Sanctuary and Uncertainty (Nina's intro, ATTN MoN)

[ShinyThingsGood]

Nina fought the urge to hug herself, forcing down the anxiety that she felt now that she had finally reached her destination.  She stood uncertainly in the courtyard outside the gates of the White Tower, that building of myth and legend.  She had traveled many long and weary miles since she had left Arad Domon in secret, and now that she had reached the end of her travels, she realized she had no better idea of the next steps to take than she had at the beginning of her journey.  When she had first seen the shining walls ahead of her, her heart had soared.  The city of Tar Valon itself, while more stunningly beautiful than even her most vivid imaginings had allowed her to believe, had intimidated her, but she had kept her eyes grimly on the White Tower in the center of the city, and didn't allow herself to stop moving until she had reached it.

 

She felt safe here, within the walls of Tar Valon, and even more so standing in the shadow of the Tower itself, but she had decided during the long and lonely nights on the road that while safety and sanctuary under the care of Aes Sedai were her original reasons for coming, it would be foolish to come all this way and not bother to ask to be tested.  After all, she had nowhere else to go, except back home, and the Aes Sedai were unlikely to allow her to claim sanctuary for the rest of her life.  With a small shudder she thrust the thoughts of what her life at home had become before she left, and forced her feet to start moving.

 

Each step she took that brought her closer to the broad gates of the Tower was easier than the last, and by the time she had reached the great doors themselves, thrown open in welcome, she felt her nervousness only as an unpleasant memory.  For a brief moment, she felt that way. 

 

A serene but plain looking woman was approaching her with a purposeful stride from within the Tower, and before Nina fell under the shadow of the massive doors, the young lady had planted herself firmly in Nina's path.  Nina looked at the woman in front of her hesitantly, taking in the determined stance and the seven bands of color at the hem of her dress.  She knew of the seven ajah's within the tower, and seeing these seven colors represented on this woman's otherwise pristinely white dress led her to believe she stood in the presence of an Aes Sedai.  With that realization her newfound confidence vanished, and she made her best attempt at a graceful and properly respectful curtsy.  She nearly fell on her nose though, she botched it so badly, and she regained her footing with a blush that would have shamed a sunset.  Her mother would have wept with embarrassment.

 

“Pardon, Aes Sedai,” she began, trying to pretend she had not just tripped over her own feet.  “My name is Nina Bareen, and I'd like to be tested to enter training here.  I don't know where to go or whom to ask, but perhaps you could point me in the right direction?”  There.  She had not stuttered once.  Perhaps she was not making a complete fool of herself after all.  Besides, this woman, Aes Sedai or no, was far from as good-looking as Nina, so she should have no trouble maintaining her composure as long as she kept that fact in mind.

 

The woman in front of her looked at her with an amused half-smile for a moment before responding.  “I am not Aes Sedai, only Accepted,” she said.  “I can show you to the Mistress of Novice's, though.  Follow me.”

 

Nina was grateful the young Accepted turned away as quickly as she did.  She was blushing as fiercely as ever, and she kept her eyes studiously downward as she attempted to match the quick pace set by the other woman.  She made no attempt to walk at her side, only allowed herself to be led deeper into the White Tower.

 

Down corridors and up countless stairs they moved at a brisk pace that never altered, until Nina lost count of the steps and turns they had taken.  She lost all sense of direction, and was beginning to worry about finding her way back after she was finished speaking to the Mistress of Novice's.  After what seemed to Nina to be an eternity spent traveling the halls, the Accepted stopped suddenly in front of a thick wooden door, and Nina nearly ran into her back before she realized that they had stopped.  The Accepted gave a quick rap on the door, and Nina heard a muffled “Come!” from within the room.  The woman in front of her pushed open the door and led her in. 

 

“This is Nina Bareen, Larindrha Sedai,” she said after bobbing a quick curtsy that was considerably more graceful than the horrid attempt Nina had  given in the courtyard.  “She has come to be tested for entry into the novice books.”

 

As was Nina's habit, she made a quick yet thorough examination of the woman behind the desk.  She was short even sitting down, and judged that standing she might reach Nina's chin.  Her hair, while obviously thoroughly washed, was a brown that Nina found fairly boring, and it was in a loose bun that exhibited a lack of caring for the  niceties involved in proper hair care.  Her eyes matched the color of her hair nicely, but beyond that were as uninspiring as the hair.  Most importantly, the woman was slightly plump.  Nina herself was proud to be thin, and while she knew that there were plenty of men that preferred women a little larger than she was, she personally thought her own body type to be the ideal one.  Her confidence restored even more now that she had judged herself better than this woman, she met her eyes firmly.  Her self-assurance lasted only for the brief seconds before the Mistress of Novices opened her mouth, and began speaking.

