 Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?
Ash just sort of laid there for a while, all crumpled like a discarded dishrag. Eventually, she started to remember what had happened, and then she felt angry. The well-meaning professor was probably trying to teach them that there are enemies who will poison you. She was kinda wrong about that, did she know? Ash had never had an enemy trick her like this. Friends, on the other hand... it had happened more than once. What really needed to be said was that there was no such thing as safety, and that nobody can betray your trust if you don't trust them. So. Varma had broken her trust by tricking her like this. Maybe she'd feel guilty about it, but... if she was teaching them to trust nobody, that included her. Lesson learned, apparently. Was it worth it? Maybe. Maybe not.
Ash raised her eyebrow at the professor. "I can't remember." It was true, but there was also a little bit(or a lot) of sarcasm in her voice. Because while she couldn't remember what had happened, she could put two and two together. Her memory didn't just disappear like that. It didn't. She couldn't remember, but she knew.
She tilted her head. What exactly was the point of the lesson? Was it to trust nobody, including authorities and people you thought of as friends? The professor had done a brilliant job of teaching them all that. But that lesson had some unintended consequences. Was the lesson worth it, if some of them refused to ingest another potion in their life(a pity, because Ash's bruises could easily be healed with potions)? Was it really worth it? They'd all have to see. But in the moment, Ash didn't think so. |