Welcome Home

[Kathleen]

****************** place holder to explain how Kat got here*********

 

 

[Kathleen]

Kathleen waited outside the doors of the Green Ajah Head's office, as patiently as she could knowing what was coming. Thank the light we are here for the child. I've still got some time to think up what I'll tell the Head before we have to deal with my mistakes. Kathleen thought nervously. She knew she had to push her own fears away and there was no easier way than to transfer her fears to something else. She always felt deeply for the newest Greens. She could still clearly remember her own raising decades in the past. The high of finally passing the tests, the joy and anticipation of being welcomed home as a Sister, the excitement of starting something new...and then...well she was nervous for this girl. But the interview was tradition.

 

She watched the party of Sisters arrive from the girl's raising ceremony through the main door and watched as each one wilted away to their own rooms until only the Head, the newest Green, and she herself were left in the hall. They entered the office and the same first question that was posed to all other greens was asked,“Why did you choose the Green Ajah?"

 

 

**sorry for the short post, did it at work and I'm getting kicked out now**

[Guest]

Why did I choose the Green Ajah ? Myrrhi wondered pulling some strands of her hair behind her ear, before cursing herself for the gesture. She was an Aes Sedai now and had to behave like one. Such things as touching her hair, biting her lower lip… were signs of uneasiness. Showing her emotions was not allowed to her anymore. How would she be taken seriously otherwise? She breathed in, preparing herself to recite the arguments she had already told herself a thousand times before being raised.

 

"I want to fight", she started. She wanted to add that she wanted to fight for the ones she cared about but knew it wouldn’t be welcomed by the Green Head nor the Green Sister who had joined them.

 

"I want to fight", she repeated "for the Tower, for the Aes Sedai. I want to be on the battlefronts and to use the Power to defend and protect."

 

The Aes Sedai's eyebrows twitched to her words. Myrrhi understood that the senior Sisters were not happy with her few words of explanation but it didn’t matter to her. They had only been a way for her to introduce what was to come. Their only purpose had been to  sum up what was to come. She had often used that technique to answer to her teachers while tested.

 

"When Deana Sedai found me in Andor, I didn’t know anything about the world. She tried to teach me as much as she could during our journey to the Tower. The books she used for her lessons were history books centered on wars and battles. I had never seen something alike. They trapped my soul and forced it to want to know more about their content. As a Novice, I couldn’t do much to satisfy that hunger, except reading more books on the topic. I spent most of my free time reading novels and essays about the arts of combat."

 

Myrrhi made a brief pause. She wanted to add that those books were the reason why she had met Elessar Gaidin who had become a dear friend to her. But decided against it. She knew that a Novice was not supposed to wander on the Tower grounds nor to interrupt Warders during their training. She had not been punished for her boldness at the time. However time and experience had showed her that she had been very lucky to have been able to enjoy such freedom.

 

"Time passed and I became an Accepted". She smiled remembering some of her fondest memories.

 

"I dedicated my free studies to the arts of combat as well. They were... and still are ... an obsession to me. I even participated to a mixed class that was organized for both Aes Sedai and Accepted. It was Janine’s class about Combat Weaves. Even if I spent most of the time observing the weaves created by full raised Sisters, I found the four lessons quite liberating. I am not good when it comes to logic, nor healing. I don’t have the patience to become a diplomat. But I am a passionate fighter and a good weaver.  The Sisters of the Green Ajah have always been a source of inspiration for me and their stories have pushed me to work as well as I could."

 

Again, Myrrhi thought about Elessar. He had been the one who had told her the most interesting stories and poems about Green Sisters and Amyrlins. She didn’t know if she could talk about it. She didn’t know what the other Aes Sedai would think of her mentioning  the Gaidin. It took her a fraction of a second to make a decision and instead of talking about the Warder, she choose to talk about the Green Aes Sedai whose life that had touched her the most. She took the time to describe their portrait and their accomplishment with enthusiasm, hoping her monologue would be appreciated.

