((OOC: From this thread))

Adena watched as the witch who led her there, Marian, walked back down the hall. She stood outside the door, wishing that the day had turned out differently. It had been anything but a good day, and now it was going to get much worse, she knew. Light, but it had been a horrible day. She had thought she would finally be able to get away from this Light-forsaken place, running away had seemed the perfect option that morning. It had been working all too well, too, she had managed to get out of the Tower grounds and into the city. For a little while, she had been hopeful, then the Creator decided to continue her life in the way it had gone thus far. Horrible luck had ruined her every hope. She was nearly run over by an Aes Sedai in the middle of the city, what were the odds of that happening!? Unfortunately, she had not reacted well to being nearly trampled by a horse, and the witch had been upset enough with her reaction to get off her horse, and had the time to realize that Adena was the unwilling property of the White Tower. When that happened, Adena acted rashly, looking back she realized that hitting an Aes Sedai was probably not the best of options, but even now she could not think of anything that was any more likely to work. She took a deep breath and wondered what punishment that would merit. At least the witch had never actually realized that Adena was trying to run away. Since it was still the middle of the festivities for the Feast of the Dragon, novices were allowed in the city.

She looked at the door and sighed, this would certainly be no fun. The only experience Adena had with this woman was when she came to the Tower, the basic introduction that she had been given. The punishment she had skipped had been administered by another woman, though doubtless Cayana had received record of the punishment, whether or not she would know that Adena had not performed it, Adena did not know. She hoped that Cayana would not know, but judging by how the rest of the day had gone, it was more likely that she would know very well, and already have all too harsh a punishment worked out for Adena when she arrived. She sighed again and raised a fist to knock on the door. She stood waiting, hoping that this would not be as horrible an experience as her last punishment had been, worrying that it would turn out to be much worse. This Light-forsaken place! She was still determined to be rid of it, although now she had a more realistic idea that it would be very difficult. The thought that it would be impossible was not one that she allowed to cross her mind, that thought would be far too hard to accept. As long as she still had hope of getting out, Adena thought that she would be able to handle living here a bit longer. She waited for a person to give her permission to enter, hating the fact that she- a powerful lady of Amadicia -had to wait for permission.

The light breeze carried the bird across from one tree to an other, hit the white wall of the Tower and started upwards. High above the ground it passed many windows on it's way until it found an open one. Here it whirled and increased slightly, making papers on the sill fly in over the floor. A silent oath accompanied the fallen papers as a short black haired woman rose to sort it out, channeling the window shut as she bent down to deal with the mess. She had just come back and was still very tired from the dealing with Isha. Not only was she tired but her room was filled with paper work that should have been taken care of by the temp, but Cayana guessed the Gray had a grudge since she just had simply ignored the work. Sure it was all neatly organized and written down. But none of the reports were entered into the proper books and Cayana basically had no idea which novices did what for the moment. She had been spending her days trying to sort things out while the novices and accepted kept adding more to her plate. With that and Radgar still in the infirmary Cayana had less of an ability to keep her temper in check. She had already had three novices flogged this morning and she suspected that more would be added to that list before the day was over. Of course the girls had earned a punishment, but normally Cayana would have resorted to other means. Today though, things were just getting to be to much. In the back of her mind she could feel Radgar, pin point the direction where he was, know that he was fine, but it still felt awful to know where he was. In a way she wished she had just healed him, but she had lacked the strength to do so and the bond was probably one of the things that had saved them both. That and the Greens with their warders having located them at pretty much the same time. Had they not shown up, Cayana knew for a fact that Radgar, maybe even herself, would have been dead.

