Safety first! (Oriel) [mature references]

[Noa Reese]

As much as Noa wished there was a sex shop in Pilot Ridge, there wasn't (at least not that she'd heard of, and she was pretty sure it was against the rules of the universe to not tell her something like that), so when she had been at Hammel she'd had to make due with what she could find at the local convenience/drug store. But with a brain like Noa's (and a sex drive like Noa's) nothing was out of reach. This was why there were things called pervertables.

Moving from her single dorm at UVM to the aptly-named 'Sexy Bitch Haven' had meant a change in scene, bringing her a bit closer to her old stomping grounds, and she couldn't resist a stop in to the store she'd frequented as an eager teen (she ignored that fact that she still was an eager teen, and that this had occurred not even two years ago). She wondered if they still had those adorably pervertable Mickey Mouse spatulas she'd gotten last time she'd visited. Her last one had broke (on her ass, unfortunately), and she wanted a matching set but couldn't find them anywhere near the college campus. Besides, she'd been hoping to expand the possibilities with some of her - ahem - close friends.

She wandered the aisles of the large store, basket in hand, faking innocent except for the knowing smirk that played on her lips. Stop one was, of course, safe sex supplies. Especially since she was looking out for her friends now, too (not like she didn't do that already). She could save the random assortment of items that graced her mental shopping list until after the primary necessities were taken care of. And that meant lube and condoms, both in large quantities. The lube was already rolling heavily on the bottom of her basket as her hand skimmed between two styles of rubbers, fingers dancing casually in the air as she pursed her lips, debating between the two.

She was having an immense amount of fun with this. She got a little thrill out of doing things that were a lot more perverse than they seemed to an innocent bystander. It was quite fun to act the darling little lady and then just be so very unladylike. Well 'unladylike.' She was really being quite the lady; courteous enough to provide assistance to friends in need, looking out for the welfare of her gentlemen callers... She was incredibly polite, if she framed it correctly.

[Deleted]

There were very few reasons for why Oriel ever ventured to downtown Pilot Ridge, especially since he’d been pretty much stuck in detention and grounded for the fights he was in last month....

Sigh.

And he still hadn’t patched things up with Kodah.

That was depressing.

But back to reasons. There were very few reasons for why Oriel ever ventured down to Pilot Ridge - food, food, shopping for food, duct tape.....

Yes, Oriel had run out of duct tape and it wasn’t like he could just go to the neighboring dorm room and ask to borrow some so he could play with his pet Madison. That’s when convenience stores were especially convenient. And he supposed while he was there, he could pick up a few more things with his limited allowance....arg! Really, he spoiled that boy too much.

So with the venturing, and the strange people being about, and the depletion of his allowance, Oriel was not in the best of moods. Well, Oriel was rarely in the best of moods and was wanting to get out of there and back to his comfort zone as quickly as possible. With a basket full of duct tape, peanut butter, clothes pins, and string, Oriel finished his venture in the necessities aisle. Condoms, man. They were a thing.

Unfortunately, upon his approach to the aisle, Oriel found that he could not browse about them like he had intended because there was some skinny brunette hogging the space and taking for-fucking-ever to make up her fucking mind(even though he’d only been there less than 3 seconds), and what the hell if you can’t decide between the two just take them both because you undoubtedly have enough money to afford it you stupid wench!

Breath, Oriel

He sent her a glare and a scowl as he rudely reached past her without a word to grab his favored brand for himself.

[Noa Reese]

Noa took the hand reaching past her as a sign that she should just get both. So she did, reaching behind to grab the 'value' packs. You could never have too many condoms. As she followed the hand back to it's owner, she raised an eyebrow slightly at the impatient boy. Usually a half gallon of lube and two value packs of condoms would earn her a bit of attention from the opposite sex. From the same sex, too, though they would pretend not to look. Curious, she glanced down to his basket.

Duct tape, peanut butter, clothes pins, string, and condoms. Really? Well, even if it wasn't what her mind had automatically assumed it was, she had to smirk. "In a hurry to get back to someone?" Her tone was almost a deadpan, darkly amused, contrasting with her delicate appearance. "You should probably pick up some safety scissors, string that thin can cut off circulation if you leave it on too long." She gestured, nodding toward his junk with a smirk. "And I'm pretty sure you want to keep your whole business in tact." She was about to mention that chopsticks and mini rubberbands gave you more adjustability than clothespins - and held on better - but she closed her mouth, holding back a small chuckle. Poor kid. He probably just needed shit for some project. But he'd been rude, so she'd been rude right back.

