topic at hand, the king glanced upward. Jai shook his head in disappointment and shuffled toward the side of the room. Despite the sea breeze blowing through high windows and the promise of evening’s cooling temperature, sweat slicked his chest.
A servant hurried to his side as Jai started to rummage through the wine bottles, “My lord, may I help you?”
Jai barked a laugh. “I’m no lord,” he said, tapping his collar. The pins were obvious enough, but the young man of probably sixteen looked white as a ghost. Before he started to stammer apologies, Jai cut him off. “If you’re stuck on tradition, call me Asha’man Kojima,” he plucked a bottle and held the label up to the light. Nope, shitty wine. Too spicy.
“Is there something I can help you find?”
“How about a reason not to fall on my sword rather than endure another hour of sleeping in those blight-forsaken uncomfortable chairs?” The bottles clinked as he moved them about.
The servant’s voice went up two octaves, “Do you want a pillow sir?”
Jai laughed, “Actually that’s not a bad idea. Keep that in mind for next time,” he pat the kid on the shoulder, two hands shorter than Jai, and nudged him onward. He finally plucked a bottle from the back, barely been touched. “Here we go,” he poured himself a glass then held it up to the servant. “Want some?” The kid’s eyes flared wide. Jai smirked. Poor kid. “How new are you?”
He seized the power, and before the kid could explain much more than it was his first week, the glass was chilled to ice and Jai gulped it down with soothing relief. “You’ll get used to the channeling but watch your back. You never know when the taint will make me snap and turn everyone into sacks of blood and guts.”
He left the poor kid basically trembling. He was kidding of course, but at least he’d think twice about begging to serve Asha’man Kojima in the future.
Jai wandered outside having abandoned the chilled glass to the capable hands of the servant.
After sunset, the same group expanded to a larger dinner party. Jai found Trista at the head banquet table and slipped into a seat near her. Nearby, the king was dressed in a long purple tunic with gold roses sewn along the seams. His silk pants flowed as he walked, the thin material pasted against the line of his legs as he moved.
Jai swallowed, looking the man up and down. As he slipped into a seat at the table, he whispered a few choice words, but the damn woman still didn’t laugh.
The meal was uneventful except for the accidental bite of pudding that Jai regretted as soon as he licked the spoon. Who puts spice in banana pudding? After that, he had to chill down three glasses of wine to wash the heat from his tongue. The only thing that ruined the night was when two Aes Sedai that Jai didn’t recognize joined the dinner. They mostly kept to themselves, but his skin crawled every time they glanced in his general direction.
Only darkness shows you the light.