Continued from here
19th Saun, 720
They walked in silence for a short while, but Kirei's mind was racing with questions. This was the first time she had ever had to do something like this, but it might not be the last, and she really didn't want to have to hope that she was lucky enough to meet someone like Alba the next time she needed to persuade someone to do something.
"You said that persuasion was a social skill. What did you mean by that?"
Alba stared at her for several trills with an incredulous expression.
"What did I...? Okay, think of it like this. Some skills are physical skills. Things like the ability to swim, or run, or if you're an Avriel, the ability to fly."
Kirei shuddered a bit at the mention of Avriel, but she nodded. She could understand what Alba was getting at. Skills such as the ones she had mentioned were things controlled by one's body. Everyone could do them unless there was something wrong with them that prevented it. But not everyone could do them well. That was where practice, natural talent, and learned skill came in. Kirei was certain that she could include fighting skills into the category of physical skills as well.
"Then there are book skills. Things that can be readily learned out of books such as chemistry, and mathematics. There are other skills that can be learned from books in part, but need to be practiced in order to really know how to do them. Things like medicine and linguistics fall into that category. You can read about languages and medical practices all you want, but unless you are actually speaking a language, or practicing how to stitch someone up, or seeing people with coughs and fevers so you will recognize the symptoms when you see them again, all the book learning in the world isn't going to help you."
Kirei nodded again. Being as interested in learning languages as she was, she could readily see that.
"You also have your artistic and craft skills. You can learn the techniques of skills such as painting, acting, or woodcarving all you want, but without a talent for such things, you're never going to be truly good at them. You also have practical skills like cooking and baking. Anyone who wants to learn how to do things like that can if they are willing to take the time to do so. But even so, you still need a talent for them if you hope to be the best of the best."
Alba looked at Kirei to see if she was paying attention, and grinned when she saw that she was.
"Finally, you have social skills. These are the things that help you to deal with people. Some, like teaching, help you earn how to pass knowledge on to other people. Others help you to see and read subtle clues in body language that can tell you a lot about a person without ever talking to them. Still others teach you how to get along with people, and how to act in different circumstances. Then you have the skills that will help you get what you want or need from other people. Persuasion is one of these skills, as is negotiation, seduction, and intimidation. All of these skills will convince people to give you what you want from them. Things like money, items, or services. But the methods of doing so differ from one skill to the next. Let's use negotiation as an example. I told you earlier that it's a give and take, right?"
Kirei nodded.
"You give someone something to someone in order to get something that you want more. Intimidation gets you what you want too...but you get it because the other person is afraid of you. More specifically, they are afraid of what you might do to them if you don't get what you want from them."
Kirei frowned. The Avriel who ruled the slave school in Athart had been a lot like that. And it had been a very effective tool. Even now, the rare sight of an Avriel gave her pause. She was instinctively wary of anyone who was an Avriel...or who even just looked like one because of the power that they once had over her. Kirei hated the thought of anyone being afraid of her like that. She didn't think she would ever be able to try to intimidate anyone because she was too painfully aware of what it felt like to be on the other end of it. But she didn't want to explain any of that, so she just nodded.