To His Own Devices (Open)

[Leala]

Jhanic watched as the three Asha'man who had discovered his abilities in the One Power walked in front of him, one of them talking in an animated fashion about his spears. He held them with the blades pointed at his face as he spoke about what had been done to the metal. This one, Asha'man Kalir of the Indigo Ajah, had explained to him that he had used a weave that had been classified as a Talent, called "Aligning the Matrix." Apparently, it was meant to make metals stronger. He then explained that Jhanic would get his weapons back, but not until he reached a certain rank in the Grey Tower. Jhanic had simply responded that as long as his spears did not come back in splinters, he would not complain. As of today, he was no longer a Thunder Walker. He would become a soldier of the Grey Tower, and that was all there was to it. He owed a great toh to Asha'man Kalir, who had found his ability and offered to help train him. The Wise Ones were considering what to do with men who had been found to channel in the Aiel, but nothing had been decided yet. Therefore, even though he was leaving his spear-brothers behind, he would make new allies here.

He realized that he had been staring at the great grey spire in front of him when Asha'man Kalir spoke to him again. "Um, Jhanic?" He looked down at the three Asha'man in front of him. They were all looking at him as if he had not heard what they said. His mind had wandered again. Normally, he would have been more attentive to those with him, but his life was changing. The Asha'man smiled at him and laughed. "I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about us. Well, we all have some business to attend to. The building you are looking for is that one," the Tairen man in a black coat explained, pointing to a hall to the side of the tower. "You'll be looking for the Master of Soldiers. If he's not there, someone will be able to find him. You may also want to find someone to show you around the grounds."

Jhanic nodded, to say that he understood. The three men in black coats branched off from him, and he turned his attention to the hall to the side. He looked around at the groups of people walking around. There were women in white dresses, some who had stripes on them, and men who wore the black coats of Asha'man, but he noticed some of them were missing pins. He wondered which ranks were denoted in these garments as he walked slowly forward. As everything in the wetlands, the Grey Tower's grounds were green and lush with plant life. The buildings were constructed with hard stones and materials that were not present in the Three-Fold Land. As he walked, he kept an eye out for someone who may want to help him find this Master of Soldiers, or help him get his bearings.