Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

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Welcome to the Gardens: one of the most tranquil areas of the Tower Grounds. Birds sing in the trees which line the wide paths between beautiful flower beds and serene lakes. There are benches to sit and listen to the waterfall, and there is neatly trimmed grass to lie on and rest. Novices and Soldiers as well as Warders in Training can be seen, sweeping the stone paths as Accepted and Dedicated study from books and relax under leafy trees.
Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Alianora » May 31st, 2020, 7:29 pm

Dedicated Kalyan Rihera
The sun was warm on Kalyan's back as he sat in a corner of the garden near the infimary. It was where the Yellows cultivated their healing herbs, and unlike the rest of the Tower gardens, it wasn't much to look at. The plants here were arranged in neat rows, a majority of them green, leafy plants with no flowers that Kalyan could see. The few that were in bloom were all that added color to the otherwise unbroken lines of green. The herbs might not attract the eye, but Kalyan wasn't here just to look at them.

Positioned at the end of one of the rows, the Dedicated wielded saidin. His current target was one of the few plants that flowered, small but brilliant gold blossoms that Kalyan thought pretty enough that it could have fit in with the more decorative plants growing in the rest of the gardens. While he admired the flowers, they were not the real focus of the work he was doing.

Thin, carefully woven strands of Earth and Water sank into the ground below, reaching for the roots of the plant. These, he'd been told, were the useful part of this particular plant, and his task was to encourage their growth. Since he couldn't see the roots and had to rely almost entirely on the feeling of his weaves wrapped around them, it was difficult, painstaking work that took up most of Kalyan's concentration.

This meant that he worked in short, intense segments of time, letting the roots branch out below the soil as slowly as he could, and even working slowly, Kalyan needed frequent breaks. It was during one of these, having relinquished his hold on saidin to rest, that Kalyan thought he heard the sound of a door opening. He had been studying the part of the plant he could see to ensure that his work with the roots wasn't weakening the rest of it, but he flinched at the unexpected noise, turning his head towards the nearest door.

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Bella » May 31st, 2020, 11:17 pm

Through this door walked a seemingly young woman. She was pretty enough with her large grey-blue eyes, but her face was a bit angular for the taste of some. Her dark blonde hair was tied back in long braid that hung down her back and she wore a pale yellow gown, with a dark woven basket over her arm.

She stepped into the gardens, but she noticed a young man there. Isla did not believe that she had seen him before, so it wasn't likely he was a Yellow aspirant. He did wear the jacket of a Dedicated, however. "Good afternoon, Dedicated," Isla said with a pleasant smile. "Can I help you with something?"

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Alianora » June 5th, 2020, 12:24 am

Dedicated Kalyan
Kalyan scrambled to his feet when he saw that the woman who'd just come through the door was heading towards him. He'd never seen her before, but he knew an Aes Sedai when he saw one. Catching sight of his hands, somehow dirty despite that he'd been channeling and not digging in the earth, Kalyan let them drop to either side and, he hoped, out of immediate sight. He bowed, expecting her to just pass by on her way to wherever she was going, but instead she stopped and spoke to him. The Dedicated blinked, then looked up to answer her question.

"No, thank you, Aes Sedai," Kalyan said politely. "I'm just here to work with the plants. Asha'man Mihel said it would be good practice for me and that some of the plants could use the help." Without being foolish enough to look away from the Aes Sedai, Kalyan gave the yellow flowered plants a sideways glance, wondering if his weaves had had the intended effect. He wouldn't know until they were harvested, and didn't know when that might be. Unable to tell, he turned his attention back to the Aes Sedai, noticing that she carried a small basket. It appeared as if she were here to work, and while he wasn't done with his own task, Kalyan didn't want to be in the way. With a shrug, he offered, "If you need me to leave, I can come back another time."

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Bella
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Location: New England

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Bella » June 6th, 2020, 6:02 pm

"Not at all," she replied easily, walking forward with her basket and toward one of the plants that didn't need as much help and thus wouldn't have him working on it. "I am fully in support of everything to help the greenery here do as much as it can do. After all, these plants are a vital part of our work here." She smiled warmly.

Isla regarded the young man, dirty hands being a rather familiar sight here. "I am Isla Sedai, of the Yellow. Well met, Dedicated. What is your name?"

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
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Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Alianora » June 9th, 2020, 12:57 am

Dedicated Kalyan
Kalyan had already guessed that the Aes Sedai was a member of the Yellow, both from the color of her dress and from the location where they stood. She seemed completely at ease among the plants, clearly belonging here in a way that Kalyan did not. The smile she gave him made him feel less out of place, however, and the Dedicated gave her a small smile of his own before answering her question.

"Kalyan Rihera, Isla Sedai. It's nice to meet you." If she hadn't identified herself as Yellow, he would have wondered why she asked, but many of the Yellows he'd met seemed to have a warmth to them. It was a trait Kalyan hoped he would have in the future, as opposed to the more common coolness he'd seen in many of the Aes Sedai and Asha'man he'd studied under. Still feeling vaguely as if he were intruding in the herb garden, Kalyan turned his head slightly to gaze at the growing plants.

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Bella
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QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Bella » June 14th, 2020, 7:17 pm

Kneeling carefully on the ground, she pulled a small knife from the basket and began to carefully harvest the leaves of one of the plants that was clearly thriving all on its own here in the herb garden. She was thoughtful and conscientious about the ones she chose, and about not damaging any that she was not harvesting.

