New beginnings (Bronwyn)

[Wayfarer]

It had been a few minutes since Lillian had received a message to report to the Mistress of Novices office. She couldn't think of anything she had done that would merit having to see her, unless someone had made a complaint. There was no reason for that though, at least as far as she knew, and her magnum was still safely tucked away. Perhaps Melindhra was in trouble? Lillian doubted it, Melindhra as far as she knew didn't get into any trouble and she'd certainly had no problems with her mentee. In fact, Melindhra was doing quite well, unless there was something the Mistress of Novices wanted her to pay particular attention to?

 

Standing outside the door, Lillian took a deep breath to compose herself before knocking softly. Waiting only a moment before she was called to enter, Lillian stepped inside and closed the door softly behind her before approaching the desk. Noting the maelstrom of colour that was sitting opposite the Mistress of Novices, the fiddle she was carrying in particular caught her eye. So much so that the Mistress of Novices had to call her attention away from it. It was then that she was informed that she now had a second mentee, Bronwyn Isolde.

 

Giving a curtsey as they were both dismissed, Lillian held the door for Bronwyn as her mentee's hands were full with her new garb of white. Closing the door behind them, Lillian held a finger to her lips as her mentee was about to speak. Here wasn't the place to talk in the hallways, or in the Tower itself for that matter. It was a good five minutes before they left the Tower, and during the time Lillian observed her mentee. There was very little fear in her and there was a lightness in her step. She was fairly certain the girl was Tuatha'an, she had met their bands on the road a few times. Some of the people she had traveled with had disliked them, but like her parents she had little trouble with them.

 

Still, that didn't answer the question of what this particular girl was like. But, it was still not time to talk.

 

The Novices and Accepted were both quartered in a building that sat behind the Tower. Entering the building, it didn't take long wandering along the halls until Lillian found the room that the girl had been given. Opening it for her, she gestured for the girl to enter. It was modest like most Novice quarters, with three beds yet from the looks of it, no one else was living in the room. Closing the door behind them as her mentee looked about, Lillian smiled as she remembered what it was like when she had first gone into her room. Everything certainly felt like it had changed, of course she'd also been feeling quite hungover as well.

 

"Take a seat, Brownyn." Smiling warmly as she spoke her first words to her new mentee, Lillian sat down beside her on the bed. "As the Mistress of Novices said, I am called Accepted Lillian. In private, you need only call me Lillian. Now, one of the first things we have to do is put you in your Novice whites. If an Aes Sedai see's you wearing anything but that, you may end up in trouble. But, have you been traveling long?"

 

Getting a nod, Lillian continued. "Well, leave your things here except for whites and a spare change of underwear. A bath will give you a chance to relax and you can ask what questions you would of me. Afterward we'll go and get something to eat and I will show you around the Tower."

 

Standing, Lillian went to the door as she spoke over her shoulder. "I'll wait for you outside."

 

 

Lillian Tremina

Accepted of the White Tower

 

OOC: Well, the novices have a communal bathing thingo (no description about, just assume its inbuilt and not too luxurious), though no one else should be there considering the time of day. Lillian would save you the trouble of filling it up and heating using her uber magick :) She'd be sitting somewhere nearby but looking away so they can carry on conversation. And yes, soap, towel etc are provided :)

[Odette]

The last twenty minutes had been a blur, the Mistress of Novices, as she was called, had been listing off rule after caveat after addendum about Tower policy, curfews, regulations, classes and a battery of other things that Bronwyn had been attempting to listen to and remember. Yet the volume of information was staggering and she doubted she’d be able to retain even a quarter of it all past this afternoon. Although uncharacteristic, Bronwyn was thankful for the quiet walk she had shared with young woman in white who was to be her mentor.

 

They had passed a few people while walking through the Tower, aside from the occasional stare at the bright reds, yellows and blues of her clothes which stood out brilliantly against the plain whites of nearly everyone else, not a single person was smiling. At least Lillian wasn’t upset when she had occasionally fallen behind to gawk at the magnificence of her new surroundings, her new home. Although the colouring was quite dull, there was a quiet sense of elegance to the whole place. Her room would need some work as there wasn’t a speck of colour to be found anywhere. Perhaps Lillian would know where she could find some paint.

