Ooc: Hope this is okay!

 

IC:

 

Maegan was never at the height of fashion. Glaring accusingly into her closet that supported more mothballs than she had books, the Red was quickly concluding that it was, unfortunately, time for a wardrobe change. She physically groaned that was then followed by a very un-Aes Sedai-like whine. If there was one thing that Maegan found a complete waste of time it was dealing with her wardrobe. What was more troublesome was that as a Sitter she needed to look her best and apply that little effort to set her apart in appearance than what she would consider useful. Although it was not a title that required good looks, it was a title that distinguished pride and presence. She had the presence, ... but deep down she was just simple, plain and she liked it that way.

 

With a deep resigning sigh, Maegan pulled out a simple blouse and rich brown skirt that was still relatively new -it had not faded yet!- She left her pitiful closet and left her room. Heading to the Halls of Novices, Maegan stopped one girl in white that looked like she had more of a head on her shoulders than a few others that were busy gossiping in the corners where they thought she could not hear them. Couldn't hear them; just because she could not see them did not mean she could not hear them!

 

"You, Child. What is your name?"

 

"Kalinde, Aes Sedai."

 

"Excellent. You will come with me, I have a task for you, Kalinde." Turning her head towards the voices, Maegan called down, "If you are so busy gossiping, then you can do so in the Kitchens while your hands are busy moving. Off you go, all of you!" There was a resonance of groans in response. Maegan smiled at Kalinde.

 

"This way." Maegan started back to her room. To save herself a little time, Maegan assigned the task as they walked. "My closet seems to have developed a few moth balls and much of my clothing has been ruined or is too well worn. Your task is to find what you can salvage, write a list of all the garments that are no longer pristine -and I do mean perfect. Once you have completed that, you are to take what is no longer good for wearing and then take it down to where all the clothes are washed. Have them washed and then pass them onto the Mistress there. She will know who will need the clothes the most."

 

They arrived at Maegan's quarters, Maegan channeled a little bit of Saidar around the girl so that she could freely move in and out of her quarters without being stopped by the door. The wards on Maegans room rivaled Muirenn Sedai's. That alone Maegan felt greatly proud of. Muirenn's door was the work of a Master of Saidar... a true master.

 

"When that is complete, you may leave your list on my desk. Do you have any questions?"

 

 

 

Maegan Ryanne

Retro Sitter of the Red Ajah

ooc. Thanks! Chores are fun. ;)

 

ic.Kalinde was hanging out in the corridor that morning; she had a free-day and hoped to manage to sneak out of the tower. Even to the training grounds if nothing else. She was going mad staying cooped up in the Tower. Lessons, chores, and then some more lessons. Honestly she wondered if life here would ever get better. She still had a long way to go before she would get out of these dreary white dresses. She needed to get past the group of girl that were gossiping in the corridor, then she might be able to slip outside. But as Kalinde had not met that group before she was reluctant to pass them. They might be the type to call the Mistress of Novices if they saw her breaking the rules. Now that had been a surprise to Kalinde. So many girls just smiling eager to please the Aes Sedai.

 

Kalinde pushed her brown thick curls back into the ribbon that held them in control and decided it was now or never. But she only managed a few determined steps before a voice called out behind her.  "You, Child. What is your name?" it was definitely a voice of an Aes Sedai. How could she had known what Kalinde was meaning to do. The door was still yards away.

 

“Kalinde, Aes Sedai.” she answered with respect. She’d seen this particular woman before. She’d heard tales that she was blind as a bat. Kalinde doubted that, the woman seemed to be able to see just fine. Especially as she scolded the other girls into the kitchen. Kalinde was actually glad for the Aes Sedai’s interruption, even if it meant that she would be doing some stupid chore for this woman, she was not sent to the kitchens at least. She could not help but smile. And to her utter amazement the Aes Sedai was smiling back at her. If only she knew what was going on in my mind.

 

The Aes Sedai introduced herself as Maegan, and escorted her into the Red Ajah quarters. Kalinde had never been there before. There had been no reason for her to go there and thus she looked around the dark and corridors in awe. Paintings and tapestries so old that the colors were fading, but all showing pictures that made her blood curl. Men that could channel, fighting, being captures and held in chains. She was glad that Maegan was s swift walker and she could get out of the gloomy corridors.

 

Kalinde felt Maegan channel something on her, but could not make out anything. Her lessons with Saidar had just started and she barely even recognized the elements. Maegan showed her the closet, which she was to go though and sort out. Kalinde looked at the amount of clothes in there and picked up a thick black skirt, the color was maybe a little faded but nothing that would make it useless.

