Settling In (Open)

Fort Briggs. Such a...wonderful...place for this young alchemist. The word "wonderful" might not be the best word to describe it. Something was definitely off; 'twas like a dark feeling of moral corruption. But this was expected to happen due to the fact he was working for the Amestris military now. Nobody could ever be a perfectly good person and be an Amestris militant. This fact was as commonly known as the A-B-C's. Leonard saw this, Amestrians saw this, everyone saw this even little children saw this. He was almost an official dog of the military. Just a year or two of studying in order to utilize such offered opportunity.

It was late in the morning, almost noon, and Leonard wasn't even close to finish packing. The drive there was rough, though it's expected when transitioning from one country to another. He needn't worry, for he will be used to it soon; though this was going to be a "whether you like it or not" form of settling in. Currently, he was unpacking all of his books and storing them properly on a shelf. They were organized and every book in a series was put in order. The organization was alphabetical. There was at least thirty books on multiple shelves. After half an hour of careful handling, he moved on to unpacking his research. Immediately the desk he had was covered. Though soon he would stuff drawers in the desk full of notebooks. Each drawer was either a different part of his research or used to hold spares. There were four parts of his research: Alchemic symbols, Iron Maiden Box designs, Medieval torture devices, and Transmutation Circles. Currently he planned on working on his simplistic circle.

After unpacking his books and research, the clothes came next. His favored wear was sadly not going to be worn. For he now had to wear the uniform of the military. Though he was in casual clothes for now until later. After almost closing in on his packing, he had decided to take a break. Leonard was quite weary from his trip. This clever book worm had to sleep some day. After quite some time of rest, he finished unpacking his things and thought that if he ever had one of his own homes some day, there would be a lot of metal. Not loose metal, but metal walls and floors so he can protect himself. Though this metal would be covered and he would have to make sure he has good heating and cooling, also he would have to make sure there are no sharp spots. This was a vision of the future that seem irrelevant in truth. Truth.....Now that is something I want to know about Alchemy. The family philosophy seems true enough, but it must just be how you would describe its true paradox form. But there must be a way to simplify it for those...less educated...people known as citizens. More like slaves to the government. But I'm one to talk, I am destined to become the disciplined, scarred dog of the military. he thought to himself, chuckling afterwards.

Leonard had finished unpacking everything and decided to nap a bit more. Although it was short lived, he did do some master power-napping. Being fully awake he decided to leave his door open and read a bit. Maybe one of the fellow militants might want to introduce themselves. Leonard did think he should hold his breath though, in the form of sarcasm. After skimming through some of the pages of a book he had already read through several times, he put it away and exited his room, locking his door and taking the key. Leonard decided to go get a bite to eat due to lack of any REAL food for days. Slowly, he moved down the hallway.

Work, work, work. It was all Iris did and even as she did it she was multitasking. Pen and pad in hand, she made her way through the halls. Her feet guiding her as if they were her eyes which would proceed to make her look blind. NO SENSE OF DIRECTION! She bumped into a good three walls, before she realized that looking at the world around her was a bright idea. Then again, Iris was no Einstein and when in 'art' mode, she often zoned into a world of the unknown. A black place with only her drawing and pen and as if her very soul crafted the lines instead of her mind. There was minor envisioning and the rest went upon instinct of knowing where such things went and why they went there.

A sound of approaching feet was nothing on her ears. Not only was she blind, but deaf too, it seemed! Her eyes focused hard upon the paper, as if the world ceased to exist. There were others in the hallways, working to the cafeteria, but Iris barely noticed until an arm bumped roughly into her shoulder. A few blinks later and she was back in the mood. A fleeting annoyance that could be fixed. She made the line thicker to cover up the accident and in fact it looked batter. Well, that was convenient.

Once she bumped into another wall, she pulled the pad and surveyed the world through dazed eyes. Where exactly was she? How had she gotten here? A few blinks and she looked just as lost as a person thrown into the wilderness. The whole walk had been a sort of haze with no real solid evidence. The only way she knew she'd moved was that she was no longer in her office and instead was walking into the cafeteria. Her stomach grumbled and instantly she knew why she'd started walking in the first place. Food. It was needed, though that meant her nit picking the old and odd varieties this place offered. Most would be cold by the time she fought her way to the front of the line. After all, others pushed and shoved like nothing when they had twenty minutes to eat. She was in no rush and she was in no hurry to stop procrastinating.

