Opening Up

[Wayfarer]

Smiling as she looked up, Lillian saw her newest student walking towards her.  Sial Daemoa, it had been a few days since they had first met.  While she was the girl's mentor, Lillian had wanted to give her a chance to try and settle in and get to know a few of her fellow Novices without her getting in the way.  It was important that she had the chance to build up those links early, it wasn't easy to simply leave home and give up one's old life.  In fact it was very difficult more often than not, but Lillian wasn't sure how the girl was dealing with it because she had been so very quiet.  Lillian had decided to let her talk of her own free will when she was ready rather than try and push some answers out of her.

 

Still, maybe being out of the Tower for a little while in the gardens would help her be a little more talkative and relax.  Looking back down to her book, she slipped the bookmark in its new place and set it aside on the bench.  Another book on logic, one of her Ajah sisters had seen fit to bequeath the book to her so she might better understand what it was to be a White Sister.  That, and perhaps, learn to act more like one.  The book was a fine read, but Lillian didn't plan on changing her manner anytime soon.

 

"Welcome Sial, please, have a seat."  Gesturing to the seat on the other side of the bench, Lillian waited until she was settled before she continued.  "While you will have a very broad education here at the White Tower, one of the main reasons you are here is because you have the ability to wield saidar.  I'm not sure how much you know, so I'm just going to give you a brief sketch and then we will begin.  We can fill in the details as we go."

 

"The One Power is the thing that drives all creation, makes the wheel move, makes up the pattern, everything.  The One Power, or source, is divided into two aspects.  The male half is saidin, the female half that you can use is saidar and each are as different from each other as night and day.  Saidin was once safe to use, men didn't go mad from its touch.  When the Dragon Lews Therin Telamon sealed the Dark One away with his Companions to end the War of Power, it was saidin that was used to do it.  The Dark One in turn tainted saidin with his touch, his revenge on those that sealed him away."

 

"Saidar, which you can touch, is not tainted.  You can use it free of the fear that you would go mad, and with this power comes a good deal of responsibility.  With it you may manipulate the pattern in a variety of ways, such as this."  Embracing saidar, Lillian held her hand out and a small flame sprung from it and her book levitated off the table.  "It isn't good or evil in itself, its entirely dependent on the person who is using it."

 

"But, we won't follow that thought for the moment.  Our first concern is showing you how to use this power."  The flame dying in her hand, Lillian reached over to her book and plucked it from the air before releasing the one power.  "To be able to wield saidar, you cannot simply grasp the power and wield it like one would, say, a sword or a fork.  Its an integral part of you, and furthermore it does not respond to force.  To command it, one must first surrender to it, and that is the first thing you shall be taught and there is a mental exercise we use to train this."

 

"Now, close your eyes."  Smiling as the girl did so immediately, Lillian continued.  "I want you to imagine a rosebud, don't add anything else to this scene, just the rosebud.  Do you have it firmly in your mind?  Good.  Now I want you to imagine sunlight upon the rosebud, warming it to the touch.  As the sunlight bathes the rosebud, the rosebud opens to allow the warmth and the light into itself.  Now, open your eyes."

 

Sial seemed a little confused, Lillian didn't blame her.  It was as natural as breathing now, but when she'd first been told what to do she'd been completely lost.  "The reason we use this exercise is because it allows you to visualise your thoughts.  You are that rosebud, the sunlight is saidar.  It is there, an ever present warmth that is simply waiting for you to open up to it.  It isn't something that will come easily, in fact I remember feeling like an idiot while I tried to do it.  But, you will get there."

 

"We will do this for two hours every day, as long as it takes for you to learn.  You are to try only when we are together so I can monitor you, if you wish to ask questions then by all means ask them, I'm here to help you.  Now, begin when you are ready."

