Intro to Saidar: Group 1 Class 4 - Elements

[Tigara]

Papers flew as Melianna’s notes fell to the ground. She still wasn’t sure how she got into this. She remembered Larindhra Sedai asking her something, but she was daydreaming, so she must have just smiled and nodded. The only reason she remembered was because she was reminded. She collected her papers and set them on the desk in a near neat fashion. Just then, her students entered the room and took their places at their desks. Jerenia, Masuko, Deanne, Lanaya, Kiyi, and Esther were her pupils today, and Melianna really just felt like sitting and staring into space. However, such behavior at this point would surely have her sent off to Larindhra. Can’t have that, now can we?

 

“Good morning, girls. I am Melianna, one of the Accepted. You may call me Meli. Today, we will be learning a bit about the Five Elements, which are Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Spirit, but I’m sure you all knew that.” She smiled and embraced the Source. She took a couple threads of each elements, one a bronze, one a brilliant red, one a dark blue, one an almost clear thread with a hint of light blue, and the last a milky white, and wove them into a sword like shape, made somewhat like a twisted rope. “See, each element is in this weave. What you are going to do is come up to me one by one, identify each element with its color, and then try to pull individual threads out from it. Yes, it will be difficult, especially with Fire and Earth, unless you happen to be strong in them. But I know you can do it. Who’s first?”

 

Melianna Hollmen

Distracted Accepted

 

OOC: Write yourself coming to work with Meli. Feel free to write her helping you. Role-play your strong and weak points with pulling it apart. Realize this is not a statement of which element you're strongest with but which comes to you easiest right now. Keep in mind that Fire and Earth will probably be most difficult for you.

 

Keep in mind what your physical body is doing. Some Aes Sedai, as it says in the books, find physical moments help them with working in the power so perhaps you actually use your hands or maybe you have to think about something to keep your concentration. Realize nothing you do here has to be a serious or long lasting thing but everyone has their little tricks that help them learn. Maybe you have one too?

 

Give your muscles another work out today as you consider and write what your mind and body do while you work the power. How does the energies react to you? Have fun and be creative!

 

[Sylvirci]

Masuko was slightly off about dealing with yet another class in Saidar. Her last class had resulted in the Mistress of Novices herself showing up! Pushing those thoughts aside she sat down and listened to Meli as she explained today's lesson.

 

She felt a glimpse of fear then as she realized that she had to actually work that close to someone as she worked with the Power. Then she calmed herself by calling the Hawk in her mind but she made sure that it was a cloudy day indeed within her mind so she didn't draw upon Saidar. it felt good to be that calm and clear headed, and to know that Saidar was only a thought away. This is what I came here for! I can't let one accident hold me back, instead I have learned from it and now it is time to move forward. She told herself as she grew slightly defiant, not at Meli or the class but at herself as she dared herself to push forward and do this lesson.

 

Standing up she stalked forward like a hunter went to prey. "Calm yourself Masuko." She closed her eyes at those words and let her body relax with her mind. She turned the clouds within from storming to puffy and playful. The she opened her eyes and watched the threads of elements as they were held out before her.

 

Just letting go of her own choice was difficult but when she managed it, everything went very fast. The clearish blue one seemed to call to her, it reminded her of a gently blowing breeze. Reaching for it to try and pull it seperate, she was amazed at how easily it came to her and how it felt like a gentle wind blowing through her hands. " This one is Air! I can almost feel a breeze as I touch it!"

 

Then she let go of that thread and moved onto the milky one. It felt like nothing she could describe, at least she was sure it wasn't one of the four basic elements which meant it was Spirit. It was kind of like grabbing at emotions, they were there and you could sense them but you couldn't actually touch them. It was like a serene feeling that hummed through her. " This is Spirit and feels like emotion. A peaceful sense seems to come over me while I hold this one."

 

Relunctently she let go of the thread and looked at the others. She reached for the dark blue one next. She sensed a rush of coolness wash over and through her as she held it. Like a river rushing about heror as if she was thrown into one. She could hold it but it kept feeling like it was slipping in her grasp and she clenched her hands without realizing it as she forced it to stay in her control. " This is Water, cool and rushing as it tries to slip away."

 

She gladly released that one and looked at the last two. One red and one bronze, these were the ones that males were typically stronger in. She almost shied away from them both before remembering that there was no male here. It was just her and other females, so she rubbed her hands briskly as if she were preparing to tackle her brother or one of his friends back home. The she felt for which was which even though she was sure she knew already.

