See!  All great legends had some sad story about their childhood, but Addi had none!  Maybe she should make one up?  She could say a band of brigands attacked her farm, killing her father and Jake; in the attack she could have barely survived and now all she lives for is to be able to defend herself.  Or maybe, she married Jake but he was abusive, so, she ran to the Tower to escape him?  Maybe she was never a farm girl at all: she was raised by brigands, then when she saw them kill people she got scared and ran away; now she lives to hunt down every last one of them.

“If you’re foolish, I’m even worse.”  She tried to smile but couldn’t help but blush—or well, she would have if her cheeks were capable of a darker shade of red.  “No one wants to just be nothing, right?”

Addison wondered when, exactly, her mind had been made up.  One moment she was wondering if she were even capable of being a Warder, now she could hardly remember wanting to be an Aes Sedai!  The Aes Sedai might get all the glory, but every powerful Aes Sedai had a Warder who jumped through fire for her.

Another blush turned her face even more red.  He was a trainee?  If a trainee was that good, what could Warders do?  A look of wonder passed over her face, momentarily wiping away her blush, as she dreamed of Warders battling hundreds of enemies at a time, killing deadly monsters, sneaking into guarded fortresses to rescue their Aes Sedai...

“What brings you to the tower?”

The sound of the trainee’s voice brought her back to reality; she stumbled over her feet and blushed even deeper.  “I um...”  All legends had extraordinary childhoods.  Either they were the heir to a kingdom, hunted by a jealous usurper, or they were born on the streets and their courage helped them overcome their upbringing.  Addi didn’t have any kind of story; all she had was a failed attempt at becoming an Aes Sedai.  “I didn’t want to be a farmer.”  Her voice sung progressively lower, to the point of inaudibility.  It wasn’t that she was ashamed that she was nothing but a farm girl with big dreams...  Okay, maybe she was a little ashamed—but just a little.

She looked over at the trainee as blushed again.  He was tallish and was built like Jake.  No, he was definitely more muscular than Jake and he was going to be a Warder.  Damnit, her face was burning!  Plus he was more... the Gleemen liked to say things like “exotic”. 

Clearing her suddenly very dry throat, Addison stuck out her hand.  “I’m Addison Thwait, but most people just call me Addi.”  She expected him to shake her hand?  Light, she was an idiot.  Was it possible for a person’s face to burn off from embarrassment?  “So uh...  What brings you to the Tower?” Stupid, he said exactly those words.  “I mean um...  Why are you here?”  Why is he here?  Like he doesn’t have a right to be?  Could her face get any redder?  Bloody hell, what if he looked at her and saw her blushing?

Crack!

Addi jumped.  The boy’s bloody hand elicited a wince of sympathy from her, but she was pleasantly surprised that the girl seemed to have won the fight.  Despite his injury, the boy shrugged it off and asked to continue.  He didn’t even seem to be in pain!  Before watching the pair fight, she’d been so scared that girls wouldn’t be allowed to be Warders or that girls would be at a disadvantage as warriors compared to men—apparently not!  Besides, it didn’t even seem to hurt when they got hit with things; maybe there was some trick so they didn’t feel pain?

She could picture it now: Addison Thwait Gaidin, Bonded to the legendary Something Sedai.  They would be in the middle of a huge army of Trollocs and on the very verge of being killed.  Then, Addi would decide to sacrifice herself to save the life of her Aes Sedai, but the Aes Sedai wouldn’t let her because they were such good friends.  Deciding to sacrifice themselves to killed the horde, they would massacre all the Shadowspan and when they were too tired to keep fighting, reinforcements would arrive from the White Tower only to discover a thousand slaughtered Trollocs and the two unconscious, barely breathing bodies of Addison and the Aes Sedai.

Crack!  Addi jumped again.

One of the pair had gotten hurt again and their instructor was stopping the practice for the day.  The boy seemed to have noticed her staring; she blushed.  Deciding she should probably talk to him, to avoid looking like a total fool, Addi blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  “Are you a Warder?”

*bump*

even children's aid couldn't manage it :P

*is squished*

just how I like 'em

you practically set yourself up for it

ya, there's Advil for the migraines

and the taste... well, let's just say there will be a very large cup of coffee waiting for me after voice juries

I haven't sunk to chewing on straight grind since...summer

and I'm going to give it up for nearly 2 months :P  I have some modicum of self-control

BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINS!!!!!

*sniffs Aubrey and decides to look for more appetising prey*

and they wouldn't distract you?

