(no subject)
I had a talk with Neana about the whole fight thing today. She seemed to be feeling rather uncomfortable with the situation. I attempted to reassure her that she didn't do anything wrong because seriously, she didn't. Xorvian was being a jackass and Brady was being unusually sensitive to it and wham, violence erupted.
I had to admit that it probably wouldn't have happened right then if she hadn't been there, but there's no reason she shouldn't have been there. Seriously, I think everyone's feeling guilty beyond reason except probably for Xorvian, who's the one person who really needs to take a close look at his actions. Much as I'd like to press him into it, I think I'd really be exceeding my mandate and becoming an interfering, nosy little git if I tried. And with how close to the vest Xorvian keeps his feelings, I may have no idea what he's feeling, either.
Tuval's Room
Tuval's room is neatly packed with belongings. If it were not so neatly organized, it would give the impression of bursting at the seams. The stone walls are almost entirely covered with paintings in watercolors. Mostly, they seem to be landscapes of somewhere with a climate colder than Ista's, but there are a number of semi-impressionistic portraits as well.
Neana, of course, does the polite knocking and announcing herself as, "Excuse me, Journeyman Tuval, it's Neana here to see you, if you got a moment." Such a well-mannered young thing, she is!
Tuval's door is not entirely latched, so the knocking makes the door creak just slightly without actually opening. "Come on in," Tuval's comes through the door. He is sitting at the small work desk, a few hides open for correction before him. If she enters immediately, she will see him turning the top sheet of each pile over; not courteous to let her see the marks he's giving to her classmates, after all. "Come in, have a seat..."
Neana is still teen enough to peek through the crack of the ajar door, before letting herself in as Tuval bids. She doesn't opt for a seat straight away, instead allowing the Journeyman time to hide his work like the considerate thing she is. "Um, good afternoon, sir. I just wanted to... well, t'ask you a few questions, about ethics and stuff. And etiquette."
Tuval's task of covering his work is quick and he turns his chair toward the door to give Neana his full attention. "Well, that is one of the subjects I teach," he replies, smiling faintly. "Though I'm guessing this is about a more practical situation and less about the abstract class?"
"Well, yes." Neana replies bluntly, still standing awkwardly just inside the door. Her eyes skip around the room, taking in the surrounds in which Tuval lives... before coming to rest on the Journeyman himself again. "Um. I guess, I jus' wanted to know... um. Is it really ok, for an apprentice to speak with a Journeyman when she's not dressed appropriately?"
The surroundings are interesting, if Neana really examines them. There are paintings of areas vaguely recognizable from around Ista (the beach, the gardens) and some that a world-traveller might recognize from Fort. There is only one mediocre portrait of a smiling young woman visible, but the walls are somewhat cluttered with images, ranging from poor quality to fairly good. Tuval's eyebrows contract slightly at Neana's question. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but I take it you're talking about the incident on the beach? You were wearing a swim suit?"
Neana does really examine them, trying to file away a few things before she needs to speak again. "Yes, sir. I was wearing my swimsuit... I was tanning. So it wasn't really a modest swimsuit, either." She explains, shuffling a step closer to the chair offered. "Can... um, can this be in confidence, sir? I don't want to cause anymore trouble, but at the same time, I kind of want to, like... get this all out of my head. And Brady suggested I see you."
Tuval nods easily. "Of course," he says. "Shut the door if you like, too." Then he addresses the original question she asked. "Seriously, though, a bikini is perfectly appropriate for the beach. It's a /beach/ and you were tanning. There's no reason you shouldn't be willing to talk to a journeyman in that situation." His voice is calm and confident, his expression easy.
Neana turns back to shut the door, and finally makes it back to that chair after. "Oh, I understand about it being ok to wear a bikini on the beach - it's jus', Journeyman Brady won't accept my apology for gettin' him in trouble. And he still wants to jog in the mornings and stuff... is that, like, ok?" Neana speaks slowly, and she looks as though she might say more, before cutting herself short.
Tuval hitches a shoulder. "No reason it shouldn't be," he replies simply. "As long as you're not consciously attempting to ...woo or seduce Brady, and I've never thought you were, jogging is fine. Talking is fine. Playing volleyball is fine. Romantic sunset walks holding hands is not so fine." He pauses. "And I think that Brady...wants to be sure you understand that the fight and the trouble it caused really were not your fault in any way. No one has described anything to me about that incident that suggests you were in any way out of line at any point. If you did nothing wrong, he's right not to reproach you on the subject."
However fine Neana might think seducing Journeyman Brady may or may not be, she's not about to admit. Even in confidence. "We don't hold hands, sir." She assures, folding her hands atop her knees. "What if, theoretically speakin' of course, there was a possibility that maybe I happened to notice a few times when he was, like, lookin' other places than like, my face? Theaoretically, of course. And, I mean, there could be the possibility that like, I didn't mind it. Maybe." Neana's eyes drop. This is totally way more difficult than expected.
