Farewell to Privacy attn Matalina

[Sangreal]

Sandre had been up almost two days by the time they told him where his room in the training barracks would be. However inspections were daily and he was only going to be given a day to settle in. When he found the room he was a little surprised to see two bunk beds, each with a chest at each end of them. There were a a single shelve for books and a stool with a wash basin but not much else. He would have to get anything else he needed from a storage for such things. His gold went on the bottom of the chest in the large leather satchel he kept it in. It was the safest place since it had a lock. Training clothes, grooming supplies, all went with it. He had a set of finely crafted throwing knives that had a leather case that wrapped around the forearm which he through on the end of the lower bunk as well as a thick belt with a single pouch and a second set of throwing knives in the front on the bunk post at the foot of the bed. He would need an armor rack, nothing elaborate, just to sticks of wood in a cross shape with a stand. Such things made it easier to store weapons and armor and keep them polished and cared for. The hygiene kit was a little less than he would have liked. A lye based soap and a brush for teeth with salt and soda. So he had picked up a blue stone which had been ground to a powder so fine it stuck to the finger, pine tree sap, and an extract from a leaf that made it feel like you had just had snow in your mouth. He also picked up extra for his room mates and a pine based soap to use in addition to the lye for to prevent infection on cuts. Considering the way a small room with four people could smell on a hot summer day, he picked up extra for his room mates too.

 

He was putting away his prized collection of books of strategy, tactics, and various academics when his room mates showed up, both of them.

 

OOC I hope this is a sufficient start :) Edited for accuracy :)

[Matalina]

OOC:  Two things.  1.  Rooms contain two bunk beds for the most part since the rooms are small so that makes 4 trainees at most per room.  We will have three unless we get another lol.  2.  I don't think we've armor racks just the footlocker.  I will have to make sure we put the description back up on the site.

 

IC:

 

Dagen and Bayln had been sharing a room to themselves for nearly two weeks now, but when they came into their room they noticed another.  Dagen smiled and Balyn walked up to the boy.  "I'm Balyn Caine and this is my brother Dagen.  I guess we are roommates."  Balyn held out his hand and Dagen promplty dropped his gear on his bed.

 

Balyn and Dagen had chosen to share a bunk rather than take up both.  Balyn was on bottom and Dagen was on top but they just flopped wherever when they first came in, usually sharing the bottom bunk before heading off to take a bath or to go eat. 

 

"You can read, that's cool, we can barely write our own names, but that's what happens when you are just mere peasants."  Balyn smiled.  "So what brings you here to these long days and very short nights?"

 

Balyn and Dagen

[Sangreal]

Sandre looked at the two as they came in. Twins he noticed, and friendly at that. (They dont know how to read?) Sandre had forgot that he had in fact come from a privileged home.

 

"Im Sandre Kaldun. It is nice to meet you."

 

He turned and looked at the books. Then a thought occurred to him.

 

"If you dont know how to read I would be glad to teach you if you would like while we do weapons and equipment maintenance at night.

 

The considering silence was a little uncomfortable for him so he added.

 

"In trade you can teach me something you are good at."

 

Sandre smiled. He thought it a good trade and his thirst for knowledge could be satisfied that way.

[Matalina]

Dagen laughed.  "Why don't you have a few more nights here in the yards before we take you up on that offer.  I'm not sure I could do that at night after a grueling day here.  But if we can manage it in the day light hours that would work for me. Balyn not so sure he tends to be off about learning tactics or something, he seems to want to jump ahead, we can barely hold our swords straight most of the time."  Balyn laughed. 

 

Balyn smiled.  "I don't know what we could offer you in trade, we don't know much.  We can only offer to fix your shoes, it's all we know."

 

Their family wasn't rich and were down right poor if you thought about it, but the boys never did they were happy with their life.  Dagen smiled and repeated his brother "So what brings you here to these long days and very short nights?"

 

Dagen & Balyn

[Sangreal]

Sandre smiled. These two would be easier to get along with than most he had met so far. A slight chill came over him after thinking of his meeting with Mistress Thera. He wasnt sure where the woman's hatred of him came from. Where ever and whatever it was he figured he must have deserved it.

 

"He might be interested when he learns every book on that shelf is about tactics."

