Fortune Pricks

[ladyofchaos]

  Lavida sat in the dark in the dark tent, reclining on the soft tasseled coushins opposite the woman shrouded in shadows. Her calloused hand was held carefully, palm-up, by the soft, cool fingers of the Seer. Dark green eyes, glinting in the dim light, shined out from under her cadin'sor.

        The routine Telling of her society, the Maidins of the Spear, was normal for her. She was relaxed as she listened to the sounds of her friends move about outside the tent, waiting for their turn and straining their ears for what the Seer would say to her. Suddenly, the wrinkled face snapped up, her eyes boring deep into Lavida's soul. She sat still, unable to move or break the gaze.

        "Your destiny lies before you," rasped a voice like chains dragged over stones, like the baying of wolfhounds in the hunt. The woman's eyes seemed to grow, taking up her entire face. "You think, you believe, that you are a warrior." A barely perceptable shake of her head. "Your path lies another way. You are original and creative, and deeply, you have realized this."
        Her shriveled lips carefully formed her fateful words.

        "You will pass a difficult test that will make you happier. However, you will not think of it that way." Her voice returned to normal, the rough, gravely voice of an old woman who was a warrior in her younger years.

        "You have the spark, child."

        Lavida's ears roared, her eyes wide. Her mouth dropped open, heedless of any small toh. The Seer's eyes filled with compassion barely masked as Lavida began to scream.
        "No!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "I won't! I'll never!" She dashed for the tent flaps, and straight into the waiting arms of her Spear- sisters. They griped her arms with hands made of steel, unfailing in their strength.

        "You must," her near-sister Tovra informed her with a blank face.
        "If you don't go willingly, you know what we must do," said Simarine, a light of amusment in her eyes. Lavida struggled helplessly, her eyes pleading. Seeing no mercy in the hard eyes of her friends, she sagged, her body going limp. She raised her head slowly, grey eyes blazing.

        "And you know what I will do," she told them, and bolted, breaking free of their arms. Before she had gone three paces, she stumbled falling heavily. She lurched to her feet once more, but her society was upon her. Anguished eyes raised a spear-butt, the brought it down on her head. The world turned black.

        The Maidins carefully hauled Lavida across their shoulders, securely binding her feet and hands with strips of fur-coated leather. With heavy hearts, they began to run across the Three-fold Land, towards Rhuidean, where Lavida would be forced to face her future.

[BirgitteMo]

Kaimla sat silently on a pillow, facing her teacher, Ranya, in the largest tent of the camp. She slowly opened herself out and surrendered to saidar. It flowed through her in an overpowering stream. She was so enclosed that her teachers voice was only as a voice in her head. "Slowly, now" Kaimla's teacher crooned, "You do not want to burn yourself out. Now once in the void, let yourself float, just rest, be at peace."

The training to be a Dreamwalker was slow and painful in Kaimla's eyes. She had alerady done it tons of times without even trying! But these people, the Aiel Wise Ones believed in taking things at slower paces. Kaimla couldn't believe it.

"Now, release the power." Ranya's voice was a whip aimed by a muscular man. It cut through Kaimla's peace in a flash.

"What now, Wise One?" Kaimla asked as she opened her grey eyes to see the face of her teacher, her temper flaring slightly at being aroused. "I mean, we've been embracing and releasing saidar since I got here 5 months ago! When do i finally get to dreamwalk? This is getting so boring! It was like 3 months ago when w-" She cut off abruptly from her rant when she saw Ranya staring at her with stony eyes and face. "Sorry, Wise One, I forgot my place."

"Thats alright, one more time."

Kaimla slowly opened herself to the void once more. She floated for a long while, peaceful and calm. Suddenly, many maidens came streaming through the tent door, supporting another maiden, who was flailing and screaming at the top of her lungs. This jolted Kaimla out of her peace once again. She came around this time to find her teacher talking with the maidens.

Who is the maiden? What did she do? Why is she here? Whats her name? Many toughts quickly streamed through Kaimlas head when she got her first look at the maiden, who was now restrained by only two of the group that had carried her in. Ranya kept on making gestures at the maiden, and looking slightly pleased and happy. Why? Once again, thoughts flowed through her mind. Her train of thought was abruptly broken when the maiden started to talk.

