Tris shoved her hands in her pockets,
trying hard not to hide her dissapointment. Her teacher, 'Niko' Goldeye,
had just informed them all that he would be going away on business and that
he expected to be gone for at least a month. Tris had hoped that he would
teach her to handle small showers, as he had hinted in their last session.
But he had gotten a call earlier that day and said he must leave
immediatley. He had takes Tris aside and given her a stern speech.
"Trisana, I expect you to behave yourself, and to work on your meditations
like we had. Don't forget to draw a circle, and don'y let that temper get
the best of you. Just because I'm not going to be here doesn't mean you can
forgot what I've taught you." he gave her a small hug, then said, in a
slightly softer voice, "I know it'll be hard, but you can bear it. But I'm
serious about letting your power slip away. Do you understand?" Niko looked
her in the eye and Tris sighed. "Yes, yes, I understand. But don't act as
though I don't know how to handle myself. I'll do fine. It's you I'm
worried about. Whatever will you do without me?" They both laughed, then
they went back so Niko could say goodbye to the rest of the inhabitants of
Winding Circle. Tris sighed once more, nervous, that she wouldn't have her
teacher around to help her. 'But I can handle myself,' she repeated in
her mind, 'I can handle it'.
As she watched Niko drive away, she heard her foster-sister, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, also known as Sandry, come up behind her. "I know you'll miss him," she began," but don't worry. I'm sure Lark will have time to help you a bit." Tris laughed in spite of her mood. "What about Rosethorn?" she joked. Sandry laughed too, knowing that their housemate anf foster-brother Briar's sourpuss teacher, Rosethorn, was likely to chew someone's head off if they crossed her. "What's so funny?" a voice asked behind them. Tris and Sandry turned around to see a boy standing there, covered in dirt, with his hand on his hips. "You know, you really do look like Sandry when you do that," Tris said with mock thoughtfulness. "Maybe she is rubbing off on you after all" Briar quickly let down his hands, then tried, unsuccesefully, to wipe some of the dirt off of his clothes. "Weeding again, I see?" Sandry remarked. Briar shot her a look. "Just because you stay inside all day and sit playing with string does not mean that some of us have more physically challenging work." He looked around. "Where is Daja, anyway?" Tris laughed. "She's at Frostpines', working, as I see you have been. Better hurry along now, you wouldn't want Rosethorn to get angry, now would you?" She made little shooing motions with her hands, imitating Sandry. Sandry rolled her eyes. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were making fun of me" "Do you know better?" Tris grinned. Sandry gave her a playful shove. "Briar! What are you doing in there? Growing the plants I asked for? Hurry up, we've got work to do!" Rosethorns harsh, slightly slurred voice came in from the back door. Briar winced. "Now, look at what you've done." He walked into Rosethorn's workshop and came out. Pausing only to stick his tounge out at the girls, he walked back outside."Geez, you'd think I was your servant or something," they heard him say. "You are. Now, I want you to plant those over by the roses...careful, boy! We don't want to kill them...."
