Arriving at the Tower (attn: MoN)

[Shareina Alshavar]

OOC: I haven't RPed on this site before, so if the post needs to be edited at all, please tell me

 

Andreil nervously straightened her red linen dress and tried not to fidget. She was standing in front of the door of the Mistress of Novices, and wishing that she was anywhere else. Ilsnan, the Aes Sedai that had found out her Channeling ability had told her she would send a pigeon to the Mistress of Novices the day before Andreil left with a merchant train to Tar Valon, but after all many things could have happened to that small vulnerable pigeon. It could have gotten caught in a storm and died, or eaten by a hawk, or any number of other things, and she really would be rude to visit the Mistress of Novices without warning her first. She should go find an inn and send her a message from there tomorrow. . . next week . . . maybe not at all. Sighing, she realized that she was just stalling for time. Quickly giving herself a little shake, she told herself that she had a debt to fulfill, however much she might wish otherwise, and that she had to pay it back, rudeness or no. Straightening her back, she knocked on the door and waited for the words ‘come in,’ before quickly entering and shutting the door behind her.

 

‘Ummm. . . Faerzyne Sedai? Ma’am?’ Light! She wasn’t even sure whether she should call the woman that or Mistress of Novices or Faerzyne, Andreil realized, her cheeks heating crimson. Trying to ignore her cheeks in the hopes that it would stop the blushing, she waited for the brown eyed woman to nod before continuing. ‘My name is Andreil Shakishna- I’m from Arafel. I believe a Yellow sister named Ilsnan sent you a pigeon saying I would be coming?’ Her normally deep voice had heightened considerably, and she could tell from the heat that the blush was now covering her entire forehead as well as her cheeks. Well, it was too late to turn back now, so she might as well go on. ‘She said that I could learn to Channel a small amount, and that I should come here to learn more, so . . .well. . . I came.’ Feeling that her face was as red as Faerzyne Sedai’s hair, she stopped, vainly hoping that the woman was colorblind so that she wouldn’t notice.

[Lavinya]

Whack! The sound of bells tinkled faintly, in contrast to the birch as it whistled through the air and connected with the desk with a loud thwap. The novice seated before the wooden desk jumped at the sound, her eyes wide with fear and trepidation. Faerzyne did not relish the task of punishing the wayward, despite what the girl’s believed. But it was a task she had to fulfil, nonetheless, and she always made certain to do a good job of it, lest she see the perpetrators again soon after their initial visit.

 

Cool hazel eyes surveyed the now quailing novice, her lower lip trembling at the thought of the irch being applied to her more tender flesh. It had been the first time Faerzyne had had the duty to deal with this girl, caught out of her room after curfew. Inclined to believe her story of simply losing track of time in the library, Faerzyne had refrained for birching the girl, or even giving her a chore. On this occasion, a sharp scare out to do the trick. Whack! the birch struck the wooden desk again, and the frightened novice shrank back further in the uncomfortable chair. “I don’t need to tell you the importance of curfew again, do I child?†She asked, a wry twist to her mouth. The girl shook her head hurriedly, and Faerzyne nodded briefly, causing the bells in her long braids to tinkle once more. “I thought not. Now off with you child. I do not want to see you in this office again, understood?†The novice, now pale with fright scrambled out of her chair, mumbling apologies and curtseying, even as she dashed to the door.

 

With a sigh, Faerzyne returned the birch to it’s place in her cupboard, before moving to sit behind her desk. Closing her eyes briefly, she felt a tingle as one of her wards was breached, the resulting knock causing her to open her eyes. The day was young, and already it was proving to be a testing day. “Come in.†She called, the door quickly opened by a girl as she entered. Not clothed as an initiate, an outsider, or petitioner perhaps. Waving her in, Faerzyne regarded her with a smooth, though not unkind face. “My name is Faerzyne Grigory, and I am the Mistress of Novices here at the Tower. How can I help you?â€

 

