She is much better spirits today. Not sure if her neck is cramped or not, depends on how long she slept on his lap before he tucked her into bed. But regardless, after yesterday, all is well and her smile is back. Standing at the Stern, this point be one of the highest (other than the crows nest), Jasmyne surveys the land rushing past, her hair lightly being blown by the breeze, and the water churning in their wake.   [Jasmyne]

Esrahd stands just off to the side of Jasmyne, his attention also drawn off and away from the boat. His face is passive, even thoughtful as the boats cruises easily up the channel.

With a glance beside her, Jasmyne replies, "I was thinking that before we leave the White Tower again, we should do more than just the experiments we've been doing." She shifts to the side so she can look at Esrahd, "Things will be getting crazier,.. and the fear I felt through you..." she frowns softly, "I'm hoping to alleviate some of that. I think we work well together, but we can fine-tune it more. What say you? Will you put something together?"   [Jasmyne]

Turning his head to take in the golden haired Sedai beside him, Esrahd nods slightly, a questioning lilt entering his tone. "What were you thinking of trying exactly?"   [Esrahd]

"Well," Jasmyne chews on her lower lip, "That’s where you come in. You've trained for this, and trained other men. What is something you've wished that we Aes Sedai know? Or what have you experienced with us, that you wish I knew?"   [Jasmyne]

"Well beyond the specifics we've been playing with over the bond, there are a few exercises I could show you concerning attention to detail." Almost preempting a retort, Esrahd raises his hand half placating. "I have no idea on the training specifics the Sedai have, so if this is something you've done, then by all means stop me. But this is a lesson only taught to the Gaidin, though a few guards have in their time elected to do it. Those same guard are now -very- proficient battle commanders and strategists..."  [Esrahd]

Jasmyne nods to Esrahd, "I went Yellow, so most of my training is in the healing arts, rather than battle, so this may very well be new to me." she replies quietly, but appears ready to learn whatever he intends to teach her. No tantrums allowed!

Turning to rest his back against the rail, Esrahd smiles slightly. "The lesson is not combat based, though it will certainly help. Also, it's one that once taught, can be practiced without a teacher." With that he looks to the boards of the deck, his voice continuing as he almost casually hikes a finger over his shoulder. "The riverfront behind me is choked with weeds so that people can't launch a craft, yet there are... four cottages on the bank and two have fishing nets hanging up..." Tilting his head slightly, he looks to you with a grin. "There is also a woman staring at you.. has been for a little bit now... second house, at the stairs."  [Esrahd]

"Wha?" She turns to look in the direction that he's indicated, "I hadn't noticed the woman. I noticed the cottages. I don't see a boat, is it in the weeds?" She tries to pick up more details, but it’s very possible she will miss something, her eye not as keen as Esrahd's.   [Jasmyne]

Rayenia seems to have finally finished her book.  Damn bookworm Sedai that she is.  As she emerges upon the deck she takes a moment to take in her surroundings.  An amused grin forms on her lips as she spies her sister looking about while Esrahd stands rather calmly.

Esrahd nods with approval to the observations, his own gaze meeting Rayenia's fleetingly, another nod greeting the other sister. "No boat.. Strange hmm?" Looking to the yellow, the warder motions all around himself. "The lesson is being able to pick the discrepancy out of the mundane. Many Gaidin have trouble assuming the void with ease, and with that comes... challenges. This teaching was designed to help focus the mind to perceive things in a truer state without having to assume the flame and the void..." Flicking Jasmyne a slick smile, he adds softly. "Watch..." Turning back to Rayenia, Esrahd sends his voice louder to reach the sister, hand coming up to stop Ray as she approaches. "Rayenia... If you wouldn't mind, could you please stand still and close your eyes?"

"Oh, yeah, now that you mention it..." Jasmyne turns to look back at the cottages, but by now the ship has taken them further up the river, so the woman and her boatless home is too far. The Yellow sister turns back to look at her sister when Esrahd addresses her, curiously glancing between him and her.  [Jasmyne]

"When we do mundane things, the mind seems to skip by large amounts of events. What we take for granted or things that we feel, see, smell or do frequently are usually 'gleaned' over..." Tilting his head as he regards the Grey, Esrahd tone carries a questioning lilt. "With that in mind, what is it you hear Rayenia? Tell us everything you've missed because it was not important."  [Esrahd]

Rayenia ponders Esrahd's words for a moment, tilting her head slightly to the right as she does so.  "I hear the water, the creak of the ship.." she pauses for a moment before adding, "I smell the spices and perfume.. the air seems almost cleaner."  Her expression takes on a quizzical look, "Is that what you mean?"

