The draconian blinks at the Alpha then rises. He follows Vuu, his talons clicking on the road of the Den.
Vuu walked down the main road showing Verbossk a few places of import. "There is Whisper Paws Clinic to your right. It is our only hospital. Founded by Fleetwolf and Fen Stridar. To the left is the Council of Dens Hall. Ahead are a few appartment complexes." He whispered all the while, walking slowly.
Verbosk points at the clinic. "Is the lab in there also, Bromissk?"
Vuu paused in mid tour. "Many labs exist inside. Why do you ask?" he said softly.
"I was talking to Ammy... your step-dame... and she told me that she worked in a lab when she was still a part of the Den."
"Ah. Yes, Ammy Spiritors lab is on the lowest floor if memory serves me correctly." He said and moved on to show him the market they had, slowly working towards a garden outside.
It was no ordinary garden. This garden had ornate shrubs and flowers, but now edible plants. It had pedistals spread through out the garden with glowing, fist sized orbs made of differing colors of crystal.
The watchman looks around him, admiring the various sights, big and small, as his Bromissk speaks. The draconian cannot help but be a little humbled in Vuu's presence, and as they enter the garden he is awed by the beautiful arrangements of the the various flora and fauna. He takes a moment to admire a bloom near the entrance.
Vuu turned quietly and observed Verbossk for a moment. He was taking stock of the Draconian as he admired the flower. Nearby that flower was a swirled red and gold orb. He had a thought. "What do you feel at the moment?"
He looks at the muzzled Den Alpha, his concentration broken by the soft words of the Lupinossi. "Amazed."
Ah, interesting. "I see. This is good. Often times we live and grow bored with life about us. Do you feel anything else in this garden? Any emotions emanating or seeking you out?"
Verbosk hesitates a moment, then speaks. "Desire."
A slight nod of his head. "The orb near you, the red and gold swirled one was once the soul of a young mage filled with ambitions to be the best. His desire pushed him too far into greed and he died for it. What do you desire?"
He speaks quickly this time, not wanting to test his Bromissk's patience again. "A desire to have what you have... what I used to have in Tississk."
He closed his piercing blue eyes for a moment. "Ah, yes. You want the balance I have. Desire is good in this area, but you should not be feeling it. It should be below your heart, in your belly, grounded, and softened." he visually spoke with his paws as well showing a grasping paw being closed, placed to his heart, and then pushed down to his belly, the core of his body.
The Hlask furrowed his brow, a little confused. "I don't understand, Bromissk. I thought desire came from the heart."
"It does come from the heart, but the heart can be quick to act on emotion. Balance is accepting the emotion and grounding it with your core, pausing to study it, not reacting on it." he said softly. "Right now, all of these orbs elicit varying emotions. I am assaulted with them, yet I listen and study them, understand them, and know that they are needing me to react to them."
"So, what you are saying is that balance lies in control. That in order to be balanced, you shouldn't react."
The lupinossai smiled gently. Good. Verbossk can grasp Vuu's philosophy. "Exactly, Verbossk. That is step one. Learning to control your emotions and react only when needed."
Vuu walked to Verbossk and bade him to follow again.
The draconian drops onto his knees again. "But how can I accomplish this, Bromissk? My emotions rule me, like they rule any other advanced lifeform."
Verbosk did NOT drop on his knees. He follows Vuu instead.
"This is a plight we all are born with. Your first task then, is when you feel emotion coming into you. I dentify it." He spun suddenly and launched a furred fist at the draconian.
The draconian, acting completely on warrior instinct, brings an open hand up and deflects the oncoming fist.
He let's his attack be deflected. "What did you feel?"
"Nothing. I just... frack. I just reacted, Bromissk..." He lowers his hand and sighs.
He placed a firm paw on Verbossks shoulder. "Yes, reacted without thinking, without feeling fear or anger. Why did you react?" he asked softly.
"Because you were about to hit me, Bromissk."
