OOC: reposting!

IC: Andreil had to wonder what was so wrong with Faile that she was talking like that and was so distracted but she kept her curiosity to herself. Most Accepted would not take kindly to a novice asking them everything about themselves, and if it was something that potent as to make her become (apparently) frightened, Faile would definitely not appreciate inquisitveness.

Receiving a small purse of coins and a neatly written list of herbs, she turned to the small herb shop while Faile went a different way, presumably to get the cloth. She watched her, slightly concerned for her, before quickly turning and entering the shop. A mixture of pleasant but very strong smells went through her as soon as she entered the door, and she had to duck her tall frame at some points because there were several long herbs dangling from the ceiling as well as stacked neatly on shelves. Looking around, she realized that she really had no idea which herbs were which, and decided to wait for the shopkeeper, a smiling woman of about twenty with her hair in the braids of a Taraboner to leave another customer and turn to her with the words ‘Do you need any help?’

‘Yes please,’ Andreil said in a relieved voice, quickly consulting the list. ‘I have to get these herbs for somebody, but I can’t tell them apart; could you tell me which of these are sunburst root, five-finger, and ground ivy; and then I also need greenwort, goatstongue, chainsleaf, gheandin blossom, and forkroot.’ She had to wonder what the forkroot- although she knew next to nothing about herbs, everyone had heard about the forkroot and what it did. Perhaps Evaida Sedai needed to study it for something. The other woman cocked her head too at the last, but immediately bustled around the room pulling down everything she had mentioned and wrapping them separately in old bits of cloth so that they would not mix and then putting them in a cloth bag that would allow Andreil to carry them all without constantly worrying about dropping something. She asked only a moderate price, so Andreil did not try to bargain her down, but instead paid the silver and left the shop to wait outside in the warm sun for Faile.

Normally, Andreil tended to snap at anyone who tried to talk to her when she was working; she hated to have her trains of thought interrupted to chat when she had work to do. But the offer to go into Tar Valon, even on a chore, was a welcome excuse to look around the city and enough to make her forget her testiness. Closing the book and folding the essay so that it fit inside her pocket, she nodded and the Accepted- Faile she thought her name was- led her out of the library, through the maze of corridors and, blinking, out into the bright sunshine of the main marble stairway into the Tower.

As usual there were a few petitioners walking hesitatingly up to the Tower, but aside from them next to no one in the square. Following the Accepted down the stairs, belled braids jingling slightly, she tried to look everywhere at once; even though she had been in the Tower for several years, that was not long enough to really have seen everything in the city, especially when you were only allowed a free day once every few weeks. The beautiful fountains and fantastical buildings kept her attention so much that she nearly lost Faile when she left the nearly empty square and turned into one of the busier streets. The noise level and amount of people increased dramatically with everyone from fellow Arafellins to even a woman who looked to be Amadician wending their way through the bustling area. Every now and then, an Aes Sedai walked through the group, shawl on striding proudly a Warder or two at her heels, or a rich noble borne in a chair carried by several strong men, his face almost scrunched as if he thought the crowd was too low for him to even be carried through. Hawkers were crying for people’s attention, merchants were bargaining in loud demanding voices, horses whinnied and she had to almost shout to make sure that Faile could hear her ‘So, what sort of things will we be buying and where do we have to go to get them?’

OOC: Ok, i am soooo sorry that i didn't respond and that this is so short, but I've had a really really busy Christmas and I decided to tell my parents about being on here instead of sneaking around all the time, so hopefully this will be the last time that it takes forever for me to write back and the last time I'm rusty and so my writing's not the best

IC: Zeveria sat down and uncorked the wine bottle, passing out chocolates to all of them and telling about herself and where she had come from. Andreil listened, at first only taking a tentative nibble from the chocolate as she had never had one before, but after the first bite, all of her doubts were gone. Taking a huge bite of the stuff, she wondered what saidar was compared to this bliss. Zeveria’s story was nearly as interesting as the wonderful sweets and the other novice soon had finished and was looking around at the two expectantly waiting for them to tell about themselves.

