A New place to call Home - Lanaya's Arrival (ATTN: MoN)

[Lanaya]

 

~~~~~~~~

 

The sounds of a city, of people and wagons and craftsmen at work, woke Lanaya up from the strange half-state of sleep she was in, and she lifted her head just in time to catch Merith Sedai's bird-like gaze. The Red Sister kept eye-contact for but a moment, smiling almost wryly as Lana widened her eyes despite the sting of travel dust and the fading sun's strong evening rays, attempting to appear fully awake - and obviously failing.

 

A flash of outrage was quickly subdued, and Lanaya fought hard to keep the brief anger from showing on her face - they had been riding all day with only brief breaks to eat; not even long enough to get the soreness of the saddle out of the body. Lana herself was not unfamiliar with riding; she had had riding lessons half of her life, as she had had lessons in dancing, politics and trade, but she had never experienced riding for -this- long at a time, and her body felt almost alien - there was no area of it that was not aching just a little bit. She knew for a fact that some of the other girls had never been in a saddle more than an hour pr. day; she was amazed that they were holding up as well as they did. At least they were moving at a slow pace.

 

One of the other horses had lost a shoe on the way, and rather than risk injury to the animal, Merith had slowed the pace to this steady walk. It had also put them behind schedule, and as they had only one day's worth of travel left, they had not been making long breaks - if they kept on all day, they would reach Tar Valon by sunset rather than midday tomorrow.

 

Lana abruptly remembered what had woken her, and her gaze swept past their little caravan, up to the Shining Walls that were rapidly approaching, and Lana felt her breath get caught in her throat in revered amazement. Caemlyn and Cairhien, the two largest cities she had ever been in, was beautiful both beyond belief, but this ... Tar Valon, with it's pure white beauty, was otherworldly. She could almost imagine herself striding through it, dressed in a silk dress, with the Aes Sedai shawl on her shoulders and the great serpent ring on her finger. The silk dress changed color rapidly in her mind as she tried to decide which Ajah she would wind up joining; Merith Sedai had not been too straightforward with what exactly each Ajah stood for.

 

"We are soon arriving at our destination, children." Merith Sedai's voice boomed through the air, and Lana saw at least two other of the young girls jolt in their saddles; one - a fragile-appearing girl with large eyes that held a permanently startled expression; she had introduced herself as Dorela and was of a lower Andoran House - nearly slipped off her saddle. Dorela desperately grasped after the reins and used them to pull herself back up; her horse danced uncomfortably as all of her weight was suddenly pulling at the side of it's mouth.

 

Merith Sedai did not appear to notice, but her own horse began moving slower than the rest, until she was at Dorela's side; the Aes Sedai turned her head towards the younger girl and began talking quietly. It could have been the lighting playing tricks, but Lanaya thought she could almost visibly see the blood draining from Dorela's face. Then the girl began nodding vigorously.

 

Satisfied with the exchange, Merith Sedai urged her horse up to the front of the caravan and continued speaking, describing the city by the buildings they passed in a calm, lecturing tone.

Lana listened with only half an ear but she was as eager as the others to see as much as could be seen; the streets were almost spotless - the Aes Sedai obviously took great care of their city. Their caravan earned a few glances from the inhabitants, but people coming to the Tower was nothing new, and everyone quickly went about their business as usual.

 

The centerpiece of the city was the majestic White Tower, appearing almost as if it was carved in ivory ... no, whiter than ivory; it looked as if it had been built in snow and ice. It was a great deal larger than she had imagined as well. As they came to the foot of the great spired building, Merith Sedai's voice grew more clear, calling out for complete attention. 

 

"Here we are, children. You may dismount; the horses will be taken care of."

 

Lanaya patted her own mare goodbye, then slid slowly off the saddle, clamping her teeth down to stifle a pained moan as all the soreness of her muscles turned to fiery pain. She started walking about in circles, and felt the pain lessen for each stride. Dorela was out of her saddle as well; Lana noticed with sympathetic surprise that there were tears in her eyes, and her legs were trembling. Had she ever been riding before?

 

The Red Sister continued to speak, showing no signs of discomfort herself. Two other woman had come up next to her - one with a heart-shaped, friendly face and fairly chubby apperance, another graceful as a willow and with the coppery skin of a Domani, both quite older than the new arrivals, but without the ageless appearance of the Aes Sedai, each wearing a dress banded with multiple colors - the colors of the Ajah's, a little voice absently commented in Lana's head.

 

"Erina and Aviana here are Accepted, as their dresses will show you; Novices wear only pure white. Both are to be obeyed as much as a full Aes Sedai, and each has authority to discipline you if any of you decide we're being too rough. You do not understand the meaning of rough, yet. In your first week as Novices, you will learn." The bird-like eyes were almost menancing as they swept across the gathered young girls. "Erina, stay here to watch the rest; Aviana, bring each to the Mistress of Novices."

Both Accepted murmured a "As you command, Merith Sedai", and the Red Sister started off with a satisfied nod. The copper-skinned Domani, Aviana, immediately turned to survey them like a herd of prize cattle; her gaze fixed on Lanaya. Lana met her stare calmly - it was hard to maintain her pride against a full Aes Sedai, but she had no such trouble with any others. Merith Sedai -had- said that there was no such thing as nobility status in the Tower, but habit was hard to shed.

 

"You .. what is your name?"

 

Lana blinked as Aviana spoke, then lifted her chin slightly. "Lanaya of House Traemane." She did not expect Aviana to know her House, but it felt good to say it aloud. The Domani did not seem to listen past 'Lanaya', and gestured impatiently. "Follow along, Laniya; Erina won't want to sit out here babysitting the others all night."

 

Aviana turned about without a second glance at Lanaya and calmly strode into the Tower, with Lana quickly following suit. The Accepted walked in a brisk pace, and Lana took in as much of the the interior of the Tower as she could with a hungry curiosity; there were people there, more women in banded dresses, girls in complete white, a few Aes Sedai and some with men that followed behind them like wolves; Lana did not have to see the color-changing cloak to name them Warders. Maybe she would have a Warder herself one day - if she did not choose Red, like Merith; the Aes Sedai that had brought them to Tar Valon had not seemed like she needed one.

 

After a good deal of stairs and corridors, Aviana finally stopped at a door and gestured towards it. "This is Larindhra Sedai's office - remember to be polite; I will go fetch the next. Good luck, Lanara."

 

Lana had opened her mouth to say 'It's Lanaya', but the Accepted was walking as fast as she could without downright running. Swallowing, Lana lifted her hazel eyes to gaze at the door, composing herself before knocking soundly three times on the door.   

 

