Living With Difficult Women [Tuesday, Period 5]
As he walked into class today Max looked relaxed and, well, pretty much like himself. Not at all like he'd handwavily headed back to Alera to see if the Captain had any new orders for him last week.
"Good afternoon," he smiled as he looked over his students fondly. "You might notice that this week I am alone." He waved his hands in case there were any exasperated groans. "I know, I know. You see me every week, and that can get old, but even my not inconsiderable charm can convince someone else to help me teach you the finer points of this field of study every week. So today you're just going to have to settle for my amazing insights and extensive skills."
He could tell they were super excited by the prospect.
"As many of you know, this past weekend was an interesting local holiday known as Valentine's Day. Ostensibly it's a chance for people to express their love for one another with the giving of romantic gifts, but it turns out to have uses which are broader than might first be apparent. As with any gift-giving holiday, despite it's very specific origins, Valentine's Day has become a holiday in which it is acceptable to give gifts to most anyone. And difficult women tend to like to receive gifts." Just like most people, Max included, but that was utterly beside the point.
"You must be careful, of course. You don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. So selecting a gift that conveys respect without implying more, and picking a gift that doesn't demand something in return are both quite important. At the same time, you don't want to give something lame and insulting. If, however, you manage to strike the proper balance you can leave the recipient with a good feeling about you, and that can mitigate some of the general difficulty with the sort of women we're discussing here."
Max was torn for a moment. If he pointed out that this trick worked equally well with men it was entirely possible that some of his students would take the hint and he could score some sweet stuff. But no! He would be strong and stay on topic. For his students.
"As I'm sure you could predict, today's discussion is on gift giving. Specifically, we'll be talking about women who, in hindsight, we wish we'd given gifts to this past weekend. Or, if this is a lesson you've already mastered," which was possible, he supposed, "think of an example in the past."
"Good afternoon," he smiled as he looked over his students fondly. "You might notice that this week I am alone." He waved his hands in case there were any exasperated groans. "I know, I know. You see me every week, and that can get old, but even my not inconsiderable charm can convince someone else to help me teach you the finer points of this field of study every week. So today you're just going to have to settle for my amazing insights and extensive skills."
He could tell they were super excited by the prospect.
"As many of you know, this past weekend was an interesting local holiday known as Valentine's Day. Ostensibly it's a chance for people to express their love for one another with the giving of romantic gifts, but it turns out to have uses which are broader than might first be apparent. As with any gift-giving holiday, despite it's very specific origins, Valentine's Day has become a holiday in which it is acceptable to give gifts to most anyone. And difficult women tend to like to receive gifts." Just like most people, Max included, but that was utterly beside the point.
"You must be careful, of course. You don't want to give anyone the wrong impression. So selecting a gift that conveys respect without implying more, and picking a gift that doesn't demand something in return are both quite important. At the same time, you don't want to give something lame and insulting. If, however, you manage to strike the proper balance you can leave the recipient with a good feeling about you, and that can mitigate some of the general difficulty with the sort of women we're discussing here."
Max was torn for a moment. If he pointed out that this trick worked equally well with men it was entirely possible that some of his students would take the hint and he could score some sweet stuff. But no! He would be strong and stay on topic. For his students.
"As I'm sure you could predict, today's discussion is on gift giving. Specifically, we'll be talking about women who, in hindsight, we wish we'd given gifts to this past weekend. Or, if this is a lesson you've already mastered," which was possible, he supposed, "think of an example in the past."