Training Time for A Blue (Attn: Reki)!

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira walked across the Warder's Yard.  She was wearing a brand new outfit that she had purchased just for the occasion.  Instead of a dress, she wore breeches and a blue shirt.  Her shoulder length hair blew in the warm wind as she walked with purpose and confidence across the yard.

 

Kira wanted to go through some basic weapons training because it would be good to know just in case.  She didn't have a Warder yet, so she was on her own for protection.  She had asked the Master of Trainees about getting in some lessons.  Noticing she was a blue, he hesitated, but eventually said it would be ok and to return the next day to start.

 

The day was a beautiful one.  The temperature was warm and there was a slight breeze.  The sun shone brightly on the walls of Tar Valon and they glimmered in it's light giving everyone the reason for the name "The Shining Walls of Tar Valon."  It was a good day to be outside and be active.

 

Kira approache the Master of Trainees as he was working with some recruits.  Kira stood by watching the trainees work.  Several of them stood straighter when they noticed she was their.  They were obviously trying to impress the Aes Sedai.  The Master of Trainees finished the lesson and dismissed the students before approaching her.

 

"Are you ready for your lessons, Aes Sedai," he said smiling.  Kira doubted he got to say that very often.

 

Kira nodded and he continued, "Over there is Rekinu Alasayaar.  He'll be working with you for training."

 

She turned towards the man the Master of Trainees pointed out to her.  The man stood about 5'9" and had black hair.  Kira could see his green eyes gleaming and she thought he saw bells in his hair.  He must be Arafellin.  He held himself tall, but there was a definite tension to his stance as if he was ready to pounce on the next person to bother him.  He moved through sword forms with grace and precision however, that spoke of readiness and practice.

 

Kira thanked the Master of Trainees and headed over towards the warder.  She waited until he was finished with his form and acknowledged her with a nod before saying, "Rekinu Gaidan, I was told that you could train me in some basic weapons training."

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

Rekinu rolled out of bed, as usual early.  After checking with Taia to make sure she needed nothing from him that morning, he headed off to the Warder’s Yard for training.

 

He carried his staff he had been focusing on lately, he wished to be able to employ it during his next trip with Taia, and wanted to get some extra time with it today.

 

After arriving, he was about to start with his routine of moves when the Master of Trainees stopped him.  “I have someone special for you to train, this person has requested basic fighting courses in case they are needed”.

 

Rekinu hesitated, he was not in the mood to train anyone, but if he was asked, it was his job to agree. He nodded his head, and answered “When will the trainee arrive?”

 

“Shortly after the sun rises, which is an hour or two from now, ” the Master of Trainees continued after a slight pause.  “She is an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah.  She wished to work towards using a stave” nodding to the weapon in Rekinu’s hand, he continued; “Your classes will be taught by me today, and you will teach her for three hours each day, at least until she is satisfied with her progress.  Some Aes Sedai never bond, even blues, and it is our duty to make sure that she is as prepared for what the future might hold for her.  Blues are, after all, often outside the tower in service to their causes.”

 

That caused him to think, before agreeing.  That was his oath after all, taken when he joined the Tower Guard, and reaffirmed when he had bonded – “Yes, I will train her.  What is her name?”

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

After getting the all the particulars from the Master of Trainees, Rekinu set himself back to moving with the forms.  Flowing from one to another as smoothly as butter melted on hot bread.  It was a glorious day, enough of a breeze to whisk away the perspiration formed from working the flows, yet only warm enough to cause things to be a bit warm, quite enjoyable really.  He was anxious about this Aes Sedai, he had not had the opportunity to work with her before, and he hated waiting, even if he was there much earlier than necessary, and it was not her fault.

 

Before too long, Kira approached him; she was wearing breeches and a blue shirt, uncommon for an Aes Sedai.  Finishing his form he had started before she reached him, he bowed to her.

 

“Rekinu Gaidin, I was told that you could train me in some basic weapons training” she announced before he could open his mouth, with a slight nod acknowledging his bow.

 

“Yes, I have the honor of teaching you today, Kira Sedai, yes?” At her agreement nod, he continued.  “I see you dressed for the occasion, so we will get right to it.  What weapons, choose any three, you wish to learn more about, and why.  The why is to better understand how to help you achieve the goals you have Kira Sedai”

 

(OOC, after her reply, they can go to the stock room and select her chosen items (you can pick 2 if you wish instead of one) I would recommend the knife for personal defense, every Aes Sedai should have that IMO, lol.  After that return them to the training area, off to the side, and Rekinu will pick up there.)

Edited March 14, 2014 by Rekinu Alasayaar

[WolfbrotherKronos]

The warder was very formal and Kira soon adapted herself to reach out to him in the way she knew how.  Being formal was something she excelled at.  Of course, being an Arafellin, he took his honor very seriously.  She knew that Rekinu would teach her to the best of his ability and wouldn't be satisfied until she was.

 

"Rekinu Gaidin," she said adding a slight bow, "I believe that having several options available is something important to have.  I travel a lot and need to know how to protect myself as most people should.  I may excel at using the One Power, but that is only one option.  I feel I should have more options available to me because it helps prevent me being defenseless if I don't have the Power available to me."  Her thought immediately went to Amador and Tear.

 

She thought of the weapons she knew, trying to find the ones that appealed to her the most.  "I think, Gaidin, that I would prefer to use a staff.  It is a multipurpose weapon and certainly most won't think that a woman carrying a staff would stand out.  I also think that a knife would work well for me as well.  I had one growing up and there would be some familiarity there even though it has been some time since I've used one."

 

Light, it's been almost 80 years since I had that knife, Kira thought

 

"Maybe on that note, throwing knives would be nice too.  I'd prefer not to have larger bladed weapons.  Of course, you are the trainer, and if you think I will excel at something else after we start working, I will take your advice and give it a try."

 

Kira knew she wasn't an expert on weapons, but the man in front of her seemed to be very knowledgeable.  The forms he was working with before were very graceful and well practiced.  She would expect no less from a Warder of the White Tower.

 

Rekinu nodded, smiling, and asked her to follow, taking her into a room that was filled with weapons beyond count.  In her earlier days, her eyes would have widened at the sight of so many weapons, but after being Aes Sedai for so long, she began to take things as they came and was also good at keeping up a mask of serenity.  Rekinu instructed her to choose some weapons that suited her.

 

Kira walked immediately to some barrels that carried some staves in them.  She picked one up and felt it's weight before putting it back and picking up another.  She did this several more times before finally deciding on an oak staff.  It was slightly lighter than the others, but still was very strong.  She moved to the knives and picked up one.  It reminded her of the one she had when she was a girl.  It's scabbard was polished and the blade sharp.  The handle had a slight etching on it, but was mostly plain.