Listening to Rayenia, Jasmyne closes her eyes, 'listening' with the rest of the senses. What did she miss? There are the birds chirping in the trees along the shore. The smell of fire, something cooking in the distance, but its gone again. The smell of horses down in the hold sometimes greets her nose, along with the spices. She hears the crew stomping around, talking, but otherwise passive since the bulk of the duties is keeping the ship out of shallow water. The creak of the boards, Jasmyne heard Rayenia say that. The rush of the wind.  [Jasmyne]

"Partially... Listen more closely... Can you hear the fluttering and snapping of the flag above the crows nest? Our favour is that the wind has been up enough to only use the quarter sails all this time..." glancing back to Jasmyne, the warder touches his nose knowingly and winks. "If you can separate the flags noise out, then a simple question follows. What colour is the flag?"  [Esrahd]

Considering Esrahd's words, Rayenia nods slightly but remains quiet and still, allowing her other senses to talk to her.    [Rayenia]

Jasmyne opens her eyes to look at Esrahd when he speaks, then turns her attention to the flag. "The color of the flag.. Wait, with eyes closed? How can you tell the color of the flag with your eyes closed?" She peers at Esrahd, wondering if he's pulling her leg.

Rayenia answers her sister's question with a bit of amusement in her voice, "You don't see it with your eyes closed," she grins, "you have to have seen it before and remember what color it is." She's highly amused, seeing with eyes closed, silly Jasmyne.  "Though different fabrics have distinct sounds."

Jasmyne nods to Rayenia, "I could point out the type of fabric, but not the color. That is woolen bunting. It's great for wet weather, so I'm not surprised its up on the pole." Still waiting to see where this ship IC'ly hails from before saying the nation colors. If its Atha'an Miere, then it would be blue and gold.

"Rayenia's first answer is correct." His chuckle is warm as he winks at Jasmyne, his eye's glancing up to the snapping motions of the blue and yellow Atha'an Miere colours in the brisk breeze. "So many things we simply discount... Let me explain the flag..." Leaning off the rail, the Warder walks slowly towards mid deck, his body stooping as he grabs a rope line flayings loosely in the wind. "A man from the south makes a journey to the north, he is learned and wise. This man enters a city with many red flags with no-one inside. Curious is the man so he walks the streets looking for someone to question. A day and a night he searches and finally he gives up and rests. apon the dawn he walks outside and see a vast shanty of tents. He walks there and is stopped by angry men who keep him at bay. 'Why is it you stop me? I have done no wrong and wish to ask why you do not live in your splendid city?'   [Esrahd]

"The angry men jeer at him and one says with disgust in his voice. 'For one so curious, did you not see the flags?' The learned man nods and says with arrogance abound. 'Of course I did!' But the angry men laugh at him. 'No, man, you only knew they were there. If you -saw- them, you would have seen a skull of death on a field of green, now begone, for you are dead walking...'"  [Esrahd]

Looking in turn to both women, Esrahd sums the lesson up calmly. "He walked and lived in a plagued city and died for simply not observing the ordinary."  [Esrahd]

Esrahd tells the group, '[Bondsense]  A soft anticipation.'

You tell the group, '(bondsense) musing, considering.'

Jasmyne leans against the railing, considering the 'lesson' nodding slightly, seeing but not observing. She starts thinking about other applications it could be used for. Two ships side by side, color of the flag depends on if the crew are friendly or not. But not just flags, walk into a forest, are the forest animals active, or is all quiet? She chews on her lower lip, nodding again, "I think I understand." Then mentions her thought on the forest, observing the difference between sound and no sound. "No sound means there is trouble, or something the animals are afraid of, and it should be alert that it might be a common foe."

"Observation is not a lesson that is much afforded to us," Rayenia is referring to the Sedai, "unless it is on how to perform a specific task with the power, or to heed our Warder's advice, it's not even brought up."  The Gray stands near to Jasmyne.  "Lianelle used to quiz me on what I would see when I would travel with her.  I need to start doing those exercises again."  (Close enough)  [Rayenia]

Esrahd nods in full agreement to both women. "An excellent idea. These are things that would always pass us by if we weren't trained to notice; much like your animals, would we normally notice since we live in towns? I can bet a hunter on the otherhand would have noticed immediately." Having slowly coiled the rope and hanging it off a railing hook, Esrahd leans back to the rail, head shaking ever so slightly. "An interesting thing I've come to find is that this style of training, while an asset in any location, becomes invaluable to those places, areas or people we frequent the most. You can pick the discrepancy from around you when you look more closely; point and case being my story. If a person is nervous a lie will sometimes appear. Red flags? yet green flags?"

