Heinous Histories (Open-Read Description)

Richard was on the prowl, finally freed from his month of isolation. A whole month without the forest, it had felt like torture to him to be away for so long. The lazy wind blowing through the trees, the occasional sighting of rabbit and deer, the freedom from prying eyes... He was glad to find a majority of the area unchanged, retaining its peaceful purity, but something was ticking him off...

Over the summer months it would seem that vast quantities of graffiti had taken residence upon many of the larger trees such as; "Ian rules," "Call this number for a good time; *********," and a revolting slew of names with hearts around them. He couldn't help but furrow his brow as he chewed absentmindedly on a strip of overpoweringly strong coffee flavoured gum.

His frown only grew darker as he found his favourite tree defaced, the words; "JH + LB 4 EVA <3" carved into the bark. Without even a second of thinking he extended his sloth-bear like claws and neigh eviscerated the poorly etched phrases. He drew a claw on his other hand and sat himself down, scratching the little brown flakes out from the behind his claws so as to prevent splinters. With that done the short man retracted his claws, reached under his scarf, and pulled out a thick book bound in brown leather, the front of which read; "History of Human-Faunus Relations."

This was a subject, being from fairly off the grid during his early years, Richard had never really felt the need to learn about. Wouldn't really help him in his hunting, just a boring book... but alas, it would seem the library need a restock. He'd read just about everything that could remotely hold his interest. He guessed it couldn't hurt to know what others had been through, granted he was fortunate in that his trait was far less noticeable than other people's.

With a yawn and a sigh he relaxed and reclined against the tree, sat below the markings he had scratched out and stared down at the open book in his lap. Might as well see why so many people are at each other's throats... who knows, maybe I'll find a way to use their anger. Though bigots are usually idiots so I don't know what use they'll be.

The trees whispered around her, their leaves rustling in the wind, and branches creaking beneath the weight of heavy bough and limb. She smiled, the sounds of the forest caressing her ears and calming her. The trees seemed to speak to her, their soft hum and drum reaching into her very core with a gentle, aged feel and bringing about an almost preternatural calm and grounded feeling. Trees were not commonplace where she grew up, but the occasional gnarled one would make an appearance and Anput would sit beneath its dried and tired limbs, listening to the wheeze and creak of the parched wood, and the bone rattle of dry and dead leaves around her. She could always tell when the tree had finally died, suffocated and snuffed out by the sands around it. She would leave a small offering at the base of the tree, a lintel wrapped in ceremonial cloth that symbolized a good journey in the afterlife and a hopeful rebirth.

The trees here, unlike her ancient and dried up ones back home, were healthy and hale. The moisture and abundance of nutrients in the soil promoted happy and healthy growth for young saplings and sustained old ones. Anput smiled, placing a hand upon the trunk of an ancient oak, she could almost feel the thrum of energy beneath the bark. Her mother had told her that trees didn't have auras like humans did, but sometimes Anput swore she could feel the aura of trees... But perhaps it was her hopeful wishing that caused her to sense such things.

Her ears perked forward when she heard a slash of what sounded like a weapon or claws against bark. Carefully she stepped forward and crouched low, keeping step light in case it was a Grimm marking up a tree. The sight of a boy with a book open in his lap and leaning against one of the trees greeted her. Her gaze flitted to the crossed out markings above his head.

He must have crossed out the strange symbols that others had carved into the trees. She had noticed that was an increasing trend in this forest, but she did not quite understand the pleasure nor purpose of defacing nature to write such inane things. Why could they not use paper?

"They bother you as well." She simply stated, stepping forward and gesturing to the markings above the male's head.

Richard yawned, flicking through the old book's pages. The idea of confining all of faunus-kind to a single location seemed rather stupid to him, let alone one quite so small. The humans hadn't really stood a chance if that was there end goal, too busy taking prisoners to actually defeat the enemy. He didn't quite like the rumors that the Schnee Dust Company used faunus labor in such a horrible way, he noted to himself to probably use another brand. Wasn't like the massive dust company needed more money anyway.

Hearing rather light footsteps, soon followed by a short line of dialog, the faunus man looked up from his book only to see a girl that made him question quite a few things. Well... odds are she's a hunter or a hunter in training, would be quite rare for a mere civilian to dress like that. Richard thought to himself, ...I think it's probably a better way to dress than quite a few of the girls I've seen, far less flowing clothing that could be grabbed... would certainly distract some opponents in a tournament. Leaves her exposed does imply some level of skill and lack of fear I guess. Hair is the only sticking point, least it's not pigtails though.