~~~~~~~~

   

[Elgee]

Aahh … Larindhra. It’s a good thing I came in here for some much needed tea.  I’ve just brought you a batch of novices; I’ve ordered some Accepted to take them to you.  Well, to your office.  I suggest you get there as soon as possible.

 

Larindhra’s eyebrow rose.  She placed her knife and fork back on her plate in a precise manner, before turning to face Merith. She gazed at her fellow Ajah member, not saying a word, until the woman started to flush slightly and dropped her eyes.  Good.  They were equal in strength, but Larindhra had a good 100 years on Merith, which counted for much.  Besides, she knew that addressing any other sister in that manner was simply not done, especially not one of her own Ajah – and the Mistress of Novices to boot.

 

“Good evening, Merith.  Please, have a seat and tell me about these girls.”  Good manners smoothed many a path, in Larindhra’s view, and having made her point she could afford to display them. “Where exactly have you left them? And have they all been tested?”

 

Merith flushed even more, but seated herself calmly enough before giving Larindhra a brief history of each girl and their journey to the Tower.  Larindhra tsked when she learnt that Merith had left the children outside.  Abandoning her supper, she rose, thanked the Sister for bringing the girls to the Tower, then swept out of the dining hall.

 

As she came in view of her office, Larindhra saw that she’d not been quick enough.  A very young girl, golden hair arranged in braids, stood outside her door looking slightly lost and travel weary. 

