No Acceptance Speech Prepared {Ishi Omo, Open To Professors}

Xavier found himself wandering the halls of Syne Academy, something he did quite regularly anymore, what with no other agenda or place to go. He had just snuck in some combat practice, and eaves in on a history lessons about a very bloody war. Other than that, his day was rather mellow: eating by himself, more training by himself, coming up with combat maneuvers...by himself.

In all honesty, he didn't care all that much about 'school', but he was in fact eager to learn new things, and he figured that teaching himself would only get him so far. It would be much more beneficial for him to be taught by someone with more experience, and while he tried learning as much as he could by sneaking around and listening in, he had so many questions he wanted answered and things that needed more explanation. He was so hungry for knowledge of any sort, and he just wasn't getting what he needed.

Of course, the academy security always on his tail didn't really help with that: they never let him rest, always tracking him down and interrupting his training, while also forcing him to miss out on a lot of information because they just couldn't let him loiter and learn. Xavier understood they were just doing their job, and was actually impressed by their diligence...but in all honesty, he was getting tired of being forced to be stuck in one place.

Obviously, the first thing to come to one's mind would be to apply for the academy, rather than slinking around and causing a ruckus. That is exactly what Xavier had originally planned and attempted to do...but things didn't work out. That's not saying he got denied, but rather that he couldn't finish the application due to...'unreasonable questioning.'

It's not like it's my fault, I answered everything they asked about me and my person. It's the other questions that I couldn't answer...like my parents, or prior education, or my income, or shelter. What was I supposed to tell them? I don't have any answers for those, other than I don't have any of them, and I doubt that would be the answer they were looking for...

He also didn't like how the receptionist treated him when he asked her tell him what the questions were asking him  and on what portion of the paper it was on. She had scowled at him and told him that this was not a 'laughing manner.' So he left and asked a student to tell him, and while looking at him awkwardly, did so.

It's like not understanding the scribbles on that paper was some kind of uncommon thing...I can't help that when they put it down it was all some sort of jumbled garbage, I was just asked to answer them.

It was late in the afternoon, almost evening, and all the students were gone. The only sounds you could hear were his own footsteps, and there were no guards to chase him down...

Wait a minute! Xavier halted in his tracks, and his ears started to twitch. There is someone else in here...but everyone was supposed to have left already! He quickly stuck himself to a nearby wall, spreading himself out thin, and slowed his breathing. He waited to see who was approaching, and they were indeed approaching, as the footsteps became louder and louder.

He was normally drunk and passed out at this point, but he had been told to patrol the halls that night, which he was obliged to agree to. He wasn't even drunk, knowing that it lowers his ability more then slightly. He might be a drunk but, he was in no way, a stupid man. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here this day, walking this hall, with nothing really to do. Of course, he'd be grateful for something to do, no matter what that might be.

Even if it was finding some sort of intruder or some sort of weird grimm. A creepy crawly grimm would be interest, that's for sure. It was not exactly that he was up at this point, as much as it was nothing was happening that was causing him to want what he wanted, which he knew that he could control it. At least, beat it. Being an ex-assassin had it's advantages, which included knowledge of how to fight both hand to hand and ranged, but he preferred the first half.

When he walked a bit further, he saw the boy spread against the wall and stopped, pretending not to notice for a few seconds before saying something.

"Kid. I see you. That trick doesn't work on me."

He turned to the kid and leaned on the wall in front of the kid.

"You a student here at Syne? If not, i'd suggest either not staying or seeing if you could join the academy. Otherwise, i'd have to escort you out, and let me tell you, it ain't fun for either of us."

Most hunters couldn't handle him in one on one combat, so chances are that a kid could are low, no matter the weapon. Okay, maybe the fella wasn't a kid, but he sure was small. That weapon wasn't small either, but then again, he himself had his blade tucked away on his hip in case someone like this kid went insane and started to try to kill people.

Not that he hoped that happen, he just hoped that the kid was a student so that he could help the kid to his dorms or something. Much easier and less violence, as when he got into combat situations, he usually attempts to hurt his opponents. A lot. A guilty and dirty pleasure of his.

Could it be said that Ishi Omo, a doctor that hundreds trust, is a sadistic killer on the inside still, sure. It's something he regrets, but old habits die hard.

