The Common Room of The Ball and Hoop

This common room is a large, spacious area that looks well-lived-in and well-loved. It's a comfortable place, with a moderate amount of tables but they are spread out so that there is plenty of room. There is a small stage built, apparently for gleefolk or entertainers of some kind, off to the  western side of the room. Behind it, there is a window much like the others that surround the walls - large panes of glass seperated into diamond-shaped blocks by little iron veins. Under nearly every window is a table, and servers can usually be seen walking to and fro among them. The proprietor sits behind a desk against the northern wall, and to one side is a stairwell leading to the upper levels.

The morning sun is streaming through the windows on the eastern wall, causing the empty stage to be illuminated by the weak beams. People staying at the inn are filing down the stairs slowly, filling up the room with the breakfast crowd.

Kasim Akylia is sitting at a table by the bar. An untouched plate of eggs and ham is in front of him as he sits with his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. There is a mug next to the plate, filled with something steamy.

Blocking out the sun for a moment as she stands in the door, Fayth's puffy, red-rimmed eyes survey the room in an effort to pinpoint Kasim's location. She wears the same clothes from the previous evening, though now they look rumpled and slept-in. When she does manage to spot him, she seems hesitant. Not moving to the table immediately, she instead decides to block the doorway a little longer. (Fayth)

Kasim continues to sit at the table, wearing his cloak and armor from last night. He is sitting stiffly in the chair, and the armor has the rather painful look as though Kasim slept in it. He lifts his head to takes a long drink from his mug before looking at a barmaid. In a rough voice, he says, "Draw the curtains, please." She mutters something and moves to do so, the thin fabric blocking out the worst of the sun's rays. He starts to pick at his meal with a fork, not eating.

Fayth takes a deep breath, and braces herself. Walking over to Kasim's table, she sits across from him, folding her hands on top of the table and resting her chin on her hands. For a moment, she just stares at him with her bloodshot eyes, watching him pick at his food. After a moment, she waves the same barmaid over. Without taking her eyes off Kasim, she places her order. "I'll have what he's having."

Kasim looks up as Fayth sits down, squinting bleary and bloodshot eyes. He doesn't say anything when she sits down, and begins eating his breakfast slowly. He looks down at the ring on his left hand. "I forgot I had this on. Is that part of its little trick?"

Fayth shrugs. "Sort of. It actually kind of makes you never want to take it off, or give it away or anything. Would really defeat the purpose if I gave it to you only to have you take it off or sell it to someone else, now wouldn't it?" She leans back in her chair and smirks. "Yet another way I have managed to invade your privacy and take away your rights. I bet that really makes you angry."

Kasim looks up briefly, and opens his mouth as if to say something, but shakes his head and goes back to eating. "And I'm surprised you would expect me to sell it." He takes another long drink from his mug, setting it down empty. He rubs his temples again, cursing. "If you came to pick another fight, as you seem to have, I'll have to ask you to come back later. I'm a bit under the weather."

Fayth shrugs again. "I guess that makes two of us. Quite a few things have been surprising me lately." She stops talking as the woman finally brings her food, and picks up a fork to stab one of her eggs. She chews silently, watching Kasim, and swallows before speaking again. "If you're ill, I can do something about that."

Kasim grunts. "If the choices are being ill and having a conversation or being well and having a row with you, well, that's no contest as far as I'm concerned. Besides, this helps." He puts the mug down and orders another as he begins to eat with more gusto.

Sighing, Fayth shakes her head. She drops her fork on her plate and looks surprised as it clatters loudly. "I didn't come here intending to fight with you, Kasim. I had quite enough of that last night, thank you very much." Ignoring her food a moment, she leans across the table and moves to place her hand on Kasim's forehead. (Fayth)

Kasim jumps at the sudden touch to his head, letting out a curse at the touch on his incredibly sore head. However, he doesn't move.

Unfazed, Fayth doesn't even flinch as she increases the pressure on Kasim's forehead. She's finished in an instant, and settles back into her chair, arching an eyebrow slightly at his reaction. Calmly picking up her fork, she goes back to work on her breakfast, pointedly ignoring all other guests at the inn, and focusing only on Kasim. (Fayth)

Kasim shudders a bit as she pulls back, shaking his head. "Thanks," he mutters under his breath, before going back to his meal. The barmaid comes back with a second mug, and he murmurs his thanks through a full mouth of food as he picks it up and takes a drink.