 

“Good evening, child.  You must be Lanaya.  Merith Sedai has just informed me of your arrival.  Come in and have a seat while I brew some tea.”  Larindhra studied the girl whilst quickly channelling the water hot enough, then placed the teapot, cups and some honey on the desk.  “Help yourself, then give me your name and birthplace for the Novice Book.”

 

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Lanaya]

 

Another three knocks, and still no answer from inside the room; Lana shook her head ruefully. She could not remain standing there all day; in a little while she would go find someone who could take her to the Mistress of Novices. In a little while.

She leaned back against the opposite wall and stared at the ceiling, wondering what it would really be like to channel ... to touch the One Source. All that power, which would be used for only good, of course; to defend the helpless and heal the sick, and see justice done.

 

“Good evening, child.  You must be Lanaya. Merith Sedai has just informed me of your arrival.  Come in and have a seat while I brew some tea.”

Lana straightened up rididly and turned to face the speaker with as much dignity and self-assurance as she could muster - which wasn't all that much, dirty, exhausted and despite her best attempts to control herself, nervous as she were. She opened her mouth to give a quick answer, then clamped her mouth closed again on a second thought, eying the imposing woman quietly. The door to the office had been opened, and the Aes Sedai had already gone inside; Lana gathered her skirts, lifted her head proudly and followed slowly, stopping by the large desk inside, while still observing the Aes Sedai. Lana met her gaze for a moment as Larindhra turned to observe her. Those eyes were even more authoritive than Merith Sedai's, and she started to feel a touch ill at ease, which was perhaps what Larindhra Sedai had intended - her own gaze flickered to observe the teapot, the cups and the honeyjar that started to float towards the table. She had seen Merith Sedai channel on the way to the Tower, but it was still new enough to warrent respect. The prospect of hot tea was comforting, however.

 

“Help yourself, then give me your name and birthplace for the Novice Book.”   

 

Light, but I wish I could have done that, she found herself thinking wistfully, then shook her head in bemusement of herself. She was on her way to become Aes Sedai - at the foothold to beginning her training, actually - and channeling would become commonplace around her. She would learn how to channel objects through the air soon enough.

 

"Thank you, Larindhra Aes Sedai," she murmured; after a second thought, she dropped into a small curtsy, and then reached out to begin pouring tea to herself, with a drop of honey in it, in flowing, elegant motions of her hands. Eying a chair, she lowered herself gracefully into it - she could be as graceful as any Aes Sedai; she did not want them thinking she was a hayhair from the country - and held the cup to her face, taking in the wafting aroma, before she took a small sip.

 

"My name is Lanaya Traemane, House Traemane of Andor," she continued, and took another sip of her tea; it was sweet and refreshing at the same time.     

[Elgee]

Larindhra noted the poise that Lanaya displayed, even though the child had to be bone weary from travelling.  Merith would not have set an easy pace, knowing her. She poured herself a cup of tea, in vain hope that it would make up for the supper she had been forced to abandon, then pulled the novice book towards her and started entering the details.

 

Her eyes focussed on Lanaya in a penetrating stare when the child mentioned her House.  She needed to know that for the Book, but there seemed a touch too much pride in House to be easily forgotten, something that she would need to learn very quickly, being a novice now.

 

“A word of advice, child: All Tower members are equal, where birth is concerned, and rightly so – one day you might be taking orders from someone born in the lowliest hut, or the meanest dockside slum, even though you are both Aes Sedai.”

 

She smiled slightly at Lanaya. “But that lies many years of hard work and study in the future.  For now, you will take orders from almost everyone, apart from fellow novices.  Even Tower servants will be treated with respect and courtesy, if you want to make your life easier.  Besides, you will be scrubbing floors and running errands just as much, if not more, than most of them. Does that thought make you cringe, child?”

 

Larindhra’s voice firmed, and her gaze became stern. “The road to becoming Aes Sedai is not easy – are you sure you want to follow it? Or would you rather take the easier one of a pampered Noble?”

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Lanaya]

 

Lanaya took another sip of her tea, then carefully placed it back on the table, and gathered her hands in her lap before looking up on Larindhra Sedai again. Her expression had changed into solemn and thoughtful; not eager, but not hesitant either. She remained quiet for a moment, then spoke in a soft, serious voice.

