Timeline probably hasn't moved at all since you were last active.

We're finished with the first wave of bonds with the Aes Sedai.  So just with the Red ajah for the moment, though it will very quickly be opening up to the other ajahs.  I've already finished the RP where Arath bonds a Green.

Soooo ... we're about a week or two after the battle where we killed Brent.  I'm sure Linten would have all sorts of things to say about THAT little incident.

Kind of disappointing that nobody has given any ideas.  Or that anybody has really looked at this thread at all.  Where did all my Asha'man go?

I'd be worried even if I saw him pour it.

I suppose I could start the thread up, though it would be better if Covai did it.  He's the one who can lean on his bond and make things happen.  Maybe I'll have to NPC him again ... that hasn't gone too badly in the past.  I did talk to him a couple days ago though, and he said he'll work on it.  I'll give him the weekend, then I'll put something together.

This bond already felt very different than the previous one.  The storm of emotion was similar, but the contents of the storm were radically different.  Serena had always been furious, while Jade felt almost ... giddy.  As she spoke to him, he began to sort through the emotions pouring through his mind.  She was thrilled to have a new warder.  Or be a warder.  Or whatever one would call this situation.  Excitement and amazement at the bond and the rush of feelings, concern for him regarding the taint ... it was strange to feel all of that at once on top of his own feelings. 

"So shall we go announce this to the Greens, or should we go practice some weaves, learn to link, or do something else? Dinner perhaps?"

He shook his head slightly, as though to settle the emotions from the bond.  Already it was beginning to soften a little as they both became accustomed to it.  "Dinner sounds like a good idea.  I'd rather wait a little bit before trying to link or channel together.  Let the bond settle some.  Saidin is hard enough to control."  With a small smile, Arath picked up his practice sword and looked toward the White Tower.  "So ... how do you think your Ajah will react to this?"

Rochel waited nervously as the other other Ajah's filed out of the room, followed by the Keeper and finally the Amyrlin.  The only Red sister that Rochel knew, Larindhra Sedai, had gasped as she'd approached the Ajah, and she wasn't entirely certain what that meant.  Was it out of surprise?  Rochel had been an oddity among the Accepted.  It had seemed that all of them knew from the first year or so which Ajah they would strive for, and had spent time with their chosen Ajah, being guided toward it.  Rochel had recieved little to no guidance at all since nobody knew what she wanted.

And so she waited, not knowing what to expect.  When the room finally emptied, the Red sister holding the extra shawl stepped forward and draped it across her shoulders.  And then they all smiled.  Even Larindhra! 

"Welcome home, Sister."

A timid smile crossed her own face as she heard that.  Sister.  It sounded so strange after so long being called Child.

"Thank you," she said with a nervous laugh.  "So what happens now?"

Well this was certainly unexpected.  Throughout the entire conversation, Arath had recieved the impression that Jaydena intended to be the bondholder.  For a moment his suspicions were raised, but what could she possibly hope to gain by this? 

"Very well," he said slowly.  "If you are sure ...?"  He waited for her confirming nod.  Quickly going over the weave in his mind, Arath suddenly felt uncomfortable.  He had done this before, but the circumstances had been markedly different.  Last time he'd been in the middle of a battle, and bonding had been a last resort to avoid killing Serena, or having her kill him.  And she'd been unconscious for the actual bonding itself.

"Ummm ... I suspect our way of doing this is a little different from yours.  It's a little ... unorthodox."  To say the least.  The slap Covai had recieved for this hadn't even been the worst reaction.

Well, he though, no point in delaying this.  Siezing Saidin, Arath quickly formed the complicated web of Spirit that would form the bond.  Now for the difficult part.  Reaching forward, he placed his hand behind Jaydena's head, stepped forward, and quickly leaned in to press his lips against hers.  It only took a couple of seconds for him to quickly wrap the weave around the both of them.  The sudden blossoming of awareness in the back of his mind was the que to release the surprised Aes Sedai and step back.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.  "One of the Asha'man first discovered the weave with his wife, and so far nobody has been able to do it a different way."

Nobody asked for it, so you still have it.  We're more lenient than the other divs that way. :)

Yeah ... key word there is allowed.  But we all know it's far easier to get forgiveness than permission.

Amyrlin and fire ants.  Noted.

