Duram released the power and smiled at Mina who seemed a bit overwhelmed by the fact that they had crossed a vast distance that would have days and weeks.  It was easy to tell that they weren't anywhere near Cairhien, it was warmer for one because Tear was that much closer to the equator.  Furthermore, one could smell the salt of the sea upon the strong wind, see and hear the waves buffeting the shore that was well within sight.  Standing upon a well worn path, it led towards a manor that was situated at the top of the slope they were upon.  The home of a number of people who Duram would say he called friend over the years, even if they weren't all loyal to him.

 

Letting go of Mina's hand, Duram began strolling up the path towards the manor house.  The sooner he got Mina there, the sooner the girl could get settled in and Duram suspected that Nyssa would be better suited to dealing with the girl.  If there was one thing above all else that he'd observed about the sister turned wife and mother, it was that she appreciated a good ball of twisted yarn to unravel.  Her need for problems and challenges would keep her engaged with the girl as much as the warmth that Michael had rekindled in her.  "Come along Mina, up ahead is your new teacher and new home."

 

It was a moment before the girl caught up, though she was perhaps too busy taking it all in still because she didn't speak.  As they neared the manor, Duram began to supply her with bits of information that would help.  "The lady you are going to be staying with is Nyssa, a lovely woman and one of my most trusted lieutenants, in fact she bears the title of M`aeshadar amongst my followers."  Magister.  "She will give you a home where you will be safe and help you develop your skills with the power rapidly, but will also take a care for your safety while she does so.  I doubt I need to say this to you, but she is a woman worthy of respect and I would appreciate it if you treated her and her household accordingly."

 

They were near the entrance to the manor now.  Puzzled that he saw no one about, Duram nevertheless couldn't determine anything to be wrong so he went to the door and knocked on it quite firmly.  That got a call from within to wait a moment, Duram couldn't help but smile.  Knowing the house as he did, there was a good chance that Leon was responsible for the delay, the little brat managed to keep everyone busy, especially now.  Duram couldn't help but favour the boy though, especially considering how they first met.

 

"She'll be here any a moment."

 

 

Duram Laddel Cham

Be`lal, The Netweaver

Duram had required Mina to take his hand again and this time it had been a tad easier even though it still required conscious effort to assure herself that it was just a touch. Then he had made strange silvery doorway to appear. He called it Traveling and supposedly behind it was Tear; it sounded quite unbelievable but she had to just look at her hand to see that he could perform miracles. It was starting to dawn on her that he just might be what and who he claimed to be even if he wasn't three meters tall and didn't have a necklace made of baby bones or something as horrible. He was behaving far too normal and far too kind for her to even believe that he really could be a darkfriend.

 

She was a step behind him through the gateway in the air and the weather was instantly warmer and she could smell salt in the wind and see the waves crash on the sand. She had never seen the sea before and it seemed to stretch for eternity until it became one with the horizon. She was staring at the sea gulls and just breathing the fresh air until Duram reminded her that she was to meet her teacher. That immediately wound a knot of uncertainty on her belly and the manor seemed to loom threateningly. He was already some way ahead when she forced her feet to move and followed him.

 

It helped that he told her a bit what to expect. She nodded obediently that she would of course be well-mannered and was glad that she wasn't required to speak. The whole thing made her very nervous and she wondered who else lived in this big house beside the woman who would be her teacher. A woman's voice at least answered Duram's knock biding them to wait and she wondered what could be keeping them. These people had been likely seen them approach from the windows and if he really was who he was, they should have been rushing to receive him. Stroking the hilt of her dagger she busied herself with the sea gulls again and focused on counting them.

 

Mina

A new Shadow recruit

The entire day had passed without a hitch so far. Mary had readied the room for her new apprentice, and Nyssa has worked on a lesson plan. If Duram’s message was accurate, then the girl who would be soon joining the family was not only completely unskilled in the use of Saidar, she had also had a bit of a rough history. Especially that last part had prompted Nyssa to say yes to Duram’s request. “The things people do in the name of the Light.” She muttered as she inspected the room one last time.

