((Continued fromhere which comes from the Infirmary, which comes from the Grounds))

Adena made her way through the Tower halls, carefully not looking anyone in the eyes. She was not afraid that she would give away what was happening, but it seemed like everyone was staring at her. Light, but there was no way they could know what she was planning! The worst part about it was, for the most part, no one was in the uniforms she had just barely come to recognize, for the Feast, everyone was dressed up. Except for Adena. She had not wanted to ruin her clothes wearing them around this filthy Tower, and so had chosen to wear the novice dress, instead. Right now, though, she changed her mind. Originally, she had not planned on going back to her dorm, but decided that it would do her no good to get caught simply because she was wearing a novice dress, she still had a fine dress from home, they had let her keep it only because the feast was coming so soon, so that she could have something to wear aside from her novice dress. Adena was incredibly grateful for that, she had spent the last of her money in Tar Valon before she came to the Tower, and now had no way to buy a new dress. She stepped out into the grounds, and looked around for the building that she knew housed the novices. When she found it, she made for it quickly. Buildings she could find, buildings were visible from most parts of the grounds, and so she could locate them and find the paths to them as long as she was outside, it was rooms, and sections of those buildings she had trouble with. But that did not matter, she was leaving this Light-forsaken place today. She had come here in hopes of learning how not to hurt people, but even the tales she had heard as a child could not compare with the reality of how terrible it was. Ever since the first day, which was not that long ago, she had become increasingly aware that she needed to leave, and soon. And now she finally was. She smiled at the thought, so far, that was the only thing that had made her happy in this place.

She stepped into the novice halls, and made her way to her room, that she knew how to find, having been there more often than almost anywhere else. Once there, she sighed in relief that none of her roommates were present just then. She quickly stepped out of her novice dress, and pulled the dress she had worn most of the way to the Tower out. It was certainly not one of her best dresses, but it was clean, and far finer than anything a peasant would be seen in. Adena thought it would fit right in to the festive dress of the wealth of Tar Valon. She put it on quickly, smoothing the green silk, relishing the feel of it on her skin. She sighed, almost contentedly, Light but she had forgotten how much nicer this was than that hot, scratchy wool they made the novices wear. Why had she chosen not to wear this for the rest of the feast? Adena spent no more time pondering, instead, she pulled the novice white ribbons out of her hair, and stepped out of her white slippers. She reached back into the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black riding shoes, which she had bought in Caemlyn along with her horse. Her horse! She had forgotten about the dear animal, they had taken that from her as well, saying that the Accepted could buy horses, but for a novice, they were unnecessary, and so Wind became a part of the Tower's collection, likely to be used by some witch. Well, there was nothing she could do about it now, he was a good horse, but not so fine as those at her home in Amadicia, she had not had an endless supply of money in Caemlyn, and so had had to settle for Wind, she would miss him though. She turned her thoughts back to happier ones, like her dress. She knew she could not have chosen a better time to leave, likely if she had waited until after the feast, they would have taken this dress, since she would not need it again. Perhaps good would come of that novice Mirazhe running into her in the grounds after all.

As Adena stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her, she thought about that woman. Earlier today, she had received a punishment for channeling without permission. That was what they said, anyway, but the witches did not listen to a word anyone said. It was Mirazhe's fault, the girl had admitted it, she had run into Adena and not apologized, and Adena had gotten angry. She had not meant to channel, it was an accident, she never meant to channel! But all those witches needed to know was that she had channeled without Aes Sedai or Accepted nearby, and so had to be punished. Rather than being sent to the Mistress of Novices, who was strangely absent, she was sent to a woman of the Gray Ajah, who had assigned several punishments, and given her a switching. The first switching ever in Adena's life. She was still angry and humiliated, how could they do that to a lady!? It was the last straw, she had decided on her way to the woman's office that after being assigned whatever punishment was the woman's whim, she would leave the Tower. She knew leaving already made it pointless for her to have come, but she simply could not put up with another moment in this place. Disrespect was thrown at her from every side, with the excuse that nobility did not matter here, she was the lowest of low, because she was a novice. And they expected her to do chores! Even just thinking about it made Adena angrier, but she tried to dampen it. She thought once more about leaving. She could not go back to Amadicia, she would be killed there- though that would be better than staying in Tar Valon -but she could leave this Light-forsaken place, that was certain.

Adena stepped back into the sunlight in the grounds, and made her way toward the walls, she was not sure where the entrances to the city were, but she was sure she could find one. Once again, she thanked the Light, it was the feast, and that meant novices were allowed into the city. It did not take her long to find a gate into Tar Valon, and she stepped through unchallenged. Novices were not allowed outside of the city during the feast, but how difficult could it be to get out? She was not dressed as a novice, how would the guards know? Once she stepped into the grand city that was Tar Valon, though, she lost herself in the crowd. For a little while, she allowed them to move her along, after a little while, they would have to come to a gate, right? Tar Valon may have been built on an island, but it was no small city, and Adena had no idea where the gates were. Of course, it was a walled city surrounded by water, she could only go so far in every direction. And so she finally took control of herself, and made her way at random, hoping that she would end up at least somewhere near one of the bridges. Light, but this was far too easy. She did not even think anyone had noticed her yet, certainly no one had spoken to her. She grinned, growing excited, and finally happy for the first time in years, for the first time since she realized that she could channel. She was leaving the Tower! She would find some town, get married and settle down. Some town where they would appreciate her as a lady, and she would get everything she wanted from the townspeople, running about her feet to do the great lady's bidding. It would be a good life, and Adena could not wait for it to become a reality.

