ic contact;

[originallutece]

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[originallutece]

[All right. Good, she thinks, and allows herself to relax once more.]

I have an inclination to study everything. But I would not refuse it, if you wanted to try and find such a gift.

My poison garden has moved from the planning stages to the initial plantings, by the by, if you're interested.

[roseblooms]

I'm very interested, if that's an invitation to come and see it. I'll even promise not to cheat and stimulate their growth, if you'd prefer to go about it entirely on your own efforts.

As for the gift...the last thing I would want is to discourage those inclinations. But I would hope that you don't go without things that have little to no scientific value for the same reason that you went without developing cooking skills.

[originallutece]

[Oh, well, that's her called out, isn't it?]

I am unused to them, I admit. But I wouldn't reject it - not from you, in any case.

[roseblooms]

Exposure is the first step toward building up a tolerance, as the principle goes.

Perhaps I'll even steal it, as an example of my prowess.

[originallutece]

Now that I would dearly like to see. Perhaps you can teach me how to be a thief, hm?

[roseblooms]

[...Uh-oh.]

Would you enjoy that?

A background in lockpicking and safecracking is never a bad skillset to possess.

[originallutece]

I would, actually. It's been a long time since I've been anyone's student, but I think I could pick it up fairly quickly.

When can we start?

[roseblooms]

Give me a chance to accumulate some locks.

[...Hmmm...]

And some gifts to secure behind them.

[originallutece]

I don't think there's any greater motivator than curiosity, well done.

Is that what it takes to be a good thief, then? Lockpicking and safe cracking? Or is there more to it?

[roseblooms]

Those are the skills of a good thief that CAN be taught. There are many more that can't.

Patience. Observation. Cunning. The ability to make split-second decisions still founded in fact and reason.

I had an associate once who wanted very badly to be a good thief. But all the technical skills in the world couldn't have made him one.

[originallutece]

Understood.

[Not that she actually wants to be a thief. But it's always interesting to learn new things, and given Kurama describes himself as the thief, well. She'd be a fool to disagree.]

How long was he able to endure before he was caught?

[roseblooms]

Longer than he should have. For a while, I saved him from his follies.

Eventually, he grew to blindly rely on that safety net, which was another of his many mistakes.

[originallutece]

Would you make that decision today?

[roseblooms]

You mean would I save him from his folly?

[originallutece]

The opposite. I assume the implication was that you stopped saving him at some point, and yet - though I admit my viewpoint is biased - it's difficult for me to imagine you doing such a thing.

So: would you make that decision here and now, given your recent forced regret?

[roseblooms]

...

You're right. I did stop saving him, after a time.

I wouldn't do again what I did. Regardless of the role his choices played in his own consequences.

[originallutece]

[Hmm. An interesting answer. What's more surprising is that she somewhat regrets asking.

Well, all right. She can change the topic easily enough. So, after a little pause:]

Tell me what I should do to prepare for the lesson.

[roseblooms]

You're trying to make me feel better.

[Which they're both aware of, of course, and which doesn't actually bear commenting on. And yet still, he remarks upon it. Maybe it's just a nice observation to make.]

Your hearing isn't nearly as sensitive as mine. I don't suppose you could find some way of addressing that, while I ready the rest of it for you?

[originallutece]

I'm told it's what friends are supposed to do.

And I can certainly try. Simple amplification shouldn't be too much of an issue, though it still might not be as good as yours.

[roseblooms]

You have many of the traits and behaviors of a friend, Rosalind.

It should prove useful eventually, I would imagine. There are some aspects of the process I simply take for granted, and it wouldn't do to have a lesson interrupted by my asking you to listen for something you're physically incapable of hearing.