It has been said before and it will most likely be said again: Kalika hated Indie. However, that contempt seemed much more at ease than it had previously, most likely in the light of their agreement between teacher and student. No matter how much she hated to admit it, Kalika needed to know whatever tricks Indie had up her sleeve for both her own benefit in recruiting others into their ranks and to protect her from whatever the she-devil planned to use against her in the meantime. She'd been off of the island recently, trying to make a mental map of the surrounding territories. Upon arriving back on the islands, she lifted a howl for Indie, beckoning her onto the shores.
This took so long, my bad
It had been a still morning. On such a morning, the fog hung heavily above the isle and the brackish scent of the ocean water left its marks on anything it touched, caressed. The scene was peaceful, but Indie wished to escape it oppresiveness of it all within the confines of a rocky alcove she had found cliff-side. Indie had been battling a small doubt of melancholy and wished to be away from the prying eyes of the Nereides — it was strange for the veiled lioness, who so customarily thrived amongst the company of others. The reappearance of Donovan had been such a rush of emotions and it left her sick; she had purged herself of him, but relapsed in the worst of ways. Now she was without him, stuck on these godforsaken islands, close enough to feel him on the winds but not at her side.
There was a howl. It was not Donovan, but her young pupil. Indie swallowed her sadness, gathered herself together [thus was the appearance-driven life of a mummer] and made her way to the beach where Kalika was making her return. “Hello, gosling” Indie cooed, padding towards her and smiling…. knowing that the babyish moniker would like irritate her young student.
Although a slight sense of annoyance was raised in the back of her mind, Kalika stayed quiet in response to Indie's greeting. There was no time for petty arguments to erupt between the two (not that Kalika was confident enough in herself to be able to hold one) as there were many things that they needed to discuss and share from both ends. Indie
, she called to the other, her posture taking on a neutral defense. In Greek, you say, Χαίρετε. Chai-rete. Try it.
Kalika took a few steps away from Indie and sat back on her haunches, curling her tail around herself in a demure fashion.
I know what I want you to teach me
, she said with a winded sigh. It wasn't going to be easy for her to put her pride aside and ask for help again but Kalika knew she would have to do it. I want to be an ambassador, which means that I need help speaking. I want you to teach me to be more well-versed. Can you do that?
She cocked her head slightly to the side, her features momentarily exposing just how much she wanted what she was asking for.
Indie was a shameless student, and always would be. The vaudevillian drank in information as easily and eagerly as she gave it [even though sometimes the information she gave was feigned and illuminated by her glib tongue] and knew the value of a good, well rounded education. It was something she had learned long ago from that mobster, Donovan — her own tutor from her unconventional babyhood. Indie had studied him, had learned his lessons, since she had been a mere cub. His commanding shadow had not darkened her doorstep since that day amongst the ashen sentinels… but the vaudevillian trusted the rackateer, understood his intelligence and knew he would be safe no matter where in the world he found himself. Yes, it was his safety that Indie wished for, as this was the most uncertain thing about him. He took risks [larger risks than she was ever willing to take] so his safety was never assured; but what was certain was that he would eventually return back — he always did.
So when Kalika greeted her with a lesson, did Indie become frustrated with her oh-so-presumptive pupil? Heavens, no! Instead of remarking on how Kalika summoned her just to correct her, Indie’s molten gaze strengthened and held Kalika’s, imploring her to share more wisdom, more comprehension, more anything. Indie wanted everything that Kalika would offer. Mirroring Kalika, Indie’s hips swept against the earth and her inkwell plumed tail draped around her, twitching across her paws. The starlet’s provocative gaze and eager ears would willingly imbibe anything the young siren had to say, mouthing the foreign word silently to herself.
But the young girl had not a lesson, but a request. Kalika wished to coat her tongue in quicksilver and speak with ease and intention. It was not an unreasonable request and Indie actually felt pride spark within her; prod of Kalika for recognizing how crucial communication was to success, and proud of herself for recognizing the young siren’s potential. “I can,” Indie purred simply and astutely.
“But, I need to know that you understand the true power of rhetoric. What you say has power to become truth — your truth, my truth, the truth of anyone you speak to… and we speak not words, but prophecies. Words that can crumble realities as quickly as they build them. As rhetors, we must take responsibility for that.” Indie bit her lip and held it for a moment, clearly enthused by the topic. “Words may seem small, inconsequential… but, when you harness them, can have incredible impact and leave lasting legacies.” Indie shared this information with an air of seriousness, as it was the truth. With their voices, wolves constructed entire civilizations. The power of it was impossible underestimate.
