Acceptable Behaviour (Attn: Chaelca)

[Sherper]

Ellisha breathed, drawing in the scent of the Tower around her – its multitude of voices, the sound of shuffling feet and the aroma of freshly picked sun flowers. As much as he hated its inhabitants, she had to admit the Tower – In its singular form – without all its political and social implications – really wasn’t a bad place to live in. Breakfast was being served down in the kitchens and she noticed a new patch of eager Novices gliding – or attempting to – towards the smell of food. She sighed, letting the tension wash over her, then proceeded to pointedly stomp past the line of Novices.
     She walked towards her quarters, which was situated exactly one floor above her old ones – the ones she used to occupy as a Novice. Her eyes glazed over and her mind began to wander as her subconscious took over the task of locomotion. She really missed her days as a Novice; she figured what with the exclusion of any more mandatory classes, the ability to set her own times of study, her days as an Accepted would breeze by a lot easier. Oh how very wrong she was on that point. She had realised something was wrong when she found an entire mountain of textbooks sitting atop her now slightly bigger desk; the use of which, she was sure, was precisely to accommodate for the heightened workload. She sighed, yet again, noticing an Aes Sedai – of the Grey Ajah – walk past. She would pray for the swift coming of her test, if only to cause a reduction in the insurmountable amount of flaming books she had to read.
     Her ears pricked up as she heard something out of place in the general conundrum of the hallway. Shouting, no, argument, she decided. Glancing towards one of the wall clocks, she probably had some time before she is pressed to return to her room and study. If this distraction would give a further excuse for procrastination, then she’d happily take it.  
A group of Novices curtsied to her as she walked by. She still wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. Certainly the Novices held the Accepted in the highest regard – perhaps not far off from the Aes Sedais themselves. But Ellisha certainly didn’t feel any different when around Aes Sedais. Evidently they still saw them as mere children.
     The voices grew louder as she turned yet another corner. This section was slightly less often used, and hence less frequented by most people in the Tower. She was curious as she drew close to the source of the commotion. What could anyone be shouting about, and so… passionately? She slowly peaked out from one side of a corner – It wouldn’t do to be seen eavesdropping on two potential Aes Sedai having a shouting match – and saw two white clad Novices seeming to be on the edge of tearing each other’s hairs off. One had light brown hair; of Andoran decent, Ellisha guessed though it was still too early to tell. The other had straight sleek black hair and an angular face which at that moment was contorted into a scowl. She stepped around her corner and stepped up towards the two.
      “Alright, what is going on here?”   

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Accepted in the White Tower

 

[Hayl3y]

Myrrhi couldn't hold it anymore. The stress of the last few days, the amount of books she had had to read, the amount of chores she had had to do. And now, that silly girl had discovered her. She was not supposed to be wandering in the Accepted corridors: she had nothing to bring in here, no one had asked her to give a message to anyone and her next lesson was supposed to take place in a couple of minutes on another floor. The only reason she was here was because she wanted to find a spot and channel in secret, here, alone, without the help of a teacher, Aes Sedai or Accepted. But before she had managed to do anything, Seralia, one of the other Novices, had found her, that nosy little goose. She had asked her why she was there, what she was doing, why she was blushing. So many questions, and she couldn't give any kind of answer.

 

Seralia had been one of her rivals since the first days in the Tower. Always trying to arrive before her in class. Always trying to do give better answers to the teachers, and always looking her down because Myrrhi was not nobly born, because Myrrhi didn't go along with her own mother and had no father and most of all because Myrrhi had dared to say that using a sword in battle could be more effective than using the One Power. A couple of times, now, Seralia had taken advantage of the fact that Myrrhi was alone and didn't have real friends around to make fun of her and her ideas about the uses of weapons.

