All The Pretty Flowers [Attn: Paks]

[Kenneth]

Taesh decided to take a rest off of his feet and sat down, legs straight in front of him as he leaned back against one of the saplings. Plantweaving was still a taxing Talent for the Atha'an Miere, and he wanted to take a moment to catch his breath. He looked at Paks with a tired smile as he answered her questions, answering the former before the latter.

"The sea will always be in my soul. I was born on it, grew up on it, I believe there is more water than blood in my veins." The Dedicated took a deep breath and then rested the back of his head on the somewhat flimsy trunk of the young tree, his gaze shifting skyward. "I was very excited when I first came here, but even that excitement could not dull the ache to be on board of the Star Song, or any ship. I thought about going home, leaving here and returning to my clan and family. The only thing that kept me here though, the thought of the bargain my parents made, and how much shame it would bring to my mother and father if I didn't fulfill my end."

Those days had long been gone, and Taesh could remember them only vaguely. "The sea is still very much in my blood, but I have found a song that rings a bit louder in my ears. Once, if, I become an Asha'man, I am sure I will find my way back to the sea, maybe on my own ship, sometimes. But the work of the Tower, and my intended Ajah, I see now, cannot be done by shunning the shore. I have a great feeling that my clan, especially my mother and father, will not be too pleased with my decision. But I cannot do, what I believe I can best to, from the deck of any ship, not even the one I was born on"

[Roan]

Paks sat down next to Taesh and listened intently as he answered her questions. His path was so very different from hers, and he had such a strong connection with his family even now. While they may not 'talk' regularly, there was clearly a great deal of love from him to them, and visa versa. She found she envied him in that moment. "I would bet, Taesh, that while your parents may be initially disappointed if you do not return to the sea, they will be happy for you if you are doing something which fulfills you and brings you happiness."

Her own father would still see her as a disappointment, even if she were to succeed in earning a fancloak and the title of Gaidin. She'd been a source of disappointment since the day of her birth. How could she win his approval when all the man would ever see is the cause for his wife's death staring back at him?

It was rare for self-doubt to swirl within Paks' mind, and she was often pretty good at letting such thoughts slide to the wayside. Today, it proved more of a challenge. . .perhaps because she saw what a healthy family could be in Taesh's own. She looked to him with a small smile, "Your parents clearly care a great deal about you, Taesh, and want what is best for you, else I doubt you'd be here. If you were to tell them your true path meant remaining landward, I am sure they would honor your decision."

[Kenneth]

Taesh turned his head to look at Paks and gave her a rueful smile. "If only it were as simple as all that."

The Atha'an Miere Dedicated knew that his parents loved him, and he them. His life on the sea, on the Star Song had not been a bad one. Born to the Sailmistress and Cargomaster, he had not been given special treatment by the Clan, but he was much adored by his parents. When it was discovered that he shared in his fathers gift of negotiation, he had begun to be prepped by his father to become one who would attract a Sailmistress and become Cargomaster in his own right. His connection with his parents was a great one, but there was something that Paks did not understand.

"The Atha'an Miere, we do not break bargains" Taesh informed the drin. "Even if one were to die before fulling his end, his clan would make sure that the bargain was completed. Once it is sealed, under the Light it will be done. I do not know how this bargain effects me. What was set in regards to me once my training was complete? If it means for me to leave the Tower, to return to my people, to the ships...I cannot do that now. I am afraid of what will happen, should the day come that I must make that choice Paks. Now amount of love can outweight the authority of the bargain."

Taesh sighed. As his training had continued at the Grey Tower, the thought of what might eventually come had been ever at the back of his mind. Ever since he experienced the Arches and what had happened there, his confusion at the future had grown. He knew that he would choose the Tower, he would choose what he would become over what he had been. He just did not know, what response that his parents, or clan or people would give once that decision was known.

[Roan]

Paks Liard

Paks raised both brows as Taesh explained how committed the Atha'an Miere were to fulfilling bargains made and deals struck. She knew so little of his people and their ways, though she was not the most worldly of Drin to walk the halls of the Tower. She considered his words for several moments before speaking again. "Your parents made a bargain that sent you to the Tower to train, and you worry about what will happen when your training is complete. Is your training complete when you become Asha'man? Full rank does not necessarily mean fully trained, no?"

The Drin didn't give Taesh a chance to answer before she posed another question, "Do you not know the terms of the bargain? I understand your parents made it, but you are the heart of it. . .if you do not get say in setting the terms, then surely you at least know what those terms are? The day you fear may be some time away, Taesh, Son of the Sea." She tilted her head and flashed a warm smile, "Long ago I learned to live for the moment before me and not worry about what might come or what's been done.

"It may seem easier said than done, and I'm not suggesting to ignore the possibilities completely, but what I am saying is try not to work yourself into a tangle of thorny weeds when there's nothing to be done. Sometimes it is best to let the wind take you where she's want to do than to resist, yes?" Paks let her warm smile turn to more of her characteristic smirk.

[Kenneth]

Taesh turned a contemplative eye toward the Drin, before letting out a quick bark of laughter, his eyes sparkling.

"Paks Liard, there is sea in your blood and wind in your words. Perhaps we will make an Atha'an Miere out of you yet" he said, laughter playing across his voice, but there was a seriousness there as well. Somehow, Paks had earned more than a budding friendship with the Dedicated, she had begun to earn his respect.

"You are right, there is no need to worry about what is over the horizon, until you get there. And as far as I know, no one has reached the horizon yet, so why worry?"

Taesh let out a sigh, both from exertion and relief. He would take heed to the words of the woman he had only just met, and not concern himself with what was to be. What had happened, and the rebuilding efforts, that was what the Dedicated would focus on. Should the time come, that the full terms of the bargain came to through his life off course, he would do what any Atha'an Miere would. Adjust and keep sailing toward the destination, it was all he could do.

"If ever I do return to the sea, my ship will always be welcome to you Paks Liard."

[Roan]

The smirk gave way to a beaming grin as the Atha’an Miere started to give a deep, rich laugh. Something in making people laugh and feel good in the moment brought a sense of peace to the Drin, and had since her first time entertaining a crowd. What calling was there for a Warder-type to entertain, though? Would she really have a place here?

With the threat of self-doubt creeping in, Paks pushed those thoughts at bay and looked to the man who’d shown her the One Power could be used for much more than destruction. She was friendly, yes, though she wouldn’t say she had a lot of friends. Fiona, though she was now a Channeler, and the two saw a lot less of each other, perhaps Alric, though Paks didn’t know the Soldier all that well. At a stretch, maybe Natlya, though a drunken night of drinking and. . .well, there were no guarantees of friendship there.

Friendly to everyone didn’t mean an abundance of friends, and perhaps for the first time in a long time, Paks found herself feeling somewhat lonely. Never one to dwell on the negative, though, she looked to Taesh and gave him a warm smile, “I have not spent much time at sea. . .any time, really. You honor me with your invitation, Taesh, Son of the Sea, and I would count myself most fortunate if the opportunity ever came to fruition.”

In the distance a bell tolled, and it was a signal for Paks to get back to the Yards for her next class. Reluctantly, she pushed herself to her feet and offered the Dedicated a flourished bow, “Thank you for your company, Taesh, and I look forward to when our paths next cross. For now. . .I must learn how to hit things with objects.” She flashed her characteristic smirk as she pulled up from her bow before heading back to the Warder Yards.