Shaya had just about enough self control to not actually start another discussion about the quality of the food.
As her bowl was filled with something that resembled a watery stew with a piece of stale bread to go with it, the serving girl actually had the audacity to give her a defiant stare. Shaya remembered the week of kitchen duty the last "discussion" had earned her and so she just ground her teeth and took the bowl away. She did not miss the triumphant grin the girl gave her before she turned and Shaya briefly thought she'd better not ever encounter that girl in the gardens.
She briefly scanned the hall and picked a table away from the crowds. Sitting down with a sigh, she put down the bowl in front of her and stared at it for the longest time. She finally decided that no amount of mental preparation was going to make it taste any better, but she needed to keep her strength up at least.
She dipped her spoon in and took a mouthful of the salty brew. The taste of it made her realise how much she missed the nice meals she used to have with Caies. He might not always have been the kindest man to her, but at least he made sure they always had the best of the best. A sense of loneliness suddenly hit her and she was surprised to find some tears sting behind her eyes. She quickly pushed them back and glanced around quickly to make sure no one had noticed.

She could not afford to show weakness, not in a place like this, and not ever really. She knew she had cried when she came to work for Caies a lot, but the punishment for that had always been swift and hard. Emotions were for weaklings. Emotions only served to help you get the best out of others. Oh she could remember the lessons well. She was very good at conjuring up the right emotion to suit the situation, but she was never allowed to let it actuallly touch her. There had been a few occasions ofcourse when it simply wouldn't work to try and not feel anything, but she had always made sure Caies knew nothing of this. Still, she thought he knew anyway, No matter how wel she would hide if a cetain gentlemen held her attention for more than just business, she would always find herself on "another assignment" quickly that would stop her from seeing him.
She realised she was staring into space again and quickly took another mouthful of stew. Might as well get it over with as quick as possible. It certainly wasn't getting any better as it was cooling down. With a bit of effort she managed to tear of a piece of bread as well and then decided it would probably be easier if she drenched it in the bowl.

(OCC: I dunno what OAT means, so just delete this if I ain't supposed to be here!)

Walking inside the great mess hall for the first time in his life Torin was awestruck by it's massive proportions. The room was simply huge, you could probably but a couple of Rakens beside each other inside it. The hall buzzed with noises from the several hundred people, and Torin felt a little sick by the sight of the large crowd. He still hadn't gotten used to the thought that he would spend several years in this city, he felt like crying again, but that wasn't something you did as an warrior of the Reas Clan. At least not when you weren't alone, he knew he had to appear strong, but how could he ever manage that? Whatever honour he had posessed was now lost as a grain of salt in the sea, never to be found again. Never could he see his own kin again, not without restoring his dignity...A loud voice brought Torin back to reality quick enugh, and he realised that he had been deep into his own thoughts. "Stew or porridge young man, and don't waste my time just standing there!" he looked over his options and mumbled; "stew." Looking down at the dodgy portion of food he had been given Torin gave a small sigh, then went to find somewhere deserted to eat his meal.

After a bit of frantic searching Torin finally found a table that was somewhat deserted, a woman was sitting there, but she didn't seem like the talkative type. If he hadn't been in this damned dark mood, he would probably have noticed her stunning beauty, but right now his mind was occupied with other errands.Sitting down he eyed his stew with disgust, this could not possibly be the food served at this grand place. It looked....well edible, but only so by the tiniest of margins. Quickly fumbling around his pouch he found a small bottle with sea-salt, and a small packet of herbs. Taking a few leaves he smoldered them between his thumb and index finger, then sprinkled it over his stew. Adding some grains of salt he took up his spoon and tasted it, and found that it wasn't so bad after all. Now that he had established the fact that the food was somewhat okay he glanced up at the girl sitting opposite him, who was looking at him with a certain disbelieving look. Wasn't he supposed to be here? Was this some special woman he wasn't supposed to share table with? A noble in this society perhaps? He had done the mistakes before, but now he found out that he didn't care. If he did anything wrong by these damned city-dweller's customs, they could tell him, not just stare at him as he was some kind of oaf! Fixing a blank expression he looked up at the girl and raised his eyebrows in what he thought was an enquiring gesture. "Yes, can I help you?" he said plainly, and waited solemnly for a reply.

