A Writing Archive – Page 3 – Old Wheel of Time Roleplays and Stuff

Meeting the Family (Shadowspawn Class)

Smoothing a dark blue gown over her hips, Rendra walked sedately through the Fortress towards…. somewhere. She knew that there was yet another class to attend that day, but she was as-of-yet unfamiliar with the entire layout of this immense structure that was her current ‘home’.

After what seemed an Age, she noticed a stream of people she recognized from her other classes heading in what seemed the right direction, and she joined them. To her surprise, there were two cloaked forms flanking the open door. The young Taraboner stiffened momentarily as she felt a shield cut her off from Saidar… but she knew better than to ask questions in this place. The ‘lessons’ here were just as harsh, if not harsher, than those she’d grown up with.

Sighing inwardly, she shuffled in with the rest of the students, and found herself a corner to hole up in and observe from.

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18 January 2009 (1:04am GMT)

“Good afternoon, class.”

Rendra gasped in surprise as the woman who had been standing there when she came into the room turned around. Woman… but not… where were her eyes?!

“My name is Calaun Ontrix Seyr… And I am a Myrddraal.”

Biting back a gasp, the Taraboner was suddenly very glad for the corner she had placed herself in; the walls were giving something to brace against rather than falling flat on her face. For all her time at the Fortress, she hadn’t had to come face-to-face with any of the Shadowspawn creatures, and for the life of her, she couldn’t figure whose idea of a joke it was to plop the lot of them in a room with one!

Of course, that was before this Calaun actually even looked at her. When that eyeless gaze brushed her, Rendra could feel her spine trying to climb out of her skin and through the wall, and that gasp from earlier did manage to escape. For all she had faced in the streets growing up, she was suddenly very sure that there was nothing quite as fearsome as this strange creature before her. Tightening her hands into fists, she bit her lip and promised to herself that this too she would learn to not fear; she was tough, and she couldn’t let anything cause her fear, not anymore… for Aldric.

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11 February 2009 (5:33pm)

Rendra narrowed her eyes as the creature continued carrying on and ranting. Granted, her spine felt like it had been dunked in the coldest parts of the ocean whenever that angry eyeless glare crossed over here, but that was beside the point. Who was this mere creature to talk down at her future leaders; did she want to be remembered poorly in future battles, where life and death lay in the hands of those above her?

”Still,” she thought to herself as the creature raged on, ”Other people here claim they can ride through shadows from one place to the next, and,” Rendra’s thoughts cut off suddenly as Calaun slammed her hands down on the table, making it issue a decidedly creaky-crunchy sound, “… … … And maybe this Myrdraal has a point, and the lot of us are silly cows…”

Gulping down air, she forced her hands to unclench. Anger and fear mixed and streaked with each other in her as the Myrdraal glared around the room, and it was all she could do to keep her hands from her daggers, ”Did I already forget the promise I made to myself not moments ago? I WILL NOT FEAR! I cannot, I must go on to punish those who would harm those I cared about. I must be stronger than… than this creature, than everyone!”

Forcing herself to step away from the wall, she took a deep breath and attempted to address the creature hotly. What came out, however, was a squeaked, “I under… under..stand… you… ma’am.” Gulping, she hung her head and glowered; she would master her fear.

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10 March 2009 (1:22am GMT)

Taking a deep breath, Rendra forced herself to meet the gaze of the Eyeless once again. She was still shaking a bit, but it was something she could accept. After all, everything improved with practice, supposedly, and this was her first time doing this. “I have no further questions at this time,” she made herself say as smoothly as possible.

She was further gladdened when the creature turned away from them all to go towards the door. Oh sure, they were off to look at more creatures, but at least she’d not have to look this Myrdraal in the eye again quite yet – twice in as many minutes was more than enough for now!

Taking a deep breath, Rendra willed her feet to move forward… after the Myrdraal. Towards whatever pit of monsters they were going to go play in, monsters that some day they would have to all command. Even faced with it now, it was still so hard for her to believe the road of her life had taken her to such an insane point.

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15 March 2009 (7:33pm GMT)

Following along, she felt her legs regain some strength as she wound her way down through the Fortress behind the creature, rather than directly in its gaze.

In time, they reached the open cells. Rendra almost gasped as she felt someone channel Saidar behind her; a globe of light sprang to life, revealing some beasts within. Beasts for lack of a better word, but surely they had a name? She had heard of many sorts in her time here – Trollocs and Draghkar, Darkhounds and so forth. The beasts didn’t look like dogs of any shape, though, so Rendra dismissed them as that which she could see before her.

She was definitely curious as to why these creatures were caged before her. Sure, they were probably dangerous, but then, what wasn’t dangerous in the Blight? ”Perhaps if I do the smart thing and stay very quiet and still, I shall find out what’s going on here. I mean, beyond what in the Great Lord’s name these things are!”

Look What we have Here, Girls! (Attn: Eqwina and Jasmyne)

“Why do I always get stuck doing the dirty work?” Raeyn thought to herself as she led her new and biddable pet behind her across the Tower grounds. It had only taken a brush of her talent on the frightened boy-child to convince him to come along merrily, but she had felt that it would be safer to not take the risk of him running off screaming. There were some on the Tower grounds itself who wished no end of ill will to Aes Sedai, so…

Putting on an expression somewhere between cross and lost in thought, she praised the Great Lord for the relative lack of people around the Library itself. Most people preferred to come through the great shaft of the White Tower itself, making it much easier to enter the vast storage hallways below with few or no observers. Drawing deeper on Saidar, she opened the barn-sized door with a flow of Air and gestured her charge down with her.

He stepped through, and she gestured off him off to the side where she could keep an eye on him. Carefully, she shut the doors behind her, making sure to keep this unknown in her site. Tapping her foot, she pursed her lips in thought momentarily before gesturing down the hallway again. A small ball of light bloomed upon her hands. “With me,” the Aes Sedai spoke curtly, leaving no room for argument as she started down the hallway.

Down and down they went, until the chill and stale air told the tale of long neglect and few visits. In these lower halls, Raeyn selected a door at seeming random and once again pointed for the boy to enter. He nodded uncertainly, stepping through the dusty entrance gingerly. With a smile, Raeyn shut the door behind them.

Turning her attention to the boy child again, she slammed a gag of Air into his just-opening mouth. Drawing deeply upon Saidar, the Black Sister then threw a web of Air at the boy, slamming him upwards and against the hard wall. A sharp exhalation through his nose and the bulge of his eyes told of the pain before his eyes rolled backwards, and his lids dropped shut.

Nodding, she eyed the globe of light thoughtfully before reopening the door. “He won’t need it down here,” she smiled again, closing the door behind her, “My Sisters will do for him soon enough.” She hurried back upwards as fast as she could while attempting to disguise her passage; Eqwina would be ‘remembering’ her expertise soon, and she needed to be found in one of her normal haunts.

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10 January 2009 (8:30pm GMT)

Night had long since fallen as Raeyn made her way down through the Library, and below. “I do dislike leaving people hanging around, but it was most expedient,” she reasoned to herself as she made her way through the dim and dusty corridors, “But perhaps I should have just finished him myself, orders or no. I understand Eqwina wanting to test the mettle of the new girls, but still…” Sighing to herself, she opened the usual door.

Quickly, she loosed the weave she had prepared on the way down upon her captive. Smiling brightly, she stood back and suggested politely, “You have been ill. You fell and banged up your head earlier, and we simply have you secured to make sure you don’t do yourself further damage.”

Raeyn increased the strength of the weave as she spoke, doing her best to melt away any concern or worry the young spy had in his head. When a smile began to form on his face, she slammed a gag of Air into his mouth hard enough to knock him out cold again. “I’m not in the mood for small talk,” she muttered to herself, waiting for the others to arrive. Whatever the others thought, she didn’t have all night to wait their fancy.

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14 January 2009 (1:49am GMT)

Suppressing a glare and a growl, Raeyn curtsied as appropriate from Council to Ajah head, and walked around Eqwina and Jasmyne without speaking. While not a personal fan of killing, per se, she generally agreed with Eqwina’s policies towards making sure that new Sisters were a good fit, and able to follow orders. Closing the door softly behind her, she made her way back towards the Library with a sudden grin – at least she’d not have to thump down the dust herself this time!

