Blocked, Part Four: When the Water Evaporates...

[Chloro]

Young Novice Amarea comes to Chloro Sedai late at night for a private lesson. Having just recently joined the tower, this is Amarea's first time observing the Aes Sedai on her own turf. Chloro offers advice and shows the novice how quickly even a bucket of water can be take care of.

View of: Chloro
Participants: Chloro, Amarea

In the Apartment
It would seem that the occupant of these quarters spends as much time out of the Tower as she does within. A travel pack stands beside the door, recently deposited, yet standing ready to go at a moments notice. A number of loose papers sit upon the face of the desk, an unstoppered bottle of ink and a clean quill standing ready to be put to use.
[ obvious exits: N ]
Zone: White Tower Upper Floors
Door north: thickdoor

Someone knocks on the thickdoor from the other side.

Amarea has arrived from the north.

Amarea curtseys before you.

Amarea closes the thickdoor.

Amarea beams a broad smile from ear to ear.

Chloro looks up from her desk nodding to the novice. "Welcome child, it is refreshing to see a novice burning the midnight oil."

Amarea enters the apartment carrying a small tray of food. 'Thank you for meeting with me, Aes Sedai. It is so good to see you again!'

Amarea grins playfully.

Amarea says 'I had a hard time sleeping after a lesson with Kitiara Sedai, so I was baking some bread to have it fresh for when First rings in the morning.'

Amarea says 'Beggin' your pardon, Aes Sedai, but would you care for some light white wine? Honeyed tea? Or perhaps some strong black tea?'

Chloro says 'I am glad my sister Keshara was able to see you put into whites, indeed by blue sisters can be very graphic in their lessons. Then so can we all at times. Honey tea would be wonderful.'

Amarea gives you a cup of honeyed tea.

Amarea nods at you.

Amarea says 'I also have a few plates of food, if you are hungry yourself or didn't get time to eat, as well as some of my award-winning bread.'

Amarea beams a broad smile from ear to ear.

Amarea gives you a loaf of sugar bread.

Amarea gives you a loaf of crusty fresh bread.

Amarea gives you a plate of roast beef and jacket potatoes.

Amarea sets the tray of extra refreshments down as she brushes some extra flour off her hands.

Chloro takes the offered teacup letting the warmth seep in through her fingers. "My Warder, Finan makes sure we both stay fed, however I do thank you for the offer."

Amarea smiles happily.

Amarea says 'He is a nice man. He helped me in the countryside shortly before I came to the White Tower, when I came across you in the Two Rivers, Aes Sedai.'

Chloro pulls a white leather-bound folder off a stack and waves the novice to have a seat. "I hear from my sisters; you suffer from a block involving running water?"

Amarea blushes slightly, nodding as she lifts a heavy bucket full of water.

Amarea gets a wooden bucket from a backpack.

Amarea shows a wooden bucket to you.
It looks like a drink container.
It's full of a clear liquid.

Amarea says 'Aelrena Sedai was able to help me figure it out.'

Amarea beams a broad smile from ear to ear.

Amarea says 'I need to be within three paces of a container of water big enough to put out a small fire. And if I see actual fire, there needs to be even more water, or I can't keep touch of the Source or even see others' waving.'

Chloro nods and smiles warmly, "I will add to your training now and attempt to break this block, however that will require complete honesty on your part child. Often, blocks are mental, due to passed trauma. I believe you had an aversion to when I channeled fire, out in the world?"

Amarea says 'I went a while before I was able to figure that out. Sheriam Sedai was seeming a bit worried about me, with me not being able to even learn anything from her. But once we figured that out, a lot of her lessons have gone very smoothly. Some things just started coming to me pretty quickly.'

Amarea's face pales as her eyes widen.

Amarea says meekly, 'Yes, Aes Sedai.'

Chloro closes the white folder and looks to the novice. "Amarea, please list the five flows of the one power."

Amarea nods and recites after a brief pause, 'That would be Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit, Aes Sedai.'

Chloro says 'Which of the elements come to you easier when you do channel?'

Amarea wets her lips and replies, 'Earth, Chloro Sedai. Sheriam Sedai said this is sort of unusual.'

Chloro thinks the comment over a moment and pulls the quill from the open ink well and jots down a few notes. "Indeed, the talent of delving might be within you if earth is your strongest flow. I myself am equally strong in fire and water."

Amarea's eyes light up with curiosity.

Amarea says 'The first time I touched the Source intentionally, here after joining the Tower, was when Alison Sedai was making a gateway to show me how it leaves a...residue, of sorts. It seemed to resonate with me.'

Chloro says 'First before we think about delving, we must make it, so you are able to embrace the one power at will.'

Amarea says 'Sheriam Sedai said that the Locate weaves came very naturally to me, unusually so, and my range with them is greater than she's seen in many novices. She said it might be something I have a Talent in. Something to do with...ley lines, I think they're called. Finding things, and finding the connections between things.'

Amarea quiets down, blushing, and nods at the Aes Sedai.

Chloro stands her silver robe with blue roses billowing over her gray silk night gown. "Let us start with some basic exercises, leave the bucket where it is." Gracefully Chloro moves to the Kandori carpet in the middle of the room, a red horse woven within the run.

Amarea carefully sets the bucket on the floor, then moves over to the carpet, following the Aes Sedai as instructed.

Chloro sits down in a cross-legged fashion and places her palms face up on her knees. "I would like you to tell me about the first time you channeled."

Amarea freezes for a fraction of a moment on her way towards sitting on the ground, nearly losing her balance, then continues and sits mirrored in front of the Gray sister. 'I didn't know I was channeling,' she whispers hoarsely. 'I didn't mean to do it.'

