The Grey Tower

Letting the bowstring unwind, Alerin rested the bow on his shoulder. Giving it a few shakes, he loops one end over the tip of his bow and flips the bow around. Bending the Two Rivers longbow with a practiced flourish he looped the other end of the bowstring around the bow. He picked up his quiver and inspected a few of the arrows, impressed be their quality. “They make some pretty good arrows. They have tips for target shooting, too. Interesting.” He attached the quiver to his belt and adjusted his jacket, still unfamiliar with these clothes.

Alerin walked up to the shooting range, knocking an arrow. He wanted to get in a bit of practice before the evaluation. With a smooth motion he raised the bow and drew the fletching of the arrow to his cheek. He exhaled and with a measured adjustment, he aimed at the target about 75 paces away and let the arrow fly. The arrow thudded into the ring on the very edge of the target. “Blood and ashes, I must have gotten lucky when I got that rabbit. Either that or I am out of practice. It might be these arrows, though. They are definitely different form the ones back home.” At that, Alerin drew a few more arrows and stuck them into the ground. After expending those arrows and hitting closer to the bullseye, he walked up to the target and pulled out the arrows. Putting them back into his quiver he stretched his shoulders. He took a waterskin and gulped down a mouthful of water.

Sighing, he headed over to the evaluation yards. He looked around, seeing only a small woman. Walking a bit further he realized that this woman must be Lysira, the person doing his evaluation. Taking a good look at her he bit his lip slightly. This woman was small, and she was a Blademaster with the bow? That seemed unlikely. Still, she was the only one there so he walked up to her, “Lysira Gaidin, I presume?”

The small woman was, indeed, Lysira Gaidin.

She had not been in the Yards for very long at this point, waiting upon an appointment with a Drin who had some experience with the bow and wished to have it recognized in the eyes of the Tower. It had been a while since she'd done a proper evaluation, although it certainly had not been long since she used her own bow. It keeps warm with use, she thought.

Lys inclined her head in greeting, her obsidian eyes glinting the day's light, and then held up one finger. Very simply, it was a "please wait" gesture and she looked over her shoulder.

In a moment, another woman jogged up. This one looked a little too old for the uniform of a Ji'val that she wore. This one was taller than Lysira, though still shorter than the Drin. "My apologies, Gaidin," Seira said, bowing to the Gaidin and then nodding at the Drin. "I am Ji'val Seira," she introduced herself. "I am Lysira Gaidin's interpreter."

Her dark eyes--though not so dark as Lysira's--drifted to the diminutive Gaidin. The latter immediately lifted her small but rough hands and began a series of gestures. Seira spoke in time with them. "As you can see, I am unable to speak. However, you must be aware that this does not mean I cannot hear. I hear well, but unless you understand my hand signs, Seira will aid in our communication."

Pausing, the pair let that settle in before she continued. "Drin Alerin, I know that we meet today for your bow evaluation. I can see you carry a Two Rivers longbow. A fine weapon. Please, let us begin with your telling me of your past experience and your knowledge of your weapon."