Hit the Ground Running (Open to anyone)

[Leala]

After everything that had happened that day, Torianin needed a moment to soak it all in. After five years wearing the collar, it still felt like she was wearing it. There was the phantom of its weight on her neck, still. But the weight was gone. That constant tugging, even when no one was on the other end, had been too much to bear some days. Now that it was gone, its absence was the only thing keeping her grounded. The more she thought about it, the more some bizarre fear took hold of her, and she needed that weight back. She shook her head and grabbed the orange flowers tied in a ring around her hair and yanked them out. She pulled out some orange hairs of her own with them, but she didn't care. The pain that came from the tugging on her hair and not from the link in the a'dam was welcome. It meant that she was free to do this herself. She threw the flowers on the ground and ground them into the grass with her shoe.

Yes. Today, she had been rescued. She owed that Aes Sedai her life. At the current moment, she didn't know what she would do with it, but walking toward the monolithic tower in front of her seemed a good start. Something was making her stay at the gates, though. As much as she hated to admit it, she had been completely dependent on the decisions and actions of the sul'dam. For five years. And in less than a minute, she was granted her independence again. She remembered her sister's still figure from earlier in the day. It was night time now, and she hadn't given her twin a second thought. Lumanin had made certain that no one could tell them apart. The extra pounds of flesh around Torianin's middle and the flowers ground into the dirt were proof that she had stop thinking of Torianin as her twin long ago. After she was free, she had attacked her former sul'dam, then traveled for most of the day with her saviors.

Now she stood at the threshold of a new life, and she wasn't sure what to do. The Aes Sedai had given her instructions, but she only remembered that she had to find the Mistress of... something. Being in this new land, she may as well have been in a different world. She wasn't familiar with the customs. The concept of this Grey Tower was still bizarre, even though it was comforting. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and began slowly making her way toward the Tower.

~~~

Torianin
Former damane, prospective novice

[Chris]

Now what do we have here.

Eating the grounds in long strides, Murdock had a lot of business to attend to. Or at least, he was pretty sure he was supposed to. The morning started with a set of chores which reminded him all too much of his time at the Black Tower, and suffice to say the quality of the food he was able to, ah, enjoy here, was about the same standard as he was used to as well. In that respect the transition was a simple one, and he was much easier to "break in" than most new recruits he was sure. Discipline was something the city guard were used to, and Murdock was long enough in the tooth to know when to take orders without complaint.

Now, if someone could do something about all the bloody women floating around, that would be just great.

It wasn't that Murdock didn't appreciate the presence of the fairer sex, it was just... well... alright, the truth of it was that it weirded him out. Arrogant Asha'man were one thing, but the ageless women were a sight he had no real experience of, and now he was thrust into their midst and, oh Light, they spoke to him and everything. It was too soon to be speaking to women who could read his mind with a long enough look; the last thing the tall man wanted was for them to ask about his previous experiences at the Black Tower. Light willing, that part of his life could remain firmly behind him, or at least as firmly as his block would allow.

It was a good thing though, having the ladyfolk around. The Black Tower had the right idea in letting wives and children attend the Tower also, even if the theory and the application did not always see eye to eye. And years of living in Far Madding made it rather easy for the laconic Murdock to take orders from a woman. Still, it was going to take a bit of getting used to as there were simply many more women around these parts and a lot less pissing contests between men thinking with the hair on their chests. It was a refreshing change from constantly trying to one-up the other Soldiers; Murdock was too old for that drivel.

The Grey Tower received its fair share of visitors as well. Perhaps it was the inner guard in Murdock, but he made it his business to see if people required assistance, and on this occasion his target of choice was the youngster with the flaming hair. His route through the grounds meant he could observe as she scuttled on by towards the Tower proper, probably unaware of his watching from where he paused by a broad tree. Hrmmm. Letting people wander around without guidance was generally a bad idea, and Murdock didn't want to be held responsible for letting any shady figures into the Tower. Wasn't it his responsibility as a Soldier to keep trouble out? Although, he didn't expect much trouble from this short lady at all (few were the women Murdock did not consider short).

He returned to his hasty pacing, catching up with the woman easily. "Excuse me miss," he said in his most polite voice, offering her a bow when he was able to. "Are you in need of assistance?" The man spoke with a calm, low voice, the smallest of polite smiles on his face but his eyes searching her over, looking for anything suspicious. She was no Aes Sedai or trainee that he could tell, and she could well be looking to petition someone or meet a friend. Nice, innocent business Murdock could facilitate even with his brief experience of the place. Despite his newness, he was quite confident in his ability to at least find someone who knew the answers if he didn't. "Soldier Murdock at your service, ma'am." With any luck it would be quick and he could be on his merry way, good deed done for the day.


