Weaving a new thread

[Verbal32]

The journey was not fated to be an easy one. Blais used all his money to buy a good horse and the supplies necessary for the travel from Tar Valon to Amacidia. He had never traveled alone, and was nervous about being set upon by bandits. He kept to main roads, and tried to avoid any shady establishments, as they were sure to be crawling with Darkfriends. Blais was not yet ready to bring them to justice – he knew that. He needed to learn, and have the support of the Whitecloaks with him. No, the Children of the Light. He needed to get used to saying that properly, and thinking it of himself. The Children were not looked on fondly where he was from. He intended to change that, if the Children would support him and teach him.

 

Blais traveled as quickly as possible, not wanting any time wasted. After a couple of weeks of uneventful travel, Blais’ nervousness ceased, and he began to enjoy the peace and quiet. It allowed him to reflect on what had happened, and what he could do to fix it. He would root out the Darkfriends from his village, and then perhaps he could do the same for other villages. Eventually, he would help cleanse the world of Darkfriends, so that all walked in the Light as he did.

 

One morning, he passed some travelers going in the opposite direction.

“Excuse me, but how much farther to Amador?” Blais asked.

 

“Oh, I’d say about 3 days on horse” replied one traveler.

 

This made Blais excited – he was almost there. That night, he slept as soundly as he ever had in his life. When he woke the next morning, his horse was gone. It had to have been the travelers, Blais thought. They were obviously Darkfriends! He wanted to try and find them, but he knew that without a horse, he had no chance. He would continue on, and mentally add them to the list of Darkfriends that needed to be purged from the world. It made him sick to think of people so tainted. They must know of each other. He would have to capture one alive in order to get the information he needed. One Darkfriend killed would be a good start, but Blais was trying to think ahead. He needed to root them all out, and that meant learning how to ask the proper questions...in the proper way. Again, his need for the Children of the Light kept him moving ahead towards Amador.

 

The 3 days on horse became weeks on foot. Eventually, he arrived in Amador and continued on into the city. As he headed toward the center of the city, he saw the Fortress of the Light for the first time. It was beautiful. It was larger than life. This was his new home, he hoped. He entered the Fortress and looked around. It was vast. Blais had no idea where to go, and his bewildered look must have been apparent, as one of the Children of the Light snorted and pointed towards a nondescript office.

 

Blais walked into the office and stopped in front of the large desk that dominated the room.

“Umm, excuse me?”

[Nynaeve]

OOC: You do realize that any sort of weaving in the Fortress would result in a long drop and a sudden stop, right? ;) LOL

 

 

 

IC:

 

Roudal nibbled on a second strawberry from the pile he had placed in front of him on a plate. He had some in the dinning room earlier and swiped a few for a snack in his office. He loved strawberries. Or anything sweet for that matter. Eating strawberries, however, made him feel less guilty. A fruit had to be healthy. That seemed to add up just fine and he didn't spare it any further thought. He pulled the plate closer to him when he caught one of his assistants eying it. He wasn't in a sharing mood. He seldom was. Besides, they didn't deserve any kindness, the useless lot of'em.

 

Strawberries were supposed to be eaten in a romantic atmosphere, though. Supposed to being the operative word. Roudal doubted that anything would be able to get him in the mood to share a pleasant moment with his wife. Especially if it involved having to give up part of the strawberries to her. No. That woman had already robbed him of anything short of his soul. Horrible woman. If only he could....

 

"Umm, excuse me?"

 

Roudal looked up to see a young man standing in front of him. He narrowed his eyes. "If the kitchen staff sent you, tell them they can't have the strawberries back! They'll need quite a few pots and pans to get'em back!". He placed the plate behind him on a stand and eyed the newcomer suspiciously. MY strawberries.

 

 

 

 

Roudal

Head Clerk

[Verbal32]

As he watched the fidgety man sitting behind the desk, Blais' eyebrows rose up onto his forehead. Was this man sane? Why did he keep looking at the strawberries like that? For a second, Blais thought that perhaps he was at the wrong desk. But the other Child had pointed him here, so this must be the right place. He fervently hoped that all the Children were not of the same apparent mental quality as this man.

 

"If the kitchen staff sent you, tell them they can't have the strawberries back! They'll need quite a few pots and pans to get'em back!"

 

The man was obviously not the sharpest tool in the barn. Blais wondered if perhaps the man's brains were addled. It did not matter - he needed access to the wealth of knowledge this place contained.

 

"No sir, I'm not with the kitchen staff. While your strawberries do look delicious, I'm looking to obtain membership with the Children of the Light. My name is Blais Odrade. A pleasure to meet you."

 

"I think."

[Nynaeve]

Roudal nodded slowly, yet the suspicion didn't leave him completely. One couldn't be too careful these days. Darkfriends were not the only danger out there. Filthy thieves and miscreants were just as much of a threat to the citizens. Everyone whispered that Roudal was paranoid, but he ignored it. He was just cautious. After all, one could not be called paranoid if his concerns were justified.

 

"You won't find much pleasure here I'm afraid. A Child's life is a hard one. Not to say there aren't pretty recruits around but..." Roudal trailed off. He always let his big mouth run off on him. It was too late to change that bad habit, though. Reduction was the best he could manage. He kept quiet for a long moment. Then suddenly, as if remembering, he cleared his throat and produced a book from a drawer, flipping through it until he found the page he was looking for. He cleared his throat for a second time, as he eyed the young man. "Well, then, if that is indeed why you are here then I will need some information. Full name, age and place of origin, boy. And speak up, I can't write what I can't hear. Go on."

