Dreams and Daydreams (attn. Lugh)

[Adanys]

Avalan Mond'wil

After leaving the Mistress of Training's office, Avalan headed to her new room to drop off her stuff. She hadn't brought much, so she just set the two bags on a chair and quickly changed into clean pants and an orange blouse. Since her training wouldn't start right away - she had been given 2 days to settle in - she figured she didn't need to change into her uniform just yet. Feeling better now that she was no longer in her travel worn clothes, she decided to head out to the Tower grounds before her roommate came in. She wasn't quite ready to talk to anyone yet.

As she headed outside she nodded politely at the people she passed, inwardly relieved no one stopped her. Stepping into the sunlight she breathed deeply and looked around at the lush green landscape that surrounded the tower. She looked around, trying to find a quiet place to gather her thoughts. She turned to the trees Owen had led her though a short time earlier, making her way to a large tree at the edge of the grove and sat with her back against it. Now that she was really here she didn't know what to do with herself. It had been her dream for so long, but she couldn't help but question whether she'd made the right choice in coming here.

Instead of letting doubt overcome her, she closed her eyes and instinctively reached out for the wolves. As she'd expected, Sundancer was there. After Venric had told her about who she was and introduced Sundancer to her, the wolf had stuck around and stayed close enough that she could always find him. He'd been instrumental in her learning process, and now he'd become somewhat of a friend, and a guardian during her travels. He was quite a ways off, to avoid people no doubt, but she could tell he was somewhere to the north, in the woods most likely. She merely greeted him and let him know where she was, then let her mind wander.

She thought about the dream she'd had last night. She'd been back at the farm, just she and her mother were at home. She was facing a door, and instead of light coming through the cracks, it seemed to be sucking light in, or darkness seeping out. She knew it was her mother's door, and curious, she reached forward to open it. Her mother had violently shoved her aside, and she had careened into the kitchen table. In that moment the dream had..shifted, as dreams often do. As she stumbled to the table, the dream suddenly sharpened, feeling infinitely more vivid. As had the blow to her ribs when she crashed into the table. She'd started awake at that moment, confused and unable to shake the dream from her mind. And, she'd thought her ribs felt a little tender. But that was impossible, it had only been a dream.

She opened her eyes and took out her notebook and a pencil. She always felt better and her mind clearer after writing. She touched the pencil to the paper, trying to decide on what to write. Fiction? A journal entry? A letter back home? She decided on journaling her last few days, and the thoughts swirling about in her mind, hoping to clear it. She lost herself and her surroundings faded as the pencil flew across the page. Her brow furrowed and her writing grew more frenzied as the stress, worry, and anxiety she'd been bottling up poured onto the pages.

Spoiler: show

Avalan is a tall slender girl, standing at 5’8”. She has a small nose and high cheekbones, with lips that are slightly downturned. She has a brilliant smile if she does allow herself a smile, but as she learns more of the world and the people in it, she finds herself doing so less and less.
Her eyes are a brilliant golden color, always seeming to absorb and reflect nearby light, glowing with a barely restrained ferocity when she is angered. They are topped by eyebrows that would look too heavy if her hair was darker. She has cut her reddish blonde, wavy hair short, leaving it barely grazing her shoulder.

[Lugh]

Beron

Beron sighed as he felt the warm sun and cool breeze wash over his face. Rubbing his cheeks briskly, he tried to dispel the sleepiness that had settled in as he had been at class. It wasn't that the subject wasn't interesting, it was just hard to spend a lot of time inside when the weather at the Grey Tower was always nice. Plus as a Ji'val, he found his days were spent more and more on the go, serving Ashaman and Aes Sedai as required, although he had a blessedly free afternoon.

Pausing for a moment at the fork to the Infirmary, he shook his head ruefully. He knew that was a bad idea, even if he had every intention of trying to study his herbcraft and healing; there was too big a chance he would run into a certain Accepted, and Gareth would probably frown on that.

And so he had decided he would try his hand on practicing his penmanship, an area of study he particularly found dreadful. Still if he had to do so, he would do it outside with a pleasant breeze, so he had come to the large grove of trees that was a popular resting spot.

Pausing for a moment, he was surprised to see a young woman writing in a journal or book, her strawberry hair bobbing as she concentrated on the words. Beron wasn't too surprised to see another reading or working here, the Gardens were a popular venue at the Grey Tower; what surprised him was the fact this young woman was in the Grey Tower proper, without uniform or escort.

"Peace favour you, is there anything I can help you with? Visitors are usually escorted within the Grey Tower," said Beron as he extended his hand in a friendly greeting.

[Adanys]

Avalan

Avalan glanced up from her writing as a voice greeted her. A broad shouldered young man stood before her, Saldaean by his nose, holding out his hand. Vaguely she recalled him saying something about wanting to help and visitors being escorted. She was often amazed, and a little put out, that in spite of her sharper senses people could still sneak up on her. She made a mental note to work on that...somehow. It was a weakness that she didn't need, and would only hinder her goal.

