Edeleas yawned so widely that his jaw gave an ominous creak. He rubbed his eyes before wearing his glasses once more, afterwards wiping his floury hands onto his yellowing apron. That day was particularly strange. For one, the Mistress of Kitchens was actually pleased when he came in to report for his penance. He soon found out the reason, though. It was due to the oatmeal cookies he had baked yesterday, which he had no idea, became an instant blockbuster in the Mess Halls. And now, the obese woman asked him (polite as you please, as if he'd been the M'Hael himself) if he could bake some more cookies. His eyebrows rose so high, but she did promise him that would be all that he'd do. So he agreed.

He sat down on the counter, his usually immaculate Asha'man black smudged over with white spots of sugar and flour, waiting for the cookies to bake. He was quite oblivious to the activity behind him, but then when the time came, he jumped off the counter and brought out the freshly baked tenth serving. He wondered why his cookies became instant favorites. It was ordinary as any oatmeal cookie was going to be. Shrugging, Edeleas tipped the big, round pieces into a huge bowl, and he emerged out to the Mess Halls to offer it to anyone interested.

Neviras pace of training had picked up of late. Riding, practicing the short sword, hand-to-hand combat and chores. As well as the occasional theory classes. Not only following the schedule of the day but also taking her own initiative to learning new things had gotten her along way and Nevira was actually enjoying it. Still there would always be the occasional time when Nevira needed a break.

This morning was such a morning. She had finished a morning riding lesson just an hour ago and was now heading to the mess hall for some breakfast. It didn't take long to get there, Nevira had spent far to many years in the Towers to get lost on such a trip as from the stables to the mess hall, really she knew all the shortcuts by now. Her tummy rumbling of hunger she stepped through the door to the not so very crowded mess hall. Really it was not so very crowded since the rush had already been, the novices, soldiers, accepted and dedicated were probably already in their classes or so. Mostly the people in the mess hall were recruits and Gaidin who had had morning classes, or the occasional Asha'man and Aes Sedai who ate in the mess hall though after rush hour when it was more calm, and of course those novices having kitchen duty.

Walking past a few empty tables, heading for the area where one could get some breakfast Nevira notices a person she would not have expected to see at this hour. Not only that but he was wearing an apron, and carrying cookies... and he had white spots on his uniform. Blinking in surprise Nevira still stopped to bow to the Master of Soldiers. "Good morning, Asha'man Edeleas." She said then helped herself to some porridge and milk. She was real hungry, but there was no rush as she didn't have any classes until the afternoon today.

Edeleas was busy rounding through the Mess Hall, offering cookies to anyone interested. He was surprised when Nevira greeted him. He inclined his head politely and made to offer her his tray, when he found out that she already had some porridge and milk at hand. He gave her a small smile. "Light breakfast?" he said. "Not much to do, I hope?"

While waiting for the Recruit to reply, Edeleas took the liberty of pulling up a seat and sitting beside her. He set aside three cookies for her. "I haven't made these in such a long time...but I daresay they taste good." A group of chittering Accepted passed by and threw him all-too-familiar looks, and he sighed. He did not want to hand out punishments today. He looked at Nevira. She was quite hungry. He smiled again as he watched her.

"Light breakfast?" Edeleas asked her "Not much to do, I hope?" Nevira smiled as they both sat down and Edeleas put aside a few cookies for her. "No not really, just as days mostly are you know. You seem to have a bit little to do, since your baking cookies?" She couldn't help but to ask, she didn't know what Edeleas had done to end up here. He might not like her asking and get angry with her, but even so it was a blow she could take. "I haven't made these in such a long time...but I daresay they taste good." Edeleas had commented on his cookies and Nevira took a few spoons of porridge to settle her hunger a bit. "Though I can't say I have seen you much around the practice yard either." Nevira added, a little less jokingly, more concerned with why Edeleas was busy baking cookies rather then doing his job as the Master of Soldiers.

Edeleas yawned for a moment and eyed Nevira. "I got in trouble with the Mahdi. A scandal in the library. He fussed over it so much I ended up taking this as a penance for six months. It's been haggling me a lot...can't get proper sleep and all..." He sighed and gave his glasses a quick push. "I would be looking forward to returning soon in the Practice Yards. I can't let myself rust off."

