'Blood and ashes!' was Mikaila's first thought as she saw the two Towers, white and black, majestic and – in her opinion at least – way too overbearing. 'this place is big enough to host all the people in Tanchico, and there'd still be room for more!'
When she voiced her astonishment though, the Aes Sedai she was traveling with - who told Kai to call her Naria Sedai – just scolded her for her language. "You will go find Kathera Sedai, now." She added "She is the Mistress of Novices, and she will write your name in the Novice book. Just ask the first girl in white how to get to her office." There was something Kai could not name in the woman's voice, but she knew what it meant. It meant the Aes Sedai expected to be obeyed, and obeyed immediately. So Kai nodded and watched as the Aes Sedai and her Warder left, disappearing inside the huge mass of the Towers. She stared at its marvels for a few more minutes, then came to herself with a shake of her head and a murmured "blood and ashes, Kai! You're in a bloody amazing place, and all you do is bloody stare at it? C'mon! Explore!" The instructions about finding Kathera Sedai completely forgotten, Kai entered the White tower and started looking around. The place was beautiful, but to Mikaila, who was used to dark, dirty caves or dark, dirty brothels, the Towers were too much. Too clean, too polished, too beautiful, too rich. It felt… odd.

As she strolled around the Tower, Kai didn't pay much attention to the people in it. She had noticed them, the white wearing women – especially those who came to her and asked her if she needed help, to which she smiled and shook her head - and the older looking ones, who wore dresses in every color possible – and such pretty dresses! – and who mostly ignored her. Kai preferred it to – after all, she wanted to continue her tour in the towers undisturbed.

After an hour or so of getting lost inside the White Tower, Kai found the gardens, and prepared herself to a whole other kind of getting lost. The gardens – like every other place around here – were huge, beautiful, and something the rest of the towers was definitely not – inviting.
She wandered around in the gardens, exploring every corner. The gardens were as meticulous as any other place in the Tower, and it seemed as if people labored daily to create such a level of order. 'Useless work,' she thought, and wondered who all the girls in white were, those Kai had seen doing most of those chores. She wondered if they were servants, and how it would feel like to have servants – 'bloody weird. Could be interesting, though.' and then she remembered something Naria Sedai has told her, when they were still in Tanchico. Something about her wearing Novice white… does that mean that those who come to learn also do the bloody chores around here? was her first thought.
And then – 'will they expect me, too, to do chores?'
She snorted. 'Well, they can expect.'

She rounded on a corner, shivering slightly. It was getting colder, and she was still in her rags – or, at least, that's how the Aes Sedai had called it. In Kai's opinion, the dress was perfectly fine. Sure, there was a hole here and there, but it was clean, which wasn't something she could usually say on her clothes.

The place she found herself in was a beautiful, secluded spot, the flowering shrubbery surrounding a stone bench… which was currently occupied. The man sitting there lifted his head to look at her, and she could fell the warmth spreading in her cheeks. He was handsome! His brown eyes were piercing, and his black outfit complementing his tanned complex and brown hair. He seemed to be all that Ben always wanted to be, but couldn't. Realizing that she was practically 'drooling' – as they used to say whenever one of the boys stared at a girl for too long – she blinked, and opened her mouth to introduce herself, but that was not what came out.
"Hi. Umm… I'm, err, sorry to disturb you. I was, umm, just… looking around." Kai mentally kicked herself. 'Since when do I apologize?! I never apologize!! And for that matter - when was the last bloody time I bloody stuttered like that?'

Broderick sneezed. The basement was dusty, but Asha'man Resolute had ordered him to clean all the old books before going to the mess hall for dinner. He cursed at the Asha'man under his breath, and then he paused, and took it back. Asha'man Resolute was only doing his duty. The young Soldier actually liked the gruff Aman Val. he was everything Brode wanted to be. Tall, strong, hard, and good looking. It wasn't an odd statement. Everywhere the blonde haired Asha'man went women fell all over him. Somehow though, the Aman Val ignored them. He was always cool, calm and collected. The very way he moved spoke, of a danger lurking beneath a thinly veiled surface.