Trial: Healing and Defense

Strolling down the hallway, Raeyn mused on her most recent meeting with her counterpart in the Red Ajah, Zarinen. Of course, the woman had no idea that Raeyn knew her position as the Highest, but what she didn’t know benefited both of Raeyn’s Ajahs in their business.

Still, it was prudent that a Sister Raeyn had an established history with was running the Reds… even if that woman was somewhat madder than she had been in the past. Regardless of that fact, it had been a fine conversation, and the Brown Sister felt that both parties were happy with the end result. So it was with good spirits that Raeyn made her way sedately down the corridors of the Tower. She was enjoying herself, and very happy to actually have any time to be leisurely!

She was crossing the Tower’s main antechamber when something drew her up short. Stopping quickly, she allowed her attention to be diverted by a Warder carrying a smaller person deeper into the Tower. A gasp almost escaped her lips – that was Matalina, her former Warder!

“No, no.. it’s Cari now, not Matalina,” she thought to herself as she waited a moment before following. She continued to walk at a sedate pace, and allowed herself to assume a mask of deep thought in order to prevent others from stopping her to speak. While she GREATLY disliked that stereotype against her Ajah and its Sisters, she had to admit to herself that it was a useful tool on occasion.

It wasn’t too long before she realized where the Warder, “Kyn or something, I think; one of the Green’s Warders, was carrying the prostrate form. Nodding to herself, she drifted into an adjacent corridor and picked up her pace.

Normally, she avoided the Yellow Ajah like the plague, but she had a great need to go into their nest this day. In her head, Raeyn shot a small prayer of thanks to the Great Lord that she had been around the Yellow quarters a fair amount lately to talk with her fellow Black, Eqwina, about matters in the Hall of the Tower. And because of that, no one looked twice when she knocked on Eqwina’s door and dashed in as soon as the First Weaver opened the door.

“Eqwina,” she started, pausing for a second to open herself to Saidar and weave a ward against eavesdropping, “We appear to have a problem.” Striding towards an available chair, Raeyn plopped down. She had heard the stories about all the murders in and around the Warders Yard recently, and seeing her friend being carried into the Tower had told her almost immediately who was the responsible party.

Taking a deep breath, Raeyn explained everything she could about the ongoing matters. Her former Warder’s insanity, the multiple personalities, the trail of murders around the Yards. “You’ll probably be getting called down to the Infirmary soon to check on her, I would think,” Raeyn said in conclusion, “And we can expect there to be a trial of sorts. I think that we might have to use our pull to be a part of that trial, and see if we can get her freed.”

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20 October 2008

Raeyn nodded and rose from her seat, “You can always claim to know that I have an interest in murders and murderers or something; I’m sure you can think something up to make it seem most reasonable to get me down to investigate your charge.”

Heading for the door, she turned back to the Yellow Sister, “At least, I can only guess you’ll be heading down to the infirmary soon?” A curt nod in reply, which Raeyn returned a touch more politely, “Excellent. I think that, perhaps, we should meet again to discuss where to go from here. If you would like, perhaps we can meet in one of the more isolated gardens for a chat later? I’ll leave that up to you; you know how to get a note to me if you need to.” She was, of course, referring to the secret hiding places the Black Sisters used around the Tower to drop notes to each other; she had no doubts that Eqwina would make use of such for this, which was technically work of their true Ajah.

Dropping the ward, Raeyn dipped herself in a curtsy before departing; she might not like this woman that much, but she was the one the Chosen had placed over her. And in matters of the Heart, the proper courtesies must be observed.

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06 November 2008

After leaving Eqwina’s chambers, Raeyn wasn’t that sure what to do with herself. “If I go down to the Library, I’ll end up getting cornered by someone or another for hours. If I go back to my chambers, I’ll probably end up getting distracted by some bit of Ajah work or another,” she mused with a frown as she strode down the corridor, ”And I don’t even know how long Eqwina will be with Matalina, erm.. Cari. It could be minutes, it could be hours, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Down another spiraling ramp, down another hallway, and suddenly her nose decided her, ”Oh yes, almost lunchtime. I can stop for a bite, and then check the normal spot. If the message isn’t there by then, I can go gamble on not getting cornered in the Library!” Pleased with her decision, she assumed a thoughtful mask and found herself a corner table to enjoy her repast in.

~*~*~

With her appetite sated, Raeyn made her way up and across towards her rarely-used chambers in the Tower proper. The corridor was clear before her, and a quick glance back showed it clear behind. Smiling, she approached the tapestry of Queen Esmerelde of Shiota reading a treatise on the War of Power as written by scholars in the courts of Coremanda. Checking the hallway again quickly, she reached behind it, and found a note waiting. “Good,” she thought to herself, turning the corner to enter the Tower-bound Brown quarters properly, ”At least I didn’t have to wait that long after all.”

She smiled, and entered her sparsely-used Tower chambers. Once inside, she quickly opened the note and scanned the contents. Nodding to herself, she crossed to the fireplace and opened herself up to Saidar. Channeling a fine flow of Fire, she quickly set the note alight before laying it inside the fireplace, where it quickly burnt to nothing. Nodding again, she began the trek to where Eqwina indicated they should meet.

~*~*~

Raeyn found Eqwina sitting alongside a fountain in one of the more secluded Tower gardens. Curtsying slightly, Raeyn eyed the notepad questioningly as she made herself comfortable alongside her fellow Black Sister. “I take it your findings were much as I said, then?”

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11 November 2008 (6:07pm GMT)

”Patronizing child!” Raeyn thought furiously as Eqwina reached over and patted her on the head, “As if I were some pet of hers! But then, we cannot pick our Sisters…”

Taking a slow, calming breath, she kept her face smooth and fixed in a mildly curious expression. Long years as a Sister gave her better facial control than almost anyone else in the Tower, and she used it to her advantage as often as possible. Why, she sometimes felt as if the emotion she portrayed, most times, were exactly what she wanted whomever she was speaking with to read. Not that anyone in the Tower was quite that adept, no matter what they thought of themselves, but it never hurt to have a little confidence in oneself.

As for Eqwina, it was well ‘known’ in the Tower that they were friends. Of course, this was the furthest thing from the truth; they both mutually disliked each other, and were quite content with that on a personal level; there was too much bad blood between the Ajahs they headed openly for it to be otherwise. Still, the pretension to friendship had served them well in the past, and seemed that it would serve well in the near future too…

Tapping her chin briefly as in thought, Raeyn replied slowly, “Yes… I have read a fair number of texts pertaining to the subject at hand. I think, however, it would be best if I pretend ignorance of the ongoing… troubles… until such time that you are approached by whomever the Yard has appointed to organize the trial. I think it obvious that they will come to you for evidence, as the Yellow currently presiding over M… the prisoner.” Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she rose, “At that time, you could, perhaps, ‘recall’ a conversation you have had with me in the past,” she paused to smile, “And recommend me as a resource for defense of the aforementioned. That is, if that suits you?”

Hey Now, Wait a Minute…

Several weeks had passed since her Aes Sedai’s return, and Mariasha had been enjoying having her Sister back at her side. And yet, still, there had been an edge of unease that still persisted. She couldn’t understand it, but then, the edge of shock from the sudden return hadn’t worn off quite yet…

Uneasy as she was about things, she tried asking other Warders around the Yard for advice. She knew this was akin to talking about a spouse to a friend in a manner that most wouldn’t, but she was so lost. Some small part of her remaining innocence wanted to believe that they could pretend that all was well, and that she’d not been run out on. But as she talked to more of her brethren in the Yards, the more her mind wanted to question this action Taeadra had taken.

Mari had asked no questions of Taeadra, not yet; part of her was desperately trying to pretend all was like old times. In some ways, it was truly as if Taeadra had never left. They had fallen into their normal daily routine almost seamlessly… and coupled with the fact that Mari herself had been pretty much drunk the entire time Tae was gone made it easier to pretend that no time had passed.

But as time had rolled by, the constant knot of Taeadra’s feelings in Mari’s head started to infect her as well. The other woman was full of wariness and anger, and it was all that the Warder could do to cheerfully ignore a headful of such. She redoubled her efforts in the Yard, and fell asleep easily in a satisfied exhaustion. Still, as time was passing, there seemed to be a switch between the two. For whatever reason, some degree of contentedness was growing in Taeadra’s head, while the suspicion and anger started growing in Mariasha’s. Why had the other woman left her for so long? Had she done something wrong? Was it the Creator’s way of punishing her for… “No, no, mustn’t think about that, no..”