 

"Compared to many others in this world, Aes Sedai, my life always -has- been easy. The hardest I've ever had to face was politics classes, and Andor are not even as deeply mired in intrigue as Cairhien; I have known nothing else and asking if that is what I want instead ... I thought that was what I -had- to become; I never even dreamt of being an Aes Sedai. Maybe once or twice as makebelief games when I was younger, but marrying a Prince somewhere seemed the far more likely fate - if I was lucky. But now that I know that I -can- be taught, and I -can- become an Aes Sedai ..." The girl's eyes flashed for a moment with determination and newfound pride in her potential ability. " ... yes, Larindhra Sedai; this is what I want."

 

"And I will work hard to achieve it, I assure you. I do not see myself as better than anyone else; there is just a difference of ranks in this world, and I was taught to respect that difference. The White Tower is different, though, it's like ... a class of nobility in itself, with the ability to channel shared by all. Isn't it?"

 

She blinked and shook her head; obviously striving to adjust her world picture to the life in the Tower, struggling with the words. Now and then she glanced at Larindhra, as though attempting to gauge the Aes Sedai's reactions to what she was being told.

 

"I will obey and scrub as many floors as necessary to learn the level of humility you demand; just, don't send me home. Please." Her expression melted into one of fear as she spoke; the idea of being sent away, like a tool found flawed and then discarded, terrified her.

 

The tea had started to cool on the table, completely forgotten. Her hands trembled slightly in her lap; she was fighting an urge to wring them.

[Elgee]

Larindhra was pleasantly surprised with what she heard; yes, the child had pride, but it was tempered by humility.  There was also a strong centre there which would stand her in very good stead, if it was nurtured correctly. The child was very young, though, and it seemed the thought of not being deemed good enough could still bring tears, though she valiantly forced them back.

 

This was one with who praise and positive enforcement would probably work best – her innate pride would not allow her to give up easily.  Rising and moving around her desk, Larindhra draped a comforting arm around the child, stroking her hair.

 

“There there, child – no need to cry.  If you work hard, I see no reason why you should not achieve your goal one day. You have certainly tested Strong enough, and I believe you also have the inner strength to get there.” Larindhra gave Lanaya’s shoulders a final squeeze.  She saw that the tea had grown cold, so re-heated the pot and poured them both a fresh cup.  “Drink that, while I answer some of your questions.”

 

She seated herself behind the desk again and took up her own cup before continuing.  “You are correct in that Aes Sedai are in a different class, in that our ability sets us apart from other people as much as our many years of study and training does.  Never forget what the name means, though: Servant to All. We all serve in our own capacity, as do the different Ajahs.  The Grays, for instance, try to prevent wars and see that justice is served; we Reds work to prevent another Breaking. Time will tell where your road will lead you, but never forget that: you may have an ability most people do not, but the Creator gave that to you so you may serve ALL people.” She gave a quirky smile. “Scrubbing pots and floors is supposed to drive that lesson home.”

 

Larindhra had her doubts about how well that worked with some, but did not express that as she found a set of novice whites that should fit Lanaya.  As she was handing it to Lanya, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she found Aviana with another girl, presumably also brought by Merith. Gesturing for the child to come in, she turned to Aviana.

 

“Please bring all of the other’s up right away and see that they have something to drink and eat.” She gave the Accepted a stern look. She did not want to contradict another Sister, but the child should be able to read her displeasure. “You will bring them to me one by one after that.  On your way down, find Jasmyne for me and send her here immediately.”  She had judged correctly, by the chagrined look and deep curtsy she received, before Aviana fairly trotted off.

 

As she returned to her chair, she was pleased to see that Lanaya was once more composed.  She directed a comforting smile at the new girl. “I will get to you in a moment, child. Lanaya, while we are waiting for your Mentor to arrive, are there any more questions you have for me?”

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Lanaya]

 

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Lanaya flashed a grateful smile to the Mistress of Novices, startled that she had indeed been about to cry - it had been awhile since she had last done that. Her mother would not have approved - noblewoman to every inch of her body, she had time and again taught her daughters that dignity and self-control was as valued qualities in women as was patience and intuition. In nobles, even more so. People that were to be examples to other people, to be guidance, could not be seen as crude or uncertain. Good, strong leadership cultivated good, strong people.