 

She held the staff in her right hand and the knife in her left as she approached the warder again.  She grinned and said  "I think I'm ready to being when you are!"

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

"Rekinu Gaidin," she said bowing slightly, "I believe that having several options available is something important to have.  I travel a lot and need to know how to protect myself as most people should.  I may excel at using the One Power, but that is only one option.  I feel I should have more options available to me because it helps prevent me being defenseless if I don't have the Power available to me."  She hesitated a moment, thinking and then continued.  "I think, Gaidin, that I would prefer to use a staff.  It is a multipurpose weapon and certainly most won't think that a woman carrying a staff would stand out.  I also think that a knife would work well for me as well.  I had one growing up and there would be some familiarity there even though it has been some time since I've used one.  Maybe on that note, throwing knives would be nice too.  I'd prefer not to have larger bladed weapons.  Of course, you are the trainer, and if you think I will excel at something else after we start working, I will take your advice and give it a try."

 

Rekinu nodded at her, smiling absently remembering when he selected his first training weapons; the morning star had been a disaster, but he had chosen well on the others.  Asking her to follow, he led her into a room that was filled with weapons beyond count and then instructed her to choose some weapons that suited her.

 

He watched her select her items, nodding at the knife selection.  Simple and plainer weapons were less likely stolen in crowded places, and a walking stick, especially in the hands of a woman would not cause comment or attention at all.

 

Holding the staff in her right hand, and the knife in her left, she returned to stand in front of him, grinned, and said  "I think I'm ready to being when you are!"

 

Nodding, Rekinu first went over the care of the chosen products.  Stressing the importance of caring for her weapons strongly, he reminded that poorly cared for weapons were liable to fail in combat, and showed your opponent how much you were prepared for anything.

 

Once he had answered all of her questions, he led the way outside to an area set apart, and secluded, the Master of Trainees and him had selected that spot on purpose to ensure that Kira had the privacy to train without prying eyes.  It was an unusual request, but they had received enough in the years to have a plan in mind when asked.

 

Setting his staff he had carried aside, he faced the Aes Sedai.  "Sedai Kira, the first thing to do is stretch.  I understand you probably do exercises, but we must always begin each training session with stretching.  Today we will just go through handling the weapons, beginning with the knife, and then moving to the staff.  Using a staff is much more difficult, and we will not get into its fighting styles for a bit, bit getting the stance correct on both is a big stepping stone to being able to use them effectively.

 

He showed her the stretches most important, and they went through each one.  She seemed familiar with a few of them, but she was a quick study with the others;  that bode well for the next phase of the training.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira listened carefully to the instructions Rekinu gave her regarding the care and maintenance of the weapons. She took this to heart and let him know that she would work hard to keep them in good shape. Kira grew up being neat and taking care of weapons would be nothing new to her.

 

They then moved into stretching. Kira placed her weapons aside, leaning the staff against a wall and the knife, sheathed, on a table. Kira knew many of the stretches. She had done them herself as she had kept herself in decent fitness throughout the years. There were a few she didn't know, but learned quickly.

 

She was still fairly flexible even in her older age, however, she still felt some stiff muscles as she continued. There were some muscles she had not used in a long time. She hid a grimace as she felt some of the tension leaving those areas, and made a mental note to move some of those areas more.

 

As they finished, Kira moved to the table and picked up the knife. "I believe you wanted to work with the knife first, correct? Then let's get to it."

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

After stretching, Kira walked over to the table where she had placed her knife, and said, "I believe you wanted to work with the knife first, correct? Then let's get to it."  Rekinu nodded.

 

First he showed her how a knife should be held, at least how an Aes Sedai should hold it.  Closer to her body would give her better reactionary time, as opposed to holding it way out from your body as you see drunken men fight when one was offended by another, and decide to take things too far.

_________________________________________

 

The next step was to teach Kira how to COUNTER a knife attack, if someone lunged at her.  Side stepping was an important thing to be able to do, and being able to redirect the attacker’s knife by forcing his wrist away from you was just as important, if not more so.

 

After showing her the positioning for the knife again, he explained about, and then demonstrated, the most common wild attacks that could be expected.  Those were best avoided he cautioned, as the user would often sprain back and or arm muscles with the unnecessary energy they threw into their desperate swings.  Besides, if they were that desperate, they would probably run soon if they didn’t mark their target.

 

However, the more dangerous attacks would be combined with a lunge.  That was usually performed by someone a bit more crafty, determined, or more confident; it would also be the kind she truly needed to be able to protect herself from.  Showing how someone would lunge at her, in a slow, exaggerated motion so that she could observe how the body bunched and writhed in its movement to complete the action, he pretended to attack a dummy near where they stood.  After seeing her eyes seem to take the information, and begin to process thoughts about it, they swapped, so she could do the same.  Attacking, she would better understand what the enemy would be seeing as they attacked her.  But he had her attack him instead of the dummy.  First, he had her lunge at him slowly, so that he could show her what a good defense and a poor one looked like to the attacker, and what her counter measures would look like to them.

 

Once she seemed comfortable with the things Rekinu was showing her, they swapped placed, practicing with him attacking her slowly.  As she picked up, the speed increased until he was almost attacking at a normal man's speed.  She really was learning fast!

 

After practicing for a time, with a few breaks for water, Rekinu noticed that the sun had gotten really high, in fact it was already starting to creep downwards; as for himself, he was famished.  Having been there early that morning, it was long past time for lunch, and he suspected that Kira was a little tired too.  She seemed fit, and more than ready to be a competent in whatever skills he could give her, but a body needed rest as much as repetition to be able to hone those skills to the ability to react properly in a life or death situation.

 

“I think that is all today.  When we come tomorrow, we will practice with the wooden knives, and you can really defend yourself Aes Sedai Kira.”  She nodded to him, and they parted ways.

 

She had a strong grip on the knife, and he knew that with some more training tomorrow she should be able to handle any common street thief caught in the act, but not yet willing to give up their prize.  The Light help that it be the only thing she had to face.  He could not do much more than hope that it was the case, but Aes Sedai could be found in almost any situation, and sometimes with more dangerous people than thieves.  White Cloaks would not be deterred with a knife, in fact few fought with one.  That is what the staff would be for.  He reminded himself to start that first in the morning, before honing the knife skills attained in their training today.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira practiced, taking in all the words the Wader spoke.  It had been a long time since she had really been a student, but she went back into the roll quite quickly.  She followed his motions, listened to his explanations, and performed when he wanted her too.  Kira imagined this might be strange for the Warder - to be having an Aes Sedai listen so intently rather than telling him what to do, but Rekinu took to the role with ease as well.

 

He first taught her how to hold the knife correctly.  Growing up in a tavern, she had seen men hold knives far away from them, so naturally that is what she did.  He corrected her and showed her that in keeping the knife closer she could react faster than before she nodded in understanding and then allowed him to move on.

