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No, I want to keep going week by week.

Yes, bring on the VIOLENCE!

[Chevaleresse]

"I've, uh, been out of the loop for a while. Anything is helpful." He seemed strained. It didn't look like nerves, and it probably wasn't rage, so she had to say that the man looked like he was in pain. She figured it was better to be rude and ask rather than leave the question open, so. . . "Are you okay, by the way? You seem. . . distracted." No need to call out what she saw specifically.

[mcclay]

Alex's smile turns into a grimace and he waves her concerns away idly. "Its no big deal, honestly. Old scars on my legs that I got at a young age act up when I'm near the living deceased. Part of the treatment they used or something. Its not a real problem, I've learned how to ignore it for the most part. You shouldn't worry, honest."

[Sl4cker]

Albert rubs his cheek. He shifts slightly. Hair falls down his face. He smiles, though. "Forgive me for a potentially ignorant statement, but..." His legs cross. "Psychology and Law seem to be contrasting, though not necessarily opposing, disciplines. Id and Superego. The Inner versus the Outer. Primal Instinct, or Logical Reason. A little philosophical, yet regardless..." He leans forward. His hands clasp together, and he stares down at them. An emulation of the Thinker.

"Superego. The desire to restrain the self, the instinctual need for destruction. The S-Drive. This is why Vampires are given full personhood. But there's a balance for a reason - it leads to self-destruction. To bottle one's nature for so long without letting it out. Either the pressure becomes too much, and the proverbial bottle bursts, or the person completely eradicates the Self entirely." His smile grows to a grin. "Again, forgive me for expressing clashing opinions so soon. But this is, well, a passion of mine."

[mcclay]

Alex cracks his knuckles as he turns to face Albert, happy for an excuse to not think about his leg or vampires or anything along those lines?

"Bringing up Freud in your first paragraph? I do believe the good doctor was dropped off by science long ago, though I suppose some of the concepts hes speaking of do have some resonance today. And I'd like to dispute your claim that Psychology and Law are opposed. Without understanding of the human psyche Law would be useless. If the goal of a legal code is to curb crime and create stability, creating laws that don't take into account how the brain functions is worse than useless. It would mean ignoring the motive, the Heart, if a crime. I will refute and dismiss any one who says that all crimes do not have a Heart. As for vampires, well, what you're talking about could be also be said about eating for us. If we do not feed we either explode into violence to get our food or die. Our desires and wants may yell at us to eat and gorge ourselves, to steal from others until we're full of food, the Super Ego works against that. Just as there are laws saying you cannot steal, and ration laws put into place during war or famine, thus there are laws governing the meals of vampires.

Another example would be recreational drugs. While yes, if one were too indulge fully on substances such as pot or alcohol they would descend into depravity and die, the law recognizes that most do not and puts limits down to discourage that over excess. While drug use can lead to addiction we are not banned from them entirely.
 You can I can drink and smoke, but there are limits placed there. In this way we are prevented from both being forced to completely suppress our desires while being limited in the ways we can totally indulge without consequences. Vampiric feeding is the same. Scarlet and her kin are allowed to feed when they need too, but there are laws and limits that make sure they do not rip open passers by,
 not that I think you would do such a thing. In this way the Super Ego and the Id are satisfied, at least a little."

[Sl4cker]

Laughter. Tinkling, high, genuine. "True, true. What I'm saying is Psychology is certainly not bound by hard laws - its half life of known knowledge is one of the shortest in all of science. All old tomes are worth looking into, though, with the advent of the Thaumic Sciences." He places a hand on his chin. "Perhaps I mispoke. Law and Psychology intermingle, as do many sciences, but my definition was mainly focused on the science of desire. Wants. Needs. That contrasts with law and society, steeped in the Superego."

He smiles. "Szondi. Little more modern. Just as forgotten by modern psychology. Though, that's why I'm here to learn modern psychology, isn't it?" He plays with his fingers. "Always a balance. It's just that too often you see schools attempt to stifle student's desires, no? It's a stereotype. This is a lovely school, though. Perhaps I should be more trusting."

[Chevaleresse]

"If you insist," she replied to his request to drop the topic. There was one way she could probably help, but somehow she doubted that he would go for the option of some low-level hypnosis. She wasn't exactly practiced at it, and chances are the guards wouldn't exactly appreciate it either.

She was quiet through the initial exchange about the nature of primal drives and social conditioning; she wasn't really an expert on psychology, and she wanted to see where the discussion went. Plus, she figured that her side on the discussion was fairly clear. Unless, of course, one assumed that she was okay with losing control and "ripping open passerby." She simply indicated her agreement with Alex by nodding her head during his side of the argument.

[Sl4cker]

"Whoops," he offers to Scarlet.

[Zacha]

"Shewt! What a place!" exclaimed a very local-sounding voice from somewhere in the back, looking around at the auditorium with wide eyes. "Why, ah bayett yew dollars ta donuts theeyiss place eeyiz big enough fer a shootin' range!" he said, elbowing a fellow student to get his attention, but the volume of his voice certainly needed no assistance. The young man was a bit stout and tanned like someone who spent a lot of time outdoors, but his weight wasn't just fat--his arms were clearly used to lifting very heavy things. His round face shone with excitement as he looked around with a smile that showed off a lack of more than one tooth. Notably, he was dressed in overalls and a t-shirt. A new t-shirt, to be fair, but the overalls clearly weren't. At least his hair had been combed.
"Sal-yew-tay-shuns, new-freyends!" he said, not using his inside voice in the slightest as he shook a nearby student's hand. "Name's B-Bob, butchyall ken call me Bojangles! Pleasure ta be workin' weeyith y'aull!" Granted, it was a magic school, but hey, it'd be a big adventure, and he was gonna be here for a while. Best to... well, make the best of it, right?

