I kind of have the opposite problem. Leala is pretty much emotionally not there. xD I need her to interact and make friends and soften up just a little.

Novice reqs complete! May I continue with my Arches now? :)

Before Leala could object, Auriane took four of the broom handles she had been carrying. She blinked as the other Novice seemed to take over to help her. Her mood seemed to change rapidly as well. She smiled and let her fuss over her, thanking her for her efforts. She followed Riana up the stairs and listened to her try to chat her up. Her attention was called when the girl said, “It’s funny, isn’t it, how much we change when we come to the Tower? You should have heard how I used to speak in my village. It’s so strange what an environment does to you.”

The Novice smiled and nodded to her friend's statement. "It is strange, yes. Before I came to the Tower, all my life was about politics and the other nobles," she said before taking in a few breaths before speaking again. "I'm the second born, but my elder brother isn't very good at Daes Dae'mar." Again, she paused to gulp in a few lungfuls of air. "When I first came tot he tower, I had never had a friend before. I'm glad I met you and Lyra as my roommates," she said, meaning every word." Finally, the two Novices reached the fifth floor. Leala stared down the hall for a moment, recalling what the Accepted had said. "The fourth on the right," she repeated before moving forward again. When she reached the room, the door was already open and she walked in with Riana. "I apologize for the wait, Accepted," she said, bending her knee and moving her right foot behind the left foot in a half curtsy. She couldn't lift her skirts with her arms full, after all. "We thought that we would need a bite to eat since our chore would go on through lunch." Taking another few breaths, she added, "And I ran out of breath sifting through the dust in the supply closet." Moving the eight broom handles to a small stack in both arms, finished by saying, "Do you have the paper we are to cut here?"

Leala looked the Accepted in the eyes after explaining and waited for her reaction.

Yup. The one we're doing now is my Novice Life req, and my last one. Just one more post, and I can go through the Arches. ^^

As Leala and Auriane strode down the corridors, she thought of what she might say to the cooks. A simple explanation would do, surely. And poor Riana seemed to want to be done with this day, which meant she would do the talking. It seemed her time in the Court of Caemlyn was very useful here. When the Aes Sedai took pause to assess their circumstances, Leala curtsied to her and answered, "Yes, Aes Sedai. And we have been charged with another task as well." The Sister seemed not to care but gave them a glance that at least acknowledged their good work before continuing on her way. The girls walked the long hallways until they finally found themselves at the Dining Hall. They were careful to stay out of the servants' way as they set the tables for lunch and slipped into the kitchen. The cooks were busy as ever. The meal smelled nearly done. She wished she could have eaten something like it. But life as a Novice was not nearly so lenient. One of the cooks, a plump older woman approached them and demanded to know what they wanted.

"Pardon me, Mistress," she said, bobbing another curtsy. "I know that lunch has not yet been served, but we have been charged with a task to last through lunch." The woman nodded, listening. "Is there anything that we can eat as we work to tide us over before Supper?"

"Ah. I may have something." The cook walked over to a counter and scooped up two stale rolls that thad been waiting to be tossed out. She handed one roll each to Leala and Auriane.

"Thank you so much, Mistress. May the Light shine on your soul." She gave the cook a polite, political smile, but it was still grateful.

The cook nodded, seeming to be in a slightly lighter mood than before and ordered them out.

While it was terribly impolite, Leala ate her roll along with Riana as they walked to the supply closet. She looked down at the broom handles and listened to her roommate. "Hm...the average Novice class is perhaps twenty students strong. But a little extra would prove useful, I'm sure. Let's both take twelve," she concluded as she began to sift through the broken implements. After a few moments of looking, they both had found twelve broom handles. She put a hand on her chest and noticed that she was breathing rather heavily. The dust was affecting her. "One moment, Auriane," she said as she stepped out to catch her breath. Leaning against the wall, she waited for the episode to pass. As she did, a Yellow passed her by, but did not offer a Healing. Turning back into the supply closet, Leala took six handles in each arm, using her sleeves as shields from any splinters, even though she could feel them pinching her arms through the material. "I'm sorry, Riana, but we'll have to take a slow pace to the room," she said, dreading the walk up the stairs to the fifth floor.

