Lost But Won't Admit It [att: Leala]

[Avyra]

Avyra

Avyra pulled back on the reigns, slowing Dun to a stop. The horse snorted, pawing the soft ground restlessly, and Avyra patted his dark neck gently. She could tell that he was nervous; she was too. She had no real reason to be, for the most part, but she just was. This moment, for her, for her family, was huge. She would be the first of them to finish training as an Aes Sedai. Or, rather, she hoped. But here it was. The Grey Tower. It wasn't as incredible as she had imagined it. It was better. She dismounted, keeping hold of the reigns to lead Dun. It was an incredible feat in itself that she was able to put her foot in the stirrup to climb on, but luckily the blue roan was rather laid back and gentle. He had been her only real companion for her week's journey, and she was greatful for his company. Even if he was only a horse. Avyra walked through the gates easily enough; a few guards questioned her but she had nothing to hide. She was coming here to become a Novice. Whatever that meant. Maybe she should have asked her mother these things. It would have made planning so much easier. She felt Dun tug at the reigns, perking his ears at all the sights and sounds as his head shot up, but she continued to lead him. Luckily he didn't protest; she was not going to make a spectacle of herself here on her first day in. Well, she had gotten in fine. She had no idea where to go from here.

[Hopefully this is good oops]

[Leala]

Torianin smiled to herself as she crossed the Tower Grounds. She had just returned a set of books that she had borrowed from the Library. She was finally feeling like she had a grip on the history of the lands that had come from the Empire of Artur Hawkwing. She understood references in conversations and classes now, and got rather excited when she did. She had turned in a well-written essay to one of her teachers, whose look of relief as they read the paper caused a bit of embarrassment for her, but there was still pride. Soon, she would have it down. As she made her way back to her quarters, she happened to glance in the direction of the gates. There was a small young woman walking a horse toward the Grey Tower. She looked rather confident, but she suspected her pace was hesitant. She changed her course, deciding to help.

As she approached the dark-haired girl, she felt that unexplained kinship with her that all women who channeled felt, and she had obviously been at it longer than most novices had. The girl would be called a "wilder," just like Torianin had, but that was better than being called damane any day.

"Good day, Miss," she said with a polite smile as she walked up to the young woman. She had been here for four years, and still her accent marked her as Seanchan. "Are you looking to enroll as a novice?" she asked. She wasn't sure if the young woman was able to tell women who could channel just by being in their presence, but it was a good guess. "I can show you to the Mistress of Novices, if you'd like."

[Avyra]

A stranger's voice tore Avyra from her thoughts and caused Dun to tilt his head. The stranger, a woman, probably an Aes Sedai based on Avyra's location, she was in the bloody Grey Tower for crying aloud, was quite a bit taller than she, but that seemed to be the normal, if annoying, occurance. But she hadn't expected to be approached, and spoken to, so soon. This wasn't part of her plan. She fumbled over words a tad, trying to sort her thoughts out. "Hi. A... Novice? I guess so. Probably. I." She didn't know what else to say on the matter, but she knew taking Dun with her would be frowned upon. "Is there a place for my horse? Unless you like to have horses inside." She had no idea, maybe they did. This place was new. However, there was one thing she did know. She was lost, and now there was someone willing to help her. She shouldn't turn this down, as much as she believed she had everything under control.

[Leala]

Torianin kept her smile as the other girl responded. She remembered feeling unsure about herself as well. She still felt that way sometimes. This, however, she could help with. "Certainly. We can take your horse to the stables. Novices are not allowed to leave the Grey Tower without supervision, and you should be able to visit him on occasion," she explained. "I'll show you a bit of the Tower on the way." Motioning for the girl to follow her, she calmly escorted her down the path toward the Grey Tower. Another flash of memory came to her, and she was suddenly a newcomer to the Tower again. She was still wearing that damnable dress, she was much heavier, and she had crushed the flowers that had been in her hair under her feet. That was not very long ago, but she still felt a bit of that girl in her still.

"I am Accepted Torianin," she said, turning to give the girl a smile. She suddenly realized that she still did not know the other woman's name. "What is your name?" she asked.

[Avyra]

Not able to leave the Tower? Well, that made Avyra a bit uneasy. She liked the freedom she had at home; if she wasn't working, she could go where she liked. This Grey Tower seemed awfully strict. Well, what did you expect? a voice chimed in her head. She did have to admit, she was being foolish. Of course it would be stricter than home. She only nodded, taking all this in. Well, what was the worst that could happen here? "All right, makes sense. I'm Avyra. Avyra Moeryr. Nice to meet you." An Accepted? She had no idea what that meant. Maybe her mother had explained all this, she just wasn't paying attention. Wouldn't be the first time... She settled for following Torianin, and she might as well ask questions. "So, how does this all work?"

