Novices Do Grow on Trees [attn; Craig]

[Avyra]

Avyra

The Gardens, according to most of the Aes Sedai she had come in contact with during her first few days, were supposed to be the most tranquil part of the Tower. But of course, not for Avyra. Sure, it was pretty in this part, with many flowers and green trees, but said green trees offered more than just shade. She had been known to climb bookshelves back home due to her height, but never actual trees. Just them existing there posed a challenge. It was almost like they were shouting at her. "Come and climb me, you bloody mouse!" And that was reason enough for her to try. Avyra grumbled, looking up at the tree she had selected, one of the taller ones. But its height only challenged her even more. She might as well shoot for it. She got a foothold and started up the trunk. The first ten feet passed by with little effort on her part. The tree had more branches then she had thought, and she couldn't have weighed any more than ninty pounds. Even the thinner branches could take her weight. In response to her success, Avyra began to climb faster with a laugh, pulling herself up but not paying too much attention to- Snap. Light burn me. She lost her grip as a branch broke, sending her tumbling down. A sudden gasp of fear gripped her; she hadn't been trained to use air yet! She yelped, shutting her eyes. Well, she had lost the trees' challenge. Blood and bloody ashes.

[Craig]

Ravak

Ravak crossed through the Tower's grounds between the Brown and Grey Ajah's courtyard, hands resting casually on his sword hilts. The sun was close to its zenith, but hidden behind fluffy white clouds, so he walked in the shade, exchanging a few words with some Aes Sedai and Asha'man, mostly Browns.

As the gap between the two courtyards and the perimeters of the Tower ended, he entered into the Gardens. It had been a while, often caught up in his duties as Master of Training, or attending Kaia Sedai in the Tower, or finding places to meet up with Sinead. He kept his expression in check, but redness crossed across his cheeks, and he sensed a faint murmur of amusement across the bond. Light, that was still a mystery he didn't wish to pick apart.

Rav moved through the gardens, not drawn towards anywhere in particular. There was a slight chance his sister would be up near the waterfall - apparently it was produced by a massive ter'angreal - but he kept away from the stream. He preferred the colours of the flowers, the green of the foliage. Looking up, he saw the tree sway slightly, and then his gaze was drawn to something that was not a bird.

Clambering up one of the trees appeared to be a novice. For a moment, the brawny Gaidin thought he recognised the girl, but she was much shorter than the person he thought she was. He stepped closer, moving in near silence as to not disturb her. The last thing he wanted was a novice falling out of a tree because he made a sound, but he would still be waiting when she clambered back down. Mirin would likely wish to know about this. That raven-haired Cairhienin still posed a few open questions, but they were peers, and-

The novice laughed about ten feet above the ground. Rav peered up, wondering how someone was able to climb in skirts. A dress would make an interesting disguise for a Gaidar, especially one who had mastered in unarmed combat or daggers. That thought didn't get much further as the snap of a branch came from above. The white form of a falling novice took all of his attention as the ko'di formed on instinct, and a moment later he caught the girl in his sturdy arms.

He glanced over her, inspecting for any injuries beyond the shock that plainly coated her face. She appeared to be fine, and like that the ko'di was gone. Gone too was the stony visage of a Gaidin; Rav looked at the novice with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile of amusement. "You can't Heal a broken neck," he stated matter-of-factly. "Maybe you should start on smaller trees, in future?"

[Avyra]

Avyra hit something that wasn't the ground, the impact stunning her for a few seconds. So she wasn't dead. That was a major plus to this entire situation. It took her a few moments to get her bearings back. She had just fallen out of a tree in the gardens. Into some man's arms. A Gaidin? That was lucky. He looked amused by her situation, which only made her blood boil. How dare he! She could have died! Maybe it was funny because she didn't. She was going to box this man's ears. He spoke, something about how she should climb smaller trees, and she bristled, wiggling out of those strong arms of his with a humph. "That tree was challenging me. By existing. I wasn't going to not climb it. That would be letting it win by default. I had to accept the challenge. It was a matter of pride." Avyra crossed her arms, looking up at him. He was a Gaidin for sure, and over twice her size, but she didn't appear to be too daunted. "I had everything under control-" Lair. "-but thank you for saving me." Yeah, she should probably be a little nice to this guy.