- Murdock Mather, Soldier

[Leala]

As Torianin approached the looming tower, she had given herself to the idea that if she simply headed toward her destination, someone would direct her to the correct place. Even with the overwhelming uncertainty of the situation, the fact that she could make that decision for herself at all was a blessing from the Light. She rested a hand on the base of her neck, just to assure herself that the collar was not there. She wondered how long she would feel it there, how long it would be before she could rest easily and think for herself. She would just have to remember herself without a sul'dam. Looking around, she saw women in white dresses and men in black coats. If they let her, she would burn this dress as soon as she could.

Torianin stopped in her tracks when a man in black stopped before her and offered a bow and some polite words. She was so used to being ignored, like she was someone else's pet, that she didn't know what to do at first. She had certainly never been bowed to, like she was one of the Blood. He offered to help her, if she needed it, and introduced himself as "Soldier Murdock." There were soldiers here? Was this an army? Was she at the wrong place after all? Be calm, she told herself, You will find the truth soon. Start with your name. Your true name. She smoothed her disgusting gray skirts with the hand that wasn't occupied at the base of her neck and straightened up. "My name is Torianin," she said, conjuring up a voice that sounded much more confident than she was feeling. Just hearing it in her ears made her more confident by extension. "I am here to become an Aes Sedai," she explained, "I believe I was told to see the Mistress of..." she faltered as she struggled to remember who she was to see. "I... I'm sorry. I've had a very trying day. I don't remember the instructions that well. The Mistress of...something." She opened this young man knew who she needed better than she seemed to.

[Chris]

Murdock stood up straight and waited expectantly for the little woman to respond. There was a self-conscious air to this woman, like he might have interrupted her or something, but wasn’t that the way of all women? No matter how lost they may get, they liked to have the right of way. It was the menfolk’s job to accommodate this.

“Well Torianin, welcome to the Grey Tower,” he said warmly, “this is the right place to become an Aes Sedai, or so I am told. I am certain it is true of becoming an Asha’man, but I have no experience of the White Tower to compare.” Probably not the best time to start wondering at the differences between the White and the Grey Towers, but ultimately that was none of his concern. The Grey was not the Black, and that was really the only important thing for Murdock to worry himself over at this point. The women could do as they pleased as long as it didn’t interfere with his own plans. “I believe the woman you need to visit is the Mistress of Novices, and I can... ahh, probably show you where she is...” That being said, Murdock wasn’t entirely certain where one might find this lady. Or her name. Or what she looked like. Great job, Murdock. “Please, if you would follow me, I am sure we can find someone – a Novice perhaps – who can cater to your needs.”

The man gestured towards the Grey Tower itself, though this was not where he would be taking the woman. Novices and Soldiers resided in a separate building, and logic dictated that if the Master of Soldiers occupied a room at the top of the men’s side, then the Mistress of Novices could be found at the top of the women’s side. They set off, this time with less long strides to keep pace with the woman, and Murdock pointed out a couple of different sights – a particularly pleasing shrubbery, that sort of thing with no real meaning – before hoisting into the real conversation. “So,” he said as he tucked his thumbs into his belt, the absence of a weapon even now making him start. He hadn’t realised how used to the sword he had grown, until he was strongly recommended to not wear it if he was not training with it. Murdock didn’t necessarily miss the sword, but years of use meant he was going to feel its absence for some time, especially considering that he wore it almost all the time at the Black Tower.

Oh yes, he’d started making conversation before his inner monologue diverted his attention. “So Torianin, have you come far to reach the Grey Tower? There’s people from all walks of life here in training to become Aes Sedai.” He couldn’t place her accent, not that it mattered and as someone who had never left Far Madding, he couldn’t be expected to know the appearance and tongue of every nation.



- Murdock Mather, Soldier

[Leala]

Torianin made herself take her hand away from the base of her neck. The a'dam would not simply reappear there if she stopped concentrating on that spot. She was free. Even as she thought of this, her hand trailed back up. She sighed at herself as she nodded to the things that were being indicated to her. She noticed that Soldier Murdock seemed to be missing something on his person, too. Something close to his belt. A sword, maybe? It was none of her business, but it did much to make her feel less isolated in her thoughts. It also helped that he was talking directly to her, and not to someone leading her around. It would take some work, but she could get used to this.

