Izulen spent his first sevenday in the infirmary as much as to be with his mother as to avoid the holders. When Esellyn pushed him out at the beginning of the second, demanding that he eat the evening meal with the rest of the holders, he ended up trudging down the hall, hoping he'd get lost.
He wasn't looking as he walked and brushed the shoulder of a boy his age as he walked. Izulen didn't think anything of it until he was pulled back by the sleeve to face the boy. "What was that about?" the boy demanded.
"I uh, I bumped into you. On accident. Sorry." He offered a smile and started to walk away, only to be spun back around.
"Well next time watch where you're going!" the boy snarled. "I don't know how it us up at the Harper Hall, but here, we look where we walk and when we push someone, we don't try to walk away. Get it?"
The boy spun on his heel and started walking. Izulen couldn't resist. He gave him a slight shove. "Got it."
"I really oughta nail you for that," the boy snarled, whirling on Izulen and rasing a threatening fist.
"Please, nail me," Izulen pleaded, stopping the boy in his tracks. "Faranth, that's the most exciting thing I've heard in a sevenday!" He held out his hand. "I'm Izulen. And you are?"
"Tiron," the boy replied, grasping Izulen's hand hesitantly. "What do you guys do up there at the Hall that's so exciting anyway?"
"Well, everything there's exciting," Izulen said after a moment. "There's music coming from every room, people singing, people playing instruments. There's always something to do. Here..." he shrugged.
"You're one wierd kid," Tiron told him. "And I would nail you, but we're late for the evening meal and my ma'll kill me if I'm any later."
By the time Izulen and Tiron arrived at the dining hall, it was almost entirely filled. A group of guys waved to Tiron when he walked in and Tiron headed over. "Guys, this is Izulen," Tiron introduced him. "Tiron, this is Serro, Balir, and Jheron."
Izulen smiled at each one as Tiron said their names and then seated himself.
"Why'd you bring the harper?" Jheron asked as he sized up Izulen. "You know Shanol hates him already. I don't know about you, but I sure don't need any trouble from him."
"Oh stuff it Jheron," Balir groaned. "Someone should stir ol' Shanol up now and then. It'd make life more interesting."
"What do you guys do around here to make life interesting?" Izulen wondered. "Do you ever have any Gathers?"
"At Turns end we have a feast," Tiron replied.
"No music? No dancing? No..." Izulen struggled to comprehend it, "no anything?"
"I wouldn't mention music, if I were you," Tiron warned. "Shanol's been even worse about it lately."
"That's because it's getting close to Ani- hey! What was that for?" Serro began and then was cut off by a sharp cuff from Tiron.
"For opening your big mouth," Tiron told him.
"What?" Izulen asked, glancing around at his table-mates. "What's it getting close to?"
"Sorry, we can't tell you," Tiron said with a sad smile that ended the conversation.
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