[ladyofchaos]

OOC: Yay!

IC: Lavida was carried into a tent by her spear-sisters, the largest of the group. While part of her knew that this is what their toh forced them to do, the other half screamed for revenge. They had reached their destination, and her friends had wasted no time in dumping her in here. With Wise Ones.

She sneered around her, finally ceasing to scream. She glared at everyone, her near-sister, the Wise Ones themselves- a hazardous business- and even a Wetlander who was with them. What was a Wetlander doing with the Wise Ones? She shot a particularly venemous gaze at the milk-skinned chit, the worse she could do at the moment aside from spitting. She lay on the ground, ignoring various rocks and bumps, her hands and feet still bound.

When her spear-sisters and the Wise Ones began to talk, she snapped like a frail twig. "I will not become a Wise One!" she spat, like a distasteful bit of food she didn't want to stomach. "I am Far Dareis Mai!" The last was spoken like a pronouncment, as if by saying it the fact would never change.

The Wise Ones looked at her scornfully, no pity in their hard eyes. Those eyes had seen no coddling- but she no longer cared. She threw the whole of her being into trying to convince the women in the tent, ready to use anything short of begging.

"I am a fighter!" she announced, eyes filled with dread. "And Wise Ones... Wise Ones..." Hm. That approach not might be wise here. She trailed off quietly, quite aware of the power the women considering her held.

She turned her face instead to the Wetlander, a focus for her anger. "I will not study with some... some... pampered, milk-skinned Wetlander!"

The Wise One stepped forward, seemingly in charge. She knelt on one knee, cupping Lavida's face in her hands. Without warning, she slapped her, a full-armed blow that took Lavida's hardened nerves by surprise. Her head rang, spots dancing in front of her grey eyes as she struggled to regain her composure. An angry red hand mark quickly appeared on her cheek. As she gaped up at the woman, who had stood up, the Wise One spoke.

"You may leave," she told Lavida's spear-sisters gently. "She is beyond you, now." Lavida's heart ached as they left, not looking back over their shoulders.

In a low voice that did not carry out of the tent, the Wise One spoke, hard and fast. "You are not to disrespect my apprentices. Ever. You have toh to her, now."

"Apologize."

Lavida stubbornly set her jaw, until another slap set her reeling. Eyes still blurred, she muttured;

"I'm sorry."

[BirgitteMo]

OOC: love it sam!!!!! specially the milk-skinned chit!

IC: Kaimla was now sitting on the pillow with her legs neatly tucked under her. She peered to where the maiden lay, trying to make her interest inconspicuous. The maiden was quite defiant. She attemted to appear unaffected by the glare that was thrown her way, but to no avail. A snarl came from her throat, quite loud, so Kaimla was pretty embarassed at that.

The maiden suddenly stopped talking, only to insult her again. The maiden had called her pampered!! And milk-skinned. The last one she could understand, she was pretty pale, but PAMPERED! Kaimla wanted to get up and slap the ungrateful girl silly. The bloody maiden would never know what it was like to be her, stealing for life. She was the farthest away from pampered that there was! At least the flaming maiden got decent meals daily, and a proper sleeping area!

Kaimla was quite supprised, though, when Ranya bent down and gave the maiden a full-armed slap in the face. Her teacher murmered something in audible to the girl on the ground. Then the maiden gave an apology! That was really amazing, considering her defying appearance.

Finally, Ranya left the maiden untied and came back to Kaimla's lessons. "Sorry for the interuption, but it was necessary." Her voice was strained, maybe from keeping something down. Kaimla didnt know. "Well, as I was going to say before we were interupted." Ranya glanced towards the maiden. "We are going to start studying dreamwalking in more depth. Tonight, or sometime soon, you will go to sleep with this dream ring. It will ease your first passage into the world of dreams."
The ring that her teacher held was old and twisted, yet Kaimla grabbed it with eagerness and put it on her right hand. She inspected it, and secretly inspected the maidens face through her fingers.

[ladyofchaos]

OOC: !!!!!!!!!

