"How many?"
"Nine," he replied. "Remember that short blond that always stared at the floor?" Tarrin nodded. "She made it up here. I don't think you know any of the others. I know I don't."
"Well, I'm just glad to have another person to talk to," Tarrin said with a smile. "I miss all our talks."
"It seems strange to be in a room by myself," he said. "My closet-mate is a slack-jawed Torian with about half of his brain somewhere else."
Tarrin chuckled. Arkis and the city-state of Tor didn't exactly get along, but Dar was very much above judging people along socially drawn lines. The Torian probably was a slack-jawed imbecile. Dar was a very social person, and he enjoyed company. Probably a function of his youth and insecurity about his position. After all, what young person wouldn't feel insecure when about to travel down a road of power and danger. "Well, Keritanima tells me that you're next door to her."
"The obnoxious Wikuni? Yes," he replied.
Tarrin laughed. "She can be obnoxious, but for some strange reason, we're friends," he told the young man.
"You seem to attract non-human females, Tarrin."
"I happen to be a non-human, Dar," Tarrin replied with a wink.
"Sure, go and throw that in my face," the young man said, and then they both laughed. "Where are you at? I'd like to swing by and talk from time to time."
"Not far from the Headmaster's office," he replied. "Where he can keep an eye on me and Allia."
"I haven't seen her in a while. Do you know that she was actually nice to me when you disappeared?"
"She told me about that," he replied. "She's my closet-mate, so she's not very far from me."
"You mean they allowed that?"
"Allia didn't give them much choice," Tarrin chuckled. "You know how she is."
"Too well," he replied. "I kind of miss her. Guess I'm turning into a masochist."
Tarrin laughed. "She's not that bad."
"I seem to recall you telling me that once before," Dar said with a sly grin.
"Anyway, I hate to impose, but this isn't entirely a social visit."
"What's up?"
"I'd like you to do me a favor."
"Sure, what do you need?"
"There's a Novice that I'm friends with, the blond that came to the Tower with me," he began.
"Tiella? I know her."
"Good, because I'll need you to talk to her from time to time. It has to be where a Novice and an Initiate can speak without raising attention."
"The baths?"
Tarrin nodded. "She's doing something for me, Dar. She may have some information to give you from time to time, information that could get you in trouble if the katzh-dashi find out about it."
"That's not a problem, Tarrin," he said. "You know I'll help. You and I, we've been through alot together, and you're a friend. Friends help each other."
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Dar," he said sincerely, putting his huge paw on the young man's shoulder. "You're one of the few humans around here that will even talk to me."
"That's their loss, Tarrin," he replied calmly. "Alot of them are afraid of you, but it's because they don't understand you. Not like I do."
"They never really gave you a choice."
"True, but things worked out anyway, didn't they?"
Tarrin smiled. Dar was young, but Tarrin had often been impressed at how mature and wise the boy was. His parents had raised him very well. He had a generous nature and an almost inhuman ability to accept others for who and what they are. Dar was everybody's friend and nobody's enemy. And that fact would help Tarrin right now.
"I guess they did," Tarrin said. "Anyway, enough chatter about nonsense. Tell me what happened after I left for the Initiate."
"It's only been a ride or two."
"Well, it feels like years," Tarrin told him. "Besides, we never really caught up after I ran away, so we may as well get ourselves current."
Dar laughed. "True enough."
They ran into Allia in the kitchens, and she invited herself to join them as they sat down in the small dining hall used by the Initiates. She listened quietly as Tarrin and Dar caught up on things. "So, was today your first day of instruction?" Tarrin asked.
Dar nodded. "The history they gave seemed incomplete," he said. "They made no mention of the Tower in Sharadar."
"You know about that?"
"I'm the son of a merchant clan, Tarrin," Dar smiled. "It's our business to know."
"I keep forgetting about that," Tarrin chuckled.
"A Tower in Sharadar?" Allia asked. "I have not heard of such a thing."
Tarrin briefly went over what Dolanna told him. "She said that the Tower up here keeps it quiet, because of how people feel about the katzh-dashi."
"I don't see why," Dar shrugged. "Don't they send us to individual teachers tomorrow?"
Tarrin nodded. "When they've taught you a few basics, they're supposed to reassemble a class and teach weaves."
"How have you been doing with that?"
Tarrin shifted uncomfortably. "Well, let's say that I've hit an unforseen snag," he said. "My instructor is talking to the Council to see what they can do to help me work through it."
"You say that like you're about to be executed."
Tarrin snorted. "I think you know how I feel about the Council," he said, and Dar nodded. "Asking them for help feels like cutting off my own tail."
"Well, it should work out," Dar told him. "How about you, Allia?"
Allia gave him an almost shy smile, something that made Tarrin look at her very carefully. She was actually nervous to be around Dar. That was something new. "I finally managed to touch the Weave this morning," she told him.
"You did? That's wonderful, Allia," Dar said, patting her four-fingered hand without thought. "They say that's the hardest part."
"That's the first hardest part," Tarrin said. "Congratulations, deshaida," he told her, putting his paw on her arm. "I know how it was bugging you."
"Now I know how you felt, deshida," she said. "I still seem to have trouble finding it, though. My instructor told me that it is a common occurance."
"Master Sevren told me that it takes some Initiates months," Dar said. "I hope it doesn't take me months. I've already been here over a year. I'd like to move into a less restricting environment."
"Well, Initiates are allowed off the grounds, Dar," Tarrin said. "Why don't you spend this evening walking around the city?"
"Because they've taken that freedom away," Dar grunted. "No Initiate is allowed to leave until further notice."
"Nobody told me about that," Tarrin said, rubbing his chin. Why would they hold all the Initiates on the grounds?
"It just started today," Dar said glumly. "My first day as an Initiate, and they immediately strip one of our liberties."
"Maybe it's just temporary," Tarrin said. "It's starting to get a bit late. You going to be in your room after class?"
"I guess," he said.
"Well, when you're done, instead of going there, why don't you come to the south Tower? They have another library there. I'll be there."
"So we can whisper and get the Loremasters giving us dirty looks? I'll be there right after getting something to eat," he said with a laugh.
"But that will interfere with his learning to touch the Weave," Allia reminded Tarrin.
"Only if he reads the books," Tarrin told her.
"Then why ask me to come?" Dar asked.
"Because I want to talk to you," he replied, "and I'll be too busy to swing by your room."