 

 

 

Roudal

Head Clerk

[Verbal32]

"Well, then, if that is indeed why you are here then I will need some information. Full name, age and place of origin, boy. And speak up, I can't write what I can't hear. Go on."

 

Did this man think Blais was just looking for women? I mean, of course he always was, but that was besides the point. This was serious business - the business of Darkfriends. And boy? BOY?! Blais narrowed his eyes at the clerk as he spoke. He was no boy.

 

"I already gave you my full name. You might not have heard while being worried I'd take your strawberries. Here it is again: Blais Odrade. I recently celebrated my 20th naming day, and I am from a small village outside of Tar Valon called Darein."

 

Blais waited expectantly for a response from the man. Why did the man keep prattling on about insignificant things? Blais needed answers. He needed guidance. While he didn't think it would come from this man, he fervently hoped he could be pointed in the right direction. And soon.

 

As Blais waited, he suppressed the urge to shout out that he needed to talk with the Hand of the Light. They had the answers. No, they had the questions he needed. To ask the right questions....in the right way. That was the skill Blais coveted most of all.

[Nynaeve]

"I already gave you my full name. You might not have heard while being worried I'd take your strawberries. Here it is again: Blais Odrade. I recently celebrated my 20th naming day, and I am from a small village outside of Tar Valon called Darein." Roudal grunted and scribbled down the information, in between peering at the strawberries' direction. No, he would wait to have another one after the boy left.

 

"No need to be testy, boy. Patience is a virtue. And with that hot temper you won't reach far in the CotL, is all I'm saying." Roudal eyed the content of some papers he had randomly scattered on his desk, when he realized the young man was still standing there, eying him. "Oh, right. Erm... you need to go find the Quartermaster. Emanuella. Ask around for directions."

 

When the young man FINALLY left, Roudal snatched back his strawberries and continued with his ritual munching.

 

 

Roudal

Head Clerk

[Verbal32]

"Oh, right. Erm... you need to go find the Quartermaster. Emanuella. Ask around for directions."

 

Well, Blais thought, at least I'm getting somewhere.

 

"Ok, thanks for your......help" Blais muttered as he left the clerk's office. Of course, at that moment there was nobody to be seen in any direction. Instead of getting lost, Blais decided to test the patience that the clerk chided him on, and it came to fruition about 10 minutes later when a Child happened to come around the corner before Blais planted himself in his way. The Child frowned at Blais and made a dismissive gesture with his hand, but Blais quickly spoke up.

 

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you. Could you tell me where the Quartermaster, Emanuella, is?"

 

Blais held his breath while he waited and hoped that he hadn't angered the Child by interrupting him on his walk to wherever he was going. This was important to him, so Blais needed to make sure he was on his best bahavior.

 

The man grunted and said, "Your lucky day boy, I was just going that way now. Follow me and don't get lost."

 

Boy? Again? Blais swallowed his pride and followed the man closely.

[Nynaeve]

Emanuella was going through some papers, trying to organize the piles on her desk. Strangely, the more she had at it, the more disorganized it seemed. Frustration was starting to grow and she decided to take a break just as someone knocked on her door. Emanuella glanced at her desk irritabely. "Enter." A young man came in. She smiled and gestured him to sit down and after giving her his name, she proceeded.

 

"The Fortress is going to be your home from now on. The first days are always the hardest. You need to find yourself within these walls and get familiar with your surrounding. But it will improve in time, no doubt." Emanuella flipped thorough her room assigning book. "Looks like you will be having a room of your own for now. Until other new recruits are assigned to it. Room number two."

 

Emanuella closed the book with a thud. "As for superiors, you will know all of their faces, eventually. Generally speaking, though, the military officials wear insignia. The questioners, on the other hand, seldom use the appointed insignia. However, you can distinguish them quite easily. Added to the sunburst symbol on their cloaks as the rest of the Children have, they have a red shepherd's crook behind it. Hard to miss. You are expected to address them with the title sir. Added to a bow if it's a Questioner or a salute if it's a superior of the Army of the Light." Emanuella reassured Blais with a warm smile.

 

"You will find five sets of uniforms in the closet in your room. Take good care of them. They will not be replaced. As for curfews. You have one day of rest and one afternoon off a week, in which you're permitted to leave the fortress' premises. At any other time you are expected to remain within the Fortress' grounds. Any breaking of said rules will result in a visit to the Master of Irons. Now, if you have any questions, I'll be delighted to answer. But first and foremost; Welcome to the Children of the Light."

 

 

 

Emanuella

Quartermaster

[Verbal32]

Wow, Blais thought, she speaks fast. The smile she gave was disarming, though, and he felt good. Like he belonged. He tried his winningest smile on the Quartermaster.

 

"Thank you very much. I do not have any questions right now, but I will come find you when I do."

 

He gave a smart salute, and wondered if she had caught his joke. By the look she gave him, he realized she had. And that she was not impressed. Give it time, he thought to himself. If he was going to work hard here in the Fortress, it couldn't hurt to be friendly with the ladies. He considered telling her that he thought her name was pretty, but decided against it.

 

"I guess I'll go get settled in my room. Thanks again."

 

Blais saluted again and waiting for dismissal. Little did he know that was probably the only wise thing he'd done all day.