But the sight of Joss snapping out of his strange trance is such a relief, Ayumu puts that observation aside for the moment. She even seems to dismiss the burning switch in her hand for now, as she tries to process what had just happened and find the words to address it. Her first instinct is to lie; more often than not, lying is always her first conditioned response when she's scared. But she'd promised Joss that she'd be honest with him and not spare his feelings.
Besides, lying to her loved ones in an attempt to protect them has accomplished far more harm than good as her tattered relationship with Chikusa shows.
"I... ah, you went into a trance, stripped down to your waist, and handed me this. I think you expected me to to hit you with it. I couldn't. I wouldn't."
She's not a stressed out young girl pressured into training her little brother anymore. And Joscelin isn't Susumu. And even on Ayumu's worst days back then, she never struck him with a switch. Lost control of herself and Susumu and taken training too far in a burst of anger, yes. But deliberately beaten him as punishment? Never.
"So I'm burning it. That's not how I discipline my children."
A slip of the tongue, perhaps. Though the switch continues to burn, the fire engulfing Ayumu's hand quickly dies out. Her kimono sleeve might be a little singed but her skin remains smooth and unburned.
However, now Ayumu's holding onto a burning stick in the middle of a forest with no visible sources of water to drop it in. She really hadn't thought this one through.
no subject
But the sight of Joss snapping out of his strange trance is such a relief, Ayumu puts that observation aside for the moment. She even seems to dismiss the burning switch in her hand for now, as she tries to process what had just happened and find the words to address it. Her first instinct is to lie; more often than not, lying is always her first conditioned response when she's scared. But she'd promised Joss that she'd be honest with him and not spare his feelings.
Besides, lying to her loved ones in an attempt to protect them has accomplished far more harm than good as her tattered relationship with Chikusa shows.
"I... ah, you went into a trance, stripped down to your waist, and handed me this. I think you expected me to to hit you with it. I couldn't. I wouldn't."
She's not a stressed out young girl pressured into training her little brother anymore. And Joscelin isn't Susumu. And even on Ayumu's worst days back then, she never struck him with a switch. Lost control of herself and Susumu and taken training too far in a burst of anger, yes. But deliberately beaten him as punishment? Never.
"So I'm burning it. That's not how I discipline my children."
A slip of the tongue, perhaps. Though the switch continues to burn, the fire engulfing Ayumu's hand quickly dies out. Her kimono sleeve might be a little singed but her skin remains smooth and unburned.
However, now Ayumu's holding onto a burning stick in the middle of a forest with no visible sources of water to drop it in. She really hadn't thought this one through.