Intro to Saidar: Third Lesson

[Kathleen]

Kathleen arrived early to the classroom and locked the door from the outside. She attached a notice to it saying the class would meet in the gardens this day. She gave directions in case the new novices were not familiar with who to get there yet. She hurried off so she would be there first to set things up.

 

When all the students had made their way to the garden and were sat on the old worn blankets Kathleen had set out she began the lesson.

 

"Welcome back to class girls. I'm glad you made it here in a timely manner. It seemed too nice a day to be cooped up inside. I hope it is not a problem for any of you to spend our class in the sun and breeze of this beautiful garden." Not one girl dared protest, even if she was unhappy about being outdoors, and Kathleen carried on. "Though we are not in a classroom today, there is much to learn, and this is still a lesson, so you will all pay close attention. Now that we've learned how to embrace the source at will, we are going move on to learning more about the nature of Saidar and what we can do with it.” Some of the girls began to chatter; this was the lesson these girls had been waiting for since they put their novice dresses on. Kathleen gave a moment to let them enjoy the thought but stilled the noise after just a few moments.

 

“Saidar is made up of five elements: Water, Air, Fire, Earth and Spirit. Women are generally stronger in Water and Air, while men are reportedly generally stronger when working with Earth and Fire. The ability in Spirit is equal. Each element appears a different colour when pulled into a thread. Usually the colours are green for Water, blue for Air, brown for Earth, red for Fire and silver or white for Spirit. Some channellers see slightly different colours and now we will find out the combinations for you. Take up your pens and write down the colour you see for each element.”

 

Kathleen opened herself to one power and held it while the girls figured out how to set up for note taking. When they girls were settled and ready, before she did anything with it she spoke, "Some of you may see a glow around me and some may not yet see it. If you do not see it yet, do not fret, you will in time. You will see that same glow around any woman who is holding Saidar. Keep your eye out for it, you may be surprised at how often you see it."

 

Some girls squinted and stared trying to see and others made no reaction. Whether they saw it now or not was of no concern, they would in time. She quickly moved on, "Back to the lesson now girls. You should have your notes ready. I will show you each element, one at a time."

 

"First is Water." Kathleen explained as she pulled a thin thread of water for the novice's to see, "most will see it in green, but do not worry if you see a different colour. This is water, and you are to write the colour you do see, not the one you think you should." She held it for a moment and then let it dissolve as the girls began to write. She repeated the process for each of the remaining elements, giving time for the girls to have a good look at each then she released her hold on Saidar. When they were done writing, Kathleen asked if anyone had seen them in a different shade than she had described. When the girls had finished answering she continued the lesson.

 

"Come girls. Take those rags you sit on, and rip off a square about this size," Kathleen held up a square of her own the size of a wash cloth. She smirked at the looks of surprise on the girls' faces, but hurried them along in the task. "Now take your squares with you as you follow me closer to the pond." They quickly made their way to the pond in the middle of the garden, and when they were all settled Kathleen continued the lesson.

 

She lowered her square of the old blanket into the pond until the water swallowed it up, and then she pulled it back out. The water dripped onto the grass, but Kathleen paid no attention.

 

“Now I will use a weave of Water alone to dry out the material. Watch carefully the way threads are combined.” It was a very simple weave; in fact it had been the first she had learned herself. Kathleen carefully and with exaggerated slowness pulled the two threads of water required for the weave and twisted them together. As the last twist was complete the water started to drip out of the fabric, back into the pond. Then it became a small stream. As the final drops of water fell from the handkerchief she held it up for the class to see. It was perfectly dry. “Now you will try.”

 

The girls went one at a time and Kathleen made certain the only one channelling was the one she was standing with. She helped the girls who needed help, and she demonstrated the weave again for those who needed it, until each girl had successfully done the weave. Kathleen noticed a few of the girls splashing each other, but as long as they were quiet she let them play until it was there turn to try the weave.

 

Kathleen looked at the sun when each girl had finished the water weave. "I do believe we time to learn one more weave this class, that is if you would like me to show it to you. I could always send off you off early and leave Air until our next class?" Kathleen paused to give them a chance to answer, but the girls all pushed on to learn another. Not one class yet had asked to leave early when she offered.

 

"It's a wonderful day to play, don't you think?" Kathleen smiled and set her square of the blanket on the ground. "It may be a little childish, but I was thinking a puppet show may be quiet entertaining today." Kathleen reached out with a single thread of air and let it lift the material up from the middle in front of her. When it was floating just at chest level Kathleen pulled the thread of air taught and the material drooped down where the air wasn't holding it. She moved the material around with the string of air. "Now, who will join me in the puppet show?" She challenged the girls.

 

One by one each of the girls copied the weave and eventually all of the girls had made a puppet of their own pieces of the blankets. The Green let them play for a little while but the class couldn't go on forever.

 

"I hope you enjoyed our lesson today girls, but it is time to end it now. Please release your embrace, if you have not already, and gather these old rags together in a pile before you leave. I will see you at the regular time next week. I believe we will be in the classroom again, but come early in case I change my mind. It will be marked as it was today if there is a change of plans."

 

Kathleen waited patiently as the girls gathered the scraps of blanket for her and she stayed behind in case anyone stopped to ask questions.

