Getting it Right (Kronos)

[Leala Sedai]

Aureli finished writing out her list.  She almost had the one hundred weaves required for the test to become Aes Sedai down and memorized, but one some of them, she needed a little reminding.  She had set up a meeting with Kira to practice with her.  Most Accepted did this together, with one making flashes of light and hitting the other with lashes of Air, trying to distract their partner as they attempted the weaves.  Aureli decided she probably wouldn't like that part...on either end of it.  But, with her notes in hand, she stood up from her small desk and made her way to Kira's room.

 

She wondered for a minute if Kira had them all memorized.  Her friend hadn't been an Accepted as long as she had, but that didn't mean she wasn't more talented than Aureli.  Well, she told herself, we all have different paces.  Some go for speed, some go for getting it right.  And to be ready, we need both.

 

Aureli stopped at Kira's door and put her notes in her mouth for a moment while she knocked.  When she finished knocking, she took the notes out and called out, "Kira!  Are you ready?"  They had agreed to practice in Kira's room, instead of Aureli's or somewhere out in public.  Aes Sedai weren't supposed to give hints on how the test would go.  And novices shouldn't be exposed to the 100 weaves at all.  So, as most Accepted did, they would be practicing in their own rooms.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira sat in her room waiting for Aureli to arrive.  They had decided that they both needed to practice the 100 Weaves for their testing to become Aes Sedai.  Kira had found it hard to believe that even though she had been at the White Tower for almost two decades, she was coming close to the shawl.  Kira had spent a good day of the day doing chores and had decided to read while waiting.  The book wasn't terribly interesting, but it passed the time and it was rather mindless, which kept Kira focused on the task she would have to accomplish soon.

 

Kira set down her book and found her notes on the 100 weaves.  She set them on her bed before making sure she had some water and some clean cups.  Part of Kira's past had remained with her.  She was a very hospitable girl, and had decided she would at least have water ready for her guest.

 

Kira washed her hands in the basin, making sure to get all the dirt and grime off of her fingers.  She then sat on her bed, pulled up her notes, and began studying.

 

Kira suddenly heard a knock on the door followed by Aureli's voice, "Kira! Are you ready?"

 

Kira set down her notes. and walked to the door and answered.  Aureli stood there with her notes out, ready to go.

 

"Come on in Aureli.  It's wonderful to see you," Kira said. "Would you like some water before we start?"

[Leala Sedai]

Aureli paused after her friend asked her such a simple question.  There was so much pressure entwined with the test that simple, fundamental, basic things like water simply were forgotten.  And now a question like if she wanted something to drink made her freeze to think of the significance.  What are you?  A fish out of water?  It's just a cup of water.  She shook her head to clear her mind.  "Of course. Thanks," she said.  Aureli set her notes on the small desk in Kira's room and enjoyed a cup of water with her friend.  "Are you as nervous about this as I am?  Every time I sit down to practice on my own, I keep imagining the worst case scenario.  'What if they stop me in the middle of it and throw me out of the Tower on principle?'  'What if they take one look at me, can tell I'm not ready, and throw me out?'  'What if I go through all of it - everything - and they're still not satisfied?'  I know it's probably ridiculous to think about it, but that's what makes me freeze.  That's what makes me blank out."

 

She sucked in a big breath of air and slowly let it out before taking a gulp of water, finishing the cup.  "It's gotten to the point where I have to reserve a time in the day to think about it and practice the weaves, otherwise, I can't think while I'm studying or teaching."  She set the cup down and cleared her throat.

 

"But telling you that seems to help a bit."  She smiled at her friend.  "So, do you want to start with me throwing distractions at you, or with me throwing distractions at you?" she asked.  There wasn't a lot of segue, and it was plain and direct, but it got the question out there.  Any pretensions of sounding aloof went overboard when it came to these hundred weaves.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira saw the slight hesitation in Aureli after Kira had offered water.  It was clear that Aureli had not expected the simple courtesy.  Of course Kira understood.  Kira's mind was elsewhere as well and Aureli also didn't realize that the hospitality was something that was so familiar to Kira, that it allowed her to relax a bit.

 

Kira sat down on her bed and listened as Aureli said, "Are you as nervous about this as I am?  Every time I sit down to practice on my own, I keep imagining the worst case scenario.  'What if they stop me in the middle of it and throw me out of the Tower on principle?'  'What if they take one look at me, can tell I'm not ready, and throw me out?'  'What if I go through all of it - everything - and they're still not satisfied?'  I know it's probably ridiculous to think about it, but that's what makes me freeze.  That's what makes me blank out."

