[ Sciel's expression lights up a bit at that hint of a smile, her own turning a touch mischievous.
Oh? Any...you'd tell me about? [ She won't ask for a recitation or anything, but getting the gist of it allows her an even deeper understanding of such a complicated woman. ] Not in any detail, just whatever you feel like sharing.
[ They'll be infinitely better than anything Sciel's written, and since it's a self-proclaimed weakness of hers, Sciel is more than eager to get a sense of how Jasnah puts her thoughts to words. And: which of those thoughts she considers to be particularly meaningful in her esteem. ]
[ Oh. Certainly. Jasnah feels little to no compunction over recommending some of her own published work — it's peer reviewed! She can vouch for how well-researched it is! And while she tries not to be boastful about it, she's proud. ]
I can have a copy or two sent to you. If you're curious. [ ...Sciel clearly is, or why else would she ask? ] There's a short essay on women's roles in Vorin societies. And a longer piece about Dawnchant linguistics.
[ Sciel perks up a little at that. She hasn't had a lot of opportunity for reading in general since her arrival, given...well, it's apparently complicated to be an interloper in someone else's world, but she holds a lot of respect for Jasnah and knows well her reputation (positive). Undoubtedly anything she's written will be compelling, even if someone not of this world doesn't grasp all the finer details. ]
I am. Curious, that is. [ If she hadn't made that clear. ] Shall I mark them up in red and send you my feedback?
[ A joke, of course, as it's not only far past the editing stage, but also...she imagines anything Jasnah's written is as flawless as they come. ]
[ This seems to surprise Sciel, whose brows lift considerably. ]
Really? [ And she goes from being taken aback to smiling warmly. ] Well, in that case, I'll...blow the dust off my old teacher's instincts. Think I can still remember how it's done.
[ Sciel is no scholar -- Lune would be a far greater resource for something like this, with all of her scintillating insights -- but that doesn't mean she isn't bright, or that she doesn't have her own insights to offer. ]
[ It can sometimes be hard to see the fondness in her careful, curated expressions. It lurks there — a slight softening of the eyes, a press of the lips. ]
Your current and everyday instincts will suffice.
[ Sometimes it's nice just to exchange thoughts, theories, debate tactics. As if she doesn't expect Sciel to extend herself so much as share herself. ]
[ "You really do see everything," Verso had once told her. In this moment, taking in the minuscule shifts in the other woman's face, Sciel does think she detects some of that fondness, if it isn't too familiar to think as much. ]
"My current and everyday instincts" it is, then. [ And she laughs a little, both amused and pleased by the course of conversation. ] ...In the meantime, Brightness, I think I'm all done here. Where to next?
[ Hopefully there's more to be done, as she's enjoying the excuse to spend more time in Jasnah's company, but...well, Jasnah is still a queen. There will forever be a to-do list, and most of it isn't anything Sciel can lend a hand with.
Maybe, though, her presence at least isn't so distracting that it prohibits her being there? ]
[ A thoughtful hum. Jasnah stands among her pillars of books, deciding carefully which one to next entrust to Sciel. None of them are particularly precious, so she doesn't have to interrogate the choice too deeply.
With a pointed finger (right hand, bare) she indicates a particularly numerous stack by the edge of the room's desk. ]
[ And Sciel is happy to oblige, moving to the stack (noting, pleased, that this might keep her occupied for a while yet) and beginning to find them homes on the same shelf.
The question slows her only briefly, giving her pause before she places the first book. ]
I...have, a little. There's been so much going on since I arrived that I haven't thought about it practically, but... [ There's another brief delay as she taps a finger against the cover of the next tome. ] Well, I wouldn't be opposed. I think I'd need some schooling of my own first, though. There's a lot to learn, and I don't want to mislead the local youth talking about the Fracture and the Paintress.
[ Of course, Lumerian history and 'current events' were only a fraction of the curriculum, but those things had also dominated all their lives so completely that it'd almost been a running current in the background of all else, even for children. And, obviously, those bits are irrelevant here, and there's so much of this world still to know. ]
Classrooms are — [ she pauses, thoughtful ] — an unconventional approach for Alethkar. Closer to Azish methods, I think.
[ So, good thing they're not actually in Alethkar. :| ]
Perhaps it's optimistic, but with my uncle learning to read and write — I wonder whether we'll see more, hm, flexibility in which children might get sent to a shared classroom. And you have a good enough grasp on our language.
Well, [ Sciel begins, snatching up another two books and adding them to the stack, ] I'm flexible. It should be what the students are comfortable with, not necessarily what I've done in the past. I can adapt.