Taking a swallow of the wine, Andreil began to talk, for once not telling more than was necessary. ‘I grew up on an Arafellin farm for awhile until… well something really lifechanging happened and… my younger brother, Osrec and I went to the capital after that. Once we got their, things got so bad that I had to convince an Aes Sedai to do me a favor. Of course, the old stories about Aes Sedai turned out to be right, and she had her price for doing that, which ended up with me coming here to learn.’ She too embraced saidar and Channeled slightly, holding her cup up with a small Air weave for a few seconds before it wobbled and she was forced to quickly catch it before she splashed the stuff all over herself. Swiftly continuing so that Zeveria couldn’t comment, she went on ‘I’ve only been at the Tower for a little while and Jaydena Sedai says that I’m so weak in the One Power that I’ll probably take longer than most novices to be raised, but I don’t mind as long as I become Aes Sedai in the end, preferably in the Green Ajah (they’re the fighters Elwyn) or the Red (they stop men who can Channel from going mad.)’

OOC: alright then :) i made the post for you though; the last bit ends with Andreil starting a conversation with Zeveria... d'you want me to edit that for Elwyn or post yourself?

OOC: no; I could have sworn that I'd posted this the day before yesterday, but I guess I didn't

Elwyn seemed astonished when Zeveria mentioned that she was from Amadicia however, and Andreil’s eyebrows shot up. While she was used to hearing about other novices coming anywhere from Mayene to the Borderlands to even the Sea Folk, an Amadician novice had to be even rarer than the latter. She had thought that it had been bad making the journey to the Tower from the distant Borderlands, but Zeveria had made one from nearly as far, and from a place where she would be killed should anyone find out where she was going.

When Elwyn next spoke, however, it was on a different topic. ‘Are the rooms always this crowded? Surely a place such as this has room for us all… Not that I mind roommates of course… it seems like so long since I’ve had anyone I could really talk to.’ Elwyn sighed and fell onto the bed. Andreil felt a pang of sympathy; she tended to chatter a lot to anyone who had ears, but she had never really had a close friend except for her older brother who was gone. Her mind returned to Elwyn’s question and she quickly answered ‘Usually there are just two people to a room, but when there are three, they give us slightly bigger rooms; why they have to make them so crammed is beyond me though. Something about learning discipline, patience, endurance and all that.’ She thought about mentioning how long she’d been in the Tower and where she was from, but decided against it; she had already babbled enough earlier asking so many questions, and she was going to have to keep a closer watch on her tongue from now on if she didn’t want the others to think her a complete fool.

Turning to Zeveria, she asked curiously ‘So you’re thinking about the Brown or White Ajahs? How soon do you think you’ll be raised to Accepted and can declare an Ajah?’ Andreil hadn’t made much of a decision about the Ajahs, although both Yellow and Red sounded very interesting, but Brown had never been high on her list, and although she had thought about the Whites, they always seemed to be so… emotionless that she was sure she would go mad if she joined them. She thought that she would probably be one of the few Accepted who did not choose to aspire to an Ajah because she honestly admired all of them.

OOC: argh! i'm very sorry that this is so short and late, i've been having a really bad day :? and i'm on a time limit to write this

Running through the novice quarters, Andreil tried to hold onto her things that she was carrying in a wicker basket. She had just been assigned to a new room, and had been pulled out of her classes to move her possessions to her dormitory. Reaching the room, she saw that the door was already open and that there was a girl standing in the doorway a split second before she crashed into her and the two tumbled into the room along with everything she had been carrying. As usual, her face went crimson with embarrassment as she picked herself up off of the other girl. ‘Sorry about that’ she said, helping her up ‘I shouldn’t have been running.’ Fortunately the novice was laughing about it as was the other novice, a new red haired one whom she didn’t recognize, who was already standing inside the room watching them.