 

“I’ll dance with a girl with eyes of brown, or a girl with eyes of green.”

 

There wasn’t much space in the room, especially if the other two beds were going to be occupied. Bronwyn folded neatly all but one of her new white dresses and placed them in the top drawer of the cabinet. Atop the cabinet she rested the fiddle case that had been strung over her should for most of the day, she didn’t really like parting with it, but she assumed it would be safer here than in the bath.

 

I’ll dance with a girl with any colour eyes but yours are the prettiest I’ve seen.

I’ll kiss a girl with hair of black, or a girl with hair of gold.”

 

Something flicked in the back of her mind, something about punctuality, the People never rushed and were always laid back, but she decided it would be good not too dawdle.

 

As expected, Lillian was waiting just outside the door for her when she opened it mid song. Remembering how quiet their trip through the halls was Bronwyn consciously shut her lips. Of there were more stares and as the two weaved their way round the complex maze. Most like very few had seen a Tuatha'an before.

 

She had no doubt she’d be dependent on Lillian for quite a few things during her stay here, the least of which would be for directions. Buildings without wheels were a novelty for Bronwyn and she’d never even seen a building with more that 2 stories in her life. There was no way she’d remember how to get back to her rooms after taking all these turns and stairs. Every floor looked the same, and all the doors were identical. It was amazing they weren’t lost already, well, for all she knew they could be. At least the bathing room was distinguishable from the rest of the place, not for its outside appearance but for the heavy warm and damp air that grew thicker with each approaching step.

 

The bathing room itself was quite a shock, a large pool built from salamon coloured marble and granite. Bathing in a bucket was luxury to the People, most often it was in the river which was always cold, but the warmth in the air told that this would be different. A few deep breaths of the heavy wet air filled her lungs and grew a smile on her face.

 

Lillian had already made her way into the water and Bronwyn took her invitation to come as well. She left her clothes in a pile on the bench with the towel that set out for her, a blur of colour beside a multitude of white linens and salamon tile.

 

OOC:

Ok. Better.. ish.

[Wayfarer]

Sinking into the water up to her shoulders as she tied her hair up so it wouldn't get wet, Lillian made her way over to the rack that sat by the pool. There laid soap several cakes of soap for use and taking two, she walked over to her new mentee and handed her one of the cakes to use. She had the dust of travel on her and this would go a long way to helping her feel relaxed, as well as clean. "Here, you'll feel better afterward. So, what do you think of all of this so far? And why did you choose to come here? I was tested in Tarabon and my mother insisted I come here."

 

Soap, towels, a giant pool. Bronywn could only imagine Kings and Queens would bathe like this. Graciously she accepted the cake of soap, pausing to think of it were appropriate to curtsey. Deciding she'd rather not dunk her head under the water just yet, she relayed her thanks and started scrubbing weeks of grime off her arms. "This place is quite amazing. I've never seen the like before, so tall and majestic, a bit lacking in colour though." A few more layers came clear of her neck bringing out

her Carhieinen pale skin. "My people just follow where our hearts lead us. Usually that means we follow our families, but I knew I was being led in a different direction. So when we were passing Tar Valon I just knew I needed to come to the Tower"

 

Almost laughing when her new mentee mentioned the lack of colour, she restrained herself as she scrubbed away and listened to what Bronwyn was saying. Tuatha'an indeed, and it took a lot to step away from what one knew for the unknown. She'd needed a shove herself, but each had their own way and their own story. "You are fortunate to already know what you wish to do. And yes, the Tower may seem a bit drab, but that is in part because of the Ajahs. The sisters are divided seven ways and by seven colours, each represents a duty they embrace. Do you know of them?"

 

"No, I had no idea. I've heard rumours and myths about what Aes Sedai do, but I've never put any stock into it." Slowly and steadily she was working out the brambleweed that her hair had become, grimacing occasionally as she tugged painfully on a knot. "So what are their duties? Cooking, Cleaning, Textiles?"