The short man quickly replied to his fellow faunus; "Indeed, when you grow up among them you tend to get attached."

The short boy reclined a little further, crossing his legs and pulling the book up to just bellow his eye line, thus making it's title which was etched in golden writing able to be read by her. He did this so as to convey that he wasn't really looking for a fight, rather just peacefully reading; keeping both hands held on his book and not extending a single claw. While he didn't feel the need to invite the girl over he wouldn't stop her from approaching, he supposed that he ought to talk to someone having been locked up alone for so long. If her last line of dialogue was any indication she was a little quiet so at least he wouldn't be overwhelmed by questions and stupidity.

He kept his eyes on the book, turning the page; "I believe many do it simply for attention from their significant others."

Anput watched the male observe her. He looked human, but he had a smell about him that spoke of something wilder, more animal in nature. She shrugged it off for the moment, focusing on the male who was either sizing her up or inspecting her strange clothing, or whatever it is that male's thought about when they saw strange female's in the forest. Her eyes flashed nervously, her semblance flaring up slightly when he first spoke, his voice had startled her a bit, but she quickly calmed the thrumming energy, relaxing her rigid stance for a more languid one. As the male adjusted his legs she saw that a tome was in his lap. The title was an interesting choice of literature and she pondered why he would want to read such a boring and sometimes bloody and terrible history.

She pondered his short line of dialogue. She supposed people could write on the tree's skin out of sheer boredom, but it seemed barbaric, like carving into a pigs flesh without the intent of using the meat or skin for anything productive...

"It seems ignorant to me. Trees have as much right to keep their bark unmarked by human or faunus just as much as any creature." She stated, examining the marks above the male's head a bit closer. Finally with a tired sigh she chose a tree opposite from him and leaned back against it, sliding until she was seated on the ground her legs crossed in front of her.

"Strange choice of literature. Did no one ever tell you the history? ...Though I suppose no one really wants to talk about. Better to read it I suppose. It more unbiased that way."

Richard almost laughed at the girl's initial reaction, it was quite rare for someone to be afraid of him... especially considering quite how much taller than him she was. His possible laughter was however nullified when he caught the slightest glimmer of her semblance. He stared intensity at his book, attempting to ignore it but he could not deny the slight heat nor how eerily similar the thrumming sounded to that of a flame...

To say he was pleased when it stopped and she slid down the bark of the tree adjacent to him was an understatement. As she spoke her opinion on the defacing of trees he removed one hand from his book and extended a single one of his white sloth-bear claws and scratched the back of his head in an attempt to nullify the small 'bout of fear he'd felt. Upon her asking if he knew the history he retracted the claw and returned to holding his book in both hands.

"As for the trees I can agree, it is quite the waste for us to mark them. Disturbs animals who use them to mark the borders of their territory. Tends to make them aggressive."

He yawned; "But yes they live so it is not right to torture them in such an ignorant way."

He turned a page in his book; "And indeed, I don't know what happened between faunus and humans. I was part of a rather large yet isolated community deep in a forest consisting entirely of faunus... I guess they missed a lot due to their location or perhaps they went there to forget what had happened..." He shrugged, half keeping his eyes on the girl and the other half reading.

Richard, finding his gum to have lost it's taste, chose to swallow it whole rather than spit it out. The mere thought of the village coupled with what he presumed to be this girl's semblance had brought back memories of the past... he quickly shook them off; "So, do you have an opinion on the humans?"

Anput nodded in silent agreement with the other kid's statements. She plucked a dandelion from the ground, the stalk withered and bent in two at the middle. She twisted it in between her pointer finger and thumb, regarding it with a caring air. She gently plucked at it, carefully and with a great amount of dexterity. Yellow petals began to drift to the forest floor at a slow languid pace. She tilted her head, considering the other's questions and comments. He grew up in the isolation of faunus like her, but obviously for a larger chunk of his life. She had been exposed to humans years ago and with him it seemed quite recent. He did not know the harm they could cause...