 

But you are not a noblewoman here, a quiet voice whispered in her head, and she acknowledged it silently. She still had her title as a daughter of House Traemane, but while in the Tower, perhaps it would be best for her own progress, if she forgot that little fact altogether. No, not forget, she told herself with a lash of ferocious pride; not for the Aes Sedai or for anyone ... but she could bundle that dignity and pride together into a little chest in her mind, and not unlock it before she earned the shawl. She would, if she had to sit on the lid of the chest to keep it properly closed.

 

She reached out for the cup of heated tea and took a large swallow this time, as much as she could bear without burning her tongue, listening to Larindhra Sedai. Servants of All; she did recall her house tutor explaining that was the meaning of the title Aes Sedai.

 

She did not turn her head to the knock on the door; she had expected Aviana to return at any moment, and that had to mean her own interview were over. As Larindhra Sedai returned to her, though, she sneaked a quick glance back in the room, recognizing the new girl that was sitting meekly in her own chair, clearly as nervous as Lanaya herself had been. She sent the girl a smile, doubting it would help any, before she resumed her attention toward the Mistess of Novices. She finished her tea and placed the cup back on the table, nodding curiously. "Mentor, Larindhra Sedai? Do we each receive our own teacher?" 

 

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[Tigara]

Jasmyne traversed down the hallway. Her history class lesson with Teline had just finished, and she was on her way to her weaves class. "Jasmyne!" she heard from down a corridor made her stop. She looked and saw Aviana waving her over. Great, the pep squad was here. She strode over with enough confidence for three men and stood with her hands on her hips. "What?" "Larindhra Sedai wants to see you. Immediately." Jas rolled her eyes. What did that woman want now! She had done nothing at all this week! She had nothing scheduled. She marched off toward the Mistress of Novices office in a huff. That woman had better have a good reason for this. Her weaves class was her favorite of the day and it was taught by one of the few Aes Sedai that didn't want to make her hurl, and she did not want to get in her bad graces because of this irritating Red's agenda. Of course, she would have to compose herself before she went in and be prepared to act compliant. She may not be here for punishment, but why make it one.

 

She knocked on the door and opened it, sticking her head in. She saw two other women in there with her, new novices by their garb. She made her face look gleeful and cute. Being 4'3" did help with the cuteness factor, strangely enough. One of the younger Greens almost pinched her cheeks while looking cute and innocent. She must be a wonderful actor! "Yes, Aes Sedai. You called for me." she said so sweetly that she thought honey must be dripping off her tongue. She curtseyed in her banded dress and smiled until her face hurt. For some reason, she knew the vein on her forehead was bulging. Not a good thing.

 

Jasmyne Ceres

Leader of the "Down with Larindhra" campaign. ;D

[Elgee]

OOC: You made me spit out my tea, I was laughing so hard, Tig! *spanks*  ;D

 

IC:

 

Larindhra pondered briefly on which question to answer first, though Lanaya probably did not realise there were two. She decided on the last one first.  “You might receive individual attention, if you are particularly fast or slow, but normally you would attend classes with a group of other novices.  Your Mentor is there mainly to help you fit into the Tower, to explain the rules and be there if you need a shoulder to cry on or advice.”

 

She smiled slightly, trying to look less intimidating.  “Of course, I am also there if you need me.  Contrary to popular belief, I don’t eat Novices for breakfast.”  She wondered who had started that rumour.  It actually helped keep the novices in line, for which she was slightly grateful, but still … she wondered.  The Accepted who knocked and then entered was at the top of her list of likely candidates – the child smiled altogether too much, in her book.

 

“Good evening, Jasmyne.” Larindhra’s smile was considerably less sweet than Jasmyne’s, but probably equally forced. “I won’t keep you long, child.” Jasmyne’s smile slipped briefly, probably at being called a child, before she seemed to up it another notch.  Larindhra actually admired her ability to do that. “This is Lanaya Traemane, a new novice.  I have assigned you as her Mentor – would you please see that she gets something to eat, then show her to an empty room.  You can explain all the rules and give her a more thorough introduction to Tower life tomorrow.”

