Me me!

An'drea (Dre) Tior, Novice

Y'all need to learn how to party from us trainees over in the barracks. :P

I actually meant this as a thread for everyone to use to post that they are looking for roommates, not just me. :)

Kopair entered the office and for a moment had a flash of memory and say the day he'd walked in and met the former holder of this office when he first arrived in the Yard. The look on the woman's face as she gazed at him made him sure that he was not going to enjoy this experience. But it was worth the cost.  Watching Liitha leave, he almost asked her to stay, but decided it was for the best to not try and get on the wrong side of Thera.

Staring straight ahead, meeting her gave levelly, Kopair stood arrow straight with his hands clasped behind his back as he began. "My story? Yes ma'am.  Over a year ago I came to the Yard because my home in Andor had been raided by brigands from across the river. My father died in my arms as I arrived too late to help. My mother, my sister, and my love were gone, taken by brigands. I knew not where they were taken, or if any of them were even still alive." Kopair paused at this point, feeling the memories of that night begin to overwhelm him, and using the techniques taught to him by Aran so long ago, he let the Spring wash over him, and he was able to continue.

"All I knew is that the stories my mother told me as I grew up said I could come here, to the White Tower, and become part of that force for good in this world. That I could learn to protect others so that nobody else I loved would be taken from me.  After starting my training there came a time where a man came to me here in the yard, with a message for me. He knew not what the message contained, but was promised payment for delivering it. Giving him some coin, I opened the package and found a letter saying that my sister was being held hostage, and that if I ever wanted to see her alie I was to bring a ransom to a small farm in an isolated area of Northern Tear. Included with the letter was a lock of what seemed to be my sister's hair, tied to the the ring our parents had bought her for her birthday the year before she was taken." Kopair absent mindedly touched his coat pocket, as if reassuring himself something was still there.

"I arrived, with no money but intending to find some way to free her. Instead I found an abandoned farm and no sign of anyone having lived there for a very long time. I asked questions at a nearby village, and from there started a chase that lasted for many months, with my target always somewhere else by the time I arrived at my next destination. Whoever the person was that sent me the package, I learned he was traveling alone. But he'd had the ring, he had to have some news of her. I will not lie though. Once I had the information, I intended to kill him for what he did to me.  Eventually though I gave it up for lost. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch up. And I began to think of what I'd left behind here, and all that I still needed to learn.  I decided to come back."

"I understand I did wrong, and I do not deny it. I will take whatever punishment you ask of me.  I only ask that, once done with the punishment, I'm allowed to return to my training."

So some of the training reqs require us to RP with other people in the Yard, including other Trainees. So I thouight this would be a good post to have for when we come to those reqs and need to find someone to help. So post here if you're looking for another trainee to help out with an RP.

I figured this would be a good thread to have. If you're looking for a roommate for your Trainee, post here.

If I ever get to be raised I'd love to be a Mentor, but I have a bit to go yet I believe.  But I'm learning from the best. *shameless flattery*

"Every fight is a food fight when you’re a cannibal."

Happy birthday Mat! ;D

Kopair worked hard, trying to make up for lost time, but knew he had no chance to finish the job before someone came along expecting him to be finished. Sure enough a short time later he heard soft footsteps walking along the stables toward him. Finishing the stall he was on, Kopair leaned the pitchfork against the wall and turned to see who had arrived.

His eyes immediately fell upon a woman he never thought to see already, but had hoped he would get to see again. She looked different, more mature, with longer hair and the red streak gone. He had to admit that the changes became her.

"Liitha..." he said in surprise.  Suddenly he remembered where he was and who Liitha was. Shaking his head he stood up straight and looked her in the eyes. "I'm glad to see you again Liitha. I was hoping to get the chance to see you again now that I was back.  I wanted to apologize for leaving the way I did. I wanted you to know what had happened."

An'drea stared around her, trying to take in her new situation, as the young woman, (Melina was it?) lead her out of the Tower and around back. As they walked they passed through what seemed to be a practice yard and full of people sparring with various weapons, target practice, and other arts of battle. Many of the young men, and women, caught her eye as being rather attractive. It was too bad none would ever have an interest in a scarred wreck like her, but if the rumors she'd heard were any indication she doubted she'd have much time for outside pursuits anyway.

