OOC: Honestly, I don't know if she would be amused or angry, but for the sake of RP, Arath is going to assume angry.

IC: Well, the offer of friendship was nice, and not unwelcomed, but the last part... Arath went bug-eyed and choked on his own saliva. Charm!?! The Mistress of Trainees!... Once the initial shock wore off, Arath began laughing uproarusly, so hard that tears streamed from his eyes. "Light... charm the... the...Mistress of Trainees!" Arath collapsed into another fit of laughter. "You poor, poor man. As your only friend in the Yards, I will take it upon myself to arrange your funeral. Here lies the Ligh-blinded fool who tried to charm the Thera, Mistress of Trainees."

Arath waited for his breath to even and wiped his eyes. "But seriously now," Arath said with a solemn face, "Don't." He didn't need to add any more warning, if Jasine was dumb enough to do that, then he was the only one who would suffer. "But I don't mind the first one, just find me if you need some help, or something like that." It had been a long time since Arath had had any real friends, and he didn't know what else he was supposed to say, so he ended it there. "Anyway, like I said, polite, determined, but not cocky, and don't worry, she won't kill you... yet."

And with an evil grin at the other boy, Arath raised his fist and knocked firmly on the wooden door. He didn't bang, because banging would be rude, but he politely knocked just enough so that it wouldn't sound timid. He could practically smell Jasine's anxiety next to him, but just grinned again. "Ok, nice meeting you, but here is where I leave you, I've got places to be and things to do. Good luck!"

The not-yet-trainee was obviously not of low birth. It was the first thing that Arath noticed about Jasine. When you grew up a low classed peasent boy barely off the streets in Caemlyn, the first thing you were taught was how to recoginze your higher ups. The way he bowed, practiced and crisp, and the way he introduced himself spoke volumes. Arath now did the same, but that was because he was trained by the Tower Guards. Tower Guards came from all lands and classes, but the first thing you learned was to forget everything you once knew and learn to live, breathe, and act the way a Tower Guard is supposed to. Arath felt a small surge of dark glee at having this person, who was once a higher standing than he, bow to him, but he supressed it imediately, letting nothing show on his face.

"Of course, the first person you need to meet is the Mistress of Trainees. Be polite, she's tough as nails and will chew you up and spit you out even if you are being polite, but it's better than the alternitive. And remember, you aren't training to become a warder, you're training to become a Tower Guard. If an Aes' Sedai happens to take an interest in you and wants to bond you, then good for you, but you aren't the one who makes that decision. Aes' Sedai choose their Warders, not the other way around. But on a lighter note, you shouldn't have any trouble enrolling, the Mistress rarely, if ever, turns anyone away, not at first. Just follow the rules because enrolling is just as easy as getting kicked out. The Tower doesn't pay to train those who won't train themselves," Arath lectured, deciding to give the soon-to-be trainee a bit of advice.

"But on a lighter note, right over there is the cafeteria, it's public and the food is free- the best kind," of course, depending on how highly this boy was raised, he might disagree; however, Arath knew from experience of not always having sufficient food on the table that free food was the best food. "Over to the right are the Baracks, where you'll be rooming for a while. You're free to use the Yards to train, but don't interfere with other people's training, especially not now that you can't defend yourself. They won't be too hard on you, else the Mistress will have their hides, but they'll make you learn the hard way.

"Aha, here we are, any questions before you submit yourself to a woman's mercy?"

The afternoon sun beat down on the Yards mercilessly, relentlessly attacking the poor inhabitants of the Grounds. Today was the kind of day that had the trainees and Tower Guards reluctant to go outside. However, Arath was not like most Tower Guards, and he welcomed the challenge, even if the saner part of his brain begged him to go inside. He was currently doing agillity excersizes very near to the wall, for at this time of day right next to the high wall was the best place to train in the shade. Arath mentally went over everything that he had to do today. He had already done his daily run, for he knew that the day would be hot and so he did it in the cool morning. Right now he was training his agillity, and would spend hours running back and forth, especially since his recent encounter with his fellow trainee Melenis.

