Finding a Place to Belong [Attn: Avyra]

[Jenny]

"You almost burned down your parents' shop?! I can see why your father was afraid," said Seonin. "The One Power can be very dangerous, especially when a channeler is untrained. I find it astounding that the people of this continent do not test every boy and girl for the ability. I was tested when I was thirteen."

Her voice was quiet. While she looked back on her childhood fondly, she knew that the people here were different. "My mother was a da'covale. A da'covale is a... type of servant. And that is what I was going to be, too, until I was tested. It was hard to leave her behind, but I had to do my duty to the Empire and serve as a damane."

She guided her horse with her knees as she spoke. Avyra had been right - Dun was a sweetheart and had a wonderfully smooth stride. As they rode, Seonin looked wonderingly at the shorter woman. The girl's fiery personality was clearly evident, and Seonin admired the way she carried herself with confidence. Avyra seemed the type of girl who was never, ever, afraid of anything. "Was it hard for you to come here, too?" she asked, timidly.

[Avyra]

Avyra shook her head. "My father was afraid of channelers before then. The incident just... sealed the deal on his feelings." She paused to listen more, guiding her white mare easily. The horse was very, very placid, and Avyra liked her, though she preferred Dun's general spark. He seemed to be on his best behavior today, however. Avyra couldn't even begin to imagine what Seonin had gone through in her younger years. Destined to be a servant, then moved to a full on slave? Avyra couldn't place why Seonin could talk about this with such neutrality. Avyra herself wouldn't have stood for any of it. Avyra looked over when she asked her next question. Was it hard for her? Avyra thought for a moment, then shrugged. "You could say that. It was quite a challenge. I wanted to stay, help run the shop, but my mother insisted. But it was my sister who really convinced me to come." She paused. "But the journey wasn't too hard. I thought it would have been harder, with bandits and bloodthirsty beasts hunting in the night, but it wasn't. It was, however, hard to sleep the first few nights, with all the creatures in the forest stirring about. "You said you were captured, but I'd call it a rescue, right? After all, you're free now," Avyra continued, flipping the conversation back. She wanted to know more about her roommate; Avyra saw herself as being dull in comparison.

[Jenny]

Seonin gasped. "No! Well, yes, I... was... "

She paused, and her posture unconsciously straightened. "I was captured," she said. "There's no doubt about that. If I could choose, I would have chosen to have never been brought here."

Her chin lifted. "I am proud of my country. Yes, proud! I was a servant, but I took pride in my work. I was a slave, but I loved my masters and mistresses. They treated me well, and I was loyal... and am still loyal, although perhaps my loyalties have changed. And I've realized, Avyra, that there is no such thing as freedom. I am unleashed, but am still kept here to learn at the Tower. You are, too, and if you try to leave they will bring you back. We're all just threads in the Pattern, bound to serve at the whims of the Wheel of Time."

She spoke insistently, with a quiet intensity that she rarely exposed.

[Avyra]

Avyra looked a bit confused by Seonin's sudden outburst, then she considered her fellow Novice's words for a moment. She was right, to an expent. Avyra wasn't leashed or enslaved, but she was held here. She couldn't leave the Tower grounds without an escort. But what was odd was Seonin's words after that. That she was proud of her country and what the Seanchan did. Avyra didn't speak for a bit, watching the mare's head in front of her bob up and down with gentle rhythm. She supposed that did, somehow, make sense. Seonin hadn't known anything else in her life save for the Seanchan. She knew that, had she been in the situation Seonin had been in, she might have been very stressed and defensive too of her beliefs, especially being tossed into into the Tower where they preached that such a practice, a practice she had grown up and was all she knew, was wrong. And it was sickening to Avyra. In a way, the Seanchan sheltered the damane into believing that their way was correct and that the Aes Sedai were ruthless killers who needed to be exterminated or leashed. But she didn't say this, for Seonin's sake. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," she said at last, looking back up to the young lady beside her. She looked sincere; none of her usual fire shone in her eyes.

[Jenny]

Avyra did not speak for a short time. Seonin did not pester her for an answer, but she began to wonder if she had said something wrong. Although she had been living with these people for over a year, she still feared sticking her foot in her mouth. She waited nervously.

When Avyra finally spoke, Seonin smiled in relief. "You did not upset me," she said. "On the contrary, I was afraid that I had upset you. I am sorry." She bowed her head.

A few moments later, she tried to lighten the mood. "When I said the same to the Mistress of Novices, she told me to never say such things again. Then she threatened to use her riding crop on me, as punishment. But I told her that, although I will respect her wishes, she can't change my past and the country I come from. She got an odd look on her face, and then told me to leave her office. But I think that she actually seemed quite proud of me. I wonder why that is? Anyways, Mirin Sedai can seem quite strict, but I think she has our best interests in mind. She reminds me of someone who I used to know."

The note of longing in her voice was clear.

[Avyra]

Avyra shook her head. "I think, if I am to make a guess, that she is frightened of the Seanchan and their collars." She paused. "Where you see no problem with them, many, if not all, of the other Aes Sedai here find them to be horrid. In worst case, I doubt Mirin Sedai wants that talk because she fears the Seanchan taking the Tower." She paused. "Unfortunately, that is the problem when you are around others who do not see things like you do. I can see where you're coming from. If it was the only thing I knew and I was brought here, I don't think I'd like it either." She paused. "And Mirin Sedai should know this. Threatening you doesn't help or change your thoughts. But she must have been proud of you for sticking up to her about your beliefs. Regardless of beliefs, staying beside them no matter how much they're being targeted is a good quality in a person." Avyra noticed the longing in her voice, but didn't bring it up. She didn't want to press at Seonin more than the girl wanted to talk.

[Jenny]

Mirin Sedai... afraid of the Seanchan taking the Tower? Seonin wondered if that was why she had been interrogated so heavily when she first been captured. It made sense. She could perhaps imagine some of the Seanchan looking at a Tower full of marath'damane as a wonderful asset to capture. But she hoped with all her heart that it would not happen. She had spent enough time - almost seven years - fighting with the One Power in battle. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

Luckily, Avyra did not dwell on the topic. "Regardless of beliefs," said the other novice, "staying beside them no matter how much they're being targeted is a good quality in a person."

"You think so?" Seonin blushed. Did this mean Avyra liked her? Seonin had spent most of her life molding herself into what she thought her masters and mistresses wanted her to be. It felt nice to realize that she might be liked for herself.

She beamed at the other girl. "I like you, Avyra," she said sincerely. "I am so glad that we are roommates. I hope that we will get along well."

[Avyra]

"I like you, Avyra. I am so glad that we are roommates. I hope that we will get along well." Seonin sounded relieved and sincere, something Avyra felt blessed to hear. She smiled at her new friend, drawing back the reigns of her horse to slow the mare to a stop. "I think we already get along very well, actually. Mirin Sedai made a great choice. I like you a lot, Seonin." Their ride had taken them in a large circle, and the two Novices ended up back at the stables soon enough. Avyra climbed down, taking the reigns for her mare and Dun. "We should ride again soon. Our schedules are pretty much similar, if not the same, I would think."

(This is pretty much tied up, I think)