Rising she placed the papers back on the stack on the window sill. Her eyes drifted out to the sky for a moment. The window was the only window in the oval office she had. It was quite large, even if the working area, separated from the rest of the room on a three step dais, was quite small. The rest of the room today was lit with lamps, hanging from the walls. On one side stood a table and two chairs. At the back wall stood a wooden bench. The chairs were for other sisters or brothers coming to talk with her, the wooden bench were for the novices and accepted when ever they stayed long enough to actually get to sit down. Cayana hadn't chosen this office, the former Mistress of Novices had, but Cayana had never had time to even think about switching. Besides, her personal work was done in her own rooms, in the Green halls, not in the Mistress of Novices office. Turning around Cayana looked at the stack of paper she had been working on when the wind gust came. It was a neat stack and the little pile was actually finished. Taking a deep breath she let it out as she walked back and picked the pile up. She walked out the back door behind her desk and put the stack of notes in it's proper place before walking back. She closed the door behind her as it only lead to that storage area. It was not the way in to her office. Coming out however there was a knock on the door, and as she was not occupied she just voiced a simple come, as she walked up and stood behind her desk, watching the door as it opened.

Entered did a girl called Adena Moren. The novice did not look happy, but Cayana didn't think she had ever seen that Amadician girl happy. It was true that she hadn't seen all that much of the girl unless she had been sent for punishment or during room inspections, but Cayana still thought the girl hadn't quite adapted to being a channeler yet. "Yes?" Cayana said waiting for the girl to tell her what this was all about.

The command to enter was not long in coming, but once it did Adena wished it would have been. She would have been upset if the woman kept her waiting, but at least if she was kept waiting so was her punishment. She opened the door and stepped in slowly. She took a deep breath and dipped a small curtsy, it was all she could stomach, even in the face of this punishment. In the city, it had been different, she had hoped that a perfect curtsy would motivate the witch to let her go and leave the Tower forever. That had not worked, so Adena did not think a real curtsy would be reason for this witch to lessen her punishment. The witch only said "Yes?" and watched Adena expectantly. Light burn this woman, this whole place, they treated the novices like servants! She just said "Yes?" and expected Adena to just explain why she was here. At the same time, Adena knew that she had no choice, because anything else would just make everything worse. So, she took another deep breath and answered. "I was sent here by Marian Sedai for being in the city today," she began. If only she could leave it there, most days that would be enough, but not during the festival. "While I was there, her horse nearly ran over me, and I lost my temper before I realized that she was Aes Sedai." She swallowed hard, what had happened so far might not be so bad, but there was so much more to tell. How could she even say it? Not only did she know that the punishment would be very severe but it was rather embarassing. What true lady would lose her temper to such an extent as to actually strike a person? This place had clearly gotten to her more than she realized, if she was lowering herself to the level of the peasants here, she had been around them far too long.

"After that, she told me that we would be returning to the Tower, and I was upset. So I...well, um. I hit her," she said very quickly, she hoped that the woman understood it, she had less than no desire to repeat that of all things. The rest were all things that were understandable at least, even channeing out of turn was something she had done before, but hitting an Aes Sedai! What under the Light had she been thinking? "I got upset with myself after that, and accidentally started channeling. I have a block..." she added onto the end, as if this woman would not know ever detail of her life in the Tower. "Marian Sedai escorted me back here, and told me to report to you for punishment." She trailed off, it was obvious why she was here, after all. What novice would just come to the Mistress of Novices- or any other witch for that matter -and confess that they had hit an Aes Sedai. However, Adena realized, she had managed to tell the entire story without lying, but had never once mentioned that the reason for being in the city was to run away. Hopefully, the witch would not ask too many questions and pull that last fact out of her. She stood silently, waiting for the witch to answer her, praying that the woman was in a good mood today. Perhaps she had had a good day, and Adena would get off with minimal punishment. She did not expect to get nothing, much as she might wish it were possible, but maybe Cayana would be kind. Of course, in Adena's experience, there had been no such thing as a kind Aes Sedai. All of them were evil Darkfriends, so surely they could not be that kind. Everyone she had seen or been ordered by had been anything but nice to her. This woman held a position that required her to work with novices though, maybe she would be softer than the Gray witch Adena had been sent to earlier, when Adena arrived this woman had not been mean. She had seemed rather strict, which did not give Adena hope, but she had not seemed mean.

