§A Return and a Summons§

[Xavier]

Dust motes swirled as the gateway opened into his room. The air carried a scent of a much more arid land. Xavier, with a pronounced limp, stepped through the gateway, allowing it to snap shut as soon as he was through. His hand left the jagged tear in his breeches long enough to grasp the dagger with which his parents, specifically his mother, had gifted him.

"Airtia Shadoan Cauthon, appear before me. Your blood calls to you."

A half-smile crept onto his face. Yes, she would most likely be pissed, but hey, he had seen her wrath once or twice before. Besides, he needed a spot of help, and not simply for the wounds he had taken, grievous though they were. He had a monumental decision, as well as some information she may find interesting. He didn't, after all, fight through hell for the fun of it.

Well, not this time, anyway...

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

Where she was when the summons came was really of no consequence. Suffice it to say she was able to be reached and that was all that mattered. The funny thing about summonings - at least for her - was that they were optional. Perhaps it was because she hadn't given either of her children the means to simply transport her , against her will, to wherever they were. That simply wouldn't do.

Nevertheless, she would hardly refuse a call from one of her children and, therefore, dark red leather elbow-lenght gloves were tugged on her hands, a simple request given for Tyger to remain and that she would return shortly.

In the shadowed corner by his door is where she would appear, taking two steps out of it and into the light. Arms held down at her sides in a rather non-chalant manner there wasn't much about her that would look different than how he remembered her. Not much changed about her, in appearance, that she didn't want others to see. One thing that wouldn't escape Xavier's nose is that the smell that hung around her was cold.

"I trust that ye came out the victor in yer lil scrape, Xavier." She expected nothing less. There was nothing wrong with leaving to fight another day, but, like his father, she didn't think he would leave a fight without giving them hell.

That too, was her way of of saying hello in this instance. He was use to it. Now to see what it is that he wanted.

[Xavier]

He chuckled as much as was possible. "Yeah, shoulda seen the other.....well, I don't know quite what the hell it was. It was big, ugly, smelled of old shoe-leather and fish, and I think a tad poisonous. Looked like one of those weird vids of Dad's...the Japanese ones, the one he said he thought he threw away, what with the tentacles and such. Ugh."

Now, life among the Aiel had taught him something. Being seen in naught but your skin, especially by family members, was no big deal. Since it was his mother....heck, she'd seen his naked bum enough to describe it to a sketch artist. So, without preamble or warning, he doffed his clothing completely. The jerkin would be salvageable, but the breeches (not to mention the blood-soaked smallclothes) were total losses. "Mother. Something's...damn. How are you with poisons? Like, drawing them out as opposed to putting them in...could be blood loss, but since this would've healed on it's own within a few moments, I'm guessing the Aiel were right about those ugly buggers being deadly and venomous. Er....I'd like to ask you a few questions, assuming I get through this one." His eyes kind of glazed over, and he gave her a half-smirk. "Sofa king dizzy, izzat parta bein pie-zind?"

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

He may have come out the victor but he was appearing a bit worse for wear, especially with the smell of blood - tainted - hanging strongly in the air. The smell was pushed from her nose and the glove that covered her right hand tugged from off the fingers while she listened to him talk and undress.

Seeing a naked man, especially one that was her son, did not cause her to oggle and stare for he simply did not have anything that she was of interest. One the glove tucked behind her back, securely with the belt she went to his aide. aiming to catch him before he was likely to fall over. The bare hand clutching him firmly under the his arm and pulling upwards to aide in steadying his feet and get him to the bed as opposed to lying him on the floor.

"We ye fighting a Shadowspawn that 'appened tae sink claws intae ye?" From the look of the wound she assumed it had to be claws or a weapon, even teeth.

His eyes were glazing over, but that did not mean that he could not hear her. "Lie down now and let me 'ave a look at yer wounds." Said while her hand pressed upon his shoulder, suggesting that he lay back on his own accord. With all the blood that was there it was easier to see what the damage was like if he wasn't moving.

As for how she was with poisons, he would have to see now wouldn't he?

[Xavier]

Huff. "Bad enough you gotta see my kibbles and bits, but I let myself get wounded. Dropped my guard, and alla sudden I was gettin' bit. I usually do tha bitin'. Dammit." He sighed, marshaling his reserve, and gave her a half-smile. "Bet you wish I was a normal kid, and the worst I came home with was a drunk leading to a hangover. Sorry, mother."