[Deleted]

Oriel would have gone for the value packs, but unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to afford all these other things if he splurged too much on one. But then again, he knew he was just going to be right back here again in a few days if he got the normal packs. Decisions, decisions....

Well, fuck. Why did Oriel always have to be the one buying this shit? Madison could fork over some cash too, the selfish nerd!

And what the fuck was this wench looking at, couldn't she mind her own business? Oriel was too busy trying to figure out if he had enough money to get the value or if he should just kick Madison in the nuts and make him go get more when they ran out. As such, his only response to her first question was a mere grunt. To her second comment, however, she got a hard, deserved glare of "why are you in my business, woman?", but then his eyes slid away behind their narrow slits as he started to ponder some more. Scissors...scissors...right. Did he even have scissors back at the dorm? But wouldn't a knife work just as well? They had plenty of those in the dorm. But then again.............................pondering.

He tossed the cheaper pack into his basket then set it down while he pulled out his wallet and re-checked the contents. Would he be able to afford scissors? How much were those things anyway? "A knife'll have to do....maybe..." he mumbled. "Fuck..." Maybe he should just give up on this whole plan? With another frustrated grunt, Oriel stuffed his wallet back into his pocket, grabbed the value pack, and stormed off without another word, leaving his basket on the floor next to the nosy wench.

[Noa Reese]

"A knife'll have to do....maybe..."

Wait, so she was right? She was a little surprised to be right, but she still broke into a wicked grin. A fellow kinkling! She laughed at his comment about a knife - this was a well known fact. Knives and rope. Everyone had them. If you walked into a party and needed a new hole punched in your belt, everyone within earshot would offer at least one knife. Still, he looked so gloomy - geez, such a long face for the poor kid, just learning his way around everything. She should help.

As he stormed off, Noa rolled her eyes and picked up his basket, following. "I love knives as much as the next girl, but safety scissors are where it's at." She'd lowered her voice to a less obvious volume, careful about outing people's private lives in public. But she just wanted to help. "I have an extra pair-" she trotted at his pace even as she rummaged around in her purse, pulling out a pair of safety scissors. Yes, she carried a pair with her. Why? Because scissors are very useful, and medical utility scissors were cheap and non-threatening. Plus, guerilla bondage could occur at any moment! Or not. She sometimes wished.

She dropped the scissors into his basket, "They probably have some in the medical aisle. They're, like, a buck. And you'll want lysol wipes or something to sterilize them." There she went, running her mouth: little miss know-it-all. She didn't really recognize this fact - to her, safety in the bedroom was one of the most interesting topics that could come up in conversation. Even if she had initiated it.

Oh, wait, the way he'd looked at his wallet... Noa glanced into his basket, pondering. "Hey, I'll pitch in on the total if you split some of the stuff with me." She offered, casually. "I'm going to be picking up a couple other things that you may be interested in, too. You know, jump ropes, ping pong paddles, wiffle bats..."

She was almost bouncing in her skin - a chance to teach! She was delighted! She was absolutely thrilled to spread her wealth of knowledge, but she reminded herself that if this kid hurt someone it could be on her for helping him get the stuff. Somehow, she just didn't believe this kid could be that bad. He was probably too scared to do any of the harder stuff. Oh how little she knew...

[Deleted]

Oriel pretended not to hear the nosy wench as she followed behind him and criticized his use of a knife over the use of safety scissors or whatever she was talking about that he probably couldn't afford. Then again, he didn't bother looking at the price and was too stubborn to go find out.

And why was she following him!?

Didn't she have anything better to do than stick her nose in his business?? He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to get all chummy with her, he didn't want to take her "advice" or whatever it was she was trying to give as if he didn't know what the fuck he was doing(which, admittedly, he didn't). Oriel just wanted to finish his shopping and get the fuck out of there before he ended up engaging in some serious property damage.

Dammit, he hated being out of his comfort zone. At least he wasn't as bad as Madison, that guy barely even came out of his room.

However, when she made the offer to split the cost of their supplies, he abruptly ceased his journey to the registers. As Oriel slowly turned to face her, his eyes shot out an ice cold death glare. "What. Do. You. Want? Bitch!?" he growled through gritted teeth.