Still, as much as he liked the big Asha'man he felt that it was an injustice to be punished so. All he had done was hold the nurse with a flow of air so he could question her about Morgain. Mor had been missing since....since...the Ball. Since she had agreed to go with him. And it had been months. Some people were just never found. And always he was going to see if someone had found her, if they knew what happened to his Mor.

Unbidden, tears sprang to his dusty eyes. They left clean tracks down his smudged cheeks. He wasn't crying, Soldier's never cried. It was just dust in his eyes. Both his eyes. At the same time. And they were just cleaning themselves. Yeah, that was it. Still cleaning his eyes, Brode finished the last book, and rushed from the dusty cellar in the bowels of the Towers.

He went to their favorite spot. A small secluded garden, with a pond full of bright colorful fish. Sullenly, he sat on the bench, and dried his eyes. Once he had his dusty eyes cleaned, he stared out over the pond, just remembering

With a sudden knowing, he realized there was someone behind him. He half turned, meeting the brown eyes of a skinny girl. She was clearly malnourished, but her blond hair was clearly well kept. After a moment, she blushed and looked away, stammering, "Hi. Umm… I'm, err, sorry to disturb you. I was, umm, just… looking around."

Brode smiled gently.She must be knew. "Please." He said. "You didn't disturb me. Have a seat, and enjoy the garden too."

The man on the bench smiled, and Kai smiled back. "Please." He said, causing her smile to widen. "You didn't disturb me. Have a seat, and enjoy the garden too."
“Th-thank you,” she stuttered, sitting down next to him, her smile fading at her own words. She was stuttering again! She wondered why exactly she was stammering like that. It couldn’t be that she was nervous, or something as bloody foolish as that. Kai did not get nervous. ‘Just like I never bloody stutter,’ she thought petulantly.

There were few minutes of silence as Mikaila did her best looking at the flowers, and the shrubbery, and the little pond – and practically everything that wasn’t the boy sitting next to her, trying to understand what was causing her confusion. She had already established that it could not be nervousness – besides, what reason could she possibly have to be so nervous? ‘I am not nervous!’ she insisted, scowling at a particularly pretty rose that boomed haughtily in front of her.
‘Burn me! Ben and the others would laugh so if they saw me now!’ she didn’t doubt it one second – she was making a great fool of herself. Stammering, stuttering – the light burn her, she even blushed!
Next thing, she’ll giggle and start worrying over her hair and clothes, just like all the other girls in Tanchico. The light save me from that…

The thought of clothes reminded Kai that her dress did not give enough protection from the cold, and she shivered again. Her movement must have caught her companion’s attention, for she could feel his eyes, now looking at her. She felt herself blush again, at that – and inwardly grimaced, cursing her body for its unwanted reactions.

“urm, sorry… just – it’s, um, getting colder, and…” she trailed off, realizing that she was babbling. She really would start giggling any minute now, like the nitwit she had apparently became. And she apologized. Again. As if once wasn’t bad enough.
“I’m Kai, by the way.” She added, because obviously she hadn’t said enough as it was, and opened her mouth to babble some more. At least I didn’t stutter.
“Well, Mikaila,” she corrected herself. “But everyone calls me Kai. H-how, I mean, what’s your name?”
Thought too bloody soon, she thought, and wondered if the One Power could make the ground open up and swallow her whole – ‘cause if so, she really, really wanted it to do it. Now.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered as she sat on the bench. He evaluated her for a long moment, wondering what in the world she was stuttering about. It wasn't cold out, however, it was a bit cool. And while he supposed her rags were hardly warm, she couldn't be that cold. He anxiously checked her cheeks for the flush of a fever, but saw no signs of a disease in her skin or eyes. maybe she just had a speech impediment. Yes, that must be it. Pleased with himself for deducing the girl's trouble, he resolved to help her out if he could.

Not wanting to make her nervous, Brode looked back out over the pond, carefully evaluating his next move. This poor girl clearly suffered from a speech impediment, maybe related to a head injury? Maybe he should take her to see the Yellows. That would be a good way to get her cured.

Smiling to himself, he was just about to tell her his grand plans for her salvation, when she spoke: “urm, sorry… just – it’s, um, getting colder, and…I’m Kai, by the way. Well, Mikaila, But everyone calls me Kai. H-how, I mean, what’s your name?”