[mcclay]

Alex simply shrugs. "I don't suggest giving away your trust too easily. Trust is a currency and a tool to be hoarded and used only when needed. You have to give a little away all the time, of course. We're trusting the school to both give us a good education and not kill us right now. But we have evidence and proof to back up that trust. Our decisions were informed by the best information we had on hand. The stifling of our desires, well, it depends on the desire. Before trusting them not to kill your dreams, perhaps you should gather information. Once you know the outcome, then you can make your decision. I'm fairly sure they're not going to destroy my path to the Bar, otherwise why accept me, but you have different ambitions than me. Ambitions that the school may not enjoy."

Alex gives Scarlet another smile, this one less pained. All the talking helped him ignore the itching in his leg. "Its fine, honestly. Just a minor annoyance. It was a bit much at first but I acclimatized. Which is more than I can say for this damn heat."

[kj1225]

"... I understand most of those words but not all together."
Dom listened to the exchange with a growing look of confusion that only really went away when he noticed, really heard, the apparent local boy introducing himself to some poor fellow nearby. He turned and offered a tip of the hat and a howdy to the other young man, his Texan accent standing out almost as much as his strange outfit.

[Chevaleresse]

She frowned. She hadn't said anything, though she couldn't deny that she was feeling a little uncomfortable with the implications of Albert's argument; it sounded to Scarlet like he thought a feeding on a person was inevitable. Certainly, it's not like she'd never dealt with that particular intrusive thought, but she didn't exactly like the idea of someone going around and saying that she couldn't continue to do so - her continued existence was dependent on the belief that the craving could be managed. Was her discomfort showing that strongly on her face? She'd been trying to remain impassive.

The topic of both the newcomer and the heat provided a good opportunity to change the subject. "Yeah, you're telling me. Sunny New Orleans. At least I don't have to worry about fuckin' mosquitoes." She waved idly to the newcomer, waiting to actually speak to him until he spoke to her.

[Sl4cker]

"Trust as a currency implies it has the potential to run out, you know." Another smile. A little less genuine. "All true. Yours is a discipline I can at least respect. Logic, reason, information, and judgement." He rubs his cheek. An arm is raised, hand outstretched to shake. "As I thought, you're a lovely speaker. Logos-persuasive, as you should be. It seems the school really will enjoy your ambition, as you put it. And..." He blinks. Expression deliberately falling for a second, before rebounding. "I do hope they won't hate mine."

He nods at Dom. "That's alright. It's good to meet you, mister."

And, finally, to Scarlet. He thinks about saying nothing. No, he has to say something. Should he be honest? Maybe. Yes. Maybe. Yes. "Can I make a confession?" Lean back in seat. Hands folded on lap. Short smile, back to neutral expression. "I know you're uncomfortable with me - I'm psychic. Please tell me why - I'm not that psychic.

[kj1225]

"Hm... seems that a lot of the people with powers others wouldn't approve of gathered over here. We got psychics, vampires, .... A lawyer."
Dom smirks as he lazily lists off the types on his hand. Some slight hesitation before saying the lawyer comments may make one feel like he was going to say something else, and they'd be completely correct.

[mcclay]

He gives Dom an apologetic look. "Sorry if I went off there for a bit, occupational hazard. Alexander Rand by the way, hope to be spending more time with you in the future." He gives Dom a winning smile and turns back to Scarlet, swatting away a mosquito as he does.

He lets out a sharp laugh and waves at the buzzing gnats and mosquitoes in the air. "We make a fine trio, don't we? The lawyer, the vampire and the mosquito. All bloodsuckers, according to some, though I believe I'm the weak point of the triangle there if we're being literal. Interesting that you still feel the heat though. I would've thought the natural chill of death's touch would cancel most of that out. Not surprised about the bugs not being interested though. Not much there for them to eat. Not that the wilting lily of undeath does your countenance any harm, mind you. Quite the opposite."

Finally to Albert he offers a pat on the shoulder.
"You also speak well my friend. If you use your tongue as a sword against the rigors of college life, I'm sure you'll cut a blood swathe. Mine may be tempered and practical, but I have no illusions I debate in a consistent and traditional style. Those that might avoid the straight swing will without fail be hit by the lazy, curving blow."

[Zacha]

Bojangles happened to catch sight of a hat being tipped in his direction and a howdy, and immediately thundered over. It might not have been quite as apparent in the back, but B-Bob was large. Maybe not necessarily the tallest person, though he certainly wasn't short--he was just massive. "Hey!" he said, narrowly avoiding crushing someone in his path. "I'm B-Bob, but chew ken call me Bojangles!" he repeated, reaching out for the hatted man's hand and gripping it in a tight and vigorous handshake. "An' ah love this weather! Nothin' like a nice brackish breeze t'bring th' fish to th' surface, y'know? Perfect fer a beer an' some noodlin'."