[Kara_J]

Larindrha looked up from her work and smiled at the Accepted. "Thank you, Darlyne." The Accepted curtsied and left and Larindrha felt a brief surge of satisfaction, Darlyne was turning out to be a good candidate for the Red Ajah.

 

Rising from her chair, Larindrha appraised the young girl standing before her. She noted the girl's assessment and her obvious conclusion and an amused smile crossed her lips. "Welcome to the White Tower. My name is Larindrha Sedai, I am the Mistress of Novices and I will see to your testing. Take a seat and we shall begin." She spoke firmly but politely and indicated the chair in front of the desk.

 

Once she was seated Larindrha reached into her drawer and drew out the gem she used for the Testing.  Raising the gem with a flow of Air she suspended it in between them, and fed a thin trickle of Spirit into it. "Concentrate on the Gem child and relax. Keep your breathing slow and even and you'll be fine." Larindrha kept her voice low and soothing until there was a small flash in the Gem.

 

"Excellent, child. It seems you have the ability to learn to Channel." Setting the gem back on the desk, Larindrha pulled out the book and readied her quill.

 

"Now where in Arad Doman are you from, how old are you and did you travel here on your own?" She asked in quick succession.

[ShinyThingsGood]

The look that Larindrha leveled at Nina was kindly, but firm and altogether too knowing for Nina's taste.  It left her with the feeling of being thoroughly weighed, measured, and even the impression that every thought in her head had been laid out for the Aes Sedai to read like an open book.  Nina told herself that was ridiculous.  Even Aes Sedai couldn't read minds.  Could they?  She didn't like the uncertainty that train of thought inspired, especially considering the unflattering nature of what she had been thinking regarding the other woman.  She managed to take the chair Larindrha had indicated while maintaining the grace her mother had tried so hard to instill in her. 

 

No, she corrected herself.  She introduced herself as Larindrha Sedai, as if it were part of her name.  Nina knew how to be respectful, and the first step in that direction would be training herself to maintain proper decorum, even in her own head.

 

With that resolution firm in her mind, she began her examination of the gem Larindrha Sedai had produced from within her desk.  It was pleasantly colored but otherwise not spectacular, and Nina wondered at the fact that an object of the power would be so unassuming.  She concentrated on it as she was bid, and the longer she sat the harder she focused.  Sweat was just beginning to form on her brow from the strain when she saw it; the faintest of glimmers, so minute that she would have thought it to be simply a reflection had the light in the room been more than the fitful glow emanating from the mirrored stand lamps in the far corners.

 

“Excellent, child.  It seems you have the ability to learn to Channel.”  As Larindrha Sedai uttered those dozen, simple words, Nina felt her breath explode from her lungs in a great whoosh, and her mind whirled.  She had decided on being tested almost on a whim, and in her heart had never truly expected to actually be able to learn to Channel.

 

The Mistress of Novices did not give her time to adjust before barraging her with more questions.  Nina felt her stomach twist when she realized that Larindrha Sedai had been speaking and that she hadn't heard a word she had said.  Casting back frantically she managed to recall the words that had been spoken while she had sat stunned and reeling.

 

She supposed it wasn't surprising that the Aes Sedai knew she was Domani.  Anyone familiar with the typical Domani features would be likely to recognize her nationality with minimal effort.  She also wasn't surprised to be asked her age.  She knew she looked older than she was and this had often caused some confusion.  She answered those questions without further pause, and the Larindrha Sedai quickly scratched “Katar,” and “nineteen,” into the open book before her.  When the Mistress of Novices looked up, though, awaiting the answer to her third question, Nina hesitated.

 

“Well, child?  Are you alone?”  Her voice was friendly but demanded immediate response nonetheless.

 

“I...”  Nina braced herself, attempting to form the answer in her head before she spoke.  “I set out alone and arrived alone, but I had...help...along the way.”  She hoped that was enough to satisfy the woman, but the quill remained still above the book, and Nina could feel her eyes boring holes into her.  She forced herself to continue.  “There are many leagues between Katar and Tar Valon, and I was frightened to be alone.  When help was offered, I accepted, and gladly.  Sometimes it was a ride in a cart from a friendly farmer.  Other times a family would put me up for a night in exchange for a little coin.”  She stopped again, not wanting to continue.  What had started at home with Stefan had continued while she traveled, with other men, and her mind squirmed away from dwelling on the...unpleasantness.  “There were men that would offer protection in exchange for...company.  Just swords with strong arms to wield them, looking for someone to talk to on the road, that's all.”  The last sentence came out in a rush, an attempt to allow the woman across from her no time to consider what she had been told and accept her words at face value. 

