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!”

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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!

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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.

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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!”

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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.”

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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!!!!”