Leala's attention was diverted to the Accepted who stepped forward and ordered them to find broom handles for one of her classes. She understood the necessity, however, they had already been charged to this chore. And by an Aes Sedai, no less. But, there were still other Novices hard at work at the same chore. She stood up and curtsied before Accepted Gera left. She took the dirtied cloth that she had hung on her belt and wiped her hands as clean as they could be from the mud. When Auriane seemed to think that she was dirtier than Leala, she offered the cloth to her. With the cloth in the other girl's hands, she thought on the dilemma that she had brought up. "You're right, we would be missing lunch," she confirmed. "Perhaps we can stop by the kitchens on the way to ask for something to eat while we work," she suggested. "And if we're still hungry afterwards, we can get something to eat that was leftover." She pulled her sleeves down again and untied her hair and returned the cord to the crown of her head.

She turned to the other girls and explained what had just happened. They seemed rather put off that they would have to clean up their mess, but they also seemed to feel more fortunate that they wouldn't have to miss lunch. Meals were one of the few breaks Novices received throughout the day. Turning back to Auriane, she said, "We've worked throughout the day and missed meals before. It's best to take it one day at a time," the young noble said, turning towards the White Tower with her roommate. They had yet another long day ahead of them. At least it would be another day closer to their next free day.

Leala pushed her hair back for what seemed like the twentieth time since she had set to work weeding the rose garden with a group of other Novices. Finally, she gave up and straightened her back, taking the white cord off the crown of her head. She untied the small knot and wrapped it around the bulk of her soft golden curls. "Better," she said, continuing to to dig in the ground. She listened to the prattle of the other Novices and her ears tuned in to her roommate, Auriane bemoaning the fate of the wild flowers they collected. She slid her white sleeve up a bit to dig deeper for a stubborn root and when she finally derooted the plant, she decided to add her thoughts to situation. “Weeds, the Aes Sedai’d call them. It’s a bit silly, they’re lovely, really. Just in the wrong place,” Auriane had said.

"Don't worry, Auriane," she said, giving her a small smile as she tossed the clump of soil and plant to the side. "These flowers can bloom any where. But if we allow them to bloom here, they'll steal the life of the roses," she explained. "It all makes logical sense in a cyclical way. I'm sure the Aes Sedai wouldn't mind if we asked to replant them elsewhere," she added. Looking up, the young noble smiled again to see a soft yellow rose. "This one looks like the rosebuds in my family's seal," the girl said. "I prefer to imagine my rosebuds as red, though," she said, referring to the rosebud exercise that had been taught to them to embrace Saidar. "Red is so full of life. And while yellow roses remind me of home..." her words trailed off as an image of her brother appeared in her mind. "...Some parts of home are best left forgotten."

Realizing she had just rambled, she continued in her chore. She was glad that Auriane had moved into her cramped room with herself and Lyra. She found it much easier to open up around the other girl. She found the good in all things, it seemed. Leala looked for how things worked and how they were connected, rather than how they improved the world. She cleared her throat and decided to speak up, back on the original topic. "Perhaps if we suggest a good place to the Aes Sedai, they'll let us go into the city with an Accepted," she suggested with a shrug.

Hooray! I look forward to it. ^^

Sure! It's taking my other partner a little longer than normal, which I can understand...but I'm sooooo close! I'm itching to get that last req done. xD I wouldn't mind changing the thread for the last req for Novice Life to be one with you and I can still finish the other one with her when she's ready.

I thought we already had something planned for this. Even though I'm almost done with my reqs, I really don't mind. :) I love to roleplay, and I can still roleplay as a Novice after I go through the Arches.

