Just Not Going My Way! (Semi-Open: Check the Great Hall if you want in!)

[Kathleen]

Kathleen tossed under the sheets of her fourposter bed, centered in her personal sleeping chambers of the Green Ajah halls. A yawn turned into a sigh before she reigned in her displeasure at leaving the dream she was having.

 

Tossing the blankets off her body she let her legs slip gently off the side of the bed. She refused to react to the cool air kissing her bare skin further than letting her eyes squeeze closed tighter. She pulled her body up until she was sitting on the edge of the bed and then she forced her eyes to open.

 

The sun was streaming in the window and her body tightened under the slight annoyance creeping into her being. Blast you, Nev! Why didn't you wake me, too? She knew the answer to that. She hadn't slept a night through in weeks and her stubborn Warder was trying to see that she rested when she could. She had things to do and they weren't going to get done while she was in bed.

 

"You could have at least sent someone to wake me when it was getting late." She grumbled under her breath, pulling herself from the bed and straightening her nightdress in one fluid motion. She turned back to the wrinkled sheets and pulled them tightly back into order, folding under the bottom corners instinctively exactly as her mother had taught her to so many years before. 

 

Opening her wardrobe she found a simple dress of pale green with a thick white band wrapped just under the bust. She slipped out of her night dress and into this ankle length article. The top was well fitting through to the cuffs of the wrists, but the material from the bottom of the white band down flowed with ease around her legs. The neckline was lower than she usually wore, but quite higher than some of the woman who walked the Tower and the streets of some cities, she reassured herself.

 

It was almost uncomfortably low for the modest Green. Closing the wardrobe door she turned to her jewelry desk and rummaged through box until she located the old silver heart shaped locket her mother had given her on her 12th name day. She clasped it around her neck letting it fall down into the open space on her chest, filling it well enough to make humble Kathleen comfortable.  She brushed out her brown locks and pulled them back into a loose bun, letting the fly away pieces fall down to frame her face. 

 

After finishing her morning rituals, making sure every last thing was set exactly where it was meant to be in her rooms, Kathleen pulled her full laundry hamper through to the floor just inside her door to the hall. Then she grabbed a stack of books from the small table beside her door and headed out into the White Tower.

 

She paused to send a smile to each of her Green sisters who happened to be in the hall as she passed, but never stayed longer than to say a quick hello and good bye. She made her way out of the Green halls where she pulled her features into the practiced Aes Sedai mask. It came so naturally now that she didn't have to think to do it as she stepped past that threshold between the Green Halls and the rest of the White Tower.  She refused to let herself truly become that mask, she would not fake her face among her true sisters, not unless the moment truly did call for it. 

 

She had few smiles and cracks of that mask for others who past her, but she did nod warmly and meet other's eyes when they met. She was not a harsh person, and she did want her reputation to become that. She heard some of the chatter around the White Tower and none she heard of herself was ever all that cruel. As she made her way down the hall two novices came running through from around a corner, white novice dresses covered in something brown. Kathleen didn't get a good view of what it was, but the two didn't seem to see her and their laughter made it seem that they weren't too concerned about the state of there dresses. 

 

Before she could step out of the way, one of the girls knocked into her. "What is the meaning of this!" she blurted, glaring at the girls. She took a moment to examine her dress, and spotted a small smear of brown on her bust. It wasn't noticeable if you didn't look too closely, but she did look and she did see. In the time it took her examine herself and find the smudge the two novices had pulled themselves together and dipped into curtsies so deep  the Amyriln would be embarrassed to see before her. Kathleen looked up at the girls, shifting the weight of her stack of books in her hands. 

 

"You and I all know what the Mistress of Novices would say if she saw you in those. I am in a rush and a good mood on top. Be thankful for both of those facts, for it is them that will let you away with this incident mildly. I would have you wash you this dress you have stained, but I do not have time to change. In its place you may collect my hamper from my rooms and see that its contents are cleaned. See that your own dresses are cleaned in the process. I expect my belongings returned to my rooms and that will be all I say on the matter. Understood?" Kathleen paused for the brief acknowledgement that the two understood. "Are we agreed, then?" She asked, to confirm it all. 

 

Kathleen Vandiar

 

~ Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

 

Starting some fun!

