Spirit-y Enlightenment

[Arath Faringal]

It was a beautiful day in Tar Valon. The sun shone down warmly, and a pleasant breeze bearing the scents of the nearby farms took away any traces of extra heat. And Rochel was stuck teaching a lesson to an Accepted. The fact that she had been one of them not so very long ago did nothing to calm her. She was Aes Sedai now! Didn't that mean she could go off and do as she wanted? Apparently not. Her first year as a Red sister had been completely packed with lessons. She had long since suspected that an Aes Sedai's real training didn't begin until she reached the Shawl, and her suspicions seemed completely confirmed. The 15 previous years almost seemed like a waste.

 

There were benefits to being a full sister though. Freedom to dress as she wished for one. The moment she had been able, Rochel had ordered an entire new wardrobe. She now wore a red silk dress in her native Domani style, and Light it felt good to be in it. Even if there weren't any men to dazzle with her looks. It just felt good to be herself again. But right now, she was not able to quite be herself. Classes always put her in an off mood, even if she wasn't the one being instructed. Hopefully she would be able to contain any irritation she felt and not make her student cry. That was never a fun experience, though it had so far only happened with one novice. Accepted rarely, if ever, had that kind of problem.

 

Rounding a corner into the Accepted Quarters, Rochel was nearly trampled by a flock of white clad girls, scrambling to get to their next class. A scattering of curtsies and murmered apologies ensued, but Rochel waved them all to silence. "Elin Hawes," she said plainly, demand to know where the Accepted was plain in her tone. A dozen fingers pointed down the adjacent hallway, and Rochel was quickly on her way. Upon reaching the door, she briefly considered knocking, then remembering all the times that Aes Sedai had just barged into her room, she smiled and did the same.

 

"Elin Hawes? It seems you have a lesson with me today. Come with me."

[Phelix]

Today was the day! It was her first private lesson with a Red sister, and she was going to learn about how to weave Spirit offensively. In most of her classes, the weaves of Spirit just seemed to come to her in a way that made them almost effortless. That said, most of her classes on weaving the Power had been generic uses, nothing specific to a particular purpose, and definitely nothing specific to the uses an Ajah might have for Spirit. Lately, Elin had become more and more intrigued by the Reds. They were the largest ajah, and their sisters traveled the nations looking for rogue channelers. Perhaps Elin could use that to get herself out in the world looking for situations where people are falsely accused, like Nile had been.

 

She'd asked the Mistress of Novices to help her find a Red to work with, and Valeri Sedai had told her not to think about it, that she would arrange it all. A few days later, Valeri Sedai told her to be ready for her lesson during morning classes. She didn't know who the sister teaching her would be, but she knew that the Aes Sedai would be a Red. Someone who could show her the way Red Aes Sedai lived, the way they used the One Power.

 

Suddenly her door burst open, and a young Aes Sedai wearing red silk cut in high domani fashion stood there. "Elin Hawes? It seems you have a lesson with me today. Come with me."

 

Elin bounded to her feet, curtsied, nodding her head at the same time. "Yes, Aes Sedai."

 

Elin followed the sister out of her room, quietly closing the door behind herself. She stepped into line behind the sister and walked a polite pace behind and to the right. I wonder where we're going for the lesson. She could take me back to her rooms... but if that were her goal, she could have simply summoned me there.

 

OOC: Sorry it took me so long to reply, but my boss showed up and gave me a late assignment. Thanks again for teaching Elin!

[Arath Faringal]

(Lol. 5 hours is NOT a long time to wait for a reply. Anymore I can go 3-4 days without worrying. :) )

 

Rochel quickly worked her way through the Tower, moving at a quick pace, but not quite the rush that marked the steps of an initiate. Simply the walk of a woman who knew where she was going and what she was up to. The accepted accompanying her trailed a perfect distance behind, bobbing curtsies without missing a beat whenever they passed another Sister. Quickly enough, their destination was reached; a a small but beautiful garden located close to the Red Quarters. The garden was always empty at this time of the morning, making it an ideal place for a lesson. Rochel had always hated the stuffy classrooms, and avoided them whenever possible.