 

The Aes sedai didn’t react to it though. They kept her emotionless face from the beginning till the end.

 

"Is there something else you wanted to know?" She asked fighting the urge to curtsy.

 

[Kathleen]

Kathleen kept her Aes Sedai mask flat as stone as she listened to the girl pour her heart out. Usually at this point it was a challenge for her to keep her emotions to herself. Usually she would be wishing the person answering would hold their tongue to save their heartache later. Not this time. This time, from this girl, she wanted to hear what her reasoning was to join Green. If she had to call her sister, if she had to see her with him, Kathleen needed to hear what this girl was really all about. She knew she had no right to judge her, but she was judging. She was scrutinizing every movement. Every word she chose, every spasm of very muscle, every time the girl let her emotion show more than an Aes Sedai should. I have to lay off a bit, she only just became Aes Sedai. The girl finished her reasoning, it seemed strong enough to Kathleen, but even still she knew what was coming when the final words of the newly raised woman had spoken. 

 

Kathleen braced herself but showed no outward sign of it. Then the familiar ice cold voice passed through the Green Ajah head's lips and Kathleen stood in agreement with her as the assault fell on Myrrhi:

 

"Studying words in books does not help you much when you are faced with running head first into a fist of Trollocs. Obsessing over strategies of the past does not make you capable of leading our warders into battle when you do not know your enemy today. Four classes in the comfort of safety of the Tower watching and repeating simple weaves does not mean you have the steady nerves needed to weave your way of an ambush when lives depend on it.

 

You say you aren't good at logic, nor healing. Both of these are essential in battle, if you plan to survive. You say you haven't the patience to be a diplomat, but patience in the midst of chaos can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Passion can lead to hot headed decisions and unpredictability. Two thing that can easily lead to death. What you know is next to nothing," she said, her voice even. 

 

"What you know will keep a Blue alive in Camelyn. In the face of a trolloc with his mind on a cookpot..." she shrugged and looked over her shoulder at the others. "I hope you like carrots."

She leaned forward again, bracing her elbows on the desktop and fixing Myrrhi with a flat stare. "You are a child, and in the face of the shadow, barely more dangerous than a Novice. What you want means nothing. What you've done before now means nothing. What you think means nothing. The only thing that matters is what you do once you leave this room."

 

As much as Kathleen wanted to push this girl and see her break, as she listed to the Head say these things to her, Kathleen couldn't help but feel her own heart breaking. She knew the Head was feeling the same, but the look in both of their eyes was was ice and everything they showed outwardy was disapproval.

 

The head continued, "we have standards that must be met and, though the Tower deems you trained well enough to wear a shawl, we do not deem you trained well enough to wear ours. You will be given quarters. You will appear, to the rest of the Tower, as if you are an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. Only we will know that you are not."

She let that sink in for a second before she continued. "Kathleen will be your mentor. You will begin training first thing tomorrow morning with others among the Ajah. When they feel you are ready, you will petition this Ajah for acceptance, again. Only when we feel you are capable of bringing worth and substance to this Ajah will you truly be a sister of the Green Ajah."

She stood slowly, lifting her hand to the door in dismissal. "Kathleen will show you to your rooms. The others will be waiting to greet you when you're ready to face them."

 

Kathleen stood in silence waiting for the words spoken to sink in. She would be soon leading the girl through the halls to her new room and introduce her to parts of the Ajah that only Greens see, but the woman didn't know that now. Kathleen had to be prepared for any response. 

[Guest]

Myrrhi had not expected the Green Head's words. They sounded so cold to her. The young woman fought not to open her eyes wide when she heard them. For Aes Sedai, studying in books would not be of help in combat... Myrrhi strongly disagreed with that. However, she decided to keep her mouth shut and to listen further to Amena Sedai.

