Land and Sea (Attn: Jhanic)

[Kenneth]

Taesh Durlaen

Land and Sea A slight but steady breeze played through the Gardens as Taesh strolled just off the stone path during his short free time between chores and classes. His boots were laid just at the entrance to the verdant getaway, discarded as soon as he crossed the threshold into the Garden. One of the treasures of living on land the young Atha'an Miere had discovered was the feel of grass and soil on bare feet. It was a feeling he had come to quite thoroughly enjoy. That feeling was coupled with the much beloved caress of the wind on his skin, he wore his tunic with the short sleeves rolled up, leaving his dark brown arms bare. His pants were also rolled up to his knees, exposing as much skin as he dared during the day. Every kiss of the breeze brought goosebumps to his skin, the air still carrying remnants of winter in it. With his feet touching the ground, and the breeze playing across his skin Taesh felt both excited and at peace, so deep in his reverie that he was paying no attention to the path his legs led him on.

[Leala]

Jhanic realized he had been making a face as he watered the plants in the Gardens. He had gotten used to so much green, and so much water since coming to the wetlands, but it was still a foreign thing to...throw water. Well, he wasn't throwing it, really, it was pouring, but it felt like throwing water away. The plants could do very well by themselves, what with Cloud Dancing. Somehow, that didn't sound right. The Aes Sedai that tended to this part of the garden obviously knew how to take care of her plants. Perhaps he was just frustrated, because he had not practiced in the spears for so long, or been around his spear-brothers. He felt a bit stifled. He placed the watering can in the shed, where the Aes Sedai had gotten it and went back to the Gardens. The sister who had assigned him this chore had said something about the Gardens being a place to relax. Perhaps if he just walked around and tried to slow his thoughts.

He could really use his spears to wash now.

That had been a problem for a while. Jhanic had always washed his spears when he was troubled. But, that also involved channeling. He knew that if he could somehow convince the Asha'man that brought him here to let him wash his spears again, he could figure out the process of Aligning the Matrix. He had tried, but he could not find the man. His friends suggested trying another weapon, like a sword --he had balked at that-- or a dagger. But, he had a feeling that his spears would be the easiest for him. In his thoughts, he had completely ignored the Gardens, and had just been looking ahead of himself, and keeping an eye on the path. He had seen the dark-skinned soldier strolling toward him for a while, but he now realized that he was not paying attention to his surroundings. "I see you, Soldier," Jhanic said. He could not help but notice the man's lack of boots, and that his pants were rolled up to his knees.

[Kenneth]

"I see you, Soldier,"

The voice seemed distant for just a moment, until Taesh realized it was real and not just in his head. Slowly he began bringing his mind back from that blissfully unaware place it had been. His eyes began to focus on who was in front of him as he took in what was said. "I...see you too?" he replied, turning the statement into a question, one filled with uncertainty.

As more of his mind was brought back to reality the Atha'an Miere gave a sweeping look over the other Soldier. The first thing he noticed was the height, the stranger was significantly taller than Taesh and made from a complete different color palette. Taesh had never seen red hair before, but he'd heard tales about such people from dockhands before. Then the eyes, not a color found on any of the Seafolk, blue like a shallow sea.

Whoever he is, he's seen some battle Taesh thought to himself as he took in the scars, and his mind began to work. Tall, red hair, blue eyes, white skin, battle scars. The pieces began to fall together as he replayed in his mind conversations over heard at the dock or during negotiations.

"You are Aiel!" Taesh exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as a smile of triumph and curiosity rapidly marched across his face. He had heard tales of the Aiel, from a land where there was hardly any water. He had never met one though, only heard bits and pieces from here and there. Yet here he was, face to face with an Aiel, and another Soldier to boot. "Uh, I see you, Soldier" Taesh tried again, failing to keep the excitement out of his voice as he attempted to imitate the Aiel's greeting with the same tone and infliction that is was first delivered with.

[Leala]

The other soldier's initial reaction to him was rather amusing. He seemed confused by his greeting, and most people usually were. However, Jhanic couldn't think of an appropriate greeting for someone whose name he didn't know, so he reverted to his usual way of speaking. After a moment, the other man looked him up and down, then declared him Aiel with a grin on his face. He rather liked it when people reacted to his heritage with wonder and excitement, rather than hatred and preconceived notions. He looked at the man's features and thought for a moment. He had heard of a people who looked like this. "May you find water and shade," he responded out of habit.