She considered remaining seated and greeting him from there, but decided that would appear rude. So she closed her book, brushed off her backside, and finally grasped the man's hand. He had a firm grip, and hands that were not unfamiliar with hard work. Releasing his hand she said, "Hello. I've already been shown to the Mistress of Training, actually. I only just came from her office."

She wondered if he was a channeler as well. She knew that the Grey Tower was home to both Aes Sedai and Asha'man, but she had no idea how to tell if someone could channel the One Power. She was sure the uniforms and dress of the members would tell her once she became familiar with them. She studied him. He certainly seemed at ease and sure of himself. She decided to introduce herself and ask him a few questions, hoping someone would her start to get familiar with this large place.

"I'm Avalan Mond'wil. I arrived just today and am hoping to become a Warder. I've yet to start with my training, or even meet my roommate, but I was told my training and lessons would start in a few days. I came out here for some time to gather my thoughts, but I suppose I should familiarize myself with the grounds." She tilted her head to one side, squinting slightly against the afternoon sun. "Perhaps you could help with that, or direct me to someone who would have time to show me around?"

[Lugh]

Beron

Beron hadn’t meant to force her to stand up, he had just thought perhaps she was a prospective Novice that was fighting nerves. Still when she stood to introduce herself, he was surprised to hear that she had seen the Mistress of Arms already.

That made her a Drin’far’ji most likely, and he vaguely recalled being offered two days to settle in; although coming from army life had left him with little to square away, so he had jumped right in to classes and spars. .

"I'm Avalan Mond'wil. I arrived just today and am hoping to become a Warder. I've yet to start with my training, or even meet my roommate, but I was told my training and lessons would start in a few days. I came out here for some time to gather my thoughts, but I suppose I should familiarize myself with the grounds." She tilted her head to one side, squinting slightly against the afternoon sun. "Perhaps you could help with that, or direct me to someone who would have time to show me around?"

Beron started for a moment when she addressed him directly, her eyes drawing his gaze. There was something about them that had his mind trying to recall... still he knew there was little reason to worry, it would come to him.

“Nice to meet you Avalan. I’m Beron Faim, a Ji’val here at the Grey Tower. I would be pleased to show you around, it can be a bit overwhelming at first,” Beron said with as he gladly packed up his writing implements.

As he offered to lead the way, he found himself curious about the young woman who would soon wear grey. “Is there’s anything you want to see first, I know most of us spend the first few days following the tide to the mess hall and classes. But I can give you a better idea of where it all is. It’s great to see another trainee for the Gaidin.What brought you to chase the fancloak?”

[Adanys]

Avalan

Beron. She stored his name away. If she remembered correctly, Ji'val was the rank after hers, Drin. So that meant he was training to be a Warder, or Gaidin, as well. He was certainly friendly enough. The scent coming off him reminded her of Owen somewhat, curious and eager at the same time. Probably wondering about her eyes. She decided to let him wonder; She didn't feel like getting into that again.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Beron. Thank you, but if you had other plans I'd understand," she smiled slightly, but he didn't seem put out so she continued to follow him. She made herself pay attention to both Beron and her surroundings. She needed to familiarize herself with the place, as it was going to be her home for..years, she assumed.

"Nothing in particular. Maybe just the basics, places I'll need to find often. I've seen the stables in passing, and I know the segments at the base of the tower are the Ajah homes. Maybe show me around the training grounds? I'm eager to see them and get started on my training. I saw a little of them when I walked to and from the Warder Halls, but without an escort, I was worried I'd just be in the way." She stopped, again surprised at herself for talking so much.

She took a deep breath and considered his last question. What had brought her to seek the life of a Warder? She'd never been called on to protect and serve anyone really, either on the farm or her father's ship. Though she'd always had a bit of a protective streak in her. She thought of the wolves, and how they looked out for one another. She's only sought this life after she'd started communicating with them. But, she didn't want to tell Beron that just yet.

Instead, she said, "My life back home wasn't what I wanted, and my mother is - was - an Aes Sedai, so I started thinking about going to the Grey Tower, since the White no longer stood. I knew I wasn't a channeler, but being a Warder seemed better suited to me anyway. When my father was offered a job that would take him to another country, it ended being the perfect time for me to leave, so I did."

She fell silent again and let him guide her around the grounds, making sure to pay attention to the various buildings. She could already tell the grove of trees where he'd found her was probably going to be one of her favorite places.

[Lugh]

Beron

“We can do the basics for sure. If you’ve been to the Mistress of Trainings office, you know where the main Warder building is, but we can definitely take a look at the training areas and Armoury,” Beron said amiably as he let Avalan collect her supplies and then the two of them were walking down the paths that led to the Warder Yards.

As they strolled, Beron could see that Avalan was doing her best to soak it all in, taking the landmarks and working on getting her bearings. In some ways he was reminded of when he had first learned to scout, she seemed eager to become familiar with the Grey Tower, and so he took advantage of his free time to show her the important junctures, which path led to the Infirmary, which to the stables and others. .

