On the Ranch - a normal day (open)

[Liitha]

ooc this is in the setting that the dreadlord intiate class is visiting

 

 

M'bela stroke the mule of the horse slowly, she had been walking around the place to strech her legs. The intiates had practise in the morning and evenings, with the middays when the sun was on the hotest free.

 

It was two days past their coming here and she quite enjoyed beeing out of the fortress. She smiled as the horse drew back and then studied it as it made a short run across the field to join the other horses.

 

Closing her eyes she tilted her head back to let the sun caress her face as she listened to the sound of spring.

 

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[Quibby]

Morning practice was an hour finished, yet Ayrik still felt the burn of his muscles from the workout. He had changed his sweat-soaked shirt for another, this one lighter than the first. His first day at the Ranch had taught him just how warm it was here, and though he would eventually be able to shrug off the heat and cold like the Dreadlords and Dreadladies, Ayrik couldn't yet. It was nearing midday, and Ayrik was leaning against one of the walls of the main ranch house. His position allowed Ayrik a commanding view of most of the ranch, including the many outbuildings and the training field. Any who would have judged Ayrik unattentive by the unconcerned look on his tanning and lazy-looking face would be in for a rude awakening.

 

People scurried through the alleys of the outbuidlings, carrying on with their normal lives. They were either obliviious to the fact that there were channelers among them or they didn't care; Aryik wasn't sure which was the case. However, it wasn't them that concerned him. It was the channelers. One, in particular. The Fortress's bully was down among the buildings with his gang of mindless followers. The man was dead, but he didn't know it yet. It was going to happen, though. Already, Ayrik was starting, planting stolen items in the man's things. He'd have quite the time explaining that away.

 

The man must have sensed that he was being watched, because he was suddenly looking around for the culprit. Discretion is sometimes the better part of valor, Ayrik thought. Time to move. As he stood to leave, Ayrik noticed the Dreadlady who had brought them to the Ranch leaning against the fence around the horse corral, seemingly lost in thought. Better to be near somebody who can teach me than somebody who will beat me. It was a matter of seconds to get across the small open area between him and her. Appearing too friendly where it wasn't appreciated wasn't always a good idea, but some risks were worth taking. Leaning against the fence a few feet away, Ayrik nodded to the woman. "Good day, Dreadlady," he said, his cool voice properly respectful. "Would you care for some company?"

[Liitha]

"Good day, Dreadlady," She turned and looked at the person with a raised eyebrow, "Would you care for some company?"

 

One of the intiates runing his mouth it seemed, a quick glanse around relived that no one was in hearing range. Oh yes it was one of her charges, and more then that, she had been the one who had shown him around in the fortress the time he had arived, "I see you havent goten lost in the coridors yet." she smiled though her eyes where cold. "Though if you keep runing your mouth of without speaking that would be the least of your worries, as i specificaly told you all to keep a low profile out here in regard to who and what we are."

 

She turned and looked at the horses again. "Now what do you seek company for?" she twisted the words quite easily back on the boy.

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[Quibby]

Mentally, Ayrik kicked himself at the woman's words. It had been a simple mistake, but simple mistakes were going to be the death of him. It was obvious that the Dreadlady wasn't too impressed with him, especially by the way she twisted his own words about. "Now what do you seek company for?"

 

Shrugging, Ayrik spoke earnestly. "First off, I apologize for the indescretion; it won't happen again. And as for your question, it's pretty simple." Ayrik chanced a glance back at the outbuildings, seeing if any of the others had noticed him. They hadn't. "Being what we are, most others will choose not to associate with us, and people are not meant to be alone."

 

With a quiet chuckle, Ayrik added, "Besides, I prefer to exercise the muscle that's going to matter most when it's all said and done." Giving a tap to his head, he indicated what muscle he was talking about. "Not to mention that I've become quite unpopular with most of the others, and I would prefer to keep my skin in one place, even if for but a few seconds longer." Great Lord, I hope this woman has a sense of humor. If not, I'm dead. "On top of that, by speaking and listening to you, I can learn, and that's what I'm here to do."

