About Even With Dirt With the Future Ahead [attn: Ravak]

[Roan]

Traveling for three days in a cage in the back of a horse-drawn cart with oafs for guards. She slept on a bed of straw, and was lucky if they would stop to let he relieve herself along the way. Meals were barely a step up from bread and water, and one of the guards thought throwing clumps of dirt at her was a fun way to pass the time. As such, the bucket of water dumped on her as they pulled up to the Tower Gates was almost welcome, except for the chill in the air. "Blood and Bloody ashes, you goat-spawned toad!" she didn't hold back the insults as he roughly grabbed her by the collar and tossed her out of the cage, and unceremoniously to the ground. "I hope you cross paths with the blasted Whitecloaks on yer way back," she couldn't help the insults.

A momentary thought went back to the village where she'd been tried, and she couldn't help the smirk that came unabashedly, "Tell the Magistrate's wife I will never forget the feel of her soft lips touching my. . ." The now filthy woman trailed off, realizing she had been tossed at someone's feet. Following the feet to the legs, and looking up to the owner of those legs, her piercing blue eyes held a detached curiosity, though the smirk was still firmly planted on her face. "Thanks for being a sunblock, chief."

What Paks Liard didn't know was the man she termed chief happened to be he one and only Ravak Darrow Gaidin, and Master of Arms. Chances are, had she known, she would have held the same expression. Flippancy was par for the course with her. She studied him with those eyes of hers, finding him. . .not her type, but handsome in a way. The expression on his face, though, seemed to ruin the rest of the package.

[Craig]

Ravak

Rav clenched and unclenched his fists around the pommels of his swords, actual anger threatening to bubble to the surface of the Gaidin's stony face. This task he had been assigned, doubly thanks to Riahana Gaidar, was demeaning. Actually, it's a bloody affront. The Grey Tower was a bastion of Light in the world, and as a bondmate to a Red Aes Sedai, abuse of power was what he fought against. This very much felt like an abuse of power, and for what? Some criminal? Since when did the Warder Yards admit criminals into their ranks?

Impassively, Ravak watched a cart approach. It looked shabby, not at all built for comfort. The guards, if they could be called that, wouldn't have amounted to a single Tower guard between them. That made Rav's face turn dark. Southerners had no comprehension of the true dangers of the world. Put a Trolloc amongst them, and they'd just stand there soiling themselves whilst the Shadowspawn readied its cookpot. "Peace, I'm in a foul mood." The Shienaran turned to look over his shoulder at his sister. Accepted Elia Darrow looked up with a muted expression, although concern shone in her malachite green eyes. Rav faced back towards the cart, scratching at his beard irritably. "She better be able to walk, this Mayener. I thought she was an Andoran, initially." There was no response from Elia. Probably just as well.

Eventually the wagon pulled up before the Tower Gates. Rav watched silently as the guards threw water over the woman, hauled her out of the cage, and left her on the ground by his boots. If there was any justice, Rav would have got Elia to wrap the lot of them up in Air so he could educate them on the proper treatment of prisoners. "We are not about justice, dear boy." No, he accepted the world as-is. A world where prisoners were treated worse than animals. It would be a cold day in the Blight if he ever found himself willingly in Mayene.

The sodden, mudded mess of a woman looked up at him with defiant blue eyes. "Thanks for being a sunblock, chief." She could have passed for a street urchin. A male street urchin at that, with closely cropped hair. Rav sniffed, and not to savour the stench that he presumed was wafting off of her unkempt form. In fact, the Gaidin had lost most of his ability to smell like a normal person. But the Creator had a way of balancing things out, for what others could smell and he couldn't, the opposite was true as well. Kaia Sedai had called him a Sniffer, able to detect and track people who had committed crimes. It was impossible to put words to what he could get off of this woman, but lust seemed like a large part of it. Fantastic. Depravity.