[ To most anything, at least so far in her life. And she has a lot of experience needing to adapt to, frankly, insane and trying situations. Comparatively, having to change her style or format of teaching is nothing. ]
What d'you mean? [ Comes the question, accompanied by a curious lift of one brow. ] ...Ah. Because the children in the tower are from all over, you mean?
[ Lumière had been a very small population, comparatively. All very similar kids, really, with no societal qualms about who might learn alongside who. They couldn't afford it, with the reality of their lives. Children went to school and that was that.
Here, though...everyone is so different. Not only from those she's met in her own life, but from each other. It's incredibly exciting to someone who drinks up new experiences like air, but it's also something to keep in mind as she finds her path through this world. ]
Mm. [ Sciel hums thoughtfully. Right: that. ] And...where things are now, would you want them to be encouraged to read and write? Or...better to wait and see how things go with your uncle, then try and get others to follow?
[ It's one of the stranger aspects of the local culture: that reading and writing are generally reserved for the women (with Dalinar now as the exception). Were she to have opportunity to teach again, Sciel would obviously follow the guidance Jasnah provided to keep everything as...agreeable as possible, but it would take some getting used to. ]
[ Jasnah has no patience for things remaining agreeable. Moments like these, when the tower itself is like a furnace of opportunity, she's inclined to stoke it. ]
And I imagine there are plenty who might be inspired hearing about how things are handled in other kingdoms, other worlds.
[ That...earns Jasnah a particularly broad smile, one paired with an impish gleam in those sharp, green eyes. ]
I like the sound of that. [ It's nothing new, of course -- everything about Jasnah's rule, as far as Sciel has witnessed it -- has been about the same. But it's still nice to hear it affirmed so explicitly, particularly as someone...well. So inherently different from most people she's interacted with so far by nature of how she'd arrived. ]
I'd be happy to help inspire them. [ Sciel laughs lightly. ] Mm, now I wish I'd made more use of my journal: I'm sure it would've been helpful. The others were so good about their notes, but I always had trouble finding the right words.
[ Ah, well. She's fairly confident she could summon the details, if need be. ]
[ She can't help it. Taking it on herself to diagnose Sciel's writer's block on the spot. ]
Better to get down any, and revisit them later. Books, notes, journals. They're just storage containers. They can be packed, unpacked, repacked as necessary.
[ Contrary to what one might think, Jasnah isn't precious about it. And perhaps she comes at this from the privileged direction of being someone whose first choice of words is often more than adequate. Still, she means it. The words on the page are tools. And some output is better than none. ]
[ She should've expected Jasnah to call her out on the word, given that so little the queen says and writes is, to Sciel, done without total intention. So she cracks another smile, chuckling in admission of the small misstep. ]
What I mean is...it was hard to get any words down, sometimes. What we encountered was so...unlike anything we'd seen before. It turned all our expectations completely on their heads. And the others could still cut through all that chaos and record it, but...
[ Sciel had spent most of that time turning it all over in her head instead. Looking up at the stars and telling them about what she'd lived through that day, the way she and her dad used to do. It'd been calming. Helpful for her sanity. But the journal had remained blank as a result. ]
I'll work on it now, though. [ She concedes. ] Think it'll be easier, since I'm not exactly in the thick of it.
[ "The thick of" what had happened back home, anyway. The latest chapter of her life is very much still unfolding. ]
[ Hmm. Jasnah catches the edge of her thumbnail on a book, picking at an errant thread on the spine. Pulling it loose, balling it up between the pad of her thumb and index fingers. She really doesn't have the time for the offer she's about to make. And yet... ]
You know, Sciel. [ Careful, thoughtful, unwilling to flick the balled-up thread away, she disposes of it gently on a scratch-pad near her inkwell. ] I have some experience helping others...get their words down. Tell their stories.
[ Yes, it's usually because the men she's interviewing can't write out their own experiences. But the point still stands! ]
[ Someone else might protest on principal: surely the Queen of Alethkar is too busy for an offer like that. But Sciel, both more self-assured and more insightful than most, merely eyes the other woman with a small, surprised smile: one that grows a touch as she considers the unspoken gesture. ]
...Yeah, I've heard you do. [ Jasnah has experience with most things, or so she feels based on what she's witnessed so far and the rumors that widen Jasnah's shadow beyond what Sciel has seen for herself. ] I'd really appreciate that help, Brightness.
[ Sure, she can jot some things down herself, work through everything she can remember of her time during the Expedition and before. But, if the point of recording it is for it to be particularly informative, or...beneficial in a way than might specifically help someone in Roshar, then doesn't it make the most sense to involve a person who can guide the flow of information?