"It seems you already have, though." They were walking through the shaded gardens with a lake in the middle. It was right in the corner of his mind, though. What were these people called? A culture he thought the opposite of his own, if only for how they lived. "And you are Atha'an Miere, yes?" he guessed. "If you are, I suppose I can't call you a wetlander, if you don't come from the land." He laughed again. "I will not think of another name for your people, since you addressed mine appropriately. I am Jhanic of the Serai sept of the Tomanelle Aiel. Before I came to the Grey Tower, I was of the Sha'mad Conde, the Thunder Walkers society." After a while, it had become more comfortable to talk about his past. He still missed the time he had spent with his spear-brothers, but he was coming to accept that perhaps it would not be terrible to be in the Grey Tower and away from them. "And what may I call you?"

[Kenneth]

If at all possible the Atha'an Miere's eyes lit up even more as the Aiel responded. Each time he said something strange, Taesh filed it away mentally, preparing to ask about it later. He had to make sure that he remembered everything from this encounter, to tell his parents and clan at a later date. He didn't believe that anyone on his ship, or any ship he had encountered before had actually met one of the Aiel, let alone had the opportunity to speak with one.

"May you find water and shade" Taesh mouthed, or at least he thought he did. It was more like a loud whisper than mimicking just the words with no sound.

He was even more surprised that the Aiel knew of his people. Many of the people that the Seafolk Soldier came across considered him to be exotic or some oddity, but this Aiel did not, at least he did not sound like it. Taesh had no idea what a wetlander was but he filed that away too because he fully intended to find out eventually. The way the Aiel spoke, it was almost as if water was reverenced or something. "Even in a land with little water there still has to be some, somewhere." he thought to himself.

I am Jhanic of the Serai sept of the Tomanelle Aiel. Before I came to the Grey Tower, I was of the Sha'mad Conde, the Thunder Walkers society."

"Jhanic of the what? What on the waves is a sept?" Taesh asked and followed with, "And a sha...a Thunder Walker, whats that?" The young Soldier had no idea what any of it meant but his mind was reeling and he knew one thing for sure, it all sounded incredibly interesting. Thunder Walker especially intrigued him. Could the Aiel manipulate the weather like a Windfinder? Did being a Thunder Walker mean that this particular Aiel could do that?

"Sorry there, my father always said my mouth is like a hole in the ship, once it's there you'll have a time closing it up" Taesh laughed at the memory, especially his father's expression the many times he said it. "I'm Taesh Durlaen, of the Star Song of clan Rossaine, well formerly of Star Song I suppose" Taesh said introducing himself.

[Leala]

Jhanic was happy to see that the man was taking such interest in his culture. Taesh likely dealt with the wetlanders' cultures often enough, or at least the ones lined by the ocean. The ocean was something that Jhanic could barely comprehend. How there was more water than land was something he did not wish to think about. Perhaps he would see it for himself one day. But, Taesh had lived it most of his life. The other soldier seemed awestruck by finding an Aiel. Truly, Jhanic was rather interested in having found someone that the wetlanders called the "Seafolk." Perhaps that was an apt name, after all. But first, he had this soldier's queries to answer.

"A sept is a part of a clan. There are other septs of the Tomanelle clan, and there are thirteen clans in total. Each clan has a Clan Chief." He tried to keep it simple. He had learned that explaining too much to people who were interested in the Aiel was overwhelming after a while. "As for the Thunder Walkers, they are a society of..." He paused in using the term in the Old Tongue. "We were a society of warriors that used spears. Aiel do not wield swords." He thought of the Asha'man who had taken him here, and how his eyes lit up when he had reasoned that he could make metals stronger. Would the day come when he would do that to a sword's blade? ...He would try to avoid it.

"But, what of this star's song? Do stars sing on the ocean?" he asked. Jhanic knew that his joke was not a strong one, but what else could he have taken from "star song?" Perhaps it was something like a sept, but he was not certain.

[Kenneth]

Taesh listened to the Aiel's explanation and then laughed at his explanation. The Atha'an Miere was not laughing Jhanic, just laughing at the humor of their words being lost in translation. The laugh was loud and full, Taesh's shoulders shaking so much that his sleeves began to roll down. For the briefest moment Taesh had forgotten that the Garden was a place to relax and unwind, and loud laughter might disturb those who were trying to do just that.