In a few moments, his eyelids fluttered and he was still. He spoke in a mumble before he was out completely. "Where's Titania? Din't see her at th' house, and th' babies..." That statement was left there as he fell into a sort of sleep. "Ha. Knew I could count on you, Mom."

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

"Iffen ye were a normal male then ye would nae be the child o' yer parents." For there was nothing 'normal' about Airtia or Gawain.

Now that he was still she left his side to take up the bloody britches which he had discarded moments ago, they were bundled up and used to press against his legs. Pushing out extra blood from the wound to judge the depth of it as well as push away what was there. Naturally blood got on her other glove, and perhaps even on the clothing she wore depending on how he bleed.

It was little consequence to her to the point where it wasn't a thought.

The now bloodier clothing was discarded to the side and the palm of her un-gloved hand was pressed against the worse of his wounds. He had never been 'healed' by her before - in fact, she hardly healed anyone at all, because her healing was not as standard as what he may be use to.

"Ye are a solider, are ye nae? Wounds are expected." Not cold, but heat would circulate at the area where her hand pressed down. "And as fer yer mate, 'ave ye checked the house?" Titania's house that is, for if she were to look for her that is where she would go. Even if they were not there, there was bound to be some remnant of their passing, and his children carried his blood.

"Track them." It was the last thing that she said before a scorching heat went through his body, from her hand, to seek out the poison. Airtia was, effectively, going to burn it out of his system.

[Xavier]

Boy, how a moment can change practically everything. He was all settling back, feeling at ease for the first time since he had initially seen the fist of Trollocs at the border of his chosen Travelling point.....

"Shit", he had thought as he seized the Source and his sword simultaneously. "One of THOSE days again? Well, Shai'tain take you all, your skunky asses are MINE!" The feral roar that his voice carried had caused the lead beast, a boar-faced Trolloc bearing the standard on his shoulder of the gho'blin, to stumble back a few paces. Then, they charged. And died. All but three, who had, for some reason, skidded to a halt, turned tail, and run into the Waste, screaming something about Djevik K'Shar*. Xavier had smirked, shaken his sword, and said "Yeah, your asses BETTER run! Run home and tell your Dark One I said keep sending ya! I can use the exercise!" He had then realized he had fallen for the oldest trope in the freaking universe.....and looked behind him. "Oh, FU-"

".....CK!!!!" His eyes shot open as what seemed like molten steel poured through his body. His teeth grated together, but he held himself as still as possible, trusting Airtia completely. After all, she had had every opportunity to end him before, why bother now? When he had grown a bit more used to the fiery temperature, he spoke to her through his teeth...not out of anger, but out of 'holy shit that BURNS'. "Yeah, I'm a soldier. But I don't usually get wounded. If I do, it closes up in a few moments. Truth is, I'm damn good at what I do. I'm not used to..well, this." He waved a hand to indicate the lower portion of his body. "Jus...just glad it missed the femoral artery. I've seen men take a wound that seemed shallow, in the thigh, and bleed out in a matter of seconds. Least I killed that ugly son of a Fade."

A few moments later, he had grown used to the heat, schooling his features into something that approached serenity. "That was my first thought. I, ya know, just had to see a lady about a sucking poisonous wound." He half-grinned, inclining his head a little to the right, his approximation of a shrug. "What use am I to anyone dead, after all? 'Oh, hello Titania, how are the ki-ooh, argh, plotz,' and dead am I." He chuckled, realizing that, though many people did not get his unique form of gallows humor, his mother was a different sort. She'd catch what he was saying. After all, no one has ever accused Air of being stupid. Well....not anyone that lived much longer after the accusation.

[*The term, Djevik K'Shar, is what the beasts known as Trollocs call the Aiel Waste. In their tongue, it translates to 'The Dying Ground'. They call it this because they've tried to attack the Aiel several times, and each time was about as effective as papier-mâché armor on a fighter jet. Just a little FYI.]

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

Things were hardly ever painless when dealing with Airtia, neither were they fully explained. She could have told her son what this procedure was going to feel like, that it would burn and scorch through his body, bringing with it a well of pain, but she didn't see a reason.

