Contemplation in the gardens. [Attn: Leala]

[Felix]

Felix Kal'Sarak

The sun stood high in the grey sky above the gardens of peace and tranquility. A brisk wind blew through the meandering pathways set with flowers and trees bordering. The chill breeze blew over a man wearing all black with a silver sword pin on his collar and a sword across his knees. He sat in contemplation his face still as if asleep, no emotion showed to give a passerby any inclination what happened behind his closed eyes.

Felix sat perfectly still and meditated on his path in life. His mind floated in the void a place bereft of emotion. A single flame rested in the center of his mind that absorbed any stray feeling, a presence floated outside of the void ever present. The Beast, a collection of his violent tendencies given form in his mind. It howled silently for freedom in a small cage devoid of sound and light. The green ajah aspired Dedicated knew he needed calm and control to be of use in the fight against the shadow and on the battlefield so the Beast was kept caged behind lock and key until battle waged and blood was spilled.

The chill breeze blew on his hadori that rested on his head, knocked askew he reached up a hand and fixed it in place before setting his hand on Shadar Vron. He let his senses take in the air around his body and the vibrations of the earth. Felix had come far in the years since being sent to the Grey Tower. Where once there was an angry youth now sat a man of contemplation and peace. Peace won by years of practice fighting the Beast in his mind and the strength of Saidin.

He knew his place in the world, he was Dedicated to the Grey Tower, his home. One man among many people. A guardian of the kingdoms of man against the shadows minions.

Leaves fell gently against his skin while he let nature flow around him. A snap of a twig on the unswept path caused his heart to beat a few beats faster. He was not alone.

[Leala]

Aerik braced his arms together as he walked through the Gardens. Partly because the breeze was chilling, and partly because he was nervous. He had grown up learning the evils of those who channeled the One Power, and then... What had he been doing so far from home? How had he let himself be dragged to this place? What was he even doing here? What was this power inside him? As he walked the Gardens of the Grey Tower, no answers came to him. He ran his thin fingers through his curly brown hair as he thought. Aerik's grandfather had been a high-ranking member of the Children of the Light. What would he say if he knew what Aerik had done? Light, what would he do?

And yet... it was an Asha'man that Healed him and his friends that night. The man had brought his brother back from the brink of death. To thank him, he and his friends spared turning him in. The man had calmly explained to Aerik in private that he himself had actually been channeling. He couldn't believe it when the man explained that he was holding the One Power right then.

It was his mother's calming voice that set him straight. Well, you're here now. No use in worrying. How will you move forward? He had learned just the basics of channeling, and already he was ready to quit, but something was keeping him there. How could he move forward when the thought of channeling...frightened him? The One Power filled him with such sensations that he didn't know what to do with himself. It was bliss. But...he had been taught that those who channeled the One Power deserved death.

A snapped twig brought him back to reality. Looking around, he spotted his mentor, a Dedicated named Felix. They were different men entirely, but maybe he would have some advice. "D-Dedicated Felix," he said, approaching the other man. "I didn't mean to disturb you. Can I...speak with you for a few minutes?"

[Felix]

A twig snapped on the path, Felix seized Saidin in a flash. He filled his body with the male half of the source and opened his eyes to take in any threats. His calm shattered in the moment he took in the leaves falling around him and the young man that greeted him.

"D-Dedicated Felix," Aerik said, as he approached Felix. "I didn't mean to disturb you. Can I...speak with you for a few minutes?"

The world was crystal clear to his heightened senses, no threat loomed in the shadows. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he pushed the readiness of his warrior spirit to do battle into the flame. With a glance down he noticed Shadar Vron was half barred to the open air.

He slid the sword back into its sheath and stood to greet his mentee and student. His face a stone once again.

"You would be wise to announce yourself to a fellow warrior before approaching young Aerik. We tend to be a more .... ready sort. I would not wish injury upon your person due to an unforeseen accident.

Felix buckled on his sword belt and straightened his clothes in place, wrinkles were unwelcome in a uniform. With a quick inspection of his attire complete he turned once again to the young soldier that greeted him.

"Aerik you know I am always available to help you through any problems you may have or topics you would like to discuss."

Felix sat and gestured to the spot next to himself before continuing. "Come sit, rest easy. This place is one I come to often when I need to clear my mind of distractions and problems of the world. Now what is on your mind soldier?"

[Leala]

For a flash, Aerik felt foolish. Of course he should have been aware of his surroundings. But, his mind had been full. He watched his mentor relax a bit, and he nodded at the advice. He was glad when Felix offered a seat to him. He needed someone to listen, at the very least. This had been troubling him for a while, and he needed to understand what his mind before he made a decision. Sometimes just talking helped matters.

The soldier sat next to the Dedicated and gathered his thoughts. "Well...I think part of my troubles is the way I was raised," he admitted. "Part of me still thinks that those who channel the One Power are evil. I know that's not true...not entirely, anyway. If I can channel, then surely those who can channel can be just as righteous as anyone else. I think I'm also a bit afraid of my powers as well. In classes, my teachers have chided me, saying that I only do the minimum of the lesson, that I don't push myself. I don't ask questions, I don't move forward." He sighed. Before he came to the Grey Tower, he had been training to become one of the Children of the Light. He felt like he could relate to Felix, on a warrior's stand point.

"I feel like I'm at a crossroads. I could push forward with my studies, or I could...leave. I know that leaving would be much more dangerous than staying, though. I...there is just something holding me back."