Knowledge is Power. (Open)

[Locke F. Herald]

The training Center existed for people to train their natural gifts, and Locke knew that his gift was the strongest there was. Those who held the information were always the ones who won, because they knew what would happen before it happened.

Locke was flipping through a book on elemental control, this particular one dealt with water control. How curious indeed, you never knew when you would find something that you would need to know, and it's not like there was any shortage of information here.

Some people would think that Locke just had to read it once to understand, they blamed his intelligence on a power, oh how wrong they were.

KNOWING something and knowing how to use it were two very different things. The most important factor in using knowledge was having the wisdom to know what exactly to use.

Hmph, foolish children with their weapons and pointlessly destructive powers, it was all very annoying to him.

Oh well, they'd help his research one way or another.

[Eve Stone]

Eve just assumed that something called the training center meant that she could train. When she walked in however there was a young boy reading. Had she found the library instead? Being relatively new to the acedemy she usually just trained outside, but today she wanted to try out this "training" room. Dressed in her usually fitness wear of shorts made from an old pair of sweatpants and scissors, sports bra, a baggy tank, and her best fitting shoes.

Hands on hips she didn't think it right or polite to start training when someone was trying to read. So she headed over to the boy and half way there realized that those bumps on his head were'nt bumps but ears. Thinking that was fairly interesting and unusual she walked around to the front of him to find him younger than she had first guessed.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry but, uh this is a training room right? Not a library?" That sounded rude and sarcastic. She huffed in frustration then started over.

"Hi, sorry to bother you. I just want to know I'm in the right place. I don't want to disturb you're studying, reading, whatever time if I start training." She bit out. That still sounded slightly harsh. She was about to break something.

"Garg! Screw it I'm going outside. Sorry to of bothered you." She turned away to storm out of the room frustrated with her incapability to communicate without sounding like she wanted to kill someone.

[Locke F. Herald]

Locke became aware of someone talking to him, how annoying. And even worse they were a FEMALE. Ugh, what had he done to deserve this.

He observed the following sequence of events with a good deal of humor. She was comical in her ability, or lack thereof, to communicate. And then she declared, angrily, that she was going outside in a huff. What the hell was that all about? He would have been very happy to see her go, but the rules of Edengrowth said he should spread knowledge, and she had asked a question. So as she stormed off he sent a simple and effective answer her way.

"Yes this is the training area. But not all training is done with your fists."

[Eve Stone]

She was almost to the door when she heard the boy with the oddest ears she'd ever seen talk. Stopping she turned and glared at him. A smarta** perfect. Eve stormed right back over to him and squatted to be eye level with him. Her cold grey eyes showing quite plainly that she wanted to throttle him.

"I know that young boy. I have no quarrel with intelligent people. I just happen to not be one." Her hands were draped over her knees as she glared at him though since he hadn't said too much to insult her it didn't last all that long.

"People who can understand the world will make it much farther than I ever will, and that's alright with me. But everyone has to stick to their strengths, right?" As usual her voice sounded harsh and angry though she wasn't really it just came from being a war dragon. Though her angry voice sounded a lot more like 'I'm going to rip your spine out through you nose.' Than what she sounded like normally which only sounded like 'Say the wrong thing and I very well might rip your spine out through you nose. Maybe.' To most there wasn't that big of a difference to her there was. Many who lived didn't get to here her pissed off voice.

[Locke F. Herald]

Locke would say that he was not intimidated by this woman's violent reaction, that he was calm and in control like always, but that would be a lie. Right about now he was terrified of this woman, but surely she wouldn't attack him in the academy...right?

He wasn't so sure...even so. "Respect for intelligence is all well and good, and a better first step then most people make." He said keeping his eyes on his book. If he looked at her he might panic even more, as long as he kept his mind focused on the words he was ok.

"But one shouldn't sacrifice it in favor of something else just because they aren't good at it. An obvious strength is an obvious weakness. You think you won't go far because you aren't smart, well if you accepted that already you can change it to. If you wanted to at least...nobody enjoys doing what they aren't good at."

He turned a page of the book, not really reading the words but more of using them as a distraction so he didn't have to look at this woman.

[Eve Stone]

Man this kid was full of himself! She bit the inside of her mouth until it bled to keep calm. Darn her fast temper. Through all of his talking she bowed her head her hands in fists her nails growing into her palms as her rage started growing. Then he made sense. She blinked once and jerked up her head.

"What did you just say? That last part." No one had ever suggested she...change. They just told her 'Don't ask questions' 'Go lift weights you're good at that' 'Stupid. You're stupid accept that and move on.' Insulting her intelligence was no big deal though she'd beaten the hell out of her younger brother for saying it. To her brawns was all she had. Yeah, she was decent at school she didn't fail, but she was no genius either. Average grades were her signature in school.

