Granted, I do be mediocre. But I no be breaking the rules. I no be sleeping in classes. I do be doing my chores in the soup kitchen and Vera’s garden. I certainly no be pranking you. And it do be a decade over the half-century since the name Mina Daryl do be entered into the Novice books. When do I be raised?

When you ‘do be’ patient, girl.

Girl? I do be eighty years old. Old women do be cranky.

Oh, Mina how is your impudence going to help you when you are tested? And lessee, how much teaching have you done?

. . .

Mina?

Since Ino’s intermediate class, uh, none. That no be more fun than washing dishes for Mistress Laras though.

Maybe intermediate was too much of a challenge. Oh! There’s an introductions class you could teach tomorrow morning. Give it a shot, please?

Only for you, advisor o mine.

Hahah. Good girl.

 

Reports, open-ended papers, and essays blurred into a single night of writing. The vigilant candle accompanied the scratching of her quill in that haze of productivity, and finally spluttered the moment she emerged, alive if not triumphant with the glory of having “finished all her work.” A self-induced pretense as there would be more to her load later, but for now she could have a hot bath . . .

 

Mina had been horrified when she woke, cornflower eyes watering. The sun struck through the windowpanes like golden-leaf, its heralding creatures chirped “you’re late, you’re late” or so it seemed to the Accepted. She might have been old but she would not want to confront the Mistress of Novices; if they had not seen fit to test her even with an immaculate record, Light knows when she would be raised if there were infractions. Lands, for the first day of class too!

 

It was a banded dress that rustled through the echoing halls, wiping at statues, liveried servants, and Aes Sedai alike. Luckily nothing tarried Mina in her tracks except for sounds of giggles and a wrong turn earlier on. Lands, she was turning out to be as clumsy as a Novice. And speaking of novices there they were, all clustered in the classroom waiting to be dispatched. Mina hurried to the front of the class and smoothed her skirts, off-white after its encounters with every dusty piece of furniture from her quarters to the west wing. She was sure it made an impressive combination with her disheveled curls, which she tucked carefully behind her ears, growling.

 

“No be a need for introductions. I do be Mina, one of the oldest Accepted in this flipping Tower and if you no be listening to what I say or studying hard you do be ending up like me. (Dull and unwilling.)” Flitting around the desks for some prop as to what next her gaze settled finally on some models made with different coloured threads, for basic weaves. She picked up the one for polishing stones. As a novice, Earth had always been difficult for her. “Or worse (hard to imagine), burnt out. You see those weaves do be many elements and complicated. New to Saidar, you do be mixing up strands; letting your threads gnarl; fumbling the knots as your fingers slip away in a split-second of distraction. That moment do be costing many lives. And until you obtain a semblance of control over these flows, you no be channeling alone, else you no be channeling at all. See, you no be getting raised until you do be knowing the theory in the text in addition to these elements you see in these models, which do be all very well, but in actuality this no be memorisation, unless memorisation of the muscles do be a form of that, and, thus by rote the only way to master control do be through practice.

 

I do be told by your mentors that you do be touching the Source already. That do be pure poppycock! If you no be touching Saidar reliably whenever you need to, then you no be ready for weaves. If you no be knowing how much, or little you be able to draw from the Source without harming yourself or others, then you do no be ready for the patterns in this model I do be holding. The earth element do no be of any use to you, unless you do be sure how much do be needed to scour off the rock. Keep in mind that elements do be whips if you do no have control over them . . . you do be able to take the head off a rose, or you do be able to take off the head of the person clutching the rose.

 

The truth do be this, and I do be thinking a good deal upon this matter, you do be able to channel, regardless of whether you do be aspiring to the Shawl and binding yourself to the Tower or no, you do be coming to learn how to control your abilities. And since you do be able to reach the Source, or One Power, erratically we do be working on your control. Some of the Sisters do be calling this discipline, and it do be a technique for staving the dangers of the Source. Left to its own devises, Saidar do be an addiction. It do no matter the length of that interval you do be going without, the relapse do be coming in the next breath or in several months. When the longing comes the desire to fill yourself with its power never fades. You no be escaping, you know, though you do be able to distract yourself with tricks such as pushing and pulling, if you do be practicing these enough, you do be worthy of gaining Acceptance, therefore the privilege of channeling without supervision.