The fire was doing it's job and that's what mattered. When she felt that the task was done she began to withdraw her hand and nodded to the words she heard him say. "The Cauthon men 'ave a way o nae letting death claim a'old o' 'em." His father, for example, survived death many times. "So I would nae worry 'bout yer life ending at this short a time."

He wasn't even 19 yet, the young scrapper that he is.

Once her hands were off of him the heat would start to fade and die down until it was eventually gone. The fire had done it's work and the poison in his body would be gone. Airtia sat back then and idly rubbed her fingers together while looking at the blood on her pants. "Do ye nae 'ave a connection with yer mate? She tis yer mate, nae?" Fixing him with a pointed look when she said that, and starting to rise.

"'Ave ye nae bonded with her? Iffen she tis yer mate, and ye 'ave nae done that, I can only assume the reasons why."

[Xavier]

"Good for me, then. You do, by the way, know that you're a grandmother now, correct?" He waited a few moments before he rose, careful to not strain the leg which was wounded. "The mate thing.....I suggested it, but she didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry to do so. I dunno, Mother, maybe she's....maybe she's fallen out of love? Can you do that?"

He sighed, rising from where he sat and seeking a pair of breeches and some smallclothes. "I marked her, as I did the babes...any male that seeks to bond with them will find they have a nasty surprise waiting for them. No, nothing fatal. Merely disfiguring." Was that a flash of cold cruelty that passed his features momentarily? "I'll speak with her, though, Mother. Worry not, I'm not so wool-headed as to not even attempt to see them."

Tugging on his breeches, all the while searching for his boots, he stopped. "I just realized something. Neither you nor Dad have seen or held your grandchildren. I shall be remedying that forthwith. No grandparent should be denied the chance to meet their grandchildren, to hold them at least once...." He stopped for a moment, holding his abdomen for a moment. "Light! I just got something close to a pain, thinking about them. I have to go to them, Mother." He stopped before her, tugging an undershirt and tunic on, and stomping a bit to settle his feet into his boots. Then, he leaned close, kissing her cheek and hugging her. "Love you, Mom. Do you want me to summon you when it's time for a visit with the children, or will you know?" Yes, he had, for some time, had no doubt that his mother knew practically all of his comings and goings. She was, after all, Aes Sedai. Not to mention a very skilled player of the Game of Houses.

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

"I did nae ask iffen ye were married tae her, but iffen she is yer mate," stated plainly while the blood that had gotten on her clothing was collected. She didn't physically move to do anything but, to watch, the looking eye would see the bloodstains on her own clothing lifting from out of the fabric and collecting themselves in a small ball that moved inches over it. Almost like a magnet it was, and where it left was spotless. "The personalize titles o' husband, wife, companion are simply words that people rely on tae determine their behavior. Iffen ye are her mate and she yers then it will easily be known. Titles withstanding or nae."

And that was her view, and answer, on if a person can fall out of love.

Xavier was fine, healed and dressed enough that she no longer needed to wonder over his well being. Once the blood was off of hr clothing that ball of blood simply vanished and she dusted off her fingers, taking a step or two towards the door. That is, before he came at her with the hug and kiss on the cheek.

Airtia was not so completely non-emotional that she wouldn't return her sons hug, even if it lacked the dept and same amount of care he had displayed. At the pull away she gave him a single pat on his shoulder.

"B'fore yer 'eirs were born, Xavier, I gave Titania advice on what she should do. She did nae comply." A faint pause. "And, when she was laboring, I made my presence known and was nae wanted. So tell me, Xavier, why should I be bothered now?"

[Xavier]

"Because, Mother, you are their blood kin." To him, it was like saying that rain fell downward or that water was wet. Just....common sense logic! "Anyway, I'll fix that situation forthwith. As for our bond....erm, sorry to disappoint you, Mother, but we were not wed when the children were conceived, nor were we wed when they were born." He wasn't ashamed of this per se, but he wasn't sure if it was a sticking point with her. "I...we....that is to say...well, we connected. I love her, and I believe she loves me, so...." He allowed that to trail off, as if unsure how to finish.

His sea-green eyes flashed a violent amber for a fraction of a second, too quickly for even the most attentive of humans to notice...not that Airtia was in that category.....and his brow furrowed. "The fog is lifted, Mother. I remember why I risked running into that....whatever the Dark One calls it...in getting here. I was blocked from Travelling somehow, but I could touch the Source. It was like someone or something didn't want me to leave. Anyway, I come bearing ill news." He groaned inwardly, feeling like he did that day, on his fourth name-day, when he had shaved a streak of fur from the sleeping back of Tyger and his mother had caught him with the clippers.