 

 

Lillian Tremina

Sister of the White Ajah

[Siemba]

Sial Daemoa perched on the edge of the bench and tried to keep herself from twining the end of her scruffy dark plait around her fingers. It was an irritating habit, one that she had only aquired since leaving home, and as such it was new enough for her to both notice and dislike. Almost as much as she disliked what she was wearing. White. Honestly, what idiot thought up white? Even a noble would get white filthy if they had to wear it to walk around in it. And sleeves! I wonder if I could cut them off somehow? Almost absently, she went to chew the end of her hair but caught herself just in time. She wasnt going to sit fiddling like some sort of infant in public. She looked around to distract herself. The gardens were pretty. She had always liked plants.

 

"While you will have a very broad education here at the White Tower-" began the other woman-the Aes Sedai-and Sial switched her attention to her mentor. Lillian Sedai looked every inch the Domani woman of rumours. She wasnt as tall as Sial had always assumed Domani people would be, nor vain or soft appearing, but she was an elagant person in her way. Not at all what you'd expect an Aes Sedai to look like, really. A total contrast to the Aes Sedai who had bought her to the tower. Sial tried to pay attention. Whether the woman seemed like an Aes Sedai stereotype or not, she was one. The novice crossed her ankles and listened. Saidar...thats what they call it? What a weird na-

 

Lillian Sedai had channeled a flame from nowhere and Sial barely stopped herself from leaping off the bench. She could deal with fire but fire appearing from nowhere was never good-it generally meant that some bloody idiot had failed to check the coals werent still smouldering. But there were no coals here. That was alarming in itself. It was all the little Cairheinin woman could do to stay sitting still and looking moderatly attentive. When the book levitated it was still-odd-she still found that her stomach dropped, but this time, at least, she was a little more prepared. A book isnt going to set this stupid dress on fire...

 

"Now, close your eyes."  Sial did so immidiatly. Lillian Sedai hadnt sounded threatening, or commanding, but it was a bad idea to take chances with Aes Sedai, even if they were apparently pleasent. It wasnt something she was entirely happy with. In fact, now that she thought about it, shutting her eyes in front of a stranger wasnt very clever at all. She could get stabbed in the back. Or someone might set her hair on fire. Or she could get struck by lightening. Or Lillian Sedai could dissapear-could Aes Sedai dissapear?-she could dissapear and leave her sitting like a fool in the middle of the garden. Or maybe she would get hit over the head by that book...

 

"I want you to imagine a rosebud, don't add anything else to this scene, just the rosebud.  Do you have it firmly in your mind?"

 

Yes, Ive got a bloody rosebud in my head Sial thought and its going to die horribly. Probably eaten by a goat.  That was a bad idea. Automatically, the rosebud in her mind was replaced by a goat, which was for some reason wearing a keseira on its head and the stole of the Amyrlin Seat. Bad idea...concentrate, Sial, you bloody idiot!

 

"Good." Apparently Sial had kept her face reasonably neutral-Lillian Sedai did not sound as if she was annoyed, thank the Light.  "Now I want you to imagine sunlight upon the rosebud, warming it to the touch.  As the sunlight bathes the rosebud, the rosebud opens to allow the warmth and the light into itself.  Now, open your eyes."

 

Sial tried and failed to look serene. All that had happened was that her mental picture of a rosebud (with goat teethmarks on it) had withered due to the intensity of her imagined sunlight. Not to mention that she felt like a wally. Sitting there with her eyes closed imagining bloody flowers and she hadnt felt a thing.

 

"The reason we use this exercise is because it allows you to visualise your thoughts.  You are that rosebud, the sunlight is saidar.  It is there, an ever present warmth that is simply waiting for you to open up to it.  It isn't something that will come easily, in fact I remember feeling like an idiot while I tried to do it.  But, you will get there." Perhaps Lillian Sedai understood a tiny bit. It occoured to Sial that all Aes Sedai had to start somewhere. "We will do this for two hours every day, as long as it takes for you to learn.  You are to try only when we are together so I can monitor you, if you wish to ask questions then by all means ask them, I'm here to help you.  Now, begin when you are ready."

