In with the morning post. (Attn Craig... anybody else is welcome)

[Locke]

Terric

The Warders were like a Warrior Society, but different. Twisted about like everything in the Wetlands. The Red Shields hadn’t recruited him. From what he could tell, no society truly recruited. They did talk to likely candidates. They made friends, took them out on patrols, invited them to share their fires or even the sweat tent. In the end, the Society never asked the hopeful. He, or she, had to ask to become Algai’d’sisai. Even then, not all made it.

Could he be Aethan Dor and Gaidin? Did Ji’e’toh even allow that? He couldn’t not be Aethan Dor, in his heart at least. The same will to protect that drove him to become a Red Shield was now pulling him in another direction. His spear would be a thorn in Sightblinder’s side. That was worth more Ji than any hundred murders captured.

He looked around at the Warders training. The clash of steel and grunts of exertion called to him. Then something occurred to him.
“Ravak Gaidin, if I say yes, am I agreeing to be bonded by an Aes Sedai?” Terric didn’t know the whole story, he wasn’t a clan chief but every Aiel knew they had toh to the Aes Sedai, toh that couldn’t be met in a hundred lifetimes. He was suspicious of Aes Sedai, and their bonds. Who wasn’t? Maybe, just maybe this could be his contribution to meeting the toh that could not be met.

[Craig]

Ravak

Rav smiled. This wasn't the first time he'd heard this question, but it was perhaps the most innocent sounding way it had been asked. "No, you are not agreeing to a bond, Terric. We here in the Warder Yards are here to train, so we are able to defend Aes Sedai and Asha'man, but that can be done without being bonded. Whether you wish to bond an Aes Sedai, or an Asha'man, is a choice you will make for yourself. And it is a personal choice, not one that could ever be imposed on you." That was a slight lie, but it wasn't worth going into the exceptions.

The Shienaran paused to sense along the bond he shared with Kaia, the Grey Tower's Keeper of the Chronicles. Something akin to a fond greeting buzzed flowed from the Domani sister, as they recognised one another's mutual feelings. With their respective duties, they saw one another far more seldom than a regular pair of bondmates. Rav briefly revelled in the moment, feeling somewhat accomplished in having found a partner-in-arms so quickly after earning the fancloak.

"We do not serve the Aes Sedai." That was the key difference between the Gaidin of the Grey Tower, and those of the White. "But we serve the Tower, and its goals. So if you earn the fancloak, bond or no bond, you will fight alongside Asha'man and Aes Sedai. But there are plenty of unbonded Gaidin, so you would not be an exception."

[Locke]

Terric

"We do not serve the Aes Sedai. But we serve the Tower, and its goals. So if you earn the fancloak, bond or no bond, you will fight alongside Asha'man and Aes Sedai. But there are plenty of unbonded Gaidin, so you would not be an exception."

Terric realized, he had been breaking the first rule of any investigation. He was letting his preconceptions taint his perception. Murin, would have been disappointed. Much of what he knew about Aes Sedai and Warders came from rumors and third hand information. He decided shelve that knowledge and fell back on his training. Ask questions first, then build a case. Don’t ask the questions that fit your case.

He asked his question in a direct yet companionable manner. It usually served him best when paired with Sloan or other aggressive Aethan Dor who ranted and raved at suspects. “What exactly are the goals of this ‘Grey Tower’?”

He locked eyes with the Warder. He didn’t think the man had lied to him yet. It was safe to say he wouldn’t this time, but that’s how you got bit by a two step in the desert. He watched the man’s body language. It would be difficult, this warder was almost as good at hiding his emotions as an Aiel.

[Craig]

Ravak

The Shienaran pushed off against the wall, and beckoned Terric to follow him. There was something he had to show him. "The purpose of the Grey Tower, mm? I believe if you ask some of our historians, or even our longest-serving members, then the original aim of the Tower was to forge something akin to how the Aes Sedai originally were in the Age of Legends. Male and female channellers working in unison, not divided between the White and Black Towers." Ravak shrugged. He liked history, but when it came to nuances about the Power, it was all a fuzzy mess. Battle tactics, the shifting of national boundaries, the advances and retreats of the Blight; these were tangible things the Gaidin could wrap his head around. What Kaia and Elia did with the Power, he had only a faint understanding of.