 

Control of the flows, and no be controlled by Saidar. That do be the only successes channelers gain. Any questions?” Leaving only the space for putting down the model, she pressed on, “Splendid. Now, you do be opening your eyes and reaching for the Source.” A few minutes of waiting was a few minutes too many to change her mind “oh, close them if you want, just reach the Source already!” Then she had to wait some more until glows enveloped the girls. Brightening as she espied a kettle she busied herself while the novices had their eyes closed. “The rosebud do be open, but you do be holding the sunlight there, no be releasing the rose! Feel the sun as it do be touching your petals, but no more.

 

A cloud do be covering your sun, masking its warmth. Slowly the sunlight do be fading, a pale remnant of what it do be before. Your grasp on Saidar weakens, the joy do be lessened. Push with all your strength, batting the sun away from your rosebud. In doing so you do be rejecting your longing to the point where there do be barely connection for the blossom.”

 

Mina nodded as the glows faded. At this point it would not be unexpected for the novices to feel pretty crappy. They just had the most wondrous experience and was told to reject its warmth firmly, much like a desiccated traveler in an oasis refusing to drink from the well. But the necessity had to be punctuated, and she did leave room for questions. She, fortefied by a cup of tea, asked almost cheerfully: “The Tower do be teaching you discipline in a swim-or-drown manner. You do be needing more practice. But before you do be learning the pulling technique, how do you be feeling? Anybody want a cup?"

 

Ooc: That was fun! You'll need to post twice in here though, once to learn pushing. I'll respond. Then to learn pulling. And then maybe if you want some cookies as we trash the MoN's study :D

Kiyi had been one of the first to arrive in class that day, lucky in that her mentor had allowed her away early. She really didn't like being around the Infirmary but she tried her best not to let that show as she was coming to like Nynaeve Sedai and respect the tiring and often thankless work that she did.

 

Now it appeared that Larindhra Sedai was not taking the class, having relinquished the novices into the hands of an Accepted. A very strange Accepted at that in Kiyi's opinion. She exchanged a surreptitious glance with Esther who was seated as normal on her right side, then settled in to listen to what the Accepted, Mina, was saying.

 

At least, that was her intention. Actually doing so proved almost impossible. The woman's accent was as thick as the porridge Kiyi's mother loved to eat each morning!!

 

What under the Light is she saying? Kiyi wondered, somewhat distressed as she considered how she would learn anything at all if she could not understand the teacher. Muscles? Whips? Kiyi grasped the few recognisable words, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. Where in the Creator's name is this female from?

 

Gradually though, her brain began to follow the cadences and lilt of the new accent, picking out the salient points from the rather convoluted rant Mina was having.

 

“Splendid. Now, you do be opening your eyes and reaching for the Source.”

 

Kiyi did as she was bid, relieved that Nynaeve Sedai had practised this with her since the last lesson, and waited for further instructions. She was rather suprised at being told to push the light away, to reject that wonderful feeling but she tried her best and was relieved that it slowly receded though far from pleased with the hollow emptiness that was left behind, arching an eyebrow in astonishment as Mina offered them all a cup of tea. As if that could possibly be any consolation, Kiyi thought in disgust and wondered what else this bizarre lesson would hold for them all.

Jerinia entered the classroom, feeling somewhat relieved that Larindhra Sedai wasn't leading this class. She had nothing against the Mistress of Novices, but with her own Mentor being a Sitter for the Reds, and the frquent visits she had been making of late to Larindhra's office made her wonder if her thread in the Pattern was intwined with the Red Ajah or it was all just a coincidence.

 

Still, an Accepted led this class today, it seemed. During Mina's speech, she raised her hand as if to ask a question, before she hesitated and lowered her arm again, instead trying to embrace saidar as told. Though not really embracing per se, of course, even if she didn't have any parchment with her this time she didn't think Mina would look too kindly on her setting things on fire during class.

 

She imagined the orange rose again, blooming strongly, and sunlight started shining on it not long afterwards. Almost in a panic, she shoved a thick thundercloud between the light and the rose, cutting herself off completely and making her feel bad. Slowly focusing on thinning the cloud, she was half aware of imagining it starting to rain in her mental world as her imagination got carried away again. Still, she'd get that cloud thing under control sooner or later...

Masuko was in her room and was thankfully alone. She had barely had two seconds to herself let alone enough time to practice opening herself up to Saidar. Now she was envisioning yet again the Hawk spreading it's wings and was rewarded with a fairly quick warmth and light entering into her. Being mindful that someone could walk in at any moment she let go quickly and immediately felt the extreme loss and regret that followed the release. Then she realized what time it was and rushed out of the room.

