A Lesson in Composition (Dick and Arsen)

"And that is the weakness of childhood." Richard observed with a smirk, "You think you can take on the world, until the world rears its ugly head and tries to swallow you whole. The strength comes from how you deal with that."

Richard raised an eyebrow,

"A leather jacket?" he smirked teasingly, "I wonder where you got that idea from... but I'll teach it to you once I've made it up."

He chuckled a little,

"I understand what you mean." he shrugged a little, "There's no light and dark in my world so parents can be bad regardless of their politics."

Richard raised an eyebrow,

"Men like Cobalt took the route of the shadows and are hunted because of it." he shrugged, "Of course the easiest person to target is someone who is the centre of attention."

He rolled his eyes a little,

"Oh come off it Arsen." he sighed a little, "People are just that... people. You can have the same courage and bravery as Gryffindor prizes and yet still have the cunning. Hell, all of the cunning in the world is nothing if you don't have the courage to go through with your plans. Thanks for keeping it from Bri though."

Richard smirked,

"But you'd have to catch me off guard to burn me completely alive. And before you do I can change my body." he held a hand out and it flashed slightly before becoming solid but somehow still flexible steel, "I've grown quite good at changing my body."

He shook his head slightly,

"And is fire all you are?" he smirked lightly, "I never knew fire that could think. Fire doesn't think, it just consumes. Will you just consume Arsen? Will you give nothing but ash? I doubt you'll act like fire completely, despite your skills."

Richard chuckled a little,

"So did Alaster Moody..." he smirked lightly, "And we all know how that ended."

"Oh where's the fun in that? After awhile you come to love them, the adrenaline is truly something."

"Hey i've always worn a leather jacket ever since uncle Aspen brought me one." He smirked, he knew exaclty what he was thinking and it just wasn't true. "Thanks i think i'm going to need it soon, Hades is teaching me to channel my gifts so far i can change my body temperature, explode into flames when i'm panicing, make fire balls and light my finger up." He said lifting up one finger so a flame appeared on the end like a lighter. "Well so far i'm useful if you want to light a cigarette but i dont know anyone who smokes." He smiled blowing his finger out.

"Well i'll make sure i don't make my work obvious, i'm not one to brag anyway." He smiled.

He frowned crossing his arms over his chest he refused to to like them, not matter what Rich thought he would never be like them. He looked out the window his eyes narrowed slightly.

I can become as hot as i like Professor and everything has it's melting point." He said still not looking at Rich. "But being able to change your form so easily must be useful. Are you an animagus?" He asked.

"You don't no me Professor you have no idea what i'm really like. I don't think with my head, that's the problem, i think with my fist as people say. I go all in attacking people and don't think about the consequences that's the real reason i was shot that day and why my parents and little brother died." He frowned looking down. "Sometimes i just wanna let the fire in me take control it would make life so much easier if i didn't have to think."

"I think Hades is more clever than Moody. He won't turn insane like that, he can't. Well not until he's taught me all he knows." He smiled weakly that would be just his luck for someone else that cared for him to die.

"I love to fight to the death but having to fight to stay alive i'm not a fan of." He sighed. "Being this close to death is scary." He said holding his forefinger and thumb slightly apart.

Richard shrugged a little,

"Cobalt smokes." he commented off-handedly before smirking, "So start with the jacket? Got it. Just bring me a practice shirt first. I wouldn't want to burn your jacket during an unsuccessful test."

He smirked a little,

"Good. A braggard's life is usually short."

"Correct Arsen, everything does have a melting point. But are you confident in your ability to reach that level before I have attacked? With practice I'm sure you will, but it will take time." he shrugged a little, "No, I'm not an animagus. Never saw the point. I'm adept at self-transfiguration into animals, and the only difference between that and being an animagus is that as an animagus you keep more of your human mind, which is a hinderence to be fair. Oh and I can track better than blood hounds with my nose."

Richard frowned a little,

"If you let that happen then I can promise you this... you will live the rest of your life in regret." he sniffed a little, "You'll wake up one morning, far from here and now, with lucidity for the first time in ages because the fire needs to recover. And you'll regret it all. The burnings, the way you attacked whatever moved... the people you hurt because you didn't think. Rule, don't be ruled."

He shrugged a little,

"The fact remains, everyone can be taken by surprise." he sighed a little, "But I'm sure he will be one of the last."

Richard grinned a little,

"There's no difference between the two Arsen, just that which you yourself make. A fight to the death can be a struggle to stay alive. And a struggle to live can be a fight to the death." he smirked a little, "All depends on your mindset. I love them both. Although most people would call me crazy for that, I don't care. I've grown so used to it that I love both."

"Oh yeah, i forgot about that. But i doubt i'll ever get to light one for him though." He smiled.

