Lalaine waited impatiently outside of the mess hall for Sloane, balancing on her tip toes as she did so. She wore the novice dress, just like all the other novices, but she knew that her brother would be able to pick her out of any crowd. So much has changed, she thought to herself, though she knew that her brother still cared for her as much as he had in the past, if not more. Light, he was the one who had brought them both here! Lalaine was still nervous about being here, but her world had been turned upside down in a matter of months. They had left there home, come to the White Tower, only to discover that both of them could channel. At least she wasn't going to be alone, there was that. She wasn't alone as long as Sloane was here.

Sighing, she watched the novices walk by with their friends, giggling and laughing, though they took as fast of steps as any that she had ever seen. The pace of life here at the White Tower, at least for the initiates, was always fast paced, trying to get as much done as possible. Lalaine was sure that she had already developed hands as rough as a blacksmith's, merely from washing dishes day after day. Lalaine had never really minded washing dishes, though she much preferred the classes or other activities that novices were allowed. She had had to wash dishes at home, until they had near run out of dishes. She tried not to think about that.

Truth be told, Lalaine had actually been rather lonely as of late, merely because she hadn't seen her brother. It was foolish, especially for a girl of sixteen, but Lalaine couldn't help it. She didn't have to admit to it either. Her brother and she had become very close in the years past, since their mother died. There hadn't been anyone else, except maybe their grandparents. She skimmed the crowds again, looking for him among all the Black Tower initiates that crowded in with the novices and Accepted. She hadn't seen him since coming, and she wasn't sure if she'd even see him now. Light, what if she never saw him again?

Lalaine, you idiot! Shut up! she chided herself. She was acting like a child. This was ridiculous. He was probably just as busy as she was, but she would see him eventually. She started to go into the mess hall. Maybe she could find her room mate or someone she had met in class to sit with.

Sloane cursed heavily under his breath as he walked the halls of the Black Tower. Life certainly wasn't what he had expected it to be. Training, classes, chores. And nothing more. Aes Sedai were so tense that Sloane thought they never smiled, and Asha'man were not much better. He could not do anything without a few pair of eyes watching his every move. Even in his room he had three other Soldiers. The concept of privacy was apparently unknown in the Black Tower. And, what's more, he hadn't seen Lalaine. Not once. He had barely enough free time to eat and sleep, so slipping to the White Tower to search for his sister was out of the question. It all made Sloane feel like ripping his hair in frustration.

He finally reached the mess hall, and his sour mood vanished in an instant when he saw a very familiar figure just entering the hall. "Lalaine!" he called instantly and all but ran to his sister, giving her a rather awkward one armed hug. It felt so good to see her again, to see that she was fine, that there was nothing to worry about. Sloane had taken it his role to protect her, and now he couldn't do that. It was very painful for him, and to see her safe was all he needed.

Sloane took Lalaine by the shoulders gently and looked at her at an arm's length with a smile on his lips. She looked just like she always had, her blue eyes glinting and her light brown hair framing her face. Only the white novice dress was new. Well, Sloane wasn't too comfortable with his own black uniform yet. He wasn't too comfortable with the idea that he could channel and that he was a Soldier now either. And that Lalaine was a novice. "Light, you look strange in that white dress," he said with a playful smile. It was so good to see her again.

Lalaine really wished that she had a chance to see her brother. She did miss him. Her heart seemed to sink, though she kept her disappointment to herself. I will see him soon, she reminded herself again. The Towers aren't that big. Interrupting her thoughts, she heard an all too familiar voice call, "Lalaine!" She turned around with a smile, as her brother ran up to her to give her an awkward hug. It was so nice to see someone that she knew, someone that she cared about, amidst all these initiates whose names she didn't even know.

He smiled at her, and Lalaine knew that he was probably looking to make sure she still looked well - safe and healthy. She studied him too. He didn't look the same as he used to, really, not with the soldier's uniform on, but she knew that her dress wasn't exactly her usual apparel either. The survey must have passed, for he smiled at her again and said playfully, "Light, you look strange in that white dress." She chuckled and replied, "Well, black really isn't your color." She gave him a quick hug again before turning to lead him into the mess hall. "All the food will be gone," she explained. "And I'm hungry."