After what looked like a deep breath the novice answered. "I was sent here by Marian Sedai for being in the city today," During normal days that would have been a severe punishment in and of itself. But it was a feast day. The Feast of the Dragon. So Cayana only stood quiet, waiting for the girl to go on. "While I was there, her horse nearly ran over me, and I lost my temper before I realized that she was Aes Sedai." A pause came as the novice seemed to swallow. Clearly that temper was still not quite under control. Really Cayana wouldn't have been happy either if someone would have almost run her over. But loosing her temper openly? Alright, she might have during the most stressful times. Like now. But Cayana didn't think of what else might have happened. "After that, she told me that we would be returning to the Tower, and I was upset. So I...well, um. I hit her," Adena said really quickly, almost so quickly Cayana wanted her to repeat it. But the girl kept on. Listing all the things she had done. "I got upset with myself after that, and accidentally started channeling. I have a block..." The girl didn't sound happy about the fact, though Cayana suspected it wasn't the first time the girl had channeled without permission. "Marian Sedai escorted me back here, and told me to report to you for punishment."

For a moment Cayana just studied the girl then she picked up a fresh paper and grabbed the pen. She wrote something on the paper and spoke to Adena to confirm the story as she had gotten it so far. "So what you are saying is that during the Feast of the Dragon you were nearly run over by Marian Sedai as she was riding through the city. You lost your temper, then realized she was Aes Sedai and was told that you were going to go back to the Tower for punishment after which you hit her. You then got upset and channeled on top of it all. Marian Sedai escorted you here. Have I missed something?" She looked up at the novice wondering somewhat how it came that the girl still seemed the same as ever and still celebrated the Feast of the Dragon. The feast of a male channeler. Was there more to this story? For the moment she didn't say much about it. "How come you hit her after you knew she was Aes Sedai?" The girl might mention things along the other line of questioning anyway. And there was no point in bullying the novice if she was assimilating the local culture. "And what did you do when you channeled?"

The woman listened quietly until Adena finished her account, before calmly reviewing the facts. It amazed Adena how calm the witch stayed, even when Adena admitted hitting an Aes Sedai. Even when repeating the facts, she said it as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. For a moment, Adena had hope. Perhaps it was not as drastic as she had originally believed, maybe novices hit Aes Sedai fairly often, often enough that it was nothing worthy of a truly severe punishment. Then, though, the woman spoke again. She asked Adena why she hit Marian after she realized she was Aes Sedai, as well as what happened when she channeled. Adena swallowed, there was really no way for her to explain why she hit the witch knowingly without either lying or telling this woman that she was trying to run away. She decided to answer the second question first, since that was the easier. "Not much happened when I channeled...there was some wind, but that was it." Concidering the consequences other times she had channeled, that was really nothing. Generally, her channeling ended up with someone getting hurt, Adena was thankful that the one time it did not turn out that way was when she was with an Aes Sedai. Now for the second question. It would have to be answered, she supposed, but she wanted nothing more than to just skip this. No matter what else her punishment would be, she knew very well that running away was not tolerated by the Towers, that had been one of the first rules she really learned.

She took yet another deep breath, she had to say this, might as well get it over with. This time, she decided, she would not give the witch the satisfaction of seeing her rush over it. She was anything but ashamed of what she did. She was upset that she got caught, she would take back the attempt if it meant she would get another one, but she would certainly try again. This Light-forsaken place was not one she wanted to spend another minute in. "I hit Marian Sedai after figuring out she was Aes Sedai because she told me we were returning to the Tower. I didn't want to come back, as at the time I was attempting to run away." She said it simply and plainly. There was no derision, pride, or humility in her voice. It was a tone she had picked up long ago, one that held authority, but did not make a spectacle of her rank. She looked at the Mistress of Novices, wondering what the woman was thinking. Surely she had had girls come in here before because they were trying to run away. Adena knew that it was not common, and few people succeeded, but she also knew that women tried. If they did not, then why would the Towers be so adamant about making sure their new initiates knew that there would be severe consequences? Preventative, to be sure, but preventative of a problem they knew they could never entirely rid themselves of. She tried to calm herself with that thought, but it did not work well. She was still afraid of what this woman was going to dole out to her. Adena refused to let it show, though, she had embarassed herself enough today many different ways. Now, she was done with that. She was a lady, trained not to show if she felt weak or afraid, now was the time to use that training, if ever there had been such.