Finally, the Warder could take it no more.

It came to a head over the course of a normal meal. The pair was dining in Taeadra’s chambers, as they often did, and making polite conversation about the day’s events. Perhaps it was how hard she was pushing herself. Perhaps it was the denials she kept making in her head, but something snapped. Or perhaps it was Taeadra’s grumblings about the penance her Ajah had handed down for her absence…

“My fellow Whites are… cross.. with me for going away for as long as I did,” Taeadra commented, reaching for another slice of bread, “I guess that it’s universally felt that even though I had important business, the Ajah’s own business at that, that I should be punished for it.” The White Sister reached for the butter and hummed softly to herself as she applied it lavishly to the bread.

“Perhaps they thought you were dead, Tae,” Mariasha spoke quietly, “Perhaps they were worried, as I was, that something horrible had happened.” Her voice began to raise; a hint of anger began to creep in, “Maybe some of them were drinking themselves to death from worry, trying to deny that anything could’ve happened. After all, if someone cares, they’ll let everyone know they’re doing alright, wouldn’t they?!”

At this point, Mari was quivering with rage and had stood unbeknownst to herself. As she glared down at her Sister, her fists clenched unconsciously. The sitting woman’s mouth had formed a small ‘o’ in surprise at the sudden verbal assault, and taking a deep breath, Mari made herself sit back down. Fishing a whetstone from her belt pouch, she whipped out one of her daggers and began sharpening it nonchalantly. “Perhaps, Taeadra, it’s time to tell me what was so important that you had to leave me here thinking you were dead for so long. I think it’s time for you to tell all.”

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04 January (2:36am GMT)

Quirking an eyebrow, Mari raised her eyes from the whetstone in her hands. “So then, you mean to tell me that wandering off on an extended adventure was more important than those that care about you? More important than your duties in the Tower to your Sisters?!” She snorted, slamming the whetstone down on the table. “I know that you always try to put the best face on things, Taeadra, but word has it around the Yards that your Sisters of the White are out to punish you severely for your ‘important business’. I’m guessing that if it was so important, they’d not be that ticked about it, would they?”

Standing up, Mari began to pace along her side of the table; she occasionally shot a dark glance at the woman she had considered her closest friend. That burned – had, not was. Or was she? It was all so hard to think about. Had her parents…

NO!

Choking back a growl, she stopped dead in her tracks, “No, it’s nothing like that, nothing like that at all,” the Warder muttered to herself. Her right hand drifted down to her dagger and gripped it unconsciously, “I wasn’t sworn to protect them, they didn’t think I could… DON’T THINK ABOUT IT!”

Coming back to the here and now with a start, she jumped once she realized she’d been shouting. Shaking with an unidentifiable emotion, she spoke slowly to the air, “I… I.. am… I’m going.. to.. yeah… I’m going to go now.”

Doing her best to pretend Taeadra wasn’t there, she gathered up her things and departed as quickly as dignity would permit her. This was all too much for Mariasha, and the young Warder was unaware that she had started running once clear of the White quarters. She didn’t know where she was going, but knew she had to get away. “You can’t run from your thoughts though,” her mind whispered at her, spurring her to try even harder to escape from it all.

The sun hung low in the sky as she exited the Tower at a dead run. She was blind to the curious glances from the people she passed, and as she made her way past the Warders Yard and down the eastern road, her mind made itself up about her destination. Content in this, she allowed focusing on not running anyone down take over her mind as she continued her mad dash towards the river.

~*~

Mariasha’s steps slowed as she neared the bank, and she began to pace quickly alongside the river to cool herself down from her short run. It was no secret that she found the riverside calming, not that she expected anyone to follow her out here, not really. Still, the run had been pleasantly exhausting, and as she slumped down to sit on the grass lining the riverbank, she let the flow of the water soothe and distract her mind from the turmoil she did not want to deal with.

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23 February 2009 (2:27am GMT)

As the sun glinted off of the river as it set off into the distance, Mariasha pushed herself off the grass and sighed. Her thoughts had run themselves in circles to no avail, and the serenity that the river usually brought her couldn’t even begin to make a dent on her internal turmoil.

She slowly made her way back to the Barracks, flipping a dagger absent-mindedly as she went. The Andoran woman had found that it did a good job of changing peoples’ minds about bothering a woman alone… not that she really wanted to be alone, not with these thoughts. But still, whom could she talk to? Taeadra would have been the person she talked to everything about, but where did things stand now? Sighing, she entered the Barracks and made her way to her room.

—

Mariasha’s sleep was troubled. That is to say, the few times she managed to nod off, she found herself immediately jerking back awake from stray and painful thoughts. Her Aes Sedai, her parents… All of this mixed ‘round in her mind, making an impolite mess.

So when she ‘woke’ up the next morning, she found herself nodding and red-eyed. She wasn’t sure how many times she had randomly started crying, but she prayed to the Creator as she dressed for her efforts in the Yard that she wouldn’t start again. Of course, her resolve only lasted until she got outside and ran into Thera…

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01 March 2009 (8:55pm GMT)
“A-ale?” Mariasha stammered, “N-n-no, no ale. I had been trying t-to stop drinking and t-trying to get my head back together… for…”

She burst into fresh tears before he could stop herself. Fishing her handkerchief from her pocket, she mopped herself up with a sigh. “I’m a wreck, Thera,” Mari started, taking a moment to tuck her hankie up her sleeve, “Just a total wreck. Light, I’m not really sure if I’m in good enough shape to be out and about right now; I’ve just…” She shook her head slightly, “There’s a lot on my mind.”

Mari smiled weakly at her old friend. As it were, she wasn’t sure she could unjumble all the pain and hurt in her head… but she knew she had to try. She had seen what ignoring emotions could do to people, and she didn’t want that. Oh sure, it had to be done in the heat of battle, but one couldn’t live in the Void and stay human.

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04 March 2009 (1:24am GMT)

Flopping into the cushy chair, Mariasha gratefully accepted the glass of water. “Thank you,” she murmured, drinking deeply before lowering the mug to clasp with both hands.

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong, Mari? What caused your… tears?” Thera inquired politely. The Andoran woman couldn’t help but laugh a bit, even if it meant that Thera was looking at her if she’d gone mad.

“Well, you remember how a few weeks ago my Aes Sedai showed up out of the blue? Light, like anyone can forget that, what with me screaming about ghosts and falling off of walls and things.” She took another sip of water, and continued, “Anyways, the shock of it was just all too much for me, and I tried to convince myself that everything would be like normal again now that she was back, and that I could overlook her absence. Her considerable absence…”

Mari trailed off, staring at her hands as they cupped the mug for a long moment. “We were having dinner last night, and I just kind of snapped,” she spoke in a low voice, almost as if talking to herself, “I just completely blew up on her and demanded an explanation. To make matters worse, Taeadra came up with the most cockamamie story I think I’ve ever heard in my life. Claiming she was off on important business, but if it was so important, why didn’t she take me with her to protect her, Thera? Why didn’t she?”

Her eyes shone with tears waiting to be shed again as her hands trembled on the mug in her lap.

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09 March 2009 (11:32pm GMT)

Mari pushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face as she sighed in response to Thera’s question. “I don’t know if some of them bother to form any bonds with anyone at all. Taeadra is reputed to be in fairly hot water with her Ajah over her little… adventure, and I’m sure that me having a nervous breakdown probably isn’t doing her a world of good either. I mean… it’s in our very souls to care for our Sisters – the bond makes sure of that.”

