Seeking Knowledge

Brileia, Written by Katie
Posted on Wed, Aug 18, 2010 16:13 pm

 

Brileia could only stare in mute indignation as the male Novice walked off after being so blatantly insulting. Yes, she had run into him. But it had not been on purpose, and even after her sincere apology, he had insulted her and compared her to some of the worst Novices in the Tower presently. She might have growled angrily and stomped a foot like a petulant child, but she managed to refrain from doing so. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pushed aside any thought of what had just happened. Alone once more, the sixteen year old took a good look around what she now knew was the male Novice well. But knowing where she was did not help her in her predicament, and the only person she’d seen since breakfast was the arrogant male that had left her standing there.

She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously as she considered her options. Did she make an attempt to once more wander the halls in the hopes of finding something familiar? Or did she stay here and hope that someone would come by soon that might be willing to help her? Then again, this apparently was where the male Novices had their rooms, and Brileia was certain that it wouldn’t be a good idea to be seen here at all. Who knew what people might think of her if they knew she had been in the male Novice well? Having no other choice, she headed in the direction she had seen the other Novice head in, hoping that it might lead out of this place.

Luck was on her side this morning as the young Novice stepped out into a hallway that was much more familiar. She recognized the tapestry hanging on the opposite wall as one that was close to the dining hall. A relieved smile curved her lips as she heard muted voices in the distance. If there were voices, then there were people, and if she went towards the voices, then she stood a chance of encountering someone nice enough to give her directions towards the library.

Coming around a corner, Brileia caught sight of several people laughing and talking as they came out of the dining hall. Teal-colored eyes scanned the crowd, looking for at least one person who might be familiar. She had never been comfortable in large crowds, and approaching strangers was even worse in her opinion. Finally, she saw the dark red-hair of the Novice who slept in the room besides hers. Rahime was not exactly the person she’d normally ask for help; but in all honesty, what choice did she have?

Taking a deep breath, the girl carefully slipped past a group of male Novices going in the opposite direction, never taking notice of the looks they gave her as she passed. She paused briefly to curtsy to a passing Accepted before approaching her quarry. Clearing her throat slightly, Brileia waited for the red-haired Domani girl to look up before speaking. “Excuse me, Novice Rahime…I’m sorry to disturb you, but do you think you could point out the way to the library? I’m still trying to find my way around this place, and I’ve already gotten lost once this morning,” She murmured softly, keeping her voice low enough for only the other to hear.

The sixteen-year old wanted to fidget anxiously under the cool gaze of the older Novice, but remained still while waiting for an answer. She watched as Rahime exchanged shifty looks with four other Novices that were surrounding her. Finally the other girl answered, quickly rattling off a set of directions that Brileia was thankfully able to catch. Before she could even thank her, the Domani girl walked away from her, followed by her posse of giggling Novices.

Shaking her head, Brileia pushed aside thoughts of the girl’s odd behavior from her mind. Carefully going over the directions she was given, she began to carefully make her way back down the hallway. White skirts swayed slightly around her dainty ankles as she darted out of the path of a group of trainees, who were on their way to the dining hall. A small, polite smile was sent in their direction before she continued on her way.

As she walked through the corridors, Brileia mentally kept track of several of the tapestries and decorations, wanting to use them as landmarks for the future. It was with a great sense of relief that she finally reached the library, pausing briefly outside its carved doors to appreciate the craftsmanship. She dropped into a graceful curtsey as a Brown Aes Sedai left through the doors. The woman nodded in response before waving her to move along towards the Novice door, since she was apparently in the Aes Sedai’s way.

As she stepped through the doors, the young Novice found herself looking around in wonder at the vast library. Books upon books lined the multitude of shelves that filled the enormous room. Slowly she made her way past several empty tables, most of their normal occupants outside enjoying the festival. Amazed, she really didn’t know where to start. There were so many books in the room. How could anyone make a choice? And even if one could make such a choice, how could they ever leave without going back for more?

Nibbling on her bottom lip, Brileia wandered down one of the aisles, her bluish-green eyes scanning the contents of each shelf. There were several that caught her eye, and often she would stop to pick a book up and briefly glance inside. There were tomes about many historical events she had only heard of in passing conversations.

As much as she wanted to gather up every book that had caught her eye, the young girl restrained herself. One, there was no way that she’d be able to carry it all by herself. And two, it made no sense for her to study topics that might not even be broached in her lessons until she was more experienced. And the most important reason, there was no reason to rush through reading any of the books. She would be in Tar Valon for a long time, due to her training. She would have plenty of time during her stay here for such past-times.