"I find most humans to be weak." Finished with the dandelion she flicked the bent stalk into the grass and brushed the petals off of her skin and clothes. "Their senses are dulled, their sense of self arrogant and self centered, and those I have had the unfortunate chance to meet have all looked down upon me simply because to them I am more animal than human. I remind them that they evolved from animals as well and they flee from it, wishing to be more man than animal rather then embracing the side of themselves that makes them wilder and free to do as they please without fear of judgement or punishment. They depend upon their technology like a lamb depends on its mother's milk. Though not only do humans do this, but faunus as well."

She looked down at her wrap clad feet, her toes curled into the grass in her righteous and angered mood. "Though there are those humans I have met who have some merit. Despite their flaws and dependence on technology they can look past their own nose and see that the plights of others are not unlike their own and sometimes worse. They reach out and don't ignore or fear as many due to the unknown or different. They are the few, but they are the ones who will change the course of the world. I wish to live to see the day they bring about a peace between faunus and human, but it is difficult to erase a bloody and brutal history of prejudice and hate..." She looked up at the male, eyes fierce and determined.

"Humans see too much of themselves in Faunus and that scares them."

She thought on the many times she had witnessed a human's rage and boot heel cracking down upon her just because the sight of her ear's enraged them. It made them think of how they were so closely related to what they deemed as animals and it frightened them. They had spent so long disassociating and distancing themselves from the simple creature of the earth that when a being emerged as a mix of the two they feared what it meant...

"I see..." The short man yawned, closing the book and setting it in his lap, "Although... most of the humans I've met have been about as arrogant as the faunus. I've been annoyed by a faunus girl who straight up sat on me, refused to get off, and proceeded to kick me in the head until I retaliated...she set me on fire when I did retaliate. Yet later on I met a human girl who challenged me to a fight and, when I refused because she would have been easy to beat, blew up a classroom by aiming a fireball for my head."

He returned the girl's stare; "Granted... I wouldn't call any of  faunus nor human I've ever met close enough to be friends, just mere acquaintances to me... enemies even in some cases. But I wouldn't say any of them were inherently bad just... misinformed, it seemed possible they could change."

The short boy  drew and retracted the claws on his right hand, deep in thought. It was obvious to him that this girl must have had some kind of bad past with humans, be it one case of discrimination or many he was not sure. He thought it best to try and not piss this one off, considering what he feared may be her semblance coupled with the last fire user he met. With a yawn he reached beneath his scarf and pulled out his box of coffee gum. He removed a piece from it before, surprisingly, throwing the box so that it should land within arms reach of the girl.

He rested his hands in his lap, "Although... I suppose more racist humans would be unaware of my trait considering, unlike many people's, it's so easy to conceal. That and I have only been among them for around five years." He retracted the white claw.

He yawned, "Only person I would even consider regarding as a friend is half human and half faunus... he did tell me there was some tension between the races but nothing like this... perhaps he was abused for his split parentage even more so than most people would be... though I guess his warning makes more sense now... I'll see if I can remember the exact words."

He scratched his head, quickly recalling his mentor's parting words to him when they had first met; "It was something akin to; If someone does something to piss you off, it doesn't matter who or what they are; don't kill them but beat them until they can't do that thing."

The short guy yawned and closed the book as he began to speak. She nodded and hummed along with his speech of sorts. Her ears twitching every so often to show she was listening to his tale. There was merit to what he had said. Faunus were as arrogant as humans, seeing as how they were and are much the same. Both thought themselves superior to others, Anput herself in many cases believed herself better equipped to survive in the wilds then a human. Her senses were keener and more attuned to nature. But even some Faunus did not have such senses and so she could not lump only humans into such a category of weakness only. It was a vicious cycle of ignorance and misunderstandings that kept the cycle going. If only everyone could have an epiphany all at once that maybe they aren't so different after all...

The kid exposed claws to the world and she smirked slightly. She thought she had smelled it on him. That strange tang that accompanied Faunus wherever they went. Her nose was akin to that of a dog or jackals and thus she could pick up the scent of one of her own and pick out the scents of others. It got confusing and overwhelming at times but she enjoyed being able to smell out things others can't.

Her smile fell as he continued his story. Half faunus and half human. And unfortunate mix she supposed. Prejudice from both sides would have him warring with the two sides of himself instead of seeing himself as well himself. She couldn't imagine being a hybrid of the two... It would be confusing and conflicting. What side would she be on? Neither or both? She frowned at her made up scenario.