Turning her attention to that part of her mind that was Taeadra, she could tell that the White Sister was still sleeping. It was much like her not being there – no sense of emotions came through the bond, yet Mariasha could tell that she was there. She tapped her cheek in thought before casting her eyes back to her fellow Warder, “I… I don’t know Thera, I just sort of snapped. You’ll probably laugh at this, but I just had a moment where I realized I felt what my parents probably felt when I just up and vanished.” She herself chuckled mirthlessly at this before continuing on, “But unlike my ‘fortune’ at getting Taeadra back, I… I’ve never bothered to contact my parents in the years since I’ve left Caemlyn. I… I don’t know if they’re alive or dead, and they… they don’t know and…”

Another sob ripped out of her before she could stop herself, and she growled at herself slightly, “Light Thera, I’m so bloody tired… it’s just been running around and around in my head all night, and I don’t even know how to sort it out yet. Even a promise made in one’s cups is a promise that should be kept, and when we decided to bond those years ago, I was thrilled to have someone to take care of, to hopefully trust in. I just… I just don’t know how to lay the line. I think I need to, though – how can I do my job if she wanders off? It would be just like an Aes Sedai to betray their Warder by wandering off to die, right?”

She helped herself to another gulp of water, and put the freshly emptied cup to the side, “Anyways Thera… any thoughts? I just… I just want things to get back to normal, the way it should be.”

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31 March 2009 (12:04am BST)

Pushing herself out of her chair, Mari impulsively hugged Thera. Squeezing gently, she managed to stumble back from where the other woman was seated without falling over as she rose from her half-crouch. “Thanks Thera, you’ve given me a lot of food for thought, even if it’s perhaps not the taste I want in my mouth.” She chuckled softly, shaking her head, “Taeadra is a very headstrong woman, and I guess I’m just going to have to learn how to be more stubborn than she is… perhaps I can find a mule to teach me.”

Sighing, she headed for the door, “Thanks again,” Mariasha started, opening the door, “I’m going to… go… something.” She stepped through and shut the door behind her, and started out across the Yards.

She’d not gotten more than a hundred paces towards the Tower when her steps slowed, and then stopped. The young Warder’s thoughts were much like honey – torpid and squishy. Still, it suddenly dawned on her that she probably looked a right fright. “I should go clean myself up before going to talk to Taeadra,” she told herself firmly, turning back towards the barracks, “She won’t take me seriously if I look a mess, and I have to come from a position of strength, not of weakness. Plus, if I make her wait longer, it might make her easier to work with… yes…”

Upon arriving in her chamber, she closed the door behind herself and sat down on the bed. She had only gotten as far as removing a single boot, and tugging at the next, before she found herself flat-out asleep on the bed.

After having a much-needed rest, Mariasha’s body still felt leaden, and her mind quite asleep. Stifling a yawn, she levered herself up. She eyed her still-booted foot ruefully, and proceeded to finish the job she had started before passing out on herself. A bath would do her mind wonders.

The sun hung low in the sky before her as the Andoran made her way back towards the White Tower proper. She was as pristine as she could be – her hair was brushed and pulled back, her boots were shined, and her clothing was spotless between. She was still unsure in her heart if this would be good for her friendship with her Sister… but protecting the woman she was bound to was the most important thing.

Murder: Victim #9

Glowering to herself, Audie huffed her way to the armory after her meeting with the Mistress of Trainees. That awful woman was never happy, no matter what Audie did. This time, she was irate that the young woman had gone to lunch with Jesse instead of not having lunch and working herself to death! “As if she doesn’t want anyone to be nice to me, the awful cow,” she muttered to herself as she gathered up sword and staff.

Part of her punishment was that she had to go train alone in the Ogier grove on the island. Thera had felt that if Audie weren’t able to stick around the Yard without letting the first person that talked to her lead her away from her travails, that the young woman could do with the solitude off in the grove.

It was a lovely day with a sky full of sun, but as Audie strode off in a dark mood, she didn’t notice. She complained to herself as she walked, of all the stupid things she had to do, like balancing on barrels, and polishing armor. She thumped her staff as she walked on; the loud thudding noise marked her anger at the absolute injustice of everything in the world as it rang along the paved walkways.

The press of people waxed and waned as she crossed out of the Tower grounds and through, a flickering of bodies and shadows moving to and fro in the corners of the trainee’s vision. As she approached the grove wreathed in a ring of mid-day shadows, her staff caught the edge of a raised paving stone, sending her to her knees. Yelping sharply, she levered herself back up in a flurry of whinges, only to find someone standing statue behind her.

“Oh, hello!” Audie said cheerfully to the woman before her, “I have to go train by myself, or else Thera will be mad at me.” After all, the other woman had the look of a warrior, so she had to be someone from the Yards too… right?

————————————————————————

05 October 2008 (6:20pm)

Blinking in surprise, Audie tried to shake off the arm holding her. “I told you, Thera said that I had to be alone to train!” Levering the arm away with her staff, she glared at the other woman, “I’m here now, don’t you see? You can go back and tell Thera that I’m doing what she said, okay?”

Shaking her head, the blond woman started to turn around. However, a sudden jolt of pain in her arm distracted her, and she was momentarily fascinated by the red spreading down her arm to drip on the dirt below. “You cut me!” she whined incredulously, “Why would you cut me?! I’m doing what I’ve been told, I am!”

She failed to catch the glint of murder in the other woman’s eye, but she was just bright enough to realize that someone approaching her with a bared blade draped in her own blood probably didn’t have her health in mind. “Go away!” she cried, trying to poke the other woman back with her staff. The murderess-to-be easily dodged, and continued her slow approach.

Another slow realization dawned in the blond woman’s head as she backed away slowly – hadn’t there been someone running around killing lots of people in the Warder’s Yard lately? Could this.. could this be?! Not waiting another second, she threw her staff at the other woman to distract her, and started running as fast as she could.

Audie Acker
One Scared Little Dimwit!

————————————————————————

06 October 2008 (3:09pm) Posted by Matalina

Cari caught the dagger with her left hand. Stupid girl! The shadow sheathed the bloody dagger and then hurled the quarterstaff at the girls legs toppling her over to the ground. “Leave me alone! I didn’t do anything to you” After a pause she continued, “Oh, no, my husband sent you didn’t he? But.. Butt..” Cari only smiled at the girls innocence.

“No my dear, I’m just here to kill you. No reason other than I can. Your naive little blood will smell so very sweet in this morning evening light!” The girl tried to get up but Cari was faster, she was on the girl before she could stand up. The shadow pinned her to the ground sitting on her chest. “Now my little pretty you are going to scream for me.”

The shadow leaned down and kissed the girl, tasting the fear in her. “So afraid little one, so very afraid.” The girl tried to struggle. Cari laughed. “Come come little one, hold still or it will hurt more.” With a smile the shadow spoke again. “No do struggle please struggle. I want you to hurt.” The shadow ran the blade of her a newly unsheathed dagger down the girls cheek. The shadow leaned in and licked the blood that started to trickle down. “So sweet!”

Cari sat in the shadows mind she sat watching, waiting. The fear of the girl was fueling the shadow but the shadow was taking too long, and Cari’s own desires of blood and torture were growing stronger, enough, maybe enough to break free. Cari let the shadow play with the girl longer. She screamed and Cari’s own persona shuddered with the sound of it. It rattled the others to the bone, to hear this girl scream for no reason, but they watched in silence as Cari soaked in the new found power. The shadow was not paying any attention inward or it would have ended it’s play time for fear of losing control. It would lose control if this death didn’t happen soon.

Another well of blood ran down the girls other cheek. And various other areas were not red with blood. The girl was sobbing and crying out with pain. Cari seized the moment, and pulled the shadow back into the darkneess. It howled in pain and the others screamed with it. Cari was the only one who did not. The shadow had been removed and Cari had forcefully taken the conscious stream.

A noise from behind them brought Cari’s attention outward. The girl was muttering. “Help! help me, save me.” Cari didn’t take need to take a look to know someone was behind her. The girls throat was slit in an instant but at that instant a man toppled her to the ground. They had been caught. How they did not know but they had been caught in the unlikist of places. It was not going to end well!

Cari

Fire in the Sky (Closed RP, DR PSW Anniversary Celebration)

Saerythra surreptitiously rubbed her backside as she slid off the horse and handed it over to one of the young Tinkers filling the area. She had never left Andor’s borders before, and at current, she wasn’t terribly sure why she had thought it would be a grand time to go for a wander.

“Of course,” she mused to herself as she gazed at the gathered people, “You’re probably feeling this way due to the relative discomfort of the trip here!” Chuckling softly, she promised to herself to use a little bit of the salve in her belt pouch before she set off again; that would set her back to rights.

