Messages from Home PV Elrich Shulz Closed

Green nodded as Elrich spoke, listening carefully. He seemed to brighten as Elrich explained his philosophy on power, and nodded as he spoke of the limitation on books, engaged; but the brightness seemed to mellow into something calmer as Elrich concluded, and he nodded once more, slower, thinking.

He blinked at his question, looking somewhat surprised. "Because I believe I might like you," he said frankly. "As an individual, I mean. As you said, this isn't boring; you're not boring," he added, taking a step closer, eyes wide, interested. "And we clearly believe many of the same things - knowledge is power, and the pursuit of power is worthy or necessary or simply fulfilling, take your pick," he shrugged. His eyes narrowed, and he lifted his chin, not in an unfriendly way. "And you've got teeth. I like that," he said slowly, nodding. "I think we've got some things in common. And considering we share a common room with people with whom we emphatically do not, that's an opportunity worth pursuing."

He uncrossed his arms, put his hands loosely on his hips. "So. My turn. What do you hope to achieve here at Hogwarts?" he asked, gesturing. "Leaning, obviously, but if you're after knowledge for the power, power must mean something to you. What does it mean? If you just wanted to memorize facts, it probably wouldn't be necessary to talk to others at all," he contemplated, nodding to himself - a deduction, not a criticism.

“Well, you really know how to flatter a guy,” he remarked, using his brand of wise cracks to try hiding his thoughts as he always did.

Elrich’ suspicions had been confirmed; Green, like himself, did not think like most people at their school. It would seem they both had a mutual understanding on many things. A pleasant surprise, as Elrich had been beginning to doubt there were any such individuals at Hogwarts. Even so, however, he still wanted to figure out this still mysterious character. He would have to keep playing their little game.

“Why do I want knowledge, or in others words, why do I want power?” he thought aloud. “Nothing malicious. I don’t care for ruling over others, or riches, or other reasons people tend to associate with power. What I want is something that most people want. Recognition. Something I have been denied time and time again by-,” he stopped himself, not wanting to give more away than he had to. He may trust this stranger a bit more now, but he was not about to blurt out his life story. He had already said too much and was already at a disadvantage. He cleared his throat and finished with, “I simply want my efforts recognized.”


It was then his turn, and there were still plenty of things he did not know about the boy. He briefly returned his gaze to the mirrors to think, then looked back at the boy. “I do believe it’s my turn to ask. What are you doing in place like this with a vial like that?”

He cleared his throat and finished with, “I simply want my efforts recognized.”

Green nodded at that, serious, eyes darkening with distant thoughts. "Yes. I feel the same way. Ultimately, money is only a means to an end - a symbol for human desire," he murmured. "What's really worth working for on this earth is something... something above and between us. One shouldn't have to need to rule others. In large part, if you have to impose your will, you've already lost," he shook his head. "No. They should be begging for your rule," he murmured, staring into Elrich as if into a mirror. He blinked, taking a step back; shrugging a shoulder, he turned to lean against the sink again. "In any case, that's how I think about it."

Green hissed in a breath at Elrich's last question. His eyes slid away, spine stiff. "I was planning," he began, "To drink it. In private," he clarified, nodding at Elrich softly. "Sorry if that seems a bit obvious, but you're going to have to get a bit specific for more. But at least you know that I'm not planning to pour it down the drain and poison the water system or something," he shrugged.

"In the mean time, let me ask you this: what do you believe your responsibility is to protect others?" he asked. "Where does the line between allowing others their freedom and protecting them out of some sort of... I don't know, civic duty, lie?" He watched Elrich's face carefully.

They should be begging for your rule. That was the part of what the boy had said that stood out to Elrich. His otherwise calm demeanor was replaced by wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth, as he was not expecting it in the slightest. He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or terrified, but the statement displayed immense ambition. This was something Elrich could respect.

Upon hearing Green’s response to the question posed, all Elrich responded with was a nod. It was clear going about this in a straightforward manner would not work. He would simply be bombarded with half answers, and likely left with just as many, if not more questions than he had started with. He would have to be more indirect in his choice of questions if he was to get anywhere.

Green’s question was an interesting one. It was clearly meant to estimate his morality, but why would he ask it? What was he trying to figure out?

“I’m not a saint, but I also don’t go around shoving people smaller than myself down stairwells, if that’s what you’re trying to figure out. I look out for myself and expect others to look out for themselves. I avoid people, and they avoid me. I don’t go out of my way to help others and expect no help in return. And if people get in the way of my goals…well it won’t end well for them.”