Her mind went back to the advice she had been given by one of the other Novices regarding the first lessons she would be expected to be in. Her brother Uriel had always told her that knowledge was power, and she was determined to follow his advice. With his words echoing in her mind, she moved through the library with purpose. She paused every now and then to pluck a book from a shelf, adding it to the growing pile in her arms before continuing on her way.

Six books later and her arms were too full to carry anymore of the heavy tomes. Carefully Brileia made her way towards a secluded table, trying very hard not to drop any of them. She had a feeling that dropping them, even accidentally, would be considered heinous by some of the Aes Sedai. And after the morning she’d already experienced, the young girl really did not want to end up in trouble. She barely refrained from wincing as the sound of a book being placed on the table echoed throughout the nearly empty library. Bluish-green eyes glanced around as if looking to be certain that didn’t draw the attention of anyone who might decide she had been too rough. Seeing no one around, she was still a bit more cautious when setting down the other five books.

Now that her table was all set, Brileia settled gracefully onto a chair, smoothing her white skirts into place. Dainty ankles crossed beneath the chair, idly swinging as the chair was really meant for someone taller than her. She picked up the first book she had chosen and drew it closer. It was a rather large and dusty tome concerning Aes Sedai and the White Tower throughout the Ages. Absentmindedly she thought that whomever had been the Novice assigned to dust the books had not done a very good job. Using the sleeve of her dress ( even though that probably wasn’t the best idea ), she wiped the layers of dust from the cover to reveal the intricate details upon it. Coughing slightly, she shook as much of the dust from her sleeve as she could before turning her attention back to the book. She began to read and was quickly engrossed within its depths, finding the history of Tar Valon to be fascinating.

It surprised Brileia how quickly she was able to read through such a large book. She would have thought that it would have been dry and boring; but she had been pleasantly surprised. Closing the book, she glanced thoughtfully at the other ones she had chosen before choosing the next. This particular one was similar topic-wise, but it was regarding the modern incarnation of the White Tower. Bouncing slightly in her seat, she began to scan through its contents. This book, however, was not as pleasant to read as the first had been. She leaned an elbow on the table, small fingers tangling in her dark curls as she forced herself to continue reading. Her brows furrowed slightly as she did so, the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth.

By the time she looked up from the third book of the day, Brileia had been inspired by what she had read. Her teal-colored eyes danced with anticipation. She couldn’t wait until her lessons began. Oh, she was aware that it wouldn’t be as easy as just opening a book and reading. But she would still be learning about all of these things she had never known before. Back home in Maradon, her parents had restricted the access she had to information that they didn’t think she needed to know. And there was a great deal that Brileia did not know. Her only chance to correct this laid in the contents of this room, and she had no intention not taking advantage of the opportunity.

Peering at the remaining books, the Novice thought for a moment before rising gracefully to her feet. One by one she picked up the books she had taken from the shelves, deftly piling them in her arms. Silently she wandered through the empty library, retracing her steps with the intention of replacing each book in its proper place. Brileia may not have been in her parents’ home anymore, but that didn’t mean that she could forget her manners. She took her time, often peeking at the surrounding books after replacing the one she’d already read. Often she would find that the shelve had been poorly dusted, her fingerprints the only thing to have disturbed the filth in present days. Making a mental note to bring a cloth with her the next time she came to the library, Brileia would move on from that stop and head to the next.

As she replaced the last book, Brileia found her gaze drawn to another book on the shelf, the topic of this one being the Old Tongue. She had always been interested in learning, having heard her brother speak it when she was younger. Before every mission into the Blight, she had heard him murmur a phrase in the Old Tongue before leaving. Not once had she ever been able to convince him to explain what it meant; instead it was always said that she would learn when she was older. Well, now she was older and had the means to find out for herself.

Plucking the book from the shelf, Brileia immediately flipped it open to began scanning the pages. Her nose was buried in its depths as she wandered through the library, allowing her feet to lead her back to the table she had been using. How did that saying go again? She wondered silently as she flipped past another page. Her soft voice was barely audible, even in the empty room, “Mordero…hmm..what was the rest of it? And what does it mean?” So lost in thought, she didn’t even hear the door to the library open. Perhaps if she had, the young girl might have been able to avoid what happened next. 

