When the Wind Blows - Thread Roulette [Attn: Anne]

[Roan]

Tia Tomosan

Spring had definitely sprung on the Tower, and Tia had taken a bit of her free time to put thoughts into her journal. It was a new habit for her thanks to Jaryd, and one she found brought her a great deal of peace and pleasure. A simple way to unload the troubles and worries from the day or week, and a time to reflect on those things she was grateful for. . .writing in the journal helped Tia center herself.

The Aes Sedai had a meeting in about an hour, thus she stayed closer to the Tower instead of venturing to the Gardens. Novices, Soldiers, Dedicated and Accepted walked this way and that, all getting to various lessons, chores, or other obligations. The occasional Aes Sedai and Asha’man strolled by too, but, for the most part, Tia paid little mind to those around her.

Just as she finished her latest entry, Tia noticed a Soldier and Novice giggling as they peered around a corner. They were whispering, but not as softly as they thought, because Tia picked up on their conversation. “Yeah...that’s the new Novice. They have her hanging laundry. Watch this,” the Novice told the Soldier.

What had been a calm, clear day suddenly turned windy. Dust was kicked up and turned into dust devils, and a pillowcase flew into Tia’s lap. She didn’t need to feel the tingle along her arms to know someone channeled. The sudden shift in the weather was enough. She embraced saidar as she stood up and stepped behind the Novice and Soldier, “The weather is not to be trifled with, Novice. Soldier.”

Both turned and looked at Tia, wide-eyed. The wind stopped immediately, and Tia did her best to look cross. “Pick up the laundry you scattered. Quickly now!” The two moved quickly and scurried about to pick up the pieces of laundry that flew all over the place. Unfortunately, the laundry was no longer clean.

“Come with me,” Tia ordered, making them follow her to the clothes lines. She saw a Novice there moving back and forth, collecting laundry that the wind carried off of the lines. Looking at the Soldier and Novice behind her, she nodded to the other Novice, “Lay the clothes by her basket and apologize.”

The Soldier mumbled his way through an apology, but the Novice who was behind the prank shook, and stammered, “I. . .I’m sorry. It was just a joke.”

Tia looked at the pile of laundry and tsked, “You have made your fellow Novice’s chore that much more difficult. See yourselves to the Mistress of Novices and Master of Soldiers. Explain to them exactly why you’ve been sent to them. Tell them I sent you, and that you respectfully ask to be given a punishment to fit the crime...both for channeling without supervision, and for making more work for this Novice. Now go!”

The two pranksters sprinted away, and Tia couldn’t help when her lips twitched into an amused smile. She turned back to the Novice, “They thought it would be fun to whip up wind and make your task harder. Unfortunately, it meant your laundry got soiled again.

“No bother. Let’s hang it up, and I can help you get it clean and even dry,” Tia explained. She hadn’t seen this particular Novice before, and suspected she was new, “I am Tia Sedai, by the way.”

[Anne]

Seryna

White upon white. Seas of white. There was some interesting pieces among the Accepted as she studied the bands on the dresses, if just to try and inject some interest into such a boring chore. She had enjoyed laundry in her home. She and Joiya shared that chore together and they normally inspected new embroidery that needed careful attention. There was no such embroidery or interest on these dresses. Same old dresses, same fabric, even. Some of these girls would look good in jewel tones, others in good earth tones. She had spotted one such novice looking her way.

That one could do good with a good, rich color. She had creamy skin that could be brightened with the right color of dress. Then the dress in front of Seryna had flared up and she was lost in a dizzying sense of priorities. She clasped those already on the line with additional pins to hold them steady. She then hurried after the lost dresses, holding them up and frowning at the bits sticking to the damp cloth. Hearing a new voice, she peered around the dress and heard the dressing down.

That novice was a nuisance! Seryna frowned at the novice who had extended her time among the sea of white. She'd love to stitch her dresses with a few darts, and make her think herself getting fat! Seryna shot a baleful glance at the Soldier's direction at his mention of a joke. A poor joke!