"Stand up," he growled, his voice the sound of steel running along gravel. He was wrapped in the ko'di, ready for any foolish tricks this Mayener may have. She continued to sit on the ground, brazenly ignoring his command. Instead of asking again, as he would have done with any other recruit, he simply turned to Elia. Aes Sedai and Warder they were not, but the siblings still had a silent understanding of one another's thoughts. There was nothing to see, not to his eyes at least, but the woman let out a cry as she began to lift off of the ground, invisible flows of Air encircling her. Rav opened his mouth to speak, but before anything came out something changed. Particles of dust and dirt and water drifted apart from the prisoner's clothes. Within the space of ten seconds, her clothes were as clean as they could be, without a thorough bleaching. I didn't ask for that, but very well sis.

Rav started again. "You have a choice, Mistress Laird. You can walk like a civilised, respectable person, or you can be hauled about in the air like a prized hog at a feast day. This choice is yours. It bothers me not what you chose, as you will come with me regardless."

[Roan]

Oooh. . .Chief is not a happy puppy, Paks thought to herself as he growled for her to stand. Her smirk grew, and she couldn’t have stopped it if she tried. She was about to counter with another comment, but found herself lifted off the ground by some unseen force, “Oi! What do ya think yer doin’!” she snapped as she looked down. Her feet were not touching the ground, and she tried to make sense of the situation, but then she looked to the woman behind the Master of Training and made a face.

Paks was not so well versed in the world to know that Elia was not yet fully raised, and assumed she was an Aes Sedai. Contemplating what curse to throw the woman’s way, Paks looked down again, and saw the dirt, grime and water lifting away. The smirk was replaced by a look of awe, though it was fleeting and replaced by a mischievous grin, “Thanks, Sister! I’ve been needin’ a bath.”

Any other comments she might make were interrupted by Ravak Gaidin, "You have a choice, Mistress Laird. You can walk like a civilised, respectable person, or you can be hauled about in the air like a prized hog at a feast day. This choice is yours. It bothers me not what you chose, as you will come with me regardless."

Paks was all of eighteen, and thus not a child, so she did not huff despite the overwhelming urge to do so. Instead she rolled her eyes and shook her head, “I’d rather walk, if it’s all the same to you, Chief.”

It was abundantly clear that the ginger man had little patience for Paks, and she wondered what the poor sap had done that she’d become his problem? The Tower was not her idea, but then the things she’d done really hadn’t warranted such a harsh sentence. The Magistrate was just. . .well, it wasn’t her fault if his wife preferred her company to his, now was it?

[Craig]

Ravak

"I'd rather walk, if it's all the same to you, Chief." Rav gestured towards Elia, two fingers towards the ground. He turned expectantly, waiting for Paks to be dropped back to the ground. After a few seconds, he looked back at his sister with a questioning look. She was not amused.

"What does-" the Accepted pointed at the ground with two fingers "-mean?"

"It means let her go," he replied, steel running over gravel. Elia shot back a look that meant "And I knew that how, exactly?", but Paks was released all the same. He would need to have words with Elia later about signalling, especially if she was going to do things he hadn't intended with the Power. "I'm glad to see you have the use of your legs, Mistress Liard. My name is Ravak Gaidin, the Master of Training at the Grey Tower. You can refer to me as Ravak Gaidin, or as Master Darrow, either will do."

"As you say, Chief." Rav turned his cool steel-blue eyes onto the woman. Whatever this 'chief' business was, he didn't appreciate it. Okay, he did find it a little amusing, but it grated against his role as Master of Training. Due courtesy and respect had to be shown.

"Ravak Gaidin, or Master Darrow," the Shienaran intoned. He made a motion in towards the Tower grounds, and kept a steady pace with the newcomer, with Elia following behind, presumably saidar at the ready.

"So Mistress Liard, would you like to illuminate me as to the reasons behind your coming to the Grey Tower. You are the first Drin I've had the pleasure of meeting coming from Mayene, and by coach wagon too." Ravak seldom did sarcasm, but his voice was dripping with it now. "It is a true pleasure."