"That answer is a reaction as well. Yes, I was trying to strike you to elicit a response. But why were you able to react without emotion?"
"Because I was trained that way, Bromissk. I was trained in Tississk to stop whatever was going to hit me."
Vuu smiled again. "Yes. You were trained to put aside emotion by repeatedly blocking attacks until your body moves without thought. To be balanced is similar. You must learn to accept the emotion that happens then put it aside. Most students I strike at either feel fear or anger. You felt neither. You have hope."
Verbosk would blush if he was physically capable, but he simply looks down and emits a small dragon grin. "Thank you, Bromissk."
Vuu was smiling as well. He led Verbossk into the village again. In the street there seemed to be a comotion going on. A few lupinossai were looking from windows as a young female was on the ground bleeding, a watch member between her and the male being held back by two other watch members. Vuu slightly hastened his speed.
Verbosk follows the Alpha, looking above the Lupinoss to see what the commotion was all about.
Coming to a halt in the middle of the seen he looked the bleeding female over, then a glance to the irrate male. "The meaning of this blood letting?" he asked calmly. The restrained male snarled. *She stole from my vendor. She's a thief and deserves death.*
Before the male could speak again, Vuu held up a paw for silence from the male. He looked to the bleeding female. "Can you speak?" he asked softly. She nodded hesitantly. "Did you take from his vendor? You are not in trouble." The female nervously replied. *I took food from him. My pups are starving.*
The watchman stayed close, but not so close that he is in the middle of everything as well. He stands at the edges, observing.
*Lies! She lies! She has no pups. She doesn't wish to pay!* he snarled more. Vuu still had his paw up for silence. "I have heard your side already." he said quielty. "Your pups are starving. Where is your mate?" The female cried. *He died in the war for the Den.* Vuu nodded once. "How many pups?" he asked. *Four.* she cried. "Four pups to support without a mate. I see." He glanced to the watchman by the female. "Please escort her to the clinic for healing. Then I want you to take her to her pups and move her to the communal pack. Make sure her and her pups are found a place within and that they are cared for."
Vuu turned to address the male. "She has admitted theft for a good cause, yet it was theft of your property." Vuu withdrew his personal money pouch. He retrieved five gold coins and gave them to the male. "I appologize for a widowers need to feed her pups. Now then, take the money and return to your store. Keep in mind though, that drawing blood on a female is not acceptable either. I want you to keep some of that coin aside to cover the expense any further war victims in need. Understood?"
The male glanced at the coin in shock. His anger abating. Looking up to Vuu, he nodded. *Yes, Den Alpha. Your understanding and forgiveness is not a lie. Your father was a good man like you, I am happy to see you are one as well.* the male clutched the coins and left. The two other watchmen looked to Vuu. He nodded for them to return to their posts and they left.
The draconian had watched the entire scene intently
A glance to the on lookers still. He simply bowed low for an Alpha to the watchers and they left quietly. Straightening he walked for his house slowly. He motioned for Verbossk to walk by him. "What are your thoughts on that incident?"
Verbosk follows close to Vuu's side. "You behaved honorably, Bromissk."
"I see. Did you feel any emotions for the situation? Any emotions for either the shop owner or the young woman?"
"I felt pity for the female, Bromissk. Anger and understanding for the male."
"And how would you react to those feelings?"
"If the shop keeper had been saying those things about me, I might possibly have landed a fist in his face and walked away. Or I would have just walked away and taken my anger out on something else."
"So for the victim, you would empathize anger. Where as the victim was giving off the emotions of neither fear nor anger. She exuded worry about her pups should she be arrested. What about for the store owner?" he kept them walking slowly for his house still, though he stopped in front of the clinic again.
"If I was standing in the shop keeper's shoes... so to speak... I possibly would have let her go, even if I was ignorant to the fact. Food is a neccessity, and those that can't afford should be entitled to it. Plus, to hurt a female in public is particularly unpopular in the eyes of the commons."