Soon Melina lead her into a large building in the back of the Tower grounds and showed her to her room. inside was a large bath full of steaming water and all the things necessary to wash the weeks of travel away. For some reason Melina didn't leave, as if feeling she needed to keep an eye on An'drea, but she didn't care. She was far too interested in the prospect of a bath to be self-conscious. Stripping quickly she slipped into the hot water and began to sluice away the layers of grime as she thought about all that had transpired.

She was at the White Tower now, and enrolled as a Novice. Her uniform seemed to be a plain white dress with a wash-leather purse bleached white to go with it, so that must be what Novices wore. She knew from stories in the Borderlands, where Aes Sedai are not unknown, that there was another group of women called Accepted. From the way Darienna Sedai had made Melina jump, and from the other women she'd seen wearing the same banded dress, she must be one of the Accepted.

"Melina," called out An'drea suddenly, "how long does it usually take to become an Aes Sedai after you first come to the Tower?"

Melina had been sitting in in the only chair in the room, watching An'drea bathe with a distracted and absent look on her face, and gave a start at being addressed. "How long?  On average, about 20 years. Some less, some more, but usually at least that long. 10 as a Novice, and 10 as an Accepted."

An'drea quailed inside at this information. 20 years! She couldn't help but despair about her aspirations now. She didn't know how she could ever manage that long. But she knew she had to, and so she knew she'd do it. There was no other choice.

Soon she finished her bath and slowly got dressed, enjoying the feel of clean clothes against her skin once more, then slowly brushed out her hair and pulled in forward across the right side of her face to once again hide her scar. Settling down on the bed she engaged Melina in idle conversation about life in the Tower as she waited for her Mentor to show up. She was anxious to begin her training.

Kopair stumbled slightly as the closing door caught the heel of his boot. Shaking his head he made his way out of the Tower and back to the Yard.  When he arrived back he was glad to see that Leawen was gone when he got back. Now the rest of the punishment would be on him alone, and not cost anyone else. He had to admit, he was surprised he hadn't run into the Lieutenant again. He wasn't afraid of the consequences though, and had no plan to hide.

Arriving back at the stables, Kopair pulled off his coat once more, tossed it aside, grabbed the pitchfork, and once more went back to work. He was nearly done as it was, even with his trip into the city. The years growing up on his father's farm had taught him the most efficient way to clean a stable.

Losing himself in the work once more he couldn't help but ponder the situation he was going to be facing. He knew that soon enough he was going to have to face more then just chores for his running away. Soon enough the Mistress of Trainees would want to see him. From what he'd heard there'd been a new Mistress of Trainees appointed while he was gone, and he knew nothing about what she was like. He'd also heard that Liitha was no longer on the roles as a Mentor, which meant that if Kopair was allowed back to his training, he'd have to get a new Mentor.  But he hoped he could at least see Liitha once more some day, to apologize for vanishing, and explain why he'd done it.

Just be warned, some of the ladies here bite. ;)

Dre frowned slightly behind the Aes Sedai's back as she walked out of the room, feeling very uncomfortable at the direct look she'd given Dre's scar. Her thoughts started to drift into a very depressing spiral when she was immediately jerked back to reality as the Aes Sedai called out from the other room. "So, what is your story?  What prompted you to come to the Tower to begin with?"

Dre thought about this question for a moment, pondering just how to answer.  There were many things that she could say that she was sure would satisfy, but the memory of those eyes upon her made her decide that the whole truth would be the best bet.

"I...  I came because I failed once." Dre hesitated at this point, doing her best to master the tears she delt building. "Trollocks raided 10 years ago. It was a bad. Half the village was in flames.  My older brother..." At this she had to stop for a moment, the memory of her brother grabbing his sword and running out to fight filling her mind. "He'd just turned 18 a month before. Had been practicing with his sword for only a year. He ran out to join the other men.  I knew he needed me. He needed help. He couldn't fight on his own. I grabbed a knife and ran after him. He was fighting a trollock.  I ran over to him. I tripped. The knife I was carrying..."

She trailed off again, this time absentmindedly touching the scar on her face, remembering the feel of the blade as it'd cut her before she passed out. This time barely keeping from outright crying. "When I woke out I found out my brother had died. The trollock killed him, and left me for dead. My brother died because I failed. I won't fail again.  My mother always said that the Creator made women to keep men out of trouble, and she was right. And I failed in that. I can't let it happen again."