Soon, he would switch from agillity training to working on his sword forms, and from there do his daily crunches, pull ups, squats, ext, when the afternoon heat faded. Out of the corner of his eye, Arath saw ,a boy leaving the stables, but ignored him. Plenty of people walked around the yards all day and Arath could not be bothered to stop and observe each one. He went on with his training without even giving the boy a second glance, likely he would just continue onto his room to get out of the heat. After about ten more minutes of the agillity training, he drew his sword and began going through the forms. Arath started grasping his sword in a neutral stance, neither foot in front of the other. His right hand was further up the hild than his left, hinting that he was right handed. His body was relaxed, his hands at his waist and his head slumped down. He calmed himself, attaining the clear headedness and mental focus needed for his Me'Arearth disipline.

Finally, he raised his head, as well as his hands, and stepping forward preformed The Boar Rushes Down the Mountain, a simple but powerful overhead strike. Then, he imediately pivoted on his right foot and preformed Low Wind Rising, a diagonal slash going from low to high, now facing where his left shoulder was pointing previously. Arath continued dancing through the forms gracefully, attempting to make the motions second nature, visuallizing an enemy attacking him as he fought. Also, he began adding in his own adaptations to make his unique style. Arath was short, and used that to his advantage. His sword was short, and so he moved very quickly, instead of blocking his imaginary opponent's strikes, he would lightly deflect them while moving forwards, into the strike, instead of away from it. The practice was very dangerous, and so he would have to be fast, much faster than his opponents, and he couldn't afford to loose focus for an instant. However, the results would be deadly.

Finally, swinging to a stop, Arath noticed the boy he had seen earlier, staring at him with an interested look on his face. It didn't take him long, now that he was really looking at him, to see that the other young man was not a trainee yet. He did not wear the uniform required of all trainees, and he looked lost, like he wasn't used to the large expanses of the Yards. Approaching the boy, Arath sheathed his sword. "Hello, I'm Arath Talavin, are you new here?"

OOC: Oh dear, you brought friends too, poor Arath ;D

IC: Arath's eyes widened as the Aes' Sedai Healed him. It was the first time that he had ever been Healed by the Power, and it was definately a strange experience. When the Green sister touched him, he felt like his entire body was being dunked into icy water. His breath was knocked out of him, and he suddenly felt a little weakness that he hadn't felt before. However, one sensation that was absent though was the stinging pain of the shallow cut on his arm. "Th-thank you Aes' Sedai," Arath stuttered slightly, before he cursed himself. Standing before him was a genuine Aes' Sedai, and he was stuttering like a fool.

"My name is Rasheta Ardashir, I am Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah.” Her laugh was melodius, like the purest of bells. “Although I’m sure you could tell by the shawl. What’s your name? Maybe you could show me how to do the various forms.” She was nothing like Arath had imagined an Aes' Sedai would be like. Her voice was kind and gentle, unlike the strong, merciless bark that he had imagined all Aes' Sedai to use. Arath had no earthly idea why she would ever want to spend more time with him than was absolutely necesary. Maybe if he was a strong warrior, but he was just a lowly trainee, with lowly heritage. However, she had asked him his name, and he was not about to refuse her.

Using every formality that he knew, Arath bowed. "I am Arath Talavin, Rasheta Sedai." Arath's tone was low and almost timid, but he was proud that he didn't stutter. "And of course. Uhh..." Arath looked around until he spotted a couple of wooden training swords, for the newest of trainees. He fetched them and returned. He didn't know why an Aes' Sedai would want to learn how to use the blade, but he had heard rumors that the Green sisters often learned up blades, and some of them could even beat many of the Tower Guard! He handed Rasheta Sedai the blade carefully and politely, while keeping his eyes politely averted downwards. He didn't want to offend her and have her call forth lightning and fire and destroy him where he stood, like the stories insisted happened to every man who offended a Sister.

