Pride and Petulance [Attn: Avyra]

[Jenny]

After the Keeper of Archives left, Mirin stood and closed the door. She spoke without turning around. Her voice was quiet, although her clipped accent, to an attentive listener, seemed sharper than usual.

"Avyra Moeryr. I did not expect to see you again so soon after your arrival. Well. Let me remind you, then. Whatever you had been at home no longer matters. You are now a novice of the Grey Tower. Tell me, Avyra, did you come to the Tower to learn, or to play? If you cannot control yourself, you will not be turned out of the Tower - no, that will not happen until you are no longer a danger to yourself or others. But do not let that reassure you. Instead, you will be kept here as a novice for as long as it takes... until you learn. Some have been here for ten years, or more."

She paused, letting the silence sink in. Finally, she looked behind her.

"So, you were... climbing trees? Explain," she said.

The girl sat in one of the cushioned chairs placed before her desk. There was very little that Avyra could say to defend herself. Mirin folded her arms and stared at the novice, waiting for an answer.

[Avyra]

Avyra sat on the chair, her legs folded up against her chest in an attempt to make herself smaller under the rebuking of Mirin Sedai. She secretly hoped she was never this scary when she became a full sister. The silence began to get to her, and she fidgited a bit, sinking further into the cushions when Mirin turned about. "So, you were... climbing trees? Explain." "I just..." How could she begin? "I've been wanting to climb that one tree for a while. It was tormenting me because of how tall it was. But. I made it to the top?" She gave a small, a bit fearful, grin. She paused, face falling. "I did not think of the consequences. Or know that climbing was forbidden. I'm sorry, Mirin Sedai." She sounded like she actually meant it, for once.

[Jenny]

Mirin's lips thinned as she saw the girl's legs propped up on the chair. Light, has she never been instructed in how to sit in a chair? No matter. There were many girls who came to the Tower without any sort of proper education. It was Mirin's job to correct them.

"Put your feet down," she said. She sat down in the chair closest to Avyra, as though the novice needed a demonstration, and arranged the dark green silks of her dress neatly. "Place your hands in your lap. Good, child."

She prepared to reprimand the girl, but was stopped by the expression on Avyra's face.

"Perhaps you think this is pointless. That sitting properly is needlessly picky. I assure you, child, that it is not the case. If you would sit like that before an Aes Sedai, then perhaps you would be so thoughtless as to sit like that before a queen. And if you sit like that before a queen - well, you may find yourself in even less pleasant circumstances than you are now, for your disrespect. Am I clear?"

Her tone was clear, sharp, and matter-of-fact. There was no disappointment or judgment in the way she spoke - only instruction. She stared at the girl. Avyra ducked her head, and nodded.

"Louder please," said Mirin, sharply.

"Yes, Mirin Sedai."

"Good. You made it to the top. I see by your smile that you are proud of this fact. It seems that you still remember sitting at the top of that tree triumphantly. Perhaps you will remember the feeling of the fresh breeze in your hair instead of its consequences, and that memory will make you think that there are some goals worth reaching despite their cost. That is actually... not a bad lesson to learn. Yet I think you will find that climbing that tree will not be one of those goals worth the sacrifice.

"You did not think of the consequences. That is something that needs to be remedied. For the next month, you will keep a journal, in which you will write every day of your mistakes and their consequences. The report will be due weekly, to me. I will expect thoughtfulness in your entries. If I feel that you are not taking the assignment seriously - then there will be further consequences.

"Second, you did not know that climbing was forbidden." Mirin lifted a strand of dark hair from her forehead, and then ran her hand down the curl. She sighed, finally showing some exasperation. "Can you think of anything else that is not in the rules, and yet would be severely punished? There is a difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law, child. And so here is your second assignment."

Her pale eyes drifted to the bookshelf that covered one of the walls. It had been filled with her favorite books. One was filled with reference books to Tower law. Law, and justice, had been one of her favorite areas of study as an Accepted, and had formed a large part in why she chose to join the Blue Ajah.

"In the Library, you will find many readings on Tower law. Please select one of these laws, and explain how it can be circumvented. Then, explain why it had been worded the way it had, and why it is reasonable to assume that Tower denizens will follow the spirit of the law. I will expect your essay in two weeks.

"And lastly... you are sorry. For what, Avyra? For behaving childishly? For being caught? Is your apology just words drifting in the wind, or is there some substance behind it? You damaged a tree that had been grown over many years with great love and pride. Think, child, to whom should you apologize? The men and women who serve as Tower gardeners will be a great place to begin. For your third assignment, you will write a letter to each of those men and women, and give it personally to them with your sincerest apologies."

She paused, and her expression gentled. "Did you understand all of that, and why you have been assigned these tasks? Please, if you have any questions, ask now."

She was not done yet - the harshest was yet to come - but she wanted to make sure Avyra understood each of these assignments. Perhaps, if everything went well, this could be a learning opportunity for the girl.

((OOC: And of course, there's no need to actually do these assignments. As long as you roleplay Avyra completing the tasks, then it will suffice.))

[Avyra]

Avyra quickly put her feet down; it was mostly a force of habit when someone was fussing at her, and took the instruction of how to sit neutrally, her head down and eyes watching a particularly interesting piece of wood on the floor to distract her from the controlled rage above her head. She only nodded once Mirin finished, but when Mirin demanded a louder answer, she was forced to reply. "Yes Mirin Sedai." She couldn't argue further. Well, she could, but she didn't want to get eaten alive. And thus began a long, and rather disappointing speech about her punishments. Her first one didn't seem too bad; a journal might actually help with her thoughts. If that's all I have to do, that's better than I thought. I can easily- But then the second one rolled around, and she only nodded, glancing up at the books. Okay, she could do that. Not awful, yet. I like research. Plus, it could help me to learn the history here better. Then came the real symphony of disapproval. A letter of apology to all the gardeners. She was going to be hated here already, and she hadn't even been here a month! Nevertheless, she nodded, repeating "Yes Mirin Sedai." It could be worse was the only thing she had in reply. She had no idea who to talk to, even. But she would have to find out quick, and Mirin didn't look like she was going to help. She hoped, with a heavy heart, that it was over, and she finally looked up, meeting the older Aes Sedai's eyes with her own. She didn't dare ask if she could go. That would be an instant death wish.