Sighing, Dre looked up as the Aes Sedai came back into the room, and hastilly scrubbed at her face to hide the tears she knew must be pouring from her eyes. "Please, you need to understand. Growing up, people laughed at me and called me stupid. How could I, a skinny ugly girl think she was going to protect men? Men have big muscles and big swords. Well I know my brother had big muscles and a big sword, but he died because I was clumsy and tripped. Men need us to protect them, and I need to learn to be an Aes Sedai so I can do that. "Fire flashed in Dre's eyes as she finally showed some spirit for the first time, looking the Aes Sedai directly into the eyes. "Call me silly if you'd like, but I know it's what I'm supposed to do."

OOC: Obvious Green material I think. :)  But she needs to get some confidence. I'm considering playing up some kind of block laong the lines of that little voice in her head keeping her from being able to channel unless she's able to stop listening to it.

Dre gulped as she followed the woman into the room and saw the speaker, a woman who che couldn't put an age to, sitting behind a large desk with pipe in hand. The look on her face was intimidating to someone who couldn't help but remember all the stories about Aes Sedai.

""The wheel doesn't look like its been spinning in your favour of late young girl.  The pair of you take a seat."

Dre blushed sightly, cringing inside at how horrible she must look, and checked to make sure her long hair was still hanging down to cover her scar. She listened with rapt attention as Darienna Sedai dropped the small blue gem and dropped it suspended in mid air. Following directions she fixed all her attention on the gem and concentrated her entire mind on the task at hand, though the entire time a small voice whispered inside her that she was going to fail, that there was no way she could ever become an Aes Sedai.

A minute passed that seemed like an hour, and then another, dragging on for her as if stretching into forever. Finally after five minuted Dre began to despair of it ever happening. She sighed and let her mind relax, letting the doubting voice go silent, and at that very moment the gem glowed with an unmistakeable blue light that was not a reflection from the other light in the room.

"Is... is that it?" she asked timidly. It had been such a small glow. It was probably just a mistake.

OOC: If you want her bio, it here: http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,20015.0.html

An'drea approached the White Tower wearily, her steps shuffling and her face haggard. She'd seen hard times over the past several days, after having to sell her horse for money for food and walking the rest of the way to Tar Valon. And even the food money had run out over the past couple of days. She was tired, and hungry, and full of self-doubt at her plan. But she was here now, and couldn't turn back, so it was now or never.

Walking up to the gates of the Tower she approached a guard, hanging her head to let her hair hide the scar on her face. Unsure of herself, wondering if she was even going about this the correct way, she addressed the guard while staring at his feet.

"Excuse me sir," she mumbled.  "My name is An'drea Tior, and I've travelled all the way from Kandor to become an Aes Sedai."

The guard looked at her for a moment, not exactly used to girls just walking up to him off the street and asking to become an Aes Sedai. "What's that you say?  An Aes sedai?  I'll have someone take you into the Tower. There you can wait for one of the Sisters to decide what to do with you."

Motioning to another guard who had been listening to the exchange, the other guard stepped up to Dre and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying "Come with me girl."

Dre walked with the guard across the Yard and up the steps to the Tower. Soon she found herself in alarge hall with other people, men and women, who had come to the Tower with petitions. She sat on a bench and waited, staring at her feet, wondering what she'd do if the Aes Sedai told her she had to leave. That she wasn't good enough.  Soon a young woman in a white dress with bands of color along the bottom came up to her with a smile.

"So, are you the one they say has come to learn?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Dre, glancing up at the woman. "I want to be an Aes Sedai."

"Well then, I'm to take you to the Mistess of Novices. She will sort you out quick enough. Who know, you may be one of us soon."

Motioning Dre to follow, the woman lead her through a maze of corridors and stairways, before arriving in a long hallway that ended in a wooden door.  With a glance over her shoulder to see that Dre was waiting still, the girl knocked on the door.  From inside a voice called "Come!" and the girl opened the door and then curtseyed to whomever was inside.

"Please Aes Sedai, I've brought the young girl who arrived saying she wants to learn. I was told to bring her to you straight away."