 

They continued working, going through different movements that got Kira more comfortable with the knife.  She learned not only to defend, but how to attack as well.  Moving through the attacks helped her understand how they worked and would better prepare her for her defense.  They worked mostly with a dummy, but as she got more comfortable with the moves, they started practicing on each other.  They started slow, and gradually picked up speed.

 

Kira noticed the man look up at the sun and she just realized that the morning had gone away and it was after noon.  She began to feel hunger pangs, but kept her serenity even though she was sweating.

 

“I think that is all today.  When we come tomorrow, we will practice with the wooden knives, and you can really defend yourself Aes Sedai Kira.” Rekinu said.

 

She smiled and nodded to him.  "Thank you for your help today, Gaidin."

 

She turned and picked up a towel and used it to wipe the sweat from her face before reentering the Tower.  She moved to her rooms and prepared a bath before going to get some food.  She didn't want to look disheveled and dirty when going to the kitchens.  While eating she thought of the moves more, running them through her head and commiting them to memory.  Finally, she took a book off her shelf without glancing at the title and began to read before turning in for the night.

[Sherper]

It was three hours after sunrise when Ellisha strode down towards the Warder’s yard to begin her weapons training. She had been assigned a different instructor today, having been sent a note by the Master of Trainees this morning detailing the “unfortunate reassignment of her former one.” Most likely on account of the man having stormed off half-way through their previous session, after Ellisha mentioned his mother under an unfavourable light.
Honestly, Warders can be so touchy about their feelings sometimes.
    She wore breeches today, one of many pairs she’s had the fortune of purchasing since becoming Aes Sedai. Having been so used to the constrictive garb of Tower White, Ellisha had almost forgotten how comfortable and mobile she felt wearing something that was not a dress. She passed a group of Accepted without drawing any odd looks, in fact, she hardly drew any looks from them at all. That was a good thing. She had purposefully picked her clothes so they would not stand out – patternless cream shirt with equally nondescript brown trousers, she reckoned she could have passed for a servant had she tried hard enough, or perhaps one of the Tower visitors. That was partly the idea after-all. Blues were not commonly known for training with weapons and anything out of the ordinary might draw unwanted attention to her.
     The Warder training yard was not far down from where her own quarters were situated, and as she drew closer she could hear the familiar sound of weapon drills – metal on metal and the occasional grunt from a careless apprentice. She picked out the Master of Trainees, a tall wide man with thin greying patches of hair protruding from his head, and crossed the courtyard to meet him. He gave her a formal bow as she approached, despite obviously being years her senior. She hid an inward grimace at that. How often did she have to be reminded of her youth amongst the others? At the tender age of thirty six, she could see that she was still being treated like a child, especially by the Aes Sedai.
    “Gaidin,” she addressed the older man curtly, not returning the bow since it was not strictly proprietary.
    “I received your letter this morning, and I do hope it does not mean our arrangement is off.”
The Master of Trainees shook his wide head.
    “On the contrary Ellisha Sedai, I believe I have found a better candidate for you. Young master Connor was far too inexperienced to be training one of your… stature; I do apologise.”
Ellisha raised an eyebrow.
    “If you’ll please follow me Aes Sedai, I will show you to your new mentor.”
What was the pause for? If she hadn’t know better, Ellisha would have guessed the old man had been mocking her. One of my stature, indeed. The Master of Trainees might not be all that pleased with her previous cancellation of their arrangement. But as always, one can never tell with Warders, they tend not to show any emotions on their face. Probably a chip off of following their Aes Sedai.
    The man brought her to a secluded area, a bit ways off from the main courtyard where the other initiates were trained.
    “I hope you don’t mind, but you will be training with one of the other Sisters.”
    “Who?” Another Aes Sedai?
    “You’ll soon see, come, it’s just around this corner.”
He walked around a walled off section and Ellisha saw a smaller courtyard off to the side with two occupants already standing at its centre.
    “Gaidin Rekinu,” the Master of Trainees called, “You have a new student.”
The man was in the middle of demonstrating a sword strike when he turned and saw Ellisha walk towards the two of them. The other “Sister,” was another Blue, and Ellisha thought she recognised the face, but couldn’t place a name to it yet. Instead, she focused her attention on the Warder for the time being.
    “Gaidin,” she said, again curtly, she wasn’t here to make friends after-all.  Her new mentor was Arafellin, on account of the little bells he worn in his hair. Silly, tingly little things that made an entire race of people look absolutely ridiculous.
    “Rekinu,” the Master of Trainees continued, “This is Ellisha Sedai. Ellisha Sedai, this is Gaidin Rekinu. He’ll be instructing you on the use o–”
    “Yes thank you master,” she interrupted the man before he could continue, “I can work the rest out myself.” The other warder bowed, giving Rekinu a look, as he turned to walk back to the main courtyard.
    “So…” Ellisha cooed, pacing slowly towards the centre of the clearing and the awkward silence that prevailed, “shall we get started then? I’m a bit impatient, if you haven’t worked that out yet, oh.” She paused, looking toward to the other Aes Sedai. “I’m sorry, you two must have been in the middle of something. I apologise, do continue, I’ll watch from here if that’s alright with you.” The other Blue gave her a look and Ellisha saw she gripped a quarterstaff with both her hands. “Gardening really isn’t my thing after-all,” she added, letting the edge of sarcasm touch her voice. Tent poles.

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah

Edited September 10, 2014 by Sherper

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

While getting ready that morning for his continuation of practice with Kira, Rekinu was surprised at the interruption of his morning routine with a visit from the Master of Trainees.  "Rekinu, i have another student for you to work with starting today.  Another Blue, and she has had... a hard time... with the other trainer I had her with yesterday.  You are calm, and so I assign you to work with her."  No small talk, just the assignment and he was gone.  Wondering what the Aes Sedai had done to anger the other trainer that she had had, Rekinu shrugged.  He was used to there being some Aes Sedai who believed that they were above and beyond much better at anything than anyone else.  His Sedai, Taia, was not like that, but he counted himself lucky to have such a caring Aes Sedai in that respect.  She treated him like a person, albeit one that knew much less than her (which was true most of the time) but she still valued his opinions and thoughts on situations, and let him made his own decisions when they were not together.  Deciding not to worry about it, nothing he did would likely change the request, nor did he even know if the Aes Sedai in question was one of the prickly ones or not.  Kira was a good student to work with, she had obviously thought of learning to fight without the One Power before, and although many things she knew were erroneous, it showed her willingness to learn, which made for a fine pupal.