 

Sial shut her dark eyes. Rosebud, rosebud, rosebud... Immidiatly, a rosebud popped into her mind. It was little and scarlet, tightly curled on a single dewdropped branch of thorns. easy. Now, sunlight, wasnt it? As she thought it, a soft ray of light descended onto her little rosebud. It was all very picturesque. Visualising had never been a problem for Sial. Concentration on the other hand...the entertaining goat from before made a reapperance, to the little womans horror. Which of course made her wonder about a heap of things, including wether goats got sunburned. Leading to mental images of bright red peeling goats...

 

Sial opened her eyes and winced. She looked at the Aes Sedai. No, Im not going to ask. She'll think Im some townie clod with charcoal for brains. She shut her eyes again, screwing up her face ever so slightly as if to banish the goat from her mind. Except now that little rosebud was in the middle of a charcoal burner...Sial screwed her eyes shut until little aura-specks danced over the black of her vision, suceeding in not only banishing all thoughts of goats and charcoal but also the rosebud and the sunlight. After spending a moment trying to make pictures out of the coloured specks behind her eyes, Sial opened them, trying and failing not to scowl.

 

Lillian Sedai, why bloody rosebuds? she had asked in her precise cairheinin voice before she had taken the time to think about it. The honourific clashed with the mild curse. Badly. Oh, buggery, Im up the pot without a brush now... She quickly said something else-anything to distract attention away from her. What are you reading? she asked, a bit to quickly, gesturing at the book, then realised that perhaps that was too familiar a question.

 

Sial Daemoa

Novice

[Wayfarer]

Looking up as she raised an eyebrow at her mentee's choice of language, most students possessed the wisdom not to swear before their teachers.  Most people knew not to curse before an Aes Sedai, if her patience was that tried after less than a couple of minutes then this was going to take quite sometime.  It meant that she would need the mental discipline all the more, learning the way of the rosebud and the sun was important for more than learning how to reach the source, the focus and self control it taught were just as important aspects.

 

The distraction that Sial offered was a good marker of wit, Lillian would most certainly grant her mentee that.  Wittingly or unwittingly, she'd hit on something that had a hope of distracting Lillian, and that was being able to talk about what she was learning.  But, that was a distraction she'd entertain in a moment.  "Language, Sial.  It doesn't befit you to speak in such a manner."  A mild rebuke, but a rebuke nonetheless that was accepted on the part of her student.

 

Holding up her book so Sial could see the front cover, Lillian smiled slightly.  "A gift from one of my Ajah sisters, Lavains is about a woman who is ruled by emotion and as a result she makes a lot of bad choices, entertaining story in itself as it alternates between comic and tragic.  My sister believes that emotions are a burden to logical thought and correct action and is using the book to make that comment, whereas I argue that without emotions you can't have a moral imperative which is necessary for determining right action.  Its a little esoteric, and I doubt the argument will be resolved anytime soon, but I might win her over eventually and in the meantime it is a good way to hone the mind."

 

Grinning, Lillian segued back to the Rosebud.  "Much like your exercise.  Its entirely possible that any sort of imagery could work, though every woman who has ever been trained in the past...  Oh, three thousand or so years has had to learn by the same method.  The point of the exercise isn't the imagery in itself.  The point of it is training your mind not only so you can surrender to saidar and let it within you, its also to discipline your thinking.  You're learning how to focus on a particular image, a sequence, it takes a good deal of time to learn that skill without letting random thoughts clutter or disturb your concentration."

 

"I think you can appreciate how frustratingly difficult it is judging from the fact you didn't even make it to five minutes without distracting yourself."  Lillian smiled as she looked back to her book.  "Now that you've had a break, its time to apply yourself to the task again.  And remember, sometimes you can try too hard.  If you're focusing on the focusing too much, take a step back, clear your mind and try again."