Breath, Oriel. The wench thinks she's helping.

Oriel took a long, slow deep breath before he spoke again, looking away from the woman. "I only got $15." Which was enough to buy the condoms and not much else. "So unlike some people, I can't just be throwing my money away on toys and shit." He looked down with a snicker as a half smile cracked on his lips. "Though the wiffle bat sounds pretty awesome," he said with a clear glint of excitement in his eye as he briefly imagined the things he could do with that and the other things she named. Especially the ping-pong paddle. One of those single-player paddle ball thingies. "Wish I thought of 'em before."

[Noa Reese]

"What. Do. You. Want? Bitch!?"

Noa sighed, heavily, her smile dropping into an unimpressed pursed lip. So he was that sort. She didn't appreciate the name-calling (not in this situation, anyway), but she took it with a grain of salt. Kid didn't like her prying into his business, that was fair. But he was new at this. If he wasn't careful someone could end up permanently damaged. Even if she didn't want to take full responsibility for teaching him everything she could, she still wanted to impart a few key points.

It was a relief when he calmed himself down. And a good sign. Self control was a thing, and it was important.

"I only got $15. So unlike some people, I can't just be throwing my money away on toys and shit."

Noa was about to interrupt when he almost smiled, and her hopes lifted as she shut her mouth. Was this progress she was sensing?

"Though the wiffle bat sounds pretty awesome. Wish I thought of 'em before."

Noa's smirk returned. When in doubt, tempt a top with an appealing new technique. She tried to tone her excitement down, the same way she would with Jade, as she set forward her offer. "Here's the deal, kid: I don't want whoever your partner is to be seriously injured. Minimally injured, sure. Consensually abused to both of your hearts' delights, I'm all for that." Her smile was dark and mischievous, loving a good dose of sadomasochistic humor.

"As you've pointed out - I can afford to 'throw my money away' on toys. Or, you know, the money a college girl can make. Which, in case you haven't noticed, is why I'm shopping in a convenience store instead of getting that beautiful fancy simple-to-clean equipment you'd find online." Her tone was a little wry at that. "But I have enough to buy a few cheap pervertables for your sick mind. All expenses paid. All you have to do is use them responsibly. And let me know if you need anything, or have any questions. I know people. Like... professional people." Her look was pointed. She had friends in both high and low places (depending on where you were kneeling).

"I'm kinda the sex-ed girl - at least for wanna-be kinklings," she qualified. The title wasn't official, it wasn't like she had a degree, but she happened to be the most interested in learning and the most widely educated that she knew of. Or at least the only one willing to offer advice. "I pay for your shit, you use it correctly. Well," she smiled to herself at that, almost laughing, "You know... correctly for the situation at hand. Which means cleaning things, respecting safe words and limits, and letting me know if you need help.

"You should be glad - I'm someone you can brag to about your exploits without freaking me out." That was something she'd noticed in a lot of kinksters - the desire to flaunt how utterly fucked up they could get. People showed off bruises and welts like medals of honor, or proudly bragged about how long they'd forced chastity on someone. It was a fun community to be a part of - a group of people pushing themselves to do better for their partners. But she wasn't sure this kid understood all of that yet. In fact, she was almost positive he didn't. "Besides... I have a whole stockpile of ideas where those came from."

[Deleted]

"Listen, Parker," Oriel snapped at her after she finished her whole sex-ed talk, none of which he'd even asked about but was given to him anyway. "Can I call you that? Too bad, that's your new name." Damn she was nosy. "I'm not sure what you're imagining I'm doing or not doing, or how fucking ignorant you think I am, but I take care of my things." After all, if he broke his toy, he couldn't continue playing with it. He huffed out a snort, clearly not liking that someone else was telling him what he could or couldn't do. If he wanted it, he'd ask for it. Then again, this chick seemed like she knew her shit, maybe he should listen to her, especially since he'd only just realized how much he didn't know at the infamous Talk, which only served to make him oh, so fucking paranoid about every little thing he did and...arg! Why did he have to be so damn stubborn!?

"I'm not..." he started with a bit too much force as he tried to reign himself back in. "I ain't stupid." Just ignorant. Which, in reality, he realized, could mean a lot if he wasn't careful.