 

 

After arriving at their set apart location, Rekinu started his warm up procedures.  It wasn't too long before Kira showed up and started limbering up as they had discussed and learned the first time.  Good working out could avoid pulled muscles and soreness.  Not that a sister was likely to leave themselves that way, requesting healing from a different sister would wash that away in a heartbeat, but the warders were not allowed such luxury as those kind of mistakes were best made (and LEARNED WELL) while IN the Tower Grounds training than in the field where your life, or worse, the lives of others, depended upon your actions.

 

Once he saw her nod to him her readiness for the training, he took out the knife and started showing her, as a review, the actions that they would be going through, the ones they had practiced the day before.  Seeing that she appeared to be ready, they started, with him attacking her again, but a bit faster than before.  Having done this multiple times, he knew where to stop the practice knife before it touched her skin, so that she was not struck, as she worked on getting her response times faster.

 

After working at it for a half hour or so, they were interrupted.  “Gaidin Rekinu,” the Master of Trainees called, “You have a new student.”

Turning, he saw the Master of Trainees and another woman, presumedly the other Aes Sedai Blue, though she was NOT wearing blue today. approaching the middle of the practice area. 

 

“Gaidin,” she said curtly, with a barely imperceptible nod of her head.

 

“Rekinu,” the Master of Trainees continued, “This is Ellisha Sedai. Ellisha Sedai, this is Gaidin Rekinu. He’ll be instructing you on the use o–”

 

“Yes thank you master,” she interrupted the man before he could continue, “I can work the rest out myself.” The Master of Trainees bowed, looking at Rekinu for a mere moment before turning to walk back to the main courtyard.  Hmm... thought Rekinu, I believe he owes me.  Sighing inwardly, this looked like one of the 'other' kinds of Aes Sedai.he thought to himself before turning back to the Ellisha who had already started talking in a haughty sort of way.

 

Kira, he noticed, had picked up the stave, assuming, correctly, that they were going to work on that next.  “So…” Ellisha cooed, pacing slowly towards the centre of the clearing and the awkward silence that prevailed, “shall we get started then? I’m a bit impatient, if you haven’t worked that out yet.  Oh.” She paused, looking toward to the other Aes Sedai. “I’m sorry, you two must have been in the middle of something. I apologise, do continue, I’ll watch from here if that’s alright with you.” The other Blue gave her a look and Ellisha saw she gripped a quarterstaff with both her hands. “Gardening really isn’t my thing after-all,” she added, with a touch of sarcasm.

 

Taking a deep breath, Rekinu thought of the Oneness taught to all Warder Trainees to be able to rid him self of any extra emotions before speaking.

 

"Ellisha sedai, that" he pointed to the tower while speaking "Is your domain.  This" he spread his hand to include the area they were in.  "Is mine.  When I am there, then I will do as I am told, barring any thing going against any order my Aes Sedai has given me.  Here, if you wish to learn, I will teach.  But we ALWAYS start with the basics before going on to more advanced.  Now, since Kira has already done her stretches, you will need to do yours.  If needed I will show you what to do, but any limbering exercise will do.  While you are doing that, I will work with Kira on the beginning of the STAVE training, which is one of my personal favorites."

 

Not looking back to her face, and cursing the Master of Trainees in his mind, he turned back to Kira and said "Are you ready?  First we will observe handling.  No, not like you are.. gardening with the staff, more like a walking stick you might see someone hiking hold it.  Like that!  Now, holding it like that you are more prepared to be able to use the Stave as a defensive item, then, even more importantly, in an offensive manner."

 

Rekinu Alasayaar

Looks like training is about to be.... a blast... >.>

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira arrived a little early and saw Rekinu working on some drills.  She admired it for a bit - seeing the grace in which he moved.  In a few moments, she joined in with the stretching she had learned the day before.  She felt like she had learned a lot yesterday, and was hoping to solidify some of those skills and learn some more.  They were interrupted by the presence of another Aes Sedai approaching.  It appeared that Rekinu had a new student.

 

The student was a Blue as well.  Kira recognized her although she hadn't remembered her name until the Master of Trainees introduced her.  And then...she interrupted him.  Kira did not approve.  She knew of those who thought of Aes Sedai being superior simply because they were Aes Sedai.  Kira was among the minority in that aspect.  She didn't believe herself superior - gifted, yes - but not superior.  Maybe it was the teacher that brought that to her.   Kira found Rekinu's response to be interesting.  Few warders had the guts to stand up to an Aes Sedai, but his words were clear.  He was saying that he was the teacher and she'd learn what he'd teach her.

 

Kira caught the sarcasm in the woman's tone at her choice of weapon, and Kira felt the emotions begin to rise, but she had perfected her control over the course of her Aes Sedai career.  No uninvited emotion played on her face, and inside, she kept the torrent calm.  She turned her eyes on Ellisha, her eyes meeting Ellisha's own, and spoke - the tone non-accusatory, but not friendly either.  It was the look in her eyes that was important.  They burned not with anger, but with seriousness.  It was the look a teacher got when trying to teach an important lesson - meant to keep the students eyes focused on the teacher.  Few outside of the teaching field could pull it off, especially while talking, but Kira had been teaching a long time.

 

"Ellisha Sedai," The woman had earned the Shawl and thus, the honorific.  Kira wouldn't take that from her. "You will find that if you practice patience, you will learn faster and better.  I would suggest practicing it.  You'll find more success when you work with those trying to help you than by resisting them."

 

Kira then turned to Rekinu who instructed her on how to properly hold the staff.  Kira practiced what she preached and showed patience as Rekinu fixed her stance and helped her become familiar with the weapon.  She nodded her understanding as the things he said made sense and then continued on practicing.  Kira knew the two Aes Sedai would likely be off to a rocky start, but she hoped that could change.  They could be a big help to each other in their lessons.

[Sherper]