Amarea closes her eyes and continues, trying to steal her voice. 'I was baking bread at my family's bakery. I was really excited about it. I felt like it was going to come out just right, just from the feel of kneading the dough. When I put it in the oven, it...flared. The flames grew out of control. I'd never seen anything like it.'

Chloro takes a deep calming breath, her long wavy red hair rising and falling with her chest, "You are safe within these walls child. You come to us after releasing your past. We will not hold what was before, against you.

Amarea hesitates, then nods, still unsure of herself.

Chloro smiles warmly and chuckles. "Is that all child? At the time I was found by the Aes Sedai advising the Queen of Kandor, I nearly forged a weapon with the one power, unknowingly. Every woman in the tower from out oldest sister to our youngest novices has their own story as to what happened when they first touched Saidar."

Amarea looks down, blushing, fidgeting with her hands. 'Our entire bakery burned to the ground,' she says softly, not making eye contact. 'I got some burns, and my two youngest siblings both had breathing problems from the smoke. Our family had to take out another loan to get enough money to restore the building. It...well, we've been really tight on money ever since.'

Amarea chuckles mirthlessly. 'It's ironic, really. Sheriam Sedai says I'm so weak in Fire that I can barely form the flows strong enough to make a ball of light.'

Chloro raises her right hand reaching out touching the novice’s shoulder. "You are weak in fire because you wish to be. Based on what I can sense, when you reach your full potential, you will be equal to that of most other Aes Sedai. You are choosing to not touch that flow to attempt to protect yourself I think."

Amarea's eyes flicker up to meet yours, a look of uncertainty on her face. 'I'm trying really hard in my lessons, I swear I am, Chloro Sedai.'

Chloro withdraws her arm slowly and waves off the comment. "I do not doubt that you are Amarea, the mind can be as detrimental to our growth as the shadow can be to the light." Embracing Saidar, Cloro lets it swirl around her, pulling flows of air she lifts the bucket floating it before the fire fireplace. With a thin tread of fire she heats the bucket, the water boiling and evaporating within leaving it empty. With gentle ease she sets the bucket softly on the ground with the same flow of air.

Chloro says 'As you can see Amarea, even water can change when combined with flows of fire.'

Amarea whimpers at the sight of Fire but tries to sit still. She pales and looks dejected as the water evaporates entirely. To her eyes, the weaves and the glow of saidar around the Aes Sedai vanish from her vision.

Chloro releases Saidar and reaches out raising the novice's face by her chin to meet the Grays exotic gray colored eyes. "Intention when channeling is paramount. Often when saidar first flows to us, we have no intention as we do not know what is happening. You now know what Saidar is, you know the five flows, and some basic weaves. Have you set anyone on fire while attempting them?"

Amarea admits, 'No, Aes Sedai, I haven't set anyone on fire.'

Chloro nods and gracefully stands offering her right hand to assist the novice up. "For tonight, before bed. I would like you to light a candle and study the flame of it. In our next meeting we will discuss your findings and attempt to break your block, if it is not broken already."

Amarea nods thoughtfully.

Amarea asks glumly, 'Without the bucket, I suppose?'

Chloro says 'With or without. Though you may think the bucket aids you, it does not. The bucket hinders you more than anything. It is a crutch you will lean on if you do not learn to embrace Saidar without it.'

Amarea sighs, but nods.

Amarea says 'Aes Sedai...can I ask you a question?'

Chloro says 'Of course, Novice.'

Amarea asks nervously, 'Is this block going to keep me from advancing in the Tower? Am I going to be stuck as a novice forever until I somehow figure out how to break it?'

Amarea says 'I work really hard. As hard as any novice here, and harder than some. I've been attending all of the lessons with the Aes Sedai on this floor, and reading every book in the library I can get my hands on. I feel like I've gained a whole mind full of knowledge. And some things I can weave really well.'

Amarea blushes as she looks back to the floor. 'I am trying. Really.'

Chloro thinks over the question and takes a moment before answering, her tone firm but warm. "Until you are able to safely embrace Saidar and would not be viewed as a threat if left unaided, then yes, you would remain as a novice."

Amarea's shoulders sag a little, and she looks back to the floor, saying nothing in reply.

Chloro offers one more piece of advice. "You are far from the first girl to come here while the shawl has graced my shoulders with a block, and you will be far from the last. Something you should consider is, with a simple weave of fire and water, you can heat buns back to fresh out of the oven."

Chloro smiles and winks offering the baking comment.

Amarea's lips twitch into the ghost of a smile. 'I figured out I have this kind of trick, using Earth, Air, and Water. It prepares the dough just right when I'm kneading it, and it bakes flawlessly every time.'

Chloro says 'What a wonder it would be, if you could do that any time you wished, without needing a bucket of water...'

Chloro says 'For now novice, you are dismissed.'

Amarea blushes furiously.

Amarea nods in agreement.

Amarea curtseys before you.

Amarea starts to walk away without the bucket, clearly trying to leave it behind, but as she nears the door, she pauses and turns around to pick up the noticeably lighter bucket.

Amarea wipes away some moisture around her eyes with her sleeve. 'You're really nice, Aes Sedai. Thank you.'

Amarea says 'I promise I'll work really hard at this task.'

Amarea nods to herself, she must need reassurance.

Chloro says 'You are welcome child; my door is always open.'

Amarea says 'The Light shine on you, Chloro Sedai. Enjoy the bread, please.'

Amarea beams a broad smile from ear to ear.

Amarea curtseys before you.

Amarea opens the thickdoor.

Chloro says 'Light illumine you novice.'

[Catisune]

I awarded Amarea 1 rpqp and Chloro 1 qp for this log. Please see any silver-haired Aes Sedai to 'receive' your reward.