The hybrid's saying made sense. To live a life such as his he must have had to create very sturdy barriers around himself to keep himself safe. He'd have to be hardened, cruel even. Both extremes of either side would close in on him from both sides instead of just one. It'd be a struggle of his human and faunus half... Each one luring others to attack and lash out at him. There'd be hate and hurt from all corners. No escape. She carded a hand through her hair and let out a shaky sigh. Shit, how bad did it have to be where the only way to stop people is to beat them until they couldn't. She could imagine it, but only from one side of the coin.

What did Faunus do to humans? What would a prejudice Faunus do to a hybrid? Gods, she didn't want to think about it... Humans may have caused her immense trouble and even pain in the past, but the kid that the claw guy was talking about had it twice as bad...

She didn't know what to say. She simply stared at her hands that now lay limp in her lap, her head hung slightly as her eyes tried to sear holes into her own palms.

"Shit..." She muttered. "Your friend. I..." She pushed the heel of her hands into her eyes in frustration. "A hybrid would have experienced twice as much as anyone else. Just Gods... From both Faunus and human... That must've been hell for him. I can't imagine being hated or ridiculed by both extremes- I just-" She trailed off, dropping her hands back into her lap and slamming the back of her head against the tree behind her with a frustrated groan. "That situation- that much- just-"

She felt bad, a bit guilty for complaining and harping about humans beating her up for her ears or for just looking at them wrong. This unknown guy had to possibly endure so much more... And she already Faunus were just as bad, but this brought it full circle.
"The world sucks." She sighed, slumping against the tree in defeat. Her thoughts were too wild and tangled to try and make sense of. Her brain flying into philosophy and other territories she didn't quite feel like diving into at the moment.

Richard couldn't help but frown slightly; Really? She doesn't even know Gyro and yet she went to that extreme so quickly? She looks straight up depressed. Honestly... but now if I approach to get my gum back, she must have been distracted by my claws when I threw it over to her, it'll look like I'm trying to comfort her... ugh. Such a sign of weakness...

He sighed; "Oi oi, no need to worry about Gyro. Calm yourself down, he's doing fine... he's a tall, arrogant, ignorant, stupidly dressed, idiot but he's fine."

The short boy dropped his book to keep his place in front of the tree secured and stood, wandering over to just in front of the girl's legs; bending down to pick the box of gum up.

"Honestly, if you met him you'd realize that either what you think is not the case or he's grown to be a stronger person due to it. The cape wearing fool that he is... he knows fine well wearing such a thing on a hunt is neigh a death sentence."

As the short man lent up he flipped open the top of the gum box, once again offering a piece. As  a last offer of the bitter tasting sweet.

"It's pretty obvious you've faced discrimination as some point for being faunus... I've only had people go at me for my height really. But you do realize, basing this on an hunch going by appearance; muscle tone and the like, that you're a huntress in training right? You could just kick the teeth out of any bigots. Your stronger than most people... and if you can't beat them now you have the means to get stronger and do so."

The short boy cocked an eyebrow at her, "If anyone around here gives you guff you can probably take them and if not you can at least wound them."

Richard yawned, finding himself lacking the motivation to return all the way to his tree, he flopped down (after she had taken, refused or ignored the gum) and laid in a messy sprawl of sorts before her.

"But yeah, world does suck. Tis a dog eat dog world, going by my history with women; particularly the psychokinetic variety, you're going to set me on fire any minute now... rather amazed you got me talking at all after even showing a little honestly. We haven't even exchanged names alike most people seem insistent on doing."

Anput lifted her lip in a silent snarl. She wasn't freaking out. Maybe she was. But it was only because she hadn't been sleeping well lately. She usually went to the Harvest Festival around this time or later with her mother, but she knew she wouldn't be going. She probably wouldn't ever be going to it again. It stressed her out and she had been wrung thin emotionally and other wise as the days grew closer to the time when she would usually gather with her tribe and celebrate the small amount of crops and other things they had grown and made over the days. It was a beautiful night filled with joy, song, and dance...

Anput crossed her arms over her chest, watching the male walk towards her. He bent down and picked up a pack of gum that she just now noticed. Her eyes widened slightly when offered it to her. She took one stick, her jaw working nervously as she unwrapped it and stuck it in her mouth. It was strange to chew something without eating it, but the reptetive motion of chewing and grinding something against her canines calmed her a bit. She wrung her hands nervously, knowing that she had overeacted. She was entitled to emotions just as anyone else, though hers tended to appear and happen in the extremes rather than in moderation. She hated her outbursts and mood swings sometimes. Especially her anger... It could get her in very big trouble here. But, she supposed sadness and frustration were relatively harmless to express in the extreme. A bit depressing probably, but no one would get physically beat.

