The Lure of Learning

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione is wandering the Plaza area of the Nexus, with no particular goal in mind. She is closely followed by a large orange cat, who seems to twirl around her ankles just at the right time to avoid being stepped on, but still be close to the young woman in question.

Suddenly, Hermione stops, just outside the grand library and looks up to the immense building with a little bit of awe, a lot of interest, and a glee that is very close to 'kid-in-a-candystore'. But even though every bone in her body wants to go into that library and explore (and get lost in the books), Hermione has paused. A slight confused look on her face.

She finds a place to sit, nearby the library, looking up at the building. The orange cat claims a seat in her lap.

"Would you rather take time to improve your own skills, or teach others to be better people?"

Comments

[whitefrost]

Hermione's not the only one out for a stroll to the library today. A young white-haired boy, dressed in black and white robes and looking to be about as old as a Hogwarts first year, is also on his way to investigate what it has to offer.

The question from the girl seated nearby gives him pause, however. Ordinarily he'd just keep walking, but it's perhaps because it somewhat touches a nerve that he bothers to stop and reply.

"Improve. I'm not exactly the kind of person that could better others."

The answer is given bluntly and without hesitation. He certainly doesn't think he has any right to tell people how to be, at least, nor would he even know what to say if he did. But improvement... That he could do. Has to do.

Thinking largely of the other captains and lieutenants in his organization (and their certain brand of... what one might call eccentricity), he adds, "Most of the people I know are already better people than me anyway, or they're too set in their ways to listen to anything I could say."

Or they're a certain group of traitors who he'd very much like to stab at the first opportunity, which rather brings his own morality into question, really.

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione listens carefully to what the young boy says. He can tell that he has her interest (and the interest of the cat in her lap too).

"What would you most want to improve about yourself?" She asks curiously.

[whitefrost]

His height comes to mind for a split second, but unfortunately there's not really anything he can do about that.

"My combat abilities," he says instead, with a certain tightness in his expression. "Sword skills, spells, physical techniques... I need to be able to handle anything that wants to get in my way." And because something else is nagging at him, he also says, a bit more quietly, "And I need control." So he doesn't hurt the people around him.

And only after that's been accomplished, maybe he can work on little personality snags like his overprotectiveness, temper, inability to accept failure, keeping people at arm's length, etc. etc. etc...

He glances at the cat, wondering if it's just a trained pet or if there's something special about it. He doesn't sense anything unusual, so he hopes it won't do something strange, but he can't help being reminded of someone he knows that can turn into a cat...

"What about you?" he asks the girl, hoping to move the topic a bit further away from his own issues. "Do you fight? Or would you rather improve other skills?"

[mudblood_andproud]

"Spells?" That gets Hermione's attention. She straightens slightly.

"What kind of magic do you study? Perhaps I can help."

Crookshanks looks back at him, and tilts his head a little, as if sensing that he is being watched. He winks one of his big eyes.

"I know how to fight. Both using offensive and defensive spells. But I was involved in a very intense situation... and I would rather not get into something like that again."

"Right now, after everything I have experienced, I am more just trying to figure out what should come next for myself."

[boldygoing]

"Who says you can only do one?"

The counter-question comes from a young man who is jogging past, and he slows to a stop nearby, taking slow deliberate breaths. Jim Kirk has been enjoying having a place to go running without having to worry about being harassed by reporters or dealing with the dull, absolutely boring terrain that is rural Iowa. There's always something new to see here, and it's never boring, making his quest to get back into peak condition a more pleasant one.

[mudblood_andproud]

Crookshanks jumps off Hermione's lap to stroll around the jogger. He takes a moment to weave close to the man's legs.

"One has to be careful how they use their time. I have tried doing too much at once before, and it was quite exhausting."

[boldygoing]

Jim's more of a dog person than a cat person, but he likes them well enough. Already leaning over to brace his hands against his knees, he bends a little further to stroke the cat along its back, pleased that his lower back isn't aching as much as it used to after this kind of exercise. Otherwise there'd be no petting going on.

"Sure," he agrees, "but there's still a balance there, right? Plenty of hours in a day. And sometimes teaching others helps you improve yourself more than you'd think."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia is coming out of the library just as Hermione is asking her question. Busy with clasping shut her messenger bag, it takes her a moment to orient herself to the woman. She gives her a polite smile when she does. Her smile grows when she spots the cat.

"I don't know if that's something you can teach," she admits quietly. "I try to be a better person myself, and hope that I can lead by example. Unless you meant something more specific?"