((OOC: Sorry it's so long...))

Marian sighed, rubbing her temples as she rode into the city, coming from the Tower. Finally, Tar Valon was all ready for the Feast, but still, as one of the Gray sisters she had some checking up to do. She had been assigned by the Aes Sedai to help with decorating. As much as she enjoyed being away from her desk in the White Tower, Marian was not much for decorations, as for the past few years as Aes Sedai she had been fulfilling the Head Clerk position within her Ajah. The women had thought to manipulate her, too cowardly to put themselves forth to take the position alone. Marian had been working since her raising to put those women in their places, though it had proved to be a challenge when she had not had her shawl for even a decade and her Aes Sedai face was just forming. She had mastered the composure of an Aes Sedai quickly. It had been necessary, what with the bloody women and their scheming. She would have sworn that they were part of the Blue Ajah, had she not know them. The world of Aes Sedai was much more complicated than it seemed, partly because everyone worked in the shadows.

Shadows. She tried not to think about that. Her heart felt like ice when she thought about Edeleas and what they had done. She was going to help him. She was not going to fall into Shadow herself. No matter what her intentions were though, she knew that any of the Red Shen would pay a decent sum to get their hands on her. She would be dead with in moments. Light, the Amyrlin Seat, her mentor, would kill her if she could. Marian could have hated herself for it, but she knew that it had to be done. Not to mention, Edeleas might have killed her otherwise. Marian just hoped that he didn’t do anything reckless.

The city was bustling with activity. Everyone was preparing for the feast, and even the children were excited, running about with sparkling firesticks that had been bought from the Illuminators. Marian would have smiled normally, seeing this, but she was Aes Sedai, and she had business to attend to. She had intended to take her mentees out to the city, to buy dresses and masks for the masquerade, but somehow, she hadn’t found the time in all that she was doing. She wished that she would have. She remembered the Feast of the Lights, when Sapphira had given her a book, in the absence of her mentor, Etain of the White Ajah. Marian hadn’t seen Etain Sedai since her years as a novice, but the woman had been a great influence on her. She wondered how she was.

“Good morning, Aes Sedai,” said a man, topping his hat to her. Marian blinked, slightly surprised. Her Aes Sedai face must be showing more than she had thought, for them to see that instantly. She wasn’t wearing her shawl, though her Great Serpent Ring still occupied the third finger of her left hand. She hadn’t taken it off since her raising to Aes Sedai. There hadn’t ever been a need to, and without her shawl or face, it would be difficult to prove that she was really a full Aes Sedai. Besides, she found it a source of confidence when dealing with the particularly stubborn Gray sisters. Shaking her head to herself, she turned a corner on her horse and came to the inn where the innkeeper had complained of such “awful décor.” Marian composed herself, ready to set her in her place.

Tossing her reins to one of the stable boys, and pressing a gold coin into his hand, she entered the inn, greeted by about a dozen curtsies of serving maids. She nodded her head graciously, as a noble woman would have. Light, it had been a long time since she had thought about being a lady in Andor. She would have been married by now, had she not become Aes Sedai. It amused Marian to think of her other path. She hadn’t had to come to Tar Valon. She had learned to channel. She hadn’t had the spark inborn within her. Light, I sound like a White sister, she thought desperately to herself. The Grays were enough, without adding any logic or philosphy to them.

A plump woman with a crisp, white apron came to greet her. Her brows were furrowed in a hard way, and Marian wondered if she had had a tough life. She held a wooden spoon in her fist like a sword, though she hardly had the grace of a Warder. “Mistress Pavana,” Marian greeted her, respectfully. The woman eyed her up and down, as if unsure of her status as Aes Sedai. She gave a tight curtsy, and said, “I thought they were sending Reilla Sedai,” with a tone that said she didn’t like what she saw. Marian felt her jaw tighten, though she did not let it show. She was not in the mood for this.

“Reilla Sedai is not in the Tower at this time,” Marian explained simply. In fact, Marian had sent Reilla, that morning, to do penance on a farm for being defiant, asking Marian questions that did not concern her. Marian could be sweet and gentle at times, but her tolerance for the Gray sisters was next to zero. Most of them had learned by now. Some of them were even fearful of her wrath when she had been chosen for this bloody decorating, but Marian had went along with it. A scene would have attracted attention that she did not want. When Reilla had complained that she had an appointment with a complaining innkeeper, Marian had sentenced her to another month away, and told her that she’d bloody go herself if she’d had to. I should have sent Taena, she thought bitterly to herself, taking in the look of the inn.

“Well, just because you Aes Sedai are so high and mighty up in that bl…” Marian gave her a sharp look and cut her off. “Mistress Pavana, I hear you have some complaints about the decorations,” she said firmly. The woman looked as though she was going to protest, but she closed her mouth. She crossed her arms. “Yes,” she said after a moment. “The lanterns across the street are brighter than my inn.” Marian replied, “On the records it said that you would not put up with any lanterns.” Mistress Pavana shrugged. “I did not know that chit, Melene, and her bloody lump of a husband, Geroff, would be putting them on theirs. I haven’t had my usual amount of customers since.”