However, she did have a point, Oriel thought as he reflected on her community speech. It might be nice to have someone other than Penelope to talk about this stuff with. He was positive everyone else thought he was a freak or would think so if they knew that it was more than just sex between him and Madison. That he was a twisted fuck. Sometimes he felt like one.

Oriel stood there, clenching his teeth, feeling like he wanted to leave, like he wanted to ask this strange girl more, but being too stubborn and indecisive to move one way or the other. For once in his life, Oriel wished that someone or something else would step in and make the decision for him.

"Fine," he finally muttered out. Oriel sighed, giving it up. It was far too tiring for him to be so stressed and worked up like this. "Ok," he said with a nod as he rewet his lips. "I'll hear you out."

Congratulations, Oriel! You've made progress! Give yourself a pat on the back!

[Noa Reese]

"Parker works, if you really want to. I can learn to respond to that. Of course, my name is Noa, but whatever floats your boat." She shrugged. She had been tempted to just let him huff off, but part of her worried about him. He was still a kid, there was a reason young people didn't usually break in to the kink scene - they were too impulsive and they didn't usually take the time to learn. She tried to treat them like adults, but teen angst can be overwhelming.

He took care of his things? Ok, possessive, that was an interesting development. It also told her a bit about his style - he wasn't going with some of the other titles he could've chosen, like pet, sub, slave, or, who knows, cabana boy. She was curious if this whole 'people as objects' was his real opinion. Her power couldn't pinpoint specific views, just the overarching statement. He seemed to think the statement was true, though, or true enough, so that meant he gave this mystery partner value.

"I'm not... I ain't stupid."

Noa shook her head, glad to see him calming himself down. Her smirk had dropped now, her face open and calm, and she addressed him with straightforward bluntness. "I don't think you're stupid. I know it may be hard to believe that, but I don't. I just think that there's stuff you don't know that could be useful to you."

She had to admit she was surprised when he calmed himself down enough to admit defeat. She wasn't sure if she should point out that self control was a really useful trait - she wanted to, but realized that this kid saw her first and foremost as a little patronizing. She didn't mean to be, she really didn't, but it was obvious that he didn't like that she knew more than him. He probably hated any sort of authority - except his own.

She chewed on her own lip, not sure the best path to take with this kid, but wanting to back off a bit and let him calm down. How the fuck she could possibly do that, she had no idea. "Look... I can understand if you don't want to talk to me right off the bat-" it was hard to fight the urge to smile wryly at the choice of words, "-so I'll give it to you quick and dirty: Safety and consent are always number one. For now, that means cleaning everything you use, checking in with your partner every once in a while, and being free of any substance that's going to interfere with your ability to feel your body. And - I don't know if you're a Hammel-ite, though I wouldn't be surprised - that includes any sort of power manipulating you."

Realizing even these few tips may come off a little too patronizing, she pulled a pad of paper from her bag (seriously, she kept a ton of shit in there, this is what girls do) and wrote out a few websites for him to check out. "Ok, here, I'm going to give you my kink academy username and password. It's all educational videos, all really great stuff, and no one has to know you watch them. I won't be there looking over your shoulder, I'll just trust you on this." She folded the paper up and held it out to him.

He probably wouldn't want to talk here. She'd written her tertiary email address on the paper - a non-incriminating combo of letters and numbers that didn't get too personal but forwarded to a file in her primary inbox - and her google voice number (though it appeared as a standard cell number). She'd learned to keep a few degrees between herself and anyone she gave her contact info to. She'd had a few people keep contacting her when she didn't want them to, and she'd figured out how to combat creepers like that. If he wanted to, she'd be fine meeting somewhere she felt safe, but he didn't seem like the type to get out much, so she may need to set up another skype account. But for now... "I'm pretty sure you won't object if we quit the chatter and get right to the pervertables?"

[Deleted]

"Well, good to know you do have your own name. At least now I don't have to make one up for you." He said that as rudely as he could, but it did make him feel better that he knew who she was and what to call her rather than just making stuff up. It at least made her seem like less of a nosy stranger.

Yes, Oriel was possessive. And while he'd never admit it, he cared a great deal about those which he dubbed as belonging to him. Oriel had enough trouble admitting it to himself, much less anyone else. And since they belonged to him, why shouldn't he do everything he could to protect them? Why shouldn't he keep them away from shady blonde-haired scumbags and.....whatever.