Paperwork was piled on her desk and the line was lengthening, but she wouldn't fight the people who abruptly cut in front of her. It wasn't like she was going to start some sort of argument on it. Instead, she just sketched until the plates were under her fingertips. A hand upon them and she lazed over the meal in debate on what to eat. Her normal choice was the salad and of course, she'd naturally grab one and head to a seat. Pink haired-wonder by herself at a table by the sidelines; away from people. She had to draw, so half sipping on a diet cola, she stared at the sketchbook as if it were runes. Foreign words that she had to sort through and decipher. What was missing? Key thought, while her pencil tapped to an unknown tune. An Iris land, where no one else existed for the time being.

Leonard traversed into the bustling cafeteria. It seemed as if it was a chore to make sure one was in the line in time to have a reasonable amount of time for their meal. Upon entering the line, he made sure he closed the space infront of him to prevent people from cutting. After being able to get his bread and other various helpings of various foods, he proceeded to decide where to sit. New-comers usually have this problem, generally having to make friends before entering the cafeteria or sit alone. But what caught his eyes was the hard-working pink-haired girl. Seemed to be a smart and dedicated one like him. Though when socializing in irrelevant situations he added the firm texture of suaveness to a facade and slapped it on. The facade stuck to him firmly, infecting his body like it was a parasite. It ate away at his outer appearance and he was then well hidden within it.

Once he took his gander upon the girl, he decided to make a move. People would assume what his true persona is, tricking them into not knowing his true self. Leonard took a seat across the table, parallel to the one he was about to charm. Atleast, the one he would attempt to charm her. He smiled, breathed, stretched, and took a look at her. " Why hello there. I see you're one hard worker. Why would a butterfly like you be so distant from these people?" he said, adding a smooth tone with his smoothest and best Amestrian accent. Only people who are fluent with Cretan could notice the very small shred of Cretan he had left within his accent. He ate small bites of his food cleanly and with long pauses inbetween bites.

Then the psycho-analysis kicked in. Immediately he could see the frustration that was coagulating within her from the lack of understanding of what she was reading. Her pink hair was nice and lush, at least to him, and her body language was that of a young one. It seemed like those school girls from Creta to him. Though he assumed she was a woman of high or great intelligence. After using his peripherals to scan over her body, he snapped a shot of every little detail. The analysis was finished quicker than usual but it did not matter, 'twas a bad habit anyways.

"Why hello there. I see you're one hard worker. Why would a butterfly like you be so distant from these people?" Was that voice talking to her? She could barely notice. The words hit her, but she ignored it. Ignored it until it went away. And it did go away, but the obnoxious sound of eating food and a chewing maw had taken its place. Munch munch. Was he chewing with his mouth open? Munch. Dear god he was so noisy. Her eye twitched a bit, an indiscreet reflex that was unintentional. Maybe he'd go away. The eyes, she could feel them on her. Ignore him harder. As if trying to look more engrossed in the paper, she buried her face near the white papers with pen nearly against her mouth. Just as she had finished the inking stage, she straightened herself, ready to reward a bite for the wonderful work.

..He was still there. Expectantly. It seemed like hours had passed and in fact it'd been a matter of seconds. Her pink eyes found him quickly, the suave tone, the smooth looks. Immediately she clicked 'reject' mentally and stared him down as if he were a challenge to her space. A sort of annoyance in her eyes before something clicked. She got rid of her mean face and smile softly. "Ah. Sorry didn't see you there. You see, I'm VERY busy today." Her head turned to the soda which she sipped two, three swallows and went back to the pen. She had nothing really to say to him. Maybe he'd get the hint and leave her alone? Maybe she'd have to be more firm.

It was something about him being all suave walking up to her. A curiosity to her was peaked while she debated on why this man was irritating her. It wasn't like her to just get out-right annoyed first time they spoke. After a second the conclusion was made. A man interrupting her art in the form of trying to get a date? Yeah, that was what annoyed her. He might have very well been a good guy, but his actions up to this point were in the negative effect for her. She liked to concentrate on her work and chose a table away from everyone so she could finish inking this page... That many people near just screamed she would be bumped into again. She couldn't risk it. Inking was too much of a pain to fix and she cared dearly for her art.