In reply to Shameless Glances[show]/[hide]

Sadrok  always found that indignant look on a girl’s face when he rightfully accused them of stalking him rather gratifying. He gave her an appraising look just to be fair.  She really was quite attractive... if a bit crackbrained herself to be mooning after him. He had to give her some slack though, she seemed almost sincere. Exotic almond-shaped eyes of teal gazed up at Sadrok, an irritated look twisting her delicate features. Tousled black curls tumbled loosely down her back to brush against her slender waist, the silky locks a contrast to her Novice whites. Next to the much taller man, the girl looked tiny…the top of her head barely reaching the middle of his chest. She didn’t look strong enough to have knocked down a feather, much less him.  But then she had been running pretty fast when she came around the corner.

He smirked at her, starting to walk away before calling back over his shoulder to the little novice. “You know... If I didn’t know you were a stalker, you might have actually had a chance.” That intense look in her eyes made him laugh softly as he turned away, disappearing down the hall while she still spluttered in indignation, leaving her behind to try and find her own way out of the male novice well. Putting her out of his mind, he went to the dining hall next to the kitchens and got himself a late breakfast. Whereas he felt the usual fare was probably adequate for the female novices, he often found himself requesting a second serving every morning.

As he entered the dining hall, there was a flash of dark red and white just to the side of him, and Sadrok almost groaned out loud. Only one Novice in the Tower had hair that particular shade of red hair, and that was Rahime Najat, a very forward Domani girl. Granted the chit was pretty, but she was obsessed with him and always seemed to be following him wherever he went. Never was he more thankful than when he realized that she was leaving the dining hall, rather than coming to harass him as was her usual routine. Perhaps that last visit to the Mistress of Novices for stalking him had knocked some sense into her. Granted, he’d been set to work in the kitchens for that; as if it had been his fault she’d decided to stalk him.

Finding somewhere to sit by himself proved a bit of a challenge. He didn’t really have any friends among the male novices, and the few that were still eating didn’t have any empty seats near them where Sadrok could find some respite from the calf eyes surely being directed his way. They seemed to make a point of excluding him from their company - either because of how strong he was both with and without saidin, or because so many of the girls paid him so much attention - attention that he neither enjoyed nor wanted. There were even some nasty rumors among them that the only reason he hadn’t gotten into trouble for canoodling with every girl he could get his hands on was because he was interested in other men. The truth was, he just didn’t have the time for their foolishness, and was perfectly content to focus on his studies instead of getting involved in the schemes cooked up by the other novices to whittle away at the monotony of their days.

The first table he’d tried to sit at that day, one of his peers suddenly decided he needed to take up two seats, shooting Sadrok a frosty glare in the process, which was returned in kind of course. The only male novice he’d really gotten to know much about - though they barely ever talked except about their classes - was Theon. They’d been in a lot of the same lessons together, and had helped one another out on more than one occasion, though in the lessons not related to the Power it had mostly been Theon doing the helping. Theon didn’t seem to be here this morning though, he’d either skipped breakfast entirely or had eaten earlier. Besides Theon, the only other real friend he’d made was Krath, a trainee who had approached him seeking help in dealing with his trouble sleeping. He had not seen Krath around in some time, though he knew he was still among the trainees.

He wound up sitting at a table full of girls that had been chattering until he’d shown up.  Once he sat down at the end of the table to eat in silence, pointedly ignoring them, they too grew quiet. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but it seemed as if he could feel their eyes on him as if they were reaching out to touch him. A few of them were attractive, sure, but he had no need to lower himself to the point of paying them any mind. He firmly ignored all of them, a stony expression on his face as he ate quickly.

One or two of the Novices tried to strike up an innocent conversation with him, and he responded politely that he wanted to eat in peace if he thought they were interesting, or ignored them outright if he saw no reason to feign interest. Finishing his meal, he excused himself and took the dishes back to the kitchen. He didn’t see a single novice in the kitchens today, since it was Sunday, but he brought his dishes over to the piles left behind by the novices who had eaten earlier in the morning and left them there before leaving the dining hall. In his mind, with how horrible the food was here, it was more than enough for him not to leave the dishes sitting out on the table. He would force himself to eat what he had to in order to keep his strength, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to complain to himself about the poor quality of the food.