The crimson fading as quickly as it had come, Andreil quickly spoke ‘I’m Andreil Shakishna; who are you?’ The two introduced themselves as Elwyn and Zeveria and Andreil suddenly became aware that all of her things were still lying scattered across the floor. Quickly she scurried to pick up her basket of clothes, hairbrush, and the carved wooden rose her dead father had given her on her thirteenth nameday. The extra bells that she braided into her hair were scattered across the room and Elwyn and Zeveria helped her gather those while she placed her clothes on pegs and the rose on her rickety washstand. Putting the bells on the stand too, she sat down on her bed, trying to think of something to say before an awkward silence fell. ‘Have you two been in the Tower long? Have you learned to Channel yet or thought about an Ajah? Where did you come from before now?’ She winced inwardly. Almost every time she opened her foolish mouth to ask a question, at least three more tumbled out as well. It had always driven her mother to her wit’s end because even if she answered them all, more would come after. Andreil hoped the Zeveria and Elwyn wouldn’t mind the odd habit as much; it would be awful to be assigned a roommate you hated and she did want to make friends at the Tower; she had been here for nearly a month, but with all of her classes and work, she had not been able to make any close friendships yet

"I know what it is to have to be defended by others but soon before you know it really you will be the one protecting yourself and others." Andreil nodded as Jaydena Sedai spoke. It made sense really, taking things one step at a time and training her mind before her body. If she would have to wait those few years to be allowed to start- well it would be worth the price to know that she was able to take care of herself. Not really able to think of any more questions or anything else to talk about, she finished her tea in silence, trying to order her thoughts. Looking out the window she realized with a start that the sun was already beginning to set, and that curfew would fall only a few minutes after that. Quickly, she stood up and curtsied awkwardly (for her it was a wonder that she didn’t fall over trying to do it) and said ‘Thank you Jaydena Sedai for showing me around the Tower and for the necklace, but I really should be leaving so I can find my way to my bedroom.’ She thought she could remember the way back. She thought she could. She did have a more than decent sense of direction . . . but even so, she wanted to leave with a few minutes to spare. Jaydena Sedai nodded in acceptance and she curtsied again, this time having to catch her balance on the table when her skirt caught under her foot, and left the room.

"Plus I really like blowing Trollocs’ heads off." Jaydena Sedai laughed, and Andreil found herself grinning too, but she wasn’t sure that she had that kind of bravery. The memories of running away from what she couldn’t face still clung to her, and the pluck that would be needed to join any Ajah whether Green or another would have to grow in her. Still, she knew that she would have to learn to face her fears sooner or later, most likely in her Arches to be raised to Accepted if she made it that far- from what she had heard about them they sounded very much like something that would make her see once again what she had run from. But whether it was to be then or twenty years from now, she knew that she would have to square with her past someday, and that the later it came the worse it would be.

Until that time came, perhaps she could work on learning how to defend herself and others both with the Power and without so as to keep herself from needing to run again. Learning how to Channel to fight would not come about until she had learned how to touch the One Power, but from the looks of some of the Aes Sedai, her mentor among them, they knew how to defend themselves quite ably without Channeling a spark. Remembering that she was allowed to ask questions of her mentor, she said curiously ‘Jaydena Sedai, how- how could I learn how to fight? Not just with the Power, but physically with a weapon or your own hands and feet as well. I’ve always felt myself terribly helpless in bad situations because I was one of those needing to be protected, and I want to be able to start helping the world instead of depending on it.’

Thanks! :D

one quick question about my bio- is it posted before or after my two classes on ji'e'toh and becoming Aiel? and if it's before is it played IC or OOC (i saw something about this when i first started looking around here, but i haven't been able to find it since)?

i'm thinking about joining the Aiel division, but the other boards ask for the bio to be emailed; since i'm having problems with emails, would i be able to sign up and then PM it to someone?

OOC: ok, just wasn't sure whether the post numbers were completely stuck to like they were at some websites or not

Andreil ran her fingers over the pendant once again. Pure silver, or at least it seemed so. Women in Nisvan, her village, had been considered wealthy if they had so much as a silver bracelet, and most only wore them for feastdays; there had been no metal workers there in living memory to make more. Looking at these, it was hard for her to believe that she now owned them. Clearing her throat, she looked at her new mentor ‘They’re beautiful’ she said simply ‘I’ve never owned anything so fine or valuable.’ Carefully she slipped the chain over her head but didn’t tuck it under her dress- she wasn’t planning on doing that until she had to, which would probably be when she was following the other novice dress-code rules tomorrow. She wasn’t looking forward to that part of her novice training, although in other ways she could barely contain her excitement at finally starting her journey towards becoming Aes Sedai.

