Elayne
Aviendha glanced out the window, watching as the sunset grew darker, purple pigments filling the sky. The clouds overhead began to rain, the patter of it sprinkling on the rooftop causing a light white noise to pervade her apartment. She closed the blinds, and let out a sigh. For once, bad weather could not deter her mood. Turning around, she glanced downward, to see that Min had apparently arrived. Sitting with the soles of her feet pressed together, Min leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "So does this mean you get a bigger gun?"
"Nah, it just means I get a better title." Aviendha could not stop beaming, and drew out her gun. She chuckled, looking down at the little peashooter in her hand. Pacing around the room, nearly skipping, her news filled her with an unnerving amount of energy. "Still have the regularly issued things- nothing really changes, except that I get to have more fun on the job."
Min shook her head. She scoffed, and rolled her head to glance at Aviendha. "Do you at least get one of those cool vests that says DETECTIVE in big white letters on the front and back? Tell me you at least get one of those boss ass vests."
"Min, it's a task force. Not a television show."
Min sat up, and stuck out her tongue. "A raise?"
"Nope. Just respect."
"Ah, so that's why."
Min let herself fall backwards, splaying her arms out on the dingy carpet. Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath. Aviendha chuckled, and sat beside her. "Elayne should be here soon, she just has to put the kids down."
"She could have brought them."
"I don't think she trusts you, not since the incident."
"Come on, that was one time. And they love my tricks- you saw how they were laughing!"
"They are babies. They'll laugh at anything."
Min pulled a small butterfly knife from her pocket, and opened it with a swift flick of her wrist. Her hands were small, but then, the woman herself was rather small, at least a head shorter than the detective without her heeled boots. Aviendha watched as Min's fingers tucked the handle and blade around each other, spinning the knife in swirling spirals, appreciating the deft flexibility her fingers portrayed.
"You know, knives can be used for more than just party tricks."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Min tossed the knife into the air, snatching it back with her opposite hand, resuming the twirls with the same ease.
"All show, no substance. Give it here."
Min swung the blade shut, and handed the knife to Aviendha. She took it, feeling the weight and balance, noting how small it felt in her hands- not even the length of her gun. Comparing the two, she suppressed a smirk, and placed the knife down, producing another from her belt, tucking the glock away. This new blade was less a knife, and more a dagger, with a ridged, sharpened edge, tapering with a lovely curve at the tip. The handle was plain enough that the untrained eye would soon dismiss it as a piece of junk, but Min's eyes widened.
"Where'd you find that?"
"It was a gift."
Aviendha handled the blade delicately, the way anyone else might manage a kitten, with trepidation, care, and a requisite admiration. Without even bothering to stand, she tossed the blade to her other hand, then back again. She spun the large dagger around her hands, switching between the two almost ambidextrously, slowing slightly with her right hand. Min watched, unimpressed, until Aviendha stopped controlling the handle, instead only touching the blade. Min's mouth opened slightly, betraying her respect. However, her eyes flickered away from the blade a moment too long, and Aviendha realized that she was losing Min's attention.
The dagger then flew through the air, straight past Min's ear. She jumped to her feet, and Aviendha laughed. Whirling around, Min saw the blade just as it sank into the door. A brilliant smile appeared on her face, and Aviendha grinned. A muffled shriek came from the other side of the door, and their smiles broadened.
"What the FUCK."
Elayne slammed the door open, nearly knocking it off of its hinges. Glaring at Aviendha, she refused to break eye contact, closing the door enough to pull the blade out. Holding it carefully in front of her, Elayne stepped forward, and spoke softly.
"Do you even want your security deposit back, once you move out of this dump?" She pushed the pillows and dirty clothes off of Aviendha's sunken couch cushions, and sat down. After a moment of consideration, she sank the blade into the arm of the couch, and Min bit her lip to control herself.
"I would have thought you'd grant me some congratulations, rather than criticism."
"Yes, yes, good fucking job, great fucking news, but god damn it, can I come over once- just ONCE- without nearly getting stabbed? For shit's sake, Avi!"