 

Larindrha Sedai remained completely expressionless, and Nina was unable to tell what, if any, conclusions she had reached from Nina's story.  After a moment Nina dropped her eyes, unable to meet the Aes Sedai's gaze any longer, and she heard the dry scratch of quill on parchment as more information was entered into the novice book under the name “Nina Bareen.”  The light only knew what that was, and Nina wasn't sure she wanted to know.  Hoping that this woman would allow her to leave soon, part of her wishing she had never met her, Nina squeezed tight her downcast eyes to hold back the tears that wanted to come.

[Kara_J]

Larindhra's face remained impassive as the child told her story - or what little of it she could bring herself to mention. She'd heard many stories of similar content before and once again it tugged at her heartstrings.

 

"Well you're here now and safe in the Tower." She spoke gently and warmly. "What's done is done and you must put it behind you and concentrate on becoming Aes Sedai." Larindhra smiled and continued. "You are now officially enrolled in the White Tower. We must get you into novice whites and then we can sort out who is to be your mentor. Follow me please."

 

Rising from her chair she led the way to a small anteroom and found out a few novice dresses that looked to be the same size as Nina. "Try these on for size, find one that fits and join me again in my office." Larindhra said and left Nina to try the dresses on.

 

Some Domani found it difficult to adjust to the plain and oft-worn clothing and Larindhra wondered if Nina would be no exception.

[ShinyThingsGood]

As the door clicked behind Larindrha Sedai, Nina turned her attention to the selection of dresses before her, if selection it could be called.  They were pure white and quite modestly cut, identical in every way except for size and slight variances in the degree to which they were worn.  Glad for the distraction, Nina began rummaging through the garments, discarding those she deemed too frayed.  A large part of her training had been regarding how to dress properly, and she only had to try on two before she found one that she deemed suitable.  She had known other girls in Katar that would have balked at wearing anything that wasn't colorful, woven from silk, or scandalously cut, but Nina was of the opinion that it was the woman that made the dress, not the other way around.  Giving a few experimental swishes with her hips, she walked the short length of the anteroom to determine how the dress rode her hips and bosom, and regarded her reflection in an imperfect and chipped mirror that stood against the wall.  Satisfied that she could more than make do with her new attire, her lips quirked in a minuscule smile and she ran her hands through her auburn hair and down the length of her body.  She knew the tower was a place for women, but even here she knew there would be some men, and women who were more than friendly with members of their own gender, and she would be able to find a place to work her charms.  Nina found herself looking forward to the challenge of doing so in plain dress, and with that thought in her mind, she turned away and started for the door that led back into the Mistress of Novice's office.

 

As she reached for the latch, she was surprised to see her hand trembling.  On the other side of this door was a woman that she knew had inferred all that Nina had thought to keep hidden.  Her attempt to distract herself in the pleasure of choosing new clothes had evidently been successful only on the surface, and she swallowed hard against the lump rising in her throat.  Nina had seen the sympathy in Larindrha Sedai's eyes, and somehow that only increased her urge to weep.  With a sigh and shudder, she squared her shoulders.  What's done is done, she said.  I am safe here, and I must put it behind me.  Wiping away the few tears that had escaped, she opened the door and swayed gracefully into the room as her mother and Alya had taught her.    She had made a disgraceful first impression of herself, and she must begin correcting that immediately.  Besides, if she kept her mind occupied perhaps she would dwell less on the circumstances that had brought her here.  Lowering herself smoothly into the wooden chair across the desk from Larindrha Sedai, she folded her hands in her lap and raised eyes that she hoped displayed confidence to the Aes Sedai.  Curious about what the woman had said regarding a mentor, as well as what was to happen next, she waited patiently for her to speak.

[Kara_J]

"Excellent, Child." Larindhra said whilst wondering what it was about Domani woman that meant that they could make anything they wear look elegant, even if it was a very worn Novice dress.

 

Smoothing her skirts she sat at her desk once more. "Let's get you assigned to a mentor. They are there to answer any questions you may have and to help you wherever and whenever necessary." Larindhra opened a small book containing lists of names. Flicking through the pages she came across a name that would suffice. "Your mentor will be an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, Gianna su Riatin. When you leave here, someone will show you to your assigned room and then you are to visit Gianna Sedai. I will pen a note to her and let her know of your arrival. Ask any Novice or Accepted and they will be able to point you to the Blue quarters." Dipping her quill in the ink, Larindhra entered Nina's name next to Gianna's and blotted the ink carefully. Next she outlined the rules to Nina and made sure that she was taking them on board.

 

"Now then, off you go. Tell Ariena, the Accepted outside that you are to be taken to the Novice Quarters and shown your room."

 

OOC: One more post from you and you're home and dry! Welcome to the Tower! :D

[ShinyThingsGood]

“Now then, off you go.  Tell Areina, the Accepted outside, , that you are to be taken to the Novice quarters and shown to your room.”