Xavier had slowed down his breathing and heart rate to the point where he was no longer making enough noise to attract someone within his vicinity, much less cause an echo.

However, he was incorrect on which hallway the footsteps were coming from, and he saw someone walk up and stand there. Xavier didn't move at first, hoping he would go unnoticed, however it didn't turn out that way.

"Kid. I see you. That trick doesn't work on me."

Xavier's body was already prepared for a fight, his hand outstretched to the side to catch his weapon, his wings rustling in preparation to unfurl and drop it. Just as he was about to attack, he noticed something different about the man: what he was told was called a 'lab coat.'

The only other persons he saw wearing those were doctors, so he assumed this man was a doctor as well. The doctors here at the academy had been nothing but helpful to him, and while assuming that this man would be helpful wasn't necessarily the smartest idea, he didn't have a lot else to go on.

Xavier relaxed the muscles in his body and let his arm fall back to his side. I keep getting shown more and more how different this world is. Back in the woods, any predator wouldn't have seen me at all, but it appears everyone here has vision as precise as mine. I'll just have to adapt, as I always have.

The man continued to talk to him after leaning up against the wall opposite of him.

"You a student here at Syne? If not, i'd suggest either not staying or seeing if you could join the academy. Otherwise, i'd have to escort you out, and let me tell you, it ain't fun for either of us."

Xavier leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, then looked to the side instead of directly at the man. This was meant to show that he wasn't being aggressive, but wasn't going to roll over either: a trick he picked up by watching students.

So, he is patrolling, but he seems to be a lot calmer than the normal security. That and his attire leads me to believe he's covering for someone. Rather than attacking me outright, he's giving me options, and if I don't act hostile he might be willing to help me...

'Would you be able to change that? Preferably without that sheet of paper filled with scribbled questions?' Xavier asked him, turning his head just enough so he could barely glimpse him, in an effort to show intrigue.

"I don't know if I can get you out of filling out all the papers, even I had to do that as a teacher."

He lowered his voice for the next little bit.

"To tell you the truth, I don't think you even have to tell the truth on those things. Unless they did some godlike research on me personally, they'd never figure out my actual past. Between me and you... I'm"

He assumed the boy knew sign language, or at least, hoped he would.

He signed the following, 'An ex-assassin'

He flashed a dangerous smile, one as though he was 15 years younger and still an assassin. It was obviously not as scary nor as dangerous as the one he could have flashed years ago. He knew exactly why he was telling this boy, and part of it was because he was sure the boy wasn't going to believe him.

No one would believe that a man who looked like Ishi, and dressed like Ishi, would have ever been an assassin. Especially considering that he wasn't known as Ishi Omo, he was known as Isane Curando, who died quite a few years ago. Well. 'Died' would be abetter way to phrase it. Ishi had just used some drugs to shut down his system for when the men came to check it... which they didn't.

His posture, after flashing that dangerous smile, became ever more relaxed, as though getting ready to sleep on the wall. He could really go for a drink right now, but that'd impair his combat ability.

"I don't know if I can get you out of filling out all the papers, even I had to do that as a teacher."

Xavier sighed at that remark. Nothing can just be easy, can it? I understand there is protocol, but even so there should just be an easy way around it.

However, before he was about to walk away and thank him for his time, the man spoke again in a low whisper.

"To tell you the truth, I don't think you even have to tell the truth on those things. Unless they did some godlike research on me personally, they'd never figure out my actual past. Between me and you... I'm"

Xavier was hanging onto the words he was saying, so he was puzzled he stopped abruptly and made odd gestures with his hands. He was obviously speaking in some sort of code, he could tell that much, but it didn't seem very clear or concise. Xavier was about to ask him to just whisper like he was early when something clicked: he had seen a similar gesture before, when he was a child.

His mother had left him with his grandmother as she was searching for a job for steady income, and while she was a sweet old lady, he always felt a bit nervous around her. That night, as he was playing with some blocks nearby, she was talking to a servant and then suddenly she stopped. Xavier noticed that she glimpsed at him, then turned back to the servant and made a similar gesture to him. Later on, a good few hours so, he had bumped into the servant because he was looking for a snack. The servant had red spots all over his shirt, which Xavier now realized was blood.