"Valid points. He was feeling anger for losing something that his lively hood for him and his own family rely own. Anger seems to be a key throughout this event for I am sure the victim felt anger at having her mate lost in a war for this den and not having her and her pups cared for." he stopped and turned to Verbossk. "Now you mentioned that if you were angry in that situation you would either strike or redirect the anger at someone else. Anger should be dropped like a hot coal from your heart. Now why do I say that?" he asked Verbossk. Yes he was a teacher that asked a lot of questions of his students.
Verbosk thought hard on the question, rubbing a talon on his chin thoughtfully. "Because anger can blind one."
A slight nod. "That's one answer. What does anger often illicit in a person?"
"Violence."
"Close enough. Reaction." he said quietly.
"Reaction... Yes, Bromissk." He notices they are in front of the clinic again.
"Now, I have used examples around here, but maybe I should ask for an example from you personally. Have you had any events that made you angry illiciting a reaction?"
"Well..." He focuses back on Vuu. "Recently, somebody insulted my mate. I lost my temper... and nearly killed her, if it wasn't for the interjection of a trusted dragon friend."
"I see. And were the insults true?" he asked.
"They were not."
"Then why did you react? Why did you feel anger if none of the insults were valid? Are not insults simply words?"
"I reacted... out of loyalty to my mate."
"Ah, loyalty. What to do you value as loyalty? Does it mean to be violent to strangers who do not know her? Or is it to love her no matter what is said and with that love not feel anger on false words?"
"It means to love her, and defend her honor as long as she is yours."
"Her honor is still intact within your heart is it not? Honor is a concept differing to all sentient beings. To feel insult from a attack on a concept that has many forms and standards is to chase a cat up a tree. All you get is a horse throat from barking and a cat that knows how to push your buttons."
The watchman blinks, then looks down and to the side, somewhat ashamed of himself for not seeing this. "Yes, Bromissk..."
"We have hope now. You recognized what I am pointing out. Congratulations, I will teach you." Vuu said gently placing both paws on Verbossks shoulders.
Verbosk simply nods. The revelation is sticking to his brain. "Thank you, Bromissk," he answers simply, if not a little quietly.
"Now, do not look ashamed. Failings are a path to learning. You failed and you have learned. The first lesson I want you to try while away is to think on what emotion is in you when something happens. Try to stop the reaction and understand what emotion is happening. When you can do this, we will start the next lesson. Now, you may be wondering why we are before the clinic again? I feel that your desire has another purpose as well."
The draconian nods, accepting the task his Bromissk gave him. He then answers after looking at the clinic a moment. "You read me well, Bromissk. There is one thing. It involves Ammy."
He simply touched his heart. "I may not know everything like a god, but I still feel like one." He nodded a moment. "I see. What about my step-mother does this involve?"
"Her condition... is lung cancer, Bromissk. Doctor Fen is tending to her radiation therapy, but she told me of a technology she developed that could cure her disease."
"That is why you ask about her lab. She is an exile and can not use the lab. You wish me to obtain what she needs, yes?"
"Or at least give me leave to claim it for her, Bromissk."
"That is a difficult request, for the Council of Dens has made that ruling. I am not above them. I must abide their ruling as well. However, if you were to approach my step sister Myrlene. She is a council member for two Dens. She can bring the case forward." he advised soflty.
He bows deeply to Vuu. "I will do so, my Bromissk."
Vuu bowed slightly to Verbossk. "I wish you luck in that respect. If the council will not yield, I may have another solution."
"I listen, Bromissk. But I will try the peaceful solution first."
"Good. Now I must go and tend to a few meetings. I will see you again, yes?"
"Yes, Bromissk. Tomorrow morning?"
"Tomorrow morning will be fine. Now go, try what we have discussed and I will ask how you have done."
He bows deeply again. "Yes, Bromissk."
Vuu turned and walked away.
Verbosk smiles at the departing Lupinoss, then turns to find a hotel within the Den
