Research in the Library, fun times to be had!

[Phelix]

OOC: Hey all! This thread is to satisfy our novice life requirement, and will follow the outline posted in the Whisperhole board. Take a look there if you feel lost. ;)

 

IC:

 

Walking to the Library, Elin tried to smile at the other girls walking along with her. It was a beautiful day, with warm blue skies, so there really wasn't any reason to be glum. Even if they were going to spend the day deep in one of the darkest libraries the Tower possessed. Their class had been on Aes Sedai interaction with governments, taught by an Accepted who seemed halfway between the dreamy lost personality of a Brown and the political sharpness one would expect of a Blue. No matter her personality, she expected the girls to pay attention to her lecture, and when she caught one novice staring out the window for a third time, she decided to discipline the whole class. Elin wasn't too irritated with the other girl. She enjoyed digging through the Libraries, and an hour of unsupervised research time was bound to be more fun than sitting in a classroom being lectured.

 

The Library they were sent to was one of the older libraries in the Tower. It was located two floors below ground in the Southern wing of the Tower, and all the light was provided by tied off globes of light. Elin could see the weaves now, and knew she could make a similar globe, if she had to, but it would be smaller. She'd heard that some unlucky novice was tasked with recreating those globes once a week because she had complained about learning to make the smaller version. Poor girl.

 

At the front desk, another Accepted sat, leaning on her fist, her eyes half shut. She leapt to attention when the door opened though, and seemed a bit irritated to find the group of novices standing in front of her.

 

"I took a turn at this library so I wouldn't have to deal with a gaggle of foolish girls," she muttered not quite to herself. "What brings you all here?"

 

Stepping forward, Elin spoke for the group. "Our class was given a research assignment, Accepted. We were told to come to this library to find books on Aes Sedai interaction with governments."

 

"Well, that is such a narrow topic, I'm sure none of you will pick the same Aes Sedai, or the same government to write about." The Accepted must be far from taking the test to become Aes Sedai, because she let her irritation show all over her face and she made no effort to hide her sarcasm. "Follow me, then."

 

The Accepted lead the novices deep into the library, and after a few twists and turns, and perhaps sixty paces, they found a group of study desks. Each desk had a supply of ink, pens, and paper, as well as a small sconce where one could place a globe of light for personal use.

 

"Girls, while I am here, each of you, if you're able, weave your own globe of light. I don't want to have to come back for someone to weave it later, and I will take note of any who don't weave one now, but suddenly have one later." She glared as each of the novices wove a small globe of light, and tied it to the sconce. "Good, now, get to work."

 

Sitting at her desk, Elin began brainstorming ideas for her paper. The Accepted had been right when she complained about the topic. It was ridiculously broad. Almost every Aes Sedai had some interaction with at least one government. Perhaps she should narrow it to how Aes Sedai have manipulated governments, or how they have submitted to them... though, that last would only have one example, the governors who served under Hawkwing.

 

Elin began to lose herself in the writing process, until something disturbed her.

 

OOC: Take it away, someone!

[Zentopia]

There was a soft thunk next to Elin as Bennu trotted up carrying a small stack of four books, and dropped them on the desk next to her. She’d headed straight into the stacks before she’d even started jotting down ideas; for the young Abravanel, she got her best ideas by looking at what the shelves offered and letting her mind do cognitive leaps, rather than coming up with the subject first then beginning her researching.

 

"Do you have any idea where we should begin with this?" the novice asked Elin, a grumble in her voice as she slid into her seat. She gazed glumly at the tomes in front of her for a moment, then sighed, picking up her pen and spinning it through her fingers. "This is like chasing after a school of rushlights - they're all worth catching, but with the way they swim and shine to distract you, you find yourself going after five when you mean to go after just one.” Another glance at the books, and she shook her head. “I love research. I love libraries. Honestly, I do – I grew up in one! – but this…”

 

The darkskinned Tairen picked up the first book, emblazoned with the title An Examination of the Court of Cairhien Before Hawkwing, and flipped it open. She flipped through a few pages, musing to herself. “We’ll practically be tripping over shawls in this one….when weren’t they there, is more the question I’d be asking…” Bennu dipped her pen in the inkwell, and scribbled down a few notes before putting the book aside.