 

Kira frowned a bit as Aureli continued to speak about the nervousness.  The same thing had been in her mind.  She had no idea what would happen if she failed.  More than likely, she would go back to Ebou Dar and work at her parents inn.  The thought reminded her of the vision she had during her arches of her father dying.  For a moment, Kira wondered about them, but quickly pushed the thought out of her mind.  She was an Accepted of the White Tower after all.  Aureli continued, asking Kira which one should go first.

 

Kira's frowned turned into a smile as she responded, "I'm so nervous about this.  I think it's the idea that I don't know what to expect, which I suppose is the point." Kira paused and took a drink of her water. "The nervousness is actually why I offered water.  It's familiar and natural to me, and it eases the nerves a bit to do something familiar." Kira finished her glass and took Aureli's glass as well.

 

"You go ahead and start the weaves first.  I'll distract you.  I'm warning you though, I'll pull no punches." Kira said with a grin.

[Leala Sedai]

OOC:  If you don't mind, I'm going to write out a round, then we can switch, so this won't take 80 posts to finish, and we won't have two Aes Sedai still going at this in retro.  lol

 

IC:  Aureli felt better when Kira said that she was nervous about this too.  Of course, it made sense that both of them would be nervous.  Passing the test to become Aes Sedai was what every woman in a banded dress and a Great Serpent ring dreamt of.  When Kira mentioned offering her the water as something natural that she wouldn't feel nervous about, she understood that too.  She had worked at her parents' inn in Tear before coming here.  But the time had come to get to work.  Readying herself mentally, she lowered herself to the floor, announcing she was ready and began to weave the first of one hundred weaves.

 

As soon as she had brought out the first thread of Air, she heard a loud crack coming from nowhere.  She could feel Kira channeling and knew it was her, but she steadily began to weave the Air.  All one hundred weaves were complicated and generally useless, but they were like that so that the Accepted knew what they would be up against out there in the world.  As she wove, she was surprised at herself at how quickly the weave finished and a small blue-ish coin fell into her hands, despite the lights, whips, and other cracks that her friend was producing.

 

She didn't pause to examine her work, though.  The coin dissipated into the Air, and she began the second of the weaves...

 

Her initial confidence was starting to wear thin, and after trying to form the twentieth weave and failing, she gave up for the time being and just let it fall apart, making her skin itch.  Unfortunately, the most prominent itching was on her arm.  She rose and rubbed her arm on the back of Kira's chair to relieve it a bit.  She sighed in frustration.  "I guess I need a little more work if I could only do nineteen successfully.  Oh, well.  Your turn," she said, reproducing Kira's grin before she got herself into position.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

OOC: Doing just rounds would be fine with me

 

IC:

 

Kira did her best to distract Aureli as she worked on the weaves by causes random flashes of lights and sounds to break up her concentration.  As Kira promised, she held nothing back.  Kira knew that as Aureli's friend, it would be better to give her a difficult experience as that would better help her prepare to become Aes Sedai.  Kira wasn't surprised with how well Aureli did though.

 

Aureli was very talented and was able to focus finishing nineteen of the one hundred weaves.  Kira was definitely impressed.

 

"Nineteen is a good start," Kira said smiling and preparing for her turn.  "Alright, I'm ready!"

 

Kira began her weaves, starting with the same one that Aureli did.  Kira knew that Aureli would return the favor and would hold nothing back.  As she started, Kira felt a weave pinch her on the leg, but Kira kept her focus, forming the blue coin that dropped into her hand.  Kira immediately began the second weave, maintaining concentration despite the flashes, noises, and whips happening around her.

 

As the weaves continued, it became harder to concentrate.  She began to lose her focus at about the eighth weave, but she knew what was happening and starting to sink back into into it soon.  It became too much and Kira lost her concentration around weave number fifteen.  Aureli had been studying longer than Kira and it was only natural that Kira wouldn't get as far.

 

"Only to fifteen," Kira said wiping some sweat off her brow. "Shall we try again."

[Leala Sedai]

Providing distractions was definitely strange, but Aureli thought she did a good job.  She tried to throw them in unexpectedly, but with as many as possible.  Kira's stopping point was fifteen.  They were pretty evenly matched, then.  When Kira said she was ready to switch out, Aureli took another deep breath, looked at her notes for a moment, and then took her spot in front of Kira again.