 

"Alright Elin, today you will be learning a little bit of advanced Spirit. From what I remember of novice training, it may seem like Spirit is one of the less useful of the five powers. I can assure you though, it is not. It may be the least impressive from a non-channeler perspective, but it has very many subtle uses. And also a few less subtle ones. Today's lesson will involve one of those less subtle ways."

 

Moving a few paces away, Rochel embraced Saidar and spun around to face the Accepted. Slowly but deftly, allowing her student to see everything did, she placed weaves of pure spirit into a the wide solid form of a shield. Then, without warning, she launched the shield forward and slammed it into place on the startled girl. "This," she said with a small smile, "is one of the most useful tools of the Red Ajah. Embrace the source, and tell me what you find."

[Phelix]

OOC: Heh... I got into the habit of replying two or three times a day with Kathleen while breaking Elin's block. ;)

 

As they left the Accepted's Quarters and moved into the areas of the Tower where the sisters lived, Elin worked to contain her excitement. The Red sister leading her, Rochel Sedai, moved with the pace of a woman who knew where she was going, neither hurried nor slow. When they arrived, Elin was shocked to find such a beautiful garden tucked away from most of the Tower. It was close to the Red Quarters, which made it likely that only Reds and their guests would use it with any regularity. It was cozy, and felt like it would be a pleasant space to sit and read.

 

Elin nodded along as Rochel Sedai talked about Spirit. The basic classes really did treat Spirit as a supplementary power. You could add it to other weaves to make them a bit stronger, or could tweak a weave with Spirit to change its purpose. Most girls were of average strength in Spirit, so it wasn't something the classes put that much effort into. For Elin, that felt like a tragedy. Spirit was the element that seemed the easiest for her, and it almost seemed to form itself into weaves as she thought about them.

 

Watching as Rochel Sedai wove broad threads of Spirit into what looked like a dome with a curved edge, Elin was intrigued. This wasn't a weave they had been taught yet. Suddenly, the sister launched the weave at Elin! The Accepted felt it sliding, somehow, between herself and the True Source. "Embrace the source, and tell me what you find," said the Red sister.

 

"Yes Aes Sedai," Elin replied, and reached for the source... but nothing came to her. She did the rosebud exercise, but the light didn't fill her, and she could not touch the source. Closing her eyes, she 'felt' with her mind the thick threads that made up the weave that was blocking her from the source. "I cannot touch the source, Rochel Sedai. The weave you just made is between the source and I. I can feel the threads, and they all come to one point... it's a soft point, and I can't quite grasp it. I cannot feel anything but that weave. Is this a Shield? We've been told about them before."

[Arath Faringal]

Rochel nodded with a small smile. "Very good child. Yes, this is a shield, and as I said before it is one of the most useful tools of my ajah. This will prevent a woman, or a man, from channeling while it is in place. A very powerful tool, wouldn't you agree? You'll find that no matter how hard you strain against that shield, you will be unable to break through it. Even if the person being shielded is significantly stronger than the one doing the shielding it is very difficult to get out of it. If I tie the weave off though," Rochel paused for a moment and did so, "the weave changes slightly. Feel it again. Do you feel that soft point? That was the center of the weave, or the point where it led back to me. It was soft because I held it myself, but now that it is tied off and self sustaining, it is hard. The shield also becomes more vulnerable. With enough time and effort, a tied off shield can be defeated. This is the reason why whenever a man who can channel is captured, six sisters maintain his shield at all times. Men are usually stronger in the terms of raw power, and often able to break through a shield held by a single sister, but that strength is overcome by a circle."

 

Releasing the shield on Elin, Rochel moved on with the lesson. "There is another version of this weave, which has more ... lasting consequences." Once again, Rochel formed the shielding weave, this time adding a razor edge to the side. She didn't like this weave much, but she understood it's importance. "This shield is never to be used on anyone, man or woman, without the consent of the Hall. This weave is known by two different names, though it is the same thing in either case. Stilling in the case of women, gentling for men. The sharp edge of the weave will permanently sever a persons connection to the source." The young Domani sister released the weave and let the shield evaporate. "A vile thing, but necessary at times. The Red Ajah uses this whenever a poor fool of a man touches tainted Saidin. It is the only way to make them safe for the rest of the world. Unfortunately, most die shortly after it is used on them. The One Power is addictive, and without the ability to touch it, even tainted as the male half is, many simply give up the will to live."