He asked how it was that she came to the Grey Tower, and she thought about the day's events. That is a much longer story than what we have time for, she thought. She tried to think of how to put it a little more simply. "Ri was...No. No, no, no..." She shook her head. She had to stop thinking as Ri. Ri was dead. "I apologize," Torianin said, regaining her composure after a moment. "I was freed from the bondage of servitude today, and Ri is a name that I will no longer be using," she said, wondering how many details she cared to give. She cleared her throat. "For the past five years, the Empire has been forcing me to channel against my will. I came across the sea with an army and my...handler." She took a breath and let it out. "It happened so suddenly, being freed. It will take some time to become used to being a...novice, you said?" she asked. It seemed she would not be made Aes Sedai today, but as long as she was not thrust into the life of a damane again, it was fine with her. "What, um...what about you, Soldier Murdock?" she asked, needing some time for someone else to talk.

[Chris]

Alright, this turned weird quickly. Murdock was used to dealing with enquiries on the streets of Far Madding and even outside of the gates on the rare instances he left the outer walls, but never had he dealt with a situation quite like this. He was expecting a tired refugee or some sort of eager channelling aspirant not some... some former slave from far far away.

Hang on a minute, this Empress woman and people crossing the sea with an army. Murdock wasn’t renowned for his intelligence, he was a steadfast and sensible fellow rather than a great mind, but he’d heard enough talk at the Black Tower to know of the Seanchan and their business to the west. He didn’t know where fact ended and fiction began, but he did know that the Seanchan threat was a real one, and they wielded women and Saidar with a force that the Oaths meant they simply could not match.

Murdock was ready to deal with a weary woman, not someone who was a slave forced to channel for five years. What in the Light did Murdock know about that? He knew nothing! She wasn’t going to channel Saidar at him... no, he would have felt that already apparently... erm... blood and ashes, the sooner he deposited her on the Mistresss of Novices the better. Get a hold of yourself Dock. This is a woman who needs your help, not your floundering. But what was he supposed to do? This was a little bit above his pay grade, so to speak. “The Grey Tower will be glad for your insights I am sure!” was all he could volunteer in the end. It was true that they would no doubt be glad for a Seanchan channeller’s perspective and knowledge of the Seanchan way, but that wasn’t for Murdock to deal with. Light no, he was simply trying to deal with a block, a dead wife and four girls who needed their Da. “Being a Novice is not easy from what I can gather, but at least it’s your choice?” Not inclined to get into a deep debate on the notion of freedom as a channeller, Seanchan or otherwise, the tall Soldier was all too glad to change the subject courtesy of Torianin’s questions.

“I am from a place called Far Madding, to the south,” he informed her with no small amount of pleasure. He wasn’t about to start reminiscing about the place he had lived all his life, but he had a lot of memories and fondness attached to the place. “It is a city state with a device which prevents anyone from channelling within its walls. Outsiders can’t even carry a weapon unless it is bound, so it’s one of the most peaceful places to live in all the land.” Probably, he had no clue given that Far Madding was the only place he had ever lived (the Black Tower did not count). “I joined the Black Tower when it transpired that I could channel, but then I made the choice to come here afterwards.” The “why”, he left unspoken. Torianin wasn’t the only person who wanted to keep certain aspects of their past to themselves and Giselle was nobody's business. Only his instructors on his block had any need to know about her, and he was loathe to explain that part of his life to them.

He supposed that the Grey Tower was more western than the White Tower, but as they approached the Novice and Soldier’s barracks he had to ask, “what is that that brought you here rather than the White? If you don’t mind my asking, Torianin. Here are men and women, channelling together, whilst the White Tower is all women. I understand the stigma against male channellers.” Though as far as rumours and stories went, in Far Madding it was not all so bad. How badly could you hurt a city where people couldn’t channel? What did a good, honest Far Madding man have to worry about channellers and channelling for?

But they did, and Murdock was proof of that. Channelling against your will, the lure of Saidin, the destruction it could cause, it was all out in the open for the former city guard now.


- Murdock Mather, Soldier

[Leala]

Torianin could tell that her story was a bit surprising to the man escorting her to the Mistress of Novices. She did not blame him. She was sure that it was a very unusual story. It certainly was for damane as well. So, she was to become a novice. She did not know what that entailed, but she would soon find out, she was sure. Before she could ponder too much about that, Soldier Murdock explained about how he had come from a place where there was something that kept people from channeling. She was dreamy for just a moment. Perhaps she and Lumanin could have lived normal lives in a place like that. She never could have been bound by the collar. She never would have assaulted her sister like that. They likely would have been married with their own families by now. She brought herself back to the conversation when her escort asked her another question.