[The Bard Babe]

The hallways of the White Tower were a much more exciting place to be when you had to hide from every Aes Sedai who could potentially send you to the Mistress of Novices for a good switching. Dwyn and Hallia's novice whites were hardly exemplary. In fact, they were hardly white, and therein lay the issue. They were covered in mud and some interesting plants had decided to take up residence in Dwyn's hair, and that was a dangerous state to be in whilst walking through the Tower. They were aiming for their rooms where they could clean up and change into something much less incriminating, but their path was fraught with danger, with Aes Sedai at every turn. Dwyn had garnered enough knowledge about people through her early years to know when they were keen not to be disturbed and when they were looking for someone to exert their power over. With Aes Sedai it was much more difficult, but Dwyn had been in the Tower long enough to decide which Aes Sedai and Accepted to avoid and which they could keep walking past, safe in the knowledge that the older woman was in a hurry or simply too far off in their own world to notice them. In this fashion, they made their way towards the Novice Quarters, giggling every time they saw each other's mud-stained dresses and countenances.

 

Dwyn and Hallia saw an Accepted storming down the hall with a positively stormy face at the same time, pulling each other back and down another corridor before she caught them.

 

Dwyn froze as she bumped into someone. Her laughter faded from her lips in shock as she realised who it was her and her partner in crime had run into. An Aes Sedai. But of course. Laughter flew to her mouth again and she fought to contain it behind tight lips as Hallia yanked her sleeve and dragged her down into a curtsy. Dwyn half fell at the yank but managed to turn it into a deep curtsy. She had after all, ran straight into an Aes Sedai, almost undoubtedly giving her lovely dress a nice smudge of brown mud. If she had done that back home in the Inn, her mother would have had her doing dishes for the next year. She figured that she'd be doing much the same here, if she got off so lightly. For a reason she could not fathom, that sent laughter bubbling up her throat once more, bashing against her gritted teeth to be let out.

 

"You and I all know what the Mistress of Novices would say if she saw you in those. I am in a rush and a good mood on top. Be thankful for both of those facts, for it is them that will let you away with this incident mildly. I would have you wash you this dress you have stained, but I do not have time to change. In its place you may collect my hamper from my rooms and see that its contents are cleaned. See that your own dresses are cleaned in the process. I expect my belongings returned to my rooms and that will be all I say on the matter. Understood?"

 

Focusing on keeping her laughter contained, Dwyn strove to recognise the Aes Sedai speaking to them. Kathleen Sedai. She was a green, and rumour said she was a kind enough woman. As she spoke, Dwyn quickly ran her eyes over the woman's dress, searching for the stain with an Inn-rat's eye. There was a small smudge of mud on the bust, but it was nothing that some soapy water couldn't fix. Kathleen Sedai's punishment for them seemed perfectly reasonable to Dwyn. She didn't particularly want to stay in her mud-soaked clothes and cleaning laundry was hardly a hardship for her when she had been scrubbing clothes since she could crawl to a basin to do it in. This guaranteed Dwyn a trip to the mysterious Ajah quarters. They were forbidden grounds for novices except when running errands, and this was the first time Dwyn had been sent into the unknown. To be honest, some mud and a bit of cleaning were a small price to pay for such an exciting errand. She nodded in aknowledgement.

 

"Are we agreed then?"

 

Dwyn shot a look at Hallia. She seemed more petrified at having been caught than at anything Kathleen Sedai was saying, so Dwyn took it upon herself to respond. "Yes, Aes Sedai. We're very sorry for getting you dirty. Your laundry will never have been cleaner, Aes Sedai."

Dwyn knew that she should apologise for getting dirty in the first place, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It had been far too much fun. Instead, she thought of the potential punishment they could have received had they been caught by someone else and cringed. Kathleen Sedai was going easy on them and for that Dwyn was very glad. "Thank you Aes Sedai." she finished with another curtsy, waiting to see if Kathleen Sedai or Hallia had anything else to add before they embarked on their adventure to the Green Ajah Quarters.

[Hallia]

Hallia skidded around a corner, clutching Dwyn’s elbow as they spied a rather angry
looking Accepted coming towards them.  Light but she wouldn’t have been fun to come
across.  I wonder what’s got Adelaide in such a mood.  Glancing over, she met
Dwyn’s eyes and barely managed to keep the soft giggle that escaped her lips
from becoming a full blown laugh.  “She would’ve sent us to Valeri Sedai for sure!”  It
wasn’t her fault they were muddy…well, not completely.  Maybe if she hadn’t slipped on that slick
patch of mud.  Dwyn would’ve been saved had she not extended a helping hand to help Hallia up

before getting dragged down right alongside her.  The mud fight that ensued afterwards hadn’t

helped their appearance much either.

 

She trusted Dwyn to steer them safely to the Novice Quarters, mainly because she
was still learning the twisting halls of the Tower.  They had to get back soon lest one of the Aes
Sedai finally decide to do something about the two rather unkempt Novices.  Rounding a corner,

she ran into Dwyn’s back as Dwyn ran into someone else, someone else with an ageless face.