 

The red one of course brought a sense of heat and rage while the bronze one seemed crushing and heavy. She reached for that heat mentally and physically, but it just seemed to wisp away and out of her grasp. She reached again and this time she tried to come from all sides at once, forcing it to come to her as it had no where else to go. It was tough and she was sweating by the time she had a firm grip on it but she had conquered this Fire thread. " This is fire and feels like a raging heat that likes to shift and constantly move around."

 

Then she let it snap back and immediately apologized to Meli as the Accepted staggered a step from the thread lashing back into place like that. Blushing slightly and more aware that she could still hurt someone here she reached for the final thread. It didn't budge, not even a little bit. It was immovable as a stone was, and that just made her more determined to succeed. Wiping her brow she squared her shoulders and reached out once more. Hands in front of her and her mind wrapping around that one thread, she tried not to seperate it so much as she let it slide into her grasp as she broke it's foundation. She left it no where to go but to her, effectively dislodging it. But this one took her the longest and she was pouring sweat as was evident by her soaked dress. " I got to treat this like a landslide that I have to guide. Uhng! I am done!"

 

She let go slowly this time but by the time she was done she was beyond exhaustion. Stumbling back to her seat, she slumped into her chair and closed her eyes. She thought about absolutely nothing as she hovered on the brink of falling asleep and listening to the other Novices do what she had just done.

 

Masuko Svetanya, Novice of the White Tower!

[Jehaine]

Jerinia stood up after Masuko had returned to her seat, tilting her head slightly whilst looking at the 'sword'. She glanced around briefly to see if Larindhra was nearby before touching the Source, a small reaction that had started to slip in after her last two or three classes in a row spiraled out of control. Still, with the Accepted in front of her, and already touching the Source at that, she shouldn't be getting in too much trouble... right?

 

She closed her eyes, imagining the orange rose again, imagining a small cloud before starting to open up to saidar just in case. She opened her eyes again, taking in the things her now heightened senses were picking up. Chief amongst them, she could now see the threads she was supposed to pick apart with ease.

 

Still, judging by what happened to Masuko, she figured the hard part was yet to come. Gently reaching out to the five threads in front of her, there were two that reacted the best to her prodding, and she focused on the first one.

 

- "Hmm... This is Fire, no doubt about it." ^_^

 

The thread seemed to warm her up, making her feel comfortable. In contrary to Masuko, moving the thread around gave her no trouble at all, which only widened the grin on the young girl's face. If she could do something that was considered hard to most Aes Sedai...

 

Still, she shook her head to bring herself back to the present. Sword. Right. One down so far, four to go. Reaching out again, there was another thread that almost reached out to her with ease, and as she focused on it she felt a certain amount of freedom, as if she could move in every direction she wanted to.

 

- "This... i'd say would have to be Air."

 

Things were going great so far, three more to go. Her grin faded somewhat though as two out of the remaining three were quite a bit harder to move. Still, one seemed to at least react to simple prodding, so she picked that. It was hard to guess which element it was, mainly because it seemed to be everything at once. Or, more precisely, make her think of everything at once. Not really sure which element it was, she decided to take a guess.

 

- "Umm... This one feels like Water, i think?"

 

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the remaining two: A dark blue one and a bronze one. Picking one at random, she tried to make the bronze thread budge, but to no avail. Not wanting to give up however, she started to pull the thread out of place, subconsciously making a fist and moving it back as if she was trying to physically pull the threat away from the whole. She succeeded eventually, though it was nowhere near as far as the first two had gotten. Still, it was pretty unmoving, almost stubborn in a way, which reminded her of Earth somewhat.

 

- "Well, this one's got to be Earth."

 

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the final thread, which she guessed would be Spirit. Reaching out, she expected the same treatment as with Earth would work, and reached out... Only to have the thread shift around her grasp, almost flowing in a way. Lacking the stubbornness the Earth element gave her, she felt less determined to actually pull out the thread.

 

Still, she resisted the feeling of going easy on it and chased it like a kitten trying to catch a fly, going as far as to use the Fire and Air threads as a makeshift crowbar to forcibly pry the thread out of place. She was starting to sweat now, and kept trying to suppress the emotion of 'going with the flow' and taking it easy. Blinking, a sudden thought hit her, and it was all she could do not to lose control of the thread she tried to break away.

 

- "Hey, wait! This one's Water, the one from before has to be Spirit then. Heh, sorry."

 

Easing the thread back into the sword -- though claiming it went easily and controlled would be a blatant lie -- she used her sleeve to wipe off the sweat beading on her forehead before heading back to her seat. Overall, she didn't think she had done that bad of a job, if you didn't count getting one of the elements wrong at first.

 

 

Jerinia

Wondering if class will finish normally for once ^^;

[Tigara]

Meli amusedly watched the girls, and amazingly with her full attention. Masuko seemed typical for a female, while Jerinia seemed unusally strong in Fire. Perhaps she would be a perfect fit for the Battle Ajah.

 

"Very good, you two. Next ones, please." she said, motioning to the other four.

[Taymist]

Kiyi wasn't really paying attention to Meli. Fiddling with one stray curl that hung over her shoulder, her concentration was all on Esther and Deanne as she wondered if they'd make it through the class without fighting or causing a disturbance. Their constant arguing was fraying her nerves and no matter how much she tried to keep the peace, the outbursts still happened. She let out a quiet sigh, feeling tired to her bones and wishing she could curl up under her covers and sleep for a year.

 

"Who’s first?”

 

The words penetrated Kiyi's mind and she looked up startled and with no idea what they were supposed to be first for. However, watching Masuko and Jerinia, the point of the exercise finally came clear as Meli approved their attempts.

 

"Next ones, please."

 

Kiyi stood and slowly moved towards the desk. Best get it over with and hope I don't make many mistakes, she told herself, embracing calmness until she could see the weaves in the sword and looked to Meli somewhat nervously. Meli nodded encouragingly, reassuring her that she should go ahead and try to identify the elements and so, with a deep breath, Kiyi reached for the threads.

 

Surprisingly the difference was readily apparent, not just by their colours but in how they felt and she found herself naturally attracted to two out of the five. The first she grasped and manipulated easily, a smile crossing her face in delight at the sensuous, cool texture it seemed to emit. "This blue one is Water," she stated confidently before letting it go reluctantly.

 

The second was red but try as she might, she couldn't move it. It's heat and the beauty of it called to her but it was like a wild thing, out of control and evading her attempts to shift it. Unaware of her hand clenched, fistlike, in front of her, she yanked as hard as she could, completely focused on the task and gradually, with painful slowness, it came free of the weave. Panting a little, she told the Accepted, "That was Fire and very difficult."

 

Gathering herself and returning to the job at hand, she considered the remaining three threads. Stretching out her hand again in a holding gesture, Kiyi took hold on the thicker clear coloured strand and found it moved with no great trouble. "This is Air. It feels... peaceful but powerful... flexible but strong."

 

Realising that she was almost done and bolstered at her apparent progress she identified the next one, blinking a little. "This milky one is Spirit, it feels... almost insubstantial... but as though it contains a bit of everything... every emotion." She faltered, frustrated at the lack of words to describe what she was experiencing but then continued, grasping the final thread in silence. It was a brown colour, almost bronze and spoke to her of deep places, far underground with a sense of being crushed. "Earth," she gasped, putting every bit of effort into pulling the strand off it's course. Like the Fire, it didn't want to co-operate and in desperation, Kiyi pushed at it instead, as though bracing all of her weight against it and felt it give just a bit.

 

Wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead, her shoulders slumped from the expended energy that was added to her previous tiredness and she stepped back to return to her desk, hoping that such a process would become easier in future. If it's always that hard, I won't make much of a Sister, she thought disconsolately. 

 

 

[Tigara]

Another one strong in Fire? Surely the Green Ajah will be seeking these girls out. Melianna ponedered as Kiyi struggled with the threads, especially Earth. So far, all of them struggled with Earth more than anything. A strange pattern indeed. What it meant, Meli had no idea.

 

"Very good, Kiyi." She eyed over the remaining three, including her mentee, who appeared to be involved with something with Deanne. And not in a good way. But this was not the time to be involved in novice politics. "Alrighty, next please."

[Elgee]

Tired. So tired. Esther wiped her hair back from her face. She briefly contemplated redoing her half unravelled braid before entering the class, but Meli was teaching it, and she wouldn’t noticed if Esther shaved her head. She HOPED Meli was teaching it – she had reminded her three times, per Larindhra’s instructions. Sometimes she felt more like the Accepted’s mentor than it being the other way around did. She stuck her head in by the door, breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Meli, then entered fully and took a seat next to Kiyi. She gave Deanne a sour look before turning her attention to Meli. Hopefully the Accepted would remember what the class was supposed to be about. Esther had reminded her five times of that.

 

Esther listened intently to the lecture, though she had done some research on her own, and of course tidied up Meli’s notes for her, so she hardly had a need to. The Theory of the One Power was easy – it was the practical application that caused her so much trouble. She waited for what she thought was a suitable interval before stepping up to take her turn. Some of the novices accused her of being a “teacher’s pet” – Esther had no idea why, but Kiyi had suggested she be a bit less … eager. Esther thought it would be only sensible to follow her advice, if it would make things easier for the other novices.

 

Water was easy to spot. She loved water. Quickly she rattled off the colours and pointed to each element of the weave that it corresponded to, already pulling on the dark blue one as she was still talking. It seemed to come to her almost eagerly; forcing herself not to try to do something with it was more difficult than simply pulling it loose from the rest. The lighter blue one, air, was almost as easy to manage.  Next, she tried the bronze one, which resisted her attempts at first. She had to imagine she was shovelling earth before being able to untwine it from the rest. Esther took a deep breath before grasping the red one. It flailed wildly, resisting her attempts to control it. She was breathing hard by the time she managed to pull a piece of it loose.

 

She had left Spirit for last deliberately; she could not really understand how that one worked. All the others seemed logical to her, they were the elements that were all around, but Spirit wasn’t something one could feel or see or taste. Gingerly she reached out, but the milky white thread seemed to slip out of her grasp like an eel, slippery and wily. She thought she heard someone snigger as she struggled, sweat pouring down her face. It was probably that silly cow, Deanne.  Esther felt herself blush a fiery red, but resisted the urge to glare in that direction – this needed all her attention. Finally she managed to somehow grab hold of the stupid thing and pull it free; just in time, really – she was so exhausted that holding on to the Source one second longer would have been impossible. Too tired to even lament the loss of Saidar, she dipped a curtsy to Meli before almost falling into the seat next to Kiyi.

 

Esther Tremaine

Novice

 

[Tigara]

Esther seemed eager. Meli wasn't sure about Esther. She was a very smart girl, but her moods always lost Meli. A hard to read girl. She watched her mentee pick out the threads and was glad when earth was not the last one picked. Spirit was. She smiled as the power winked out of esther and she nearly fell onto her seat. The poor exhausted girl. She eyes Deanne in the corner. "Deanne, it's your turn."

[Kara_J]

Reluctantly Deanne walked up to the front and couldn't stop a small smirk in the direction of Esther. Embracing the Source, which was now coming to her much easier, she got ready to tug on the threads that she could see being formed in front of her.

 

Taking a deep breath and hoping that she didn't make a mess of anything, Deanne reached out and took hold of the Light Blue thread carefully. Biting her lip with concentration she pulled it clear of the rest. "Air!" she said clearly.

 

Next she went for the Spirit, it was the white one and stood out clearer than the rest. That came away from the rest as easily as the Air had done. "Spirit" She grinned, this was going to be easy!

 

Then she went for the rust coloured thread. She was a bit apprehensive about this one as men were meant to be much better at it. It took a little more effort than the previous two had done, but not by much. "Earth!" Inside she was crowing. This was all too easy! Three down and two to go.

 

She made a grab for the deep blue one and that came quite easily too, she could almost feel the wetness, though she was sure it was her imagination. "Water!" She couldn't help but jig a little. Oh my, yes..the look on Esther's face is a picture!

 

Grinning smugly she made a grasp for the final element, staring at Esther as she did so. She wanted to see the look on the woman's face when this came as easily as the rest! The grin slowly faded as she realised the Fire wouldn't move. Gone went the smugness and in its place came a scowl of concentration as she tried again and again to shift the remaining thread. Sweat started to bead her brow and she bit her lip hard all to no avail. The thread wasn't going to move. Deanne wanted to tug harder and nearly drew on more power, but the thought of burning herself out before she could complete her training stopped her. Knowing my luck I'll set fire to my braids! She thought petulantly. With a toss of her head she announced "The last one is Fire, but I'm too tired to bother moving it." And with that she returned to her seat.