Welcome to Gaia! ::

Faye could feel the power in his arms and his body with every blow of the staff. He wasn't trying to knock her down, but the difference in muscle between them almost sent her to the ground more than once. It was getting worse though. He was moving faster! She was not going to be able to last much longer like this. I have to think of something...Maybe? Its my only shot...

She waited just a bit, just to make sure that she'd caught on to his rhythm. She waited and lured him into a feint, making sure that he would see it. When his staff came up to meet her where she was supposed to be, she ducked under it, rolling behind him. Darius being so much taller was to her advantage in this case. She came quickly out of her roll behind him with her blade between his shoulders.

"Yield."

She allowed the tap from his staff to push her into a sitting position. Panting slightly, she smiled,"Agreed. Draw it is."

Still sitting, she took the handkerchief from him and wiped the sweat off her brow. She pulled her dark gold hair aside and wiped her neck as well. She chuckled, "Does this mean you've reconsidered your thoughts on the sword?"

"Lunch sounds wonderful, but I refuse to show myself in the Dining Hall in such a state of disarray." Faye stood up slowly,sheathing her sword. "If you would not mind bringing it upstairs, we can eat in peace in my apartments."

At his agreement, she turned and walked nonchalantly back towards her quarters. Or at least it looked nonchalant, she really walked slowly because she was worn out, but no one else was allowed to see that. She cursed to herself on the way up the stairs,Light, I'm out of shape...Felt good though.
After what seemed like an eternity, she arrived at her door. Making sure to reset her protections behind her, she went into the back and proceeded to make herself presentable once more.

((Hi, Ali!!!))



Darius considered her question carefully, and was even more careful about how he chose his response, "You have given me a definite new respect for the weapon. However, seeing your grace, a flow I know that I will never achieve with a blade, I feel that I should pursue my training with the staff. While I may never receive the respect of a Blademaster, I can at least have pride in what I made myself. I would like to train alongside you, I would like to adapt some of your forms, if that would be ok?"

His resultant smile, a little disheartened from his final acceptance, held the hope that he would truly become a master someday. Sliding his staff over his shoulders and hooking his arms over them, the young Dedicated intently studied his companion while she went from disheveled and sweaty to looking as if she had just stepped from behind the curtain again, not a hair out of place, in what seemed like a few heartbeats. Wait, did she say disarray? I will never understand women.

Suddenly, Darius' entire demeanor changed, he drew himself to his full height, pulled his staff to a proper rest position, gave a Gaidin's salute, taking all the stony seriousness he could muster, appearing to take the burden of responsibility from her request, showing his full understanding of how important this mission was.

"It shall be as you command, Aes Sedai.", he gave the properly executed bow, and peered up through his long lashes at her now retreating form, trying valiantly not to watch her leave. If his eyes strayed, or he gazed a little long as Faye walked away, Fayela Aes Sedai, do not forget that, he was simply studying her form as she leisurely swayed toward her apartments.

Blinking, Darius placed his staff in the leather harness on his back he had made specifically for the purpose and began chanting "food" in his head as he trotted to the Dining Hall, so he would not be distracted again. He had taken to it so strongly, he was fairly certain he had said "food" to whatever nicety the scurrying novices and Tower staff met along the way had said to him, leaving them utterly confused and perhaps thinking the large man were a little simple in the head.

Arriving quickly at his destination, he quickly piled two trays with food, foolishly not having asked what she might wish, he simply put some of everything. Well, if nothing else, she had a wide array of choices. Holding the two trays in front of him, he felt the steel trays warp slightly from the weight. Perhaps a little overzealous? His hemmer-swinging arms bore the weight with little strain, and apparently moving with a purpose through the Women's Quarters carrying food meant no one stopped you.

Darius knocked politely at Fayela's door and awaited her response before entering and laying the trays on her table, nearly covering it in food.

A slight flush creeping up from his collar, he said, "Well, I wasn't sure what you'd want so..." He gestured sheepishly to the feast he had brought, "I hope you're hungry?"

Waiting for the Aes Sedai to take her seat first, as was polite, Darius leaned his staff within reach and sat across from her. Listening earnestly, Darius slowly compiled a collection on his plate of those foods he didn't know, he loved to try new things. Savoring each delicacy, he considered her words.

"Yes, I feel that my fate was not for a blade, but I have high hopes for a staff. I am rather proficient with that weapon, at least." He quirked his mouth at her modesty.

"While you may not be a 'Blademaster', you did just draw someone who has regularly bested them in mock duels. You shouldn't sell yourself short, you are talented, in my opinion if you aren't one, you could readily become a Blademaster through proper tutelage.", he said, distractedly, choosing out a perfect pear, and presenting it to the Gray Sister, as he searched out one for himself.

Finding one, he sank his straight teeth into it, trying not to let the juices drip down his chin, unsuccessfully. He gave a childlike grin as he used a napkin to clean himself before continuing to savor the fruit that was so rare in Two Rivers. Leaning back with a satisfied sigh, the Blacksmith's apprentice finished his meal with a sweetbread from Tear, his rather large frame had consumed almost half of what he had brought in the few minutes since he had sat down. One learned to eat fast when you ate as a group and food was limited.