Kathleen Sedai, oh Light!  This can’t be good.  Hallia immediately dropped into the deepest curtsy

she could muster, dragging Dwyn into a similar one with a tug on her arm.  Keeping her head bowed she felt
her face turning what must be a rather interesting shade of red.  She could practically see the list of chores

growing in her head that she would receive for this.

"You and I all know what the Mistress of Novices would say if she saw you in those.
I am in a rush and a good mood on top. Be thankful for both of those facts, for
it is them that will let you away with this incident mildly. I would have you
wash you this dress you have stained, but I do not have time to change. In its
place you may collect my hamper from my rooms and see that its contents are
cleaned. See that your own dresses are cleaned in the process. I expect my
belongings returned to my rooms and that will be all I say on the matter.
Understood?"

 

Hallia brought herself to look up, a grateful smile forming on her lips as she
murmured assent.  “Yes Kathleen Sedai.”  They were being let of easy,
surprisingly easy. This would also be the first time she’d been into one of the
Ajah’s private quarters.  This little adventure was becoming more and more exciting by the moment.

"Are we agreed then?"

 

Though still mortified at being caught by Kathleen Sedai, Hallia met Dwyn’s eyes for a
moment, seeing the excitement gleaming in them.  Fear and embarrassment were replaced with a

rapidly growing sense of her own excitement.  Hearing Dwyn’s response to the Aes Sedai she

quickly nodded assent, clutching her hands into fists at her sides.  She spoke in a soft voice as 

she dropped into another curtsy to keep the excitement from showing too plainly on her face.

 “My apologies Kathleen Sedai, and it will not happen again.”

 

[Kathleen]

Kathleen took a steadying breath as the two girls slipped away down the hall behind her. She shifted the weight of the books again and hurried along to the nearest dining hall. Burn you Nev, if I'm late..she didn't finish the thought, she couldn't even pass the blame to him in her own bloody thoughts! She needed some food in her stomach, it wouldn't do to have her stomach talking over her, or over Janine, but she didn't have the time left to sit down and have a proper meal. 

 

Settling on a quick chunk of break and some cheese should try to eat as she walked through the halls she only stayed in the dining hall as long as she had to. Aes Sedai did not normally walk through the halls of the Tower shoving food in their faces, there was hardly anything pressing enough to warrent that, and most would sooner go hungry and eat later, but Kathleen chose food over face. Still she never took bites that could be seen as shoveling, and tried to limit being seen. 

 

She had managed to finish it all before arriving at the library. Dusting off a few stray crumbs from the books in her crooked arm, she pulled open the large library doors. Kathleen's entrance turned a few nearby heads, and set a couple of curties in motion from the few Novices and Accpeted near enough to warrent it before they returned to the shelves or the pages of books they were looking at before she came. 

 

Kathleen scanned what she could see of the room but did not find Janine waiting on her. A mix of relief at having not kept her sister waiting and a fear that perhaps she was late and the woman had already left, filled her, but she didn't let her worry show. Gliding up the counter Kathleen set the books she was returning down and let her arm fall relaxed to her side. It wasn't a long wait for the Brown to come forward to take the books.

 

Kathleen Vandiar

Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah

[Mystica]

It had been quite some years since Carina had last done library duty and she was rather enjoying it. She loved the smell of the place, though she would have preferred serving in the secret, closed section. Too many novices and accepted fluttering about in this entrance section. But she was on counter duty, so this was were she had to be. Clapping her hands twice sent two novices scurrying to replace the books on the trolley on their place and a raised eyebrow stopped two accepteds in mid discussion over which Warder trainee would be theirs upon raising to the Shawl. Honestly...

 

Carina didn't show any emotion on her face, of course, but inside she was rolling her eyes and filing the names of the accepted away for further follow up later on.

 

A commotion at the entrance caught her attention and several curtsies notified her of the arrival of a Sister. Sure enough, Kathleen of the Green arrived at the counter plopping down books that looked to be covered in crumbs! Crumbs. On books. Greens..... Another inward eyeroll later and Carina glided up to the counter.

 

"Good day Sister, how can I be of service?"

[The Bard Babe]

Dwyn waited until Kathleen Sedai had floated away before she shot up with a sly grin. "Ok, Hallia. We are about to venture into the unknown. I'm not going to pretend I'm not extremely excited." she stated, practically bouncing as her mind spun with the possibilities. "What did she say we have to do? Take her hamper, clean her things, clean our dresses, put her things back. Was that all?" she queried, her words fast and light like a dance. 