That and the fact that he learned recently from dropping eaves near a classroom that a person who kills someone else for payment or loyalty is called an 'assassin', he could only assume that's what this man's gesture meant. However, the man mentioned his 'past', and once again based on his attire, Xavier assumed that meant he was no longer one. Xavier was a bit intimidated once he put all the pieces together, he'd admit that much, but the man had given him some helpful information and didn't seem to be all that bad...even considering the smile he just put on his face, one that was begging for some sort of trouble.

He really doesn't look the part, having been an assassin that is. However, a good look at me and you'd have no idea that I'd just came out of living in a forest barely a month ago. Looks can be rather deceiving indeed...

Xavier didn't really know what to do: a faculty member, a doctor who used to be an assassin no less, basically just told him to lie about his past to get into the academy because it worked for him. While he didn't have near as much to cover up as this man must have, he still didn't like the idea of being dishonest...but the alternative was being escorted out and continuing to sneak around while eventually getting in serious trouble.

Xavier reached into his left pants pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. His messed with it until it was completely unfolded, studied it a bit, and then offered it to the man. 'I'll consider your advice, but if you don't mind telling me what the last two sections are asking me to put down, I can probably finish the application regardless. I had someone else tell me, but they had to leave before they covered those last sections.' He then retrieved a pen from his pocket, prepared to fill out those sections once the man had deciphered them.

As he waited for the man's response, he decided to try and make conversation. He wanted to know a bit more about what it was like to be an assassin, to know if it was more or less what he thought it was, but the man seemed to want such things to be kept low key. Xavier knew how to form his question.

"So...you used to...'hunt', correct? I'm a bit of a hunter myself, although it seems we have different choices in prey. It would seem that your prey was a bit more...exciting and challenging. Did you hunt for rewards and glory? Or perhaps to 'take care of your family's needs?'" He figured the man would understand where he was going with this, as he did appear to have some form of intelligence.

He raised his eyebrow when the boy phrased the words the way he did, but he rose them as though questioning the questioning rather then the meaning.

"lookie here kid, let's go into a vacant room and we can talk about this. Can't talk about it in public."

He stopped leaning against the wall, and motioned the kid to follow him, and went to a vacant room down the hall. He had no intention of harming the kid, just going to a place where less people were. The less people, the easier way to tell a kid who couldn't do much if he spread rumors, since he'd have a reputation around the registration as a hardass.

Probably get himself in trouble rather then Ishi, since Ishi was known as that doctor that was trusted by hundreds of people, rather then an assassin who could single-handed take down ten men who wielded all guns, without a scratch. But alas, he was getting older as the assassin job was a job for younger men, in their twentys instead of thirtys.

Inside the room were two chairs, and Ishi sat in the one in the back off the room, clearly relaxed.

"Close the door. You ask about my 'hunting' which I'll have you know was not a glorious job. It involved me putting my life in danger... and then killing that which put my life in danger. Instead of Grimm, I hunted people others deemed bad, and was paid for it. If we're being real here, I got into for the fun of it. Killed my first two men within hours of each other. It's something you can get used to, and get addicted to."

He took off his coat, revealing his black shirt. Without the lab coat, him being an assassin was far more believable. He, after taking off his coat, looked around and found something to drink, one of his favorite kinds as well. He went into the box behind him and grabbed a small cup, and got up and poured a cup and leaned against the wall.

"Frankly, bloodlust is akin to what i'm holding in my hand right now."

He drank the beverage out of the cup, and put the cup down and refilled it. He didn't sit back down, he just leaned against the wall and held the cup.

Ishi right now:

The man clearly understood him, his response showed that clearly.

"lookie here kid, let's go into a vacant room and we can talk about this. Can't talk about it in public."

The man found said desired vacant room, and he motioned for Xavier to follow him. The idea of following a stranger into a room didn't sit well with him, but he did want to know more...plus, he still needed him to explain those last sections to him.

Xavier looked to the left and right, double and triple checking to make sure no one was walking by. He then slowly pursued the man until he could see into the room clearly. He then did a brief going-over of the room, then decided to walk inside. The man sat down in a chair and told him to close the door. Xavier decided he wouldn't fully obliged this, as he was already in a risky situation. Rather than close the door fully, he closed it until there was a slight crack, then leaned against the wall with the opening on his right: this made it so that he could hear or see anyone approaching, and have an escape route handy if need be, plus a door being partially open would attract less attention at this time of day versus a completely shut door.

