The young thief slipped within the confines of the school, peering at everything about him. his cloak laid about him, his sword beneath it. In all honesty, his ability to use magic was limited. He was here for the most part to learn to counter it.

A nasty run in with a warlock once led to Ashe's desire to become immune to such magic. Being blinded for about a week did not help him as a thief needed his eyes to see the prize.

He sighed softly then, pondering a moment as to how he would get into this school without others discovering who and what he was. Ah, to lead a secretive life...

Ashe whipped around as he heard the man and seeing the wooden swords in hand, he only raised a brow. Odd that this school for magic would have any such things.

A sword was a welcome sight nonetheless as magic was but a mystery to him. His abilities in magic? He could make something move an inch or two if he concentrated on it hard enough.

"Im wanting to defend myself against magic," he announced to the tall warrior, "a rather nasty run in with it and I shouldnt like it to happen again."

He chuckled lightly, "Those wooden swords though, they seem more my style."

Ashe took the man's hand and with a hardy shake replied, "Ashe McGray at your service, sir," a nod, "a martial arts instructor? I take it you know the ways of the east then?" He talked of the orient and the style in which they fought, "I could see myself learning that."

Ashe released his hand, "My magical ability is limited to say the least, Im looking more to defend myself against it. But I shall see what your headmaster has to offer me." He stepped through the nod, removing his cloak and folding it over his arm, "A cup of tea would be grand if it's no trouble. Heh, Ashe may have been one of the few men in Rhy'Din who didnt drink alcohol.

Taking a seat, he relaxed, "I appreciate the generosity, Mister Arrowny. I look forward to your classes."

Bryce propped the wooden swords against the wall and nodded. "My fighting style is not purely eastern. It's more of mix of many styles, including my own." He thought he heard Lyndra bustling about in the kitchen. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll see about that tea."

He spotted the cook in the dining room as he made his way into the kitchen. He shot her a grin. "Ah, Lyndra. You're looking positively radiant today. Do we have any tea?"

"Oh, right." Bryce said as he moved to hold the door open. "I can carry that for you if you want. It looks heavy." Once they were both in the kitchen, he took the kettle off the stove and poured the water into the server with some tea bags. He decided to let Ashe add cream and sugar to his tea if he wanted.

"You going to come meet the new guy?" He winked. "The two of you might hit it off." He picked up the tray and started walking back to the parlor. He was excited about getting a new student. At the least, it looked like he would get a sparring partner.

"C'mon," Bryce called back as he made his way to the parlor. "The dishes aren't going any where." Give a tour? He didn't even know what half the buildings were. There hadn't been much time to explore the school grounds between fixing up the dojo and making practice weapons.

Back in the parlor, he sat the tray on the table beside Ashe's chair and filled two cups adding a single teaspoon of sugar to his own. "There creamer and sugar there if you want any and Lyndra's cookies are the best." He took a seat across from Ashe sipping his tea.

"You said you had a nasty encounter with a mage? That must have been nasty. I don't know if it's possible to render magic void but you might be able to learn enough to at least fight back and defend yourself."

(Sorry for the long delay, I had some killer computer troubles.)

Ashe waited quietly as Bryce slipped way to gather the tea, only looking about him for anything out of the ordinary. This whole magic business was out of the ordinary to him but he thought it better to have some defense.

His mind drifted to what magic he could learn here, perhaps some simple blinding spells himself. That could come in handy while picking pockets. He was jerked from thought as Bryce returned and placed the tea and cookies before him.

Eyes went immediately to the peanut butter chocolate chip, oh peanut butter was his weakness. Of course, that was evident as he ate one rather hastily. Before getting his tea even!

The tea would come soon though and like Bryce, he added a spoonful of sugar and nothing else, "Yeah, you really dont know what your eyes are to you until you lose them for a week."

He took another cookie, eating the peanut butter goodness as fast as the first, washing it down with a large gulp of tea, "Wasnt painful, but its not something I would like to experience again," he laughed a bit and again, took another cookie, then noticing the lady who stood in the doorway.

He stood and gave her a firm nod, "I imagine you are behind these cookies?" He chuckled lightly turning back to Bryce, "Do they serve the meals here? If they're anything like the cookies, Ill stay and learn whatever I can."

Well, it seemed his host was distracted or something of the sort. Ashe just smiled at Lyndra, and as he loved to talk, carried on his conversation of cookies, "Perhaps you would give me the recipe? Hah, perhaps even making a great batch for me to take home would be splendid."

He didnt expect such a request to be granted but he was sure the children of the orphanage would love the cookies every bit as much as he did. He was the gift giving ghost there in the attic after all. Ashe also thought it would be nice to give them something that was taken from the wealthy as well.