She slipped to her bottom and stared at the boy her look between the usual angry and confused. Her knees were bent and she leaned back onto her arms. This kid was frustrating as hell but he was, well interesting.

"Go on. Explain what you just said." It snapped off like a rock being struck by lightning her eyes narrow. She didn't even realize it this time that her expression screamed 'Talk or die.'

[Locke F. Herald]

Locke was trying very hard to ignore this girl's intimidating presence. And she made that much much harder by kneeling down inches from him, with an expression on her face as if she was about to spit daggers at him. NOW he lost his cool.

"Uh...well...ummm..." Don't make the psyco woman angry! Just do as she says and you might live to tomorrow! "If you want to be a smart person, t-then you should be able to do i-it. L-like if I wanted t-to be stronger, I-I could go out and b-become s-s-stronger. It just r-requires work..."

Now he had nowhere to look except this incredibly intimidating woman. "So...it's uhh....it's your choice...if you want to learn more, the resources are here...if you want to get stronger, then you can do that too...it just depends what you want....right?"

And by 'right?' he meant 'are you not going to kill me now'?

[Eve Stone]

Why was he stuttering? Then she realized it at his look after he stopped talking. She was doing it again. Groaning she wrapped her arms around her knees her head buried. As a female war dragon she had to look tough enough for males to leave her the hell alone. Thus to normal people even other dragons her looks could appear a lot more intimidating than to other war dragon. The poor kid probably thought she was some nutcase about to kill him. Unless he could read minds he didn't know she was a war dragon. Poor little guy.

"Okay. I think I get what you're saying. It'll just take more work to make me more intelligent." She had risen her head before speaking her face serious but less intimidating. It was taking concentration to not look murdrous. If she was able to become more intellectual would she have better control over her anger? If she could control her anger she might become a better fighter. Better fighter meant she could win more fights, thus being able to become the leader of the war dragon's like her parents wanted.

"Aha!" She yelled almost leaping at the boy. She did go to her knees getting very close to him her eyes flashing with excitement. A new training tactic! She loved new training tactics!

"You are brilliant! And because you are brilliant you will teach me to be intelligent!" Eve growled out pointing a finger at his face her voice as excited as a bull dog with a bone. She of course looked like a crazed, lunatic but at least she was smiling which only made it worse.

[Locke F. Herald]

She seemed to be backing off, had he just saved his life? It would look that way for now, whew, close call. She also seemed to be putting together what he said fairly well. Good good.

And then a look of genius popped on her face, and she lunged at him. "Aaah!" Locke half screamed, bringing his hands up as a shield against the crazy woman. He waited for the agonizing death that surely awaited him to hear her talking again.

'You are brilliant!' A compliment? With that Locke started to peak out from behind his shield of limbs, to see her insane grin.

'And because you are brilliant you will teach me to be intelligent.'

Well that seemed like a fair statement, I mean it wasn't like he was a tu-

"Wait, WHAT?!"

[Eve Stone]

Now he was screaming at her? She made a loud frustrated sound waving at his limbs trying to knock them away so she could talk to him. Fragile people were just so annoying.

"Damnit! Lil' boy, I am not going to eat you!" She growled going back to rest her bum on her heels staring at him. Maybe getting in his face was not the best of ideas. Then he yelled and she burst out in harsh not vey comforting laughter. It stopped abruptly and her face returned to cold and unyielding.

"Yes, you will teach me the ways of intelligence. I have to become the best fighter I can be, and the way you talk I think I can control myself better if I am more intelligent." This made complete sense to her and seeing his reaction she thought she might as well clarify herself.

"I become more intelligent. I control my anger. I control my anger I can better fuel my fighting. Thus I win more. I win more I get higher up in life. Simple!" She kept building the more she talked until she was once again in his face almost yelling at him in her enthusiasm.

(ooc. oops wrong color...)

[Locke F. Herald]

Ok, she was speaking coherently, and the way it looked Locke really didn't have a choice but to help her. After all, she SAID she wouldn't eat him, but he wasn't sure he believed that.

"Well, um....if you want to learn how to fight better, I guess I can...teach some combat strategy?" He said, almost a question then a statement. He lowered his hands now, not because he felt safe, but because he felt that all they were doing was annoying her more. She started pushing forward in her excitement, and Locke himself pulled back to get away from those fangs.

Wait, fangs?

For the first time in the meeting Locke was thinking rationally. Fangs, violent, always wanting to fight and very aggressive.

"Y-You aren't human are you?" He said, not sure if it was the most polite thing to say, but he wasn't sure how to phrase it. He was pretty sure he knew exactly what she was, but he wasn't going to take the chance at a wrong guess.