 

"Now, you will tell me what you were doing here", asked the black haired girl, one more time. "I would have thought u'd spend your free time oogling the Warders. I am sure that you must be very interested in their fighting skills. Maybe, you'll be allowed to join them when you'll miss your test to become an Accepted. "

 

"Leave me alone ! ", replied Myrrhi. She had tried to look for an escape but the corridor was not that large, and Seralia was surely taking a lot of space. 

 

"You will answer me ! " Seralia's smile looked almost hungry. It seemed that she had found a very embarrassing secret, and that she wanted to take full advantage of it.

 

"No!" Myrrhi yelled. Without even thinking, her fist went, planting itself on Seralia's nose. It took Myrrhi a couple of seconds to realize what she had done. She couldn't feel guilty though. The flaming girl had been asking for it. That hit has been almost like it was supposed to be, in the books, I have managed to put all my weight in it, and i really aimed to go through her head. Myrrho was feeling very proud of herself and would have clapped in her hands. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to fully appreciate of her achievement, as an Accepted.made her arrival.

 

“Alright, what is going on here?”, asked the older girl. Even if she was wearing a white dress hemmed with the colors of the seven Ajah, she had the bearing of a full raised Sister to the young Novice. I can't lie. I need to get out of here with the head high... even if i'll have to scrub pots for ten years.

 

Myrrhi looked around her to check out Seralia. She was nursing her nose but she was standing. Then, clearing her throat and curtsying, she started, hoping the other Novice would be too much in pain to say anything immediately.

 

"Accepted, it seems that Seralia and I have different views about fighting skills, which i think i have proven to be very useful. Indeed, as i can't wield the One Power unattended, without them, never would I have been able to show that a non-nobly born Novice is a real person that deserve a minimum of respect from her classmates. I may not know my father and barely call my mother so, but i don't have to be mocked for it. " She almost spat her last few words feeling all her resentment coming back again. It was the pain in her right hand that made her hold her tongue, otherwise she would have raged about everything Seralia had told her today and before.

 

Looking at her right fist, Myrrhi discovered it to be red. Her knuckles hurt like hell. Massaging her hand, she shyly turned her eyes toward the Accepted, after a while. Her face had not changed even one bit after those explanations, so the Novice felt the need to add "I know that my behavior can't be excused with a couple of words and I will immediately go to the Mistress of the Novices". 

 

Blushing, she turned one more time towards Seralia whose nose looked puffy. Blood was raining down on her mouth, but the injury would probably not last long. A kind yellow Sister would probably heal it, while Myrrhi would be stuck in the kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sherper]