 

Sandre gave it a moment of thought as to what DID bring him here.

 

"Stones... it was over a stones board that I attracted the attention of an Aes Sedai and it was over a stones board that I lost a bet where the price was me coming here to train."

 

The tone of his voice would give away that he was not happy about it. He made sure it wasnt harsh though.

 

"Before I came here I studied tactics as well... days and nights since I was seven... How about you two?"

[Matalina]

OOC:  sorry for the dealy I will try to get you at least one a day.

 

Dagen started "We are the sons of a cobbler - a poor shoe maker if you must know.  Not poor workmanship or poor shoes, just we didn't make alot of money.  We came here to make money and to bring honor to our family name.  The Craine boy's will not be cobbler sons!"

 

Balyn smiled.  "We want to be warders with all our hearts and we hope that we can make it but we really don't know how well we'll do, it's hard work.  But we will try."

 

"Are you hungry, we're famished.  We need to run to the meal hall before they close down the kitchen and all that is left is bread and water. Do you want to come?"

 

Balyn and Dagen

[Sangreal]

As soon as food was mentioned it was as though his own stomach had heard and decided to remind Sandre he had not had a bite since dinner the night before. He nodded and followed the two out the door.

 

"I believe you will both make it. My own house had humble origins as Miners and Smiths. We all take up that trade despite noble status so that we dont forget our humble origins and have a better understanding of the people who live on our land... if you could call it our land. We gave the farmers and villagers hereditary ownership."

 

He paused only to dodge a few recruits leaving the mess hall with lunches on the go.

 

"I worked with some cobblers on a couple occasions, to make plated boots. If either of you need assistance in academics or strategy let me know. I have held a weapon only twice in my life and will need sparring partners."

 

He ended with an uncomfortable smile. He had not had too much social partners in the last few years and wasnt sure if he was talking too much. He was also aware that his social status may cause him to be resented and the last people whom he wanted to resent him would be his own room mates.

 

 

[Matalina]

Dagen smiled.  "Plate boots, now that would be heavy. We've not worked on such things before but it might be fun to one day.  But right now I think our training is not going to let us have that opportunity."

 

Dagen hurried into the meal hall and grabbed them a table off to the side while Balyn went into line and grabbed food for both him and his brother.  The ladies looked at him odd until he smiled and nodded over at his brother.  There wasn't much left and it was mostly crusty bread and the dredges of the soup that were left, but there were three choice peices of pie left that Balyn grabbed two of.  He smiled at Sandre as he put the last one on his tray.  "Good pie".

 

They sat down and started their food, Balyn of coursed started on his pie first.  "No mommy here to tell me other wise."  He giggled and too a gulp of his milk.

 

Dagen and Balyn

[Sangreal]

(Its a funny thing.) Sandre thought to himself. (How burned stew can taste so good when your hungry.) Silence met the first few minutes at the table as the three began a ravenous attack on the food. Sandre's normal habits were to study the motions of people, facial expressions, posture, tone. He read many books on how more can be discerned from what someone says that way than the actual words used. However around these two he couldnt help but... relax. That, and a piece of bone in his stew made him grimace. However he would need to learn to relax or he would never make it here.

 

"I noticed outside that they use lathes for training. I have seen borderlanders use weighted iron rods to build up the muscles you use to swing a sword. So many different philosophies it seems. I wonder how honorable the systems we are going to be taught? I mean... not as though a Trolloc should be expected to be honorable to us."

 

Sandre had always wondered how "honorable" combat should be. When fighting for your life he wasnt sure any trick could be considered too dirty. At what point though did it become evil?

 

It wasnt the best possible lunch conversation but who knows where it would go from there.

 

OOC Whenever you can is fine. Work has had me on overtime for almost three months so its been difficult to post

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Matalina]

Trollocs?  The boys both giggled, they had never seen a trolloc nor had they known anyone who had seen one either.  They were stories from books and tales that the gleeman told when he came to town.  Neither of them knew what to say about the teachings of the Warders or how honorable they would be taught to fight, but they were pretty sure that they wouldn't be taught how to fight dirty as a trainee.

