Ivan noticed the shovel, and felt an instant like for this girl. He made sure that he wasn't holding his pipe in a threatening manner, as he had no desire to get in a fight today. But he still kept his grip on it, just in case Chiri attacked first.

Now this was a topic that Ivan was quite passionate about. "Oh, no, no. Of course it's not the subordinate's fault! When a child misbehaves, isn't it up to the parents to punish them and show them the right way to do things? You can't expect them to get everything right all the time. They shouldn't be slacking off, of course, but you shouldn't be letting them."

And Ivan didn't let his subordinates slack off. Just ask any of the countries who had lived under his rule.