 

“But they are all still serviceable.” she blurted out before managing to stop herself. “I mean, no Aes Sedai, I don’t have any questions.” She folded the skirt to her left and picked up a blouse with a button missing, but otherwise in good condition. Kalinde looked at the blouse for a moment, confused.  “Excuse me, Aes Sedai, but what about clothes that need only a little mending?” She felt like a fool to ask, but knew that even though this particular Aes Sedai did not seem to be of the worst caliber, she would not likely tolerate mistakes. And Kalinde did not spend this free-day scrubbing greasy pots under the all seeing eye of Mistress Laras and her wooden spoon.

 

~Kalinde Yarrah~

Novice

 

Ooc: LOL! If only she were a mind reader.. Maegan hardly needs to me any more dangerous than she already is.

 

IC:

 

Maegan paused for a moment at the novices outburst and a smile warmed her lips as the girl asked a question shortly after. Still strong enough to hold back and show some submission yet have the strength to hold an opinion. The child would do well in time and would make a fine Aes Sedai one day. Spirit will help her trough the tests, but again, only time would tell.

 

"If they are salvageable then set it aside to be mended after the rest that isn't is gone. Be careful to check the quality of the fabric for at first glance it may still sustain its colour but has indeed become threadbare. You can only dye a cloth so many times before the cloth is then been worked too much. I trust your judgement. If you feel that it isn't perfect than you may pass them on as well. There is never a shortage of women that could use these clothes more than I and I would feel better if we are doing our part to help those women than being selfish and keeping something that has no other value than how it looks on a hanger.

 

"That would not be too terribly difficult for you, will it?" Maegan asked, ready to head out to go dress shopping. It was for only a brief second she wished she could change places with the novice, however her needle work was worse than a man and for that she would take the option of shopping over the girls task. She had enough with pricking herself with needles in her novice days to be well and done with them as an Aes Sedai.

 

The Red Aes Sedai explained her reasons for not wishing to keep the threadbare clothes. Kalinde nodded in agreement. At least the clothes would not be thrown out completely. She despised waste, and in her mind tossing out a good skirt just because of a stain or missing button was ridiculous. She was glad that Maegan had told her she could fix the ones without buttons, although that did mean that she would spend even more time in her quarters in this chore.

 

“It’s not a problem Aes Sedai. I will go though these and fix the ones that are still salvageable for you.” She said and picked up a blouse that was almost see-through. She tossed it on the pile of clothes that could not be saved, as no amount of fabric could make the shirt something an Aes Sedai could wear.

 

Maegan left her alone in her room as she continued on whatever errands the red was to do next. Kalinde preferred working solitary anyway, lesser distractions and better time to her thoughts. The Aes Sedai kept the Novices so busy here that Kalinde had not had a moment’s peace to herself, or so it seemed at least. She started humming a song her father had sung when he worked the fields, Kalinde had never learnt the words but the melody was stuck in her mind and without noticing she was humming it and swaying to the music in her head.

 

After an hour of sorting the clothes Kalinde had managed to reach the bottom of the closet. The list she had created with the clothes that she needed to take down to be washed was a lot longer than she had imagined possible. Her crooked writing looked awful on the page, but Kalinde had only just learnt to write the letters into words, she had not had lessons in the beauty of writing yet. It had taken her long enough to even manage to get her letters right. Though she was sure that she had written a few words wrong. How could she know how to spell some of the colors?

 

Kalinde took the discarded clothes and carried them to the washroom. She could barely see over the pile in her hands but managed to make it without dropping too many of the clothes. She had realized that it had possibly been a mistake to carry all of the clothes with her at once, but she had hoped to save time in just the one trip. But picking up the fallen clothes on the way had taken a lot longer than two trips would have.

 

As she got back to the red quarters to continue her chore, Kalinde found herself standing in the corridor looking blindly at the various doors. Which one had been the one to Maegan’s room? They all looked so similar. She could not go knocking on the doors to find out, and the doors probably had wards on them as well. Kalinde took a deep breath and pushed her panic away. She turned to the door opposite the tapestry of the caged man and pushed the door open. To her relief she found herself in the right room. She had memorized the look on teh mans' face when they had arrived. How could anyone paint such graphic pain and anger in one stroke?

 

Sighing heavily Kalinde sat down on the floor and turned to the pile that needed mending and started with a skirt that had a hemline torn open. This had been something that she was actually good at. The thread slipped through the little hole in the needle like water in a crack of a mug and Kalinde sewed the hem closed. She examined the skirt to make sure that she did not miss anything else on the skirt before folding it back into the closet. And she continued like this taking on the piles of clothes and working on them one by one. Though there weren’t that many that could be saved for the Red to wear, fixing the buttons, and seams took a lot longer than anticipated.

 

~Kalinde Yarrah~

Novice