“Would you like lanterns on your inn?” asked Marian, trying to keep considerate. Inside, she was screaming. Why the hell was she doing this bloody work? She had wanted to be saving people from the rule of those stronger than them! She had wanted to bring justice and peace to the world! Instead, here she was, stuck doing foolish, meaningless tasks like this. “I want them ones across the street taken down!” snapped the innkeeper. If the woman couldn’t be civil to her, Marian saw no reason to keep civil with her – other than the fact that she was Aes Sedai.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you there,” said Marian turning to leave the inn. She wasn’t putting up with this. The White Tower was not created to help pesky citizens with their petty problems. “Bloody Aes Sedai, think they’re better than everyone else,” muttered the innkeeper. Marian pretended she had not heard, going for the door. “Sending me a young chit who wouldn’t last two days as a novice…” Marian whirled around and stalked back, still as graceful as before, giving the woman such a cold, icy look that the larger woman shrunk back. “Mistress Pavana,” she said, her voice cold enough to freeze water. “I’d suggest that you show more respect for the Aes Sedai, even if you do not agree with them. You may very well find yourself doing the work of a novice if you don’t.” Mistress Pavana gathered herself angrily. Marian didn’t let her even begin. “And don’t think the Mistress of Novices would hesistate to switch your bum, despite its size.” With that she left, ignoring the indignant squawks the woman gave.

Needless to say, Marian was not in a good mood.

Taking her horse back and mounting, she hurried down the street, trying to blow off some steam. She was frustrated. She was tired. Light. She grumbled to herself. Turning a corner, she nearly running over a girl. She pulled her horse sharply to a halt. She had the strangest sensation that it was someone from the Tower, though she could not say for certain. She dismounted from her horse. “Are you all right?” she asked, pulling the girl to her feet.

((Why apologize for length? :P))

Adena continued to walk, still unable to tell whether she was going the right direction or not. She turned a corner, and decided that she would follow this road until it ended, and hoped that that meant the city walls. She had not gone far down the road before someone on horseback suddenly came around a corner very near her, nearly running her over. Thankfully, the horse did not step on her, but she did fall. The rider was off the horse quickly, helping her up, and asking whether she was alright. Once she was standing, Adena shook off the woman's hands, and dusted her dress off, indignant. "I would be better if you knew how to ride a horse," she snapped. As she finished, she looked up at who was speaking to her, and swallowed. Aes Sedai. The woman's face was slightly ageless, if such a thing could be said to exist. Adena did not know how that came to be, but there was no doubt that this was not the face of a normal person. Adena glanced at her hands, and saw a golden Great Serpent ring on her left hand. From her few days in the Tower, she had noticed that only Aes Sedai and Accepted wore those rings, but it seemed that that was the finger for Accepted. Even so, the woman's face was clearly not that of Accepted, nor was her bearing. Adena sent up a prayer that this woman would not realize she was running away. Somehow, simply by looking at her, other women could tell she was a channeler, she prayed that this woman would not be able to do that, or that she would not notice. Adena could lie to her, but if she knew that Adena could channel, there was no use. She would be dragged back to the Tower, to have her name put in the novice book, and then they would know she had already been there, or someone would recognize her and she would be in even more trouble.

Possibilities flashed through Adena's mind, every one of them ending with more switching, and more punishment. Light, but she had been assigned punishments before she left, but had not done them. Surely that would not make the Aes Sedai any more lenient, Adena could already hear that Gray woman piling on more and more chores to the list she had already made, Adena would be serving punishment until she died! She took several deep breaths, and tried to calm her panic. There was still hope, perhaps she could find someway to outsmart this witch. Or outrun her, in cities, people on foot could often move faster than those on horseback, if Adena could get back into the crowd of Tar Valon, she might be able to get away. Once in that crowd, how would this woman be able to find her again? She was not wearing her novice dress, nor shoes or hair ribbons, the only article of clothing she had to identify her as a novice were her stockings. Light, but surely she would not look at Adena's stockings, would she? If she did, would she be able to tell them from others? Once again, Adena shoved down panic, praying that it did not rise again. She took several deep breaths. The Aes Sedai had not accused her of being a novice yet, or running away. Suddenly, a thought occured to Adena that made her feel much better. Novices were allowed in the city. She could tell this woman that she was out enjoying the feast, and then the Aes Sedai would let her go, and Adena would be able to go on her way. That is, if she did not mind being snapped at. Adena stopped the thought there, refusing to let it go any further, going any further would only mean more panic and possibly despair.

She watched the Aes Sedai, waiting for her to say or do something to indicate what she felt. She prayed one more time, prayed that the woman would let her go on her way, and that she would never see her again. Adena could not help shifting nervously where she stood, moving her feet back and forth, and clutching her hands tightly in front of her. She hoped her face did not make her intentions clear, and she was very glad she had not brought anything with her. Light, but if an Aes Sedai ran into a novice carrying a bag of personal belongings in the city, even during a holiday, the woman would have to realize what was going on. Adena could only hope that the lack of anything aside from herself would make the woman think that she really was only out enjoying what free time she was given. She decided to try for politeness, perhaps that would make the woman less suspicious right away. Immediately, she gave a deep, perfect curtsy, one no Aes Sedai had yet seen. "Please forgive me Aes Sedai," she said in her sweetest voice, "I did not realize who you were, and I was startled. I apologize for my disrespect, I hope you are not harmed?" Being so polite to one of these witches, likely a peasant, made Adena sick, but she knew it was her only chance at getting away from this with her skin. She kept her eyes down, looking at the Aes Sedai's feet, trying to appear truly sorry, embarassed, and slightly afraid. It was not difficult, she was not embarassed, but she was sorry- sorry that she was so close to being caught -and afraid- afraid of being taken back to the Tower for more punishment. She swallowed again, and dared to glance at the Aes Sedai's face for any hint of what she might be thinking. She could have cursed, Aes Sedai never gave anything away on their faces, and Adena could read nothing on this woman's, and quickly averted her gaze back to the other woman's feet.

