Action pooooooost! The only true emotions of humanity are...?

[will_be_god]

It had started off as something almost quaint. Voile had offered, for the first time in far too long, to aid Cyrus in his lessons. She had come over at 10 am to help him prepare.

It had long been an issue with him. He was so full of ideas, so full of things that had to be said, that dividing them up into lessons was difficult. It hadn't mattered in Sinnoh, as he could assemble his followers and preach to them at any time. But to follow a plan that would involve going further and further in-depth was something he was unaccustomed to.

As she went through his notes and asked him what he meant by something and if others would understand it clearly, there was a pain at the back of his neck. Insects no doubt, drawn by the Gracedia flower still on his desk.

...yes, the symbol of gratitude. He was grateful for everything Voile did for him.

She was a fine being, even if she embodied the very essence of ruin. For her, it was simply another detail to her life, like the air they both breathed. He inhaled deeply at the thought.

Had her smile always been so bright? The tilt of her head, her hair falling against her shoulders...

Oh, she needed an answer. He muttered something about how he couldn't do everything for the students and they would have to speak up or lose the chance to find out, but looked away as he did so.

Knuckles's comment from the night before came to mind. This was something irregular, something sickening.

Cyrus was in love, against his will.

Comments

[reservedempath]

He was murmuring again. Although he'd never murmured any more or any less since she'd left for those months and returned sometime later, she was stirred no greater at his frustrating antics. No. She was simply agitated and prone to giving him the sort of look where she didn't have to say a word and he'd simply know she wasn't exactly... thrilled with whatever course of action he was taking.

Her left hand pressed to the surface of his desk, her head turned to look down to him at her right. "Professor, they are your students. They don't expect you to do everything for them, but it is your responsibility to gain their trust. Students will not learn from someone they cannot respect or trust. While I understand give and take alike, sometimes you have to be the larger person and "take the plunge" first."

Then she straightened her posture and left a hand upon her hip as she gestured with her free hand. "You might be a little unfair. While the world's unfair, we should be trying to make it as easy as we can on the students here. As a fellow pupil, even I'd be a little more relieved to have a break here and there. Here, borrow a little of my empathy."

She smiled a little, tried to be encouraging, but in the end wasn't really sure how successful she'd be. He was a hard person to please, honestly. That probably wasn't going to change at all.

[will-be-god.livejournal.com]

Was he? She would be able to feel it, wouldn't she?

Maybe he was hallucinating that feeling. He'd been hit on the head while trying to work on his machine, a metal segment smacking him firmly on the top of the skull, but he'd thought there was no damage.

Perhaps there wasn't. He'd checked it several times, and that had been the previous day besides. Some sign would have manifested before then.

What Knuckles had told him...yes, it was simply paranoia. He'd felt a sting and thought himself to be suddenly infected with something. But no, there were always those who were out to get him, and he was used to being mentally guarded at all times.

He decided to disregard it for the time being and answer her statement. And disregard a great deal of what she had said as well. "As their teacher, they must trust me. They are free to withdraw from the class if they have no interest in it. By remaining, they give themselves to my instruction." He wasn't looking directly at her.