Red droplets plopped rhythmically to the floor as the girl’s nosebleed spilled over the side of her cupped palm. Ellisha held the two in an icy stare, though that was partially just to give herself some more time to think. One thing she had learned over the years living in the Tower was whenever she didn’t know what to do: the best course of action was usually to look disapproving.
    The one who identified herself as Myrrhi was rambling something about her family, and Ellisha caught the words ‘nobly born,’ though she was in fact only listening with one ear. Letting out a pointed breath, she crossed her arms underneath her breasts, and the hastily conjured excuses died on the Novice’s lips.
    The two were in serious trouble, and they probably knew it; judging by the defeated look on Myrrhi’s face, some understood it better than others. Had she observed this from any other perspective and not one of the dutiful Accepted, the situation would have appeared absolutely hilarious to her. Two abashed Novices – one with a nosebleed that did justice to the description ‘Bloody fountain,’ and the other looking like she had just received news that she was to serve on a farm for the rest of her life. The novelty was of course lost to her as, being the Accepted, she was supposed to be the one with the ‘responsibility,’ whatever the hell that meant. She probably had to report to the Mistress of Novices, likely spending her entire free afternoon explaining in that Hag’s office how she had found the two, what they were doing, what happened afterwards and–…  
Of course, she thought to herself, there was the other option.
    “Since I know both of you still have a semblance of what is known as a brain,” she hissed softly in a fairly accurate imitation of an annoyed rattlesnake, “I’ll skip the lecture on just how utterly screwed you’d be if I’d been one of the full Sisters.” The two had the decency to look down at their feet as she said it, even Seralia, though the move only seemed to make her nose bleed worse.
    “But since I’m not in the mood to clean up the mess you two started, and no,” she interrupted Seralia when it looked like the girl was going to interject, “I don’t care if she started it, and neither I’m sure, would the Mistress of Novices.” The girl opened and closed her mouth a few times as she glared up at Ellisha, before finally deciding on sticking with the latter.
Good, Ellisha breathed a sigh of relief, I might be able to get away with the rest of the day after all.
    She was just about to dismiss the two, sending them on their merry ways so she could be untangled from this mess, when the one person who could have undone all her work appeared at that moment from around the corner.
    “What on earth are you three doing?” The seven coloured hem of an extra-large Accepteds dress whisked along the floor tiles as Pavara thundered down the corridor towards them.  
    “Seralia!” Her voice shook the walls like thunder without lightning. “What happened to your nose?”
    Unlike her smaller sibling, Pavara was a big woman. Almost a head taller than even Ellisha herself, she was a full ring broader along the hips and seemed capable of towering above just about anyone. Ellisha groaned inwardly to herself, though showing a measured degree of composure as the woman walked right up to her, their faces only inches away from touching.
    “What have you done to my sister Falwein,” she growled a low dangerous growl, and Ellisha had to train herself not to flinch under that enormous pressure. Wonderful, her mind raced, only then remembering Pavara had a younger sister who had just recently entered the Tower. Just blood and bloody wonderful.
    “I’ve got it handled, Accepted.” She replied, not once breaking eye contact with the other woman. “No need for this to get any more unpleasant than it already is.”
    “She punched me!” Seralia squeaked from the sidelines and both of them turned to stare at her. Ellisha grounded her teeth, and glared straight at the troublemaking little chit who had positioned herself behind her bigger sister. The girl directed one shaky finger towards the figure of Myrrhi and began to make sobbing noises into her hands. She was obviously faking it, but Pavara didn’t seem to notice or care. After patting her sister comfortingly on the shoulder, the Accepted stood up and began walking directly towards Myrrhi.
    “Out of the way Falwein,” she barked when Ellisha took one step to her left and blocked Pavara’s advance. “I said, out of the way!” she yelled. The glow of Saidar appeared around her and Ellisha’s breath caught as she saw a whip-like weave of air lash out towards Myrrhi. The girl let out a squeak and Ellisha saw her attempt to embrace Saidar to protect herself. She was too out of practise however, and startled by the unexpected attacked, did not manage more than to simply hold the source before crashing backwards to the floor. A second whip came, but this time, Ellisha was waiting. Having already embraced the Source as soon as she saw what the other woman was doing, she split the weave with one of her own and the two cancelled each other out mid-air out before any harm could be done.  
    “Afraid I can’t let you do that.” Ellisha breathed out, letting in more of the Source so that she was holding just about as much as she could safely hold. Saidar flowed throughout her; pulsing, flowing and radiant in her vessel. That sweet ecstasy, the unmatched sense of power, the small pain in the back of her head which was an incomparably small price to pay for the absolute sense of joy it bought her.
    The glow surrounded her, she had never held this much of the source before but it simply felt wonderful, like she had never been truly alive up to that point. The weight of it slowly chocked her, yet a part of her craved for the pressure to build just that little more.
    Only the ambient sound of the Tower could be heard in the distance, even Seralia had temporary decided to stop crying. Ellisha could practically hear the tension in the air as neither one of them dared to make the first move. Then, unexpectedly, Pavara smiled.
    “I’ve been waiting for this moment to happen again you know,” the other woman said, and for the first time, Ellisha felt a chill run down the length of her spine.
    “Well I’ve certainly been waiting to replicate last time.” She forced herself to smile back but it took considerable effort. Now was not the time to show weakness, she had to appear like if she too was as un-phased by the entire event.  
    “You got lucky last time. Won’t happen again.”
    “You don’t have your cronies to back you up this time,” she replied coolly to the woman’s challenge. “No more hiding behind the weight of numbers.” Pavara’s smile only broadened.
    “I don’t intend to.”
    Before she could react, the Accepted aimed a shot directly at her. Ellisha had just enough time to split the weave, but did not see the follow ups in time. A solid clump of air knocked the wind from her middle and she gasped as she flew backwards through the air, crashing against a wooden doorframe which splintered under the enormous strain on its hinges.
    The world grew dark for a moment, her eyes involuntarily closing as her mind shut itself off to protect herself from trauma. She landed, head knocked sideways as she rolled awkwardly through the interiors of an abandoned class room. She coughed, blinking her eyes open only to see the mountainous form of Pavara stepping over the ruins of desks and chairs towards her.  