Running over a girl was just what Marian needed that day. She was hardly in a good mood. That bloody innkeeper had really set her off. She wasn't enjoying the Feast, and the crowds of Tar Valon were no help at all. In fact, Marian was starting to grow even more foul, annoyed with even the smiles of the citizens. They'd bloody better smile, with all those decorations... Yes, the stress had finally gotten to her, and Marian felt like she was going to crack. Just one more thing might throw her over the line, and she would snap. Just like a twig. I need some ale, she thought for the millionth time that day. Light, had things change. A few months ago, Marian would have never dreamed of touching a mug of the vile drink, but it seemed that tea just didn't cut it anymore. The girl she had run over, a mere two inches shorter than herself, shook away Marian's help as if she were in just as bad of a mood as she was. Marian raised an eyebrow and stepped back to hear her snap, "I would be better if you knew how to ride a horse." That was about it. Marian felt her jaw harden, though she was careful not to express her feelings outside. She was about ready to scream at the girl, but the poor thing looked up and figured out who she was, glancing at the Great Serpent Ring and her Ageless face, which she was finally beginning to acquire. That was satisfying enough, and the tension in Marian's shoulders relieved somewhat.

The girl was two inches shorter than she was, as Marian had already noted, but she supposed that she probably felt like an inch tall. Marian was hardly a strict Aes Sedai, but in the mood she was in, the face she was giving might have been a glare on anyone but Aes Sedai. She watched the girl, who seemed rather nervous about something. Nevertheless, even if she hadn't been Aes Sedai, who was this girl to go around asking people about that? Especially during the Feast of the Dragon! Marian figured that that might have been just slightly hypocritical, but at that point she didn't care. She studied her carefully, still standing in the same casual position that she had stepped back into when the girl had pushed her away. Suddenly, something hit her. The girl could channel. Idiot. She should have known upon seeing her, but Marian had been too preoccupied with other things to realize it. The way the girl was acting, she figured that she knew that she could channel too. I'm a bloody idiot, she thought to herself. How could she be of any help to Edeleas at all if she couldn't even keep her mind alert for menial things like this? Ale's not going to be strong enough. Yes, the girl certainly had something on her mind, the way she kept shifting back and forth. Light, she acted like a novice who was going to be in trouble... You Light-blinded idiot! She is a novice! Marian was no White sister, but she should have been able to figure that one out.

Suddenly, she gave a very graceful curtsy. Well-practiced, Marian noted. She spoke sweetly. Sweet enough to charm herself out of trouble, perhaps? she thought to herself. Perhaps she was turning into one of those old Brown sisters who haunted the libraries, suspsicious of everything and everyone, but Marian didn't really care at that point in her morning. "Please forgive me Aes Sedai," said the girl. "I did not realize who you were, and I was startled. I apologize for my disrespect, I hope you are not harmed?" Watching her, she confirmed that, yes, there really was something wrong. She wouldn't have been acting so strange if there wasn't. Marian remembered being a novice. She herself had been such a goody-two-shoes... She had never gotten in trouble, but she had seen her friends shift around exactly like this girl was doing. Marian couldn't buy the fact that she was really and truely sorry. She answered in a surprisingly emotionless voice, "A novice, am I correct?" Her eyes flashed warningly. She would not be accepting lies at this point. Light, but I've had enough of the truth.

((OOC: If you need more to go off of than that, I'll edit in some more, but I figured it would be best to get a response from that first.))

Adena felt the weighing stare of the Aes Sedai, and hated it. Light, but the women seemed to know everything, all the time! How long was she going to stare at her like that? Adena had a hard enough time standing the presence of the witches normally, this time was worse, after all, what could be worse luck than getting caught? Perhaps there was no Light, no Creator, no justice, only the Shadow. After all, if there was a Creator, would he really have sent an Aes Sedai to catch her running away from the very home of the Shadow, next only to the Pit of Shayol Ghul? She could only stand here and wait, though, hoping that she did not look suspicious. Light, but if this woman was her mother or father, or anyone else from Amadicia, this would be so easy! She could simply tell the woman who her father was, and then if whoever she was talking to did not do as she wished, her father would deal with them later. But no, she had been stupid, and left her home! Light, but surely there was a way to keep from channeling, she should have found that, rather than running away! Instead, she came to the heart of the Shadow, thinking that she would be able to withstand the Aes Sedais' brainwashing. She had hardly been in the Tower any time at all, but she could already tell that they were having an effect on her. Here she was being polite to a witch, she would never have done that only a few months ago!

