((OOC: Quoting Cayana Sedai -- December chores: Messhall duties (Kitchen work (dishes, cooking, baking), sweeping floors in the mess hall, collecting dishes and so on) ))

Marian donned a clean white novice dress and hurried her way down the mess hall, quite happily, actually. Things had turned up a bit since her coming to the Tower, which had been quite awhile ago, now that she thought about it. She had begun to make some friends, and she was learning to channel after all. Aes Sedai and Asha'man weren't so horrible as some stories made them out to be. Or as Seshi did. She sighed a bit at that. She did miss Seshi still, though it was a lesser feeling than when she had first come to the White Tower. She still wrote letters, though less as often - not every night as she had the first week in the Tower. She didn't have time anyway. What with the learning!

She had learned quite a lot since coming to the White Tower. She had learned more than she ever thought she would, at least. Marian found it all very fascinating. A new fact was learned every day, and getting her hands on some of the books in the library might not be so bad either. Marian knew how to read before she came to the White Tower. She had enjoyed it too, but this was far more interesting here. Here, she was learning about the Seanchan, the One Power... It seemed the world's knowledge was all crammed into one place - Tar Valon! Marian smiled to herself, walking through the doors to the Mess Halls. Perhaps she should join the Brown Ajah. Oh, she had learned more about the Ajahs as well.

She had decided that she wanted to become Aes Sedai, even if it meant leaving all her old life behind. She had done that anyway, hadn't she? Well, in any case, there was so much of the world that would be opened to her if she became Aes Sedai. She still wasn't sure what Ajah she would choose, and she didn't think she would be raised any time soon, since she was still conquering channeling, but someday, the choice would come. Marian didn't think she'd choose the Red Shen, since she didn't know many soldiers, and the Yellow Ajah wasn't too inviting, since she couldn't Heal very strongly. Other than that, the opportunities were endless.

Putting her thoughts at rest, looking at the empty mess hall, she decided she'd better get to work. The other novices would arrive soon, to begin their chores with her, but she'd not wait for them. She'd just get started. She began taking the chairs and turning them over onto the top of the tables, in a way that they could sweep under them. Marian wrinkled her nose at the tiled floor. It could use with a good scrubbing as well.

Shaya yawned sleepily behind her hand as she pushed her way into the Mess Hall. For a moment her watery eyes made everything look misty, before she blinked and her vision cleared. She had long since decided she was definitely not a morning person, which in itself was an understatement. She had dreaded these early morning chores for some weeks, but finally the time had come she could no longer wangle her way out of them. Shaya had no scruples about bribing other novices into taking her duties if she could get away with it, but if she missed this one, it would surely attract some Aes Sedai's attention.

During her travels she had picked up a liking for Kaf, a strong brew from Sanchean origin, for it seemed to be the only stuff capable enough of making her feel like a human being for midday. She stiffled another yawn and fervently hoped she had a nice hot beaker of the stuff now. As she crossed the Hall, she realised someone had already started, for some of the chairs had been upended on the tables. She smiled weakly as she spotted Marian. She just couldn't understand how Marian could always be so friendly and cheerful, Shaya definitely had her moods when she simply couldn't be bothered with anyone.

Marian deserved better than that though, so she made an effort to control her iritability and not kick over the first chair she passed. She grimaced as she glanced towards the kitchen and noticed the endless piles of dirty dishes and pots. She grimaced and let out a deep sigh as she turned to Marian. "Mornin' Marian, although I'm not sure yet what's so flamin good about it. Looks like we'll be in here all day cleaning up this mess."

Alilisa hurried to the mess halls, hoping that she would not be late this month to clean up. She did not want to be yelled at once again.

When she arrived she found Marian already starting. She recognized Shaya, the other novice from her Seanchen class. Shaya did not look to pleased to be there. Alilisa gave them each a smile and a hello.

Alilisa noticed how dirty everything was, it looked like the mess halls had not been scrubbed down in some time. Alilisa didn't mind cleaning, she had done it many times before. Without anyone at home half the time, it had been up to Alilisa to keep the house in good condition.

Alilisa wondered what she could do, then spotted the piles of dirty dishes just waiting to be washed. Alilisa didn't mind dishes, and since everyone else seemed to be doing their own thing, she wondered over to the dishes and began to scrub them. The pots needed to be soaked before Alilisa could scrub them, or it would be a loosing battle.

Alilisa hoped this would not take long. she wanted to go for a walk in the garden.