Tuval clearly didn't expect that they were holding hands, given the little smile with which he answers Neana's first comment. "Well, to be bluntly honest about it...neither of you is a blushing virgin. You're an attractive young woman who's friendly and easy to talk to and he's a handsome and athletic young man. It's not an attraction is unnatural or frankly all that surprising." Tuval's voice is soft and quite free of judgment. "But it /is/ against the rules to act on that attraction, and it's important that you both make an effort not to push against them. A little flirtation is one thing. But it would be best if you didn't try to encourage each other to anything more than friendship."
Neana just frowns, her eyes shifting up to rest on on of the less-familiar looking pictures on the wall. She contemplates a few responses, before settling for the routine, "Yes, sir," with an added, "One more thing - why are those rules in place, sir? Wouldn't apprentices be much more inclined to study if they weren't sidetracked by having to contain their... selves in those sorts of situations?"
Tuval smiles faintly. "Most Apprentices start a little younger than you, Neana. Particularly junior apprentices are generally just coming to physical maturity. And most thirteen Turn olds are hormone balls bouncing off the walls and they're easily distracted. Also, it helps prevent any power dichotomies between journeymen and apprentices in relationships. You, for instance, would be of a reasonable age to have a relationship with a young journeyman, but it could turn really ugly if you were in a class with them, or they were in a position to have to discipline you. It prevents a lot of really ugly problems."
"That makes sense, I suppose." Neana agrees, her frown fading a little. "I still can't help but feel I've done omething wrong, though." She continues, reverting back to talk of the 'incident'. "I mean, if I wasn't there, they would't have gotten into a fight, right?"
Tuval grimaces at that assertion. "It's...hard to say," he replies. "Xorvian is always pushing buttons in the people around him; it's how he relates to the world. He pushed Brady too far and wouldn't back down. And then, finally, Brady snapped. Now..." He frowns, looking down briefly and then back up. "I think the button Xorvian pushed in Brady was the way he was making disparaging remarks in front of you. But it was the argument between Brady and Xorvian that turned into a fight, not anything you did. I think that Xorvian just...didn't realize that he'd crossed Brady's limits."
"But if I hadn't been there, he couldn't have said those things, right?" Neana presses.
"No," Tuval replies slowly. "But seriously, Neana? It's been just a matter of time until someone slugged Xorvian. It was just an unfortunate conspiracy of events and bad decisions, and none of the bad decisions were yours."
Neana nods even slower than Tuval's reply, drawing in a deep breath to fuel a sigh. "Fair enough, sir. Um... thanks." She rises, apparently intending on leaving. "I'll see you in class?"
Tuval smiles faintly at Neana and nods. "Hope it helped," he replies. "If you have any more concerns or questions, please feel free to knock on my door any time, Neana. See you in class."
I had to admit that it probably wouldn't have happened right then if she hadn't been there, but there's no reason she shouldn't have been there. Seriously, I think everyone's feeling guilty beyond reason except probably for Xorvian, who's the one person who really needs to take a close look at his actions. Much as I'd like to press him into it, I think I'd really be exceeding my mandate and becoming an interfering, nosy little git if I tried. And with how close to the vest Xorvian keeps his feelings, I may have no idea what he's feeling, either.
Tuval's Room
Tuval's room is neatly packed with belongings. If it were not so neatly organized, it would give the impression of bursting at the seams. The stone walls are almost entirely covered with paintings in watercolors. Mostly, they seem to be landscapes of somewhere with a climate colder than Ista's, but there are a number of semi-impressionistic portraits as well.
Neana, of course, does the polite knocking and announcing herself as, "Excuse me, Journeyman Tuval, it's Neana here to see you, if you got a moment." Such a well-mannered young thing, she is!
Tuval's door is not entirely latched, so the knocking makes the door creak just slightly without actually opening. "Come on in," Tuval's comes through the door. He is sitting at the small work desk, a few hides open for correction before him. If she enters immediately, she will see him turning the top sheet of each pile over; not courteous to let her see the marks he's giving to her classmates, after all. "Come in, have a seat..."
Neana is still teen enough to peek through the crack of the ajar door, before letting herself in as Tuval bids. She doesn't opt for a seat straight away, instead allowing the Journeyman time to hide his work like the considerate thing she is. "Um, good afternoon, sir. I just wanted to... well, t'ask you a few questions, about ethics and stuff. And etiquette."
Tuval's task of covering his work is quick and he turns his chair toward the door to give Neana his full attention. "Well, that is one of the subjects I teach," he replies, smiling faintly. "Though I'm guessing this is about a more practical situation and less about the abstract class?"
"Well, yes." Neana replies bluntly, still standing awkwardly just inside the door. Her eyes skip around the room, taking in the surrounds in which Tuval lives... before coming to rest on the Journeyman himself again. "Um. I guess, I jus' wanted to know... um. Is it really ok, for an apprentice to speak with a Journeyman when she's not dressed appropriately?"
