At first, the idea that you couldn't always tell the intentions of another troubled her. It was another grey area that didn't have a clear answer like she so craved. However, it didn't take her long to arrive at the conclusion that it was just another social skill set- one that she was sure she wanted to spend her life trying to develop in that brief instance. Listening to her father describe the natural instincts that all wolves had in this kind of situation did bring her a sort of recognition. These were things she had experienced with the stranger on the beach- however, instead of responding accordingly, she balked, and now felt guilty for doing so.
His interpretation of the koi wolf's response was very easy for her to imagine. It seemed that her father had the older man's mannerisms picked out quite well. When he insinuated that she might just be the first one to ask his side, it brought her an odd sense of pride. A solemn grin passed over her features as she murmured in a gentle tone. "It wouldn't change the things he did ... but it might help bring understanding." That was, after all, what she was after. It seemed that all of her siblings were in some grandiose competition of sorts. Between each other, and the rest of the world. The greatest fighter. The greatest swordsmen. The greatest adventurer ... the truth of the matter was, she didn't want to be the greatest anything. However, she did want to know and understand as much as she could- and she felt that this was a decent start in doing so.
When he explained that he already had insight as to what happened with the stranger on the beach, she wasn't all that surprised. In the moment, she had forgotten about Corbin being there- she had become absorbed in her crusade to try and make the world a better place. But one of her parents' companions was always near by- for this very reason, she supposed. As it was outlined to her that the stranger on the beach was a prime example of wolves that couldn't be trusted, she offered a subtle nod. At the time, she thought that if she presented the boy with a better way, she could have changed him for the better. She had believed that he could have been a rational individual, and when answered with logic, could even possibly want to change. It was clear now that was never going to happen, and as she heard the same sentiment repeated back to her in her father's voice, it brought the entire encounter full circle. Now ... she felt foolish.
"Part of me knew I should have run." Talyssa answered, thinking back to the very beginning of the encounter- before the stranger even recognized that she was there. Before she confronted him for the first time. In the end ... she really didn't have a good answer as to why she lingered. "I don't know how to explain it, though. Another part couldn't look away. It was ... watching something terrible happen, and not being able to ignore it. I wanted to do something- intervene, maybe. But I didn't know how, or if I even should." Maybe that was evidence of the moral compass he had mentioned to her earlier- even though it didn't give very clear directions. "Truthfully, I think I stayed out of anger." Such a blatant disregard for the natural order of things. The way he had insulted her, belittled and mocked her with unnecessary gore. It had gotten to her, just the way the boy had wanted.
When her father's massive paw lightly covered her own, she looked up- meeting a look of concern that she hoped to never be the cause of ever again. She couldn't stand to see him upset. "I promise," Talyssa echoed, trying to think of anything else she could say to convince him of that. "I promise I'll never hesitate to ask your help ..." She repeated. "But can you promise me that we can have more talks like this one?"
Professor
Fleet-footed