Hallia's confirmation had Dwyn nodding, as did her comment that they ought to go and get changed into clean dresses before they attempted the trip to Kathleen Sedai's rooms. "That's a somewhat brilliant idea. I don't fancy staying in these dresses for too long, someone could see us and mistake us for a Brown." she joked and spun on her heel, leading them on a much more direct route to the Novice Quarters now that they didn't have to worry about being caught. Once you'd been caught once, all you had to do was look meek and inform whoever was scolding you that you had already been assigned punishment. This was a risky tactic to bluff, as Aes Sedai and Accepted had a tendency to ask for names and check your story. Telling the truth was actually the best policy most of the time. Well, some of the truth, anyway.

 

A few corridors and a couple of scoldings later, the pair found themselves walking back the way they came in glowingly bright and pristine white dresses, holding a hamper with their dirty clothes inside. Dwyn smiled at Hallia and pulled out her headscarf, securing it around her snarled curls. "Now, Hallia, I have a question for you." she began as she tied the scarf and let her hands drop to her sides. "Do you have any idea at all how to get to the Green Ajah?"

 

(OoC: Possibly the shortest RP ever, but Dwyn doesn't know Hallia well enough to add in her responses and I feel like I'm cutting out her character if I go too far ahead.   :p  He he, Kath, you're gonna hate us)

[Quibby]

A fine, misting rain was falling around Janine as she knelt in the grass next to an arrangement of flowers, carefully examining the roots.  She had been unsure that the roots would take; it had taken several months for the potted plants to reach the Tower from Tear, and the climate in Tar Valon was not quite right for them.

 

This incompatibility was the reason why the misting rain only fell over the small plot of trees and flowers in which Janine was working.

 

It had taken twenty years of studying and testing for Janine to create long-lasting climate control weaves that could safely be used to cultivate plants from all over the continent in the White Tower's gardens despite the varying climate extremes, and they were far from perfect.  Every three months, Janine had to return to the Tower to maintain the weaves and correct any flaws that may have arisen due to channeling in the gardens.  Such flaws were rare, but Janine had caught a few that, if left for another month, would have caused all kinds of woe for the poor novices and Accepted who were assigned to tend the gardens.  Being, as far as she knew, the only Cloud Dancer in the Tower, Janine could not trust the maintenance of the weaves to anybody else.  Her ability to manipulate the weather was uncanny, and anybody without the Talent who tried to adjust the weaves would throw off the delicate balance, and there was no telling what results that would have.  Brushing her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes, Janine stifled the mental image of white-garbed girls up to their knees in mud caused by an unending monsoon and returned her attention to the flowers, purple orchids, in front of her.

 

Anybody walking past Janine would have to look twice to be sure of what they saw.  Aside from being a woman kneeling in the grass during a light rain that did not touch anything outside a certain area of garden, they would first see a woman in a rough-spun wool dress covered in various stains, mostly grass and dirt.  This could be dismissed if not for the fact that those who tended the gardens usually did not have the ageless look that marked Aes Sedai.  Even though it did not show with Janine as much as it did with other Aes Sedai- she was still relatively young for an Aes Sedai- it was still there.

 

Janine could have had the gardeners do this work for her, but that would have ruined the fun.  Janine loved working in the garden.  She owned a secluded cabin about two weeks travel away from Tar Valon, and she had her own gardens there.  It was a way to relax after hours of research.  For a Green, Janine spent a lot of time researching.  Even before she was raised to the shawl, Janine had studied weather, and after her raising she had turned that study of weather into the study of using the weather as a weapon.  Weather manipulation could play a major role in any battle, from disheartening the enemy to devastating them.

 

Though she had yet to test a lot of her theories, Janine had a feeling that she could turn the tide of a battle without channeling an actual offensive weave.

 

"Janine Sedai?" a quiet voice said from the nearest path.  Looking up, Janine saw that it was the Accepted who had been put in charge of the novices working in the gardens that day.  "You asked me to remind you that you were planning to meet with Kathleen Sedai today."

 

Patting the dirt back around the roots of the flower, Janine stood and stepped out of the light rain and into the real weather of Tar Valon.  "Thank you," she replied warmly, then she strode into the Tower and to her apartment.

 

Closing the door, she doffed the stained dress that she had worn into the garden and took some time to clean up.  It always amazed Janine that she could get dirt on her face while gardening, yet she never brought her hands near her face.  She would have to ask the Whites about that someday.  The philosophical undercurrents of the dirt question would keep them busy for years.  Freshly clean, Janine looked at herself in the mirror.  Green eyes stared back at her from an ageless face, questioning this moment of self-study.  With a shake of her head, Janine turned away from the looking glass, chastising herself.  She was proud of her looks, yes, but she was not vain about them.  Then why the look in the mirror?  Were you afraid that you had misplaced your nose? she thought wryly.