Tomoyuki stared at the town surrounding the Black Tower. Well, what he could see of it any way. There was a large gate blocking the way. The shock of traveling such a long way by Gateway was washed away now that he had visual confirmation that this place existed. His trip from Cairhien to Tear had been very introspective, and it almost seemed like the recruiters in the city recognized him on sight. He still wished he would have taken an offered horse to Tear. But his conscience told him that the man offering it to him wasn't in his right mind in the first place. The other man probably had more use for it than Tomo. So, he had walked the whole trip from his hometown to the coastal city. It was an experience, seeing the ocean, but it didn't last long. The recruiters had told him that the Black Tower was actually in Andor. He had been tempted to throw his hands in the air and just start a new life there, but the other men explained that he could get there by way of Gateway.

Now he stood before a project greater than he could have imagined. He saw people moving around in between spaces of the unfinished wall. Men walked around in black coats with various pins tacked onto them. Others were engaged in what looked like weapons classes. The small knife strapped to his wool pants must have seemed so small to and insignificant to what these men were doing. He felt a strange tingling sensation on his arm, too. Strange. Taking in a breath and letting it out, the small Arafellin and Cairhienin man strode the remaining distance to the guarded gate. He wasn't exactly sure what to say to the guards, so he decided to weave his words and see what reactions they had. "So...this is the Black Tower, is it?" he half asked, giving his voice the inflection that he was also half-joking. Of course this was the Black Tower, there was a gigantic black wall in the works around the place. The two guards that he had addressed glanced at each other and back to him.

"What's it to you?" the one on the left asked sharply, no humor in his eyes.

So, this was serious, then. He nodded, changing his tone to a serious one as he said, "I'd like to enroll." The humor and askance disappeared from his eyes and he looked the man in the eyes, standing as straight as his heavy bags would let him.

Without a word, the guard on the left departed, inside the gate. The other didn't budge. And so Tomoyuki waited.

Alright, I submitted an application. Yay, I love to keep my mind busy.

This looks interesting, I'd like to know, too. :)

Leala Gymorraine

Character: Tomoyuki Sarenda - Soldier

Started on my last req~!

Leala watched Lyra depart the room and had to sigh. She had tried, she could at least claim that. It seemed her new roommate simply did not wish to relate to her. She took an extra strip of parchment that she had acquired from her own supply for notes and marked her place in her book. She had torn the parchment thick enough to be noticed as it rested in the bindings of the book, but thin enough not to be missed when she needed to write. She slipped from her bed and smoothed her skirts. Even though she was at the bottom tier of the Tower, she still felt the need to look presentable. She inspected her dress for wrinkles or perhaps small pieces of lint. Even though she had acquired this dress today, It had still been someone else's before. She spotted a few barely visible stains. One noticeable one on the left arm looked like black smudges. She wondered if the Novice who had had this dress before had wiped her forehead of soot or if she had wiped her eyes of tears from homesickness. Leala's own home would have soon lost use for her. The White tower was her home now. That's right. This is my home, and Lyra is part of it. I must try again until we are at least on comfortable speaking terms, she thought to herself.

With renewed resolve, she held herself properly and strode the small distance to the door and left her small, shared quarters. The crowds of other white clad girls and young women were still filtering through the halls to the Dining Hall. As they entered the Dining Hall, she kept an eye out for the smaller but older girl. The poof of brown hair would have made it easier to find her, had it not been for the throngs of others. The suppers had already been served. The daily chaos had become custom to her. But she still waited for the day that she could eat in private, as an Aes Sedai. Finally, she found the young merchant, observing the goings on of the Dining Hall. She sensed a curiosity in her eyes. She wanted to see what was going on and assess it. Now walking with purpose, Leala strode through the crowds, weaving between people, she found her roommate and quickly and gracefully sat next to her right before someone else took the seat. She flashed the other Novice an apologetic smile. The other girl seemed hardly to notice as she continued to chat with her friend. Leala hoped to learn a bit about chatting without a political agenda in mind.

Once settled in her seat, she turned to Lyra and in a pleasant tone, began to speak. "I know that you were hoping not to see me. But, the fact is we will be sharing quarters for perhaps the next ten years," she said matter-of-factly. "I think we should at least make an effort to become friends. Perhaps we should start over." Adjusting her position, she offered her hand in greeting. "My name is Leala Gymorraine. I'm from Andor. It's nice to meet you." She waited again for her roommate's reaction. She knew that her approach seemed logical in its essence rather than heartfelt, but she was better with logic than with emotion.