[Liitha]

"First off, I apologize for the indescretion; it won't happen again. And as for your question, it's pretty simple." She followed his look over to the buildings, "Being what we are, most others will choose not to associate with us, and people are not meant to be alone."

 

Oh she wasnt sure, there where plenty good times in one's own company. Though it could be comfortable with company from time to time, she admited as much too.

"Besides, I prefer to exercise the muscle that's going to matter most when it's all said and done." Clever she thougth as he knocked his finger to his head indicating his brain.

 

"Not to mention that I've become quite unpopular with most of the others, and I would prefer to keep my skin in one place, even if for but a few seconds longer." M'bela chuckled, "On top of that, by speaking and listening to you, I can learn, and that's what I'm here to do."

 

"Very well I guess, though if you where that smart you wouldnt let yourself push around. As you say its more to it then just sheer body strength, though full grown now i was a lil girl when i came into the dark side of things. It was my wit and quickness who was my strengths, grow up more or less on the streets as i was."

 

"You should think through what are yours, by your dialect i think i know where to place you, another thing you should think about, twist your voice, learn new dialects."

 

She looked back to the horses. "Learn to walk in difrent ways, peoples only see what they want, one dont need illusion to become someone else, and give off a total other picture."

 

 

 

[Quibby]

The Dreadlady's eyes returned to the horses as she spoke. "Very well I guess, though if you where that smart you wouldnt let yourself push around. As you say its more to it then just sheer body strength, though full grown now i was a lil girl when i came into the dark side of things. It was my wit and quickness who was my strengths, grow up more or less on the streets as i was." It was difficult to imagine the woman as ever being little; she was nearly as tall as he, though more slender. "You should think through what are yours, by your dialect i think i know where to place you, another thing you should think about, twist your voice, learn new dialects. Learn to walk in difrent ways, peoples only see what they want, one dont need illusion to become someone else, and give off a total other picture."

 

Ayrik shrugged. "I have no intention of letting them push me around for much longer. However, there's a major difference between reading books on combat and actually practicing what you've read." Very true. In his first encounter with the Fortress's local thug, Ayrik had tried to remember the various nerve strikes of which he had read, how they could be used. Nothing came to mind. Ayrik knew that he had the size and muscle, but he didn't have the training. Illusion? It was probably a weave of which Ayrik hadn't learned yet. He could guess, though.

 

"So what you're suggesting is that I should become somebody different?" Ayrik had always lacked the emotional set for acting, but he counted himself a fair impressionist. For the first time, Ayrik realized something about the woman. He could hear the accents of Tarabon, Cairhien, Andor, and Tear among the other trainees, but she had none which he could identify. Now that's a neat trick. "That's an interesting idea. I'll have to take that into consideration." For a moment, Ayrik said nothing, his gaze following one of the horses in the pasture. When he finally spoke again, his tone was quieter. "When you discovered your ability, why didn't you seek the island?" A male channeler and a Friend of the Dark, Ayrik was. However, he was also a Tar Valoner. The thought of a woman who could channel not going to the Tower was one as strange to him as flying.

[Liitha]

"I have no intention of letting them push me around for much longer. However, there's a major difference between reading books on combat and actually practicing what you've read." She would need to keep an eye on things, squirmishes between intiates was most oftenly ignored, they had to learn to come by at an early stage. However here was not the place for it to happen.

"So what you're suggesting is that I should become somebody different?" She tilted her head in response, who was he really, history and where one grew up was but a shell to get comfortable in, a shell learning you to become to secure on your soroundings, to comfortable. It was bether to be no one and everyone. "That's an interesting idea. I'll have to take that into consideration."

"When you discovered your ability, why didn't you seek the island?" M'bela laughed, "well i didnt discover my posibilities, i knew i had a particular skill in beeing a thief and geting away even when pursued. The fact is the dark side has its network as well, the Aes Sedai aint the only ones with eyes. I was found and an option presented to me for geting somewhere in this world, i took it and didnt look back." She looked to her side, "and your history?"

[Quibby]

Ayrik quickly reasessed the Dreadlady. She was definitely living what she said; her dignified and self-assured air was far from what she had described to him. It would be another thing for him to remember: things weren't always as they seemed.