Alrighty, I know it's been a while since the BT has really been up to anything in the RP.  Not a lot has been going on lately, and everybody has filtered away to other places.  It is understandable that many of you may have gotten out of the habit of looking at the BT's boards.

But that is no longer acceptable.

I want all of you BT members (and there are a lot of you out there) to go and begin to contribute again to the BT.  I'll be putting in a lot of time and effort to revive our Div, and don't want that effort to go to waste.  Hopefully we can rebuild the BT to it's former glory, with some of the best RP's in the PSW belonging to us.

So I need your ideas, and I need your participation.  And as always, I'd like to welcome everyone who doesn't already have a BT character, to come on over and make one.  Or at least come interact with us.  We don't bite. ;D

Alrighty, after a little talk with the admins, the BT has done away with our odd little Co-DL system that we had going.  Covai has retired from DL-hood (again), and I have taken full control of the BT.

So abandon all hope, tremble and despair, blah blah blah ...

So, in order for myself to remain as lazy as possible, I have taken on a new apprentice ADL who has excessive energy and a lot of ... I hesitate to say good, but interesting ideas on what to do with this place.  So everyone give a nice, warm, BT welcome to Skechid, your new ADL.

Yep, that's right.  Your OOC, M'Hael, and everyone favorite IC Storm Leader is back and wanting to cause some havoc.  Or stop some havoc.  So long as there is plenty of havoc involved, I is happy. 

So, in honor of my glorious return, I want to RP with all of you.  Problem is, I don't quite know what to do.  So here is what I want.  I want all of you active BT members to list ideas here.  Brainstorm in this thread about something we can all particpate in.  Some random RP of semi-epic proportions.  It can be a one time odd-ball story, or we can create some sort of larger reaching storyline within the Tower.

No idea will be discarded!  They may be laughed at a little bit, but everything will at least be considered.  *Remembers where he is*  Alright, maybe not EVERYTHING, but anything reasonable will be considered!

Borderline reasonable would be something like kidnapping the Amyrlin, covering her in honey, and putting her in a locked room with a grizzly bear.  Probably not going to happen.  I'd have to run it by Elgee first, and she already has a hard enough time taking me seriously. :P

But other than that, whatever sounds good.  When I have enough idea's here, we can decide on a plan of action.  I'm giving this ... till the weekend.  That should give everyone plenty of time to throw out an idea or three.

Despite her fears of what would come in the morning, Rochel slept well.  The next morning found her refreshed, all traces of the previous night's exhaustion eliminated.  Donning a fresh dress, and quickly running a brush through her bedraggled hair, she thought about what had happened.  How can they stand to do that to someone?  Which one of them had me standing naked in front of a thousand men?  Funny how out of all of the horrible things she had gone through yesterday, that one stood out to her.  That and the dozen Myrdraal children with their slashing knives.  She unconsciously rubbed at her legs where the cuts should have been.  

The morning passed quickly and in relative silence, giving Rochel a good chance to reflect back on her fourteen years at the White Tower.  Her thirtieth name day had passed nearly a month ago, and she was only just about to be treated as an adult.  For the millionth time since she'd been here, Rochel cursed her mother for forcing her into this.  And without missing a beat, her thoughts turned to her family.  It had been a long time since she'd heard anything from them.  She'd been fairly good about sending letters as a novice, though it was rather difficult to say when her merchant parents would ever recieve them.  Ever since she'd been raised to Accepted though, her letter writing had all but ceased, and she rarely if ever recieved any herself.  Come to think of it, it had been at least five years.  The last she'd heard, her youngest brother, Daeric, was about to be married.

A quick knock at the door pulled her from her memories of home.  Jumping to her feet and quickly checking her hair in the mirror, she opened the door.  Her eyes opened wide in surprise when she saw seven Aes Sedai, one from each Ajah, standing outside the door.  Quickly, and with little ceremony, they all but pulled her from the room and hustled back down the Tower toward the room she'd been tested in the night before.  Waiting there for her were the Amyrlin, the Keeper, and more Aes Sedai from all the ajah's.  Some of them looked positively bored.  The ajah's that knew without a doubt that she wouldn't be joining them.  The others had their serene masks on, so that Rochel could only guess at what they might be thinking.  Would any of them welcome her?  Did any of them hope she would approach?

She was not given much more time for thought.  As soon as her escort had placed themselves in order, the Amrylin began the ceremony.

“Who comes here,” the Amyrlin asked in formal tones.