He hated that she was right. There was so much that he didn't know. That was the whole point of going to the Talk, to find out more. But that had created more problems than it solved. And now this girl here was pretty much saying the same thing he heard there. It grated on him, because his relationship with Madison didn't have the maturity it needed for that kind of communication. And Oriel didn't have the maturity to bring it there.

However, Oriel's eyes did perk up when she mentioned manipulation and drug effects. "That....that's what I said," he stated like he was shocked that his opinion was actually the right one concerning those issues. "It's too fucking dangerous and too easy to get out of control and...." Oriel trailed off as he thought back on his encounter with Phoenix and that damned fairy's pixie dust. If he'd have known about that shit, he never would have.... His eyes took on a shadow, conflicted between pain and anger, as he remembered his most recent encounters with Phoenix and AJ. "I don't want that to happen."

By this time, Oriel had calmed down enough to start listening to her sincerely. He was still irritated, but much less so than before. And his eyes brightened up when she provided the website with the educational videos. The fact that they were videos made it much easier on him, he would watch them all! But then he looked at the paper she gave him and swallowed hard as he looked at the cryptic, cluster-fuck of letters and numbers, trying to decipher what exactly it was he was looking at. Shaking his head, Oriel handed it back to her. "I can't use this. I don't have a computer, I use the one at the library. They won't let me look at this shit there. Trust me, I've tried." They had some sort of content filter on it. He knew Madison looked up porn all the time and Oriel would probably just use his, but that guy didn't like people in his room. Plus, he would have to have Madison there for it all and he didn't want Madison to know he didn't know what he was doing...or that he couldn't even read half the shit he was trying to look up.

Oriel took in another deep breath and exhaled into a very loud sigh. "All right. Fine. Whatever. Just lead the way, Arwen." Apparently her name had changed. "...Noa," he corrected himself. "I'm right behind you." Another thing he wouldn't admit: Oriel was actually pretty eager and excited to see the stuffs she picked out for play.

[Noa Reese]

"That....that's what I said. It's too fucking dangerous and too easy to get out of control and.... I don't want that to happen."

Wow, okay, breakthrough. Finally Noa had said something that he wasn't fighting her on. And he had the right side of things, too. She parroted a personal favorite saying, "Consent under the influence isn't consent." Her mouth set in a firm line. There were some personal reasons she held that belief so strongly. She still wasn't sure if that creep had been powered, but she knew she'd felt under the influence of something. She was tempted to shut up after that, but felt the need to add, "Besides, if your head is thinking you're happy and your body isn't, your body isn't about to forgive you the next day, and you're not about to forgive your partner."

It was something that annoyed her about being at Hammel. She was lucky to have her power, to be able to ask people straight up if they were manipulating her and get the truth (or at least know if they were lying). Honestly, sometimes she didn't mind getting it on with manipulators, as long as they weren't getting into anything risky. Vanilla sex was fine. But if there was a risk that things could get violent, in a good or bad way, she would remind someone that, if manipulated, she considered that nonconsensual sex, and wasn't afraid to tell people.

When he took the paper - or, more specifically, when he returned it - Noa was a little taken aback. He seemed so nervous about it, it was like he was suddenly scared of the paper. What was all that about? But then he'd explained the computer situation, which rang true, though felt a little off to her (there was something going on there, but she wasn't about to poke at it). "Hmm..." she tried to think of a solution, "Would your toy let you borrow-" she faltered, but decided the string reaction had been a clue to this mysterious person's gender, "-his? Or - and I'm not condoning this or anything-" she added, with a slight roll of her eyes that told a different story, "- could you sneak on to a roommate's? Deleting the history and all that," she added, quickly. That was what had to be done sometimes. People could freak the fuck out over a little sex, so they had to cover their tracks.

"It's just... I mean, they're really good videos. And a hell of a lot easier than the amount of reading I've done." With a slight quirk to her lips, she added, "Plus, they have naked people. And frequently naked people having horrible things done to them, which is always a plus. Besides - I have this teeny weenie suspicion that maybe you don't want to be meeting with me on a regular basis." That last part was rock hard sarcasm. His discomfort with her was beyond obvious.

"All right. Fine. Whatever."

As she turned to continue through the store, she heard-

"Just lead the way, Arwen. ...Noa. I'm right behind you."