She looked over at the jars of paint again; blue, red, yellow, brown, green, white, and gray. She had no idea what color her pendant and charms would be in the end. How did an Aes Sedai know? That’s a dumb question she thought wryly to herself There’s an Aes Sedai right here that I can ask! ‘Jaydena Sedai, how did you know what your Ajah was? They all seem so interesting and useful that it would be hard to choose. And would all of them accept you? What if you had decided on Yellow but have no Talent with Healing? And what made the Green Ajah so special to you that you would want to devote your life to it?’ She felt embarrassed (but controlled her blushes this time) that she had asked so many questions; she had only meant to ask one, but the others had occurred to her as soon as she began speaking, and for once in her life she hadn’t watched what she said, letting it all spill out of her mouth without thinking.

Andreil was stunned at first by the sheer size of the Tower. There was so much all around to see and take in, but even so, she could feel herself falling in love with it. She especially loved the gardens; in the northern parts of Arafel where she had lived, gardens were only for use in growing food, and the idea that they could be just for decoration was new to her. Finally, after touring the Ajah quarters, they arrived in Jaydena Sedai’s beautiful rooms, and both sat down. Jaydena smiled at her as she took her seat, and asked ‘What do you think of the Tower so far my child?’

Andreil, caught by surprise at that question, said the first thing that came into her head ‘It’s huge!’ she exclaimed. She saw a smile quirk at the end of Jaydena’s mouth at her enthusiasm, and quickly hurried to add ‘I- I mean it’s a bit hard to take in at once; up until today I wasn’t even quite sure what the different Ajahs did, and now I’ve seen where they live and even some of the people in them. It’s just amazing to a person who’d never traveled farther than the capital of Arafel until last year. And yet, at the same time, I feel as if I belong here, as much as I ever did at my home, and in some ways even more. I know it’s really too early to tell, but I think that I’m going to enjoy living here.’

OOC: now that we've passed the required length for the entrance RP, should we look for a good stopping point and end there?

‘So tell me about yourself while we walk to your new quarters, where are you from, your family, etc.’ Andreil slowly unwound as she told about her family, relaxing a bit. She had never really liked to talk about them before, but for some reason it felt different now, easier. Her mentor nodded as she spoke, seemingly unsurprised by her past, and led Andreil through a maze of corridors filled with magnificent treasures. She had no idea how to remember where she would go, and hoped that over time it would become easier. At last they seemed to have arrived at their destination, a rather plain section (at least compared to the rest of the building) that was two stories high. For some reason, Jaydena was shaking her head about something before she pushed open the door. Andreil was let into a tiny cubicle with a pair of hard beds (she assumed she would share with someone later) and one or two other pieces of furniture, none of it fancy. She was used to living with more space, but everything looked clean and neat, so she would get used to it. "This will be your quarters until you are raised to Accepted, do you have any questions or would you like to take a tour of the Tower?" Andreil shook her head ‘No Jaydena-’ the woman’s eyebrows raised slightly and she hastily added ‘- Sedai!’ She knew what she had to do to succeed at this, it was the doing that would be the problem. She thought that she saw a tiny smile flit across Jaydena’s face before she said ‘Come on then’ and led her down a corridor to see the Tower.

OOC: this is kind of short; school's started up for me, so i've only had thiry minutes at a time to post

Andreil waited impatiently for her mentor to arrive while listening to Faerzyne explaining some of the rules. There were quite a few by the sound of it, and she hoped that she ould keep them all straight in her mind. Just as Faerzyne was explaining about where she would be sent should she break one of the rules there was a knock on the door and an elegant woman stepped in. She was wearing a shirt and breeches, which Andreil thought very odd on a woman, but they somehow seemed to suit her, and long auburn hair flowed down her back. But at her second look, Andreil had to stifle a gasp. A mask covered nearly half of the woman’s face and she wondered what lay beneath, and why she had been unable to have it Healed; were there things that even the Power couldn’t fix? Faerzyne was speaking to her new mentor she realized, saying that she was to tell Andreil everything she needed to learn. Faerzyne took up writing again, obviously dismissing the pair of them from her mind, but the other Aes Sedai turned to Andreil and walked out of the room with her “My name is Jaydena Sedai my child, I am a Sitter for the Green ajah. What is your name?†Andreil was impressed; the stories had always been vague on what a Sitter was, but it sounded very official, but even more she liked the fact that her mentor was a Green Ajah. They were always the most legendary of the Aes Sedai, and usually the most heroic. Realizing that the woman was looking at her curiously, waiting for an answer, she quickly said ‘Andreil Shakishna. I’m . . . well a new novice.’