As was expected Ellisha was met with hostile stares, or at least, it was as close to as a pair of Warder and Aes Sedai were ever going to get to such an expression. She hid a smile as first the Warder then the Aes Sedai, each in their own turn, tried to school her like she was still wearing double braided hair. The Blue was a lot more refined at this than her Warder counter-part, who merely coerced her with empty words and hollowed threats. She had the air of a school teacher, but what might have worked against cowering Accepteds back in the Tower won’t be the same when facing an equal – for Ellisha WAS her equal.  
    The two turned their backs on her and began practising with one another again as she watched from the sidelines. She had no plans to do the stretches the Gaiden had demanded her do, which will hopefully be the first step in undermining his legitimacy. People had to learn they can’t be expected to boss her around. Besides, she had already done her stretches earlier in her room, but it would be a good lesson for the Warder to start with. Understanding to never use terms and words that forced an Aes Sedai to do anything, even from other Aes Sedai.
     The Warder and Aes Sedai sparred with one another for a solid few minutes and Ellisha could see beads of sweat accumulating around the base of the other woman’s neck. Rekinu said something to the Blue which Ellisha did not quite catch but the next second she found the Warder walking up towards her.
    “Ellisha Sedai,” he said, tone and face all serious. “I would assume your previous mentor had already asked for you to choose three weapons which you may prefer to be trained in, but as I have not had a chance to talk with him, would you kindly repeat them to me? Telling me the reasons why for each of them in turn.”
    The words were plain enough, though the manner was curt and emotionless coming from the Warder. Indeed the Warder yesterday had made her choose three weapons which she would prefer to have some proficiency in, but really, there was only one she genuinely wanted to focus on.
    “Very well, if it please you to know. I would like to be trained with daggers, throwing knives and swords.” The sword was what she was truly after, though the other two could also come in handy in situations where the first was not viable. A concealed blade could very much end a potential Black Sister who might have been ready for a channelled weave. Of course, she wasn’t about to tell all that to the Warder and the possible darkfriend sitting right on the tree stump next to them.
     Were there darkfriends Waders as well? The thought momentarily flashed through her head, and she came to the conclusion that there probably were.
    “The daggers are useful for self-defence and concealment situations,” she continued.  
Not to mention allowing her to kill anyone who got in her way without having to use the One Power – something she could not do in the latter’s case unless she had concrete proof they were either darkfriends or in the instance of self-preservation. That was one loop hole she had found in the Oaths and had hoped to exploit against the Black Ajah. Her other Sisters still in the Light were probably too morally hindered to devise such a loophole, but afterall, that’s where she would come in.
     “In places where association with the Tower would be considered dangerous, wearing a sword instead of a shawl might be preferable and deter the common scruff from trying anything stupid,” she said, shrugging her shoulder and crossing her arms as she waited for the Warder’s next step.  

 

~Ellisha Falwein
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah.

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

Rekinu listened to her reasons for the chosen weapons, nodding as she listed them. Knife throwing was not too common, but it certainly was a good choice if you had fast wrists. And sure hands. Regular knives, like what both Aes Sedai were training was more of a resort. Unless you dedicated yourself to training in weapons 100%, you were going to be using them defensively. However you could conceal them in almost any location making the idea of you having them preposterous if you were Aes Sedai. The sword was a big bigger of a training part. Rekinu remembered well the first years of training. The constant aches and the almost constant pain from the jarring of the training lathes hitting each other.

 

After she finished telling him what she had chosen, he told her "good, then since both of you are working on knives, we will focus on those for now. He motioned her to a table to he side with blunt training knives of wood were placed. There were only two more, different lengths, and he wordlessly motioned her to pick one. "Tomorrow you can pick one more like the real ones you plan on using at the training weaponry. For now pick one of these." Turning he returned to the middle of the training area as he had done earlier this morning and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, big calming breaths, becoming one with himself, readying himself for training. He was serious about these training activities, their lives could depend on how well he taught them. When he heard her approach he opened his eyes. "As I did yesterday, so will I do today. First, hold the knife. Holding it wrong could spell disaster for the whole engagement. We will then spend time taking turns grappling and attacking each other, as well as defending. I will attack you Sedai Ellisha first, and then you me, before Kira will join us.

 

___________

(Ooc, practice as you wish)

 

Rekinu

about to develop a headache

[Sherper]

After ten minutes of the Warder’s instructions on the use of the knife, half of which she had already prior knowledge of, Ellisha thought she was ready to give sparring a go. Though distant were her days aboard her father’s craft, Ellisha Sedai could still remember the many skills and talents required to operate a river boat and was determined to show these two hooligans just how quickly she could adapt to any situation.  
    She walked smartly into the middle of the clearing and towards the awaiting Warder who was himself unarmed. He raised one hand and gestured for her to stop where she was.
    “Ellisha Sedai.” He said, his tone as flat and as serious as ever. “Keep in mind what I’ve taught you so far. Remember to maintain balance, recoil after each strike and most importantly of all; never to over extend yourself. We don’t want any injuries on your first day of training. Now, are you ready?”
    She gave him a rueful grin and in reply, began charging straight for him. Two seconds later she was dazed, face pressing flat on the ground and with no recollection of how she’d ended up there.
    “I remember telling you to keep your balance, Ellisha Sedai” came the all too familiar voice of Rekinu as leaned down over her. “That was not a very balanced approach.”
Ellisha thought she heard a snicker from the sidelines, and turned angrily to stare at the other Aes Sedai who, by the time she had turned her head in the dirt, had reaffirmed a look of indifference on her face.
     She clenched her jaw line, feeling both embarrassed and hot headed at herself, then scrambled quickly to her feet.
    “You, you… caught me off guard that time!” she stammered, fumbling awkwardly in the dirt for her dagger.
    “I also remember telling you to always be on guard when facing an opponent.”
     She gave him a heated stare; passionate, fiery eyes burning against that stone cold face.
    “I won’t be next time.”
    “Good,” he nodded, and as unperturbed as ever, “then we shall continue.”
On and on they went, blow after blow she lashed the Warder’s way; though swift was her movement, her dagger hand quick on the draw, the Warder’s movements seemed to easily avoid any attempt she made for his centre, gliding through them as easily as water glides through rock.
    Light, he’s fast! She thought, her heart thumping heavily against her chest, her palms sweating and sticking to the hilt of the knife. They’d been sparring for the better part of ten minutes, and already Ellisha could feel the strain on her muscles. She was definitely going to feel this one when she went to bed tonight.
    She tried again, this time instead of charging straight at him like she’d done on her previous attempts, she approached him carefully, maintaining a solid footwork and holding the knife in a protective manner. Up to this point the Warder had yet to strike back at her, always using her own momentum to work against her. Closing the gap, she made a controlled stab straight for his centre, then again and again as he parried each blow.
    Suddenly, and without any warning, he made a completely different movement; using the flat of his hand he struck out at Ellisha’s knife wrist and she felt a sudden pain overtake her which was gone in an instant. She’d dropped the knife however and as it spiralled away, she was knocked to the ground once more.
    “You’ve done well, Ellisha Sedai.” He said, his hands folding behind his back. “I think that will be enough for now.” Rekinu was barely sweating as he turned and began walking away from her, looking as clean pressed as he had when he first entered the fight. She, on the other hand, looked much for more the worse. Face covered from forehead to chin with a mixture of grime, sweat and dirt, brown hair a tangled mess like willow twine after a storm, and her cream coloured shirt looking shabby and wrinkled.
     She spat on the ground, then picked up her dagger along with a handful of dirt.
     “We finish when I say we finish!” She said, getting up and charging straight for the Warder again. For once, surprise showed on Rekinu’s face as he turned around and was met by the mist cloud of dirt which Ellisha threw at him. The Warder stumbled back, his eyes blinded by the mist cloud and his coolness having finally vanished. She heard a gasp from behind her, but didn’t stop to wait to close the distance between her and the Warder. Delivering an elbow straight into his stomach which knocked the air out of Rekinu’s lungs as he collapsed back in on himself.
    “Ellisha, what…”
She punched him again, dropping the knife and instead opting to let fly a flurry of fists. She thought she heard someone shouting from behind her but was too caught up and distracted by the confusing tangle of sounds, bodies and raw emotions as again and again she delivered punch after punch into the other person.
    She hated herself.
    “Ellisha! Stop!”
    She hated what she’s become.
    “Ellisha! You’re hurting him!”
    She hated everything about her.  
    “Ellisha Sedai!”
    He’s the one making her hate herself so much.
    “Please don’t make me do this.”
    He is the one who needs to go.
    “I’m warning you!”
    He is the one who needs to die.
She made a grab for the tempest inside her, that raging tide of power and soul crushing beauty harboured by all who could channel. There was a block that prevented her from reaching it at first; the three oaths.
    He’s a darkfriend. He’s a Darkfriend, she thought to herself. I’m sure he’s a Darkfriend. She only needed to convince herself enough to let the power through, and once it was through…
 He wants to kill me. He’s a Darkfriend. He’s a Darkfriend.
    The power trickled inside her at first, reluctant, as if it could sense how wrong the whole thing was. But then, it began to flow and by the end it was as if a dam had collapsed and Ellisha was filled to the brim by it. She held the tempest and breathed, feeling all the sores and the pains leaving her body, to be replaced only with euphoric ecstasy. She looked down at the bended figure, seeming so small and insignificant against the wave that was to be her rage.

