Visiting with an Aes Sedai (Carra)

[Lynsey]

Although the tone in Carra Sedai's voice was anything but pleased. She understood the warning and its intentions. She wanted to ask if she could try it. But given the warning, she thought it better just to focus on moving on with the lesson.

So again she paid attention to the feels of the weave more than the visual. It felt very similar to the basic wards she had learned previously. It may be the same concept, and just a different name and way of doing it.

As the cup disappeared, Della grinned like a child who seen the cookie jar being filled. Yet again, her mind raced to the mischievous deeds that could be performed. She didn't know what had come over her. Maybe it was just the fact that she knew at the end of this road; childlike wonder would be a thing of the past

She looked down at her water and set it down on the table next to her. She looked at it and began to send weaves of Air and Fire towards the cup. She hesitated for a minute, weaves posed to flow. She decided that she could do it, and that she will. She sent the weave, interlacing them until they appeared to be a rough dome.

She tightened the weave and frowned as the cup disappeared. Normally, she would have been happy with how easy it had been done. But it made her suspicious, had she really done it right?

"Is that right? I know the cup has disappeared, but it was too easy." She said without looking up from the cup.

[Carra]

Carra looked over the weave. It wasn't masterwork and she could see weaknesses in it, but the girl had made the cup disappear and she would only get better with practice. "You completed the weave correctly, or the cup would not have vanished." She thought on the girls comment about it being too easily and instead of delving further decided to write a note to the Indigo Ajah to see if they could test the girl for Talents; if she had any. This way they would have the discovery and Carra would have gained some favor for sharing instead of hoarding a secret. Something Carra found silly in the Tower politics.

Tower Politics, however, had nothing on Cairhien Politics.

"How about we try two more weaves for the day." Carra pulled out a few slightly rusted, dull knives from beside her pillow that she sat upon and put them in front of Della. Carra picked up one of them to use as an example. "This next trick is Polish. This weave will remove rust from metal." Carra began weaving the strands of earth into a circle. She directed the weave over the dagger and soon the rust was gone and the dagger had a polished look to it. "This weave can also pull rust from other objects but takes more skill in Earth. This may also be difficult if you are weak in Earth, so have patience and take your time."

[Lynsey]

So the weave was right, which was good. Della nodded and watched as Carra Sedai pulled out the knives. At first she was confused. Why knives? As Carra Sedai explained the weave, she began to understand. She wondered if she would be allowed to use the weave for chores. If she could manage it, of course.

This was one of the first times Della wpuld be working with Earth. Hopefully, it worked the same as Fire. As she understood that Earth and Fire were male powers. And Fire seemed to flow easily enough. At this moment it time, it never occurred to her that Fire may be her strongest power.

Della instinctively drew on Saidar and pulled on Earth. Only it seemed to resist. The more she pulled the harder it became. She took a breath and tried to let it flow. Earth let up only enough for a trickle. Frowning, Della tried to gain a thicker tread. Very slowly it seemed to grow.

By the time it seemed to be of a decent size, sweat had began to form on Della's forehead. Trying to pull on Earth was proving to be a challenge for her. She don't know what or why, but the weave of Earth slipped from her grasp and fell apart. She stared at the spot where she had just had the weave half done. She yawned and began to pull on Earth again. It seemed even more resilient.

Frustrated and without thinking, Della lashed out with flows of Air. The dagger went flying. Where it head or landed, was a mystery to Della. As she quickly released Saidar and stood there in shock.

[Carra]

It took a steady hand to practice weaves, and an even quicker reflexes if working with something as dangerous as knives. She could see the girl struggling with the Earth and it was interesting after she had shown such deft with Fire. The lashing out of Air told Carra that the girl's instincts were important but she was not so happy with the knife went flying by her face. It was the first time in all her lessons Carra was caught surprised.

"Don't... lash out with the One Power." Carra said with calm, although her heart was beating fast. Adrenaline was a funny thing, and she knew then that she could use an adventure outside of this Tower before her reflexes grew too faded for her. "If you can not make a weave work you will find more success in calm than anger. It is one of the Tests you will receive to become Aes Sedai."

Picking up the remainder of the knives, "Well, until you are able to gain a little more control of Earth I think that weave can wait. Was there anything you would like to learn? There are some things I could teach you but some that I can not. Not yet."

[Lynsey]

Although it shouldn't have surprised her, she couldn't help but wonder how Carra Sedai remained so calm. She also wondered how old the Aes Sedai was, and how long it took for her to be so calm. It both puzzled and amazed her.

"I'm truly sorry. I should be more careful with my temper. It's known to flare once in a while" Della said when she finally managed to wipe the dumb look off her face. For a split second she wondered why the Aes Sedai didn't kick her out. But than, why would she? A novice with a temper was just as dangerous as a wilder she once heard.

She thought for a moment. Than it occurred to her. If she was going to get any better at this, and be trusted to ever teach a class. She would have learn how to get her temper under control. Or at least be able to keep it from effecting her weaves.

