"Remember when I told you not to do anything reckless?" he continued and Aria hung her head as she nodded, remembering how she hadn't been able to meet his eye knowing she was going to do the exact thing he told her not to.
"I didn't mean for you not to go in search of Helen then." Professor Thomas said and Aria looked up, surprised. He didn't? He hadn't been treating her like a child and trying to protect her?
"What I meant was," he continued, "If you found out anything that could lead us to Helen or the night warriors, plan something. You should have told someone about that note. Even if they had asked you to come alone, we would easily have figured something out. We had the strongest fighters and the best minds of the kingdom gathered there." Professor Thomas finished.
Aria pursued her lips as she decided not to answer. She couldn't very well tell Professor Thomas that she knew that from all the adults that had been present there, he was most probably the only one who trusted her enough to let her go alone. All the others would have come up with some very elaborate plan that would have put the night warriors on their guard from the start.
And she also couldn't say that the only person she had decided to trust and tell her plan had called her selfish and said that she didn't care for anyone but herself. Aria would rather take the scolding for being reckless and selfish than let it be known that Joseph had the opportunity to considerably reduce the damages but didn't take it.
Aria shook her head as she refused to let herself think like this of Joseph. She could very well understand his point of view and didn't blame him. Plus, he was probably blaming himself more than anyone else could, Aria was sure.
"Anyway, let's not dwell on that." Professor Thomas said, changing the topic. "I'm just glad both you and Helen made it out alive. I would have liked if you were both unscathed, but it is what it is."
Aria hung her head upon hearing this. She herself thought she had done pretty well, with Helen being able to make it out unharmed, herself alive, and also destroying the night warriors hideout. On top of the fact that she had lost control and no one knew she was a monster. Well, no one around her. Vincent had seen her, and now probably all of the night warriors knew about it. "I wonder if the queen would believe Edmond if he told her what I am?" A fleeting thought passed through Aria's head. But to her dismay, Professor Thomas was making it out like what had happened was the worst case scenario.
"Maybe it is. Maybe I should have left it to the adults after all?" Aria thought to herself.
But the next he spoke, Professor Thomas's face had changed from that of a teacher to that of a bendor. "But given the circumstances, I personally think what you did, no one else could have." Aria looked up, surprised. Was she seriously being praised for rebelling.
"I mean, you single-handedly took down an entire hideout of the most notorious rebels of the whole kingdom." he continued, "It was reckless to be sure. But it was an amazing feat nonetheless."