Boredom.

 

A Novice wasn’t supposed to be able to feel boredom. A Novice was supposed to relish in the minimal amount of free time she was given, not sit around staring at her porridge and wondering what in the Light she was going to do with an entire freeday ahead of her.

 

Estel sighed. Carise was gone, so visiting with her mentor was out of the question. So far, Carise was about the only Sister Estel got along with and even then... a Red was a Red. The few friends she had used to have in her first years as a Novice had all been raised and she barely talked to them now. Randomly showing up to “hang out” would be incredibly awkward for both and would result in a worse time than wandering the Tower halls wondering what she could possibly do to amuse herself.

 

She supposed she could find some younger Novices to terrorize and fight with, but her bottom was still sore from yesterday and wasn’t quite ready for another switching. Terrorizing others would have to come later in the day.

 

Boredom. It drove people to do all sorts of crazy things. Mainly it drove Estel to make pictures in her porridge. Fun fun fun...

Struggling to hold up the small of books as she worked her way though the dinning hall, Maegan navigated slowly past the benches, feet, other novices and Accepteds as she squinted carefully to see a break in the mass of White that littred the whole Hall. Dining with the other novices and accepteds was always difficult for the Accepted. Especially when a brown sister ladened her with books to read. Not that Maegan didn't mind. But there was only so much 'reading' she could do wtihout her getting irrittingly frustrated with how much tiem she speant to complete anything.

 

Finding a spot 'FINALLY' on the far table, Maegan practically dropped the books down with a hard thump.

 

"Sigh.. " She sat down a little weary. "Only mid day and i have more reading that would last me for the rest of the week." She leaned her head ot the table and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Who ever thought that Acceptedhood would be better seriously lied." She muttered unto her arm. "I can't even remember the last time i had fun."

 

 

 

Mae

Retro Accepted

A thump beside her startled Estel out of her near-trance. Who would have thought that swirling porridge in a bowl could be so entertaining? Whoever had was an idiot. Damnit, she was an idiot. ‘Hardly new news.’ She scowled at her conscience. Stupid annoying little thing.

 

Looking over, she noticed Maegan. The last time she had spoken to the now-Accepted was a few years back at her naming day party. Of course, the details of that night were rather hazy as she had been spectactularly drunk. According to her fellows’ accounts, she had broken her empty brandy bottle, which she had finished herself, over a particularly good-looking Trainee’s head.

 

Back then Estel had only been a year or two in the Tower and Maegan, along with the rest of the GPCN, had been her role models. Now she followed in their footsteps, trying to equal, well...one-up, their accomplishments.

 

Hearing Maegan complain about “not having any fun”, a broad grin split Estel’s coppery face. “Not having any fun, Maegan? My, my, who would have thought a former GPCN member would find herself with absolutely nothing fun to do. “ she sighed dramatically. “No pranks up your banded sleeves? Or was that all left behind with your whites?”

The voice came back to her and maegan couldn't help but feel a little suspisious. Squinting a little, she could make sense of part of the girls form. However, it was the voice and her tone that gave her away.

 

"Hardly. If there were time to partake in.. "Maegan smiled mischeviously, "such activities, i would be ever so delighted at the chance." Tucking a stray hair behind her right ear, Maegan sat up a little taller and gave the girl a quick look. "I have heard of you, Novice Estel. And if i didn't know better, i would think that that was a challenge."

“A challenge?” Mock indignation and surprise was pasted across her face. “Are you possibly insinuating that I, a good, toe-the-line, model Novice, would partake in such... rule-breaking activities? You must be mad!” Estel was practically laughing from the strain it took to fake outrage.

 

“I’m known to never back down from a challenge though. Do you think you’re up to it? A model Accepted, such as yourself, wouldn’t dare do such a thing as... prank a particularly grumpy Red?”

Maegan raised an eyebrow as she took a small thoughtful moment to straighten her smal pile of books, almost as if to make a barrier or wall to give them some emblance of privacy.

 

"it would be very childish of me to cater to a simple dare." Maegan tapped her nose with a small smile. "However, if it is a challenge your looking for, i could approve of that. Say, doing a bit of laundry and move a bit of furnature. Nothing too hard. i'm sure that it is something eaily in your caliber of ... Non-rule-breaking activities?" She waited for the girls answer as her tone was simple, smooth, and challenging. Dare she, or dare she not?

“Laundry and furniture you say? Hmmm...” She feigned a nervous expression. “I don’t know, that my be treading the line a little close for my liking. Of course, you would never throw, theoretically speaking of course, say, live animals into these non-rule breaking activities. Especially if these live animals smelled like the feces they constantly excrete. After all, you wouldn’t want to create problems for the kitchen staff who would of course have to bring all their chickens back.” Honestly, if she were smiling an wider her cheeks would actually split.