 

"Now then child, do you have any questions about any of this?"

[Phelix]

Just knowing that the source was blocked from her had Elin feeling nervous. When she had first realized that it was not her dead twin brother channeling for her, and in reality it was truly herself channeling, Elin had lost the ability to touch the source. She had had to fight through the block, and did so with Kathleen Sedai's help... but this feeling of being shielded was very similar, and had her stomach in knots.

 

Elin nodded, listening to the Red's words, focusing on them to keep her breakfast where it was meant to stay, and she felt the difference as the soft knot in the shield turned into a hard knot. Once it was hard, Elin's mind was able to wrap around it, sink in between the threads of the knot. She knew, and Rochel Sedai's words supported this, that with enough time, she could probably burst the knot. Almost to herself, she whispered "A very useful tool indeed." She didn't just mean the shield, but knowing how to beat a shield as well. Suddenly the shield was gone, and she could feel the source beckoning her, but she had not been given leave to embrace the source, so she resisted and continued listening.

 

Her eyes bulged at the sharpness of the threads of Spirit and Rochel's explanation. This was the weave to still or gentle another channeler, and now Elin knew it. She now knew perhaps the greatest weapon one could wield against another channeler, something that would take from them their very desire to live.

 

"Now then child, do you have any questions about any of this?"

 

Elin thought for a moment, then asked "Rochel Sedai, if the Shield is a weave like any other, it can be slashed or blocked with Spirit too, correct? Are there other ways to fight off a shield?"

[Arath Faringal]

"Rochel Sedai, if the Shield is a weave like any other, it can be slashed or blocked with Spirit too, correct? Are there other ways to fight off a shield?"

 

Tapping her finger against her lips, Rochel thought for a moment before responding. "There are, but I will not show them to you now. Instead, I want you to think about it for over the next few days, and come back to me with whatever you come up with. Practice shielding with the other Accepted, and try to find a way to fight off the weave." Remembering her own misadventures as an Accepted, she quickly added, "Under no circumstances are you to surprise anyone with shielding. Both of you must be fully aware of what is happening, and if there is so much as a hint of a sharp edge on your shield the consequences will be dire. Understood?"

 

After the girl nodded her enthusiastic agreement, Rochel finished up the days lesson. "Very well. I will demonstrate the shielding weave one more time, and then I want you to duplicate it. Once you have it correct, you can have the rest of the hour free. But I will have you back here in three days to see what you have thought up on blocking shields. Now then, pay attention."

 

OOC: Finish up this lesson, then just jump right into the next session.

[Phelix]

Watching Rochel Sedai weave the shield again, Elin knew she had the weave perfectly memorized. She also knew that she would never accidentally sharpen the edge of this weave... if she ever needed to sharpen that edge, she would do it deliberately.

 

After demonstrating the weave one more time, the Red sister marched out of the garden with the fluid grace only Domani Aes Sedai can manage. Every sister was graceful, yes, but Domani Aes Sedai were like Swans in a flock of geese. All alone in the garden, Elin practiced the shield, making sure that every time she wove it there was a rounded edge. Once she was sure that she not only knew the weave but could form it perfectly, Elin went back to the Accepted Quarters, where she found another girl in a banded dress. Monique was from Mayene, and she was one of the few girls Elin knew well enough to ask for help practicing shielding. Sure, she knew the other Accepted, but not well enough to allow them to cut her off from the source... except Bennu, but getting Bennu to come out of the Library long enough to practice this would be much more effort than Elin cared to expend.

 

Sitting calmly in Monique's room, Elin explained the lesson, and showed the other Accepted the Weave. Monique wasn't as strong in Spirit as Elin was, and she needed a few demonstrations to get it correct. Elin didn't show Monique the sharpened version of the weave.