 

Dressing for her appointment with Kathleen was a simple affair.  Janine owned mostly wool dresses in earth tones, and her hair did not take much maintenance; a few brush strokes, and she would be ready for anything.  She chose a dark green dress with a modest cut, then she collected her large shoulder bag, which was full of books, and set off for the library.  

 

As was typical of the place, the library was quiet.  People spoke in whispers, and the sounds of pages turning or of books being taken from shelves filled the air.  Janine  chose a large table in an unoccupied portion of the library and set down her bag of books.  A glance told Janine that Kathleen was in the library, currently waiting at the counter for one of the Brown librarians.  She decided to give her a moment to settle her business there before approaching her.  Instead, she began setting out her books.  Most were written about either combat or weather, and several pages of Janine's notes were set into the books to mark pages.  She also placed three new tomes on the table, her own writing on the subject of weather manipulation and weather-related combat weaves.  They were not the finished versions; the thoughts were too randomly placed throughout the pages for them to be useful as they were.  However, Janine hoped to compile everything she had learned into a collection of works to help future Cloud Dancers understand their Talent and all that it could entail.

[Nyanna al'Meara]

Nyanna sat back on her heels and blew a lock of long dark hair out of her face. It refused to budge, so she unconsciously reached up to brush it away, unaware that her hand, muddy with flowerbed dirt, left an artistic stripe across her brow.

Fascinated, she examined her find from root to leaf. It fitted the description Janine Sedai had given her almost perfectly, except for the colour of the stem…. It was slightly softer, too. She paused, doubting. Well, maybe it was a younger specimen of the plant. She had a decent knowledge of some vegetation from surviving on plants in the deep forests she’d lived in not long ago. And before that, the village Wisdom Mistress Berran had taught her some also.

 

The Aes Sedai who had given her this task reminded her of Mistress Berran somewhat, and Nyanna liked outdoor chores anyway so she did not mind at all, mud and all. However her betters might… Nyanna yanked herself back into the present as a bell tolled from somewhere inside the Tower courtyards, ringing out the hour. Janine Sedai had said to bring the requested flower before next hour, and that was now! Light!-- Slipping in the mud, Nyanna scrambled up grabbing the plant and, wrapping it into a napkin, threw it unceremoniously into the basket. She took off at a hopskipping run before glancing down at herself, and grimaced. No time to go back to the Novice Quarters and change now, she was late already and it was quite a way to the library where she was to meet the Aes Sedai and deliver her find.

Nyanna bolted around corners as fast as she could go dragging the basket and a small spade. Why was she carrying that, too??! As she dashed past a garden house she deposited the implement into a barrel and rounded the next corner before hearing whether it fell and upset another pile of tools. Thankful of her measly size for once, Nyanna dodged under the arms of servants and Tower women alike, and didn’t wait around to receive their deathly stares. Passing the occasional Accepteds she slowed to something resembling a walk and half-turned away awkwardly away so they would not spot the rather large dirt stain down one side of her skirts, then started running again as soon as she was out of eyesight.
 

Gasping for air, Nyanna arrived at the library doors and held onto the handle for a minute. When her breathing calmed again, she peeked in and made her move. Scurrying to the extensive herb section, she took some time to plan out her next moves.
 

Janine Sedai was a busy Sister and had not the time to wait around until Nyanna found the plant she had been tasked with collecting specimens of, so she had told her to meet here in the library where she had another appointment of sorts. Or something close to that... she bit her lip and frowned. Nyanna wasn’t really the best at actually listening to instructions…

Orientated again, Nyanna set off at a wander through the nearby shelves to find the Aes Sedai. Her eyes lost themselves among the old books and crafted title letters once again. She could read quite decently now,  and the titles and leatherbound tomes always fascinated her. The illuminations were a type of finery she had never seen before coming to the White To-

 

Rounding the corner, Nyanna was walking backwards slightly, still admiring the binding of one particular emerald volume. Suddenly she backed into something, that gave with an outcry- whirling, Nyanna did the first thing that came to mind, and that was a reflexive defence she had often reacted with in woodland encounters with some beast. With a shriek of her own, she grabbed a fistful of the soft plant in her basket and thrust it out in front of her as she turned to face whatever creature she had run into-

 

Squish.