Edeleas didn't get mad at her for asking. Really he seemed quite tired. "I got in trouble with the Mahdi. A scandal in the library. He fussed over it so much I ended up taking this as a penance for six months. It's been haggling me a lot...can't get proper sleep and all..." Nevira realized she had stopped with her hand in midair as she listened to Edeleas. I'll make sure never to get in trouble with the Madhi. Especially if this is how he treats his Asha'man... Really the Madhi seemed like a man with a temper. "I would be looking forward to returning soon in the Practice Yards. I can't let myself rust off." Nevira nodded at Edeleas words. "How long have you been serving already?" Nevira hadn't noticed him once, and really she felt a little self conscious about that. She usually notices details and this wasn't just a mare detail. She hoped that this weariness Edeleas was showing was just temporary. He really looked tired to her.

Making sure to finish her porridge she picked up one of the cookies. Looking at it Nevira wondered when she had last had cookies. It has been years. "Did your mother teach you to bake?" Nevira asked to keep the conversation going and took a bite out of the cookie. The sweetness of it made her stop to enjoy the taste after just chewing the piece in her mouth in half. Then she quickly chewed the piece down. "Gosh these are good!" She said looking at it. She didn't realize he could take it as if she had doubted his word before, really she had no reason to, Asha'man couldn't lie any more then Aes Sedai could. "Are you making any more? Cause I sure wouldn't mind learning the recipe." Looking at Edeleas she smiled a little, hoping he would teach her rather then keep the recipe secret.

Then Nevira asked how many servings he'd already passed. He inclined his head in acknowledgement of the question. "The first for today, unfortunately. I did not know my cookies were so popular. The Mistress of Kitchens especially wanted me to make more of these as the day progresses on." He said, nodding toward the tray in front of them. And then a fellow Dieb Cha approached, and, excusing himself, plucked up ten pieces before walking away with a mug of hot chocolate. Edeleas shook his head lightly.

"Did your mother teach you to bake?" Nevira asked. "Gosh these are good!" She said looking at it. "Are you making any more? Cause I sure wouldn't mind learning the recipe."

Edeleas smiled. "I am afraid I learned how to bake myself. I was a noble, and my stepmother could not cook even just a scrap." He laughed lightly. "I am making more as the day goes on, most probably when this tray empties..." which turned out was soon. "I can write down the recipe for you. Wait." Briefly touching saidin, Edeleas materialized parchment and pen and started writing in his elegant script. Then he pushed the paper toward Nevira, smiling.

At her question Edeleas smiled and said. "I am afraid I learned how to bake myself. I was a noble, and my stepmother could not cook even just a scrap." He laughed lightly and Nevira smiled. She remembered her fathers reaction back home when ever Nevira and her mother were doing house chores. She could mostly just remember being happy and how annoyed her father was with his farmer wife, stuff like recipes and such hadn't really stuck in her mind. "I am making more as the day goes on, most probably when this tray empties..." Nevira looked over at it. It was emptying fast especially with those dedicated picking up so many at once. Really ten? Talk about having a sweet tooth. "I can write down the recipe for you. Wait." Suddenly a paper appeared out of nowhere, something Nevira never thought was possible, as well as a pen and Edeleas started writing. As he was done he pushed it over to her and Nevira threw a look at it. More of those odd signs, only not overly neat which made them even harder to recognize.

Neviras hand laying on the table, having held the cookie as she took a bite before was not just poking it, not overly excited nor happy. "I'm not that good a reader yet, but thanks anyway." She took an other bite of the cookie and chewed it in a more normal fashion then last time. Once having swallowed it down with some milk she reverted to the first subject brought up to get the newest one to disappear. "How come you started baking then? Nobles rarely do. Even my father was a bit distraught over such stuff, and he was just a wealthy merchant who married a farmers daughter." Nevira spoke and looked at Edeleas like the paper nor the subject of how well she read had never been brought up in the first place.

"How come you started baking then? Nobles rarely do. Even my father was a bit distraught over such stuff, and he was just a wealthy merchant who married a farmers daughter." said the young Recruit.

Edeleas gave his glasses a push, and a twittering Accepted curtseyed before scooping up the rest of his cookies. Still, the girl did not fail to give him an appraising look. Edeleas sighed. Sooner or later, these girls will get the better of his patience and they were not going to like it. He turned to Nevira, taking a moment to remember where they were. "Well...my stepmother did not approve of me trying to learn house chores, because she believed it was women's work and had to be left to women alone. I thought it was foolish because...we all have to learn to do things. So I studied how in spite of her protests with the help of my older sisters. I did pay some price, though. I burnt fingers thrice while taking my chances in the oven." He smiled, his eyes glittering.