 

The blonde Andoran seemed to believe that she had lived comfortably in the Tower so far. It was true but only for the best part of the fourteen years she had spent there. Myrrhi had had the chance, if it can be described that way, to fight against a very angered Accepted when she had been a Novice as well as with a group of assassins while on an errand with a Red Sister. She had barely escaped death as an Accepted during her riding lessons... Those experience were far from comfortable. She had mentioned none of them to the Greens. Modesty and the will to protect the other people involved in these little adventures had driven her to stay silent.

 

"You say you aren't good at logic, nor healing. Both of these are essential in battle, if you plan to survive. You say you haven't the patience to be a diplomat, but patience in the midst of chaos can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Passion can lead to hot headed decisions and unpredictability. Two thing that can easily lead to death. What you know is next to nothing," Amena said, her face still emotionless.

 

Myrrhi tightened her fist. She felt anger filling her heart. She was angry with the women around her but with herself as well. She regretted her own words. They had been enough for herself when thinking about her future Ajah. Clearly, they were not what the Green Head wanted to hear. Something inside her made her want to punch the woman as she went on criticizing her answer. I have to concentrate, thought Myrrhi. Just like I did with Elessar. I have to empty my mind. This is only an inconvenience. I have the shawl after all. I won't be demoted for a bad answer...

 

"... we have standards that must be met and, though the Tower deems you trained well enough to wear a shawl, we do not deem you trained well enough to wear ours. You will be given quarters. You will appear, to the rest of the Tower, as if you are an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. Only we will know that you are not."

 

Amena stayed silent for a while, as if she wanted her words to sink in. Myrrhi kept her face as straight as she could. She had felt her cheeks bleaching, the result of the adrenaline filling her and pushing her to act. There was nothing she could do against it. If the Green Head was trained in reading faces - and she more than probably was - she would know how Myrrhi felt inside. Her ego was hurt but she was not scared. Training... she had been doing that for fourteen years. She had been one of the best in most of her classes. To top it all, Elessar had helped her to make a daily program for physical exercise. She was far from the helpless novice she had been. 

Kathleen Sedai was to be her mentor. Myrrhi didn't know her but she was sure she would not need many of the woman services. She nodded at the Head to show she understood.

 

"You will begin training first thing tomorrow morning with others among the Ajah. When they feel you are ready, you will petition this Ajah for acceptance, again. Only when we feel you are capable of bringing worth and substance to this Ajah will you truly be a sister of the Green Ajah."

Amena stood slowly, lifting her hand to the door in dismissal.

 

Myrrhi thought about saying that she was ready to take the test immediately, but chose not to go that far. After all she didn't know what that acceptance ritual or testing was about. As asked Kathleen took the lead. Both, they left the Green Ajah Head Quarters and advanced to her rooms. So many things had changed since she had been raised. The Green Sisters had been so welcoming then, so warm and now they didn't even look at her. It was as if she didn't exist for them.

 

The young woman saw that her companion was paying attention to her every move from the corner of her eye. She is waiting for me to burst into tears, I guess... She maybe hopes that I'll just break down or that I will argue about the Head's words. Well, I won't give her that .... and I won't talk to her either, thought Myrrhi as she straightened her back and raised her nose high in the air.

 

It didn't take long for the women to arrive in front of Myrrhi's new rooms. Kathleen opened the doors for the younger Sister and let her have a look around. The rooms were by far bigger than Myrrhi's previous quarters. The young woman was not in awe, though. She had been punished many times in the past for practicing her channeling in secret and some of those punishments had led her to clean rooms like these. She would have to clean these ones too... unless she would find a Novice to do it for her. The place was dirty and smelly like an old chamber pot.

 

I thank you, Kathleen, Myrrhi said. Shall I see for this mess? Or is there something else that we need to do?