 

With a horrified expression, Nyanna froze, studying the Sister she had been searching for – and found, most obviously. Found and marked. Janine Sedai was splattered with a generous spray of purple liquid that has burst from the stems Nyanna had snapped in her panic… She wrinkled her nose.

Most smelly stems.

 

 

 

 

Nyanna al'Dyn, White Tower Novice

Did a whoopsie.

[Kathleen]

As the brown behind the desk came closer Kathleen thought she recognized her but even as she approached she couldn't find a name to put with the face. That never was one of her strengths, and she hoped by now that she had learned to hide it well enough. "Good morning to you as well," Kathleen nodded in reply.

 

"I seem to be a step behind all this morning, but aside from that it has been good. I've brought these three back, but I'll be needing more time with  the other two I took last week. I hope that doesn't cause a back up if anyone is waiting. I'll not have them much longer." Kathleen assured her as she laid the books out on the table so the Brown could get the titles if she needed them. Kathleen's eye followed Carina to the cover of the books, where she saw a single crumb of crust still hanging on between the the front and back cover stuck on the edge of a page. 

 

Trying to stop the blood flowing to her cheeks before the blush of embarrassment formed Kathleen tried to pull the Brown's eyes away. "I was meant to meet with Janine here this morning. Do you know if she's arrived yet?" 

 

Kathleen Vandiar

Green Aes Sedai

 

OOC - This isn't necessarrily done - I just got a call that my dad's gonna be here any second and I'm in my jammies so I have to go! If Myst sees this and wants to jump in she can, or if Quibby wants to call Kat over you can do that too....if not I'll add more later up to me joining Janine. Sorry!

[Quibby]

As soon as her notes were arranged, Janine waved one of the attending Accepted- most likely a Brown aspirant- to her table.  "Would you please go search for these titles?  I'm afraid that I do not know where they are.  If you need help deciphering my handwriting, I will be somewhere in the botany section."  As the Accepted curtsied and disappeared into the stacks, the bells outside the Library began to toll the hour.  Janine nodded to herself as she stepped into the stacks, wandering to the tomes on plants.  One of the new flowers in the Tower gardens was one with which she was unfamiliar, though she knew it came from southern Illian.  She had a novice- Nyanna al'Dyn, she thought her name was- collecting a sample for her, and she was supposed to meet Janine in the library... well, now.  Dismissing the novice from her mind, Janine returned to her perusal of the stacks.  There were three books concerning the indigenous plants of Illian, and she hoped to discover the-

 

A novice, not quite paying attention to where she was going, came around the corner and ran into Janine.  Before Janine could say anything to the absentminded child, she gave a start and, reaching into the basket she held like she was searching for a weapon, turned and struck Janine blindly.  Janine heard the faint crackle of plant stems being broken open, and a scent that could only be described as 'rancid' began to permeate the air between her and the novice.  For some reason, Janine found that she was not surprised that it was Nyanna, the child she had sent for... the...

 

There was a moment of utter stillness; Janine looked at the novice without expression, and the novice looked back with a look of disgust, probably from the scent that was growing stronger.  Wordlessly, Janine looked down to the front of her dress.  She was not surprised to find a large purple stain on her bodice, which seemed to be the source of the odor.  Slowly, her eyes moved from the stain to the novice.  Nyanna's dress was an absolute disaster, though Janine was not surprised by this, either.  She had been digging in the gardens, after all.  A novice who could accomplish such a task without grass stains and mud on her dress was a novice who was not actually doing the work.

 

Janine shifted her gaze back to the novice's face, her face carefully controlled.  She did not know whether to be furious or amused by the whole incident.  However, novices were expected to maintain some sense of decorum, even when up to their elbows in soapy dishwater.  With a sigh, Janine finally broke the silence.  "I assume that this growing purple stain is from the flower that I requested?"  Not waiting for the girl to reply, Janine continued, "Child, I expect that you have an explanation for why you were dashing about a library.  More to the point, though, I expect you also have an explanation for why you would blindly strike out at somebody you bumped into in a library."  The words were delivered in the cold calmness that Aes Sedai wore like a mask.  It would not do for the child to realize just how close Janine was to outright laughter or storm-like fury- she was still not sure which it would be.

[Hallia]

Hallia gave Dwyn a smirk back, the feeling of excitement welling up in the pit of her stomach.  “I’ve never been to one of the Ajah’s Quarters before!  I think that was all we had to do, and I think we should probably go get cleaned up first!”   Hallia gave a light laugh at the other girl’s joking manner.  Dwyn was proving to be someone fun to be around and, Hallia hoped, a friend.    Hallia followed the other girl on their way back to the Novice Quarters.  There was almost a feeling of relief at not having to scurry and hide.  I think we were very fortunate…this punishment could’ve been a lot worse!