Glad to be here! :) I can't wait to start roleplaying.

Congratulations! :)

Eeeee, I'm getting so close to my Arches! *is excited*

Leala could tell that her new companion would perhaps not take to Novice life in the Tower as easily as she did. This life was certainly different than her life back in Caemlyn, but if she wanted to complete her journey to become an Aes Sedai, she would have to adjust accordingly. The same was for Lyra as well. The expression on the other girl's face was clear that she did not like the idea of doing chores each day, even after supper. When Leala asked about reading, Lyra's burst of laughter surprised her yet again. This was certainly a fresh change from nobles who kept their emotions and hidden agendas to themselves so much that even their faces were unreadable at the best of times.

The vivacious young Novice began to explain her philosophy on life as a merchant and why she would rather not read a book in her spare time. The young noble agreed that her roommate's life did indeed sound more exciting than the life she had lived for the past fourteen years. Her speech made her smile, though. Perhaps they could somehow relate to each other in a strange way, then. "I read books, especially histories like these," she began, showing the other girl the cover of the book that lay in her lap while keeping her spot with the tip of her forefinger. "Because while I've traveled to many places because of my parents, there will always be something I don't quite know about a place. The last time I was in Saldaea, I was only four years old, and I don't recall many things. So, I like to refresh those vague memories and learn new things if ever I happen to return there one day," she explained.

Her gray eyes turned away from Lyra for a moment when the Supper Bell sounded. Tentatively, her gaze returned to the other Novice. She had made it clear when she first entered that she wanted little to nothing to do with her, but perhaps... "Would you like to sit next to me in the Dining Hall for supper?"

Well, I know this might seem like jumping the gun since my current character is only a Novice, but she'll be looking for a Warder when she reaches the shawl. After her, I have a second Aes Sedai in the works who is going to be a Green and will need a few Warders. I hope that helps...

 

Definately helps, Thanks! Glad to see more Aes Sedai in the making. Good luck with multiple warders...have you spoken to Rasheta yet? I heard warders can be a handful and potentially lead to a sudden onslaught of insane behavior.

lol, no I haven't talked to Rasheta yet. But, hey, I need something to keep my mind occupied. :)

Well, I know this might seem like jumping the gun since my current character is only a Novice, but she'll be looking for a Warder when she reaches the shawl. After her, I have a second Aes Sedai in the works who is going to be a Green and will need a few Warders. I hope that helps...

Leala continued to read in relative silence. She could hear other Novices talking amongst themselves through the door and the rustling noises of her roommate changing into her new Novice dress. She had been working on chores for most of the day, and even when she wasn't working, she was still running errands. This was the first time she had time enough to herself to read and enjoy something similar to solitude. A small part of her mind was distracted by Lyra's presence, but she knew that if she were to become an Aes Sedai, she would have to become accustomed to living with so many people in the Tower. The White Tower was much bigger than the palace or her family's home on their grounds. The library alone was enough to make her forget any small inkling of homesickness she may have experienced. And as she unlocked her hidden potential in the One Power, she had more and more to look forward to. As she thought of all this, she realized that she had not comprehended the last few sentences she read. Going back to read them, she read of the prosperous horse trade system of Saldaea.

Again, the Novice was caught off-guar by her roommate. Lyra had spoke to her. Her tone of voice almost sounded like she was reluctant to do so. Looking up from her book again, she listened to what she had to say. "And why aren't you out there working, doing "chores" as they call it around here, before this supper bell?" she had asked.