Rochel fought to keep her voice steady.  It came out just barely better than a whisper.  “Rochel Dion.”

“For what reason do you come.”

“To swear the three oaths and thereby claim the shawl of an Aes Sedai.”

“By what right do you claim this burden?”

“By right of having made the passage, submitting myself to the will of the White Tower.”

“Then enter, if you dare, and bind yourself to the White Tower.”

If you dare ... A part of her still rather wished that she didn't.  But she had come this far, and the only way she saw of escaping the White Tower was as a full Aes Sedai.  Besides, she didn't know what would happen to her if she refused at this point.  She doubted that it would be pleasant by any means.  Stepping forward, Rochel picked up the Oath Rod from the pillow and knelt in front of the Amyrlin.

“Under the light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, I vow that I will speak no word that is not true.”  She fought the urge to twitch as the oath settled on her.  It was an uncomfortable feeling, to say the least.

“Under the light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, I vow that I will make no weapon for one man to kill another.”  Again, the oath fell upon her, feeling as though someone had pulled her skin tight.

“Under the light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, I vow that I will never use the One Power as a weapon except against shadowspawn, or in the last extreme of defending my life, or that of my warder, or another sister.”  This time, Rochel shivered a little as the final oath settled through her skin and into her bones.

With a ghost of a smile, the Amyrlin spoke again.  “It is half done, and the White Tower graven on your bones. Rise now, Aes Sedai, and choose your Ajah and all will be done that may be done under the Light.”

Rochel stood slowly and turned to face the gathered Aes Sedai.  A shawl of each color was presented in a semi circle, arranged in a seemingly random order.  Rochel had spent a great deal of time thinking about this moment, despite all of her misgivings toward Aes Sedai, but had never been able to come down to a solid choice.  It all boiled down to whichever ajah was the most useful in her mind.  For the longest time, she had been torn between the Green, the Red, and the Yellow.  She had shown some promise in healing, but she didn't feel like her life would go that way.  Truthfully, she was more likely to beat someone over the head for a stupid mistake than to heal them from it.  That left the Red and the Green.  She'd never really been able to pick.  And now she desperately needed to make a choice.

As her luck would have it, the Red and the Green sisters were standing right next to each other in the circle.  Her first hesitant step went right between the two.  Her next step wasn't much better.  Her mind was racing, going through the different possibilities in her mind, all the different scenarios that might occur based on the choice before her.  How useful she would be to the world.

After an agonizing second which seemed to last for an eternity, Rochel made her decision, and turned fully toward the Red sisters.  Her Red sisters.

OOC:  Any Red want to jump in and act surprised at her choice?

Surrounded on all sides by rotting corpses, Rochel fought to keep her composure, and her last meal, as she began to weave.  As the fifteenth weaves neared completeion, the bodies began to move, rising to their feet and shuffling toward her.  She didn't know what they would do if they reached her, but she tried not to imagine it.  The last thread of power fell into place, just as the nearest of the walking dead reached out to touch her.  They all vanished in an instant, and a glowing star appeared in the distance.  Moving forward at a steady, but rather quick pace, Rochel prepared herself for whatever might come next. 

Whatever came next certainly had a large variety.  The twenty-seventh weave was performed while standing naked in a blizzard.  The thirty-fourth while standing in the middle of a rapidly burning room.  The fiftieth found her surrounded by little children who wanted to play with her, only none of the children had eyes.  Child Myrdraal all staring at her with wicked smiles and knives in their hands.  And so it went on.  Each challenge more distracting than the last, pushing the young Domani woman's limits further and further. 

The sixty-first weave seemed simple enough, until she realized that her hair had turned into snakes, all of which began biting her on the neck and shoulders.  The seventy-sixth while standing right in the center of a long hallway, with a trolloc charging at her with a wickedly pointed spear on either side.  The eighty-fourth weave found her standing in a small room that seemed to be shrinking by the second.  When she finally finished that weave she was almost laying flat on the floor to avoid being crushed.  The ninety-third weave was done while standing naked at the top of a stone pillar, in the middle of a field of shadowspawn.  Fades whipping the trollocs to a frenzy, Darkhounds howling in rage, trying to jump up and reach her with their deadly bite and the trollocs with their massive bows and spear sized arrows firing at her.  Each arrow came closer and closer to the mark, several of them grazing her skin.  The last few drew ragged gashes across her body as the wicked barbs flew too close.

