Defensive Weaves (Attn: Accepted)- Lesson 2

[U4ea]

Loraine arranged the room so that the chairs were away from the center of the room, but arranged in a circle around the edge. She dusted off her hands and looked around, a small smile on her lips. She hadn't taught a class in years and it felt a little strange to be in the classrooms again. It brought back memories that made her frown as much as smile and she had to put those thoughts away as she looked out the window over the grounds. She could feel Kynwric out in the Yards and wondered at the slight bit of frustration she felt in the back of her head. He must be training a new recruit, she thought, a little smile returning to her lips. Sometimes he needed a bit of frustration and Light knew he got little enough from her these days. She was far too tired.

 

She heard footsteps behind her and turned her smile on the young ladies the steps they belong to. "Hello, come and find a seat, anywhere you like."

[Moseley]

Salandrian tossed the sheets off her bed as if to throw off the memories of the nightmare she'd been having. She'd gone to bed after reading a particularly vivid description of the Trolloc Wars from the account of a Green sister fighting a Halfman. In Ebou Dar, Shadowspawn had been tales children told to frighten one another, and only that. Some travelers had claimed to have seen Trollocs, and a few, Myrddraal. Salandrian had always dismissed them as gleemen's tales. Since studying in the Tower though, she'd learned that they were as real as saidar was. She kept her room well lit now, just to make sure no Myrddraal appeared out of the shadows. There were times though when she could have sworn she saw something moving in the corner. She shook her head before beginning her morning ablutions.

 

Her first duty today was a weaving class with a Green, Loraine Sedai. It could not come too soon, in Salandrian's view. She hurried off to the classroom, following strangely empty corridors. A figure shifted in the corner of her eye. Salandrian turned and nearly embraced the Power. "Who's there?" she asked. Then she looked down and saw it was only a cat slinking by.

 

"Don't you dare embrace it, child." Salandrian jumped and turned again. It was a stern looking Aes Sedai in grey, but had given Salandrian quite the fright. Her heart was beating heavily in her chest. "I am sorry, Aes Sedai. I thought I saw...I thought the cat was..." She trailed off once she realized how silly her story seemed. "It will not happen again. I am late for a class with Loraine Sedai, if you will excuse me, Aes Sedai." She curtsied and went on her way, though she could not help but glance over her shoulder.

 

She entered the classroom at the tail end of the other Accepted without further incidence. "Hello, come and find a seat, anywhere you like."

 

Salandrian sat in the center of the room, surrounded by her fellow Accepted and found that she could breath easily for the first time all morning. Those bloody Myrddraal!

 

Salandrian Faerhind

Accepted of the White Tower

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Nenen was nearly late.  Trying to balance a few books and prevent her notes from flying at the same time was not a good idea when the wind blew down the corridors, magnified when the place narrowed.  Strands of golden hair whipped her face, making her narrow her eyes to prevent any of it from going into her hair.  In her blue eyes was reflected the anxiety of the time, for she had woken up late, and was now rushing to the class after snatching a bit to eat at the kitchens.

 

She strode briskly along the corridor, for now was not to practise the art of gliding used by Aes Sedai.  There, in her opinion, were more important things in her life than being serene all the time.  Sometimes emotion helped to sway the point.  Hopefully Loraine Sedai would be a bit forgiving of her tardiness if she appeared apologetic.  She was already nearing the classroom, and as she turned the corner, she saw the door to the class close shut firmly behind her.

 

Damn!

 

Breaking into a run, she sped through the last dozen or so paces and threw open the door with a Crack!  Causing several of the Accepted in the room to jump.  She curtsied to Loraine Sedai.  "Good morning Loraine Sedai!  I'm sorry I'm late."  she said, before hurrying to the empty seat at the back of the class, putting down all her materials and stacking them on the empty table next to her, hoping against hope that the class hadn't started, and that she hadn't earned a black mark with the teacher.  Yet.

 

Nenen Kailadel

Fighter of the Five

Somewhat Anxious

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled at the class of Accepted as they entered the room. When they were settled, she moved to stand in the center of the room. "I'm very pleased you all made it and I hope this class will prove useful in more ways than one. I am Loraine and I'll be teaching you some defense weaves. I'm a Green, but regardless of which Ajah you choose, you will eventually go out into the world. I'm sure you're aware that the world outside the Tower grounds can sometimes be less than friendly for Aes Sedai. My goal in this class is to teach you a few weaves that will protect you or buy you time to get away from an attacker or an uncomfortable situation before it's too late."

 

She smiled, drawing in saidar and pulling a few threads together to form a few small weaves before them. "This is a sample of what I will be teaching you. I know they look daunting, but I promise, by the time I'm finished with you, these will be easy and you'll be able to defend yourself in the blink of an eye." She let all but one weave disappear and smiled, waving her class to their feet. "Come, we'll start with this one. This is a simple shield. You should be able to handle it, regardless of how strong you are with any given element. All you need is a tight weave of Air, shot through with Spirit for strength."