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Accepted of the White Tower

Edited August 14, 2014 by Sherper

[Hayl3y]

“Out of the way Falwein,” were the last words that Myrrhi heard before she got hurt.

 

A huge Accepted, who seemed to be Seralia's sister had arrived a couple of seconds ago. She had asked no questions, but it had been easy to see that she wanted to side with the other Novice whatever may have happened before. They may have been different of size, the Novice and her, but their faces looked so much the same. WIth little haughty eyes and a pinched nose.

 

There had been nothing Myrrhi could have done to protect herself : she didn't know how to weave shields nor to break attacks with the One Power. The only lessons she had had so far had been about lighting candles and taking away water from soaked cloths. So pretty useless lessons. Useless against the threads of Fire and Earth that had rushed at her and met with her face. It had hurt a lot. Myrrhi had felt her lower lip splitting and her cheeks burning.

 

Waiting for another attack, Myrrhi was surprised to see that nothing else came at her. She looked around and her eyes dropped on the other Accepted, the one with dark brown hair who had first arrived on the scene, Ellisha. That one had also the glow of Saidar around her and was channeling to split the huge girl's weaving. She is protecting me? Why would she ? Myrrhi stepped on the side to have a better look of what was happening. I need to find a way out, for me and for Ellisha. And that way won't include me channeling, i am so bad with the One Power...

 

“Afraid I can’t let you do that.” said Ellisha to the huge girl, who had Seralia still safely behind her. But this had no effect, as the big Accepted replied menacing Ellisha again with an evil grin. It seemed the two Accepted knew each other and had fought against each other already ... Ellisha had not said her last word though and Myrrhi was relieved to see that she was still embracing Saidar. It was the first time that Myrrhi had seen someone with such an intense glow surrounding her. She must have channeled till her limit. Unfortunately, the huge girl didn't look scared. "I’ve been waiting for this moment to happen again you know,” she added not impressed at all. Weaving more threads of air, she lashed at Ellisha and the girl flew backwards, crashing against a wooden doorframe which exploded then disappeared in the now open room.

 

Nothing moved for a moment. Myrrhi thought that someone would come, to check out where all the noise they had made could have come from. But the Tower corridors were still empty. Before Myrrhi could move, she heard Ellisha coughing. Oh Light! She's still conscious. She must have been able to slow her fall with some air weaving ...  I hope. If we manage to give a lesson to the fat girl and her ugly sister, I promise i'll try to heal her or to do Ellisha's chores for her for at least 3 months.

 

The Huge Accepted looked unhappy to hear those coughs. She would have hoped to see her opponed knocked out. Chuckling, she entered the room where Ellisha was laying, brushing her skirts with her hands.

 

Of course, Seralia was smiling. Her sister had had the upper hand. And it made Myrrhi boil inside. So much that she was barely feeling the injuries caused by the huge Accepted. They are going to pay, the both of them, thought Myrrhi. Seeing that the other Novice was not a thread anymore, with her arms crossed and looking like she was having a lot fun, Myrrhi decided to take the full advantage of the situation. Opening herself to Saidar she lashed at the young girl the same threads than the ones that been lashed at her, once then a second time. The attacks were less powerful maybe, but they looked quite efficient. Seralia backed away holding her face then ran towards the stairs squeeking, probably to get help or at least to get out of danger.

