From Start to Finish (Solo rp)

[Leala Sedai]

Ay'Lira fastened her white belt over her dress, stepped into her shoes, and blindly messed with her hair. Really, she had done this so many times that it was just second nature to her, but she still did it without a mirror. She braided half the length of her hair and twisted it, tying it at the base with a thin white ribbon. She had a lot of work to do today, and it all started after breakfast. She just wished her dress was another color. Persnitckety Aes Sedai always found a way to chide you if your dress was too dirty...never mind that you had just spent hours scrubbing pots that looked almot as big as a Trolloc's pot! But, that was her first duty today after breakfast. She took in a deep breath and left her room. She wished at least one of her chores fell in line with Liana's today, but she was sure they didn't, as her roommate was already gone.

 

She knew her meals would be the only joys in the day. Past that, she would be scrubbing pots, attending an Aes Sedai, going to class, helping in a Yellow's garden, another class... Her days were so full, she wondered how Accepted did it. She knew they had to had fuller days than novices. And they were in charge of their own studies. After all of her history classes, she was greatly looking forward to researching battle strategies. She wouldn't tell that to an Aes Sedai, however. Just something else to fuss about.

 

After finishing her porridge, cheese, and bread, Ay'Lira walked into the kitchens to help in scrubbing. There were two other novices already there. They looked down their noses at her...or rather, they tried. Ay'Lira was about a hand taller than both of them. She picked up her scrubbing brush and shook her head as she got to work. They were new. They had no idea what they were doing, as was evidenced when the cook came in and berrated the pair of them for dithering, pointing out Ay'Lira as an example of a good worker. Wonderful. She couldn't see them for her head in the pot, but she knew they hated her even more now. Lovely.

 

She scrubbed the inside of the pot first. She started at the top because while she wanted to start at the bottom and get it over with, if she did that, the dirty wash water from the top would settle down to the bottom any way. This way, the wash water would soften whatever gunk was in the bottom. She worked her way around and down, around and down, around and down before she had to lean over and put half herself into the pot. There was a point where she had to reach down and scrape something off the side of the pot with her fingernails, and at one point, one of the cooks lifted her out by her waist. He had thought she was stuck. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before going back to the exact same position as she was before. She knew the kitchen staff played jokes on novices.

 

Once she was through with the inside and the outside of the monstrous thing, the other two still waist deep in their own pots, the Mistress of Kitchens gave her a roll of stale bread for her hard work as she left. Well, it was stale, but she knew the woman was trying to spoil her in some odd fashion. She downed the roll and headed to her history class.

[Leala Sedai]

Ay'Lira had somehow managed to change her dress since scrubbing pots this morning somewhere between lunch and attending Bakumin Sedai. The Gray would not have stood for a greasy dress. Now she was walking at a fast pace to the gardens to help Ange Sedai in watering her herbs. It was rather late, but the Yellow insisted that watering certain plants at night helped them gather nutrients that the sun would have evaporated or...something. Either way, her dress would be dirty again. Looking around, she noticed that the sun was still setting, so she slowed down. She had time to enjoy her walk. Good.

 

"Ay'Lira."

 

Turning around at her named being called, Ay'Lira caught sight of a Taraboner Accepted named Amendra. She curtsied out of habit and asked what she needed. Amendra handed her a simple red riding dress and asked her to take it to the seamstresses so that she could meet her appointment with a Brown in the Library. Glancing again at the sun, then back at the Accepted, Ay'Lira took the dress and began to hurry again. At least she could rest while she slept...she hoped. She very nearly ran to the seamstresses, giving the dress to them. They asked whose dress it was, but Amendra had not said. Ay'Lira floundered for a moment, but told them that Amendra had given it to her, but not which Aes Sedai possessed it. The seamstresses said the Accepted would likely come back for it later to give it to the Aes Sedai.

 

Ay'Lira had to take in a deep breath and let it out before she went forward. She thanked the seamstresses and scurried off to the gardens again. The sun was already all the way down, past the horizon when she left the Tower. She was late. She tried to tamp her fumes down until she came to the garden. Ange Sedai was not known for her temper or being rather persnickety. She was very sweet, and Ay'Lira loved talking to her after a long day like this.

 

Once she found Ange in her garden, she apologized and curtsied for being late. The auburn-haired Aes Sedai looked up at her with big blue eyes and shook her head. She had thought Ay'Lira had forgotten her, and that she had thought of telling the Mistress of Novices. That made Ay'Lira even more angry about the situation. Ange Sedai almost seemed sad at that. She felt terrible. But the Yellow waved for her to sit next to her, and they chatted as they worked as if nothing had happened. Ay'Lira really did like the Yellow, but she would mostly likely choose another Ajah when the time came.

 

After she finished with the sweet Yellow, Ay'Lira slowly walked back to her room. She thought a moment about that Ajah. When she had first come tot he Tower, she wasn't even sure she'd make it to Accepted, but Aes Sedai were telling her left and right that she had the capacity and potential to reach the shawl if she had the motivation and want to do it. That made her smile...it was a weak smile, but it was there. She opened her door and saw that Liana was already asleep. During a day like this, she would have screamed into her pillow to let out the anger that she had kept bottled up, but those conversations with Ange were enough to make her sort out that anger and make it dissipate. She sighed and tired sigh and flopped onto her bed.

 

She had another long day tomorrow.