IC: Lavida sat sullenly on the ground, rubbing her reddened wrists gingerly. She watched with carefully hidden interest as the Wise One- Ranya, she had been told- gave the Wetlander a ring. The Wetlander grabbed it hungrily, immediatly suspecting it. As she held it up, she glanced between her fingers, their eyes meeting for a moment by accident. She hadn't been meant to notice that. She perked her ears up as the Wise One spoke to Lavida again, stern.

"You will attend Kaimla's next dreamwalking class," she told Lavida, a woman who expected to be listened to. And obeyed. Immediatly. "I wish to see what abilities you have," she said, chin in her hand. She searched over Lavida with eyes that could see through skin, looking into Lavida's very being. Their eyes met, and to her shame, Lavida was forced to look away. She had lost this first battle of wills. Barely here a moment and already she has me cowed! she thought fiercely.

Thinking of that, she raised her head, fiery eyes blazing with defiance once more. But that unblinking gaze caught her once more, and she looked down.

"Yes, Wise One," she said, hatred in her voice. It didn't matter. Tonight, she would escape. To her surprise, Ranya spoke to her once more.

"In fact," she said, her own eyes blazing in turn, "I wish to begin tonight." She looked towards the Wetlander- I will NOT call her by name! Milk-skinned CHIT!- and smiled slightly.

"Kaimla, guide this woman through her first touching," she said, then sat back onto a pillow. Lavida gaped at her, mouth wide. What did she mean? She was startled out of her thoughts when the Wetlander moved towards her.

[BirgitteMo]

OOC: LOVE IT!!!!!

Kaimla was really frightened to hear that she was forced to teach this... this... idiot. It would be impossible!!! She wasnt even aware of her name! She swiftly, yet reluctantly got up and move closer to the Aiel, and then promptly sat.

"Ranya, whats her name?" She asked in a cutting, annoyed voice that she had never really used before. "For we have not been formally introduced."

"Her names Lavida, she was a maiden, as you have surmised, and will now become a Wise One. Lavida, this is Kaimla, who has been studying with us for a few months, and is my apprentice. She will now guide you through the process of touching the source. It is hard at first, but will get easier later." At this introduction, Kaimla smiled slightly at ... the maiden, slightly gloating, thinking im better than you are! Im i-in charge!

Kaimla looked her student in the eye, or attempted to. Everytime she tried to lock her eyes, the maiden defiantly looked away. She started anyway. "Now... Lavida I guess im going to have to guide you through touching the source. You MUST cooperate. Now do as I say, when I say. Close your eyes. Picture a flower, anything small, and concentrate on it." Somehow, by the way the former maiden was, Kaimla got the feeling that in her mind, the maiden was picturing her dead, or siriously injured. Not really the best mood to get when you were about to be instructing your first student.

[ladyofchaos]

Lavida bristled as the insolent Wetlander asked Ranya- Ranya! for her name. The girl began to try to guide her to touch the True Source- she never would. She closed her eyes, however, and stored away the girl's words for later reference. She opened one eye impulsivly, glancing at her.

"You could have asked me, you know, girl," she said, then snapped her eye closed again. The True Source. The One Power. She was supposed to touch it-

She convulsivly clutched her spears to her chest, which had been dumped on the rugs with her. With her eyes closed, she didn't notice the Wise One eye them with distaste, then smile grimly at the thought of what would be done to them.

However, the Wise One had also commanded her to do something- and a Wise One could not be turned down. Not without violating toh. So she sat, trying deperatly to envision a flower. She thought of the Rikath, a small blue flower than was poisonous if eaten, but beautiful. She had only seen a few though, and had trouble.

She made the flower become clearer in her mind, until it was picture perfect. She opened one eye again, the flower imprinted on her other lid.

"What next?"

[BirgitteMo]

The maiden did as she said, but she was so rude! Kaimla thought of slapping her again, and demanding to be respected as a superior, but decided against it as the maiden protectively held her spear to her chest.

When she was asked what the next step was, Kaimla nervously glanced over at Ranya for consent, and got a nod in reply. But she really didn't know how to explain the next steps. They were easier done than said, in a fasion. She thought back to her training. "Well, first, you need BOTH eyes shut, only one won't do. Now, concentrating hard on the flower, make sure to hve every single little detail of the flower, every bend, every shade, every petal. Now, pour your entire being into it. Surrender to the power, the flower holds your being, you and the source are one. Eventually it will start to... ahh... glow." Kaimla repeated the last few sentances a few times, then gave the maiden a few minutes to try this. She was still unsure of how to instruct anyone on anything.

