"May I have a little more please? This tastes really good."
The cook shoveled yet another portion of porridge on Chi's plate and handed it back to the Novice.
"Are you sure you'll eat that?" she said, eyes narrowed.
"Yes ma'am, I'm certain," Chilria lied without hesitation. "Thank you." Chi smiled even more sweeter and went back
to her place at the table. She could understand the cook for being suspicious, after all, Chi never ate more than a
half portion of porridge in the morning and this was her fifth.
The smell of the porridge made her stomach make turnabouts. Still, she wore that sweet smile, spoon in one hand
and trying to open the little bag she had in her belt with the other. 'Light burn this disgusting porridge' Chilria
thought and meant it with her whole heart. She'd heard rumors of what the Aes Sedai ate for breakfast; cookies,
cakes and bread with both cheese and ham?. The paste she had on her plate was what she'd been served every
morning in over two years now, and finally they'd come up with something better to do with it than eating. She
glanced over to where Qhyn sat, and then over to Coille and Kaye. They all had bags like her own, in fact, they'd
sewn them out of an old dress Chilria had found in the bottom of her chest. Finally, Chi managed to open her own
bag, and carefully so that no one saw what she was doing she started to fill the bag with spoon after spoon of
the porridge. The bag was almost full now, and Chilria estimated that it would be enough porridge to "surprise" at
least fou r or five persons. She tied the bag carefully; she didn't want five plates of porridge to splash out over
her white dress, and got up, only glancing at the other Novices. She'd made sure she would be alone at her table
today and it had worked. She left the kitchen without her actions being noticed.
The time until the meeting was longer than even her worst chores. She cleaned her room and made her morning
chores, all the time being unusually excited. Finally, she had some spare time before the first lesson, and she
hurried back to her room and collected the bag. Then she went to wait at the others in the corner of their
corridor and the Novice commonroom.
***
Qhyn folded her long legs beneath her and stared and the piles of porridge in the bowl in her room. Light the stuff
was disgusting! Almost as bad just looking at the gruesome stuff, eating it... Qhyn shuddered for a moment but
recovered quickly when thoughts of what they were planning danced through her mind. If only the time would
pass more quickly! It had been Chili's idea, and a good one at that. If caught they'd be scrubbing pots and pans
for WEEKS if not YEARS. But Light, it would be so nice to see those snots squeal... worht every scrubbed pot. At
least that's what Qhyn hoped. Impatience got the better of the Novice and the girl of sixteen stood and paced
her room. The room was tiny and her head, when she stood straight, brushed the ceiling. The girl was remakrkbly
tall for a woman and just as skinny; it was not going to be easy for her to sneak around. But if they each took
three of four people it wouldn't be as bad. The girl's gray eyed gaze passed over the porridge again and she
prancd w ith anticipation. If only time would pass more quickly!
***
Coille snuck into the Novice Common Room with a bag full of cold porridge. Holding her nose was the only thing
she could do to stop herself from vomiting, so when she met Chilria there, she was clutching her nose like the
salvation and rebirth of everyone under the Light depended on it. She put her porridge-filled bag on a table and
approached Chilria.
"How can you stand smelling that stuff? You said you've been here for almost two years! I've been here a week!
Maybe you've built a resistance to it or something..." Here voiced trailed away as Qhyn entered the room.
"Oh, good," Coille said. "You're here." She gestured for the third Novice to put her bag on the table with the
other. "Now, we have to decided who to 'surprise' first. I nominate Rio Shade Dyelra Sedai, the bloody Mistress of
Novices. I've seen my fair share of her in the past week. Any other ideas?"
***
Yes, who to 'suprise?' Rio was a really good nomination, although if they would pull the prank on her, they had to
make SURE they wouldn't get caught?. Chirlia looked from Qhyn to Coille, grinning at the look on the later girls
face, and smiled eagerly, her brown eyes shining. She was looking forward to finally do what they'd talked about
so long. They stood in the shadows of the corner, and they'd put the bags on a table. The smell would draw
attention, surely, but three Novices trying to stay unnoticed wasn't a rare enough sight to draw unwanted
attention. Hopefully. Now, who to 'suprise'?
"I'd like to fill Jaimyn Sedai's shoes too, if you wouldn't mind?" Chilria was a little unsure if that was a good idea,
she respected the Sitter of the Ajah she was interested in wholeheartly, and the Aes Sedai had been very kind
towards her, but as Coille had said; every Aes Sedai needed a little porridge in their shoes from time to time.