(Oat would be something you eat, OtA means "Open to All" :P so you are very welcome my friend, I do apologise for the delay, but for some reasons the boards are not showing new posts :( )

Dunking the bread into her stew, Shaya looked as it slowly sank into the stew. It was like a big sponge soaking everything up and for a moment it looked so weird, Shaya could only stare at it in wonder.
Just then she was distracted by a movement at her table and she looked up in curiosity. It seemed she now shared her table with a tall, brown-haired man, who was bent over his bowl as intendly as she had been just moments earlier. The blue markings on his face marked him Athan Miere even though he seemed to lack the nose jewelry many of them seemed to favor. Shaya had met very few SeaFolk before, but from the little she knew of them, she understood it was very rare indeed to find them this far away from their ship or water. She noted that the fellow had not bothered to ask her if she minded him sitting down. She wondered if this was plain rudeness or a social grace that he was not accustomed to. She watched in silence as he produced several pouches from his belt and started to add a mixture of herbs and what appeared to be salt to his stew. Definately SeaFolk Sea salt like that was hard to come by this far inland and the man did not look like he was rich enough to have easy access to it. He did not wear the Asha'man's uniform, so Shaya deducted that he had to be either a recruit, or maybe an apprentice, but then the way he held himself told her he was not comfortable with his surroundings enough to have been here very long. Shaya was contemplating her approach; she could either just ignore him as he ignored her and continue eating, but then it was intrigueing to find an Athan'Miere in the the Tower. She had always wanted to learn more about them and their customs. Just then the man looked up and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, can I help you?" Shaya felt indignation rise within. HE was the one that had sat down at HER table! His tone was not unfriendly perse and Shaya made herself calm down. Shad HAD been sort of staring at him afterall. And besides, just because he seemed to have different ideas about politeness, there was no reason to abandon her own manners. She delicately dabbed her lips with her napkin and conjured up a friendly smile. "I do apologise if I seemed to be staring, it is not often I find myself in such intriguing company. I have seldom had the pleasure of seeing the Athan'Miere this far from the sea. Have you come to the Tower to learn the ways of the land dwellers?" She smiled again, to indicate that there was no ill intend behind the subtle mockery. She knew enough about their ways to realise any self respecting Athan'Miere would have to have a very good reason to leave their ship. She briefly wondered if he had commited some crime to have been send here for punishment, but she dismissed the thought instantly. The Athan'Miere had their own way of dealing with such things.

"I do apologise if I seemed to be staring, it is not often I find myself in such intriguing company. I have seldom had the pleasure of seeing the Athan'Miere this far from the sea. Have you come to the Tower to learn the ways of the land dwellers?" Torin was positivly shocked. Instead of a nasty reply or some kind of shout-off, this woman had set up an absolutely bedazzling smile and even apologized, even if her slight was a small one. Puzzled by this sudden sweet voice making conversation with him Torin didn't notice the small wrongness of the womans smile, or the small flicker of well hidden irritation before she had replied. Not that Torin would ever have discovered such small details, he had never been trained in the subtle art of reading expressions. Except perhaps the basics that you required to retain the clan's reputation as traders. Blinking twice Torin used the few seconds to gather his wits after the unexpected question. Lying wasn't something that came easily to Torin, and now he hadn't the time to twist the truth. Your mother always told you that you were a bit slow, dumbass. "Well..." he began stottering before he could regain his composure and continue. " I have lost my honour in the eyes of my people, and risked the honour of my clan. I am going to restore it, and avenge my people! Therefore I am here at this city, which holds your Wavemistress." Before he could stop himself he had already said too much, but the woman's puzzled gaze told him that she hadn't heard about the incident yet. Perhaps it would be best too keep it a secret until everyone knew...