Adena did not know how much longer she could stand it. The weighing stare, almost a glare, was becoming too much. She felt as though the witch knew everything about her, could tell what she was thinking. Then again, maybe she could, with the Dark One working with her, there was no knowing what one of the witches could do. And the witch proved that she knew more than Adena would have guessed only a moment later, by asking if she were a novice. Adena felt her heart begin to pound, Light, she knew. What am I going to do? She swallowed and took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, Aes Sedai, I am a novice," she added a sweet smile to the end, hoping that she would keep the witch from becoming suspicious. It was the Feast of the Dragon, she was allowed to be in the city. The woman had no reason to suspect anything, unless she could read minds, that was. The witch should just assume that Adena was out enjoying the Feast, and happened to be unhappy about nearly being run over. Who could blame her, after all, even if it was an Aes Sedai who nearly trampled her? Adena waited, heart still pounding, for the witch to say something. Tell her to go on about her day, and be more careful who she was rude to in the future. Surely that's all she could say, perhaps she would tell Adena to report for punishment when she returned to the Tower. Just as long as the woman did not escort her back there herself, Adena knew she could still get out of this Light-forsaken place.

"Yes, Aes Sedai, I am a novice," said the girl before her. If the girl had not been a novice, she might have gotten off the hook. Had Marian been in a better mood, she might have told her just to enjoy the festivities and be on her way. If she had actually taken up her prospect of getting herself an ale, the novice might have gotten off with a mere warning. Unfortunately for the novice, Marian was not in a good mood, and her discipline kept her from the taverns. Poor girl would not be coming out of this one unscathed. She gave a sweet smile, sickeningly sweet, like the ones all the citizens wore on this bloody day. For all of them being so happy, they sure complained enough! Marian almost had the nerve to smack the girl's smile right off her face. What did it matter if she were Aes Sedai? The girl had been outright disrespectful, and Marian was not in her usual mood. Perhaps she was transforming into one of the old hags that sat up in the Tower, jumping about to scream at novices. About bloody time, she thought to herself in annoyance. She had gotten old enough for it.

She pursed her lips for a moment, picking out the perfect scolding. She might save Cayana the trouble and merely just escort the girl back to the Tower. Knowing the novices, that might be punishment enough. They rarely got outside of it, and they hardly enjoyed spending anymore time than needed in there. Maybe she'd give her a few chores to go along with it... The softer side of Marian whispered that she didn't want to be cruel, but the scales were balancing out within her. A simple tap from the child could earn her a punishment for about five years. Marian was in that foul of a mood. Lucky for the novice, years of Aes Sedai training kept her from screaming at her outright.

"A novice, of all children," she said, emphasizing "children" for a reason, "should know common courtesy." Her voice was a lot calmer than she felt, a spring ready to release from the coils. "Whether I were Aes Sedai or the scullery maid." Her voice may have been calm, but it was incredibly icy for Marian. She was hardly one of the Aes Sedai who walked around scolding novices all day. In fact, she could count on one hand the number of novices she had scolded since being raised, including this one. "This would apply espeically in festivities, but I believe you've proven yourself far too immature to enjoy them," she continued. "What is your name?" she asked. She waited for a response as the city bustled around them.

She nodded briskly when the child answered. "I think that it's time that we returned to the Tower," she finished, giving the girl a very firm look. One last straw... She swore she would explode if the novice set one toe out of line.

Adena waited anxiously, hating every moment that this witch made her stand here. To think that she should find herself at the mercy of one of those Aes Sedai. It was bad enough that she had been forced to obey them when she was in the Tower, but now she had decided to leave! And yet, Adena did not have the nerve to stand up to this woman, to tell her that she would not go back to the Tower, but that she was leaving. It made her sick to think about, and yet it would not leave her mind. So she waited to hear what the Aes Sedai would say. When she did speak, Adena wanted to smack her. She called Adena a child. She was years older than most of the other novices, and she was certainly no child! She said that Adena should show courtesy even to scullery maids. As long as they don't work in the Tower, they would certainly deserve more courtesy thanyou! Adena thought at the witch. She was always as courteous to servants as they deserved, they had to earn it. Unfortunately, the festivities of the week did not get Adena out of trouble, but rather were the reason she was punished. Adena thought it was more because this idiotic witch wanted the Tower to present a good face, not because she wanted Adena to learn any courtesy. What did the witches care how the novices lived? They made them do menial tasks hours every day, and treated them even worse than the servants! Then she called Adena immature, and she only barely succeeded in keeping her hand away from the witch's face. She asked Adena her name, as well. "I am Adena, of House Moren in Amadicia," she replied, all play at sweetness gone. Her voice held the full import of her rank, and all the haughtiness that she had grown into as a child. The woman only nodded, though, and said it was time they returned to the Tower.

Adena wanted to scream. Not only did this woman presume to continue to tell Adena what to do, she also apparently did not recognize her name. Moren was a strong house in Amadicia, surely a witch would know that, if they were as politically powerful as they said. Even though Amadicia did not have dealings with the Towers, they were still a nation worthy of note. Adena was finished with this game. She was done playing the meek novice. Light, but if this witch took her back to the Tower, Adena would likely never have another opportunity to get away! There was no longer any reason to be polite, or even civil to this witch, it would not help her get away any faster. Instead, she did something she would never have dared to do if she were in the Tower. Something she had desired to do since the very day she arrived. She gave in to impulse and anger and hit the Aes Sedai in the face. Not a slap, Adena balled her hand into a fist, and hit the woman square in the nose. As she did, her anger was released. Until now, Adena had been too frightened to be angry. Now fear was gone, and anger had taken over. For a moment, she dreaded her anger, knowing what it could bring, what it had already caused earlier that day. It was drowned out quickly, though, her anger was fierce enough. She felt a tingling, exactly like what had happened that morning. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she doubted she would have to wait long to find out.