"Do you think you could teach me steps to take to become more calm with channeling? To use less emotions and detaching the feeling of the weave after its been used" requested Della. She had noticed she often felt the weaves long after they were gone. As if the air was heavier in the spots the one power had touched.

[Carra]

There was true emotion in Carra's face as Della made her request, and she could not help but be impressed by the wisdom in the girls request. It was rare for anyone to admit weakness, although certainly more common in Novices than anyone else in the Grey Tower, but rarer still to recognize it and ask for help. Carra had to think on it for a time, reflecting carefully on herself before giving an answer.

"I will tell you something that I have told no other in the Tower. I do not speak of my life before I came to Hama Valon because many things I did would be.. controversial at a best. My life was not a kind life, and I spent a lot of time on the streets if I was not being beaten or abused, or manipulated and used. I do not know if I could teach you what I have become from my past. I would not know where to start or even how to keep it from being unpleasant." Carra admitted, sitting calmly on her pillow with a steady voice that seemed void. There was a touch of warmth to it, enough to show that the Novice she was not as hard as she was. Della had touched Carra's heart in an odd way, and few had ever impressed her.

"There are others that could help you. There are members of the White Ajah that would happily teach you how to separate your emotions. The Warders Yard can teach you of the Void which will help you separate your emotions from your actions. Your experience here in the Tower will also teach you this, over time that is." Carra could not help but look a little sadly at the girl. She would not wish her steel heart on anyone, let alone someone that burned so beautifully with fire.

[Lynsey]

When she was younger, he grandmother would always just glance at her. Than do some small thing to see if Della was really staring at her or not. And if she was, she would find water or something minor flying at her with her grandmother's words 'it's rude to stare Della'. But at that very moment she could not help but stare at Carra Sedai.

The woman had let Della see behind the Aes Sedai mask. She was not sure how she should respond. It was an honor and responsibility, she didn't know what would be an appropriate response. Should she offer an empathic response? Let a silent look speak volumes? She looked at Carra Sedai, and for the first time that day she felt she had what it took to become an Aes Sedai.

"Thank you Carra Sedai" was all Della could think to say. It wasn't just for the lessons but for the honesty and humbleness. It gave her a new respect for all Aes Sedai. She always knew people experienced hardship, you just would never think an Aes Sedai would be one of them.

"So, when it comes to Earth. Stay calm and let it come as it wishes? Think I will struggle with water as well?" She asked after doing a quick run down of the five powers.

[Carra]

Carra took the girls change of the conversation for what it was, and was grateful that the girl didn't pry. She wouldn't get any answers and it would cut this lesson very short very fast but since the girl was wise enough to ask the right questions she also was wise enough when not to ask at all. Something that will carry her far.

"There is only one way to find out." Carra gave her a smile that almost touched her eyes. "Wait here." Standing up from her cushion taking her tea cup with her, she ignored the wrinkles of the her over dress and walked to the kitchen. She picked up a few small cups, a cup of water and refilled her tea. These were cups that she did not mind being broken. Returning Carra took her seat and set the one cup in front of her and filled two of them with water, leaving some water in the third.

"Lets try three weaves. They are the same but only use a different strand of Saidar. The first, we will use fire." Carra embraced Saidar and a thread of Fire started to spin in her own cup, warming the tea. "Use only the bared of Saidar you can as you do not need much. Too much and you can burn yourself and me. The faster the fire spins the hotter the water also gets. Start the weave and gently settle it into the tea until it is warm to the touch."

[Lynsey]

When Carra Sedai returned to the room with the cups and water. Della leaned forward with interest. She was highly curious about what would happen. She wondered often it was possible to move water. Would Carra be teaching her this as well? Only time would be able to tell. As Carra Sedai began to explain the lesson, she reached out with her senses. She felt that the strand of fire was very thin indeed. She hoped that she had gained enough skill in this lesson to be able to control the amount easily. Though she had to admit, she was beginning to feel tired.

Saidar came easily to her, she no longer had to fight with it as she when she had first come to the Grey Tower. This to her was a good sign. It meant that it may be easier for her to channel the faint strand. She stared at the cup in front of her for a moment. The objective was to warm the water, not the cup. She pondered for a moment before she let the thinnest strand of fire she could manage flow into the cup. She guided it around the cup. It was a little slow at first.

"Come on." whispered Della. As she did, the flow began to chase its tail. She nudged it into the tea. It moved faster, it was almost as if she was stirring the fire around the cup. She let a small smile play on her lips, pleased that the flow was doing as it was asked. She placed her hand on the outside of the cup, feeling for the temperature to reflect the sensation that now filled her mind. The warmth of the tea slowly began apparent, and she let the flow go.

"Is that warm enough?" Della asked as she leaned back and awaited to see if she had warmed the tea enough.

[Carra]

"Is it warm enough?"

The girl seemed nervous. Carra gave a kind teacher-like smile, "I don't know. You tell me." The girl seemed to hesitate before she reached out to touch the cup.

"You did well with the one element, lets try the other two. One at a time, please."