 

 

Running and dodging Aes Sedai and Accepted along the way she just barely made it to class before the last couple of girls filed in and she took a front row seat near the wall. Then the Accepted leading the class lectured and finally instructed them in their lesson. She was glad that it wasn't the Mistress of Novices today but this women could talk forever!

 

Summoning the Hawk instead of the rose was easier and she had Saidar very quickly this time. Before she knew eactly what was happening she lost all sense of sound except one. The rushing of wind like air rushing by a hawk in flight. She concentrated on making the air stop rushing by her ears but all that she could do was narrow it into a thin band that was thinner then any blade. It wasn't very wide, only a hand or two wide but was the thinnest thing she had ever seen. Trying to push it away so she could release Saidar only made it shoot forward so fast that it shocked her out of her hold on Saidar. looking at what that thin strip had done made her go pale white and stare in shock. It had cut clean through half of the Mistress of Novices desk and just barely missed Mina by less then a hand's span.

 

She knew she was in trouble and just stared waiting for the inevitable order to report for punishment. Girls have been expelled for less then this! Thinking quickly now she looked at Mina and said very softly, " I am so sorry Accepted Mina. I don't know how that happened. I was thinking of a hawk because it is easier and then all I heard was wind. When I tried to stop well...that

happened! I am so sorry and will report myself for punishment." Hanging her head she stood up and waited for the order that was coming.

 

Masuko Svetanya, Novice of the White Tower.

 

OOC: I asked Elgee about this and she said to go ahead!  ;D

Deanne stalked into the classroom and took her customary seat by the window and glowered out of it. Stupid chores! I'll write to Daddy..he'll put a stop to it! She stared at her hands all wrinkled and chafed from her hours washing and scrubbing the pots and pans in the Kitchens and scowled again, though her mood improved when she realised Larindhra wasn't going to be taking the class.

 

However as soon as Mina had introduced herself Deanne quickly revised her earlier relief. Light the woman gabbled! Deanne couldn't understand one word in ten. Strangely though the accent had a kind of musical cadence to it.

 

Deanne yawned, she was getting bored as the woman twittered on and she settled back into her chair trying to find a more comfortable position. She yawned again. Light she was tired!

 

Deanne let the woman's voice drone on and she closed her eyes, just for a moment.

 

Deanne Sedai swept down the corridor and novices, accepted and Aes Sedai alike all moved out of her path, avoiding her gaze. She was the most powerful woman in the Tower....

 

A startled shriek startled Deanne out of her dream and she sat up suddenly blinking wearily. It appeared that something had cut through the desk at the front of the classroom.

Esther exchanged glances with Kiyi as the Accepted started talking … and talking … and talking! Not that she could understand more than one word in ten; after several minutes of trying to unravel the tangle of words, Esther was starting to panic. She was sure Larindhra’s patience with her was running low, not to mention Meli’s. She’d been the last of her class to learn how to embrace the Source, struggling and struggling to understand and apply the concept of surrendering. Larindhra Sedai seemed to have an endless supply of patience, taking her through the steps over and over, but Meli had started to look strained every time Esther appeared at her door. Meli was kind, but she kept muttering about how someone with such a strong potential should be learning faster than this. Esther did not think Meli knew she was muttering out loud.  She was used to grasping things quickly, so her struggles with this, coupled with the problems she was having with Deanne, had Esther feeling wrung out like a wet rag, her self-esteem at an all time low.

 

Speaking of Deanne – the stupid cow was sitting in the corner, with a face like a thundercloud.  No – must not think of that trollop. Concentrate, Esther! After a while she thought she’d caught the gist of it: something about threads and elements and learning control and clouds. Esther loved clouds. Clouds blocked out the sun that was so harsh on her skin, and brought the rain that made the plants grow.  She loved the feel and sound and smell of rain. That one thread Mina had in her hand reminded her of rain; she could almost feel it in the air.

 

Opening herself like a rosebud was still difficult for her, but imaging the cloud covering the sun came surprisingly easy.  The feeling of loss wasn’t so nice, though – strange: she’d always preferred the clouds to sun, before. Maybe she should drop the cloud over Deanne – the chit looked like a thundercloud today … she’d probably chipped a nail. Esther giggled to herself, thinking of Deanne wandering around with her own personal cloudburst. Suddenly there was a shriek, making Esther yelp and jump in startlement and lose control of … something.  She had time for only one goggle-eyed glance at the slowly toppling apart desk when the sound of a small thunderclap whipped her eyes towards the left, just in time to see Deanne getting thoroughly drenched.