And if that means they spend more time in each other's company, well. So be it! ]
[ There are many things the Queen of Alethkar ought to be too busy to do herself. Attending personally to a single field research lab is, by most reasonable measures, one of them.
They depart two days later through an Oathgate, emerging onto the Shattered Plains. At the old warcamps, they rendezvous with a small contingent of cobalt guard and enough horses to carry them — and a modest allotment of supplies — a few days' ride into the Unclaimed Hills. There is a storm in the forecast, but they should reach the storm shelter before it breaks. After that, it will be another full day to the field research lab.
They ride from first light until dusk. When it comes time to make camp, Jasnah settles beside Sciel, dressed not as a monarch but as a scout: trousers beneath a split havah, one hand gloved in leather, her hair drawn back into a practical braid. ]
This will be your first highstorm outside of Urithiru, won't it?
[ There are a lot of novelties, now living her life in this world. Some of them are commonplace, like riding horses. Sciel has become especially taken with the animals, patting her mount's neck and chattering pleasantly to the beast periodically as they make their trip to the lab.
Some of them are less ordinary, like the highstorms. ]
That's right. [ She replies brightly, looking over at the queen when posed a question. ] I'm really looking forward to it, to be honest.
[ The opportunity to have new experiences means she's alive, after all. ]
We didn't even get rain in Lumière. [ Sciel laments, referring to the Dome that covered the city, keeping it safe from both Nevrons and weather alike. ] And it was fairly mild on the Continent. So I've never seen anything like this. Not even close.
— I'm afraid there won't be much to see before we'll be forced to take shelter. But we can probably hold off until the rain kicks up, then duck inside.
[ It's a few days off yet. But it's interested to watch someone respond to the prospect of a highstorm with so much...anticipation. They're such cursed, mythologized things on Roshar. Especially in those places hit hardest. ]
Hard to imagine a place without rain. [ She murmurs, adjusting the drape of a skirt and holding a bare right hand out to the modest fire. ] Without rain, but with — what did you call them, again? Aquafarms.
We'll hear it, though? [ Unless they've got some kind of incredibly sound-dampening shelter, which...she supposes is possible, but. ] I'll follow your lead, Brightness. Promise to only stick my neck out a little.
[ Sometimes, with the impish sparkle in her eye, it's hard to tell whether or not she's joking. ]
We did get rain, technically. But it didn't make it down to us. [ It'd just patter way high up against the Dome. ] Mm: aquafarms. We were able to make use of the seawater for that: it was oceanic species we had there, after all.
[ They'd figured out how to make a living, for however their short lives lasted. Those who didn't Gommage still had to go on, after all. ]
[ — A simple, single nod. Yes, they'll still hear it. The rain; the wind; the boulders and debris tossed by the wind. Jasnah has sat through uncountable storms, rarely considering much beyond her gratitude for being safe inside. Has she ever paid attention to how they sound? Not especially.
She might this time, however. Curious about what Sciel's so curious about. ]
[ Sciel has experienced the highstorms from Urithiru, of course, but it isn't the same. Being out here on the Plains will, she imagines, make it all feel so much closer as it bears down on them from just outside the safety of their shelter.
Jasnah's question makes her realize how much they still have to discuss about the world Sciel had come from, but...then, that's part of the point of their (possibly) working together on the documentation, right? ]
The Dome. [ She explains. ] After the Fracture, 67 years ago, they managed to build a...protective shield around the city of Lumière to keep the Nevrons out. And it works, though it also does keep the weather out, too.
[ And because she's anticipating it, Sciel adds, with a smile: ] Don't ask me how it all works. The finer details are lost on me, sadly.
[ If she had Lune, Gustave, or even Verso here, Jasnah would be able to get more information. Alas. ]
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Oh? Any...you'd tell me about? [ She won't ask for a recitation or anything, but getting the gist of it allows her an even deeper understanding of such a complicated woman. ] Not in any detail, just whatever you feel like sharing.
[ They'll be infinitely better than anything Sciel's written, and since it's a self-proclaimed weakness of hers, Sciel is more than eager to get a sense of how Jasnah puts her thoughts to words. And: which of those thoughts she considers to be particularly meaningful in her esteem. ]
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I can have a copy or two sent to you. If you're curious. [ ...Sciel clearly is, or why else would she ask? ] There's a short essay on women's roles in Vorin societies. And a longer piece about Dawnchant linguistics.
[ Girl's got range! ]
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I am. Curious, that is. [ If she hadn't made that clear. ] Shall I mark them up in red and send you my feedback?
