03/31/2001

Hayloft, White Tower, Tar Valon

Hay bale, hay bale, make a wish and look away. What does one expect to find
in a hayloft? Lots and lots of hay. This hay loft expands the full length
of the stables. Bale upon bale are stacked to the ceiling in groups.
There's enough walking room to make your way through various rows to reach
the far back of the hay loft. One small opening along the back wall allows
the stable hands to pitch the hay down to the lower levels where those
working below can take it to the stalls. Surely, a few students can get
easily lost up here.


These haylofts are huge and many can get lost in them. But near the back
out of the way of people coming and going, Jakeb's built him a littl room
out of haybails. He forms a bed from a blanket he found every night and
puts it away in the morning. It doesn't take much to make him content. So
as evening is approaching and the day is coming to a close, the young man
has unfolded his blanket and gets ready to settle in for the night. Pulling
a book from his hiding spot, he thumbs through the pages with the remaining
light from the day to see by. He finished his chores, including scrubbing
out latrines like Michael said. Why he bothers, who knows? It not too much
more in his schedule.

There was one problem Neelkan found when he finally got around to searching
out one of his favorite students. He doesn't stay in the Barracks! Wai! It
was a little odd to find that out, but it isn't like it's a rule to stay
there. He remembered when the kid entered the program he asked to stay with
Denn (sighsighsigh), though the Master Gaidin /knows/ that arrangement
isn't working anymore. Finally he found someone who remembers seeing the
young man going into the stable, so he heads in afterwards. Not with the
horses, not doing chores. He climbs up to the hayloft and looks around,
footsteps sounding on the boards. It takes a littel while, and he's about
to give up, but he hears the young man and peeks around the bails. "'ere ya
are!" He grins at the student and settles down to sit on the floor. "I hear
we need to talk."

Jakeb about jumps when the Gaidin finds him and then his green eyes look
down to the floor and his cheeks get pink. "Yeah... I'm surprised you found
me here. I menat to get a room, but well..." He won't go into it. He's
never gotten used to a bed. Now he suddenly gets nervous and shuts the book
and places it to the side. He's quiet for awhile wondering where his guts
to tell Neelkan all about what happened went. Then he sighs, "I messed up,
Gaidin Neelkan. I... insulted one of the Aes Sedai, but she buried a novice
up to her shoulders." Okay, that's the simple statement of what happened.

"I heard what happened, 'least from 'er side." Neelkan doesn't seem to be
mad. "She really is a wordy one though! I practically had t' get someone to
translate f'r m'." He laughs, running a hand through his hair as he jokes
about the letter she sent him. It's the truth though, she used some words
he was entirly unfamilar with. "Just tell m' yer side. I need t' 'ear what
ya have t' say 'bout it 'fore I can make any choices."

Jakeb sighs softly and then leans back against a haybail. "The novice ran
into her and scattered her papers in front of that noble man. So from what
the novice told me later about some history of something, the Aes Sedai
buried her in the ground up to her shoulders to teach her a lesson and
punish her. Course I didn't know that at the time, and even if I did I'm
not sure it'd matter much. The girl screamed, so I went to help her." Then
his chin touches his chest. "I insulted the Aes Sedai as I was trying to
help the girl out cause my emotions got away from me. And then I got picked
up by my pants from that Gaidin and told to apologize and go run laps."
jakeb's face then looks up as his anger slowly starts returning. "He just
let the Aes Sedai bury that novice! It's like protecting the novice wasn't
anything at all! Even the dedicated stood by and watched it all. And the
dedicated actually likes that novice. Well, I was too upset to apologize
and I don't know what happened besides the Gaidin kicking me. I bowed to
the noble man who was standing there that they just ignored and then headed
off to the yards." He pushes his golden locks out of his face and his voice
drops a little, "I ran the laps Michael wanted me to after I calmed down.
And Kyleigh wrote an apology that I told her later and sent that to the Aes
Sedai. I told her all the words to write. I just..." He pauses a moment and
then decides to be honest. "I can't write or read, but Ky told me she'd
teach me. If that's okay?"

Hmm. Neelkan's going to have to talk to Wyntere and see if that kind of
punishment is suitable for a Novice. The letter he got said something about
it being an Earth lesson, not a punishment. Of course, the letter didn't
mention the girl being buried at all! He would have tried to help the
novice if he saw that too. That sounds downright cruel. "Jakeb, I
understand yer frustration, really I do. One of the first times I was
punished was for tryin' t' protect a Novice from an Aes Sedai who was
questionin' 'er on stuff she wasn't supposed to answer." Michael was the
one who carried Neelkan out and threw him in a trough in fact! "Ya have t'
understand 'at the Aes Sedai generally know what is best f'r 'eir students.
If ya have a problem with anythin' ya see 'em d', especially t' 'eir
students, take yer consern t' m' 'n I'll look int' it. If it's somethin'
immediate, like what ya saw, 'en try to control your temper and speak
rationally. Most likely she'll tell ya t' mind your own business...
Unfortunately, Aes Sedai are still women, so ya can't expect 'em t'
/a'ways/ b' cooperative." That's just his advice, any punishment will
likely come after he responds to it.

Jakeb nods to Neelkan on that point. "It sure didn't -look- like a lesson
at the time. I talked to the novice today and she got all... well, she
seemed to like that lesson that was a punishment. You can be sure I won't
go helping her out until she askes next time." Yep, that was what jakeb's
decided. Now if it's Kyleigh, he'll die before he lets anyone touch her. He
promised her that. "Sorry about the temper thing, it was just really unfair
of her to do that. There's other ways to teach them lessons like that. And
yeah, I was gonna come talk to you about it. I didn't like the fact that no
one was trying to help her out. And that happened to the girl. But she
liked it, so what am I suppose to do?" He takes a deep breath and sighs.
"I'll remember to come talk to you. At least you can get that to stop if
it's not good. Sorry, Gaidin Neelkan." Well, yeah, he knows he's not
getting off the hook. "Don't kick me out, please. Can another gaidin kick
me out 'sides you?" He's wondering that one.