 

Hearing more threats from the huge girl directed at Ellisha, Myrrhi decided to rush in the room and grabbed a piece of wood laying on the floor. It was not big but enough to defend herself if need be.

 

"Accepted, you leave Ellisha alone !".

 

The huge girl turned with an evil grin. "And what do you think you could do to stop me, little girl ? You surely don't look menacing with that piece of wood".

 

Myrrhi brace herself when she saw the glow of Saidar surrounding the huge girl again. Like the previous time, threads of Fire and Earth hit her. They had been as strong as the last time, but she stood on her feet holding her piece of wood. She lost the Source though. The pain made it difficult to concentrate on embracing anything.

 

"I am not afraid of you", said Myrrhi spitting blood on the ground and she ran toward her opponent. Of course, huge girl was surprised to see that a frail Novice would decide to go against her, not with the Power but with her hands and something barely resembling a weapon. She readied herself though and prepared to launch her fist at the younger girl's face. Myrrhi saw it coming and ducked in time. With all her strength, she tried a stabbing move towards the huge girl 's belly with her wooden weapon. And it worked ! The Accepted made one step back and gasped.

 

Happy to have made a hit, Myrrhi smiled but forgot to move out of reach and an elbow met her temples so fast that she was sent on the floor.

Edited August 21, 2014 by Hayl3y

[Sherper]