Leonard nodded as the woman finally gave him some attention. It seemed she was into her work and would want him to leave him alone. At first, his talk would be assumed as a tone made to make any form of speech a pick-up line. He wiped his mouth clean and got comfortable in his seat. " I apologize, it's not like new comers like me can randomly sit in crowded tables so easily. This table is empty, you're alone, I saw room for opportunity. But, Butterfly, I only needed somewhere to start." he stated, winking after calling her Butterfly once more. Leonard tapped his finger on the table and decided to rethink his strategy. Though it might as well be pointless if she is as dedicated to work as he is. " I'm Leonard Black, by the way. Might I ask, what are you working on?" he said, wanting to obtain knowledge over her work. Information was a blessing to him.

He was struck by the decision whether or not to leave this girl alone. Though giving up was something he never knew about. If he gave up just because he put off as a player at first his father would be disappointed in him. Leonard made a quick scan of the room to see how much metal there was, which spots contained enough to use his box, and if it is in enough abundance for a decent quality box. This was always a side quest he journeyed on whilst in a room. Though what had his attention was this girl. She was frustrated and did ignore him at first, so he might have to back off if she becomes a bit more irritated. Would he have to risk showing his true self? Maybe it wasn't worth it. Even if she rejected him, this was only the first try. He decided to ignore her irritated reaction and decided to push forward.

" I apologize, it's not like new comers like me can randomly sit
in crowded tables so easily. This table is empty, you're alone, I saw
room for opportunity. But, Butterfly, I only needed somewhere to start." Butterfly? Her instant reaction was to raise her eyebrow. Of all the names she had heard, that was a new one. It was almost as bad as being called Princess. Butterfly just seemed like he was calling her by the wrong name completely(Not to mention a stripper's name). She was the flower, not the bug. Though he was close? Of course she knew, he hadn't been guessing her name, he was trying to flatter her or make her feel welcomed. It wasn't working, it made her feel awkward. Though, it could be worse. At least he hadn't used some cheesy pick-up lines or called her baby.. yet. Oh god.. she hated that name. A baby was a baby.. then there was a good baby and a whiny baby. She despised the word with a passion and swore to mentally snap the next person's neck who said it.

"I'm Leonard Black, by the way. Might I ask, what are you working on?"Iris smirked a bit playfully. Her eyes closed for a second then opened again. Head moving up to meet his gaze, she laughed a bit. "You can ask. Doesn't mean I'll answer." Her words were more relaxed now. The whole facade seemed to have faded. "By the way, next time you don't need to hit on me to get a seat. And as for your tactics, I prefer a diet cola instead of the whole suave thing." As if she were teaching him her every weakness. Not that she was, she was just teasing him. "OH! And one more thing, call me Iris, not butterfly." She winked at him a moment then turned her head to her feed, pushing her sketchpad into her bag. So much for work getting done. As long as this knucklehead was around she wasn't going to get anything more done.

At least she had outlined the one thing she had. A good stopping place, where she could pick at her salad and speak to this newbie. "Ah. Freshmeat, do not miss those days." She prodded playfully, shoving a cherry tomato into her mouth and chewing it slowly. At least it didn't taste as old as usual. Normally she could barely tolerate the wilted vegetables they passed off as edible. "If you want somewhere to start, I'd suggest... the beginning." Her smartass remark WAS needed. Or so she decided. Another light smirk, as if she caught him in a trap and she was focused on her meal. Hopefully he'd be more fin than some of the recruits they got. After all, survival of the fittest. If he couldn't toughen up, he didn't belong here. That's what she was told. It was like a family. An awkward family..

Leonard had curved his lips into a smiles, surprised that the girl saw his front. Obviously it wasn't as easy as it was at home. Though he did laugh just a tiny bit when she referred to how he confronted her. " Wasn't about the seat. The crooked ice-breaker was what it was. Never get the pickaxe to hit those sheets of ice straight enough. Besides, the facade I use keeps me entertained sometimes. Other times I am actually trying. Thank you for the lecture, most educating I might add. " he stated, sarcastically adding the last phrase. He delayed his response to the first few phrases from her mouth. He couldn't convince her to let him help, though he could understand why. " Surprisingly, unlike how I usually "act", I come from a family of book worms. The library we had was vast. Spent my entire childhood studying. The Black family is a family of very intelligent people. But if you don't want to answer, either you just don't want to answer or you doubt my intelligence. Either way it doesn't matter." he said, taking a stance on the subject.

