High Chasaline Celebration (Open to all who call the Tower home)

[U4ea]

Loraine hummed, a sound that was not uncommon when she was alone. She was far from it, just now, as there were people milling about everywhere arranging decorations and moving tables in place. A stage had appeared out of a pile of wood not long ago and a mountain of white linens were stacked in a basket nearby, awaiting word on a proper arrangement as the tables were settled.

 

She took a deep breath, turning a slow circle at the chaos around her and letting the smile stretch over her lips. The Tower had been tense, lately. Aes Sedai were coming and going more than ever and Loraine found it hard to concentrate with reports flying in her window at all hours of the night. She hadn't had to press much to get permission to arrange this celebration. If she was lucky, it would become a new tradition and give everyone something to look forward to, for a change. 

 

"If things are well," she smiled at the servants arranging decorations. "I will slip up and change. I'll return soon and help finish up whatever you need help doing." She knew they'd be a little more relaxed if she went away, even though she'd tried to stay out of their way after giving instructions about general arrangements. 

 

Before long she was pulling her day dress off, laying it across the bed in her quarters and exchanging her sturdy underthings for something a little more in line with a celebration. She pulled a deep purple gown from the back of her closet, chewing her lip at the risque dip in the neckline that teased at showing a little too much. It didn't help that the sleeves were also cut to skim the rim of her shoulders. A servant, Melinda, helped her lace the back up and she stood, staring at a mirror and blushing at the amount of skin exposed on her neck and shoulders. 

 

"If I may, Aes Sedai," the girl at her back said quietly. "I know it is not your custom, as you usually keep your hair up. I just think, if you're uncomfortable with that much skin, perhaps you could leave some of it down. You know, to cover it?"

 

Loraine stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before nodding. "You have a point, Melinda," she acknowledged. "Perhaps I could..."

 

"I would be pleased to help, Aes Sedai," Melinda offered, motioning to the chair at Loraine's vanity. 

 

"I would appreciate that," Loraine laughed softly, settling into the chair and letting the girl work some magic on her deep gold locks. 

 

An hour later, she was leaving her quarters, a cloak draped over her arm, and her hair arranged in a half Carhienin knot that allowed the hair along the back of her head to hang free. A simple drop of Amethyst hung around her neck on a delicate chain and the gem was mirrored in the drop that dangled on her brow. Her only other jewelry were a pair of rings, one on each hand, that told the world of her devotion to both the Tower... and her husband. She wasn't sure where he was in the Yard, at the moment, though she knew he hated scenes like this one. She wouldn't doubt if Edana didn't agree to some strange midnight training to avoid this gathering altogether. Neither of them were particularly comfortable with them, after all, and, without an Aes Sedai to make demands, Edana had no call to be here. 

 

She arrived back in the practice yards, smiling at the flames dancing in the candles and the tables set with gleaming plates. All that was missing were the guests!! 

 

~Loraine

 

[Sherper]