The surroundings are interesting, if Neana really examines them. There are paintings of areas vaguely recognizable from around Ista (the beach, the gardens) and some that a world-traveller might recognize from Fort. There is only one mediocre portrait of a smiling young woman visible, but the walls are somewhat cluttered with images, ranging from poor quality to fairly good. Tuval's eyebrows contract slightly at Neana's question. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but I take it you're talking about the incident on the beach? You were wearing a swim suit?"
Neana does really examine them, trying to file away a few things before she needs to speak again. "Yes, sir. I was wearing my swimsuit... I was tanning. So it wasn't really a modest swimsuit, either." She explains, shuffling a step closer to the chair offered. "Can... um, can this be in confidence, sir? I don't want to cause anymore trouble, but at the same time, I kind of want to, like... get this all out of my head. And Brady suggested I see you."
Tuval nods easily. "Of course," he says. "Shut the door if you like, too." Then he addresses the original question she asked. "Seriously, though, a bikini is perfectly appropriate for the beach. It's a /beach/ and you were tanning. There's no reason you shouldn't be willing to talk to a journeyman in that situation." His voice is calm and confident, his expression easy.
Neana turns back to shut the door, and finally makes it back to that chair after. "Oh, I understand about it being ok to wear a bikini on the beach - it's jus', Journeyman Brady won't accept my apology for gettin' him in trouble. And he still wants to jog in the mornings and stuff... is that, like, ok?" Neana speaks slowly, and she looks as though she might say more, before cutting herself short.
Tuval hitches a shoulder. "No reason it shouldn't be," he replies simply. "As long as you're not consciously attempting to ...woo or seduce Brady, and I've never thought you were, jogging is fine. Talking is fine. Playing volleyball is fine. Romantic sunset walks holding hands is not so fine." He pauses. "And I think that Brady...wants to be sure you understand that the fight and the trouble it caused really were not your fault in any way. No one has described anything to me about that incident that suggests you were in any way out of line at any point. If you did nothing wrong, he's right not to reproach you on the subject."
However fine Neana might think seducing Journeyman Brady may or may not be, she's not about to admit. Even in confidence. "We don't hold hands, sir." She assures, folding her hands atop her knees. "What if, theoretically speakin' of course, there was a possibility that maybe I happened to notice a few times when he was, like, lookin' other places than like, my face? Theaoretically, of course. And, I mean, there could be the possibility that like, I didn't mind it. Maybe." Neana's eyes drop. This is totally way more difficult than expected.
Tuval clearly didn't expect that they were holding hands, given the little smile with which he answers Neana's first comment. "Well, to be bluntly honest about it...neither of you is a blushing virgin. You're an attractive young woman who's friendly and easy to talk to and he's a handsome and athletic young man. It's not an attraction is unnatural or frankly all that surprising." Tuval's voice is soft and quite free of judgment. "But it /is/ against the rules to act on that attraction, and it's important that you both make an effort not to push against them. A little flirtation is one thing. But it would be best if you didn't try to encourage each other to anything more than friendship."
Neana just frowns, her eyes shifting up to rest on on of the less-familiar looking pictures on the wall. She contemplates a few responses, before settling for the routine, "Yes, sir," with an added, "One more thing - why are those rules in place, sir? Wouldn't apprentices be much more inclined to study if they weren't sidetracked by having to contain their... selves in those sorts of situations?"
Tuval smiles faintly. "Most Apprentices start a little younger than you, Neana. Particularly junior apprentices are generally just coming to physical maturity. And most thirteen Turn olds are hormone balls bouncing off the walls and they're easily distracted. Also, it helps prevent any power dichotomies between journeymen and apprentices in relationships. You, for instance, would be of a reasonable age to have a relationship with a young journeyman, but it could turn really ugly if you were in a class with them, or they were in a position to have to discipline you. It prevents a lot of really ugly problems."
"That makes sense, I suppose." Neana agrees, her frown fading a little. "I still can't help but feel I've done omething wrong, though." She continues, reverting back to talk of the 'incident'. "I mean, if I wasn't there, they would't have gotten into a fight, right?"
Tuval grimaces at that assertion. "It's...hard to say," he replies. "Xorvian is always pushing buttons in the people around him; it's how he relates to the world. He pushed Brady too far and wouldn't back down. And then, finally, Brady snapped. Now..." He frowns, looking down briefly and then back up. "I think the button Xorvian pushed in Brady was the way he was making disparaging remarks in front of you. But it was the argument between Brady and Xorvian that turned into a fight, not anything you did. I think that Xorvian just...didn't realize that he'd crossed Brady's limits."
"But if I hadn't been there, he couldn't have said those things, right?" Neana presses.
"No," Tuval replies slowly. "But seriously, Neana? It's been just a matter of time until someone slugged Xorvian. It was just an unfortunate conspiracy of events and bad decisions, and none of the bad decisions were yours."
Neana nods even slower than Tuval's reply, drawing in a deep breath to fuel a sigh. "Fair enough, sir. Um... thanks." She rises, apparently intending on leaving. "I'll see you in class?"
Tuval smiles faintly at Neana and nods. "Hope it helped," he replies. "If you have any more concerns or questions, please feel free to knock on my door any time, Neana. See you in class."