Lori yawned loudly as she made her way down to the mess halls, where she was due to do chores. She shuddered. She was up so late last night, and so early this morning. She took a peek out of one of the intermittently spaced windows, the sun was just rising. She was just so tired. She couldn't ever remember being so exhausted. What, with the chores and lessons and study, she didn't have a moment to herself, nor did she have time to think about anything but embracing Saidar or Who the first Amyrlin had been, or when the Trolloc wars were.

She reached the mess halls, and noticed three other novices already at work. She recognised them as being Marian, Shaya and Alilisa. She really did like both Marian and Shaya, but she had only seen Alilisa a few times. She was glad that at least she'd have someone to talk to.

"Good morning everyone," she said, as she reached them.

She then grabbed a broom and set to sweeping the floor. If only they could finish early...that would be wonderful. She felt herself itching for an adventure, and she felt sure that it would be a beautiful day outside. She started to sweep a little faster.

It was Maeve's first morning in the Tower. She had been told to report to the mess hall where all novices were expected to complete their share of chores. She tried to hurry in her gai'shain white dress, but somehow hurry and dress did not go together. She nearly fell every time she tried to break into her Aiel loping stride. She longed for her cadin'sor. Its seemed like an eternity before she arrived at the mess hall. She pushed the door open and took it all in with a look of determination on her face. Just as when she was a Maiden, she would strive to be the best here at the Tower.

Maeve looked around and saw that a few others were already there, all in the white that she hated so much. Some were sweeping the mess hall floor. From the looks of it the floor had not been swept in ages. What a mess, she thought as she looked around for another broom. She knew that there were probably dishes to be washed in the kitchen. She had been given a tour when she arrived, and if she didn't know any better she'd say that the Mistress of the Kitchens let those dishes pile up on purpose. She had also seen the amount of water that was used to wash those dishes. She could not bring herself to waste so much precious water. You must fulfill your obligation, she reminded herself as she found a broom and began sweeping. She was determined to make the floor shine.

"Mornin' Marian, although I'm not sure yet what's so flamin good about it. Looks like we'll be in here all day cleaning up this mess." Marian laughed at Shaya's cursing, though she knew that there would be much to pay if Shaya were heard talking like that. Shaking her head, she dunked her wash cloth into the bucket to begin scrubbing the white titles. She wrinkled her nose at them. Despite there dirtyness, they were still white. She was beginning to get tired of the color... She didn't think she'd ever be in the White Ajah, however much she respected Etain Sedai.

Alilisa joined them too, and Marian gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement, flashing her white teeth in a smile. Lori, her roommate, joined them as well, with a, "Good morning everyone." Marian mumbled back, "Morning," and she hushed a yawn as well. After awhile, a new girl came to them, sweeping her way along the floors. She looked a bit out of place, and Marian did not recognize her at all. She frowned, but smiled nonetheless.

"Morning," she called out to the newcomer. "I don't believe we've met." She grinned again, trying to be kind to the new novice. Seeing her face, she figured she had not been at the Tower long. "I'm Marian Skylas. That's Lori, Shaya, and Alilisa," she told her.

"Morning." Maeve stopped her sweeping and looked up. She held the broom like a staff at the ready. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Marian Skylas. That's Lori, Shaya, and Alilisa," one of the gils said. The salutation must have come from her.

Maeve just looked at the girl for a moment. She was significantly shorter with brown hair and brown eyes. "My name is Maeve," she replied finally. "I arrived yesterday," she added as an afterthought.

Maeve looked at the bucket of water Marian was using. for a moment she wore a look of digust. What a waste of water. She looked down at the floor and sighed. She supposed it was neccesary to clean this mess. It was a wonder the tile was still white.

Hastily wiping away her tears, Katrina hurried down the halls. Her week in the Tower already felt like a year, and showed no signs of getting any better. Just because she was not used to the Tower, just because she was not used to its ways, everybody seemed to think either that she was an idiot or that she should be punished. She had been unable to complete an essay in her history class today, and for that she had been made to write out lines. Lines! Just as if the problem had not been that she could not make her letters any better than a child! She had been let go, eventually, once the Aes Sedai realised the problem, but Katia doubted that the woman had even once though to apologise.

Running to the library - she liked it there; though she could not read well, it was quiet, and the Browns were kind - Katrina stopped suddenly as she ran headfirst into something. Looking up as she bounced off, she saw the seven-striped hem of an Accepted's dress. Oh, Light! Can this day get any worse?

"And just where do you think you're going in such a rush, then, girl?" The Accepted had a deep voice to match the rich brown of her curls, though it contained little warmth. "Novices should learn to watch where they're going." As Katrina just stood there, the girl prompted, "Well?"