Cocking an eyebrow at “The latest fashion from Cairhien,” Ellisha wondered, for not the first time in her life, what all the women in that light-forbidden-city did all day. Distant and now faded memories of geography lessons as a Novice of the Tower brought those answer all too soon back to the forefront of her mind. Apart from the questionably low neck line the blue silk dress offered, in addition, it had a certain air of flamboyance which sat in contrast with what Ellisha Sedai of the Blue Ajah usually liked in her appearance. Whatever happened to subtle modesty?  
    “This,” she began, eyeing the seamstress who stood with both her hands clasped in front of her. “Is the only one you have available?” The seamstress nodded, bracing herself as if the Aes Sedai would somehow hurt her if given the wrong response. “Yes, Aes Sedai. I’m sorry, but you simply didn’t give me enough time to prepare one just for you. All the other guests ordered weeks in advance.” She continued blurting out as if the torrent of words would somehow forestall whatever Ellisha had planned to evoke upon her as punishment.  
    She sighed, looking towards the ceiling with a look of resignation. Ancestors help me. “I’ll take it.” The other woman seemed momentarily startled by the response, then, seeing a way out being offered to her on a silver platter, she took it without another second’s hesitation. “Why yes, Aes Sedai. Of course, Aes Sedai.”
     Ellisha sighed again, letting her eyes glaze over and her mind to wander as the woman took out measuring tapes and scales in order to make the necessary adjustments. High Chasaline, she thought gloomily. She’d been certain that Asyandara would find a way to make her pay, though nothing in the world could have prepared her for what that old witch had conjured up this time. High Chasaline. The Twelfth day of Taisham. A time of dancing and celebration. She almost shuddered at the thought of having to do such things as mingle and make necessary small talk, in order to make it through the night. Whatever have I ever done to deserve this?
    You did beat up a Warder.
     It took another hour before Ellisha finally made her way out of the seamstress’ shop and towards the Tower, the light blue dress with all its final adjustments made, safely tucked away inside one of her bags. The sun had already fallen below the mountain mark, and night was fast approaching for the city of Tar Valon as she walked its familiar streets. All she had to do was survive the night. She frowned, agitation evident from her expression which she usually kept hidden behind an Aes Sedai’s mask of emotionlessness. She’d survived Novice-hood, then following that, Apprentice-hood; dodged countless assassinations, ambushes and even evaded being captured by the Black Ajah; so why the hell was she so worried about one stupid party? She thought she knew the answer, however.
    The Warder’s yard had seen a dramatic change since the last time she visited. Instead of the incessant grunting of men bashing each other to pulp with sticks, several long rectangular tables were laid across the sand, their surfaces covered with snow white linen and on top of them, placed endless collections of the Tower’s finest cutlery sets. She eyed the little name plates which indicated the seating arrangement, and give a visible wince as she read the names seated beside hers.
     Either fate was playing a cruel joke on her to be seated next to Abigale Sedai, a notorious claptrap even among the Yellows, or someone was trying to assassinate her by driving her mentally insane. Not if I can help it. She reached and grabbed her own name plate, but before she could do anything productive with it, she sensed the presence of someone approaching. Born out of necessity, in an environment where stealing pastry from the kitchen required fine-tuned situational awareness, she slipped the note under one of her sleeves, remembering at the last minute that she no longer had sleaves thanks to the ridiculous design of the dress.
    Hastily crumpling the note and hiding it inside her palm, she turned and directed a fake smile towards the tall blonde who was glided up to her.
    Her words can’t lie, but her expression and demeanour could do as damn well as they pleased. “Good evening Lorraine Sedai,” she said, eyeing the garb and the peculiar hair style the woman was sporting. “Why, where did you find that dress? You must tell me who your seamstress is,” she added, hoping her last statement would be interpreted as a compliment. She certain wasn’t feeling like giving out any compliments for real, that was for sure.  

 

~Ellisha Falwein
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah.

[girt]

Girt had helped prepare several High Chasaline celebrations before, and had grown rather fond of the event. Sure, it meant a lot of extra work, but the tradition was that the servants got to eat the leftover food. More than once she’d eaten herself sick, but it was worth it. The fine gowns, lovely men, bright lights and music all made the event a pleasure even for one who had to work it.

 

The situation was different for a novice, it seemed to her. She wasn’t, strictly speaking, a servant, but it had been made crystal clear that there was no part of being a novice which was supposed to be pleasant, and so it was obvious that she wouldn’t be one of the revelers herself. The easiest solution was the most familiar one: Upon arriving at the Warder Yard, Girt stayed in the background, clutching a wineskin, and planned to move from Aes Sedai to Warder, from visiting noble to highly-placed tower employee, filling empty glasses, and generally being useful. She didn’t really know anyone yet except her roommate, had only been to classes a handful of times, and generally was still growing accustomed to the environment. Still: If she took the role of a servant, surely no one could deny her the leftover food. That was the way things were. She had already circled one of the display tables several times, eyeing the various dishes, and had marked in her mind which ones she would lay claim to once everything had picked over. It would be a good opportunity to get to know the servants and other novices, once the squabbling over the leavings began, and it was always good fun, especially if some wine remained. THAT was allocated evenly.

 

Her white dress was a bit faded, greying from true white. It would need a good bleaching again soon, but for now, it served, though it was a bit chilly, especially since the warder’s yard wasn’t protected from the elements. It would warm up when more people arrived, but for now, she had to work to suppress the occasional shiver. Things perked up when some others arrived. Spying an Aes Sedai with gorgeous golden hair, Girt moved to one of the tables, picked up a waiting tray topped with several glasses containing a deep crimson, and hustled it over to Loraine Sedai, avoiding eye contact and curtseying deeply. Her dress was a lovely purple, showing a scandalous amount of cleavage, but that was, of course, not for a novice to notice at all. The unfortunate part was, as near as Girt had been able to work out, there was no purple ajah. She counted them in her mind again, white, yellow, green, blue, brown, red, grey. No purple. She hadn’t actually realized that the Aes Sedai were allowed to wear a color other than their ajah. Useful fact.