Edeleas didn't bother to bring up her lack of reading, and so Neviras mood was slowing creeping back up again. Instead Edeleas just explained, answering her question. "Well...my stepmother did not approve of me trying to learn house chores, because she believed it was women's work and had to be left to women alone. I thought it was foolish because...we all have to learn to do things. So I studied how in spite of her protests with the help of my older sisters. I did pay some price, though. I burnt fingers thrice while taking my chances in the oven." The man was smiling, genuinely happy, just the way he had been when Nevira first met the man. "Womens work, Light if mother had heard that." Nevira said with a small giggle. "But yes the price is always gonna be burns and cuts in the kitchen. And well the occasional stingy eyes from cutting unions if you are cooking rather then baking." Nevira remembered that part, probably cause she had done it so many times after leaving her mother. But baking she hadn't done once, there hadn't been time. Never the less Nevira hated onions cause she had a tendency to be put on that chore. "Still knowing how to cook and find food are two very good things, especially when one is traveling. One can't count of having servants everywhere."

The Accepted who had been quite rude in Neviras eyes were walking towards the door and as she was about to leave the door swung up hitting her so she dropped something on the floor. It wasn't the cookies, it was something else. The novice on the other side were looking terrified and rightly so when the Accepted started yelling at her, not thinking of how quiet the mess hall was and how well her words would carry. "You stupid clumsy child! You don't just go barging into doors! I should send you to the Mistress of Novices for being so insolent! You Idiot!" Nevira frowned at the words. Light it could happen to anyone, including the Amyrlin Seat. The thought of the Amyrlin Seat having been walking in made Nevira want to laugh, after all had it been so, the Accepted would have been the one in trouble.

"You stupid clumsy child! You don't just go barging into doors! I should send you to the Mistress of Novices for being so insolent! You Idiot!"

Edeleas twisted his neck around to see the Accepted shouting her head out. He gave his glasses a quick push and frowned lightly, just like Nevira. "Funny. If I had spoken to her about how she had been staring at me, she would soon find that taking her temper out on an innocent Novice won't do very well. That girl could also do with a visit to Cayana Sedai." He commented. He paused for a moment, remembering the Accepted's face. Then he stood up, winking at Nevira. "I will be back really quick. I have a new batch of cookies waiting."

He went back to the kitchens, where he gathered the second batch he'd baked, and he had barely emerged when his own Soldiers and Dedicated mobbed him. Edeleas let them take as many as they wanted, all the while walking slowly back to his and Nevira's table. When he sat down again, he pushed the tray a little toward her. "I thought you wanted more?" He grinned.

Nevira wasn't the only one of the two who noticed the girl shouting. Edeleas turned his head, gave his glasses a quick push and frowned. "Funny. If I had spoken to her about how she had been staring at me, she would soon find that taking her temper out on an innocent Novice won't do very well. That girl could also do with a visit to Cayana Sedai." Cayana...? Nevira had heard that name mentioned in the barracks. A Green Aes Sedai who had gotten frisky with one or a few recruits before she became Aes Sedai. Some even claimed she had been after raising, but Nevira wouldn't know. Something else had been floating around lately though. "I will be back really quick. I have a new batch of cookies waiting." Edeleas broke off her thoughts as he rose and winked at her, then he left. Neviras attention back at the accepted and that rumor she could vaguely remember.

After a little while Edeleas came back, pushed a tray towards her and said. "I thought you wanted more?" She smiled and answered. "Thank you, but I shouldn't. A cookie or two is fine, but a recruit should never become addicted to sugar." She was joking of course, but she soon changed the tone of her voice. "You're the Master of Soldiers.... you wouldn't know anything about the rumors floating around about there being a temporary Mistress of Novices, would you?" Nevira was just curious, but of course Aes Sedai never let rumors they didn't want to spread very far. Then again, was the Tower considered far?

"You're the Master of Soldiers.... you wouldn't know anything about the rumors floating around about there being a temporary Mistress of Novices, would you?"

Edeleas eyed the Recruit. For a Gaidin-in-training she was nosy, and the Towers did not appreciate Gaidin who were asking too many questions. He hoped Kiren and Robert did not falter disciplining the others. Technically she was in no place to ask questions.

"The White Tower's issues are the White Tower's alone." He replied stiffly as he stood. "If you want to know, I suggest you ask them." So saying he left the table with his tray.

As soon as she had asked the question it was obvious that she shouldn't have. Edeleas changed in a heart beat and Nevira knew she had crossed the line she had been balancing on since she entered this room. "The White Tower's issues are the White Tower's alone. If you want to know, I suggest you ask them." With those words he left. Nevira watched the man go. Edeleas could be strange sometimes. The first time the two had met Nevira had felt as if he was any other guy, just the same, defending a girl no matter if she wanted it or not and all that. But ever since Edeleas had become Asha'man he had been different, so much different from the boy she first met and still so similar. Sighing Nevira rose and left the mess hall. There was nothing she could do about Edeleas temper, and it was not her place to do so either.