 

“Again. I wouldn’t want you to drag me into something that might get me in trouble.”

Maegan could nto help but chuckle a little. "Oh, it is no trouble at all." As if makign it seem that she was doing the Novice a favour. Which, judging by the tone in her face, she truely was. Although it did serve a purpose that would cause more trouble than good, but who was to say that it was not constructive. Standing up she picked up her books, and held out half to Estel. "Care to accompany me to my room. It was a struggle to get here in the first place, and then shall we head to the kitchens before the dishes crew arrive to ruin a perectly good afternoon?"

Estel grinned and responded with a far too polite “It would be my honour.”

 

The pair half-walked, half-ran back to the Accepted’s room to dump the books, earning a few suspicious and curious looks from passing Aes Sedai and... was that fear on that Novice’s face? The Domani laughed aloud. Let the girl spend her freeday fretting over some supposed prank that would befall some poor Novice.

 

“How are we going to get the chickens up unscene?” Estel whispered to Maegan as they headed to the kitchens.

Setting down the books on her desk, She pulled out a small satchel from one of her drawers. "How.. " She said out loud as if testing it along her tongue. How indeed, were the to bring up the chickens. There was large flaw to actually carrying the chickens up the Halls, is that they would be caught. Far too easily. Holding an Illusion would not be wise either as all Aes Sedai and Accepted would be trained enough to pinpoint her channelling.

 

 

And then a moment of brilliance occured to her.

 

"Why don't we bring up the Aes Sedai her dinner as well. I'm positive that there are some trollies for larger meals on request. We can simply stack a few sleeping chickens inside and under plate covers. After all, if they were awake they would make far too much noise. And we would not wish to disturb anyone." Walking to the door and opened it for Estel with a smile. "Shall we?"

Her cheeks recieved only a moment's respite from the constant grinning before being stretched as far apart as they could go unaided again. "A wonderful idea! We wouldn't want to be so cruel as to forget to bring the dear Aes Sedai her chicken dinner now would we?"

 

Estel rushed into the kitchens she knew only too well. She'd be back here tonight after dinner scrubbing the pots and everything else the kitchen staff used but until then, she was free to wreak havoc with their chickens.

 

Since Maegan was the only one of them who actually knew the weave, it was Estel's duty to watch the door. Luckily that proved uneventful and in a matter of minutes, they were pushing a cart stacked as full as humanly possibly with chickens.

 

"These thing'll stay sleeping until we finish right?" Estel had no experience with the weave, though her experience with conscious chickens was none too good. Damn things had claws the size of fingers!

Maegan nodded, "I tied off the weave so not to give ourselves away. However, until we get to the Red Halls, you are delivering dinner, and i'm tagging along so not to trip over things. It is rather uncomfortable to barely see when navigating through the throngs of those within the tower." Seeing the nod from the Novice, they headed out at a casually quick pace to the Red Halls. Fast enough to reach their destination, but slow enough not to get peoples attention. The were, after all, doing a 'chore' for appearance sake.

 

Reaching the Red Halls, Maegan frowned. "What room?"

“Room?” Estel questioned. Truthfully, she hadn’t had a specific target picked out. She just wanted to prank a Red. She shrugged and then pointed to a door at random. All she knew was that it wasn’t Carise’s room. “Let’s see if anyone’s in that one. If there is, er... who can we say we’re delivering this to?”

The first Red sister that came to mind was the one that had taught White Tower and the World. She had been of poor sport and could use a little but of a shake to spice up her Aes Sedai life.

 

"Saya Sedai. And i do not know which room she is in." A look of confusion trickled over Maegans face until anouther Novice that Maegan did not recognize, a very young one, walked by.

 

"Novice!" Maegan called to her with a voice of authority. "What room does Aes Sedai Saya reside in?" The child pointed to a door a few doors down. "There, Accepted."

 

"Thank you. Come with me. I also have a chore for you." ignoring the hesidant step in Estel's steps, they moved to knock on the door.

 

Empty.

 

Perfect. It would seem that the Aes Sedai was teaching her regular class at this hour, and probably would be for a few more hours giving them a little more time to complete their mission. Entering the room, Maegan strolled in a bee-line to the closet where there would normaly be a basket for soiled clothing. Passing it to the Novice, Maegan passed it to her after slipping the pouch that was in her pocket into the basket. Convieniently the basket was full.

 

"Take this to be cleaned and be quick about it. Saya Sedai will be back soon and she requires one of the gowns within. Go." Sending the confused Novice out the door, Maegan smiled to Estel.

 

"Your move."