(That seemed way longer in my head oops)

[Craig]

Ravak

When the novice started squirming, Rav let her down as gently as he could, although she made it difficult. With a loud harumph, clearly indicating her disdain for something, she moved free, crossing her arms and peered up with defiant green eyes. For a wonder, she only came up to his chest; there was at least a foot's difference between them.

She spat forth a torrent of words full of bluster. "It was a matter of pride." Some people were like that, seeing a challenge where there was none. There were plenty of Drin and some Ji like that, looking to test themselves against some perceived metric. Some succeeded. More were sent to the Infirmary after they did something stupid to hurt themselves. This novice seemed to settle into that second camp, what with her "I had everything under control, but thank you for saving me." That latter part surprised him a little.

"Mm." It was a considering sound from the Gaidin, who glanced back up at the broken branch. "It's hard to have control when you're falling from a tree. I would suggest not feeling so... challenged in future. I reckon at that height, you had an even chance to break your neck, and no Yellow can heal that." He looked down - actually had to look down - to see whether the message was getting across. "What's your name novice? Just so I know whom to report to Mirin Sedai if I find you scaling another tree."

[Avyra]

Avyra set her jaw, listening to his lecture, which only made her want to try again just to prove she could. She hadn't been doing too bad, actually, and she hadn't ever seen him climb a tree before. He couldn't judge her. The only thing keeping her from boxing his ears was the amount of attention it would cause, added onto the amount of attention they'd already attracted, and the fact that she probably could only reach his chin without having to jump. And she thought she was short around the other women. This Gaidin dwarfed her a good deal. She was about to open her mouth to retort when he asked her name, followed by his hidden threat. "Avyra Moeryr. I had no idea climbing trees was a punishable offense," she replied with a scowl. This place was slightly irritating, with all their petty rules. "And who might you be, just in case I need to report you to the Master of Training for-" She searched, but couldn't find anything he had done so far to warrent reporting. "Something." She obviously had no idea who he was, or noticed anything to give off his rank. Typical Avyra.

[Craig]

Ravak

The novice, Avyra, had a face on that spoke of adolescent fury. Green eyes blazed. No doubt she wanted to rail against him for the indignity he caused her, seeing her fall and then rescuing her like he had. That the Shienaran could break the novice in two probably didn't even occur to her. His hands had already returned to the pommels of his swords.

Ravak suppressed a grin, but he couldn't take the humoured edge out of his voice. "That's 'I need to report you to the Master of Training for something, Gaidin'." He corrected. Scratching at his beard, he subtly touched the golden pin by his neck. It was a small thing, nothing like the Amyrlin's stole, nor a Keeper's... Actually, Ravak didn't know what denoted the Keepers from other Aes Sedai and Asha'man. He would have to ask Jaryd when next he saw him. Still, that should have been obvious to her, and forgetting to call him by his rank regardless. Rav's mood darkened a touch. "A hard man," he continued. "Not someone you would wish to cross, whether Gaidin or novice."

"Actually, I'm not sure if climbing is an offence, although you've marked your dress. That's more needless work you've handed yourself." He ignored the look she returned. "Much easier to maintain if you don't go traipsing through mud either, just some advice. And well, if you do wish to report me for something, my name is Ravak Darrow. Ravak Gaidin." He watched for a reaction.

[Avyra]

It was at that moment Avyra realized her mistake. That pin... She had jist threatened to report the Master of Training... to the Master of Training. Blood and ashes. A flash of realization amd even fear touched those blazing eyes of hers, but it was gone as soon as it came. "My dress is not ruined, Ravak Gaidin," she replied, her voice still a huff but less of an angry threat. She was being foolish, like a child, but she couldn't apologize just yet. Not until she stood her ground a bit more. "There is barely a scratch on it or me, thanks to you being down here." Her tone, in fact, seemed to have gotten slightly kinder. After all, he hadn't done anything to warrent her snark, besides look amused by her failure to stay in the branches of that tree.