"Ah," Leala began. "I finished my chore perhaps an hour ago. Then I went to the seamstresses for measurements. I probably won't have chores until after supper or tomorrow morning, so I stopped by the library for a book afterwards." She glanced to her door, wondering what it would be like to mingle with the other Novices. It still didn't seem very appealing. She would rather sit in her room and either read or perhaps converse with her unwilling roommate if she wished it. She hesitated for a moment to ask another question due to Lyra's initial outburst, but she knew that if they would be living in such close quarters together, they would have to speak eventually. "Do you like to read?" she asked sincerely. At least she hoped it sounded sincere. She tried to recapture the tone she used with her father or her younger sisters. Every other tone she used was reserved for dealing with other nobles.

Leala was enjoying her book quietly, relishing in the stories that it told. In the Palace, she would have had to study this and write a report on it. Still, she was studying in the Tower as well, but it was nice to enjoy the stories that history told. She liked the personalities described of the women in Saldaea. They were opinionated and were not afraid to speak their mind and show their anger. In Andor, everyone kept their emotions reserved. They certainly were not as reserved as the Aes Sedai in the Tower, but they were rather narrow-minded compared to the women of western most Borderland nation. She wondered where she would be if she had been born a Saldaean girl. Just as she was thinking about this, she heard a few knocks on the door. "Come in," she intoned politely. The door swung in, revealing Mirella, a Novice she had exchanged pleasantries with, and a shorter girl who seemed rather surprised about her circumstances. Mirella explained that Leala would be the girl's roommate and mentioned that her name was Lyra. She left and Leala laid her book on her lap to welcome her to their room. However, she was caught rather off-guard.

Lyra, who seemed as small as a Cairhienin, but seemed stronger than her size, slammed the door shut and immediately threw her belongings on her bed. Leala furrowed her brow and blinked at this strange reaction and before she could ask if she was alright, her new roommate spoke.

"Look, I don't know what they mean by shoving me in this tiny room with some slip of a girl barely old enough to be off her mother's apron! How ever, stay out. of. my .way."

For perhaps the first time in her life, Leala was struck completely speechless. She had no idea how to respond to Lyra's anger or her apparent prejudice against her for being younger than she. The slim Novice returned her attention to her book and relaxed again when she saw Lyra making moves to undress. "Very well, Lyra," she said in her tone she reserved for the most sensitive of situations. Perhaps if she called her by her name, the other Novice would see that she was willing to compromise. When her mind returned to her book, she realized that while Lyra resembled someone from Cairhien, and possibly had some Andoran features in her face, she behaved like a Saldaean woman.

Novice Leala Gymorraine headed to her room. She had visited one of the seamstresses of the Tower for measurements that day. The dresses she wore were, as she had expected, too loose in the hips, and certainly had room for movement in the shoulders and chest area. The seamstress had given her two extra dresses that she felt would fit the girl better. She had even let Leala pick out a white cord to hold back her hair. The ribbon that Valeri Sedai had lent her did the job, but it would slip out of place with too much movement. She placed the ribbon in her belt pouch, though. It may have use later on. After trying the dresses on, much more satisfied with their fit over her lithe and still developing body, she had headed to the library. She had made quick work of her chores, without neglecting them, for the time being and had some time to read. In her hands, she carried the extra dress given to her that day with the dress that the Mistress of Novices had given her to tide her over, and a book that contained a brief history of Saldaea. She had read a bit about other countries, but stories about the Borderlands always held the mystery of the Blight and the strong people that defended against these threats.

The other Novices in the hall where her room was were giggling and chattering as they always did. Finally, she reached the solitude of her room. It housed an extra bed, but Leala was still the only occupant. She hung up her new dress and still kept the extra dresses, despite that they didn’t fit her as well. Taking off her shoes, she sat on her bed and leaned against the wall, her dainty feet dangling from the bed. She began to open her book when something caught her eye.

Looking up, she took note that there was a set of sheets folded on the other bed that had not been there before. Would she have a roommate soon? She rather liked being alone in this room. The ability to lose herself in her studies or her books took away from the drab surroundings. However, new company from someone that had nothing to do with the Palace at Caemlyn would be good for her, she knew. What would she be like? Where would she be from? Would they become friends after living in such small quarters together? Shrugging these questions off, Leala settled in again and opened her new book about a nation that thrived alongside the Blight.