Edeleas groaned wearily as he sat down behind his desk in his office. The penance was not yet finished, the day was barely starting but he'd been lucky to worm his way out of this one by the fact that he was supposed to meet his two new mentees in that day. He looked around at his office, which was now surprisingly clean, and he waited for them to arrive. Many Soldiers and Dedicated were frightened out of their wits when they met him, that day when Zekieal appointed him in his office. And they had right to. Edeleas could be nice...but most of the time he was just plain sour. He forgot the meaning of 'nice' Ages ago.

He yawned and stretched up his arms, and then he heard a knock. "Enter!" he replied, giving his glasses a push.

Sareth had just entered the tower and had gotten his room. He had been assigned as the mentee to the Master of Soldiers. He wondered what the man was like and if he would understand his dilemna. He walked down the corridors of the Soldier barracks, hearing his boots give off an echo. He remembered the directions he had been given and followed them by the word. He thought and hoped that this man, his new mentor would really understand.

He had also found out that his room mate was also a mentee to the Master of Soldiers. The man and he had met the day before. They had been summoned by their Mentor to his office. Sareth walked quickly, saluting to Asha'Man and acknowledging the Dedicated. His uniform cuffs were empty of the pins that the Dedicated and Asha'Man wore, signalling him a Soldier. Sareth had sworn to himself he would do all in his power to rise quickly. Whether he would or not, was fate.

Sareth finally saw his roommate and nodded to him. He knocked on the door with him and they heard a curt "Enter". Sareth opened the door and allowed Aven to enter first. He then entered and shut the door behind him. They saluted to their mentor in unison and awaited their next instructions. Sareth looked at Aven from the corner of his eye. He had seemed a good person, certainly a good artist. Sareth watched the man infront of him as he was studied.

Aven was as nervous as a rabbit dining with a fox. He was going to go meet with the Master of Soldiers, who a fellow Soldier had told him was the man one went to for punishments. Not only that, but he'd been chosen as his mentor. Worse, the same Soldier had pointed him out from afar, and Edeleas al'Kuar seemed to be an especially intimidating sort of person. He would just have to grit and bear it, and try not to show his nervousness too much.

Currently he was standing out in the hall, having been instructed to wait for his roommate. Sareth seemed a good sort of fellow, and also appeared to be interested in his drawings, but he didn't speak. Aven wondered idly if it were something from birth or by choice. It did make things a bit difficult but Sareth seemed to be able to get the general point across when he needed to.

Ah. There was Sareth coming round the corner. Aven grinned and nodded, silently greeting him. He nervously straightened his uniform, making sure his cuffs were straight and his front as free of lint as possible. Light knew this was some of the finer livery he'd worn. The merchants in Saldea hadn't dressed their message boys very well, and then the painter hadn't needed any livery. Aven had been one of very few servants. Plus, he knew how much one's appearance could make an impression. ...not that an Ash'aman would appreciate it. Ashes, he was nervous.

Sareth had just knocked when they got an "Enter" from within the room. Sareth let him go through first, and Aven gave him a nod of thanks. He walked to a few feet in front of the desk, Sareth settling in a position to his right, and they both saluted the Ash'aman behind the desk. Master of Soldiers. Ashes, he could NOT mess anything up or it would be his hide for certain. This Edeleas al'Kuar was an Ash'aman to frighten naughty children with, Aven was sure of it.

"Good, good, you're both here. Now," said Edeleas, gesturing at the chairs before his desk. The boys approached hesitantly. Did his reputation go ahead of him yet again? It seemed it was so. The Soldiers and Dedicated liked to warn new initiates about him, tell them how harsh he could get. Edeleas WAS harsh, but only if the young ones would push him past his limited patience. He was pretty nice too, however preposterous that might sound to others. "Sit down, please."

They sat down, not daring to move as if the slightest action would get them a punishment. Not yet, though. Edeleas took saidin into him, and Materialized a tray full of sandwiches, a jug of cold wine and three fine goblets of silver. He stood up and bustled around, serving two sandwiches to each boy and a brimming goblet. He took some of it himself and started to eat, his eyebrows rising when the boys did not make any move to imitate him. He took a sip from his goblet and laughed heartily.

"Light, I will not poison you both. Eat, and then we will talk." He said. Sareth was the first to move. Aven followed only hesitantly, and Edeleas watched them with interest. He wondered who of the pair had a block. He hated teaching the One Power to those who had blocks; blocks, as such, were just a hamper in the quick procession of learning and developing Talents. It was a smudge in the otherwise perfect creation.

When the two Soldiers had finished with a sandwhich, Edeleas took a bite on his own and chewed thoughtfully. Then he removed his glasses and smiled again. "I haven't had a mentee in a long time. The last one I had died, unfortunately. Burned himself out. He had quite a potential. I would like you both to tell me about yourselves. Do be candid." He paused. "And then I'll tell you some of my own story as well."

The ash’aman waved them to a pair of chairs before his desk. They were surprisingly comfortable, and the creature comfort of sitting made him feel a little less nervous. He felt himself relax a little. Still, he was tense.

And then a plate of food just appeared in front of them on the desk. Aven blinked, the only reaction his tensed body allowed him. Even more surprisingly, their mentor got up and actually served it to them. Light. Aven had not been ready for this. Maybe.. maybe he wasn’t so bad. He even seemed genuinely NICE. Maybe that Soldier had been toying with him. His nervousness mostly gone (he was still meeting with the man who would be teaching him the next few years, it was still an important meeting) he ate the sandwich. It was actually really good, and he had been hungry. Aven was rather relaxed when his mentor began talking.

"I haven't had a mentee in a long time. The last one I had died, unfortunately. Burned himself out. He had quite a potential.” Aven gulped the last of his sandwich, feeling a little ill. Edeleas went on as if nothing odd had been said. “ I would like you both to tell me about yourselves. Do be candid. And then I'll tell you some of my own story as well." Deciding it would be diplomatic to ignore the mention of his former mentee, Aven decided to go first. Sareth might not say anything at all, and it would be good to give him a chance to.. at least try to say something. Ah well. Here went nothing. He straightened in his seat and cleared his throat.

“Ah, I guess I’ll go first, sir. My name’s Avendesei Soravron, but everyone calls me Aven. I’m from Saldaea, and before I, ah, came to the Black Tower, I was a painter’s apprentice. I grew up in a small city, doing odd-jobs, and I worked for the painter before I was his apprentice. I have an older sister, Sei, and.. and a father who works as a bank clerk. I do want to learn here, but.. but I saw the Illusions during the Feast and I especially want to learn how to make those.” Aven felt ridiculous. Well, let the Ash’aman think of it what he would. He lapsed into an uncomfortable silence and waited for someone to speak.