Chilria took a paper, and pen and ink from her bag in her belt - another bag than the porridge-bag of course. This
one was the one she kept useful things in; pen and paper, a little ink-bottle, some herbs, a stone (where'd she
got that from?) and many other good things.
"And we'll absolutely have to 'suprise' Rio Sedai. Now we only have to wait for Kaye and when she's come, I say
we split up and take a few Aes Sedai's shoes each, in that way we'll cover them in the shortest time. Now, while
we're waiting, shall we make a list as for who to 'surprise' who?"
***
Kaye made her way to the novice room after making herself presentable. It had been a long time since it was
necessary to do so, but old habits died hard. On the way, she caught her reflection on the mirror. Kaye
unconsciously smoothed a strand which was out of place before walking on. She entered the common room with
the same light step she had been trained to use since young, carrying her smelly bundle.
Kaye was rather surprised to see the others were already there, then she looked at the timepiece and blushed.
She was late, a rather unusual occurence for her.
"I'm really sorry I'm late," Kaye spoke as she joined the other three. They had obviously been discussing the prank
and Kaye joined in as much as possible though pranks were something that had disappeared from her life... once it
had become too important not to play them.
***
Chilria nodded smiling towards the newcomer. She didn't know Kaye that well, but she'd decided she really liked
the shy, correct girl.
"It's allright, we haven't waited that long. Besides, I'm always late myself." she said encouraging before they
leaned their heads together and continued deciding the victims.
Chilria grabbed her bag of porridge - maybe Coille was right, maybe she had built a resistance towards the icky
thing, she didn't thought it smelled *that* bad - and handed the others theirs too. A grin played on the short
Novice's lips and she quickly looked around to make sure no one was there to see them. For once, the
commonroom was almost empty, except for a few Novices who didn't look like they would go tell anyone.
"Allright," she said, fastening the bag to her belt again. "You all know who to visit? Ready?" They all nodded,
trying to seem serious, but Chilria could see that they were all about to burst with laughter. Light, they had to
stay calm until they'd done it.
"Let's meet in my room when we're done then." she said gravely, and shook each and everyones hands. "Good
luck." She almost added 'Peace be with you', the phrase she'd said so often in her former life but which didn't
seem necessary in the peaceful life in this Tower, but she realised it would have been to exhaggirate. After all, it
was just a prank. 'And a bloody fine one too' she thought to herself grinning, as she left the others to find the
rooms of her victims.
***
Coille made her way to the quarters of the Green Ajah and counted the doors, coming to a familiar one. She
knocked and stepped back as it opened. Coille had deposited her bag of porridge further down the hallway; she
was just here to get the shoes. She wasn't sure if her friends were sneaking into their victim's rooms or if they
were taking an easier approach like herself.. She would probably have to sneak later, but right now... Cirelle Sedai
stood behind the opened door.
"Good morning, Aes Sedai," Coille said, curtsying. "For a penance, the Mistress of Novices has assigned me to
clean the room of a sister from each Ajah. Would you mind if I cleaned your's?"
By the next bell, Coille was back down the hallway, with a pair of Cirelle Sedai's shoes under her skirt. She ducked
into an empty room in the corridor and filled the shoes with porridge. Opening a drawer, she inserted them there
for safe keeping. She would be back later, at lunch time, when Cirelle Sedai would be at the dining hall. She
opened the door and stuck her head into the hallway, making sure no one saw her. On to the next victim, a
*slightly* harder one. The Mistress of Novices.
***
Chilria left the Novice Quarters, pondering about how to do this. She decided to take Jaimyn first, and made her
way to the Grey Quarters. Standing outside the Sitter's door like she'd done so many times before, she knocked
on it, hard.
"Come in!" she heard Jaimyn call from the inside. Burn it, the Aes Sedai was in. Chilria hadn't really thought about
what to do if she was in.
"Enter!!" Jaimyn called again. Chilria didn't know which was best, to make up an excuse for seaking the Aes Sedai
out, or just leave right away. She decided she would have to take the Grey Sitter's shoes later, and hurried to
leave before Jaimyn opened the door and saw her.
She ran all the way to the Yellow Quarters before she got to her senses and stopped. 'Light, this is making me
nervous!' she thought, 'I have to act less suspicious.' She calmed down, pictured an Accepted in her mind - she
always pictured people she'd seen when she wanted to change the way she acted, - and walked down the main
hallway in the Yellow Quarters looking less like a fleeing Novice and more like an Accepted with an important
errand. She knocked on Eydrith Sedai's door, and wispered a thankful pray to the Light when noone answered.