 

“Hmm. Elin, can you use this one in any way?” Bennu asked, offering the leatherbound book to her, the light blue silk marker stirring idly in a slight breeze. She was already focusing on the next one, a tome with a rather faded cover. It was hard to tell what precisely its title was.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Chikara

[Grimmlocke]

Nanna stumped up a tall ladder, trying to make sense of whatever system the library was designed around. She grumbled angrily to herself at the foolishness of the entire affair. Imagine, punishing a whole class just because one girl wasn't paying attention! Not that the Accepted's lecture wasn't boring. Nanna herself had resorted to following the child's movements with her eyes while wondering how much longer the droning of the woman's voice would continue! Her eyes lighted on a book with an attractive-looking red leather cover. She took a moment to read the title, slowly mouthing out the words as she sounded them out for herself. On Tairen Nobility and the One Power.

 

“A likely candidate.” She grabbed the book from the shelf and slowly descended, looking back behind herself to make sure she didn't bump into a pile of books on her way down. She stepped back off the ladder and onto solid ground with a quick sigh of relief. Something about ladders had put her nerves on edge every time she set foot on one. She remembered the time she had taken quite the fall when she put her foot on a rotted slat.

 

She ambled over to a nearby table and tossed the heavy book down onto it. The resulting thud echoed down the book cases in almost every direction, fading quickly as the sound was muffled by the thousands of pages of paper in the immediate vicinity. Dust flew up into Nanna's face, tickling her nose. She scrunched up her face and pinched her nose, trying not to sneeze. Sneeze she did, however, releasing an uncharacteristically delicate squeak that went no further than the nearest Novice. She shook her head once to clear it and then flopped as well as a thick-waisted woman of middling years could into the waiting chair. It squeaked in protest, and for one sickening moment Nanna worried that the aged wood would give out underneath her bulk. Thankfully it didn't, and Nanna could get back to fuming.

 

Call her a girl, would she? That Librarian Accepted would have sung a different tune in her kitchen! Even there, in the Library, Nanna had had half a mind to grab the cheeky little thing by the hair and box her ears until they came right off her head! The image was so satisfying that Nanna repeated it again with a vigorous nod. Finally, with nothing left to do but get to work, she flipped the book open and started to read, her finger slowly following the line of the first sentence as she crept along, a low murmur starting as she quietly read aloud to herself.

 

She was so engrossed in trying to translate the words on the page into something resembling sense that she didn't even notice her fist clenching, or the frustration starting to well up within her. She had always hated practicing, had always hated being slower than those around her. It was one of the reasons she had never forced herself to read more than a few pages at a time. Finally, the irritation broke her concentration, and she looked around the room. A few paces away two of the other novices from her class were near enough to begin a soft conversation, one holding out a book, the other reading idly from a completely different tome while she listened. Jealousy joined frustration as she looked at the pair. They seemed to have no trouble reading, while she sat, mouthing out words to herself like some kind of idiot.

 

Nanna looked down at the page, furiously blinking away the tears that tried to form. She was a grown woman after all, and she didn't have time for any self-pitying nonsense!

 

OOC: Sorry if it's a bit lengthy. This isn't my typical post size.

[Phelix]

OOC: No worries Grimm! It's good IC stuff. :D

 

IC:

 

Elin took the book from Bennu, and flipped through it. "Yes, this could be useful as a contrast. I was hoping to write about how Aes Sedai served as bureaucrats and governors under the High King. Maybe I'll use this to lead into that, and follow it up with what happened after the collapse of Hawkwing's Empire."

