Marked by the Dragon (Attn: Leala)

The offices of the M'hael, Amyrlin Seat, Master of Arms, Keeper and the MoNSTers
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Craig
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PC: Ravak t'Sha'hal Darrow
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Marked by the Dragon (Attn: Leala)

Post by Craig » August 8th, 2016, 1:54 pm

Ravak
Ravak took a final critical look in the mirror. He was dressed in the formal uniform of a Gaidin, gold trim highlighting an otherwise near-black suit. The uniform had stiff epaulets with rising golden flames, with more at shoulder and cuffs. It was gaudy, and not at all what Ravak would have worn on a regular day, but this was no ordinary day. He adjusted the pin on his lapel, so that the golden sword of his badge of office pointed straight down. Appearances could count for everything, or for nothing.

The Master of Training set out from his office, taking the grand stairs of the Warder Yards two at a time, and headed straight south through the Grey Tower. He cast a watchful eye over the training taking place, but didn't stop to comment. He pulled the ko'di in around himself, being mindful enough to make with pleasantries to anyone he recognised, but without distracting him for his purpose. The uniform seemed to itch against his right forearm, and he pressed down hard on those sensations of unease.

The walk towards the Novices' and Soldiers' Quarters was a familiar one, the presence of the Master of Training not giving raise to much comment. He slipped around some small groups of novices and soldiers instead of parting them with his presence. His face seemed more at ease today than the usual brow-furrowing glare he usually bore.

Only a short while after departing his own office, he came up to another one. Rav rapped on the door with the back of his hand, and waiting for the signal to enter. He pressed down on the handle to the Master of Soldiers' room, and stepped inside quietly, closing the door behind him.

"I've got the latest reports from the Tower Guard," Rav said without preamble. He handed the Aielman a few sheets of notes written up by Muireen, his makeshift secretary. The Master of Training had a close relationship with a few members of the Tower Guard, a fact that was secret to almost everyone. He received information from them about the comings and goings of the learning ranks. In exchange they benefited from his protection when it came to the bribes they received. Some of the learning ranks thought the Tower Guard could be bought. Unfortunately for them, Rav already had their loyalty. The guards pocketed the coin, Rav received the information, and with the utmost subtlety he, Mirin and Jhanic could monitor their trainees without their knowledge. "I had a look through. Looks like one of your Dedicated is acting as an official chaperone for a number of soldiers and the occasional novice." Rav grinned. "I'm sure he's receiving some coin for the 'service' he's providing. I marked out his name in the list."

This was more or less the extent of their meetings, unless there was a particularly troublesome student that they all needed to be aware of, or there were punishments handed out to students who weren't their own. For Rav's part, the week had been normal and merited no further discussion. Except he did have something else to say. "Jhanic, there's a personal matter I'd like to discuss with you, if you have the time." The itching on his forearm flared up again, and that was no mere coincidence.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

Leala
"The Path of Daggers"
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Joined: October 8th, 2014, 3:13 am
PC: Leala Gymorraine, Aes Sedai of the White Ajah
SC: Torianin Soulane, Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah
TC: Jhanic, Asha'man of the Indigo Ajah
QC: Abby Soulane, Novice
Location: Tel'aran'rhiod

Re: Marked by the Dragon (Attn: Leala)

Post by Leala » August 11th, 2016, 3:27 am

Jhanic
It was a rare moment for the Master of Soldiers to be able to relax and sift through the reports of his charges. He had asked teachers of the soldiers and Dedicated to send him notes if a student was presenting a problem, or if they were improving. It seemed the former was usually more prevalent than the latter. Perhaps it was because he was still new to the job, or perhaps it was because the furnishings he had ordered for his office hadn't arrived yet. It still felt like a wetlander's office. He knew that the furnishings would not make this room look completely like an Aiel tent, but it would at the very least help the order of his thoughts.

To an observer, Jhanic standing in the middle of his office, leafing through papers, when a plush desk chair awaited him would have been strange, to say the least. But, the Aielman still did not like the use of chairs specifically for his use. He tolerated them as a soldier and Dedicated, but he would not use them now as the Master of Soldiers, unless he deemed them necessary. Standing next to his desk served the purpose he needed for now, sorting reports. Those that he would need to speak with, set close to him, and the ones showing improvement were set further away. He grimaced as he read a report about a soldier who still seemed hesitant to obey orders given by an Accepted teacher. This was the fifth one like it for him, and Jhanic had disciplined him more than once about it as well. He would have to meet with the Mistress of Novices to discuss a creative way to make him accept authority from women.