A wind picked up, not a heavy one, but the day had been perfectly calm before now. Adena had heard once that Aes Sedai could command the weather, so she assumed the wind was her own doing. She had never done that before, though. Sometimes when she had channeled, there had been no obvious results, the feeling was unmistakeable though. Adena's anger never lasted long after she began channeling. Fear quickly took over again. Fear of herself, and of what she could do. The wind died down after only a few moments, and Adena was left trembling. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and cursed it. Light, but how could she cry now? She had hit an Aes Sedai in the face, and yet channeling frightened her? It made no sense, and yet Adena was quickly crying yet harder. Not because she thought it would get her out of any punishment, but because of everything combined. Homesickness came over her heavily, she missed her family, and her home and all her wonderful things! Hatered of herself and her wretched ability caused a sob, and finally despair. She had been so close to getting away! So close to being able to leave this place, and go somewhere decent. Somewhere where she would not be surrounded by these evil sisters all the time. Adena sank to the ground, and sobbed. She did not care what the Aes Sedai thought, she did not even know what sort of damage her fist had done to the woman. All she wanted was to leave, and now that was not possible. She had planned for this, and now a chance meeting robbed her of her one opportunity to be happy. To be away from this Light-forsaken place!

((OOC: I hope that's alright, I thought it might be fun to play. If you don't like that, let me know and I'll edit.))

Marian had been right at the girl's sweetness, for it was instantly gone at the talk of punishment. When she asked the girl's name, she replied, all too proudly, "I am Adena, of House Moren in Amadicia." Marian, in her younger years, might have rolled her eyes. Honestly, she hoped that she hadn't been this air-brained when she was a novice. Ties to past houses and ranks were gone the instant she had signed her name in the novice book, and Marian believed that as much as any. Light, her best friend as a novice and Accepted would likely not have been allowed to set foot in her house. Just to twist the knife for the novice, she wanted to answer, "And I am Marian Sedai, of House Skylas in Andor," quite icily. Light, how long had it been since she would have said that? Marian had outgrown pulling the noble rank when she was six years old. She could play this game just as well as the novice could, and she would come out far ahead of her. But as Head bloody Clerk of the bloody Gray Ajah, Marian couldn't allow herself to stoop to such a level. So instead, she merely nodded, and said, "I think that it's time that we returned to the Tower."

And that's when the novice outright punched her in the nose. Marian blinked in surprise, clasping a hand to the pain in her nose now. Light, that was going to bruise, and thankfully, she did not think it was broken. Her anger peaked, and she was about ready to scream herself at that girl. How dare she hit an Aes Sedai? Light, how dare she hit anyone for that matter! But something peculiar happened... The girl was channeling - that Marian could tell by the glow of Saidar around her. A wind picked up, and Marian found herself almost reaching for the source, just in order to counteract whatever the novice was doing. But the wind was gone as quickly as it had come, and all of a sudden, the novice was crying. Light, she was the strangest child that Marian have ever encountered! She touched her nose tenderly, only to be greeted by a searing pain. She was still angry, of course, but the motherly part of Marian had also kicked in at seeing the girl cry. She had to forcible harden herself to keep her from giving the girl a hug.

Instead, she reached into her pocket to find a handkerchief for the novice. She didn't not really care whether the girl took it or not, and she doubted that all of a sudden Adena would have a change of heart. She doubted that she would apologize for fisting her in the nose, but Marian, despite her anger, did have some sympathy left in her being. She remembered being afraid of channeling as well. The sobbing continued, and all of a sudden she sunk to the ground. Light, was this a scene... "Get up, child," she said, much more gently than she had been speaking earlier. Something was obviously very wrong, and Marian supposed that she would have to get to the bottom of it somehow. Amadicia. Light, the girl was probably deathly afraid of channeling, considering Amadicians attitudes towards Aes Sedai. Marian sighed... This was going to be a lovely feast. She'd certainly be paying Freyja a visit after dealing with the novice...

Adena paid no attention to anything for a few moments. Until she heard a voice, the voice of the Aes Sedai she'd hit, speaking to her. Telling her to get up. Her voice was kinder, but she still called Adena child. When she heard the woman's voice, Adena took control of herself. Light, she was creating a scene. This was certainly not how a lady behaved herself! She stood, tears still running down her face, and tried to latch on to some line of thought other than what she had been focusing on. She looked at the handkerchief the woman offered, but did not take it. She needed no charity from one of the witches. Even if she had just hit the woman in the face, then crumpled into a sobbing ball. More than anything, Adena was embarassed now. Light, but her emotions were playing games with her today, anger, fear, despair, embarassment were all chasing themselves around her head, and she was not sure what to do next. Well, now that she had hit an Aes Sedai, she would certainly be in for a punishment, there was no way around that. It probably also meant that the witches would be keeping a very close eye on her in the future. They would find out she skipped the last punishment she had received, and then pile on extra because of that. Light, Adena would be serving punishments until she was fifty! As she thought about that, she felt very much like letting her tears take over again. But now she was aware of her surroundings, and she would not let herself cause such a scene again. And she would especially not show another such weakness to the witches.