 

"My story's pretty dull, aside from being abandoned on the front step of a bookseller as a baby. Both parents were Friends, and I was raised learning the ways of the Shadow." Ayrik knew that some looked down on those who had lived their entire lives in the Shadow. He would have tried to gauge the Dreadlady's reaction to that, but Ayrik knew an exercise in futility when he saw one.

 

"One night, I woke from a vivid nightmare and things just caught fire. I ended up hurling my father across the room, and felt that it would be best if I were to leave the city, and quickly." Giving the Dreadlady a sideways look, Ayrik added, "Considering you recognize the accent, you can probably guess why I was in such a hurry to go."

 

One of the horses approached the fence. Reaching out, Ayrik stroked its neck, feeling the muscle beneath the shining coat. "I take it the end result, the Power and everything that comes with it, was worth it?"

[Liitha]

M'bela listened to the story he had to tell and nodded in understanding.

 

"I take it the end result, the Power and everything that comes with it, was worth it?"

 

M'bela nodded, "more then so, if you want to learn then now is the time maybe to tell you some channelers has extra skills, we call them talents. Some the witches know of but most they dont and have no real way to teach in but let their candidates figure out things as best they can. Thus ending on that they never fully learn to harvest the resources in themself."

 

She looked sideways to the boy wondering how he would react to what she had said.

 

 

 

 

[Quibby]

Just hearing that it was worth it brought a smile to Ayrik's face. He had known that his time would not be wasted, but being reassured of its worth was always nice. However, Ayrik was not expecting what the Dreadlady said next. "If you want to learn then now is the time maybe to tell you some channelers has extra skills, we call them talents. Some the witches know of but most they dont and have no real way to teach in but let their candidates figure out things as best they can. Thus ending on that they never fully learn to harvest the resources in themself."

 

Talents? Ayrik liked the sound of that. But why mention it now? Was there something that he was supposed to glean from that? Slowly pieces began coming together. These Talents would require more investigation. He might as well start here. "And you have one of these... Talents? One that the Aes Sedai know nothing about?"

[Liitha]

"And you have one of these... Talents? One that the Aes Sedai know nothing about?"

 

M'bela smiled, "Oh they have one of the bigest libaries there is, they have knowledge enough in the writen" she tilted her head, "But only someone talented can really know what a talent is about, and only those can fully teach it. From all that i know i doubt i would have been able to learn half as much on the island. No then i'd been bether off in other groups, they really are not so all knowing." Oh she had seen them from time to time, dreamwalkers in tel'aran'rihod, most peoples who had it had no idea, not that it was so many. Yet she knew there where some, some who knew, and at curent those she seen was not among the witches.

[Quibby]

Perhaps his time in Tar Valon had instilled more in Ayrik than he cared to admit. No matter what, he had always assumed the Aes Sedai to be nigh-infallible and omniscient. Apparently not. The thought made Ayrik smile coldly. They were vulnerable. For that lesson alone, his time had been well-spent here. The Dreadlady hadn't answered his question, but Ayrik wasn't going to press his luck. She might stop talking, or worse, she might take offense. That wouldn't end well.

 

"So these Talents of which you speak and the ability to learn them fully give us an advantage over the Aes Sedai." Ayrik quietly considered that thought. Not omniscient. Not infallible. They were human, and poorly-trained in comparison to how he could be trained. "What kinds of Talents are there?"

[Liitha]

M'bela shook her head. "Any person can have a talent, though the talents who are in some way conected to the one power are ones there is far more of, but for sure there is some talents that even non channelers may have. It has nothing to do with ligth and shadow. However many migth not even know or realise they have a talent, and even if they come to understand they have some skill..." she paused "..to go from that and to understand how to properly use it, that is another thing."

 

She smiled at the intiate, "Oh for sure with their knowledge all in all its not the worst place if you do have a talent, cause they do investigate on everything, so surely they would be able to help discuover one, and even dig for some old info on one. And surely there is those who studies their own talent when one apear, for all that should someone within their lifetime come along with the same one then they can help eachother."