 

 

Lillian Tremina

Sister of the White Ajah

[Siemba]

Sial was relieved. More than relieved. Her mentor hadnt set fire to her hair in punishment for bad language, just rebuked her in the manner of a mild relative, which she had accepted with the grace of a child that has been scolded for burning a pie after setting fire to the bakery. She was interested, too, in what Lillian Sedai had to say about her book-or, more accuratly, she was more interested in how that infomation could be used. Shes a white who likes emotion? Thats a complete load of chamberpottage! What was it people reckon in the stories? Blues are manipulative schemers, Greens are violent tarts, Reds are distrusting manhaters, Greys are interfering meddlers, Browns are socially-imept goblins and Whites are emotionless icepeople. Then again, Aes Sedai are meant to be serene monsters... She glanced out of the corner of her darklashed eye at Lillian Sedai. If the woman was a monster then she wasnt making a very good job of looking like it. She seemed...well, nice. A feeble description perhaps but it was the best Sial could think up at short notice. There had been something self-depreciating in the Domani womans words somewhere, but a hint of humour too as if she had a private joke about something. And she was grinning! Surely Aes Sedai did not grin!

 

She wasnt stupid either. After explaining her book to the bounds of answering a question in a polite but friendly way, Lillian Sedai had returned to the rosebud excercise. Sial frowned, but only very slightly. The woman wasnt offensive, after all. Surrender? That doesnt sound much fun! Like some sort of bloody battle plan! A battle plan against...saidar, isnt it? Although the discipline thinking thing makes sence. My father says you cant kick your enemy in the head if you spend too much time thinking about it. You just focus until your mind gets detatched, then do the thing before the bugger smacks you in the nose.

 

Nethertheless, the short cairheinin woman crossed her ankles again and shut her eyes. Natrually, the usual concerns of being attacked or mocked or mauled horribly due to her eyes being shut in strange company skittered through her mind but she banished them to their usual corner. Ok, concentrate! Rosebud. Rosebud. Ok, what colour can it be? Ooh, white, since Lillian Sedai is white. Maybe its a special colour or something-ok, concentrate. A little curled white rosebud fromed in her mind. White rosebud. With dew. And leaves. And thorns-got to add some more of them. Big thorns. Big thorns with poisionous stabbers to protect the rosebud from stuff. Ok. White tiny rosebud with huge menacing poisonous thorns. She added ecessive pointy throns to the stem of the tiny little mental picture of a white rosebud covered in dew. She felt better with the knowledge that there were poisonous thorns on her tiny little white rosebud, somehow. It made her happier to think of it without the intrusion of anything, goats or otherwise.

 

Sial chewed her bottom lip as she thought, uncoinciously jiggling one leg. What did Lillian Sedai say? Something about focus and clutter? Would it be clutter if a catipillar ate the rosebud? No, it can be a poisonous rosebud as well as poisonous thorns. Her mental catipillar vainished, leaving just the heavily guarded rosebud in her mind. She held the rosebud picture for a little bit. After all, a familiar flower would be easy to think of, wouldnt it? Ok. Right. Rosebud. Check. Light...candles have light, dont they? Ok. Rosebud by candlelight. Rosebud is sucking up candlelight like ale. No, not ale! Ale is flammable-

 

Of course, merely thinking flammable meant her little mental rosebud went up in flames, as did any shred of calm she might have had gained from it. She struggled and got the picture of the rosebud, complete with poison and thorns, back again but her concentration had been broken and she couldnt find the sort of calm way of looking at it. Instead, she felt vaguly like an idiot sitting with her eyes shut and her mind started wandering over trivial matters (though ones that could be sold for profit) such as what she knew about Eqwine Sedai and Lillian Sedai and the interior of the Tower and of the excericise itself. Of course, thoughts of selling infomation invariably lead her to think of home and to wonder. Do they miss me...?

 

That wasnt a productive area of thought, so Sial pushed it back. Her thoughts were all over the place now but she didnt open her eyes. She didnt intend for Lillian Sedai to know she had broken concentration again, or that she felt stupid. But...couldnt some Aes Sedai in stories read minds? She opened one dark eye a crack to peer at Lillian Sedai and see if she had noticed.