The novice didn't hold back on her questions. At least not much. She wasn't comfortable about answering them, but she did. "Not much happened when I channeled...there was some wind, but that was it." Noting that down Cayana continued to listen as the girl answered her first question. "I hit Marian Sedai after figuring out she was Aes Sedai because she told me we were returning to the Tower. I didn't want to come back, as at the time I was attempting to run away." Stopping to write Cayana looked up at the novice. For a moment she just looked at the Amadician then put down the pen and leaned back. "Why were you trying to run away?" She asked, softly, without any blame in her voice. Her tone was more tired, as if she was sad that the girl still didn't want to be here. That she didn't accept the help she could get.

Rising Cayana walked around the desk and gestured to the bench behind the girl. It was standing along the wall and Cayana lit the lamps next to it with the One Power. "Adena, you came here on your own accord. Why did you come here, if you did not wish to get help?" Waiting for the novice to sit Cayana sat down next to her. Sure the girl would get her punishment, but Adena needed more help then what a punishment could give her.

((OOC: I'm sorry the post is so short.))

Adena was surprised by Cayana's reaction, the woman did not appear angry, instead when she spoke she sounded almost sad. She asked Adena why she was trying to run away, but before she could answer Cayana stood and gestured to the bench behind her. A few wall lamps were lit for no physical reason, Cayana must have channeled. That thought was anything but comforting, she wanted nothing more to do with channeling than she had to, the fact that it was an ability she posessed was something she did not like to think about. The witch sat on the bench an spoke again, softly asking Adena why she had come if she was only going to run away. It was clear that she expected Adena to join her on the bench, yet the thought of sitting so near a witch made Adena nervous. She had been in the Tower long enough not to be terrified of them, but they still appauled her. Still, she had to sit she supposed, so she took the few required steps and sat as far down the bench as possible. She turned the witch's questions over in her mind, and wondered why she was being so kind. Adena had just admitted to striking a sister and trying to run away, yet this woman only seemed genuinely concerned about what was bothering Adena. It seemed wrong in so many ways, but what choice did she have? She could not just disregard a question asked by an Aes Sedai. Novices were not to speak until spoken to, but when asked a question, they were expected to answer.

"I was trying to run away because I hate this place," she said, not bothering to hide her anger. If the woman was going to ask questions, she was going to get completely honest answers. "When I came here I thought I would be here a week, that you could make me stop channeling, and I could go home. When I got here you told me I was to be no better than the common farmwife you made me share a room with, and you made me do chores that I did not even know existed before I came here. Most of all, I hated being surrounded by the touch of the Dark One all the time." There, she said it, doubtless this witch would deny it, but that was it. "I thought I could handle it for a week, until you could make me stop, but it's been months! You brainwash all the novices here, and even though I knew it was coming, there was nothing I could do. I had to either change the way I think and handle what you told me, or I could get punishment on top of punishment for trying to remain a real person. I want to be out of this place. Make me stop channeling and let me go! I only came here because I was afraid I would hurt my family if I didn't get help, and where could I get help in Amadicia? I should have just told them, then I would have nothing to worry about, they would have killed me. Or maybe if I'd told my father he could have found some way to stop it without anyone else finding out."

Adena realized that she had just told this woman nearly everything that had bothered her since she arrived here. Somehow, once she started she found it very difficult to stop. Now this agent of the Dark One knew what Adena had told no one else here. How could she be so stupid? All it took was someone being kind to her, and Adena could hold nothing back, that was certainly not how her mother had trained her. Light, but her time here seemed to have gone against everything her mother taught her, and out of necessity this was much easier to adapt to. She could not change the way she thought, but her actions would never be acceptable from a lady in Amadicia. She could not believe herself, after so much time here, being entirely protective of herself, she had just opened up that much. She waited for the woman to tell her how wrong she was about every aspect of her life here. Oh, Adena knew how they presented and justified everything they did, but that made no difference. Servants' lives were better than Adena's, they got paid for their menial chores at least, and as far as Adena knew, they rarely had to do such low tasks as the novices were forced into. Adena did not care how these people justified what they forced the novices into, it was not fair and inhuman. It was the Dark One's way of forcing women to turn to him because they were cursed with an unfortunate ability, and because they had no choice but to do what these witches said.

