Roommates: Friend or Foe? [Attn: Astarte] COMPLETE

[Jenny]

Mirin’s fingers plucked idly at her white novice dress. The wool was finely woven, but silk was better, she thought sourly. And the cut was atrocious. Plain and shapeless, it did nothing to show off her assets. She could still smell the smoke from her old dress, the beautiful green silk dress that she had arrived in, that they had made her burn. The dress that her mother had lovingly stitched for her. She had come with no other clothes, or they would have made her burn them too.

They said that the burning symbolized a break with her past ties. The Grey Tower was her home now. Bah! It was a bunch of foolishness. A dress was just a dress. What a waste. An image of her mother’s hand nimbly working with the fabric flashed through her mind, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her mother’s hard work – gone. She had brought nothing else to remind her of home.

No, she would not cry. She came to become an Aes Sedai, not to cry for her mother like a child. Though the Aes Sedai insisted on calling her “child,” a fact that made her grit her teeth every time she heard it. She will prove them wrong, and would behave herself like a young woman. She would!

Mirin stormed up the stairs, not realizing that she was stomping. Fourth floor, seventh door on the left, they had told her. That was her assigned room. Since this was her first day, she had the morning free to adjust to life in the Tower and orient herself before her first class after lunch.

One…two…three…four…five…six…seven.

She pushed open the door, stomped in, and then stopped, eyes wide. There were two beds in the room, and one was occupied by another woman.

Light! Mirin had no siblings and had never had to share her personal space before. A quick glance around the room showed that there were no closets, no strategically placed nooks, no privacy. If she needed to undress, she would have to do so with her roommate in the room. She blushed, embarrassed at the thought. Mirin had no qualms about flaunting her body, but her upbringing in Cairhien still gave her intense discomfort at the thought of disrobing in front of a stranger. This was scandalous!

She stared silently at the other woman, mouth hanging open, too shocked to speak.

I will link Mirin's character page here when it is up.

[Astarte]

She had tried to handle a single room but the one night had been terrible and only enhanced the sensation of loneliness that she felt pretty much all the time. That was definitely the last thing she needed or wanted in addition to the other emotional turmoil she was facing in dealing with her new life here at the Tower.

Betrys knew she was supposed to become just like these other composed and trained women but at the moment all the felt was daunted and not a little afraid. The gardens soothed her but there was literally no other place within the bounds of the Tower in which any suggestion of peace existed for her since she'd come here but perhaps that would change.

She hoped it would.

Or perhaps it was more than she needed it too. Betrys did not want the rest of her life to be some haunting reminder of what might have mean or should have been instead. The Wheel might well turn but that didn't stop her from wanting a Pattern for her life in which she could experience some kind of happiness or at least a lack of fear and longing. That would be enough for the moment.

Although she honestly had no idea how she was supposed to become anything like the serene women who wandered the halls all the time but perhaps she was wrong about just how they appeared.

The door opened and the rather shocked arrival of her new room-mate followed closely afterwards. Betrys blinked and licked her lips, rising to her feet and trying to appear at least moderately welcoming as she offered a rather hesitant sort of smile in her direction "I'm Betrys..." she murmured, hoping that none of her worry was too obviously present in the statement of her name as introduction. She really wanted to make a good impression. Even if she wasn't fully confident about how successful that would end up being.

"Do ya mind I's taken this side?" she questioned, swallowing her nerves as best she could. Betrys couldn't tell if she was the older of the two of them, not that it mattered really but she had a lot of questions but she was really not sure how to ask them at the moment. She might have shared a room before but that had been with family and this was completely different.

[Jenny]

Mirin gave a start when the other women spoke, in a strange and thick accent. Then, her mouth snapped shut, and she tossed her hair behind her shoulder. Her fear of living with a stranger remained, but the veneer of composure and restraint she had learned in Cairhien covered it. She would make Betrys leave the room when she changed, or she would find a way to erect a screen, or she would ask for a single room from the Mistress of Novices…

Somehow those all seemed to be poor ideas. Never mind, she’ll find a way.

“My name is Mirin Ronaile,” she said coolly. ”You may take whichever side you wish.”