Before she could reply with a question Torin set up a smile and waved his hand dismissivly. "Please, it is a sad tale, one that I shall tell you another day, but not quite now." With a slight tremble he shook his head and smiled at the beautiful lady sitting oposite him, for she was beautiful this land dweller. Pushing away the horrible memory, the reason he was stuck here in this city, Torin took another spoonful of the brown-ish soup and swallowed. After what Torin thought was a slightly (pinleg) pause he finally found something to say, even if he felt like a complete idiot for asking such a stupid question. "Soo, may I ask the lady what your position is here among the land dwellers. What is your job?" Kiren had explained a bit about what the White Tower was, but Torin found himself unable to comprehend most of it. He still had no idea why all these young people was here. He had figured that the men with the unsetteling cloaks were something like Blademasters on the Rakens. Warriors, and by the look of them, good warriors. Of course he had heard the tales of the Aes Sedai, and their tower. But as he found himself here he reconed that he hadn't paid much attention to the stories. Nothing here was exactly like he remembered Nana's tales, and she knew everything, so it had to be Torins lacking interest that had made him mix the facts. As he snapped out of his own pondering he looked at the girl oposite him, she seemed...uneasy. You truly are dumb aren't you? Can't you do anything without offending everyone around you!? Torin bit his lip and cursed inside himself. "I am truly sorry, but I have no idea about you land dweller's customs or rules. If the question offended you, I withdraw it at once!" He hoped she wasn't too angry with him, because he really needed someone to explain all these details to him. Or else he would stagger around like an oaf without any sence for the duration of his stay.

Shaya took care that none of her surprise was readable on her face. For surprised she was indeed to hear what had brought him to the Tower. As curious as she was to hear the details of how he had shamed his clan, it was obvious that he had no intention of speaking about it though. Perhaps he would tell her some other time, she could imagine at least it was hard to open up to someone that was a complete stranger. As he struggled to answer her question it was already obvious he had said more than he would have cared for. Shaya felt herself warm up to him, his openness was endearing. It was refreshing not to have to do a mental battle for every answer, like she had to do with the Aes Sedai. As he asked for her position, Shaya gave a slight frown. Obviously he was not familiar with the different dresses of the White Tower yet. He mistook her frown for being upset with his question and

Shaya hurried to assure him she was not. She decided the man must feel completely out of his element here and she hoped someone would teach him well, or he was bound to find himself in trouble. Especially the male channelers could be very touchy about their "honor". Studying his face for a second, she came to a decision and held out her hand across the table. "Before I tell you what I do here in the White Tower, I think I should tell you my name first." She gave him an amused smile and thought to herself that he might need a friend in his quest to redeem his honor in front of his clan.
"My name is Shaya, Shaya Blackrose, but Shaya will do." She plucked at the white dress she was wearing with a grimace and continued: "Anyone you see around here wearing one of these, is a novice of the white tower. We are the lowest ranking females in the tower and we have all been brought here to learn how to channel." Looking round the mess hall she pointed at an Accepted and added "If you see the white dress with the colored bands at the bottom, they are Accepted, only one step away from being Aes Sedai themselves and already acting the part, so be sure to step lightly around them." She gave him a wink to indicate she was slightly joking, if only just. The stew in her bowl had begun congealing into a solid mass now that it was cooling down and Shaya pushed the bowl aside. "So does that mean you have come to the Tower to be one of the Gaidin?" Shaya liked the Gaidin, even though she had not met many of them.

They seemed so uncomplicated, there was none of the arrogance that seemed to be the trademark of the men in black coats. "Do you have a lot of fighting experience?" Shaya thought she actually had no idea about how the SeaFolk fought their wars or what weapons they favoured. She thought back on the words he had said and realised he had mentioned to come see the "Wavemistress". They way he spoke the title indicated that this was someone of great power amongst his people. Shaya realised he must be referring to the Amyrlin Seat. "You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but would you mind telling me a little bit about your people? Who is this Wavemistress you mentioned? Is she like a queen amongst your people?"

Torin found himself absolutly thrilled learning from the girl herself that she was indeed a low ranking person in this white city. From the seas he knew that only the most intelligent or cunning women held the highest ranks. He knew that the creature in front of him had vast amounts of both those virtues, that was plain for all to see. So if she was a novice, then how was these Aes Sedai. The thought frightened him a litte, they would be tremendous oponents indeed. Such leaders were to be feared the Athan'Miere concluded and continued to listen keenly to Shaya.

So does that mean you have come to the Tower to be one of the Gaidin?" Torin let the words flow over him and tried desperatly to remember what an Gaidin was. They belonged in the stories, that much he could remember, vicious fighters and loyal guardians of the Aes Sedai. "Perhaps" he stuttered. "I recon I must work for the food and shelter here on land until the time when I can return. Any work I can get in the Tower will be as good as any other labour." He stirred his stew a couple of times before taking another spoonful of the stuff. The woman who had introduced herself as Shaya looked like she was mildly facinated, but if this was real interest Torin couldn't say. "Do you have a lot of fighting experience?" He startled a little as Shaya spoke again, then set up a wide and heartfelt grin. "Well, you could say that I have some amount of experience." Finally she had asked something that he knew a bit about. "We Athan'Miere take great pride in fighting, and excerice as often as a pirate ship or a Seanchan ship comes to close." Of course Torin had experienced that the Athan'Miere would rather flee than take up the fight, but the younger men of the clans never admitted this.