*tries to decide who is the bigger addict*

*bleeds to death*

*sigh*  why exactly did you bother to raise me only to kill me now?

though the real question is whether that falls under sadism or masochism :P

all out of grapefruits, you'll have to settle for half a head of lettuce, a half dozen carrots, and half an onion

if I'd done that I'd be dead by now :D

http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,39821.0.html

someone mind pointing Addi in the direction of the friendly MoT?

The noises around her were foreign to her ears.  The feel of the pouch of coins clutched in her hand was unfamiliar.  The dance-like movements of the people around her were strangely transfixing.  The concept of women wielding swords alongside men was unheard of in Braden’s Hill.  Addi felt lost in the sea of sweating bodies.  The Tower stood high in front of her, but despite its proximity, her dreams of white dresses were totally unattainable.  She had spent so long imagining the things she’d be able to do as an Aes Sedai; now that they were impossible, she no longer knew what to do.

With no other options, she would not return defeated to her run of the mill life in Braden’s Hill, she’d taken the Aes Sedai’s suggestion and wandered down to the Warders Yard.  Now that she was here, in so unfamiliar a place, Addison wasn’t sure she was... ready?  Or was she just scared of failing again?  Of exhausting all her dreams and being nothing but ordinary?  Jake had asked her once why the concept of just being normal was so frightening for her, she hadn’t had an answer then and didn’t now.  It was just this... inability to settle.

Still unsure of her decision, Addison sat down to watch a pair a girl and boy try to hit each other with wooden swords; the pair couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than her.  She was amazed by their ability to move so fast, they seemed to know exactly where the other was about to strike and managed to defend against every attack.  The two kept moving faster and faster, never seeming to get tired—they didn’t even seem to notice Addison sitting, staring.

Was this what she wanted to do with her life?

tehehe... oldbies

Jingle chains, jingle chains,

Jingle all the way,

Oh what fun it is to slave,

Due to insanity, hey!

...ya, that's the best I cold come up with :P

I'll get this up as soon as I finish the last post for my arrival

give me 'til tomorrow

*rattles shackles*

the returns are almost inevitable

WS 4 to 5 - complete 1 req

Mountain Climbing

Climbing Higher: Trainee Mountain Climbing Class (20 posts COMPLETE)

The Yard's clumsiest trainee miraculously survives a mountain climb.

WS 3 to 4 - complete 1 req

Prank

Hell Hath No Fury (18 posts COMPLETE)

Addison and Edana embark on a revenge mission for women everywhere.

WS 2 to 3 - complete 1 req

Weapons Selection and Care:

Reporting for... Duty? (9 posts COMPLETE)

Cairma helps her klutzy new trainee choose her first weapon.

WS 1 to 2 - complete 1 req

Conflict:

Well, This Should be Fun (26 posts COMPLETE)

Addison begins dorm-life on the wrong foot with her roommate Sandre while others are forced to keep things from getting out of hand.

WS 1 - complete 1 req

Arrival:

Delusions of Grandeur (5 posts)

Addison arrives at the White Tower with the dream of becoming an Aes Sedai, only to learn she cannot channel.

Plan B (18 posts COMPLETE)

Addison finds herself in the Warders Yard, unsure of her future.

The Aes Sedai refused to look her in the eyes now.  The future Addi had planned for was crashing down around her head and the Aes Sedai couldn’t look her in the eyes!  She was a failure, a disappointment!  Maybe there was something else she could do to become an Aes Sedai?  “But...”  The woman shook her head.

Questions were asked, but the barely registered in Addison’s reeling mind.  She would never be an Aes Sedai.  She would never do all those incredible things she’d dreamed about for years.  All those feelings that she was different, better, not just a boring farm girl—they were all a lie.  Jake would be happy, he’d smile and hug her and ask her to marry him.  They’d raise a family together and take care of the farm together, but they wouldn’t be happy together.  Addison wouldn’t be happy.

The woman mentioned becoming a Warder, but it tasted bittersweet.  Warders took care of Aes Sedai, Addi wanted to be an Aes Sedai.  But she couldn’t just go home.  Dejected, Addi took a bag of coins from the woman and let herself be dismissed.  The Aes Sedai had better things to do, like test the girls would could channel.

Heavy steps led away from the White Tower.

heh, if you two want to be in a room nearby and spectate (or even join in, pick sides, escalate, etc.) that'd be awesome.  Way I see it, the more of us that can kick a req in one thread the less we'll have to bug the TGs for classes

*disembodied finger points to its own bits spread across a great many trees*

that and to clean other trainees' bits out of the trees...