[After Thurston told Boris that he’s not going to take Annie as an apprentice]
Buddy: Mrs. Conductor, I need to ask you for a favour
Tabitha: What is it, Buddy?
Buddy: I heard that Thurston told Boris that he wasn’t going to take Annie under his wing, how can I change his mind?
Tabitha: What wing was Boris asking for?
Buddy: To teach Annie how to hunt and survive with her vision limitations! She needs them but he said no!!
Tabitha: Buddy. You need to respect Thurston’s decision.
Buddy: *getting controlled by his emotions* HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!?! OUT OF EVERYONE!! ANNIE IS VULNERABLE AND NEEDS HELP NOT GETTING SHUT OUT!!
Tabitha: *not having it* Now listen here, young man. That is not what I’m saying. Thurston told me that Annie has exhibited little to no desire for self-preservation, and he’s not going to waste his time and energy on someone who’ll just throw it all away because she decides to do something stupid!
Buddy: ANNIE’S NOT STUPID!!!
Tabitha: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE STUPID TO DO STUPID SHIT!!!
Buddy: *backs up, still angry* …
Tabitha: Thurston is not going to give that girl more ways to hurt herself further with her mindset, and that is final. You need to respect that decision
Buddy: *now sad* How… could you guys say such things?
Tabitha: Because it’s not going to matter at all if he teaches her or not, if she continues with that ‘I must protect others and be the strongest no matter the cost’ mindset of hers, that path will only lead to her downfall!
Tabitha: I’m sorry Buddy… actually, no, I’m not, because you need to hear, process and accept the truth.
Tabitha: She already began going down the path that I’ve personally seen claim many a dinosaur. She’s been taught to become overconfident, to be reckless, that you can win any fight with strength! She got lucky to only lose her eye that day, because she was shown mercy by being given the opportunity to recover from her injury, most wouldn’t have been so kind to her.
Buddy: *looks horrified* …
Tabitha: Honestly… at the rate she’s going. She’ll be lucky if she makes it to the end of the year, because sooner or later, her luck is going to run out, and the fates will cut her thread
(Buddy wants to jump to defend Annie, but he finds himself frozen in place, like he just heard a truth that he didn’t want to see)
Tabitha: If she starts to change that attitude of hers on self-preservation, he will reconsider. But until then, everyone just needs to accept his answer.
Buddy: How could you say what happened to her that day was an act of mercy or kindness?
Tabitha: *looks directly at Buddy* Because in my eyes, it was.