Flames of the Power

*OOOF* Cassandra felt her breath rush out as she hit the ground hard after somersaulting over the lithe Gaidin.

“Haha! Oh, Cassandra, you have to remember not to telegraph your moves so much! I could see what you were attempting far before you reached me. Remember, hand-to-hand fighting is about tricking your opponent and using their strength against them. Now. Get up and we will try it again.”

Stupid Gideon. I’ll get him yet… And when I do…

“Cassandra, if you continue to lay there, I will have to believe that you are seriously hurt and that these lessons cannot continue. If the Master at Arms or Light forbid, Melia Sedai, were to find out you were injured, it would be more than my head is worth!” Gideon exclaimed.

Cassandra leap to her feet at the thought of Gideon being sent away and immediately regretted the movement as her bruised muscles complained loudly.

“There we go, I knew you were alright!” Then seeing her grimace, Gideon took on a playful tone, “…but perhaps a bit stiff, my Aes Sedai? Would you like for me to get you a cushion for your sore rump, dear Aes Sedai?” The Gaidin let out a laugh as he found his jokes very funny, especially those he commonly made at her expense.

Cassandra glared at him and stated, “Oh shut up, Gideon. You know I’m fine and don’t need your ‘cushions’ for my rump. A rump I might add you seem to spend a good time admiring…”

With an exaggerated motion, Gideon leaned over in an attempt to admire Cassandra’s physique and in just as exaggerated fashion, she refused to give him the satisfaction of squirming or lecturing him. With a sly wink, the Arafellian Gaidin walked over to her slowly in that swagger that accentuated his muscles, leaned in towards her ear and said softly, “It appears we have an audience. A Novice has been patiently waiting under the trees with one of my Trainees…”

Cassandra gritted her teeth against the aches in her body, spun around on the spot and stalked towards the trees, immediately picking out the bright white dress of a Novice. As soon as she was noticed, the Novice leaped away from the Trainee who looked decidedly uncomfortable at the Aes Sedai descending upon him.

“You escorted her here, correct?” Cassandra asked tersely. At the Trainee’s quick nod, she responded, “Then it appears you have done your job well. There is no reason for you to remain is there?” The Trainee took an involuntary step back, apparently afraid of her. Cassandra grinned and started to follow him when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Gideon standing there and immediately softened her gaze. “I’ll handle the Trainee, Aes Sedai. The Novice appears to have a message for you.”  Gideon turned to the Trainee and taking him by the shoulder in a fatherly gesture he began walking him back to the Main Training Yards. Gideon immediate and loudly launched into a story that began with, “Have I ever told you the story of how I faced down a charging horde of Trollocs near the Blight? No? Well, let me tell you they are nothing compared to an Aes Sedai in a temper. This one time…”

Cassandra shook her head slightly to herself at the retreating Gaidin, before turning to the Novice. “Well? What is your message?”

The Novice curtsied a bit awkwardly before saying, “Cassandra Sedai, Sofia Sedai has requested you to take your mid-day meal with her in her apartments.” The Novice curtsied again and waited, looking at Cassandra expectantly. Just then, Cassandra heard the bell for High toll across the Tower Grounds. She muttered something under her breath before turning to the Novice and said, “Well, I suppose I better take Sofia Sedai up on her offer. I assume you were to report back to her? Very well, inform her that I shall be with her soon after I clean up a bit. You are not to tell her where you found me or why I am not accompanying you back to her apartments. Understood?” The Novice nodded quickly and ran off towards the Tower.

---

The Bell was just tolling Dinner as Cassandra entered Sofia’s apartments. Sofia was the Head of the Green Ajah but of course no one outside of the Ajah knew that fact. Sofia was a rather short woman compared to Cassandra and about five times the age, not that it showed. They were Aes Sedai after all and prone to live centuries. Cassandra curtsied slightly to the woman before sitting at the table. The same Novice that had summoned her was apparently going to serve them as well. After they had eaten and had their tea prepared to their liking, they dismissed the Novice with their dishes and began to talk.

Sofia began, “So how is your training with Gideon Gaidin going Cassandra? I don’t understand why you insist on learning physical fighting skills… We are Aes Sedai, we do not need to know such things, even though you are a member of the Green. We have Warders to provide physical might and fighting if needed.”

“Respectfully Captain-General, I protected myself for years before coming to the Tower. I do not need a Gaidin as of yet and am doing just fine on my own.” Cassandra replied.