[mudblood_andproud]

Crookshanks arches up off Hermione's lap, walking towards Adia after seeing that smile. He is sure that she will pet him.

"I am skilled in a few different areas, that I could teach others what I know. And I have been asked to be a teacher."

[chiron_survivor]

Crookshanks is a very smart cat. Adia kneels down to gently pet him along his neck and back. "Aren't you handsome," she says to him with a warm laugh.

"Oh... oh, I see." She frowns thoughtfully, thinking back to the original question. "But you aren't sure if that's what you want to do? You'd rather work on your own skills instead?"

[primelogic]

It's some time after the young lady has taken her seat when an elderly man with rather pointed ears ambles on by her chosen lounging place at the plodding gait those his age always seem to carry themselves with. He nearly passes the young woman by, but her question gives him pause. He turns a curious glance her way.

There's a hint of a smile on his aged face at the sight of the cat in her lap.

"I suppose the choice would depend on if I had the hypothetical skills necessary to pass on said knowledge to other people."

It's a rather odd question to the Vulcan for someone so young. She shouldn't have such a burden on her shoulders so early in life.

[mudblood_andproud]

"I do." Hermione answers softly. Then smiles softly up at the elderly man. His rather pointed ears doesn't seem to phase her. Nor the cat in her lap, who jumps off the bench to come and investigate the man in question.

"I was always the top of my class when I was at school. And often took advanced lessons that others in my age group didn't have the opportunity to take."

Hermione has a lot of burdens on her shoulders for someone so young. "But I don't know if this is the right time to teach, when I could still be learning."

[primelogic]

"The interesting aspect about knowledge is that it is not an either/or limiter."

Forgive him not bending over to pet you, feline friend. He is not as young as he once was. Let him find a place to sit and perhaps then he'll be able to reach far enough to comfortably give the animal some attention.

"Passing on knowledge teaches you how to teach. It is a skill not unlike all of the classes you excelled in when you were enrolled in a formal institution. The questions your students raise lead to avenues for research, which then furthers your own learning. "

He sighs slightly when he sinks into a nearby chair. That's better. Where have you gotten to, feline?

"However...your future should be your own to decide. If you feel you would be more satisfied throwing yourself into your studies completely and there is no pressing need for you to pass your knowledge on to others yet, then there should be no quarrel with you studying."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Questions as interesting as this one deserve an answer, and a certain book-loving rogue has one on the tip of her tongue before she's turned from her current path to the new face. Really, how could she not have an answer when she's spent most of her day in the library Hermione's admiring?

"My own skills," she says confidently. "I make for a poor teacher, and an even worse role model. It's best I leave the teaching to those with better intentions and examples to lay out for others."

Amelia tips her chin up slightly in a defiant gesture, the ghost of a smirk tugging at her lips. Her dark silver hairpin tinkles musically at the move before she crosses one arm in front of her chest and gestures to Hermione with the other. Her clothes are a little odd, more reminiscent of Medieval times with her dark brown linen shirt and pants, leather underbust corset and matching boots, and myriad of leather pouches hanging from her belt, but the woman is anything but after almost two years in the Nexus.

"If someone were to wish for instruction on a specific topic, however, I'd be happy to offer my skills. My methods aren't for everyone, but I can teach someone to fight or keep the books for a business better than many." And that's always worth something, right? She tilts her head curiously at Hermione. "Why do you ask?"

[mudblood_andproud]

It is the musical tinkle of the hairpin that gets Crookshanks attention. The cat lifts his head, searching around for the source of the sound. Then directs his attention to Amelia's hair, where he can see something glittering. He twitches his tail.

"It does take a special person to be a teacher. I always admired the patience of my teachers. Most of them...." Hermione smirks slightly, remembering one of her professors fondly.

She answers the question of why she is asking first. "I am at a crossroads in my life. I just finished school. And had dealt with a very difficult conflict during my last year there. And now, I am trying to determine what path to take next."

"What kind of fighting skills do you teach, if you don't mind me asking?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia watches the cat carefully, a little confused by what it's doing. Not understanding the creatures to begin with certainly isn't helping her here. Cats are... strange.

The comment about the crossroads earns a single huffed laugh and a wry smile. Yes, that's something the rogue is very familiar with. "It's the best and worst place to be in life," she notes, an air of knowing in her words. "Even if you do determine your path, there's no telling how long it may take to begin it - or if it will turn out to be the one you need to be on." Says a woman who's been working on figuring which of the infinite number of paths at her feet to take for well over a year now. It's always easier to give advice than follow it.

