Moving in: Alexis' Entrance (Attention MoN and Maegan)

[Rapture]

Alexis stood outside of a large door and sighed loudly. She felt like a fool just standing there, staring at the door and thought that she really should knock on it at some point, but she couldn't bring herself to it. She knew that as soon as she stepped through that doorway, there was no going back home.

 

She lowered her gaze to the floor and hugged her arms more tightly around herself as she reflected on the events of the last couple weeks; the laundry service that she worked for with her sisters, that night in the alley in the city, the Aes Sedai. She blushed when she remembered biting the woman's Warder. Her face only reddened more when she thought about one of her walks around the Tower grounds after her Healing. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and had managed to go to close to the Warder's training yard. One of the boys there stopped her and asked her if she was lost, and Alexis couldn't even reply. She just turned around and ran away from him as fast as her legs would carry her.

 

Now she stood in front of the door to the office of the Mistress of Novices. She sighed again and raised her hand slowly, keeping her eyes on the floor and her other arm tightly about her. She closed her eyes and knocked, holding her breath and half hoping the woman wouldn't be in right now. When no answer came, Alexis was relieved and she turned to leave. So when a voice came and told her to enter, she felt the color drain out of her face.

 

Taking a deep breath, Alexis muttered to herself, "Now or never," and turned to push the door open and enter.

[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. “Enter.†She called, looking up as the door was pushed open, a young girl standing outside. 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 Grigory, MoN

[Rapture]

Alexis barely had time to step aside before she was knocked over by a blur of white that bolted past her and into the hall. She turned, staring after the other girl blankly for a minute, and then returned her gaze to her shoes and turned back into the office. She performed a wobbly sort of curtsey for the woman behind the desk, and she risked peeking out at the Aes Sedai from behind the locks of hair in her face.

 

The Sedai introduced herself and Alexis felt her mouth go dry. "I...um..I am A..Alexis C..Cristos," she stuttered and then tried to swallow, "Aes Sedai."

The woman regarded her coolly and Alexis chewed on her bottom lip for another minute before she dropped her gaze again and said in almost a whisper, "They...the Aes Sedai that Healed me said that I had to come and speak with you. Th..they said that I could channel." She was panting now and was suprised to find that she was trembling as well.

 

Alexis dared to glance around the office but her eyes found the floor in front of her soon enough and she folded her arms tightly about her. She sighed to herself and added, "I think I am to be a Novice." She really wasn't sure what else she should say and she began to feel exposed under the Aes Sedai's gaze, so she nervously scuffed her feet and chewed on her lip and wished that she could catch her breath.

[Lavinya]

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 Alexis‘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, MoN

[Rapture]

Alexis gave her name again when asked for it, and the Mistress of Novices wrote it down. Somewhere inside of her, a little voice said, Well, no going back now. She was asked where she was from and again, Alexis answered, never lifting her gaze to meet the Aes Sedai's. She wondered what would become of her now, what if she failed? What if she couldn't be Aes Sedai?

 

Welcome to the White Tower.

 

It was done now, she was sealed. Alexis shifted in her seat and studied her shoes, trying to figure out what she needed to do next. Should she just stand up and ask permission to leave? She glanced up at the Aes Sedai again as the woman was writing something on a piece of paper. She should say something.

 

"Thank you, Aes Sedai," Alexis said very quietly and then stood up and tried to curtsey again. She wondered if she would ever get that right. She looked around the office and then asked, "What do I do now?"

 

 

(sorry this is so short, my son keeps distracting me)

[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 Alexis. “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

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Maegan found herself in piles of paper. Usually paper were a guilty pleasure, words upon words scrawled out for her enjoyment. Usually her eyes were glued to the page until every word was read. Usually. But this time she found herself with her spcticles off her face with her fingers rubbing her eyes. Bloody politics. There was always a downside to being a Sitter. And even her own E&E's were letting her know exactly what she didn't want to know. And even as she turned away, they could not deny what she already knew.