 

Sial Daemoa

Novice

[Wayfarer]

Reading her book and observing Sial with her peripheral vision took effort but it was worth it when one of the girl's eyes opened just enough to reveal that she wasn't focusing on what she was meant to be doing.  Looking up at her as she raised an eyebrow, that was enough to see Sial's eyes tightly shut again.  Smiling slightly, Lillian turned back to her book as she began reading once more while she observed.  One of the few tricks that she had learned from her mentor, Halvie Sedai, how to observe without observing.  It had allowed the woman to keep an eye on Lillian without doing so and she'd learned to be very wary of the older woman when they were the same room as a result.  A good skill to possess.

 

It was the better part of two weeks before Sial first found success, but it was that moment of victory that gave the Novice the extra impetus that she needed.  Now that she knew what she was doing, it became easier and easier with time and Lillian trained her control until she was happy that Sial could embrace saidar at will and hold it.  A month and a bit later now, Lillian smiled as she watched the girl join her at the very same bench that they had first begun.  Fitting, now that they were going to take her training the next step when it came to the one power, learning how to channel it.

 

"Sial, if you would embrace saidar?"  There it was, the glow that marked her increasing ability to handle the power.  "Very good Sial.  You've reached a safe enough degree of control of the one power that we are now going to deal with weaving, the art of bending the threads of the pattern to your will.  Observe."

 

Holding up her hand, five different threads were arrayed in her palm of different colours.  The way in which one interpreted a colour strangely tended to differ between sisters.  Lillian identified blue as water, air as white, fire as red, earth as brown and spirit as purple.  Others had seen spirit in silver and air blue and other odd arrangements.  So, she pointed to each one as she went.  "Air, Earth, Fire, Spirit and Water.  These five elements are the basis of all life within the pattern, the manipulation of which may achieve wonderful or terribly results with equal measure."

 

"You see these things?"  Lillian gestured to the items at the table.  A candle, a rock, a bowl, an orb and a feather.  "Fire for candle, earth for rock, water for bowl, orb for spirit and air for feather.  There is a weave you must perform for each one, observe the threads as I create them."

 

Lighting the candle, breaking the rock, filling the bowl with water from thin air, using spirit to make the orb emit a soft glow and air to float a feather.  Not all were useful, but Lillian was more than happy for her student to attempt trying to use them.  "I'm here if you need me, if you want to ask a question or have them repeat something I did then by all means ask.  And whatever you do, never pull a thread apart.  Never pick at a weave once its formed, or you'll more than likely kill yourself and those around you."

"There is a good chance you will not complete the challenge today.  It doesn't matter though, you get to keep trying and practicing until you learn them.  Begin with whichever thread you find most appealing to the Tiwer currently."  At that, Lillian turned to her book as she waited for her mentee to begin.

 

 

~ Lillian

 

OOC: Take them to the end of that part of traing, a month or so fterwards :)

[Siemba]

Sial Daemoa sat on the bench beside Lillian Sedai and, as she looked for a moment at the garden, allowed herself to once more remember that shining event. Even after a month, it blazed in her memory like a bonfire that no amount of kitchen chores or errend running could quench.

 

It was evening, the sun just starting to fade, and Sial thought her mentor had given up. Not that Lillian Sedai lookec any different or acted any different to their first lesson but Sial felt sure that the woman had to be exasperated. She certainly would be.

Sial was not a woman to dwell on despair but the young cairhien was struggling. Struggling badly, like a snared rabbit. Saidar was the essence of the Tower and she had not even had a taste. She had not made friends in the two weeks. Oh, she had nodded and exchanged plesentries with a few but she was guarded with them all. Some of the other novices were younger than her, even younger than her brother at home, but they could embrace Saidar as they would hug a relative. Or eachother, for that matter. Another reason Sial hadnt made friends. Too much open emotion and hugging for her liking. Anyway, she still swore too much and they might tell on her. Besides, she wouldnt have liked another knowing she couldnt do what they could and, if she was as hopeless as she felt she was, she would be leaving the Tower soon anyway.