Esrahd tells the group, '[Bondsense]  soft ammusement, slight rebuff'

Rayenia's eyes light up.  Oh dear, the Gray's had an idea.  "If you will excuse me for a moment.."  (Going to get the girl, I swear her boyfriend needs to live closer)  The Gray moves quickly back to her cabin.

Jasmyne gives a nod to Rayenia, "I was not given those lessons. Sadly." Returning her attention to Esrahd, she purses her lips ever so slightly, but then a look of surprise as her sister hurries off. She watches her leave briefly before continuing, "Well, in that case, there was a year when all the birds had died, while living in Saldaea, some of the pasture animals, too. It was a very... quiet year. The men spent a fair amount of time hunting trollocs to drive them back. It was a strange summer, even for the city." She muses briefly, "We don't know what we're going to find when we get to Tar Valon, whether there is still a lot of... division between the ajahs. Is this what you are referring to, also, noticing how my fellow sisters will act with one another? Who might be a threat? Who is too nervous?"

You tell the group, '(bondsense) attentive. circumspect.'

Esrahd nods with a satisfied smile. "Sedai are especially good at holding their tongues and schooling themselves, yet, as both you and your sister have just mentioned, this level of attentiveness is not naturally schooled..." Rubbing at the slight stubble darkening his jaw, the warder grimaces at some unseen thought. "Knowing this can, and often will, give you an advantage."

"It's a lot like Daes Dae'mar, which I did not train in as much as my sister. I really did think I would spend the majority of my time in the Healing Halls or medic tents." Jasmyne replies, slightly bashful for not thinking ahead of what lessons she might have picked up along the way... just in case, "Daes Dae'mar, though, that's a matter of watching the facial expressions, posture, tone of voice. Are you referring to this as well, or more of the external factors? Less concentrated to just one person at a time. For instance, when we ride into a city, how do the natives behave with each other? Cordial? Happy? Rude?"  [Jasmyne]

"Daes is a specific thing, what we're learning here is the broader sense, yes. Though the game is intricate and the players all veterans, we are simply piecing small things for a better view, exactly as you are saying with inhabitants and the like." He stops there, gathering his thoughts for a moment. "For you, I’m trying to instill an undertone of wariness. It doesn't have to be to the point of paranoia; that's my job." He smiles at you. eyes twinkling with an almost boyish glee. "As I said yesterday, to see the little things in front that normally slide by is by no means a small thing in any event. Many a time it's saved my hide or someone under my care."  [Esrahd]

Jasmyne edges closer to Esrahd, slipping her hand under his elbow, leaning her head closer in a conspiratory manner, but her gaze is outward to those on the deck. "So.. lets take the deck hands..." she scans over the crew before she spots someone, nodding toward one of the crew leaning up against the railing, arms folded, chin down against his chest. "He looks like he's sleeping on the job, but isn’t he the one that barks out the commands in port? He's making sure everyone else is working. I bet he would move into action quickly if he noticed someone being too lazy." She glances around the deck some more, then nods to someone else sitting beside a coil of rope, "He looks busy, but wasn't he in the same spot last night, it’s like he's going over the same stretch of rope over again..." She shakes her head, baffled, "I have no idea what he is doing. Saldaea isnt exactly bordered by oceans."

Nodding slightly, Esrahd says nothing to the first observation, his eyes roaming the slouched figure of the man for a moment before moving to the second decky handling the rope. "Look most closely at the rope. See how it twists around each other? It's called the 'lay' Outer ropes spiraling around an inner core for strength. If you look closely, he is twisting the lay to its opposite and opening it up to see the inner rope... Possibly to inspect for damage."  [Esrahd]

Esrahd tells the group, '[Bondsense]  vast approval, happyness.'

You tell the group, '(bondsense) beam!'

Jasmyne does look more closely when a smile abruptly blooms, "Ahh. Well, that makes more sense now. I really had no idea what he was doing." she responds to him, still grinning like a lark. "Ok, so.." she does a quick glance around the desk, she nods up into the ropes, "And that one up there?" She asks, "Checking for high places in the river?"

Esrahd follows the glance up, squinting slightly against the dull light filtering in through the ash grey clouds above. "Most likely... He could also be scouting for other vessels on the water. A main fare for boats and trading, it could be well enough to have a lookout posted for oncoming traffic or even pirate raids, though it seems unlikely..."