Her reasons for coming all this way from home were actually two-fold, and as she attempted to work kinks from her muscles by walking around, she attempted to attend to the first – harvesting herbs. While she hadn’t stopped on her ride to the Caralain Grass, she had noted several likely spots for some things she normally had to get from peddlers, and was most pleased to have already spotted several things worth collecting (and not overly trampled) around the campsite.

And obviously, Sari had wanted to see the rare splendor of the night’s event. She’d lived to see it several times, but often only went as far as relatives’ nearby farms. But when the peddlers’ gossip had brought word of this gathering, something had woken up in her, an urge to go somewhere new just this once.

Another Tinker came to her and bade her to help herself of the available food. Nodding graciously, Sari all-but-hobbled over to where a sumptuous banquet was laid out. Helping herself, she peered around and spotted a group of women surrounded by soldiers. There were some amongst them she could not put an age to, and it occurred to her that they must be Aes Sedai. Nodding to herself, she sat down and finished her food before wandering over to the group.

“Excuse me,” she spoke clearly, dipping her head in a polite greeting, “But are you from the White Tower? I was hoping to see my niece and nephew here, but…” She trailed off with a small frown before continuing, “Selene and Jasine Al’Thorin. I know that they decided to go off to the Tower, but I’ve not had a letter since they left.”

Once More With Feeling – Advanced WS Training for Dreads

Touching the dagger on her belt, Rendra muttered at having to be in breeches again. True, she understood that it was much easier to learn about weapons with the freedom of movement they provided, but that didn’t mean that she ever had to be particurally comfortable in them! Shooting a glance at her wardrobe and its pretty dresses, she sighed and headed for the training room.

Her hand tightened on the dagger as she entered the room – she was there again. She being Rebecca, or ‘that stuck-up ladyspawn’, as Rendra preferred to think of her. And there her ladyship was, sucking up to the teacher, “Master… Randra, was it? I’d like to apologise for what happened during my last lesson. I assure you it will not happen again.”

Rendra muttered under her breath – that stupid Cairhienin chit had started it last time, but what made her think she’d not get another dose of it today!? Doing a double-take, she realized that it was the same man as last time.. and looking a lot crosser than he had the class before. Nodding her head in greeting, she kept a careful distance from Rebecca, but didn’t loosen her grip on her dagger.

Rendra
I’ll show that chit what-for!

——————————————————————————————

03 Jan 2009 (11:30pm GMT)

Blinking in surprise, Rendra’s fist tightened involuntarily on the long dagger belted to her waist. Another person, an unfamiliar person wandered in. “I wonder if he’s another student? Great Lord, but how many people are there in this crazy place?!”

Her notion that he was another student was quickly disabused when he started doling out instructions to have their weapon of choice on hand. Shooting a dark glance at Rebecca, Rendra pushed back a stray braid with her free hand while smiling at the dagger belted to her waist. As much as she’d love to give that snooty Cairhienen a taste of bare steel, she had a feeling that even an ‘accident’ in training would be punished greatly at this stage. Later, perhaps…

Shaking her head out of the lovely fantasy road it was taking her down, Renda glanced quickly to make sure that no one was behind her trying anything funny, and awaited further instruction. While she knew know in her heart she would probably never get the chance to be an assassin like she wanted to, she wasn’t about to get caught short should she ever not be able to use this witch power she was cursed with.

“GAH! Quit wandering off, mind, especially in this place!” she chastised herself mentally. Her lips formed a pouty moue as she glanced around again, taking in the room. She almost growled as she spotted one of the boys in her class checking out… her. “What does that scrawny chit have that I don’t?!” Rendra thought, shooting the boy a dark look. She unconsciously cocked her slender hip to the side, tapping her fingers idly on the hilt of her blade.

——————————————————————————————
13 Jan 2009 (12:37am GMT)

Perking up, Rendra watched assiduously as this new teacher began demonstrating the various forms. There were quite a few she wasn’t familiar with, but she was grateful when Dalek (as she learned his name was) was able to make it around to her to make corrections.

One such case was attempting to learn The Cat Dances on the Wall. After almost cutting Rebecca’s head off (“On accident!”, she swore fervently), a very bemused Dalek wandered over and tersely explained, “You’re just waving that dagger all over the place – were you actually paying any attention to my instruction?!”

Blushing slightly, she made herself take a moment before speaking, “I tried to do it like you showed us; what was I doing wrong?” Sighing, he re-demonstrated that it was tentative and controlled, not just wild swings. Nodding, Rendra tried again to mildly better success.. but still more dangerously than needed. Dalek shook his head, “I think that you’re not quite ready for that particular move; save it for once you’ve got better control of your wrists.”

She waited until he turned to another student before sticking out her tongue at his back briefly. Resisting the urge to stomp, she tried her luck at Dandelion in the Wind again while thinking, “I did have the fastest wrists of the three of us back home.. what does he mean my wrists aren’t any good?!” Rendra moved into a mimicry of The Grapevine Twines, enjoying the twisting of her wrists.

Before she knew it, Dalek was dismissing them with admonishments to practice in their off time. Nodding, she suddenly realized just how thirsty she was, and scooted off to get a drink.

——————————————————————————————
23 Feb 2009 (7:10pm GMT)

“Back in these pants,” Rendra grimaced to herself as she filed back in for the next iteration of her arms training course. She felt a bit unsure about how well her practicing had gone since the last class, but at least she’d not accidentally killed anyone in that time.

She was very relieved that Dalek didn’t drag her up to the front for demonstration purposes. The lessons of the Shadow were sharp and to the point, and it was an immense relief to find out she wasn’t going to be the latest example. Still, watching one of the three people Dalek had pulled to battle, she winced for the other girl, “I don’t think I managed to even be quite that bad… perhaps I should see about partnering with her down the line, if only so I don’t feel a complete dunce.”

Suddenly, he changed what he was doing, throwing everyone into confusion. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction and spoke, “Forms are useful, but sometimes the most dangerous foe will be the one who know nothing of weaponry, because they will be totally unpredictable…” his eyes wandered among them. “So lets pair up and train in dueling, use both forms and then also try to be inventive, never let yourself expect anything in a match sword form or not, that will be the end of you eventually”.

Nodding in bemusement, Rendra strode up to one of the girls that Dalek had pulled to the front, “Hi, I’m Rendra… care to practice with me?” The other girl wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and stood, nodding as she re-drew her sword.

Rendra smirked briefly as she launched her assault. Cutting the Clouds was prevented by the other girl stepping backwards, and to counter-balance, Rendra swung her other dagger up at her opponent’s face in Hummingbird Kisses the Honeyrose. The other girl jerkily swung her sword up to block, enabling Rendra to try her luck with Black Pebbles on Snow. The other girl had thrown herself off-balance trying to block the blade coming at her face, so only took a slight graze across the side as she felt to one side, and Rendra to the other.

Laughing softly, she thwapped the other girl on the side of the leg from where they had fallen. The other girl jumped slightly, and pushed herself up on her elbows. Seeing Rendra trying unsuccessfully to not laugh out loud, she too started giggling. Pushing herself up, the Taraboner woman quickly sheathed her daggers and helped the other girl up. “I wonder if my ‘attack’ there counts as getting you by surprise… you’re not too cut up, I hope?” After all, this wasn’t Rebecca she was fighting, so why bear the other girl any ill will?

Helping a Blonde (attn: Raeyn)

Growling at the damnable sword, Audie whined mentally, “Why is this so hard?! I think this must not even be a form; that Thera is a mean woman and trying to trick me!” Taking a deep breath, she gripped the sword’s hilt even harder and tried again, “I don’t know why this is so hard! Everyone else makes it look so easy, it’s not fair!”

She’d been working the forms all day, and Audie was tired and annoyed. Her fuzzy little blonde brain couldn’t understand why she’d been singled out to keep practicing long after class had been dismissed, or even why she was still here working on it. It was sounfair; if only she had been able to channel, then she could’ve already gone and taught her meanie evil husband the lesson her deserved!

She had even tried talking to some of the Accepted when they had a freeday and were able to come down to the Yards to watch the Tower Gaurds and Warders train. Audie still felt that the Aes Sedai were lying about her being able to learn, and tried to get the Accepted to teach her. They wouldn’t either; they were greedy women and didn’t want to share their power, and wouldn’t talk to a poor woman sweating herself to death.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up behind her, “Can I be of assistance?” the young man standing there bowed slightly. “I am Jesse, I can help but I think you need to sit down and relax for a little while. You’ll never get it when you are this worked up.”