They could give her whatever punishment they wanted, but they could not make Adena think any differently about channeling. All Aes Sedai and Asha'man, and everyone in the Towers, were Darkfriends, loyal only to the Dark One. Even after her time there, Adena had no doubt of that. She finally did take the handkerchief the witch offered, it was either that or wipe her face of with the back of her hand, which would be entirely unladylike. She took a few deep breaths, but felt no more composed than she had a few moments before, and did not doubt that her every thought showed on her face. Light, but control of one's face was necessary to be a lord or lady, Adena's mother had taught her that when she was a child! And yet here she was, crying on the ground, afraid of herself, and having lost her temper enough to actually strike someone. True, that someone was a witch, but still a person. Whether Adena hated them or not, she should be able to control herself at least that much. She just did not know what else to do! She saw her future she so strongly desired slipping away, and there was nothing she could do about it, except perhaps try to knock her captor off her feet. It had not worked. She had hit the witch as hard as she could, but Adena had never done any physical labor as a child, and had not been in the Tower long enough to develop any strength. She had likely done no damage at all to the woman's nose. Then again, perhaps that was good, all things concidered.

Adena handed the woman back her handkerchief, and took another deep breath. The last time the witch had spoken, her voice had been much kinder than before. Apparently this Aes Sedai had a soft spot for crying girls. An odd thing to be touched by, Adena would not have expected an Aes Sedai of all people to be bothered. Did they not know how often the novices cried? Adena had hardly talked to two of them, and yet she knew that a crying novice was anything but uncommon. And now Adena knew the weakness of at least one Aes Sedai. Perhaps she could not exploit it now, but she would tuck that knowledge away for any future use she could make of it. She did not know how deep it ran, or how much it would mean. Though maybe she would find out when Adena was sent for her punishment. She would pay close attention to this witch for now. She calmed visibly as she took a few more deep breaths, determined not to make such a public spectacle of herself again. Light, but she had not made such a scene since she was a little girl, wanting something her father had not wanted to give her. She had long since grown out of that. She was no little girl, most women her age were married and raising children, Adena had made sure to stay out of a marriage, though, after she realized that she could channel. It had not been easy, but her father had never had the heart to force his precious little girl into a marriage, she had two older siblings to do that, after all.

((OOC: Forgive me for taking forever to get back to this... Can't say it's going to be good or long, but at least it'll be something.))

The girl stopped crying and handed her the handkerchief back. And Light, what to do now... Truth be told, Marian did not have very much experience with crying novices, that was for certain. For the most part, she did not deal with the younger ladies of the Tower, considering her position within her Ajah. Light, she was just getting the Ageless face of Aes Sedai, but already, it seemed she was forgetting what it was like to be a novice. Of course, she had never been as dramatic or as upsetting as this particular girl, but then again, Adena's circumstances were drastically different. Marian was educated enough to know that Adena's sight of Aes Sedai and of channeling was probably skewed by the popular beliefs in Amadicia. She had to stop herself from thinking, Poor thing, but the pain in her nose certainly helped that action.

At least she was not bleeding, and at least Adena had not channeled enough to become dangerous. Light, wouldn't that have just been the icing on the cake? Marian's day could hardly be any worse, but she pushed that thought away, for she was sure that the Creator was ill-wishing her that day. It would be the Dark One's dealings himself, if things did go wrong. No one could have this bad of luck, even one chained by a secret to a Dreadlord. Marian ignored the chills that trembled down her spine at that thought. That was ridiculous. No one knew about her and Edeleas. No one. And besides, if they did, they wouldn't employ the use of a novice to kill her off... Or worse. Of course, she did not reveal these thoughts to the novice, who was still recovering from her collapse. What a strange, horrendous day it had been... "Come on now," she said, gently turning the novice towards the inn she had just left. There was no way she would walk back through Tar Valon on foot with this novice, and she'd bloody go to hell before she let the novice ride on her horse with her.

The girl had no choice but to follow her. Marian, though loosened by the girl's situation, was still very annoyed and still in quite a horrendous mood, and she was sure that her nose was about to bruise. If the novice didn't follow her, Marian had half a mind... no, Marian had a full mind to tie her to the bloody horse. How ladylike would that be. Nevertheless, Marian made sure she was following. It would have been difficult for the girl to get away anyway, in this crowd...

Upon reaching the inn, she did not bother to go back inside to deal with Mistress Pavana again. Instead, she went around back to the stablemaster and bought a horse directly from him. She gave the reins to Adena. "Here. We're going back to the Tower now."

Adena kept herself as composed as possible concidering the circumstances. She felt like she was half an inch tall, even when she was a little girl she had never felt so powerless or stupid. Yet, when the Aes Sedai spoke, she still sounded kind. Adena could not understand how she could be so calm about all of this, if someone had hit Adena in the nose, they would be flogged! In fact, the witch could do that herself, since she could channel, and yet she was speaking kindly, it made no sense. The witch bodily turned Adena in the direction they would be going, and Adena had no choice but to go. Rather than entering the inn, they walked around to the back, to the stable, where the Aes Sedai bought a horse. She handed the reins directly to Adena, and announced they were going back to the Tower. Again, she was surprised. Rather than make her walk back to the Tower, she had bought a horse. She did not complain though, she was thankful. What would have been more embarassing and demeaning than to walk behind this witch's horse all the way back to the Tower? She mounted the horse, and followed the witch out of the stable. She could try to ride away, she thought. She might be able to make it a few feet, but after that she was sure the witch would notice, and all she would have to do was use the Power on her and make her come back. Adena knew she was already in enough trouble as it was, she had no desire to get into any more.