[Kathleen]

Kathleen followed Myrrih out of the head's office and shared a quick glance with the senior Green. She was not looking forward to returning to that office and facing the ice glare head on. She pushed those thoughts out of her head. She had more important things to worry about. The girl had likely had time to cool off..well, she had as much time as she was going to get.

The green followed Myrrih to her rooms. They weren't in the best repair, but these days not much of the tower held its initial awe-striking beauty. Still, she knew the servants and mechanics tried their best. 

The initiate room was smaller than the Aes Sedai quarters were, but they were a step up from Accepted quarters. The walls were white and bare, but she would have a fireplace with a screen and a supply of wood which would be replaced by the servants each day. A wardrobe for her clothes as well as a clothes rack were against one wall. A thick rug was laid on the floor to keep her feet warm, and a washstand with pitcher and bowl was on a small table nearby.

Kathleen waited as the young woman entered the room and began to slowly move through it. She seemed uninthrawled though it would be hard for anyone to be excited after the attack she had just faced being turned down by the ajah she must have spent many years dreaming of joining. She should still appreciate that she has the chance to join us. She should be pleased she doesn't have to do the walk of shame back to the Accepted halls. Kathleen knew how ridiculous that was, but the girl had to earn her empathy or live without it.

"I thank you, Kathleen", Myrrhi said. "Shall I see for this mess? Or is there something else that we need to do?"

"You are free to do as you will." Kathleen reminded the girl. "If you wish to stay and clean, I will leave you to it. You can ask around after me to find my quarters when you are ready to embrace your future." Kathleen turned and walked a short few steps down the hall. She then called out, "If you prefer to leave the cleaning and straightening up to the Accepted I'm sure you will have a lot you will like to know if you are to be staying in these halls for any length of time." As if on que, two Accepted came down the hall one with a cleaning bucket in her hands and one with a few items from Myrrhi's old room.

The Initiate joined Kathleen in the hall and fell in line behind her. "Im sure you're noticed a difference between the Sister's rooms and your Initiate room." Kathleen emphaised the terms, the girl would have to get used to being addressed in this way for a while, she might as well get started breaking her in to it now. Plus, it would give her a good chance to see how the girl reacts when faced over and over with something that surely stings to the core. Emotional trauma can be worse than physical, but a soldier must pull through in the face of either.

"A Green Sister's rooms all have a Master bedroom with it's own bath, enough rooms for several warders and a community bathroom, a dining room, kitchen, office, and living room that are all combined. It is much like having your own house within the ajah quarters. As I'm sure you've noted, many Warders actually live within the quarters to protect their Aes Sedai, though there are some who prefer to stay in the barracks with the other tower guards as mentors or perhaps just so they aren't over run by women wanting them to lift things." Kathleen let a smile slip at the joke. She didn't have to be terrible to the girl. It would only hurt Elessar to hurt the girl unnecessarly and she had already hurt that man far past the point anyone should be forced to. "Where your Warder lives, when you are allowed to have one, will be a decision you can make on her own.  But if you want your warders in these halls, you will have to earn the rooms to house them."

Kathleen lead the Initiate along the familiar tiled floor. White tiles with green borders and green handled swords inlaid on them. Along the white and green walls were tapestries and paintings of famous battles and Sisters of the Ajah. Look around. I'm sure you've looked at the decor here many times, but each tile, each tapestry, every thing that makes it into these walls is based on a story. Based on something that happened, or is yet to happen. Some stories comes of those who laid the stones, some from those who sewed the tapestries, some from the pictures they depict. Everything in these halls has meaning. Nothing is done without calculated thought."

Kathleen led the girl further in to the Green Halls until she stood before the Vault. Kathleen turned to Myrrhi and made eye contact. This time she didn't have to force the sobering look and stone face. This room was one Kathleen spent much time in. It was well respected, and she would not let that slip by on this girl. "This is the Green Ajah Vault, probably one of the most sacred areas of our Ajah." Kathleen's body language completely changed as she led the girl through the doors and into the main sunken seating area. 

