Setting: Practice Room: White Tower, Tar Valon
This room is devoid of any sort of decorations, keeping it practical for it's purposes. There are several desks and chairs about the room, lined in an orderly fashion for Novices and Accepted to use during their training in the One Power. There are also several stools about the room, where Novices and Accepted can break off and speak to each other one to one on certain channeling techniques. In one of the corners you might notice an area with some throw pillows, where one might sit to relax for a moment, or where one might lay out a student who passed out from over extending their abilities. A large fireplace sits against the far wall, used to hear the room during the colder seasons.
Thw windows are thrown wide open to let in the fresh breeze of spring, which also holds the fragrant smell of blooming flowers, indicating that it's the season of rebirth. No light appears in this rather empty room, not even a sliver of moonlight outside, in the late hours of the night.
There is one exit within this room that leads back out into the main hallway of the learning center.

Cast:
Marelain: Novice
Kristalisa: Novice
Analee: Aes Sedai
Ellorin: Novice

Marelain turns quickly from where she's looking over the room and curtseys respectfully.

Ellorin emerges into the practice room, under the watchful eyes of the two Aes Sedai guarding the door and keeping an eye on those present.

Ellorin tries to slip in unobtrusively. She makes her way across the room to where the lesson is, and curtseys to Analee, smiling at her friends.

Analee looks at her assembly of Novices with a bright smile. "Now then, today we will be doing General Earth. I know Ellorin here has already had it, but she'll be helping demonstrate and it will be good practice. Now, Marelain or Kristalisa, what are some uses of Earth?"

Kristalisa thinks. "Ummm....causing the ground to shift?"

Analee nods to Kristalisa. "Yes, any others you can think of?" She looks to Marelain. "Any suggestions?"

Marelain chews on her lower lip as she thinks, "Umm, I... I don't know, Aes Sedai. Maybe... looking for kinds of rocks?"

Analee nods with a smile. "Good. Ellorin, would you like to add anything?"

Ellorin's eyes pop wide open in surprise, and her jaw nearly drops. Then she quickly tries to compose herself, sitting up a little straighter and attempting to look confident...and not quite succeeding.

Kristalisa nods. "Or for other types of things in the ground...metals, perhaps?"

Marelain blinks, surprised she was actually right.

Ellorin says "Um. Well. You can use it to do things to metal, too, like make it weaker or stronger."

Ellorin says "And you can use it to tell whether the soil is good for growing plants or not."

Kristalisa nods, taking in the information quietly.

Analee nods to Ellorin, looking pleased. "Very good. It is also useful for picking locks and such. Now if someone will fetch me that little houseplant over there." She points to a small green potted plant sitting near the window.

Marelain hops to her feet and runs over to get it.

Kristalisa moves, but seeing Marelain rushing around, decides that not moving would be the more comfortable position.

Marelain returns with the plant, giving it to Analee with a curtsey.

Ellorin smiles at Analee, surprised and happy at the praise. She, like Krista, starts to get up to get the plant, then sits back down again when Marelain goes for it.

Analee takes the little plant with a smile. "Hello, George," she says to the plant in a friendly tone. Setting the plant down on the table, she embraces, then turns to the girls. "You may all embrace. Now, Ellorin, would you mind demonstrating a soil probing weave."

Ellorin looks up at Analee a little oddly when she hears the Aes Sedai call the plant by name, but quickly tries to hide her expression. She embraces saidar, takes a deep breath, and begins to weave.

Kristalisa gives that Aes Sedai an odd look at the name-calling, but decides discretion is the better part of valor (or something) and stays quiet.

Ellorin weaves a small, blunted flow of Earth, wavering at first, then becoming more confident as she goes along.

Marelain doesn't seem to think anything odd. If an Aes Sedai wants to call a plant by name, then it must be the right thing to do.

Ellorin finishes the weave, and looks nervously up at Analee for approval.