[Roan]

Paks Liard

Paks couldn’t help her smirk at the exchange between the Gaidin and the channeler. She briefly wondered about the relationship between the two, though couldn’t think on it too long, as the man corrected her on what his proper title was and then was off, expecting her to keep up. After three days in the blasted cage on the back of the blasted cart, walking was a nice, if not challenging change. She didn’t realize how stiff she’d gotten until she tried to keep up with the Master of Training’s brisk stride.

It was hard to miss the sarcasm coming from Ravak Darrow, and while she probably shouldn’t have laughed, Paks couldn’t help it, “You liked that, Ravak Gaidin Chief?” It had to be a site better than just Chief, right?

“Before you worry too much, I am perhaps not like most from Mayene. How I come to you. . .well, may I give you some sage advice? Don’t sleep with a Magistrate’s wife when he has a jealous streak bigger than the Mountains of Mist. The man can put a price on yer head so fast. . .though I suppose the real mistake I made was goin’ back for more, and his wife didn’t seem to mind,” Paks explained in a disjointed way, letting those listening fill in the gaps for themselves to some degree.

“They charged me with assualt, but I assure you his wife was able and more than willin’,” she smirked. “It’s not my fault if the Magistrate can’t fulfill his wife’s needs, but I can.”

Paks' smirk grew, though only for a moment. Thinking back to her Father testifying against her soured her mood, and the smirk faded. "I was given a choice, Chief. Incarceration or here. For what it is worth, the choice was taken away from me, and I was told this would be my new home. To be honest, I think someone is trying to get a rise out of both of us. You likely want me here about as much as I want to be here, but we gotta make the bloody best of it, I guess."

[Craig]

Ravak

Ravak allowed Paks to rattle on, more out of growing interest than anything else. He expected some yarn about how she had been a victim of some plot, that she didn't deserve the fate that life had handed her. Maybe something about how the Grey Tower, the Warder Yards and everyone in it were a bunch of idiots. What he did not anticipate was frankness. Or at least, her words were corroborated by the crimes he smelt off of her. Lust and depravity.

Rav stopped, turning to face the woman. She was only a couple of inches shortly than he, and the Master of Training wished he had a few more on her. "You're telling me that you've been sent to the Tower because not only could you not keep your... because you couldn't keep your trousers on around someone's wife, and then you went back for seconds after a price was put on your head?" Genuine surprise was painted across the Gaidin's face. "I can't tell if that makes you incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid. I'm inclined to think it's the latter..."

The Master of Training scratched at his beard as he set off again. "To be honest, I think someone is trying to get a rise out of both of us. Quite possibly, if his newest recruit was a former paramour to a... a magistrate's wife? Why under the Creator's Light did Riahana intervene on this woman's behalf? Incarceration wouldn't have been the worst thing, if the sentence was short.

"If someone is attempting to get a rise out of me, Mistress Liard, they are doing a good job of it." Rav grumbled as they came up to the Green Ajah's section of the Grey Tower. They turned right, heading anticlockwise towards the Warder Hall. "Well, as you say, you shall have to make the best of it. I assume you would be in white if you had any ability with the Power." Light, why couldn't she have been Mirin's problem? "And it's been made clear to me what will happen if you decide to abscond. Normally I don't care much for those that break their pledge to the Warder Yard. In your case, however, I will take a special interest. As will the Mistress of Arms, I am sure."

"So tell me, Mistress Liard, what are your skills? Are you good with any weapons? We may have plenty of Aes Sedai and Asha'man, and you will get Healing, but I prefer to see that kept to a minimum."