Speaking of physical beatings the kid mentioned how she could knock someone's teeth in and that she shouldn't take no ones crap. She chuckled shifting so she was sitting more casually, her chin propped on her hand and her elbow resting against her knee. The guy continued talking for a little bit and she let him ramble. He didn't seem like the talkative or energetic type so she supposed she could indulge him and listen.

"Sorry about that. Haven't slept well lately. Makes me overreact." She scratched her elbow, picking at the grass. "Your friend seems pretty pricky now, what with the cape and all." She laughed light heartedly, not meaning to offend, just lighten the mood. "And I tend not to beat people that insult me." She said, smacking her gum for effect. "It puts a hamper on my reputation I suppose. And fights that are unwarranted or provoked because of someone's comment tend to get me in trouble with my mother... Which I really don't want." Her mother was a scary woman, especially when she was displeased about something. She raised Anput as a pascifist against all things not Grim and even told her Grim could be given a chance at peace. She had scoffed at her mom at first but soon learned that they already had enough fighting with the Grim, why add to it with skirmishes and skuffles. Though that didn't mean Anput couldn't verbally put someone in their place.

Anput smirked, eyes flashing briefly as the kid sprawled out on the grass in front of her. He seemed like the laid back type. The kid whod rather stay in and sleep then go to a party or socialize.

"Don't worry I don't burn people unless they really piss me off." She tilted her head, looking at the sky above and smiling. "I suppose we could exchange names if you want. But, I find names have power. Someone who knows your name can find you again and I wouldn't want that if I didn't quite enjoy talking to that person... Though I suppose you seem okay." She said the last part jokingly, her ears twitching and her lips lifting on one side in a half smirk, her sharp canines glinting in the light. This kid was okay by her standards... For now at least.

Richard yawned, drawing a claw and scratching at his chin; "Oh trust me, Gyro is pretty awful. Supposed to be a hunter yet acts like a kid in a thirty year old's body. He's quite the brat with a horse racing addiction."

He let her finish the rest of her spiel uninterrupted, honestly just glad this one hadn't thrown a scroll at him and challenged him to a fight like the last girl he'd met in a forest. Even more glad that she had no plans to set him on fire currently. "Well, at least you're willing to fight if someone pushes you to far. Guess familial ties must control how much people are willing to engage over squabbles, don't want to upset them or make them worry...probably... anyway; as for sleep problems I never really get them. Can fall asleep just about anywhere… although..."

The short boy paused his chewing, "Maybe falling asleep with music in the background? You still have the scroll the academy issued you right? Can get all sorts on that, could even go for mediation sounds like the wind through a forest or something similar... guess that might help. I dunno. I guess that's what I'd do if I couldn't sleep... I know of a couple peaceful sounding tracks if you need them."

The short boy continued to chew thinking a little about what she had said about names; "Meh, probably because I've changed my name before and I probably will again, but I don't really see that when it comes to names. Tis just a sound or a scribble used to refer to me in short hand, kinda a weird concept when you think about it... I tend not to remember names, find they're less important than how the person behind them acts or fights. Can't tell much about a person from their name."

He yawned a little, looking back to the tree he had been sitting at before looking back to her; "Oh, and you seem semi decent yourself, at least a good bit better than the past psychokinetic I've met" The short boy slightly smirked, playing it off as a joke when it was honestly the truth; although he would never admit to viewing anyone above meh in a serious tong.

He sighed, continuing to chew; "My name, despite it not relating to the type of faunus I am at all, is Richard Lionheart.”

