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Kiae grit her teeth silently, Esole's matter-of-fact manner enough to assure her the Green wasn't trying to irritate her further. "I want to know what the blasted woman thinks she needs to speak to me about," she said after a moment of composing herself.

Kiae almost breathed a sigh of relief as well that Esole had remained after all, but was determined not to let the noblewoman see anything other than perfect Aes Sedai calm.
"What is it you want? We both have much more important things to deal with at the moment," Kiae said curtly, leaving no impression that she liked the woman in any way.

Haidar raised an eyebrow as the noblewoman swept into the room and shut the door, having watched the interactions with interest. "Aren't you Kiae Sedai's Warder?" he asked Ethin with a calm look.

"What is your relationship to that noblewoman, then?" Haidar continued, ignoring Ethin's tone. "If you are pledged to Kiae Sedai, she should not be with you in such an obvious display. It's no wonder Kiae Sedai didn't speak when she entered."
Stupid, Haidar was not. He had seen Kiae's face when they had returned to the warmth of the inn and the flash of anger and hurt that had flickered across her face in that quick instant.

It was an extraordinarily excellent thing that Esole was there - the Green's own incredulous question was the only thing that snapped Kiae back from her possessive anger to frigid calm in an instant.
"I suppose I do love him, I've never gotten so angry over one of my Warders before. Not even Cobain," she thought, gripping her skirts so tight she was about to tear a hole in four layers of cloth.
"What under the Light gave you the impression you have the right to ask such a thing of me?" Kiae demanded, her words barely avoiding frosting the woman over with her tone alone. "You most certainly do not have any right to even speak to Ethin, unless Esole or myself is there and unless it is absolutely necessary. And we will deem when it is necessary, trust me." She glanced quickly at Esole, hoping the woman would not mind being included. Although Ethin was Kiae's Warder, the Green's own tone seemed to suggest that she wasn't pleased with the woman's question either. She made no effort to hide her anger from the Bond, either.

"Your relationship with Kiae Sedai is none of my business. But if I have to deal with an angry Sister because her Warder does not obey her wishes, then it is my concern," Haidar responded calmly. He wasn't trying to irk the man, but feel out the waters, so to speak. He thought Ethin's remark about being old-fashioned funny, as it seemed the Yellow's opinion on sharing Warders was not quite the same.

"We shall see?" Kiae repeated in astonishment, at a loss for words. "Did that little chit just defy me? And you? Us?" She gaped, too angry to even channel, and finally shut her mouth. "We shall see indeed," she muttered, glancing over at Esole. "Thank you for remaining here, I greatly appreciate it," she said with a small smile.

"Of course I have to stay. I have orders from her Sitter, echoed by the Amyrlin. You do know Kiae Sedai is working on direct orders from those two, don't you?" Haidar raised a brow, as if surprised by Ethin's response. He paused and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for his Sister to return. "Besides, Kiae Sedai doesn't seem like a bad woman to follow," he added thoughtfully. "Much more interesting, at least."

Kiae sighed. "I'm not going to Bond him, at least not right now, if that's what you wish to know. I already told him that. But I do think it will be advantageous to have him near. Besides, I couldn't send him back to the Tower without the wrath of my Sitter on my head," she added ruefully. "Blasted woman didn't know I already have Ethin. Or if she does, she doesn't care. She never does anything without a reason and she wouldn't have picked Haidar on a whim."
She shook her head. "What do you think, Esole? I'd like to know," she said honestly. "About Haidar and that blasted woman," she added, slightly embarrassed.

Haidar raised another eyebrow in amusement at Ethin's tone, finding it odd the Warder was so obviously riled up at his platonic interest in Kiae Sedai while apparently unconcerned over the noblewoman's behavior. "I will keep my interest where I wish it, Warder," he replied calmly, a small grin on his face.

"There is no way she is going to 'tag along'," Kiae said flatly. "She can't force herself on a group of Aes Sedai, we would have every right to call on the Queen to place her under house arrest for impeding our business if necessary." The Yellow had to admit it was a pleasing prospect. "And Ethin seems too noble to rebuff her - which is not making me very pleased, either. It only encourages her!" She frowned and wondered how far Haidar would go if she gave an order to remove the woman from her sight.

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Kiae nodded and followed Esole out of the room, peering at the two men before shaking her head slightly. "If we don't have any more business here, Esole, I'd like to return to the inn and get some rest," she told the woman. "If you require my presence, please send a messenger. Otherwise, I think I'll spend tomorrow sleeping and performing some inquiries of my own," she continued ruefully, hating to admit she needed a good night's sleep for once.

Haidar was already hovering behind her, looking for all the world like a Warder who had nothing else to do. "I shall return with you, Kiae Sedai, to my own room, of course," he added hastily, before either Sister had the chance to shoot flames at him.

Kiae shot Esole a helpless glance, as there was simply no way under the Light she was going to ask the woman to come with her. "Esole and I will have to sort out this 'travel with the group' delusion later," she decided grimly. It was a good thing for the noblewoman that she hadn't pressed the issue of going with Ethin, because Kiae had decided she would simply order Haidar to restrain her.
"You know where I'll be when you need me, Esole. Thank you again," Kiae said, grabbing Ethin's elbow in a tight grip and hauling him outside before another word could be said. It was possibly the most ungraceful exit the Yellow had ever made, but also the fastest.
"Are you and Esole Sedai really going to allow that woman to remain with us?" Haidar asked, having simply moved to Kiae's other side once they were in the streets, which were dark and empty as usual.
"Over my dead body," she replied emphatically.