Analee watches as Ellorin creates the weave. "If you're wondering, George figured into a Novice prank I pulled many years ago... We named the plant, then told an Accepted that George was in the practice room. We told her that we were talking to him, and that we had given him a drink of water... She stormed up here to throw what she assumed was a man out of the room. Well, she accused us of lying to her, which we weren't, as the plant was George. We thought it was really funny, up until the time that the Mistress of Novices explained that she didn't think it was so funny." She examines the weave, not particularly well-made, but not bad either. "Now test it, Ellorin."

Ellorin puts her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle at the beginning of Analee's story, and nearly loses her concentration. Quickly, she forces herself to keep a straight face, and says, "Yes, Aes Sedai," in response to Analee's instructions. She places the...weave into the flowerpot, watching carefully, as if by looking harder she can gain more information from it.

Analee smiles at the nervous Ellorin. "That looks good. Now you both may attempt to copy that weave. You may have some difficulty; Earth tends to be a difficult one for women. If you like, I will weave a copy of the soil probe as well. Ellorin, what does that probe tell you?"

Ellorin's forehead tightens into wrinkles with the effort of her concentration. "Um...um...I think he needs more water, Aes Sedai."

Kristalisa smiles, trying to bolster her confidence, and starts to weave out a probe similar to Ellorin's. She suceeds, even though it's a bit wobbly at first.

Marelain watches silently this whole time, and tries her best to duplicate the weave. After several tries, she still can't manage to hold the weave together, and she sighs in disappointment.

Ellorin notices Marelain's difficulty. "Don't worry, Mar," she whispers. "It took me forever to get it right the first time."

With some annoyance, Analee creates the weave again for Marelain, making it slowly. "GO on and try again, Marelain. Earth is difficult for many. Kristalisa, that looks pretty good. Ellorin, if you want, you can release your weave and water George."

Ellorin nods. "Yes, Aes Sedai." She lets go of Earth with a sigh of relief, and stands up, looking around the room for a watering can.

Kristalisa smiles at the praise, silently urging Marelain on.

Marelain nods slowly and gives it another try. Weak, but it seems to be stable for once, with Analee's example to follow.

Analee inserts her probe into the soil at George's roots. "See, if you stick it in the pot, you can see the quality and health of the soil. Go on, try it."

Kristalisa tentitively inserts the probe, now aware of the quality of the soil and the perfect water level. "Wow!"

Marelain does as told, placing the probe within the soil. "I.. I think I can see it. It's very hard for me to tell."

Ellorin walks over to the window, and returns with a watering can. She peeks into it, making sure it is full enough, and carefully tips it to begin watering George.

Analee grins at the girls. "You are all doing very well. And I am sure George will appreciate the water as well." She walks across the room and picks up a tray of earth, no plants contained within, simply a couple of small stones and a couple old metal spoons. Setting the tray onto the table next to George, she uses a spoon to dig a small trench and places a stone at one end.

Kristalisa smiles at the Aes Sedai, who is seemingly playing in a mini-sandpit.

Ellorin tests the soil with her finger, to make sure there is enough water, then sets the watering can down on the table and takes her seat again. She beams under the Aes Sedai's praise.

Analee looks to Ellorin. "When you think George has enough water, I'd like you to demonstrate the weave to move the stone along the trench."

Ellorin nods, her pleased expression fading into one of apprehension. "Yes, Aes Sedai," she says nervously, and begins to weave again.

Ellorin's flows are small and thin, as she forms them into a loose net of threads. Her teeth clamp down on her lower lip, and she stares intently at her own work, deep in concentration. Despite all this effort, though, the minute she tries to tighten the net...it all comes apart. Ellorin drops back in her seat, letting out a sigh of frustration.

Ellorin sighs again, frowning at her failure. She starts again, trying even smaller flows this time.

Analee looks at Ellorin reassuringly and forms the weaves herself, pushing the little stone along. "Don't over exert yourself, Ellorin. You're doing fine, considering."

Kristalisa watches the weaves carefully.

