Blackwater Islands sister, even though she is your enemy

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?”