[Eve Stone]

"I don't need damn combat strategies!" Eve hit the floor snapping at him. "I've been taught that since I was-um- born. I need to learn things." What she needed to learn she hadn't even the slightest inkling but he was the smart one not her. He was looking at her funky again. She paused and narrowed her eyes trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Why are you-Human?" Oh. Sh*t. "Why do you ask?" Now she was trying to be all nice and sweet though it wasn't working well because she kept managing to glare at him.

"You don't look very normal with your kitty ears." She bit out jerking a finger at the ears in comment. "So who are you to ask if I am human or not?" She wasn't but she didn't know if she wanted him to know that yet.

[Locke F. Herald]

Oh so you wanted to snap at me now? Just you wait till you stop talking, I'll...

"You don't look very normal with your kitty ears."

Locke's face went red, but not with embarrassment as was usual with him. Not with fear of this woman that was shouting at him, no not at all.

Locke was PISSED. And the funny thing about anger, it tends to override ones judgment, especially when they are someone not used to anger.

"So you just march right in here and demand people to do what you want?! You might as well have Almasty tattooed on your head with your pride to choke a dragon!" He stood up defiantly. "You want a lesson on intelligence? Fine, have a bit of this!"

He took a deep breath for a second, which did nothing to calm his anger. "You are aggressive, violent and can't seem to stop appearing threatening, which leads me to believe that you were expected to appear threatening. You have one scar on your right arm that is partially visible when you move your arms, causing sleeve movement. Add to that your fangs and your little remark about having to fight since you were born and I don't even need you to answer the damn question, dragon!"

Locke didn't realize it, but he had practically been in her face while he was shouting at her. And now he glared at her, practically spitting the words out.

"Five minutes and I just deciphered your entire life, how does it feel to see real intelligence?"

Now, one might say being so rude to a dragon would be unwise, but well, Locke had a trigger or two like everyone else. And she hit his.

[Eve Stone]

She blinked and leaned back watching the boy yelling at her and analyzing her very existance down to the slightest scar. Eve checked her teeth with her tongue and frowned disappointed that she had lost her temper enough for the fangs to show. Then she stared at her many scars that she saw as signs of honor. Signs that she had survived.

He was getting very close while yelling at her and using her race as if it was a curse. And what the hell was Almasty? Eve blinked and it was like a switch flicked.

"Well, little bookrat." She growled going on all fours her eyes sinking into a slit but stil ltheir human grey color. "I think I made someone angry." Her hands shot to either side of his chair pushing herslef very close to him.

"I don't like people nosing into my business, boy. I order because that is how I was raised. I meant nothing by it." She shoved at the chair at the word it her muscles barely flexing. The dragon didn't know she had insulted him really, but he also messed with the wrong type of dragon.

"Yes. Dragon. I am dragon. I am W.A.R. dragon." She spelled it out to put emphasis on it to make sure the little twit knew who the heck he was dealing with. Eve had no intentions of hurting him. Scaring the pants off of him? Indeed. Hurt? Never. Her beliefs did not fall into hurting the weaponless and weak.

"It is a flaw of mine that I can't communicate to people without being a dictating, intimidating, threatening b*tch. I am working very hard on fixing it." Her grip tightened on the chair and it groaned under her strength her nails, claws, eyes dragon, and fangs clearly shown.

[Locke F. Herald]

Even before she started speaking Locke put two and two together. He had just been shouting at a dragon. Was he insane?! What was he thinking?!

She was bullying him now, something he was very well used to. Mock the ears, bully him to get what you want, such was the life of someone with intelligence.

She then affirmed that she was indeed a War Dragon, how lovely. The most brutal and violent of the races, except possibly certain demons, and he had to run into one that wanted his service.

It was like she was trying to scare him into obeying her, well maybe reason might work...

Might.

"You are asking something that isn't that easy!" He said, more then a little exasperated. "Me teaching you to be smart is like you teaching me to fly. Sure, one day I might develop the ability, or find a way to do it. But it's not something that can be 'taught'. If you already have your own intelligence, why do you want mine? You fight, you said you know combat strategy, so you have the knowledge you need for what you do. If you want to change, then you change, don't ask someone else to make you change. Because I don't have the power to magically change what you know. Intelligence is like being able to fight. It can be taught by someone else, but it's more likely to be learned by the person who wants it. "

Locke found, oddly enough, that she seemed to respond better to people being aggressive. Made sense, people did tend to find peace in the familiar, why would dragons be any different? But maybe he should give he something to set her eyes on, just to take the edge off.

"If you know what you want to learn about, I can help. But if you just want to learn you need to find something to focus on."