[Jenny]

"Good," said Mirin. She went to her desk, pulled open a drawer, and plucked a single, slim file. Too slim, Mirin thought, sourly. The girl really hadn't been here long at all. Within the folder, she found a paper.

"This is your schedule," she said. "Or it was. As it seems that you have altogether too much time on your hands, for two weeks, your second chore time will be assigned to scrub pots in the kitchen. Fair warning - scrubbing pots is much more difficult than it sounds."

Her eyes glittered, cold and grey. "And if it cuts into your free time afterwards, well, that's the nature of the chore." The subtext was clear. Don't come complaining to me, she thought.

"The chore list will be updated. You will report to the Mistress of the Kitchens tomorrow after lunch. Well, Avyra, I hope that you will learn your lesson. Is there anything you'd like to say before you go?"

[Avyra]

Avyra met her final punishment with a small nod, but inside she was livid. Really? Scrubbing pots? Surely there was a more interesting chore she could have been assigned to. But, luckily, she kept a straight face, trying not to show her inward displeasure at this. Everything seemed very... harsh to her. After all, it wasn't like she killed anyone or lit anything on fire. It seemed like, to her, that the Tower was allergic to fun and games. After all, the tree had probably experienced worse in its lifetime than a small Novice clambering up its trunk. When Mirin asked if she wanted to say anything else, she thought better of making her complaints vocal. "No, Mirin Sedai." She paused, unsure if she could go or if she had to wait for Mirin to say if it was okay for her to leave or not. She had done enough today, and didn't want to dig an even deeper grave for her to lie in.

[Jenny]

Mirin smiled grimly. "Good. You may go, child," she said.

-----
One week later

Ravak bowed. Mirin nodded politely, and then watched the Gaidin turn and walk out the door with the silent, graceful stride that bonded Warders had. As soon as the door closed behind him, Mirin whirled around, her dark blue skirts spinning about her ankles, and rounded on the novice.

"Avyra! Explain yourself! Now!" she demanded.

Her voice was loud, although not quite yelling, and she was coming very close to losing her temper. Light, to have one of her students found sneaking about in the office of another administrator's room - and Ravak Gaidin, at that! And for Avyra to so blatantly ignore the lessons that she should have learned a mere week prior. Mirin wanted to scream in frustration. It reflected poorly on her, and brought into question her discipline of the novices.

She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Avyra's response.

[Avyra]

Avyra knew she had done wrong. Oh, she knew it. But she was young, and foolish, and that hadn't occurred to her until she was being marched out of Ravak's office in his iron grip to the Mistress of Novices. Actually, she hadn't been much of a fighter during that little ordeal, she had just kept her mouth shut as she jogged to keep up with the large Gaidin's pace. Mirin Sedai and Ravak had talked for a few minutes, then Ravak stalked out, and Mirin rounded on her, making her jump slightly. "Avyra! Explain yourself! Now!" The Novice stopped, opening her mouth slightly, but couldn't speak. She didn't know how to defend herself. "I followed one of the Drin, Fiona. We didn't mean any harm, honest."

[Jenny]

"You are a young lady, Avyra! Not a child running wild through the streets!"

Mirin hissed in frustration. The girl seemed to be talkative enough outside of her office, but became quiet when asked to explain her behavior. The Aes Sedai took a deep breath, and then moved to sit in the cushioned chair by the novice. I need to get her to talk, she thought. I need to understand why she is seeking out trouble. Abruptly, she switched tactics.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked, mildly. Before the girl could answer, she rang for a servant. Even if Avyra didn't want any, perhaps the comforting smell of fresh tea would be calming and help her open up. Mirin smoothed her skirts and crossed her legs under her chair. Then, she folded her hands in her lap and stared unblinkingly at the novice.

"Well, Avyra. Tell me what happened. As you heard, Ravak told me some of it, but I want to hear your side of the story."

[Avyra]

Avyra did not want to stay here, and that was obvious. But, she only nodded at the offer of tea, and remained standing, as she had not been instructed to sit. "I... Fiona and I were hanging out around the Warder's Yards. I had just met her a little bit ago. She had the idea, and I went along with it." She paused. "The original idea wasn't to steal the puppies, in fact, that was never my intent. Fiona went to try to steal his pen; I didn't touch his desk. I just played with the dogs." She paused. "They're really cute dogs. Anyway, we heard Ravak coming back, and so she decided to get caught; I hid under the desk for a bit, until one of the puppies gave me away. Him and Kaia Sedai sent me here. I don't know what Fiona's punishment will be." She paused again, hesitating. "Turns out the pen was something else, too. A ter- something. I don't remember the name, Mirin Sedai. But it was important and, I think, dangerous." She also felt the urge to toss Ravak some shade. "Oh, and I tried to run, but Kaia Sedai flipped me upside down. Ravak Gaidin made a snide remark about women's clothing." She paused. "I'm sorry I didn't have a good reason, Mirin Sedai. I'll scrub more pots or write more letters, if you so wish it." She wanted to turn away from Mirin's gaze but knew if she did, Mirin would win the staring fight that was currently going on, at least in Avyra's head. And she wasn't going to appear submissive. Respectful, but not submissive.