 

~Ellisha Falwein
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Ellisha lost control. That was the best way to put it. She started pummeling the warder furiously. His own oath to protect Aes Sedai probably prevented him from doing much more besides defending himself.

 

It was when the other blue embraced the power that Kira reacted. She had to interfere. She had shouted for the other Aes Sedai to stop, but those were falling on deaf ears. The Three Oaths prevented her from using the power as a weapon, and if Ellisha was intending to do so, she must have truthfully thought the Warder was a threat or dark friend

 

Kira embraced the power and its sweetness filled her. She wove a shield and wrapped it around Ellisha, cutting her off from the power. T was more difficult to do with the other Blue holding it, but Kira persisted until the glow disappeared from Ellisha.

 

"Enough!" she shouted, approaching the scene. She tied off the weave as she did so and wove air around Ellisha pinning her in place. She did this for the protection of herself and the Warder.

 

Rasheta Sedai had told her an Aes Sedai must be in control at all times. Kira had learned that lesson the hard way. She kept her control despite the anger she felt.

 

She didn't chastise the Aes Sedai there, but the Blue would get an earful soon. If she didn't want to be treated like a novice, she needed to stop acting like one. She would do so as they returned to the Tower in a more private manner.

 

Instead she offered her hand to the Gaidin, helping him stand. "I can only offer my sincerest apologies for this Gaidin. I can tell you healing isn't among my strengths, but I can do a little of you wish."

 

She turned to Ellisha. "Can I trust you to keep control?" As she said it she thought about how lucky Ellisha was that Taia wasn't here. Otherwise there might be a pile of ashes where she stood.

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

Knowing that the best way to train was to use himself as the one they attacked or defended from, due to the lengths that he trained for a few years now, he spoke to Ellisha, “Ellisha Sedai.” He said, his tone as serious as ever. “Keep in mind what I’ve taught you so far. Remember to maintain balance, recoil after each strike and most importantly of all; never to over extend yourself. We don’t want any injuries on your first day of training. Now, are you ready?”

 

She gave him a rueful grin and in reply, began charging straight for him. It was easy training that put him to one side, deflecting her whole charge with one hand, throwing her off balance.

 

“I remember telling you to keep your balance, Ellisha Sedai" Rekinu said as he leaned down over her, to offer his hand to help her stand again. “That was not a very balanced approach.”

 

Ellisha Sedai scrambled to her feet, protesting. “You, you… caught me off guard that time!” she stammered, fumbling awkwardly in the dirt for her dagger.

 

Shaking his head slowly, he retorted, with a bit of amusement, “I also remember telling you to always be on guard when facing an opponent.”

 

She gave him a heated stare; fiery eyes burning, anger flashing as she replied, “I won’t be next time.”

 

“Gery good,” he nodded, “then we shall continue.”

 

On and on they went, blow after blow Ellisha lashed the Warder’s way; he gave her credit for two things. She struck fast. Though not viper fast, it was fast enough she would probably do well against a normal street tough. However most threats to an Aes Sedai were likely to not be from street toughs, and so if she were to have a chance he had to make her be fast enough to hit an assassin or other highly trained individuals. And that was why he was here after all.

 

Rekinu could tell she was tiring and decided that the next run would be the last for the day. Interestingly, this time she changed her tactics. Instead of charging straight at him like she’d done on her previous attempts, she approached him carefully, maintaining a solid footwork and holding the knife in a protective manner. Closing the gap, she made a controlled stab straight for his centre, then again and again as he parried each blow. She was definitely trying to get him. Reki blocked each stroke, throwing her knife hand away from him, and she did not lose her balance as before. Grinning, it was time to end the session with a good way to attack fresh in her mind, he told her to end the session. But she was so focused on hitting him, she did not hear. Since she had not heard his statement to stop (as he could not demand an Aes Sedai to do anything), he used the flat of his hand and struck Ellisha’s knife wrist, with just enough pressure to force her to drop the knife. Due to the way she had been attacking at him in that instance, she bounced off his other arm that had been reaching out to steady her, and she crumpled to the ground unceremoniously.

 

“You’ve done well, Ellisha Sedai.” He said, his hands folding behind his back. “I think that will be enough for now.” Rekinu turned and began walking away from her.

 

"We are finish when I say we finish!” Came a snarl from behind him. Ellisha Sedai had gotten up, and as Rekinu turned towards her, she charged at him. Her charging at him was something he had seen many times in the practice fields and even in the performance of his duties outside of the tower. What gave him pause, what startled him was the anger directed right at him from those intense eyes of hers. He had had an Aes Sedai mat at him. Even his own, but this wasn't just anger; it was almost hate. As he struggled to reconcile how she could have so much hate at him, she threw a handful of dirt and sand in his face. Unexpected, his eyes were not able to close quickly enough to stop it. He also got a mouthful as he had been about to congratulate her when she charged at him.