 

“Lanaya, I will speak to you again tomorrow; for now, get some rest.” She nodded her dismissal to the two, then turned her attention to the other girl.

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

[Tigara]

OOC: Hehehehehehehehehehe ;D

 

IC:

 

Mentor? That vile Red wanted her to guide a young, fresh, and unbiased mind through life in the Tower? There were only three possible options. The first was that this was a horrible, vile child that was going to torment her for eternity. The second was that Larindhra was desperate and needed someone to mentor so badly that Jasmyne was the only choice. The third was that Larindhra was as dumb as Jasmyne wanted her to be. She sure hoped it was the third option!

 

Jasmyne pondered over the name. Traemane? It was familiar. In fact, it was a noble house in Andor. Yes, there was a minor Demodred that was married off to a Traemane. A strong house, then. Well, if that girl thought she was going to be all high and mighty on her, she had another thing coming.

 

"Oh wonderful! I can't wait to show her to her rooms. Let's get started!" She said in her sickeningly sweet voice.  She motioned the girl to stand up and follow, and almost glared when she noted the height difference. She should really stop that. If she didn't, she would glare at almost everyone on contact. The Traemane girl followed her out of the office as Jasmyne started to list all the things they were going to do. "We're going to have so much fun together! We can braid each other's hair and have tea parties. We can study together and eat together and we'll have so much fun."

 

She rattled off a few more things until she was sure she was out of earshot of Mistress Paddle-Bottom. She turned her head around slowly and started slurring words together. She quickly turned away and set a brisker pace. There was nota touch of honey in her voice now. More like nails. "Now we can get down to business. Firstly, you are no longer a noble. This is not your daddy's manor house where you sit around eating sweets and getting fat. This is the White Tower, where they make you scrub pots until your fingers fall off. Who directs that? It's that vile woman in that office you were just in. I'm even thinking that she's a Darkfriend. How else could she be so cruel and vile?"

 

They turned down the hall and degan descending the stairs. "Now, the Aes Sedai expect you to be as meek as milk and to jump when they say toad, but that's ridiculous. They are just women like you, so feel free to take some liberties. Especially if you have great potential. I'm not a great judge of that, so I can't tell you if you have it or not. But, anyways, ignore that rule as much as you like. The second rule, don't be quick to ignore. You are not to channel while unsupervised. It is dangerous to yourself and others. You could burn yourself out, which is losing the ability to channel, or you could kill yourself and anyone around you. Don't ignore that rule! Other than that, you have classes that will want ot attend. those are the best part of the Tower. Just remember to channel with supervision and attend classes, and you'll be fine. Others may say that there are other rules, but you should ignore them."

 

Jasmyne opened a door at the bottom of the stairs and swung it wide. Empty. Perfect! "Here is your room. Have fun with it! Any other questions before I go off to do something useful?" Jasmyne started plotting things for this girl. Let the corruption begin!

 

Jasmyne Ceres

Corrupter of Young Minds

 

OOC: Don't worry about Jas. She has authority issues. ;D

 

 

[Lanaya]

OOC: LOL! I love her already =)

 

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IC: Lanaya glided out of her chair and dropped into a deeper curtsy than she did last time, out of respect this time rather than just manners; she had a feeling she would come to like Larindhra - the woman had thusfar shown a remarkable ability to balance authority with kindness - as much as she would undoubtedly later come to hate her, as well.

 

"Thank you, Larindhra Sedai; I will look forward to that."

 

Lana gathered her skirts and turned to follow Jasmyne, listening attentively with building amazement and a growing small suspicion. The Accepted as prattling merrily, entirely too sweet and cheerful, which meant that she was either a featherbrain, which could be worse than it sounded - Lana vividly remembered Mesare Devaine, a maid at her family's estate. She had been a sweet, gentle person, but she could not be trusted with any responsibility past ensuring that there was clean clothes ready for the next day - and aside from her job, she had not found anything interesting except gossip. So she gossiped - constantly. Lana would rather have broken an arm than spent a full hour with her jabbering mouth. No, on second thought, she would rather have broken both arms.

