(OOC: I was not sure where to post this, truth to tell.. So it ended up here.. :look))

There was not a sound in the room except for the almost unhearable sound of someone turning over the pages in a report. Estella Agadis was sitting on her stool behind the huge desk in her office, reading through the report she had been given by one of the other White Sisters.
Estella knew that few girls joined the White Ajah; her Ajah had always been the smallest, because of the criteria the White Ajah set for someone wishing to join them.
Sometimes, those criteria was a source to irritation, but they had to be there. Logically, no one could join the White if they were not made for it, and they had to be reasonable and logical to become good White sisters.
Unfortunately, few girls were logical enough, and the few that were, often chose another Ajah just because they thought the White to be distant and cold.
It was true, in a way, but Estella had always looked disapprovingly on the other Ajahs when they were whispering about it. And they were whispering. Estella had heard several newly raised Aes Sedai talk about it, that they were glad that they had not joined the White Ajah, because they had met so good women in their Ajah of choice.

With a sigh, Estella looked up, and out of the window. The first snow had come the previous night, and from her office, she could look right at Dragonmount, at its broken peak. Some said that the Dragon was coming back soon, that he was on his way. Why they would say that, Estella could not understand. Of course, there was that thing about the Shadowspawn finally coming further south, but it hardly seemed like Tarmon Gai'don was coming. At least Estella hoped it was not.
Suppressing a shudder, she forced herself to look at the mountain. The Dragon would be reborn, to fight the Last Battle, and only the Light knew when. Light, let it be far away. The world is not ready for this. The world will never be ready for this.
Estella could feel butterflies in her stomach, and not happy ones. They were like bats, flying around like mad, trying to get out, and Estella had to push the thoughts away.


She looked down at the report again, but she did not read the things that were written there. She knew them all by heart.
Aeldie was a fellow Sitter, and Estella had asked her to write a report where she wrote the names of every Accepted raised the previous six months, what Ajah they had been expected to join, and what Ajah they had joined.
When Estella had asked Aeldie to write the report, the firehaired sister from Jaramide had looked at her with an expression of surprise. It was not common to do so, but Estella did not care. During the past twelve years, the Sisters of the White Ajah had learned to know that Estella was not an usual Aes Sedai, and that she sometimes did...illogical things, like getting drunk. Thank the Light, no one of them had ever seen her drunk, but it had been close, more than once.


Truth to tell, Estella herself was not sure of why she had told Aeldie to write the report.
She knew everything of it; had been there when they chose their Ajah, but she still had to see it written down. There were several Accepted that she had expected to join the White Ajah, based on how they had acted during their time as a novice and an Accepted, but when they were raised to the shawl, they had -surprisingly- chosen another Ajah, often the Green, of all things, or the Blue. Or even the Red. Just not the White.
Estella knew why; it was because those three were doing something. When the Shadowspawn threatened to destroy Rhahime Naille, sisters from those three Ajahs traveled to Aramaelle and helped. What had the White Ajah done? Nothing. That was the pure and simple truth, and Estella hated to admit it.
The newly raised Sisters chose other Ajahs because they wanted to help, to save the world, and all the White Ajah did, was to sit in the Tower, safely protected by the Shining Walls, lecturing novices and Accepted, and wondering about how the problem could be solved.


Estella closed her eyes.
She was usually very proud of being a White, but things like these made her doubt. Would she have done better in another Ajah? It was too late now, she knew that, and she had no wish to join another one anyway, but she did not know what to do.
She sighed again, before she opened her eyes, once again looking out of the window, but not at the Dragonmount this time.
There was still some light, and the fun in the taverns had just begun. It would be laughter and joy in the taverns of Tar Valon for many many hours, and there, Estella would not have to think about anything else than who she would have to kiss to get a new drink.


Rising from her stool, she walked quickly in to her dressing room, where she chose a yellow dress made of wool, with a low-cut neck.
Examining herself in the mirror, she nodded satisfied. If she only changed her face a little.. She opened herself to Saidar and felt the life come to her. She then channeled couple of seconds, and used Illusion to change her appearance completely; her eyes became brown, and her hair dark, almost black. Her entire face was changed, and she nodded again, fastening a cloak around her throat.
If anyone saw her, she would pretend to be a lady visiting the Tower. She could not lie, of course, but she was a Coremandian noble, after all. She was not worried, though.

* * * * *

The streets of Tar Valon was never silent, and this night was not an exception. Estella could hear people laughing from the various inns and taverns, but she continued without even taking a peek into them. She knew what tavern she was to visit -the Flying Swan- a tavern where she had been several times, always under the same disguise.
Estella smiled as she swept through the city, and when she reached the tavern, her smile widened. The people here knew her as Cinera Dione, an Aes Sedai's servant, but they did not care.
Neither did she. On the Flying Swan, there were drinks for all, and men to dance with. Sometimes even more, as well.


When she entered, Estella was greeted by the tavern keeper, a huge man called Kiero. He looked frightening, but a woman was safe in his tavern. That was one of the reasons for why she enjoyed visiting the Flying Swan. Kiero ruled the tavern with a mighty hand, but his visitors kept coming back, without doubt because of the good wine and the outstanding food they would receive there -it was Kiero's wife who was the head cook, and she was good at making food- but also because of Kieros sense of justice, and the fact that he always kept an eye at the people there, especially young girls. Of course, Estella was at least twice his age, if not more, but her appearance when she was at the Flying Swan, was that of a young girl, and Kiero took care of her, and protected her.
Besides, he threw out the people that were too drunk, and told them to come back when they were a little more sober. They usually did.

"Cinera!"
Estella looked up at Kiero. He had to be at least twelve inches taller than her, and she giggled. "Kiero. Hello. I very nearly missed you, there."
He laughed, a rumbling sound. "Yes, well, they do seem to be unable to see me. A good thing that I am so small."
He winked at her.
It might have been a silly joke, but Estella enjoyed the welcoming.
"Now, what can I get you?" Kiero continued.
Estella smiled. "The usual, of course. A mug of ale and a cup of wine. I am here to forget."
His big eyes looked down at her, filled with concern.
"A bad experience with a man, or something like that?"
Estella shuddered. "Yeah, something like that. I'd rather not talk about it, though, if you don't mind."
Kiero smiled at her. "No problem, sweetie. Just be careful. You don't want to drink too much; I haven't forgotten that you very nearly destroyed the table last time."
He winked again, and left her to serve a couple of dark haired men and women sitting by a table some feet away.
Estella was aware of the fact that she was blushing, but she did not do anything.
The last time she had been there, she had been so drunk that she had started dancing on a table. Or rather jumping around on it. It had certainly not been a good sight.


Knowing that Kiero would come with her wine as soon as he could, she found herself a table in a corner of the tavern.
She did not have to wait long, though, before someone dumped down next to her, and a stranger whispered into her ear. "Hello, gorgeous," a man's voice said. "How are you tonight?"
She looked up at him.