The room was dark and even darker was the corner in which the white clad girl sat. Her blond hair was spread out over her shoulders and hung over her knees where she sat crawled up in a ball. Her clear blue eyes closed she was completely silent. The small classroom wasn't in use at the moment, and if anyone came she would leave, but she wouldn't let anyone see her in the state she was in. After all she was only a few years short of 20 and she was sulking. Sulking!

Niconia had suffered through several beatings by the former Mistress of Novices for many mischievous things and rule breaking in general. However this had not come from the Mistress of Novices and it had had no real ground either. She hadn't done anything! Yet the woman still had taken a ruler to her fingers and a belt to her back! Anyone watching had been horrified, but naturally no one had seen it. The class had been for her only and it had mainly been used to give her a thorough spanking. In her mind Niconia was for the moment just sulking, thinking it hadn't been her fault and all of the things that went along with that, slowly however thoughts of revenge began to build inside. Once or twice she grumbled softly to herself that the woman certainly had it coming, and that she would regret ever laying hands on Niconia. Pain was nothing she fancied but revenge had a tendency to be something she did around here. She didn't want to be here, she had never asked for it. From the day she had been 'forced' to join she had resisted their training. Sure she had learned a few things, but usually only to use it against the system of it all or to defend herself against other novices. She still wished she had never set her foot in the White Tower, or anywhere near Tar Valon for that matter. It didn't matter what horror stories people told her, she believed them as much as she believed in shadowspawn!

Kicking the wall once she hid her face in her arms again and closed her eyes. Stupid Tower! Stupid Aes Sedai! Stupid Stupid Stupid Channelers! Bloody Aes Sedai!!! She realized she was getting more to the point of upset and tears were welling up, trying to fight it she had no idea the door was opening. With her eyes so tightly squeezed shut she didn't even notice the light from the hallway. All she noticed was how the tears were more then she could handle and how they slowly slid from her tightly squeezed eyes and slid down her cheeks.

Sweeping classrooms was tedious and pointless, but it was far better than most of the chores she had been forced to do lately. Her punishment for running away from the Tower was far from finished, and the Aes Sedai made sure that she would remember it, too. She barely had time to eat and sleep because the Aes Sedai always had some tedious chore in mind whenever they saw her passing them. She worked regularly in the library and the kitchens, the places she disliked the most, but if she ever had a seemingly free moment it was soon filled with fetching this or carrying that or doing laundry. And all the Aes Sedai seemed to know what kind of chores she hated and gave her just those. No matter what anyone said, Aes Sedai could be quite malicious sometimes.

And the worst was that Farina knew she deserved it all and more. She had run away from the Tower and been absent for two years before being 'caught'. She was lucky to be allowed back in the Tower. That wouldn't have been the case if the Aes Sedai had known why exactly she had run away. Farina quickly pushed those thoughts away, she didn't want to think about the mistake she had made with the Master of Soldier's himself, she didn't want to think about her baby boy...

But the problem was that when you were sweeping alone in a classroom, there wasn't much you could do to stop your mind from wandering. And of course she wasn't allowed to use the One Power, oh no, it would be way too convenient.

She shook her head in frustration as she finished with the classroom and opened the door to the next one. She had been told that it would be empty by now, but there was one novice still in a corner. Farina wondered if she should leave, but the Aes Sedai would not be easy on her if they had even a hint of an excuse to punish her for not completing her chores. So she walked in, but the novice didn't react. She didn't notice her at all, it seemed. Behind blond hair and hands Farina realized she was crying. Oh my. Farina wasn't good at comforting, but she needed to do something. "Erm..." she said, trying to think of something suitable to say. "Are you alright?" she asked weakly, cursing herself as soon as the words had escaped her lips. Of course she's not alright, she's bloody crying! But it was all she could come up with, so she waited for the novice's reply, leaning on her broom.

((OOC: sorry for this being so short, I couldn't think of anything more to write :blink: ))

"Erm... Are you alright?" The voice might have been soft and not malicious in anyway, but the sudden realization of that she wasn't alone made Niconia give a start and sit up with her back straight. She looked up to see that it was an Accepted, leaning on a broom. The woman was quite pretty with long brown hair and green eyes, perhaps a little taller then herself. Realizing the situation Niconia quickly rose, wiping her tears from her cheeks as she did, and curtsied to the Accepted. "I'm sorry Accepted, I know I'm not supposed to be here. I... I.. I'll go if you want me to." As she curtsied she kept her eyes on the floor and she kept them there. After all they might be a bit puffy and it was all the harder to lie when it was obvious. Light! Why didn't I hear her come in? She scolded herself in her mind. She had no better hearing then anyone else, just a knack for noticing when people told the truth or not, but she still wished she hadn't been caught like this. At least it hadn't been her own roommate, that would have been... a disaster. She could only hope now that this Accepted wouldn't rat on her to anyone. Rumors travelled quickly, despite the Aes Sedai punishments when ever they noticed.