 

As Elin got up to go look for the next books she would need, she saw the older woman, Nanna, sitting off on her own. She motioned for Bennu to follow her over to the older Novice. Once they were reasonably close, Elin coughed to get Nanna's attention.

 

"Nanna, Bennu and I were about to go look for a few more books. Would you like to come with us?" Elin's time serving as the town's outsider had taught Elin what that look of loneliness meant, how it hurt to be kept to the outside, even if only by omission and tacit actions. Yes, Nanna was different. The Aes Sedai had decided to open the novice book wider, they said to better prepare the Tower for the Last Battle. But those reasons didn't matter. Nanna was going through a transition just as rough as the one Elin was, or any other novice for that matter, even if she was approaching novicedom from a completely different point in life.

 

Elin tucked a loose strand of hair back under her bonnet, and smiled at Nanna, hoping the older woman would come with them, and hoping Bennu would pick up on what, and why, she was doing.

[Zentopia]

Bennu grimaced. That was a subject and a half, right there. "I wish you joy on that one, then. Can't wait to see what you come up with." The girl handed the book to Elin and turned her full attention on the text still in front of her. It had probably been a lovely tome, decades ago. The dark green cover had been embossed with gold, once upon a time, but age and a million different hands had worn it down to mere flecks that shed on her fingers, making it hard to see the title anymore. Even the small globes of light weren't really enough to bring the book's name into focus. That was truly a shame. It really could use some repair to bring it back to its former glory, and she did know how to do that. Perhaps she could ask the Mistress of Novices if she could take it and refurbish it as a project.

 

Later, she told herself. Assignment first, personal time later. She sighed, opened the book and flipped through the pages, scanning it for what it contained. At first glance, she was not impressed as the writing style was as dense as as the caulking on a ship. "Probably won't be using this ei – hmm. An index.“ One long finger flitted down the table of contents, and she grunted. “All right, I might use this one. It's covering sisters in Murandy, though – huh. Does Murandy even have nobility worth an Aes Sedai's time?” For all that she was a Tairen noble, she’d never really given the inwardly fractious tiny country much thought, politically speaking. Those of higher rank than her family certainly hadn’t, and wished they’d just get absorbed by Andor already. Or, at least, that’s what her parents always said.

 

If I want to be an Aes Sedai, the dark haired girl thought, that will doubtless have to change. Maybe studying how the sisters had influenced the country, and how that turned out, would be a worthy subject, and help her understand her homeland’s politics in the process. Oh yes.

 

“Yes. Definitely keeping this one,” she murmured, with a nod of satisfaction. “I…eh? What are you--?” Bennu peered in the direction Elin pointed, with a slight frown. She was somewhat put out at the distraction from her book, but the annoyance vanished when she saw who Elin was indicating. Ah, one of the older novices, clearly struggling through a tome you could kill a horse with, but trying gamely all the same. The young scholar was immediately sympathetic; old texts could be overwhelming, even when you were used to the overwrought anguage in them. And for those that weren’t….years of assisting in her family’s library had her responding by sheer instinct. Of course she’d try and help her!

 

She placed her chosen book in a nice safe spot on the desk before following Elin over to their fellow novice, nodding in agreement with her words. "Oh, yes – Nanna, is it? - why not come with us? Elin’s right. A task shared is a task halved - or in this case, thirded." She gave the older woman a cheerful smile.

[Grimmlocke]

Nanna was so engrossed in the book that she hadn't noticed the two other women approaching her. She gave a small jump when someone coughed near her, no small feat for a woman her size, and looked up, irritated at the interruption. Bad enough that they were more skilled than her at this particular task, they had to come rub her face in it too? She was about to open her mouth to tell them off when the Amadician girl actually invited her along with them while they went out looking for more books? She couldn't keep the somewhat incredulous look from her face. The Accepted had made no secret of their disdain for her, nor had some of the Aes Sedai, and most of the other Novices were quick to take their cues from the Sisters when it came to dealing with her. She wasn't treated as badly as saw, a few of the Wilders were, but she was still somehow less than the other, younger Novices. Why were they helping her? She had lived long enough to see a helpful hand turn out to be a hidden fist, a friendly smile turn into a mocking grin. Which left the choice up to her. Would she go with the two girls?