Stepping into yet another glowing star, Rochel found herself standing naked in front of a large group of women.  She experienced a moment of panic as she frantically searched her mind for the next weave.  Finally it dawned on her.  It was finished.  She had completed the horrible task.  Suddenly, exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her.  She barely heard the instructions she was given.  A night of meditation and contemplation.  Something about being presented to the ajah's the next morning.  She didn't care.  She needed sleep, and didn't feel like speaking to anyone anyway.

She was vaguely aware of the cold ripple of healing passing over her, removing enough of her exhaustion that she could don her clothing without assistance, then an oddly quiet trip up the Tower to her room.  Not even bothering to remove her banded dress, Rochel collapsed on her bed, asleep before her face hit the pillow.

"You come in ignorance Rochel Dion, how would you depart?”

Rochel struggled to keep her breathing even.  How could this be happening?  Not half an hour ago she had been butting heads with a stubborn group of fool novices, trying to keep them from killing themselves and each other with the power.  The Mistress of Novices had caught her in the hallway, and with little explanation had half dragged Rochel down to this seldom used part of the Tower.  She had less composure right now than she usually did!  And yet, despite her agitation and aprehension, the words flowed out smoothly.  “In knowledge of myself.”

“For what reason have you been summoned here?”

“To be tried.” The words came automatically, flowing without conscious thought.

“For what reason should you be tried?”

“So that I may learn whether I am worthy.”

“For what would you be found worthy?”

She hesitated.  This was the final phrase.  For so many years, she had fought tooth and nail to avoid this.  To not join the ranks of the Aes Sedai.  And here it was.  A long silent moment later, she softly said, “To wear the shawl.”

A brief smile slipped onto the Mistress of Novices face.  No doubt, there had still been some concern on whether or not Rochel would actually go through with the ceremony.  "Therefore I will instruct you. You will see the sign upon the ground."  The glow of Saidar sprang up around the Mistress of Novices, and a six pointed star appeared drawn in Fire.

Behind her, she felt another weave form and touch her head. "Remember what must be remembered."

"When you see that sign, you will go to it immediately, at a steady pace, neither hurrying nor hanging back, and only then may you embrace the Power. The weaving required must begin immediately, and you may not leave that sign until it is completed."

"Remember what must be remembered."

"When the weave is complete, you will see that sign again, marking the way you must go, again at a steady pace, without hesitation"

”Remember what must be remembered."

"One hundred times you will weave, in the order you have been given and in perfect composure",

"Remember what must be remembered."

Rochel hardly heard the instructions.  She didn't need to.  For years, this procedure had been pounded into her brain until she felt that she could do it in her sleep.  She'd actually heard some Accepted mumbling the phrases in their dreams.  It didn't matter though.  So long as she focused on the task at hand, and didn't stumble on the weaves.

When it was time, she quickly slipped out of her banded Accepted dress.  Her slippers and stockings came after, followed quickly by her shift.  And lastly, her Great Serpent ring topped the pile.  Swallowing the lump which was forming in her throat, Rochel approached the glowing ter'angreal and steeled herself.  Supposedly, this was worse than the test to be raised to Accepted.  That time she had only had to contend with her own fears.  This time, she'd heard it whispered that one had to face whatever the sisters conducting the test could imagine.  A scary thought indeed, especially considering that Rochel had stepped on the toes of more than a few of the sisters surrounding the ter'angreal.

A moment later, she stepped into the glowing ter'angreal, and all thoughts were forgotten in the flash of blinding light.

Updated for my latest RP!

Sooo ... where be my Accepted quiz?

Rochel wasn't about to admit to the others that she did question the need for the White Tower itself.  Or that she was probably the only one among them that didn't want the shawl.  Everything the other girls said simply reinforced her own disdain for the White Tower and the Aes Sedai in general.  What made them think that the ability to channel gave them the right to manipulate the entire world?  To make kings and queens dance on Aes Sedai strings?  To 'help run the world' ... what kind of arrogance did one have to have to take that kind of power?  Wouldn't the world be better served by educating the people and letting them rule themselves, rather than have a group of meddling women interfere from across the world?

Rochel surpressed a shiver as memories of her third trip through the silver archs surged up.  I will NOT be one of them! she told herself vehemently.  There was no way Regalia could know, but the idea of being a channeler by herself, away from the Tower, was still one of Rochel's fondest dreams.  To get away from the manipulation, the subterfuge ... the bloody Great Game.

