[Fin] Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus frowned slightly. "Why not? There's not one 'type' of person that comes you know. Suit yourself, it's no skin off my nose," he shrugged, "but if you don't want to come don't make 'I wouldn't fit in' your excuse."

The matter of friendship and its magic was dropped for the time being, he wanted to make sure that he'd driven in the point that it wasn't just a boys' club or something.  

[caffeinecraving]

She frowned right back. "Do i look like the kind of person who would take a karate class?" She huffed. "I just dont want people laughing at me... If it wasnt a class setting i would be more then willing to learn how to flip someone against the wall... But learning curves are steep and i dont take well to people laughing at my failures... Clumsy is one thing... failing as i try to learn something knew is something totally different."

She glanced to Brimstone. "I think im gonna go." It was obvious she was running away from this conversation. Its how she had handled her father... He would ask her if she wanted to go fishing... she would counter with it wasnt her scene... he would laugh and then she would have to disappear... so out of thought and out of mind. To this day she didnt know how to fish.

 

[TawnyAngel]

Okay now what?

What was he supposed to do now?

Tam would probably know, Tam was good with people too and she was also a girl which might help? How the hell did he know?

"Hey, what were we just saying about stereotypes and s**t?" Aulus asked rhetorically, still frowning as he pushed himself to his feet with a little help from Phaeth's head. "My sensei never failed to have on her lipstick and eyeliner, FYI, and I don't tolerate people mocking one another for failures in my class; laughing is punished by being used as a demonstration for something interesting." He resented the implication that he managed his students badly. Was this about him though? Maybe, how the hell did he know? He was s**t with people, really s**t, but he wasn't just going to let her walk off badmouthing his ability to manage his class like that!  

[caffeinecraving]

This wasnt about him. This was 100% about her. About her fear of failure... about her fear of learning new things that others could look at her and say she wasn't a girl.

She frowned. "What?" She smiled. "I have no doubt you are a wonderful teacher!" That was said with such sincerity that he couldnt mistake that she meant it. "Your... sensei...sounds like a badass chick... Im not... When was the last time you saw a rainbow wrapped kitten flip someone up onto the wall?"

She shrugged. "Thanks for the offer though, Aulus."

 

[TawnyAngel]

Aulus exhaled slowly, wondering how any vaguely normal person would deal with this. It really wasn't his problem if she said no but she had shown initial in the skills, or at least he thought she had? Given this was one of his few selling points it was also potentially a way to keep even with her, get rid of that debt; and it was in his interest for her to have the skills as he had thought before. Nothing wrong with trying to persuade her, right? It didn't have to be personal, right?

Argh! Why did people have to be so difficult?

"Alright! Fine!" Aulus threw his hand up in supplication, wincing and regretting the abrupt movement even as he did so. He lowered his arm and curled it around his sore ribs, falling silent as he tried to put words in the right order to keep talking.

Why was it that he only seemed to be eloquent when he was being a heinous b*****d?

"If you're interested in learning but you're not comfortable with a class environment I can do a couple of one on one sessions with you to see if you like it. Consider it a trade for organizing a party for Tortie." He didn't mention her present to him in the trade because even he knew you didn't go around 'paying back' presents. You either accepted them or you didn't, and if you got rid of them at a later date you did so discreetly.... The picture frame could stay though, he probably had room on one of his shelves for it.  

[caffeinecraving]

She glanced back to him. "Oh! Please dont hurt yourself!" She held up a hand to try to stop him. However what he said took her completely by surprise. "You would do that for m-" She stopped and she frowned. "I will do no such thing... I... I am doing this party for Tortie because you were in the hospital... Because i wanted to... and its what friends do... You dont need to 'pay me back'...."

She pushed her hair behind her ear. "Although... Maybe someday... if you decide that you could do it just to help me out... and that you dont think you need to pay me back for something as simple as a party and a cheese cake for your absol.... I would love to learn."

 

[TawnyAngel]

Uuuuuuuuuugh.

Aulus shifted his weight, lips pursed in frustration as he tried to work out what to do. He didn't feel comfortable with the label 'friend', he still hardly knew her really and he certainly didn't trust her on a personal level. On the other hand... maybe she could do something for him considering herself a friend to him and he could do something for her just because it was a sensible thing to do. He hadn't needed an excuse to help her with her pokemon training after all, this was really no different, right? Right.

Suddenly feeling better about the whole affair Aulus shrugged. "Okay fine then; not a trade, just to help you out. Acceptable?"  

[caffeinecraving]

She watched him ponder. How did one make a friend... without first trusting a person with your information... so that in turn maybe they would trust you back. She just waited.

Sensible thing to do....sure... go with that one... just dont tell Kailee.

She frowned trying to figure out what he had thought of to placate himself to the idea. "Acceptable... Starting... as soon as you feel better." She smiled and then looked to Brimstone. "Im gonna learn Karate!" He squealed in happiness for her and she looked back to Aulus. "Thank you....For understanding."

 

[TawnyAngel]

Heh, well she was pleased and that was good right? There wasn't anything wrong with making other people happy if they weren't actually an enemy. Aulus shrugged again and shifted again, feeling mildly awkward despite his best efforts not to. "Well. No problem. Give it... Well I can't really give a timeframe, I don't know when exactly they'll want me back in for surgery, but consider it a promise for 'as soon as sensible'." Might give him a chance to get a feel for how he was going to teach now too, before he had to do it in front of an entire room full of people who would be watching his every move and judging him. Yep, he definitely understood being afraid of being laughed at.  

[caffeinecraving]

She smiled. Very happy.

She nodded. "Oh... right... Yeah... As soon as Sensible then." She turned. "I have to go to see everyone real quick before heading down to the labs..." She looked him over.

"Mind if i make a suggestion? If you wanna get discharged early... you may want to head up to your room for a quick cat nap... so you dont look as tired as you do right now... That way they will think you will take care of yourself and they will be more likely to trust you up and about." She grinned tossing him a wink. "Bye Aulus... See you tomorrow." If he was still in the hospital that was.

 

[TawnyAngel]

"Nice to know how awful I look," Aulus said dryly with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't argue. He really was supposed to be back soon but half an hour would probably be okay and he didn't want to turn up looking like complete s**t or he would most definitely be in the s**t. "See you tomorrow then, bring cookies. They might actually let me eat some if I'm lucky." He was getting really sick of liquids only.

Once Kailee had gone Aulus gave Phaeth a bit more fuss before calling the Rapidash back to his pokeball, folding up his chair, and making for the door.

In the great scheme of things that had gone pretty well in the end, he supposed.