Sheathing her sword, her eyes narrowed, “Jesse, is it? You can go tell Thera that she’s a meanie and a liar; I don’t know what she’s trying to get me to learn, but this surely isn’t it… it’s nothing like bundling straw back on the farm!”

——————————————————————-

08 September 2008 (3:49pm BST)

Audie’s irritation faded into a smile as Jesse talked about sword forms, though she still disagreed with his assessment of Mistress Thera – she was a mean evil crone of a woman! But still, an offer of help wasn’t to be scoffed at, nor was taking a break.

Peering up at the sky, she nodded abruptly, and kept nodding for punctation, “A break sounds fine, thank you! And my name is Audie, Audie Acker, nice to meet you!” She peered around quickly, supiciously, and continued, “I think that I’ve practiced long enough, Mistress Thera isn’t going to get mad at me for stopping for a break and some food, do you think? I’m ever so hungry, she’s had me going since before dawn, I think! Where did you want to go to talk, then? Somewhere with food, perhaps?!”

Gesturing for him to lead on, she couldn’t understand the perplexed expression on his face, but didn’t really care – it was nice to finally take a break!

Audie
Miss Blondie Talks-a-Lot!

——————————————————————-

10 September 2008 (4:14pm BST)

Beaming sunnily, Audie replied, “I don’t mind at all; anything is better than standing around here any longer!” As to suit that, they promptly set off into town.

She had been silently relieved when Jesse dropped her hand. Even though her husband was a mean and awful person who needed to be taught a lesson, it had been ingrained in her that she shouldn’t really let any other men touch her outside of her spouse.

Still, the young Andoran woman was somewhat starved for companionship. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, she’d not made a single friend since coming to Tar Valon! The other girls in the Yard didn’t like her for some reason, even though she was nothing but nice to them, and the girls training in the Tower? Stuck up selfish brats, all!

It was a nice day though, and she chattered incessantly all the way to the inn that her new friend Jesse had picked. As Audie wasn’t a bright girl, most of this amounted to complaints about how mean some of the Warders were and how cruelly they overworked her, how the girls in the White Tower were selfish and mean, and she had no idea why she stuck around to be treated so awfully!

Once at the inn, Jesse did the properly gentlemanly thing and offered her a chair. Taking it as her due, she settled into it and allowed him to order the drinks. When he said she could pick the meals, Audie broke into a wider smile – this was truly a young man with proper manners!

Listening over the offerings, she asked the girl to bring them large portions of mutton and bread. Once the girl left, she turned her attention back to Jesse, “I hope that’s okay, Jesse! I find mutton to be just the thing when I’m as hungry as this. I hope they make it nice here, I’ve not eaten here before? Have you eaten here before?”

Stopping to take a sip of her cider, she looked expectantly across the table.

——————————————————————-

10 September 2008 (8:12pm BST)

Nodding graciously, Audie sampled the mutton. While it didn’t compare to her mother’s cooking, it was better than the mess hall. “You’re right, Jesse, this is better than the mess!”

Feeding with little feminine grace, she gave into her hunger and shoved food down with unseemly haste. That didn’t stop her from shooting off more questions between gulps of cider and meat, however, “That’s mean of Shoar, why would he do that to you?! I mean, you either get hit by a rock or risk falling out of a tree, and what good is that?!”

Tearing off a large portion of bread, she ripped it into smaller pieces and pushed it into her mouth around words, “Mmm, so hungry.. Anyways, no one has done any of that tree stuff to me yet, and I wouldn’t let them do something so horrid! I’m still so cross when that hag Mariasha forced -FORCED!- me to get into the river and stand on barrels. It was so cold, and I was shivering! But did that mean old witch care? No!”

She hrmpmmed, still making it sound somehow whiny, and took a large swallow of her cider to clear her throat. Suddenly, she realized how impolite she had been, and blushed slightly, “I must apologise for my manners.. this awful place seems to have stripped me of the time to eat a meal leisurely.” Audie grimaced slightly, her lips twisting into yet another pout, “I just never have time between training, and I’m always so hungry!”

——————————————————————-

10 September 2008 (8:32pm BST)

She grimaced at Jesse’s almost-lecture about the barrels – she didn’t have any friends, no one was nice here. Sure, there had been other people doing the training with her and having a good laugh, but they were all mad. Audie had heard of some people from up north thinking that splashing around in ice water was a way to have good fun, but considering that she barely could tolerate snow, why would she want to be cold and wet?!

She was pulled out of her reverie when Jesse spoke again, “Why are you here Audie? Just to get at your husband?” He paused quickly. “I could help you with him instead of putting you through this torture you claim your training is.”

Frowning, she spoke slowly, “That wouldn’t be fair either, would it?” She scratched her chin and furrowed her brow in thought, “I mean, he wasn’t being awful to you, so why should you teach him a lesson? It’s not like you could trade places with me, or move in with us and keep reminding him that he should treat me better… no, that wouldn’t be right at all.”

Shaking her head, Audie smiled softly, “But I do appreciate the thought; it sometimes feels like I’m the only person looking out for me.”

——————————————————————-

15 September 2008 (8:50pm BST)

Audie made a moue and spoke slowly, “I think that you’ll probably make someone a good boyfriend or husband sometime, Jesse… you’re sweet… If none to bright; why would Egbert want silks and gems?!”

She abruptly giggled at the thought; how ridiculous to think of a man wearing gems! Why, that was as silly as Egbert’s insistence that he couldn’t afford such things for her! Noticing Jesse looking at her oddly, she giggled again, “I’m sorry Jesse, I had a funny thought cross my mind. But as my husband is also a soldier, he’d only respect force to give into me having my way. I just never thought it would be so hard to learn how to do all this stuff!”

Frowning, she picked at the last bits of her mutton before brightening suddenly, “But at least you can help me get better! That’ll be great, and then I can teach him good, and he’ll treat me right and..”

She stopped suddenly as she remembered something, then jumped up with a yelp, “Light, I have to go! That awful Jasine told me I had to clean weapons today, and I don’t want to get in trouble and have to go see Thera again.” Dashing for the door, she called over her shoulder, “We’ll meet up soon and practice, okay, later bye!!!!”

Audie Acker (Deceased)

Character’s name: Audie Acker
Age: 19
Place of Origin: Near Caemlyn

Hair Color: Dirty blonde
Eye Color: Green
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 145 lbs

Physical Description: Twiggy yet muscular, Audie’s upbringing meant lots
of work. Even before coming to the Tower, she tended to dress like a boy
because it made her father happy to have a pretend son. She keeps her
hair cut short, and if not for a girlish face, would easily be mistaken
for the boy she dresses like.

WS: 3
Weapons: Staff, short sword, (bow)

Character History:

Audie is the eldest child of Lizbette and Aldar Breen.
They owned and lived on a small farm near Caemlyn, far away from any
other relatives.

Aldar had always wanted a son, so he treated his eldest daughter as such
(to her mother’s dismay). As it were, all three of them had long days
filled with heavy work, not to mention having to peddle their own wares
in Caemlyn.

Aldar often took Audie with him on these short trips, as she was the
‘heir’ to what little they had. She wasn’t the sharpest girl, but she
did her best to learn from her father of selling their produce.

Even so, she wasn’t that good at it; she lacked the cleverness to
convince people that their carrots were the best in the lot, or that
their lovely fat pigs would make the best rasher of bacon. Lizbette
despaired further of her stupid child, and pressured Aldar to look for a
husband for Audie.

Aldar gave in to his wife’s pressures, and started eyeballing his normal
clientèle. He wanted someone who could protect his daughter, now 16 and
a woman grown. It wasn’t too long before he noted a young soldier in the
Queen’s Guard, Egbert Acker. This was a man that Aldar felt he could
respect as a son-in-law – he was a soldier and protecting the good Queen;
surely he could take care of Audie.

Audie, being an average girl, had all sorts of fairy-tale notions of
marriage and men. To her, marrying a soldier in service seemed dull; he
wasn’t a prince, he wasn’t going to be able to take her for rides in
carriages. Still, her parents were persistent, and she found herself wed
shortly before her 17th nameday.

