Reading by the River ((open))

[Aqua]

"Wouldn't it be better to start with one, get the said steady footing, and then be able to proceed without one?" Emily asked. "Because, if I'm still in square one-"

[Odin]

"That's why I'd recommend one, although some people never need one and find themselves held back when faced with the situation. But if you have a person in life you trust, ask him or her. The worst they can do is refuse," ::It was one of Odin's quirks, bargaining in almost every facet of life. However, it had served him well, and it was advice he could pass on.::

[Aqua]

"Ah, but imagine the severe trauma this will cause," Emily smiled softly, she emphasized the word 'trauma' to make sure it sounded more in a joking way, plus if she kept in mind Pietro during this discussion, she never for one second believed he would have turned her down had she come to him asking for advice and mentoring.

[Odin]

::Odin picked up on the humorous undertone she used, which caused a bit of a smirk to play across his lips.:: "That trauma is a stepping stone for life. If you can take that sort of refusal, you can handle Denny's not having your favorite dessert on the menu."

[Aqua]

Emily couldn't tell whether he was merely making a random joking comparison, or he could guess she was from a very well-to-do family and was making a reference to her perhaps too picky tastes... which was, unfortunately, one of her traits she hadn't been unable to completely get rid of, so far.

"I know we learn from our mistakes," she nodded. "But it seems that some of us need to learn from learning from mistakes..."

[Odin]

::Odin pondered that comment, inferring a great deal from it. Whatever mistakes she'd made in the past, they had affected her a great deal, but not quite in the usual way of coping. It would be easier to comprehend with the entire story behind it, but for once in his life, he wasn't here to push and prod.:: "There are a few ways to achieve that, although some of them surely aren't your cup of tea."

[Aqua]

"Well, that leaves me with trial-and-error as my only m.o.," Emily concluded. "What is yours?"

[Odin]

::Whatever privacy on that subject Odin might have wished to keep disappeared with that question. He had time to phrase it, but could do little else.:: "My life's based on a simple routine, which I then build up with variables."

[Aqua]

"A routine which is not trial-and-error?" Emily clarified. "Or is it similar?"

[Odin]

"Not my basic routine," ::Odin clarified. Nearly everything in his basic life worked through necessity. And he persisted in many of his other behaviors, even when they yielded the same result.:: "I'm at the stage of balances."

[Aqua]

"That probably feels as good as it sounds," Emily said with a small sigh. "And probably also means very few doubts. Generally." Doubting - making difficult decisions - she'd never born well.

[Odin]

"It suits me well," ::Odin replied, but it wasn't intended as smugness or bragging, merely as a fact about his state in life.:: "But I wasn't born in balance."

[Aqua]

"I don't suppose anybody does," Emily remarked. "Well, this then only serves to prove you've been able to learn." She briefly wondered how old he was. Definitely older than her, so that probably meant she still had time to learn as much.

[Odin]

"Time and exposure, and a good mentor helped me with that," ::Odin replied. And in many ways, his childhood had been unremarkable, when compared to those that many of his brethren had had.::

[Aqua]

"I can never know how much time I have left," Emily smiled. "So I guess I'll just stick to my bad habits for now."