Faerzyne listened impassively as the girl spoke, a blush heating her cheeks. Not a flicker of emotion passed the sister's face, though she did nod. She had indeed received the pigeon, and was not intrigued by the girl before her. So the girl had already been tested. This meant she had to know, somewhere deep down inside of herself that she would be accepted within the White Tower. That she would learn to channel, to the best of her abilities. Still the girl shifted in her seat, as if she couldn’t quite believe that she would be asked to stay. Faerzyne decided to relieve her from the tension that was building. She opened the book of Novices which was still in front of her. “So you’ve been tested already. How fortunate.†She picked up her pen, and prepared to write. “Let’s see about making your stay here a bit more permanent then, shall we?â€

 

She didn’t have to look at the young woman to see that there was a change in the tension that had kept her in it’s thrall. “Can you tell me your full name again?†As the girl replied, she wrote it down in the book. Another life sealed to the Tower, for better and for worse. “And your place of birth and raising?†again she wrote, making Andreil‘s stay more certain with every letter, every curved or straight line. “And finally your age.†She finished with a dot behind the age, which felt as heavy and important as any signature from any high lord or lady. “Welcome to the White Tower.â€

 

 

~Faerzyne Grigory, MoN

 

Ooc: rp your char’s reaction to being written down in the novice book.

[Shareina Alshavar]

“Let’s see about making your stay here a bit more permanent then, shall we?†Andreil smiled, feeling the blush drain out of her cheeks as Faerzyne dipped her pen into the ink. She had been allowed into the Tower; the worst was over now. Until now, she had never realized just how close she had come to turning on her heel from this office, and leaving this all behind her. She was glad that she hadn’t, although she couldn’t say exactly why- maybe just because she had done what she set out to do for once.

 

‘Can you tell me your full name again?’

‘Andreil Lorray Shakishna’ she replied, watching as the woman wrote down her name in a large book. She had only learned the bare minimum of reading, writing and adding before; just enough really to keep track of accounts in her father’s carpentry shop, and the quick movements of the quill against parchment was fascinating to her.

 

‘And your pace of birth and raising?’

‘A small village in Arafel called Nisvan; it was burned down last year though, and I don’t know if it was rebuilt.’ To keep herself from thinking about that right then, she let her eyes roam over the books on Faerzyne Sedai’s shelf. If every Aes Sedai had this many books, more than she had ever seen before in one place, she could easily believe the stories about whole rooms full of books, if not the huge halls and twelve depositories to hold them.

 

‘And finally your age’

‘Fifteen’ she replied, and Faerzyne wrote the numbers in, finishing with a dot that had a note of finality to it. She grinned slightly. Ever since she had promised to go to the Tower, she had known that she would, but for some reason, having her name put in there made it feel . . . permanent. It would have taken the One Power to have forced her out, but even so she had never yet thought of the White Tower as more than a fancy school, but now it felt more like a home than anything else.

 

Welcome to the White Tower

[Lavinya]

Finally the book was closed again. Faerzyne took a moment to write down the name of the girl’s mentor on a piece of parchment, as well as a summons. The mentor she had selected would be with them soon enough. After she handed the note to a servant that passed in the hallway joined with her office, she returned to the new Novice. With a smile she walked over to one of the many cabinets. She pulled two novice dresses from the cabinet, and handed them to the girl. “These are yours to wear during the years you are a novice. You must tend to them well, mend them when they’re torn, wash them when they’re dirty. For the next years, you will not be allowed to wear anything apart from these dresses.â€

 

She settled behind her desk again, telling the young woman in front of her a little about the rules novices lived by. She went from the curfew to the restriction on venturing into Tar Valon, to the repercussions that would follow if she chose to venture into the yards without a good reason. “But you look like a sensible young woman, so I’m sure I won’t see too much of you here.†A knock on her door told her that the mentor of the girl had arrived. “Enter.†The mentor revealed herself to Faerzyne and Andreil. “I trust that you’ll tell her all she needs to know.†Faerzyne said. Her tone was dismissive. She glanced at the sun, and notice that it had shifted slightly. A while had passed since the young woman had entered her office. A while, but there was still a lot of time left. As the new mentor and mentee pair left her office she sighed, wondering if this day would end any time soon.