 

Girt stood just within visual angle, enough to be barely noticed, so Loraine would be aware if she was looking for wine, and otherwise would be unobtrusive. When Loraine Sedai walked over to the Aes Sedai in blue, (blue! One of the ajahs. Good. Though… if the other could wear purple, who knew what was possible?) Girt followed unobtrusively, and stopped several feet away, making her tray available to both women, while not interfering with the conversation. So far, things were going well, though again, the blue dress showed surprising cleavage. Maybe this was the fashion in the Tower for High Chasaline? Girt couldn’t decipher it, but thankfully didn’t need to.  It was enough to be here. In the tower. With the chance at that food! Her eyes flicked over to the buffet table again, belly rumbling audibly, then back to the Aes Sedai, as she stood ready to provide wine at this blessed holiday.

[U4ea]

(This wouldn't be the Warder's Practice Yards, btw... they'd be the Green's Practice yard)

 

Loraine tilted her head at the Blue Sister, her lips twitching. There be games afoot? she laughed inwardly as she swept her hand down the gown. "I'm afraid the seamstress is far away from accepting compliments, Sister. She died many years ago. I trust you are finding comfort, this evening?" She smiled at a Novice hovering just out of sight, waving her closer. 

 

"Good evening, Child! My thanks," she lifted a glass from the tray and smiled wider. She leaned a little to the side, closer to the girl's ear and whispered, "there's a table behind that divider over there, if the storm in your belly gets too much for you." She winked conspiratorially and turned her eyes back to the Blue Sister, awaiting her answer.

 

~Loraine

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira smiled as she got on a new dress for the High Chasaline Celebration.  It wasn't often that she go new clothes.  If it wasn't necessary she didnt, but Kira's training with Rekinu had been going well and she thought she deserved to indulge herself a bit.  The blue dress was a dark blue and Kira accented it with a sapphire pendant around her neck.  Kira always enjoyed celebrations, but every year she missed the bustle at her parents inn.  It was always busy, but not without entertainment.  She smiled at the memories and went to the Green Ajah practice yard.

 

Several had already arrived.  Among them was Ellisha - her fellow Sister.  Kira hadn't seen Ellisha since the incident with Rekinu, but she had thought of the younger Blue often.  Kira hoped she was doing well and although she wouldn't bring up the situation, Kira would be there to help should she ask.  It was what sisters did.  Ellisha was accompanied by the hostess, Loraine Sedai.  A novice stood off to the side with a tray of wine.  Kira noticed her eyes go to the buffet table.  Kira smiled - she remembered those days well.  Kira also knew that likely, the Novice would enjoy the after feast immensely - if she didn't get herself sick.  Kira took a glass of wine from the tray and gave the girl a broad smile. "Thank you, child.  You are doing a wonderful job."

 

Kira then approached Ellisha and Loraine.  Kira bowed her head in respect to the hostess. "Thank you Loraine Sedai, for the invitation to the festivites." She turned to Ellisha. "Ellisha Sedia, it is wonderful to see you again Sister." Kira's eyes were bright and full of joy.  The anger she had felt at the outburst in the Warder Yards was completely gone.

[Sherper]

    Great, she thought in the privacy of her own head as she attempted to keep her smile from going crooked. The woman obviously wasn’t taking her very seriously; a fact made certain by the sudden change of topic and the Green’s divided attention between her and the Novice who had appeared bearing wine.
    “I trust you are finding comfort this evening?” Loraine Sedai smiled as she tilted her gaze to be staring into Ellisha’s again.
She returned the smile though couldn’t help but put a sardonic tinge into her own inner response. “Certainly, there is much comfort to be found here tonight.” Especially when I can picture my hands closing around your wind pipes.
    Before any further response could be produced from the Green, another figure appeared wearing a dress of deep sea blue. The woman nodded to both of them in turn, before saying “Thank you Loraine Sedai, for the invitation to the festivities.”
    Kira Sedai of the Blue Ajah brushed aside a loose strand of hair, the sapphire pendant above her neckline extenuating a modest amount of cleavage.  She lingered a moment on Lorraine before turning her attention towards that of Ellisha whose face had turned into ashen stone at the sight of the other woman. “It is wonderful to see you again Sister,” the woman continued, no hint of anger or insincerity evident from reading her mannerism.
     Ellisha felt the wine glass in her hand begin to crack under the pressure she was exerting upon it before consciously catching herself and relaxing her grip. She took a second to breathe, nodding to Loraine one last time before mumbling a half-hearted excuse for retiring. Never once meeting the other Blue’s eyes.
    She spun as quickly as dignity would allow, not noticing in time to stop from running into the Novice carrying the wine tray. 
    Red fortified liquid splashed everywhere, crystal glass shattering into a million pieces as they hit the floor.
“Idiot girl!” Ellisha growled. The Novice turning a new shade of white that matched perfectly the texture of her dress, say for the new red stain marks on her front. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?” None of the liquid managed to get on her own clothes, though the act of being disrupted mid-walk was enough of a reason for her to feel irritation and even anger at the unfortunate girl. She had half a mind to backhand the little wench, and was only prevented from following through the action by the timely arrival of the other two woman.