"Ok, hold the blade out in front of you, like this," Arath demonstrated, "use both hands, your dominant one should be on top, and make sure to keep your elbows in, but not so tightly that you prod yourself in the ribs. If you keep them too far out they are prime targets, but too close and they constrict your movement- yes! Like that!" Arath did his best to imagine that the woman in front of him was just another trainee, who asked him for a bit of advice. "Your feet should be no wider than shoulder length, so you don't get off balance, and put your dominant foot in front, about half a pace. Ok, uhh, bend your knees a little bit more, if you stand up too strait you will be easy to knock over. Good. Alright, this form is call The Boar Rushes Down the Mountain; it's a good one to learn first. Raise your blade strait up, so that your hands are just above your head, and then bring it strait down. It should end with your blade pointing strait out."

Arath watched the woman do the form a few times. "Wow, you must be a natural! I mean- You have done very well, Rasheta Sedai. Not that I didn't think you would! I mean..." Arath drifted off and fought back a blush.

Bladework. It the second most important thing in Arath's mind, the only thing barely more important than it was physical training. The basis of being a warrior revolved around bladework (or weapon-work, if one did not weild a blade). Arath had recently finished instruction today, and had been told that he was progressing excellently. He was pleased to note that he was indeed becoming stronger. Of course, he was a long way from being proficient, but he had mastered the basic forms, and the months of training had done him some good. Also, he was feeling more confident than he had when he first started. Arath was just reaching the point where he was stronger than a good amount of the other trainees.

Just as he was about to call it a day and do more physical training, he saw something out of the corner of his eye- an Aes' Sedai was watching him! He was about to turn to her and bow, before he realized that she didn't know he had seen her. He was not facing her, and his blade was still naked. In a spur of confidence Arath didn't know he possessed, the trainee began his forms again; however, this time he was doing them as fast and graceful as he could. The Arc of the Moon became The Cortier Taps His Fan became Tower of Morning. Arath went through all the forms he knew, doing them much better than he ever had! Because of his great success, he decided to throw something else in there. Today he had just began to learn a more advanced form, however he didn't know it very well. Finally Low Wind Rising became Striking the Spark. The form was a little uncomfotable, but Arath was doing it very well.

About to finish the form, pleased at his performance, Arath put down his foot and shifted most of his weight onto it. However, the next thing he knew, he was on a one way collision with the hard ground. It took him a moment, but he realized that he had placed his foot on a patch of slick mud. Humilliation didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling. Arath had tripped, in front of an Aes' Sedai of all things! And if that weren't enough, he had managed to cut himself on his arm on the way down. It wasn't anything serious, but he cut himself on his own sword... in front of an Aes' Sedai! Arath quickly prayed to every diety that existed that the Aes' Sedai had gotten bored half way through and left.

"Are you alright?" Arath heard from behind him. Blood and bloody flaming ashes! He wanted to sink into the ground, to turn invisible, for the Creator to have mercy and send a lightning bolt fromt he heavens into his skull. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened, and so Arath was forced to get awkwardly to his feet, making sure not to cut himself (or much worse, the Aes' Sedai) with his fallen blade, and begin to stutter a responce.

Arath had gotten over his panting, and was apreciating the slight burning of his muscles. It had been a while since he had sparred with another opponent, and the buzz was always welcome. Melenis was a good opponent, and he had enjoyed the challenge, especially because it was friendly. It had been a while, years in fact, that he had fought a friendly fight. And most of the time he came away bruised. Because of this he was glad to hear Melenis' next statement.

"Indeed. We should measure our progress more regularly, wouldn't you agree?"

"Most definately," Arath agreed.

Seeing the woman massage her arms, Arath felt a sliver of pride. Pride in his abilities was not something that Arath had felt often. Of course, he acknowledged that he himself had some bruises around his body, but he had much worse, and fought with much worse. He couldn't wait to fight Melenis with a sword, for he had a feeling that the challenge would be exciting. Another reason he was looking forward to fighting her again was to measure his own abilities. Arath had been training in the Yards for weeks, and he felt like there was no progress. However, sparring with someone near his own skill instead of a teacher showed him that he was not stagnating. Mainly what he had learned in the Yards so far was bladework, and he couldn't wait to test his abilities.

"Arath, what weapon are you specialising in?"