"I, um, I was going to the library," Katrina stammered, cuurtseying quickly. "Accepted."

"I think" - the Accepted was smiling now, though not kindly - "that all Novices are supposed to be doing chores in the kitchens right now." As Katrina stared at her in disbelief, the girl yelled, "Now!"

Wasting no time, Katia hurried back down the halls toward the kitchens. She had done her kitchen duty only yesterday, but she was not going to argue with an Accepted, particularly one so surly. Ignoring the tears that now ran freely down her face, Katrina burst into the kitchens. Not bothering to greet the girls already working there - she recognised many of them, but was in no mood to talk now - she began to scrub dishes. More than ever, now, she just wanted to go home.

Shaya looked up a gave a vague smile as they were joined by a few other girls.
She was still trying to wake up and had trouble thinking of the usual social pleasantries that were commonly exchanged during occassions like this. At least it was a good thing that their group of novices seemed to be growing, many hands made the work ligther. They had finished turning over all the chairs and a couple of girls had taken hold of a broom to sweep away the worst of the dirt, so there seemed little else left but to go for the grimy dishes.

As she turned towards them, another novice stormed in through the doors, obviously very upset, as tears were streaming down her cheeks. Shaya grimaced, a crying novice was unfortunately not an uncommon sight in the Tower. Most of the girls were plagued by home sickness or the harsh treament in the Tower.

At least the mistress of the kitchens had not shown up yet to check on their work, the woman could be quite the menace with that wooden spoon. She thought she recognised Katrina from the gardens, but as the girl was obviously not in the mood to talk, she let her be.
She silently took up a position next to Katina and started drying off the earthware plates as she cleaned them.
To no one in particular she said: " It's a good thing we don't have to do this forever, one day soon we shall be Aes Sedai too and no one willl be able to tell us what to do or where to go."
Shaya realised that even Aes Sedai had to answer to someone, but the for now the thought was too nice.

Inwe walked along the wide halls of the Tower, not seeming to rush, but at the same time not going slowly enough to look idle. The few Aes Sedai and Accepted she passed recieved quick curtseys, though she wondered if Accepted even deserved the back-paining dipping all day long. They probably enjoy it she thought grimly And Aes Sedai more so.. all the bowing a scraping at their feet, people doing anything for them even if they want to or not.. Pushing the nasty thinking out of her mind, she directed herself to the kitchens, still dropping annoyed custseys and such.

Soon her destination came in sight, and with a small sigh, she stopped at the big doors. Her small hands pushed them open gently, peeking inside as white-blonde locks spilled over her shoulders in wavy lengths. Seeing the other novices busily at work exchanging a few idle words, she silently walked in, gray eyes studying the floor, hands clasped infront of her. Oh, how she hated meeting new people. Shyness and silence were rarely excersized for Inwe, but in this ocasion it could not be helped. Peering around she noticed most everything was done except for a few dishes, and began to make her way to them before she noticed her roomate. Though they had not met, she offered a faint smile before pulling up her plain white sleves and sticking her hands into the basin's water. Scrubbing away the grime and food and drink filth on the plates, platers, and cups, Inwe said not a word. She would not speak untill spoken too, a rule to remember in this place, though she was around friends.. Hopefully.

Kathera walked calmly into the kitchens, glancing around and seeing others in novice white. "Hello." she said to them, walking over, slowly with as much dignity she could manage in the kitchens. Giving them an easy smile, she picked up a particulary oily pot, and begain scrubing. "I'm new here......" her voice trailed off, and she looked at the expectantly. Blowing a peice of hair out of her eyes, Kathera looked away. Shaking her head slowly, her main attention went back to the soapy pot, and her ears strained to hear their aswnsers.

"I'm Kathera." she offered after a minute or so of intense scrubbing. She looked up at them, blowing the ebcreasingly present peice of hair out of her eyes. "I am supposed to be cleaning pots, right?" she glanced around, the mistress of the kitchens didn't seem to be in sight, and she relaxed a trifle. Pursing her lips, sourly, she tried to push up the sleave of her woolen dress with a soapy hand.

Her arival at the Tower wasn't as magestic as she expected it to be, but she was a day dreamer, after all. When she had the time, and that long trip certainly qualified. Muttering to herself, she looked back at everyone else. Not a talkative bunch, it seemed. Turning her head around, all of them seemed to be staring behind her, Kathera stared just as hard as them. "Are you supposed to be scrubbing pots?" The mistress of the kitchens asked. Kathera gulped. "Well... I just asummed it..." she trailed off, staring at the woman behind her.