Jhanic was about to set the note in its own place for immediate review when he looked up to see his door opening. He kept it unlocked, and sometimes cracked. There was no way to lock a tent, and there would be no barrier between him and his charges. However, the man who entered his office was the Master of Training. He remembered glimpsing Ravak Darrow a few times as a Dedicated. He had even spotted him in cadin'sor once. That had gotten the whole Grey Tower talking. With pale skin and red hair, he had certainly looked like one of the People to an untrained eye, but Jhanic was still able to tell the difference between the strides of wetlanders and Aiel. Nodding appreciatively, Jhanic took the report that the other man offered him. He raised an eyebrow at the news of the Dedicated receiving coin for escorting lower ranks into the city. That needed to be addressed quickly as well.

He was about to make a snide remark about how he planned to punish the Dedicated when Ravak Darrow mentioned that he wanted to speak with Jhanic about something else. The tone in the Master of Training's voice had changed. Even though they had similar duties, Jhanic did not know Ravak Darrow very well. He was still the newest to his position, and he had much to learn and catch up on. An offer to speak with him about something personal was not something he would ignore. He nodded, then realized he would need to use the chairs. He kept two of them leaning against the wall for soldiers and Dedicated to use, if he saw fit. Moving the both of them, he offered Ravak one and sat in the other. He would not use his desk chair while his equal sat in a smaller one. "What do you wish to speak about, Ravak Darrow?"
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Craig
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Re: Marked by the Dragon (Attn: Leala)

Post by Craig » August 11th, 2016, 12:17 pm

Ravak
The Master of Training looked at the proffered chair like... like... like a two step he thought ruefully. The small snake from the Aiel Waste seemed like an appropriate metaphor for the danger he was seeking out from what he was about to talk to Jhanic about. Ravak spoke warily. "I think it would be best if we didn't involve chairs. I think you'll understand why shortly." The tall Aiel seemed to take that in good stride, simply replacing the chairs against the wall again. Rav considered suggesting sitting on cushions, but that too seemed like a trap. Standing is best, he tried to reassure himself.

"You may be aware that I left the Grey Tower for a year, to venture into the Three-fold Land with one of our Accepted." He was sure that story was well known to almost everyone, but Rav felt honour-bound to retell the tale. "I spent a great deal of time with the Chumai Sept of the Taardad Aiel at their hold, whilst the Accepted I was with apprenticed under the Wise Ones. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that my presence was tolerated as opposed to accepted by the Chumai. I tried to learn what I could of your culture, but..." He scratched his beard with a frown. How much of this is to assuage my own guilt, and how much of this is relevant?

Rav cleared his throat. "Anyways, after several months, the Wise Ones took Sinead, the Accepted, to Rhuidean." The Shienaran watched closely for any reaction from Jhanic. "They were reticent on my being there, but I could not let a trainee of the Tower go unattended." His feet shifted. "Anyways, they... well, I know nothing about the Wise Ones' ceremonies, but..."

He sighed. The story was unimportant, he came to realise. There was probably nothing in what he said or could say that would change anything about Jhanic's response. "I'll get to the point." He unbuttoned the cuff of his right arm, and rolled the black sleeve up to his elbow. Encircling his lower forearm was a winding, sinuous shape in the form of an animal Ravak had never seen before nor recognised. It seemed to glisten gold - it seemed to be gold - with scales that shone in the light. Scarlet outlined the shape, adding a sense of danger. The tattoo had appeared as Ravak had wandered around the city of Rhuidean, and both the mark and the trespass had forced him to leave the Waste sharply, and without Sinead.

Rav stood there opposite the Master of Soldiers, looking up at the scar-faced Aiel with an expression of acceptance. Duty is heavier than a mountain, he thought. Somehow Ravak had reasoned it into his head that he owed something to the Aiel of the Grey Tower, and Jhanic was the man he had to answer to.
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

Leala
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 1191
Joined: October 8th, 2014, 3:13 am
PC: Leala Gymorraine, Aes Sedai of the White Ajah
SC: Torianin Soulane, Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah
TC: Jhanic, Asha'man of the Indigo Ajah
QC: Abby Soulane, Novice
Location: Tel'aran'rhiod

Re: Marked by the Dragon (Attn: Leala)

Post by Leala » September 11th, 2016, 10:22 pm

Jhanic
Jhanic began to wonder what it was that Ravak had to tell him even more as the offer for chairs was declined. He moved the chairs easily enough, then stood face to face with the Master of Training. He kept his expression and his posture neutral. The other man was acting like a Dedicated reporting himself for bad behavior. It wasn't anything obvious, but it was clear that he meant something out of the ordinary that was carefully dealt with. Ravak began to explain his time in the Three-Fold Land. He had heard of the pair going to live among the clans for a time, although Jhanic never knew, never asked, why. He never did like gossip. It made sense that the Wise Ones had wanted to make the Accepted their apprentice, and it made sense that she would go to Rhuidean.

He felt the muscles of his neck tense up when Ravak admitted to accompanying Sinead. Going to the city with her was not stepping foot in it, but something in him knew that this part of the story would not end well. He stayed silent when his colleague explained how he wandered the city, and then he showed him his arm.

