To Serve Tea attn: Conor

[Laura]

(Ooc - My PC is down so I've written this on my phone's little keyboard. I think I caught them all but please forgive typos if I missed one. )

"Etiquette, novices, is more important than speech or even strength. It can stop conflict, encourage good will, and even help you to get your way in a dispute."

Eirinn sat in her early morning etiquette class listening to the rather stuffy Gray go on and on. It was not her favorite class. Much of it bored her. What to do if you are at dinner in a Cairhenian noble's house. Which fork do you eat with and in which hand. How you hold a wine glass depends upon which region you are in. It bored her to tears but she dutifully took notes and tried not to fall asleep.

"Now girls, today you will put some of your training into practice. You will serve chilled tea to those who are working in the warder yard. You will all serve with grace and poise. There will be NO flirting, touching, or unladylike interaction of any kind. You may however engage in civilized conversation under my watchful eyes. The art of conversation is also a skillset of etiquette. Do not disappoint me or you will regret it. Now let us go. Single file novices!"

Eirinn's eyes widened. Novices were always scolded for hanging around the warder yards unless they were taking a weapons class. Now that she was supposed to perforn in front of their teacher she wistfully wished she had paid more attention. I've poured tea for company before. I'll be fine. Eirinn reassured herself.

Upon their arrival at the yards just about everyone stopped practicing, wondering what a flood of novices was doing descending upon the yards followed by a large table containing pitchers of liquid. The pitchers had been chilled by the one power Eirinn guessed, and had a thin layer of frost on the rims. They were heavy in Eirinn's arms and she struggled to pour the glasses, spilling a bit here and there, and praying she wouldn't drop the pitcher altogether.

She took her tray of glasses to a group of men in the field close to the offices. The sun was hot and they seemed most in need of a cold drink. She addressed each one with "Sir, would you like a cup of chilled tea?' and did her best to balance the tray while taking each glass off.

She had never seen the yards up close and had never seen so many different weapons or so many strong men and women carrying them. Those few still practicing were unbelievably fast! It was almost scary. There was one last glass left in her tray and one last man near her under the hot sun.

Just as she was approaching him, a loud clang from two metal swords clashing startled her momentarily, and she glanced in that direction while still moving forward, forgetting to watch where she was going. A sword scabbard belonging to one of the men lay across her path.

"Sir, would you like a cup of chilled...ieeeeee!" she yelled as her foot caught on the sword and scabbard and gravity continued to pull her in the direction she was going. The glass flew out of her hand into the air and she landed hard on her hands and knees. When she looked up, with dread, she saw where her wayward glass fell....right into the lap of the tall, well muscled man with torn trousers.

[Carra]

Ooc: First, my apologies on the slow reply. Second, my apologies on my character, truly. He sort of does his own thing... even if it isn't always the 'right' thing.
Conor Palfrey It was not often that he found himself lounging in the chairs around the yard. No guard duty, finished up his morning training. Took out a few chunks from the fresh ones that did them some good. No current classes to be taken or taught, so Conor Palfrey found himself lounging instead of doing much of anything. Still a Ji'alantin left him without too much responsibility and with less things to do that needed his attention Conor found himself feeling lazy.

Not that Shaena Sedai ever left him alone anymore. Bloody woman found him at least a few times in the week to check in on him. He had a weak moment, for light's sake, not that he was weak. No milk sop was he! He never did live off his own mothers skirts like most of the men and boys here. They had been manly tears!

Leaning back in his chair, Nava was off doing squirrel things, he enjoyed the quiet. Quiet being relative given that trainees, Drin and Ji alike, and the Gaidin were practicing just beyond. The honed beating of the forms made a rhythmic sound that was just as soothing to him as the heartbeat of a healthy bosom. It brought him back to his youth while at the same time anchored him into the here and now. Conor appreciated it even though he despised the idea that the longer he lived the older he got. Next thing he would know there would be gray hair speckling his lovely dirty blonde locks. Light Forbid!

"Sir, would you like a cup of chilled...ieeeeee!"

Cold filled his lap, taking no time to seep into his leathers and cover his lap with an untainted cold. As fast as he was in a spar, never had Conor jumped up from his chair so fast, and soon the pants he was wearing were flying out of his lap. "Ahhhh!!!" Because reactions were never half-done with him, and there he stood in front of a traumatized Novice without his pants and only his lightest linen shirt falling far enough to keep him from poking out. That and the cold did funny things to his..

He flashed her a smile, that sweet and calm Palfrey! flirty smile, "Oh dear! You seem to have caught me off .. guard. You wouldn't have a second cup would you?"

[Laura]

(OOC No need to apologize. I’ve read his bio and posts. LOL I was prepared….well, sort of. )

Eirinn looked on in horror as the man yowled and then completely discarded his pants. It was a bit of an extreme reaction, she thought. Light that tea had to be pretty cold!. She wasted no time but scurried over on hands and knees towards the crumpled tea-stained trousers. Taking out her kerchief, Eirinn frantically tried to clean the tea-stain on the pants while offering up a string of rapid-fire apologies. Her brown hair obscured her face as she worked, which Eirinn was more than happy about. It would have been welcome if the ground itself were to rise up and cover her. So full of embarrassment, the novice very nearly babbled.

“I am terribly sorry sir. It was so clumsy of me not to look where I was going. I hope I didn’t cause any damage. Here, let me try to clean these for you. Light, I’m such a clod! Would you mind terribly not telling the Aes Sedai about…” Eirinn looked up, hoping to plead her case but stopped abruptly. She realized at last exactly where she was crouching. Instead of seeing Conor’s face, Eirinn saw instead what was contained just above her head beaneath his linen shirt.