As the man continued, Xavier kept one eye on him at all times, occasionally having the other glance over through the crack in the door. It helped that the topic became much less interesting than he had hoped: rather than a riveting tale about his missions and the 'glory days', the story became rather preachy...the man even compared killing to drinking, allegating that both were activities that were harmful and addictive. Xavier sighed once the man was done, having filled his cup up with what Xavier could only assuming was some sort of alcoholic beverage.

'...Look, it's great that you overcame your 'addiction' and all, but you honestly just replaced it with another. It's what people do. However, I don't care about that, I just want to move on in life...and this seems to be the place to help me accomplish that. From what I've heard, this place literally teaches you how to hunt down prey, and that's exactly what I want to do...I mean, I've already done it before. I have goals I wish to accomplish and become the best I can be...this place promises to make me a better hunter, and I'd like to see them try...'

Xavier grunted in slight frustration: it wasn't his thing to go into details with others, and this was really the first person he had talked to since he'd arrived here.

'Long story short: I like the thrill of the hunt, I want to become better at it, and I want to learn more about it. This place claims it can provide it, so I want it to do just that. I don't care about scribbles on paper, annoying security guards, or drinking doctors: I just want to go out there and gut me some monsters. Can this place provide that, or not? If not, I'll just do it my own way.'

Xavier finished his stance on the matter with a grunt, outstretching his hand to accept the final pieces of his application back. He had spent an entire month in this building trying to just learn something new, and he was tired of waiting. If this man, or this building, or the people in this building couldn't provide him with something as simple as this...than this place wasn't worth wasting anymore time on. This angst was stirring up inside him, something unfamaliar emerged from Xavier: bravado.

'I heard what seemed to be a new student brag about the rave reviews this academy has, that it has something for everyone and holds great promise for those that walk through it's doors...with a first impression such as that, I would hate to be disappointed.' he stated in a slightly condescending tone, then looked down as he tried to hide the smirk the was forcing itself through the corners of his cheeks.

Normally he was a calm and nonchalant type of person, but this side of him felt pretty good and it seems that he had a bit of steam to let off.

"I'd hate to say it, but if I can find something you can."

He put his cup down, and switched his stance into something akin to predator, something this boy might be familar with. He hated to do this to the kid, but he had to put him into position. If he didn't, this boy could very well get himself killed with his current attitude. He could feel that urge, that urge that is almost foreign to him. He also had his eyes basically closed, like a snakes eyes when eyeing prey.

"Boy. You're not as big as you think. You may want to 'gut' beasts, you may want to be this strong person. I replaced it... because guess what. Drinking is much better, less healthy to you sure, but it's less harmful to the others. You may want to become a better hunter, but guess who you're looking at is a master hunter. I could track you through forests, through mountains. I could track you through alleyways and through this school.

I could place my blade in your chest before you could say a single thing. I did this for years. I also know every single muscle and how to stop it's workings in the body. I could disable both of your arms, and make you helpless. Compared to the other teachers, I'm on a whole other level."

He grabbed his blades hilt, and pulled out his curved blade. He got into a stance and his body was  basically side-ways, like a fencers stance, to reduce the area that his opponent could hit, and considering his opponents weapon, it put Ishi at a great advantage. They were nearly equal in size, with the kid being less skilled with his weapon most likely.

He also considered that the boy was extremely young compared to himself, so he had the experience edge as well. The odds were not in the kids favor, at all. He'd wait to see if the kid did anything to defend himself against a false-threat.

"I'd hate to say it, but if I can find something you can."

Xavier's ear twitched at the change of his tone, and quickly looked up to catch him take a rather fearsome stance. Without a thought, Xavier unfurled his left wing and grabbed his weapon by the middle. The man continued to speak, and his words were heard, but not understood as Xavier braced his right foot forward and prepared to launch himself at the man.

Just before doing so, he felt a sharp pain in his right palm: he had pierced himself with his own thumbnail. The pain jolted him and brought him to his senses: a technique he just recently adopted.

That's right, I need to slow down and think...I have the time...