She nearly cracked up on the spot, but hid her smile with her back to him. "Arwen works too. Like I said, I couldn't care less. Though your name would certainly be nice to know. Or at least a fake name to associate with the face." She was pretty used to people giving fake names and nicknames. People were cautious. She sometimes gave a fake name, too. It was a lot better for a creeper to go looking for someone that didn't exist than for them to meet you once and then find where you lived. So if she did introduce herself, she generally went by her middle name (which she went by regularly anyway, but wasn't listed by) and a fake last name. Perhaps she was overcautious, but she didn't intend to put that to the test.

"Safety first," she explained as she picked up a pack of latex gloves. "Yeah, I know they seem stupid, but they can kind of be a sort of intimidating scary-sexy, y'know? And kind of slippy-slidey if you lube 'em up." She didn't wait for his response as she also picked up a pack of clorox wipes for herself (they were more expensive and she was more lazy) and the cheapest bottle of bleach she could find. "For cleaning. 9 parts water, 1 part bleach." She added, in explanation, "Just put it in a spray bottle, spray or wipe it on, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse and dry off anything that's left."

Now that she thought about it, she should just do all of her shopping today, it would save her a ton of time and give her a chance to show off her lovely brainscape of possible pervertables. This was only the health aisle after all, and she still had things to pick up here. And then there was the beauty aisle, toys, sporting goods, kitchen products, and oh so much more. She'd have to pick up an actual cart, at this rate. But for now, she picked up a few rolls of vet wrap - way cheaper than bondage tape, and wider. "This stuff sticks to itself, not to hair, you can breath through it, and it's wide enough that it won't cut into the skin like skinnier stuff does. Plus, it's like a buck a roll and bondage tape is like ten."

She cocked her head to the side, "You know, I didn't even ask if you were into that. Is that a thing for you?" She wasn't even trying to be nosy, she was just wondering if it was something he was going to want explanations about. "Because I know a beautiful place called 'Dom Depot' where you can find quite a large supply of items that can easily become magical devices." She was quite glad that the store was large and mostly empty, it made their conversation far less likely to be overheard. Though, at this point, she didn't exactly care. He might, though.

[Deleted]

"No...It's not," he agreed with her, but his voice was still tense as he kept being reminded of that damned Pheromoner, AJ...And Saki, whom he despised so much more. "Not for either of 'em." Especially when the manipulating party didn't know what they were in for. Oriel nodded in agreement about her follow-up statement. "Yeah. I've seen what that shit does to people." First hand, front row seats. "I don't like it."

Oriel sighed, shaking his head. "Nah, the guy's a fucking recluse. He won't let anyone in his room." And he locks the door when he's out, which had been pretty consistent ever since Oriel intruded and tried to clean Madison's room. Incidentally, that was also the same night they started this twisted whatever-it-was of theirs. Thinking about that night though, had Oriel smiling and laughing to himself. It really was pretty amazing. "That asshole's such a fucking slob too, I don't want to step foot in that cesspool of his anyway." When Oriel said before that he took care of his things, he was pretty literal about it. Oriel fed him whenever he had the chance, he cleaned up after him(if not in his room, then in the common area), he bought him toys exactly like he was doing today, he poured a lot into aftercare which Madison didn't really seem to appreciate, the jackass.

Oriel considered her suggestion. "I guess I could ask someone but..." Who? Penelope maybe, but she would definitely laugh at him, especially about the reading problem. And if he did it alone, it would probably take Oriel forever to navigate through these unfamiliar pages. By the time he got to where he wanted to go, no doubt, he'd have to get off. And no way Oriel knew how to delete browser history, and he knew he wouldn't be able to figure it out quickly either, not without asking for help. "Can't," he finished, shaking his head. "No fucking way I can do it." As much as he wanted to see those videos and learn more about this...lifestyle? There was no way he was going to be able to get there. But could he stand to meet with this chick he barely knew to learn? "You shouldn't assume," he said with an air of irritation and a splash of arrogance. "You don't even know me. I can put up with quite a bit of shit to get what I want." Oriel wasn't happy about having to be taught anything, he hated not knowing or understanding something right away, but when he had a strong enough interest in it, Oriel had the motivation to get better, even if he was loud and complained about it the whole time like an indignant child. "Or I can just make you teach me everything I want to know." He narrowed his eyes down at her and smiled devilishly.

"Though your name would certainly be nice to know. Or at least a fake name to associate with the face."