When Lillian Sedai asked for the moment she had felt most focused in her life, Sial was surprised. That was different to the old rosebud routine. Perhaps it was surprise that had lead her to answer "My father taught me how to fight with kicking a little bit after I was 13 and got sack-er, well, he made me go through the fighting over and over until all the aching went away and my mind sort of...disconnected." Sial wriggled awkwardly. Sharing personal infomation was always a no go. However, her mentor was even cannier than she looked and Sial ended up mimicking that kick-concentration, then adding the very thorny rosebud over it and the light, then feeling the warmth in the rosebud and the nourishmesnt...

 

Sial grinned momentarily at the memory. If only she had known from the beginning it would be that easy. Surrendering to saidar didnt feel like surrendering at all. It felt like drinking from a chilled spring on a summers day after a day of thirst. She had never been one to enjoy going thirsty. After that first time, she had not spent all her time suspicious that the other novices were talking about her. Well, not all her time, anyway. She was not their friend nor any of them hers yet but she no longer felt like a chicken trying to fly with the swallows. She had got a room to herself so far and so had not been pushed into getting to know anyone else. Of course, there was Eqwina Sedai but she was another matter entirely. Bloody woman. Sial managed to moderate her language in front of Aes Sedai but, on her own, she still swore like a Tairen pirate.

 

"Sial, if you would embrace saidar?"  Lillian Sedais voice inturrupted her mentors musings, but Sial was sure that she would never mind being asked to hold the power. She obeyed almost instantly, grinning like a street urchin. Her grin itself was rather too toothy and wide to be beautiful in the slightest, but her dark eyes glittered as they crinkled. It was not just the joy of embracing the source that let her display so much emotion without heed of consequences. After nearly 2 months, she was beggining to let her guard down with her mentor.

 

The novice listened as the Aes Sedai explained the task. Lillian Sedai was good at explaining. Sial found herself using the honourific 'Sedai' more often now with Lillian, in her mind as well as out loud. With most Aes Sedai, she still used it out of a vague sense of impending doom but for her mentor, it was more a mark of...what? Respect? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, she was using it for reasons other than avoiding a beating.

 

Sial turned her attention to the task at hand. They had a bench, today, unlike her first time attempting to embrace Saidar. And items on it. Basic items, true, but items none the less. Holding the power, Sial had seen the weaves Lillian Sedai had performed. Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Spirit. A candle, a bowl, a rock, a feather and an orb. Right, weaves...ok...this better not be as rubbish as the time I tried sewing...

 

To put off the moment she actually had to weave, Sial picked up each object and examined them. They were perfectly normal and she could see no weaves around them to say it was some sort of trap. There was only so long she could observe them (and the table, the bench, her mentor, the garden, her dress, her shoes and the cloud formations...) before she felt she should probably have a go. Trying and failing beats not trying at all, surely she insisted to herself. Tenatively she channelled a thread of Fire. Why fire, exactly, she did not know, but this was the first time she had coinciously channelled. She gave a surprised grunt and almost released saidar out of shock. Fire to her looked...well, fire coloured. Out of interest, she channelled a thread of Air, again pleasently surprised that she had managed to channel a thread. It looked blue, crisp and light like a winter morning. Then Spirit, which seemed to glow with a soft whiteness, then Water, a deep sea greeny-blue. Sial did nothing with the four threads-she didnt feel stable enought to weave them without first making sure she could channel all four...

 

No, wait. There are five...oh. Earth! How could I miss Earth? The novice attempted to channel an Earth thread to join the other four. She could a glimpse of a clay brown thread before the thread itself collapsed in a puff. Sial glanced at Lillian Sedai, who was apparently reading. You couldnt be too sure with Lillian, Sial had discovered. The woman seemed to have a spare pair of eyes or something.

 

Sial was still proud. Two months at the Tower did not breal the pride at her core. Instead of asking for help, she tried again for an Earth thread. Again, the thread did not want to cooperate. What did Earth have against her? She attempted to weave the other four but, not remembering the weaves now, her attempt turned into a an agry knot that collapsed with a roar. She sighed. "Lillian Sedai,  will you show me how to do those Weaves again?"

