20 Ash, Year 124
"Look," Asher told the little girl in front of him, who was bouncing on her toes in the rough sand, baked hard from the ever-present sun that lit up the Atraxian Expanse, "you're small. You're fast. What you need to remember is that there will always going to be a lot of people that are bigger than you and stronger than you. And that means when you get in a fight, in a serious fight that you are in actual danger, you can't fight fair. If you're ever in trouble, you fight as dirty as you have to to get out of it. Do you understand me, Hilana? People are always going to try to take advantage of you because you're a girl, and you need to remember that you do whatever you have to do to survive it."
"Like kicking them in the balls?" the big-eyed child stopped bouncing, coming to a stop at last. She was perfectly serious when she said that, her thick hair woven into two braids to make it easier for everyone to manage.
"Like kicking them in the balls, yes. But if they don't have balls, or you can't kick them, then there's other places that can make them realize you're not worth the trouble. Eyes, ears, nose, and throat. You do whatever you have to do, no matter what it takes, to win. Others won't fight fair, and if it comes to it, you need to know how to disable your enemy."
"Will you show me?" She wanted to know.
"That's why we're here. And that's what we're going to work on today."
"Look," Asher told the little girl in front of him, who was bouncing on her toes in the rough sand, baked hard from the ever-present sun that lit up the Atraxian Expanse, "you're small. You're fast. What you need to remember is that there will always going to be a lot of people that are bigger than you and stronger than you. And that means when you get in a fight, in a serious fight that you are in actual danger, you can't fight fair. If you're ever in trouble, you fight as dirty as you have to to get out of it. Do you understand me, Hilana? People are always going to try to take advantage of you because you're a girl, and you need to remember that you do whatever you have to do to survive it."
"Like kicking them in the balls?" the big-eyed child stopped bouncing, coming to a stop at last. She was perfectly serious when she said that, her thick hair woven into two braids to make it easier for everyone to manage.
"Like kicking them in the balls, yes. But if they don't have balls, or you can't kick them, then there's other places that can make them realize you're not worth the trouble. Eyes, ears, nose, and throat. You do whatever you have to do, no matter what it takes, to win. Others won't fight fair, and if it comes to it, you need to know how to disable your enemy."
"Will you show me?" She wanted to know.
"That's why we're here. And that's what we're going to work on today."