 

It was a spacious place, with a large bed and a small sitting area near a small fireplace. It had a view on the ocean, the way many rooms in the manor had. But most importantly, it would offer the girl some much needed privacy. Nyssa remembered all to well how she had yearned for that when she was a child, with as many siblings as she had had. And when she left for the White Tower, she had had a roommate. Sure, Eva Targe had been a quiet one, being mute, but there was something oppressing about always having to share your space with someone. Nyssa enjoyed her private space, even though she was glad to share it with Michael and her children.

 

Speaking of which… “Have you seen Leon?” she asked the maid. Mary shook her head. Nyssa frowned for a moment. The boy had been awfully quiet all day, which meant he was up to something. She could read her eldest son like an open book. If only finding him was quite as easy. There was a time when he had hidden in the maze, and it had taken her hour to locate him again, just before Michael was ready to cut the entire thing down. “Let’s find him, shall we?”

 

He wasn’t on any of the upper floors of the house, as her wards hadn’t warned her about such a thing. So downstairs or outside it was. “Maybe he’s actually behaving today.” She mused. A snigger from Mary told her that her maid thought that was highly unlikely. Nyssa had to agree. They were just about to finish searching the ocean-side of the manor when a noise at the door caught her attention. “Oh dear… forgot the time.” She said, blushing slightly. Leon never failed to make her look like a fool in front of the Chosen she served. Rushing towards the door, she only took a brief moment to straighten her dress before opening the door.

 

She smiled when she saw Duram smirking at her. “Worry not, the rascal is nowhere to be found. Then again, that on it’s own can be seen as a source of worry…” she curtsied, as she always did before the Chosen. Duran didn’t require it, but it was one of the few signs of servitude that Nyssa allowed herself. Then she turned her attention on the girl standing next to him. “And you must be Mina. As you may have guessed, my name is Nyssa Deameau. Come in, dear. Why, you look exhausted. And hungry, I’m sure?” Nyssa guided both Duram and Mina towards the sitting room, before sending Mary off for tea. “Well then… any urgent questions on your mind, Mina?”

 

~Nyssa Deameau

Finally a woman came to open the door and Mina diverted her attention from the birds. She was beautiful with dark hair and dark tilted eyes and seemed fairly non-threatening with a welcoming smile. But looks could deceive and the talk about rascals was slightly alarming. She curtsied to Duram, so Mina thought at first that she was a servant of the house until she spoke to her and introduced herself as Nyssa. It gave Mina a pause and she glanced thoughtfully at Duram. Nyssa kept fussing in a motherly fashion that reminded her of Mistress Caldevwin... who had also known something of Duram and not been the slightest alarmed.

 

There was another woman called Mary who had to be the servant as she was sent to brought in tea. Mina gave herself a small thinking pause before answering Nyssa's question by taking in the room. It looked nicely decorated to her taste and obviously these people had money - they wouldn't be living in a manor if they didn't - but they didn't flaunt it overly much. Instinctively she first checked the windows and the doors of which there were three, a knowledge that gave her some small peace of mind. She fixed her gaze on her teacher to be. "Why did you join the Shadow?", she asked bluntly. "And what is this rascal thing?" She shifted her eyes uncomfortably around as if searching all the nooks for a little boy bent on misbehaving.

 

Right that moment a resounding crash and scream came from the kitchen. Mina was immediately on her feet with her dagger off the sheath and she looked around wildly. She felt stupid immediately and put the blade away with a blush and sat down. "How old rascal are we speaking about?"

 

Mina

Jumpy

The reassuring smile that Nyssa had put so much effort into maintaining slowly slipped from her face, soon to be replaced by a look of quiet acceptance. “Of course.” She muttered, getting up from her place in her favourite chair. “I’m afraid your questions will have to wait for a while, Mina. The rascal in question is my son. A lovely fourteen year old boy with the intense desire to give his mother grey hair before her time.” Smiling sweetly at the girl, she turned and walked towards the kitchen. Just in time to hear a loud screech from Mary.