His turn again, and Elrich didn’t have the slightest idea what to ask. The boy had said he believed the two of them were alike, which gave him an idea. Maybe instead of trying to figure out what he should be asking the boy, he should figure out what someone should ask him to get to know him best. This strategy made deciding on what to ask easy.

“Who do you want to impress more than anybody else?” he asked, looking into the boy’s eyes for any kind of reaction.

Green nodded in approval as he listened to Elrich, humming quietly as he contemplated the boy's answers. "It seems as if we've got a lot in common, there," he remarked, "Though not everything. I appreciate someone who knows that their ultimate responsibility must be to their self, but I've found that favors can be very useful. There are few people who are skilled enough to outmaneuver a group when outnumbered... having done a favor or two one of them can shift things into your balance, though," he thought aloud. "Mind, it doesn't pay to be too giving. Then people think your assistance is free," he grimaced, crossing his arms.

Elrich's next inquiry made the boy's eyes widen, taken off guard. "What an excellent question," he murmured, blinking slowly as he thought about that. "I'm really not completely sure..." Tilting his head, he looked over towards the window, contemplated. "Well, an easy answer would be 'the headmaster' or 'the minister for magic' or something. But besides being a bit unlikely right now, it's just not true. At the moment, I'm trying to impress my father," he sighed, eyes falling to the floor, arms tightening around himself. "He has... access to certain secrets in our family's history that I would like to be trusted with," he growled, shifting. "But at present, he says I'm not ready. I doubt that," he said, eyes snapping up to Elrich suddenly. "I doubt that it's about age, or about experience. I think it's about ability, and if I could just get him to notice, I'd be able to take my proper place carrying the family name," he growled, lips curling.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, let the moment drain out of him.

"So anyway," he said abruptly, looking back up at Elrich. "Why is it that you choose to avoid other people, if you're looking for answers from them? I mean, no judgments there," he said, holding up his palms. "There are some obviously good reasons. No matter how useful they might be, people are awful. But I wonder what's behind your approach."

Green’s works resonated with Elrich. It was clear that he had a strenuous relationship with his father, and yet still wanted, or needed, to gain his favor. They both had similar goals; something Elrich never would have expected at first. But what was this talk of family secrets and not being ready for them? His thoughts had originally been focused on what the boy’s potion was and why he would want to drink it, but now all Elrich could wonder was what kind of secrets the boy’s family could hold.

“Yes, parents can be a bit of a sore subject, that’s for sure. But family secrets? Perhaps I was a bit rash with my previous judgments about the esteem of your kin. I do apologize,” he said, forcing himself to sound sincere. He did mean it, but apologizing had never been his strong suit.

And now the boy was asking about why Elrich avoided other people when he also wanted to study them. He still had two deferrals and a pass to use, and it did not make sense not to use one, but this was not something he felt was worth hiding. “Well, I suppose I do it because that is how I spent most of my life. Isolated away from others. While solitude often feels like my natural state of being, I recognize that it is not an effective way to live, at least when you need to learn all that you can. In other words, I guess I do because old habits are hard to break,” he explained, ending with a sigh. Talking about his life back in Manchester was not something he enjoyed. Too many bad memories. It had to be done, though. “Also, finding people with anything to learn from is not always easy, especially around here.”

At this point Elrich had a lot of different thoughts swirling around in his head pertaining to what to ask the boy next. What would he gain by drinking the potion? Who exactly was his father? But eventually all of these thoughts faded and were replaced by something more enticing.

“Obviously you don’t know exactly what they are, but what kind of family secrets do you think your father is keeping from you?” he asked. It was a direct question, which had not worked out well for him earlier. His curiosity would not let him think clearly without at least trying to ask, though.

Green shook his head, waved a hand. "No need to apologize. You were not entirely incorrect," he grit his jaw. "The Gr- our family name, has fallen considerably across several generations. Minor ambitions were achieved, while major ones were left by the wayside, taken as points of family pride rather than real goals, real ambitions. And a sense of superiority caused us to self isolate," he nodded at Elrich, understanding, "Which I believe proved to be a mistake, no matter how understandable. As you say, it is difficult to find people worth working with," he breathed, looking Elrich up and down. "But ultimately worth the risk." Not trouble. Risk.