He did enjoy his meal, though he expected much worse. Gratefully, it was edible and quite tasteful. He nodded and widened his eyes, looking away for a moment. This was a quick and fluent expression, notably expression an agreement with the phrase. Sitting there, thinking for a moment and ignoring the smart-ass tone of his new-found acquaintance, he decided to return the favor. " Well, I was contacted by Mr. Derocha one day and he decided, after seeing my studies in a coffee shop and sparking a pretty decent conversation, to bring me here. I am a militant and I am on my way to become the furry canine of the military. Hopefully all goes well." he said, shrugging his shoulders. " I think someone called me the Black Inquisitor. That's what I remember as the reason why I stuck by it." Leonard said, finishing his reply. If she knew what he was referred to as, it would be a shock and it may make the situation worse. Though nobody knows much about the myth of Inquisitors, at least that's what Leonard thought.

(OOC: Mind if I add color to my text for that last post before this?)

" Wasn't about the seat. The crooked
ice-breaker was what it was. Never get the pickaxe to hit those sheets
of ice straight enough. Besides, the facade I use keeps me entertained
sometimes. Other times I am actually trying. Thank you for the lecture,
most educating I might add. "

Okayyyyyy... an ice breaker wasn't hitting on someone, it was asking about the weather, for one. This man was lying on his lies with a topping of lies! What the hell? Something of an intellectual man? He proceeded to thank her for the lecture, which gave upon him, the most odd of looks. Okay, so he was being snarky, she'd give him back what he gave. Though, she wasn't sure, yet, she knew she'd have her say soon enough. Never get a pickaxe to break the ice? The hell did he use? A sledgehammer? Because he was coming on hard and heavy. Nothing like bringing a hammer to do a surgical operation. Ugh and he was still talking..
" Surprisingly, unlike how I usually "act", I
come from a family of book worms. The library we had was vast. Spent my
entire childhood studying. The Black family is a family of very
intelligent people. But if you don't want to answer, either you just
don't want to answer or you doubt my intelligence. Either way it doesn't
matter.Well, I was contacted by Mr. Derocha one
day and he decided, after seeing my studies in a coffee shop and
sparking a pretty decent conversation, to bring me here. I am a militant
and I am on my way to become the furry canine of the military.
Hopefully all goes well. I think someone called me the Black Inquisitor. That's what I remember as the reason why I stuck by it."

Was he introducing himself or speaking a novel? Dear God, she'd never heard a man speak so much about himself. Didn't he know the presets? He was supposed to listen to the woman! Not like she had anything to say to him. He'd lost her interest halfway through and she sighed heavily. A fake smile and a nod occasionally through his long-winded escapade. A whimper of 'uh huh' was muttered somewhere in the masses as well. She'd regretted her words and just now wished he'd be quiet already. She didn't honestly care about who he was or how he got where he was. Okay, so maybe she'd earned that introduction, but jeez. He was irritating her.

At last he'd summed up his life's story. Her eyes rose to him, looking rather confused and uninterested. [color=magenta] "Perhaps we started off wrong. Why don't we start with something off topic. Enjoying Fort Briggs?"[/color[] She'd ask while popping another bite in her meal. She didn't want to be out-right rude to the man, so instead she'd ATTEMPT to have good conversation with him. Maybe it would turn out better, maybe not. Her rage was soothing way as if with a gentle massage. It whisked away her anger and was replaced by a more relaxing feeling. Food, it was magical and made her feel better.

(sure)

Now fully realizing she was irritated, Leonard believed he should leave. She wouldn't want to know the truth about him, no one would. Only the higher ups could know his form of power. Well, unless they were on the battlefield. It is best to remain harmless until the time comes. "Iris, some things are best left alone. " he said, sighing. Maybe he ruined the whole situation, she was working and he did not spark any sort of interest in her besides introduction. She didn't want to hear what he had to say, obviously. Otherwise she wouldn't be expressing these emotions. Leonard had finished his lunch and decided it was time to go study. Maybe it would relieve him of Iris' irritated mood. He caused it, it would be best to leave.