 

Upon reaching their rooms the girls separated for a few minutes before emerging from their rooms, clean once more.  Hallia paused for a moment beside Dwyn as they set their hampers down.  Upon seeing the girl putting the headscarf on prompted Hallia to tie her own hair back in a quick braid before they set off in the direction they had originally come from.  “I’m not entirely sure.  I suggest we go back to where we had our unfortunate run-in with Kathleen Sedai and maybe do a little exploring?  Or we could ask an Accepted if we happen to pass a friendly one.”

 

The other girl agreed and they quickly made their way back to where this morning’s adventure had begun.  As they backtracked the girls happened to pass an Accepted that Hallia knew was kind.  Hallia and Dwyn gave curtsies before Hallia spoke up “Pardon, Accepted Aureli, but we are on an errand for Kathleen Sedai and we do not know the way to the Green Ajah’s Quarters.  Could you by chance tell us the way?”  The Accepted gave them the desired directions before encouraging them to hurry along.  Errands put to a Novice by Aes Sedai should be done with all haste.  Picking up the pace the two Novices hurried along and were relieved when they saw the pattern on the stone floor change to green.  Hallia noted the intricate carvings and tapestries that lined the hallways here, all depicting scenes of battle and different weaponry.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”  Hallia murmured as they slowed a little to gaze at a particular painting on one wall.  “Which rooms belong to Kathleen Sedai, do you think?  We should probably ask.”

[The Bard Babe]

Dwyn's eyes were wide as she took in the hallways, her mind storing away the images and the patterns and hopefully the route. She was spinning as she walked, her light blue eyes swallowing every detail of what she saw. On occasion another person would pass down the hallway beside them and Dwyn would be immediately the model novice once more, walking meekly beside Hallia, making the necessary curtsies and good girl poses.

 

She snorted at Hallia's question, a broad grin on her face. Ask for directions! Ha! And pass up on the opportunity to sneak around the Green Ajah quarters unattended? Yeah right!

 

Seeing the hallway open out into a proper room with stairs and lounges, Dwyn stared at all the green strewn around the area. They certainly took their Ajah colour seriously. She'd known that aes sedai tended to wear their ajah colours but she hadn't realised just how much it affected their interior design choices. There didn't seem to be any sisters sitting in the area. It made sense that the Battle Ajah would always be on the move.

 

All ready to bound off into the closest room and start snooping, it suddenly occurred to Dwyn that Hallia might not want to risk going through the rooms with her. The chances of them being caught and punished for snooping were remarkably low when they could easily play the lost novice card to get themselves out of trouble. Dwyn didn't intend to know where she was anyway, so the lost novice card would be the truth. She would just enjoy doing it a bit more than she was supposed to. But perhaps Hallia wouldn't?

 

Dwyn looked over at the other girl. She was sweet and she seemed like one of the kinder novices Dwyn had met. But did she have the twinge of trouble, the curiosity and the twinkle in her eye? Then again, Dwyn probably had enough for both of them. Uncertain how Hallia would react, Dwyn just let loose a sly grin. "Let's just try a few rooms first?" she asked, stepping towards a door and waiting for Hallia to make her move.

 

Hallia joined her a second later.

 

The next while was spent learning the layout of the Green Ajah quarters under the guise of meekness and under the aid of a speed fuelled by curiosity and potential for gossip. Dwyn just hungered to know everything. The more you knew, the more power you had. Dwyn made it her business to know as much as possible.

 

Even so, eventually they had to do what they had come to do. A room or two later, the girls located Kathleen Sedai's chambers. They fixed her laundry up with many a question for each other and many a laugh over the things they had just seen and Dwyn's experienced hands finished the work all too quickly. Getting to her feet, Dwyn looked over at the room, admiring the neatly folded blankets. They were well done.

 

Something itched in Dwyn's fingers...she couldn't simply leave the room as it was...

 

Her analytical mind quickly ran back through the orders they'd been given and the rules for novices, figuring out the exact limitations of what she could do before it could be considered a misdemeanour. Again and again those neat corners on that lovely four post bed kept catching her eye.

 

The spark struck and the fire roared to life. Rushing over to the bedside with fleet, excited feet, Dwyn gestured for Hallia to follow as she began ripping the blankets out of their neat folds. A Hallia's horrified look, Dwyn shot her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, we're going to put them back again," she promised, shaking out the blankets. "Now, grab the pillows, throw them up the other and end help me tuck this back in?"

