(no subject)

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally's back in the bar with her newspaper.

She's frowning at it.

She's doing the crossword puzzle and trying to remember exactly what ichthyologist's study.

If it doesn't occur to her soon, she'll probably have to give in and buy tea. Or something stronger, depending on how the rest of the crossword goes.

Comments

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

A beautiful young man with black hair, and brilliant blue eyes in a long black robe walks towards Cally. He leans down and speaks with her.

"Good evening, my lady. Would you mind some company?"

His voice is pleasant with an intonation of kindness and a touch of innocence.

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally looks up from her paper, blinking and looking slightly confused because of her concentration on the crossword.

She blinks a few more times when she sees who is standing before her: an extremely handsome man.

It takes a second, but she smiles and sets down the paper, indicating the seat next to her with one hand. "Please, sit."

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

The young man sits.

"It would be quite rude of me to not ask my lady's name."

He gave a charming grin, and a tiny light flickered in his brilliant blue eyes.

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

"Oh! I'm sorry," she says somewhat flustered, though she's fairly good at hiding it.

"I'm Cally." She holds her hand out to shake his.

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

He smiles winsomely, and stretches out his hand to shake hers. His hand is somewhat delicate, a surgeon's hand.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Cally."

He paused.

"I am Rhalen Lyngar, professor of philosophy at Collam Daan."

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

"It's a pleasure to meet you," very slight pause, "Professor."

She's having a hard time imagining him as a teacher.

"And please, just Cally. I hold no claim to a title; I'm just a student."

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

Rhalen made a graceful but unquantifiable hand gesture.

"Please, you are not one of my students. Call me, Rhalen."

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

"Rhalen, then," Cally says, though that doesn't sound right to her ears either.

"I have never heard of Collam Daan. Is it a large school?"

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

Rhalen nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, yes. Though it is focused on research mainly. Using the One Power is the main portion of it, since almost all of the students are Aes Sedai."

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally nods carefully.

Which question to ask first? Best go in the order Rhalen mentioned them.

"What is the One Power?" she asks curiously.

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

Rhalen gave a winning smile. His tone became similar to that of an interesting lecture.

"The One Power is the driving force of the Wheel of Time, the foundation of my world."

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally considers this.

"You mentioned Aes Sedai attend the school. Does that mean they control the One Power? Or simply study it?"

[always-a-liar.livejournal.com]

Rhalen made another one of his strange hand gestures.

"The Aes Sedai, the Servants of All as the name means, are those who use the One Power. The Aes Sedai use their powers for the good of mankind. Collam Daan is where the cutting edge research happens."

[mogget_cat]

*Cat onyer foot. Cat onyer fooooot!*

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally looks, mildly surprised, as a weight settles on her foot.

She notices the white kitty and smiles.

"Can I help you?" she asks, amused.

[mogget_cat]

*The cat wraps itself around her ankle, purring. It looks up at her with big, soulful eyes, looking hungry and pitious in the tradition of cats everywhere.*

Is there food behind that finger?

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally offers the cat her finger; he's already had one foray into dining on human flesh, after all.

"You look hungry." She bends down and, after a moments consideration for hygeiene, sets the cat on the stool next to her. "Fish, maybe?" Cally really has little idea of what to feed a cat.

She orders some salmon from the bar.

[mogget_cat]

*The cat peers over the edge of the bar, looking at the plate of salmon. With a glance at Cally, it leaps lightly upon the bar and begins delicately picking at the salmon, mrrwrring loudly in appreciation.*

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally looks slightly disaproving that the cat leaped on the bar, but remembers that it didn't seem an issue with Svava's cat.

"Glad you like it," she says, with a grin, and a bit of a scritch behind the left ear.

[mogget_cat]

*Scritch is suitable distraction as the last of the salmon disappears. The cat leans hard into the scritching, purring in a low, happy rumble.*

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally happily obliges, there being something fulfilling soothing about petting a cat.

"Pity you couldn't tell my what an ichthyologist studies."

A terrible pity, since the cat indulges in this sort of 'study,' himself.

[mogget_cat]

*The cat looks up at her statement, blinking at her.*

*It places a paw in on the salmon, still watching Cally.*

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

She continues the scritching, looking thoughtfull down at her paper, rather than the cat.

"I'm sure if I answer some of the other clues I can figure it out, though. But it would really help me if I knew the ichthyologist clue."

She frowns slightly.

[mogget_cat]

*The cat leans down and nudges the plate of salmon at Cally, giving her a pointed look.*

[coming-west.livejournal.com]

Cally looks down at the cat, amused.

"Want more, do you? I'm a starving university student, you know. I can rarely afford fish myself, much less for a starving cat."

She orders him more salmon anyway.