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The Bard Babe

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    Dwyn looked up from amidst the fortress of light she'd subconsciously directed to center around her bed as Nyanna walked in and waved. Shooting her new friend a smile, Dwyn waved back brightly and sat up, crossing her legs beneath her in the middle of the bed and settling her skirts across them. Nyanna looked none the worse for her post-dinner chores, and Dwyn was glad for it. Nyanna seemed to have opened up and started to enjoy herself a little, and her bright laugh was among the favourites Dwyn had ever heard. Moreso because of the moment of awe that followed it each time.

     

    Dwyn had rather enjoyed herself at dinner and had also enjoyed the new people she'd met afterwards. If nothing else, her stunt had kicked her social life into gear around the Tower, as had been proven by the multitude of conversations and gossip sessions she had partaken of on the journey back to the rooms she shared with Nyanna. She was now up to date with everything the novices dared spread rumours about and she was fairly certain she knew which ones were complete falsehoods. She had however, refused any comments relating back to her roommate. What Nyanna wished to tell her in time, Nyanna would. In person.

     

    After arriving back at the Novices Quarters, and after agreeing to hang out for a moment in a novice called Cevery's room with a couple of her friends, Dwyn had refused any further conversations, feeling a weariness in her body that had been wrestling with her need to socialise since she had arrived. The food had helped somewhat with that, but the weariness was not only in her body, it was in her mind. She had a lot to try and take in. She'd not yet been able to think about anything that had happened to her since she'd left her life at the Fat Cat behind, and it was past time to give it some thought.

     

    Also, Dwyn didn't dare stay out long enough that her path back to her room would be blocked by shadows.

     

    And so, that was how Nyanna had found her, lying on her bed, thinking, surrounded by the warm light of candles, staving off the darkness that was curling around the edges of the flickering flames. Dwyn was glad for some company of the closer kind, especially as the dark closed in.

     

    "Better than yours, I'd wager." she grinned in response to Nyanna's question. "Pretty uneventful. Found out some pretty amazing rumours. Apparently Katlynna Sedai sleeps naked and her sister is allergic to fish." Dwyn snorted in amusement. "Believe it or not, the latter I heard from four different mouths."

     

    Already dressed for sleep, Dwyn staved off a yawn behind her hand, followed by a violent jerk as her exhale blew out the candle closest to her. She hoped Nyanna hadn't noticed.

    Oh, she was cooking now...no pun intended. Dwyn had an audience full of semi-giggling girls who all seemed like they'd never had a decent bit of dinner time entertainment, or at least they hadn't since Novicehood had planted a brick wall between them and a good laugh.

     

    Eating in peace for a while, Dwyn occasionally allowed herself a few classic 'cup moves every time she reaches for it' type manoeuvres. Eventually even that became boring and she accidentally dropped her spoon into her soup. The resulting splash caused a sincere itching in her hands as she imagined catapulting soup into the silent novices all clad in white...it was so very tempting, but Nyanna obviously saw the dangerous intent in her eyes, and it was only through a lot of shaking of heads and other such persuasive techniques that were done entirely in silence, that the Novice's Dining Hall remained quiet and orderly...and clean.

     

    Eventually sighing in defeat (silently), Dwyn returned to her meal, her little exchange with Nyanna not going unnoticed by her captive audience.

     

    Dwyn, grinning from ear to ear, suddenly found herself subjected to a fearsome glare from a serving woman in far too close a proximity for comfort. Giving the woman an exaggeratedly wide eyed look for the benefit of said audience, Dwyn's mind quickly whirred into action.

     

    Of course the best and smartest thing to do right at that moment would be to cease her miming post haste, nod politely and continue eating in silence, attempting to contain her eccentricities to perhaps the odd silly facial expression...or she could just keep going.

     

    Dwyn zipped up her mouth again and offered the woman the 'key'.

     

    The gape that followed was enough to set off the remaining few stoic novices, even as the serving woman huffed and left. 

     

    The second bell donged and dinner was over, releasing the novices from the hall and its silence. 

     

    Firing a, 'Light, I'm going to regret that later' look at Nyanna, quickly followed by a giddy 'But that was bloody fun' look, Dwyn joined her roommate as the crowd trickled out of the hall, into the wild and unknown beyond. "Well, I took my dinner in silence." she shrugged, before bursting into laughter with her friend.

    Dwyn couldn't help but laugh as Nyanna caved and agreed to show her around, resulting in them wading out into a sea of chatter clad in white. It seemed the dinner bell was the go button for the novices of the Tower. Dwyn smiled at a few of the girls she'd met earlier, and they smiled back, but most seemed to be giving Nyanna funny looks. Shrugging, Dwyn easily picked Nyanna's voice out from the crowd's and listened as she spoke. That was another skill she'd picked up from years of living and working at an Inn; there was always a crowd being noisy and someone trying to talk to you.