 

To Dwyn's great delight, a mischievous smile sprang up on Hallia's face as she realised what Dwyn was doing. "Why stop there?" Hallia asked, tucking the blanket back in. "Why don't we swap all o her drawers around?"

 

Dwyn's face was momentarily frozen in a mask of sheer joy. "Yes!" she called, plumping the pillows with a flourish. "Lets flip the whole room! Swap the cupboard and the desk! We can put the carpet on the other side of the bed, it'll be so confusing for her when she next walks in!"

 

Hallia's eyes shone with a kind of nervous, mischievous delight and she grinned back. "And make sure we swap all the drawers around. Nt in random orders, just reverse everything!"

 

"Top to bottom, left to right, you've got it!" Dwyn replied eagerly, and the pair got to work. They weren't interfering with any of Kathleen Sedai's belongings, they were simply moving them. Making her room a mirror image of what it was before, perfectly neat and tidy, but...backwards. Dwyn cackled shamelessly as she shifted a tapestry from one wall to the other. 

[Hallia]

Hallia fought a grin every time the two Novices passed someone in the halls.  Dwyn would transform before her very eyes from someone carefree and vivacious into the perfect Novice; it was impressive, really.  At the question put to her from the other girl Hallia paused for a moment, contemplating before nodding and dashing to follow Dwyn in exploring the different rooms.  “I’ve heard curiosity killed the cat, but lucky for us we aren’t cats, right?” Hallia giggled at the thought as they entered the first room. 

All of the rooms they entered were beautifully furnished and decorated, the theme from the hall carrying into most rooms.  After a short while they found the proper rooms and Hallia sighed as they gathered the Aes Sedai's laundry into another hamper.  When they were finished Hallia turned, prepared to take the laundry in for service, but was stopped when Dwyn headed towards Kathleen Sedai’s bed.  As Dwyn started to unmake the bed Hallia’s eyes widened.  Oh Light, wha- her inner thoughts were halted when the other girl spoke up.  Now that’s an idea!  Getting the idea of what Dwyn wanted to do Hallia was prodded to even more mischievous thoughts.  “Why don’t we swap all of her drawers around?”
 

Mischief must have been nothing new to Dwyn because her grin matched Hallia’s after a moment.  They weren’t destroying any of Kathleen Sedai’s property…just…rearranging it.  The two set about creating a mirror image of the Aes Sedai’s normal room setup.  Each drawer placed gently into the opposite side, the sheets, the carpeting, even the tapestries on the wall!  Dwyn stepped away from the tapestry once she’d hung it and Hallia put her hands on her hips, gazing around the room.  Everything was still neat and tidy, just backwards.  I hope Kathleen Sedai has as good a sense of humor as we do.  “I think that covers everything!  Now to make good our escape and get this laundry taken care of, we wouldn’t want to shirk out duties, now would we?”  With a laugh the two girls gathered their laundry and the Aes Sedai’s before quickly leaving the room to journey back towards the Tower’s lower levels to where laundry was taken care of.

[The Bard Babe]

OoC:   *sniggers and high-fives Hallia*  *grins at Kat*

[Kathleen]

Carina pointed Kathleen in the direction she saw the other green heading earlier, but she hadn't been sure where she had settled. Kathleen was familiar with the set up of the library and with the nature of her sister's interest. At least familiar enough to head toward the botany section when pointed roughly to it.

 

She knew it was the right direction shortly after she nodded in parting to the Brown, when a novice caked in dirt like she had fought her way out of cave-in came running through the library doors heading straight toward the same section on a mission. Kathleen fell back, so as not to get in the child's way to be plowed through, but also to be sure to be out of the line of fire when the Brown found the dusty shoe prints lining the route across the other wise shining floors. 

 

The girl lead her straight to Janine and Kathleen hung back again, sure the girl was rushing so in response to an urgent message. Kathleen wasn't one to stick her noise where it may seen as out of her business, so even though the girl was but a novice, Kathleen didn't feel comfortable approaching until she knew her sister wasn't dealing with important information that wasn't for her ears. And when the girl fell into Janine, flower bursting across the other woman's chest Kathleen was once again glad she could step back and watch and not get caught in the crossfire. At least the dirt stain on her own dress wouldn't be so out of place now. 

 

She turned into the aisle running her finger along the spine of the books, trying to find some interest in them so she wouldn't have to pretend and make it so obvious that she was merely lingering in wait, but all she could think about what the mistress of novices was so busy with that kept her from teaching this batch of novices that running into Aes Sedai and staining their dresses with dirt is something they are meant to avoid. Twice in one day! 

 

Kathleen Vandiar

Green Aes Sedai

Waiting