 

There was also the possibility that Jasmyne was faking it, which Lana would actually prefer. Being assigned to an ACCEPTED whom reminded her of her maid could not possibly be a good combination. She realized that perhaps being light-mouthed like a clam was not a good way to begin what hopefully would be a new friendship, and she made herself smile and tried to copy Jasmyne's conversation level.

 

"You are most kind, Accepted; I would not mind a hand with the braiding ..." She gestured to the five small braids that held her hair in place as well as any pins. " .. they're difficult to set up; your own hair is quite beautiful, actually, I think it would look well with ..."

 

Abruptly Jasmyne glanced backward, and Lana quieted down as she caught a glimpse of the Accepted's expression - there was nothing cheerful about it. The pace became quicker, and Lana strained her still-sore legs to keep up, listening with rueful bemusement to the change of tone. The honey-sweet fluffle-talk before -had- indeed been faking, and Lana tried to gauge the new, hopefully real, personality that was now showing itself.

 

The reminder that she was not a noble did not faze her - it was about the same thing Larindhra Sedai had been poking at her earlier, and while it was still a difficult concept to wrap her mind around, it did not put her back up. Neither did the venom dripping off Jasmyne's tongue as she named Larindhra 'that vile woman' ... but the next words almost made Lana trip herself. She suffocated a gasp of disbelief that Jasmyne would really accuse an Aes Sedai of such a crime, and almost ran to catch up with Jasmyne. Oh Light, but her legs were hurting now!

 

She caught up just as Jasmyne stopped at a door and swung it open for her; Lana glanced inside briefly, then straightened up to meet Jasmyne's eyes with a peculiar stare instead of entering.

 

"A Darkfriend, Accepted? I understand that you must have good reason to dislike her so ... but there can be no Darkfriends in the White Tower. None believe that there is, at least not in Andor. I doubt you'll find many elsewhere, either, unless they're Children of the Light, and they think half the world are Darkfriends, the poor fools."  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Tigara]

Jasmyne almost died. The woman was trying to meet her on eye level! It was incredibly amusing to see her bending down a bit to match her stare. Priceless. This would be more fun than she thought. But her amusement was abruptly driven to a halt when the Novice was blabbering on about Aes Sedai not being Darkfriends. Something about Andor and the Fools of the Light.

 

"Listen, girl. I do not have any proof that any Aes Sedai are Darkfriends, or Black Ajah, or whatever they might call themselves. About Larindhra being a Darkfriend, that is me trying to torment her with rumor, like saying that she eats Novices for breakfast or that her undergarments are woven from the hair of Accepted. I have no proof for her. I do not think there are any Aes Sedai serving the Shadow, but..." she paused for dramatic effect. "...they swear no Oath on the Oath Rod saying that they must serve the Light."

 

Jasmyne motioned the girl to enter the room. "Now any other questions before you make me late?"

 

Jasmyne Ceres

Tormenter of Larindhra

[Lanaya]

((OOC: Pardon the slow reply; had a very sick doggy that required alot of attention))

 

Lana stepped inside and shook her head lightly, sending Jasmyne an apologizing smile before starting to survey her new home - and struggled to hold back a gasp of indignant disbelief. She had known she would not be having the amount of luxury, that she had had at home, but these spartan surroundings was not even fit for the lowliest of servants at the Traemane estate!

 

She managed to keep quiet, but she was sure some of her shock would shine through. She wanted to be alone as quickly as possible so as not to humiliate herself further, and answered crisply.

 

"No, Accepted; I am sorry to have kept you waiting." She waited with closing the door, however, eying Jasmyne, just in case her new mentor had a last-minute instruction for her.

 

 

 

[Tigara]

"Well, then. I'm off." She said as she turned. She looked back at the girl and saw the girl staring at her rooms with unbelief. She trotted off up the stairwell, laughing for all to hear. This girl may be more fun than expected! She heard the door to the room slam as she was up the first flight. She laughed all the more.

 

But now, off to that class.

 

Jasmyne Ceres

Delighted by other's misfortune