"Oh don't worry about it i'll bring three, there is no way i'm just going to let you loose on this it was a christmas present." He smiled opening his jacket to show it off.

"It wont take long for me to learn so far i can go to about 200 degrees in five seconds but i'm working on speeding that up. Do you think you could survive that?" He asked seriously he didn't know that many boiling points but he should really figure them out at one point.

He sighed. "Why is life so complicated? I'm sick and tired of all this thinking, my head hurt's i just don't have the energy anymore, i'm tired." He said the bags under his eyes looking worse than ever. He'd not had a good nights sleep since... well he couldn't remember the last time it was that long ago. Add that to the training with Hades and he was practically a zombie nowadays.

"GRRR, i don't know what to do anymore." He cried dropping his heavy head into his hands. "I need a fire, i need to think." His voice slightly muffled by his hands.

"I hope so, i can't be alone right now i'll go insane. I've had way too much time alone enough for fire to slowly eat away at my powers. That's the one down side to this gift, it's constantly trying to take over control." He frowned his eyebrows lowering as he thought. "Can i use your fire place?" He asked looking over to the empty fire place. "I need more energy." He gently placed his snake on Rich's desk waiting for a reply before he got up to walk over to the fire. Right now he needed all the energy he could get.

"I'd love to fight till the death i mean i don't like fighting against an injury to live. That sucks but fighting a person, bring it on." He smiled taking off his leather jacket to keep it safe.

"You never know." he replied with a casually shrug.

"Cautious... very good." he smirked, "I might let you watch the process if you'd like. You won't understand almost any of it but I'll do my best to explain."

Richard shrugged a little,

"And I can turn my entire body into Tungsten in less than two seconds." he shrugged again, "Melting point of 3400 degrees. You'll need practice to be able to reach that temperature, let alone within an acceptable time."

He waved at the fireplace slightly,

"Yeah sure, knock yourself out." he commented idly and he thought for a moment, "I've often seen fights against injuries as harder than fights against opponents. An opponent is easy, simple. An injury... a sickness... its like your own body is betraying your need to fight."

He looked at Arsen and then looked at his watch,

"It's dragging on now Arsen. And I'm sure you have better things to do than argue philosophy with me." he smirked, "Like sleeping."

"Thanks you'll have to dumb it down a bit though so i know what you're talking about." He smiled weakly.

"Tungsten should i know what that is?" He asked his eyebrows. "Wow that's amazing 3400 is really hot i should know."

He looked over to the fire place and thought for a second, there is only one person that had seen him do this and he wasn't sure if he wanted others to see it too. He turned back to Rich and smiled. "Thanks but i'll think i'll wait, it's quite scary and hard for me to control with others present." He smiled weakly. "It wont exactly help that i have no energy to even move, it will make fighting it that much harder."

"Exactly i'm not going to let myself get hurt again. At least now i understand my gift better i can use it defensively or just use it against people.
He looked at Arsen and then looked at his watch,

"I really don't but sleeping does sound good right now." He smiled gently sleep didn't come naturally to him now adays, the nightmares came a little too often.

"Oh... that I might forget to do. But I'll be sure to tell you afterwards." he replied sheepishly, teaching this subject was totally new to him.

Richard tutted playfully,

"Tungsten is the most useful element on the periodic table." he chuckled, "It beats even the fiendfyre that Hades can summon up."

He frowned a little,

"You sound like you're having trouble sleeping... and the bags under your eyes are a dead giveaway." he smirked a little before sighing, "Why don't you go to the infirmary for a dreamless sleep potion? Or, if that's too public, you can ask either Briony or Professor Neels."

He shrugged a little,

"Ah hell... why not?" he went over to his desk and drew out a single vial of dreamless sleep potion. He held it out for Arsen, "Take it. I can deal with my own nightmares for one night."

"Thanks." He smiled. "Hey! I'm eleven i still have time to learn all this stuff but that's impressive if it beats Hades fiendfyre he's an expert at that." He smirked spitting his tongue out at him.

He shrugged letting his eyes follow an owl just visible in the nights sky. "I don't think i have slept properly in weeks, i just keep seeing a gun pointed at me and my mothers face as a bullet reached her head. I thought she hated me but she actually tried to save me that day. That's never happened." He sighed shivering a little at the thought.

"Oh no i hate infirmaries. i've spent most my life coming in and out of St mungo's, i hate that place." He nodded his thanks and made a mental note to ask Professor Blake the next time he saw her. He really did need some sleep.

"What? No i can't take that, not if it's your last one." He frowned looking down to the bottle. "Nightmares are awful no one should have to put up with them, so im not going to swap mine for yours im not that selfish yet." He smiled weakly opening the door to leave. "See you next week professor." He smiled then left.