She walked briskly to the other bed and sat down, wincing as her bottom hit the hard bench a little too hard. The mattress was ridiculously thin and lumpy. She moved a little, trying to find a comfortable spot, and failed. Mirin glanced around the room again, and brightened. A mirror! She went to it and smiled at her reflection, and then began plucking at her eyebrows with her fingernails. She would have to obtain a makeup kit… somehow. She had no money. Her hand moved away from her face, and she stared glumly into the mirror.

It seemed as though the entire purpose of the Grey Tower was to make novices miserable. She hadn’t known what to expect – but she definitely didn’t expect this! To scrub floors and wash dishes like a maid, to run at the beck and call of every other woman in the tower, to nod and curtsy and murmur, “Yes, Aes Sedai,” even in the face of insults… As a seamstress’ daughter, Mirin had helped in her mother’s shop and was no stranger to working with her hands, but the lack of respect dug at her. The way they looked at her, the way they watched her, as though she were no more than a child. Even the servants ordered her around! Mirin couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t!

But she must, if she wanted to become Aes Sedai.

She sneaked peeks at the other woman’s reflection, pretending to be still looking at herself. Betrys had long, raven-black hair, just like she did, but the other woman wore it braided instead of wild, wavy and loose. A rather ordinary girl in appearance, except for her grey eyes, which shifted colors in the light. Mirin half-wished that her own eyes did that, but they always remained a steely grey/blue.

Her experience with the common folk’s version of Daes Dae’mar had taught her to look at a person’s hands. A woman may change her dress, but her hands remained the same. Betrys’ nails were round and blunted – she was a nail biter. The palms of her hands looked callused. This sent another shock of fear through Mirin. Had Betrys done manual labor in a past life? Or did the Grey Tower really work its initiates so hard? She wondered if Betrys had been here long.

Sometimes, the best way to find answers was to ask. She turned and looked directly at Betrys.

“How long have you been here, Betrys? Have you learned much with the One Power yet?”

I used some descriptions from your character profile. If you would like me to change any of it, please let me know.

[Astarte]

She'd walked into this with no expectations; although to be fair Betrys had hoped that she would be able to have some relationship with the other girl in the room. It would make things easier if nothing else, especially when it came more intimate moments "Mirin...and thank ya, I dinna wan'tae be assuming much but the sun come up clear on this side and I like it..." she didn't miss the rather arrogant way that this Mirin was speaking to her but Betrys wasn't quite ready to challenge that just yet.

It just didn't seem like the right time.

Not now, perhaps once they knew each other a little better.

Although at the same time Betrys was getting a deeply sinking feeling as she watched her fascination with the mirrior "Ya alright? Ya dinnae look bad if tha' be what worrying ya...." she allowed. Betrys knew she was nothing like Mirin. She was neither refined, educated or well-mannered, even her accent was making her different from the others but she was working on that part. It had been perhaps the only thing that she could do, that...and learn what these Aes Sedai had to teach her about the One Power.

"I've been here weeks or so..." Betrys commented "Not long at all - what about yaself? Ya new or have ya called this place home for long?" she asked, those eyes catching the light as always and reflecting back in all the various colors they displayed without her knowledge or control "And no, nae so much but I be working on changing that" which might have been easier if she first of all didn't need to learn to read so she could actually understand all the books which were available to assist in such matters.

[Jenny]

“I’m glad that you like the bed you chose,” said Mirin, polite but stiff. She didn’t mind Betrys’ thick accent, but the other woman’s sentences often trailed off into whispers. It made Betrys seem afraid, or eager to please, which pleased Mirin’s ego. Mirin was not a noblewoman, but she very much wished to be. From her observations of her mother’s wealthy customers, they were polite to commoners, but maintained their reserve. And so this was how Mirin decided to treat Betrys. Polite, but with cool arrogance that spoke louder than any words, I am above you. After all, one day, she would be Aes Sedai.

But besides her desire to imitate the rich, she truly was glad that Betrys had chosen the side of the room exposed to the sun. Her own light skin freckled easily.

When Betrys complimented her looks, Mirin smiled. “Thank you,” she said primly. She returned to her lumpy bed, sat, and leaned forward, studying her new roommate openly. How had such an ordinary woman come to the White Tower?