Puffs of ash escaped her lungs as she wheezed into the sleave of her arm, yet that wasn’t her biggest concern for the moment. Like a rolling mountain – towering and unstoppable – Pavara strode towards the spot where she lay, helpless and having lost her grip on Saidar.
    “That,” she managed a cough, “wasn’t fair.” More blood than words came out of her mouth though and the act only made Pavara’s smile broaden. She had her trapped and exactly where she wanted. Ellisha forced herself to smile back at the large woman through clenched and bloodied teeth, the colour of crimson red. Internal bleeding. Maybe a punctured lung. Broken ribs definitely. An imbedded primeval part of her mind tried to identify which parts of her body were broken whilst the two of them stared into each other. Her only hope was that she had bought that girl Myrrhi – or whatever the hell her name was – enough time to escape.
    “This is just like old times, right?” The bigger woman chuckled once more, though from her current position on the floor it sounded more like demonic cackle. “Finally improved your aim I see,” she retorted, a last desperate act of defiance before she was totally defeated. Her eyelids slowly closed in on themselves as she began to accept her fate, waiting, for that inevitable blow to land and bring it to a conclusion. Maybe it was a product of her already strained mind, but laying there on the floor, feeling the cold marble on her back, Ellisha thought she saw the form of a thin and fragile figure running towards them. What on earth was Myrrhi still doing here?
    “Accepted, you leave Ellisha alone!” the voice cried and for once Pavara seemed generally surprised as she turned around to face this new threat.
    “And what do you think you could do to stop me, little girl?” Ellisha heard Pavara say in a condescending tone. The Accepted embraced Saidar and struck out with it at the tiny figure.
No, No, No, NO!
She lashed out just as the weave was beginning to reach the approaching young Novice. The majority of her strength had gradually been sapped away over the course of the past minute or so, but somehow, Ellisha still found herself clawing at the hem of Pavara’s dress just as the woman made to finish the weave she started. The moment of distraction was just enough; the strike weave, incomplete as it was, only partly connected with Myrrhi as the Novice swung with all her might at the larger Accepted with the end of what appeared to be a broken table leg.
    The blow connected, and for the second time that day, Ellisha heard a crunch that signalled the breaking of bones. This time not her own. Before any celebrations could be declared however, a wild un-aimed fist struck and sent the Novice flying off the rubble pile. Pavara wasn’t close to being finished yet.
    “YOU.” The woman pointed at the figure of Myrrhi, trying to scramble back on her feet. The girl might look small and fragile, but Ellisha has certainly seen her take a respectable share of blows today. “BROKE MY NOSE.” The Accepted was in a state of rage and Ellisha only knew the signs too well. She charged down the small incline of broken furniture and overturned floor tiles and straight at the younger Novice. A look of unrestrained terror flashed across Myrrhi’s face as Pavara made a beeline for her at the bottom. She had lost her chair leg during the fall, though that in reality wouldn’t have done much against a two hundred pound avalanche of meat and furry.
    Ellisha breathed in, then out, controlling her heart rate as she pictured for a moment in her mind’s eye, her happy place. The seas roll high and the waves come crashing in – and In. Saidar flooded in to her as the mental exercise coaxed the precious stream past the blockage of her physical wound. This was the first time since becoming Accepted she’s had to resort back to Novice Saidar tricks. She then did one of two things; the first was to fire a clump of air at the stunned form of Myrrhi making the girl shoot through the doorway and out of harm’s way – the second, was to cause the entire ceiling to come crashing down on top of Pavara’s head. Like most women, Ellisha had never been strong in either fire or earth, but after all the channelling that had been done that day, the roof tiles seemed to her just about as fragile as the now broken floor. All that was needed was a gentle coaxing, and some earth and fire balls. The room shook with the weight of falling roof tiles and the Ellisha saw the still raging figure of Pavara disappear under a cloud of ash and cinder.
    Something shook her with a violent urgency, and it was only after a minute of her name being shouted into her ear that Ellisha finally realised she had fallen unconscious again. A pair of bright blue eyes, full of concern and worry, stared down at her from above as the shaking finally stopped.
    “Oh thank the light you’re awake!” the girl squeaked when she saw Ellisha finally opening her eyes. “I was getting so worried.” She blinked, a sting of pain bringing tears to her eyes as she attempted to prop herself up with one arm.
    “Pavara,” she croaked, officially feeling like she had just aged two hundred years.
    “Haven’t seen her since you… Well I don’t know where she is.” The girl was shaking, one hand resting on top of her other arm as she replied; eyes looking distant. Sure signs of trauma, or at least, in Ellisha’s limited areas of expertise, copious amounts of stress.
    “Come,” she said in what she hoped was a soothing comforting tone. “It’ll be alright. Help me up and take me to my room. We can’t be seen lingering here.”  

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Accepted of the White Tower
 

Edited August 20, 2014 by Sherper

[Hayl3y]

Myrrhi was scared, laying on the floor and seeing Pavara getting ready to hurt her one more time. It looked like the huge girl really wanted to kill her, or at least to hurt her very badly. Her eyes were like black holes and her cheeks were soaked. A girl huge like that would be sweaty really fast, and here obviously she had made a lot of efforts to keep the upper hand. Her grin made it even worse. It was like Pavara knew that she'd be the winner, whatever Myrrhi would do.

 

Thinking hard, Myrrhi tried to find a way out. But nothing came to her, not even the smallest idea. Her mind was blank. She didn't have her weapon anymore, the piece of wood she had grabbed earlier had fallen on the floor a couple of meters away and she could not concentrate enough to channel. The only way for her to escape Pavara was a miracle ... and a miracle happened, in a way. Pavara was opening herself to Saidar and bringing her fist high enough to gather most of her strenght for her next blow when the younger girl felt herself flying out of the room.

 

What happened?

 

It took the Novice a couple of seconds to understand what had happened. Gathering back her skirts around her legs and clutching the right side of her hip that had hit the floor before her landing, she first thought about an intervention of the Divine. But that was not possible. Of course, it was Ellisha who must have channeled her out of reach, no one else could have done it. We are alone here, she thought, eyeing the both ends of the corridors. No one is around. And here i am, cringing like a coward. I should be ashamed of myself! I have to help... Or, should i get some help ? Biting her lip, Myrrhi went back on her feet. She was not strong enough to do any real damage but she could not bring herself to abandon the Accepted who had defended her. I can't be a coward ! And what if the people i find are on Pavara's side ? I need to think of something... I need to go and help her.