 

Esther Tremaine

Novice

 

After some various alterations in the shape, size and darkness of her cloud, Jerinia finally settled on a pretty white one in the shape of Tar Valon. Grinning, she played with the cloud a little, having it reform into a tree, then a sheep. She was about to see if she could manage to have it take the shape of Larindhra's face when a yelp brought her back to earth.

 

A heavy thud made her look at Mina's desk, now neatly sliced in two by... well, whatever it was, it had done it fast. Face going pale as a sheet, she pointed at the wreckage, turning to Mina as she loudly exclaimed:

 

- "It wasn't me this time, i swear!" :o

 

Looking around, she noticed a small thundercloud hovering above one of the Novices, and was reminded of how she had been playing with the clouds in her mind earlier. Suspecting she was the one to blame for that one, she tried to make herself smaller. Which was easier said than done for a six foot redhead with a reputation in that area...

 

 

Jerinia Zaralyn

Believing she's about to see Larindhra again REAL soon...

Has someone been feeding the Accepted stupid tea? Larindhra almost growled to herself as she stalked down the hall, en route from yet another class that had spiralled out of control.  Luckily, this particular Accepted had kept her wits enough to send a novice running to fetch Larindhra; even though her Healing skills were poor, she had enough for the slight burns from a weave gone wrong.

 

The Tower was going to be scrubbed clean from top to bottom and the kitchens sparkling like never before, if things continued in this … A loud scream, followed after a brief deathly silence by several shrieks had her skidding to a halt, then running towards the commotion. She stormed through the door, eyes blazing in a too serene face.

 

A desk, neatly split in two. One drenched novice, red in the face and shrieking like a Draghkar – Deanne, of course.  Larindhra’s eyes swept the room and spotted … Jerinia.  Of course.  She almost sighed. If mishap was a Talent, Jerinia had it in spades. After a brief pause, her glare swept over the rest of the class. Her foot started tapping, drawing novice eyes like a viper in a playpen. Masuko.  That would explain why so much had gone wrong.  But why was Esther’s hand clapped over her mouth, and her eyes swivelling from Deanne to herself? And Kiyi’s were swivelling between Esther, Deanne, and herself. Interesting. Larindhra swung back to Jerinia, who was pointing a finger at the desk and furiously shaking her head, though she still darted glances at Deanne. Very interesting. The tapping foot slowed down.  Novices paled even further. Mina seemed speechless; thank the Light for small mercies.

 

Larindhra turned back to the novices, crossed her arms over her chest, and barked one word: “Explain!”

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

Masuko stood there and was thinking so hard about how she could avoid getting kicked out that she failed to notice anyone else's problems or the entrance of the Mistress of Novices herself until she said that one word, " Explain!

 

Walking forward a little she looked very upset and disgusted with herself. Hanging her head she explained in that soft voice of hers, " It is my fault Larindhra Sedai. I was thinking of a Hawk and wind and before I could pull back and stop," she pointed to the desk, " that happened! I am so sorry, I didn't mean to do it. Please don't expel me!"

 

Now to all that could see a fire bloomed within her. She went from being a dejected looking girl to a fiery and regal hawk in the blink of an eye! " I will not accept expulsion! I will train harder and never allow Saidar to control me again! I will be Aes Sedai and one of the best you have ever seen Larindhra Sedai!" Realizing who she was talking to she toned herself down but the fire was still there.

 

Looking around she finally noticed all that had gone on around her and decided it was time to be silent before she got blamed for the rest of what had happened.

Jerinia yelped as the door slammed open, revealing an all too familiar face. From the look in Larindhra's eyes, the Mistress of Novices was about as close to murder as an Aes Sedai could get, which was intimidating by anyone's standards. It didn't come as a surprise that the woman's gaze paused on her for a brief moment, though by sheer intensity it was enough to make her freeze in place.

 

Still, the short respite as other students were getting the same treatment helped in getting some of her composure back. By the time Larindhra looked at her again, she was adamantly pointing at the desk to avoid being blamed for property damage. Thankful for Masuko speaking up -- at least there was still a chance she wasn't to blame for something going wrong for once -- she added her little tidbit as well. Regardless of who had been the cause of Deanne's condition, she wanted to be honest about it just in case it had been her after all.