Maeve, as Marian had discovered her name was, wore a look of disgust, just for a second, looking at the water Marian was using. Marian frowned, wondering why, but she figured it was best to let it go. She had only arrived yesterday, and she probably wasn't comfortable with the Tower or its ways yet. Marian certainly hadn't been, when she had first come to its halls. She sighed and continued her scrubbing, trying to ignore the looks, if any, that Maeve gave her.

Katrina came next, looking a bit distraught. Marian felt a pang of sympathy. Tower life was difficult after all. She didn't look happy, not stopping to greet them, and she certainly didn't look as if she wanted to talk at that particular moment. Again, it was best to let things be, though it seemed as if everyone was in a bad mood today. "It's a good thing we don't have to do this forever, one day soon we shall be Aes Sedai too and no one willl be able to tell us what to do or where to go," Shaya said. Marian smiled a little and nodded, humming to herself as she scrubbed.

Another girl joined them, one that Marian did not know. She gave her a brief smile, and said, "Morning. I'm Marian." She didn't bother to introduce the others again, figuring that if the girl wanted to know their names, she would ask.

Soon after the novice arrived, another one trailed behind her. This one actually spoke to them. "Hello," she began. "I'm new here..." Marian flashed her smile at her. "I'm Kathera," she said briefly after she began scrubbing. "I am supposed to be cleaning pots, right?" Marian shrugged. She wasn't really sure.

The Mistress of Kitchens came by after awhile, and gave her a few sharp words. Marian grimaced, and once the woman left, she scrubbed nearer to Kathera. "Sorry about that," she said quietly. "I didn't realize what your chores were. I'm Marian." She smiled again. "Are you new here?"

Kathera raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I just say that?" she grinned, blowing that persistant strand of hair out of her eyes. "Don't awnser that." She glanced after the Mistress of the kitchen's retreating back, and grimmaced. "Is she always like... that?" Knowing the awnser was probably yes, she winced slighty, sucking her rapped hand, soapy or not. "Stupid spoon." she muttered.

Looking down at the pot, it was relativly clean, she rinsed it out and dried it. Setting it on the counter, she asked, "How long have you been a novice, Marian?" Looking away, and picking up another greasy pot, she said, "From what I saw, you stay novice for quite a while." Grimmacing again, she suck furiously ayt her injured hand.

"Is she always like... that?" asked Kathera, with a grin. Marian laughed, thankful this novice had good spirits. "Of course," she replied. "Stupid spoon." Marian glanced at her hand and nodded. "Someone's bound to have salve or something that will help that." She smiled.

"How long have you been a novice, Marian?" Marian had to laugh again, glancing around her as she kept scrubbing. "Who knows... You never can tell anymore," she replied, her humor lifted a bit. "From what I saw, you stay novice for quite a while." She nodded. "Some of them have been novices longer than I have," she said, gesturing to the other girls. She continued scrubbing, nonetheless, considering that the Mistress of Kitchens could still be nearby.

Kathera grinned to herself, shaking her head with mirth. Looking back at where the mistrees of the kitchens had been a minute before, she spoke. "I wish she would teach me how to use a spoon like that..." Kathera micked wacking some ones hand, smiling jokingly.

She inspected the still greasy pot, and set it back in the basin with a sigh. Muttering about 'evil pots', Kathera set to scrubbing once again. She looked at her hand and grimmaced, the woman really was handing with that spoon. She looked back at the other novice. "Is there anything other than scrubbing pots?" she asked. "You know, something fun." Kathera doubted it, her new 'home' had quite a bit of disipline.

Katrina smiled faintly at what she supposed were kind words from Shaya, though in truth they only made her cry harder. A way out of her current situation or not, she did not want to become Aes Sedai. That was something that the other Novices did not seem to share, and she did not know quite how to make them understand. The others all seemed to hate being Novices, of course, being ordered around and forced from their homes. But all those she had spoken to at least saw a light at the end of the tunnel, the knowledge that one day they would be Aes Sedai, and they would be free.

The same thought was far from comforting for Katia. To her, becoming an Aes Sedai would not signify freedom, but rather, the completion of her departure from what she still clung to as her own life, the knowledge that, whatever else she might do, she would never again be allowed to return home.

Letting her salty tears drip into the soapy water, Katrina did not bother to blink them away, though she could not see through them. These blasted Aes Sedai. Why could they not have left her alone? Ignoring the friendly chatter going on around her, Katrina scrubbed the dishes in front of her. Is that what I am, to them? Is that what my life is, my will? Just dirt to be scrubbed off, until I sparkle in their own image?