vatheon | And the last of the Ta'veren arrives;

There it is. That tugging. It's much fainter than Perrin has felt before, but there's no mistaking it. He glances at Mat, sure that his friend feels it, too, and wordlessly heads out for the plaza again.

As much as he might trust Rand to fulfill his duties at the Last Battle, Perrin isn't sure what being pulled away from all that will do to him. To end up stuck in a place so completely disconnected from the events back home... Even for Perrin it's been unsettling.

Sure enough, as they come into the plaza, there stands Rand, wet with seawater and, on the surface, calm. (Certainly compared to Mat's arrival.)

"Rand..." It seems like it's been a very long time, and at the same time that it hasn't.

He had just been getting used to not having something to do. Light, it's been a long time since he's been able to relax more than a whisker. He makes sure to stand on Perrin's right the entire time they're walking, and when they stop.

He had a flaming good reason to not be calm when he arrived! He tips his hat to Rand and rests his ashandarei on the ground, a feeling of rightness coming over him. Burn him if he's going to show Rand his lack of an eye too.

No, he's not going to say anything, not yet. Rand seems...calm and that's more disturbing to him than if Rand had been angry or weeping.

Rand doesn't know why you are all so ... uncertain that he's calm! Isn't a good thing, to be calm?

And if Rand can tell they're uneasy, he's not going to help any of it by smiling. He's so very calm looking, because he's so very calm. Looking at him is very calming, and that's a bit weird too, isn't it.

"Mat, Perrin!" He takes a soggy step over, and dries himself in the middle of the next step. Remember, harder to stop to stop him from channeling than it is to stop a fish from swimming.

"I'm sorry for how I sent you off." To Perrin, and offering his right hand, his left still tucked behind him.

It is oddly... reassuring to look at Rand. Something has certainly changed about him in the time that they've been apart. Perrin has heard, of course, about saidin being cleansed, but he doesn't think it has any effect on pre-existing madness.

No, Rand is entirely too calm for having just shown up the-Light-knows-where. But, calm is preferable to the alternative, and this is still Rand. Maybe Perrin should be a little unnerved by that easy smile, but instead he finds himself returning it.

"It's fine," he answers gruffly, grasping Rand's hand firmly. "Seems like ages ago." So much has happened since, and so much is about to happen back home, that it really doesn't matter now.

Being calm's all well and good. He's obviously not thinking he's a black-foot ferret off in the Two Rivers, like Mat had thought. He's not sure if that should make him relieved; at least he'd been a happy ferret. Though, he seems happy to see them. That's something.

He smiles too. "Light, how long has it been since we've all been together?" Since before he met Tuon, he's sure. Light, he can't even look toward where he's sure she'd be since they aren't home.

Did they miss their wives just as much? No. Stop that, this wasn't the time to be thinking about her. She'd be fine. He shifts his hat a little lower. Blood and ashes, this'll be hard.

Hey. Hey. He never thought he was a ferret. Just that he had to be stone and.. things stronger than stone.

Still smiling, but shaking his head a little. "I still should not have done that. I shouldn't have done a lot of things..."

Mat that is a very good point. A moment of thinking. The Stone of Tear? That long ago?

"Too long."

Perrin has to think at Mat's question, too. Light, has it been since the Stone of Tear? Certainly too long. And there is a certain rightness about the three of them being together again.

"You already apologized," Perrin says as he releases Rand's hand.

"We have some catching up to do, I think." He glances at Mat; Mat, with his news about Moiraine. Rand will definitely want to hear that. Although he wonders if explaining about this place ought to come first. Rand hasn't asked a single question yet, but sane or not he must have them.

Much much too long. Mat nods. He can only sort of see Perrin glancing at him from the corner of his good eye so he takes a step to the side so he can see both of them. Much better.

"Definitely." He pauses. Not sure if this is the best time to ask, but it is part of catching up... "Rand, what happened to your left hand? I've seen that it's been gone for months but I don't know why."

He'll explain about his eye afterwards, if Rand's noticed it. Maybe even if he hasn't. Learning about Vatheon can wait a bit.

Ah. Right. His hand. Rand drops his left arm to his side so that the lack of anything from the cuff is.. rather obvious.

"Semirhage." And that smile fails for a bit. She, Min.... that collar...

"No longer a problem."

Well, Mat's conclusion is probably right. There isn't any immediate danger from Vatheon; in fact the three of them together are probably far more dangerous than anything here. There's time to catch up before explaiing.

Perrin's expression fades into a frown at the sight of Rand's missing hand. Why do his friends seem to be losing pieces of themselves?

There certainly isn't much to Rand's explanation, and maybe it's because there was something about that confrontation Rand would rather not think about. "I'm sorry, Rand."

That they probably are. Mat winces. One of the Forsaken did it; that would explain things. "Light, I'm sorry."

Wait...no longer a problem...He'll ask later. Maybe. It's not that important, really. Hopefully she won't come back.

That looked like it brought memories back, the way his smile faded. Rand would probably ask later, but no harm in just explaining now. Mat pushes his hat up to show how his left eyelid isn't open. "Not sure if you can tell, but I lost an eye before I arrived yesterday. It was bloody worth it." 'Half the light of the world to save the world', after all. It still throbbed and hurt almost as much as when he lost it, but at least that was nothing like how it hurt when the flaming salt water got in it.

Very true. Luck enough to win an impossible game, determination enough to to halt the Whitecloaks, and enough One Power to destroy an army.