Indie nodded, now certain that her student was listening and sharing her full attention. To learn how to speak was to learn the power of persuasion. If that was the case, knowing the right thing to say always first depended on one’s end goal.. the reason for the persuasion. “All effective orators practice introspection. We must first be completely honest with ourselves and use self-reflection as a means to determine our true desires.” Not truly satisfied that she accurately conveyed this foundation of rhetoric, Indie took a breath and continued. “To know yourself is a special kind of intelligence. You’d be surprised the amount of wolves who believe they know what they want, fight for it tooth and nail — but it always becomes clear that they were mistaken by the way it crumbles around them.”
“So my first question is this — can you be honest with yourself, Kalika?”
Just as Indie had accepted Kalika's token of knowledge, Kalika did in return. She listened to each word spoken and nodded along intently, her brow furrowed in concentration. There was a long pause after the final question was posed where Kalika thought about what exactly was being asked of her. She took a deep breath, inhaling the thick scent of the coastal eve as she turned away to look into the Sea for guidance throughout the conversation.
Honesty wasn't quite the young Siren's forte, though she knew that it would be important in creating believable stories. If not actual honesty, then a mock copy of sorts.
Ναί
, Kalika stated simply, waiting for Indie's response, It means yes.
Perhaps that would be how one taught the other, as it seemed the most productive route.
From Kalika’s answer, Indie was doubtful that the youth knew the potential depth of one’s mind and soul. It was only the fools that answered ‘nai’ to such a question. It was impossible to know oneself completely, and that was the beauty of the wolf spirit — they were everchanging, faceted individuals interminably moulding to their experiences and environment. To understand that was to open oneself to their full potential. It takes an admission of knowing nothing to understand everything. It was this sort of assumptive nature that fettered Kalika and kept her from truly blossoming. Yes, Kalika was doing quite well underneath Akantha, surpassing Indie in rank and the Matriarch’s favor — but prestige did not always equate to power.
“I see.” Indie muttered astutely, looking at Kalika down her long, velveteen muzzle. “Allow me to test you…” For a moment, the hoyden rooted around in her mind for a way to appropriately gauge Kalika’s insight — but one was not hard to unearth “Share with me—" she asked the question simply, as if she were a close friend and not a tutor; but her choice in tone held a strong intention. "What lights your fire? What are your passions?” It was a revealing question: if one was ignorant in their own intrinsic interests, it was would be clear through their demeanor and word choice.
Power
, Kalika answered simply. Dominance, strength, control. It was all a part of why she took so much risk in quenching her thirsts with the consorts, or in asserting herself over her Sisters, despite the Mothers' wishes. It was all that she wanted and all that she'd ever dreamed of; she would be on top, no matter what it took.
She straightened her head from its slightly cocked position and took a deep breath, straightening her posture as a sign of her confidence and pride in the situation. I want to have it all.
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Kalika spoke of wanting power and influence and for that, Indie could not blame the young women; for it was what drove Indie herself. To anyone else, it might seem that Kalika provided a generic response, but Indie intimately understood the appeal of influence and the doyenne gave one astute, approving nod. Nothing enticed the veiled mummer more than a crown and all the power that went with it — and the adoring eyes, watching her constantly, comprising the audience of what was surely the grandest of stages. The limelight was what drove Indie to crave prestige, but what drove Kalika was unknown — and a wolf that was power-hungry for the wrong reasons was a danger to themselves and to others [Indie [i]would know]. It was then that Indie made a promise to herself to watch this one carefully — but could not refrain from nursing at the issue a little more. “and?” Indie questioned, as if it was obvious that Kalika had left something out. Indie allowed the girl to expand upon the subject if she would like, but eventually moved on.
“I ask you these questions because rhetoric, to master it, it often takes a sense of… artifice.” Indie paused for a moment, not sure if Kalika had ever considered this possibility before. There were wolves who did not take kindly to this idea, especially younger wolves who felt they needed to speak every silly thought that flitted into their head. “You need to conceal your own emotions and surrender them to the greater good.” Indie chose her words carefully, certainly not desiring to give away all her trade secrets. “I know this will be…” Her black lips twisted in a smile. “hard for you.” Indie blinked and waited for her student’s response, wondering if the girl would respond to Indie’s inane attempt to rankle her. If Kalika did not understand what she meant, Indie would gladly recapitulate; otherwise, it was time for some roleplaying.
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Kalika hadn't thought of what the "and?" was; she'd never gotten that far. Thankfully, Indie continued her lesson, switching away from the initial questions she'd shared. She listened intently, focusing her eyes on her mentor's own. Although a child in the ranks of Nereides, Indie was well-versed in the outside world. It was something that Kalika could benefit from and she planned wholly on doing so. A bit of teasing was picked up near the end of Indie's speech, though it was so well hidden that Kalika almost held more admiration than she did annoyance.