 

She leaned against the fence, "And then there is other groups, some who harvested peoples of a special group of talents and been sure to teach their as well they can. Fact of it is we can not fully know. But yes i would say still the white tower with its migthy knowledge would be one of the bether places to find a talent in oneself and be able to get what help could be goten."

 

She knew she was talking in contradiction as of yet, "The fact of it is thoug, they are not alone in harvesting information, any weapon is a usefull one, and you can see how a talent can be a weapon. The white tower after the breaking was something in a slow forming of stray Aes Sedais who for long wandered the land as in the age before. Then the white tower was built and they started collecting information in one place. The shadow, well not all of the chosen was captured you see" she grinned, she had long since warded their conversation from listeners.

 

"A litle before Tar Valon was built finished the fortress stood in full construction. Unlike the Aes Sedai spread out and gathered again by themself, the dreadlords where gathered by a chosen, one who had lived in the age now gone. So thats a source of information that we have had that the white tower dont, it is my belif as such that togheter with the info we have gathered as well, we likely stand as strong as they do on this subject. But of course there always been factions in the shadows to, and such there migth always be that the same problems of learning a talent may occur in our side, the info migth just not be avaliable, or you migth not know where to look for it. So in the end it migth come down to some luck at least, but anyone willing to realise their potential and strive for it. Yes i think any such has as good a chanse to learn it in the shadow."

 

She smiled, oh she despited the white tower, but it was a force in its own way she reconed, and even kittens could be killers given the rigth opertunity. No it was good to realise one had a bether chanse of it and the rigth view of it, but not to grow to haugthy to not see an potential danger, one power was as deadly in anyones hands potentialy.

 

"Now as for types of talents, there is some difrent ones. Coming by info is as hard for any one single of us as it migth be for the Aes Sedai in the tower, and their ranks is not clean. No I dont belive there is such thing as a full list of potential talents. And because they are rare and have such circumstances around them of information trouble, it is something to keep in mind but not to overly worry about. But since you came for advices, well then I will give one, learn to ward your dreams, and should you ever feel a dream is not rigth then imagine yourself at a safe place, envision it close your eyes if nesicary and make it come to be with all your imagination, then stay there clean your mind of all other thougths and focus on that place only till your dreams become normal again" she gave him a wink and started walking off, leaving him to think on that litle bit of information.

 

All in all she had a feeling his curiosity and wanting to learn could come in handy, he was all in all quick of mind. Oh yes mayhaps could he have potential of a minion, time would show, she had a feeling if she had him figured out rigth he would come back with more questions about that last piece of information she had fed him. And if so it was a card she ment to use well to play him into her hands in this game, she had always use for some good peoples.

[Quibby]

As the Dreadlady spoke, Ayrik gradually allowed his consciousness of the world around him to fade, focusing on everything she said. He had known that the Fortress had been established before the White Tower, but by that much? It was difficult to believe. This woman seemed to be shattering each of the preconceptions that the had always held one by one. It would appear that I've chosen the right side in this war. Now to make a name for myself.

 

As she spoke, though, Ayrik began to feel a crawling nervousness. Something seemed out of place. "But since you came for advices, well then I will give one, learn to ward your dreams, and should you ever feel a dream is not rigth then imagine yourself at a safe place, envision it close your eyes if nesicary and make it come to be with all your imagination, then stay there clean your mind of all other thougths and focus on that place only till your dreams become normal again." Ayrik's eyes lit up in startlement at that. The Dreadlady, either not noticing or, worse, noticing and taking pleasure in it, gave Ayrik a wink before she sauntered off.

 

Okay, what has just happened here? What was that all about? Ayrik's mind was racing, even as he was committing everything that she'd told him to memory. Dreams weren't real. Why should he be worried about a dream that didn't seem right? Could she or others somehow use dreams? Maybe read minds through them? "That's ridiculous," Ayrik muttered, occasionally glancing as the woman walked away. Is it, now? Even if she was trying to pull a fast one on you, it would still be wise to learn this 'dream ward' of which she spoke. With a sigh, Ayrik settled against his post. He would have to ask her about it again sometime.