Egg Galore Breakfast(attn: roan)

[Coga]

As Coga walked into the dining hall,he was amazed at the sight of so many big strong people! Coga felt like he would really enjoy working with all of the warriors he saw around him. Turning himself slightly he was flabbergasted by the amount of food. Eggs and sausage abounded on a serving table in the front of the dining hall. Off to the side of the eggs and sausage, there was a tub of grits with a stack of bowls. As he started walking, Coga got a stare or two from some of the other people in the room; probably because of his age. Regardless, he walked to the table and filled half of his bowl with grits and covered it in sausage and eggs, then found an empty table and began eating like a pig. Long gone from Coga's mind was the fact that he had to meet Riahana Ferria this morning.

[Roan]

((OOC Note: The character name is Riahana, not Roan. You might want to edit your post accordingly. Roan is just my screen name. Not a big deal.))

Riahana Ferria Gaidar Most mornings, Riahana took breakfast in the family quarters she shared with her husband and the twins, but this morning, the Gaidar had other ideas. She left her family to fend for themselves, and headed for the mess hall. With her new rank of Gaidar Captain, she felt it important to spend time with other Gaidin/Gaidar and Warders-to-be. At the very least, she wanted to get to know them, especially those who have yet to bond, as she was their leader. She felt it important that they knew her, and she them. . .but she knew it had to go beyond just knowing their names. She would need to learn their skills, their strengths, and their weaknesses. If they were to work together as a unit, she would have to help shape them into a fighting unit so that each man and woman would know that the others fighting along side had their backs. Trust was more than just a word for those in the yards. . .it was a necessity.

Beyond spending time with the ranks, Riahana had another goal for today. She was assigned as a mentor to Coga, one of the newest members of the yard, and one of the younger members currently in their ranks. She knew a little of his story...he'd come from Ubriel's home town, and had been staying with the Mistress of Training's mother. The young man liked his daggers, but showed interest in other weapons during his initial interview with Ubriel. Ria was eager to meet the young man, and see what, if any, questions he might have about the Warder Yards and the new road before him.

The Gaidar captain scanned the tables in the mess hall, looking for the young Drin'far'ji that matched the description given to her by Ubriel. After a moment or two, she spotted a young man. . .more of a boy, really, sitting at a table by himself. The way he was tucked into his breakfast, and how young he looked suggested to Ria that he was likely her new mentee. She couldn't help the smirk, but before she went to greet him, she grabbed herself a plate with a good portion of eggs, sausage, bacon, grits and fruit. No, her plate wasn't quite as full as his, but it would be more than enough fuel to get her through the morning.

Plate in hand, Ria approached Coga's table and cleared her throat, "Good morning. My name is Riahana Ferria, Gaidar to Gareth Asha'man. If I am not mistaken, you would be Coga? Would you mind if I joined you?"

[Coga]

As coga was devouring his food he noticed how flavorful the grits were and how perfectly the eggs were cooked; just to the point that none of it was runny. He then allowed himself to notice the rest of the people in the room eating very calmly and slowly talking and some were even giving an occasional glance at him because he was eating like a pig. He began to slow his eating and eventually finished so he went to get another bowl, but not without thinking to himself that he shouldn't be eating that much. That thought dissipated quickly when he remembered that Ubriel said that people here need lots of food. Only a few minutes later, a woman approached him and introduced herself as Riahana Ferria. That’s when he remembered that he had come to meet his mentor. With a sudden start of energy and a hint of embarrassment, Coga stood; slamming his knee on the underside of the dark, oaken table. His face turned the color of a freshly picked cherry. He then went on to utter the most bland sentence he could have said “Ow! Um... yes, I am Coga, um, yes, have a seat, please.”

[Roan]

Riahana inwardly winced when Coga slammed his knee into the table, and then schooled her expression so that only a small smile bordering on a slight smirk appeared. She tilted her head in a slight nod, "Thank you, Coga, and I hope your knee won't be too badly bruised." She let her smirk grow ever so slightly, "I can assure you that you are not the first to fall victim to the cruel edges of these tables. I wore my share of bruises when I was working to attain my fancloak, as did a number of my fellow Drin' and Ji'."

The Gaidar took a seat and placed her own plate in front of her. "The kitchen staff know how to keep those of us in the Yards happy. . .good food available at meal times, and lots of it. It looks like I won't have to tell you to make sure you eat a decent sized breakfast. Days training in the Yards can be long, and we tend to burn through the energy our meals provide quickly. . .the last thing you want is to lose focus and energy while in one of your unarmed classes. . .or worse yet. . .pass out in front of your fellow classmates."