"Do you kiss your children with that mouth?"
"You bet your ass I do."
Min snorted, and Elayne silenced her with a glare, the sort that one can only manage after becoming a mother. It was only then that Aviendha noticed a brown paper bag in Elayne's lap, with some celery poking out of the top. "You brought snacks?"
Elayne smiled, dropping the stern demeanor. "Min called, said you weren't feeling well. Thought I'd make some soup." Grasping the bag, Elayne stood, and dropped it on Aviendha's counter, atop a stack of notebooks.
"Thanks, but that's not necessary."
"Shush. If you're going to be dealing with the Seanchan cartel, then you'd better be fucking healthy. If you go to the hospital, it had better be from a gunshot, and not pneumonia!" Aviendha had genuinely never seen someone angrily handle carrots, but somehow, Elayne managed it, though she was still smiling. "I know I can't keep you from getting hurt, but I can try to keep you from getting a cold."
Aviendha rolled her eyes, and stood, walking over to the kitchen countertop, sitting at one of the barstools. "If anyone's going to get shot, it's you, Mrs. Mayor."
"Miss."
"Regardless. I might be in the task force, but you're the one who pushed it through. You're the one whose entire campaign revolved around cleaning up the streets. You're the one who's targeted the Seanchan above the other gangs in the area." Aviendha glanced at the handle of her dagger, still poking out of the arm of her couch.
Elayne crumpled the paper bag into a ball, and tossed it behind her. It landed in a pile of unidentifiable stuff beside one of the kitchen cabinets that couldn't quite close. "Holy fuck, this place is a mess. Do you need me to hire you a maid?"
"I know where everything is."
"Then where the fuck is your sense of hygeine?"
"Same place as the fucks I give."
"Okay, then what about your knives?"
Aviendha turned her head to look back at her dagger once more.
"Not the things you use to stab people, the things you use to cut vegetables and shit."
"The drawer to your left."
Elayne opened the drawer, and drew out a small paring knife.
Min walked over to the counter, and collapsed into one of the other barstools. "Did Avi tell you that she's making me hire a felon?"
"He's not a felon, he's not being charged with anything. He's just a kid that got into some trouble." Aviendha rested her elbows on the countertop, and placed her chin on folded hands. "And besides, you don't even work at the library. You just show up, organize the books, and read a lot."
"I'm an unofficial employee."
"Loial just thinks you're amusing," Elayne chimed in, "And you have a lot of interesting stories to tell."
"The rights to my life story are definitely worth free books."
Elayne let out an actual laugh, almost a guffaw. "You do know how libraries work, right?"
Min folded her arms, and looked away, pouting. Aviendha placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, squeezing her close. Both shared a look, and Min's face broke out into a sheepish little smile again. Elayne, meanwhile, pulled her curls up into a ponytail, out of her face. Some few locks fell back into her eyes, which she dismissed, as she began to prepare her food.
The two seated women watched as Elayne gingerly placed an onion on a tiny, clean spot on the counter. Aviendha's arm dropped, and Min sat up again. Elayne spun the onion around, using the knife to swiftly cut off the skin. Tossing the papery components away, she picked up the bright white bulb, and began chopping it almost maniacally, yet evenly. Mesmerized, Min leaned in, while Aviendha tensed up, fearing Elayne might cut her hand. Readjusting the onion, Elayne continued chopping away, never stopping, and in a matter of seconds, the entire onion was successfully and evenly diced, all of the bits landing inside of a prepared pot. She sprinkled some flour and oil on it, on low heat, forming a roux, and looked up only when she heard Min mutter something under her breath.
"Did you say something?"
"Yeah. You win."
Aviendha nodded, and Elayne cocked her head, confused. Rather than questioning them, she dismissed the remark, and accepted her status. The other two continued to watch as Elayne moved about the kitchen, never stopping, unfazed by even the gargantuan butcher's knife.
"If this place isn't clean by Sunday, I swear, I'll be very disappointed."
"Okay, Mom."
Elayne sniffed, shaking her head, though her smile did not falter.