Chilria had chosen a pair of Eydrith's shoes that looked liked the Aes Sedai used them often. No use that the
porridge would lay in the shoes and go mouldy she'd thought, and filled two brown shoes with porridge. She'd
made it carefully so that no porridge could be seen until you felt yourself standing in it. Now she closed the door
to Eyrdith's rooms just as carefully and left for the Warder's section of the Tower?
***
Kaye approached her first prank (of her stay in the white tower) with the predicted trepidation. Yet, somehow,
she felt a certain clear-headedness and exhilaration. Kaye shook her head, she found these emotions alarming.
Reaching the white ajah quarters, she wondered how she was going to reach Anara Sedai's shoes. She'd come
during lunch time in hopes that Anara had gone down for lunch. Kaye walked down door after door. As she
walked, she thought of the prank she was about to do. A mistake, for the more she thought the more nervous
she became.
The passageway was starting to feel constricting, Kaye was almost tempted to turn back. Almost. But she'd
agreed to be in the prank, besides, this... risk-taking... excited her. Kaye walked on till the door to Anara Sedai's
room loomed above her.
She knocked, praying Anara Sedai wasn't in...
And waited.
After a couple of minutes of nervous waiting, it looked like her prayers were answered. Kaye opened the door and
slipped in, all her thieving instincts coming to fore as she scanned the room for the shoes. Finding a pair, she
poured the smelly porridge into it before sneaking out again.
It took all her self control to walk with her usual neutral expression and light step back down the white ajah
quarters. Once outside, she heaved a sigh of relief... feeling a strange sense of achievement.
Qhyn melted into the shadows as a particularly snippety Accepted rounded the corner. Or, at least, tried to melt
into the shadows with little success. For about the hundreth time she cursed her hieght. Her breath stilled while
her heart raced as the Accepted walked right past her, too busy muttering to herself to pay any attention to
shadows. Qhyn breathed in deeply and waited for her pounding heart to settle. Well, get on with it already! A
voice shouted at Qhyn. A smile spread accorss the Novice's face as she entered the White Halls.
Qhyn wrestled with the heavy bad of porridge that she carried in both bony arms. The poorly made leather sack
was beginning to fall apart at the seams and dripping disgusting porridge squished in the Novice's hands. But she
made sure she kept it away from her nice clean Novice dress. Can't have any evidence, can we?
Her first stop was to the quarters of Maihgread Sedai. Tentatively Qhyn reached for the door handle...and
stopped mid-reach as a voice floated under the door. Qhyn drew her hand back as if bitten by a snake and
hurried down to the end of the corriodor. Once again the Novice attempted the shroud herself in shadows and
was, once again, unsuccessful. But no one emerged from the White Sister's quarters.
With a relieved sigh Qhyn began walking down the corridor again, this time heading towards the Training Yards.
There she spotted her next victim: Bandin Gaidin, Warder to the Mistress of Novices. With a delighted laugh Qhyn
hurried to his quarters. She slipped into the messy room and began working. Shoes and boots were everywhere
and nearly half the bag was gone by the time Qhyn finished. With a grin she slipped out of the Warder's rooms
and headed back towards the White Halls.
This time the room was silent so Qhyn opened the door slowly, peeking her head in. The room was empty. Qhyn
hurridly closed the door behind her and got to work. The White Sister's study was neater than the Warder's and
finding shoes to fill was something of a task. The Novice was a little dissapointed when she only emptired another
fourth of the bag but she shrugged it off.
Filling the last pair of slippers, Qhyn looked up and examined her handiwork. She grinned and ducked out through
the door again. The Novice hurried through the halls to meet up with Coille and Chilria. Ohh this was fun!
***
"What are you doing here Novice?" a grim man's voice called out. 'Oh dear!' Chilria thought, and turned from the
door to Dawnrider's room, expecting to see Jaimyn's Warder standing there. Luckily, it was not him, the man
glaring at her was someone she hadn't seen before.
"Well?" he said, and Chilria quickly dropped a deep curtsy. Whoever it was, he looked like he'd taken upon himself
to guard every room in this quarter.
"Excuse me Sir, I thought this was Dawnrider Gaidin's room."
"It is," he relaxed a little and looked more curious than angry, at least Chilria thought so, you never know with
these stone faced men. "why are you lurking about here?"
Chilria smiled flattering, "Oh, that's good - you see Sir, I've been sent to clean his room, I hope that's not against
any rules here is it?"
