Miakoda walked into the Mess hall pulling down her white dress again, she was unsure if it was her or the dress that didn't want to be here but either way she had a little rumble in her tummy. Working while nothing was in there was no fun to her at all. She grew more tried when that happen, and today was not one of thoese days that she wanted that to happen. She stepped in line at the counter and picked up a small wooden tray and stood in line along with other novices soilders, or whatever they were. Miakoda knew that she should really care if they were higher class that her, so she wouldn't get set to the Mistress of Novices, but today was just one of those days that she really didn't care what happen to her. If something had falled out of thin air and hit her in the head, would sigh it off and go back to her duty.

The line had started to move, and she walked zombie like with the rest of them as she got closer to the front. When it was her turn she smiled at the kitchen cook and gave a small little bow and went off to find a place to set while she snacked on her food and sipped her cool tea. The day was hot and the mess hall was stuffy. The tea would be taesting great on her lip and going down her throat. She spotted an table that was just emtpyed and she walked her way there. Carefuling moving around people who were up and lauhing and having a good time. She had mummbled 'Hello Aes Sedai' a few times before reaching the table.

It had felt good to seat her tray down and set herself down as well. Her feet had been hurting for a couple of days now and so had her lower back. She felt as her age had jut jumped up to 90 or somewere around there. Though that was pretty silly to think. She picked up her fork and started to move the food around her plate. She really didn't know why she came here to eat, oh I know cause it's the only place you ninny of a goat she shook her head and looked down at the food. It really was not all that bad once you got half way down with it. It was still a little to hot for her and she put her fork down and picked up the cool tea. It really did feel wonderful on her lips. She gave a sigh and took another sip of her tea. Looking back down at her food she sighed again and picked up the fork and started to move it around again. She took a small bite. Before she took another one she noticed that there was someone standing next to her. She didn't really bother to look untill they said something to her. It was the same thing all the time 'can I seat here' why don't they just take the bloody seat?

Dalaine had finally decided to leave her rooms. She'd been in self imposed isolation for the past few months, leaving her Ajah in a quandry. If the Sisters had had any problems, they'd taken them to the Sitters, knocking on Dalaine's door had brought no answer at all. Still they'd been remarkably patient with her, at least those Sisters who'd lost a Warder had been patient. Others who'd never experienced that loss had been calling for a new First Selector, but those calls had been shouted down by older and more wiser Blue Sisters. Their trust in Dalaine had been proved right earlier that day when the Blue Sister had left her rooms and headed down to get something to eat.

She'd emerged looking much thinner than was good for her, she'd not been eating properly, had had no real interest in food. But now she was hungry, and even the soup being served to the Novices at this time looked delicious to her. She was aware of the looks that she was getting, no doubt rumours had been flying about as to her "disappearance", but she just kept her calm expression and moved past them, searching for somewhere to sit.

Her gaze fell on a single Novice, with red hair, and the space next to her. She stood for a second before speaking, "Do you mind if I sit here?", getting no answer she sat down and began to eat slowly, so as not to overload her stomach. The Novice beside her hadn't even looked at her, and so Dalaine continued to eat her meal in silence, content to stay so unless she was spoken to.

A question was asked and it was what she thought it would be 'can I seat here' Without really looking Miakoda didn't say anything. Was I really like that when I frist came to the tower shy and not really wanted by any one else? she piled some of her food on her frok and took a bite washing it down with some cool tea. Still thinking about the whole seat thing she started to feel bad about not saying anything to the person who sat next to her. She picked her head up a little and looked beside her to get a better feel of the person. She looked alot older than Miakoda, but she was unsure to put an age to her, she was quite thin too. A very unhealthy looking thin. When the unsure about the age got to her mind she jumped up and gave a very deep and low crutsy.

" Forgive me Aes Sedai" Mummbled out of her, Miakoda keep her eyes low to the ground. She knew that she could e sent to the Misstress of Novice for not responding to an Aes Sedai with the right respct, well she could be sent to the Misstress of Novice for anything really respcet to anyone above her and right now, that was everyone. She pulled on her white dress and tried to make sure it looked stright and there was nothing on it. Her hands at her side were balled up. She could feel her face going a beat red, almost beat like. She felt dumb and knew that something bad was going to happen. She wanted to say something but was unsure what to say. Should she explain herself to her, or keep her mouth shut until the Aes Sedai said something to her. Miakoda wanted to faint right there.