“Oh, you aren’t fooling anyone. Just Bond Gideon and be done with it. Everyone sees the way you two “practice” physical fighting skills, unless you next mean to try to convince me he is teaching you wrestling as well? Honestly, Cassandra you two are not youths. However, that is not why I asked you here. It seems we have a bit of a shortage of Accepted available to teach lessons and Candance has asked for a few Aes Sedai to teach Novice lessons until the Accepted situation is resolved. I have told her that you would be happy to take a lesson on. You haven’t done anything in the past month outside the Tower and instead insist on filling your days practicing some martial skills with Gideon. The Master at Arms has mentioned that Gideon has not been pulling his weight as a Gaidin either and so he will be teaching classes as well. In any event, it is not as if you will be missing anything important if you teach Novices channeling instead of going to the Training Grounds for a few days.”

“Teach… Novices Sofia? Is that really all you can come up with? It seems like a rather flimsy excuse to keep me away from training physical fighting skills.”

Sofia rolled her eyes and commented offhandedly, “So that is what the young are calling it now?” She gave a short bark of a laugh before continuing, “Call it whatever you want, if Gideon was Bonded to you, he would have evenings free, would not have to teach classes unless he requested it from the Master at Arms, and could move into the Tower, into your apartments if you so desired, to be your Warder. You could get all the training you could want from him in that situation, in the privacy of your quarters. So. There are no issues? Good. I will inform Candance you will start a lesson tomorrow morning. I believe she said it should be about the element of Fire.  Also, there will be an Asha’man there to teach the men… Scott I believe his name is…”

Cassandra wanted nothing more than to protest further about teaching Novices and her relationship with Gideon, but knew it would mean nothing. When Sofia got an idea in her head, she got it done to her liking and woe to any that tried to oppose her. Grumbling all the way, she excused herself to prepare for the lesson she’d be teaching the next day. As she walked, her mind wandered to Gideon and what Sofia had said. She wasn’t sure about it but decided that it was high time some action was taken. Cassandra walked to the entrance of the Green Quarters and grabbed a stray Novice. “Go to the Training Yards and find Gideon Gaidin. Tell him that Cassandra Sedai expects to see him, cleaned up mind you, in her apartments for Supper tonight at the tolling of the Bell. What is you name? Ann? Very well, Ann. You will be serving Gideon Gaidin and myself Supper tonight. Here is a note stating such in case anyone questions you.” Cassandra watched the Novice scurry away with a small smile on her face. You have no idea what you are getting into Gideon. I will get you back for all those throws and bruises you’ve given me…

---

Cassandra posted a message on the Lesson Board for Novices to meet for her class in one of the larger classrooms even though she did not expect to fill half of it. This lesson had to do with Fire and she wanted the extra space in case something went amiss. It was a Novice class and she wanted to be prepared for anything. She arrived at the room a few minutes before anyone began to show up and stood silently at the front of the class with a small grimace. She had not taken Healing for her bruises from the previous day, so she was in a small amount of pain. She could deal with it but the important part was that they were significant enough for Gideon, in his new role as her Warder, to feel. That alone made it worth while. Cassandra smiled slightly as she thought about him and found a small amount of humor in the fact that she could tell he was still asleep back in her apartments. Soon enough, the Novices began to enter and move to seats around the room.

---

OOC: Alright, Novice Fire Lesson time! As always, an intro followed by three parts. Follow the rules posted on the site in terms of your posts and feel free to do a bit of role playing as I like to read stories. As you can see from my post, I can get into writing. There is no need to post as much as I did for your Introduction, but if you want to do so, feel free. Just remember, there is no prize for posting more than anyone else, unless you count that pain in your wrists… That said, I would appreciate it if you could write 500 words at a minimum for your introduction. I plan to be posting the first part of the lesson in about a week.

For planning and descriptive purposes, here are some helpful descriptions.

Cassandra is Saldaean and is about 5’4” tall. She is thin and has dark hair. She has achieved agelessness. As you can find out from above, she is a member of the Green, likes the idea of physical weaponry and shows it by wearing two daggers, one on each hip. She is also rather serious and no nonsense. She is wearing a dark green dress that has an average neckline.

Asha’man Scott is Andorian, middle age, and balding with thin blond hair and is a bit portly. He is a full Asha’man and so wears the black uniform with both the silver sword and enameled Dragon on his collar. He has a sword on his hip and no facial hair. He is a about 6’0 tall. Also, he is not yet in the classroom but will be arriving shortly. Feel free to write in his arrival a few minutes after you have arrived if you want to do so. He will not be late though so if you are going to write in arriving right on time or a bit late, he will already be in the classroom. He is quiet, looks serious and is well groomed when he enters the room.

The room is a large one with two doors on one wall that lead from the Tower proper. There is one wall at a ninety degree angle to this first wall and the remaining wall is curved to join the other two (picture a wedge from a circle). The curved wall has large windows in it, and the sun is shining in with a few clouds in the sky. Cassandra is standing at about the halfway point of the curved wall with her arms folded. There are two large tables flanking her which a number of medium sized metal pots on one and a pile of split wood on the other. On the floor are two very large basins that contain water.