I understand that. I know you want to make sure I don't make the wrong choices.
It's not that you acted without telling me.
[That took him a while to determine, after his reflexive first response of affronted protectiveness. He had to unwind the threads, trace them to the heart of the issue, and he thinks he's found the origin point.]
It's the way you did it, sensei. Kaworu isn't like us. He's sensitive to what people say to him. It stays with him more than it does with us.
He's been through enough without adding to it because of me.
[Johnny remembers having a similar conversation with Miguel when he first started picking up more students at the dojo. It gives him a better idea of what Paul's concerns are.
He takes another swig of beer before he starts to respond now.]
I'm glad that you understand that much. And it's not like I planned on bullying him relentlessly. I just wanted to be sure when push came to shove that he was ready to stand up beside you.
...I trained another student, Hawk, back in my own world. When he first came into my dojo he was softer than a baby's ass. He was getting picked on relentlessly at school because of a cheap as shit scar on his face. I helped him awaken the snake within him. Taught him confidence and now he's on his way to being one of the biggest badasses I teach back home.
I don't necessarily think Kaworu needs to go through that. He's got a fire inside him that I can see now.
I'll admit I may have been a little hard on him. But I was only hard on him because we all know what this place can through at us. If I gave him a push it's because I know someone else might be ready to drive a knife through him.
If it makes you feel better I wont push him any further. Not everyone is Cobra Kai material. And if he doesn't want it I'm not going to push him to be a badass.
[Contradicting a teacher goes against everything Paul believes in about the teacher-student bond, but he can't help himself - something that's almost unheard of, with him.]
He'd protect me if he had to. He's strong. Stronger than I am, in more ways than one.
I'm glad you see his fire. It's one of the reasons I care about him. If I could convince him to join Cobra Kai, he'd be a fierce student.
[He takes a moment to consider Paul's words and chooses not to question it.]
Yeah. Well I couldn't see that at the time. He said that he'd do as much and now that I know he's capable of it I'm not going to question it or stand between you too again.
He would be. I don't see it happening. I probably burned that bridge the other day and he already didn't like me before that. He's going to do shit his own way and that's fine.
[Nothing ventured, nothing gained, or so the saying apparently goes.]
If you could talk to him, without saying I talked to you, and tell him what you told me, I'd be grateful. Not right away. I don't think he'd be ready yet, and it'd be too obvious, but one day. I can find a way to get you in the same place at the same time.
[The first request doesn't surprise him at all. He may have acted with Paul's best interests at heart, but he understood how both of them might not approve of his methods. He was willing to take that on the chin here.]
Yeah, kid. I can talk to him. One way or another I'll talk to him again. Don't worry about setting us up or anything. I'm not one to back down on my word when I give it.
And look. I'm pretty fucking good at karate but if I had to pick a second thing I'm good at it's talking dealing with babes.
[Perhaps this is what being optimistic means. Paul believes that Johnny will try, and that the trying will matter. (Maybe that's what he keeps seeing in Johnny, in spite of everything. He tries. Paul wants that to matter.)
Having gotten what he wanted there, he decides that the rest of discussing what happened can be handled more delicately over time - although he needs to warn Midoriya to keep an eye out. The last thing anyone needs is an escalation of the karate tension.
The tension he has in mind is a different one.]
There's nothing going on. Nothing that's a problem, at least. It's something else.
With people you've been with, before, how did you know when it was time to take the next step with them?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-06-16 06:19 pm (UTC)So Kaworu didn’t just squeal in him either.
That changes things a little.
He has to begrudgingly give Kaworu a few more points.
He’s also getting a better feel for how Paul actually feels about this.]
Look.
I don’t really have a reason why I didn’t.
It was something I had to see with my own eyes. It wasn’t about going behind your back or in secret.
I shot from the hip and did what I thought was right.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-16 07:01 pm (UTC)It's not that you acted without telling me.
[That took him a while to determine, after his reflexive first response of affronted protectiveness. He had to unwind the threads, trace them to the heart of the issue, and he thinks he's found the origin point.]
It's the way you did it, sensei. Kaworu isn't like us. He's sensitive to what people say to him. It stays with him more than it does with us.
He's been through enough without adding to it because of me.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-16 07:24 pm (UTC)He takes another swig of beer before he starts to respond now.]
I'm glad that you understand that much.
And it's not like I planned on bullying him relentlessly.
I just wanted to be sure when push came to shove that he was ready to stand up beside you.
...I trained another student, Hawk, back in my own world.
When he first came into my dojo he was softer than a baby's ass.
He was getting picked on relentlessly at school because of a cheap as shit scar on his face.
I helped him awaken the snake within him.
Taught him confidence and now he's on his way to being one of the biggest badasses I teach back home.
I don't necessarily think Kaworu needs to go through that.
He's got a fire inside him that I can see now.
I'll admit I may have been a little hard on him.
But I was only hard on him because we all know what this place can through at us.
If I gave him a push it's because I know someone else might be ready to drive a knife through him.
If it makes you feel better I wont push him any further.
Not everyone is Cobra Kai material.
And if he doesn't want it I'm not going to push him to be a badass.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-19 04:23 pm (UTC)[Contradicting a teacher goes against everything Paul believes in about the teacher-student bond, but he can't help himself - something that's almost unheard of, with him.]
He'd protect me if he had to. He's strong. Stronger than I am, in more ways than one.
I'm glad you see his fire. It's one of the reasons I care about him. If I could convince him to join Cobra Kai, he'd be a fierce student.
If anyone is the soft one, it's m[That's not Cobra Kai talk.]
May I ask you for something, sensei?
no subject
Date: 2022-06-19 04:43 pm (UTC)Yeah. Well I couldn't see that at the time.
He said that he'd do as much and now that I know he's capable of it I'm not going to question it or stand between you too again.
He would be. I don't see it happening. I probably burned that bridge the other day and he already didn't like me before that. He's going to do shit his own way and that's fine.
[That is definitely not Cobra Kai talk.]
Shoot, kid.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-19 05:31 pm (UTC)[Nothing ventured, nothing gained, or so the saying apparently goes.]
If you could talk to him, without saying I talked to you, and tell him what you told me, I'd be grateful. Not right away. I don't think he'd be ready yet, and it'd be too obvious, but one day. I can find a way to get you in the same place at the same time.
And I'd like to ask your advice. About babes.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-19 10:18 pm (UTC)Yeah, kid. I can talk to him. One way or another I'll talk to him again. Don't worry about setting us up or anything. I'm not one to back down on my word when I give it.
And look. I'm pretty fucking good at karate but if I had to pick a second thing I'm good at it's talking dealing with babes.
What's going on?
no subject
Date: 2022-06-20 03:51 am (UTC)[Perhaps this is what being optimistic means. Paul believes that Johnny will try, and that the trying will matter. (Maybe that's what he keeps seeing in Johnny, in spite of everything. He tries. Paul wants that to matter.)
Having gotten what he wanted there, he decides that the rest of discussing what happened can be handled more delicately over time - although he needs to warn Midoriya to keep an eye out. The last thing anyone needs is an escalation of the karate tension.
The tension he has in mind is a different one.]
There's nothing going on. Nothing that's a problem, at least. It's something else.
With people you've been with, before, how did you know when it was time to take the next step with them?