The man seemed more at ease after her reasonable excuse, and Chilria wished that he would leave, soon - before
Dawnrider came back. "No, I guess that's fine. Go ahead."
"Thank you Sir." Chilria smiled and curtsied again 'anything that keeps a man in a good mood is worth doing' her
mother had always said - of course she'd been talking about food, but Chilria was sure it would go for smiles and
curtsies too.
Chi had no intention of cleaning - although the room looked like it needed it - as soon as the Warder had left, she
rushed over to the wardrobe, bent down and started searching for shoes and boots to fill with porridge. Grinning
she grabbed a pair of black, well oiled boots and started to shovel the smelling muck into them.
Whistling she then made her way towards the Grey Ajah Quarters.
***
A small frown marred Kaye's otherwise calm face. Just as she was about to look for her next victim she'd been
called to the kitchens for a chore and she had had a hard time hiding the sack of porridge in the nearest corner.
Now, returning to the place, Kaye hoped it hadn't been discovered.
It hadn't. Kaye breathed a sigh of relief... then she wrinkled her nose. Being far from it had led her to forget its
horrible smell. Kaye wondered that it hadn't been discovered by smell alone.
But time was running out. Soon lunch would be over and people would be returning to their quarters. Kaye
certainly did not want to be discovered red-handed. What could she say anyway? She was trying out a new
aromatic shoe polish?
She walked past the Amyrlin and keeper's quarters. The door was slightly ajar. Suddenly Kaye had an idea. In a
brief flash of daring, Kaye slipped into the quarters and saw a pair of shoes. Probably the keeper's, Kaye thought
to herself as she emptied porridge into the pair.
Then she crept into the Amyrlin's quarters just behind the keeper's (ooc I hope my placings r correct here). This
time it took more searching, but the pair of shoes were found and porridge poured into. Feeling very happy with
herself, Kaye left the quarters.
Just as she was leaving though, the door opened. Frantic, Kaye hid behind the nearest possible thing: a rather
ornate vase from Illian. Kaye thanked the various divine beings for her typically Carhien small size as she made
herself as small as possible, hardly daring to breathe.
For an eternity the people stood there talking. Then they walked forward. The years thieving had taught Kaye
patience, the waiting was indeed excruciating. Kaye kept getting the feeling she'd be found out!
Finally though, the voices started up in the upper room. Mustering all her courage, Kaye opened the door quietly
and slipped out. Once out, she stood awhile by the door breathing heavily.
As she walked though, Kaye's face remained flushed and her eyes overly bright. People who knew her looked at
her rather weirdly, but Kaye was too preoccupied with her thoughts to care.
***
When entering the Grey Quarters, Chilria still had half the bag of porridge left. She decided to visit two Grey
Sisters, if possible, and started in Breonna's quarters. Knocking, she waited long enough to be sure that the room
was empty, and then entered. A bad idea. Breonna Sedai was sitting at her desk, apperently so deep within the
book she was reading that she hadn't heard the knocking.
"Um? Excuse me Aes Sedai?" Chilria said hesitatingly. Maybe it was better to just leave unnoticed, but now when
she was here, she didn't want to leave without a pair of shoes. "My kitten has run away and? and I was
wondering if I may look around to see if she's here?" what a bad excuse, she scolded herself, and quickly added;
"I've got permission from Jascha Sedai to have her, as long as she makes no trouble, so please don't tell anyone!
I... lost her in the Grey Quarters and thought that she might have snuck in here?." Breonna looked a little
puzzled, but after a few questions she went back to her book and let Chilria take a look in the room.
With her eyes fix on the reading Aes Sedai, Chilria took a little tour in the rooms to atleast appear to be looking
for Joylita, and then she quickly found a pair of shoes which she hid under her skirt. With an excuse for disturbing
her, Chilria left Breonna Sedai's rooms. Outside, she hastily tucked porridge inside the shoes. She had to walk a
few corridors before she found a servant.
"Here," she said, handing the shoes to the girl, "these are Breonna Sedai's, could you please take them to her
rooms?" the girl nodded, and Chilria made sure she took the shoes without seeing what was inside. At least she
hoped the servant would not notice the porridge. Something that was out among the servants would be known in
the whole Tower? But, oh well, she couldn't come up with a better way to get the shoes back into the room.
"Thank you, may the Light shine on you."