Green swallowed, nodding at Elrich's next question. "As you said, I don't know everything. But what I do know is that they have to do with alchemical secrets, and the hunt for Panacea - the universal cure," he nodded at Elrich. "What people don't realize about alchemy is that it's about more than potions. It's about change. Using techniques from transfiguration combined with the inherent properties of ingredients found in the natural world, we pressed against the boundaries of Gamp's laws," he declared proudly, head high. "Imagine a world in which no curse is dark enough to cause permanent harm forever. Even blasted Flamel's elixir of life couldn't do that, could it?" he challenged. "It would change the face of wars, turn what's possible on it's head. We could cure hexes, incurable poisons, even those who have gone insane. So long as a witch or wizard survives, they could live," he breathed, leaning closer to Elric, eyes burning. "And we would be the ones they'd have to come to to do it..."

Green took a breath, taking a moment to calm himself, re-orient to the realities of the moment. Clearing his throat, he rolled his shoulders. "But anyway. I think that answers your question," he said softly. "I think that was four so far, yes? So one more for each of us, unless you want to continue past the five. Do you? ... You can take two in a row; I want to think," he waved a hand.

So, he wanted to bring his family name back to it former glory? A worthy goal, for sure, but Elrich was not prepared to hear the boy’s proposed method of attaining his goal. Panacea? Is that even possible? he thought. The determination in the boy’s eyes made him want to say yes, and Elrich knew little to nothing about alchemy, so who was he to say it wasn’t? If the boy was as confident in his family’s ability to pull the unimaginable task off as he looked, then his family must be incredibly skilled.

Elrich continued listening intently and was left with an odd feeling in his core at the last sentence of the boy’s answer. “And you’d be the ones they'd have to come to do it?” he murmured to himself, staring into space with an almost concerned look on his face. If Panacea was truly possible, and if this boy’s family was capable of creating it, then they would have unimaginable power. The thought sent a shiver down Elrich’s spine, and although he was caught completely off guard by the boy’s answer, he forced himself back to his original stony demeanor. He could easily just be messing with you. Don’t take it so seriously, he reassured himself in thought.

“Well, that’s an amazing tale, but now, if we could rejoin reality?” he asked jokingly, though not with the air of confidence he had exhibited earlier. His spirit was clearly somewhat shaken by what he had just heard. “My turn again? If you insist. Back to that potion you have. Why would you want to drink it?”

Green nodded in agreement with Elrich, not insulted in the least. "It is a bit of a pipe dream," he agreed. "But not impossible. Flamel did create the Elixir of Life, for better or worse, and that was considered as good as Panacea, though for some reason they never seemed to distribute it," he shook his head, sighing. "So we know something of the sort can be done. It's just a matter of doing it."

"As for the potion..." he swallowed, taking it from his pocket, looking at the vile little thing again. "That's why I'm taking it. Because it's just a matter of doing it," he breathed. "Alchemy requires countless trials and experimental variations in order to achieve anything. And animals can only be tested on for so long. Eventually, somebody has to drink something," he shrugged, rolling the little vial back and forth in his hand, contemplative. He kept his eyes down for several moments more.

Then he looked up at Elrich again. "So who are you most trying to impress? You'll have to excuse my stealing your question, but it's too good to let go unused," he shrugged. "And anyway, I'm curious. Who does the boy who mostly wants to be left alone really care about?"

The vial had been such a perplexing topic for Elrich, yet the boy’s answer seemed so simple. Testing its effects had never even crossed his mind, though considering the boy came from an alchemist family it did make sense. Still, why was someone so young testing them? It seemed that with every answer he received, a new question popped up to take its place. A shame, considering he had used all five of his questions already. Even so, he had a feeling that he would find his answers in due time.

The boy’s question did not surprise him. Elrich knew that by asking him who he wished to impress that the question could be deflected back at him. There was no point in deferring it, but he did still have a pass. “I could simply choose not to answer and use my pass, but that wouldn’t be very sporting, would it?” he asked rhetorically with a grin, beginning to pace back and forth. “My answer is similar to yours. I’ve been trying to gain my father’s satisfaction for as long as I can remember. I worked and studied day and night. He was almost always away for work, as was my mum, and when he did grace our home with his presence, he only acknowledged my existence by reminding me how I failed to meet expectations," he continued, grin turning to frown, frown turning to sneer and his tone transitioning from calm to agitated rather quickly.

He stopped pacing, staring into blank space. “One day I will surpass him. At that point whether he wants to acknowledge my skills will be irrelevant. I’ll make him if that’s what it takes.”