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The hours turned swiftly into days. The days then turned into weeks--or so it seemed. this was only the 2nd day since the change.
Perhaps this was a lesson of some kind. Perhaps it was spite for everything she had done to him or in his presence.
Evening had fallen once again, and she was starting to get upset. The two of them sat upon the rooftop staring up at the bright evening moon, in otherwise complete silence. Whatever the pink-eyes were doing, they did not seem so intent to scour the city for any that had not joined their ranks.
This was different though. The very idea of sitting around and not doing anything was never something to sit well with her. While he remained serene and motionless, she was beginning to grow restless. Vosolvius was hardly surprised at Varsha's impatience. Thus, he was hardly surprised to see her spazz out again.
"Sifu, this is pointless! she shouted, jumping to her feet, "you know how to defeat them, you taught me how to go about doing that. Why are you not letting me go out and resolve this problem? For that matter, why are you not doing anything about it either?"
So typical Varsha--fight now, ask questions later. In the few circumstances where talking was necessary, bending the truth to her will was absolutely requisite.
Thankfully for him, the comfort of his own home, even the rooftop, was one of the few places where he could exercise his authority over her.
"This is not my classroom, child." he nodded, without breaking his meditation, "While I do have the authority to send you home here just as I do there, I am not keeping you here. I have stated to you my intentions. The fact that they clash with what you wish to do is not my fault."
"how can you just sit here when there are hundreds of other Serenghe afflicted with this curse?"
"Varsha, I have already explained to you the methods behind Zurok's Infection."
"Then explain it to me again," Varsha interrupted, whipping out her staff and pointing it at him.
"there is little more holding this child back than her own pride." Vosolvius mused, "She has to be right, and everyone else has to see things her way. One of the first steps to true wisdom is to admit that one is flawed. To believe that one is flawless is to put them above even the deities themselves. She is smart, and she is talented. Her pride is wasting her talent, and slowly chipping away at it. Her life is competition. her life is being better than the rest of them. I have tried teaching her! She will not listen. She simply demands the answers and will stop at nothing to get them--at least she does that fairly..."
I admit that I am not exactly comforted in knowing that a prodigious little Anima Sensei is poised to attack me.
"you know how I answer to threats, Kazyk Zenži."
he had addressed her in one of the formal ways. Great. That only meant that she was in trouble. Varsha sighed and dropped her staff at her feet, then sat down cross-legged in front of her teacher.
"Do you wish to listen to me now?" he asked her. Varsha took a deep breath and closed her eyes. she nodded.
"As I have told you, Zurok's Corruption is exactly what you told me it was. However, the reason I continually say that it would be folly to jump out and attack them or to try and change the state of things as they are, it will spark an unnecessary fight."
"What's wrong with fighting?" Varsha frowned, "it gets the point across far better than blabbering for three hours would."
"You do not know that, child."
"I know that you hate fighting. of course you'd say something like that."
"I do know that I hate fighting, and know that you seem fond of it. However, I, unlike you, have had my share of fighting, and have learned that I prefer peace talk. You on the other hand, have not tried an alternative to reckless fighting. Perhaps your sharp wit should be put more towards trying to stop the violence instead of trying to provoke it."
"even if I did decide to try your crazy grown-up scheme, who'd believe the stuff a kid says?"
"most Serenghe do not judge someone's words by their age, but rather, by the words themselves."
Varsha paused and her face lit up. "that sounds like a good idea," she exclaimed, "next time I meet a Serenghe infected with Zurok's Corruption, I'll try talking with them so that they don't try to infect me. It should work!"
after her first statement, Varsha's tone had turned completely snarky. She waited for him to react, perhaps hoping he would. However, all he did was give her a stern glare.
Varsha growled in frustration.
"What do you want from me?" she snapped.
"That is a n interesting question you present me." he replied, "but it is also a very basic question; one which I explained on the first day of your first class to every student. I wish for you to take my knowledge and properly apply it--"
"but I do that--"
"properly."
Varsha actually started from surprise. She had never heard him be so direct and so forceful. This seemed very unusual for him. She frankly missed the man that she could push around at her will-her superiority complex loved it.
"so can you at least tell me why you won't fight?"
Vosolvius took a deep breath before speking.
"Varsha, there is a time and a place for everything. We may not always enjoy the scenario, but it is there. The reason I am against even you going out and starting a fight is because it will not accomplish anything. If those afflicted with Zurok's Corruption remain passive, there is no reason to strike. The secret to situations like this involve patience."
"patience..." Varsha sighed. "you do understand that I'm 7, right?"
"I do indeed, but that is no excuse."
"...fine." she pouted, crossing her arms the way an angry little child would. "I'll wait."
"I find it somewhat surprising that she actually swayed. Perhaps some of my words are getting through that thick skull of hers. I hope she understands the importance of my words, if not for my sake, for her own."
Vosolvius had no qualms about letting Varsha train in his backyard earlier that afternoon, as Varsha did seem a bit uneasy to try returning to her own home. The two of them generally remained in the vicinity of this area, as they knew that any of the "pink-eyes" would try to put the curse on them as well. having light as her element of affinity, Varsha was more of a morning person, while Vosolvius was more nocturnal, being a Darkformer. Moreover, Varsha's young body needed more rest than his did, and so it was no surprise for him to see the little girl begin nodding off within an hour. At one point she caught herself and swore that she was awake, but Vosolvius was quietly meditating, and so Varsha heaved a sigh of relief, thinking he hadn't noticed.
It was no more than half an hour later that he returned inside, tucking the sleeping Varsha into a bed in one of his guest rooms.
~Sanaki~