Anput quirked a brow at the sleepy little man. She hadn't thought about using the issued scroll nor had she desired to figure out how to utilize it. She disliked the slab of technology but she had begun to realize that it was essential to the student life here. She supposed she would have to learn to use it. And perhaps starting with the music idea that the clawed faunus had given her. She might be able to find some music similar to what is played at the Harvest Festival which would definitely help her sleep, or perhaps desert sounds like the wind moving across the sand at night, a tweelie birds echoing chirrup, or a coyote's lonesome wail....
"Mhm, that sounds like a good idea. I may try it... if I figure out how to work the scroll." She said, a bit ashamedly. He might think her stupid or dull because of her ineptness with technology and anything electrical. It's not her fault per say she was just never exposed to it as most people have been.
"Actions do speak louder than words." She said, simply agreeing with his statements about the frivolousness of names. However she was a bit superstitious and believed that a name held power when it came to curses and spells. If one such caster of these held your name, than they held your life in their hands. She kept her thoughts to herself and instead picked at the grass, enjoying the soft feel and brush of grass against her palms.
She laughed, nodding when he called her semi-decent. She was shocked that someone had tried to burn him before. Why such anger towards a man who seemed disinterested in lifting a finger to even harm a fly or cause problems at that? She must have been quite messed up in the head or something...
"Well I assure you that I have much more restraint over my power and anger than this other pyrokinetic." Her tone was light, but also serious. She intended him no harm unless he gave her reason to.
She cocked her head to the side at his name. Lionheart. Lion's were fierce and strong, proud and prideful animals with barreled chests and mighty voices. Richard didn't quite represent his name as he had said, but perhaps it was just his physical appearance that didn't coordinate with his name. He may as well have a lion's heart and courage. The bravery and loyalty to protect and save others is more virtuous than the strength and physicality that it takes to do so.
"Well I suppose I should give you my name, though I warn you against trying to pronounce my last name, it is a bit of a mouthful." She warned, sitting up and staring Richard who lay idle upon the grass. "My name is Anput Wepwawet of the Anubis tribe." Her eyes flared with pride at her title and she scrounged up what little she could remember of her name's origin. "My mother told me I was named after the ancient goddess Anput whom had the head of a jackal and body of a woman. She was the female counterpart to Anubis and she kept him balanced and fair. She was a fierce warrior in life and a fiercer goddess in death."

An idea sprung into the boy's head when the female faunus said she didn't quite know how to use her scroll... he debated it within himself as she went on. Granted... it meant helping someone he'd potentially have to fight, but on the other hand... she was a pyrokinetic. Having literal control over the very thing Richard feared most in the world...

...Perhaps an exchange could be made. The short man thought to himself.

Richard, removing himself from his thoughts, cocked an eyebrow a little at her name's origin; "Goddess of death eh?... Name certainly caries some weight in your case then. As for my current one not fitting me I guess that can be a little better explained as..."

He scratched his head in thought to a book before remembering, "Tis the lioness job to do the hunting. Male lions just lounge around, fighting only when something's seriously pissing them off. I'm a Lion-at-Heart, wouldn't fight you unless you tick me off, but when I do fight I tend to win... oh and Richard's a common name."

He guessed that would make more sense to her than to explain his past name's origin, it's literal translation being Hunter but coming from a language he was sure she wouldn't quite understand, or that he just stole Gyro's last name and took the name of one of the man's favorite horses; "Gold Richard," as his first. Making him a sloth-bear faunus with the last name alluding to a lion, previously known as hunter in a silent language and named after a horse... not particularly simple to explain nor holding nearly as much weight as being named after a goddess of death.

"As for your technology trouble well... when I first came to this civilization I'll admit it was a little jarring, screens and such... but it is useful. Perhaps..."

The boy paused for thought, glaring harshly at the girl with his brown eyes, looking for any sign of ill will or potential harm that could come from an alliance of any kind; let alone an exchange like he had in mind. Alas he could find none, save for some accidental burns which were par for the course with what he was planning.

He softened his gaze back to his usual lazy stare before flopping down onto his back with a yawn, eyes to the sky and finally willing to go through with this; "We could make an exchange of sorts. Seeing as we're both hunters in training, having not seen you around before I assume you're a first year while I'm a second. You've got a chance to gain assistance from someone who's already been through this trash. I propose that... I help you get used to the technology you'll have to put up with in everyday life, your scroll for instance and anything else in such a vain, as well as perhaps help you when you need it when it comes to bigots, your mum can't be annoyed if someone she doesn't know dealt with them rather than you, if you'll in exchange help me... uhh..."

The boy paused looking for a way to phrase this without making himself look weak, "T-To wield fire... I-It'll be dust for me of course but having observed both pyrokinetic semblances and dust I think they're similar enough for me to learn it from you... so how about it?"

He chewed for a second, "Oh, and there are no catches. Once I learn how to use fire and you get the help you require we can just go our separate ways if you want, don't have to see head nor tail of each other afterwords... granted it might take a while for us both to learn these respective things but still."