Tris and Sandry laughed and started walking up to their rooms, when their Trader-friend walked through the door, looking breathless. Sandry went back down to make her a cup of tea, and Daja gulped it thankfully. "Tough day, I see? Well, Briars not having a better one," Tris said as she walked back down to where the other two girls were sitting. Daja laughed. "Well, that's nice to know. Niko stopped by on his way out. He told me to give you this, because he forgot to." She pulled out a small chain, with one charm on it. It was a thin lightning bolt, and Tris though it was beutiful. "Solid gold, too," Daja stated when Tris took the necklace. She shook her head. "I don't know how he does it." Tris just stared at the necklace, then funmbled to put it on."I've never owned jewelry before, okay?" she said as she saw the strange looks she was getting from her friends for not being able to hook it. "Here. Let me help," Snadry got up and went around back of Tris. She took the ends of the necklace and hooked it easy. Tris looked embarrassed. "Thanks" "No problem" Sandry replied. "Tea?" Tris shook her head. "Nah, I'll pass. I'm just going to go up to my room, now. I'm feeling a little tired." She got up and walked to her room. When she had shut the door she sat on her bed, thinking. Eventually she fell asleep, and wasn't aware that someone had tucked her into her bed after she had fallen asleep at the end of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tris woke up, yawning. She realized that she was still in her clothes from yesterday, and thought, 'I don't remember going to bed. Oh well, maybe Sandry came in.' She got up and changed her clother, then went down to breakfast, still a little sleepy. She was surprised to see Sandry, Lark, and Rosethorn sitting at the table, while Briar was obviously trying to make breakfast. SHe sat down next to Sandry, and whispered, "What's he doing?" Sandry giggled, then said, "He says he's trying to cook. He says that one day he'll need to eat, and he figures living with all girls had to have some advantages." Tris looked at Briar, surprised. 'Well, that's different. Hey, Briar,' she called out with her mind, contacting with the mage-boy. 'Since when did you decide to start cooking? Briar seemed annoyed, and thoughtful all the same. 'I figure, that I'm not going to depend on ome woman for the rest of my life, so I'd better learn how to cook before it's too late. And, you know, I thought it would be fun. But it's not nearly as easy as it looks.' Tris laughed in her mind, and Briar looked at her sharply. 'Sorry, it's just.....you don't seem like the cooking type,' she apologized. Mockingly, Briar teased, 'What type do I seem?' Before she could stop herself, she responded, 'The nice type,' Briar stiffened physically,fortunetly no one seemed to notice. 'Repeat that again?' he asked. Tris could feel herself blush. She was glad his back was to her. 'I said, the kind I would most likely feed to mice,' she shot back nastily, then broke off the tie.
To the others she said, "I'm not really hungry right now. Thanks for getting me into bed last night, Sandry." Sandry looked confused. "But I didn't put you to bed. You were already asleep when I came up..." Tris shrugged. "Oh well." To herself she thought, 'Must have been Daja' She walked quickly up to her room, seeing Briar start to turn around to serve breakfast. "I hope you haven't bunred it, boy, I'm hungry, and that's a waste of food," she heard Rosethorn growl as Briar set the food down. She hurried inside and shut the door, breathing hard. What on Earth had caused her to think that? She found herself leaning out the window, gulping in fresh air. 'What was I thinking?' she asked herself. But she knew the answer. 'I was thinking that Braiars a really nice boy,' she thought before she could stop herself. She growled. 'How am I supposed to handle myself when I can't even control my own thoughts?' she asked herself. She knew it was a waste of time wondering, so she sat down and started meditating. Only right before it was too late she realized she'd forgot to draw a protective cirle. Sighing, she got up and drew her circle, wondering if she really was going to survive without her teacher.
As she watched Niko drive away, she heard her foster-sister, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, also known as Sandry, come up behind her. "I know you'll miss him," she began," but don't worry. I'm sure Lark will have time to help you a bit." Tris laughed in spite of her mood. "What about Rosethorn?" she joked. Sandry laughed too, knowing that their housemate anf foster-brother Briar's sourpuss teacher, Rosethorn, was likely to chew someone's head off if they crossed her. "What's so funny?" a voice asked behind them. Tris and Sandry turned around to see a boy standing there, covered in dirt, with his hand on his hips. "You know, you really do look like Sandry when you do that," Tris said with mock thoughtfulness. "Maybe she is rubbing off on you after all" Briar quickly let down his hands, then tried, unsuccesefully, to wipe some of the dirt off of his clothes. "Weeding again, I see?" Sandry remarked. Briar shot her a look. "Just because you stay inside all day and sit playing with string does not mean that some of us have more physically challenging work." He looked around. "Where is Daja, anyway?" Tris laughed. "She's at Frostpines', working, as I see you have been. Better hurry along now, you wouldn't want Rosethorn to get angry, now would you?" She made little shooing motions with her hands, imitating Sandry. Sandry rolled her eyes. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were making fun of me" "Do you know better?" Tris grinned. Sandry gave her a playful shove. "Briar! What are you doing in there? Growing the plants I asked for? Hurry up, we've got work to do!" Rosethorns harsh, slightly slurred voice came in from the back door. Briar winced. "Now, look at what you've done." He walked into Rosethorn's workshop and came out. Pausing only to stick his tounge out at the girls, he walked back outside."Geez, you'd think I was your servant or something," they heard him say. "You are. Now, I want you to plant those over by the roses...careful, boy! We don't want to kill them...."