Saya Sedai. The name rang a bell. Saya Sedia of the Red Ajah. Saya... Saya.... Estel had a sudden epiphany moment. White Tower and the World. Saya Sedai had taught her White Tower and the Word and Estel had been just about ready to strangle the old prude. That the woman was a Red was already one stroke against her.

 

A passing Novice pointed them to Saya’s door and then Maegan quickly issued the girl the task of taking the Red’s laundry to be cleaned. Estel only noticed the Accepted slip the dye into the laundry because she had been watching for it.

 

“Your move."

 

The Novice nodded, grinning once again. “It’ll prolly be easier to unload the chickens after we move the furniture as they’ll be out of the way then. I can prolly take care of some of the lighter stuff if you’ll take the heavier things- that is if I have your permission to channel.

 

“Where are we moving this all anyway?”

Maegan nodded her her for permission as she pushed the trolley out of the way.

 

"Saidar will help, but do not use too much, if you can. Maybe a little air to help lift." Embracing the One Power the room cleared easily, revealing the room to be surprisingly full of furnature. Taking a night stand she moved it easily only using a very simple air weave to help move, taking of the weight to make it easier, she moved it only about two inches to the right. "Like that. I would say moving everything only a few inches one way or anouther. Just enough to throw her off balance without giving away what has been moved. Afterwards, maybe put all the chickens on her bed, waking them just as we leave?"

Estel grinned mischievously but dared not let the laughter bubbling inside her to burst out lest she raise the suspicions of the Aes Sedai wandering the halls outside. “Sounds good to me!”

 

The Novice set herself to work moving chairs, sofas, pictures, tables, books and even all the random articles on the Red Sister’s mantle. Moving the desk and everything on it was a tedious task but within a half hour or so, everything in the room had been moved except the bed which would require both of them to move it. Estel took the right side and Maegan took the left, supported by the weaves of the two women the bed slowly rose, shifted to the right and they set it back down- though Estel’s side went down a little heavy, making a loud thud.

 

“Anything else need to be moved or shall we start letting the chickens loose?”

Maegan smiled though her one power coloured eyes as she surveyed the room with a sense of odd satisfaction. It barely looked touched to the unknown eye, except for the curtains of the bed that were pulled back to hide the chickens.

 

"I see nothing else that is missing." Stringing the spirit weave, she realesed the chickens from thier slumper. They still snoozed lightly as the bed was warmed from within and they were comfortable. It would not surrpise Maegan if a few were to lay eggs within.

 

"Other than the Laundry, but I suspect it would not be wise of us to be here when it returns." Releasing the One Power with a bit of a grevious sigh as the world around her fadded into a blur Maegan walked over carefully to the trolly and winked at Estel.

 

"Shall we go?"

Estel nodded, pride swelling for their handiwork. She could almost see the look on Saya’s face when she knocked over the lamp, sitting precariously on the edge of the night stand, or banged a hip against a corner of the desk that now jutted into the path the Red Sister would have normally taken. She couldn’t help but giggle at the imagined look of horror when the woman saw the chickens contentedly relieving their tiny bladders on her bed at the rest of the room. And just when Saya thought it was over- the laundry. The Red Sister’s shrieks were already echoing like music in her ears.

 

“Shall we go?"

 

“After you.” Estel said gesturing Maeghan towards the door.

Noding to the Novice, Maegan smiled. The red halls were soon far behind them when Maegan left Estel to return the trolley. Walking slowly she headed towards the library for more abuse, but with a bit more of a bounce to her steps.

Saya Sedai of the Red Ajah might have been still and silent as she surveyed the mayhem of her room, but within the stoic face she naturally assumed as she looked at the chaos that had been wreaked upon her room there was a seething fury that threatened to break her well known reserve. Her room was her private sanctum, and the fact that everything had been moved grated on her intensely, as did the ache in her right leg where she had clipped her desk. When she had entered her room, she had seen the chickens and had raced forward without thinking and it had been positioned just in her path, someone had taken their time with this.

 

So, her room shifted ever so slightly and turned into a chicken coop. If not for the three oaths, Saya might have entertained several thoughts that went through her mind when it came to dealing with the intruders, whoever they were. But, she didn't know who they were, and there was little chance of her letting this slide. But first, the chickens, who had successfully fouled her bed and the floor. Simple weaves of spirit laid them into a deep slumber, giving her the peace required to think about what to do in order to ferret out the girls that had done this.

 

It was a knock at the door that heralded an answer to Saya's problems. Opening the door to reveal a young novice, it was what she was carrying that caused Saya's fists to clench until they felt like they were going to fly apart. The girl clearly knew something was wrong as well, not only because of the laundry but because of what she could see behind the Aes Sedai that she only knew from her White Tower and the World class. Answers were easy to claim, and Saya was certain that the girl was too young and frightened to be trying to put one past her. Taking the clothes and dismissing the girl, Saya placed them on the desk she had injured herself upon before taking her leave of her quarters with her door closed behind her.