“Let’s see about making your stay here a bit more permanent then, shall we?†Andreil smiled, feeling the blush drain out of her cheeks as Faerzyne dipped her pen into the ink. She had been allowed into the Tower; the worst was over now. Until now, she had never realized just how close she had come to turning on her heel from this office, and leaving this all behind her. She was glad that she hadn’t, although she couldn’t say exactly why- maybe just because she had done what she set out to do for once.

‘Can you tell me your full name again?’

‘Andreil Lorray Shakishna’ she replied, watching as the woman wrote down her name in a large book. She had only learned the bare minimum of reading, writing and adding before; just enough really to keep track of accounts in her father’s carpentry shop, and the quick movements of the quill against parchment was fascinating to her.

‘And your pace of birth and raising?’

‘A small village in Arafel called Nisvan; it was burned down last year though, and I don’t know if it was rebuilt.’ To keep herself from thinking about that right then, she let her eyes roam over the books on Faerzyne Sedai’s shelf. If every Aes Sedai had this many books, more than she had ever seen before in one place, she could easily believe the stories about whole rooms full of books, if not the huge halls and twelve depositories to hold them.

‘And finally your age’

‘Fifteen’ she replied, and Faerzyne wrote the numbers in, finishing with a dot that had a note of finality to it. She grinned slightly. Ever since she had promised to go to the Tower, she had known that she would, but for some reason, having her name put in there made it feel . . . permanent. It would have taken the One Power to have forced her out, but even so she had never yet thought of the White Tower as more than a fancy school, but now it felt more like a home than anything else.

Welcome to the White Tower

OOC: I haven't RPed on this site before, so if the post needs to be edited at all, please tell me

Andreil nervously straightened her red linen dress and tried not to fidget. She was standing in front of the door of the Mistress of Novices, and wishing that she was anywhere else. Ilsnan, the Aes Sedai that had found out her Channeling ability had told her she would send a pigeon to the Mistress of Novices the day before Andreil left with a merchant train to Tar Valon, but after all many things could have happened to that small vulnerable pigeon. It could have gotten caught in a storm and died, or eaten by a hawk, or any number of other things, and she really would be rude to visit the Mistress of Novices without warning her first. She should go find an inn and send her a message from there tomorrow. . . next week . . . maybe not at all. Sighing, she realized that she was just stalling for time. Quickly giving herself a little shake, she told herself that she had a debt to fulfill, however much she might wish otherwise, and that she had to pay it back, rudeness or no. Straightening her back, she knocked on the door and waited for the words ‘come in,’ before quickly entering and shutting the door behind her.

‘Ummm. . . Faerzyne Sedai? Ma’am?’ Light! She wasn’t even sure whether she should call the woman that or Mistress of Novices or Faerzyne, Andreil realized, her cheeks heating crimson. Trying to ignore her cheeks in the hopes that it would stop the blushing, she waited for the brown eyed woman to nod before continuing. ‘My name is Andreil Shakishna- I’m from Arafel. I believe a Yellow sister named Ilsnan sent you a pigeon saying I would be coming?’ Her normally deep voice had heightened considerably, and she could tell from the heat that the blush was now covering her entire forehead as well as her cheeks. Well, it was too late to turn back now, so she might as well go on. ‘She said that I could learn to Channel a small amount, and that I should come here to learn more, so . . .well. . . I came.’ Feeling that her face was as red as Faerzyne Sedai’s hair, she stopped, vainly hoping that the woman was colorblind so that she wouldn’t notice.