Rhiale sneezed.
Pollen wafted through the air like some bizarre airborne infection, inescapable and pervasive. The Three-fold Land never did this, but the Wise One supposed that so much greenery and life had to come at a price. Everything came at a price. She missed her soft algode blouses more than she liked - she was growing too soft in these Wetlands - and the itchy white sheep-wool that she wore as an Aes Sedai in training was nearly unbearable. Her shifts were made of the same awful stuff, and she felt like a mutt with fleas: she never stopped scratching.
Many of the novices also complained of their garb, but none of them took advantage of the obvious solution: it seemed that they'd rather suffer in dignity than rejoice in freedom. Rhiale was perfectly content in her skin and with her skin, and further more, did not mind if anyone else saw that she was stretched out in a grassy flower-bed, bare as she had been the day she was born. The Wetlanders were oddly ashamed of their anatomy - there were many odd things about the Wetlanders, but their shame was the strangest. There were many things that one could owe toh for, but possessing secondary and primary sex characteristics was not one of those things.
Rhiale breathed deeply and allowed herself to relax - perhaps for the first time since she had come to Lorriane's Tower. The Mistress of Novices was not a harsh or cruel woman, but she had high expectations of her students, and they were expectations that Rhiale was not accustomed to; she was a hard-working woman, a productive woman, an action-oriented woman - and Mirin Ronaile Sedai liked to keep her charges busy with menial, pointless work. Rhiale had not learned very much at all of the One Power and hadn't the slightest clue how anyone was supposed to become an Aes Sedai if they were not allowed to train. It was not as though Rhiale did not know what she was doing; she had trained extensively in the Waste. But there were things that the Wetlanders knew that the Aiel did not, and there were things that were worth learning, if only she would be permitted to try.
It was frustrating and endless, but Rhiale had sworn to repay her toh and to honor her first sister. Lorraine spoke of her misadventures as a young girl in the Tower: Rhiale imagined what the Aes Sedai would think if she told her that she was sunbathing bare in the Tower Gardens and smiled. Lorraine had a much better sense of humor than most Aes Sedai. She missed her first-sister dearly.
"So, is this naked party invite only or can anyone join in?" Rhiale's eyes snapped open at the intrusion; she had dozed off without realizing it. Standing before her was a gaping young man in an those awful, stuffy black coats that the Asha'man initiates wore. The green-eyed novice smirked up at the Soldier, and wondered idly if he'd ever remember to shut his mouth.
"Anyone may join," she quipped, "But you Wetlanders seem to prefer modesty over comfort." Her eyes widened by a hair when the Soldier began unbuttoning his coat; she had not expected that he would take her offer seriously, but she was pleased by the change of pace. Perhaps you aren't all as soggy as you seem. Her smirk grew into a grin. "I am Rhiale, Wise One of the Nakai Aiel and Novice of this wretched Tower. Who are you?"
Pollen wafted through the air like some bizarre airborne infection, inescapable and pervasive. The Three-fold Land never did this, but the Wise One supposed that so much greenery and life had to come at a price. Everything came at a price. She missed her soft algode blouses more than she liked - she was growing too soft in these Wetlands - and the itchy white sheep-wool that she wore as an Aes Sedai in training was nearly unbearable. Her shifts were made of the same awful stuff, and she felt like a mutt with fleas: she never stopped scratching.
Many of the novices also complained of their garb, but none of them took advantage of the obvious solution: it seemed that they'd rather suffer in dignity than rejoice in freedom. Rhiale was perfectly content in her skin and with her skin, and further more, did not mind if anyone else saw that she was stretched out in a grassy flower-bed, bare as she had been the day she was born. The Wetlanders were oddly ashamed of their anatomy - there were many odd things about the Wetlanders, but their shame was the strangest. There were many things that one could owe toh for, but possessing secondary and primary sex characteristics was not one of those things.
Rhiale breathed deeply and allowed herself to relax - perhaps for the first time since she had come to Lorriane's Tower. The Mistress of Novices was not a harsh or cruel woman, but she had high expectations of her students, and they were expectations that Rhiale was not accustomed to; she was a hard-working woman, a productive woman, an action-oriented woman - and Mirin Ronaile Sedai liked to keep her charges busy with menial, pointless work. Rhiale had not learned very much at all of the One Power and hadn't the slightest clue how anyone was supposed to become an Aes Sedai if they were not allowed to train. It was not as though Rhiale did not know what she was doing; she had trained extensively in the Waste. But there were things that the Wetlanders knew that the Aiel did not, and there were things that were worth learning, if only she would be permitted to try.
It was frustrating and endless, but Rhiale had sworn to repay her toh and to honor her first sister. Lorraine spoke of her misadventures as a young girl in the Tower: Rhiale imagined what the Aes Sedai would think if she told her that she was sunbathing bare in the Tower Gardens and smiled. Lorraine had a much better sense of humor than most Aes Sedai. She missed her first-sister dearly.
"So, is this naked party invite only or can anyone join in?" Rhiale's eyes snapped open at the intrusion; she had dozed off without realizing it. Standing before her was a gaping young man in an those awful, stuffy black coats that the Asha'man initiates wore. The green-eyed novice smirked up at the Soldier, and wondered idly if he'd ever remember to shut his mouth.
"Anyone may join," she quipped, "But you Wetlanders seem to prefer modesty over comfort." Her eyes widened by a hair when the Soldier began unbuttoning his coat; she had not expected that he would take her offer seriously, but she was pleased by the change of pace. Perhaps you aren't all as soggy as you seem. Her smirk grew into a grin. "I am Rhiale, Wise One of the Nakai Aiel and Novice of this wretched Tower. Who are you?"