 

She barely had the time to move though. An ominous sound resonated in the corridor and maybe even in the whole Tower as the entire ceiling crashed in the room where the two Accepted still were. Myrrhi rushed to the door, or what was left of it, and had a peek in the room. With the dust, still flying, it was hard to see anything. Now, i am a rosebud, yes a rosebud, thought Myrrhi. I need to channel and open myself to the flaming Saidar! With a thread of Air, i'll be able to settle the dust on the floor. Breathing hard, she imagined herself in the classroom and followed all the channeling advices she had heard so far. And it paid. She felt the One Power coming to her.

 

Hearing no sound coming from the two girls helped the young girl a lot. With an unconscious Pavara, it would be easier to channel. She was not feel pressed anymore. Her concentration was back. Enjoying the sweetness of Saidar, Myrrhi entered the room slowly. One step after another. Thanks to the thread of Air she had channeled, it became easier to see. Pavara was laying on the floor, covered by rubbles. Only her left hand was sticking out, that huge hand was so easy to recognize.

 

And now i can experiment some spirit threads, Myrrhi grinned and sent all her strengh in threads of spirit to the huge Accepted. Maybe if i think hard enough about compulsion, i may be able to do some damage... and if not, well... it is worth a try. Myrrhi was not that strong yet, but she had seen some weavings, and they inspired her in her revenge.

 

Stepping on the girl's hand which was sticking out all the plasterwork, Myrrhi came closer to the other Accepted. Ellisha looked pale but she was still breathing. I owe this one a lot. If I had been stronger, i would have been able to defend her, and myself.

 

The Novice kneeled down in front Ellisha and channeled a thread of water, to wet her handkerchief. She put the wet cloth on Ellisha's forehead. Please, come back to yourself! I don't want to stay here, with that Monster Girl. Even if i may have done some damage with my spirit threads, i am not sure i'll be able to channel anything serious anymore.

 

As if she was hearing Myrrhi, Ellisha started to cough and shake.

 

“Oh thank the light you’re awake! I was getting so worried.” The young Novice remembered Pavara and panicked. Dang! She was not supposed to recover that fast! Fastly, Myrrhi turned and channeled some rubbles back to cover Pavara's big paw of a hand. When she was sure that nothing could be seen of the huge Accepted, she faced back Ellisha with what could have been taken for a smile.

"Pavara ?” asked the dark haired Accepted.

 

"I have no idea. I don't know where she is". Myrrhi felt herself starting to shake. She grabbed her elbows and felt her eyes getting wet. She wanted to cry. It looked like her "battle" was finished at last. But she couldn't feel happy. She was scared and she wanted to get out. Soon she started to think about what the Mistress of Novices would say, or the other Aes Sedai and the probable punishment she'd receive.

 

Ellisha nodded at her, then tried to get up, but she couldn't do it unhelped. The Novice rushed to help her as best as she could, hoping the other girl would not inquire more what had happened when she was unconcious. But even if she had wanted to, Myrrhi would not have been able to talk. She was in fear. In fear of Pavara recovering, in fear of being sent out of the tower...

 

But as they went silently together to the Accepted Quarters, Myrrhi started to think about something else. She started to think about getting stronger, in the power but also with her fists. She would never feel safe otherwise. She needed to be stronger, so maybe she would stop being scared.
 