 

Faerzyne, MoN

[Jaydena]

ooc- So sorry I am late, lost the link and couldn't remember your screenname or character name. *hugs*

 

Jaydena sat down to eat her breakfast and wished the day to be over already, there were many tasks she was not looking forward to this day. One of which was her reports to Sirayn Sedai, her mouth twisted and fire entered her eyes. She still couldn't believed she answered to that woman and that it was that or lose her Sitter position, of course now she herself was ajah head and she didn't think Sirayn could take it away. The woman was Amyrlin Seat after all, but the ajah picked the ajah head or threw her out, so she hoped she was safe. However it was better just to stay safe and not rock that boat at this time. Biting into the strawberry in front of her she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment, ignoring the stack of paperwork and the shopping that need done. The organizing and the fact that she needed to go to her office and work there as well. She picked up the delicate cup in front of her, ivy leaves crossed the paper thin glass, and drank the tea in her glass. Her thoughts wandered to the times when she used to share her breakfast with her lover, the person she loved more than anything in life, no she just lived without anyone, her only love was for the Tower and her ajah. A lover just wasn't worth the pain, she doubted she would ever worry about that area again.

 

Unless Sirayn suddenly decided she wanted to scratch and itch. Jade laughed at that thought and started giggling quite hard. The thought of the Amyrlin Seat coming to her room for a little sheet time was just laughable. She sobered up as she thought about the fact that she wanted more than sheet time with that particular woman and it would never happen. Standing up she walked toward her door to call her servants to clean up when there was a knock at the door. Jade tilted her head as she was apt to do and opened the door. An accepted she recognized handed her note she held and Jaydena smiled at the girl she was sure would go green before shutting the door. The note was a nice paper with a seal she didn't know, she opened it and eyed the note. Her eyebrows shot up, it had been some time since she had had a new mentee and she was quite please. Might be enough to knock her out of this slump she had fallen into.

 

She walked to the mirror and checked her reflection, not that it was likely to change these days. Auburn hair was hooked atop her head in a elegant design, secured with sword shaped hair pins. The thick mass often tumbled down her curl down to her bottom, so she pushed the pins in and looked down at her clothing, a pair of black breeches, green shirt with lace at the wrists and a lace up neck. A emerald green vest fit over the top of that with silver roses embroidered up the lapels. A sword and short staffs was belted around her waist and knee high green boots completed the outfit. She hadn't taken the time to change after her run and she didn't have time now. Checking to make sure she didn't reek of sweat she glanced up into her face. It had changed much since the days she was a novice herself. Burn marks crossed her face now and she often scared small children in the street, even with her mask on. The mask covered half her forehead, around her nose, most of her cheek but luckily not her nose or chin. They all had to sacrafice something for the Tower and hers had been her beauty. She smiled and her emerald green yes lite up, well at least she still had that she thought. Well there was time now for changing so she walked out her door, setting the wards and headed to the Mistress of Novices office. As she reached it she knocked and waited for an answer, “Enter.†Jaydena entered the room and greeted the gray sister, she nodded and Faerzyne spoke, “I trust that you’ll tell her all she needs to know.†Jade smiled and led the new novice from the room. "My name is Jaydena Sedai my child, I am a Sitter for the Green ajah. What is your name?"

