62 On Ships and Battle III

"Don't care," Noah replied flatly. "Is that all you came here to tell me? I'm going to teach my students no matter who they are."

"I came here to warn you that there's no way Isabel will be allowed to pass this exam, idiot," Moxie snapped. "Are you too stupid to realize that, the moment it looks like she might succeed, she'll be sabotaged?"

Noah snorted. "Right. You think I didn't think of that already?"

"What?" Moxie asked, blinking.

"We're dealing with a bunch of powerful assholes. Of course they're going to get pissy if things don't go their way. I've already taken steps to ensure Isabel's exam isn't tampered with."

Moxie stared at Noah. "You knew about her background?"

Well, I mostly got worried because I thought Edward was an asshole. I didn't realize that blacklisted thing was this big of a deal. All's well that ends well, though.

Noah just shrugged.

"And you really think you can stop what they've got prepared?"

"How much would they prepare? She's a Rank 1."

"So are you," Moxie pointed out.

"Good. They'll underestimate us. Is that all you came here to tell me?"

Moxie inclined her head.

"Then thank you," Noah said. Moxie glanced up at him in surprise. "I might have had an idea already, but I appreciate you caring enough to warn me. Especially when you hate me."

"I don't hate you," Moxie said, pushing away from the bed. "You aren't Vermil. Come on. The constant questions about completely obvious things. The complete lack of knowledge on topics that even a child would have known – there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you aren't Vermil. Just let me hear you confirm it. If you really aren't him, I have no reason to hate you. Maybe I can even help you."

Noah studied her face closely for several seconds. Even though it had been thousands of years ago, he'd always prided himself on his ability to tell when a parent or student was trying to bullshit him. He was certain of two things. First, Moxie was sincere. And second, she really hated Vermil.

"Let me tell you something," Noah said. "Picture a ship for me."

Moxie frowned. "What?"

"Just play along."

"Fine. I'm thinking of a ship."

"Now imagine that ship goes out on an adventure. Its crew fights some pirates. There's a storm. The navigator is drunk and they sail into a rock. Piece by piece, they have to repair parts of that ship and replace old, damaged wood with new planks."

"Okay?" Moxie asked, squinting at him. "I don't see how this matters in the slightest."

"Over the course of many years, this keeps happening," Noah continued, ignoring Moxie's complaint. "The sails are torn and swapped out. The wheel falls apart and so on – until, one day, every single part of that ship has been replaced. And, finally, that ship sails back into port. Is it still the same ship?"

"Of course it–" Moxie's sentence died before it could pass through her lips. Her brow furrowed and she tilted her head to the side. "I'm not sure. It's got the same name."

"So it does. But is it the same ship?"

Moxie studied Noah. A smile slowly started to stretch across her lips. "No. I don't think it is."

"That's something many people debate. But I think I have to agree with you," Noah said. "It shares the same name, but it has been changed, utterly and thoroughly."

Moxie didn't respond for several moments. "I've got some questions about the ship. Just to make sure I actually understand the lesson you're sharing here. I think my student would enjoy it."

"Go ahead," Noah said with a wry smile.

"What if the old parts of the ship were all saved? Sure, they were damaged, but couldn't they be put together and remade into that very same ship that originally left the port?"

"That's an interesting question," Noah allowed. "I think that it would be the same ship, yes. However, finding those pieces would be quite impossible. They were all destroyed, after all."

Moxie let a small smile pass over her features. "That's a very interesting story, Vermil. Thank you for sharing it with me. I've never seen you in such a light, but I'm glad for your students. You aren't the ship you once were."

"I have decided to always seek the light of self-improvement. It's been an arduous journey, but I do my best."

Moxie smirked. "Maybe it's time that you finally repaired that reputation of yours. Especially since it belongs to the old ship, not the new one. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to hear more of your newfound wisdom – you aren't the man I once knew."

"I might be willing to exchange information. It won't be cheap, though."

"I guessed as much, but I'm much more willing to give a deal to you than–"

A knock on the door interrupted Moxie. Noah frowned. Nobody ever swung by his room, and now there were two people in less than an hour. He grabbed his sword and held it behind his back, walking up to the door and opening it before Moxie could speak.

Richard's bored gaze met Noah's eyes. The healer looked every bit as disgruntled and annoyed to see him as he had the first time Noah had arrived to Arbitage.

"I'm here to collect you for today's exam," Richard drawled. He opened his mouth to say something else, then trailed off as he looked past Noah and into his room – where Moxie stood beside his bed, her clothes badly ruffled from their fight.

"I'm over here," Noah said curtly.

Richard choked, then cleared his throat, disbelief clouding his eyes. "I – uh, right. Report to the transport cannon within the hour."

"Sounds good," Noah said. "Anything else?"

Richard tore his eyes away from Moxie and swallowed. "No."

Noah shut the door in his face.

"Whoops," Noah said, turning back to Moxie. "I don't suppose he knows how to keep his mouth shut?"

Moxie let out a groan. "He's the biggest loudmouth on campus."

"Ah, lovely. Well, at least I won't be fixing my reputation too much."