The man drew his blade and assumed a very tactical and elegant fighting stance, and seemed to wait for Xavier's move. He felt all the false ego leave his body, being replaced with fear and adrenaline...he could feel his heart pumping and his body shaking.

Calm down and think! This world does not reward rash decisions, and he's waiting on you. What are your options?

As he saw it, there were only three: escape, diplomacy, or fight. The situation was simple: this weird doctor was the predator and he was the prey. The answer however...

If he chose to fight, he would lose, plain and simple: the room size, the difference in experience, the positioning...it was all in his opponent's favor. The question of whether his life was hanging in the balance was in the air too: the man could be bluffing, but calling out the bluff and attacking him was still risky.

He was already setup to flee, a perfectly viable option, however there was no way he would be able to get into the academy of he did: news would get out, and he would been banned for sure.

His only true option was to talk it out. Xavier realized that giving into his bravado got him here, and he was always about being truthful, so just addressing things might be the best road to take.

Xavier pulled his foot back and tried to relax his composure. He sighed, which came out weakly, followed by a chucked that was strained. He then looked the man straight in the eye. He needed to sound calm, and while not sound weak, he needed to not sound threatening either.

'I'll be honest with you, you are rather intimidating. That stance and the air about you...your stories about your past are obviously true. Facing animals, even one's much larger than I, I have never felt like this. Fighting someone who is a sentient being...it's a whole other caliber. I can't imagine what it's like to fight like that, forget killing someone.'

Xavier suddenly felt something tighten in his chest as he spoke those words, although he wasn't sure why, so he just breathe deeply and began speaking again.

'I stumbled upon this place by accident, and everything about it made me want more: the weapons, the students behind them, the lessons, the professors, even the guards. It made me so eager to learn what was beyond the woods I had lived in for so long. That's why I snuck in here, and I am determined to become the best hunter that ever lived.'

The tightening would not go away, so Xavier extended his arm to relieve some pressure. He turned his hand palm down to not seem aggressive.

'So, if you are okay with that, then tell me what those sections require. If not, do not think I will not fight you: I have more to lose by not doing so. Also, do not think I don't know about this little trap you have me set in: regardless of your advantages, I will fight you until one of us is on the ground in a pool of our own bloo-'

Xavier glance at his hand, which was covered in blood, an an image of a bloody flashed in front of his eyes, and it felt like his chest had caved in.

Xavier's weapon slipped from his hand and clanged onto the ground. His legs gave out, and he was on Gus knees, his hand bracing him from falling into the wall.

'...pools of blood...lifeless eyes...oh no...I did...kill someone...'

Xavier felt like he couldn't move, his lungs gasping for air. He knew what was going on around him, but he couldn't do anything about it. If the man was intent on an attacking him, now is definitely the time to take advantage of him.

He listened to the boys rant, and then saw him fall to his knees, mummering something about lifeless eyes and blood. The boy was truly a wimp. A boy who attempts to be bigger then he is. He walked forward to the boy who was now on his knees, and putting his blade up to the right side of the boys neck, he nicked the boys neck, before putting his blade away.

He then would pick up the boy who was clearly in some kind of shock, most likely PTSD, and drive his knee into the boys stomach. Once finished with that, he'd walk backwards until he hit the chair, in which he'd sit. This boy was a failure. How could this boy call himself a hunter if he couldn't stare fear in the face, stare regret in the face? Ishi had done that hundreds of time under multiple names, namely Isane Curando.

Why would a coward want to be a hunter?

"You're a coward. I could kill you right now, but that'd be a pity kill, and that's something I don't do. You're not even WORTH the pity kill. You couldn't even raise your weapon against me, or even convince me to be worthy of the pity kill."

His voice had changed into a sadistic tone, something that would most likely scare this boy. If this boy were to fall asleep or something like such, he'd fill out this whole thing for the boy, and tell the boy his past. The boy had skill, and knew when to run and not to run. The boy had survival instincts, more then most, but the issue was, the boy was a coward. He could fix that but he was afraid to do so as he was still a teacher.

Everything around him was fading to black, surrounded by faces of the poor boy he had killed. He was drowning in his blood, and his body was too heavy to swim. He barely felt something sting his neck as the eyeballs of the boy rolled around him.