 

With that Larindrha Sedai seemed to be done with Nina.  She bent her head once more to the paperwork she had been absorbed in when Nina had first walked into this office, what seemed like ages ago.  A lifetime of changes had occurred in these past minutes, and she knew that the events that had taken place had changed her forever.  She was bound to the Tower now, and only time would tell if such a change would prove itself to be for the good, or ill.

 

Rising with as much grace as she could manage, which was a considerable amount, Nina bent her knee's in a deep curtsy that far outshone her earlier attempt in the courtyard.  Larindrha Sedai raised her head and flashed her the briefest of smiles, tinged slightly with impatience.  The Aes Sedai gestured toward the door and once more returned to her work.  Now thoroughly dismissed, Nina turned and left, closing the door behind her as softly as she could.

 

Having now met a true Aes Sedai, Nina was better able to identify the subtle differences Areina, the Accepted the Mistress of Novice's had named, displayed compared to the woman in the office.  Her air of serenity and worldliness, while convincing, was now evident to Nina for what it was.  Schooled since childhood in the subtleties of mannerisms and expression, Nina could see that the young woman before her was still a far cry from the confident and commanding woman whose presence Nina had just left.

 

“Larindrha Sedai says you are to show me to my rooms in the Novice quarters,” Nina said deferentially, still unsure of where she stood in relation to this young lady.

 

Areina crossed her arms and tapped her foot irritably.  “I am aware of that, child,” she said with a pointed sniff.  “Follow me.”

 

Nina smiled wryly and bobbed a mocking curtsy.  Areina had a long face that reminded Nina of her mothers horses, and teeth that were rather too big for her mouth.  If this homely young woman wanted to act the Aes Sedai with her, Nina was content to let the charade continue, but not without a subtle attempt to show that Nina was unimpressed.

 

Areina sniffed again and directed a frown at the new Novice, but said nothing.  Turning quickly on her heels, she set a hurried pace through the halls that Nina had to rush to match.  In short order Nina was once again disoriented, the convoluted path they followed through the halls more than a match for her underdeveloped sense of direction.  After what seemed an age of silently following the horse-faced Accepted, but could in reality have been no more than a quarter hour, they arrived at a plain walkway, bordered on one side by a railing overlooking a simple garden, and on the other by unadorned, whitewashed doors.  Casting a brief glance over the side of the railing, Nina was surprised to see that they were only a single story above the ground.  The aching in her legs assured her that she must have climbed a dozen flights of stairs being led through the halls of the Tower, but this was evidently not the case. 

 

Areina stopped in front of a door that was identical to all the others and turned to face Nina, arms once more crossed across her bony chest.  “These are your rooms.  They are currently unoccupied, but do not expect this to last.”  Areina was obviously doing her best to look stern and imposing.  “Novices do not get their own rooms.  That privilege is reserved to Accepted.”  At the last a superior smirk crossed Areina's face, but Nina chose not to acknowledge it.

Nina dipped another curtsy.  “Thank you, Accepted,” she said , placing slight emphasis on the young womans title.  Whether Areina stood above Nina in the eyes of the Tower or no, she was still not the Aes Sedai she acted.  Without another word Nina swept by the disgruntled Accepted and into her new rooms.

 

Plain rooms they were, to match her plain new dress.  Everything was white, and cramped cots with the thinnest of mattress's for comfort lined the far wall, with barely room to stand between.  There was a single wardrobe and a battered washstand with a chipped pitcher upon it.  Other than that the room was bare.

 

Choosing one of the cots against a wall, Nina sat to get a feel for the comfort.  Fully as hard as it had looked, Nina grimaced.  She would surely spend many sleepless nights before she would become accustomed to such arrangements. 

 

Rising and walking over to inspect the contents of the wardrobe, Nina was surprised to see several white, and naturally worn, nightgowns hanging haphazardly inside.  Choosing one that seemed proper, Nina doffed her new white dress and hung it in the nightgowns place.  Slipping the sleeping garment on, she crawled under the thin blankets on the cot she had chosen.  The hour was early yet, but Nina had a sinking feeling her life was about to get much more difficult than it had previously been.  Her days of being a girl of few worries in Katar were gone, and her new life was begun. 

 

All of a sudden the import of what she had done sunk home.  Her mother, her adoptive aunt, her friends, were all part of her past now.  No longer was she Nina Bareen, a Domani woman of no inconsiderable promise, but simply Nina, Novice and initiate of the White Tower.  She was not surprised to feel the tears coursing down her smooth cheeks to wet the thin pillow beneath her, and she let them flow freely.  Turning over to her side, her only concession to her pride an attempt to muffle the sobs in the worn linens, she noticed a small hole in the wall before her.  Presuming it led to the neighboring room, Nina held her breath long enough to see if she could hear any sound issuing from the tiny opening.  With a small, hitched laugh, she realized that the dampened noises coming from the next room were also the sounds of a young girl weeping into her pillow.  Perhaps she was not alone here as she had thought.