At Jaimyn Sedai's quarter she had better luck. Oh, she knew it would be empty, since the Aes Sedai would be
starting her negotiating class very soon. Unfortunately Chilria was supposed to attend that class, but she would
have to be a little late this time. She snuck inside the Grey Sitter's rooms, and used the rest of the porridge to fill
as many shoes as she could find. With that done, she hurried towards the classroom, and threw the porridgebag
away at the first possibility she found.
After two hours in the kitchen - for being late to class - Chilria opened the door to her room, expecting to find her
partners in crime there. Only Qhyn was there though, and Chi hoped the others hadn't got caught. The short,
slender Shienaran sat down heavily on her bed, and listened to Qhyn's story about the shoe-filling while waiting
for the others.
***
Carefully avoiding being intercepted for chores by a passing Aes Sedai, Le snuck back to her room. She had to
alter her appearance slightly if this next part was going to work. Her hair was by far her most distinguishing
feature, and she did not want to be distinguished from being 'just another Novice sent on a chore.'
Coille took a thick, blue ribbon and a piece of leather from a drawer and sat down on her bed. She fastened her
braids into a bun with the strip of leather, high on her head, and tied the ribbon just above her hairline as a
headband. 'That might be sufficient enough,' she thought. Most likely, there would be no way to avoid running
into the Mistress of Novices herself, and it would be most helpful if she could avoid recognition.
With her hair in place, Le took a cord from the drawer and tied the pouch of porridge around her thigh, so it would
be hidden under her skirts. She would need both hands as it was, nevermind to carry the porridge. Standing, she
pulled her skirt into place and looked herself over in the mirror she had bought in Tar Valon when she was there
with Rion and a few other Novices. 'Not too bad,' she thought. 'You can hardly see the bulge under my skirts.'
Next, Coille took the blanket off her bed, and off Nianth's bed, and stacked them, placing them on a chair. She
pulled a quilt out of her chest and spread it over Nianth's bed. Quickly, Le jotted down a note for her roommate,
saying the quilt was a gift for her. 'Hopefully, Nianth can read,' she thought, absently. Le also took the topsheet
of her own bed, folded it, and added it to the pile. With everything read, Coille left her room and headed down the
corridor, carrying the stack of linens.
It took what seemed like forever for Le to reach the Green Quarters. The passing Aes Sedai seemed to be in good
humor that day, and did not assign Coille extra chores as it seemed she was already completing one, carrying the
laundry. Le drew in a deep breath as she approached the Mistress of Novice's quarters and exhaled quickly as she
spotted the Green Sister in the corridor talking to another Aes Sedai. 'Light, but I have some luck today!' she
thought.
Holding the blankets high to block her face, Coille approached the two sisters and curtsied deeply. "Aes Sedai?"
Coille said looking at Rio'lan Shade Sedai. "The Mistress of Kitchens has sent me to change your sheets with fresh
laundry. May I go inside?"
Rio Sedai nodded, and turned back to her animated conversation with the other Green Sister. Le hid a smile and
entered the Green Sitter's quarters. 'I only have a few moments,' she thought to herself. 'So I must act quickly.'
Le stripped the Green Sitter's bed and made it up with the two blankets and sheet. She folded the 'dirty' linens
and placed them on the ground. Next, she removed the sack of porridge from under her skirt and found a pair of
worn shoes next to the Aes Sedai's bed. She poured the cold mixture into each shoe just far enough to not be
seen until to late. She refasted the porridge to her thigh again and picked up the stack of 'dirty' laundry before
ducking into the hallway again.
Coille turned and went down the hallway on the opposite side of where the two Green Sisters were still absorbed
in conversation. 'Home free,' she thought, grin wide. It was near lunch now, and Coille soon had replaced Cirelle
Sedai's shoes in her quarters as well. 'Now, to find Chi, Kaye, and Qhyn,' she thought. She was done.
***
Holding her breath, Le knocked tentatively on Chilria's door. 'I hope all went well and no one got caught,' she
thought, crossing a pair of her fingers. Much to her relief, Chilria cracked open the door.
"Oh, good," Chilria whispered. "It's Coille," she announced quietly to the Novices in her room. Turning back to Le,
Chilli smiled. "Kaye just got here, and Qhyn arrived before I did. Well, hurry up and get in here before an Aes Sedai
sees us and ruins the whole thing!"
Kaye and Qhyn sat on Chi's bed, and Chi sat on a stool in the corner. Coille slid to the floor. "So.... we did it?" Le
said, a wide grin slowly creeping across here face.
"We did it!" Qhyn said, proudly. The tall, slim Novice hugged Kaye, and then Chi and Coille. "What a raucous (sp?)
this will cause!"