 

Quickening her pace only slightly, Nyssa arrived just in time to see Mary hunt after the frog, that had no doubt been hidden somewhere by her son. Hearing a snigger come from behind one of the counters, Nyssa soon located the source of Mary’s frustration. “Ah, there you are.” The boy grinned at her, looking as harmless as possible. “I have visitors. Uncle Duram is here, and he had a young woman with him. This young woman has been through a lot, and she’s going to stay with us for a while. If I catch you trying to pull a prank on her, I swear I will hang you from the balcony by your ears.”

 

After giving the boy a very stern look she turned and walked back towards the room where Duram was still waiting. Though she had served him for almost ten years now, Nyssa still enjoyed the way he treated her and her family. Pain free, and with a relative amount of respect. More than she could expect from any other Chosen. “Well, now that that’s settled…” she started, taking a seat across from Mina again. “I believe you had some questions.”

 

She gave the first question Mina had asked some thought. “I was born in Mayene, many years ago, but I didn’t grow up there. No, my growing up took place in the White Tower, the centre of the Light in this world. When I was raised to full sister, it didn’t take me long to realise that my faith in the light was… lacking.” An understatement, to say the least. “People just… accepted whatever they thought their Creator threw at them. It made me doubt the goodness of the Light. On top of that, some events made me realise that I would never fit into a world where the Light reigned. All the hypocrisy and the blind faith in something as vague as the Light…”

 

It hadn’t worked. It was never going to work. She hadn’t been one to join the legions of the Great Lord of the Dark because she wanted revenge, or because she believed the things that Duram believed. She had joined because she knew that she would never fit into the Light the way the world demanded from her. Even now, years after her decision, she couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.

 

~Nyssa Deameau

It was always easy sport getting Mary, but it wasn't as if Leon did it to pick on her.  It was more because he could, that and it had become a game over the years.  In fact, as long as Leon could remember, he could remember sneaking about and frightening Mary or playing a joke on her.  A game, Mary would occasionally get a lick in of her own and refuse to let him forget it, but that wasn't why he did it, it was because it was fun.  And because, well, because!  He didn't actually think about it that much, but seeing the frog leap on her and her leap a good foot in the air in fright had him struggling to stiffle his laughter.  He wouldn't let her forget about this for awhile, especially not after she'd surprised him with a lizard in his bed.

 

Perking up as mother came in, he tried to look contrite but the news that Uncle Duram was back was enough to make him grin.  He'd been practicing just as Uncle Duram had taught him, he was ready for a rematch.  Running past Mary who was already threatening revenge, Leon made his way up the stairs two at a time, something else he'd discovered he could do recently.  Almost breaking into his room, Leon didn't take long to unpack a pair of lathes that his father had given him for his birthday.  Bounding back down the stairs, Leon burst into the guest room and jumping up in the air as he spun about, he landed down on one knee while striking a threatening pose.

 

"BATTLE!"

 

Getting a laugh out of Uncle Duram, Leon kept his fierce face even as the man lifted his hands up before him.  "I surrender.  Before you slay me, would you care to greet our guest?  This is Mina."

 

Following his Uncle's gesture, Leon was halfway through a new pose as he turned and...  Wow...  If Leon had been aware of the fact that his jaw had fallen open from the shock, he might have shut it but as it was he just stood there looking at her.

 

"You're the ugliest monster ever created!"

 

Turning to Uncle Duram, Leon tossed one of the lathes to him as he responded with a grin.  "If you don't count all the ones you've dated!  Throughout the land, my great deeds are celebrated!"

 

"Too bad they're all fabricated!"  Parrying, Leon jumped back even as another blow came his way.  His favourite game, witblade, to insult and jibe as one dueled and if his responses were good, he'd get the better of Uncle Duram and if not he'd lose.  He'd beat him yet, maybe today was the day, even as Leon backpedaled out of the room with one of the Chosen in hot pursuit with a lathe.