Isla worked in silence for a short time before glancing over at the young Dedicated. "How long have you been plantweaving?" she asked in easy conversation.

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Alianora » June 17th, 2020, 10:19 pm

Dedicated Kalyan
When the Aes Sedai knelt down on the ground to work, Kalyan assumed that was the end of any conversation. He sat down, legs crossed beneath him, in the spot where he'd been before her arrival, and turned all of his attention back to the work he'd come here to do. Seizing hold of saidin again, he pulled more thin strands of Earth and Water, directing them towards the roots of another of the yellow-flowered plants. Once they were all in place, all Kalyan could do was monitor his work and make any necessary adjustments to the weave. These particular plants seemed to require a lot of them, and as he continued his weaving, Kalyan stopped noticing anything else that was happening in the gardens, completely forgetting the Yellow sister's presence nearby. When she spoke to him out of the silence, the Dedicated jumped. His head snapped up as he turned to look towards her, and he came close to losing his hold on his weaves.

Blinking, he took a deep breath and let the weaves go after adding one final touch of Earth. Whether they'd been effective or not was something he wouldn't learn unless he saw the plants when they were dug up, something he found rather disappointing about using plantweaving on roots. In his startled state, it took Kalyan a short time to process what Isla Sedai had asked, even though it was a fairly simple question. He let go of saidin before answering.

"Couldn't honestly say how long I've been plantweaving," he said with a shrug. "It's the first thing I ever did with the One Power, long before I knew that's what I was doing. So I've been learning more about it since the day I arrived here, and that's been years ago now." Kalyan smiled and said, "I've been spending more time practicing since I was raised, though. I've been studying more than I thought was possible as a Soldier, and I've had to start seriously considering the Ajahs, so I've been doing a lot of thinking. The work helps me with that, at least when it's a little simpler than growing the roots," he explained with a glance at the plants he'd been working with.

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Bella
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Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Bella » June 23rd, 2020, 8:36 pm

Isla chuckled warmly at that. Maybe one day she would develop that icy Aes Sedai exterior, but today was not that day...and tomorrow wasn't looking good for it either. After breaking free of the tyranny of the Children of the Light and the depression that plagued her during her early days in the Grey Tower, Isla Sedai was determined to do nothing but pave her own way until she died.

"Ah, yes," she said lightly. "Once you reach that second rank, they will all be talking oft of the Ajahs and the path you will choose. It is, after all, a very important decision. Each one has its own virtues and flaws, it's own goals and ways to achieve them. Some seem rather similar while others could not be more different."

Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Alianora » June 28th, 2020, 7:30 pm

Dedicated Kalyan
The sound of laughter made Kalyan blink, and he looked towards the Yellow sister with a startled expression. It didn't offend him if she'd found something funny about what he'd said, it was just that the Dedicated couldn't remember ever hearing such a display of humor from an Aes Sedai, or an Asha'man and it was just a little strange for him. His brown eyes were still somewhat wide with surprise as she spoke of the importance of one's choice of Ajah. That fact was not new to him, it was something that had been brought up in classes even while he'd still been a Soldier, and Kalyan nodded in acknowledgment without saying anything at first. He looked down and in the direction of the herb garden, not wanting to appear as if he were staring at Isla Sedai while he thought.

Despite his familiarity with the importance of the decision, Kalyan remained unsure of just how one went about making it. If it had ever been spoken of in his hearing, Kalyan had forgotten, and it was troubling when he allowed himself to think about it. For a long time, the Dedicated was uncharacteristically quiet, distracted by his own thoughts. He tapped the fingers of his right hand against his leg, neither noticing nor caring that he was transferring dirt from his hands to his clothing.

He'd long since eliminated several of the Ajahs from any consideration, those for which he was completely unsuited or just failed to interest him at all. That had been easy, but he'd found that he still had multiple options, and no idea how to pick one and be sure he wasn't making a terrible mistake. His eyes wandered back to the Aes Sedai, and he spoke without stopping to consider that many of them would not appreciate being asked the somewhat personal question.

"But....how did you know for sure that you wanted to be Yellow?" he asked, only then realizing that he might not get an answer to that. "I mean.....if you don't mind my asking," he rushed to add. He turned his head to look towards the plants, not entirely sure he'd receive any sort of response.

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Bella
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Joined: April 14th, 2015, 11:28 pm
PC: Miahala Darrow Sedai
SC: Lysira Viathene Gaidin
TC: Gareth Tomosan Asha'man
QC: Natlya Cade Gaidin
QC: Andraste Alhandra Sedai
Location: New England

Re: Putting Down Roots (Attn Isla)

Post by Bella » July 1st, 2020, 2:14 am

"I don't mind," she reassured him quickly. She sat back from what she was doing and tilted her head slightly in thought, considering just how much of an answer she wanted to share. "It's how most of us seem to gain an understanding of how to make the choice. Many will talk about feeling 'called' to an Ajah. For some, it's not so simple."

She turned her head to look at the young man and favor him with a small smile. "You see, I was born to a commander in the Children of the Light." Her expression was rueful. "I was his only child and my mother died while having me, so he raised me the only way he knew how and I became a soldier...until I learned I could channel." What happened next, she would not say.

"Eventually, I came here and unlearned all of what I'd learned from my father and the Whitecloaks. The most important thing I found was that the One Power could be used to heal and to make things grow and to be new." She gestured at the gardens around them. "And I knew that after all the pain I'd seen and caused, I wanted to make things right. I wanted to fix things, rather than break them. And as it turned out I had a skill with Healing weaves, well, this was the path I chose."

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