<span class="bbc_u"><strong>Dragon and ?<br/>Of the Mind...</strong></span><br/><br/>The human mind was a wondrous thing. With most people, it was like a monkey in a tree, jumping from idea to idea like a monkey would from branch to branch. It required discipline to arrange those thoughts, and putting them in an order in which they could be used. Most people had small spasms of such control, being able to come up with ideas that surprised even them. But it took an immense amount of self-control to be able to have one's mind organized like that for longer periods of time. The small, elegantly dressed Asian man that was sitting silently on a training mat while the rest of the men and women... well, not quite men and women, but the name just stuck, were off either eating from the delicious food brought to them by the shifter called Charlie, in their rooms, or off, out somewhere.<br/><br/>He was one of the few humans in the Den, and the only human Warrior. He had worked hard to maintain this position, and part of the work was as he was now, his mind relaxing, simply flowing through the motions that he had learned ever since he was able to walk, running through them, thinking every inch of his body's positioning over and over again, before he would finally act it out, mind and body in perfect harmony. Reflexes too fast to be seen, and his fire... the dragons fire was liquid, entering his movements like he was born with that ability.<br/><br/>And maybe he had. He didn't remember a time when he couldn't wield the Igni spell at his fingertips. It was like riding a bicycle. He hadn't even tossed a fireball in nearly three months, and yet, he knew that when the time came, it would be stronger, more powerful than the last time. It was all in his mind, in his heart, and his body, all different, all working as one to turn this little man, into one of the fiercest fighters in the Kindred. He worked himself smoothly to his feet, feeling refreshed as a whole, and made his way to the kitchen. Even in a place where the mind mattered, the stomach called. He smiled thinly as his mind moved a bit to humor, and even wider when he heard his stomach growling in response to the aroma wafting from the kitchen.<br/><br/>He stepped inside, and looked around. There were a few there, picking at the food. But the cook herself was nowhere to be found. He filled a plate, comparatively small, since a man of his stature tended not to eat too much, and he made his way up to the fourth floor, at a leisurely pace, wondering where the Alpha was. From the sounds coming from his personal training room, Xin Lung could tell that Bear was not idle. And from the female voice that was echoing within, he could tell that the giant was not alone.<br/><br/>He stepped subtly inside, his movements quick, but flowing, not attracting attention, especially not from the two engaged in heated combat on the other side of the room. Xin Lung sat on a nearby chair, chewing thoughfully, studying the fighters. It was a more practical study than anything else. He did not intend to extend any advice to the woman, and, from the look on her face, she didn't seem to be in the mood to be told to straighten her arms more for each blow, or to separate her feet more. No... she was being passionate about this.<br/><br/>Bear, on the other hand, was the precise opposite. His emotions were more defensive, and he was visibly colder as he worked hard to deflect the woman's agile and fast attacks, blades coming mere inches from yielding flesh. Bear surprisingly fast for a man his size, and immensely strong. Xin Lung knew this from experience. He leaned back in his chair watching the fight with interest. The girl was good, if a little undiciplined, and with some training, he could see her abilities flourish under a skilled trainer like Bear. Not him. He didn't take on shifter apprentices.