She looked around for somewhere to sit, though it probably would have been better if Sloane had done it. He was far taller than she was, and doubtless, he could see over the people that Lalaine couldn't. Perhaps it would be better to plate their food first. "What are you hungry for?" she asked, looking around to see what looked best.

Lalaine chuckled, and Sloane smiled just for the sound of it. Light, I have missed her! "Well, black really isn't your color." Sloane smiled at her wryly and brushed his black coat. He had never been comfortable with vibrant colours, but black wasn't much better either. Well, it was certainly better than white. Not that white didn't suit Lalaine. Lalaine would always be beautiful in his eyes, no matter what colour she wore. She was his sister after all.

Lalaine gave him a quick hug which Sloane returned not so awkwardly anymore. "All the food will be gone," she said as she turned to the mess hall again. "And I'm hungry." Sloane followed her inside where a mass of novice and Soldiers and other inhabitants of the Towers were crowding the tables. Sloane wondered if the food was already be gone, judging by the number of people. Sloane could see a few familiar faces, Soldiers he had met at classes and training. He didn't pay them any mind, he was going to be with Lalaine now. It might take a long while until they met again.

"What are you hungry for?" Lalaine asked, looking at the dishes they were serving today. "Hmm, I don't know," he answered. "I think I could eat anything at the moment." He was hungry too. He took a tray and just grabbed what was nearest to him, which happened to be some kind of soup. Sloane didn't bother to study it for too long; whatever it was, he could eat it. He waited for Lalaine to choose her dish and then led her to a more or less empty table. Privacy was truly a thing to search for in the Towers.

Once they were both settled, Sloane glanced at Lalaine again. "So how is your life in the White Tower? Is is hard to be a novice?" He was worried about her, and he didn't bother to mask it. Lalaine knew very well that he was worried about her.

She laughed at her brother's response and followed him to get a tray, basically taking up the nearest plate of food. She really was famished. All the work and learning at the White Tower gave her an appetite. Watching the other novices and soldiers in the mess hall, she saw that they did the same as well. It seemed that everyone was hungry - no matter what the food was.

They searched the mess hall for a table that wasn't crowded, though it was difficult. Lalaine didn't know many of the novices yet, though she had met some. She wondered if Sloane had made a lot of friends. He was more outgoing than she was. Finally, they found a seat and began to eat.

"So how is your life in the White Tower? Is is hard to be a novice?" asked her brother, and Lalaine couldn't help but smile at his concern. It was in his nature to be like that, but Lalaine didn't mind it at all. It was nice to have someone to worry about her. "It's different," she answered, taking a bite of whatever it was that she had grabbed. "And I guess it's hard, but we had to work hard at home too." She shrugged. "I guess the only bad thing would be not seeing you as much. If you stay out of the Aes Sedai's way, they aren't so bad." She grinned at him and took a few more bites of her food.

"How is being a soldier?" she asked him. They hadn't seen each other for awhile, and Lalaine wasn't sure how Sloane would adjust to this new life. It really was different, as Lalaine had said. Change wasn't necessarily bad, but it required adjusting.

"It's different," Lalaine answered as Sloane took a spoonful of... whatever it was. He was not used to the food they served in the Towers. The days when they served something that somehow could be eaten with sursa were rare, and even then the food hardly reminded anything they had eaten back home in Arad Doman. And eating with sursa was out of the question of course, even when that would have been possible. Sloane shook himself mentally. Worrying about food or sursa was definitely not the most important thing at the moment. He was so hungry that he would eat anything, and he was becoming accustomed to the strange foods anyway.

"And I guess it's hard, but we had to work hard at home too." Sloane looked up from his bowl of soup and nodded to Lalaine. Yes, they had had to work hard, and the work they had done back home didn't differ much from chores, Sloane had to admit that. "I guess the only bad thing would be not seeing you as much." Sloane smiled warmly at that. "If you stay out of the Aes Sedai's way, they aren't so bad." Sloane wasn't so sure about that. But he returned Lalaine's grin with a faint grin of his own. The main point was that she was alright, and that she wasn't too unhappy as a novice. "How is being a soldier?" she asked in return.