     

    “Meals are really short, so don’t ever dawdle if you don’t want to go hungry...but there's no need to be like that either...Oh, and we're supposed to eat in silence.”

     

    Dwyn almost stopped walking to gape at Nyanna. Silence? In a dining hall? Never had she seen anyone ever eat in silence. Except Letair, and that was because she talked too much for him to get a word in. Dwyn wasn't very good at silence...

    She wrestled with that concept in her brain until they reached the doors and the river of white became a bulging mob fighting to get through the doors. Dwyn rolled her eyes. She'd seen this too many times back home, a crowd trying to be first in line for the same thing they'd get if they were last. Ah well. Her and Nyanna waited in place until the sea moved them inside with it, into the line waiting for food.

     

    Immediately, silence enveloped them. It was almost like a wall, Dwyn felt as though she could take a step backwards and it would be noisy again. It was amazing! A crowd this big, and absolute silence! It was nothing Dwyn had ever experienced before. There were always people chatting and laughing and crying, and if the majority of them were silent, it was usually because some over-paid nitwit was speaking very self-importantly about something expensive.

     

    It was peaceful, right up until she wanted to say something to Nyanna. She caught herself before she did it...and the same the next time...and again.

     

    By the time they received their food, Dwyn was sporting a fearsome frown, her lips pressed together to stop her from trying to talk. And they hadn't even sat down yet. Feeling that Nyanna might be more comfortable if they were at a table just the two of them, Dwyn veered towards an empty spot, thinking that it would be better for her as well: less people to try and talk to.

     

    The food was familiar to Dwyn, some kind of soup with some bread and water. It looked delicious enough, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had only eaten dry bread and cheeses since the sisters had picked her up in Cairhien. Her stomach growled loudly and very audibly, earning a glance from the novice closest to them, which threatened to burst Dwyn into laughter, but she managed to stave off the giggles by shoving a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

     

    It was piping hot, and absolutely wonderful. Noiselessly, Dwyn allowed herself to make exaggerated movements displaying her reaction of eating the soup, before sitting up straight and pointing at the soup and then giving a thumbs up to Nyanna, miming picking the bowl up and pouring it all into her mouth. She didn't, of course, but she heard a few of the stifled giggles from a table over. Turning to them, Dwyn mimed a 'what?' with her hands, gesturing towards the soup again and pretending to faint in delight.

     

    This time the giggles came from a bit further away.

     

    Dwyn allowed herself a grin as she ate some more of the soup. Nyanna was giving her a worried look, but Dwyn merely zipped up her mouth and threw away the key...followed by having a fully mimed struggle to get the soup into her now zipped mouth.

     

    She worked it until someone from a few seats over threw her the 'key' she'd thrown away, and Dwyn unlocked her mouth, quickly shoving soup in her mouth with a huzzah-like gesture.

     

    The giggles were definitely no longer stifled.

    "Letair?" Dwyn repeated with a grin. "He's my self-appointed protector, he's been hanging around the Inn since I was I dunno, six." she said with a smile to cover up the dark memories that brought up. Nyanna didn't need to know where Letair had found her as a six year old, and she didn't need to think about those flashes of memory, of darkness swallowing her, pressing in on her, the lack of space pushing her in, squashing her, squeezing her, the dark pushing into very crevice of her being, crowding her mind and poisoning her soul, never to leave it.

    Dwyn shook her head quickly. She couldn't think about that, that time was to be locked away and the key was being thrown away. "He looks after me like a dad...or another big brother..."

     

    Letair...Dwyn felt guilt seize her stomach. She hadn't had time to find Letair when the sisters had ordered her departure, all she'd managed was a note, and a fairly brief one at that. She didn't have a clue how he'd reacted, or what he was going to do when he found her missing. She doubted it would be a good response. Thinking of their reunion brought a grimace to her face. Now that would be an interesting meeting...

     

    "Yeah, I didn't have time to find him and tell him I was an aes sedai. He's gonna have a heart attack when he finds me gone." she grinned.

     

    An urge to find something to push away her concerns found Dwyn and a sly gleam entered her eye at Nyanna's suggestions of attacking unsuspecting Accepted. "Now, that's an idea and a half." she murmured.

     

    Nyanna's laugh seemed to have released something within her, she seemed to glow now, brighter and more energetic, happier. Dwyn smiled. Good for her.

     

    "We'll find some woods!" she declared. "You can show me their merits, even if we have to sneak out to find some."

    Glancing around the room, Dwyn jumped suddenly onto her bed, hanging her scarves from the bedframe, all the colours she was no longer allowed to wear painting the walls. "I need to get to know this place before we can escape to the woods...you wanna show me around?" she asked, flopping back down onto her stomach on the bed, buzzing with energy.