[Shareina Alshavar]

OOC: this is kind of short; school's started up for me, so i've only had thiry minutes at a time to post

 

Andreil waited impatiently for her mentor to arrive while listening to Faerzyne explaining some of the rules. There were quite a few by the sound of it, and she hoped that she ould keep them all straight in her mind. Just as Faerzyne was explaining about where she would be sent should she break one of the rules there was a knock on the door and an elegant woman stepped in. She was wearing a shirt and breeches, which Andreil thought very odd on a woman, but they somehow seemed to suit her, and long auburn hair flowed down her back. But at her second look, Andreil had to stifle a gasp. A mask covered nearly half of the woman’s face and she wondered what lay beneath, and why she had been unable to have it Healed; were there things that even the Power couldn’t fix? Faerzyne was speaking to her new mentor she realized, saying that she was to tell Andreil everything she needed to learn. Faerzyne took up writing again, obviously dismissing the pair of them from her mind, but the other Aes Sedai turned to Andreil and walked out of the room with her “My name is Jaydena Sedai my child, I am a Sitter for the Green ajah. What is your name?†Andreil was impressed; the stories had always been vague on what a Sitter was, but it sounded very official, but even more she liked the fact that her mentor was a Green Ajah. They were always the most legendary of the Aes Sedai, and usually the most heroic. Realizing that the woman was looking at her curiously, waiting for an answer, she quickly said ‘Andreil Shakishna. I’m . . . well a new novice.’

[Jaydena]

OOC: That's ok, dosen't have to be super long!

 

"Andreil Shakishna. I’m . . . well a new novice." Jaydena raised her eyebrows and spoke, "You are always to address any Aes Sedai as that title or for instance you may call me Jaydena Sedai, you also must call Accepted by that title or their name with Accepted in front of it. You may call me Jaydena in private but not in public. I know it will be alot of rules at first but I don't want to find you in the office I got you from to often. So tell me about yourself while we walk to your new quarters, where are you from, your family, etc." She smiled at the girl to soften the earlier reprimand and walked quickly toward the novices quarters. The girl began to describe her family and where she was from as they walked and Jade nodded as she spoke. Soon they had reached the novices quarters, a two level area which took a large chunk of the Tower.

 

These days it was very empty and she had some very clear ideas on why. Aes Sedai weren't allowed to have children anymore and she figured that was part of it, she also believed that before the breaking male channelers and female channelers often had children together and you were even more likely to have children who could channel if both parents could. Shaking her head at those thoughts she opened the door to her new mintees room and walked inside, the room was sparse, containing two small and hard beds, washstands, pitchers and bowls, a small desk, and two small dressers. She turned to Andreil and said, "This will be your quarters until you are raised to Accepted, do you have any questions or would you like to take a tour of the Tower?"

 

Jaydena Sedai

[Shareina Alshavar]

‘So tell me about yourself while we walk to your new quarters, where are you from, your family, etc.’ Andreil slowly unwound as she told about her family, relaxing a bit. She had never really liked to talk about them before, but for some reason it felt different now, easier. Her mentor nodded as she spoke, seemingly unsurprised by her past, and led Andreil through a maze of corridors filled with magnificent treasures. She had no idea how to remember where she would go, and hoped that over time it would become easier. At last they seemed to have arrived at their destination, a rather plain section (at least compared to the rest of the building) that was two stories high. For some reason, Jaydena was shaking her head about something before she pushed open the door. Andreil was let into a tiny cubicle with a pair of hard beds (she assumed she would share with someone later) and one or two other pieces of furniture, none of it fancy. She was used to living with more space, but everything looked clean and neat, so she would get used to it. "This will be your quarters until you are raised to Accepted, do you have any questions or would you like to take a tour of the Tower?" Andreil shook her head ‘No Jaydena-’ the woman’s eyebrows raised slightly and she hastily added ‘- Sedai!’ She knew what she had to do to succeed at this, it was the doing that would be the problem. She thought that she saw a tiny smile flit across Jaydena’s face before she said ‘Come on then’ and led her down a corridor to see the Tower.