Tris and Sandry laughed and started walking up to their rooms, when their Trader-friend walked through the door, looking breathless. Sandry went back down to make her a cup of tea, and Daja gulped it thankfully. "Tough day, I see? Well, Briars not having a better one," Tris said as she walked back down to where the other two girls were sitting. Daja laughed. "Well, that's nice to know. Niko stopped by on his way out. He told me to give you this, because he forgot to." She pulled out a small chain, with one charm on it. It was a thin lightning bolt, and Tris though it was beutiful. "Solid gold, too," Daja stated when Tris took the necklace. She shook her head. "I don't know how he does it." Tris just stared at the necklace, then funmbled to put it on."I've never owned jewelry before, okay?" she said as she saw the strange looks she was getting from her friends for not being able to hook it. "Here. Let me help," Snadry got up and went around back of Tris. She took the ends of the necklace and hooked it easy. Tris looked embarrassed. "Thanks" "No problem" Sandry replied. "Tea?" Tris shook her head. "Nah, I'll pass. I'm just going to go up to my room, now. I'm feeling a little tired." She got up and walked to her room. When she had shut the door she sat on her bed, thinking. Eventually she fell asleep, and wasn't aware that someone had tucked her into her bed after she had fallen asleep at the end of it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tris woke up, yawning. She realized that she was still in her clothes from yesterday, and thought, 'I don't remember going to bed. Oh well, maybe Sandry came in.' She got up and changed her clother, then went down to breakfast, still a little sleepy. She was surprised to see Sandry, Lark, and Rosethorn sitting at the table, while Briar was obviously trying to make breakfast. SHe sat down next to Sandry, and whispered, "What's he doing?" Sandry giggled, then said, "He says he's trying to cook. He says that one day he'll need to eat, and he figures living with all girls had to have some advantages." Tris looked at Briar, surprised. 'Well, that's different. Hey, Briar,' she called out with her mind, contacting with the mage-boy. 'Since when did you decide to start cooking? Briar seemed annoyed, and thoughtful all the same. 'I figure, that I'm not going to depend on ome woman for the rest of my life, so I'd better learn how to cook before it's too late. And, you know, I thought it would be fun. But it's not nearly as easy as it looks.' Tris laughed in her mind, and Briar looked at her sharply. 'Sorry, it's just.....you don't seem like the cooking type,' she apologized. Mockingly, Briar teased, 'What type do I seem?' Before she could stop herself, she responded, 'The nice type,' Briar stiffened physically,fortunetly no one seemed to notice. 'Repeat that again?' he asked. Tris could feel herself blush. She was glad his back was to her. 'I said, the kind I would most likely feed to mice,' she shot back nastily, then broke off the tie.
To the others she said, "I'm not really hungry right now. Thanks for getting me into bed last night, Sandry." Sandry looked confused. "But I didn't put you to bed. You were already asleep when I came up..." Tris shrugged. "Oh well." To herself she thought, 'Must have been Daja' She walked quickly up to her room, seeing Briar start to turn around to serve breakfast. "I hope you haven't bunred it, boy, I'm hungry, and that's a waste of food," she heard Rosethorn growl as Briar set the food down. She hurried inside and shut the door, breathing hard. What on Earth had caused her to think that? She found herself leaning out the window, gulping in fresh air. 'What was I thinking?' she asked herself. But she knew the answer. 'I was thinking that Braiars a really nice boy,' she thought before she could stop herself. She growled. 'How am I supposed to handle myself when I can't even control my own thoughts?' she asked herself. She knew it was a waste of time wondering, so she sat down and started meditating. Only right before it was too late she realized she'd forgot to draw a protective cirle. Sighing, she got up and drew her circle, wondering if she really was going to survive without her teacher.