"Well, they do scurry about more, I've noticed, when there is another ship close by." Jasmyne intones softly. Her little game quickly stales, if only because the Atha'an Miere are foreign to her and the occupation even more so. She tilts her head to look up at him, "Will you quiz me from time to time, to make sure I continue to practice being observant? But also to help me catch things. Like, at random times, tell me to close my eyes and name the mundane stuff."   [Jasmyne]

"You might even catch me slacking." She smirks at the last.  [Jasmyne]

Eventually Rayenia emerges from her cabin intent on rejoining Jasmyne and Esrahd.  She carries something in her hand as she approaches.  "My apologies, between writing down the parable that you shared with us," she gestures gently towards the Warder with her empty hand, "and finding this.." she gestures with the hand holding her fan.  [Rayenia]

Esrahd glances down at Jasmyne with a wry smile, Nodding in acquiescence to the request. "Slacking has it's... punishments." Letting the rest go at the re-emergence of the second sister, Esrahd looks on with a degree of curiosity. "A little windy for a fan isn't it?" 

Jasmyne grins when her sister emerges, especially with a fan. With the reminder, Jasmyne digs into one of her pouches at her waist, not the one with the herbs, and produces a similar fan. She pointedly glances to Esrahd, an beguiled expression as she slides the closed fan tip across her cheek. Her gaze twitches over to Rayenia with a wink, and a bit of color to her cheeks.

You tell the group, '(bondsense) flirtacious'

Rayenia lifts her shoulders slightly in a faint shrug.  "Perhaps," she gazes pensively at her fan for a moment.  "I remembered a few things," she glances up to Esrahd, "while I was in my cabin.  As you have said before, not all things are as they appear." A knowing smile forms on Rayenia's lips as she notes her sister's fan.  (that was teh rest of my emote that my client ate.)  [Rayenia]

"Indeed?" The warder's gaze flicks between the two women in perplexing confusion. Finally he shrugs, a small smile playing over his pallid features. "Well you certainly have my curiosity quipped Rayenia. Please, do enlighten me as to this mysterious fan business..."  [Esrahd]

Rayenia's fan moves from her right hand to her left, she holds it still for the moment as she speaks.  "Observation might not be taught as openly within our teachings," she's implying the Aes Sedai, "however it was taught to Jasmyne and I from the cradle."  That's when she twirls the fan, still closed, in her left hand and lowers her voice making it harder for others to hear outside of their own group.  "In Saldaea, specifically Queen Tenobia's court, a great deal of talk is silent."

"Saldaea women 'speak' with their fans." Jasmyne quipped, "At least, in some degree." She lays the fan against her right cheek, "Yes." Then swaps it to her left cheek, "No." she snaps the fan open and covers her lips and nose, looking at Esrahd over the top of the open fan, "Follow me." She never says what the very first meant. "I'll teach you what some of them mean as we go. It might help with our communication with each other, hmm?"   [Jasmyne]

Rayenia nods in affirmation at Jasmyne's words.  "However not all motions with the fan have common meanings.  Jasmyne and I have a few of our own and some motions are simply idle to keep others guessing."

Cocking an eyebrow at the explanation, Esrahd eye's the twin sets of fans before a chuckle escapes him. "Clever. I don't think I would ever have picked that one up unless the movements were obtusely awry from the normal actions one would make with a fan..." Having turned his attention to Jasmyne, Esrahd continues with a soft chuckle, "Only if you hold the fan... I think every person on the continent might wonder why someone like myself is waving a fan around in that manner."   [Esrahd]

Jasmyne laughs aloud, "Of course, it would be very silly for you to be carrying one, even in Saldaea." She grins at him, the fan snaps closed when she gestures toward him almost threatening, if not for the wide grin. She then nods to Rayenia, "Siblings, so we made up stuff along the way, to keep our mother guessing, sometimes." She coughs into her sleeve, a mischievous glint toward her sister.

Amused laughter bubbles forth from Rayenia.  The image of Esrahd with a lacy fan is rather out of place.  "Mother, Lianelle.. anyone who'd try to break up any fun we were having."  The flame haired woman takes a moment to settle her laughter, teaching goes both ways.  Again she twirls the still closed fan in her left hand.  "Men are taught, though I do not know by whom, to recognize the signals.  We can help you."  She lowers her voice to almost conspiratory levels, "a lesser known fact is that in Saldaea it is the women who tend to be the spies."  [Rayenia]

Esrahd laughs at the whole concourse of the now twisted less, his head nodding enthusiastically. "I would not be surprised. The ever simplistic way of a man is easily broken by the wiles of a woman. As for these.. lessons. Something new is always a welcome gift. Light forbid I ever walk into Saldaea nodding foolishly at women making fabri eyes at me!"

Rayenia glances to her sister, "I think I know a way for us to improve upon our awareness of our surroundings.  I am going to keep my fan with me from now on as a reminder."  She affectionately inspects her fan for a moment before closing it.