He smiled easily, just as he had seen Asha'man Resolute do countless times before. "My name is Broderick Goran. I am Soldier here in the Black Tower." he could not help the small amount of pride that slipped into is voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Mikaila." There was a pause. "Are you here to see someone in particular? Perchance the Yellows, or a Sister? I can escort you to wherever you need to go."

"My name is Broderick Goran." He answered her question, smiling, and Kai couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed. "I am Soldier here in the Black Tower," he continued, and Kai grimaced mentally. She did not like soldiers – especially not those so-called City Guards who – once they've decided to get off of their lazy ass, of course – were much worse than merchants' guards, if they caught you. Once, a member of another gang – one of their rivals – got himself caught by the City Guards. Mikaila hadn't seen him since then. She doubted his gangmates had seen him since then. It had been a cause of celebration for her and her friends, but the thought of getting caught by the City Guard always haunted them, frightening them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Mikaila." Mikaila jumped, startled. She was so deep in thought, remembering home, that she forgot about her companion! She blushed again, and fiercely scolded herself for it – when he added, "Are you here to see someone in particular? Perchance the Yellows, or a Sister? I can escort you to wherever you need to go."

The Yellows? Huh? her confusion must have shown on her face, but she didn't mind – it was better than a stupid blush, anyway, and besides, she was too busy trying to figure out what a Yellow was without letting the boy next to her notice her ignorance. She wondered if she had ever heard Naria Sedai mention a Yellow, but it seems that if had, she had forgotten about it. Remembering that the man – Broderick, his name was – asked her something, she answered, still a bit absentminded in her search through her memories to notice the bitterness that seeped into her voice. "I am here to become a Novice. Apparently, I can channel. At least, that's what Naria Sedai told me. Seems to me like I'm here to become a servant, more than anything." This time, she did not hide her frown. if they think I'm going to be a bloody servant, they're wrong.

"I am here to become a Novice. Apparently, I can channel. At least, that's what Naria Sedai told me. Seems to me like I'm here to become a servant, more than anything."

"Oh." was all he said. He hadn't expected such a needy girl to be left wandering along around the White Tower. After all, she had such a hideous impediment he couldn't fathom why the Aes Sedai were just letting her wander around unaided and alone. There was a pregnant pause. Rather it was pregnant and went through all three trimesters before another one of them spoke.

"Well if your to be a Novice, I can help you to where you need to go." he said helpfully. "And I shouldn't worry too much about being a servant. They mostly give us chores when they are punishing us." He shrugged. "You either don't break the rules or don't get caught if you don't want to work."

He grabbed her hand and tugged her along behind him, not wanting to let her speak, and embarrass herself anymore. "Come on!" He said. "I'll show you the way to the Mistress of Novices, and she can help you sign the Book, and get some new clothes."

And with the dash, the two of them were off.

"Oh", he said, and was silent once again, leaving Kai to think some more about her life and the recent changes in it. She was no longer the homeless urchin, yet still not a Novice in the White Tower. She wondered what it would be like, being a Novice, and how much it would change her. She wasn't stupid – she knew it would. Just coming here had changed her already, if her hair and state of cleanliness were any indication.

"Well if your to be a Novice, I can help you to where you need to go." Kai turned her eyes to look at her companion, a small smile of gratitude playing on her lips. "And I shouldn't worry too much about being a servant. They mostly give us chores when they are punishing us. You either don't break the rules or don't get caught if you don't want to work."

Us? she thought. Didn't he say he was a soldier? Why would he be punished if he's a soldier? Oh, this place is too bloody confusing! she opened her mouth to say something – whether it was to ask him what he meant, or boast on how she never got caught, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter, for he grabbed her hand, and pulled her with him, not giving her the time to respond. "Come on!" He said. "I'll show you the way to the Mistress of Novices, and she can help you sign the Book, and get some new clothes."

A scathing reply was perched on her tongue – her dress was good enough, thank you! She did not need new clothes – but… he was helping her find the way to the Mistress of Novices, when he could just let her get lost again in the hugeness of the Towers. He was nice, and helpful, and the first person she met in the Towers that she actually liked – Naria Sedai definitely did not go into that category, and her stone-head Warder did not so much as look at her after the first time!
And so she bit her tongue and followed Broderick to the Mistress of Novices' Office, where her new life would begin.