Oriel threw his chin into the air pompously with a overly smug smile. "Usually I have my subjects address me as the Evil Dark Overlord," he announced dramatically before returning to a normal tone, "or some variation thereof. Otherwise, my name's Oriel." He didn't mind giving his real name. Oriel liked his real name. And nobody so far had called him the Overlord or some variation thereof so far except Phoenix. "Though lately, people have just been calling me asshole," he finished with a slight raise of an eyebrow, then a laugh. Yep, he thought he was hilarious.

Oriel kept a close eye on the items she was throwing into the basket. He hadn't really ventured too far into preparing things ahead of time, most of the stuff he'd done was just spur of the moment using whatever they had in the dorm room. The only "official" toys he'd gotten were from Penelope, and she had some pretty sweet things. But for cleaning usually, if he thought the item could withstand it, he just boiled it, then flambe'ed it. He'd never really considered how else to do it. Then again, he never had the money to think about better ways to sanitize. "Hmmm...that might be interesting. Buuut, what's wrong with just using duct tape? Other than being expensive, I mean." This was good stuff to know. Actually, he was feeling pretty cool about asking questions. "'Cause I'm pretty sure his favorite part is when I rip it off."

Oriel just looked at her blankly, a little confused as to what she was referring. "Why, what? Is there like, a difference or something?" Oriel too, didn't care if other people were listening in on their conversation. They could al just go fuck themselves for all he cared. "Dom Depot..." he memorized the name. "One: where and or what is that? Two: is it expensive?" Because no matter how magical a land it was, Oriel was still on a limited allowance. He couldn't just be splurging all his money on toys all the time. He had to eat too. And he sure as hell wasn't giving up his danishes.

[Noa Reese]

"Yeah. I've seen what that shit does to people. I don't like it."

Noa bit her tongue. So he was a Hammel kid. Hm... It sounded like he had had some experience being manipulated. The thought almost made her feel sorry for him, but she had to remind herself that that was good, in a way, because he knew the risks. And with the way he was acting, she wasn't sure if he'd believe other dangers without experiencing the consequences. She hoped he would, for his sake.

She was tempted to ask what his ability was - it could be dangerous, after all, if he had some sort of elemental kinesis or other ability that could manifest dangerously when emotions were high. But he seemed pretty cautious of abilities in general... maybe she wouldn't have to worry about it with him. Besides, if you went to Hammel you were probably sick of swapping powers. And it's not like hers was anything astounding. Plus, she preferred to keep hers a secret, people didn't really like knowing that she could tell when they were covering up a dirty little secret.

"Nah, the guy's a fucking recluse. He won't let anyone in his room."

Noa's lips quirked a bit as the kid actually laughed, even if it was more to himself than to her. Despite his words seeming mean, she could tell he actually cared about this guy. Maybe he wasn't admitting it to himself, or maybe he just didn't want other people to know, but there was an affection there.

"You shouldn't assume. You don't even know me. I can put up with quite a bit of shit to get what I want."

The smile became a very small smirk at that. "From bitch to shit. Is that an improvement? I can't tell." She didn't mean it in a bad way, just making light of his words.

"Or I can just make you teach me everything I want to know."

Oh? Noa turned to him with a look of delighted intrigue. "Really?" She pondered it for a second. She wasn't about to hand over control to some kid who didn't know what he was doing, and he probably wouldn't be interested in her attempting to teach on him, but maybe they could work something out with a third party. "I'll point out now that, while the offer is certainly intriguing, I don't think I know you well enough to incapacitate myself with you around." She was being honest, and added, "I don't think you'd want to be in that situation, either. Stranger danger and all that - it's even more dangerous if you're putting yourself into a position where you can't get away. So maybe I can find a pleasant friend who wouldn't mind helping demo a few techniques." She shrugged, offhandedly, wondering if she could contact friends from home asking for a favor. Wait a second, she had her power. Maybe she could just straight-up ask him if he had any bad intentions - though, she supposed, any sadist had someone's definition of 'bad' intentions. "You don't plan on raping, murdering, or pushing me past my personal limits, do you?" She asked it casually, though she turned her power on high alert for any sort of wonky tone that would signal doubt or alternate intentions.

"Usually I have my subjects address me as the Evil Dark Overlord, or some variation thereof."

Noa let out a light laugh at that, that was a hilarious power play. "I love it. That's a really creative title, totally great for fucking with people's heads - they want to laugh, but can't cause they'll get punished - it's great."