After a bite of eggs and sausage, Ria asked, "How are you settling in?"

[Coga]

As they sat down Riahana Ferria was holding back a smirk. She seemed pleased that Coga had such a good appetite.

Once she sat down she asked how he was settling in. He replied with, “I have been doing well with moving into my room but I haven't been feeling like I fit in or that I’m supposed to be here.” He felt like he was being a nuisance. Then Coga realized that she had been the one who had asked and he continued, “I don’t really feel like I’m welcome here. People seem to think of me like I am too young to be able to be here.” Coga then looked at their bowls. Then he asked, “Who is the youngest person here?”

Coga then said, “Are we going to go on a tour of the place? If we are going to train, I will still need armor, but If we’re just going to set up classes for me and do stuff like that today, then I guess I won’t need any armor. If we are able to learn how to do unarmed combat and things like that I have actually been looking forward to that.”

[Roan]

Riahana offered the young man a warm smile, "Coga, anyone willing to sign the book and make the commitment to train to become a Gaidin and attain the fancloak is welcome here. Many who've come before you likely felt as if they weren't welcome, but you are as welcome here as any of the Drin'far'ji I see in the yards." She paused to take a bite of her breakfast before answering the first of his questions, "As for who is the youngest in the Warder Yards? I am not too certain. You may well be the youngest, though I must admit I am not so well versed on all of our learning ranks."

She took another bite of breakfast and washed it down with coffee, "As for what we do after breakfast, well let me ask you. . .did Ubriel Gaidar take you on a tour when she conducted her interview?"

[Coga]

Riahana seemed to be very experienced in answering these types of questions and Coga quickly started to feel better about all the things that he asked about. She then went on to Ask if ubriel had taken him on a tour, he told Riahana that she had taken him to the armory and the weaponry but he hasn't seen anything else. “I would like to see the stables and the forges but other than that i'm not really interested in checking out anything else.”

“I just wanted to ask before we go is this going to be easy to make friends here?”

[Roan]

Is it easy to make friends here?

A simple, and innocent question, but not necessarily so simple to answer. Coga's young age came through as he posed the question, and the Gaidar Captain realized she did not know the boy's age. Had there been a lower age limit for joining the Yards? Did it matter? Ubriel had given Riahana the short version of how Coga came to the yards. Young though he may be, he lost much of his childhood when forces raided his village. . . a night of innocence lost for many.

Having long been a Warder, Riahana schooled her expression, and none of the doubt that ran through her mind showed on her face. She took a sip of coffee to wash down her breakfast and offered the young man (boy?) a small smile, "We are all here for one purpose. . .to train to fight the Shadow. This cause binds us to one another, in a way. You will find that over time, you will form friendships that are more akin to brotherhood with those that you train with."

Ria paused to take another sip of coffee, "Though we are but human, are we not? Some will be quick to call you friend, as others will be slow to do so, but stay true to the cause, be honorable to you and those you train with, and you will not go wrong." She finished the last bite of her breakfast and pushed her plate away, "As your mentor, I'm always available if you have any questions, or if you have any concerns."

"Now then, once you've eaten your fill, let's see to a tour of the stables and forge, then," Ria suggested.

[Coga]

Riahana assured Coga that he would make friends easily. She offered the idea of taking Coga on a tour to the stables and the forges and Coga agreed enthusiastically. Coga finished his cup of tea and proceeded to offer to take both of their plates to be cleaned. Once the plates and cups had been taken away, Coga stood and followed Riahana out and down the hall. She seemed to be heading out into the Yard. “Which one are we going to see first?” Coga asked excitedly.

“I would like it if we could go to the forges first. I was hoping to ask the blacksmith about my dagger,” Coga said gesturing to his hip. “I don't think getting a horse right now would be a good idea because I don't think I will be able to feed and take care of it because I have never done anything on my own except getting here. The horses that I have taken care of were Mistress Bryne’s horses.”

[Roan]

Ria smiled and gave the young man a nod, "The forges it is. As for acquiring a mount, I think it is advisable to hold off for now. You will have a great number of classes to attend in your first few months here. Training to ride can take considerable time. . .time which you might not have right away."

The Gaidar Captain was explaining everything as they walked along the halls. Eventually, they came to a door that led outside to the Yards. Directing them along one of the walkways, she headed towards the forge, which was already in full swing as evidenced by the smoke billowing from its many chimneys, "We have a number of blacksmiths with the forge master to oversee them all. I am sure one of them would be willing to discuss your dagger with you."