 

 

Leon Daemeau

I am rubber, you are glue!!!

The news that the rascal in question was a young man who would be living in the same house with her were not very welcome to Mina but she kept her face carefully blank to avoid an insult. Fourteen was quite young, though: just a brat, so she shouldn't have anything to be afraid of. Duram wouldn't have brought her to a place where she would be in danger and surely his mother would put him in order now and he wouldn't bother her. She put the kid out of her mind and waited for Nyssa to return. Thankfully the delay wasn't long and the woman was back in but few minutes.

 

Her story sounded a bit like Mina's only in her case the doubt had come because of what had happened to others instead of personal painful experiences. She wondered what kind of events had made Nyssa to feel an outsider but since she did not elaborate at her free will, she did not pry. Maybe she would find out during the training.

 

The approaching thunder of steps on the stairs put her back on the edge and her hand snaked toward the dagger. When the door burst open and an armed man assumed a battle stance pointing a weapon at Duram, she acted on instict. She was about to rush the stranger and stab him on the exposed back when Duram laughed. Adrenaline pulsed in her and she was poised to attack any moment but the mirthful sound held her back. She blinked hard and realised that the weapon was not even real, it was a wooden replica and she felt like an utter fool.

 

This had to the brat and she greeted him with a malicious stare that was answered with a brainless gawk. He and Duram exchanged some words, her boss got his own play blade and the juvenile senselessness became infectuous. The two dashed off like little boys leaving Mina still clutching her weapon and Nyssa who was taking at all in seemingly calmly. Finally sheathing her blade, Mina fixed Nyssa with an unreadable gaze.

 

"Thank you for the story, it was very insightful. Is there anyone else living in the house who I should know about?" She tensed ever so slightly. "Like his father?" It would be awkward to be around any male but this was where she could learn so she would just have to live with it. "And what does my training entail and when will we start?"

 

Mina

Wary

For the third time since the girl had entered her house, she had made a move for her dagger. It worried Nyssa. Of course, the girl had reason to be wary of strangers, but this was her house… This was where she and her husband had finally come to terms, this was where her children were born and raised. This was where she and her family were safe. “Before I answer any more questions, I’m going to need you to hand me that dagger.” She said, reaching over to Mina in order to receive it.

 

“You see, I live here. I live here, and my husband, also a channeller, lives here as well. I live here with my husband, and my three children. The eldest, Leon, you’ve seen. My daughter Toulan is twelve now, and my son, Gabriel, is nine. These children are harmless, if you don’t count the harmless pranks that Leon pulls. My husband will not lay a hand on you, lest he desires to feel my wrath, and I will not lay a hand on you, lest I desire to feel the wrath of our master. But you would be safe here even without these things to remind us that you are not to be harmed.”

 

With her hand still reaching for the dagger, Nyssa continued. “We are not monsters, Mina. We’re just people, trying to make a life for ourselves. Yes, we channel, yes, we’re dreadlords, but no, we do not feed upon the innocent and we do not harm those we care about.” She kept her eyes on the girl’s as she shifted forward in her seat a bit. “And while you are here, you will learn to defend yourself with the gift that you have. Once you learn to wield that, you will no longer need that dagger. No one will ever touch you against your will again, once you control it.”

 

“Until you have your gift under control, I will keep your dagger with me. It will be safe, until it is returned to you. It will perhaps add to your motivation to learn as swiftly as you can. And you will learn swiftly. I have no other students here, none to focus on but you, and you’ve already shown that you have a decent mind. You’ve made the decision to leave a situation that was bad for you, after all, and that shows courage and a strength of will that you will need when you learn to channel. I respect both your courage and your strength, but right now I need you to trust me. I will not allow anyone to harm you within the walls of this house. Not even Duram, should he see fit to do so. Not even the Great Lord himself…”

 

~Nyssa Deameau

There, now she had went and insulted her teacher-to-be. Mina wasn't sure if she had really been afraid that anyone in the household would do anything to her. She just didn't like surprises. She was reluctant to part with the weapon but it was the condition on which she could start learning. Nyssa continued and Mina was surprised to hear that she had even more children. The followers of the Shadow seemed far more normal and kinder than most people of the Light she had encountered. It would be strange to be living with so many people, a normal family but she might not even meet them very often.