 

The Novice Estel was a girl that Saya had the luck to come across in the corridors. The moment Saya locked eyes with her, the young girl knew she was caught and it only took the crook of a finger to have her follow. The Accepted Maegan in turn was tracked down to the library, she might have tried deceit but with Estel in tow there was little point in the woman trying. So it was that three of them, Aes Sedai, Accepted and Novice, made their way back to the Red Ajah quarters with the ominous click of Saya's wooden leg resounding every second step. A few glanced their way but were also quick to look away again, few wanted to attract the notice of Saya when she was angered and the loud clack of wood on stone was the first sign.

 

Ushering the pair of malcontents into her room, Saya closed the door behind them. She hadn't spoken so far because she hadn't trusted herself to do so, and it was only now that she was able to do so. An icy anger was what was expressed as she said. "I want an explanation for this from both of you. We shall start with you." Saya stabbed the air with a single finger as she pointed at Estel, if they were lucky she would simply report them to the Mistress of Novices but as they could well appreciate, their luck had just turned for the worse.

 

 

Saya Rishada

Sister of the Red Ajah

The moment she saw Saya Sedai Estel was already cursing inwardly. For any other crime, she would have simply accepted the upcoming punishment and lecture with resignation, but this was a Red. ‘A flaming goat-kissing, bloody Red!’ This, not the upcoming punishment that she had figured was coming anyhow, was the reason for her crimson cheeks and clenched jaw.

 

Within the hour, the Red Sister had collected Maegan as well and the two were back in the room they had spent the afternoon in. The place was a disaster zone! Estel couldn’t help but smile maliciously at the damage the chickens had done to the woman’s bed and the surrounding floor.

 

The truant Novice’s pride only grew with the obvious anger in Saya’s voice that the woman’s supposed “unbreakable calm” could not hide. Her question, though, went unanswered. All Estel permitted herself to give the Red Sister was an impertinent glare.

The girl did not pause, shake or shift wieght at the direct scorn in Saya Sedai's voice, and Maegan half wished to smile. No point in saying anything especially if Saya Sedai felt that it truely was thier fault. It was an Accepted and a Novice against a young novice's word. Maegan said nothing, and felt no need to say anything and stood as straight and unbending as Estel. She would not give in to this stiff and tightly rung Aes Sedai. After all, The Aes Sedai was woman and human and had a breaking point far closer than Estel and herself. Patience may came with age, but this Red never seemed to have found it while Estel and herself had them in spades.

 

 

 

Maegan

Retro Accepted.

Staring coldly at the Novice as the girl gave her silent defiance, Saya was far from impressed by the girl's act. She was caught out, as was her companion, but the refusal to answer was ridiculous. As to her companion... Turning to to the Accepted Maegan, Saya frowned at her, the expression was all that was needed to question her. Instead, the Accepted decided not to speak, as if not understanding what Saya meant by it. That was even more of an affront, a child like Estel might choose to indulge in such behaviour because they were intemperate and didn't know better, but an Accepted would know better and to partake in such...

 

"If you wish to act as children, then I shall treat you as children." Her voice flat now, Saya turned about and gestured to her room. "You will restore this room to the condition it was before you decided to vandalise my quarters. There shall be no trace of the chickens that you brought here and things shall be as they were before. The cost of the ruined clothing shall come from your pocket, Accepted. Anything less than this and you will rue it." Not a threat, a statement. There would be no satisfaction for them here. Spiteful little vermin.

 

Turning back to them, there was a pause as she considered them before adding. "Once you are done, you will leave and return to your studies." Let them wonder on that. Unreadable, she turned away and left the pair in her room once more. She was done with them for the moment, it would be wise to step away rather than satisfy her anger now. There would be plenty of time to pursue the matter later, at a time of her choosing and that best suited her interest. Whether they gave into the temptation of believing that they had been let off, or whether they suspected that worse was to come, it mattered not to her.

 

Arousing the anger of a sister was never wise.

 

Particularly the ire of a sister of the Red Ajah.

 

 

Saya Sedai

Sister of the Red Ajah

To say Estel “glared murderously” at the Red Sister would have belittled the extent of the Novice’s self-righteous, all-consuming fury. It was all she could do not to reach for the One Power and smite down the Red where she stood… or at least attempt to- the more likely outcome would be that she ended up being trapped up in Air and Shielded and then immediately bundled out of the Tower after being Stilled. She shivered… Stilled. It shook her where she was and only that thought kept her from wringing the woman’s neck.

 

When Saya had left, Estel turned to Maegan with a weak smile, her face still slightly contorted by the inhuman anger she had most recently been filled with. “Well, it was fun while it lasted.”