Fayth nods slightly in welcome. "Be thankful I'm not like the other yellows who think that there are lessons to be learned in healing. It wouldn't have been nearly as pleasant an experience." She gives up pretending that she actually has an appetite, and stops the barmaid before she leaves. "Please. Take this. I'm not hungry. But if I might perhaps have some tea, it would be much appreciated." Pulling a gold coin out of her pouch, she places it in the woman's hand before waving her on.

Kasim shrugs and puts the last bits of food into mouth quickly, lifting his plate and giving it to the woman as she walks away. She sighs and turns around to collect it before walking away. Kasim takes anothe large drink from his cup to wash down his huge mouthful of food. "So, what did you come and find me for? Did I leave something back in the room?"

Fayth leans back and crosses her arms, gazing intently at Kasim. Her voice thus far has remained pleasant and conversational, although after his last comment, it becomes a trifle sharper. "I didn't see anything that belonged to you in the room, although I didn't spend much time searching. I left shortly after gathering my things, and didn't double check. Why do you suppose I came to find you? Would you rather I hadn't?"

Kasim looks back at her, obviously tired. Despite being healed, his eyes are still relatively bloodshot and his words are slow, exhausted. "Well, you didn't come to pick a fight, so I suppose I should be thankful. And if you came to apologize, then I suppose that would be even better. But other than that, I have no way to know your intentions."

"Actually, I didn't come back for either of those reasons. You see, I did a lot of thinking last night, since I couldn't sleep. And I've decided that you're going to have to make a choice, whether you like it or not." The barmaid returns with her tea, and Fayth picks it up to warm her hands, eyeing Kasim over the rim. (Fayth)

Kasim chuckles, whistling through his teeth. He leans back in his chair, hands behind his head, wearing a grimace on his face. "And what choice to I have to make, Fayth? Tell me, please, since apparently you tell me what I can and cannot do, what I must and must not do. I'm listening." He moves one his hands to takes another drink before setting the mug down, waiting.

Fayth smirks at the dig, but doesn't dignify the statement with a response. "I've made my choice. Now it's your turn. What happened last night was just unacceptable. So now I'm going to fill you in on a little secret. When you do something stupid, I'm going to get angry. I'm going to tell you that I think what you did was stupid. I'm going to nag you incessantly. I'm going to get jealous when you talk to other women. I'm going to be extremely irrational at times, and my mood swings will be the stuff of legends." She offers a brief, mirthless smile. "So you need to decide if that's something you're willing to put up with. If it is, great. If it isn't, then you need to tell me right now, and I will turn around and walk out of here so you'll never have to see me again."

Kasim thinks for a minute, two. He remains completely silent, his eyes boring into Fayth's the whole while. "I knew you nagged. I knew you were jealous. I knew that you were irrational. And believe me, after these years, I am very familiar with your mood swings." He frowns. "But that doesn't give you the right to order me around. I am not a child. You are not my mother. I'm not even a Warder. I stay with you because I love you, and because I want to. I do not accompany you because of any bond, any oath, or any other stupid reason--certainly not because you tell me to. You must accept that I will do stupid things, if I want to. I doubt you're immune to occasional idiocy, ever. You will never, however, find me yelling at you. Especially about something you couldn't control. I had nothing to do with yesterday's events other than watching, and you were out of bounds in yelling at me about it."

Fayth nods. "I know that I shouldn't have yelled at you. I wasn't trying to order you around or tell you what to do. I was trying to communicate to you how I felt, but I allowed my fear to get in the way of that. For -that- I apologize. But you didn't answer my question." She sighs deeply, shoulders sagging. "You are the one person in my life that can hurt me like nobody else can. You also make me happier than anyone else can, but at this point that's neither here nor there. Every woman I know would have given up long ago, but unfortunately, I love you, and can't afford that luxury. I can't just stop thinking about you. I can't just stop wanting to be with you. It isn't going to happen. But if I'm going to be hurting anyway, I'd rather be hurting alone, instead of hurting you, also. So I leave it up to you."

Kasim looks back at her, and resumes speaking. "Like I said, I knew all of those things about you. They never affected my wanting to be with you before, and there's no reason for them to start changing my mind now. If I had it my way, we would have been together a long time ago. But you knew that."

Fayth nods. "I did know that. I always have. And before, it was all about needing the power. Wanting to train to become an Aes Sedai and learn to, well, control It." She shrugs. "I'm not sure exactly when that stopped being a priority, but it has. Right now, -you- are my priority. I've given everything else up. All I have now is you, my family, and Summer. And frankly, it's all I think I really need." This time her smile, though still small, has a bit of warmth in it. "So we're going to have to come to some sort of agreement, if we're going to continue to be together. When I start being stupid, you're just going to have to tell me. Preferably -before- we start really getting into it."