"I have no idea if the stars sing" Taesh said once the laughter had subsided, but the humor had yet to leave his eyes or voice. "No, the Star Song is the ship I was born on. Most of my family is on that ship, my mother is the Sailmistress, the leader of the ship" he explained. "I guess a ship and a sept are kind of similar. There are many ships in a Clan, and twelve clans of my people, each ruled by a Wavemistress."

As Taesh explained more on the Seafolk his mind began to work. At least in how we are structured, Clans and septs and ships, there are similarities between my people and Jhanic's. I wonder how else we may be alike he thought to himself.

"So how did you come to be at the Grey Tower friend?" the dark skinned Soldier asked.

[Leala]

Jhanic smiled as Taesh seemed to enjoy his joke about stars singing. He did quite enjoy making friends, even if their numbers were a bit low. It wasn't that he did not like others, he just didn't see the need to socialize too much. Laughing at plays on words and cultural misunderstandings was a nice change from the other reaction his heritage garnered from others. After Taesh explained the way Atha'an Miere society worked, in a generally framed way, it did seem similar. He wondered for a moment how the Sailmistresses and Clan Chiefs would get along, if made to work together. He liked to think that they could at least find some common ground.

His new companion asked how it was that he had come to the Grey Tower. It had not even been a year yet. "Well, my clan crossed from the Three-Fold Land into the wetlands a little over a year ago. I believe we were in Shienar when a few Asha'man from the Grey Tower paid us a visit. I was not expecting it, but they took an interest in my spears. They asked if I did anything unusual to them. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but when I had a dilemma to think through, I would wash them until I had sorted through the problem. They told me that my spears had been touched by the One Power, and they tested me for the ability to channel. They found that I could be taught, and I decided to come here for training. After Saidin was cleansed, my clan still had not found a way to train men who can channel. I had been with my spear brothers for twelve years. It was difficult to leave. But, I find ways to adapt," he said with a shrug. "What about you?"

[Kenneth]

Taesh listened with true interest to Jhanic's story. It was very intereting to the Atha'an Miere to discover how others had come to the Grey Tower. Before meeting the Asha'man, Taesh had never given much thought to how someone ended up at any of the Towers. His people tried to keep the Windfinders out of the clutches of the White Tower, and it was only after saidin was cleansed was the thought of a male channeler doing anything other than being hunted down before they went insane even heard of.

"Well my story isn't so involved as all that" Taesh replied. "My mother and father met an Asha'man one day at the docks. He had some cargo and a friend he wanted transported somewhere. Well of course negotiations had to be made. The Asha'man though, he was good, almost as good at my father at making a Bargain. The negotiations were getting nowhere, so I asked him, the Asha'man that is, about his travels. Well, something happened, he was showing me visions in the air of all these plants and animals, and then he left." At the memory of the giant oak growing from a seed in mid air in front of his eyes Taesh smiled. Ever since the Soldier had come to the Tower he had hoped that he would be able to learn that trick. "Well he came back the next day, and made me stare at a tiny flame, said something and then kicked me out of the negotiations. Next thing I know my father, the Cargomaster of our ship, tells me they have struck a Bargain, and part of it required me to come to the Grey Tower to learn to channel, so here I am."

Part of that story still worried Taesh though, the part where there were more terms to the Bargain, terms that involved the Atha'an Miere channeler, but no one would tell him about just yet.

[Leala]

Taesh's tale certainly was different from Jhanic's. While Jhanic had little say in his decision to come to the Grey Tower, it seemed like the Atha'an Miere had even less say in his. He was not certain what kind of bargain the other man spoke of. At first, he thought it was a regular bargain that people generally reached when something was required of both parties, but it almost seemed like a ritual as Taesh told it. With the cleansing of Saidin, it seemed like more and more cultures were turning to the Grey and Black Towers for training for their men who can channel. He wondered what the Aiel would eventually decide upon. It was a strange thing to think of men as Wise Ones, but it may eventually come to that.

"And these bargains," he began thoughtfully, "they occur when one wishes to use the Star Song?" he asked. He wondered what his new friend's ship looked like. When he had first heard of ships, he had thought of something that looked like a seed that kept the water away from the people in it. But, he was a child when he had heard of them, and had honestly thought that they were the stuff of legends. At that time, he had thought that there was no such place that held that much water, much less something to allow people to travel upon it. And yet, here was someone who had lived that very life. He remembered how embarrassed he felt when he saw an actual ship when he came from the Three-Fold Land. Even after viewing a painting of a ship, he had never truly understood what a ship should look like. He had still never stepped foot on one. He wondered for a moment how they stayed still.