 

"I think I've seen adding stones to your wrists for adding strength to your lathes.  Lathes hurt less I think."  Balyn pointed out, "At least when I've been hit with one, I would think they would hurt less than an iron rod.  We aren't all made of muscle."

 

"We don't know anything about Trollocs.  But as they are fiends of the Dark One I wouldn't expect them to play nice."  Dagen giggled. "But still it would be a mighty sight to see one of them, but I don't think I'd want to fight on, at least not yet.  We've still got a long way to go before we'll ever make it to the Blight and see our very first Trolloc." 

 

Balyn added, "If that ever happens I'll give you 10 gold brother."  They shook on it and grinned.  "I bet you've seen one."

 

Balyn and Dagen

[Sangreal]

Sandre frowned in thought. He had never seen a Trolloc but when he was younger had made the mistake of laughing and saying they didnt exist when visiting family in Shienar. He got switched raw for it. He had seen farms burned and heard talk of them. However never in the almost yearly trips from Andor to Shienar had he seen so much as a body.

 

"No I havent seen one... I have heard talk of them in the Borderlands... real or not they take them very seriously. I have sat in on war councils where they planned to defend their lands from them and I know they use every advantage they can get."

 

The fact that he had seen only blood and never a body of either a Trolloc or a victim made him suspicious. His dad told him that they ate the bodies... too convenient of a story.

 

Sandre blinked a couple times realizing his stew was gone. He had not realized he was THAT hungry. Something about the idea of the rocks reminded him of something else though he could not put his finger on what. Digging in to his pie he finally realized what it was.

 

"Would stones not damage the elbows like a prisoner who has been too long in chains or suspended from his wrist? I have read about it at least."

 

Maybe the suspension thing was fast since it was a lot of weight but still even heavy chains over time could do the same. He would have to ask a trainer about it.

 

"Dont let me worry you. I am just nervous is all. Coming here was in no way part of my own plans."

[Matalina]

Dagen smiled. "That's too bad, but I hope you will enjoy it here. I wouldn't think starting out on the wrong foot would be good.  But then again we came here of our own free will.  You seem to have a good background, so you'll do better than us I would imagine.  We've alot to learn yet, where as you don't."

 

Balyn giggled, "This is as far North as we've been.  We've never seen the borderlands much less Cairhein at this point, but we had a long trip here on foot, we were exhausted an hungry by the time we got here.  We can't imagine having seen the world like you."

 

Both of the boys were in awe of what Sandre had lived in his life.  They wondered what it would be like to be rich and travel.

 

Balyn and Dagen

[Sangreal]

Sandre thought at first they were mocking him. The looks that both of them gave him proved otherwise. He would almost laugh were it not rude. It was the irony that was funny.

 

"You have no idea what I would have given to be the son of a cobbler. I didnt have to worry about hard times or anything but at the same time my life was decided for me. I would have given anything to go outside and play with other kids or had a father who took more than two hours a week to speak to me."

 

Its really all it was. Trading one set of freedoms for another.

 

"I would have traded it all to had parents that were around when I needed them. Not when it was convenient. All that time on the road, yeah I saw a few places. However I had no one to talk to except whatever teacher could be dragged along to spend a month on the road in a wagon."

 

With complete seriousness he looked at the two.

 

"I envy the life you both had."

 

He took a few bites of his pie while the others seemed to process his words.

 

"Oh and... war councils are boring. You sit there and listen to old men argue strategy. I only got to sit quietly and listen when allowed at all to sit in and I was only allowed to do that because my father was supplying the armies."

 

He didnt mention that towards the end his father did try to reach out to him and it was Sandre who turned from him that time. In anger but still. The pie suddenly tasted like ashes in his mouth.

 

"You guys will make it. You will see the world rather than the few countries I saw. If you help me get in shape so I make it too perhaps the three of us can go see it together."

 

He wasnt sure if it was ok to include himself on a plan the other two had obviously talked often about. However he didnt know anyone else so if they went to see the world. He had nothing better to do and their company was pleasant.

 

OOC Sorry I have included so much back ground. I wasnt sure if you read Sandre's bio. Hes not meant to awe anyone :) Hes got a temper problem like a badger and is skinny as a whip for never having worked out up until a couple months before the tower and has never touched a weapon in his life so his merits will not outweigh his flaws lol.