fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, April 3]

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Ethics [Thursday, April 3]

Today the desks in Anakin's classroom had been pushed along the walls and replaced with cushy pillows and blankets.

"Today we talk about sloth," Anakin said, holding himself even more carefully and clearly uncomfortable with the very idea of relaxing. The students were certainly not expected to be held to the same standard.

"Originally, sloth was described as 'an uneasiness of the mind'," Anakin continued. "Apathy. Melancholy. Joylessness. And importantly, the decision not to do anything about it."

He shrugged. "The modern view understands that the mind is slightly more complicated than that and sometimes it is impossible to will yourself not to be sad. Instead, this sin focuses on the failure to utilize your talents and gifts."

He made eye contact with each student. "In a place filled with as many talented people as this one, I can view it as almost criminal to not live up to the potential each of you has. Today, pair up and talk about what your plans for the summer are, and how what you will be doing will be helping you in what you might think of as your greater destiny."

He waved at the blankets. "Or embrace your inner sloth and take a nap. Being tiny this weekend can be tiring."

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"Sir, where I come from if you don't use the same ammunition... you're dead. They want to kill me over something that happened when I was thirteen... an accident." She bit her lip "I'm a witch and a sorcerer... but I'm also a teenager who would kind of like to keep myself alive. Even if my father's family wasn't so dead set on hurting me, other sorcerers would be, and do you have any idea why? Because I was born a witch. That's all. I was born a witch who won't be a pawn."

"That seems...dramatic," Anakin said. Not that he doubted her story at all--Force knew his family was beyond dysfunctional. "Who'd be hypothetically teaching you this?"

She swallowed. "My adoptive grandfather will be providing me with the knowledge and the writings while my only blood brother who doesn't want my head on a platter will be working with me -- as will my mother." She looked at him. "I have a place in the cove that I always practice at so there aren't any innocent bystanders that get hurt." She looked at him. "It's not like there are training facilities for this kind of thing."

Anakin nodded, looking very serious. "You make absolutely certain that no one gets hurt--and that includes you. If you aren't sure how something is supposed to work, you wait until someone explains it to you. I still don't like it," at all, "and you will not teach it to anyone else here, even if they could understand what you're trying to do."

She stared at him in shock. "Why would I want to teach anyone any of this?"

"You'd be surprised what kind of thing students around here would be interested in," Anakin said quietly. "Anything that smacks of forbidden powers draws the idiots faster than free food."

"No," she whispered. "No." The idea of teaching someone outside the family any of what she needed to learn horrified her.

"Good," he said firmly. "Because even if you learn this properly--and that's a big if--someone can always manage to screw it up."

"I have to learn it properly."

Anakin blew out a breath. "That kind of pressure on yourself doesn't do anyone any good," he said quietly. "Deal with the lesson at hand. Don't think about why you might be learning it."

"No offense sir but when I was a pri-- kid, I learned the hard way that when you don't keep sight of why you are doing something, that is when corruption or mistakes can occur."

She looked at him, trying to keep her memories from being a captive of Genesis from rising up. She had the feeling that bursting into emotional tears about something she didn't like thinking about wouldn't be very helpful in convincing her teacher that she knew what she was doing.

"This isn't something that I just decided I wanted to do when I woke up this morning, sir. I've thought about it and it took awhile for me to call my grandfather and ask him to help me learn these things." She swallowed. "I am taking as many precautions as I can. My mother and my brother will be keeping a close eye on these lessons, and quite possibly my boyfriend, too."

Well, when she told him what she was going to be doing.

"I'm also good friends with the Halliwells and I don't think any of them would let me do anything that I wasn't ready for -- and I'm not sure there's any teacher here that understands magic or powers clearly enough that I could ask for advice on things or that could watch the lessons." She shook her head. "I may be a teenager, but none of this is a game to me."

Edited 2008-04-04 10:47 (UTC)

Anakin looked far from happy about the plan. "You don't think there are teachers here that understand powers?" he asked incredulously. "Really? We might not have a wand and broomstick witch since That Woman stopped being the temporary principal--and we're not letting her out of Special Collections to help you--but it's far rarer to find a teacher here who doesn't have knowledge of magic or the supernatural than the opposite." He shrugged. "I'm not exactly a novice when it comes to wielding huge amounts of power. I just don't need spells to do it."

Savannah was trying really hard to keep her emotions in check but she felt the tears pricking at her eyes. "That Woman was a harpy and a sadist who enjoying harming and scaring everyone around her. She was no more of a Witch than my teddy bear." She bit the inside of her cheek. She would not show her fear and let tears be shed in front of Mr. Skywalker of all people. She would not. "Sir, look how you reacted to hearing what I intended to do -- and you know the responsibilities of not so shiny powers. If you're going to react that way, what makes me or anyone think that someone else won't react worse? I like this place and I like feeling like I'm a person and not back in the blasted lab where they wanted to make me a weapon."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "This is a school that lets Victor von Doom wander around and employed Darth Vader," he said. "I don't think you're giving the teachers nearly enough credit. I'm hardly dragging you down to Principal Washburn's office by your ear, am I? And I don't exactly have a reputation for being vastly reasonable."

"Doom tried out for the cheerleading squad but quit." Savannah cocked her head. "Darth Vader?" She took a breath. "I'm not trying to give teachers the short shaft, but when you get set up for murder by someone you thought was your friend and was looking out for you, you start being wary of most people finding out about you."

"The old ethics teacher was named Darth Vader," Anakin said, eyes going flat. "Believe me when I say he would've been very interested in you learning darker powers, which wouldn't have been a good thing for you. He tried to convert my son to the Dark Side." Anakin shrugged. "I killed him--not that Luke was remotely interested."

In a manner of speaking, Vader'd been killed, anyway. He filed the information about Doom away to boggle over later and gave Savannah a small smile. "People who are wary of others finding out about them don't tend to announce their summer plans like you did. I'd recommend talking to Principal Washburn about this if you are thinking of training on the island. She's very difficult to shock or surprise."

She wrinkled her nose. "Your son was very lucky to have you there. That last person who tried to convert me to evil and dark sides ended up kidnapping me and then trying to do so again from here." She bit her lip. "But the assignment was to discus what we were going to do for the summer. I was just being honest... and sometimes I tend to be honest without always paying to much attention to who might here." She nodded. "I like Zoe. She reassured my guardian that I would be safe here."

There was something she wanted to ask him, but thought that maybe she shouldn't.

"Principal Washburn," and Anakin emphasized the title just a bit, "wouldn't lie, but she would probably be a little unhappy if you were going to be learning something you considered dark without giving her at least a heads-up. She might also have a suggestion about a faculty member who could help you."

He watched her for a moment. "Was there something else?"

She shifted slightly. "You... you said you understood about wielding huge amounts of power?"

Anakin nodded. "Moving around spaceships telekinectically is considered fairly standard procedure for Jedi, and I'm much stronger than the average Jedi."

She was so going to get her as kicked by her mother for this, she knew.

"If I have questions or need help could I ask you?" She swallowed hard, kind of not believing she was actually asking.

"Of course," Anakin answered immediately, smiling a bit.

Some of her tension seemed to move out of her and she returned the smile. "Really? Oh that's terrific!" She blushed. "I mean, thank you very much, sir."

Anakin's smile widened. "I'm only about, oh, three-quarters as scary as I appear, I promise."

Savannah grinned. "This is good to know, sir." She was relaxing a little moe. "And I really would appreciate your input."

Ethics [Thursday, April 3]

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