If that is what you believe, then you underestimate me.
A kittenish smile came about her lips, paired with a slightly raised eyebrow, though she managed to send it away just as quickly as it had appeared.
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It seems that Kalika had close to no qualms about her speaking abilities – she just wanted the instruction to do it better. Though Indie truly doubted that she was underestimating the cocksure girl, Indie nodded her head and determined another test was in order. It was role playing of sorts, for it was easy to be over confident when the lesson had been entirely composed of speculation. Kalika needed something to ground her in the reality of abilities and to determine when she was starting from – so they could then track her growth.
“Alright then,” Indie started, seemingly conceding to Kalika’s assertion of her underestimation. In one fluid movement, Indie rose to stand upon all four of her strong legs and moved to face the pale girl. “Stand opposite me and tell me everything you know about…” for a moment Indie paused and rooted around in her mind for a topic that Kalika would know relatively nothing about. Indie wished to see Kalika’s ability to speak eloquently and confidently even about a topic about which she knew nothing . The “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality was lost on some, and Indie hoped that she would not have to spend the time imbuing her student with this rudimentary rhetorical tactic.
Hmmm. What did Kalika seem to know a lot about? The ocean. What was the opposite of an ocean? A place completely devoid of water – deserts. Indie made up her mind. “Deserts.” Indie said and then shrugged her tall shoulders, as if knowledge of the arid landscape was common knowledge for all wolves.
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Indie moved before Kalika as she delivered her lesson, albeit a bit unconventionally. Deserts? What the hell did Indie know about deserts to even ask this? They were both wolves of the wood as far as she could tell, so where did one get off thinking they knew more on the topoic than the other. Biting at the inside of her lip, she thought about what she might say, as it was quite difficult to properly articulate when under the watch of such a powerful femme.
It's dry
, Kalika began, and, well, and there's...there's not a lot of animals.
She took a deep breath with a sharp inhale. She was messing up and it was too painfully obvious for her to simply move past. Indie was probably having the time of her life.
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Indie grimaced as it became clear that yes, Kalika knew nothing about dessert and no, she wasn't even going to try. Indie shifted herself and looking over and past the eyes of the young pale girl, looking at the blue, aqueous horizon in the distance.“I once traversed a dessert,” she spoke wistfully. In all actuality, her feathered paws had never graced the sands of a desert, not even once… but the shrouded raconteur had a point to make. “You never realize just how big the world is until you’re standing there in the sand, looking out upon nothing for miles.” Now, tie it back to the conversation — don’t give Kalika time dwell on the fabrication. “It's kind of like how the ocean feels.”
“Compared to the sea,” Indie curved her head to gaze at the expanse of brine that entrapped her, albeit willingly. “In the face of such greatness and all knowingness, we know nothing, are nothing — but to appear naive would do our credibility no good, now would it? How effective would we be in pursuit of our goals?” Then, Indie’s flashing amber eyes snapped back to Kalika’s own and she looked upon her pupil with an authoritative intensity. “Rhetoric is a means to a greater good — and for that reason, confidence is key. You’ve heard the term, ‘fake it until you make it,’ gosling?” Most wolves are simple and rarely will work to peel back your words to glimpse at what's underneath. If you speak it, they will believe it and be none the wiser. You alone set their agenda.”
“By no means am I telling you to lie. Think of it as… a creative license, to paint beautiful art with your words! Draw from the well of your life’s experiences and forge yourself from the collective conscious. Learn from everyone you meet; no matter how small or insignificant.” breathe. “Their words and stories become your pigments and dyes. if you truly can be honest with yourself, then you will know what you want… will know the picture you wish to paint. Keep that image in your head at all times — and with your words as brushstrokes, and life as a your canvas — paint your perfect reality; and make it whatever you want it to be.” Indie might had worried that she revealed too much about herself and her own charlatan practices with this lesson, but Indie wasn’t entirely sure if the young girl would understand the true meaning of her words anyways. In true pedantic fashion, Indie spoke mostly in charade and metonymy; the tumult of her words were sometimes hard to follow — but it was all not without purpose. Indie would instruct, would teach, would dangle information but would always try to remain one step ahead. Though the vaudevillian enjoyed the position as pedagogue, she did not desire the perfection of her disciple as Donovan had. “It can be… addicting to untether yourself, especially for those who crave freedom or control; but it is important to ground yourself in purpose. If you position your words to suit a purpose… at least make sure that purpose is laudable.” Surely, Indie had done her fair share of thieving and conning with the Merry-Andrews, but it was not with malicious intent. Those who created realities needed to be responsible for them.
Indie smiled a saccharine grin, flashing the tips of her ivories at Kalika in the motion. “In your — our — language, how do we say… all the glitters is not gold?”
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