"If another one told ya t' leave, I'd have a stern talk t' 'im." Neelkan
sighs softly. He at least believes that that is a Master Gaidin's right.
"The other Gaidin can give punishments, as 'ey see fit, 'at's reasonable at
least." He's going to have to make an announcement about this he thinks.
Hrm. "Yer not gettin' kicked out. Ya have the potenial t' be a wonderful
Gaidin, 'n I'd be an idiot t' turn ya 'way. I know yer finished with yer
Fledgling lessons, 'n yer ready t' go t' Dedicated, but I'm gonna hold ya
back f'r a while. As yer punishment, I want ya t' talk t' three different
Aes Sedai, find out about 'em. 'ese can't be ones ya've had a lot of
dealings with though. Ask 'em questions, 'bout teaching methods, what they
look for in students 'n Gaidin, whate'er. 'en I want ya t' give a verbal
report t' m' when yer done, tellin' m' what ya learned."

Jakeb glances down a moment thinking. Well... Then he nods. "Alright. I can
talk to the Aes Sedai. You gonna hold me back for too long though? I wanna
be at least a Proven when Kyleigh gets raised." Then he sighs and shakes
his head with his cheeks turning red. "Sorry, I doubt she'd pick me
anyway." He picks up a few strands of straw and tosses them. "I like her
though. She's nice, pretty, and... well, I just like her. She's gonna let
me escort her out in the city. You know anywhere nice to take her? Some
place not so crowded with people? I won't do anything not appropriate, I
promise. I just want..." to impress her, that's all. "I want her to like
me." You weren't expecting this one coming were you Neelkan?

Watch Neelkan's mouth start to work soundlessly. Who does he look like, Dr.
Ruth!? "Um.. Jakeb.. uh.. ya see.. I.. uh.." Yup, he wasn't expecting this.
"I'm holdin' ya back f'r a while, 'n I'll decide when t' raise ya, 'n no
sooner! But... I.. uh.." He turns his head away and scratches at the back
of his neck. "I really.. I don't... girls.. especially /Kyleigh/... I don't
understand 'em. I don't know what 'ey want." He tries to think, he really
does, and the only thing he can come up with is said in a questionable way,
"The Grove, maybe?"

Jakeb looks over to Neelkan and just nods. "You're the boss, Gaidin." Nope,
he's not happy about getting held back, but then... well, nothing to do
about it. "The grove is a nice place. I was thinking there or out by the
river somewhere." Hey, he's telling you where he's going so you got to
trust him not to pull anything. "You think she'd like a picnic? Kinda later
in the evening?" Well, you just became and expert on girls. "It's okay that
I um.. try to get her to like me right? Just don't touch her?"

Then Jakeb adds after that, "Unless she's crying or something cause then's
it's just wrong not to try to comfort her."

Neelkan puts a hand to his head, almost in a gesture that's asking the
Light 'Why him!?'. It takes a few moments, but he gives an answer, "She
might like a picnic, but be careful if she brings 'long a blanket." It
might start flying. "'n it's okay f'r ya t' like each other, just don't
touch 'er in any way 'at isn't appropriate. If ya wouldn't do somethin'
with 'er in front of a bunch of people, 'en it's inappropriate!" Most
people won't even kiss in front of a bunch of people, so that's the best
explaination he can think of. "'n don't interfer with 'er studies or
chores, 'n don't let 'er interfer with yers."

Jakeb glances to Neelkan and nods. "Course not. I got alot of lessons to
take if I'm even gonna be in the picking when she makes Aes Sedai." Then
his green eyes look over to Neelkan, "I'm not worried about blankets or
nothing. And you don't worry either. I won't hurt her." Then he realizes
that probably doesn't explain things. "Look, I saw this man kill my mom one
night when she was trying to make some money by giving love away. I'm not
sure what happened under those skirts of hers, but I'm not going there.
Just as my luck would have it, I'd kill the lady too and I'm not doing
that. So, you can trust me." His voice is low and serious. It wasn't
something he wanted to see and the whole idea just scares him. "I won't
hurt her, Neelkan. I promise. I like her too much for that." And if he knew
how many times he's made her cry already, he'd leave the tower had try to
get as far away from her as possible. "Thanks for the talk though. I'll get
with you in a few days about talking to those Aes Sedai."

The story makes Neelkan blink and he looks a little confused. He wasn't
talking about the blanket like that! Just that the one she took with them
when they ran off together flew once and when it fell and he ran to catch
her... ahem... he accidently coped a feel. Not that he had any intention
to! "Jakeb, I.. uh.. didn't mean 'at 'xactly. But I'm glad 'at ya won't
'urt 'er. Ky needs someone like ya I think." He stands up, suddenly wanting
to get out of here before he asks for more advice. Neelkan doesn't want to
think of /ANYONE/ doing /ANYTHING/ like that with Ky. It's just... he
doesn't even want to think of her as someone that guys would want to do
that stuff with. "I better go. Ya can continue t' stay up 'ere if ya want,
but ya should look int' gettin' a room soon."

Jakeb glances to Neelkan and nods. "Yeah, it'll get cold before long, but..
even then, this is better than what I've had." Then Jakeb just nods. "I'll
get a room. Thanks, Neelkan. Sleep well." Jakeb reaches over and grabs his
book. Well, if he's going to get held back, he's going to have to find
something to be learning. Writing and Reading are as good as anything. Poor
kid just looks at the pictures right now.