She beamed at his praise. "Go on, praise me more."
Rui smiled, patting her on her head. "You're a good girl~"
"I'm not a child," she complained, but did not resist his infantilizing praise, instead pushing her head into his hand as he patted her.
"But you get the point," Rui continued as he patted her head. "Martial Paths do arise out of one's species, but there are other variables that can overwhelm that variable. The people of the Hive follow a different kind of mutated Martial Path than the rest of human civilization due to the mind-connecting esoteric drug that they consume their entire lives. They follow a Martial Path that bears resemblance to the Nature Path with its collectivization. To them, individuality is not the foundational way to go down their path. Your mind has a large impact on your Path. And that is why I'm confident that my Path will retain its Martial nature."