Kasim thinks on what she says for awhile, a small smile playing on his lips briefly. He wipes it away, however, and nods. "Very well. And if I do anything to upset, you're going to have to tell me. But do it civilly, and politely. And I'll do my best to make amends." He takes another drink from his cup, this one a responsible sip.

Fayth winces a bit, and looks uncertain. "I don't know if I remember how to be civil and polite, Kasim. I've been an Aes Sedai for a long time, and a woman for even longer." She bites her lip, looking apprehensive, though the twinkle in her eye reveals her amusement. "But I suppose I can manage something. Everyone needs to make compromises, right?"

Kasim nods, chuckling very quiet. "Yes, everyone does need to make compromises. Even Aes Sedai, I'm afraid." He looks down into his cup, as if advice is going to be found there. "Aside from that, though, that's all I've ever wanted from you." He pauses. "And I'll get jealous, too. But it won't last as long, because the cause won't last as long." His eyes twinkle with silent amusement.

Fayth looks puzzled a moment, and when the realization of what was meant dawns on her, she rolls her eyes. "I don't exactly see myself giving you even the slightest opportunity to get jealous, but if you do choose to react that way, so be it. I can't tell you what to do or what not to do, but I would ask that you at least leave him with wounds that can be healed." Her tea is cold now, so she frowns at it a moment, until steam rises from the cup, then takes a sip.

Kasim smiles slightly. "You don't need to give me the opportunity to be jealous, dear. I'll invent those on my own." He finishes off his glass, the second one since Fayth entered, and pushes it away. He doesn't move to order a new one, and instead just watches Fayth.

Fayth shrugs again. "Fair enough." She sips her tea again, still eyeing Kasim over the rim of the cup. She nods toward his hand. "And just for the record, I know you would never sell that ring. Just like I would never even think of selling mine. I apologize for that, too, while I'm at it."

Kasim nods, and shrugs. "I'm sorry for even bringing it up. It was just a stupid point that I felt compelled to make because we were in such a stupid fight. And you're right, I won't sell it. I'll likely wear it until I die, magic or no magic."

Fayth smiles softly, looking grateful. Setting her cup down gently, she reaches across the table and places her hand within reach. "So we're both agreed that the argument was stupid. Does that mean we're okay again? Because I've got to tell you, if I have to drag poor Summer back to the camp, she's going to be mighty disappointed."

Kasim seems to think very deeply, an extraordinarily thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, I'd hate to disappoint Summer..." He trails off, thinking. "I suppose that we've got no choice than to be "okay" again." He looks up, and a small grin plays across his lips.

Fayth nods solemnly. "Naturally. Summer's happiness is very important. She'll be happy to hear that she gets to continue terrorizing the horses." Offering her first real smile of the day, she winks at Kasim, and moves to stand. "I should get back to the farm. They'll be worried when they discover I've left without saying goodbye." She tilts her head at Kasim questioningly. "Will I be able to find you here later?"

Kasim shrugs, looking perplexed. He stands when she does, as is polite. "I honestly don't know. But I suspect that you'll be able to find me anywhere, won't you?" He chuckles as he fingers the ring on his left hand. "I'll be around the city, if anywhere. If I'm not napping upstairs, which I very well might be." He begins to adjust his crooked armor, looking very uncomfortable.

Fayth smacks her forehead and looks sheepish. "That's right, I forgot all about that." She chuckles at the mention of a nap, and nods her head. "I know I will definitely be doing a bit of sleeping before I make my way back into the city. I'll take my time so you are sure to get plenty of sleep." She fidgets a moment, looking extremely hesitant, before walking around the table. She stands in front of him stupidly for a second, then punches his arm playfully, wincing a little when she hits his armor. "Well, I'll see you later."

Kasim looks back at her just as stupidly for a moment, before he leans forward and wraps his arms around her tightly, kissing the top of her curly black hair. "I love you, Fayth. Would you mind if I walked you back to the farm?"

Fayth exhales and relaxes, leaning into the embrace. "Mind? No. I wouldn't mind. In fact, if you hadn't offered, I was contemplating how I was going to go about begging you in front of all these people." Tilting her head back so she can look up at him, she grins. "And I love you more, Kasim Akylia."

Kasim nods and smiles softly, coming out of the embrace but still holding Fayth's hand. He begins to walk slowly to the door with her, staying very close as he keeps looking down at her. "If I ever act that stubborn again, I give you permission to kick me in the shins."

Fayth laughs, squeezing his hand tightly. "As tempting a thought as that is, I hope that I never give you reason to be that stubborn. Plus, I don't want to hurt my toes."