He did however feel the impact to his gut, which fortunately did not knock the wind out of him, but it definitely hurt. Xavier stumbled backward and nearly fell, but he managed to stand his ground, his arm covering up his middle. He looked up and saw the face of someone he never wanted to see again; someone he absolutely despised.

Heh...you're right. I am a coward...or at least I was. I could have left the woods at any point and time, just left and moved on...but no. I decided to stay where I thought I was safe, never venturing father than necessary, afraid of what lied beyond...afraid of being hurt again. I didn't leave the woods until my options had run out...I allowed myself to sit and rot for ten years worth of time...

Xavier's vision was fading, and he no longer felt the need to breathe...he was slipping...before he knew it there was a flipped table and he was in the dirtbags face.

You have NO right to call ANYONE a coward! You refused to own up to your mistakes, instead you hid them so no one could see. Rather than accept responsibility, you tossed me away so that no one would see your sins. I am here admitting mine and I'm ready to improve myself, to constantly be better than I ever have, while you are back there denying everything.

Xavier's vision faded to black, but right before it did he pointed his finger right in the man's face.

Heed these words: it may not be soon, but the time will come when I will reveal it all. I will find you, tie you up in front of the entire city, and spill out all your secrets for everyone to hear. Then, I'll have you slowly bleed out, and just before you die, I will call you by name so that you will die knowing that everyone was judging you and thinking ill of you. You...will always be Wolsworth, but you will never truly be my father!

Those final words were spat out like some sort of venom, and he pushed the man as hard as he could, before falling over and blacking out. Xavier's limp body conformed to the chair, and he drifted to a place smothered in darkness.

"You're a fool. It's not that I don't hone up to them, it's that I keep it secret so that it's safe. The fact that I'm a doctor makes me perfectly fit for this school. The fact that you can sit there, falling unconsious as I speak, and call me the one who can't hone up, must learn his place is society."

He meant it. Most academies didn't hire dead assassins; especially those with a record of giving the people they were hired to kill extremely painful deaths. He'd probably be kicked out of the school in a nut-shell, considering the sheer amount of lives taken. Not to mention the kind of press this school would get with all that. Imagine that. In the news, 'Ex-Assassin teacher at Syne?' and he laughed. This boy was trying to be scary, but it was failing horribly. The boy was brash and untrained in the art of mental warfare, and that's where Ishi Omo was winning.

"In case you couldn't tell, due to my less then lovely..." He got up and walked over to the boy, and hit a nerve in his neck to wake him back up and then would walk back to his chair. This was nearly a standard interrogation, except this boy wasn't the one getting the info, Ishi was, and that's just how he liked it.

"Complexion, I've not exactly had the greatest luck in life. Born 30 years ago, started killing 15 years ago, it was all wonderful. Never once have I, the true Ishi, regretted it. Oh. And that bit about stringing me up and telling everyone the truth... well, for the sake of all of us at this school, I wouldn't do that. I know of at least 6 assassins that could come and find me, and then promptly kill me. If they can kill me, what could they do to you? Also, put that finger away."

Ishi was not angry, and this served as his main part of this mental warfare. This Ishi, the one the doctor doesn't want to become again, is a much more effective Ishi. Clean-cut and effective. Something that the doctor wasn't. The doctor tried to spare lives whilst the assassin took them away. It was a sad fact, but a fact still.

Xavier found himself floating in darkness...one minute there would be a forest covered in blood, and the next was pure black void.

I can't believe I actually killed another being of my level of sentience. I can recall the thrill...and the anguish...but, why? Why did I kill him? What had he done to me?

He attempted to dig deeper into his lost memories, to find the reasoning behind such an act.

I was...angry...filled with outrage...at him. But why? He had...taken something...from me...something irreplaceable! What did he take?

Xavier felt so close to retrieving the answer, he was on the brink of understanding why he had attacked the man in such fury.

He...He took from me...He took from me my-

A sudden jolt, and Xavier opened his eyes: he was no longer surrounded by darkness and his own memories, but in the vacant room again. His neck stung on the left side, his gut hurt quite a bit, and the back of his neck throbbed a bit...but it wasn't anything he couldn't shake off.