During the entire ride back, Adena could not help imagining what they would do to her. She had been sent for punishment once before- that had been the last straw, the final reason she had run away. That punishment had been rather severe, Adena thought, surely running away, channeling without permission again, hitting an Aes Sedai and failing to perform her other punishment would make this one much worse. Of course, unless she could convince the witches that she was not actually trying to run away. She just took a break from her chores and punishment to enjoy the festival. Maybe it would work, but what if they knew she was lying? That would be yet another item for them to add to the list of things to punish her for. She followed the other horse, and its witch, in silence, maybe it would look like humble aquiecense. Of course, that would require luck, and so far this lifetime, she had had precious little of that, more likely, the witch would take it as sullen and pouting, and make her punishment more severe because of it. The thought made Adena want to cry again, but she refused. She would not give that witch that satisfaction again, not in public. Perhaps once they got back to the Tower, and they were somewhere with just the two of them, she could cry then, and make the witch feel sorry for her again. Maybe.

((OOC: "the horse and its witch..." Haha. That made me laugh.))

They rode in silence, for which Marian was glad. Truth be told, her nose did hurt, and if Marian were not herself, the girl following her would have cried a lot more than she had. But Marian was not a frumpy old Gray sister yet, so she let the girl be silent and think upon her actions, while Marian decided what on earth she was going to tell the Mistress of Novices. As much as her nose hurt, and as irritated as she was, Marian could clearly see that the way the girl was being handled was not going to work. She was not doing well at the Tower, and even if most girls came out of their training as well-made Aes Sedai, Marian could tell that Adena would not be one of them. Punishments weren't going to break and discipline her, or at least, Marian didn't think they would. Novice life had worked for Marian, but then again, the novice had different circumstances.

She almost sighed and shook her head, but she figured that wouldn't be the best example. Instead, she rode up towards the Tower stables and made sure that the novice was also following. It was a shame that this had had to happen during all the festivities. It certainly put a damper on the mood of it, and Marian doubted that there would be any recovering from such events for her. Edeleas, the bloody decorations, this, and just the stress of it all. She needed a long hot bath, and the Light burn her if she didn't just buy herself some ale... Ale wasn't exactly suitable for Aes Sedai, but not every Aes Sedai was Marian Skylas, she figured. Upon reaching the stables, she did let off a small sigh and dismounted from her horse, waiting for Adena to do the same.

Marian led the novice into the Tower, ignoring the curtsies that the novices dropped her. She didn’t have the time, the energy, or the willpower to give the girl a punishment herself and keep up with it. Instead, she brought the child to Cayana Sedai’s study. The woman had been her Mistress of Novices, and Marian respected her, both as a teacher and as an Aes Sedai. Hopefully, she would find something to cure Adena of this behavior. She looked at the girl a last time and said, “You may report yourself, and I will allow Cayana Sedai to dole out any punishment she wishes.” She paused for a moment before adding, “It may be in your best interest to study the history of the White Tower sometime.” It would do the girl good to learn what the Tower had done that was good, instead of only seeing the Aes Sedai as witches. The bad came along with the good of course, but all societies had their downfalls. Before departing, she gave the girl a serious look. “I’d advise you to make sure you report and follow through with your punishment.” My nose hurts to much to leave this one undone. With that, she went to find some ice for her nose and some wine for her head, leaving Adena to face the Mistress of Novices alone.

Adena rode silently behind the witch all the way back to the stables. She dismounted, and gave control of her borrowed horse over to a stableboy. She followed the woman through the grounds, still saying nothing. Into the tower, they stayed quiet, apparently the witch had no more desire to talk than Adena did. It gave Adena no opportunity to explain or hope for forgiveness, but Adena doubted that anything she said would make the Aes Sedai willing to let this go. Had one of her inferiors hit Adena in the nose, Adena knew that there was nothing they could do to make her willing to let them off without punishment. It occured to her as they walked that perhaps Adena had more in common with these Aes Sedai than she had realized. Obviously not the fact that they were all Darkfriends, but the witches had power and used it, as had Adena before she came to this Light-forsaken place. Of course, there was the ever-present fact that rather than allowing Adena to have her power, they expected her to give up all authority, take orders from farmwives and peasants, and do numberless menial tasks. If Adena could just skip right over to the powerful part, and not have to swear her soul to the Dark One and go through this horrible initiate stage perhaps it would not be so bad to be Aes Sedai. She shook the thought off, the power of being Aes Sedai could be matched by being High Lady of a powerful House like that of House Moren. Adena would not have been High Lady, her brother would inheirit that, but she would still be a powerful woman nonetheless.

And yet, here she was, following this witch through the halls, knowing that there was punishment to come very soon. Unable to do anything about it, although she certainly outranked this woman. This Marian, she had said that she was of a noble House as well, one from Andor, but Adena knew the names of the major houses of every nation and House Skylas had never even been a footnote. Doubtless it was a small and inconsequential House, and in different circumstances this witch would have been curtsying for her. Perhaps, if not for the way they forced people to entirely forget about their former ranks the Towers would not be so bad. If Adena still had the respect and superiority to those she rightfully ranked above, Adena was sure this place would not be half so bad. She could tell farmwives to do her chores for her, and she would never have to worry about performing punishments because she behaved as more than equal to a peasant boy. She followed the witch until she stopped suddenly at a door Adena believed she recognized. The Mistress of Novices. She had just been here! The letter that had been pinned to the door was gone, so Adena assumed that whoever was to administer her punishment was behind that door, whether that meant that Cayana was back, or that the other woman had come down here, Adena did not know. The witch spoke to her, telling her to report to the Mistress of Novices, and advised her not to skip out on any punishment she may be assigned. With that, she walked away, taking it for granted that Adena would do as she was told.