[Jaydena]

Her new mentee looked around the room and seemed to be accepting of what she saw, Andreil shook her head and then spoke, ‘No Jaydena,’ Jaydena raised her eyebrows just a fraction and the girl quickly rpelied with the honorific, ‘Sedai!’Jaydena smiled at the girl and then motioned for the door, "Come on then." She walked out of the room and across the way, "This is the Accepted quarters, if you pass the Rings you will move your things here. Many people never make it that far so work hard and you might." Walking quickly she made the way through the main entrance and down. "Down here is the kitchens which you will spend much of your time in, also the storeroom for angreal which you might be lucky enough to study. The Rings are housed down here as well. First we will see the kitchen." Jade walked into the room filled with pleasant smells, scurrying novices, and the cook weilding a large wooden spoon. She smiled at the woman and then said, "This is my new mintee Andreil Shakishna, she has just come to the Tower. Andreil this is Mistress Laras, she is in charge of the kitchen and everything that goes with it. Be careful not to cross her." She smiled and then asked Laras to send up some tea and such to her room in about forty five minutes.

 

Turning from the kitchen she picked up a stack of cookies and wrapped them in a linen napking before making her way out of the kitchen. She walked quickly and then began speaking once they had reached the gardens. "There are many gardens within the Tower, these are all tended by Sisters using the One Power and often with our hands. You will work in here as well as it teaches responsability, but be careful for ruin a flower and you may have a angry sister on your hands." She chuckled and then walked toward the yards, handing a chocolate chip cookie to the girl as they walked. Coming around the corner they saw the Warders, Sisters, and Trainies within the yard. A group a Green Sisters sat watching the newly raised to Tower Guard. Jade gave them a quick smile and then spoke, "You will not be allowed here as a Novice, if you are here you had best be with an Aes Sedai. Beyond the training yard is the barracks and the great city of Tar Valon, another place you won't be allowed to go without an Aes Sedai or until you reach Accepted." She turned away and sent her gaidin a quick wink before she walked back to the ajah quarters. They walked slowly up and she showed her mentee each of the ajah quarters.

 

Finally they reached the Green Quarters, battle scenes were painted on the walls and woven into carpets, on the floor were white tiles with swords inlaid on each tile. On the large and thick doors were different weapons which symbolized rank but the novice would never know that unless she went Green. Jaydena walked to her own room and embraced the source, she removed the wards around her room and opened the door. Leading the way into her spacious suite she walked to the table and took a seat. She smiled at her mintee and spoke, "What do you think of the Tower so far my child?"

 

Jaydena Sedai

[Shareina Alshavar]

Andreil was stunned at first by the sheer size of the Tower. There was so much all around to see and take in, but even so, she could feel herself falling in love with it. She especially loved the gardens; in the northern parts of Arafel where she had lived, gardens were only for use in growing food, and the idea that they could be just for decoration was new to her. Finally, after touring the Ajah quarters, they arrived in Jaydena Sedai’s beautiful rooms, and both sat down. Jaydena smiled at her as she took her seat, and asked ‘What do you think of the Tower so far my child?’

 

Andreil, caught by surprise at that question, said the first thing that came into her head ‘It’s huge!’ she exclaimed. She saw a smile quirk at the end of Jaydena’s mouth at her enthusiasm, and quickly hurried to add ‘I- I mean it’s a bit hard to take in at once; up until today I wasn’t even quite sure what the different Ajahs did, and now I’ve seen where they live and even some of the people in them. It’s just amazing to a person who’d never traveled farther than the capital of Arafel until last year. And yet, at the same time, I feel as if I belong here, as much as I ever did at my home, and in some ways even more. I know it’s really too early to tell, but I think that I’m going to enjoy living here.’

 

OOC: now that we've passed the required length for the entrance RP, should we look for a good stopping point and end there?

[Jaydena]

ooc- we don't really worry so much about the amount of posts, this is for character development, you trying to get to know your character, it's not all about being raised. *G*

 

Jaydena laughed softly as she heard her mintee's response, "It’s huge!" Smiling she waited for the girl to continue, "I- I mean it’s a bit hard to take in at once; up until today I wasn’t even quite sure what the different Ajahs did, and now I’ve seen where they live and even some of the people in them. It’s just amazing to a person who’d never traveled farther than the capital of Arafel until last year. And yet, at the same time, I feel as if I belong here, as much as I ever did at my home, and in some ways even more. I know it’s really too early to tell, but I think that I’m going to enjoy living here." Jaydena nodded, that was a good answer. The girl seemed to have a head on her shoulders. A knock on the door sounded and she opened the door, motioning to the table she watched as the novice set the tea up on the table and curtsied before leaving the room. Jade turned to her and said, "Why don't you pour the tea my child, I have to go get something out of my room. She grinned and then walked back into her room.

