Welcome to Gaia! ::

The woman gave a low, throaty chuckle at his words, and her amusement only seemed to deepen as the Captain turned away to brood. There was something more in her expression though, almost a kind of regret, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by that honeyed smile.

"Forgive the Captain her manners," she purred, slowly removing her hand from his only to link it gracefully before her with the other. "Or rather, lack thereof."

Giving a dainty sniff to demonstrate just what she thought of Tarma's rude behavior, Liana turned her head to smile at Traven once more. Her perfume drifted between them, something heady and sweet that suit her well, and her eyes seemed to reach into the core of him when they locked on his.

"I am Liana, Lady of the White Tower, and High Mage of the Realm."

Her smile curved further.

"You may call me Liana, if you wish it."

The soldier's back stiffened, but she did not turn from where she stood. If his comment stung, it was nothing to give credibility to by responding with harsh words. Instead, she spoke very softly.

"A man's position it might be, but I am the only woman in a thousand years strong enough to hold it. I am also the only soldier, male or female, to prove their metle by shedding their blood for the love of this land over, and over, and over again."

Now she turned, and there was a fiercely defiant gleam in her eyes when she stared at him. For a moment, she almost matched the Aes Sedai for regal self-posession.

"Do not presume to question me, nor my abilities. I would die a thousand deaths to see this land and it's people saved. Can you say the same of anything that you stand for? Or anyone for that matter?"

"She has strength, she mihgt actually be a match for 'him', that forsaken brat."Damien thought. "I wonder where he got off too, i figure theres no place in this land with a higher concentration of arcane energies he should think this place a feast.""Excuse me for interupting but you wouldnt happen to have seen a small blonde child, green eyes, hair to his ears, with an arcane mark on the back of his hands?" he asked with a slight tone of worry in his voice.

Something flickered over the Captain's expression at Damien's words, unease mixed with concern it seemed, before she wiped it away with a frown. Surely he could not be speaking of Liam? No sense in it. Another boy, obviously. There were a thousand youths with blonde hair and green eyes in the city. Still, her stomach clutched as she listened for the Avariel's response, while pretending no interest.

Traven held back a laugh to the fact that an avreil was afraid of a child "Wow...this is very serious and not a-a laughing matter." he said before bursting out in laughter he reached into his sleeve and pulled out his book on runes and flipped through it till he reached a picture of something that he thought matched it then showed to the two "Something like this...okay this really is serious." he said his mood darkening reading what the book had to say about this marking.

The words of the Avariel only confirmed what she had feared. He knew too much, and not enough. It would be best that she gave him some perspective.

"This is indeed troubling news you bring, but I must advise you that it is old news. We have a Seer among us, and she has spoken of this child on three occasions; a rare thing, for her talent is minimal."

A slight frown creased her smooth forehead, before she shook her head lightly and motioned towards the stairs.

"Come. I would speak with you all in my office."

Liana smiled to herself, then lead the way up the curving stairwell at a brisk pace that seemed effortless; apparently she was used to long treks. When the the steps ended, it spat them out into a balconied hall that rimmed the entire circumference of the tower. Doors that ranged from simple wooden planks, to iron-bound monstrosities, to great carved oak on brass hinges lined the hall, all of varying shape and size. No other staircase was visible, but when the group troubled to look above, other halls of similar appearance could be seen on higher floors before the shadows grew too deep with distance.

The appearance that it seemed impossible to reach the other floors did not seem to phase the white-robed woman at all. She glided across the polished gold-shot marble to a short door that had a plain woodgrain finish. Lifting the iron knocker, she let it fall three times, then paused before stepping back and calmly folding her hands before her.

Her contented waiting lasted only a hearts-beat before the door swung inward. A small, almost smug smile curved across her features as Liana gestured for them to enter the chamber first, a gleam in her eyes that might have been amusement.

"Please, after you."

The room itself was not overly large, but certainly stately in both size and decor. A trio of tall arched windows let in slants of sunlight that made the wood floors where rugs of intricate pattern did not cover them. Were any of them to look out of these windows, they would likely be shocked to find that they were in the highest point of the Tower, and that despite the short climb, they were very far from the ground below.

Along the longest wall were great bookcases, lined so that there was no gap between each, that stretched towards the high ceiling. A ladder ran along a railing set so that a person might access the topmost shelves with ease. Directly before them, a low table sat flanked by long, backless couches upholstered in comfortable padding and graced by throw pillows in jewel tones. Towards the rear of the room, a heavy desk squatted, covered in carvings of mythical creatures. The chair behind it looked simple in comparison, just a high ladder-backed armchair. Vases of flowers stood on carved marble plinths, scenting the room pleasantly.

Sweeping in after them, the High Mage tugged the gold chain about her neck free of her bodice, drawing forth a heavy-looking key that she inserted into the doors lock, and turned swiftly. Straightening, she tucked the key back out of sight and nodded as though to herself.

"Locking the door automatically resets the wards I have in place against scrying or eavesdropping. We may talk freely here."