Iris attempted to have a good conversation with him after all the strife he had caused, and he sighed, looking at her. " Not really. Anyways, I have heard some people call me the Black Inquisitor back at home. That's a bit more truth for you. I know you hate the lies. Goodbye " he said before slowly turning around and getting ready to leave. He was sad that he had just failed like that, ruined the girls mood for the day and he can't muster enough strength to continue. He did not exactly leave the room yet, but he did procrastinate to see if the girl still struck interest in the man. Leonard also wondered if she was trying to get past his facade and actually get to know him. The true him seems like a hungry soul wanting to feed on knowledge and power. Other than that, without the feeding, he was nothing compared to his allies.

"Iris, some things are best left alone. " Well, duh! If they were to bother everyone and everyone, chances were likely Ayden would have murdered the entirety of Fort Briggs. Some things really WERE better left alone, but what did that have to do with the conversation they were having? Random observation was random? Eh, she let it slide and slipped her artwork into better lighting. A hand for eating and a hand for drawing. Determined sketching was followed by the frantic motion of panicked eraser-seeking. Bad lines needed to vanish! Her fingers dedicated to their cause, began to sweep away the shavings. A fork in mouth, she turned up to catch the doom and gloom of the man. " Not really. Anyways, I have heard some
people call me the Black Inquisitor back at home. That's a bit more
truth for you. I know you hate the lies. Goodbye "

.Well damn, now she felt guilty. He was walking away with that depressed 'I don't really want to go' body language. ACK! Iris felt terrible. Her eyes rolled and she sighed heavily, wondering what she'd done wrong on the day. She'd killed someone's moral, that was foolish. Fort Briggs was a tough place enough without her bullying the recruits. Okay, time for plan B. "I don't recall saying you could leave. i didn't dismiss you." Her voice was obviously teasing him. The way her eyes simply laid upon his retreating away. Stretching her arms over her head and pushing herself out of her seat, she'd watch for his reaction. How would he respond to being bossed around? Did he take kindly to the interest or did he get insulted. She didn't care if the man disliked her or not, she wasn't going to let him leave like that.

Leonard sighed from the order he was given. She did have the right to keep him there, and she used it. Turning around, he sarcastically smiled and took a seat. The sarcasm wasn't meant to be rude, it was more of a joking kind of way. He looked at her, just seeing pity from her expression. " So, Iris. You want truth, it seems. Am I right?" he said, ignoring her want for reaction. This was to see if she could handle the first step of truth. He was a Cretan. If she can get past that, she can continue onto the second step of truth. This little test was to see if knowing the bit the person hides that prances about the borderline of important to hide or not. Leonard wanted to see HER reaction.

Maybe she would react with racism, maybe she wouldn't care. Did she even notice his perfect Cretan? No, no she did not it seemed. Assuming she would have said something if she did notice. He just looked at her and smirked. His chocolate eyes seemed to have darkened, but it was the shade that did this. He revealed to her his cross-shaped scar on his forhead. He also looked at his watch, but not for the time. He just became dazed by its appearance. [color=red]" Did you know I'm a Cretan? " he said, his smile crooked. She would definitely get a shock out of that one.

" So, Iris. You want truth, it seems. Am I right?" Well duh. If she wanted to sit and listen to lies all day, she'd go to the prison cells and hear the cellmates batter off about their exaggerated cock sizes. The true lines of some famous person would float through her mind. 'The truth, the full truth and nothing but the truth.' Though maybe not the full truth. Sometimes that would get a little creepy and awkward. Especially for meeting someone new. Though she half expected the whole 'My mommy never loved me enough' routine, she was well-accepting and even hoping for a better story than such. Her pink eyes rested on him, now. The sketchbook just below her elbow, while she chewed a bit on the pen cap. A bad habit she was into.
The man prepared himself and even smiled at her. What could be the ungodly secret this an was hiding? What could be so terrible he was so afraid of being himself. It had to be deep and-" Did you know I'm a Cretan? "

....

......

She threw the towel in. Really? If that was all the man was hiding, she was going to strangle him.. or maybe give him a nasty papercut. Waste her fucking time because he was Cretan? That was utter BULLSHIT! She cared about his ethnicity about as much as she cared what color underwear he wore (which to say was very little). Mental facepalm over, she gathered herself and simply smiled. "Oh?" That was all she could manage before she leaned in a bit. Her hand cupping the soft curve of her chin. She had to calm down. It required patience and she could handle this. Couldn't she? Oh. That was all she could manage. A questioning 'oh'. She spoke softly after. "If you're so upset about that, let me put them to bed and tell you, I'm both adopted Aerugese."