 

Looking sharply at Bronwyn as her mouth fell open, the moment of shock was ended with an easy laugh that was most certainly heartfelt. The image of Aes Sedai doing the things that were mentioned, it was almost too much. Seeing the look on Bronwyn's face, Lillian shook her head as she got her laughter under control. "No no, not quite no. Forgive me, its just that I've never heard anyone say that before. The Ajahs divide sister responsibilities like so. The Green Ajah train for battle against the Shadowspawn to the north, the Blues take up causes, the Yellow are healers, the Red hunt male channelers to gentle them before they go mad and cause havoc, the Brown sisters store and research knowledge, the White Sisters search for truth and the Gray sisters are ambassadors and advisors throughout the lands. You can usually tell what Ajah they are by the shawl they wear if they have it on them, though they often wear dresses of a similar colour."

 

 

Lillian Tremina

Accepted of the White Tower

 

Bronwyn Isolde

Novice of the White Tower

[Wayfarer]

Despite the warmth of the water Bronwyn's faced flushed a deep crimson. "Oh, that makes much more sense." She dipped her face down in the water, the taste of soap and dust seeping into her mouth. "So, you're not an Aes Sedai then?"

 

Shaking her head, Lillian smiled as she responded. "No, I am Accepted. There are three main ranks in the Tower. There are the novices such as yourself, you're just learning how to use the power and to control it safely. Then there are the Accepted, we've learned how to channel safely and are studying to become Aes Sedai. Then there are the Aes Sedai, they are free to travel from the Tower as they wish and represent the Towers in matters throughout the world."

 

"So wait? You're implying that we're not allowed leave the Tower until we're Aes Sedai?" Bronwyn replied hysterically and overly dramatically. "What about my family? What about my Caravan? I'll never be able to see them for what? Years? They could have found the Song by then." That was doubtful but the hope was still there, part of the reason Bronwyn had left was because she didn't believe the Song would be found by traveling around and avoiding everyone they came across.

 

“Settle yourself.” Her smile slipping a little in favour of concern, Lillian sought to reassure her as best she could. “You can leave if you have an Aes Sedai take you for a specific reason, though for novices this is rare. Also, there is no set time as a Novice or an Accepted, its just however long it takes you to be ready. Some rare people have taken as quickly as three years to finish their novitiate, others like myself have taken up to ten years. It just depends on how strong you are with the one power and how dedicated you are.”

 

Bronwyn stopped herself and took a moment to gathered her wits. "It's just that, well, I know I left my People, but I haven't LEFT them really" her hands were up out of the water, absentmindedly dropping the cake of soap in the water while she tried using her hands to emphasize and compensate for her lack of vocabulary. "Do you know what I mean?" She didn't wait for Lillian to respond, arms and hands still waving she continued "I just think there's a better way to find what we're looking for in life. Does that make any sense to you?"

 

“Perfect sense.” Lillian wasn’t sure how to deal with it though, most people who came to the Tower realised that once they were there they were there to stay. “I hope that you will find it here, but you won’t know that after only a single day, it will come with time. If nothing else you’ll learn how to do things like this.” Embracing the source, it took her a moment to find the soap with a simple thread of air and raise it from the bottom of the bath. Dripping as the water ran off it, the soap hung in the air ready for Bronwyn to reclaim.

 

Jaw dropped wide open, Bronwyn simply stared silently as the cake of soap gently floated to the surface of the water and continued up through the air. Water and rainbow bubbles drizzling off it's rounded edges, splashing against her hand as she swept it underneath, trying to feel the invisible power that was pushing it up in the air. "How?.... Will I be able to do that?" Gently Bronwyn pressed her finger against the soap, it held it's place perfectly, not budging a hair's breadth. Bronwyn wrapped her fingers around the soap and picked it out of the air with as little effort as if it were lying on the ground. "You'll be able to show me how to do that? Right?"

 

Releasing saidar and the joy that came with it as the soap was reclaimed by her new mentee, Lillian smiled as she spoke. “Yes, yes you will Bronwyn. It will be one of the first things you will learn and by the time you have finished your studies you will be able to achieve a great deal more. For now, simply relax and take your time getting your bearings. This day is far from over yet.” Her smile growing a little wider as she saw Bronwyn lapse into thought at what she had just learned, Lillian closed her eyes as she leaned back onto the stone behind her and soaked. There was more to be done yet, including getting her student a meal. The first thing she would do once they were done here.

 

 

Bronwyn Isolde

Novice of the White Tower

 

Lillian Tremina

Accepted of the White Tower