Around the deep seated couches were glass walls. Inside the walls were cubbies, inside each cubby was a portrait of the deceased or missing battle sister and a few of her prized possessions, including pictures of her gaidin. Leading back into the hallways were large portraits of Sisters. The room had the silence of a graveyard, it was in a sense. The room rarely saw laughter or jokes, but everyone was free to grieve as they preferred. 

Keeping her tone calm and quiet Kathleen addressed the Initiate, "The Vault is a place were we come in contemplation of those we have lost in this battle against the Shadow. Sisters of the Battle Ajah rarely die in their sleep. We will all die and if we are lucky we will do so fighting for the greater good such as these women did. When we die we earn a place within the Vault."

Kathleen showed her the cubbies and let her take a closer look at some of them to get a better feel for what is there, being sure the girl did not try to disturb anything. She paused about two cubbies down from Elessar's first Aes Sedai's cubbie, waiting to see if the girl would recognize the name. Surely the girl had heard much of Elessar's history. He was not one to hold it back, at least he wasn't before Kathleen had left. "You are free to come and go from this place as you wish, but be careful not to disrupt anything here. Do you have any questions about this place before we move on?" 

[Guest]

So, I am to be an Initiate... Myrrhi thought. She repeated the word in her head, hoping she would get used to it. I should have known...

 

She had waited, and waited, and waited to become a full-raised Sister... and now it seemed that she would have to wait some more. She felt disappointed and sour but she tried not to let it show on her face.

 

She took a couple of seconds to look back at the Accepted who had come to clean what would become her quarters. The girls clad in their rainbow hemmed dress were meekly looking down, unaware of Myrrhi's situation. For them, she was an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. She deserved as much respect as any other Sister. Little do they know... Myrrhi told to herself, pulling a strand of loose hair behind one of her ears.

 

Kathleen turned her head towards Myrrhi. She made a small wave with her right hand as she described the "regular" Green Sisters quarters. They were supposed to be huge, much more comfortable that the quarters she had seen before. They had Master bedroom with their own bath, enough rooms for several warders, and so on and so on. "I'm sure you've noted, many Warders actually live within the quarters to protect their Aes Sedai, though there are some who prefer to stay in the barracks with the other tower guards as mentors or perhaps just so they aren't over run by women wanting them to lift things." She said letting a small smile slip.

 

So, would Myrrhi want to have Warders she would have to earn the rooms to house them. It sounded so strange to her. Was she suppose to spend her time on such trivial matters ? Wasn't she supposed to train her fighting skills instead of worrying about the size of her apartments ? She shook her head and went on walking.

 

Myrrhi and her companion crossed one more corridor with a floor tiled in green and walls decorated with weapons, tapestries and paintings depicting battles. To the young woman, it all looked familiar. She had often come there as an Accepted to do chores. It made her think that, even if she had taken the three Oaths, she didn't feel much different now from how she had felt then.

 

Mirroring her thoughts, Kathleen started. "Look around. I'm sure you've looked at the decor here many times, but each tile, each tapestry, every thing that makes it into these walls is based on a story. Based on something that happened, or is yet to happen. Some stories comes of those who laid the stones, some from those who sewed the tapestries, some from the pictures they depict. Everything in these halls has meaning. Nothing is done without calculated thought."

 

Of course, Myrrhi knew already about many of those stories... at least about the ones that had happened. She had been obsessed with history since she had left Andor to join the White Tower. What was she supposed to answer ? Could she tell the other Green Sister about what she knew?

 

Finally, they arrived before impressive doors. "This is the Green Ajah Vault, probably one of the most sacred areas of our Ajah." Kathleen said gesturing for Myrrhi to follow her inside the room. The young woman obeyed. As soon as she passed the doors, her eyes widened. She had never been allowed in the Vault as an Accepted and now she understood why. The room was dark. It was ornamented with deep seated couches. Cubbies were carved in the walls, which seemed to be made of glass. Inside each cubby hung a portrait a Green Aes Sedai. Right under each portrait, laid what seemed to be possessions of each of the women and pictures of their Warders. A couple of Green Sisters stood in the room, they were silent, faces grave and heads bent.