The tall young man found himself reverting to old habits from his days as a member of the guards in Far Madding. His head held high, he walked confidently down the hallway, his bluish-green eyes scanning his surroundings. Hushed whispers and giggles coming from further down the hallway drew his gaze, alerting him to the presence of a group of girls. Not wanting to deal with any more foolish - what was the word she had used? crackbrained? - idiots this morning, Sadrok ducked down another corridor before the gaggle of Novices could catch sight of him.  Having been in the White Tower for a while now, he was well aware of where he was despite the random detour. He sighed in relief as he made his way through the empty hallway. If he was lucky, he might be able to reach the entrance hall without running into any more Novices.

But luck did not seem to favor him this morning. As he was walking through some of the less used hallways of the Tower, he ran across Josel Sedai, one of the younger Green sisters who had taken an interest in him - though to give her credit, he thought it had as much or more to do with his being a swordsman, and that he had been aspiring to become a Blademaster before he came to the Tower, rather than just because he was breathtakingly handsome. Sadrok bowed politely to her. “Good morning, Josel Sedai.”

The brown-eyed Aes Sedai inclined her head slightly in response to his bow. “Good morning, Novice Sadrok. What brings you to this portion of the Tower? One would think that you’d be outside enjoying your free time?”

“Aes Sedai, if I could have gotten there without half the novices in the Tower stalking me the whole way, I would be back outside, yes.” He sounded somewhat exasperated, though he was doing his best to moderate his tone - Josel herself had cornered him more than once to lecture him on benefits of joining the Green Ajah when he became Aes Sedai, and had more than once hinted at the idea of letting one of the current Green sisters Bond him.

Josel Sedai shook her head in amusement at the tone of his voice. She peered at him a moment before speaking, “Ah, that makes sense. Well, perhaps I can aid your attempts to avoid them. Walk with me, Novice.”

Sadrok once again was barely able to stifle a groan, knowing he was in for another lecture about the virtues of the Green Ajah, especially for a man who was skilled with a blade. He would have let Josel’s voice carry over him and only made appropriate acknowledgements if he didn’t know she wouldn’t help him escape the other novices if he wasn’t genuinely paying attention to her. So he found himself following a pace behind her, head high as his eyes looked every which way. He’d once again slipped into Cat Crossing the Courtyard, even though he knew it would draw more attention to him than he wanted - that way of moving was almost as natural to him now as breathing.

As they walked down the halls towards the entrance hall, he caught sight of a few Accepted and Novices both scurrying down the crossing hallways away from him and Josel Sedai. The Accepted didn’t often bother him, but he recognized several of the Novices from the dining hall that morning. Remembering that he was supposed to return a few of the books he’d borrowed on the Old Tongue to the Library yesterday and had forgotten, he bowed to Josel Sedai as they crossed a hallway that would take him back there relatively quickly.

“Please excuse me, Josel Sedai.. I forgot to return some books to the Brown sisters in the Library yesterday, and need to go get them from my room first. Thank you for your insights into the Green Ajah, I shall keep our conversation in mind if it comes time for me to choose one Ajah over another.” Bowing once more, he slipped off down the hallway to return to his room in the male novice well and retrieve the books he’d forgotten to return to the Library the day before. It galled that he wasn’t able to just buy the books like he would have back home. He often found himself wishing he had access to his money, but as long as he wanted to become Aes Sedai, he’d have to suffer through poverty, malnourishment, and menial labor before he would earn that prestigious title.

When he got back to his room, he was surprised to see that a number of his things had been search through. Oh, everything looked fine - whoever had been in his room had put everything back in almost the exact place it had come from.. But the books he had come back to get were stacked on top of each other in the wrong order, the sheets of his bed were rumpled when he always made it look as pristine as he could every morning.. And one of his white shirts was missing. Fortunately, the culprit had stolen the shirt that he’d torn a few days ago, but he was still livid that anyone would invade his personal space in this manner.

Straightening his room out took some time - what he wouldn’t give to have a manservant again to do this for him - but once he had everything where it was supposed to be again, he put the books in a satchel and slung it over his arm before heading back out. Once again, he slipped into Cat Crossing the Courtyard almost subconsciously - when he caught sight of the first group of girls he started really paying attention to the stance, putting every significant ounce of arrogance into it that he could muster.

He walked right through the middle of their group, not even bothering to excuse himself, and continued on without so much as a backwards glance. He had to slow his pace to bow respectfully to the Aes Sedai and Accepted that he passed, but anyone else was coldly ignored as he made his way back out to the Library. Well, almost everyone else was ignored.. he also made a point to show respect to the few Gaidin he passed as well.

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Replies to Seeking Knowledge

  • You again?! — Novice Sadrok Rachin, Thu, Aug 19, 2010 23:46 pm