 

*Knock Knock*

 

"Come in." She called to the door, and an older Novice, Andorian and about a good foot and a half taller than herself stepped in. "Yes child?" She used the term for Novices she did not know, although she distinctly did not like it anymore than she did like hearing it as a Novice.

 

"You have been requested to the Mistress of Novices Office." Maegan raised an eyebrow, and then placing her specticles on her nose, She nodded to the girl.

 

"Very well. you may leave as your assistance is no longer aquired."

 

Heading into the Office, she greeted the child just outside Faerzyne's office. Maegan smiled at the girl.

 

"Welcome to the Tower. I'm Maegan Sedai and I am to be your mentor for as long as you need me. Come, let just take you to your room and have you change. What is your name, Child? Where are you from?"

 

 

Mae

 

(your more than welcome to open up!!)

[Rapture]

How do you keep white clean at all times? Alexis fussed to herself as she started out of the Mistress of Novices office. She started when she was very suddenly greeted by another Aes Sedai who introduced herself as Maegan Sedai, her mentor.

 

"Alexis Cristos, from Saldaea, Maegan Sedai," Alexis answered the woman's question quietly and then ignored the urge to scream out that she had changed her mind and wanted to go home.

 

The pair walked through the halls towards the Novice quarters and Alexis hugged herself tighter, ignoring the fact that she was wrinkling the dresses she held while doing so. She tried to think of any questions that she could ask Maegan Sedai, not because she really wanted conversation, but because she felt that the Aes Sedai was expecting it. Suddenly, a horrible realization crossed Alexis' mind and she had to ask a question that she had been hoping to avoid.

 

"Maegan Sedai," Alexis said quietly to get the woman's attention, "Will they punish you if you can't..." but she stopped short when a group of girls walked past them. Light! No one else here needs to know this. It was hard enough to admit it! She took a deep breath and then sighed in relief when the girls disappeared down the hall. She looked back to the Aes Sedai who was staring at her expectantly. Alexis swallowed and it hurt her throat to do so, but she did it and then whispered, "Will they punish me because I don't read so well?"

 

She felt ashamed of herself and she immediately returned her gaze to the floor and gave her arms a squeeze. This is where I get punished for not saying so before. she thought to herself, hunching her shoulders a little more.

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Like most girls that came to the tower, she was also withdrawn. Maegan bet the girl also had a fascinating story to tell, like all the others. But what she found disconcerning was the girls posture. It was if she had no pride to life her head up. Inwardly Maegan was full of consern. Although a mentor at the tower was to help guid little girls, the biggest challenge was to know the girls that would soon become thier allies. Maegan was almost happy that she did not wear her Red Shawl. So many feared the crimson. But they didn't know. How could they.

 

"Maegan Sedai," As accute her hearing was, she caught the whisper loud and clear, "Will they punish you if you can't..." She prepared herself to keep from being shocked by what the girl might ask. "Will they punish me because I don't read so well?"

 

It was then that Maegan smiled very warmly. "Why would we punish you if you can not read well. Do you at least know our letters?" The girl nodded. "Than you know more than more than half the girls that enter the Tower. Few know thier letters, and even fewer knew how to read more than a simple document. Do not worry about what you can or can not do. We teach you so much more than how to control your latent ability to Channel. We teach you how to walk, talk, how to write eloquently and also the in's and outs of Politics."

 

Maegan couldn't help but giggle at her own enthusiasm. Even for being over 100 years old, Maegan still felt like a young girl. But than, she hoped fervishouly, the child has not had to kill.

 

"I, myself, was not able to start writing documents for years because," Maegan pulled off her glasses, "I'm practically blind without my specticles. Had to have anouther girl read my notes to me and such so i could study. Do not be daunted by the work, you have many years to learn all that you are expected to know."

 

 

 

Maegan

Sitter of the Red