[Roan]

Paks Liard

Paks had no shame, and smiled a beaming smile as she looked up to meet Ravak’s gaze when he said, "I can't tell if that makes you incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid. I'm inclined to think it's the latter..." The soon-to-be Drin’s smile became a toothy grin, though she resisted the urge to laugh, "You might think otherwise if you were to see the Magistrate's wife." No. . .she had no shame. Her trysts with the magistrate’s wife had been entertaining, which was what it was all about for Paks. She hadn’t considered the consequences. . .or rather she had, and didn’t think the Magistrate would abuse his power as he did.

To be fair, the so-called assault wasn’t the only charge, but it was perhaps the most serious. Combined with the minor offenses, Paks was rather lucky. The man could have locked her up for a good long while, but he let his fury get in the way of logic, and took his cue from her vehement opposition to ‘baby-sitting some Aes Sedai,’ or however she’d protested at the time. She decided not to let Ravak in on the fact that she had. . .quick fingers, since it was something she only ever used out of necessity, and for the greater good of the troupe.

As the Master of Training set off once again, Paks listened, though most of her attention was turned towards looking at her surroundings. The place seemed pretty posh, though given her father’s reputation as a jeweler and silversmith, the Liards lived in relative luxury. When she joined her merry little group, it was an adjustment for Paks, as it was the opposite of luxury. She wasn’t thrilled with her fate at being forced to join the learning ranks of the Grey Tower, but given what she’d seen so far? Perhaps it was worth a shot?

“Abscond. . .Chief Master Darrow. . .at this point in time, I would be happy for a warm meal and a place to sleep that isn’t a bed of dirty straw in the back of a gaoler’s cart,” Paks said as she tore her eyes away from some of the more interesting details of her surroundings and looked back to Ravak. She briefly wondered who the Mistress of Arms was, wondering if perhaps she might be able to leverage her Liard charm on the woman. Perhaps time would tell.

In her moment of day-dreaming, Paks realized Ravak asked her a question about weapons or skill with weapons, or perhaps it was skills and weapons? Giving a nonchalant shrug, Paks replied, “Skill with weapons? I don’t really have much skill. . .always been more the lover than the fighter type.”

The trio came to the Warder Yards at that moment, and Paks noticed there was quite a lot going on. There were multiple classes being taught, and from what she could tell, one was unarmed, another focused on swords, and the third she thought was initially unarmed, but a closer look suggested daggers. The idea of learning to fight seemed foreign to the Mayene, but she’d have to get over that pretty quickly it seemed.

[Craig]

Ravak

Ravak shook his head ruefully. A criminal who's actually just a fool woman, and can't wield a weapon. What a sorry state of affairs. Did this been any other recruit, he would have welcomed them with open arms. Well, he would have welcomed them at least. But Paks had been forced upon him. Maybe I should just be glad she isn't a criminal.

"Normally I hold off on this spiel until later, but I may as well make it now. One of the rules of the Warder Yards is that you shall have no... entanglements with other students. If I find you sneaking off with some fool as big as you are, the two of you will be wishing you were in a jail. Or a dungeon." Bad enough it happens at all, without needing someone proactively looking for-. Rav stopped that line of thought as she felt his sister's eyes on his back. He didn't know what Elia felt of his hypocrisy, but... No, I can't even say I'm different, somehow. That soured his mood, as anything ever could.

The Warder Yards had been flanked by three large buildings in the past; the Warder Hall front and centre, with the twin Armoury and Weaponry Halls flanking it. Now only the Armoury remained, and to the left was an assemblage of workers making two new structures. Nearest to the Tower was the Aviary, to help the falconers and the Light knew what else. It was the other building that Rav was more interested in. The kennels would allow him to train up his trio of Shienaran huskies, and not have to worry about them getting overly attached. Although that was already too late in Snowflake's case.

Rav thought about going to the Armoury, finding something suitable for Paks, but that could wait. Instead they headed straight to the Warder Hall. He would have her sign the books first, so he had some actual authority over her. "As you can see, we train and teach a variety of different weapons. I'm sure you're accustomed to seeing swords and daggers and bows and whatnot. You will also need to get accustomed to using your body as a weapon." Paks grinned at that, and the Gaidin wondered how he had misstepped. "That is to say, you will learn how to fight unarmed. You will not always have a weapon at hand, but you still need to know how to defend yourself and those in your care."