 

~ Ellisha Sedai
Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Sherper

[girt]

Eyes bright, Girt bowed her head and did a perfect servant’s curtsey to Loraine Sedai, not smiling (Servants were NOT to smile, and clearly novices, neither), but gratitude shone on her features nonetheless. Her belly had started to grumble. It would be useful, should the wine flow freely enough for people to loosen up. It was also good to know that not all the Aes Sedai were as pointlessly mean and pedantic as her instructor had been in the class about the history of the wheel. She had thought that would be an interesting overview of the world, but the woman insisted on teaching about different milling techniques, and then scolded Girt fiercely when she’d quite reasonably and unobtrusively fallen asleep.

 

She caught herself frowning, and forced a calm demeanor back. Loraine Sedai was nice. That wink suggested a willingness to overlook a bit of pilfering, which could definitely come in handy in the future. When Kira Sedai arrived in her lovely blue gown and sapphire pendant, Girt stepped closer to her, belly growling again over the buffet. With a quick glance at the table, she held up the tray. A shy, tiny smile would be appropriate in response to a compliment, wouldn’t it? The ugly novice smiled gratefully, and in a soft voice replied, “Thank you, Aes Sedai.”

 

Girt watched the gathering carefully, offering a glass to a stone-faced warder, who accepted with a glance and a small nod, then a jewel-bedecked noble woman. Retreating to the more familiar Aes Sedai, she watched the group carefully, trying to discern the political connections between these women. They were every bit as convoluted as any noble court, and Girt knew very well how that kind of thing could turn on the low-born with nary a moment’s notice. Two blue, now, and one purple. Maybe they were both blue ajah? She stepped a little closer, attempting to hear a bit more of what they were saying. The newcomer was friendly enough, cheerful, even, but the first Blue sister… there was the sound of cracking. Knowing the sound of shattering glass quite well, Girt stepped closer, prepared to replace the glass before it spilled too much, but then the Aes Sedai turned and lunged at Girt. Startled, the girl let out a squawk, red wine splashing over the floor and the hem of her gown. She stared down, eyes wide. Oh, light, oh light, I cannot afford to replace those, what will they do to me? Will I be sent out of the tower? Is this how it ends? The Aes Sedai snarled at her, “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”

 

Girt blinked, startled by the look in Ellisha Sedai’s eye, as much as by the tone of her voice, and the words. She wants to strike me. Light, she wishes me dead! No Aes Sedai would behave that way, and so Girt realized she’d been mistaken this whole time. She dipped a deep curtsey, head nearly to the ground. “My deepest apologies, milady. I shall request that the Mistress of Novices, one of the Aes Sedai,  address my clumsiness and crude behavior. I beg you not to measure the hospitality of the White Tower based on my witless performance here this evening.” That should suit any noble lady, even one with a stick the size of Cairhien up her rump. As Girt began to rise, she saw the ring on the other woman's finger, and froze, turning even more pale. Oh. Blood and ashes. Blood and bloody ashes! She was AES SEDAI? The young girl began to tremble.

[U4ea]

Loraine felt old watching the young Blue's eyes snapping fire at her. She turned her smile to Kira, another young Blue before, again watching Elisha unable to control her irritation. Proof to the youth of her shawl, Loraine mused. She was amused until the girl Tom her own clumsiness out on the Novice with the wine tray.

 

"I doubt the Mistress of Novices would be terribly concerned, though, perhaps you should see about your dress?" Loraine interceded, smoothly intercepting before the Blue could lash out again. She turned her smile, which never reached her eyes, back to Ellisha before the girl had disappeared. "High Chislaine is a celebration of only positive, happy interactions. The purpose is to find something pleasing about those around you with which to allow for peaceful interactions. It's a handy tool for future interactions with them, as it forces you to find a common ground. I can suggest discussion points, Aes Sedai, if you find it difficult to create some on your own...?" She kept her tone sweet, her smile wide, and her eyes as cold as ice. The creases at the corner of her eyes and the wide white streaks in her hair should be enough to drive this point home, she hoped.