Noteworthy [attn; Damien]

[Avyra]

Avyra smiled, shaking her head. "No, no sparring as far as I know." She paused. She actually didn't know what was required to be raised to an Aes Sedai. "I'm sure we have a test between ranks, but I doubt it'll be fighting. Using the One Power to fight is frowned upon, unless its against darkfriends or you or your Gaidin's life is actually in danger." Which as why she wanted to learn some hand to hand combat in the first place. She didn't have a Gaidin yet, not even allowed, and there might be a time where they weren't around to provide protection.

[Damien]

Danos

"That makes sense, when two Drin'far'ji go at each other in the sparring yards it's easy to prevent it from hurting others. When you ladies can throw fire, and do other wondrous things with your talents it would be a lot easier to torch a tree or something unintended," said Danos with a chuckle. He had a thought of two women hurling whirlwinds at each other, or sweeping the floors with wind.

"Do you write your own music Avrya, or was that something you had learned?" Danos asked.

[Avyra]

"Well, that's what the channeling yards are for," Avyra explained, a hint of a laugh in her voice. "To blow things up without hurting others." She paused, shrugging. "I wouldn't call it wondrous, really. Its just another tool, like this flute." She paused, shrugging at the flute on her lap. "Its a bit more complicated than that, actually. You first must learn to play the basic things. Even get notes out. It took me months to make a pretty held tone on this thing. Then you move through technique, scales and stuff. All music is made of scales, no matter how complicated. If you know them, you can pretty much learn anything." She paused. "Just about everything I play I make up on the spot. Sometimes its tunes I already know with a twist, sometimes its me picking a scale and using patterns out of it to make a melody." She shrugged. "So a bit of both. I'm always learning new things on this instrument."

[Damien]

Danos

Danos smiled as he listened to Avyra explain music, "It actually sounds a lot like a trade. First you learn the wood, the rough cuts and planing. Eventually you are shaping and creating, but it takes time to truly lern the grains, files and such. I had no thought there was so much to it," he said as he considered all of her descriptions of sets and scales.

Danos fond himself wondering about the flute, and asked, "May I look at it, I am quite curious to see how it was made, I've seen tin whistles and harps at the Argent Inn in Jornhill, but no flute such as that."

[Avyra]

She couldn't help but smile. "There's a lot to anything, if you really analyze it enough." That was deep. I should get an award for that. "In a way, I suppose it is a trade." She paused. "But if you think about it, your trade is an art, too, just like my music. It is very similar." Avyra handed him the flute, considering her thoughts for a moment. "I can teach you, I think. Or some of it. Its a bit discouraging at first, I must warn you." She hadn't taught anyone before, but she knew that by teaching one also learned.

[Damien]

Danos

Danos took the flute, and looked at it. His large hands ran over the holes, and felt the wood. He wasn't sure as to how it had been made, but he wondered if perhaps the Grey Tower Library had something in it's books about the making of instruments.

As Avyra offered to teach him, Danos smiled, "That would be great Avyra, I don't know how adept at it I will prove, but it would be nice to learn something here about creating. So many of the Gaidin seem overly serious and gloomy to me, it might be nice to cheer up the Warder Yard sometimes."

"In return, I could offer you the chance to practice if you ever decide you want it. I am just learning the sword myself, but I've managed to become reasonably trained with other exercises. Even just strengthening your body would make a big difference if you decide to train in a class," said Danos as he eyed the Novice with the beginnings of a warrior's ability to size up an opponent.

[Avyra]

When he offered training, Avyra smiled, standing so she could actually see over his shoulder at the flute. "That would be great, thank you!" She paused, looking him over a bit more. He could probably pick her up with one hand and toss her over his shoulder. "Just as long as you promise not to break me in half." She paused, peering over. "To start you need to learn to hold the instrument. Its held the same way regardless of dominate hand." She paused. "You hold it to the side. Your left hand goes first; you take it and bring it in front of the instrument." She paused, demonstrating in the air. "Your fingers face you. Your right hand goes on the other side, fingers facing away from you, if that makes sense."

[Damien]

Danos

Danos attempted to follow the directions from Avyra. He could feel the instrument in his hands, the wooden flute felt dainty and dwarved by his hands. Fortunately he had learned to wield tools both meant for delicate filing, and large scale cutting, and so he was slowly able to mimic the fingering she had demonstrated. It felt odd to hold the flute sideways, he was much more used to seeing the whistles and such that the performers in Jornhill had brought.

"There, I think I got it. Is the fingering something you practice, like a set of forms?" asked Danos curious.

[Avyra]

Avyra nodded, watching his fingers on the instrument. "We'll cover fingerings once you get your hand position down." She paused. "There are three main contact points on the flute. One is your right thumb; there's no hole there. The other is your right little finger. Always keep that on the instrument." She paused. "The last is where your index finger connects with your palm on your left hand. There is a hold under your thumb on the left hand, so you can't use that to balance the instrument." She paused, moving on to correct his right hand, actually taking it and repositioning it slightly on the instrument. Her own hand was only about the size of his palm, she couldn't help but notice. "There. That should do it. Its a bit uncomfortable at first, but it becomes natural quickly." She paused. "Your first note-" She brought a few of hs fingers down on the holes. "-is midrange. It is easy to hit and tune." She paused. "Place the instrument so that the opening is right below your lips. Your first instinct will be trying to get the air into the flute, which is wrong. Blow across the instrument. You'll need a lot of air."

[Damien]

Danos

Luckily Danos had gotten used to being instructed during his apprenticeship, and in a way he had begun to regard his time at the Grey Tower as a second apprenticeship. And so he took Avyra's corrections in hand, adjusting his fingers and his grip on the flute as her petite hands showed him the proper fingering.

She was right, it was definitely awkward and uncomfortable but as he followed her directions, he blew across the mouthpiece, surprised by the sound that came out of the flute. Sharp, but sweet it was a shock.

Laughing, he looked at Avyra, "Breath I should have to spare, you can't jog around the Yard and spar all morning without it."