 

The other girl was from Tear, at least that's the way she sounded. One of the skills a woman picked up running an Inn was picking out accents, no matter how well disguised they were. She also wanted Nanna to go looking for books with them. Nanna looked at both of them, then down at the book, still open to the first page. It wouldn't hurt to go with them, and even if they managed to get her in trouble, she was an old hand at doing most of the chores the Aes Sedai considered “punishment”.

 

She closed the book and stood, pushing the chair away from her with the backs of her legs. “Yes, a break would be nice. Especially from this...this thing!” She pointed gestured at the hefty book and stepped around the table to join the two women. “Whatever possessed an entire Ajah to dedicate themselves to leafing through those musty old piles?” She shuddered and looked at the impressive arrays of books all around them. “Give me a dirty pot, or a meal to prepare any day. I'd prefer it to skulking around in the dust all afternoon.” She continued muttering as she looked at her two companions.

 

“Well? Where should we start?”

[Phelix]

Elin had to laugh. "I know exactly what you mean, Nanna. My parents own a bakery, and I grew up learning to make breads and other such things, and cleaning up after the baking was done. Scrubbing pots and pans is just something that has to be done. Writing papers like this can be much more of a chore." Elin glanced at Nanna's book and let out a low whistle. "That's a rather daunting place to start, Nanna. It looks like it's a pre-Hawkwing commentary."

 

Elin turned and looked back at the shelves. "For my paper, I'm looking for a text about how Aes Sedai served under Hawkwing... it should be this way. Maybe we'll see something a bit newer for you to work with along the way." Elin smiled at the other girls and began walking off toward the shelves. The shelves were mostly dark, and as they passed Elin's desk, she hooked her globe of light with a small weave of air and fire. Technically, she was channeling without supervision, but they needed some light back in the stacks. She smiled conspiratorially with Nanna and Bennu. It was well known that most novices broke the rule in small ways, and Elin hoped that neither would turn her in for this violation.

 

As they moved deeper and deeper into the stacks, Elin noted the titles lining their path. When they arrived in the right area of the library, Elin saw a book that caught her eye. It was a treatise on Green Sisters serving in royal courts in the Borderlands. She showed it to the other novices with a flourish.

 

"This one sounds exciting... Green sisters riding into battle at the side of brave kings with their warders guarding their path." Elin blushed and ducked her head. "I don't think I could ever be a green. They seem so... martial."

Edited September 29, 2010 by Phelix

[Zentopia]

Bennu shook her head at Nanna's comment, and said somewhat defensively, “The Brown Ajah has a very important job. If they didn't focus on history, and keep what was forgotten, who would?” They turned a corner, and her hand brushed across a copy of commentaries on the Karethon Cycle. She pulled it out and waved it at them for emphasis. A small dust cloud puffed and settled floorwards.

 

“And where would we be when things from the past come back, if no one reads about it? Mmm?” Her point made, the Tairen slid the book back into place. “Besides, I love books. Give me a library and I'll be happy for the rest of my life, you know? With the exception of all this dust - this is atrocious!” She got rid of the worst of the dust with a few hand swipes, grimacing at the streaks growing on her skirt from just moving through these stacks.

 

“Okay, Tear is here, I think, and...a moment.” Finding a stepstool, she started to peruse the shelf. “Just a moment, this is my country, so I might be able to find something here.” She gave the others a happy grin. “This is what I'm born for, I think. I couldn't be a Green either, Elin – I think I was meant to be a Brown. After all, someone has to record and remember all the messes the rest of the lot get into, and help people find what they need to get out of the messes.” She too blushed, half waiting to be chided for speaking of Aes Sedai so, or saying that she would be one.