 

He stumbled back, completely blind, and in pain from the dirt in his eyes. The first blow of many that flowed was well placed in the center of his stomach, knocking the breath out of him as well. He fell over, with a slight "oof" as the air was forcibly propelled from him. The following moments, unable to gauge what exactly was going on left him scrabbling to block blows raining hard and fast on him from every direction. She seemed to have a goal to bruise every inch of his body, and was definitely making a run for it. After the first two blows, and another one that broke his nose, he was able to assume a small piece of the Void and deflect the rest of the blows from his vital areas, while struggling to blink his eyes to see more than a vague blur through the pain. Through the whole thing he kept reminding himself if was an Aes Sedai that was hitting him. He was Light bound to serve and protect, so he would NOT lash back. He could not fathom why she was so furious, but he would not retaliate. He would NOT. It became a litany in his mind, one word with each blow.

 

Finally, it stopped. He waited a small moment, before clearing his eyes with his hands, wiping away the dirt and sand as best he could without water.

 

As his eyes cleared some, he saw Kira sanding by him, offering him a hand to help him up. He accepted gingerly, checking the hand he grasped her for blood, he did not want her to get dirty with it. She spoke to him, with sadness in her eyes, dispite the serenity painted there, he could still see it. "I can only offer my sincerest apologies for this Gaidin. I can tell you healing isn't among my strengths, but I can do a little of you wish."

 

Staring at her, still trying to figure out what he had done, he shook his head to clear it, before stopping with a wince and nodded his agreement.

 

She turned to Ellisha. "Can I trust you to keep control?"

 

Before Elisha could reply, Rekinu decided to speak up. His voice was steady, and for that he was grateful. "Elisha, I commend you for the unexpected moves, though remember to not," he paused as he picked up the knife, wincing a little, before continuing; "to not drop your knife. It should stay on you at all times. Setting it aside carelessly is bound to get you into a situation where it is needed to defend yourself, and you will not have it."

 

He hesitated another moment, before kneeling. "Elisha Sedai, what have I done to shame you so? If I have sullied my honor, just say the word and I will do penance."

 

Rekinu Alasayaar,

Thoroughly confused.

[Sherper]

Like the eclipse of the sun, the power, died, inside her. She gasped as one second she was filled with the sweet nectar of energy, the pulsating beat of life itself; the next, only a dark deep hollowness remained. Someone wove an air shield around her, pinning her in place, but no longer did she pay any attention to that. Her insides, were empty. For once she felt… cold.
    With the vengeful impulses that came with holding so much of the One Power having been removed from her, Ellisha began to see herself clearly again, to think clearly again. And only when did she force herself to look up, her eyes momentarily meeting that of the other Blue, did the full implication for what she’d nearly done finally begin to sink in to her mind. 
    Light protect me. I…
    Black pitiless spheres peered across the clearing at her, studying her with a calculating look.
    Though the other woman’s face was smooth and without any sign of emotion, Ellisha knew the eyes on a person rarely lied about what they were truly thinking. There was anger there; maybe she even saw Ellisha as an abomination, a disgrace to the Tower. A monster.
    “Can I trust you to keep control?” the words left her mouth with hardly any tone to it, and it was set in a tight thin line. The expression on her face would have made the frost on an iceberg melt. It was what one might have said to a rabid dog; one who was being punished by being locked in a cage. Ellisha looked down at her feet in shame, unable to meet those hard stern eyes any longer. The accusation in them cut deeper than any knife could have ever done with her flesh.
    She heard the sound of the sand scrapping against knee and was surprised to hear the Gaiden’s voice speak across to her from the clearing.
     “Ellisha,” the Warder said, his voice sounding hoarse and laboured despite the remarkable amount of self-control it must have taken to keep it steady. “I commend you for the unexpected moves, though… remember to not drop your knife next time. It needs to stay…” his face contorted into a small grimace, one hand unconsciously moving down to the spot where Ellisha had hit him the most. “It needs to stay on you at all times. Setting it aside carelessly is bound to get you into a situation where it is needed to defend yourself, and you will not have it.” The man paused for a long moment, his large bright eyes watching her face with an intent expression.
    A single wet streak appeared down the side of her face as she felt her calloused hands grip the side of her wrist, fighting down the urge to shake and completely break down in front of the two.    “Ellisha Sedai,” he continued, adding in the honorific this time. “What have I done to shame you so? If I have sullied your honour, just say the word and I will do penance.” His words were gentle and there was no malice there, only concern, as selfless as ever.
    She felt her control beginning to slip; first she began shaking uncontrollably, her arms barely keeping her body from quavering like a frightened bird through the bonds. Then, the bubble of tears that she’d been withholding back this whole time, finally broke down like a collapsed dam, and with it, the torrent of tears that rolled off the side of her face.
    “I…I…” she tried to speak, but was hardly able to string more than two words together to form a sentence.  What could she say? What was there to say that could have excused her from what she did? What she had almost done? Nothing.
“I’m… I’m…” she finally managed. “I’m sorry.”
    With a wave of her left hand, the weaves used to construct the air shield dissipate around her, as the Blue slowly released her own hold on Saidar. She slowly sank to the ground, and as the last of the air binding her dissipated, allowed herself to crash to the hard even surface on both knees. She held her hands up and cried into them, hoping the two wouldn’t be able to see the pitiful sight she was in.  What were they thinking of her at that moment? She didn’t know as she lay crying on the floor. Probably didn’t want to know in any case.  
     Scrambling to both feet, and without another look towards the pair of Warder and Aes Sedai, she ran out and away from the courtyard, out, from the Tower itself. The pair didn’t give her chase, not even a cry for her to stop as she ran out of sight of the two. Even the guards didn’t try and stop her or ask her any questions, though maybe they’d assumed she was just another servant working in the Tower. She wasn’t wearing her shawl, and had on work clothes instead of the customary Blue dress which would have marked her as Aes Sedai.
    She ran out of the Tower grounds and into the streets of Tar Valon itself. A few pedestrians shot her sympathetic looks as she ran past them, but otherwise left her unmolested. She ran, tear marks flowing freely from both her cheeks. She wanted to hide, to find a corner where the people and the world would forget about her. The insane women who some used to call Aes Sedai.
    She found the place she was looking for in a dark alleyway off to the side of the high street, where the lights from the sun couldn’t get an angle through the black crevasse in between the city’s roof tops.
     Slumping down against a dirty soot covered wall, she finally allowed the full extent of her emotions to flow out of her in peace without any restraints. She didn’t remember ever crying that much in her entire life as she did that day; not ever since the night she heard of Aril’s death. That night when the little bits and pieces she had begun to call her life in the Tower, had simply shattered like the shards of a mirror to reveal the lies that were hiding behind them.
    She realised then, sitting slumped against the walls of that dark dingy alleyway, that she wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. As strong as she needed to be. She had nearly killed an innocent man today; a person of the light who was doing nothing more than trying to help her. She allowed that information to slowly sink in, and would have continued crying curdled up in a ball, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head buried in her filthy trousers, had not a voice interrupted her quiet condemnation of herself.
    “What is wrong?” the quiet voice sounded awfully close to where she sat in the alleyway. She hadn’t heard anyone approaching, but that would have come as no surprise. She was so engrossed with herself, she barely registered the rumbling of the heavy oxen carts over on the high road.
    “Go away,” she sniffed, using one hand to attempt a feeble shooing motion towards her unfortunate visitor. Nothing moved or made a sound on the filthy rubble. Wiping her eyes with the corner of her sleeve, she looked up, allowing her eyes a moment to adjust from the tear marks and the brightness of daylight. A young smallish looking boy stood watching her, his large blue eyes wide in an expression of curiosity and worry.
    “Are you ok?” he said, his accent sounding of southern Andor, just like where had grown up with before she came to the Tower. The boy couldn’t have been more than eight years old, though he still stood a hand or two taller than Ellisha’s seated pose.
    “What do you want?” she snapped, instantly regretting the vile tone she used to fill her words.
    The boy blinked, but didn’t react like he should have to a crazy woman sitting on the side of the street.
    “You see a bit… lost.”
    Ellisha blinked a few times, both to clear the tears that still welled in her eyes, as well as to stare at the strange boy standing not five feet away from her. Was it her delusional mind or had she seen this person before? The features, though alien at first glance, were oddly familiar in a strange way. She sneezed, the temperature in the alleyway adding to the number of discomforts currently being endured by her body. But when she opened her eyes again, the boy was gone. She looked first left, then right in surprise, trying to see where the boy could have possibly gone but there was no trace. She was almost certain there had been somewhere a moment ago. Maybe you’ve been crazy this whole time and you just didn’t know it.
    “But are you?” the voice came again and Ellisha jumped into the air in shock only to land back down on the ground again a moment later. Not only was the boy standing where he had originally stood, but it seemed like he was reading Ellisha’s mind.
    “What. Who are you?”
    “Do you honestly want to hide yourself behind insanity?” Ellisha blinked once more, for the youngish boy was now the figure of an elderly woman. This time, Ellisha did recognise the figure.
    “Are you Aes Sedai?” said the woman, her hands hidden behind the sleeves of her light blue dress.
    “I…”
    “Are you Aes Sedai.” Mistress Dale repeated, annunciating each words in turn as if they held the most significant importance.
     “I… am.” Ellisha admitted, finally seeing something in the mist clouds of her jumbled conscious thought. The three oaths still bounded her, and she did uphold the light – be it in her own way.
     “I… am.” She repeated, be it more firmly this time. Mistress Dale nodded once, before walking away from where she sat. Ellisha watched as she went, feeling oddly numb at the thoughts that now swirled around her head. She was still Aes Sedai. Whatever happened, whatever will happen, nothing could really change that fact now. For better or for worse, she, like the rest of her sisters were bound to the Tower for life. She stood, wiping the dirt from the back of her clothes and with one sweeping motion of her hand, realigned the messy tangle of hair strands back into some semblance of uniformity.
    Thirty minutes later, she was walking back into the Tower grounds, intending for all the world to find the two people she had encountered this morning. She had used a bit of the One Power to make herself a bit more presentable than before. Her hair was now tied in a simple braid, and the stains from her face had been washed by the use of a water weave after she drew the liquid from a nearby well.
    She found the other Blue still standing in the courtyard where she’d left them that morning, though the Warder was nowhere to be seen, presumably having gone to the sick bay to heal from his wounds.
    “Kira Sedai.” Ellisha coughed to draw the Aes Sedai’s attention. She stopped her work with the quarterstaff, leaning the haft on the ground before turning to face her. “I want to apologise again for what I did this morning. I… was not myself at the time.” She looked to the side, avoiding eye contact with the other woman. “There is nothing in the world that could have justified what I did, and I won’t try and make any excuses for myself. Whatever pennant you and Gaiden Rekinu have decided I deserve, I will accept without any hesitation.”