“There’s just so much to learn. So much to grow into. I wish we could be part of all the Ajahs and learn from all of them. But that would probably take a lifetime of not doing anything else. Still…”

Rochel couldn't contain her shiver this time.  Every single Ajah?  She couldn't imagine what that would be like.  "Ugh ... I have a hard enough time dealing with my ajah studies as they are.  If I actually had to become a part of all of them ... I think I'll have a hard enough time adapting to a single one when the time comes."

OOC:  The ability to fight?  Really?  :D

Rochel shook her head slightly as Kasi replied.  "I suppose that would depend on the decision to be made.  If it has something to do with the battle, I think I'd go with the Sister who dedicated her life to fighting Tarmon Gai'don.

"But you touched on the point I've been getting at this whole time.  The application of the One Power.  In essence, Saidar is useless in the White Ajah.  So why is there a need for that ajah among the Aes Sedai, when anyone else in the world could do the same thing?  I understand that some women actually enjoy the endless debate over mathematical laws and logic principles, but what is the point?  Why can't the White Ajah accept members from outside of the Tower?  How is it logical that the Ajah discriminate based on the ability to channel, when that ability is of no real use to the ajah anyway?"

With a frustrated sigh, Rochel slumped down into her chair and folded her arms.  "I'm not calling for the dismisal of the Ajah simply because I don't understand it, but I really fail to see the point.  I have the same problems with the Brown and Grey Ajahs.  I won't deny that they provide a useful benefit to the world," At least the Brown's do ... "but they don't supply a service that can only come from the Aes Sedai."

Spying an Aes Sedai entering the far end of the dining hall, Rochel quickly sat up straight in her chair, but the Sister passed by with no heed, intent on getting her own meal quickly.  "I don't know.  The Ajah's in general just confuse me, but some are worse than others.  Do you think we'll ever truly understand what goes on around here?"

Rochel listened as the Kasi finally spoke up.  She remembered that Kasi aspired to the White, but didn't really remember her being so ... vehement about it.  Once again demonstrating her lack of tact, Rochel spoke up, pushing the issue a little further.

"But why is cold, calculating logic better for determining 'the next step'?  Why shouldn't emotion play some part in our decisions?  If pure logic was the best way to go, then 'logically', shouldn't most Amyrlin's be from the White?"

Rochel shook her head.  "I think the biggest problem with the Aes Sedai in general is detachment from the rest of the world.  Nobody knows anything about us, and we do nothing to dispel that ignorance.  Detaching ourselves even further by setting aside feelings and emotions only widens that gap."  Embracing Saidar, Rochel channeled a little ball of light into the air above the table.  "And how does this," she continued, "help in the pursuit of logic?  How is the One Power a useful tool to the White Ajah?"

Ahh ... I love rude awakenings.

*BT Stamp*

Rochel took another sip of the tea and leaned back in her chair.  "Well, there may not be a 'right' answer, but I'm pretty sure there are more than a few wrong one's.  Most of the time, when I ask why someone chose a particular ajah, I just get a vague sort of 'Oh, it felt like the right choice' answer.  Not exactly something helpful to me."

Looking down at her cup, Rochel thought for a moment about her problem. "I guess what gets me the most is trying to understand what motivates people to join certain ajahs.  Some of them are pretty obvious," she said nodding toward Amadine.  "The yellows are probably the easiest to decipher.  Generally speaking anyway.  I've seen a couple of yellows that act more like reds than anything else.  But what compels someone to spend their entire life, and a greatly extended life at that, in a dusty old library?  Or why does a woman decide to dedicate her life to the pursuit of logic and mathematics?  I can understand a need for it on occasion, but a full life dedication?  I wonder if anyone has ever considered switching ajah's?"

Taking another long sip, Rochel continued.  "If I could understand the motivations ... maybe I'm hoping to find something that sort of ties all the ajah's together?  Some common thread, other than the ability to channel Saidar, that binds them as one.  To figure out what it actually means to be Aes Sedai.  It always seems to me that the ajah is more important than the rest of the Tower in most sisters eyes.  It just seems so odd to me."  Shaking her head, Rochel laughed at herself a little.  "And now here I am, trying to reason out the White Tower like a White sister.  So then," she said, rounding on Regalia, "What motivates you to the Blue ajah?  You said something about the Dragon Reborn, but that seems a little odd to me. Wouldn't he naturally find himself in bigger need of the Green ajah, rather than the Blue?"

