[Ta]king [Mo]men[ts]

[Dante]

Travis simply shook his head and looked away, letting the question echoe into the deep castle. It went on for a good minute, or two and suddenly stopped. It was just like back at home, when he was alone. His parents worked a good amount of the day and the young acolyte was left to study in his small, usually dark room. The memory kept him going, because he knew his parents were doing good for the family. It was like a fire on a candle wick; small and ready to go out at a single rush of air.

"Mom, Dad! I got in! I..." The young voice sank into the hollow walls of the cottage near the edge of the town. Darkness and silence was the only thing that answered back, fading into the rest of the emptiness that filled the house. A young teen, about thirteen, had a letter clutched into his hand. It was most likely the acception letter that the school gave to those who hey thought would make it in. The boy was alone and he stood still, letting the empty darkness and the foreboding silence wrap around him.

Travis decided to answer the man's question, "It's called Alchemy. It's a complicated thing to learn and I've studied the book as much as I could. I dissected the spells and carefully perfected my work, but even with that... I can't face an Elder to pass." The teen slowly grasped his shoulder and clenched it tight before making another move. To be honest, Travis was shocked. It was the way that this man described Alchemy.

He mocked those students, Travis included, who studied and worked as much as possible, missing plenty of social time just to pass to the next grade. He didn't just mock the students, but the science in general. It was so much more than 'crude' and 'restrictive'; it was like a human! It lived and breathed, being fed knowledge and time. This was something that kept the acolyte alive! Without it... Travis would never have met this odd man, not saying that he wanted too, but...

The silence looming over both of them after that answer needed to be broken. It obviously wasn't going to be broken by this guy who was drawing on his eyelids. "You haven't told me... What's your name?" Travis's voice stayed monotone and was sort of dulled in volume. He wasn't as cheerful to meet this person as he once had. Still, he wanted that interview.

[lysander]

Brayley stared at the passionate student with a single dead eye. The other was closed as the glowing markings of the rune settled into he skin of his shuttered eyelid. While the other was saying things that held deep emotional value, he was evaluating the implications of an 'elder' and what the closest resemblant concept he knew of might be, and which possibilities were more likely than others. "Alchemy..."

Yet, somehow, the boy struck something inside Brayley. A man who was so focused on his magic that he barely knew his own name, and could hardly hold a conversation with another human being, was feeling something other frustration for the first time in years. "Paradise King Brayley. King Paradise Brayley. King Brayley Paradise. Brayley Paradise King. Paradise Brayley King."[/color] He mumbled quietly to himself.

This blathering fool, this king of kings, this hero, this devil; he was something that could not be described in any amount of time. And yet he was the result of one dream, and many dreams all twisted together in a single ray of hope. And he was the result of the failings in hope. Travis would likely only see him in one light; A heartless, soulless cretin. As the rune settled, his eye shot wide open, red and blue dots sparkling around the yellowy iris.

His lips parted and he mouthed several words... "Don't... Forget... Something."[/color][/i] A small mechanical bird landed on the small statue, and looked quizzically at the two scientists. Brayley knelt down before it, and stared intently at the lifeless machinery. Everything was ruined by the appearance of this boy, and still that strange commandment to continue his work reverberated through the reaches of his skull. The voice that commanded Brayley was satisfied with this development, but the magician didn't like it. He knew he didn't like. "What was it you wanted, interloper?"[/color]

The words were there simply to let Brayley time to think upon these things, and let them compost, but a simple phrase could not help but repeat itself over and over while he stared at the bird.

Speak to me.[/u][/color][/size]

[Dante]

"Hey. Stop calling me by that name. It's Travis." Travis listened to the words that the old scientest muttered to himself. He seemed to be repeating the same three words to himself; Brayley, King and Paradise. Was he trying to remember his own name!? Of course, he seemed pretty aged, but to forget his own name? If he couldn't remember something so simple, then how would he remember what Travis's name was? This man didn't seem as smart as he used to seem. Maybe it was just some type of impression that his appearance made?

No, it wasn't his appearance. It was the speed at how he took in all of the information from the book. No simple man could do that and retain it all in under five minutes. Was it that he learned too much and his mind just threw away the useless combination of his name? It was the most possible solution out of any others he thought up. The book in Travis's hands seemed to feel lifeless after having seen "Brayley" in action. Knowing how the older scholar did this act would put the young alchemist in the lead by a long shot!

"Well, do you mind me calling you Brayley, for now? Anyways, I wanted an interview from you, sir. Would you care to answer a few questions from a humble student? I would greatly appreciate it." If he were going to get him to comply, then Travis would need to act friendly, though it's sorta hard to do so when you barely know how to be social towards people.