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Ethics, Thursday

When the students arrived, they'd find the teachers up at the front of the classroom as usual. Anakin, not like usual, was eating a giant bar of chocolate.

"Good morning, everyone," he said, smirking slightly.

Obi-Wan, rather more like usual, was looking faintly exasperated about Anakin in general. "Envy can be a dangerous emotion," he said. "Driving some of the worst impulses in sentient nature. For instance, today, you might be feeling envious about your neighbor, as we have given half of you chocolate bars, and the other half of you-- nothing."

"Really good, really big chocolate bars," Anakin said because he enjoyed piling on. "Now those of you who don't have anything... well, you didn't have anything when you came in, and you really had no expectation of getting a treat coming to class, but that's probably not what it feels like right now, is it?"

"Life rarely allows us a level playing field," Obi-Wan said, "and even when it does, the outcomes are never fair. How do you deal with that? If you do not have chocolate, will you let the envy ruin your class? If you do, will you gloat or share? Is it simply a case of saying 'too bad' to your classmates, or are you driven by some desire to even the scales?"

"And if you're unmoved by free sweets, think back to our exercise in privilege and think of something that you don't have that others take for granted, or the reverse," Anakin said. "Because, as Master Kenobi says, this isn't really about the chocolate."

"To conclude," Obi-Wan said, "How will you cope?"

It sounded like the end of the lecture-- except it was followed five seconds later with, "Anakin, stop eating chocolate in front of the students."

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With, or without chocolate!

Peridot - With chocolate!

Ada Miller - without chocolate

Ahsoka Tano, with chocolate

Mara Jade, bitter that Ahsoka got chocolate and she didn't.

Rey, with chocolate!

Khadgar, without chocolate

Mmm. Chocolate.

Peridot had chocolate. Peridot had chocolate, and she was listening to the lecture, yes, but mostly she was just making faces at the... treat.

"Eegh," she muttered under her breath.

This again. Ada zoned out pretty quickly, doodling ideas for hats and costumes in her notebook instead.

Everybody always had something someone else didn't. Why her teachers liked beating the point to death, she had no idea.

Rey was used to having things, so actually getting chocolate was a nice little treat.

Albeit one she might feel compelled to split, but still.

Do you have chocolate? If so, are you going to share? Do you not have chocolate? How good are your puppy dog eyes?

Peridot was beginning to grasp the purpose of the whole have-and-have-not theme that this class seemed to be so fond of. She was also making faces at her helping of chocolate, and looking around for anybody who didn't have it who might have been standing behind the line with her during that lesson with all the questions. Because if she was going to give the nasty stuff away to somebody who appreciated it more than she did, she at least wanted it to be to someone else who was actually on her level.

At the back of the room.

That level.

Ada glanced up when she sensed Peridot looking around, and gave the gem a shrug as if to say 'What can you do?'

Look, the Four Steps Back Club had to have solidarity. It was the only way people behind the line ever managed to survive.

And if Peridot was trying to ever so casually hold the chocolate bar out toward Ada in silent offering, well... she appreciated that solidarity far more than she appreciated the chocolate.

Ugh, chocolate.

Ada blinked in surprise at the offer, then, grinning, dug around in her bag and pulled out a glittery gold ribbon. "Trade you," she offered, holding it out. "It'd look real nice with your hair."

It wasn't right to take advantage of the fact Peridot didn't need to eat, and that was that.

Peridot blinked at that, not entirely certain what to make of the offer. But apparently she found it to be satisfactory, because a moment later she was nodding, and then reaching to make the trade.

"How... how do I apply this... appearance modifier...?"

She didn't do 'clothes,' really.

"D'ya want me t' tie it on for you?" Ada asked, "So you can see how it works once?"

Peridot hesitated for another moment still, and then she nodded again.

"I would appreciate that," she agreed. "Yes."

And then, after yet another pause, she added, "Thank you."

"Course," Ada said, taking the ribbon back. "So, most people would wear it in their hair, but yours is solid, yeah?"

"So you could tie it on your arm, like this--" she continued, looping it around her upper arm and and tying it in to a bow before untying it again. "Oh! Or tie it around your neck! 'S a bit skinny t' be a proper bow tie, but..."