 

The second time around was better.  She felt a little more accustomed to Kira's distractions, but she knew she would throw in new things among the flashes of light, pinches, and invisible whips.  Aureli felt herself slipping around the same place she had faltered the first time, but pushed through it, making sure she had the discipline to push herself instead of giving up because of anxiety.  She worked through the twenties this time, becoming more familiar with the movements and the rhythms of the weaves.  Because she had only one arm, Aureli had to learn different techniques to guide the weaves than everyone else did.  The movements weren't necessary, but the way a weave was learned was fundamental as to how it was executed.

 

Aureli found herself lost in her work and managed to make it to the fifty-second weave the second go-around before one too many pinches on one spot on the back of her neck made her stop.  She hadn't started the next weave, so there weren't any consequences like there had been the first time, when her one arm itched.  She helped herself to a glass of water and rested for a moment.  "Well, I'm certainly getting there...I feel like we're missing something, though.  If the test is so hard, the distractions wouldn't be this repetitive, but it definitely helps to work under pressure like this.  Are you ready for the next round?" she asked.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira did her best to distract Aureli, but Aureli just kept going.  She got to fifty-two before stopping and then spoke.

 

"Well, I'm certainly getting there...I feel like we're missing something, though.  If the test is so hard, the distractions wouldn't be this repetitive, but it definitely helps to work under pressure like this.  Are you ready for the next round?" she asked.

 

"Not quite," Kira replied. "Let me look over my notes real quick." Kira pulled out her notes and continued. "I know the distractions wouldn't be so repetitive, but to be honest, I have no idea what to expect when it comes to the test.  It makes me more nervous than anything."

 

Kira found her notes and began looking through them.  Kira had a goal this time.  She wanted to catch up to Aureli this round.  She knew she was unlikely to get through all the weaves this time through, but she figured it would be doable to keep up with the more experienced Accepted.

 

Putting down her notes, Kira said, "Ok.  I'm ready."

 

Kira began channeling.  She made her way quickly through the first fifteen and kept going.  Aureli was right in that the reoccurring distractions became somewhat easy to ignore after awhile and Kira doubted that the real test would be like this.  Kira kept going through the motions of the weaves and passed weave number 30.  The pinching on the back of her calf was becoming irritating but Kira forced the irritation out of her mind and focused on the weaves.  She passed weave forty as a bright flash erupted in front of her face.

 

"Only twelve more," Kira thought maintaining her concentration.

 

Kira passed fifty and made it to fifty-two.  She decided to try for fifty three, but it was then her concentration was broken and she dropped the weave.  Suddenly her arms itched uncontrollably.

 

She scratched them, got a drink of water and said, "Now we're even.  Are you ready for another go?"

[Leala Sedai]

Aureli stretched her back and her arm before getting a little more water.  She took in a deep breath and let it out before she decided she was ready again.  Kira was getting the hang of the weaves.  She wondered if she dropped the fifty-third weave because she was tired or if that was really when she had lost her concentration.  "I suppose one or two more rounds wouldn't hurt."  She smiled brightly at her friend before she sat back down.  Honestly, she was beginning to get a little tired, but she knew the real test would likely be much worse and much more draining than this.

 

Kira began channeling immediately after Aureli started.  She barely felt the first few slaps and pinches.  At this point, the flashes of light were the worst to contend with.  Physical attacks could be ignored with concentration and determination, but you needed to be able to see to be able to channel.  The blue-ish coin fell into her hand much easier than it had the first two times.  The second weave was easier, too.  Since she had done the first nineteen weaves correctly since the beginning, they were very easy too.  She forties with relative ease.  Her tiredness was just a little tugging in the back of her mind as she went through them.  She was able to keep the fatigue away with sheer will power, it seemed.

 

Aureli passed the fifty-second weave and made herself keep going.  She wanted to make it all the way to the last weave this time.  She hadn't consulted her notes this time like she had done the last round, but she was confident that she knew which weaves consisted of what.  They got more and more complicated it seemed, though, but that was all right.  She was able to sense where the threads were as well as see them just a little when the flashes came and went.  As she reached the eighty-ninth weave, she knew she could get to the end.  She would be tired to the bone, but she would be finished.  

 

It took a certain discipline not to weave the last eleven weaves too quickly.  She was excited that she could see the end, but she made herself slow down to finish correctly.  Finishing the weaves the right way was as essential as doing them at a steady pace without losing concentration.  Now she was pushing herself through what had to be a bruise forming on her left hip, through the excitement of success, and fatigue that was beginning to make itself more present than at the beginning.

