Liaran shuddered as she woke up, gradually realizing that she was safe in her own small room and not trapped in the village of Vaidulo which had haunted her dreams since she'd returned to the Tower. The memories of the things that had pursued them faded as she rose and looked out the window. It was still dark outside, a time when she should still have been in her bed, but Liaran couldn't stand the idea of trying to get back to sleep. She rarely could, after the nightmares, and in any case, she had an early lesson scheduled this morning which was a convenient excuse for her to remain awake. The Accepted retrieved a pair of pants and a shirt from where she had left them, folded under her nghtclothes, and put them on. They felt strange to her after her many years in the banded whites, but Liaran didn't miss the dress at all. If the Sea Folk woman were allowed to have her way, she would have worn these clothes every day and never touched the dresses again. Since she was up early, Liaran took the extra time to force her unruly hair back into a ribbon, something she could rarely be bothered to do. She doubted the ribbon would contain it for long, but at least she'd attempted to keep it from flying into her face as it usually did.
The sun was just barely over the horizon when Liaran arrived at the Warder Yards. The Accepted blinked and yawned as she paced the edges of the yards. Her instructor, Jaryd Asha'man, wasn't there, but Liaran had not expected him yet. It was still a bit early, and the place was empty. As she walked, she wondered if she'd be able to learn to fight at all. She'd gained some skill in it with the Power, but she'd never handled a weapon in her life. After encountering the strange things in Vaidulo, she knew she had to make the attempt to learn, but she still didn't feel confident about it. The Sea Folk woman continued to pace, pausing only to stuff an escaped curl back into her hair ribbon. She turned every so often to look out over the yards, judging that it should be just about time for Jaryd Asha'man to be arriving.
The sun was just barely over the horizon when Liaran arrived at the Warder Yards. The Accepted blinked and yawned as she paced the edges of the yards. Her instructor, Jaryd Asha'man, wasn't there, but Liaran had not expected him yet. It was still a bit early, and the place was empty. As she walked, she wondered if she'd be able to learn to fight at all. She'd gained some skill in it with the Power, but she'd never handled a weapon in her life. After encountering the strange things in Vaidulo, she knew she had to make the attempt to learn, but she still didn't feel confident about it. The Sea Folk woman continued to pace, pausing only to stuff an escaped curl back into her hair ribbon. She turned every so often to look out over the yards, judging that it should be just about time for Jaryd Asha'man to be arriving.