Looks good to me.

*BT Stamp*

DM Handle: Bel Barid Medar

Contact Info: mat_landick1[at]homail[dot]com

Character Count: 0

Character Name: Davira Mandored

Nationality: Cairhienin

Age: 19

Physical Characteristics: 170cm, dark haired, blue eyes (an oddity among Cairhien, the basis of which is not known) Slim build with wiry muscles. 60kg.

Physical Description: Davira is slightly taller than the average Cairhienin, and aside from his blue eyes (suspected mix of bloodlines somewhere along his family tree) is much like any other Cairhienin. With a piercing gaze and face that looks younger than his age (around 16-17) he is not considered handsome, but his penetrating gaze and flashing smiles make him alluring.

Personal Histroy: Born into a minor Cairhien house in "the City" Davira has spent most of his life studying the Great Game, although his house is far from influential. House Mandored was almost decimated in the Aiel War, his father and grand father both falling in the frontlines. Harboring an innate distaste for the Aiel (added to the death of his family members) Dashiva has been focused on battle tactics for most of his life, vowing to become a great general in hopes he will be able to lead his people sucessfully against the Aiel. Quick witted, aside from his passion against the Aiel, he is usually cool-headed and disparges fighting duels, but fights with a ferocity if he is pushed to it.

Davira takes pride in his own House, but disdains the Great Game, much preferring action, however he can be ruthelessly manipulating if need be, although his skill in the Great Game is far below that of a noble Cairhienin.

Recently suffering from sporadic sickness and mood  swings, Davira has Sparked, the realisation comming when he unintentionally set fire to one of his fellow noble's coat, wamted for a murder he did not mean to commit.

Feared and cast out by his House, Davira has traveled across war-torn Cairhien into Andor searching for the "fabled" Black Tower, his last hope. Davira fears to use the Power until he learns to control it, but has been forced into Channeling unconciously when he felt in danger. Although fearing the eventual fate of male channelers, he is resigned and now dedicates his life to becomming an Asha'man to help fight the shadow with every inch of his being, disregarding his own life (as he knows he is on

"borrowed time") focused totally on the Last Battle.

Handle:  Arath Faringal

Character: Rochel Dion

Rank: Accepted

Ajah: Undecided (really ... I'm still not sure :P)

Last time RPed with Character: emmm ... last week

Talents: None

Warders: None

Right now, Geirrin is the only one with the Talent.  So you'll need to talk to Sieve.  I've thought about taking that talent with one of my Asha'man (Arath was built around the talent originally, but by the time he was raised none were available  >:( ), but so far I haven't gone after anything yet. 

Speaking of which, *shameless plug time* we've got all sorts of talents floating around.  If anyone wants them, submit an application for a talent.

Rochel nodded in agreement with Roewhinda Sedai's saying.  Understanding why any Aes Sedai did anything was difficult.  "I'm not so sure about that, every Aes Sedai having a little of every ajah in her.  I know if I'm raised, I'll have very, very little Grey in me.  I've never been known as the ... diplomatic one.  I know a handful of Aes Sedai who are pretty similar."  Indeed, some of the Sisters Rochel had had the misfortune of crossing had been less patient than a dog with a sore tooth.  Mostly reds and greens now that she thought of it ... perhaps she might do well in either of those ajahs?

Sipping on the tea that Amadine had prepared, Rochel continued.  "My biggest problem with my current ajah research is understanding the need for certain ajah's.  The Brown, the White, and the Grey in particular.  And to some extent, the Blue.  The other three ajah's all have a purpose and a function that makes them unique in the world.  Only they can do what they do.  Reds are uniquely qualified to hunt down male channelers.  Yellows and their healing are a huge benefit to the world.  The Green are also uniquely equipped for combating the forces of the Shadow.  But the others?  Anyone else in the world can do the same thing they do.  What makes an Aes Sedai more qualified to deal with negotiations than anyone else?  What makes an Aes Sedai more logical or philosophical than any other person out there?  Or a better librarian?" 

With a frustrated sigh, Rochel drained the last of her cup and eyed the pot.  The stuff was good, but did she really need another cup?  "Anyway, I'm having a hard time writing up a paper that doesn't let some of my frustrations through.  I just have a hard time being tactful.  Like I said, it's not one of my stronger points."