[Sherper]

The girl carried her up the stairs and through the corridors, just as Ellisha thought she heard shouting from the place they’d just left behind. Her wound throbbed, painfully, the internal ones just as bad as the external ones in her estimations. She bit the corner of her lips to keep herself conscious, but even that was proving to be not enough.
    “Through here,” she said, pointing to a wooden door with her name scratched on a plank hanging down its middle. Myrrhi pushed and the door gave way, allowing them to enter and for Ellisha to be placed gingerly on the bed.
    “Shut the door,” she commanded and the Novice obeyed, hurrying over as soon as Ellisha was done laying down on the mattress.  “Were we followed? I couldn’t see from my angle.”
The girl shook her head.
     “Didn’t think so, I didn’t hear anyone at least. Ellisha,” she asked, swallowing the lump in her throat before she did so. “What’s going to happen?”
Ellisha laughed, which proved to be a terrible idea, as it involved more blood.  
    “Nothing, girl. Or at least, that’s what I’m hoping.” She adjusted her position on the bed, wiping away some of the blood that threatened to drip down the side of her mouth, and made it so that she was sitting leaning against the back wall.
    “If you’re afraid of being thrown out of the Tower, then stop. Pavara won’t be able to single you out. Hell,” she chuckled ruefully, or at least, as ruefully as she could manage with a bloody mouth. “She’ll be too busy trying to explain to the Mistress of Novice what she was doing messing with the ceiling tiles in an abandoned classroom. Cheer up, be a dear and put some water on that towel for me.”  The novice did so and Ellisha was able to spit into the water basin after wiping the edge clean with the moist piece of cloth. Myrrhi still had a concerned look planted on her face though, and Ellisha directed a look towards her.
    “What. What is it?”

 

~ Ellisha Falwein
Accepted of the White Tower

[Guest]

With a trembling hand, Myrrhi grabbed the towel Ellisha was holding in front of her, and looked around. Water, where can I find water ? The Novice shook her head, biting her lip. Nothing is going to happen to me, nothing? Is that girl crazy? Pavara not able to single me out? This is just madness!

 

Starting to panic, Myrrhi started to pace around the bedroom. It was bigger than hers and more comfortable. But Myrrhi didn't really pay attention to it. I should go into hiding. Maybe I could dye my hair? Or be sanctioned by the Mistress of Novices: that way I can be ordered to stay in the kitchen for ten, twelve years? Twelve years would be enough, wouldn't it? Shaking her head, she looked towards the Accepted.

 

- "We are in trouble! We are definitely in trouble. I already was, but now it is worse".

 

- "Did you hear what I just told you?", answered the Accepted with a smile. Then, she added: "Can you please put some water on that towel?".

 

Those few insisting words drew Myrrhi out of her thoughts. Only then, did she see what was around her, only then did she noticed the water basin standing in the middle of the only table decorating the room.

How could I have missed this? Myrrhi shook her head, rushed towards it and brought it to the bed. Kneeling, she helped Ellisha clean her face.

 

After a while, the Accepted sighed and said: "What, what is it?"

 

Myrrhi tried to sit more comfortably, with her back against the bed.

 

- "Seralia, Pavara sister, i think she knows about me channeling in secret, unattended."

 

Ellisha rolled her eyes. "You channel in secret. So do a lot of Novices. And you know what happens to them ? They are punished. Rubbing pots and floors is not that bad compared to what we have been through, don't you think?".

 

- "I think she knows about me spying on the Warders too".

 

-"And?"

 

- "I am sorry. I am just so scared at the moment. I know i shouldn't worry so much. But I don't know many people around."

 

Ellisha got up and made Myrrhi stand.

 

-"I told you not to worry. You go now to your chambers and you toughen up".

 

Understanding how whiny she sounded, Myrrhi straightened up and went back to her quarters. Walking up to the bedroom door, she grabbed the doorknob and turned towards Ellisha one last time before leaving.

 

- "Thank you, for everything you've done. I will try to repay this one day."

 

- "Shush you, now get going!", Ellisha said, with a smile on her face.

 

Making the short trip back to her small private spot in silence, she went in the room and closed the door carefully. She crashed on her bed, and only wanted to do one thing: sleep. And so she did, not caring about the clothes nor shoes she was wearing.