She looked out the window at the sun. It was nearly midday. Almost lunchtime… and then she would finally attend her first class.

“I just arrived here yesterday night,” said Mirin. “And they burned the clothes I came in this morning.” She paused, frowning, still upset at the loss of her dress. “I very nearly got lost on my way here. You should tell me more about the Tower, and about yourself as well. How did you discover that you can channel?” She looked at the other girl expectantly.

[Astarte]

She relaxed slightly, pleased that things seemed to be at least reasonably settled between the two of them. It might still not be ideal but Betrys did wonder if this might be some sort of test? She'd heard some of the others mentioning tests and there hadn't been any sort of specifics attached to it and Betrys had been both too shy and too distracted to actually bother with trying to figure out for herself, at least at that point in time.

Betrys vowed to ask the next time the chance came up.

"Both are the same, comfy I's think too" she murmured "Ain't no-thing but ya welcome all the same" Betrys blinked at the sudden interest in her own self, she new she was clean, just as her clothes were as well. Betrys had some pride in her personal appearance even if the finer things in life hadn't been an option for her to experience before coming to the Tower and she liked it but hadn't developed any arrogance about that sort of thing - at least at the moment "Did they? Mine were taken and burned too - told me it were symbowl-like and such" she shrugged. Betrys had been shocked when it had happened but she hadn't been that distraught to lose the dress, the replacement was much finer than anything she'd owned before.

Betrys hadn't expected this sort of interrogation and her eyes narrowed slightly "I were brought by Aes Sedai to here, shown bout too...ain't someone directed ya on a tour? Ya can ask then" she huffed slightly. While being friendly was definitely better than not she was not some kind of endless source of information "I were told by Aes Sedai when she came to my home" she admitted "What bout ya?" Betrys asked, she wanted some answers of her own.

[Jenny]

Mirin’s jaw tightened at Betrys’ change of tone. She didn’t miss Betrys’ narrowed eyes either. Who did this girl think she was? Her temper flared, although her reserve didn’t break. Not quite yet.

“No one has directed me anywhere,” she said fiercely. “I found this room all by myself. I thought you could help me. But fine.” She huffed, mockingly, in a crude imitation of the other woman.

She continued. “I started falling ill about two months ago, with alternating fever and chills. No one knew why. Finally, an Aes Sedai found me and told me I would die unless I came here to train. It was exciting, finding out that I can channel.” Her eyes suddenly gleamed unpleasantly. And just as quickly, the look was replaced by calm.

It was almost noon. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll find my way to the dining hall myself,” she said. She stood up, and with as much dignity as she could muster, swept out of the room.

As she soon as she set foot outside the door, her pretense dropped and she resumed stomping. This morning had turned out rotten so far – a burned dress, a surprise roommate – surely the afternoon would be better!

A few hours later, Mirin found herself elbow-deep in hot soapy water with endless stacks of dirty dishes by her side. She had gotten lost on her way to class; and this was her punishment. She sighed. As she scrubbed, her thoughts turned to her roommate, whose behavior she found both mystifying and infuriating. Then she gasped. What if Betrys was playing Daes Dae’mar? Oh no. I have been such a Light-blinded fool, Mirin thought. Just because I am no longer in Cairhien doesn’t mean that the Great Game is no longer played. If anything, she would have to play and plot even more carefully. Especially since, with a roommate, she would never have any privacy.

Betrys did not seem to be the type of girl who would scheme and plot, but that only meant that her Game must be deep. And clever. The accent, the sudden shifts in mood, from subservient to rebellious. Perhaps it was all an act to throw Mirin off.

Mirin growled under her breath. If that was Betrys’ goal, then she had succeeded. Well, no matter what Game was being played, Mirin would not lose her composure. Not again!

She wondered what she would find when she returned to their room.

[Astarte]

It was clear that they had already experienced vastly different welcomes (such as they were) on their arrival to the Tower, although that didn't mean that Betrys felt all that satisfied about things as they stood between them. After all, it made sense that everyone would need to be treated in their own way, right?