Dalaine looked up as the girl suddenly left her seat and curtsied deeply to her. The poor girl's face was bright red she noticed, "Please sit down child", she said softly, "There's no need to stop your meal, else you become as thin as I am now". She was well aware that she didn't look healthy and the headaches had begun to plague her recently. Her next stop after this small meal would to the Halls of the Yellow Ajah, she had no wish to be seen in the Infirmary, with the way she looked now that would only start rumours and she had no wish to bring any further gossip onto her Ajah.

The girl still looked nervous, almost as if she expected to be punished. Dalaine set down her spoon and took hold of one of the girl's hands. She knew that most Aes Sedai wouldn't be like this in such an open place, but she'd had so little contact with anyone of late that she felt the need for human contact. "Don't worry, I'm not going to punish you for not realising who I am", she said firmly before letting go of the girl's hand.

"Actually, where are my manners", she commented with a smile, "My name is Dalaine Sedai, of the Blue Ajah. I'm afraid I've been rather out of touch here lately, tell me, how are you finding life as a Novice at the Tower", she asked in a conversational tone.

"Please sit down child", she said softly, "There's no need to stop your meal, else you become as thin as I am now". Miakoda was still a bit well confused by everything that was going on right now. Was she beeing tested on her way towards a full Aes Sedai and if so she knew that she would of failed this. Before she was able to say or do anything else the Aes Sedai had taken her hands and in a soft voice said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to punish you for not realising who I am" A sigh of relife came from her and Miakoda went to take her seat again beside the Aes Sedai. Picking up her cool tea and taking a nice long sip felt nice, when she was there waiting to see what would happen the room got suddley hot for no reason. But now after a nice long sip of cool tea, she felt much better.

"Actually, where are my manners", she commented with a smile, "My name is Dalaine Sedai, of the Blue Ajah. I'm afraid I've been rather out of touch here lately, tell me, how are you finding life as a Novice at the Tower", she asked in a conversational tone. Miakoda turned her head towards Dalaine Sedai with a smile. It was really Different for an Aes Sedai to to be so nice to a Novice in public, she felt something different about this one. Was it because she looked so unhealthy and tried that she really didn't know who she was talking to?

"Hello Daline Sedai, I would have to say that your manners are quite find it is me that should go out and look for them. I'm Miakoda, and I rather enjoy my life here as a novice. It is hard work, true, but still one must work hard to get what he or she wants in life. And I want to become a full Aes Sedai one day." Miakoda took another deep breath and went on. "The Tower is so different from my life before, but I feel as if I had made the right choose by comming here and staying." She took a small bite of her food and waited to see if Daline Sedai had anything to ask. She didn't want to ramble on about how she liked being a novice, if that got out she might be one forever.

"It's good to hear that you're enjoying being a Novice", commented Dalaine, nodding her head, "Some of us do not make good Novices, and I'm afraid I was one of them". She gave a wry smile as she remembered her own Novice days, "I'm from Amadicia, and being from there my views of Aes Sedai were not the best, to say the least". In fact she'd downright hated it, and had tried to escape on more than one occasion, just to be dragged back by various Sisters and had had inumerable punishments. She'd made life miserable for her mentor, she'd been certain of that. Though towards the end of her Accepted days, they had developed a good relationship, and when Dalaine was raised to Aes Sedai that had developed into a friendship, not strange considering they were both of the same Ajah.

"I spent a long time as a Novice because of my stubborness", she remarked with a smile, "Best to get on with your studies and work hard. To become Aes Sedai is hard work, but when you do it, it shows a strength of character that will sustain you", she spoke quietly, for the young Novices ears only.

Miakoda could really not think that there was an Aes Sedai out there not making a good novice, but than again thiking about it, it was really hard to find them once a novice. When she frist came tot the tower she had always thought that the Aes Sedai were something that was just with the tower. It was silly to think that but true. The thought of them in a white dress, a simple white dress with their hands up to gress with pots and pans was a funny thought. She listen to Dalaine Sedai about how she was not one of the best novice.

"I spent a long time as a Novice because of my stubborness", she remarked with a smile, "Best to get on with your studies and work hard. To become Aes Sedai is hard work, but when you do it, it shows a strength of character that will sustain you", she spoke quietly as if Miakoda was the only one to hear that. She knew that one must work hard to become one, not just strong in the source, but strong in the mind and soul as well.

"What about if you just want to take your time before becoming a full Aes Sedai. What I mean is should say is, what if one would rather take her time before being rasied. Is that all right too. Even though she is trying and showing how hard she is working to become one.?" there was something in her voice that made it shake. She was unsure if that was just her asking something that she really wanted to ask or nervous about what the answer might be. But she waited to hear what it would be and take it. If she liked it or not.

