Sunday? We haven’t missed it!
Novice Zerese Demenia, Written by Nick
Posted on Thu, Aug 19, 2010 20:52 pm
Zerese could do not to bump into Eleria as they made their way into the Hall, made that much harder by the fact that she could not help goggling at everything around her. This truly was one of the most magnificent buildings in the world. No, the most magnificent! The Stone of Tear may have been older, but a fortress could not compare with the bone-white magnificence of the crown of Tar Valon.
Zerese did manage to fall short of toppling over Eleria, though, but only just. A fine way to start her training, that would have been, and before even donning the white at that! There must have been something truly startling to have given pause to an Aes Sedai like Eleria. Peering around her, Zerese could see a sea of white dotted with all the vibrant colours of the rainbow, Novices in their whites and some few Accepteds in their banded dresses, and Aes Sedai in every colour imaginable, some with shawls and some without. They were all fixed on a single point, though, with their backs to Eleria and Zerese, and naturally the girl’s attention followed.
Standing on a dais set up at the far end of the Hall stood a woman who was Aes Sedai to her toenails. She was Saldaean—Zerese could tell that from the start, looking at that prominent nose; it looked almost like her mother’s—but her confidence, grace, and above all, her agelessness were that of an Aes Sedai, through and through. Zerese could not have hoped to recognize her from that alone, but the seven-banded stole that draped over her shoulders made her want to curtsey even across the room. That stole, such a simple piece of cloth, could reduce kings to their knees and make queens bob curtseys that would put Novices to shame. That stole announced the woman’s name more clearly than she could have herself, a name known well in the Borderlands: Melina Damir, the Watcher of the Seals, the Flame of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat.
Light, but Zerese nearly did curtsey. The Amyrlin’s name was known far and wide throughout the Borderlands—it always was, since time immemorial—but to actually stand in her presence! Eleria made no such motion, however, and would have were it necessary, so Zerese forced her legs to remain stiff. “Sunday,” Eleria murmured, shaking her head. “To think we were gone this long.”
Sunday! Oh, Zerese’s heart could have leapt! She hadn’t even realized it was nearing, and the thought that she had missed it would have been impossible to bear. In a cold nation like Saldaea, the longest day of summer meant a great deal, symbolically if not much else. There would be dancing and singing in Maradon today, and here in the Tower too, from the look of it! She would begin with that scrumptious pastry table and then—
Eleria was moving away from the party, toward a set of stairs leading to the upper levels of the Tower. Zerese could have pouted! She wanted to, but she did not need Eleria’s cool stare to tell her to follow quickly. “Are we not going to enjoy the festival, Eleria Sedai?”
The Aes Sedai did not respond for some time, and each step made Zerese’s heart sink. Would she miss Sunday entirely? At last, Eleria said in those cool accents, “Novices are required to wear white at Sunday, child. Besides, I will not allow you to traipse about as filthy as you are.” That was matter-of-fact, as harsh as the words may have sounded; she and Eleria both were in need of a good bath, or perhaps two. A single soak in Ivo’s Hollow was not nearly enough to scrub off two months’ worth of dirt and travel.
It became quickly evident that months of practice would be necessary for her to even begin to memorize the passages of the White Tower. It wasn’t that the place was labyrinthine, precisely, but it was just so big, and there were so many rooms and hallways and floors that she thought she could study for weeks and still just barely scratch the surface. She would love very much to see everything the Tower had to offer—the Ajah quarters, the ter’angreal storerooms, the Amyrlin’s Study!—but a good bath and a change of clothes were even more appealing just then. It was not that Zerese was precisely looking forward to the Novice white; she was always given to much more colour, and finer cuts beside. Still, it would be a welcome change over the dirty, travel-worn clothing she had been cycling through for the last three months. There was hardly a piece of clothing in her wardrobe still usable. Just as well, that—she had no need of it now. Yes, the white would be a welcome change right about then.
Just as such thoughts were beginning to transform into vivid daydreams, Eleria stopped before a room sealed off by a thick oak door, thicker than any Zerese had seen on the way up. She could only wonder why such a thick door would be necessary. To muffle the cries brought on by the slipper and the strap, perhaps; some Mistresses of Novices were known to have quite a firm hand with such instruments, and it would be unbecoming, not to mention embarrassing, to have the Novices’ cries echoing down the hallways. Was Candance Sedai such a Mistress of Novices, Zerese wondered. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, the girl’s imagination filled in the worst, so that before long, her mouth was working itself for moisture and failing. You’re not a farmgirl who abandoned the harvest! she chided. She has nothing to punish you for! Yet. She had not intended to add that, but it came automatically.
The Aes Sedai looked over her shoulder, eyes cool and calm. “I have sent word of our arrival ahead of us, so the Mistress of Novices should be expecting us, but I am sure she will be eager to get to the celebrations. Let us make this brief.” She would get no arguments there. Hardly in any state to present herself to the Mistress of Novices and eager to get to the festival herself, Zerese curtseyed quickly in assayance as the elegant Blue knocked and pushed open the door.