 

******

 

It had taken a surprisingly short while (and a good few sessions of practicing secretly and illegally in her room at night-there were some benefits to not having a roommate as of yet) for Sial to learn the Weaves required. The candle and the feather had been a doddle, lit and floating within mere lesons. The orb had soon followed that. Filling the bowl with water had been more challenging, but she had got that in the end. In fact, it had taken her almost three times as long to learn how to embrace Saidar and hold it safely.

 

It was the rock that had got her. Oh, how she hated that rock! Earth just didnt agree with her. She found Earth twice as hard to weave as she did nice, easy Water. It wasnt that she didnt understand the weave, nor that she couldnt channel suffiencinetly. It was just getting those bloody Earth threads to do what she required! Of course, practice made perfect. After the first of her Earth threads had collapsed in her room, she had given up practicing with Earth at night for fear of being caught, saving her Earth weaving for her lessons with Lillian Sedai. Not that she had been caught embracing saidar without permission yet. Sial was rather pleased at that.

 

Evetually, after many hours sat grimly on that bench with the Domani woman reading and watching her at the same time, Sial had done it. Done the rock weave. And today. she intended to prove it.

 

The candle, bowl, orb, rock and feather were untouched on the table. Sial had never laid a Weave before but today she intended to do just that. She stood up and re-rolled her novice dress sleeves. She had taken to rolling up her sleeves as far as they would go. It made the white dress feel more normal. Then, a thought took her and she sat down again, trying to look demure. Using weaves was for Aes Sedai. If she were going to play at weaving, she should at least pretend to act Aes Sedai. Carefully, she wiped the grim hints of determination away from her faintly freckled face and looked at her mentor. "what would you like me to do, Lillian Sedai?"

 

If she doesnt tell me to use these bloody weaves now I can do them I swear Ill smash that trollocing rock open with my teeth, burn me! Bloody Earthy rocksmash weave.

 

Sial Daemoa

Impatiently Earth-cursing Novice

[Wayfarer]

Sial's progress was a point of pride for Lillian, as well as a point of concern.  There were some people who were naturally adept and strong enough to learn as quickly as Sial did, but there were also others who pushed themselves when they shouldn't to achieve such results.  But, if she had been practicing on her own without any supervision, Lillian never caught her in the act despite straying by the girl's rooms a few times.  Nor had anyone informed her of such a suspicion, but then it wasn't common for Novices to give each other up.  After all, it was a rare Novice who didn't perform some misdeed that they could be turned in to the Mistress of Novices for in turn.

 

The solid progress was good, regardless.  Indeed, Sial applied herself well and it was only earth that served to prove particularly troublesome.  That was something that Lillian could sympathise with, she had learned this lesson within a class and she had been the only one to linger behind.  Her mentor had been the teacher and had seen fit to give Lillian 'extra' lessons to help her catch up.  They had helped, but they certainly hadn't been lessons she had wished to repeat.  But then, each taught in their own style and what fitted their personality best, Halvie had her way and Lillian had her own.

 

It was another day, much like the others that had been spent at the bench where they practiced though the seasons were beginning to take a turn to the cold.  From memory, Lillian was fairly sure she had read through a dozen books during this time.  The one she currently had in hand was of Jain Farstrider, she needed to brush up on her knowledge of the stories before she ventured into the world again.  No doubt her choice would interest Sial, it was a marked difference from the heavier books and topics that Lillian normally dealt with.

 

Her curiosity was something that Lillian had taken note of early on and encouraged, not only to reveal more of herself to her student but to likewise learn more about her student.  Even if a person never offered information, the way they questioned, what they noted, everything was something that Lillian could learn from even as she could learn of Sial what the girl offered.  But, Sial was hardly so closed off, indeed she had become more relaxed around Lillian over the months, for which Lillian was grateful.  Besides, Lillian felt that a Novice should always have their mentor to trust, even if her own mentor had not agreed.