Jhanic's blue eyes widened in shock as he looked. The mark of the Clan Chiefs festooned the Shienaran's forearm. There was no mistaking the shape of the Dragon, the gold in the tattoo. It could not be replicated.

To free his hands, he placed the papers he still held onto his desk on the other side of the room. Well...really, he stormed over to the desk and slammed them onto his desk. He kept himself controlled over the stupidity of those under him all the time, but Ravak was his equal, and he had not felt this rage in a long time. This needed to be dealt with. They worked with each other, but that mark on one not cleared to go into the city was such an affront to his people. Rhuidean was the heart of their culture. They went there to test those that would lead them. Aes Sedai and Asha'man were supposed to renounce their connections to their homelands, but Jhanic thought that was foolish. He was Aiel, and he always would be.

Blinking, he realized that he was still staring silently out the window. Ravak was still on the other side of the room, awaiting his fate. Siezing Saidin, and refusing to let the One Power enhance his rage, he wove a ward against eavesdropping around the whole office. He tied off the weave and turned toward the Master of Training again. He tried to gather himself as he walked toward him. He had so much he wanted to tell him, but he also had questions. No matter how mad he was at Ravak Darrow, he would not... Well, he would not harm the man. At the very least there was something to be said about him coming forward willingly. And if word got out that he was dealing with his toh the way Wise Ones did...would not help the situation in the Tower.

"How..." he began, trying to find the words to articulate the rage of the Aiel and the objectivity of the Asha'man within him. "How could you have stayed among the Aiel for so long without realizing how important Rhuidean was?" he asked. His voice was a bit harsher than he meant it to be. "The Accepted went through the Three Arches without your aid, why did you feel the need to...?" He took a moment to pause. "How" and "why" did not matter here. Ravak Darrow had made a mistake, and by coming to Jhanic, he was telling him that he felt sorry for his actions. Jhanic needed to be honest with him as well. They were colleagues. Equals. The toh needed to be met in a way that both of them would feel fit the situation. Those meeting toh did not complain about the pain that they felt.

He felt his breathing begin to slow as he thought his way through this. "At the very least, you came to me honestly and openly. That decreases the toh, but not by much." His tone was more conversational than before, but the heat of anger was still there. His mind went from wondering what the other man saw in Rhuidean that he had never seen, what the mark appearing on his arm meant to the city, and how...just how this toh would be met. He would not coddle Ravak Darrow. Being with the People meant he knew about ji'e'toh. He could not find words past the ire after that.
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Craig
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PC: Ravak t'Sha'hal Darrow
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Location: Scotland

Re: Marked by the Dragon (Attn: Leala)

Post by Craig » September 14th, 2016, 7:23 pm

Ravak Darrow
The Master of Training watched his peer process this information in stoic silence. Jhanic's reaction was justified - more than justified. That blasted tattoo meant he faced exiled instead of death in the Waste, but only by a narrow margin. It was possible that murder was passing through the Master of Soldiers' mind, Rav came to realise a little belatedly. Maybe he could have been more... diplomatic in his approach. And brought witnesses. Aiel had a thing for shame. Maybe being in front of others would have helped somewhat.

Rav could read the danger in Jhanic as he approached, although his voice gave that much away as well. It was only of slight surprise that Jhanic would not accept ignorance is a defence, even if that was a large part of the reason he traipsed into Rhuidean. That and the fact that the Wise Ones had given him no reason to trust him. No Ravak, no. We're not here to come up with excuses.

And there was no need. Jhanic provided the solution: toh. It was hard for Rav to keep a pained smile from forming. When he returned from the Aiel Waste, he got berated to no end for mentioning toh. "You are not Aiel" came the firm rebuke from countless people. He'd practically set the whole expedition aside, as best as one could when your heart got broken twice in the span of two months. Now, it seemed, the Creator deemed it necessary to drag up again. The Wheel weaves as it bloody wills.

He nodded respectfully. "Toh. That seems appropriate." The challenge now was knowing how much toh he owed, and finding a way to repay it. With a hint of sarcasm or jest he said "I cannot wear gai'shain white. For one we are bound to the Tower first and foremost, and second I am no Aiel." In spite of this mark on my arm.

"I am already banished from the Three-fold Land. The Wise Ones I was with at Rhuidean made that abundantly clear." The Shienaran paused, scratching at his beard thoughtfully. When he spoke, it was with resignation. "I seek your counsel on how to proceed. I have already trespassed gravely upon Aiel culture - your culture - and I would not seek to do so again by suggesting a penance that is..." Rav spread his hands with a shrug. "...unsuitable."
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Elan wrote:Of course, the problems with observing a chain of command arise when the one in command decides to do something unspeakably idiotic, like taking off on his own for no discernible reason in the middle of enemy territory.

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