[ A joke, of course, as it's not only far past the editing stage, but also...she imagines anything Jasnah's written is as flawless as they come. ]
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I'd — I'd welcome your thoughts. [ Her annotations, her marginalia. ] I'll be sure to source fresh copies. With lots of space for commentary.
[ There's a kind of careful eagerness to the not-quite-request. She's quite genuinely eager to engage in some kind of literary back-and-forth. ]
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Really? [ And she goes from being taken aback to smiling warmly. ] Well, in that case, I'll...blow the dust off my old teacher's instincts. Think I can still remember how it's done.
[ Sciel is no scholar -- Lune would be a far greater resource for something like this, with all of her scintillating insights -- but that doesn't mean she isn't bright, or that she doesn't have her own insights to offer. ]
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Your current and everyday instincts will suffice.
[ Sometimes it's nice just to exchange thoughts, theories, debate tactics. As if she doesn't expect Sciel to extend herself so much as share herself. ]
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"My current and everyday instincts" it is, then. [ And she laughs a little, both amused and pleased by the course of conversation. ] ...In the meantime, Brightness, I think I'm all done here. Where to next?
[ Hopefully there's more to be done, as she's enjoying the excuse to spend more time in Jasnah's company, but...well, Jasnah is still a queen. There will forever be a to-do list, and most of it isn't anything Sciel can lend a hand with.
Maybe, though, her presence at least isn't so distracting that it prohibits her being there? ]
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With a pointed finger (right hand, bare) she indicates a particularly numerous stack by the edge of the room's desk. ]
That one. Same shelf.
[ Sciel's help is far from a distraction. ]
— Have you considered doing any teaching here?
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The question slows her only briefly, giving her pause before she places the first book. ]
I...have, a little. There's been so much going on since I arrived that I haven't thought about it practically, but... [ There's another brief delay as she taps a finger against the cover of the next tome. ] Well, I wouldn't be opposed. I think I'd need some schooling of my own first, though. There's a lot to learn, and I don't want to mislead the local youth talking about the Fracture and the Paintress.
[ Of course, Lumerian history and 'current events' were only a fraction of the curriculum, but those things had also dominated all their lives so completely that it'd almost been a running current in the background of all else, even for children. And, obviously, those bits are irrelevant here, and there's so much of this world still to know. ]
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[ So, good thing they're not actually in Alethkar. :| ]
Perhaps it's optimistic, but with my uncle learning to read and write — I wonder whether we'll see more, hm, flexibility in which children might get sent to a shared classroom. And you have a good enough grasp on our language.
[ Somehow, Mystically, Magically! But still. ]
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[ To most anything, at least so far in her life. And she has a lot of experience needing to adapt to, frankly, insane and trying situations. Comparatively, having to change her style or format of teaching is nothing. ]
What d'you mean? [ Comes the question, accompanied by a curious lift of one brow. ] ...Ah. Because the children in the tower are from all over, you mean?
[ Lumière had been a very small population, comparatively. All very similar kids, really, with no societal qualms about who might learn alongside who. They couldn't afford it, with the reality of their lives. Children went to school and that was that.
Here, though...everyone is so different. Not only from those she's met in her own life, but from each other. It's incredibly exciting to someone who drinks up new experiences like air, but it's also something to keep in mind as she finds her path through this world. ]
no subject
Yes, that.
[ She concedes Sciel's point. It's a good one. Integration wouldn't hurt, given they've got to make peace with one another. ]
But I also wonder whether little Alethi boys might actually feel encouraged to read and write. If they were in the same classrooms.
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[ It's one of the stranger aspects of the local culture: that reading and writing are generally reserved for the women (with Dalinar now as the exception). Were she to have opportunity to teach again, Sciel would obviously follow the guidance Jasnah provided to keep everything as...agreeable as possible, but it would take some getting used to. ]
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[ Jasnah has no patience for things remaining agreeable. Moments like these, when the tower itself is like a furnace of opportunity, she's inclined to stoke it. ]
And I imagine there are plenty who might be inspired hearing about how things are handled in other kingdoms, other worlds.
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I like the sound of that. [ It's nothing new, of course -- everything about Jasnah's rule, as far as Sciel has witnessed it -- has been about the same. But it's still nice to hear it affirmed so explicitly, particularly as someone...well. So inherently different from most people she's interacted with so far by nature of how she'd arrived. ]
I'd be happy to help inspire them. [ Sciel laughs lightly. ] Mm, now I wish I'd made more use of my journal: I'm sure it would've been helpful. The others were so good about their notes, but I always had trouble finding the right words.