Ravak walked through one of the pair of double doors that admitted entrance in the Warder Halls. The foyer was a large space, where a good number of trainees in greys were moving about. Two large fireplaces flanked the room, with benches and chairs and tables set nearby for Drin and Ji to talk and study. But what he wanted to show Terric was in the centre of the room. A huge tiled mosaic of the Flame and the Fang, the white and black mural that symbolised both sides of the Power working in tandem.

The Master of Training paused at the edge of the mosaic, looking down thoughtfully. "In my opinion, we stand as we've always stood against the Shadow. The Dark One's influence seeps across the world. Together, men and women, channellers and not, we fight that darkness and corruption. Each Aes Sedai may have a different answer for you; each Asha'man will have a different reasoning to give. But together, we fight evil: the Shadow, the corrupt, the abusive." Those were more Red Ajah reasoning than the Grey Tower's purpose, but Rav was bonded to a Red. His own moral philosophies had shifted in the time since his bonding. "What is it? 'To spit in Sightblinder's eye in the last day?' That's definitely a part of it too." Rav scratched at his beard, before turning towards one of the large staircases. "My office is upstairs."

Edit: Fixed a typo that was quoted in the following post.

[Locke]

Terric

Even before Ravak Gaidin pointed at it, his eyes were drawn to the great black and white disk on the far wall. It was masterwork that dominated the room. Any Gaidin walking through here would be forced to reflect on their solemn duty. Usually, Terric would have said that monuments such as this were a thing of Wetlanders and of no consequence to Aiel. Something was different here. He couldn’t quite grasp it.

"What is, 'to spit in Sightblinder's eye in the last day?' That's definitely a part of it too." Ravak Gaidin set off towards a large staircase, "My office is upstairs."

Terric lingered with the mosaic. He reached out and touched the mosaic, running his fingers along the smooth tiles. For once, he was oblivious to the voices around him, the bustle of Warders and their students faded away. He rested his forehead against the cool tiles. He let his breathing slow. He could feel his heart beating, pulsing blood throughout his body. Of course he could become Gaidin, but should he? He wasn’t leaving his people behind, nor his brothers. He could train with these men. Maybe he would stay, maybe he would return to the Three-fold Land. He knew he should be searching for Lorek Gand. Whatever he chose, he knew he would incur toh.

His eyes snapped open. He knew the answer he had to give. He rushed up the stairs after the Master of Training. He would incur much toh, but maybe just maybe he would gain much Ji as well.

[Craig]

Ravak

Hand on the bannister, the red-haired Shienaran twisted around to watch the Aielman place his head against the Flame and the Fang. He didn't have any clue what that was about. If the symbols meant anything special to the Aiel, neither Elia nor Sinead had made mention of it. Rav bared a few inches of his longsword, angling it so he could see the same sinuous disc engraved on the side of his blade. The symbol had a meaning, of course, but Rav had served the Tower for five years. This Terric had not.

Once the Aielman ceased his odd reverence, Rav continued up the stairs, leaving enough time for the man to follow. Two right turns at the top of the stairs bought the Master of Training to his office door. Slipping a key into the lock, he twisted and pushed the door wide, letting Terric follow onwards.

The office was a relatively large space, the opposite wall dominated by three equal impressive features. In the centre, behind his desk and chair, was a large fireplace. It was cold now, but it could fill the room with a heat to rival the Blight easily. Flanking it were two beautifully crafted stained glass windows, one depicting a resplendent Aes Sedai, the other a male Warder. Rav gave neither window much more than a glance, taking his leather-backed seat and looking at the Aiel over a stack of papers and an iridescent quill and inkwell.

Aside from the fireplace, windows and desk, there were barely any more furnishings to the room. A Taraboner rug covered a part of the floor opposite the desk. A weapon rack holding a silvery quarterstaff stood at the foot of the right window, and a door led off to the left into Rav's private study. Crucially, and intentionally, there was nowhere else for anyone to sit.

Ignoring the Aiel for a brief moment, Rav pulled open one of the desk drawers to look at a ledger. The blue dust jacket was torn and creased; the ledger itself well used. Grey-blue eyes flashed back up at Terric. Rav settled himself into that look, his eyes and face unintentionally hard. He was a Gaidin after all, and his glare was meant to unnerve. "I think you've made a decision," he said into the silence.