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira frowned as Ellisha ran. Something was wrong, although Kira had no idea what. Something had happened. With that knowledge, Kira's anger dissipated. Kira would talk to her.

 

She turned to the Warder, who was probably very confused. "Rekinu Gaidin. I think there is more to this issue than meets the eye. I'd like to stick around and wait for her to return. I'll speak with her and see if I can help. I think your presence may make her uncomfortable, and would prefer to talk to my sister alone. If you don't mind."

 

She hoped the warder would understand. She sat down and waited, still holding her staff. Ellisha came back, and Kira gave her a smile. The woman felt bad for what she did, but neither her nor the Gaidin had come up with a penance. Kira wanted to help and throwing punishment Elisha's way might not help.

 

Kira stood up and approached Ellisha. The fire in her eyes was gone and was replaced with compassion. "What's wrong Ellisha? Something caused that reaction. I don't think you need judgment. I think you need help." Kira met her eyes. "I would like to help you. I don't know if I can, but I will try. We are both Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah. That makes us sisters, and I don't want to see my sister hurt." Kira smiled an encouraging smile. "If you do not wish to talk, that's okay, but know my door is always open to you."

 

Kira smiled and gave Ellisha some space. She couldn't help Ellisha if the woman didn't want it. She hoped she would receive the gift Kira freely offered. She truthfully cared about her sister.

[Sherper]

Ellisha returned the smile, though it came out more as a grimace. “I thank you for your concern.” She said, trying to keep her tone even and her face as smooth as possible. “It is… good. To have people that care about you.” She paused, then deciding to say no more, for now.
    A light breeze was blowing, lifting the sand up until they whirled around the sides of their feet. She met the other woman’s eyes, trying to figure out the thoughts and intentions behind those clear bright spheres. Could she really trust this person? Trust hurts, she knew, and she’d been hurt before. The Aes Sedai seemed sincere in her offer of support, a gesture rare enough in itself, but could she really believe that support wasn’t just another knife in disguise?
    She was supposed to be alone in this fight, wasn’t she? Never had she considered the prospect of an alley before, or even more ludicrous, someone she could confide her worries to. No… she thought, mentally gritting her teeth. No, I can’t take the risk.
    “I’ll be down to the hospital ward to check on the Gaiden, and to offer my personal apology.” She had control of her emotions again, and it was easy to maintain a bubble of distance between herself and her expressions. “I hope this incident does not impede us working together in the future, or with that of Gaiden Rekinu. And… thank you, again, for offering to help.”
     She thought she almost meant that last part as she turned away, headed for the section of the Tower that housed the sick beds. As she walked, she couldn’t help but feel a nagging sense of something unaccomplished. Almost as if it were a missed opportunity of some kind. She sighed, looking up to stare forlornly at the Tower that skied above. Could she be missing something?

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah