Meeting a mentee (atten: Serien Miarade)

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Rasheta sat in her rooms in the Green halls wondering what she was still doing here, she felt restless and she wanted to leave the tower again. Jaydena probably never would allow this though. Jaydena cared about the sisters of her Ajah even if at times the sisters thought their Ajah head a bit odd. Jaydena had sent her to the borderlands some time ago and Rasheta had almost forgotten herself and run for the Blight and continued the fight against it. Jaydena had appeared in the borderlands and sent her back to the tower and then asked her not to leave again. Rasheta, at the time had thought it a good idea she didn't trust herself but now.

 

She sighed deeply and picked up a book and tried to focus on the words, the book was one of her favorites and usually she could read it to take her mind off everything but now. She stood up and shook her head; her black hair fell over her shoulders and tickled her face. She tossed her head and started pacing her room she was about to take a sword and start practicing with it for something to do when a knock sounded at her door. She tossed her head again to keep her hair out of her eyes and yelled "come" in a harsh voice. The door was opened and a Novice was standing there with another girl with her. The other girl was apparently the one who had opened the door and she was looking at Rasheta coolly, Rasheta glanced at the other girls dress and saw her to be an Accepted. "This one is for the White Ajah." She thought but she didn't say that out loud she simply crossed her arms over her chest and asked coolly. "What do you want Accepted?" The Accepted curtsied to her and answered

 

"I was to show this Novice to you as she is to be your mentee." Rasheta raised an eyebrow at that as normally the Novices were allowed to find their own way. She waved the accepted away and said still coolly.

 

"You are dismissed Accepted, run to your duties." The girl gave a curtsy and turned as she began to walk away Rasheta barked. "I said RUN!" The Accepted picked her skirts up and ran then. Rasheta watched the girl till she disappeared around the corner of the Greens Halls. She remembered when she had been a Novice/Accepted and then an Accepted of the Green Ajah and had been made to jump when others had said so. She knew she shouldn’t take out her restless mood on the Accepted but the girl had barely given the proper respect and it had rankled a bit.

 

Rasheta then switched her attention to the Novice she softened her voice. "Be welcome to the tower child. Come in so I may shut this door and you can be seated, and tell me about yourself." 

 

[Kura]

Serien was escorted through the tower to the green ajah quarters, taking in the sights of this part of the tower as she followed the Accepted. She was proud of herself, she was learning the ropes quickly. Her eyes fell to her own dress, plain white, labeling her as a Novice. She chuckled to herself, like I even deserve that title! The Accepted eyed her coldly, the only acknowledgment that she had from the older girl. Serien decided she didn't much care for her, but that was minor. She doubted she'd see the woman again.

 

At the Aes Sedai's dismissal of the Accepted, Serien let a slight chuckle escape her, and curtsied low to the full sister, before doing as she was told and sitting. "Well Rashete Sedai, there isn't all that much to tell... My name is Serien Miarade of Ebou Dar. My mother owns a successful inn there, where I waited tables." She tried to recall what she heard of the woman's Ajah. What was it called... The Battle Ajah? She decided to take a chance, "That and got into scruffs with the other girls." She smiled, looking up at the woman, waiting on her response to that, a blossom of fear growing as she feared she shouldn't have admitted her... habits in front of such a dignified woman. After all, they were the battle ajah, not the brawling ajah... She thought with a suppressed sigh that this would be the first of many times her large mouth would get her into trouble..

 

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Well Rashete Sedai, there isn't all that much to tell... My name is Serien Miarade of Ebou Dar. My mother owns a successful inn there, where I waited tables."

 

Rasheta nodded her head, women came to the tower from all walks of life and were both high and low born. Once the girl reached Aes Sedai no one would remember, or care, what she had done before she wore the shawl.

 

That and got into scruffs with the other girls."

 

Rasheta waited and when there seemed to be nothing more forthcoming she said. "Sit child." She went and shut the door to her room. She could have simply used the power but she was restless and pacing to the door and back to a chair would hopefully get rid of a little of her energy. She sat back in the chair and watched the girl for a moment taking everything about the girl in. She seemed determined and maybe a little weary. Rasheta tilted her head and said what she had been thinking eariler.

 

"Women came to the tower from all walks of life and are both high and low born. Once you reach Aes Sedai no one will remember, or care, what you had done before you wore the shawl." She shrugged her shoulders and added "I was a merchents daughter in Arad Doman now I am a sister of the Green Ajah and that is all anyone cares to remember." She shrugged again and then continued.

 

"Now child since you are my mentee you are welcome to come to me if you need anything through your years as a Novice, although I doubt with all your classes you will have much chance to see me to much but the offer is there should you need it. In the morning i'm sure your more intense classes and chores will start. Do you have any questions about the Tower that the Mistress of Novices did not already answer?" If the Mistress of Novices had answered questions. Rasheta wasn't sure how kind to a new novice a Red sister would be but she had little interaction with the Mistress of Novices and would keep it that way if she could.

[Kura]

Serien blinked, she had expected some sort of reaction from the green sister, but received none. The young woman couldn’t quite figure out what she thought of that, but decided that it probably worked in her favor. At least this time her mouth hadn’t stirred up any dust…

 

She thought hard about Rasheta’s offer, and back to her meeting with the mistress of novices.  She had informed her of quite a bit, but had been light in most areas, probably figuring that the Ebou Dari would figure out most things on her own, or even learn from her mentor. “Thank you Rasheta Sedai that is a very generous offer.” She saw every novice and accepted scuttling to be as polite as possible to the full sisters; even others who wore the shawl spoke very politely. That would take some getting used to for the tavern raised girl.

 

“I have heard snippets of the different Ajahs that the full ranked Aes Sedai are divided into. I know the green sisters are the battle ajah, and the yellow the healers. Other than that though, I couldn’t catch much. I was um,” she searched for a proper word for panting after running through the halls, trying not to lag behind a long legged yellow sister. “A bit distraught at the time it was being explained to me. Could you please explain the ajahs to me?”

[Rasheta Ardashir]

“Thank you Rasheta Sedai that is a very generous offer.”

 

Rasheta waited while the girl in front of her seemed to order her thoughts. Rasheta wondered if asking the girl to remove the "Sedai" would be considered inappropriate. She had no wish to see the Mistress of Novices the Red and the Green were not friends and never would be as far as Rasheta was concerned. Rasheta tramped down her impatience for the Novice to hurry, it simply would not do to scare the girl before she had to much instruction in the Tower. Finally Serien spoke again.

 

 

“A bit distraught at the time it was being explained to me. Could you please explain the ajahs to me?”

 

It was Rasheta's turn to pause and think through her answer, as a Novice the various Ajah's purposes were not spoken to much about if at all. The point of all the Novice training was to learn to handle the one power, not to try and decide which Ajah they would end up in. However, if the girl knew some about the Ajah's already, well what could it hurt? Rasheta settled herself and said in a way that took on the aspect of a teacher speaking to a student she said.

 

"You know of the seven Ajah's so I will start with the colors. The Red Ajah is the biggest in the tower with the Green following, the smallest two are the Blue and White Ajahs." she paused thinking of how the other three Ajahs were ordered but she had seem them swell and shrink in her time as Aes Sedai so she wasn't sure at the moment how the numbers went, so she changed the subject.

 

"The Red Ajah is devoted to the finding and gentling of all men who can channel." She shrugged again she cared little for what the Reds were doing.

 

"The Green Ajah is devoted to battle and we will be there at the Last Battle prepared to ride at the side of the Dragon and help in whatever way we can. We also are the only Ajah who believes in bonding more then one warder." She shrugged again adding "our extra warders are useful in more ways then one." She smiled bitter sweetly for a moment before continuing.

 

"The Yellow Ajah is devoted to healing in all ways. Herbs, the one power, and whatever else they can find. The Brown Ajah is devoted to the gathering of knowledge. The Blue Ajah fights for causes and justice as well as being very political. They are also the towers administrators, or well they can be as they are good at it. The White Ajah devotes itself to logic and truth they rarely leave the tower and are generally very cool in appearance and voice. The Grey Ajah is devoted to negotiations and mediation."

 

She smiled and said "That should answer your question for now. Novices however should not think to much on which Ajah they will eventually join and in the coming weeks I don't think you will have to much time to think on what I have said you will be to busy elsewhere. However, fear not when you are Accepted you will learn more."

 

She settled back again and asked. "Do you have a wish to know anything else before I send you on your way?"

 

[Kura]

Serien listened to the green sisters account of the Ajahs, nodding as she went along. She thought about the ajahs as Rasheta went along, trying to guess the standard type of woman that would go into each ajah. She didn't like the image she got of a Red sister, but then again, the mistress of novices was red, and Serien hadn't disliked the woman. Of course the green ajah received a glories anecdote from the green sister, but she liked what she heard. It seemed wise to have a few more sword arms around if things got rough.

 

Only two other Ajahs stuck out to her, those being the yellow and blue. The yellow sisters seemed like they'd be most open to any kind of pity play she could make, while she expected the blues to require far more tact. The grey and white she wasn't quite sure how to deal with.

 

When Rasheta commented on her choosing an ajah, a peal of laughter escaped before she could control herself. Her face felt like she was being held next to an open oven, and she rushed to explain herself. "Sorry Rasheta Sedai, but I don't plan on choosing an Ajah until the right time, I just wanted to know a bit more about my possible teachers is all. I know I'm years from worrying about anything except the power."

 

An easy smile replaced her blush, finally getting a bit more comfortable around the older woman, thinking for a moment about anything else she'd want to know. Of course dozens of questions stung her mind, but she couldn't find one that she didn't think would be easily answered by a few weeks or months locked away in this ivory tower. After a moment she shook her head, "No Rasheta Sedai, I think I'm good for now. I'll try to come back again as soon as I am able to."

 

The Ebou Dari girl stood, not sure if it was appropriate to simply walk out. She remembered the Accepted giving a curtsy, and gave the green sister one herself, before being dismissed and walking through the green halls to the novice quarters. She was starting to get over the shock of simply being in the tower, and started thinking of what life might be like. Everyone she had talked to had said it would take extremely hard work, and that work would start in for her shortly.

 

This in mind, when she entered her humble rooms, she plopped down on the bed, and stretched out. Determined to get all the relaxation she could out of the hours she had left to herself. She sprawled out as far as she could, stretching her muscles and letting out a small content sigh. She looked around the room, and noticed a small hole concealed in the wall. Peaking through, and saw that it led into another room like hers.

 

The tavern girl giggled, A spy hole? Or a whisper hole? Here? Well, can't say I saw that coming. Laughing, she turned from it, deciding that her alone time was far more important than introducing herself to her neighbors. Sprawling out again, she fell promptly asleep. She did after all, have a very  busy day tomorrow...