“What is that that brought you here rather than the White? If you don’t mind my asking, Torianin. Here are men and women, channelling together, whilst the White Tower is all women. I understand the stigma against male channellers.” What? A White Tower? There was another place where people who could channel came to embrace their own power? And there was a Black Tower, too! She blinked. "I suppose that's very simple," she said, trying to wrap her mind around what had just been told to her. Wait. Did that mean that he could channel as well? So, he was just like her. "I didn't know this place existed until I was rescued. The Aes Sedai that saved me brought me here. She explained something along the way about being Aes Sedai. It sounded much more preferable than what I had experienced. I didn't know there were other places." She thought about this man's fate, had he discovered he could channel in Seanchan. He would not have been walking with her this way. She was glad he had not met that fate.

"I think I like this side of the world better," she concluded. "But...what are the men who channel called here? I had heard whispers of them and Aes Sedai in the camps, but very little."

[Chris]

What Murdock really wanted to know was, if an Aes Sedai rescued her from wherever she was before, why had she not escorted Torianin to the Mistress of Novices herself? But he was not one to question the ways of the women to their faces, so he kept that little thought to himself. Instead, he nodded his head in agreement and elaborated more. “The White Tower has stood in Tar Valon for years and years. Since the Breaking of the World, or thereabouts.” Probably. History was not his strong suit. “The Black Tower was built in response I think, by the Lord Dragon for the male channellers to have a place to learn. The Grey Tower is a place where men and women can study together.” How much of the place was White and how much was Black, Murdock could only guess, but so far he saw a lot more White influence (or at least, something that wasn’t Black, so it had to be White, surely).

“Men who can channel here are called a lot of names, depending on who you ask, but at the Grey Tower they are Asha’man. Trainees are Soldiers and Dedicated, based on their skill. It’s the male equivalent of the Aes Sedai and their trainees, who are Novices and Accepted. I think they’re big on balance and equality as much as is possible here.” The Soldier shrugged his slim shoulders, “From what I can gather male channellers are a recent development, but the Pattern asked for us and so we appeared, I guess. I had no choice in the matter. In fact, had I never left Far Madding, I may never have sparked and that would have been fine with me.” Irritation coloured his tone but briefly before he collected himself and gave Torianin a placating smile. “In any case, the past is past and now we can look forwards, no?”

They reached the building where Soldiers and Novices resided, where there were two obvious diversions – one for men, and one for women. Murdock knew he would be allowed to escort Torianin to the Mistress of Novices as he was on official business, as long as he didn’t dally, so he led the potential new Novice in the direction of the Mistress of Novice’s office. This meant a great deal of stairs, but this was nothing an active grown man couldn’t deal with. He took the steps two at a time but kept in pace with Torianin, neither rushing her nor letting her take her sweet time. People might raise their eyebrows at his presence in here as it was, and he was very aware of the way his black uniform stood in contrast with the couple of Novices he saw scuttling around the place. “This is where you will be staying. I can’t tell you what the rooms are like but if they’re anything like ours, they’ll be pretty plain. You’ll have to keep them clean yourself but at least it’s something to call your own.” A far cry from living in a house with his family at the Black Tower, and the disdain was barely kept at bay before he moved on. “Novices have a lot of rules to abide by but they’re all common sense if you ask me. It stops girls getting into mischief. The Mistress of Novices will no doubt be able to tell you more.”


- Murdock Mather, Soldier

[Leala]

Torianin listened intently as he explained the ranks, leading her toward a building on the complex. So, since he was a soldier, that meant he would be the same rank as she was when she enrolled. She blinked when she sensed the irritation in Murdock's voice. He must have wanted to stay in Far Madding. She did not blame him. She often pined for the past, before she was tested for the a'dam, when her sister was still her sister and she still had a family. She did not ask for details, as she did not offer her own.

As they walked the halls of the novices' quarters, she saw women in all white, scurrying around. They all looked at the two of them. Some giggled to see a man in their midst, and others blinked in surprise when they saw her. All of them would have been classified and collared as damane in Seanchan. They could all channel the One Power, like her. She took note that the ones who seemed surprised by her presence were a little stronger than the ones who seemed to ignore her. She was certainly stronger than all of them. It made her self-conscious. She rubbed her arms, and her hand wandered back up to her neck.