((OOC: If I have written anything here that Adena wouldn't do, please PM me and I will change it :) ))

Clearly she had done the right thing to listen to the girl instead of just trying to beat some sense into her. If the girl would get punished, but if didn't understand why, or thought the reason to be a different one, then what good did the punishment do? Instead Cayana listened as the girl finally sat down and started to speak. "I was trying to run away because I hate this place," she said in quite an angry tone. Something Cayana had expected so she didn't interrupt or even seem to care. She just listened, letting the girl get her thoughts out. "When I came here I thought I would be here a week, that you could make me stop channeling, and I could go home. When I got here you told me I was to be no better than the common farmwife you made me share a room with, and you made me do chores that I did not even know existed before I came here. Most of all, I hated being surrounded by the touch of the Dark One all the time." Just kept on listening, thinking this could not be all the girl would say once she got this far without interruption. "I thought I could handle it for a week, until you could make me stop, but it's been months! You brainwash all the novices here, and even though I knew it was coming, there was nothing I could do. I had to either change the way I think and handle what you told me, or I could get punishment on top of punishment for trying to remain a real person. I want to be out of this place. Make me stop channeling and let me go! I only came here because I was afraid I would hurt my family if I didn't get help, and where could I get help in Amadicia? I should have just told them, then I would have nothing to worry about, they would have killed me. Or maybe if I'd told my father he could have found some way to stop it without anyone else finding out."

As the girl stopped speaking she had clearly given away more information then she had expected. Cayana tilted her head slightly and just said. "Embrace the source, girl." At this point the girl should be able to, after all, she seemed quite angry and upset. "Just hold it for a moment. Then let it go." It was a simple command and she expected to be obeyed. But she didn't continue down that line. Once the girl had done as asked she sat up straight again and just looked straight into Adenas eyes.

"Do you really wish to die girl? Do you wish for your parents, your loved one's to hate you and despise you so much that they will kill you once they find out that you are a channeler? Do you really think that because you have grown up with them that they won't think you a darkfriend the same way you think every Aes Sedai, Asha'man and other higher ranked channelers to be a darkfriend? Would you have thought different if it was your sibling...? Your mother?" She let that sink for just a moment then continued. "I do agree that life here can be harsh. To give up what you was to be forced to obey rules you never thought anyone would make up. To do things you never knew existed. It is not an easy life." Looking away for a moment Cayana remembered the feelings Adena had, or well some of them. Also she had so far not denied any of what Adena had said, really she had just added on it and Cayana knew that fully well. Sure she would deny it, it was not true, however if she did it directly Adena would surely stop listening. "Had you not come here yourself we wouldn't have put you in novice white, you do know that right?" She looked back at Adena. "As you have a block you are considered a wilder. You have a crude form of control and the sickness no longer is as much of a problem. But I ask you this. What will become of you if you leave now? Running away to the Towers means you have forsook your family. They surely would find out if you returned so really you have broken the bonds of blood yourself as well as renounced your title by coming here. You are no farmer, no merchant, or any of the sort. You will be out of class until you can find something to support you so that you can get by. But what would that be, I ask? What would you do once you left here? Become a maid in a tavern? A maid for an other noble, serving the people you once were a part of? Perhaps find a farmer to marry and become the farmwife you so much despise at the moment? Have you thought about that part?" Cayana thought that the girl might not have thought in those lines as the girl certainly was to wrapped up in the 'channeling is the touch of the dark one' crap all Amadicians were fed from the moment they were born.