She took a slow breath before rolling her eyes to her drawing. It wasn't that this an was irritating as much as he was.. confusing. How could soebody get worked up over something as simple as ethnicity? It wasn't by choice, how could you hate somebody because their parents decided that they wanted to live in a certain place. It didn't make sense. Once that whole spiel was over, she brought her eyes back up to him. "Not to seem rude, but I sure hope that's not the only thing that bothers you here."

Leonard noticed how she had some sort of reaction to that little question he threw out. He adjusted his position in the seat and there was a mocking noise coming from his mouth. She must've thought this was it. Her eyes said it all, but for her not to retaliate means she isn't a racist. Or a true Amestrian. When she simply started with 'oh' and ended with her bit about being Aerugese, he knew the first part was passed with flying colors. Now that the ethnicity part was said and done, he readjusted himself into a more serious position.

Once she asked if that was it, he knew his assumptions were correct. Her hidden body language that had an intangible presence to most had shown this frustration. This was Amestris, he believed in success, results, and moving forward. " Iris. Part two. I am an alchemist who uses torture devices as the major. The name Black Inquisitor was a sort of title given to me from a story. It was a story about this group who used torture devices against heretics. Now, I'm not religious, but I do like their trinkets. Especially the Iron Maiden Box. " he said, smiling devilishly. What would her reaction be to that? Would she be disgusted? Would she want to leave? Would she slap him? He didn't know, but he expected the worse if she understood him. He was no murderer....at least not without his version of necessity. Though he hasn't killed before except for many, many animals.

Part two was out, and the third was about to follow up after her response. " You can guess what happens to things inside the box." he said, referring to how it can leave pools of blood inside or out of it. This was the art of the Iron Maiden Box. He just thought of a nick name for it: The Paint-Maker.

It seemed the man was pleased with her response. That was weird. Who was happy about someone being adopted? What a jerk, right? Then she realized, he was probably just happy she wasn't raging at him about his ethnicity. Some people were dumb enough they'd probably bite his head off. Just because she wasn't one, didn't mean he knew that. Did he have bad experiences with it already? That was so- so sad! She felt bad for only moment, as he prepped his next section? " Iris. Part two. I am an alchemist who uses torture devices as
the major. The name Black Inquisitor was a sort of title given to me
from a story. It was a story about this group who used torture devices
against heretics. Now, I'm not religious, but I do like their trinkets.
Especially the Iron Maiden Box. "

HRRRGGGGG... What to think. Iris just kind of looked at him. She wasn't sure how to respond. It wasn't disgust she felt. After all the stories she heard about Ayden, well.. the Iron Maiden was nothing. She didn't flinch, she just sort of stared. How was she to respond to this? Sitting there, she chewed on the thoughts. Well on one hand torture was incredibly gut-wrenching, but on the other..she didn't really care what he majored in. If he got off from killing people, that was fine. It wasn't like they hadn't had crazier in Fort Briggs. Hell, they had a man who could simply blow the whole place down if he really wanted to.

" You can guess what happens to things inside the box." Not a word was spoken. Iris simply smiled in place. Okay, why smile at that thought? It was gross, but- she couldn't help but feel like this man was trying too hard. Maybe that was just her? Was she the only normal person in all of Briggs? Sometimes.. sometimes it felt like it. "So? You're into kinky things?" She would blurt out. Oh god, did she just say that? Initiate head-desk. "Err.. I mean. That's fascinating..haha.." If she was lucky he'd buy it.

After inspecting Iris' reaction going from pity to thought to even smiling, Leonard just smiled. Though once she mentioned kinky things, it just got him wondering. Did it make him a sadist? That was a good question seeing as he did take pleasure in the pain of others inside his device. At least, the thought of having people in the box getting penetrated by the spikes. This feeling was repressed and bothered him at times. She seemed to act fascinated when it wasn't really true. A mere fairy tale, but she did work with Mr. Derocha. So he wiped the smile off and looked at her, noticing she wasn't so surprised. " Mr. Derocha is probably not even a fallen angel. Just a demon. This world is full of bad people, just millions of reasons why. Now, part three." he said, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position to watch her reaction for the next truth.