It took her a few tries to tie it around her own neck like a choker, but with the bow in front, because she was trying to keep her hands out of the way so Peridot could see. "Does that make sense?"

Peridot kind of shrugged, reaching one finger up to poke at her hair. It was... squidgy, and it liked being the way it was, but it wasn't quite solid. Admittedly, Ada's ways were much, much easier than trying to tame whatever was going on up there.

"Ooooh," she said, watching the way she tied it around her neck. "I like that one."

It looked fancy.

"Lemme try!"

She was gonna follow those steps to the letter, and then just kind of stand there, looking pleased with herself. She was wearing a thing! Human clothes! Look at her!

Ada clapped her hands in delight. "Now don't you look dapper?" she asked, pleased.

"I have no idea what that means," Peridot said.

She was smiling and sounded pretty pleased with herself all the same.

"Means you look sharp, spiffy, real fancy," Ada said approvingly, and she quickly dug in her bag for a compact. "Do you wanna see?"

"Oooo!" Peridot was actually excited about this, okay? Modifying her appearance was novel. "Yes! Let me see!"

She'd be clapping her hands if they were more than just floating fingers, here. She really would be.

Ada opened up the little mirror and held it out to Peridot. "See?" she said, grinning. "Totally spiffy."

And not just because it was gold glittery, either.

Oooh. Was that...?

Peridot squinted at her own reflection for a moment. And then she leaned in and made a face, before looking to the side and pretending not to be interested. That was followed by her leaning back again and grinning, waving one set of touch-stumps at it. Ha! Her! But wearing a sparkly bow!

Mirrors were apparently also a novelty.

"Oh, this is great! I'm actually starting to see the appeal of putting different things all over your bodies all of the time!"

Ada had no chocolate. Ada had gotten a bag of dried fruit out of her bag instead, and was munching on that as she sketched.

She was perfectly happy to share her treats, if anyone wanted some, but otherwise she was just going to keep on drawing.

Life's not fair and that sucks. How do you stop yourself from being jealous of what someone else has? And how do you react when you're the have to someone else's have-not?

Peridot frowned a little at the question, and then shook her head.

"I'm not completely certain there's really a point to jealousy," she decided. "There's no sense in wanting to be a Sapphire when you're a Peridot. At least where I'm from, we are what we are. I could be exceptional among Peridots, but I'm never going to rise above my station. Being upset that some other Gem is rarer or more valuable than I am doesn't change any of that."

"In those of us who feel jealousy, it has precious little to do with change, and more the dream of seeing such change be done," Obi-Wan mused. "Or perhaps that's wrong as well. Sometimes people find solace merely in the act of being jealous, of having an enemy." A pause. "Not that that's healthy."

"Making enemies rarely is," Peridot agreed, and then frowned a little. "For clarity's sake, Gems are capable of the same range of emotions as humans, as least as far as I've observed. Any statements about emotions being pointless come from me."

She tilted her head a little.

"And I would rather limit my enemies to those who are more of a risk to my well-being than those who simply have more than I do."

"I didn't want to presume either way."

The food-as-reward issue was already something they had not quite found a way to work around, with Peridot. There were no doubt other issues, and while Obi-Wan came from a galaxy full of species, many of those had come with documentation, at least.

"But yours is a rational choice. Which is admirable. Still, it might make it more complicated when you have to deal with those who are less rational."

It was Peridot's professional opinion that most beings were less rational than she was. So she didn't look terribly surprised at Obi-Wan's suggestion.

"It frequently does," she noted. "I find most people that I encounter are ruled more by emotion than thought. It makes for... interesting conversations. And frequent misunderstandings."

"Jealousy is hard. I guess... maybe you could think about things you have that other people don't? But that's not exactly the nicest way to go," Khadgar said.

"You make the most of what you do have," Rey shrugged. "So what if I hadn't gotten chocolate? It wouldn't ruin my day."

One of them has chocolate. The other does not.

Obi-Wan was fine with his lack of chocolate, thank you.

Anakin had...some of his chocolate left? Maybe?

This class always makes me happy that I don't like chocolate.

My bathroom mirror is like this too!

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Ethics, Thursday

Sign In!

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Listen to the Lecture

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Chocolate or None?

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Talk to the Teachers

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OOC

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