*jumps up from his hiding place, throws some well aimed pillows at Coren, Andrea, and Eqwina. Grabs Estel and runs off with her with a maniacal laugh*

Woohoo!  Can't wait to get started with my second DM character. I'm starting to become an addict. Beware! ;D

Kopair entered the shop and immediately spotted a large man with a bushy beard in the back of the shop who looked to be the owner. Walking up to him Kopair looked around to see if ther was anyone else nearby. Seeing nobody he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Are you Harard?" asked Kopair of the man.

"I am," he replied, looking up from a ledger to study Kopair. "And who are you that asks for me? How can I help you?"

"Sir, my name is Kopair and I come on an errand from the White Tower. Maegan Sedai sent me to pick up a package for her."

"Studying Kopair intently for a moment, staring into his eyes, he finally gave a short nod and moved toward a doorway into a back room. AS he walked away he called back over his shoulder in an overly casual voice. "I'll just have to go into the back and get it.  Tell me lad, how fares the weather today?"

Kopair made a show of staring out the window for a moment before responding, as if pondering his answer. "The sun is warm, but no birds appear to be singing."  The man made no response to this, simply vanished into the back, and Kopair couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake somehow.  Finally though the man returned with a large parcel he seemed to be straining to carry.

"Here you go lad," he said as he set the package down. Reaching into a pocket he pulled out a small handkerchief and mopped his brow before continuing. "This should be everything"

Kopair thanked the man and then straining under the weight of the package he moved out of the shop and headed back to the Tower. Soon he arrived back, and after getting some directions he found himself staggering slightly under the weight but finally outside of Maegan Sedai's door. Handling the parcel awkwardly he managed to give a knock on her door and waited eagerly to the end of this chore.

I've always enjoyed "Come to the dark side. We have cookies."

*quietly hides in the corner, drinking a beer, enjoying the show, and hoping blame doesn't fall onhim for starting it all in the first place*

I've got an idea for you concerning my characters predicament and an RP you might like to do. I'll PM you in a bit. But besides that, just wanted to say congrats once again. :)

Well Andrea did say some of the Reds have Ter'Angreal to detect male channeling, so I would imagine any Dreadlord would find himself in a not-so-fun situation training in Yard. Might be fun though. ;D

Hmm.  I'll try to decide later if I'm offended by that or not. :P

Kopair watched as the Aes Sedei smiled one last time and left the stables. He couldn't help but shake his head ruefully. Never even a moment of hesitation on her part that they'd do exactly as she asked. But then, he imagined most Aes Sedei probably expected precisely that. And she was a Red. That was something to think about. Reds never seemed to have much use for men from what he'd seen, but he'd also heard rumors. Perhaps she was one of the different ones.

Regardless of the mystery surrounding the Red's motives, Kopair now found himself in a sticky situation. On the one hand, he had Jasen's wrath, and on the other, the wrath of an Aes Sedei. And considering the strange instructions regarding this task it sounded like it might be rather important, meaning failing could bring the wrath of the Red Ajah as well, not the kind of attention any man would want. Such thoughts did not make for an easy mind.

Making up his mind, Kopair leaned his shovel against the wall and walked over to Leawen. "Listen, I know you were set here to watch me and make sure I did Jasen's task and nothing else. However this task the Sister set isn't something you have to do. I'm going to go do it, because I think it's something I need to do. Take this as an opportunity to stop with the buckets, go tell Jasen I've left, and then go on about your day." Picking up his coat and saddlebags from where they lay discarded nearby Kopair headed towards the Trainee barracks to wash up. "And thank you again for helping me," Kopair called over his shoulder. "I won't forget it."

Hurrying to the barracks Kopair tossed his things in a corner and quickly rinsed off with water from a barrel outside. Pulling on some clean clothes from his bags he set off at a jog, out of the Tower grounds and into the city. After  a few stops for directions Kopair soon found himself outside of the store he was searching for. The building was of course magnificent, sculpted by the Ogier as was every other building in the city, and to Kopair's eye greatly resembled a fish leaping from the water. As he walked in his mind couldn't help but wonder how Jasen would react when Leawen brought him the news that Kopair had left his task unfinished.

OOC: I've got a wedding to go to tomorrow, and some other stuff to do tonight, so won't be around much the next couple of days. So if you guys want to have fun here for a couple of posts and plan something bad for Kopair, have fun. :)