"Not three days hence, on the borders of what the mortals call New Haven, an army is assembling. Amassing. Whatever they call it. Listen, Mother, and mark well my words: four full Fists of Trollocs, each led by no less than three Myrrdraal, are gearing up for an attack. We must be ready, Mother. There are a number of people I would not see in a Trolloc stew-pot. I would be hard-pressed to take them on my own, and Jalin...my First-Brother and Chief of the Aiel....had to take all but three septs of the Maidens to protect his own borders. So...." His eyes took on a wicked gleam. "I guess I'm asking how you'd like to go....as a family, you, me, Father, Ryan, and Madeline....and kill some Trollocs."

He smiled grimly as he buckled his sword-belt, pushing the dagger she had given him behind the buckle. "I don't know about you, but I'm itching to kill some Shadowspawn. That grubby tentacle-bearing son-of-a-bitch gave me a cheap-shot I intend to return in spades."

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

Trollocs and Myrrdraal were coming to New Haven? That was information enough to caused her to pause and lift a brow in disbelief and make a single gruff laugh. as her arms crossed over the bare part of her waist. "Four hundred Trollocs an' three Myrrdraal are coming tae New Haven?" Citing the numbers for clarification. "What in the nine moons would they want wit this lil town? Iffen they wanted tae capture it 'aft o' that would be more than enough."

New Haven was small, she would even label it as a sleepy town. Boasting of only a few odd ball shops, a tiny beach, and the forest, there wasn't that much to it. Most of its patrons probably migrated from the Marketplace to the South.

A bit of a sigh slipped past her lips before she leaned upon the space by the door. Never having been known for her want to jump into battle (or engage in anything) without a need - or some form of gain - Airtia probably wasn't as thrilled at this latest news as Xavier thought that she would.

"Tae fight fer sake o' vengence makes fer an early grave." Was that the reason he wanted to go after this army? She would add to that, that fighting, simply because you wanted, also was a quick way to the grave. "Tae jump intae a battle without knowing all the angles. Iffen they are coming I'd be concerned with the 'why' and securing those who need tae be secure. Like yer kin." She had no reason to think that the invaders would seek out Titania and the children, why would they, unless they had what the invaders were after.

[Xavier]

"I am concerned for them, mother. How is it, as knowledgeable as you are, that you can be so flippant? I come with news most dire, and you act as if I told you my grocery list!" He stopped, controlling his temper and breathing, and continued. "Mother, I do not ask that you raise an army, I merely ask that you warn our family and stand prepared. I know there are folks who would make light of an invading army, but these Shadowspawn have a grudge. Against us. Do not take this threat lightly, mother."

He turned away from her, weaving a Gateway and stepping toward it. "If I cannot turn to my own mother, who can I turn to? I say this once and only once: If you are not with me, you are against me. Have a care that you do not see my bad side." Stepping through the gateway, he breathed a sigh and allowed it to snap shut behind him. He had work to do, seemingly alone.

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

If, indeed, the Shadowspawn had an apparent grudge against the family then it made her want to know why they were there all the more valid. Had Xavier, perhaps, done something to anger them and now they were out for revenge? It would have to be something serious, or for them to be overly threatened by the members of the family, for such beast as those to hold a grudge worth killing over.

He could call her what he wanted -she preferred to look at her cool composure as having a clear head - but she had only requested a 'why', and asking that had incited him to aggravation. Mores the pity.

There was the slightest of shrugs made -more by her eyes than actual shoulders - at the mention of being with him or not. Hadn't he, only moments ago, trusted her to heal him? If she was against him then surely she would have let him die and not taken time to see him well.

It was of no consequence. The twins' birthday was soon approaching and they would be nineteen; she could not take offense, or read to much, into the things said from ones of that age. Surely they meant well but they still had much to learn. Like how things were not often as dire as they first appeared.

So, the Shadowspawn had a grudge against the Cauthon's, did they? Needless to say, she was amused - even if it didn't show in laughter or any outward expression. Now to find out the 'why'. After he left she opened the door and was on her way.

Could almost make a person wonder who's side was she actually on.

[Sponsored content]