Learning to move on (Open Thread)

[Eqwina]

Moving on, what does it really mean? Do you have to pack up and physically move away, or is there a way to move on while remaining in the same place? While remaining in the place where your past haunts you every day. While remaining where every ageless face you see reminds you of your past, and every glimpse of a blue fringe shawl gives you a false hope that your heart may once again be whole?

 

I do not know the answers to these questions Serena, and I do not know that I will ever truly move on while you still hold my bond, but I have to try. Tar Valon is home, and in the Warders Yard is where I belong. These young men and women are my purpose now, and they will have to be enough.

 

I love you now and always,

Thera Trakelyn

 

Laying down her quill Thera carefully sanded the page and folded it, sealing it with a small dot of blue wax imprinted with rose. She had no one to carry this message for her, and did not even know where to send it if she did; but it had become a habit to write these letters to her estranged Aes Sedai. Every time she found herself falling back into darkness she wrote down her thoughts. She hoped that putting them to paper could help her make sense of her life. Still she had still slipped back into her old ways more than once. Waking up in a cot in the back of a pub, covered in her own mess and feeling like she'd been run over by a horse, but it happened less now. Perhaps she really could find a way to move on.

Almost tenderly, Thera lifted a loose floor board beneath her bed and placed the newest letter in with all the rest. She often wondered if they would ever be read. "I am sure I will be long dead when they do" Mocking her own sensitivity,Thera stomped the floorboards back into place and tried to erase the thoughts of Serena out in the world waiting for her death before she would return to the White Tower.

 

Opening her shuttered window, Thera leaned against the sill and looked down into the training yards below. Scores of young men and women were in the yard. Some had practice blades and were sparing, others were practicing with a bow or hand to hand combat. The low hum and steady clack clack clack of the practice blades was soothing to her, and slowly she began to 'awaken' from her past.

 

Pushing away thoughts of the bottle nestled under her pillow Thera stood up straight and stretched her tight muscles. She spent too little time training these days, maybe it was times to start training again. Before she could grab her sword there was a knock at her door.

[seiakera]

Coraman ran up the stairs, excitement bubbling up. Her Lieutenant had informed her that there was going to be a scheduled trip to learn how to rock climb up a sheer cliff wall. She never took this class during her Trainee years but now she had an opportunity not only to learn a new skill but she would be excused from her Tower Guard duties. She jumped on the landing and let out a whoop with a big grin on her face. Guard duty was expected but it was so bloody boring sometimes!

 

Without thinking, she knocked on the door ahead of her, expecting to see one of her friends open it up to see if he wanted to tag along on this trip. The door opened and the smile slid off her face as she came face to face with a woman with a hard look in her eyes and a stance that screamed Warder.

 

Thera Trakelyn stared back at her, her eyebrows raising in query. Stammering, "I-I-I-I'm sorry, Thera Gaidin." She bowed clumsily before she could get a grip of herself. She cleared her throat and glanced down the hall, silently cursing herself for knocking on the wrong door. "I got the wrong room, obviously...." What does one say to the Mistress of Trainees?! "I didn't mean to disturb you."

[Eqwina]

A smile was not something that Thera found often of late, but she found herself fighting one back when she opened the door to see a young Tower Guard standing at her door. Thera never had visitors unless it was a trainee in trouble or a on occasion a messenger. She had no friends among the Tower Guards and few among the Warders. Ever since her Aes Sedai had abandoned her she had become something of an enigma. A Warder's sole purpose was to protect her Aes Sedai, Thera was bonded, but could not find her Aes Sedai to protect. No one ever questioned her about it, but she heard the whispers. Rumors ran wild in the Warder's Yard and while Thera was anti-social she was not deaf.

 

At first it had been the rumors and the humiliation that had driven Thera to drink, but it was the deadness she felt inside that kept her in the bottle. At least when she was drunk she no longer cared what anyone thought and she could no longer feel the pain of losing Serena.

 

Eyeing the location where she knew a small bottle of whiskey was hidden Thera knew that if she did not get out of this room she would have one of her bad days. Glancing at the woman standing in the door Thera made a decision.

 

"Well there is no crime in knocking on the wrong door Coramon" Opening the door wider Thera ushered her in. "I may not have been who you were expecting to find, but it just so happens that you are exactly what I need. Tell me, do you have duty today or are you free?"

 

It had been months since she had spared with anyone other than her students, or had even picked up a practice blade. If this young woman was free today perhaps Thera would see just how much rusty she had become drowning herself in a bottle.

[seiakera]

"Well there is no crime in knocking on the wrong door Coramon" She blinked as the Mistress of Trainees opened the door wider and invited her in. "I may not have been who you were expecting to find, but it just so happens that you are exactly what I need. Tell me, do you have duty today or are you free?"