The weird ex-assassin doctor guy was still talking about his past, along with some other random stuff that made absolutely no sense, but things were a bit different now: Xavier felt completely calm, just as he would with any other animal or person. He felt no angst, no bravado, and above all...no fear.

This was just another game of Cat and Mouse, and he was the role of the Mouse this time, and he would get away with what he wanted as he always did.

Xavier sighed, then looked at the man.

'Look, I have no idea what you want, but this all started with you helping me. Granted, you have in an odd way, but my initial request remains unfulfilled. If you cannot or refuse to honor my request, than I have no reason to stay: I have no need to fight you, and there is nothing keeping me here.

If you are trying to teach me about some sort of moral compass, then you are wasting your time: you should well know people only truly learn from their own mistakes.'

Xavier got up and walked over to where his weapon laid, picked it up, and slung it over his shoulder.

'You picked a profession that you thought could help you atone, yet you yourself haven't truly changed, and as such your efforts are in vain...but you know this.'

Xavier turned to face the man.

'So, here is something you don't know: me. You've called me many things, yet you do not know my name...you've inflicted wounds upon my body, yet you know nothing about the scars of my soul...you claim to judge me, yet you cannot come to terms with your own sins.'

Xavier shook his head, then looked the man again.

'The difference between you and I has nothing to do with bravery, our pasts, not even our skills: the difference is how we perceive others. I can't claim to know what you see in others, but what I see is a life that means something to someone.

Whenever I took a life I treated it with the upmost respect and honor, knowing that what I had done would affect the lives of many others, respecting the fact that I just snuffed out something greater than I'll ever understand. Every other life is bigger than my own, and I would never threaten to take that away for no reason other than my own personal satisfaction.'

Xavier had moved to the door and opened it.

'Can you honestly say you've done the same?' Xavier turned and began to walk out the doorway before stopping.

'Oh, by the way, the name's Xavier...Xavier Pendragon Holstein. Least I can do is give you the name of the latest Syne Academy student and future Number One Hunter before anyone else, considering how you provided him the vital step to get there.

See you around...Doc.'

The corners of Xavier's mouth turned up slightly as he proceeded to leave the room. He already felt better about his situation, and knew how he would apply for the academy.

He listened to the boy rant on and on, somewhat bemused by the boys somewhat deep relevances. As the boy told Ishi his name, he decided to tell the boy his name.

"The name. It's Ishi Omo."

As long as the boy heard that, he'd somewhat hope that the boy joined one of his classes. It'd provide something entertaining to this side of Ishi, not that he'd remember much. He's take pills and forget, or maybe not. He wasn't sure at this point. Those pills were of his own creation, and he knew that they were extremely addictive. He also knew that when he was like this, it's like his combat instinct was back. The one thing that allowed him to survive above all else rather then just his smarts.

He sat back in the chair, and relaxed for a moment. He thought about leaving his coat here, and going out in his black shirt. His black shirt was his armor anyhow. His lab-coat was just to show that he was a..well, scientist rather then some kind of brute. It's what seperated him from a lot of his cohorts in the old job. He used tact while others used force. He was above the rest, never caught. It was something he was extremely proud of.

'Ishi Omo...has a ring to it, I guess. See you around, Doc Imo...although with you being a doctor, hopefully later rather than sooner.'

Xavier was just out the doorway when he stopped, for what would be the last time. Even though the doctor could not see it, the smirk had faded, and it was replaced with a very stern and serious scowl.

'You may already know, but your secret is safe with me: my heart has room for but one vendetta, it has no room for anything else.'

He then headed off down the hallway that lead towards an administrative office. He picked up a new application, and he copied over everything he from the original that he had, and then dedicated his time to figuring out the rest.

It was into the early hours of the morning before he set his application in the acceptance box and walked out of the office. He headed towards his usual spot, well hidden from the common eye and moderately comfortable. Xavier sat down, leaned against the wall and shut his eyes.

He recalled all the answers he had put down, recalled that they were all truthful...he recalled his encounter with the doctor, and recalled his time spent a in the woods. These memories spun themselves together as he fell fast asleep.

The last thing he could remember was understanding some of the scribbles on the application, then suddenly he was being drenched in a downpour of roses, having a white rose fall into his palm.

Overall, things felt like they were on the rise...

[XPH Out]