 

Even with warning, Elin was able to shield Monique on half of her attempts, which surprised Elin. Thinking about that, she reached out, and realized why. Monique was significantly weaker in the Power than Elin. Which made Elin think about how to defend from such an attack. The shield was a dull weave, and if you sharpened it, you could accidentally still the person you merely want to shield. Perhaps, if the victim were holding as much of the Power as they are able, it would be too thick to cut off the flow with a blunt edged shield? Deciding to test her theory, Elin drew deeply on saidar, feeling it fill her up to the brim, she was holding as much as she had ever held before, and then some. A small part of her mind said that soon she would be as strong as some of the sisters... but when she was full to the brim with the Power, she asked Monique to shield her, and Elin felt the shield clanging against her connection to the source, but not cutting into it. After a few tries, she knew the results were sound, she had Monique hold as much of the Power as she could... and again, Elin realized how much less of the Power the other woman could hold. Once she had her shield woven, Elin slammed it against Monique's flow of the Power.

 

At first, it felt like she had hit a large bell with a metal hammer... but then she felt the shield cut into Monique's flow of the Power. Elin checked the weave and it was still blunt edged, but it was slowly inching through Monique's connection to the source. Elin could feel the change in how much Power Monique was holding. It was not easy shoving the shield into place, but Elin was doing it, and finally she felt it 'click' into place, completely cutting Monique off from the Power. The amount of concentration and strength that had taken made Elin think about what would have happened if Monique had been trying to defend herself. A weave that knocked Elin out of her chair would have broken her concentration, which would have left Monique free.

 

Releasing Monique from the shield, Elin pulled her into a hug. "Thank you Monique, you've always been a dear. If you need help with one of your lessons, just let me know."

 

Three days later, Elin found herself back in the garden standing in front of the Domani Red.

 

"I found only two ways to defend against the shield, Aes Sedai. If the one being shielded is much stronger than the shielder, they can simply hold their full capacity of the source which will naturally block shields from weaker channelers. If one had an angreal, they would have a much greater chance of being too strong to shield by most foes. The other defense I could think of doesn't really have much to do with the shield itself. If you were being attacked with a shield, you could simply attack your attacker. Distract them, physically attack them, and if you break their concentration, you will likely break their effort to shield you."

[Arath Faringal]

Despite herself, Rochel found that she was looking forward to seeing what the Accepted would come up with. There were only limited ways to perform the task she had asked of the girl, but it would be interesting to see which she had discovered.

 

As Elin gave her report three days later, Rochel nodded in agreement. "Very good. You've discovered two of the three ways to defend yourself. The first, passive defense, is simply being strong enough that you can't be shielded. Not a very reliable method, because you never know when someone will be stronger than you. And even if they are weaker, they can have an angreal to give them the advantage. The second, defense by distraction, is somewhat better, but again relies on some luck. A very strong or skilled channeler may well be able to ignore whatever distraction you offer, or counter your distractions with one of their own.

 

"The third method is what we'll focus on in this lesson; active defense. With this, even a weak channeler can defend themselves. To demonstrate it, I need a weave to use it against." Considering her options for a moment, Rochel tapped her lips in thought. "You will attempt to shield me. A good chance for you to practice with the weave, and for me to show you what to do against it."

 

After a moment, Elin began what must have been an extremely awkward task and formed the weave to shield her teacher. Before the shield had crossed half the distance, Rochel quickly formed her own weave, a small sharp blade of spirit, laced with a touch of fire. She slashed forward with the weave and cut apart the shield, causing the flows to snap back to the startled Accepted. "This weave is another great tool of my Ajah," the Domani Sister said, waving the weave around in the air between them. "It can be used to disrupt a weave that is being formed, or to slash apart an already formed weave.

 

"Can you duplicate it now? Good. I will form a set of weaves now, and you will defend yourself from them. I will gradually pick up the pace, so be prepared."

 

OOC: Alright, little clubs of air, and a few shields, one at a time, then in two's, then in threes ... and so on and so forth.