"As long as I am not leashed and chained to my room, I will try not to give the Mistress of Novices trouble," she said, trying to catch peeks into the small rooms that they passed. He spoke of rules as well. She wondered what kind of rules. Rules would likely be the best thing for her. She had just found freedom today, and she had absolutely no guidance. Not yet, anyway. she wondered about the punishments that these rules certainly had attached to them. They couldn't be as bad at the torturous years she spent at the hands of her vengeful twin.

"Novices wear white," Torianin mused, watching the women flit about. "I was worried that they would be forced to wear gray, since this is the Grey Tower," she said with half a smile at her half-hearted attempt to lighten her mood. "I think I will much like the white better," she said softly, trying not to look down at the swishing skirts of the contemptible dress she still wore. "Do you enjoy your training here, Soldier Murdock?" she asked, trying to keep her mind on the future, as he had said, and ignore the past that she still wore. Not for long, she assured herself as she felt anxiety begin to build in her chest. You will wear white soon enough.

[Chris]

If Murdock was at all put off by the Novices around him, it didn’t show on his face. That would be because he wasn’t fussed by them at all, and was in fact rather nonplussed by their presence. He grew up in a house of women, and was the lone male in a family of his own, so why would some girls who could be his daughters bother him? He was there for legitimate reasons and it wasn’t as if Soldiers were unusual at the Grey Tower. Maybe it was the change to their usual routine, something a little bit unusual to ruffle their regular working day. Even if it was as small and uninteresting as a Soldier bringing a new recruit in.

"As long as I am not leashed and chained to my room, I will try not to give the Mistress of Novices trouble," Torianin told Murdock, and he tried not to grimace at the image. Was she going to bring this up often? He had heard a few mutterings about people thinking the Grey Tower a bit of a prison, but that was only a metaphorical thing rather than a literal one. Murdock didn’t want to deal with the weight of someone else’s problems, not when they were as intense as being chained and enslaved for years. That was for the Mistress of Novices to deal with, not him, a regular old Soldier who was simply trying to get by with as little fuss as possible without compromising his ambition to learn to channel quickly.

The truth of it all was that if the Aes Sedai decided to change their uniform to a grey one, the Novices would have to deal with it and that was that. But Murdock wasn’t going to point that out for the sake of being a heel. He could see she was making an effort and he had no intention of upsetting a new Novice without need. “Give it time, I’m sure you’ll get tired of white eventually,” he said with a small smile. Murdock was quite happy to wear a black uniform, he thought it appropriate and besides which, it was the colour of mourning so he would have worn black regardless. This way it felt like everyone else was in on the morbid celebration of loneliness. “Some of the Soldiers complain about wearing black, but I like that there’s a uniform. As the name suggests, it unifies us, brings us closer together.”

When Torianin asked if he enjoyed his own training, his knee-jerk reaction was to say, like a good little Soldier, of course! It was wonderful! But the man never was very good at putting a good face on ridiculousness, and sometimes the place frustrated him to no end. These were often frustrations of his own doing rather than anything wrong with the Grey Tower itself, so he went for an appropriate middle ground. “The training isn’t easy and sometimes I don’t want to be here. But overall I appreciate the sense of purpose and the abilities being given to me. I needed help and could have died without Asha’man assistance – I will not forget this any time soon.” Likewise he would not forget the names of those he needed to repay for what they had done to Giselle, but those names were best left to late nights before sleep, or for those times in which he needed that extra flare of anger to complete his exercises.

The Soldier was pleased that his assumptions about the Mistress of Novices and her office were correct. As with the Master of Soldiers, her office was in an obvious location at the top of the building, where there were less Novices. They probably kept away as much as they could help it. “This is the place,” he told Torianin, “the Mistress of Novices will get you assigned a room, given some new dresses, and handed off to some Aes Sedai teachers. Fraternisation between Soldiers and Novices is not generally encouraged, as there is an emphasis on focussing on our studies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for me if you need any assistance at all.” Murdock looked down at Torianin and put a large hand on her shoulder gently, “we’re both going to be trainees here and Light knows it can get to be a bit much sometimes.” If she needed to rant and vent about being collared or whatnot by the Seanchan, it was better she did it to him than the Aes Sedai, lest they think her incapable. That was how Murdock saw it, and that was why he didn’t share his hang-ups on Giselle with any of the Asha’man. How was he supposed to prove he was capable and ready for the next level when he was falling apart over a dead woman?


- Murdock Mather, Soldier