Making sure that the maiden was concentrating on putting her very being into a flower, or at least seeming to do so, Kaimla mouthed the word 'Help' to her teacher, because she really didnt know what to do next, and she didnt want to be doing this. Ranya shook her head, and urged her to go on. Kaimla took a deep breath and prepared to keep teaching the maiden how to embrace the source.

[ladyofchaos]

OOC: So, whaddaya think 'bout them becoming friends laterz? Or do we have a permanent enemy situation...

IC:

Alright, both eyes closed. Easy enough. I can do that, she told herself, shutting her eyes. She pushed away her spears, intent upon doing this perfectly. If I have to do it, she thought to herself, I may as well do it right! She formed the flower again in her mind, perfecting the colour, the shape of the petals, the smell even...

"Now, pour your entire being into it. Surrender to the power, the flower holds your being, you and the source are one. Eventually it will start to... ahh... glow." Lavida struggled to keep from laughing aloud. That was absurd! A glowing flower that you surrender to? Surrender was never an option! Never!

Regardless, she truely tried to 'surrender' to a flower. But she could not. It was written into every fiber of her being... never surrender. Finally, after a few minutes, she opened her eyes, exasperated.

She faced the Wise One calmly, aware that she may be punished. "I cannot, Wise One," she said, wincing at the sound of the words. "I cannot... cannot surrender. She spoke the last word with distaste, spitting it out of her mouth, leaving a foul taste behind.

She kept her chin up. "I am sorry." She stared defiantly at both of them, unblinking.

OOC: Yes, she has a block... I have a plan to break it though!

[BirgitteMo]

OOC: I dunno if we really have a choice to make them friends or not... it would be hard to keep them enemies, as they will kinda be spending lots of time together. is ure person calling mine a wise one?? cause shes not really a wise one. YAY BLOCKS!

IC: Kaimla waited, then the miaden finally spoke. "I cannot... cannot surrender." This was going to be hard. The former maiden had BLOCK! Curse the bloody blocks! They made nothing any flaming easier! Now she had to find out how to break it. Bloody blocks!

Since there was nothing that Kaimla could do to break the block now, or figure it out -that would come in time, hopefully- all she could do was go back to trying to embrace, even though she new it wouldnt work.

"Ok, Lavida. Dont worry about not being able to surrender to the power. You have what we call a block. It means that you cannot embrace the source except for under certain conditions. You will have to practice embracing the source, though, so it will be easier when we find out what your block is. Now, try again. Concentrate on the flower. Make sure you heve every detail..." She droned on, letting the maiden find the source again and practice.

[ladyofchaos]

OOC: NO NO NO! THE wise one. Rayna! I always call your character 'Wetlander' or 'girl' so far.

IC:

Lavida glared at the girl, who kept insisting upon trying. A block? So she could not even do this thing she was forced into! She glared at everyone and everything; the tent, the blankets, the girl... Rayna... Oh. Maybe that was not a good idea. Rayna glared right back, her eyes far more intense than Lavida's had ever been, outside of battle. During battle, she always felt so alive, like her senses were hightened, like the Wheel of Time itself was turning within her. The thrill of the dream of life potentially ending...

She barely listened as the girl talked on, almost lulling her to unawareness. She did try, she truely did... but what was the use if it couldn't be used?

Her eyes closed, she tried harder, until the Wise One declared the lesson ended, standing up. Lavida opened her eyes, looking towards her, and the girl out of her corner of the eye.

"You shall sleep in my apprentices' tent, with Kaimla," she told Lavida, hands on her hips. "Be at my tent an hour before dawn tomorrow morning," she said. With that, she whirled around, striding briskly out of the tent. Lavida stood gaping at her, then slowly turned to face the Wetlander.

[BirgitteMo]

OOC: ok.. good. That was scaring me

IC: The lesson ended, and Ranya announced that the maiden would be sleeping in her tent! It was her flaming tent! This would only ruin her privacy! And it was a small enough tent to begin with. Now it was going to be small, and shared with a person who she didnt like, who didnt like her, and she hardly knew! What was she going to do?