Pulling down his loose shirt, which felt rather uncomfy anyway, Torin revealed twenty or so white scars that sig-sagged across his chest alongside his blue tattoes. "Well, if you mean fighting...as in getting wounded...I have more experience than most men." Even if the many wounds from swords, axes, and arrowheads told the tale of his lousy swordmanship, they also proclaimed that the wearer was a very hardy man....or a very lucky man. Hoisting his shirt into place once more Torin gave a last smile to the lady sitting opposite him before resuming his meal. He was really intrigued by her company, such women as this Shaya were rare, even among his kin. That meant of course that they were rarer than rubies among the land dwellers.

"You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but would you mind telling me a little bit about your people? Who is this Wavemistress you mentioned? Is she like a queen amongst your people?" Torin looked up from his bowl in amazement. "You do not know what a Wavemistress is? Yes, she is our leader, like your land dwelling leaders I suppose. The difference is mainly that we give them different titles, and we have no kings. There is the Master of Blades, but he is like her advisor in matters of war and conflict. I have heard the stories about some of your old kings and queens, but I am sorry to say that I no not much more about them." Torin had a brief pause before continuing. "It is only fair that since you have told me about your kin, that I tell you of mine. We are the Athan'Miere, or the Seafolk. We live on our boats for the span of our lives, and seldom go ashore. Except for brief periods when bargains or agreements are set up. Or of course, if you are cast out, like I am going to be. But before I know what you already know about the Seafolk, I have no idea on what more to tell you. I was never celebrated for my wit, I am sorry to say." With a smile he took another spoonful and lowered his eyes for a second.

As Shaya listened to him talking about his people, she could sense the longing and a hint of sadness in his voice.
She decided he must miss being away from them a lot. She could not imagine what it must be like to spend all your life on a ship at sea.
She had only seen the ocean once herself and the immense vastness of it had her looking at it in awe. To her, it looked like something so big could easily swallow a whole fleet of ships on a bad day.
She never like travelling by boat very much, her stomach just could not handle the rolling gait of the ship very well. Caies had made her learn how to swim, but she would never choose to do so, unless she had absolutely no other choice. Her eyes widened slightly as he pulled up his shirt and showed a multitude of scars that crisscrossed over his skin like a madman's scribbles. His dark skin camouflaged a lot of them, or she was sure it would have looked a lot worse. She could hardly imagine how any one man could take so much abuse and still walk round alive. The creator must favor this one. There was a spontaneous and open quality to him that appealed to her and she could not help but answer his grin with one of her own.

"Well, it seems you have mastered the art of catching weapons with your body!" She winked and watched him finish of the last of his stew. The things he told her about his kin sounded so colorful. In her mind's eye she imagined the Wavemistress as she stood on her ship, commanding the whole fleet, her hair blowing in the wind. She still did not understand why he would give up a live he obviously loved so much to be here, but he did not look like a man who would act without reason.
"But before I know what you already know about the Seafolk, I have no idea on what more to tell you. I was never celebrated for my wit, I am sorry to say."
She smiled as she thought he was far from dimwitted as he would like her to believe. He might perhaps lack the cunning subtlety that she had observed in some of the women of his kin that she sometimes seen visiting the harbor markets in search off supplies. The Athan'Miere were feared by all merchants as ruthless bargainers, and no one ever came out on top with them. Even the Aes Sedai stepped lightly when dealing with them. She suddenly thought of something she had picked up in one of the inns while having a drink with Caies and leaning in to Torin, she whispered: "Is it true that your women do not wear clothes while your at sea?" She only half believed the rumor, for surely no man would be able to keep his mind on his job if the women went about flaunting their bodies, but it was an amusing bit of gossip nonetheless. Torin seemed to regard everything in the Tower with a sort of wide-eyed wonder, it was hard to imagine he was used to having nothing but naked women around him.