They entered the main foyer, with its huge mosaic of the Fang and the Flame, large fireplaces and at least a dozen students and Warders moving around purposefully. "Tell me, in your three days travelling here, what were your thoughts for the future? You become a Gaidar of the Grey Tower, and then what? Bond an Asha'man or an Aes Sedai? Serve the Grey Tower until your last days? Or return to Mayene, maybe to reap a little revenge and visit a magistrate and his wife?"

[Roan]

No dalliances with others in the learning ranks. Paks did her best not to let her frown show with Ravak’s comment, but all of a sudden, her future at the Tower seemed less appealing. Tucked somewhere in the corner of her mind, though, part of her wondered what were rules if they weren’t meant to be broken. . .at least sometimes? Looking around the Warder Yards, there were a number of people who looked like they would be fun partners in. . .extracurricular activities.

As Ravak headed towards the building that seemed to dominate the yards, he mentioned using her body as a weapon, and she couldn’t help the cheeky smirk. The smirk didn’t last long, though, as the Master of Training clarified that she would need to learn unarmed. If those in the Yards stuck to their rules, it might well be the only bodily contact she might have for a while. Might as well make the most of it.

It was all fun and games until someone asked the deep philosophical questions, "Tell me, in your three days travelling here, what were your thoughts for the future? You become a Gaidar of the Grey Tower, and then what? Bond an Asha'man or an Aes Sedai? Serve the Grey Tower until your last days? Or return to Mayene, maybe to reap a little revenge and visit a magistrate and his wife?"

Casting a sideways glance towards Ravak, Paks furrowed her brows, “My thoughts for the future? Chief, my primary concern was to get away from those so-called guards and out of that cage...preferably into a hot bath with a proper bed not far behind. I didn’t give anything else much thought.” It wasn’t exactly true, but Paks wasn’t one to just speak of her dreams and desires to someone she just met. She had a way of keeping her emotional cards very close to her chest, and Ravak Darrow, Master of Training, was not one she’d choose to show her hand to. . .not with how they met, and what their relationship was to be going forward.

Deflecting the conversation from her a bit, she added, “I have not had many dealings with Asha’man and Aes Sedai, and I don’t know anything about bonding them.” She decided not to tell him the choice words she told the magistrate with regards to warders and Aes Sedai. . .which was the catalyst for her becoming Ravak’s problem. “But you don’t have to worry about me reaping revenge. . .not my style,” she replied.

[Craig]

Elia

Ravak grunted, which was apparently his noise for approval nowadays. Elia followed along dutifully behind, peering at Paks. Here was a woman who got what she wanted, and was shameless about it. Elia wished she had that sort of... bravery?

"If you have any questions, Mistress Liard, you may ask them. Or perhaps you would like to speak with the Accepted?" That was the first time Ravak had even acknowledged her presence since the Tower walls, and she didn't even merit a name? Temptation to switch him with the Power flittered in and out of her thoughts. "I am a bonded Warder, although you will have plenty of time before you need to reach any decision on the matter; bonding is only for fully raised Gaidin and Gaidar."

They ascended the large staircase, banking right towards Ravak's office. He produced an ordinary looking key, and paused with it in the lock. "Elia?" Her brother turned to face her, face stoic. "Can you take Mistress Liard along to the end of the corridor, to the room on the left?" When she raised a questioning eyebrow, he sighed but continued. "There is a bath. As you rightfully say," he was addressing Paks now, "I'm sure a bath would be appreciated. We can speak afterwards."

Rav slipped into his office, leaving the two women standing in the corridor. Wordlessly, Elia gestured towards the end of the corridor, inferring that Paks should take the lead.

OOC: An opportunity to talk with Elia, otherwise an interim before meeting Rav in his office.