 

Ah! Bennu looked left and squinted slightly as something caught her eye; even with Elin's small ball of light she couldn't quite see. “Why does that look...Oh, yes. Of course they'd have a copy of that, I shouldn't be surprised. Here, Nanna, you were working on Tear...hang on.” She frowned, as it was right out of her reach....She glanced left, then right, and channeled just a bit of Air, pointing at one of the books. A moments later a medium-sized gray book covered in green writing slid out from the stack and floated to her hand. She handed it down with a flourish.

 

“It's High Lord Yuven's Year,” she said conversationally as she continued searching the shelf the text came from. “I wager the Tower has few nice things to say about it, and probably more corrections than would fit in the book, from their perspective. It's a classic book back home in Tear about one of our first High Lords and the Aes Sedai that may have helped him to power.”

 

The novice shrugged. “They argue about it back home because nobles really don't want to admit that Tamra Sedai influenced highlevel politics in Tear, ever, and insist all of Yuven's choices were done of his own free will - which is why he only lasted a year in the spot before he was assassinated. He wasn't much of a politician. But everyone knows the story in some capacity. It's a pretty easy read, compared to what you had earlier, and may give you another starting point.”

Edited September 29, 2010 by Chikara

[Grimmlocke]

Nanna almost snorted at the almost wistful tone of voice that Elin used when she spoke about the Greens and their Warders. Fool women. From what she had heard, most Aes Sedai treated their Warders like pets, loyal hounds to defend them when and where they were unable to do so. She already knew what that was like. She already had a husband, why would she want to Bond a man to do the same things Sam had done for her? A small part of her mind wondered if she would see her drunken fool of a husband again. It still hurt her to think of him, though, and she pushed the memories away in favor of the work she and the other girls were involved in now.

 

“I suppose if you're interested in learning more about the Greens, this is the place to do it.” It was surprising to her how calm her voice sounded, how in control. She had expected the pain of her memories to make it break, or squeak, or something! She still felt her throat trying to constrict, so she cast about for something more to say, anything to help her forget Sam for a little while. “I don't think that I would care much for the Greens, myself. Not that I don't enjoy a good fight every now and again, but I think that the Sisters are better off keeping the fights from happening in the first place. That, and patching things up when the fighting is done, of course.” She thought about that for a moment. “So, either Grays or Yellows interest me the most, I suppose.”

 

She took the book the other girl, Bennu, handed down to her, ignoring the fact that she was the only one in the room who had followed the Accepted's orders to the letter and not channeled. She was already on thin ice with most of the Accepted for being too old, she wasn't about to risk being called out by being foolish. She looked at the book, half-listening to Bennu talk about the thing. The girl was entirely too enamored of books for her own good. If she were one of her serving girls, Nanna would have already found an attractive young boy for her. She sighed and wondered for a moment about the way the Aes Sedai frowned on Sisters marrying. Surely, they couldn't all be...no, that couldn't be right!

 

“Thank you, Bennu.” She said, swallowing the “child” that had welled up in her mouth for a moment. “I hope it will. The easier, the better, in my case. I'm...not the best reader.” The admission made her blush as hard as Bennu and Elin had only moments ago. It burned her to admit weakness, especially to two girls as young as these, but they deserved to know. They had decided to help her, after all. Hopefully this wasn't all a trick to make her look the fool in front of the Accepted.

[Phelix]

Watching Bennu float the book around, Elin had to smile. It was one thing to be the only one who bent a rule, but to be part of a group that broke it in small ways was safer. She listened to the other novices about their aspirations to an ajah, and it made Elin think. She wasn't sure where she wanted to end up yet.

 

"I suppose you're right, Bennu, that someone needs to record and preserve all this knowledge, and you're right too, Nanna, that someone has to be out there preventing unnecessary conflicts and then patching up the needed ones... but I can't see myself doing those things. I like to read, even if it is dry, dusty old tomes that take five pages to say a simple fact, but I couldn't do it my whole life... and I don't think I have what it takes to dedicate my life to negotiations. I want to be out in the world making a difference on the day to day lives of people."