Adena made it through her entire speech without interruption, without the witch's face even changing noticeably. Only after she had finished did Adena realize how odd that must be. How often did Aes Sedai let novices complain about their lives here, piling on complaints and accusations? She certainly knew that no other Aes Sedai would allow that- she would end up right here were she to say that to someone else. Of course, another witch probably would not have asked what Adena thought was wrong with the Tower, but still. When she finished, Cayana did something that truly shocked Adena. She told her to embrace the Source. Adena was taken aback, she had only really embraced the Source once before, the problem was she hardly remembered how she had done it. Anyway, what was wrong with this woman? What sort of idiot would tell Adena to embrace saidar after what she had just confessed? That thought was enough to give Adena a boost in anger to let her get ahold of the Power. All the time she had spent in training, trying to break her block, allowed her to keep the Power from doing anything she did not want it to do. She felt the sweetness of saidar outweigh everything else. She could not let the anger go, because if she did she would lose the Source. There was no denying the sense of wonder the Power brought, and the heightened awarness of everything in the room. But now was not the time to focus on that, Cayana straightened and looked Adena in the eyes and went on speaking.

The woman started right off asking whether Adena wished to die. Of course not, if she really wished to die she would not have come here in the first place, but after being here, she was beginning to think death would be the preferable option. The witch completely obliterated Adena's last point, that perhaps if she had stayed home her family could have helped her. What if Adena's sister had started channeling, or her mother? She knew very well that either of them would have been hung without question. It was a painful thought, but Adena had to admit that if her sister had suddenly announced to the family that she could channel Adena would have hated her with all her being, she would have believed that her sister betrayed her family and the Light. No one could channel without first turning to the Shadow, that much was never really said aloud but everyone knew it. Everyone except Adena, and the other poor men and women of Amadicia who suddenly began channeling whether they wanted to or not. Then, rather than deny Adena's claims about life here, she agreed. Well, of course the witches had to know life here was hard, they were all novices once, and they were the ones who made life so hard for the novices, most of them simply did not care, Adena had not met one yet who did. Cayana did not stop, she just went on to mention- again -that had Adena not chosen to come here, she would not have been made a novice. Yes, Adena knew that. The thought infuriated her, had she just not been stupid enough to come here she could still be at home, fooling everyone into thinking that strange things that happened around her were coincidence and the will of the Pattern. Why did they always have to remind her it was her own fault? It was bad enough that she was here, forgetting that she had come here voluntarily!

But Cayana did not stay on that topic long, she moved right on to what would happen if Adena did succeed in running away. She presented a good point, one that Adena had never thought of before. She had always assumed she would just marry some minor noble, but how? She could not introduce herself as from House Moren, they would find out if she did. And if she was not House Moren, then she was not a noble. A sickening thought hit her then. No matter how she had grown up, the moment she left her home in Amadicia to come to this Light-forsaken place, Adena made herself a peasant. She had disowned her family, and certainly by now they had done the same to her. She swallowed hard and tried not to think about it. By birth, she still outranked most of the women here, no matter that she had made a very big mistake. Cayana went on to list a few other options, a tavernmaid, a farmwife, or perhaps a maid in a noble house. All were options that made Adena want to cry, she would certainly not work under another noble who ranked so far below her father, and there was no way she would work in a tavern and have drunken men trying to grope her, it was out of the question. Being a farmwife though, that was the one that got to her, of all the people in the world, Adena could not deny that the ones she liked least were farmwives. The women who settled for doing hard physical labor and caring for far too many children so that her husband could be called honorable or some other such empty word. It was not that Adena disliked men, she just could not imagine working so hard for so much thanks that never made it past her husband.

Cayana stopped then, asking her whether she had ever thought about that, and Adena was silent for several moments before answering with a simple, quiet, "No." She looked up at the witch's face and realized the one thing she had never mentioned. Everything that the woman had said Adena had to admit was true, but she had left out the most important thing. "But," she began softly, "that still leaves me with the problem of being tainted by the Dark One, and surrounded by his touch, and much as I dislike them, I would rather be a farmwife. Loyalty to the Light is the one thing I was taught that I can hold on to here, and I will not lose that, no matter what you witches do to me. Beat me all you want, but I will not be a minion of the Dark One." By the end, her voice had gained a strength and resolve that Adena was not sure it ever had before, it may not have been anything impressive to anyone else, it was after all a very new thing, but it was there. She had never done or said anything because it was completely true and she was completely dedicated to it. Before coming here, she had been manipulative and coy to get what she wanted, on her way here she had had to lie and act to keep from being caught. Since coming here, she was not sure she had spoken without being angry or upset with someone. It was a strange new feeling, and she did not know what to do now that it was out there. Wait for the witch to reply, she supposed, and see if, by some chance of the Creator, she could convince this minion of the Dark One that they would never bring her to their allegiance.