"As to what I can learn from you, I have never seen a man move as you do, so you have the unique ability to teach me something no Blademaster ever could hope to, how to dance the dance with the grace of a woman.", he tossed his mischievous grin her way once more as he stretched contentedly, the large meal having the desired effect and giving him a slightly drowsy feeling.

Darius nodded, thoughtfully, as she spoke. He had never seen a female Blademaster. As a matter of fact, he had, only on very rare occasions, even seen a woman who could use a sword with any proficiency. It was not usually considered a fairer pursuit. His train of thoughts was slowly eclipsed as he suddenly became very interested in his hands and the sweetbread he was nursing, as opposed to the languid way that a thoughtful Fayela Sedai ate a pear. Darius swallowed hard as he tried to refocus on what she was saying.

He grinned his almost childlike grin, at her mention of Jearom, the fantasy of every little boy who dreamed of glory in battle, well, almost all. Darius had always been of the mind to focus on why he lost than in how many he had won. For someone who dedicated themselves to the perfection in their skill with a weapon to be bested by a simple farmer with a penchant for the staff? It would seem the staff is the superior weapon. Or at least, that was the logical conclusion he came to when he realized he would never be of any use with a blade in his hands.

A low, thrumming interrupted his thoughts and proved irritating at first, followed by concern when his companion showed no sign that she, too, heard the strange droning. Looking around the room, intently, he could find no source for the unusual hum. In an attempt to hear it clearer, Darius seized saidin and was immediately overwhelmed by the sound of screaming, he had just enough presence of mind to realize it was his voice before the world tilted wildly around him and blackness took him in her arms.

((!! HAWK!!! *spazzes out in surprise* YAYYYY....wooww...we're kinda getting back to the old days...

nice to have you all back buddies!! Where's Mini and Alina?? They're gonna be so psyched!))

Sometimes Mercury had to wonder, why had she ever thought being a novice or Accepted was difficult. Why hadn't she just gone back to the inn after gaining the shawl? Sooner or later her mind would give her one reason or another, so she supposed it didn't matter now.

Light above. Clarissa was kidnapped yesterday, from the Tower itself. And while I await that blasted Romvian to contact me, all this. Perhaps it is for the best that the farm trainees are back. The times are not well.

But an ambush on Raznon and his company? They only could have arrived this morning, and already a commotion...what does Wolf mean one of the Warders is missing? And which of the sisters did they contact?

Her head was positively buzzing. The farm trainees were now in neatly arranged lines, awaiting Alina. The Keeper lingered there, to make sure nothing went wrong until Alina arrived.

"Wolf...Hawk went to find Alina?" Wolf nodded silently, but she could feel questioning through the bond. She knew what he was wondering: why ask him about Hawk when she had the bond, and for once, open instead of shielding herself from both of them?

It had been a perfunctory action, to let her mind calm down in the mean time. There was something going on...something had to link Illian...the Tower...Romvian...Come on Mercury, you've done this for years and never once had difficulty...what's wrong with you? Why can't you figure it out?

Clarissa was gone...no...she would be back soon. She needed a few trusted people to discuss this with. Alina. Mairyela. Wolf and Hawk. But first...she needed more information. How?

The poisoned fog in Tel'Dashar prevented her and the Wolfkin from going. And she could not risk other people's lives. So how could she gather information...without unnecessarily risking other people's lives. And without letting the rest of the Tower know something was going on.

Raznon listened to the Aes Sedai speak of the things he had asked about and took each answer into consideration. His original mission was go to where the Great Water touches the land in Illian and search for male channelers causing problems to innocents. If there had been male channelers they would have been spotted long ago and this Aes Sedai would have knowledge of it. Deciding he had better act upon what was given and keep a wary eye on the Aes Sedai.

"I am under the command of Mercury Aes Sedai for the time being. Hm...I shall take the prisoner back to the Tower...as to the condition the wetlander traitor will be in...he will be fit for questioning upon our return. As to the wetlanders that came with the traitor...they had no distiguishing remarks though they made quite a face when they saw me...almost turning up thier noses during a fight...it was quite funny as they fell upon my spears."

He grinned at his little joke and then remembered something on the bottom of thier boots that caught his eye.

"Actually they had that on the bottom of thier boots...I would say all of them did but I am not sure because I did not kill them all personally."

When he said 'that' he pointed to the sun that was shining overhead cause that was the closest thing to what he had seen.

"Unfortunately you have made my mission appearently unnecesary because I come to exterminate male channelers that are terrorizing those that lift no weapons against them. If there are no such men in the land that connects to the Great Water...then I must return to the Tower with haste."

Motioning with his hand two of the Gaidin took the dead man away and Raz gave them the look telling them to get rid of the body for good. He waited patiently for the Aes Sedai to respond caressing his white spear without noticing.