"The right hand falters and the left hand strays." It's said like he's quoting something, and the slightest bit of a sheepish look. "Its none of your faults, I didn't react in time and neither did he." Well. Not quite true. Lews had reacted in time, Rand didn't want him in control...

But Mat's eye - or rather the lack of his eye - is far more important than a settled problem.

Rand takes a step closer - and yes, he can tell. Eyelids sit differently without an eye behind them.

"And you won't get it healed, of course." Still wearing that medallion. "I can help, without the power - " And sort of.. choking off, looking rather distracted.

Rand, it's saying things like that that make people question your sanity. Perrin can't help wondering, he who? but he dismisses it in light of the more concerning remark.

"Without the Power?" he repeats. Getting Mat better help for that eye would be good, but somehow this doesn't sound much like something Mat would like any more than being healed with the Power.

That really really isn't reassuring, Rand! He who? His bodyguard maybe? What he says after that draws Mat's attention more. He perks up a bit and pushes his hat back down. "How?"

Without the Power sounds much better than with the Power, especially if it makes sense. He can't remember ever treating a wound like this at all, even with his memories. And because of how he looks now and that abrupt end... "Rand, are you alright?"

Just him from 3000 years ago. No big deal.

Regardless of whether they can tell or not, Rand Seized saidin, in case that would help him.

Nope. On the plus side, he's not feeling ill, which is the new normal. Releasing it for now.

"I can't feel them. Even if Andor was too far away, I was connected. Even if I shoved Alanna away, I was still aware...." He can't feel his women, okay? It's... distressing.

Alanna? Perrin remembers how she had known about Rand and where to find him, and Rand's talking as though it goes both ways. It's beginning to sound an awful lot like bonding, but Alanna is only one woman, and Perrin doubts Rand would be much distressed over her.

"Feel who, Rand?"

He's going to hope the answer makes sense, and this isn't another symptom of his friend's insanity.

It probably was bonding. Makes the most sense. Andor...

Mat blinks and rubs the back of his head. This really really doesn't sound like Rand's completely sane.

Was he talking about Elayne? She was pregnant - did Rand even know about that? Mat knows Rand's the father, even though Elayne never declared it. He said 'them' though... Yeah, waiting for an answer to Perrin's question instead of just repeating it.

"Min, Aviendha, Elayne. Can't feel them." Perrin would be right; Rand doesn't care so much about Alanna - Partially because she'd up and vanished, mostly because he hadn't consented to bonding her in the first place.

But yeah. Rand is a Warder four times now. Well. Three times, and then he bonded Min.

"I was with Min. Aviendha; she was off doing Wise One things. Elayne, Andor. Far Madding can't dull it, this isn't an absence, like if they'd been... It's like I never bonded..." He's not happy with this.

There it is, 'bonded,' like a final confirmation. Rand is bonded to four different women? Perrin isn't certain how that must feel, but losing it definitely has Rand distressed. If Perrin were able to sense Faile that way... he would probably be worried, too. He would be worried anyway.

"We're in an entirely different world, Rand. That must be the reason." He hasn't even been able to enter the wolf dream, here. "If they were all right when you left them, then they still must be. Time isn't passing back home."

Mat sighs and shifts. Blood and ashes, he'd been about to look southward for her again! "I'm not sure if Perrin's right about why you can't feel them, but Elayne was fine last time I saw her." Pregnant too. "I'm sure they'll all be alright when we get back."

Light, he both wishes he could feel how Tuon is doing and wishes he would never be able to feel how she's doing. Feeling how she's doing would be a relief (he'd know she's alright when they're apart), but it'd involve him being touched by Weaves and...even if Tuon was the one bonding him...He'll never feel comfortable with that. Blood and bloody ashes, losing it would make him even more uncomfortable! Not to mention worried out of his mind about her.

"And people don't all come from the flaming same time. I remember catching up with Perrin, and he doesn't even remember being back in Andor." He's not quite sure he absolutely believes that 'future' and 'past' thing though. Even though it makes sense.

"Different... But... " He's .. trying to think about that.

"It... can't be like a portal stone, there's no way to do that without an Aes Sedai, or wanting to go. Or near one of the stones. For time as well..." Just.. really stunned.

"I was in Far Madding, but I don't know how well we can compare. We've been out of contact for so long."

It's a little concerning to Perrin that a channeler like Rand, the Dragon Reborn, finds this whole thing just as puzzling as the rest of them. It was a slim hope, but nevertheless he thought Rand might have known of a ter'angreal or Talent which could transport people like this. Portal stones had been the closest thing Perrin could think of, but Rand is saying this is nothing like it.

Far Madding... Perrin can't remember seeing Rand there, but as much as he Travels it wouldn't help much to place him.

"Why don't we go somewhere we can talk at length?" he suggests. Instead of standing around the plaza where anyone could see or overhear them.

...Well, there goes any hope at all that Rand being here meant if they found the Portal Stone they'd be able to go home. Now it seems they well and truly are stuck here.

Far Madding...It's not much help at all, really. But...if anything, it'd change how long Rand had to wait before the Last Battle. It didn't matter much.

Mat nods. "Lead the way, Perrin." He's only been here for a night after all.

That's just because he'd been nowhere near a twisted red stone doorway.

It is absolutely no help. Something Rand is aware of. "That sounds wise." And just... Looking between the two. Where to?

"Right." Perrin nods at the expectant looks and leads the way down into the lower district and to the hotel he's been staying at-- and which should be familiar to Mat from his one night in Vatheon.

He stops at the desk to ask for some wine to be sent up before gesturing his friends to follow him upstairs.

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