 

Once inside she made a beeline for her wardrobe, she reached inside and organized something before walking out of the room with it. She handed the package to her mintee and said, "My mentor Kaylan Sedai gave me one of these many years ago and I added some things to it." She watched as Andreil opened it and revealed a wooden box made out of maple with a tear shape in the center, which was the sign of a AS, she motioned the girl to open the box, upon opening the box, you could see, several drawers and two lids that flipped up in the middle. Andreil opened the first drawer and inside we're seven glass bottles in different colors. Inside the colored bottles we're 7 different colors of paint. Brown, Green, Red, Yellow, Gray, Blue, and White. At the end of the row was a clear bottle full of a solution. Jade saw the confusion on her face and waved for her to continue opening the drawers. She wouldn't understand until she opened all the drawers. The next drawer contained a small jar which had a tray on the inside made out of wood and a small brush inside the jar with fluid. Several small squares of fabric were also in this drawer and a brush that matched the one in the liquid but was larger. She closed the drawer and then went on to the third, in it was a velvet pouch, which contained three charms done in silver, one was a tear drop like on the box, the second was a serpent eating it's own tail, and the last one was a intial, the intail A. Jade kept one of each letter so that she always had the right letter for who ever she was giving a gift to. Jade was known to give gifts on a regular basis, she had lots of money from the family business and enjoyed spending it on others.

 

She watched as the girl closed the door and looked up at her. Jade smiled and said, "Open the doors my child." Inside the doors were two more velvet pouchs. Jade watched as the girl took the first one and opening it, pulling out a pendant. It was shaped like the upside down teadrop and had a outline as though something was supposed to go on the inside of the ridge. The second pouch contained a long chain also in the sterling silver of the pendant. Jade smiled at the startled look on her face and then said, "I give this same thing to all my mintees. Hand me the box my child and I will explain it to you." Taking the box in her hand she closed it and said, "Ok this box has been stained or veneered all over except for the AS sign as you can see. If you look at you necklace and the charm that match you will notice that they are the same design. The necklace is what Kaylan gave me so long." Jade reached into her neckline and pulled a necklace just like hers but with much wear, only Jade's was painted green. Jade watched the comprehension dawning on her face and continued, "The paints in the first drawer are what you can use the paint the box, the pendant, and the charm when you decide what Ajah you have chosen. The paint should stay good for at least 15 years so don't worry about it drying out. Keep it sealed and it won't dry out. The clear bottle contains a varnish to put over the paint, so it will shine. The second drawer contains, jewelry cleaner, you can use it for these and then when you get your ring you can also clean that. The cloths and brushes are for cleaning also. You of course can't wear the charms unless your in your room, and the necklace will have to stay under you dress out of sight till you are raised." She grinned and waited to see what Andreil thought...

 

Jaydena Sedai

[Shareina Alshavar]

OOC: ok, just wasn't sure whether the post numbers were completely stuck to like they were at some websites or not

 

Andreil ran her fingers over the pendant once again. Pure silver, or at least it seemed so. Women in Nisvan, her village, had been considered wealthy if they had so much as a silver bracelet, and most only wore them for feastdays; there had been no metal workers there in living memory to make more. Looking at these, it was hard for her to believe that she now owned them. Clearing her throat, she looked at her new mentor ‘They’re beautiful’ she said simply ‘I’ve never owned anything so fine or valuable.’ Carefully she slipped the chain over her head but didn’t tuck it under her dress- she wasn’t planning on doing that until she had to, which would probably be when she was following the other novice dress-code rules tomorrow. She wasn’t looking forward to that part of her novice training, although in other ways she could barely contain her excitement at finally starting her journey towards becoming Aes Sedai.