"Oh, I'm specializing in the Wakizashi," Arath replied. Hearing the chime of the Tower bell, he was distracted and missed the suprised look on Melenis' face. "Oh! That time already? Sorry, I have to go to bladework lessons. Hopefully I'll see you again." With that Arath jogged off in a hurry.

It's no problem, you're a buisy woman, take your time. (Although it would be strategic if I can get in another post by friday or saturday, then you have a month of freedom from me before I come back demanding for posts =P )

Character Name: Arath Talavin

Rank: Trainee

Bondmate: None

WS: 4

Character Number in this division and all others: 1

Oh, I don't expect others to keep up at my speed, but I figure, if I find someone who can, why should I hold back ;D

And Eqwina, I would love to RP with your Accepted. I'm not looking to make friends IC, just meet people, there's no problem with making enemies. However, I'm not in a rush, but if at all possible could you post on my arrival before we make another thread? :)

And Selene, if you want to work something out, that's fine with me.

Hey, no spamming on my threads! ;) Anyway, but if anyone wants to send Arath on a chore into the Tower, or something like that.

=) Ok, my problem is actually that I'm progressing too fast, and I want to slow myself down by getting to know some people IC (and therefore OOC). But yeah, I'd be happy to RP with you when I'm a TG

exactly 3:17 and 36 seconds PM... nineteen and fifteen-sixteenths inches, and 7.1 lbs

There, does that make it more clear? And you're right Selene, I meant to say sixteenths

Lol, I wasn't asking for training, I just want to meet people IC

Yup, now the two Araths have to meet, we must arrange something.

And I've already done the challenge requirement, but I'm up for doing a challenge for fun!

exactly 3:17 and 36 seconds PM nineteen and fifteen-eighteenths inches, and 7.1 lbs

Hey, I was wondering if anybody wanted to RP with my trainee? I know that he's not allowed in the tower, but novices, accepted, and Sedai are allowed in the Yards, so maybe he just gets grabbed for a chore? I don't need any requirements, I just thought it would be fun to RP with someone outside of the WY?

:D :D Talavin :D :D

but how about IC? I want Arath, my character, to get to know as many people as he can IC. I don't care what their relationship ends up being (sometimes it's good to have an enemy or two hehe 8) ) If anyone's interested, just give me a PM or post here!

Arath felt a little glee at seeing that Melenis was in much worse shape than he was, but didn't gloat. The fact that she could keep up with him at all was impresive, considering that women were much less physically capable naturally than men. Arath took the canteen that was very politely offered to him and drank a swig, before giving it back. Arath got into a fighting stance, and saw that Melenis was also ready. The past couple of times, there had been a warning to start, but this time there would be nothing of the sort.

Arath rushed forward, throwing a fist at the woman's head, but at the last minute changed and tried to kick her feet out from under her. He did his best to just imagine her as a man, for the idea of fighting a woman was unsettling. He didn't hold back at all though, because he respected Melenis far too much for that. She kept up with him before, and it would be an insult her to hold out on her now- she was not just a woman, she was a warrior.

The fight not like a sword fight at all. Sword fights were graceful, like dances, and you always kept your distance in sword fights. Fist fights were different; instead of staying in midrange, like you would with a sword, you had to get in close, inside of your opponent's guard. Fist fights were fast, even faster than blade fights, a single mistake and you had a broken nose. Because of this, Arath absorbed himself in the fight, letting his attention be completely devoted to Melenis.

Punch met block, kicks were dodged, holds were broken. It may not have been the same dance that blade fights were, but the fight had its own rhythm, it's own beat. Melenis punched and he blocked, while moving in and down for a punch at her ribs. She brought up her knee in an attempt to bash his face in. Arath shifted so that instead of punching her, he pushed off of her raised knee, and once again they were in the mid range, circling eachother. They came together once again, getting closer and closer until Arath managed to get a clamp on her head. For an instant it was almost like they were preparing for a dance and their genders were reversed. His hands were around her neck, but then he clamped his elbows together so that she couldn't escape the grasp.