He thought about what to choose from; should it be killing for necessity, him being picked right off the spot, or being raised as a true bookworm? He was so close to choosing his first option but it wasn't the time. Now, he decided to leave a cliff hanger and he winked at her. "Part Three will have to wait. Tell me, do you know the definition of Alchemy?" he said, preparing to tell her the famous lines of the Black Family. Destroy to build to destroy to build. This was the lesson he learned from his parents as to what alchemy was.

Iris watched the man's smile come and go, making her wonder, what exactly was on his mind. He certainly was an odd man. He looked different, he acted different or was it- Was the truth that SHE was different and everyone else was normal? Ack. Her head hurt from thinking too much. Now, she was going to just hold an average conversation with this man about a not-so average topic. An amusement came to be finally as he was easing up. She liked that, it had been too long that these recruits were stuck up their own anuses. It had been far too long she had been without a casual interaction in the ice land they lived in.

"Part Three will have to wait. Tell me, do you know the definition of Alchemy?"

. Iris simply laughed and scratched at her chin with the painted fingernails she had. A transmutation circle decorating the index fingers on her hands. Did she know the definition of alchemy? PFFFTT.. "Sir, I am an alchemist. It is: a power or process of transforming something common into something special. As an abridged version, anyways." Her words were fluent as always. She knew what she was talking about. No questions there. However, she would pout. "And cruel! Making me wait!"

Leonard just simply shook his head, knowing that she only understood the taught definition. Iris didn't seem to understand the definition of Alchemy application. His family philosophy had a strong point as to how it is utilized and how it works. The mechanics and use of Alchemy was beyond just the simple bookworm edition of the definition. He looked at her, a dead-serious face, ready to speak the family philosophy. " Alchemy is much more than the official version of that definition. Here's what it is: the irony of destruction caused by construction. Destroying in order to build in order to destroy. Whatever we build, we use to destroy. Whatever we destroy we use to build constructions in order to destroy. Technically, by sacrificing metal I destroy the chances of it being used as it was in its previous state in order to construct something." he said, completely serious about the philosophy.

Leonard had waited for Iris' reaction, wondering if she underestimated him. He was an odd man. Was he good or bad? A blend of both? He contradicts beliefs with other beliefs. This contradiction causes a blind-sided paradox of personality. Though it only truely causes confusion when one talks, thinks, or argues about it. Though as an odd man, he did hold this fascinating philosophy that anybody should realize is true. It holds a strong-standing point that only withers to even stronger-standing points.

(I need to add color to my posts)

She was getting- A lecture? That seemed so illogical and yet it was happening. Here, before her very eyes Iris was being lectured about alchemy. He had asked what the definition was and by terms it was right. He had NOT asked what HER definition was. Hrrgg.. If only this all made sense. It just seemed ignorant, like inviting oneself to someone else's house. Perhaps- Perhaps she was insane? Was this all making sense and she just didn't get it? Unfortunately trials and tribulations would be over eventually and she would be left in the wake of nothingness. What was alchemy by her own definition? Sacrifice. A sacrifice to gain something more needed more important. Discard the old for new, RECYCLING. Alchemy was recycling. Taking bits and pieces of something broken and making it into something that worked.

The words needed were unspoken. What was she to say to that? Class was in session and Iris was just- not going to take it. Pink eyes were soft with temporary sympathy. She'd enjoyed the man's company but Iris knew work needed to be done. "Very well put." she would state as to not hurt his feelings, followed by the harsh formation of dreaded word 'but'. Lingering on her lips were the ominous, I will see you around. "I need to get back to work." Lunch break was long over anyways. So it wasn't as if she was lying. Her lips curled into a kind grin. "Look, we should hang out again sometime. I've been putting off my work, though and I really need to get going." After a smirk and a wink the woman stood up and grabbed her bag. As she brushed past him, she gripped his shoulder. "Visit once in a while, tiger." There it was, the teasing and prodding fun at him.

[Topic Exit]

Drakar watched as Iris left, knowing it started horrible and ended not so bad. He noticed there was something off on her reaction to his lecture, but it did not matter. He needed to get back to studying so he decided to head out of the cafeteria and continued to his room. Once he entered he picked a book to study and just laid on his bed in silence. " I always get the girl." he said, mocking himself with a sarcastic tone. This joke signified one of the few successful attempts at hitting on a girl. Laughing a bit, he just dozed off once he got into the book. The dozing was so much as falling asleep, rather it was just a very long zone out.

[Oh yeah, Topic End]