fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, September 16, 2nd period]

"'Do unto others as you would have done unto you,'" Anakin quoted as the students found their seats. "On this planet, that phrase is known as the Golden Rule. It sounds quite altruistic, which might be why they are more than a few more cynical versions of it around: 'do unto others before they can do unto you,' and the like. The rule also seems to be assuming that everyone wants the same things done to them. But what if you don't mind getting poked in the stomach? Does it follow that you could aimlessly poke people? What if you don't see anything wrong with stealing, or killing, or hating entire groups of people?"

He shrugged. "I suppose the Golden Rule could be simplified as 'be nice to people, so they'll be nice to you' but out here in the real world, we all know it doesn't exactly work like that, and the concept could also be reinterpreted as 'it doesn't bother me, so why does it bother you?' Is this a case of aiming for an ideal and hoping that it will cause a ripple effect of positive things, or something overly simplistic that taken to its logical extreme renders itself useless?"

He smiled. "I like to ask nice, easy questions."

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Elphaba, so help her, took the bait.

"Then you might as well be made of tin," she said. "Heartless as you seem."

Her expression was part sarcasm, part cold stare.

Azula turned to look at the girl, her skin color then merely raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Then I'm heartless."

Elphaba raised her eyebrow back. "Well at least you're honest about it," she said, not feeling the desire to try and argue with someone who seemed quite content with being wicked.

"I often am," she replied. That was what Zuko didn't get, yes she was an excellent liar but more often than not, the truth served her well too. "Your skin, is that something you were born with?"

It was a real question, one didn't know in Fandom.

"It is," Elphaba said. "I was born this color, and I imagine I will die this color."

That was the long and the short of it, really. Why the girl was asking, that was curiouser and curiouser.

"I see." Which was Azula's long and short of it. "What year are you?"

"Third year," Elphaba said. "What would translate as junior, I believe."

She was being measured, Elphaba thought. Her worth was being tested.

"I'm a student in my fourth year." Azula leaned back, "You must be one of the new batch of students this year."

"Yes," Elphaba said. "I imagine it would have been hard to miss me, if I'd been here for longer."

There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Azula brushed aside the sarcasm. She would have employed the same tone too if someone said that to her, but it was a way to extend the conversation. Also, she would be disappointed if Elphaba answered differently.

"Perhaps. There was a boy with blue skin here so perhaps not. Fandom has a lot of people from every world."

"There still is," Elphaba said, casually. "A blue boy, I mean. He just has the luxury of hiding it when he likes." She was envious of that ability, really. There was a terrible pun to be made. "But you are correct, even if we are much fewer in number."

"See?" Azula said. "And I admire that power too. It can be very handy."

"I suppose it has other applications," Elphaba admitted. "I'm guessing those are the uses that are more appealing to you."

The statement was only partially judgmental.

Azula cocked her head to the side, "Oh, and what do you mean by that?"

Ethics [Thursday, September 16, 2nd period]

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