Her fan switches to her left hand, closed, it slides past her left ear, Jasmyne frowns hard, but this signal isnt directly to any one person. She slides the fan back into her right now, slipping the ribbon around her wrist. "I doubt they would, at least, once they knew you were with me." She replies quietly. To Rayenia, "Its easy to forget, when we weren’t surrounded by it. I had to give up my fan while a novice and accepted, so I went out of practice."  [Jasmyne]

Rayenia nods in understanding.  "Its something we can work on together."  *Now I have to take the dogs out*

Jasmyne smiles to her sister, "I'm remembering as I go, but I normally have it tucked out of sight, I really should keep it out more." She idly looks over the lacy fan in her hand, "I left the rest back in Saldaea. The Aes Sedai was none to pleased that I wanted to take at least one." She glances at her warder, smirking slightly with amusement, "And I doubt Essy would want to carry yet another bag, just of fans to match my dresses."

"We can send for them or," Rayenia suggests, "you could have one made special.  That is what I did after I was raised."  Yes, she remembers the collection that Jasmyne had of fans and that was before she had left for the tower.  "Only one?"  [Rayenia]

"I love it how you account half a supply train as a bag..." Shaking his head, The tall man rests back on the railing, eyes sharp as he watches the movements and waits for the lesson.  [Esrahd]

With a sideways glance at Esrahd, "Perhaps we could return to Saldaea sooner than later. Not to get any of my other fans, but to have one made." She indicates with a nod that it should be Esrahd to get such a thing for her. "The one Raye has been doing, like this.." She slips the ribbon from around her wrist, swapping the closed fan to her left and twirls it, "Means we are being watched." She swaps it over to the right hand, same twirling motion, "This means I love another. I showed you yes and no." A tap to right cheek, than to her left. She waves the closed fan at him, "I'll miss you."   [Jasmyne]

Rayenia is not off when she motioned that they were being watched.  Two Aes Sedai and one Warder on a Seafolk (because I'm not looking up how to spell the other one) ship tends to be something to take note of, especially these days. 

She brings the closed fan to her lips and yawns in exageration, "Should be obvious, but it means go away, I'm bored with you." She makes a motion like she is stretching, the closed fan sliding behind her head, "Do not forget me. These..." she does several signals, when she draws the fan across her cheek, point the tip of the closed fan at her heart, then snap it open and hide her eyes behind the fan, "all mean the same thing." But she doesn’t elaborate in words.  [Jasmyne]

You tell the group, '(bondsense) a strong sense of emotion of love and fondness.'

Esrahd watches the whole process with more than a bit of confusion at first, but after the third or fourth signal, the pieces start falling for the warder. He motions at the last set and opens his mouth to say something but shuts it abruptly, a weird look crossing his face as he asks instead. "I'm taking it, this language is quite in depth... Can the signals be conjoined into complex statements, or would the protocol of such movements restrict that?"

"They can be as complex as needed but the key is for a casual observer to think that the Lady is playing with her fan."  Rayenia pauses for a moment then nods.  "For example, physical action can be paired with the fan.  As you know Saldaean women can be quite forward and.. well, stubborn."  She openly admits to being stubborn.  "I have seen a Lady show up briefly at her balcony, slowly fanning herself, and then return inside closing the balcony doors.  This meaning to her suitor, who may or may not be accepted by her father is this: 'I cannot go out.'"  [Rayenia]

Agreeing, "Even the speed of the flutter can mean different things. The amount of eye contact, whether the fan is open or closed. A great many of the meanings is based on courtship, but that’s not to say we have to remain ridged when I communicate with you." She tilts her head to Esrahd, slightly amused by his weird look.  [Jasmyne]

"Well it looks as if I'll be keeping a much closer eye out for these things in future. I'll say that I’m most impressed with the sophistication of it." Looking down to his side and patting one of the blades on his belt, he continues with a chuckle. "'Fluttering' one of these isn't usually the best thing in the kinds of situations I’m used to."  [Esrahd]

"Most easily, until you've learned our signals, this.." She touches a finger to the tip of the fan, "means I need to speak with you. So if nothing else, we can move to another location to discuss something." She presents the fan to him, but says nothing of it, instead grinning over his last comment, "No, no I don’t expect you to flutter that unless it something wanting to hurt either of us."   [Jasmyne]

Lessons finished, the sisters wandered off to huddle together and talk about the different signals they had made up in their childhood, and recalling those forgotten. Esrahd kept a respectable pace from the siblings mulling over what he learned from the Sisters regarding the fans and musing over the creation of a special one for his Sedai.