[Leala]

The girl introduced herself, and Torianin smiled. "It's good to meet you, Avyra." She was about to start explaining what it was that they were passing when Avyra asked how "this all" worked. "Ah. Well, what we're about to do is make sure your horse has proper lodging. We'll just make a right turn with the path here, and leave him at the stables for the moment. After that, we'll go to novice and Accepted quarters. I'm not entirely sure where the Mistress of Novices is, but it's a good bet that she'll be there. That's where her office is. She'll enroll you as a novice, issue your novice whites, and assign your room." She paused. The girl probably wanted to know how the process to become Aes Sedai would go as well. Following the path, they turned toward the Warders' Yard and the stables.

"After that, you'll start to take classes and take care of responsibilities either handed to you by members of a higher rank, or ones that are scheduled to you for the day. When you are raised to Accepted will depend on how fast you learn, and how fast you adapt to life here at the Grey Tower. Normally, it takes on average ten years to become Accepted. Accepted are expected to behave as though we are Aes Sedai, even though we are not. After a time as an Accepted, the Mistress of Novices will determine when you are ready to be tested to become Aes Sedai.

As they approached the stables, Torianin began to explain what they were seeing. "Right now, we're heading straight to the stables, and on the right is the Warders' Yards, where they Warders practice, and their trainees train to become Warders. I'm sure you already know that we've passed the Grey Tower itself. That's where the Tower operates in its essence. The smaller buildings around it are Ajah Halls, where all members of each Ajah live."

Once they arrived at the stables, Torianin opened the doors and signaled a stable hand to come help. 'We can drop your horse off here, then I can show you to the Mistress of Novices," she said, keeping her smile.

[Avyra]

Avyra listened, trying to take it all in. Ten years as a Novice?! No wonder why her mom left; she had never had that patience. Unfortunately, Avyra seemed to have gotten that from her, as well. But she was determined. She could channel, and she was going to be an Aes Sedai. When they arrived at the stables, she handed Dun's reigns to the stablehand, giving the horse a pat on the nose. "You be good, all right?" She paused, speaking again to Torianin. "What's it like here, training and everything?"

[Leala]

"Well, everyone has their different opinions, but I like it," Torianin said, reflecting on her first days there as she walked Avyra out of the stables and around the other side of the Grey Tower. "It was difficult for me at first, because I was coming from such a different background from those around me," she admitted with a shrug. She was no longer that confused and frightened girl. "Before I became a novice, I was a damane for five years, forced to channel at the hands of my captors." It no longer hurt to explain this to someone else. That didn't mean that the previous pain didn't matter, but it was a good feeling to know that she could look at the past without that pain there. "Being a novice was not as hard emotionally, but I had to learn that I would not be subjected to the abuse that I had endured before, and that was the difficult part for me. I enjoy being an Accepted, because I am learning much more than I had before I came here."

As they walked around the Tower, Torianin indicated a few more buildings and landmarks. "Right in front of the Warders' Yard is the Warders' Hall, then next to that is the Tower Guard's Hall, and their yard as well." She paused in her tour and turned to Avyra, "Have you thought about which Ajah you might take on, when you are raised? I haven't even determined my own future Ajah yet, but it's always interesting to think about it."

[Avyra]

A damane? Avyra has only heard of the Seanchan in stories, but had never met one before. Well, much of this she had only heard about in stories, and she was living it now. For the first time in a long time the future Novice looked rather... takenaback. She didn't enjoy the feeling; it made her feel weaker in the face of all of this. She would have liked to hear more of Torianin's story, but she didn't feel like pressing. So many different people here... and they each had something to share. This was very easily the most diverse place she had ever been to. "Have you thought about which Ajah you might take on, when you are raised?" Torianin's question brought her back to reality. She had been, shamefully, trying to catch a glimpse at a few of the Warders, and her face flushed slightly. "Oh? I'm not too sure, actually. I suppose I can figure that out while I'm here, and after I meet more people from each Ajah." She paused. "I did, however, do some reading about them on the way, and the Blues seem to be quite nice for a choice. But then again, I've never met anyone from the Blue Ajah so I can't honestly say for sure." She shrugged. "I'm just trying to get through this first month or so without setting myself on fire."

[Leala]

Torianin had noticed Avyra trying to peek at the Warders as they walked by. She wondered what the girl would have thought seeing the Gaidar or female trainees. She decided not to say anything, since she did answer her question. "Ah," she said, raising her eyebrows in interest. "I've been giving serious thought to the Blue as well, but I think the Red may also be a good fit for me, or maybe even the Yellow" she added, then shrugged. "Some novices and soldiers come here knowing exactly where they would like to go on their first day, but don't let that deter you." It certainly hadn't deterred her. Sometimes she liked that she still didn't know. It was almost like learning a weave that she had not known before.

"And, I'm sure you'll be fine," she said when the prospective novice had said she didn't want to set anything ablaze. "I can tell you've been channeling before coming here, and you are still in one piece. Now, with the guidance of the Grey Tower, you should do well."

As they continued their circuit of the Grey Tower, Torianin pointed out one of her favorite places. "And here are the Gardens," she said, motioning with her arms. "I like to come here to study. It's very calming, even if there are several people milling about."