Ellorin nods, but doesn't look completely consoled. She keeps plugging at it, and after a few moments, has formed a small, straggly, but intact net of Air, a smaller and weaker copy of Analee's. She regards her effort sadly, knowing it isn't very good.

Analee looks to Kristalisa after a moment and nods. "Go on and attemot it."

Kristalisa starts to weave a net, surprising herself my being stronger than Elly at it. She slowly perfects it and wraps it around the rock, moving it along the trench.

Ellorin sits back, letting Krista take over.

Analee nods to Kristalisa. "You do very well. Both of you." She smiles at Ellorin and hands her a spoon. "Do you think that you could show Kristalisa how to bend spoons?"

Ellorin swallows. "Um." She looks at the spoon as if it were a bear. "Um. I'll try." She reaches up to take the spoon, and lets her other weave disperse.

Ellorin sends forth a few more threads of Earth, even smaller and shakier this time, but in a more complex formation.

Analee watches Ellorin carefully. "You can do this. Just don't strain yourself. It'll be fine."

Ellorin nods, keeping her eyes on her work.

Ellorin shakes her head, murmuring, "No, that's not right..." as she carefully alters a thread here or there. Tiny beads of sweat are beginning to break out on her forehead.

Analee looks to Ellorin carefully, monitoring the girl. "You're doing just fine, Ellorin. Don't strain yourself. If you need to stop, please do." She makes no move to stop the girl, though.

Kristalisa watches intently, inching forward unknowingly from the tension.

Ellorin nods. "I can do it," she says in a low voice, speaking to herself as much as she is speaking to Analee. Slowly, painstakingly, she corrects the weave. For a second, it is perfect - and then it flies apart, and Ellorin drops back in her seat, exhausted

Kristalisa moves over and gives her friend a quick hug, whispering, "That was great!"

Analee smiles softly at Ellorin. "You had it beautiful there for a moment. You are doing very well. I know that Earth is not one of your strong points." She takes the spoon herself, and wrapping an earth weave around it, bends it with some difficulty.

Ellorin smiles weakly. "Thank you," she says to both, her voice barely above a whisper.

Analee hands Kristalisa the bent spoon. "Now if you'll straighten that out for me..."

Kristalisa smiles a bit weakly and begins copying Ell's weaves, wondering if it's as hard as it looks. Miraculously, she manages to weave the flows, but when she applies the to the spoon, they puch the wrong way and fold it in two! She groans and holds up the wierd-looking silverware, then attempts to correct what she did, making it twice as hard on herself, but succeeding after a long battle with the spoon, during which she held it up in front of her, glaring as she might to an enemy.

Ellorin watches, trying to keep her mind on the lesson, but mostly just sitting there.

Analee smiles and nods. "Looks pretty good, Kristalisa. And Ellorin, you did very well also. Now if someone will replace George, you are dismissed." She looks warmly at the pair and adds, "And if anyone tries to pull that prank again, I will make sure that the perpetrator is punished for brown-nosing." She winks playfully.

Ellorin releases the Source, sagging even further as she loses the extra boost that saidar gives her. She nods, barely managing to smile back at Analee. "Thank you, Aes Sedai."

Kristalisa giggles. "No, Aes Sedai....we prefer originality." She was about ready to wink when she realizes who she's talking to, then blushes. Then a trace of anger floats across her face at the mention of pranks in general.

Analee laughs lightly, moving to the lesson files to record the lesson. "It wasn't a very good prank, but if you could have seen Fionna's face, well..." She finds her pen and begins to write neatly.

Ellorin senses the dismissal, and slowly pulls herself to her feet. She curtseys to Analee, then turns to go.

Ellorin makes her way slowly towards the door, her exhaustion apparent in every step.

Analee looks after Ellorin, calling, "Take the afternoon off from chores, at least until dinner. Get some rest."

Ellorin turns back. "Yes, Aes Sedai," she says, her voice just barely carrying across the room.

Ellorin exits the Practice Room, watched by the Aes Sedai guarding the door.