Kaimla decided to roll with the punches. It could be worse. "Follow me." She said to the maiden, motioning to the door flap. The maiden first had to pick up her stuff. As she led her across the camp to the small, brown tent that they would now be sharing, Kaimla walked quickly. She really didnt want to share a tent. Hoping to lose the maiden along the way would be no use, she would only get in trouble later.

They finally reached the tent, and Kaimla walked in. She promptly sat on her bed, making sure that the other girl new that it was hers and that she was NOT getting it. The maiden entered. " Well, this is our bloody tent, now. And we will be sharing it from now on. This is my bed," she said with a bit of anger, pointing to what she was sitting on, "and that means that the other one is yours." Someone had brought another cot in during the time they were at the lesson. "Put your flamin' stuff here, here and here. Mines over there," she added as she pointed to different areas in the room. "The wash basin is over there, the towels along side."

"And since we are roommates now, i guess we should bloody well be on better terms with eachother. That means you call me Kaimla, not girl or wetlander, because i DO have a name, and I will call you Lavida. And we should at least appear to be more friendly. OK? If you have any bloody objections, state them now."

[ladyofchaos]

OOC: *cheers*
I'm kinda busy- I'll post the first time she runs away after your reply and the first Rhuidean visit later! But I quite like this scene.

IC:

"If you have any bloody objections, state them now." Lavida glared at her. It was bad enough they had to share a tent- did she have to make it worse? She stiffly walked over to her pallet, sitting cross-legged on it and making a show of arranging her weapons. She did like doing this- it usually was quite a show! First, she layed down her spear in a neat pile beside her unstrung bow. Coiling the string in a puddle next to it, she took off her quiver, counting the bristling arrows.

Next, she flipped her knives out. The belt knife went first- the obvious one. Next, her throwing knives- from up her sleeves. The smaller palm knives came next, from the same place. Two long knives were removed from her lower legs, then two stabbers from her soft laced knee-high boots. Finally, she took out a small poison-tipped dagger- from the small of her back.

Grinning carnivorously at the Wetlander- she would say that in her mind, always,- she said, "Objections? Oh, no, Kaimla."

[BirgitteMo]

Kaimla calmly watched as Lavida elaborately displayed all of her weapons. She was completely unnafected by it -almost- knowing that they would be taken away from Lavida if she wore them around or used them for fun or killing friends. She thought of her own knives. She had them under her pile. It would be pointless to bring them out now. That would only lead to a competition between the two of who had the best weapons. Lavida would surely win. All Kaimla had were 10 knives, 2 small daggers for the boots, two longer knives up the sleeves, two on her belt (her favorites, with jagged edges), two on her stomach, one on her left thigh, and a hooked one on her back.

When Lavida was finally done and admitted that she had no objections in a voice that seemed slightly carnivorous, Kaimla sat back against her small, hard pillow. She eyed the weapons that Lavida had layed out more thouroughly, getting a little more uneasy at each galnce. The bow would not be harmful currently, as it was unstrung. Her spear wasnt bad either, as it seemed to be more of a status symbol than a weapon. The knives were another matter. As with Kaimla, Lavida was really comfortable with them, and at least one was bound to be poisoned.

"Lovely little collection you've got there. It outdoes mine. I only have a few knives." Kaimlas voice was strained at the effort to keep it from shaking slightly. "If you would be so kind as to put them away, i believe that Ranya will be over soon, or summoning us to her tent."

[ladyofchaos]

Lavida raised an eyebrow at the wetlander. Why would the Wise One come to see the, or they to see her? Had they not just had a 'lesson'? She shuddered slightly at the fresh memory of that. Would she have to go through another one again so soon? There was not even anything for her to do! Pretend to be a flower- it sounded like the children's games; those who didn't want to become warriors. What proper Maiden would pretend to be a flower?

"I highly doubt that," she told the girl wryly. "Having another lesson so soon?" She shook her head slightly. Nevertheless, she replaced a good deal of the knives, especially the hidden ones. She had heard horror stories of what happened to Maidens who were forced to become Wise Ones, but her knived were staying- for now.

As she slipped the last into it's sheath, she turned to the girl, honestly curious with a sudden thought. "Why do you hate me?" she asked bluntly.