"Different is truly the right word for it," he answered. "Well, chores are a lot similar to the things I did back home, but classes and saidin training... They are something I'm not used to yet. And I share a room with three other Soldiers. Three! Can you imagine that?" He shook his head a bit sadly. Living with three other men was a lot different from living with Lalaine and their father. "But I'll live. I'm sure it's all worth it in the end." It had to be.

"Different is truly the right word for it," answered her brother, and she nodded in agreement. It was probably just as different being a soldier as it was being a novice. "Well, chores are a lot similar to the things I did back home, but classes and saidin training... They are something I'm not used to yet. And I share a room with three other Soldiers. Three! Can you imagine that?" She laughed. They had only had three people in their house the past couple years, save when they visited their grandparents. "But I'll live. I'm sure it's all worth it in the end." She smiled encouragingly.

"I'm supposed to share a room with two other girls, but I haven't met them yet," she explained. "It's not as though we'll do much talking anyway. Light, I'm so tired when I finally have to go to bed." She shook her head in amazement, continuing to eat. She stirred around her food on her plate as she chewed. Her grandmother's cooking was better.

"How are channeling lessons?" she asked wonderingly. She hadn't done any channeling yet. Not that she could... She had a block. It certainly was an obstacle in her way, but Lalaine was sure that she would overcome it.

Hopefully.

"I'm supposed to share a room with two other girls, but I haven't met them yet," Lalaine said. It seems that I'm not the only one who is going to have issues with privacy. He wasn't sure if privacy even was an issue to Lalaine, or to women in general. Maybe it was just Sloane. "It's not as though we'll do much talking anyway. Light, I'm so tired when I finally have to go to bed." Sloane nodded with a small smile. That was certainly something Sloane was familiar with. With the classes and training and chores he had hardly time to visit his room during the day at all. And in the evenings when the day was finally over, he just wanted to sleep as long as he could before the whole thing started all over again.

Lalaine contended on eating for a while, and Sloane didn't miss this opportunity to load as much soup in his mouth as he could. He really was hungry, despite the strange food. "How are channeling lessons?" Lalaine finally asked. Sloane took a moment to think while he finished his mouthful. They hadn't really done much yet.

"I don't know really," he answered finally. "We haven't learned much yet. We're only just beginning, so I haven't quite formed an opinion about it. It just something I have to do if I want to become an Asha'man. I'm sure it gets more interesting when we really start using the One Power." He hoped it would. Channeling the One Power... Of course it would! "Have you started channeling yet?" he asked.

(OOC: Sorry for the lateness and shortness.)

"I don't know really," answered Sloane. "We haven't learned much yet. We're only just beginning, so I haven't quite formed an opinion about it. It just something I have to do if I want to become an Asha'man. I'm sure it gets more interesting when we really start using the One Power." She nodded, eating some more of her food. "Have you started channeling yet?"

She looked down. She wasn't ashamed necessarily... But she was disappointed in herself. "I have a block," she admitted. "I can't channel yet." Lalaine offered up a small smile.

((OOC: Gah, I'm so incredibly sorry at how late and how short this is. I need to get back into RPing mode...))

Sloane peered at Lalaine worriedly as she looked down. What's wrong? "I have a block," she said. Oh. Sloane had heard of those, but he didn't know too much about them. He knew that he didn't have a block. It had something to do with channelling before getting training. "I can't channel yet." Lalaine did manage a small smile, but Sloane saw that it wasn't genuine. How's this going to affect her training? She would have to break her block before she could channel. Sloane wasn't sure how that was possible, or how long it would take. I hope it doesn't take too long. Sloane wanted the best for his sister, and life in the Towers was overbearing enough without having to struggle with a block.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem," he said. "I don't know why the Aes Sedai wouldn't be able to break your block. You will channel, sooner or later," he added with an encouraging smile. He just hoped that he didn't sound too hollow. If the Aes Sedai can't break it, I will find another way. If Lalaine wanted to channel, Sloane would make sure she did.

"Do you know what kind of block you have?"

(OOC: It's alright, take your time. My posts don't seem to be amazingly long either...)