 

She looked over at the jars of paint again; blue, red, yellow, brown, green, white, and gray. She had no idea what color her pendant and charms would be in the end. How did an Aes Sedai know? That’s a dumb question she thought wryly to herself There’s an Aes Sedai right here that I can ask! ‘Jaydena Sedai, how did you know what your Ajah was? They all seem so interesting and useful that it would be hard to choose. And would all of them accept you? What if you had decided on Yellow but have no Talent with Healing? And what made the Green Ajah so special to you that you would want to devote your life to it?’ She felt embarrassed (but controlled her blushes this time) that she had asked so many questions; she had only meant to ask one, but the others had occurred to her as soon as she began speaking, and for once in her life she hadn’t watched what she said, letting it all spill out of her mouth without thinking.

[Jaydena]

ooc- *snuggles* No worries sweetie! Sorry it took so long life got out of hand for me.

 

 

Jade could see the girl running her fingers across the silver with a thoughtful expression on her face. She still remembered when she had gotten her own necklace from her mentor, it was the richest thing she had ever owned. "They’re beautiful, I’ve never owned anything so fine or valuable." Nodding she smiled at Andreil, she understood very well how the girl felt. They had lived on a farm and her parents had farmed and hunted and they rarely had new clothing and that was made by her mother. These days she sometimes took her wealth for granted but seeing this girls reaction only brought it back to her. Andreil slipped the chain over her neck and let it dangle there, it looked good on her and seemed to fit her new start. Jaydena glanced around the room, remembering her own time as Novice. Early to bed, dropping into bed, barely remembering to take your clothing off. Early mornings filled with classes and chores, learning to touch Saidar for the first time.

 

It had been and interesting time but she wouldn't want to go back to it for anything. "Jaydena Sedai, how did you know what your Ajah was? They all seem so interesting and useful that it would be hard to choose. And would all of them accept you? What if you had decided on Yellow but have no Talent with Healing? And what made the Green Ajah so special to you that you would want to devote your life to it?" Jade chuckled softly and laid a hand on her mintees shoulder, "It's ok to ask questions my child." Taking a seat on the small bed with Andreil she spoke, "Well when I became Accepted I spent many years trying to decide what ajah I wanted to belong to. I felt a certain pull towards the Browns because I loved the study of Angreal but found that I didn't have the ability to bury myself in facts for hours. I also wanted to be a Gray but learned that despite the fact that I loved the ajah and the concept I wasn't diplomatic enough. I often let my mouth run away with me." She grinned and then continued, "I can't answer about the Yellows for I have never met a Yellow who couldn't heal. I know that we have many Greens who could have been healers in the Yellow but decided to be Green instead, after all we need healers on the Battle field. Every ajah would accept you but long before you get to that point you will know which ajah will fit you best. I found that I wanted to fight and take down evil, I wanted to many people die or be turned to the Dark side to not want to fight it. We were meant to fight evil and not join it, I want to stand at the side of the Dragon and fight in the Last Battle and being Green ensures that. Plus I really like blowing Trollocs heads off." She laughed and waited for her mentee's reaction...

 

Jaydena Sedai

CG

[Shareina Alshavar]

"Plus I really like blowing Trollocs’ heads off." Jaydena Sedai laughed, and Andreil found herself grinning too, but she wasn’t sure that she had that kind of bravery. The memories of running away from what she couldn’t face still clung to her, and the pluck that would be needed to join any Ajah whether Green or another would have to grow in her. Still, she knew that she would have to learn to face her fears sooner or later, most likely in her Arches to be raised to Accepted if she made it that far- from what she had heard about them they sounded very much like something that would make her see once again what she had run from. But whether it was to be then or twenty years from now, she knew that she would have to square with her past someday, and that the later it came the worse it would be.