As the Aes Sedai approached, Seryna held the dress carefully across her arms and dipped into a curtsy.
"The days greeting to you, Aes Sedai Tia. Thank you for your assistance. I hadn't realized it was the Power being used."

The novice cut off her sentence abruptly. Her impressions were formed on life on a farm and in a shop, not for living in the Grey Tower. Wondrous learning in the lessons and weaves revealed in the essays in the library, but those two had soured her good disposition. The corners of her mouth dipped down as she surveyed the soiled dresses.

Comprehending the Aes Sedais' statement, her eyes widened.

She had heard that novices were not supposed to speak to Aes Sedai, but wondered if questions were alright. Under these circumstances, she chanced it. A visit to the Mistress of Novices for a question was better that this curiosity.

"I could watch you channel, Aes Sedai?" She inquired in a polite tone. She separated the dirty linen, sorting it into another basket as she wondered what could clean them.

[Roan]

Tia Tomosan

Formality was the way at the Tower, especially between full rank and learning rank. Tia understood the reasons for it, and obeyed without question when she’d been in the white and then banded dress. As an Aes Sedai, though, she found the level of formality shown to be. . .stifling. She offered the Novice a warm smile, “Of course you can watch me channel, Novice. You are here to learn, yes? How else are you to learn if you don’t watch when given the chance?”

Tia’s tone with the Novice was light and friendly, a marked change than the tone she used with the Soldier and Novice who’d given more work to the young woman before her. “Come, I will help you hang everything up, and once we’ve got everything on the lines, I will show you how we can get everything clean.” Moving to the basket, Tia picked up one of the dirty dresses and pinned it on the line.

“While we are hanging up the washing, perhaps you can tell me your name, child?” Tia said, only just avoiding to wrinkle her nose. “I’d rather call you by your name than call you child. I differ from many of my sisters. Those that have been around for decades or more, I can understand using the term child, but I’m not all that old, really, and it just feels wrong. Besides, I hated being called child when I wore the whites,” the Aes Sedai admitted. “And you can call me simply Tia Sedai,” she added, thinking it best to stick to some formality.

[Anne]

Seryna

"That would be wonderful." Seryna smiled, brightening.
"I am Seryna, Tia Sedai. Thank you for helping me with my chore - and more for letting me watch you weave flows. I am most curious about how you will go about doing so. I suppose Water must be obvious, but air to direct the water where you wish? I have read some about Fire. Would a thread of fire be woven to heat the dresses and wick away the water? Fire is most interesting to me, as it was what I accidentally created before I was instructed to stop channeling altogether."

The annoyance of the prank was gone, evaporated at this good fortune. Her studying for lessons with Accepted Liaran had taught her about 'seeing the flows'. She would be most excited to actually see flows. She had not noticed when the Novice had channeled the wind to think to pay attention. Perhaps those two had done her a favor, but she'd never express the sentiment to the pranksters.

Seryna hastened to assist the Aes Sedai in hanging the dresses. Yes, the chore was certainly more exciting with the One Power looming on the horizon. She glanced at the Aes Sedai, taking in the pretty woman's features. She seemed kind and considerate. A far cry from how her mother had described the sisters that she had learned from. This was a going to be wonderful.

[Roan]

Tia Tomosan

The Novice was certainly more than a little excited at the prospect of simply watching Tia undo the damage done by the Novice and Soldier who committed the prank. Given the young woman’s eagerness, Tia suspected she hadn’t been at the Tower very long. “You would have been done with your chore if it hadn’t been for the others. Having to wash everything again because of two individuals who apparently have too much time on their hands hardly seems fair,” Tia explained as she finished hanging laundry.