 

When she reached the last weave, though, she formed it with grace and a kind of reverence.  When the sparkling lights cascaded through the hair, she let out a very un-Aes Sedai-like whoop of joy.  By then , she was sweating, and ready to go to bed, but she had to provide distractions for Kira through her round, too.  Luckily, providing distractions was much less work than working through them.

 

After she caught her breath and stood up, she looked to her friend.  "I think I can distract you for one more round...and that should be about it for me..."

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira's mouth dropped in a very un-Aes Sedai fashion as Aureli finished the one hundreth weave.  In three rounds, she was able to finish all of them.  Kira didn't think that she would be able to finish.  She was extremely nervous.

 

"Wow," Kira said, passing Aureli a glass of water. "That was amazing."

 

Kira waited for Aureli to take a drink while studying her notes one more time.  Kira had been doing her best to keep up with Aureli and so far had succeeded.  She wasn't sure if she would be able to finish the weaves or not.  Kira worked on calming her nerves using the same techniques she used to diffuse her anger.

 

Kira finished reviewing her notes and spoke.  "I can do one more, and that will be all for tonight, whether or not I finish the one hundred weaves."  They both knew the consequences of overchanneling.

 

Kira took a deep breath and started.  The first several weaves went very well.  SHe was able to tune out the bright flashes of light and sounds, but Kira's fatigue was beginning to take over.  It was harder to concentrate because she was tired.  Kira made it past fifty two and continued going.  By weave seventy three, the bright flashes were becoming more prevalent and Kira's focused waned.  Kira kept trying and made it to weave ninety.  It was then her concentration was gone.  She stopped.

 

"Well I didn't quite finish, but I think that's all I can do for now."

[Leala Sedai]

Aureli felt herself blush in embarrassment when Kira complimented her work.  She accepted the water gratefully and sipped at it as Kira got ready for her last round.  She sincerely hoped these weaves came as easily to her during the real test as they had tonight.  She knew it was absolutely silly of her to think this, but along with this anxiety she felt for the test, she kept thinking that maybe when the test finally came, she would blank out a critical moment, or she would lose her serenity, but she couldn't think like that.  Thoughts like that would likely get her killed or failed.  And at this point, she wasn't sure which would be worse.

 

When Kira was ready, Aureli took her spot behind her friend and began her distractions.  Pinches, flashes, whips of Air, the usual.  She tried to mis things up and keep them as distracting as possible.  Kira pulled through most of the weaves, though.  She got to the ninetieth weave before her concentration finally broke.  Concentration was a very slippery thing to hold on to while you were tired.

 

"I'd say that wasn't bad for our first try with the distractions," she said with an encouraging smile to her friend.  "I think if we go at it maybe twice a month like this, we should start getting faster, and be able to hold our concentration longer, don't you?"

 

She stood up and stretched slowly.  She felt her blood slowly pounding through her body, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.  "I think for right now, though, I'll just be glad that my first class isn't until mid-morning tomorrow."  She took one more cup of water and gulped it down.  "I'll see you tomorrow.  Sleep well," she said, still smiling, but tiredly.  Aureli left her friend's room and slowly walked to her own room.  She would have gladly curled up on the floor and slept there, but she knew her bed would be more welcoming.

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Kira acknowledged Aureli's request that they get together more often. Twice a month would work and they would be able to gef through all the weaves with distractions. Kira was already feeling more confident with them than she had at the beginning of the night.  The thought of becoming Aes Sedai filled Kira with joy.  She had worked extremely hard and the end was in sight.

Kira bid Aureli goodnight, and although she was really tired, Kira felt too much anticipation to go to sleep right away. Kira changed into her pajamas and washed her face and hands. She picked up her notes and read through them, but spent more time reflecting on the past couple of decades. It was hard to believe that she had changed so much. She rarely had temper tantrums anymore and almost always kept the feeling of Aes Sedai calm showing on her face.  There were always slip ups, but Kira was definitely growing. Her skills needed more practice, but for the first time, she really felt ready to be Aes Sedai. She could see the end of the path and felt ready to wear the shawl.

Kira put down her notes and paced in the room, allowing her thoughts to come. The thought of becoming Aes Sedai brought a smile to her face. She had worked hard and couldn't wait to earn her shawl.  She still hadn't decided on an Ajah, but there was still time for that. Finally, Kira laid down on her bed and soon fell asleep.