 

- "Umm... Larindhra Sedai? I don't know about the desk, but Mina told us to imagine a cloud drifting in between saidar and the rosebud, and i started playing around with it. I didn't actually channel this time... i think."

 

Looking around class to see who else would speak up, she wisely shut her mouth, sending a supportive look to her roommate. It was unlikely she'd get expelled for something like that -- if it were, she'd have been kicked out of the Tower months ago -- but with her staggering record of penances compared to the time she'd been in the Tower she had more to fear from expulsion in that respect.

 

 

Jerinia

Wondering whose fault it was.

No sooner had Deanne had been woken up by a shriek than there was a sudden thunderclap that seemed to have come from right above her. Standing stock still, Deanne swivelled her eyes skyward and was rewarded by a sudden, very personal, sharp unending shower of rain. Screeching, she dashed to the side and the dratted thing followed her, she shoved a novice out of the way and ran forward but still she couldn't escape the thorough drenching she was receiving. Whilst Deanne was still screaming fit to burst, the door slammed open and the Mistress of Novices appeared in the doorway. The very last person, excepting the Amyrlin Seat herself, that Deanne wanted to see.

 

Miserably, Deanne cursed the moment that stupid Aes Sedai had walked into her fathers shop. Nothing was going right for her and she could see her dreams of becoming Aes Sedai were becoming farther and farther away. She flinched as Larindhra's eyes glared at her and stopped screaming long enough to bawl out "It wasn't me...I swear!!"  Then another thought struck her "Just look at my hair!! My poor Braids!" She burst into tears as she ineffectually tried to wring them out, regardless of her own personal storm cloud still merrily drenching her.

 

Soaked to the skin and shivering with the cold, Deanne cut a very sorry sight. Reluctantly giving up her struggle to repair the damage to her hair, Deanne gave in to anger and, drawing herself up to her full height, she announced that she was certain it had been done deliberately just to spite her.

 

“Anyone here could have done it" she ranted "Esther has never liked me...Light only knows why! I've been as nice as possible to her! I bet she's jealous..that's what it is! Jealousy! And that goes for the lot of you! Just because I'm prettier than all of you put together!” She stuck her hands on her hips and shook her head, spraying water around as her braids swung.  “Just you wait, I'm going to be a very powerful woman one day and you'll all regret this!! you will, I can promise you that!” she swept her hand around the room imperiously, forgetting for the moment that the other novices in the room would rise to be as powerful, if not more, and ignoring the stunned looks and outright glares she was receiving from them.

 

Abruptly Deanne realised she had been ranting in front of the Mistress of Novices...she slowly turned to look at her and found the MoN's eyes boring into her. Then Deanne realised that Larindhra had been in range of the water that must have sprayed when she had shook her head so emphatically. The woman's glare was ice itself. Instantly Deanne reverted back to type and burst into tears again, wailing how abused she was and how it must have been done on purpose.

Esther gaped at the little raincloud as it followed the wailing and shrieking Deanne around the room, no matter how she tried to outrun it. That was HER cloud – she was sure of it! Esther clapped her hands over her mouth as the gravity of what she had done occurred to her. Larindhra is going to KILL me!  Suddenly the door was flung open and Larindhra stalked in. Esther stared at her in horror. Name the Dark One! Can the woman hear thoughts?

 

Her eyes swivelled from Larindhra to Deanne, growing larger by the second. She tried to explain, upon Larindhra’s barked command, but the others jumped in before she could open her mouth. She was just about to confess again, shaking her head at Jerinia, when Deanne burst into a vitriolic diatribe about her and the other novices. Now Esther was normally a very calm and rather shy person, but that … trollop just made her lose all self-control. Jealous? SHE was going to be a powerful woman one day?? Chin thrust out, Esther started towards the now weeping Deanne.

 

“You think I’m jealous of YOU, you blowsy nit-wit? You and your stupid braids and bells and clothes and talk of marrying fool men? Yes, it was I who created that cloud, and I’m GLAD I did it! It’s the least you deserve, you stupid cow, always leaving your messes for ME to clean up!” All the pent up frustration burst out of Esther, and she fetched Deanne a ringing clout across the ear.

 

 

Esther Tremaine

Novice