 

She slowly unraveled the small shield she'd created, making sure everyone could see how she laced the threads together. When it was finished, she started the weave over, taking her time and layering the Air so that there were no gaps in the weave and then weaving a thin thread of Spirit through it. "Try a small shield first, until you get the used to the patterns. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I want you to be comfortable enough to get the help you need, before the help you're desperate for isn't there."

 

She smiled, extending her weave and leaving it hanging in the air for reference as the Accepted around her embraced saidar and began working on their weaves.

 

~Lor

 

Feel free to use Lor to answer your questions. This shield is a simple weave of Air, shot through with Spirit, so it shouldn't be too difficult. :) Have Fun!

[Moseley]

"I'm sure you're aware that the world outside the Tower grounds can sometimes be less than friendly for Aes Sedai. My goal in this class is to teach you a few weaves that will protect you or buy you time to get away from an attacker or an uncomfortable situation before it's too late."

 

Salandrian liked Loraine Sedai's frankness. It was such a welcome change from the scheming, politicking, conniving that the other Aes Sedai excelled at. She knew that it allowed the Tower to wield the power it had, but it was slightly disturbing to her. Maybe the Greens kept their sensibility because they acted, not plotted. Maybe Green was right for her. She certainly wouldn't fear Myrddraal then!

 

As closely as she watched Loraine Sedai's weave, it was difficult for her to copy it. She embraced saidar and used Air to begin weaving. The shield pattern was intricate, but it repeated itself. Come on, bloody shield! Using the hand motions, she tried to copy the other Accepted. One girl, a tall Saldaean, finished her weave and bobbed up and down like a novice. Insistent that she would not be discouraged, Salandrian worked faster, though that caused her to loose the weave all-together. She took a deep breath and began again.

 

She started again with Air and at first felt that it was almost falling into place. She looked up for a brief second to make sure no one else had finished, and saw Loraine Sedai standing in front of her, watching. The Aes Sedai's watchful eyes made her nervous, and she sped up. If I can't get this simple weave, I won't stand a chance. Get it silly girl! Salandrian dropped the weave for a second time and scowled at herself. She shook her head and again embraced the Source. Speed certainly wasn't helping.

 

For a third time, she began the weave. It felt more comfortable, more familiar to her now. Loraine Sedai was helping another Accepted now. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Feeling Air as she pushed and pulled, threaded and prodded it into place. Slowly but surely her shield was taking shape. Anticipation grew in her stomach as she nearly finished. Using Spirit to shoot through the shield, she finished it and tied her weave off. She could not help but beam as she admired her handiwork.

 

Salandrian Faerhind

Accepted of the White Tower

 

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Air and Spirit?  Nenen thought, her eyes narrowing slightly.  Not a very good combination for me, if I say so myself.  She sighed.  The basic requisite of most shields were at least a basic strength in Air.  Nenen had long discovered before she had ever become Accepted that her strengths certainly did not lie in Air.  Her weaknesses did.  But she saw this class as an opportunity to curb this weakness, to increase, if not her strength, but her knowledge of the weaves that went with the weaves of Air.

 

Fortunately however, the weave that Loraine showed was not very complicated.  Truth to tell, it was simpler than most weaves she had learnt since coming to the Tower.  She concentrated hard, embracing the Power, and went through the weave slowly.  Flows of Wind flashed in the air in front of her, and her eyes narrowed further as she guided each one into the precise place each weave was supposed to take.

 

As the last flow of  fell into place, the shield was erected in front of her.  Smiling in triumph, she nearly did a jig on the ground, but restrained herself at the last moment as the gaze of Loraine Sedai fell on her.  Swallowing slightly, she let the weave disappate and tried again.

 

Standing up, she tried again, and the shield fell into place, the flows coming together and falling into place easily.  The flows of Air were braided together simply, in an in-out pattern, with Spirit winding in and out of them at distinct, seperate intervals.  The shield was erected, the only indication that it had been formed was the slight shimmer in the air at its boundary, as well as the weave itself.

 

Nenen Kailadel

Fighter of the Five

Satisfied

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled and nodded at each of her students as their shields formed. They still needed a little work, but if these girls were anything like she'd been at their age, they'd keep practicing this over and over until they could do it in their sleep. She waved her class back to their seats and waited for them to turn their eyes back to her before she moved on.

 

"You all did a marvelous job with that weave. I'm sure you'll get better at it the longer you practice." She smiled and reached for saidar again, twisting together an easy weave of Air until she had a little rope of it that was about 3 feet long. "Now, here's one I used a lot when I was an Accepted. It becomes very useful, in fact, I still use a variation of this one on my door. There are a lot of different things you can do with this one, depending on your purpose. My goal is to teach you the basic Ward here." She grinned as she started drawing out a thin thread of Spirit. "Besides, I'm sure you'll be experimenting with this one later, too."

 

"The purpose of this Ward is to give me a signal when someone crosses it. I used it mainly to line doorways, to let me know when someone is in my room without my permission." She smiled, slowly threading the Spirit through the weave in a simple in and out pattern. "There you are. Now, it's your turn! Let me know if you need my help!"