(OOC: It's alright. :D )

Finally the novice reacted. She jerked and looked at Farina with her blue eyes. She had definitely been crying, her cheeks were wet with tears. Farina felt slightly uncomfortable, but she just couldn't leave the girl all by herself. Who knew what was bothering her? The novice did pull herself together quite well, standing up quickly and wiping her tears, but something was wrong and Farina quite frankly felt sorry for her. She seemed so young. And Farina if anyone knew what it was like to be miserable.

The novice didn't forget to curtsy. "I'm sorry Accepted, I know I'm not supposed to be here. I... I.. I'll go if you want me to." And now she was avoiding Farina's gaze. Farina didn't blame her though, it was terrible to be seen when you were crying. Farina wondered if she should just order her to leave the room so she could sweep it. She certainly had the right as an Accepted, even if she was an ill-famed Accepted that most novices refused to obey in any case. And Farina did have to sweep...

No, she couldn't do that. She needed to do something for the girl. If it was just home sickness, Farina could comfort her as well as the next person. She would never forgive herself if she did nothing. She sighed. "Look, I know what it is like to feel sad or miserable and have no one to talk to, believe me." Farina had had more experience on that than most people. "You're not supposed to be here, and I do need to sweep, but if you want to talk to someone, I'll be right here," she said in a kind voice, smiling. "Or if you don't want to talk but would like some company, you can stay here. I won't tell anyone." She cocked her head a bit and waited for the novice's reply. Whatever it was, Farina knew that she had offered her help as well as she could.

The Accepted sighed at her, with every right to do so. "Look, I know what it is like to feel sad or miserable and have no one to talk to, believe me." Niconia just nodded slightly, taking it more like scolding then someone being nice. Still she did understand that there were people who knew sadness more then herself. In comparison to a lot of people she had been quite lucky in her life (until being locked up here anyway). "You're not supposed to be here, and I do need to sweep, but if you want to talk to someone, I'll be right here," The Accepted added. Niconia stiffened for a moment. The woman might seem like the nicest person in the world, but for all Niconia knew she could just as well just want to know Nicos secrets so that she could have something to gossip about to her friends. "Or if you don't want to talk but would like some company, you can stay here. I won't tell anyone." At that Niconia lifted her eyes slightly. It was a safer option then the talking one. Risky but Niconia wasn't a coward. With the exception of people knowing she was in a classroom after her class had ended nothing more would cause her trouble. Perhaps it was a way for this Accepted to show that she could be trusted, or at least give the opportunity to test if that was the case. Nodding slightly Niconia answered. "I wouldn't mind staying if that is alright with you..." Then a thought occurred to her as her own eyes fell on the broom again. "Do you need any help?" Now Niconia wasn't one to like chores, but she preferred offering herself then being ordered to do them. Nico knew very well that you didn't help out with peoples chores, but if Farina was the only one who knew she was in here then no one would know. And on top of that it would show trust for Nico not to rat on this Accepted in return. She wondered if the Accepted would let her help. Unconsciously she actually hoped so.

Farina could almost hear the novice thinking. Farina wondered what she would have done in her situation. Well, she hated being seen when she was crying, especially by people she didn't know. She had been in such a situation only once in the Tower, and the Master of Soldiers had treated her to tea and offered her help... No, no no no, don't think about him! Farina pushed him firmly out of her mind.

Finally the novice nodded. "I wouldn't mind staying if that is alright with you..." Farina smiled. At least she was able to do something for the poor novice, even if she wasn't ready to talk. "Do you need any help?" Now that was surprising. Farina had never heard of a novice who offered to do chores. Farina never had. She had hated chores all her life, and that was why she hated her punishment so much.

She wondered what to do with the situation. She was supposed to clean the room by herself, without using aid, such as the One Power. If anyone found out about it, she would be punished, and not too lightly. But... who would know? It seemed that no one knew that the novice was there. And no one was supervising Farina at the moment... And she was sure that the novice wouldn't tell anyone. If she did, she would also have to explain her presence in the room.

Farina smiled and nodded quickly. She went back to the doorway, poked her head through the door and looked both ways only to see a blissful lack of any Aes Sedai at all. She quickly grabbed a second broom from the pile of cleaning equipment she had carried from the storerooms earlier and went back into the classroom, closing the door firmly. "Thanks," she said as she handed the second broom to the novice. "Together we'll have this room cleaned in no time. But before we start, I'm Farina," she said with a friendly smile.