[OOC: I’ll leave this open for the Mistress of Novices to respond, if Jeremy wants to. If not, I’ll probably just set my next post after the meeting and join in the festival, and then it'll be open to anyone. :)]
In reply to Sunday Festival - Friends Old and New[show]/[hide]
As a former White Sister, Melina was supposed to feel little emotion over the start of a large celebration such as Sunday, but she had never been a typical White. She recalled year s as a Novice getting into some trouble or another with her friends as she terrorized unsuspecting Accepted and as an Accepted she recalled being terrorized by similar Novices. Despite the rules, Festivals at the White Tower meant a few hours of relative freedom—freedom from the rules, from chores and from the unending learning. She recalled spending many conversations with her friends boasting about how they would find their Warders among one of these celebrations, and yet when she had earned her Shawl, the first thing she sought was exit from the Tower to explore the world.
There will be little exploring left for you, Melina. A good thing you spent eight decades doing so.
As Melina looked at her reflection in the mirror, the Tairen style gown in a bright leaf green with silver embroidery a pleasant contrast to the warm tones of her loose auburn hair, she thought on how her Sisters had always frowned on her for wearing colors instead of the stark white of her Ajah. Such a silly, illogical thing to be reprimanded on when there had been so much more in which to reprimand her. She’d chosen green tonight to pay slight homage to the Green Ajah and the loss of face that they had endured recently with the former Amyrlin and Mistress of Novices. Tairen cut because she just liked the style and always had. Across the green silk was the seven striped stole of office, looped loosely against her arms and shimmering in the soft light of her apartments.
It was her first Festival to begin, the money she had approved for all the expenses seemed excessive and she tried not to let her eyes pop with each bill. It was worth it, however, as tonight would be a history of firsts for the Tower, and she felt a surge of pride to be the one that had been leading the Tower when it occurred. Male Novices would most likely create a whole new dynamic to the Festival for certain; with saidin cleansed, the fear and barriers were coming down from what Candance had reported and it seemed more likely for the girls to get into the same romantic situations with the boys now as they would with the Trainees.
More importantly was the warm welcome and strong presence of the Black Tower to the celebrations. The curt yet brief message from the M’Hael indicated he would be unable to attend, but he was sending additional men to supplement those already established in the White Tower. There had been some Sitters demanding that she express her displeasure at the leader of the Black Tower refusing the invitation, but Melina had quelled it with a simple “No”. She had her reasons—all logical of course—and would not risk tensions between a budding relationship over something such as a Festival. He would have attended if he could, and she understood better than any of the Sitters the pressures and demands he was under. She was more pleased with the additional Soldiers, Dedicated and Asha’man attending as it would provide both Towers an opportunity to further get to know one another in a casual setting.
“Mother, it’s time.” Nathalia spoke from the doorway, her eyes looking at Melina as if she were trying to see into and through her soul.
“Thank you, Nathalia.” Melina slipped into the embroidered slippers and touched the simple silver and emerald necklace that circled her neck closely. It had been a gift from Alimon nearly fifty years ago and she had been angry at him for spending any money at all on her for something she thought she would never wear. Bringing herself back to the present, Melina walked swiftly through the hallways, Nathalia keeping stride with her. “Has the Black Tower delegation arrived?”
“Just a couple minutes ago, Asha’man Locke greeted them and brought them to the Hall.”
“How many?”
“Three score. Mostly Asha’man and Dedicated but there was perhaps ten Soldiers as well.”
It was a large enough delegation that showed Melina that the M’Hael respected her invitation, but not so large to frighten the White Tower. As they descended to the lower levels of the Tower, chords of music reached her ears, the beautiful strains of an Andoran composition that was light and whimsical. The corridors leading to the Hallway began to start showing signs of decoration, leading the wanderer to follow the lines of silk and flowers wrapped and skillfully attached to the walls, and as they reached the tall mahogany double doors of the Hall, light spilled forth and washed over Melina. There were already many men and women in attendance, some dressed in their Novice Whites, while others were dressed in a rainbow of colors and cuts—some fine some simple. Many Aes Sedai wore their Shawls as a badge of honor for the formal occasion, while some ageless faces simply appeared above the necklines of their gowns.
Those who immediately saw the stole of office on her entrance fell into deep curtseys, even the Aes Sedai bending in respect for her position. She made her way to the dais where the commencement of the Festival always took place and as she reached the platform, a wave of black caught her eye from the same doors she’d arrived. The orchestra let their music drift to silence and the Hall went quiet as she embraced the Source, weaving Fire and Air to amplify her voice. “Welcome one and all to the Sunday Festival at the White Tower. It is my distinct pleasure to not only offer a warm hand of welcome to those who live here in Tar Valon, but also to our new friends from the Black Tower, the men who fight the same battle as us and seek the same goals of keeping the world safe. Please be welcome to the White Tower Asha’man, Dedicated and Soldiers of the Black Tower!”
A warm applause, though light, received the men in black as they filed in with almost military discipline to the Hallway and they bowed as one to the attendants of the White Tower. As the applause quieted, Melina continued with a smile, “Sunday is a night for celebrating, so please enjoy the food, drink and dance and take this opportunity to become acquainted with new friends. Let the Festival begin!”
OOC: The Festial has now begun! Please remember that no posts are allowed above this one until it's finished on August 29. Any posts that do get placed above it will be deleted without notice. For rules and guidelines on what is expected by the characters, please see Joni's post. Remember that if you break the rules, expect to be caught--but sometimes that's just part of the fun!
Everyone have a great time writing and enjoy the Festival!!! =)
