After a moment of hesitation, Jaryd followed. He let the Ward dropped as they passed its boundaries, and adopted the hang-dog attitude of someone who had just received a blistering reprimand. Let the eavesdroppers make of that what they would!
To his surprise, Carra led him underground. They put her in the basement? Why not a guest chamber? Why not… He supposed there really weren’t many good places to put a new Red in a Tower that was divided like a pie. He followed her siting room as she spoke, and stopped just short of the furniture facing the fire. “If you thought I were so trite as to allow mismatched furniture and a lack of windows determine my Ajah choice, I am certain you would never have given me a chance to see it,” he commented dryly.
“I…understand…what you are saying. In a world so defined by Light and Shadow, it can be difficult to stand with one foot in both and acknowledge the benefits of each without the world automatically assuming you serve the Shadow.” He shuddered “I had planned on joining the Grey Ajah, because I thought perhaps their focus on negotiation and compromise would provide the most understanding environment, but even they are still so focused on peace that the idea that a war could be a good thing makes their eyes bug out.”
He smiled abruptly remembering an encounter with a Grey named Jillian. “Have you ever asked a Grey if she would kill the Dark One if given the chance, and then asked why?” His eyes danced. “Or for that matter-“ he cut off, realizing something.
“Channelers have a much larger effect on the Pattern than normal people,” he observed slowly. “Do you intend for the Red Ajah to hinder them from pushing that effect too far?” He wasn’t sure how to say it right, but the connection was suddenly there in his head. The traditional Red Ajah had hunted men who could channel in order to avoid another Breaking or, in other words, to prevent total chaos from taking over the world. Though the reality of their actions was questionable, they, too, had fought to keep the world from falling too far to either side of the spectrum. The Grey Tower’s Red Ajah could do the same, on a much broader spectrum.
To his surprise, Carra led him underground. They put her in the basement? Why not a guest chamber? Why not… He supposed there really weren’t many good places to put a new Red in a Tower that was divided like a pie. He followed her siting room as she spoke, and stopped just short of the furniture facing the fire. “If you thought I were so trite as to allow mismatched furniture and a lack of windows determine my Ajah choice, I am certain you would never have given me a chance to see it,” he commented dryly.
“I…understand…what you are saying. In a world so defined by Light and Shadow, it can be difficult to stand with one foot in both and acknowledge the benefits of each without the world automatically assuming you serve the Shadow.” He shuddered “I had planned on joining the Grey Ajah, because I thought perhaps their focus on negotiation and compromise would provide the most understanding environment, but even they are still so focused on peace that the idea that a war could be a good thing makes their eyes bug out.”
He smiled abruptly remembering an encounter with a Grey named Jillian. “Have you ever asked a Grey if she would kill the Dark One if given the chance, and then asked why?” His eyes danced. “Or for that matter-“ he cut off, realizing something.
“Channelers have a much larger effect on the Pattern than normal people,” he observed slowly. “Do you intend for the Red Ajah to hinder them from pushing that effect too far?” He wasn’t sure how to say it right, but the connection was suddenly there in his head. The traditional Red Ajah had hunted men who could channel in order to avoid another Breaking or, in other words, to prevent total chaos from taking over the world. Though the reality of their actions was questionable, they, too, had fought to keep the world from falling too far to either side of the spectrum. The Grey Tower’s Red Ajah could do the same, on a much broader spectrum.