Avalan was a good speaker, she was attentive as he explained and seemed comfortable with questions as the two of them spoke along their walk. “I know what you mean Avalan, the training area can be a bit intense with everyone doing their own practices and it all happening at once. Luckily the archery and ranged practices are their own area, so as long as you stay outside of the fence you are usually out of the way. Although I have heard of a few of the larger Drin throwing opponents over the posts,” chuckled Beron as he recalled hearing some of the more legendary spars that had occurred.

“The other thing to note is that until you are Gaidin, we only carry training weapons at the Grey Tower. The Gaidin are free to do as they want, but even some of them train with practice blades to help prevent injury,” Beron mentioned as they approached the outlying rings of the training yard. Going over to the stand, he grasped a training sword and handed the bundled sticks over to Avalan.

“They aren’t the real thing, but the swords do a good job of mimicking the weight and feel of a real sword. And you only need to worry about bumps and bruises,” he said with a chuckle as he pointed out his own rather large bruise an Andoran Ji had given him.

“My life back home wasn't what I wanted, and my mother is - was - an Aes Sedai, so I started thinking about going to the Grey Tower, since the White no longer stood. I knew I wasn't a channeler, but being a Warder seemed better suited to me anyway. When my father was offered a job that would take him to another country, it ended being the perfect time for me to leave, so I did,” Avalan said as she described some of what had led her to the Grey Tower. Beron had leaned against the fence rail and was listening to her speak of her parents.

“I have met a few Drin who were children of the channelers, a runaway Seanchan, and others. There are as many reasons to come to the Grey Tower as there are stones in the paths I think, but I am glad you shared yours with me. I was a soldier myself before coming here, I had been fortunate enough to work with a Gaidin before and seeing him inspired me to come here,” Beron finished as he pointed out a few classes that were just beginning. The Unarmed class was a popular one, so he walked them beside it, letting Avalan see the Soldiers and Novices who had also come to join the class.

“Have you any experience with weapons Avalan? The Grey Tower has pretty much everything in the Armoury, so if you prefer a weapon there is an easy supply. Otherwise many of the Gaidin offer spars and classes as their schedules allow. At first I’d train with a teacher, it will save you some time in the Infirmary. Although perhaps we better take you there as well, give you a chance to see the Healers and their students?”

[Adanys]

Avalan

As they continued around the yards, Avalan found herself intrigued by the Unarmed class. Fighting with weapons was all well and good, but one didn't always have one to hand. She decided that this would be a class she would take. She was tall and limber, and working on a farm and climbing around on a ship had made her lean and fairly strong. She was confident with teaching and lots of practice, this would be something she could excel at.

Her thoughts drifted back to her mother, and from there it went back to the dream she'd had last night. There was something about it that she just couldn't shake, it felt different than her other dreams always did. The ominous feeling of the door her mother didn't want her opening, almost like it contained a secret. And then there was the fact that her ribs were slightly tender in the exact spot where she'd slammed into the table. She must have fallen out of bed, or walked into the corner somewhere and just not registered it. Try as she might, she knew couldn't convince herself of that.

With a shake, Avalan realized Beron had asked her something. Ah yes, her experience with weapons. She lifted the practice sword he'd handed her, lightly swinging it a few times. "I'm not much of a swordswoman, or any type of fighting really, but I can swing a sword or knife well enough to defend myself, I guess." She knew she'd never last against someone who was truly experienced with any weapon, as her parents had taught her mostly defensive maneuvers. They could have taught her much more she knew, but for some reason they hadn't. "Knives and swords are a big part of Altaran life, so I was taught to at least hold them correctly," she continued. "I'll likely have a few bad habits to unlearn, but shouldn't be too hard. I wasn't taught much besides staying alive."

She declined visiting the infirmary for now. In fact, she was getting weary. It had been a full day for her; getting up at the crack of dawn and traveling the rest of the way to the Tower, getting settled in and now the tour..."Thank you for showing me around, I really appreciate it. But I've had a long day, so I think I'll retire to my room for some rest." She handed her practice sword back to Beron.

[Lugh]

Beron

“That’s a good foundation. And depending on how you learned the Altaran style you
might not have as many bad habits to erase,” Beron said encouragingly as he watched Avalan as she moved through a few simple strokes of the sword.

He could see that she was fit and in good shape, his trained eyes picking up the way her wrist was able to control the weight of the sword. He also noticed the way she favoured her one side, and he was curious if she had perhaps fallen or was still recovering from a long travel.

When she excused herself with fatigue he nodded and grabbed the practice sword from her, racking it back with the others as he made sure to clean the ring for the next person. “You are welcome Avalan, it was my pleasure to show you around quickly. Enjoy your last free day and if you ever have questions, you will usually find me here.”

With that he asked if young woman needed help settling in, but she assured him she knew where the dormitory was, it was just a matter of meeting her roommate and finding her room. That was one advantage to being a Ji’val, in Beron’s mind, the free space of your own again.

Spoiler: show

OOC: If you wanted to wrap up here we can.