 

 

 

~Loraine

ps- Feel free to have Lor help however you want. :) Have fun!

[U4ea]

OOC: *nudges participants*

[Moseley]

Loraine smiled as she twisting together an easy weave of Air until she had a little rope of it that was about 3 feet long. "Now, here's one I used a lot when I was an Accepted. It becomes very useful, in fact, I still use a variation of this one on my door. There are a lot of different things you can do with this one, depending on your purpose. My goal is to teach you the basic Ward here." Salandrian appreciated Loraine's openness with her students. Despite her ageless face and the Great Serpent ring, the Aes Sedai haughtiness had not touched her.

 

Loraine grinned as she added Spirit. "Besides, I'm sure you'll be experimenting with this one later, too." Salandrian couldn't help but grin back at her. She looked around, and when she saw that no one else had smiled, she quickly covered her mouth. She didn't want the other girls to think her a teacher's pet. Deep down, she knew she needed to only please herself, but satisfying the teacher was easier sometimes.

 

"The purpose of this Ward is to give me a signal when someone crosses it. I used it mainly to line doorways, to let me know when someone is in my room without my permission." She smiled, slowly threading the Spirit through the weave in a simple in and out pattern. "There you are. Now, it's your turn! Let me know if you need my help!"

 

Air had never been Salandrian's strongest element, so she modified the weave. She made the rope of Air shorter, but threaded more Spirit through to compensate. A small bang! and a puff of smoke sent Salandrian jumping back. No one was hurt, and nothing more appeared. But Loraine Sedai came to her side. "Aes Sedai, can you help me figure this out?" She explained to the Green what she'd done, then frowned.

 

Salandrian Faerhind

Accepted of the White Tower

[U4ea]

Loraine smiled and nodded, having seen the weave out of the corner of her eye. "A bit to much Spirit, it looks like. Try it this way." She smiled and twisted the weave again, leaving the Air hanging until Salandrian had echoed it. Only then did she slide a thread of Spirit into the weave. "It's as easy as that! Try the Spirit..."

 

~Lor

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Nenen frowned as she embraced Saidar and channeled.  The weave was not a very complex one.  But neither was it extremely simple either, till she could do it on the first try with a wave of her hand, like she had done the shield, though that one had been a touch more difficult than usual because of her weakness in Air and the fact that the shield was slighltly modified.  Air shot through with Spirit now, formed a ward.  Raising her hand, she moved it in a circle, even as the weave of Spirit and Air fell into place around her.

 

Tying off the weave, Nenen stepped across the line to test the ward.  There was a flash of light that illuminated the area around her, and a loud chime that hung in the air long after it should have died.  Nenen nodded appreciatively.  She know knew how to use this weave, to prevent people from intruding on her privacy without giving her some small amount of warning first.  Smiling, Nenen untied the weave and let it disappate, then set about to modify it slightly, if only for a bit of originality.

 

This time, she modified it such that the weave contained more Air, woven in a more intricate fashion than usual.  Stepping over the line this time, Nenen was shocked to find herself hauled into the air by her own weaves.  She gasped and tried to struggle, without much success, even as another flash of light illuminated the room.  Looking around desperately for the Aes Sedai, she spotted Loraine Sedai in a corner of the room, helping another Accepted.

 

"Loraine Sedai"  she half-shrieked, on the verge of losing control,  "HELP!"

 

Nenen Kailadel

Fighter of the Five

Panicking

[Wayward_fool]

((OOC: Hihi... sorry to interrupt, but are newly Raised Accepted allowed to join in?))

[U4ea]

(OOC: I say c'mon in! I'll make you run laps for being late. *smirks*)

 

Loraine turned at the sound of someone calling her name and stopped herself from running over to help out. She smiled and tilted her head, moving closer and holding up her hand towards the Accepted. "First you have to calm down, child. Stop fighting the weave, it's not going to hurt you. Now, let's all use this as a teaching moment. I'm not putting you on the spot for modifying your weave, my dear, but I'd like us to see if we can pick apart your modifications in order to tell you how to free yourself from them. I don't see any dangerous threads, but I'm sure you're not terribly comfortable. Let's see if we can figure this one out quickly and get her free. You all need to know how to do this in order to free yourself when one of your own weaves inevitably goes its own way."

 

She stepped closer, letting her eyes trail along the weave until she found the problem. A few threads of Air had layered up really thick in a section and it seemed as if the whole weave was contorting towards the knot. She tilted her head and made her way in a full circuit around the Accepted before stopping and recreating the weave for the others. She spread it out before her, a fine sheen of sweat appearing on her brow as she fought to keep hers from contracting and trapping her the way Nenen's had.

 

"There. I've copied the weave exactly as Nenen's has been modified. Does anyone see where we need to start to straighten it out and free her without knocking everyone in the room down with the expulsion of Air?"

 

~Lor

I swear I'm not being mean!

[Amadine]

*bump*