 

The Amadician novice turned and ran her fingers along the book spines, thinking about what an Aes Sedai could have changed if she had been around during Elin's childhood. She was listening with half an ear when she heard Nanna admit to having trouble reading, but that caught her attention.

 

"Don't be embarrassed, Nanna. I told you my parents were bakers, right? Well, my mother's idea of proper education was that her daughters needed to be able to read enough to know when they went off recipe in a new bread and if they were getting cheated by a merchant. Papa let my brothers read whatever they wanted. I got to read more because my twin was a boy, and Nile would share his books with me." Elin stepped a bit closer, "If you want, I could practice with you?"

[Zentopia]

"You're welcome, Nanna." The Tairen novice raised an eyebrow. And how is working in a library and studying past wisdom not helping people's day to day's lives? Honestly! She sighed and shook her head, choosing not to respond to that one. Yet again, someone didn't appreciate her family's job or understand the importance of history. “Well, they do say the Ajah chooses you, not the other way around."

 

Not that her choice would change, Bennu didn't think. Sometimes it just was that easy.

 

“But we had better get back to our desks. Think we have enough to start?” That was when she saw another book, a brown one with metallic titling along the spine. She couldn't make out the words, so the novice reached out to snag it, her curiosity suddenly piqued. Bennu tugged it free with a finger, but it was just out of her reach again. She didn't think to channel as it tumbled past her hand and hit the floor.

 

The sound of the impact practically echoed through their section of the stacks. Either the floor was made of thin wood, or the book was denser than Bennu'd originally thought. Possibly both.

 

“What are you doing back there?” the Accepted called from the front of the room. “If you don't get back to your desks right now, I'll have you in front of Valeri Sedai for lollygagging when you should have been finishing your assignment!” There was the faint sound of scratching as the young woman pushed back her chair and got to her feet, in preparation to enter the stacks in search of the gaggle of novices.

 

“Uh-oh,” she muttered. “I think our research time is up. Sorry -” Bennu scrambled down from the stepladder and quickly scooped up the book, looking it over to make sure it hadn't been damaged in the fall.

[Grimmlocke]

Nanna looked down at Elin, surprised again by the younger woman's willingness to help. Why were these two so much different from the rest of the Novices? What could they possibly gain by helping her? She stopped that line of thought as soon as she realized where it was going. Barely any time spent in the Tower and she was already thinking like on of those Light-forsaken Cairhienin fools! Why did these two have to have any ulterior motives to helping her? Maybe they were just a few decent folk trapped in a tower fool of snooty little chits, like her!

 

Behind her, Bennu suggested that they might have enough books. Nanna sighed in relief. She had thought that one would be enough. Two made her wonder if she would be able to finish reading the two of them before they ran out of time, much less write a paper about what she had read. How under the Light was she supposed to do that, anyway? When they asked if she knew how to read and write, she hadn't expected to have to pen a flaming treatise!

 

"Yes, I think that I would like a little extra help-" She let out a surprised squeak as a book fell almost directly behind her. She slowly turned around and looked up a Bennu, who was looking surprised herself. Satisfied that the entire affair had been an accident, she smiled at the bookish young woman. "Well, that was certainly-" She grimaced a gave a little grunt of irritation as the Accepted bellowed for them to return to their desks. "Well, I certainly don't know how she expects us to get any work done with all that shouting." Nanna gave a determined nod and gripped the book Bennu had handed her tightly to keep herself from shouting back at the younger woman. It was getting to be that a woman could only finish every third sentence!

 

"Not your fault, Bennu. The woman just has ears like a hawk has eyes." Nanna said, her voice perhaps a trifle louder than her normal speaking voice. Light, it was hard not to give that girl a proper tongue-lashing!