 

That was what made this day particularly interesting.  Sial had been relaxed, she'd become quite open about her feelings and thoughts.  She often rolled up her sleeves, leaned on the table with her elbows and even had a habit of hooking her ankles together.  Now she was affecting a sense of decorum that Lillian hadn't really seen from the girl since they'd first begun to get to know one another.  Even the turn of phrase she adopted as she spoke to Lillian then caused Lillian to contemplate what the girl was up to.

 

Studying Sial, Lillian contemplated the matter for a silent moment before her lips curved in a slight smile.  Gesturing to the objects arrayed on the table as she closed her book, Lillian nodded to the girl.  "You know what to do now, show me what you are capable of."

 

Flawless.

 

Clearly well practiced, perhaps too much like Lillian suspected but regardless, Sial had completed each of the five weaves and had done well.  Smiling warmly at her student's success as Sial released the one power, Lillian clasped her student's hands in her own as she spoke.  "You've done well Sial, very very well.  I want you to take the rest of this time that would have been spent on this class to yourself.  We'll speak more about this at dinner and where your education shall proceed from here.  Go on."

 

Releasing the girl's hands, Lillian watched Sial get up as she gave her thanks and make her way towards her quarters.  Novices rarely got free days or breaks within the days given to study.  It would do her well to have some time for herself now.  Standing from the seat herself, Lillian departed the scene much like her student, glad at Sial's success.

 

 

Lillian Tremina

Sister of the White Ajah

 

OOC:  Done!  Req complete, and that was fun :)

[Siemba]

Sial couldnt stop herself from grinning. Her grin was neither elegant nor pretty-indeed, she looked like a street urchin who had stolen cakes from a windowsill as she showed perhaps too much tooth-but she was too glad to care. Nor did it matter that showing true emotions was silly in the merchant version of Daes Dae'mar. She had done it! She had bloody well done it! Even the stupid Earthy weave, she had done it! She wanted to run all around the gardens in glee.

 

Of course, she didnt. Sial was not as ridiculous as all that. Still, she couldnt help her pale complexion colouring in delight, the rosiness emphisising her freckles. What would home think if they could see me now? I could smash soot out of the chimneys without my father fussing over propriety-I bet I could do it from the ground. And work with the Reader at the same time, and maybe work at the Dancing Bear again if I could swap the water in the Water weave to wine or ale or- Her thought train ran on as her feet bounced her away.

 

Lillian Sedai had seemed pleased. The little dark haired woman couldnt help looking behind her to the Domani Aes Sedai as she left the garden. If Sial was rosy-cheeked now, it was nothing compared to how she had flushed at her mentors praise. Sial wasnt entirely sure how to cope with praise or hand-clasping. Cairheinins, as a race, were reserved with hugs and handshakes as it was, and Sials own family had always communicated their affection for eachother with playful curses and cheery insults and punches. The young woman had reacted by giving solemn thanks, with a grin that didnt match the attempted seriousness of her clear accent. She had inclined her head, too, but hadnt curtsied. Not out of disrespect but because she was so abysmal at curtsying that she didnt want to demean the gratitude she had wanted to convey by fuffing about with her skirts.

 

When I leave the Tower, I'll give Lillian Sedai a present as thanks. Maybe them lot at home will give me a loan and I'll get her a book or something. The thought was natrual to Sial. For all her success that day, she still thought like a steeplejacks daughter. She knew she was at the White Tower, knew that she could channel, but was still doubtful that she would be an Aes Sedai. Oh, she occasionally thought about what it would be like, but those thoughts always had the tone of a wish rather than a liklihood. After all, she had played at being an Aes Sedai Queen when she was five, but wishing and pretending and daydreaming didnt make it so. The cairheinin 19-year old was still sure in the pit of her mind that sooner or later she would muck up and be sent away.

 

At that moment, however, failure was the last thing from her mind as she bounded from the gardens toward her room in the novice quarters, now thinking about visiting the library, Coal the horse in the stables and writing to home all at once. A success with Saidar, a free day and a scheduled discussion about learning stuff; what more could she want?

 

Sial Daemoa

Novice

 

OOC: Yay! Twas indeed fun. 1 tickbox down... ;)