 

Kathleen Vandiar

Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

 

OOC: You know what to do! RP from getting to the classroom and being redirected, to your reaction to the colours of each element and your learning and practicing each of the weaves I mentioned in the post. If you need Kathleen's help feel free to have her help you.

[Cainam]

Sora arrived extra early today. She saw Kathleen Sedai locking the door and posting a note on it. She ran up to the note and read it quickly and it said they were having class outside today. She quickly studied the map that was left and headed to the garden. She saw Kathleen Sedai setting out old blankets so she quickly set down her her things and helped her set out the blankets. She then took her seat in the back as if she were in the classroom and attempted to set everything up around her on her blanket. As everyone arrived she took note of the girls who picked on her,laughed at her and called her baby.

 

When everyone had finally arrived Kathleen Sedai welcomed everyone back to class and told them that today they were going to learn the nature of Saidar and what we can do with it. Sora looked around at the other novices as they began to whisper and talk among themselves and then she looked back at Kathleen Sedai and she went on.

“Saidar is made up of five elements: Water, Air, Fire, Earth and Spirit. Women are generally stronger in Water and Air, while men are reportedly generally stronger when working with Earth and Fire. The ability in Spirit is equal. Each element appears a different colour when pulled into a thread. Usually the colours are green for Water, blue for Air, brown for Earth, red for Fire and silver or white for Spirit. Some channellers see slightly different colours and now we will find out the combinations for you. Take up your pens and write down the colour you see for each element.” Sora grabbed her quill and her parchment and her lap table and waited to do as instructed. When she looked back up Kathleen Sedai had a brilliant glow about her. She had embraced Saidar and begin to pull threads. The first was water a beautiful sky blue like a spring morning,next she pulled fire and Sora saw a brilliant orange, for earth she a brown like treebark, for air she saw a white like a cloud. and lastly for spirit she saw a violet. after she was done righting them down she set her things aside and waited.

 

For the next part of the lesson she was told to dry a rag that she had dipped into the pond. She focused on Kathleen Sedais demonstration and remembered every twist,turn, and manipulation. The first time she tried to dry the rag the water shot off the rag and soaked the front of her novice dress. Some of the other novices laughed at her and she was so embarrassed she almost cried. but she decided that these girls were not going to decide her fate. She tried again and this time she did it.Not perfectly but the desired effect happened.

 

As she was getting the hang of it Kathleen Sedai said "I do believe we time to learn one more weave this class, that is if you would like me to show it to you. I could always send off you off early and leave Air until our next class?" Everyone seemed eager to continue. The next lesson was to make her rag jump around on a thread of air like a puppet. Again on her first try she had a mishap. The rag wrapped around her face and then fell to the mud. The same girls laughed at her and she ignored them.Im going to make you wish you never picked on people like me oneday she thought. She was now determined and she redried her cloth perfectly and made the puppet dance around the air like she had been doing it all along.

 

After awhile Kathleen Sedai said "I hope you enjoyed our lesson today girls, but it is time to end it now. Please release your embrace, if you have not already, and gather these old rags together in a pile before you leave. I will see you at the regular time next week. I believe we will be in the classroom again, but come early in case I change my mind. It will be marked as it was today if there is a change of plans." as the other girls all put their rags in the pile sora went to gather up her belongings and returned to stand next to Kathleen Sedai. "Kathleen Sedai You mentioned at the beginning of the lesson that the elements all have a color and that some of those colors may be different for some of the novices. What does it mean when all of the colors of the elements look differently to a novice?" Sora patiently waited for her response and then bobbed a perfect curtsy and went off to her next lesson. She was glad she stayed up and practiced extra on how to curtsy so she would do it right. Even though her instinct was to still bow.

[Shalon Casbin]

Amore looked at the weave, purple. What did these other women see? It was obviously purple. She wrote it down and heard a girl near her snicker; she stepped on her foot. That required no Power at all. She felt up-handed for the moment, then childish for falling pray to the girls own lows.

 

The next bit was an extra and one she enjoyed, she found herself in kinship with the element. She duncked her rag, and repeatedly the weave with greater ease than most. She smiled as she went to stand alone. When class was dismissed she made for her exit. She still had chores to do, and work for other classes.

[Kathleen]

As the students spread out and left the garden, Kathleen bent down to pick up the old blankets. Sora, as the Green had expected, appoached her once again. "Kathleen Sedai You mentioned at the beginning of the lesson that the elements all have a color and that some of those colors may be different for some of the novices. What does it mean when all of the colors of the elements look differently to a novice?"

 

"All it means, child, is that you see them differently than others might. Where I see blue you may see green, where I see white, you may see silver. It makes no difference really. Each one will look the same each time it is used, and as long as you know which colour is associated with each element for you, you will have no trouble. That is why I had you write down the colours you saw, not the colour that is most commonly seen."

 

They finished their conversation and the girl went off about her day. Kathleen just watched her walk away. Sora would be one Kathleen would watch. Each class gave her a few to keep her eye on, Sora and Amore, for two very different reasons, had both won the honour of her eye.

[Kathleen]

OOC: Forth Lesson. Feel Free to continue on in this thread and I'll reply.