For a moment the Accepted seemed to contemplate the idea of help. It was risky business to get aid of anyone, it always was. Eventually though she nodded with a smile, walked back to the door to make sure they wouldn't get caught (a very good thing to do), grabbed a second broom and returned. "Thanks," she said handing Niconia the broom. "Together we'll have this room cleaned in no time. But before we start, I'm Farina." The Accepted had a friendly smile on her lips. A real one, not like the ones she had seen on novices she had been hanging out with since coming here. Taking the broom Niconia returned the smile, completely sincerely. "Niconia, my friends call me Nico."

Starting off in a corner Niconia started to sweep the floor clean, working her way down the wall and inwards so that she would end up at the door with all the dust. It was a strategy she had learned long before arriving at the Towers, but that she now exclusively used when doing chores like these. It was less time consuming then other strategies she had seen other novices use. Having swooped a bit Nico felt more secure and couldn't help but to strike up a conversation. "I have never seen an Accepted doing these kinds of chores. Once or twice in the kitchen scrubbing pots, but never sweeping classrooms." She just stated casually. Looking over her shoulder she asked Farina. "How come you are?" She was only motionless for a moment as she asked the question before she went back to work. The floor wouldn't get clean with words and it wouldn't go faster if all they did was chitchat.

"Niconia, my friends call me Nico." Farina wondered if Niconia was just being polite, or if it was an indication that she thought of Farina as a friend. Her smile was warm, but Farina wasn't too sure that friendship had developed already. Nevertheless, it was a nice gesture. Farina smiled to herself as the novice started sweeping. She had to admit that it was nice to have company during chores, and even more so to have someone to help. She just had to avoid worrying. The Aes Sedai would have her hide for this if they found out.

Farina started from another corner, moving the broom with trained ease. She tried to focus on the movement before her mind started wandering again. She watched the dust accumulate but her mind just couldn't stay on such harmless topics. She closed her eyes as the image of the baby boy she had left behind appeared in her head. No, no no no. Just concentrate on the broom.

"I have never seen an Accepted doing these kinds of chores. Once or twice in the kitchen scrubbing pots, but never sweeping classrooms." Farina hadn't expected Niconia to start a conversation with her, at least not so soon, but she was glad she did. Although she could sense the topic she had in mind, and it wasn't one Farina was happy to talk about. "How come you are?" Farina grimaced a bit, keeping her eyes on the broom. Only then did she look at Niconia, who hadn't stopped sweeping.

"You haven't heard then." It seemed that everyone had, but it was nice to know that word hadn't spread everywhere. "I ran away from the Tower," she explained and continued sweeping. She didn't like to talk about it, but she didn't want to dodge the question either. Of course she wouldn't tell Nico the whole truth. She would try to avoid lying too, because Accepted were expected not to lie. "I was away for two years before they found me. This is a part of my punishment," she said with a sour twist in her voice. "I deserve it, though," she added quickly.

"You haven't heard then." Niconia looked over her shoulder but didn't stop sweeping. Why would I have heard about everything Accepted do? She thought to herself. "I ran away from the Tower," Now Niconia did stop sweeping and just stared at Farina. "I was away for two years before they found me. This is a part of my punishment," Her voice sounded sour, as if she really hated the punishment. "I deserve it, though," The Accepted added quickly.

Thoughtfully Niconia continued to sweep the floor. She was silent for a long while, but then she couldn't help but to ask softly. "How did you manage to get out?" She wasn't looking at Farina. She didn't dare. The Accepted probably wanted to be here or she wouldn't have gotten caught on the run. It was just so hard not to ask when a person who had succeeded with something Niconia had dreamed about since coming here was right there. After asking though Niconia hoped Farina wouldn't take her head off. Niconia hated it here. She had no friends, no wish to be a novice. She had been forced to become a novice in the first place. Ever since that moment Niconia had wished that she had never took the job of protecting that woman. A woman who hadn't looked at Niconia twice after they had been signed in.

Niconia finished her first sweep along the wall and now walked up to where she began to sweep the dust towards the door. The room would be finished in no time if they kept at it at the rate they were. The nervous novice just didn't know if they would be.

Farina continued sweeping quietly, constantly waiting for Nico’s response. She wasn’t sure what to expect, different people reacted in different ways. Most of the responses had been berating and ice-cold, and especially Aes Sedai thought she deserved the strictest punishment possible. Most Accepted thought so too, even though she was sure a few of them had though about running away but never had had the courage. Novices, though… Some thought she was a fool for getting caught, and those were the ones who wanted nothing to do with the White Tower. Farina could never bring herself to like those ones. She would do anything to be in the White Tower. In fact, she had done quite a lot to be in the White Tower already.