[Phelix]

Her head still ringing from the snapping of her weave, Elin formed the slicing weave of Spirit and Fire. It felt right, and the weave moved where she directed it smoothly, then she saw the first shield coming at her, slowly as if it were a cloud drifting toward her, seeking to block the sun and saidar from her. She sliced it cleanly, and then saw the club of air coming her way. It was moving slightly faster, and behind it, Elin saw another shield coming. Lining them up just right in her mind's eye, she sliced both weaves with a single motion. She wasn't sure, but Elin thought she saw a smile of approval on the Domani's face.

 

Next there were two clubs of air, coming from different angles at different speeds, with a shield coming a beat behind them. They were all still moving at a steady pace, and Elin was able to slice all three before they connected. Then she saw two shields coming from different trajectories, both flanked by clubs of air. The assault on the right was moving faster than the other, so Elin sliced those weaves first, and turned back to her left just as one of the clubs of air made contact with her gut. While it did knock the air out of her, Elin made herself keep to her feet, and she successfully sliced the remaining flows.

 

The club of air hadn't been gentle, but it hadn't hurt much more than her pride.

 

As she breathed, gasping air in and out while trying to maintain the dignity one expects of Accepted who wish to become Aes Sedai, Elin saw new weaves forming. Still only two shields, but they each had three clubs of air now, and they were moving at varying speeds. Suddenly, it occurred to Elin that if the Aes Sedai can weave and hold multiple attacks, she could defend with multiple slicing weaves. With a small grin of satisfaction, Elin wove two more fire-tinged weaves of spirit, and she set about defending herself.

 

When her defense showed itself to be effective, the attacks came faster. While she had three slicing weaves spinning in the air like mad, attempting to destroy all the clubs of air and, more importantly, the shields, some still made it through. Moving slowly, the clubs were enough to knock the air from her lungs. At speed, they almost knocked her flat on her back... but she refused to stop spinning her defense. At one point, a shield made it through, and Elin could feel the Power being denied her, so she pulled one slicing weave back from the defense line, and carefully used it to remove the shield that was blocking the flow of the Power into her.

 

Sweat was beginning to flow down Elin's face and back, but she would not give up. This was something she could do; something she would do. Breaking her block had taught her that there are times to give up, times when you simply cannot do what is asked of you... and then there are times when you must keep doing, even though it is hard. She knew that she would have bruises from the clubs of air, but she also knew that if this were truly a fight to capture a rogue channeler, it wouldn't be bruising clubs of air that landed on her body, but rather deadly weaves that would do much more than knock her off her feet.

[Arath Faringal]

Rochel surpressed a wince as yet another blow fell on her student. It was not a pleasant sight, to see someone bludgeoned by an invisible club, especially one of your own making. And yet, Rochel couldn't help but feel a little proud of the Accepted. Despite the fact that she failed to hold off all the attacks, she was doing everything correctly. Indeed, Rochel would have been astounded if Elin had managed to fend off all the attacks, especially once Rochel began trying to hit her. But she prioritized correctly; shields were always cut before clubs, even if it meant a bruise or two. And she had picked up on how to defend with multiple weaves very quickly. Spirit was obviously one of the girls strengths, and despite the look of concentration, she seemed to be enjoying this lesson. This one would go far if she kept up this effort.

 

Finally, after one particularly hard knock, Rochel ceased her assault. "Excellent work child," the Domani sister said with a smile. "Especially for your first time working with that particular weave." Stepping forward, Rochel placed her hand on the girls forehead, and embracing Saidar, wove healing. In an instant, the bruises faded away, along with a portion of the exhaustion she must be feeling after channeling so hard.

 

"You show a natural gift for weaves of this sort. Spirit comes easier for you than the other powers, doesn't it? Still, you will only get better through practice. Again, practice with the other Accepted. Try to shield each other, and defend yourself with all available methods. Now then, unless you have any questions for me, I will see you back here in a weeks time. I have another thing to show you that I think you might like."