Marriage was horrible to the girl; Egbert was a kindly man, but he was
nothing she wanted. He wasn’t handsome, he wasn’t a prince, and he
denied her the pretty silk gowns and gems she felt she had to have to be
a proper wife! What a horrid man, she thought! So mean and cruel,
denying her her every whim.

He had to be taught a lesson.

A few months after they were wed, Audie stole what little coin they had
and hired passage to Tar Valon. She, like many girls, had idly dreamed
of being an Aes Sedai, and figured that if she were one, she could teach
her horrible husband a lesson!

When she got to the Tower, she found out that she’d never touch the
Source; she had neither the spark nor the ability to learn to channel.
Undismayed, she enrolled in the Tower Guards. If she couldn’t teach him
a lesson with the Power, perhaps she could scare him into giving her
everything by force of arms!

Weapons training was hard on the young woman; she might have had some
degree of strength or endurance, but she had no particular grace or
dexterity. Audie had a hard time understanding the philosophy that went
behind arms training, but after two years in training, it has started to
sink in. She still wants to teach her husband a lesson for being so
horrid and mean.. but not until she had a bit more training under her
belt.

The core of her philosophy thus far is such – be scary and intimidating,
and then she can get her way!

Re: A Long Awaited Visit to the Gardens (Attn: Raeyn)

It was a lovely sunny day, and Lillith found herself in her secret garden. It was a lovely little place on the Tower ground that she’d found as an Accepted, and had yet to see anyone but the occasional Tower gardener in. In short, it was a place that suited the solitary White Sister.

Today, she was going over notes from her most recent meeting with Larindhra, the Mistress of Novices. While Lillith was hesitant to call the relationship between herself and the Red Sister ’friendship’, she valued her time with the older woman. There was a degree of comfort she felt with Lari that she’d not felt with anyone before. Of course, it helped the older woman let the young White Sister study her charges, and that they could share an enthusiasm on the matter.

”Don’t dwell on that now, there’s work to be done,” Lillith thought firmly to herself, taking a moment to swirl the nib of her pen in the pot of alcohol next to her on the bench. A gentle breeze brushed her cheek, producing a momentary smile as she re-inked her pen and bent back over her lapdesk. She was spending the afternoon transcribing her jotted notes from meetings with Lari and some of the Novices into a tidy progression. It was a pet project of hers, tracking how the new children fit into place, and while she didn’t expect it to bring her fame or acclaim, it didn’t matter; it was something that interested her, and that was enough!

“Hello?” somebody suddenly called out, and Lillith grimaced at the dark line now dug into the page on her desk. Looking up, she saw a short, fair-haired woman smiling down at where she sat. Putting her desk to the side, Lillith replied, “Do I know you?” Grimacing, she shook her head, “That was inane of me… I am called Lillith.. and you are?”

—————————————————————————-

15 September 2008

“Loraine,” the other woman called over her shoulder as she moved deeper into the garden. It was obvious to Lillith that even with her ‘intrusive’ presence, this was a place of great refuge and comfort for this other Sister. “Much as it is to me,” she thought ruefully as she stood to see what was of such interest to the other woman.

The other Sister walked around talking to herself for a moment before turning back to the White standing by the bench, “I’m sorry if I’ve interrupted you,” she spoke, “I just needed the peace I always find in this garden.”

Dipping her head in acknowledgement, Lillith replied, “This is something I can understand, for all I’ve only known of this garden since being raised to the shawl. I.. I didn’t wander much from my studies as an initiate, it didn’t seem.. logical.” She permitted herself a small smile; this was a polite hint as to what her Ajah was, since she wasn’t new enough to wander about flaunting her Shawl.

Picking up her lapdesk, she placed it on the ground at her side and patted the bench next to her, “I take it that you’re recently returned to the Tower, then? Perhaps I saw you around when I was new to the shawl, but like many at that time, I was too engrossed in my Ajah to even start to learn who there was outside of that grouping.. besides my teachers, that is.”

—————————————————————————-

11 November 2008 (11:37pm GMT)

“Have I left Tar Valon? No, I fear that I haven’t; my studies since reaching the shawl have kept me most busy,” she nodded politely, taking a second to make sure her lapdesk was secure and far enough to the side to not accidentally get kicked. Satisfied, she turned her attention back to her impromptu company, “I wish I found more moments to spend outdoors, truly, but it’s something I’ve only started to appreciate as I’ve aged. Not that I find that many moments to enjoy out of doors, but in a way, that makes them all the more precious.”

Letting her attention get momentarily distracted by a passing butterfly, she smiled slightly and continued, “As for having a Warder… I guess I cannot see the need as a Tower-bound Sister. As you’ve expressed, I cannot see the Gaidin who are here at the Tower being truly happy with the situation. If, perhaps, I am taken with a need to travel at a later date, I might investigate the possibility.” She laughed softly, peering for a moment at her hands folded in her lap, “It’s not as if anyone is going to murder me in my bed here at the Tower, is it?”

A soft breeze wafted through, caressing the young White Sister’s face as she took a moment to look around the garden again. A sense of contentment filled her; while she wasn’t exactly a gregarious individual, one-on-one interaction, on occasion, was such a pleasant thing, especially when there wasn’t the feeling out she would normally associate with other Sisters in the Tower. Turning back to the other Sister, she spoke again, “And yourself? Do you prefer to be ‘home’ at the Tower, or out in the world?”

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14 November 2008 (9:31pm GMT)

The young White Sister couldn’t help but note the older woman cringe slightly at her light-hearted comment about murder, “Oh bloody and bloody ashes, do I even want to know what has happened before my time?!” she groaned mentally, maintaining her outward composure before speaking again. Lor paused before answering, as if in thought.

”So then, probably a Green or a Blue,” she thought to herself in satisfaction; it seemed often that the Sisters of those Ajahs were forever off on ‘adventures’. Not that there was anything wrong with that; the world needed to see the Sisters and the strength of the White Tower, and the beneficial influence they had on the land at large. Of course, the return question wasn’t that much of a surprise, considering, “Do you feel the Tower is your home, Lillith? Aside from having spent so much time here, when you think of the word ‘home,’ are the quarters you were assigned here the image that springs to mind?”

Nodding briefly, she stood for a moment. Pacing before the bench, Lillith spoke slowly, “Considering that it’s all I’ve known for the vast majority of my life? I would say the Tower, and Tar Valon itself, is very much home to me.” She paused for a moment; her feet stopped their slow pacing before she continued, “And one cannot but live in the same quarters for half of their life without feeling as if they are a sanctuary of sorts. I came to learn, and to serve; what higher calling is there, but to serve the people of the land how I may? Granted, I don’t feel the call to go out to the villages and help feed the poor, as some of the Blues do, or the satisfaction a Yellow might receive from bringing someone back from the brink of death… but then, there really isn’t much call for someone explaining logical principles in those cases, is there?”

Shaking her head, she smiled briefly, “I do apologize if I go on; I’m a solitary person by nature, and tend to ramble as my thoughts normally do when I speak to others.” Sitting back down, she reached over and picked up her lapdesk. Opening it, she pulled out a couple of sandwiches, and upon closing the lapdesk, placed them on top. “I was actually planning on having some lunch out here, as you can see, but you’re welcome to join me to what I have with me.”

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04 January (1:15am)

Nodding politely, Lillith responded, “That’s more than fine, Loraine. It’s a lovely day to be outside.” The Domani woman proceeded to sit down, and then started into her sandwich in a less-than-graceful, yet efficient manner. While the other woman might have had her spot of lunch, breakfast seemed an Age ago, and the White Sister didn’t feel overly worried that the taller woman was going to run off telling everyone that she had pigged out.

She couldn’t help but smile as the other Sister began to speak on logic, “For a Green, she seems to be a fairly grounded person… such a rare treat, it seems!” Unconsciously, she picked up the second sandwich and proceeded to devour that as Loraine picked up a flower, “I have yet to find the logic in a flower. I admit, being Green, my heart is not in logic, but in tactics and ‘saving the world.’ I haven’t had much time since leaving here to appreciate the simple beauty in a flower. There must be other ways for the flower to get the benefits of the flower without going through so much to produce one…”

Laughing softly, she blinked in surprise to realize that both her sandwiches appeared to have disappeared into thin air. Glaring at her stomach briefly, she shook her head and turned her attention to her companion, “Simple beauty sums up the logic of a flower in a nutshell.”

