Growing pains

Absinth’s gaze shifted warmly to Oleander as he dipped his head, his shyness endearing in its own way. She gave him a reassuring smirk before turning her attention back to Wylan, who made her chuckle with his mention of guts. “The visceral aspects of life usually do have the youth perplexed,” She teased, a fond glint in her eyes. “But you’ve come a long way since then.” When Ollie piped up with his serious question about flexibility, Absinth’s expression grew thoughtful; amused. She tilted her skull upward slightly to be more at eye level with Wylan’s brother, her demeanor firm and yet still coy in its own right.

“A good time to be flexible,” She began, “Is when you face situations where brute strength or rigid thinking won’t get you through. Imagine you're in a fight, but it's clear you can't win by force alone. Maybe your opponent is stronger, or the terrain is against you. Flexibility means finding another way – using your environment, outsmarting your opponent, or even choosing to retreat and fight another day.” She straightened up, her gaze shifting back to Wylan as he asked if she had time to go over more lessons. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of impish amusement and affection. “I suppose I can spare some time for an old student,” She said with a wink. “Besides, your brother seems quite interested in my teachings.”

With a playful smirk, she added, “And I’m sure you’ve got plenty of new tricks to show me as well. So, let’s see what you’ve got – what questions or lessons do you need revisiting? I’m all ears.”


wormwood