"The Vault is a place were we come in contemplation of those we have lost in this battle against the Shadow. Sisters of the Battle Ajah rarely die in their sleep. We will all die and if we are lucky we will do so fighting for the greater good such as these women did. When we die we earn a place within the Vault," Kathleen explained.

 

Dying... Myrrhi had thought about it. As if it was something that would come in the future, many years later. To see those portraits made her think that maybe death was not as far away as she had first thought. The Battle Ajah... Battle... so many people can be lost in battle. That is one of the things she remembered from those books about war she was obsessed with.

 

Slowly she advanced right behind her companion. All those women deserved her respect and at least a little prayer. She send them some thoughts, wherever they were. Then, Katheel stopped. Myrrhi looked around. Under one of the portraits she saw a name she knew well. It was the name of Elessar's first Aes Sedai. Leandreen. She sighed. It felt strange to see her the picture ... Tears came to her eyes but she fought to send them back.

 "You are free to come and go from this place as you wish, but be careful not to disrupt anything here. Do you have any questions about this place before we move on?" asked Kathleen.

 

Her first idea was to ask the other sister whether she had lost people dear to her. But she decided against it. She didn't want to pry. Stay silent seemed to be the best thing to do. Everything I say will probably be held against me. I have to be like a soldier, I need to pay attention to every little thing. I have to show how strong I am.

 

"I thank you for showing me this place." Myrrhi said with a voice so low that she was almost whispering. "Be assured that I will not disrupt a single thing." After a pause she went on. "I have no questions. We can move on."

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2016 by Chaelca

[Kathleen]

"If you find yourself with questions later, please do not hesitate to find me or another Green Sister. We would be happy to share our knowledge and experiences with you. Well, most of us will." Kathleen smiled at the Initiate. "This room is reserved for our sisters and initiates only. Please do be wary of who you invite in". 

 

Kathleen made her way back to the large entrance doors, making sure to hold her gaze over a few of the cubbies she held memories for. "Now, I'm sure you've had a rough day, so I won't keep you much longer. Come and be introduced to your fellow Aes Sedai". Kathleen opened the door and ushered Myrrhi out into the hall. 

 

Kathleen stopped at the first door in the hall way and glanced at the Initiate, giving her time to prepare herself for the formal introduction. Kathleen knocked on the door and when a thin woman in an orange dress, horse-ridding coat over her left arm, answered Kathleen spoke in a formal voice, "this is Myrrhi Sedai, she is not yet one of us but she is sealed to us". 

 

The woman looked Myrrhi over questioningly and then a wide smile took over her face. "Welcome, welcome!" She threw her right arm around Myrrhi's shoulder for a quick hug and then pulled away again. "You've had a whirlwind of a day, I'm sure, but trust me, it gets better," she winked at the Initiate. "I'd invite you in for tea, but I've got other plans and so do you. Have you any questions just now? I can wait a few more minutes...for conversation with another Aes Sedai," she gave Myrrhi a smile, clearly hoping Myrrhi would apprecaite the acknowledgement of her station after what she knew had happened in the head's office. When their conversation was over the Green Sister pulled her door shut  and just before she headed down the hall she said, "if Kathleen here gives you any moment's break, feel free to stop back in here anytime".

 

Kathleen lead the Initiate to all the rooms of the Green Sisters, introduced her with the same formal greeting, and at each door Myrrhi was greeted and welcomed, in their own way, by sisters of the Green Ajah. Some sisters were as excited and pleased and welcoming as the first, but others kept their general stony air. No one was mean, or rude, or completely out of line, even if they did see reason to be.