Just before he was about to knee her in the stomach, Arath saw Melenis' fist closing in on his stomach from very close range. At the last second he pushed the woman away from him, and they were once again circling each other. Melenis ran at him, trying to punch him in the face. This time, however, he caught the offending limb instead of dodging or blocking, and in return sent his elbow towards her cheek. Unable to pull away or dodge, she managed to catch the elbow with her free hand.

"Hm, now what?"

Aparently, that wasn't what the woman wanted to hear, so she attacked him with her knee. Because Melenis had one of his arms (and he had one of hers) he couldn't dodge, so Arath raised his leg and winced as her knee hit his leg. It wasn't that bad, because she didn't have enough room to make it as powerful as it could have been. Now they were really in a deadlock; they each had one of the other's arms, and one their legs were tangled. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Arath knew the situation that they were in, and knew that Melenis knew it just as well. If one of them lowered their leg, the other would have a free shot. If one of them let go of the other's arm, the other would have a free shot.

"We seem to be in a mess, here," Arath stated. Melenis nodded slowly. "Let's call this one another tie and each back off at the count of three?" Another nod. "One, two... three." Both of the trainees let go at the same time, and stumbled backwards. "Alright, I give up, why don't we just call the whole thing a draw for now?" Arath requested, extending his hand towards her.

Up, down, up, down. It was all a very continous rhythm. It was hypnotic, and Arath could ignore the burning sensation that was beginning to appear in his abbs. He focused only on the rhythmical pattern, and devoted a small bit of brain power to keep track of his count. Every now and then he would glance at the shadow creeping up on them, to see if he needed to speed up for the last stretch. Arath wasn't that exhausted, however, he did more sit-ups on a daily basis- the only problem was the time limit that he had imposed.

As the shadow grew dangerously close to the drawn line, Arath sped up his pace, going much faster than before. Now that his rhythm was thrown off, he made sure to focus only on his breathing, and noted briefly that Melenis had also sped up for the final seconds. He did sit-up after sit-up, until finally the shadow covered the line, and they both stopped. Arath panted, not used to doing so many sit-ups in such a short amount of time.

"Alright, let's write the number behind our backs." Two-hundred and fifty-seven. Arath felt pride that he had done that many sit-ups; even if he didn't win, he was definately getting a great work out! "Ok, you ready?" With Melenis' consent, they both stood up. To Arath's shock, the exact same number was written behind where the woman had sat. He had to bite back a chuckle at the situation, this was certainly unexpected. "Ok, I don't think that doing regular excersizes will help us at all, why don't we solve this with a good old fashioned brawl, no weapons?" Arath asked while getting into a ready stance.

Melenis Stormgate, huh? It was definately a name that Arath was going to remember. Melenis was not what he imagined when he thought of a woman. She was strong, and more than just physically, in many ways she reminded Arath of himself. She was cool and composed, but at the same time far from cruel, in fact she was quite polite, but Arath had never gotten on her bad side.

"Hum, yeah. Except I have a feeling that if we don't put a limit to it, we'll be going on for days. How about this, you sit on that side of the line, and I'll sit on this side. See that shadow over there? The one of the branch? Well eventually it'll be directly over the line, and when that happens we will stop. Then, we'll write the number down behind us so that neither one of us can see it, and stand up to see who won. I'll count us off."

Arath and Melenis sat on opposite sides of the line, both ready to start. Arath knew that he could do at least three-hundred sit ups, and couldn't wait to see how well his opponent would do. "Ok, ready... set... go!" With that they were off, and Arath quickly sat up and fell back down as quickly as he could. One. Two. Three. Four. Five...

As the rock hit the ground, the two of them sprinted through the track. Arath was suprised to realize that he didn't have to hold back at all to keep up with the woman beside him. It was actually a little embarising, concidering that he spent most of his time training his speed. Another thing that Arath noticed was that they were very evenly matched; however, they obviously had different strengths and weaknesses; Arath would pull ahead on the strait parts, and his opponent would pull ahead on the corners. He made a mental note to double his agillity excersizes.