     

    She could see Nyanna's brief reluctance, a shadow of her shyness, and Dwyn gave her her best puppy dog eyes. "Pleeeeeeease?"

    Arkin listened carefully through Pahl's little history, his knives flying out of their sheaths when the inventor stumbled slightly. Quickly re-sheathing them, he shared a look with Farrow behind Pahl's back as he regained his balance. Farrow too had pulled out his sword, and had not yet sheathed it.

     

    As Pahl continued on his way, casting a grin around the group, Arkin felt his brow crease. What about this man's situation was worth grinning about? Arkin himself more than understood the virtue of a smile but unless this fellow was dreadfully nervous, he must have been under some kind of delusion as to his carefully guarded position. Shaking his head and sending a soft jangle through the area, Arkin reached up to replace his bandanna whilst Pahl continued speaking.

     

    Why would a man of intelligence like that want to join any form of militia? One half of his brain worked on that whilst the other speedily analysed the man's stutter. It came and went depending on what seemed to be his state of nervousness and the length of his speeches. It was easily understood and Arkin found it slightly endearing. He felt a grin come to his face as they led the little man through the forest. Well, he was no judge on the motives of a man to turn up looking for the Citadel. The majority of the Band were lost creatures, running from a past life, or trying to find in themselves some worth that they themselves could not find alone. Pahl just wanted to help. Not for the last time, Arkin considered that the Band could use more brains like Pahl's.

     

    The trees thinned out and Arkin smiled at the sight of the Citadel. Turning to Pahl, he gestured towards the walls and roads and smells he now knew so well. "I have to say I'm intrigued as to why a man with your brains and ah, skills, is coming to a military cause, but I can't say I'm complaining. Let's see if we can't find the recruit master." he said as the rest of the scouts peeled off to go and find a drink or some other post-scouting entertainment.

     

    "So do you have a particular division in mind for the Band? No offence intended, but if you mean to make a combat unit then you may have to work on, well, combat."

    Arkin looked out at the man in the clearing, going about completing the tasks that any well-maintained camp required. Usually Arkin was still asleep for those parts of the day, but he was no stranger to the tasks after a fair while of being kicked until he got up and helped out, mainly by Arinth, but often by his fellow scouts. A comfortable position in a tree was his preferred way to serve as lookout whilst the other scouts in his party ate or slept. Arkin did not often take the morning watch, but today he had risen unnaturally early and his restless nature had forced him to action. 

     

    It seemed the action had not been entirely without a point. Alerting the other scouts of the presence of a potential danger moving towards them with a bright, trilling bird whistle that was practiced enough that only the other scouts could identify it, Arkin deftly ran along a branch until he could drop down silently beside the horseman as he began to trot down the road. No longer was he hidden above the eyeline of a man, and Arkin did not try to pretend that he was. Indeed, he offered the man a bright smile, though a hand rested on the hilt of one of his knives. "It's a fine morning, is it not?" he asked lightly.

     

    (OoC:    SORRYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I completely forgot about the RP side, RL got sucky and busy and other such distracting things. Ok, where would you like this to be headed? Are you being persuaded into joining the Band? Arrested for trespassing? Does I dunno, your horse break a leg and you have to come back to the Citadel until you recover, entirely your choice, what would you like? I owe you anything you want after the super delay in replying)

    Posted

    Soooo, who are the other novices around right now for me to play with?

     

    And also, I'd love for my novice Ceridwyn, (who has serious control and self-discipline issues) to have a big aes sedai to keep her in line/help her learn control/self-discipline in one way or another? Any takers? Also, any offers for any semblence of a plot revolving around that will be gladly accepted, it's one in the morning right now, so although I'm at full creative capacity right now, I'm not very good at directing it into a plot at this particular moment in time.

     

    Oh yeah, at some stage Ceridwyn's gonna get locked in a dark place (she's morbidly scared of the dark and small spaces to an extent) and use the power to stop herself freaking out, I need someone to find her and get her out.

     

    Ceridwyn skidded around a corner of the White Tower, pride of Tar Valon, kicking the carpet up slightly as she ran. She never quite knew exactly how these things happened, but she was always late. She didn't even do anything! She left at the same time as other people, walked at the same speed, knew her way around better than most, and still, she was always late. Her aim for her time as a novice was to turn her almost always late into an always almost late, meaning she was never actually tardy, more like...never early and a bit off time. Nodding to what seemed even to her as skewed logic, Dwyn continued her mad dash down the corridors, not bothering to slow down at the raised eyebrows and sniffs and looks she got from older Tower walkers. They could sniff and walk gracefully as much as they wanted, she would still be rather dramatically late to her first ever lesson with the One Power.

