fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, September 13]

"Today we discuss lying," Anakin said as he closed the classroom door precisely on time. "Everyone lies. 'Of course that doesn't make your butt look big.' 'You like her, I like her.' 'I'm totally okay with you moving on.' 'Everything's fine, why do you ask?' It's how the world goes around because no one wants to be trapped in a conversation where someone whines at you for hours on end about how awful their life is."

He looked around the room. "Trust me. Everyone's life is terrible. They're just not telling you about it. Be grateful."

He reached onto his desk for a piece of paper. "Today we're conducting an exercise to see how well you pass this particular social ritual, then we'll discuss whether you think it is necessary. We're playing two truths and a lie. I'll tell you three things about myself and you have to decide which one is the falsehood. Then you'll all tell three things and we'll see how well you can either read each other or keep things hidden."

He gave them a small smile. "I'm very good at this." He schooled his face to absolute neutrality, put his mental blocks up to bar the Jedi in the room from gaining an advantage, then recited: "I've never been beaten in one-on-one space flight combat. I'm not afraid of anything. I named my children after people I met in Fandom." His eyes challenged them to call him out. "Who's next?"

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"Good," he said. And then hesitated before asking, " Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but yes."

He rolled his eyes and then said, "You...love Seely, right?"

Aravis raised her eyebrows. "...yes."

"How..." Oh kriff, this was so awkward. "How did you know?"

Aravis blinked. "I just sort of...did. I held off on saying it for a long time, but I knew it along time ago and pretended so I could keep him at a distance. But eventually it got to be so..." She searched for the word. "Huge, nearly palpable that I needed him to know or I was going to drown. Why?"

"You could tell?" Gavin asked, avoiding the why question for now. "You felt differently when you realized it?"

"Yes, I was terrified," she said firmly.

He wasn't terrified so did that mean he wasn't...that word? Hmm.

"Nothing else?" Gavin hedged. "You didn't feel...warm?"

He winced at even asking that stupid question.

"Well, yes, but it was the warmth that was scary," she replied thoughtfully.

"Because it meant you loved him?" Gavin asked.

"And that if something happens to him, I'm losing something huge," she said softly.

Well.

That clarified things. He blinked a few times, trying to sort it all out in his head and, while doing so, realized he'd just gone silent after what Aravis said.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

She nodded. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Not right away," he said because he had to get used to this first. "But, yeah."

"Good luck," she said sincerely. "I hope she reacts like Seely, and not like me."

"How did you react?" Gavin asked. He figured it couldn't be that bad.

"Seely called it a panic attack."

"Oh, wonderful," Gavin said and made a face.

"It wasn't, though," she replied, rolling her eyes.

It totally was.

"What was it, then?" Gavin asked.

"It was a perfectly reasonable response."

"A panic attack," Gavin decided. This would be fun.

"It was not a panic attack!"

"Maybe I could just...write it to her in a letter," Gavin said, not wanting a panic attack.

Re: Two truths and a lie -NFB omg

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