 

She nodded when Nyssa spoke of the One Power's defensive potential. That was definately the main motive for learning to her and she would try to be fast and diligent student. And if only Nyssa's praise was true; she could have left much earlier and she had had it all planned out but lost her nerve. In the end she had lingered and waited for her tormentor to return even half hoping for it. What had driven her to escape was an assault by one of Pander's guards, now without control. She was not at all proud of herself, she was a coward and a willing victim. But Nyssa expected a reply.

 

"Thank you for your assurance, Mistress Demeau. I apologise for my behaviour, I have failed to treat your house with the respect it is due." At least here she wouldn't be punished physically. In Cairhien it had happened for even more trivial reasons, just because Pander was mad. She handed the dagger over and gave it a last longing glance. No matter what Nyssa had said, she felt vulnerable without it. But she would have to trust now. "I will do my best so that I won't ever need it again."

Well, that went better than she had expected. With the sounds of mock-battle still echoing through the house, she had expected the girl to cling to the dagger, as it had been one of the few things that she could use to defend herself with. Her willingness to give it up was enough proof for Nyssa that people would never cease to amaze her. “Thank you, Mina.” She said in a quiet voice. “There is no need to apologise. I understand that this is all still very new to you, and that you feel the need to defend yourself. I trust that in time you will get used to the people you will be living with. Who knows, you might even come to like them.” She winked at that, thinking of the slack-jawed look her eldest son had given Mina. That would mean trouble. It involved Leon, after all, so it could only mean trouble. She’d have to talk to Michael about his sons tendency to prank Mary and other people on a regular basis. He would have to quiet down now that they had a guest in their house.

 

The dagger was a solid weight in her palm. She had never enjoyed fighting, even though she had learned the basics to defend herself, should the need arise. “You may need this again, at some point in your life, that’s why I will give it back to you when you are ready for it. There are ways to keep a channeller from using the One Power. You will have to learn to defend yourself with this eventually as well. But don’t worry, we’ll focus on the channelling first, and when you’re all settled in and used to the people here, my husband can teach you how to defend yourself in other ways.”

 

Another crash echoed through the house. “I hope they didn’t break anything I actually liked.” She said, smiling vaguely. She had never expected that Duram would take to her boy, especially not after the way they met. Still, she could only be pleased with the result. Even as they fooled around, Duram was teaching her son valuable lessons in life. And many new and creative curse words, unfortunately. “Do you have any other questions, Mina, or shall I show you to your room?”

 

Nyssa Deameau

It was disconcerting to hear the clashes of wooden blades and the cries and insults and Mina didn't like the feeling. She couldn't understand why Duram bothered to play like a juvenile with the brat but to each their own. Nyssa spoke and she wanted to shrug at her comment about learning to like them. She might do that because they were good people but time was of essence there. The meaning of the wink confused her so she just disregarded it.

 

Mina nodded solemnly at the comment about likely needing the dagger at some point of her life. The Last Battle would come and then Duram had spoken of rivals. And likely being a darkfriend would require doing some dark deeds like killing too. She wasn't sure what she thought of that yet; the first blood on her hands had been a shaking experience even if the man had deserved it. The husband of Nyssa kept coming up and now he was also battle skilled. Bothersome thoughts again and since he was not here, she shouldn't worry about it.

 

She shifted uneasily as the foolish pair broke something and thought that Nyssa took it surprisingly well. But she had likely had years of exposure. This in her opinion was a perfect proof to her why people shouldn't get children; they were such trouble, not to mention the part of making them. No man would ever touch her again, she assured herself with a shiver of intense dislike. But she mastered her discomfort and replied Nyssa. "I would like to see my room if it wouldn't be too much trouble. And the only question I have is that when will I start learning the actual channeling?"