Dalaine smiled once more at the girl, "There's no need to worry about being Raised before you're ready child, the Mistress of Novices will not put forward any Novice for Raising until she is certain that that person is ready and able to take the Test."

"There are also other ways if you feel you're not ready for it, but that will become known to you at the time of your Testing", she stayed silent about being able to refuse the Test. It wasn't a good idea in her opinion for that to be common knowledge, though she'd been accidentally told the information from a newly Raised Sister some years before she'd taken her own Test.

"As I said before, the best thing you can do is make sure that you're keeping well up with your studies. They may seem annoying at times but they're there for a reason, the same as the chores. They're not easy, but they stand you in good stead." She knew she hadn't believed those words when they'd been spoken to her by one of the Aes Sedai so many years earlier, but it was always possible that maybe one of the Novices these days may take the words in.

"As I said before, the best thing you can do is make sure that you're keeping well up with your studies. They may seem annoying at times but they're there for a reason, the same as the chores. They're not easy, but they stand you in good stead." Miakoda listend to the Blue sister in the things that she said. It came to a relife to her that she was able to take her time with her studys. She knew that they were imporant and that is why she gave her full attion to them, all of thm.

The space between the two were was quite, but Miakoda could hear the laughs and fun that was going around her. She wanted to say something but was unsure how to say it. It would be odd for a Novice to say something like that but she came out with it.
"I rather enjoy the classes and chorse that I do. It teaches me so many things that I didn't know before I came to the tower. And I know that you have to learns many things before becomming a full Aes Sedai. And I know the day is far when that comes to me, but when it does I know that the things that I have been going through now will help me with everything. I might not enjoy them some day and wish to leave but I Know it is for the best" Her voice was calm a cool or at least that is how it sounded to her.

Miakoda waited for a second after she said that. Her face felt normal or at least to her, the mess hall was hot most of the time with the cooking and so many people in there making their own heat. But her heart was normal to thudding or jumping out of her chest, that was a goo sign, at least it was to her. It was still quite for a sometime and she didn't know if she had said to much or how she said it.
right before she was going to say that she wasy sorry for speaking out of turn like that Dalaine Sedai said something.

Dalaine remained quiet for a few seconds, more out of surprise than from anything else. It was really most unusual for a Novice to say that she thought the chores were actually useful. It was something that only tended to be said by the Accepted and that only towards the end of their training. To hear it from a girl more or less at the beginning was a delightful surprise to the Blue Sister. She got the feeling that the silence was beginning to tell on the girl so she spoke up.

"My dear, that was a very insightful thing to say. Very insightful indeed", she smiled gently at Miakoda. "It makes a nice surprise to hear something like that, most Novices complain about their chores, I know that I oftentimes was not happy to be doing them", she said with a laugh. That drew some strange looks from two sisters of the White Ajah who were working past, to whom Dalaine only smiled and said hello to them.

She turned her attention back to the girl, "It has been good to talk to you my dear, I hope you do well in your studies. Some day you will make a good addition to the ranks of our Accepted, and if you ever have any curiosity about the Blue Ajah, come and see me", she whispered this last comment before she pushed her dish away from herself and rose up. "May the Light shine on you child", she said to her. She was glad of the time she'd spent here talking to the Novice, it had certainly helped her towards a happier mood than she'd been in when she'd arrived.

Miakoda knew that it was not the best thing to say to an Aes Sedai about knowing that chorse was teaching her something, but she knew about them before comming to the tower in her home land. It seemed to take her a while once she remeberd about it. She missed her mum and da alot and wish that they would travle to see her or she to them. Though it brought a smile to her face when the Aes Sedai said it was something that was good to hear even comming from a novice, and she gave a little giggle as well when she was told that blue sister was not found of them at times. It was true they were annyoning at times when you had other things to do. But someone had to do them, and why not the lowest class at the tower. It seemed fair if you thought about it .

She smiled to the Aes Sedai when she pushed the plate away from her than something was whispered to her about wanting to know more about the Blue Ajah to come and see her in the blue halls, than she started to get up. Miakoda jumped to her feet and gave a graceful bow and waited until she had left. "Goodbye Aes Sedai" was all that she said in a low tone voice for her only to hear. And waited until she had left the table and walked a little ways a way. she went back to finshing off her food and took the last of drink and got up. Picking up the Aes Sedai tray and hers and took them to the kichen to clean them. Than went back to her study.