((OOC: I know it's short, I'm sorry about that))

After having brought up all those points, without being interrupted by the girl in return Adena answered her last question with a simple. "No." The girl looked up and added. "But," she began in a soft voice, "that still leaves me with the problem of being tainted by the Dark One, and surrounded by his touch, and much as I dislike them, I would rather be a farmwife. Loyalty to the Light is the one thing I was taught that I can hold on to here, and I will not lose that, no matter what you witches do to me. Beat me all you want, but I will not be a minion of the Dark One." Cayana knew very well that that thought pattern wouldn't change today and so she wouldn't actually try to do more then plant a seed in this girls head. "Have I ever asked you to become Aes Sedai Adena? Have I ever asked you to do anything but learn what a novice must to complete her training?" Shaking her head softly she added. "Complete your training as a novice without trying to run away and you will be able to chose weather you wish to leave or to stay on here." Standing up she walked looked down at Adena. "We can only discuss things with you, we can't make you change your mind about things. Only you can do that." She pondered for a moment then said. "How does it feel to have been able to say what you have to an Aes Sedai without being punished for having your own opinion?" In the back of her mind Cayana had thought of something, something that might help this girl. But she wished to know the answer to that question first.

Adena was once again surprised by the witch's answer. Light, why did they always come up with some other question rather than answering what she said? Doubtless, she would never know the answer to that question. The only way to learn would be to become Aes Sedai herself, which was absolutely out of the question. The woman mentioned, in question form, that she had never told Adena to become Aes Sedai, she just wanted Adena to stay here until she knew how to really control the Power. Adena had to admit she was right, but even so, that would take years. There was no way she would stay here that long. Even if she did not have to become Aes Sedai, surely no matter how hard she tried they would convince her to join the Dark One if she was here for years. Yet what could she say? Could she actually tell a witch that? So far she had not condemned Adena for anything she had said, she had been allowed to voice her opinion without consequence- so far, though she would probably pay for it later. Yet, at the same time, Adena did not want to respond like that, it would seem almost petty, as if Adena was hanging on to anything that would let her win this discussion. No, she decided, she would just hold that little thought back and keep it for her, she would always know she could have said something, and this way she would not have to deal with whatever lie or cunning spin of truth and opinion Cayana would give her in reply.

The witch stood and looked back at Adena, telling her that there was no way the Tower could change her mind, they could only talk to her. It seemed a bold admonition, one Adena had not been expecting, especially from a minion of the Dark One. Then again, it was cunning, they would not force her to change her mind, they would brainwash her slowly enough that she would hardly notice, there would be nothing she could do about it. Adena only had a moment for that thought though, the Aes Sedai went on to ask her how it felt to be able to voice her opinion without punishment. Adena did not know what to think about that comment. She had just been told by an Aes Sedai that she would not be punished for her opinion. She did not dare hope that she would get out of punishment for everything else, but at least it seemed she would not be punished for what she had said since arriving here. She thought a moment before replying, how did it feel? "Well, I won't lie, it was certainly satisfying to be able to speak out, and to actually feel like someone other than another novice actually heard me. Although I don't really know what good it does, nothing I've said will change the way I'm treated or the way novices live, just like nothing you've said has changed the fact that I hate this place." She prayed that that would not be seen as disrespectful or some such thing that would earn her a punishment. Now that it was said, part of her wanted to take it back and replace it with some nothing like 'It felt good,' but part of her was glad she had said it. It was absolutely true, and so far she had been honest in her answers, nothing else had gotten her punished, why should that change something? Surely if anything was going to earn her punishment, it would be saying this place was the home of the Dark One, the Aes Sedai denied that to the world, as well as to the novices, although Amadicians knew better.

((OOC: I hope I haven't written anything that is out of character for Adena, if I have or if you feel that I just shouldn't have written any of what I have, please PM me.))