     

    Seeing the open doors at the end of the corridor, Dwyn grinned her relief and slowed to a walk, allowing her body time to settle. She reached up to adjust the white headscarf in her hair. She'd been wearing a headscarf for many, many years now, she wasn't going to stop at the request of the Tower, although out of respect for the Aes Sedai, she'd made herself a white one to comply with uniform restrictions. Even now she had a few feathers and cotton threads still in her hair, the ones that had been there so long she wasn't quite sure how to remove them anymore.

     

    Sure now that she wasn't going to enter the class with her heart still trying to gallop out of her throat, Dwyn swept through the doors and took a seat, seeing the Accepted's eyes on her as she took one of the remaining seats in the classroom, at the front and to the left, in a corner, which Ceridwyn didn't mind, as she could but her back to a wall and watch the group and the teacher.

     

    When the Accepted's speech began with the phrase, "I'm glad to see you all here on time," Dwyn couldn't keep a grin from her face. So, the mad dash had been worth something after all. A brief glance over the teacher intrigued Dwyn by her lack of arm, but she didn't dwell on it, quickly scanning the rest of the class and taking in details of appearance she thought she might be useful. Very soon, she found herself the centre of attention as she was asked to introduce herself, the first in the class.

     

    A grin already lighting up her face, Dwyn waved to the class and the teacher, her thumb catching a few of her dark curls on the way past. "Hello everyone, I'm Ceridywn Taereth, I'm from the Foregate in Cairhien. My family runs an inn there, so needless to say, my knowledge of the one power is, hmm, how to put this...somewhat limited." she grinned, adding, "So if I'm struggling, be warned, I am very likely to start trying to make conversation with those of you who are succeeding." Having earnt herself a laugh, Dwyn continued, her voice mellowing down from performance level. Already she missed singing. She hadn't sung in such a long time...  "In all seriousness though, I'm eager to make friends around here, so don't hesitate to come and say hello." she finished up, firing a bright smile at anyone who looked her way, which considering she was the only one talking, was rather a copious amount of people. She was more than happy with the amount of smiles she received in return, and most of them genuine as well. She was taking it upon herself to make the novices with her as comfortable as they could be, and if that meant making a fool out of herself, then she was happy to do it.

     

    The spotlight moved on from her to the girl sitting on her right, and Dwyn listened intently to each of the little introductions the girls gave, cataloging their words and their smiles, analysing their take of their moment of fame. Dwyn herself had been comfortable on a stage practically in the womb, but some of these girls had obviously never been put on the spot before, and some of obviously had no great desire to speak in public, especially in a new environment like this. Understanding the extra pressure that gave to a person, Dwyn listened with a pinch of salt to each of their miniature speeches. A person under pressure was rarely the same person you'd meet in the hallway.

     

    Much of the rest of the lesson passed in a bore for Dwyn as she listened to the lovely Accepted teaching them. She took down notes, but the majority of what she heard sounded much akin to what she already knew, and besides, Dwyn only needed to hear something once to remember it. Writing it down and re-reading it would never be much use. And so, the majority of her notes were in fact absent-minded scribbles or feigned writing so she looked at least like she was doing what she was supposed to be doing.

     

    And then came the interesting bit. The beginning of the embrace.

     

    Aureli's voice changed considerably as she began to teach them the technique of embracing saidar. The change in timbre between the tone she'd been using for the lesson-her confident teacher tone-the tone she'd been slipping into occasionally-what must have been her normal voice-and the voice she was using now, a wonderfully low and hypnotic voice that swept over the room, was astonishing. Dwyn smiled as she heard it, thinking that her mind was far too focused on singing and that she needed to stop listening to tones and listen to the words. Logic rarely prevailed in Dwyn's mind, and it didn't this time, as she instead just listened to the sound of Aureli's voice, assigning the words it was speaking no meaning.

     

    The sounds washed over her, her song-starved ears craving and inventing warm tones that surrounded Dwyn, playing around her ears, begging entry into her heart and her soul. She could feel the sound as an almost tangible thing, she could feel it, touching her, stroking her mind, and gladly she surrendered to the daydream of music and beautiful noise.

     

    Saidar shone through Dwyn like a beacon. A sea of beauty, pure and raw, washed through her like the sweetest, purest water she had ever drank, seeping into every crevice of her being. She could feel as she had never felt before, see as though she had been blind every day before she'd known saidar, taste the very molecules of the air, and the sound, oh the sound, the beautiful symphony of ecstasy that was saidar, singing in her mind.

     

    Dwyn wanted that light to fill her up, so bright and pure that it drove away even the fear of the dark that had been nesting in her soul for so very long. She drew it in, further and further, drank as deeply as she could and let it wash over her, through her, giving herself up completely and letting saidar sing.