[Craig]

Ravak

That almost sounded like an apology. Rav still was less than convinced that Aryra had realised her mistake in attempting to upbraid him - as if any novice could scold a Gaidin - but at least her voice was less challenging in tone. "Well, that is fortunate about you. And the dress. Darning may seem a bit more riveting than mopping the floors, but you'd be doing the sewing in your own time."

He bent down briefly to retrieve the broken branch that had been in the novice's hand before her downwards descent, and turned it over, as if he could divine special from it. "Even if you don't hurt yourself, you may wish to be wary of damaging these plants. I can think of one sister who'd take you to task for this." He gestured with the branch, then tucked it into his belt behind his sword-breaker's hilt, neatly obscured from view by his cloak.

Ravak hooked his left thumb behind his longsword, and scratched at his beard with his damaged hand, wondering what to do next. Since obtaining the fancloak, let alone his honoured position, novices and soldiers bowed and scraped around him. Even Accepted and Dedicated were respectful, with the exception of two specific Accepted. This novice was bold, speaking as he did, but it was a refreshing boldness. Plus, he had handed over errant channellers to Mirin and Soti in the past, and there was little satisfaction in it. Rav hated it enough disciplining his own students.

Had this been a year ago, even a few months' back, the Shienaran would have engaged in his normal bout of questions about being a novice, about being a channeller, becoming Aes Sedai, and critically, looking for a Warder. As the knot of awareness in his head indicated, he no longer sought an Aes Sedai to protect, and he no longer looked at every white-dressed woman as a potential bondmate.

"So tell me, what are you clambering about in trees? Not very Aes Sedai-like," he said finally. It seemed a safe enough question, and it delayed any decision about whether he did need to send her to the Mistress of Novices.

[Avyra]

There he went off again, scolding her for hurting the tree. I damaged the tree?! It damaged my pride! So, she took the time in his little speech to size him up, being the first Warder she'd ever met and all. He was quite a bit older looking, but she couldn't tell if it was the beard or his actual age, and to her, he was huge, like most of the Warders she had seen. That seemed to be their general appearance, big and broad, and he fit that bill easily. He had an overall gruffness to him, almost like a wolf, but his eyes looked kind. He wasn't going to turn her in, she figured, no matter what he said. And since he was the Master of Training, she figured he was already Bonded. That was interesting, a subject she didn't know much at all about. She knew she would have to wait to Bond her own Warder, until she was an Aes Sedai at least, years away, but she could use this to learn more about the process. "So tell me, what were you clambering around in the trees? Not very Aes Sedai-like." She huffed, rolling forward to her toes. "I've already told you. The tree challenged me. Besides, I've climbed shelves before. How different is a tree?"

[Craig]

Ravak

Rav needlessly glanced up at the tree. "Well, for one, I haven't seen any shelves that high. I don't believe even the bookcases in the Tower's library extend that high." He knew that for truth, many a hour whiled away reading books in those hallowed halls. "And shelves don't tend to break when you... climb on them." Another thought crossed through the Gaidin's head, about whether it was worse to upset the Browns by clambering all over their bookshelves, or Betrys and the other channellers who had an interest in the Gardens. He suspected the Browns.

"And you probably shouldn't let a tree challenge you. As I understand it, you will be challenged enough, learning to become an Aes Sedai." He glanced down into the novice's green eyes. She was standing on tiptoes, in a vain effort to make herself taller. Her wavy brown hair could just about touch his beard, if they tried. "You want some advice?" He didn't actually wait for an answer, instead putting his hands on the novice's shoulders, and gently pushing her down so her slippers were flat with the ground. "Aes Sedai don't need to raise themselves up. They stand above everyone on merit alone. Height is not a factor when you have the One Power." His own bondmate wasn't much taller than Avyra, and she could command an entire room. Or he suspected it; he had yet to see Kaia Sedai do so. He brought his hands back to his sides. "That's better, no?"