 

Until that time came, perhaps she could work on learning how to defend herself and others both with the Power and without so as to keep herself from needing to run again. Learning how to Channel to fight would not come about until she had learned how to touch the One Power, but from the looks of some of the Aes Sedai, her mentor among them, they knew how to defend themselves quite ably without Channeling a spark. Remembering that she was allowed to ask questions of her mentor, she said curiously ‘Jaydena Sedai, how- how could I learn how to fight? Not just with the Power, but physically with a weapon or your own hands and feet as well. I’ve always felt myself terribly helpless in bad situations because I was one of those needing to be protected, and I want to be able to start helping the world instead of depending on it.’

[Jaydena]

Jaydena waited silently for the girl to speak, and wasn't totally suprised at her questions, "Jaydena Sedai, how- how could I learn how to fight? Not just with the Power, but physically with a weapon or your own hands and feet as well. I’ve always felt myself terribly helpless in bad situations because I was one of those needing to be protected, and I want to be able to start helping the world instead of depending on it." Jaydena considered the girl for a moment, it was uncommon for a girl to want to learn how to fight, usually it meant several things, the novice wanted to become a green, the novice had lost something important and hadn't been able to defend it, or the novice wanted to learn how to fight with not just the power. She smiled and spoke in a firm voice, "During your time as Novice your studies will be focused on learning how to quickly embrace the source, how to recognize elements from other elements, how to clean a pot, and learn teamwork and many other important qualities."

 

Giving the Novice a quick glance she continued, "You as a Novice will not be allowed to go into the Warders Yard, you will not be allowed to channel without permission, and you will not be allowed into Tar Valon. Without these things you cannot learn to defend yourself, plus you will be much to busy to learn to fight. When you are raised to Accepted you will begin to train with the Warders in hand to hand as well as weapons if you wish to. There are of course many women who never learn to fight with the Power or with weapons. Mostly it's the greens that learn from the warders but on occasion we see people from other ajahs training with them. I guess it depends on your personal view point on fighting, some think it lowering to fight with anything but the One Power." She nodded and continued, "I know what it is have to be defended by others but soon before you know it really you will be the one protecting yourself and others."

 

Jaydena Sedai

_________________

[Shareina Alshavar]

"I know what it is to have to be defended by others but soon before you know it really you will be the one protecting yourself and others." Andreil nodded as Jaydena Sedai spoke. It made sense really, taking things one step at a time and training her mind before her body. If she would have to wait those few years to be allowed to start- well it would be worth the price to know that she was able to take care of herself. Not really able to think of any more questions or anything else to talk about, she finished her tea in silence, trying to order her thoughts. Looking out the window she realized with a start that the sun was already beginning to set, and that curfew would fall only a few minutes after that. Quickly, she stood up and curtsied awkwardly (for her it was a wonder that she didn’t fall over trying to do it) and said ‘Thank you Jaydena Sedai for showing me around the Tower and for the necklace, but I really should be leaving so I can find my way to my bedroom.’ She thought she could remember the way back. She thought she could. She did have a more than decent sense of direction . . . but even so, she wanted to leave with a few minutes to spare. Jaydena Sedai nodded in acceptance and she curtsied again, this time having to catch her balance on the table when her skirt caught under her foot, and left the room.

[Jaydena]

Her mintee stood as soon as they had finished their tea and curtsied before speaking, ‘Thank you Jaydena Sedai for showing me around the Tower and for the necklace, but I really should be leaving so I can find my way to my bedroom.’ Jaydena nodded and motioned for the door. Her new mintee curtsied and caught her foot, just catching herself on the table. She smiled at her, for she remember how the first curtsies had gone and years from now this girl would be an expert at it. With that Andreil walked from the room and Jaydena stood up. Things never got easier but she had days like to today to remind her why she fought. That young girl might one day become an Aes Sedai and it would be partly due to her, one day she might fight for the Battle Ajah against all evil and she would have a hand in it. There was nothing like shaping the heart and mind of a new novice. She smiled and headed off to call an Accepted or Novice for the tea tray...

 

Jaydena Sedai