<i>So...she does have potential. </i>Alexander knew how he should feel about this. He should feel gratified; victorious even, at Aria's display of courage. Yet all he felt was melancholy.<i>One step closer to ending up like...<br/>
</i><br/>He blinked, once, and the thought dispelled itself. He placed a hand delicately on her shoulder, as warm and gentle as the pool they both shared. "A good first step," he said kindly. "Well done." Alec buried his misgivings behind the still clarity of his eyes and lifted his feet from the water. The tile felt pleasantly cool beneath his heels. He absorbed the chill, letting it sink into his heart, and equalize his mind. "Come." With a grunt, Alec bent his knees and lifted Aria from the water, settling her gently beside him. "We can move on to the next step now. A proper discussion." With a placid expression that hid the barest edges of a smile, the Aesir rested both hands on Aria's shoulders. "You have accepted that you must change to survive. Now I will teach you what that change entails." A brief flash of a smile. "Over dinner."<br/><br/>Aria's tears hid quietly behind a clear, curious gaze. It was beautiful, that. A pure expression of humanity; strength through tragedy. Purpose through despair.<br/><br/>"Wait," he commanded softly. Moving with masterful economy of motion, the Aesir tread silently to a towel rack and back again. With meticulous patience, he wordlessly began patting Aria dry. Across her shoulders and down her back. Over her breasts and the flat, but feminine curve of her belly. Alexander was thorough in his ministrations. He let a comfortable silence stretch between them, and maintained a relaxed posture. Quiet reassurance was crucial at this stage. There was no period more emotionally tumultuous for a Tjänarinna than the beginning. The first step to building a strong foundation was to break new ground. It was a painful process, rife with insecurity and uncertainty. Alec would be honest, but kind. Unflinching, but compassionate. And he would give her time to think, uncluttered by unnecessary words.<br/><br/>"Alright." Tossing the towel aside, he looked her over automatically, inspecting his work. It was an absent, automatic gesture. "Go get dressed. It's time we left this place behind."<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">- x -<br/>​</div>Driving his nondescript sedan through the quiet streets of late-night San Francicso, Alec contemplated the best way to begin. Every relationship was different. No two pairings of Aesir and Valkyrie were ever alike. Lessons had to be changed to suit the mind that would accept them...the heart that would beat for them. Drumming his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, Alec decided he would play to the strengths of his companion.<br/><br/>"It is common," he began slowly, "to start a bit more fundamentally. That won't be necessary; not with your intelligence. I get the feeling that if I tried to guide you too gently, you might grow impatient or offended. So I'll begin at a higher level. If you have questions, interrupt me at the appropriate places. I am your teacher, not your owner." Flicking a turn signal, Alexander guided the car around a slow moving van, gliding between lanes, ever mindful of a police presence.<br/><br/>"You have agreed to become a Valkyrie: an elite operative who kills others for the sake of all creeds and cultures. Not for the sake of some dogmatic ideal of perfect peace, but for the prevention of a Third World War. Your parents fought for the same goal, in their own way. They died for it. For the truth, and the good it could have on this world. You walk a path parallel to your parents. Know that."<br/><br/>Alexander glanced at Aria in his peripheral vision. "You won't be killing anyone for some time. No...first we ascertain where you are...then we begin moving forward." He left it there for the remainder of their journey. He let her turn each new piece of information over in her mind before feeding her the next. They had time, here at the start.<br/><br/>He pulled into a small restaurant, only a few vehicles in attendance.<i>A 24-hour Thai restaurant. Thank whatever gods happen to be working today. They should have these everywhere. On every street corner! </i>Alec gazed at the building and felt a contented smile rebel its way across his face. Eyebrows quirked, his eyes filled with a glimmer as he turned to Aria. "Don't judge me. It's a long and torrid love affair."<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center">- x -<br/>​</div>Comfortably settled at<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cdn.tripadvisor.com%2Fmedia%2Fphoto-s%2F05%2F2d%2F05%2Fbb%2Flime-leaf-thai-fusion.jpg&amp;hash=f627afe39c08c1776abfd001a04200e4" href="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/05/2d/05/bb/lime-leaf-thai-fusion.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">a table on the second floor</a>, Alec read the menu with predatory gusto. "<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F3%2F39%2FPhat_Thai_kung_Chang_Khien_street_stall.jpg%2F1200px-Phat_Thai_kung_Chang_Khien_street_stall.jpg&amp;hash=ec6f1497fa0756c7e2601dff01d57dba" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Phat_Thai_kung_Chang_Khien_street_stall.jpg/1200px-Phat_Thai_kung_Chang_Khien_street_stall.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Pad Thai</a>,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.justgola.com%2Fmedia%2Fa%2F00%2F13%2F78853_og_1.jpeg&amp;hash=6a96e5bef1fd73f4b5bb85456266fc4c" href="https://www.justgola.com/media/a/00/13/78853_og_1.jpeg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Tom Yum Goong</a>, and<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.maangchi.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F12%2Fmangosomtam1.jpg&amp;hash=ff0800458f1130a14dd9620a2f48bb03" href="https://www.maangchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mangosomtam1.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Som Tam</a>please. And whatever the young lady wants." The waiter's eyebrows asked his hairline to dance, but he remained silent and attentively took Aria's order as well. "Per your reservation sir, you have the second floor to yourself. Your meal will be out shortly. Enjoy."<br/><br/>The young man briskly vanished down the stairs, leaving the pair alone to resume their conversation. Alec moistened his throat with a sip of green tea and dutifully continued.<br/><br/>"Prominent psychoanalyst Carl Jung theorized that a person undertakes several metaphorical deaths and rebirths throughout their lifetime. The Ego--all of the thoughts, behaviors, and ideas that you believe makes up your identity--must die and be reborn to evolve and grow stronger. This usually happens independent of our wishes, through a traumatic event, or the passage of time." Alec paused again as the food arrived. For a few moments, he made many happy noises which had nothing at all to do with duty. He came up for air with flushed cheeks, watery eyes, and happy smile that only a spicy broth could bring.<br/><br/>"When we suffer through especially difficult events, the Ego begins to undergo this process; it starts to die." Tinged with compassion, Alec's voice was nonetheless resolute, and he continued with a more solemn timbre. "We start struggling to hold onto the person we believe we are, and so resist that death...that change. It hurts." Alec's blue eyes darkened for a moment. "Badly. So we start acting to prevent this change. We use otherwise good tools and harmless recreations--like sex and alcohol--as a kind of formaldehyde. We try and preserve the person we used to be, directly at odds with this impetus of change. This makes things worse, rather than better, and we forge bad habits. We feel lonely, and more desolate than ever."<br/><br/>Alexander reached across the table and laid his hand atop Aria's. "You tried this, as have so many before you. Now we must work to break this embalming with the same tools used to create it. No more drinking to excess. And we'll use those sexual acts you so craved to help you through your first death...and your eventual rebirth. You like your pleasure intermingled with pain. It gives you a point of focus to deal with your emotional pain, and that is well. So I will use that focal point, and together we'll work through it, you and I. Do you understand? Feel free to speak your mind here, albeit quietly. This is  a collaborative process, not a passive lecture. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts with me, whatever they may be."