[Phelix]

Rochel Sedai almost seemed proud of her, and Elin beamed at the praise. The Healing took her by surprise, and she gasped at first, but quickly regained her composure. She would do whatever it took to become Aes Sedai, and the Accepted were constantly told that Sisters did not react to anything that they did not wish to react to... which included Healing.

 

“Yes, Rochel Sedai, Spirit does come the most easily to me... I barely have to think at all when it comes to Spirit, and when I do think everything becomes more clear. Thank you for the lesson, Rochel Sedai.” She curtsied and turned to walk away, doing her best to glide the way the sisters did. Every Accepted tried for the grace that the full Aes Sedai had, but few got anywhere near that level of grace and poise. Elin hoped she was one of those who at least looked as graceful as a Lady from a Great House.

 

In her room, Elin created a whirling weave of air that looked much like a ball and chain hanging from her ceiling. With a flick of air, it began to swing around her room. Using the Spirit and Fire weave, she sliced it a few times, but she already knew she could do that. Then an idea came to her. If a dull shield performed differently than a sharp one, perhaps this weave behaved similarly? Letting the slicing weave take on a rounded edge, she swung it at the ball of air, and this time, rather than tearing apart the weave of air, it knocked it away, sending it the other direction. This could be very useful... if she were battling another channeler, and they launched a fireball at her, knocking it aside with Air would only fuel the flames... but now she knew she could divert it using Spirit.

 

Over the next few days, she invited the other Accepted to practice with her, showing them the slicing weave and allowing them to practice against her. Few were as adept with Spirit as she was, but there were some who were more skilled in general and they were very quick to weave and slice Elin’s attacks. She did not mention the dull version of the weave she had attempted. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the other Accepted, but she had found that by experimenting. It was her method.

 

Finally, the week was over, and she found herself in the garden alone, waiting for the Red Aes Sedai. She had said the new lesson would be something Elin would enjoy, and now the Accepted could barely contain herself while waiting. The lessons so far had taught her much more than the generic classes ever did, and if Rochel thought this lesson in particular would please Elin, then it must be something special indeed.

[Arath Faringal]

Rochel arrived at the garden a few minutes early, only to find her student already waiting for her. She seemed eager to begin, so Rochel didn't see much point in disappointing her. Skipping the pleasantries, Rochel began a simple weave of spirit and air as she approached. By the time she had arrived at Elin's side, the eavesdropping weave was completed, and anchored to the sapphire necklace around her neck.

 

"This, is a curious little weave I learned when I was an accepted. A wilder had figured this trick out before she came to the tower, and it seemed rather useful." Extending the weave away from them, Rochel reached around a corner and down the nearby hallway. Within moments, voices seemed to eminate from the sapphire focus point. A pair of novices scrubbing floors, which Rochel had just passed on the way here.

 

"How do you think she caught us?"

 

"I don't know. I don't see how anybody could have found out."

 

"Maybe Saerin tattled on us?"

 

"Perhaps ... she's been no fun at all since she took her accepted test. I think I know how to get back at her though. Remember that packet of itch-oak I've been saving?"

 

With a shake of her head, Rochel broke off the weave. It seemed there were two novices who would be spending an awfully long time scrubbing floors. "Well then, you can see how that weave can be useful. And you might want to warn this Accepted Saerin that someone has it in for her. Anyway, my point is not to show you ways of eavesdropping, but to demonstrate the use of the next weave."

 

Drawing more deeply on Saidar, Rochel began an intricate weave of pure spirit. Soon, she pulled on the completed weave and it spun out into a dome around them. "This," she said, admiring her handiwork, "is a ward. They can be adapted in many different ways. This one prevents anyone on the outside from hearing what is being said. I could scream at the top of my lungs, and you would not hear a sound from a few feet away. Very useful for private conversations. So long as you don't mind advertising that you are having a private conversation. The other benefit of this weave is that so long as you hold it without tying it off, you are able to sense if someone is attempting to listen to you with the power.

 

"Now then, I want you to attempt both weaves. Try the ward first, then attempt to listen to someone outside of this garden. After you succeed, I will show you a few other variants of the ward weave. It can be rather versatile."