Standing up and moving in front of Loraine, Lillith leaned down and picked up a bloom of her own. Inhaling the light fragrance, she gestured off-handedly at the plant, “A flower exists to be attractive in order to draw the birds and insects forth to sample of its sweetness, and thereby spread its seed. The more attractive the flowers of the plant to the birds and the bees, the more likely it is to prosper.”

Tucking the bloom gently behind her belt, she moved back to the bench and resumed her seat, “Of course, it’s a bit… dry… to think of flowers as such. Better to simply enjoy their beauty, better than to dwell on their reason for existing. Light, I’m sometimes surprised that any of us can still find them enjoyable after years of Novice training!” She chuckled softly then, idly fingering the bloom at her waist, “Not that it’s the flower’s fault for it being such a ready example for children first learning their talents.”

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04 January 2009 (4:30 am GMT)

“You know,” Lillith started slowly, “I actually didn’t notice the lack of roses here. Silly that, isn’t it?” She laughed softly, plucking the flower from her waist and twirling it before her face, “I guess for all the time out here, I’ve not really thought about what all is out here; I just enjoy the solitude and the sensations of being out in the open.”

Dropping her hand with the flower back into her lap, she mused furiously for a moment, “Why did she mention her Eyes and Ears to me? Perhaps it was a slip…” What she said, however, “A book is a good companion on a long trip… if someone else can guard your back long enough to get into it.”

Eying the flower again, she tapped her lip briefly, and continued, “As for madness… that which we cannot understand in others is ofttimes misinterpreted as ‘madness’. I know little of the Gaidin, not being bonded myself, but I can only guess that he is concerned for your well-being, and there’s not really room in his mind for those sentimental things which he fears may harm you. And I guess as being bonded to a Green probably gives a man all sorts of worries.” She smiled to express she didn’t mean it as an insult, and spoke on, “After all, it takes a certain level of what some might see as madness to be willing and ready to stand for whatever may come, to fight that which is wrong and evil in the world. I feel that I myself am not strong enough for such.. which is why I can both admire and be somewhat bemused by those of you that can do such things.”

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04 January 2009 (8:14pm GMT)

Blinking in surprise, Lillith refrained from biting her lip, ”Is she… attempting to comfort me? I… I don’t know what to think..” It didn’t surprise her, not really; although she was fairly sure at this point that Loraine wasn’t trying to condescend, but rather be… sisterly?… sisterly, perhaps. ”It’s quite possible she has, in her past, thought that perhaps the other Ajahs served lesser purposes, and having learned otherwise over the years through interactions has made her somewhat more magnanimous that perhaps she had been as a younger Sister. Still, how to respond to such…”

She nodded slowly, the White Sister did, and she gave the impression of carefully picking out her words as she replied to the Green Sister comfortably seated in the grass beside her, “For all you’ve hinted at such this afternoon, I guess I have a bit… dense. I didn’t quite realize that you were the main force behind the shape this garden had taken before I found it.”

Lillith stood up then and stretched her arms above her head. Sighing slightly in contentment, she peered at the flower that Loraine had been explaining the history of, “As for battles of various sorts… well, it’s much like they told us when we were Novices and Accepted, isn’t it? While we might not all be out there physically fighting the forces of the Dark One, we are all doing our parts. I myself have been assisting Larindhra to some degree… or better to say, she’s politely tolerating a research project that I wanted to do.” She smiled, and gestured to her lapdesk tucked under the bench, “I’ve been sitting in with the Mistress of Novices as she interviews the incoming Novices and annotating their behaviors and attitudes. I intend to interview them further into their training, as well as talking with their teachers to understand the behavioral patterns of the children as they proceed through training. It might not be the most fascinating material, but I believe that understanding behavioral patterns is very useful for various purposes. After all, a battle cannot be fought and won without appropriate knowledge in several facets.” She chuckled ruefully, and sat back down on the bench, “Light, but I sound like a Brown at times myself; I’m pretty sure that Raeyn and the other Brown Sitters thought I’d be joining with them for many years.”

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10 January 2009 (10:53pm GMT)

Lillith frowned slightly at the anger comment; it, to her, seemed to be a normal part of the frustration of thinking that you were a free person, only to realize that you were well and truly a child. “But,” she reasoned to herself, “No need to point that out. After all, every person wants to think that their emotions are unique and personal, not commonplace and standard…”

She brightened up when the subject turned to her studies, however, “I’ve only been on this particular task a few months now, mind you, but it’s already showing some fascinating results.” Leaning over, she tapped her lapdesk and continued, “Yes, cultural differences in the girls’ backgrounds do have some effect on how they integrate. After all, they grew up knowing that certain behaviors were acceptable in their country, or in their village, or whatever.” Lillith’s voice raised in pitch, and became more rushed as she continued, “Which, as we’ve seen in our own time as Novices, vary vastly from country to country. However, we’ve also seen how the training received moderates some of those extreme behaviors… at least through the training period.” She laughed briefly, “Of course, some of those behaviors reemerge once they are raised to the shawl, but there’s nothing that can be done about that. As long as they are able to understand the basic medium of decorum required for life in the Tower, it’s considered a satisfactory enough result.”

Leaning back over, she picked up her desk this time and plopped it back on the bench next to her. Opening it, she rifled through, picked up a folder, and waved it briefly, “But as said – there is a middle ground of behavior and attitude that those children in training conform to if they wish to make it through training. As you know, there are very rigorous standards to which the children have to conform to, and this sort of research is both complimentary and supplemental to the Mistress of Novice’s own work. This wasn’t the original intention of this work, but has been a pleasant surprise, as well as Larindhra’s willingness to let me ‘edge in’ on her domain….” “And, of course, the surprise of… friendship? Something…“.

She shook her head, and put the folder back down in her desk, “Anyways, I could go on at length, but in short – it’s just an interesting little study of behavioral patterns based on the somewhat drastic lifestyle change that the children have to make coming here. I don’t know exactly what real use it will be at this point, but I felt compelled to observe it.”

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12 January 2009 (10:50pm GMT)

Lillith smiled and nodded, “I wouldn’t be surprised if your hypothesis rang true, Loraine. Of course, there are obvious exceptions to the rules; I myself would be considered one.” Her smile took on a wry twist, “Discounting the fact that all Domani women are supposed to be able to twist men around their fingers, I happened to be raised in a library. So I guess I’m most unrepentantly gone against the supposed grain twice-over.”

Shaking her head, she chuckled softly, “Still, a person’s background would invariably have an effect on where they ended up upon reaching the shawl, if they made it to the shawl in the first place. Of course, there are those that claim that with great strength in the One Power comes great strength of will, yet doesn’t it seem oxymoronic when applied to those who are weakest and are barely able to attain the shawl. To me, those who know that they are barely eligible would be the strongest, in having to work so hard knowing that the slightest failing would see them going back to a life of… well, whatever they were doing before the Tower.” The White Sister shrugged, “But then, that’s not an opinion I would speak too freely either; things as they are in the Tower at current would probably find little favor with such a statement.”

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18 January 2009 (2:45am GMT)

Sighing slightly, Lillith repeated a benison she held close to her heart, “The Tower has survived and will continue to survive. While I’m not foolish enough to think that we shall survive by virtue of being us, I do believe that if people are willing to remember our purpose as Servants of All and do our work as best we may, we shall continue to endure, no matter the hardship.”

Tucking her notes back in her lapdesk, she spoke musingly, “As for the children burning themselves out… we all do our best to make sure they don’t leap ahead of what they are able to do, but I don’t think we can scare them nearly well enough to keep them from running headlong into the abyss. Of course, it doesn’t help that burning out isn’t nearly as fearsome a thing as it used to be…”

She trailed off, cocking her head. The sound of bells drifted into the garden, signifying the time. Closing her desk, she scooped it into her arms and stood, smiling apologetically, “I do hate to rush off on this, but one of the Sitters wanted to discuss something with me at this time. It has been lovely talking with you and sharing the garden, and perhaps we can do it some other time. For now, enjoy… and perhaps I shall see you sometime again.”

With that, she nodded and started strolling briskly back to the Tower.