Nonetheless, he was back into the tray of cookies, picking up a handful, "Peanut butter will bring me to my knees," he laughed aloud.

"Peanut butter will bring me to my knees,"

Her mouth opened to respond to Ashe, but the words were caught in her throat.

"If I had a sovreign every time I heard praise for Mistress Lynra's cooking, no one in RhyDin would ever need labor again."

Her eyes widened as big as saucers and a chill ran up her spine the moment she heard the Headmaster's voice when he snuck up on her, or so it seemed to her that he had. She hadn't heard him coming up behind her, though that was the usual case. He could be as silent as the dead. She managed to keep her smile and it brightened as she shifted her gaze to him.

"Headmaster Briarius, ye are too kind."

She glanced between the three men. This uncomfortable silence felt like it seeped into the room.

"Bryce brought a new guy home."

What an ice breaker, as if that was going to explain everything... it sounded quite lame as if Bryce brought home a stray animal or something. She quickly tried to fix that mistake, her cheeks began to blush.

"I mean, I think Bryce was going to give him a tour so... I guess he's wanting to be a new student?"

And that didnt sound much better, still awkward. She was thinking that she really should just shut up, but she couldn't keep from half stammering.

"Oh, well, anyway I.... think I have some cookies to make. Peanut butter something or other."

Pointing towards the kitchen with her thumb, she began to walk backwards to the door and just about turned round into the frame, managed to side step it and beeline out the door and back to the safe haven of her kitchen. Why she was so jittery was beyond her, but she calmed the moment she was out of their sight and heading back to her work in the kitchen ... yet the color remained in her cheeks.

Lyndra returned to the kitchen only to be reminded of all those dishes piled up that needed to be done. If only she'd spent more time meditating....

"Gods!"

She had to wash the dishes to have the things she needed to start making those peanut butter cookies.... how long could a tour take? Not thAt long. So she was frustrated.

In a rush, she tried to wash the dishes in a hurry and cut her finger on a sharp knife. Several curses flew from her lips as she wrapped it up to stop the flow of blood. There was no way she was going to get all this done like this. Lyndra wasn't one for drinking but a glass of wine seemed like the thing she needed right now... just to calm her down. There was no way she was going to try that cantrip if she weren't calmed down.

Down she sat at the little table and sipped slowly on that sparkling white wine liquid, letting all that frustration, all the jitteryness ease away before she took a few minutes to meditate and concentrated on getting that very simple thing to work...

"To be honest with you, my magic is limited to rattling a cup on a table, moving it an inch or two at best. My swordsmanship...I am content with it..." He brushed his hand over the hilt of the blade, "But I havent the heart to have this blade enchanted."

In fact, the particular blade he wore was plain, and he kept it that way, as it was given to him by the man who taught him to use it. And it was plain when given to him.

"My story is somewhat simple, a nasty run in with an ill tempered warlock left me blind for a week or better. Id just rather that kind of thing not happen again." Of course, the part of the story he left out was that he was caught with his hands in the pocket of that particular warlock.

"Perhaps though, you could help me find what magic lies beneath?"

Bubbles formed in the dish water while the washcloth began to move causing tiny swirls, currants of hot soapy water to wash over the dishes and each placed in the next sink gently, slowly, one at a time. Lyndra watched in amazement while the clean water poured over the soapy dishes rinsing the suds away and the plate floated up to the drainer and placed sweetly in the rack. This repeated again and again with each dish, the movements formed faster and faster building quickness slowly as the dishes were washed.

Then the speed reached a comfortable level and Lyndra ventured to look away for a while, listening to the dishes wash themselves and waiting several moments just to be sure dishes weren't going to break. She took one step at a time and finally brought her thinking around to making those cookies while the dishes were being washed. She was just soOOOoo thrilled that the cantrip had finally worked, she let out a rather loud whoop of joy followed by a rhythmic little ditty.

"Woo hooo! Yes! I'm baking cookies... I'm doin the dishes.. I'm baking cookies.. la la la laa laaaa ..."

She was stirring all the ingredients together

"Master McGray, why do I get the distinct impression that you are not being completely honest with me?"

"That, my young friend, is for you to decide. I will not stand here and judge your past, but I will note it if anything should go amiss while you are attending classes. We will train you and we will also try to show you that there is another way. It is not as easy, but it is more rewarding. If it turns out that you use the knowledge we pass on to you for ignoble pursuits, then I will be forced to include you on the list of those who abuse magick and if you get out of hand, I will personally take this into my own hands. A Warlock is one thing...and a Necromancer is something completely different."

A brow arched at the response given. It wasnt so much the threat of dealing with a necromancer that got to him, rather it was the fact that he wasnt asked to leave.

He was speechless a while before the words just dropped out, "Then I hope you accept me as a student?"

The returning smell of peanut butter cookies was relaxing.