The silence continued, and Farina relaxed a bit. But then the novice’s soft voice called again. "How did you manage to get out?" Farina stopped and stared at her in astonishment, but she hadn’t stopped sweeping. Farina quickly tore her eyes off the girl and shook her head a bit. That was certainly a response she hadn’t been expecting, but she shouldn’t have been so surprised, really. There were a lot of novices who wanted to run away, and it was quite amazing that no one had asked her how she had done it. Until now.

Farina didn’t want to jump into conclusions, but it seemed so obvious that Nico wanted to run away. She was obviously miserable, why else would she have been crying? Farina would certainly think twice before giving her hints how to run away, but there were more things involved in her escape, things that prevented her from telling Nico even if she had wanted to. “I can’t tell you,” she said softly. “I… got help from someone. If anyone finds out how I ran away, they could get in trouble. And the only one who should get in trouble for my escape is me. No one else.” It was true. She still had Asha’man Edeleas’s map that showed every escape route from the Tower. She should give it back to him. But she just couldn’t make herself face the Master of Soldiers yet… She shook the man out of his mind. She wondered how she should deal with Nico. Well, Farina had always been outright… “Why do you want to run away?”

It took only a little while for Farina to respond. “I can’t tell you,” she said in a soft voice, “I… got help from someone. If anyone finds out how I ran away, they could get in trouble. And the only one who should get in trouble for my escape is me. No one else.” Niconia only nodded. She hadn't really expected to get any help. Not really. Sure there had been a weak sense of hope, but she had never really thought it would happen. “Why do you want to run away?” Farina added at which point Niconia had to stop for a moment to not only collect her thoughts but her emotions. After that moment she managed to get enough into control to explain.

"When I set foot in Tar Valon I had every intention of leaving. I came here as one of a group of guards protecting a Lady who wished to become a novice. Had I had any idea what the Aes Sedai would do I would never have took the job." Looking up at Farina Niconia continued. "When the Lady was to be tested the Aes Sedai asked me to stay in the room with them. Once the Lady had been tested the Aes Sedai didn't only say that the Lady had passed but that I had too." Nicos face was set in stone as she continued. "I never asked to be tested. I never asked to be torn out of my life. I never wanted to become a novice and I still don't want to be one, no matter how the One Power feels. I take no joy in being forced to learn this. I have no friends here and being treated like a child doesn't exactly warm me up to their point of view." She looked down and started sweeping again. "I guess you only find me silly. I don't blame you, most seem to."

Farina listened to Nico's story, leaning on the broom again, the dust pile forgotten for a moment. It wasn't an unusual one since there were other novices who had come to the Tower with different intents than joining as a novice. Farina had come to become a Warder, and learning that she could channel was not an unpleasant surprise for her because she had been planning on staying anyway. It was sad that the White Tower hadn't been the haven she had imagined because she had had to leave Frenna behind, but nevertheless it had all worked out quite well for her. Of course she had hated the White Tower and Aes Sedai for a while, but now she wanted nothing but to become Aes Sedai. She hoped that Nico would feel the same some day, hoped that she could find happiness in the White Tower.

But she understood her, in a way. Farina hadn't felt homesick at all since she had already ran away from home before becoming a novice, but she knew that most novices had left a loving family and a secure and happy life behind. She did feel sad for Nico, but she couldn't imagine anything she would prefer to becoming Aes Sedai. She had proven that to herself time and time again... First Frenna, now the little baby boy... Farina bit her lip and emptied her mind again. Why can't I stop thinking about them?

The novice continued, saying how she didn't enjoy the One Power and had no friends. Farina cocked her head a bit as Nico started sweeping again. "I guess you only find me silly. I don't blame you, most seem to." The Light knew that Farina didn't think she was silly at all. She looked at Nico's back, wondering how she could help her. She did seem miserable. "I don't think you're silly. I think that you lead a lonely life here and miss your family. But I can say that I am sure you're not the only one who has been ripped from their family and forced to wear white. There are hundreds of women who have experienced the same in the White Tower. Most of them all called Aes Sedai." She didn't know if that was any consolation, but she went on anyway.

"I can't say that I know how you feel, because my life wasn't exactly happy before I entered the White Tower. Or after I entered, for that matter." She bit her lip again, but she knew that if she spoke from her own experience, Nico would believe it more easily. "They forced me to leave my baby behind. My own daughter! I hated the Aes Sedai for that, but now I want nothing more than to become Aes Sedai. I have learned what endless possibilites Aes Sedai have, what remarkable things you can do with the One Power. Aes Sedai have power over kings and queens, they can pursue their passions with more freedom than anyone else. I want that. And maybe, if you give this place a chance, you will want that too," she finished with a smile.