The first four laps passed without anything eventful, but then on the final lap Arath realized a fatal error: he had made the end line right after a corner. Because there was no way that he could pull ahead on a corner, Arath knew that he had a big problem. Eventually, an idea hit him, and he began gradually slowing down, as if he was tiring out. He had to let her think that he was finished, and then put on a last burst of speed at the last turn and pull ahead. Arath let the finish line get closer, and closer, and closer, until wham! He sprinted as fast as he could, pulling ahead of the other runner.

Arath was just about to pass the finish line, victorious, until he saw something out of the corner of his eye. The woman had managed to make up enough ground on the corner that they were neck and neck. Arath could have pulled ahead had there been any more ground, however, there wasn't, and so they passed the end line at the exact same time, without any difference in between them.

Arath spoke between light pants: "I think that this one's a tie..."

It took him a moment to catch his breath, but when he did, he continued his sentence. "So how about a tie breaker? Not another race, it would end up the same... how about... a sit up competition? See who can do the most? Oh! And I don't think I ever got your name either."

Arath felt a little nervous, he wasn't good at socializing- especially with women. He was afraid that the woman in front of him would be in a bad mood and shoot down his offer, or call him a fool, or both. In fact, now that he thought about it, she had looked like she was resting, and prodding a resting woman was as bad as prodding a resting monster. Luckily for Arath, however, this woman seemed to be in a social mood today, so her responce was a kind, positive one.

"Very well. What's the course, five laps around the Yards?"

"Hmm," Arath contemplated. It wasn't a hard course, but it was early, and he supposed they could both use the warm up. Five laps around the yard that they were in wouldn't take a very long time, and he might have a new friend at the end of it.

"Sure, I'll throw a rock into the air, and when it hits the ground, we'll start. Here, this line here is the start line and the finish line." Arath drew a line in the dirt.

Both of the competitors took stance behind the line. "Ok, you ready?" upon seeing her nod her consent, he threw the rock up in the air. It seemed to take a long time in falling, drifting delicately like a leaf in the wind. Arath tensed as it got closer and closer to the ground, until finally it hit with a clunk acompanied by the thunder of two pairs of feet.

Physical training. It was without a doubt the most important thing that a warrior could do. When you boil life down to it's bare minimums, your body is the most important thing. Life is all about how you manipulate your body. Even those who are paralyzed manipulate themselves, the smallest shifting of facial muscles conveys a completely different emotion. A true warrior had to be a master of themselves; before they could master a blade, they had to be able to have an awareness of themselves, and confidence in their abilites. A warrior was nothing without their body. A man can fight without a blade, but without themselves, there is nothing.

With these thoughts in mind, Arath spent his days training in the Yards, becoming faster and stronger, more agile and swift. Every waking moment that he didn't spend training with a sword, he spent training his body. His first excersize of the day would be an excersize to train his agillity; he would draw two lines in the dirt, ten paces away from eachother. Afterwords, he would run from one line, to the other, touch the line, run back, touch the line, and repeat. Arath would spend about an hour on the excersize, then he would excersize his lower body, doing hundreds of squats and sit ups. Of course, he didn't neglect his upper body- he would do push-ups and lift weighted bars. Finally he did weapons training, and after that a long run as the sun went down to train his endurance.

Most of the other trainees were lazy, prefering to train for a while, then hang out with their friends, getting only half as much done as he did. However, he noticed one woman working as hard as he was. His initial reaction was to laugh and exclaim that a woman could never become a warrior, but he soon remembered his own history. Arath remembered how he was laughed at in Caemlyn by the Guard, and never given a chance. He would truely be a hypocrite if he allowed himself to put down another warrior-in-training without giving her a chance, which was what brought him to her side.

"Hello, I'm Arath Talavin. I know that training alone can be ineffective and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to do a friendly race?"

Challenge

Don't Go Into That Forrest!:

http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,31613.0.html Complete (Aproved by Corwin)

Initial WS- 2

Current WS- 3

Well, first off, the member list doesn't look like it's been updated any time since 2007, second off, I notice on the member list there is an area for phillosophy while phillosophy descriptions have been removed from the website. Also, if a third of those people on the list are still active I'll be very suprised. Just my two cents so far