[ Ah, well. She's fairly confident she could summon the details, if need be. ]
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[ She can't help it. Taking it on herself to diagnose Sciel's writer's block on the spot. ]
Better to get down any, and revisit them later. Books, notes, journals. They're just storage containers. They can be packed, unpacked, repacked as necessary.
[ Contrary to what one might think, Jasnah isn't precious about it. And perhaps she comes at this from the privileged direction of being someone whose first choice of words is often more than adequate. Still, she means it. The words on the page are tools. And some output is better than none. ]
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What I mean is...it was hard to get any words down, sometimes. What we encountered was so...unlike anything we'd seen before. It turned all our expectations completely on their heads. And the others could still cut through all that chaos and record it, but...
[ Sciel had spent most of that time turning it all over in her head instead. Looking up at the stars and telling them about what she'd lived through that day, the way she and her dad used to do. It'd been calming. Helpful for her sanity. But the journal had remained blank as a result. ]
I'll work on it now, though. [ She concedes. ] Think it'll be easier, since I'm not exactly in the thick of it.
[ "The thick of" what had happened back home, anyway. The latest chapter of her life is very much still unfolding. ]
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You know, Sciel. [ Careful, thoughtful, unwilling to flick the balled-up thread away, she disposes of it gently on a scratch-pad near her inkwell. ] I have some experience helping others...get their words down. Tell their stories.
[ Yes, it's usually because the men she's interviewing can't write out their own experiences. But the point still stands! ]
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...Yeah, I've heard you do. [ Jasnah has experience with most things, or so she feels based on what she's witnessed so far and the rumors that widen Jasnah's shadow beyond what Sciel has seen for herself. ] I'd really appreciate that help, Brightness.
[ Sure, she can jot some things down herself, work through everything she can remember of her time during the Expedition and before. But, if the point of recording it is for it to be particularly informative, or...beneficial in a way than might specifically help someone in Roshar, then doesn't it make the most sense to involve a person who can guide the flow of information?
And if that means they spend more time in each other's company, well. So be it! ]
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They depart two days later through an Oathgate, emerging onto the Shattered Plains. At the old warcamps, they rendezvous with a small contingent of cobalt guard and enough horses to carry them — and a modest allotment of supplies — a few days' ride into the Unclaimed Hills. There is a storm in the forecast, but they should reach the storm shelter before it breaks. After that, it will be another full day to the field research lab.
They ride from first light until dusk. When it comes time to make camp, Jasnah settles beside Sciel, dressed not as a monarch but as a scout: trousers beneath a split havah, one hand gloved in leather, her hair drawn back into a practical braid. ]
This will be your first highstorm outside of Urithiru, won't it?
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Some of them are less ordinary, like the highstorms. ]
That's right. [ She replies brightly, looking over at the queen when posed a question. ] I'm really looking forward to it, to be honest.
[ The opportunity to have new experiences means she's alive, after all. ]
We didn't even get rain in Lumière. [ Sciel laments, referring to the Dome that covered the city, keeping it safe from both Nevrons and weather alike. ] And it was fairly mild on the Continent. So I've never seen anything like this. Not even close.
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[ It's a few days off yet. But it's interested to watch someone respond to the prospect of a highstorm with so much...anticipation. They're such cursed, mythologized things on Roshar. Especially in those places hit hardest. ]
Hard to imagine a place without rain. [ She murmurs, adjusting the drape of a skirt and holding a bare right hand out to the modest fire. ] Without rain, but with — what did you call them, again? Aquafarms.
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[ Sometimes, with the impish sparkle in her eye, it's hard to tell whether or not she's joking. ]
We did get rain, technically. But it didn't make it down to us. [ It'd just patter way high up against the Dome. ] Mm: aquafarms. We were able to make use of the seawater for that: it was oceanic species we had there, after all.
[ They'd figured out how to make a living, for however their short lives lasted. Those who didn't Gommage still had to go on, after all. ]
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She might this time, however. Curious about what Sciel's so curious about. ]
Why didn't the rain reach you?
[ She hones in on such a small, strange detail. ]
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Jasnah's question makes her realize how much they still have to discuss about the world Sciel had come from, but...then, that's part of the point of their (possibly) working together on the documentation, right? ]
The Dome. [ She explains. ] After the Fracture, 67 years ago, they managed to build a...protective shield around the city of Lumière to keep the Nevrons out. And it works, though it also does keep the weather out, too.
[ And because she's anticipating it, Sciel adds, with a smile: ] Don't ask me how it all works. The finer details are lost on me, sadly.
[ If she had Lune, Gustave, or even Verso here, Jasnah would be able to get more information. Alas. ]
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