With a surprised “oh!”, she scooted backwards and then clambered to a standing position. The heat of embarrassment caused her face to turn the bright shade of cherries and she covered her mouth in shock. “I didn’t mean…I was only trying to…” She could not come up with adequate words. The thought that maybe he might think she peeked on purpose brought more red to her face. She was both terrified and embarrassed, and felt almost ready to cry. What a predicament I have got myself into!

After a few awkward seconds of speechlessness, she regained some small semblance of composure. “Y-yes I can get you another cup. Just a moment.” And she ran faster than Eirinn had ever run before, desperate to get away from the embarrassment, even though she knew she would come right back with the tea. She arrived at the table breathless and managed to pour another without spilling too much despite her shaking hands.

The walk back was slower. What would he say? Would he be angry? Oh light, what did he think of her, first spilling liquid on him and then invading his privacy in such a way…even though he was suffering from a lack of pants, it was no excuse for a lady. Eirinn arrived with the tea. “I’m sorry…for everything. ”, she said quietly, handing over the tea with slightly trembling hands.

[Carra]

(Ooc: your reply made me laugh so hard I cried... )
Conor Palfrey The poor girl was stuttering and Conor gave the girl a good look over, realizing just how much youth and child-like her features were. Not that he felt ashamed by his display, but he was somehow moved by the idea... that this one was too young? A tilt of his head, Conor tried to process this thought as the girl rushed off.

There was a glare... one of the Gaidar who was breaking from a spar not far was able to catch his eye and he gave a bit of a wave. High enough to make thing peek but not high enough to show off to the entire Yard. Last time he had done that it was dark out and chasing someone. This time... Pants were sometimes easy to rip off. Once wet, however, they were a little harder to get back on. Instead of lingering he sat back down onto the chair and fixed his shirt. The wet trousers now trying in the sun at his feet.

The girl returned with a tray and drink, and Conor gave her a gentler smile. Apparently the Palfrey! grin had been too much for her, or something something Conor couldn't be sure. He reached up with two hands, careful that he was shielded well enough, and clamped his hands around hers as she held the drink lest it fall again.

"Don't." He said, carefully. A certain poise about him that could only be learned from time, "You have nothing to fear from me, Novice. There was no harm in your actions. I am only sorry if you were offended by my ... display." He should have blushed, but he didn't. She was shy and naive and it wouldn't do well for both of them to blush. Not that he felt any shame at all. Not when showing off the best parts of him.

"What is your name, dear Maiden? Have you been at the Tower long?"

[Laura]

{Ooc Glad I could make you laugh. Look at Conor trying to be all the charmer now. And sorry for the delayed response!)

A flurry of thoughts were racing through Eirinn's mind, and she was doing her best not to look in the lower direction, or go into blushes all over again. She could feel the heat threatening to creep up her cheeks and stilled it with deep breaths. That blushing was her undoing. Once started it was hard to stop. But she could not still her hands from trembling a bit.

"Oh", Eirinn let out a surprised gasp as he clamped her hands in his larger ones to steady the beverage. Truth be told, she had never come so close to anyone like that save her brother and father, and it made her momentarily breathless, but compared to earlier events, it was not quite enough to send her completely into hysterical incoherence, though she was unable to stop a slightly pink hue from creeping into her cheeks.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Novice. There was no harm in your actions. I am only sorry if you were offended by my ... display. What is your name, dear Maiden? Have you been at the Tower long?"

Beginning to recover herself, and feeling a bit more at east, Eirinn denied taking any offence. "Oh no, I take no offense. It was ...accidental." She tried to keep her mind from replaying that moment, and from re-displaying that particular memory in her mind, lest she lose her composure again.

"My name is Eirinn, Eirinn Bridwell. I've been here for a bit more than half a year already." It was true that Eirinn possessed a sort of naïve innocence that the tower had not managed to snuff out of her yet, in fact she seemed to hold on to it longer than some of her novice peers of the same age. It was simply Eirinn being Eirinn.

Feeling braver, she chanced a shy smile at Conor and quipped as she carefully released the drink into his hands, "And to whom do I owe the pleasure of dousing with cold tea?"

[Carra]

Conor Palfrey Can I ping and Level up? ... no. Her hands, her entire body shook, with his hands on hers. Conor nearly just tried to take the pitcher from her to keep yet another from dropping but it wasn't just some crazy mystery as to why she did. He was careful as he released her hands so as not to linger unwanted but slow enough that maybe she would not notice that he noticed. Most were always so embarrassed to have people learn their weaknesses. Conor, on the other hand, wore his on his sleeve. "Eirinn." He rolled her name over his tongue thoughtfully, a few times as he memorized it thoughtfully. "A lovely name for a very lovely novice."

"You see, normally this would be where I would flourish a bow and present you with a flower, but alas. I have neither a flower and I think the yard has seen enough of my naked behind for the day." His eyes twinkled, imagining yet again all the hollering and even fake vomitting from his peers. Such simple weak stomach folk, not able to handle a simple naked behind. It was almost a disgrace if it weren't in jest. "I suppose a simple introduction will have to do until we meet at another time. I am Conor Palfrey. Ji'alantain of the Grey Tower and long traveler of the east to west. Having once studied in the White Tower, and being born of Andoran stock. I am but a simple man of simple pleasures. Serving the Tower is a nice, simple life and the view," he made a point to look over her shoulder at the Aes Sedai standing there with a scowl. He wondered how much she saw or if she was only told of the instance, "Tolerable."

"I have been here a few years now, but I have not met you before. Do you spend most of your time studying in the Tower? I don't know much about Novice life. Only the life of a soldier. Well, a soldier that holds a blade, not that One Power stuff. I don't know much about that."