There was so much that she simply didn't know and it worried her to find that was the case. Even if none of that actually helped her at at the moment "I dinnae mind. Though I's be sorry ya were ill" would that happen to her? Betrys had never really been ill before in her whole life and she didn't exactly think she would welcome it now. At the same time her room-mate was definitely not the sort she would have approved of having to spend any extended period of time with...but here she was and here she'd have to stay.

Or so she supposed.

Perhaps Makenna could help her with that.

In the meantime, Betrys shook her head at the other girl and then sighed.

She had her own chores, some of which she liked but most of them she didn't. Betrys waited a while though before she left to grab lunch and then returned to mucking out the horses to make sure the stables were clear. She'd never done anything at all like that before now but it wasn't so terribly different from actually sorting out the mess every Spring in their hay lofts and other heavy labor. The end result was that she smelled pretty bad when she stumbled back into the room intent on grabbing something before she washed up ahead of dinner.

Bertys did not expect to find Mirin in there when she was this smelly and mucky.

[Jenny]

On the way back from washing dishes, Mirin discovered the Library.

She had gotten lost again. She hurried down the halls, feeling frustration and despair claw at her heart, until she saw a beautiful, ornate set of double doors. Her curiosity got the better of her. She peeked in, and her mouth dropped open. She had never seen a great library before. Books, thousands of books, filled with knowledge. Mirin wandered among the shelves, slightly dazed and confused, until she came to a shelf labeled Cairhien. Only then, seeing the name of her hometown, did she dare to pull a book and reverently crack open its pages.

She was plunged into an epic tale of intrigue and mystery. The First King of Cairhien: The Conquests and Crowning of Matraine Colmcille told of daring exploits and masterful manipulation in a time of upheaval and uncertainty, as well as the beginnings of Daes Dae’mar. The stories of subterfuge, the dramas of history, the plots that had effects still resonating centuries later… it was all absolutely fascinating.

Mirin was not well read, though her mother had taught her to read so she could help take down notes and write messages for customers. But she had always admired knowledge, because knowledge was power. There were many words she did not quite understand and needed to puzzle out. But she had a quick mind and a desperate, burning desire to learn.

Mirin took the book to a librarian, and, with a promise to return it within three days – and an embarrassing request for directions – brought the book back to her room. And thus, sitting at her desk with her nose buried deep in the book, Mirin would have never noticed her roommate enter – except for the smell.

She was reading about the Tovan Massacre when she wrinkled her nose. She looked up and gasped. She slammed the book shut and leapt up.

“Light! What did you do, you little chit? Roll around in manure? Or do you always smell like this at the end of the day? Get out! Get out! Don’t you dare trail this filth into my room. Burn me, but I’m not cleaning up after you!”

She was not quite screaming, but was very close to it. As a city girl, she never had to deal with this! Her eyes blazed with fury and disgust as she glared at Betrys.

I noticed your post in the Appearances class. "Mirin the Irritating" made me laugh out loud. I look forward to reading more of your writing, keep it up! And yes, Mirin has gotten lost several times now. She clearly has a terrible sense of direction.

[Astarte]

She was tired and the promise of being able to bathe had been all that Betrys had been thinking about - not this.

In fact, why was this even happening. She was tired, far too tired to be polite or restrained and Mirin had already started the day by pushing all the wrong buttons and then some, this was literally the final straw and Betrys wasn't happy or going to take it lying down. The other girl had already established herself as pompous and prim and while there might be some good reasons for that all Betrys could see was red.

"YA room! This is OUR room and it was MY room first!" she yelled, displaying a particularly fine set of lungs in the process. Betrys wasn't aggressive or prone to bouts of anger but this was far, far too much and she wanted, no needed to make sure that her room-mate got that sunk into her thick mutton-headed mess of a brain. Betrys drew in more air "And if ya dinnae like it, ya can go stick ya head up ya own arse if ya thinkin' it smell sweeter!" she added, flushing a little as she processed some of what she had just said. It had been rather rude but she felt better for saying it, enough that she was panting her hands closed in fits from how upset she was about Mirin and her attitude.

OOC - thank you! I am loving the whole writing experience with you also. Betrys and Mirin are clearly destined to be remembered - though perhaps being infamous isn't the best way to do it.