 

****OOC*** go ahead and interact with some NPC green sisters, just don't give them names. Normally we have all the active green members post one after another in here to welcome you aboard officially, but right now we're the only ones active..so NPC it is.  

[Guest]

Myrrhi would have wanted to stay in the Vault. She would have wanted to stop for a while in front of each portrait and match it to the stories she had read or heard. Of course, she would be allowed to come back later, as many times as she wanted but having to leave now tightened her heart. She felt as if she was abandoning those women who had given everything to the Greater Good.

 

Again, she dropped right behind Kathleen and followed her towards another double door. This one had nothing peculiar, it was just another double door like many others she had already seen in the Tower. Her companion knocked gently on it, then waited for an answer. It came, cold and formal. "This is Myrrhi Sedai," Kathleen answered. "She is not yet one of us but she is sealed to us."

 

Myrrhi didn't dare to react to those words. Again, it was made clear that she was not a Green Aes Sedai yet. It made her want to shout. Hadn't she made those 100 weaves? Wasn't she bound by the Three Oaths just like all those fully raised Sisters? It all looked so unfair. But, there was nothing she could do... at least for the moment.

 

Focusing on the matter at hand, she tried to swallow back her anger. With a head raised up high, she swept the room with the driest look she could give. What laid in front of her looked like the sitting room of a Sister's apartments. She wondered what she was doing here until her eyes met the ones of a very thin woman who stood a couple of feet away from her. The woman was not dressed in green but in an bright orange dress with a matching riding coat. It seemed that she was the one who had answered to Kathleen's knocks on the door.

 

To Myrrhi's biggest surprise the woman made a wide smile. She warmly welcomed her and threw her right arm around the Initiate's shoulder for a hug.

 

"You've had a whirlwind of a day, I'm sure, but trust me, it gets better," the woman said. She winked at Myrrhi. The young woman felt her body relax. Why is she acting so friendly? Myrrhi wondered confused. She breathed in, hoping that this was not a trap of some kind.

 

"I'd invite you in for tea, but I've got other plans and so do you. Have you any questions just now? I can wait a few more minutes...for conversation with another Aes Sedai." Again the woman smiled.

 

Myrrhi didn't know how to react. Aes Sedai seldom smiled like that. And, the woman was the first person who seemed to be genuinely happy to have her around. Myrrhi cautiously smiled back. "I don't have many questions for the moment," she replied. "But, maybe, you can explain to me what you are working on?" The young woman had already had the chance to work for her new companion. She had done some repairs on her torn dresses, back when she had been an Accepted. The woman in the orange dress tried to answer to the best of her abilities. As soon as she was done, she started to talk about a topic she wanted to study and how thankful she would be would she have some help. It was a not a study like the Brown Sisters would go through but it still implied some research. Myrrhi didn't propose to help but she still gave some useful thoughts, behaving like the Sister's equal.

 

"If Kathleen here gives you any moment's break, feel free to stop back in here anytime," the woman in the orange dress said before shutting the door.

 

Kathleen lead the Initiate to other rooms, most of them were empty but in some of them a Green Sister answered to the knock on her door. Each time Kathleen introduced Myrrhi with the same formal greeting and each time Myrrhi was greeted and welcomed. Some women seemed to be excited and pleased, others kept an emotionless face to the news. The young woman was happy to see that no one was mean, nor rude ...

 

The tour lasted more than two hour. Myrrhi tried to remember the name and the faces of the Sisters she didn't know yet. For some, it was a very easy task for others it was much more difficult.

 

One of the Aes Sedai questioned her on her theoretical knowledge about Combat weaves, another asked her bluntly what she thought about men, one sister clearly told her that she didn't have the time for introductions as another demanded a full answer to the question "why the Green Ajah?"

 

At the end of the tour, Myrrhi understood that even if all Aes Sedai were One, all defenders of the White Tower, they had many different personalities. She could feel the differences now, more than when she was an Accepted. Still, she would need to get their favors if she wanted to be heard.