Hermione's question earns a more amused smile as she crosses her free arm over her chest alongside the other. "I'm best with my blades - my rapier and my gauche - but I have a fondness for the slingshot my father gave me some years ago." The corner of her lip tugs into a smirk as she adds, "I'm not bad when it comes to a fistfight either." Physical training like what Amelia puts herself through definitely helps with that. She needs something to occupy her time when magical practice and research aren't cutting it.

[russianfairy]

Yuri has no interest in the library, but the orange cat catches his attention immediately, and he can't help but go closer. That means, of course, that he hears the question, and if it means he gets to spend some time in the presence of the pretty cat, he'll answer. He begins with a derisive snort.

"My life is all about improving my skills so that I'll be the best. Anyway, I'm the one that others are always saying should be nicer and crap, so it would be pretty hypocritical of me to spout off on others about behaviour."

[mudblood_andproud]

Crookshanks seems to sense that the young man's attention was on him first... and he stretches up and strolls along the bench. As if saying that he is very pretty. And very brilliant.

Hermione laughs softly. "You are very honest about your own challenges."

"What skills are you trying to improve?"

[russianfairy]

Yuri is enraptured by the cat and badly wants to pet it, but despite his general lack of manners, he respects cat owners and won't do so without permission.

"I'm a professional figure skater. I won gold at the Grand Prix finals even though I was the youngest there, and I'm not going to slow down until I make the Olympics. I also do ballet -- it helps with the skating. I'm always working at both."

He finally can't stand it anymore. "Is it okay if I pet him?"

[grantuseyes]

Micolash has just wandered out of the library, a stack of books held in both hands in front of him. He seems very absorbed in just ensuring he makes it down the steps without incident, watching both his books and his steps interchangeably. And a little awkwardly, as looking down at himself (and therefore at his books) is hard to do properly when the collar of his cage is in the way.

He pauses when he hears the question, though, stopping on the step third from the bottom. He stands silently for a time, staring sleepily at the girl doing the asking. The man is honestly bizarre to look at. A tattered academic's regalia draped over a shabby suit, a towering iron cage on top of his head, his skin sallow and his gaze almost never properly focused.

"Oh... Speaking as a college professor, I should think doing both is possible. When one teaches others, your own skills and knowledge grow and cement themselves. Hoarding knowledge to yourself is hardly the academic way to go about things." Micolash's words are always meandering, low and enunciated carefully. He gives off the impression of being a sleepwalker, really. One dressed in the strangest way possible.

[mudblood_andproud]

When Hermione looks up at the man speaking to her, she only tilts her head slightly at his unusual appearance. As someone who has dealt with a few ghosts and other unusual creatures, she will be polite to this man. No matter how bizarre he looks.

And she listens carefully to his enunciated words. "I always enjoyed sharing my knowledge with others. During the war, it was because of necessity... and I had a purpose. Now, I am not sure what would the best path to move forward."

"Do you need a hand with your books?" Because it looks like he might drop one of them, and that would not be good.

[grantuseyes]

He'd be unremarkable, if severely disheveled and tatty, if it weren't for that dreadful cage on his head. Who would find that to be suitable headgear? This man, apparently.

Micolash tilts his head to one side (the cage thankfully not moving with it; imagine how it'd alter his balance) and tsks in sympathy. "War is such an ugly thing. So much lost knowledge, destroyed tomes, undone studies. Destruction is sometimes part of discovery, but not to such a scale as all-out war."

When Hermione offers aid with his books, Micolash looks between her and the load in his arms before he haltingly moves one hand to rest on top of them. There. They're secure now, surely. He doesn't say anything as he completes this switch.

[tielle_mortevus]

Stepping out from within the library, Tielle approaches, open parasol in hand as she takes a seat next to Hermione.

"I would think one directly influences the other. The more you improve on your own skills and knowledge, the more you can impart that wisdom unto others. I wish I could say my motivations for such things are as noble, but when you've been around as long as I have, constant learning and training is the only way to keep things from getting dull and stagnant."

She gives the girl an inquisitive stare

"I take it you're at a crossroads of sorts?"

[mudblood_andproud]

"A very confusing crossroads." Hermione acknowledges. "I have completed all my school courses. And now am uncertain if I should go on to a new career path. Or if I should find a way to continue my studies."

[tielle_mortevus]

"There are some things one can only learn from experience. For instance, you can study the art of combat for years, but without the experience of executing it in a live environments, the knowledge is useless without the practical training to properly use it. I learned that concept the hard way when I had a small empire dropped in my lap."

She gave her a smile, thinking for a moment.

"What is it you studied, and what of this new career path? I'd like to hear more about it."