"Well, I won't lie, it was certainly satisfying to be able to speak out, and to actually feel like someone other than another novice actually heard me." At that Cayana nodded slowly, but she listened as Adena kept on. "Although I don't really know what good it does, nothing I've said will change the way I'm treated or the way novices live, just like nothing you've said has changed the fact that I hate this place." Once again Cayana nodded. "Would you like this opportunity to speak freely again?" The Green Aes Sedai said. Still she had answered none of Adenas accusations against the Towers. She had no direct reason to do so, though she would eventually.

Reseaving a positive answer Cayana nodded for the third time and turned to walk over to her desk. She walked around it, picked up the pen and wrote down a few things. "Alright. You know for a fact that what you did was wrong. Trying to run away, hitting an Aes Sedai and channeling without permission to do so. All of these things are what you have earned a punishment for. For voicing your oppinion however, you have not and will not get a punishment for as long as it is under these circumstances. I can not tell you that no Aes Sedai will punish you for it, just that I won't. To prove that I want to see you once a day for just a talk where you can speak freely to someone 'who isn't just a novice'. What you say may or may not have an impact on the rules here, but never the less you will be heard." She looked at Adena for a moment before continuing. "As for your punishment. You will be having extra chores for 6 months, and you will be flogged. 20 blows. Do you understand the circumstances of your punishment?" Cayana asked before she turned around and picked up the willow branch leaning against the wall behind her desk. She hated beatings, but when it came to hitting an Aes Sedai she couldn't think of a more suitable punishment. Or well she could think of one, but that would only cause Adena to either do it again or do something worse. Her extra chores would be enough anyway.

((OOC: and btw, feel free to write the section of where she is flogged or so. For the chores I just want a thread where Adena is doing chores for Aes Sedai, three posts depicting different stages of her punishment, unless you find someone to RP it with. As for the meetings, I'd like to try one thread first to see how it goes, if it doesn't flow we can stop RPing it if we want to. :) Make the first post in General Aes Sedai. Cayana would call her to her quarters, not the MoN office :) ))

When Adena finished, Cayana nodded and asked her whether she would like the opportunity to speak her mind again. What? Why in the world would she want to listen to me tell her how much I hate the Tower? Still, it was a tempting offer, and Adena did not really think she could say no and be believed, maybe the witch would even force Adena to talk to her, so she nodded. The witch nodded yet again, and walked around her desk and began writing something. She recapped the reason Adena was here, and explained that for only that, and not for speaking her mind, was she to be punished. She followed that up saying that she wanted to talk with Adena every day. Light, every day? And with the extra chores she was explaining on top of that? Novices had no free time as it was, this woman was trying to kill her! And Adena would be flogged. Light, that had happened before, the last time she had been sent for a punishment, but not by this woman. She picked up a switch, and motioned for Adena to stand. Adena stood, and walked over to where the witch was, turning to face away from her and waiting. Light but this woman was practiced, that was quite obvious. It was all she could do to keep from crying at the first blow, and there were still nineteen more to go! Adena had never been beaten or hit by her father, or anyone, back home in Amadicia, what made these witches think they had the right to do so? She would have been indignant for much longer, but the pain got the better of her.

A few minutes later, she stood whimpering in front of the witch. She hated to let the woman see her cry, but it hurt! She gave a small curtsey and turned to leave. She winced, walking was painful, and she had a feeling it would be for quite a while now. Six months' extra chores, and a flogging! As she walked, out the door, she made a feeble try at feeling indignant, but it did not work well. The pain was still too intense, but she was sure in a few hours she would be quite angry over this punishment. For all that Cayana had been kind at first, letting Adena speak her mind, she had not been merciful in the punishment. Adena did not yet know what her extra chores would be, but she was sure that she would find out sometime later today or early tomorrow. Light, even after Adena had said how much she hated the chores, and how many there were, that witch had still piled on extras! Not only that, but she beat her! Adena was a woman grown, nearly twenty-one years old, and they switched her like some miscreant peasant child! Indignation was coming easier now, much to her satisfaction. It was easier to forget the pain in her bottom if she had someone to be angry with. As long as she did not get too angry, that was part of what had gotten her here in the first place.