“I suppose one could use fire, though I tend to keep it simple,” the Aes Sedai explained as she embraced Saidar once more. Tia still basked in the feeling of euphoria that swept over her when she embraced the Source, and marveled at how ‘crisp’ everything appeared. She stepped back and started to move her hands as she pulled together threads of Water, forming sheets of water over each piece of dirty laundry. She added a bit of air to help ‘scrub’ away dirt. Compared to washing laundry by hand, Tia’s method was certainly quicker. Within a minute, the various bits of laundry were once again clean.

Giving the Novice a small, but warm smile, Tia nodded, “That took care of the dirt. To dry them, I’d use air, but this is where a person could use fire as well, I suppose.” She hadn’t released the One Power, thus she simply started pulling together threads of Air. As with her initial demonstration, Tia exaggerated what she was doing with her hands in an effort to turn this into an impromptu learning experience for Seryna.

The Aes Sedai didn’t get the laundry fully dry before dropping the Source, “There. . .the laundry is a little further along, but letting it hang to finish drying will give it the smell of fresh laundry that I simply can’t replicate through my weaves.” She faced the Novice, “Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to use the One Power to help you with your chores since you can’t channel without an Accepted or Aes Sedai present.

“It was for that reason as much as anything I sent the Novice and Soldier off to see the Mistress of Novices and Master of Soldiers. I know it may seem restrictive, but at this stage, you are still learning how to not just touch the source, but control it once you do channel,” Tia explained. “How long have you been at the Tower, Seryna”

[Anne]

Seryna

Seryna nodded at the Aes Sedai's explanation. The Novice watched closely as the cleansing of the dresses was complete. The weaves were not quite what she expected - they were much different than the two she'd stumbled into.

"Simple is best." Seryna agreed. "My mother was fond of simple solutions. "

Watching the chore completed caused her to fall into silence once more. Yes, the One Power did seem as amazing now as when it had been a dream for the future. She was eager to learn more. The Aes Sedai seemed much more friendly and approachable than any she'd glimpsed. She smiled warmly at Tia Sedai as she answered.
"Not long, Tia Sedai. I arrived in the Grey Tower a few days ago. I am greatly enjoying my lessons. My favorite lesson is with Accepted Liaran where I am learning the basics of the One Power. I can see how it could be tempting to play with the Power, but I was told of its gravity for some time."
She assured. She worried that mentioning the allure of the Power was a mistake, yet she couldn't think how to extract herself from it. Reminding herself that she babbled when nervous, she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. Simple facts had fled her mind when she became overwhelmed departing the Mistress of Novices with Zarayne. She would keep her composure here.

[Roan]

Tia Tomosan

Tia offered a warm smile to the Novice, knowing that being so new might be a bit daunting for the young woman. When Tia donned the Novice Whites, she’d already been at the Tower with her family for some time. It wasn’t such a huge adjustment for her as it was for others who’d been separated from their families. She couldn’t ever quite relate to them, which was one of several reasons she’d been a bit apart as a learning rank. “It is good to hear you are enjoying your lessons. Learning how work and control Saidar is important, but so is caution. It sounds as if Accepted Liaran is doing a fine job of teaching you not only the joys of what we do, but the dangers too.

“Once you finish learning the basics, you’ll have the chance to start learning more advanced weaves like creating Wards or Traveling, for example. I know being a learning rank can be daunting, but take advantage of it, and learn as much as you can. It won’t always be fun, and I know some Accepted go out of their way to make Novices miserable, but you can tough it out,” Tia advised.

The Green looked over the laundry now that it was hung up and almost dry, then back to Seryna, “Pranks are not uncommon here. Sometimes they can be fun and light hearted, sometimes they can be cruel, but if those who perform them get caught, they will be punished. I won’t be one to discourage fun, mind, just...try not to get caught.” She flashed a friendly smile to the young woman.

“Unfortunately, I have other business to attend. Do you have any other questions before I depart?”

Spoiler: show

I'm so sorry this took so long. Real Life kind of side swiped me.