 

Coraman glanced around the room as she stepped in, steeling her shaky nerves. Light, she was in Thera Trakelyn's quarters! The legendary Mistress of Trainees! While there weren't a lot of women in the Yards at this time, any woman earned Coraman's respect and admiration. Granted there were vicious talk in the Yards about Thera but Coraman paid them no mind. There were always two sides to every story and perhaps the Aes Sedai had done something to deserve not having her Gaidin by her side. Whatever it was, it wasn't her place to judge.

 

"No, no duty today, Mistress Trakelyn. It's my day off and I was actually going to enlist a couple of people for a trip to learn how to mountain climb, that's coming up in a few days." She expelled the breath that she realized she was holding. "So since I am exactly what you need," she bowed her head towards the woman, "Perhaps I need to know what you need so I can meet those needs?" And she realized how she phrased that with a blush.

[Eqwina]

Letting herself smile this time Thera motioned for Coramon to take a seat. "What I ask of you is not onerous. It has just come to my attention that I have not been in the practice yards in far too long. I fear my skills may be rusty. If you would be willing to spar with me and allow me to stretch my muscles and test my skills, I would be more than happy to buy you dinner and drinks?

 

Walking away and giving Coramon time to calm down, Thera pulled open her wardrobe and began rifling through her clothes. Pulling out tan pants, a cream colored shirt, and her old dark green jacket Thera went behind her dressing screen and began to change.

 

" I am sure you have heard the rumors about me, I can assure you that most of what they say is not true. If you will do me the honor of sparring with me, I would be more than happy to tell you some of the truth of my past?

 

Coming out from behind her dressing screen still tucking in her shirt Thera smiled. " What do you say Coramon? I promise to not be offended if you do not wish to take me up on my offer.

[seiakera]

Coraman sat down at Thera's invitation and listened to the woman's proposition. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Thera, the Mistress of Trainees, was inviting her to spar?? While Cora thought she was pretty decent, her observations of others in the Yards were at the least intimidating and she could only imagine how she'd ever survive a spar against Thera.

 

But she was tempted. It was an opportunity to learn from a legendary and seasoned warrior, with the perks of free food, drinks, and knowing the rumors of the Yards about Thera, a bloody good story. It was too good to turn down and when Thera came out from behind the dressing screen, Coraman found herself returning the smile. "Not take you up on your offer? I may be stubborn with a temper but I'm not stupid. I'm game, Mistress Thera."

 

The woman got the last of her gear situated and Coraman rose up from her seat, a bubble of excitement growing within the Spring. "Just as long as you promise not to take it easy on me just because you're more skilled. I soak up my lessons like a cloth in water."

 

ooc: Cora only has a WS 7, Thera's WS 19. lol it'll be quite the lesson!

[Eqwina]

Shrugging into her coat Thera buckled on her katana. She would not spar with it of course, she would use the practice lathes; but with all the rumors circulating in the yards she felt the need to look her best. Motioning for Coramon to lead the way Thera shut her door and assumed the Void. Very unlike herself she was a bundle of nerves. Thera had no real friends in the Yards any longer and no one really knew how far she had fallen during her drinking binge. At times she still had withdrawals and even the Warder bond could not fully steady her hands.....or her heart.

 

Feeding all of her emotions into the Void, Thera entered the practice grounds with her head held high and deadly grace. Many heads turned to stare at her, and a few of the younger students even bent their heads together to whisper, but her fellow Gaiden who were in the Yards as teachers all nodded in respect. Nodding back to each with gratitude, Thera led Cora to one of the open sparing rings. She was surprised at the feeling of being home that tried to creep in. Methodically Thera took off her jacket and laid it over the railing, unbuckled her sword and laid it on her coat. Reaching into the barrel of staves she took her time and selected one about the size and weight of her katana.

 

Feeling more herself than she had in some time Thera stepped forward and began a short rotation of warm up exercises. She was no longer aware of the eyes watching her, she was far away from the rumors and the lies; Thera was one with the flame and the void.

 

OOC: Thera will be rusty, it has been months since she spared. Hopefully soon though Cora will get some help in with sparing against Thera. :)

[seiakera]

Coraman adopted a serious appearance as they strode through the Yards. Her fellow peers gaped as they realized she was following Mistress Thera towards the practice ring. She smirked inside, wondering what they were saying amongst each other. Probably something along the lines of "What did she do?" "Poor thing. It was nice knowing her" Her mentors had praised her dedication for her sword forms - while she wasn't the best of her rank, Coraman liked to think she was close enough.

 

As they arrived to the ring, Coraman removed her sword belt and rested her dual blades against the ring. Thera was already warming up and Coraman went to the batch of lathes, pulling out a long lathe and a shorter one, just like her swords. The Spring enhanced her senses as she also went through her motions of warming up.

 

A few minutes later, Thera turned to face her. "Which set of rules, Mistress? Tap out or till the first person loses consciousness?" She smirked at the woman before her then Coraman settled into the start of Low Wind Rising, her favorite guard stance.