 

"What about the Aes Sedai I have not met yet?" Myrrhi asked with a low voice. "Should I introduce myself as soon as they come back from their missions?"

Kathleen nodded, telling her that it was the polite thing to do.

 

As if she had been heard, two more Sisters arrived flanked by their Warders. Again, Kathleen made the introductions. The two Sisters smiled and asked a couple of questions about Myrrhi's day. To the Warders, the young woman was completely nonexistent. They barely acknowledged her presence. Myrrhi tried to smile and to give all the necessary answers wondering when she would be allowed to have a Gaidin at her side. Every word that passed her lips was measured. She didn't want to disappoint.

Edited August 7, 2016 by Chaelca

[Kathleen]

The introductions were draining. Keeping composure and standing back while others converse around her was hard, but having to face her sisters after such a long, unannounced departure knowing they would have had at least three different versions of her reasons for staying about running about between them was harder. It was like she was being paraded around and made to be put on display for their judgement under the guise of introducing this girl. The sisters would all whisper about how Kathleen hadn't even known the girl and how they thought she would barely remember the way through the halls on her own, let alone to train someone new. Let them whisper, she thought, it can't be any worse than what I already think to my self. 

 

When the last door finally closed and the duties of this ceremony were met Kathleen lead the girl back to her Initiate rooms. "The servants should be done by now. If you find anything not to your liking, feel free to have them rearranged. These rooms are still only temporary and borrowed, but they are yours--moreso than your Novice or Accepted room ever were. Decorate how you like. Frivolous things are allowed to you now. And remember, just because can't wear the Green shawl yet, doesn't mean you can't wear a shawl. You have earned your reward today. You are Aes Sedai. You may not be my sister in battle yet, but you are a Sister of the White Tower". 

 

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have travelled long and have need to catch up on quite a lot. If you plan to continue on your path to the Green Ajah, be ready when I call on you." Kathleen waited for the girl to nod her acceptance. She didn't know if it was an acknowledgement that she had asked if she could be excused or if the girl had nodded in response to being ready when called upon. It didn't really matter either way. Both comments had been in essence rhetorical. Kathleen left and made her way toward her own apartments. She stopped in front of the door and paused, not ready to go inside yet. It would be seen as defeat. As hiding. She was Green and she would not be thought of in that way. Besides, she wasn't ready to be alone with her thoughts. She headed out of the Green Ajah to reassess the state of the White Tower as a whole. Hoping still to avoid running into any Warders.

[Guest]

Myrrhi sniffed at the mention of "frivolous things"... She didn't want to decorate theroom that she had been given as an Initiate. She didn't care about her surroundings. Decorating would mean losing the precious time she needed to study and to improve herself. Whatever the Greens had in mind, she would be ready. Whatever the costs.

 

It is not Kathleen's fault, though, she reminded herself. Her companion must have been following orders or customs. It was hard to tell.

 

"I am Aes Sedai, indeed," she said. "I thank you for this tour."

 

Kathleen nodded.

 

"Now, if you will excuse me, I have travelled long and have need to catch up on quite a lot. If you plan to continue on your path to the Green Ajah, be ready when I call on you," the Green Sister said. Myrrhi bowed her head to show her acceptance. There was nothing else she could do. 

 

Kathleen breathed in and turned her back. With a confident step and a straight back, she went away. She will probably make a full report about how I behaved, Myrrhi sourly thought. She can do it, I have done anything wrong.

 

Hesitating between going back to her room or to visit Elessar, she paused for a while. She needed to think about what had happened to her. She had picked the Green Ajah because of what she had read and who she was. She had thought that her "Sisters" would have been more curious about her, that they would have wanted to befriend her... In a way, she still felt like a child.

 

Elessar doesn't have to see my gloomy self, Myrrhi sighted. I should better go into my room and practice a bit ...