"Otherwise, my name's Oriel."

Oh, lovely, honesty. That was a relief.

"Though lately, people have just been calling me asshole."

She smiled a genuine smile at that. "Hey, that's pretty common," she laughed, "'Asshole,' 'you fucker,' 'sadistic dickhead,' all pretty common terms of endearment in the right context." She shrugged, jokingly casual. She liked to say that one of her favorite ways to tell a top she could take it was to tell them to fuck themselves. It made for great banter.

"Hmmm...that might be interesting. Buuut, what's wrong with just using duct tape? Other than being expensive, I mean. 'Cause I'm pretty sure his favorite part is when I rip it off."

That made her grin. "As long as he's said that, in some form, and you know it's true - whatever floats your boat. I'm not such a fan of tape hair-removal, but if he's into that, good for him." She shrugged. "Vet tape can be good for full head mummification, though, cause it's breathable." She opened her mouth, a story coming to her about this one time she'd had vet wrap used on her, but she bit her tongue - literally - and chuckled to herself. Nah, he didn't need to know about that. Though it was one of her prouder moments, and one she liked to brag about.

"Why, what? Is there like, a difference or something?"

"Well, as a certain old man would say, different strokes for different folks. Some people are more into the humiliation side of things, some more into pain, and some are into restricting movement. There's lots of sub-categories within the spectrum."

"Dom Depot... One: where and or what is that? Two: is it expensive?"

Noa cracked up at that, and shot him a smirk. "Dom Depot is what kinksters like to call Home Depot. Or Lowes, or whatever hardware store is around. Because there are all sorts of fun things you can make yourself for cheap. Also, rope. Lots and lots of rope."

She spotted an abandoned shopping cart at the end of the aisle and jogged over to it, dumping the two baskets into it and leaving them on the ground. Before he could question her about it, she explained, "I'd usually pick this up closer to campus, but as long as I'm here and teaching someone, I might as well explain the wonders of cheap toys." Glancing at what was in the cart, she added, "Also, we should probably replace the wooden clothespins with plastic ones, they're reusable."

[Deleted]

Oriel was pretty stubborn when it came to learning new things or being told that he can or can't do something, so Noa might be right in her assessment. But he also hated not knowing how to do something right, so it was hard to say whether he would take Noa's advice with good graces. More than likely, he'd take it seriously but pretend he didn't and then complain about her opinion being dumb.

"From bitch to shit. Is that an improvement? I can't tell."

"Up to you. I didn't say you were shit." He grinned, opening his mouth just the slightest to reveal his teeth and a slightly protruding tongue. Oriel meant shit in general, but if Noa wanted to take it that way, that was her choice.

Yeaaaah, nope. Oriel definitely wouldn't like to be taught on. He hated not being in control. Or being in pain. That was probably one of the many things he admired about Madison, (shhh! don't tell!) that he could take that kind of abuse. Oriel smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Hey, you never know. Might like it from a younger guy." Not that he was particularly interested. To be perfectly honest, Oriel was too scared to try that stuff on a girl, especially since he'd had it ground right into his skin, into his soul, that it was not ok to hurt girls. Even if he wanted to.

"So maybe I can find a pleasant friend who wouldn't mind helping demo a few techniques."

"Sounds good to me." He didn't mind just watching so long as Oriel got what he wanted from it. In fact, that was how he learned a lot of things. Because books sucked ass!

"You don't plan on raping, murdering, or pushing me past my personal limits, do you?"

As soon as Noa said that, though, all the smiles fled from his face, and Oriel went right back to scowling. "Know what, fuck you for even saying that," he growled out. "I don't do that kinda shit." At least, he tried not to. Tried very hard.

He did appreciate Noa's appreciation for his (tentative) Dom name, however. "You have no idea," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Some pixie-assed fucker practically laughed in my face the other day when I told him that." This chick really was good for him. Oriel wouldn't have felt comfortable telling that to anybody else before. Not even Penelope.

"Hey, that's pretty common. 'Asshole,' 'you fucker,' 'sadistic dickhead,' all pretty common terms of endearment in the right context."

"Good to know, though it usually degenerates into a battle of the most creative insult." Oriel snorted at some of the things they'd come up with. While Madison sometimes used "asshole", Oriel was mostly referring to his friends who just didn't get it. And the other people he bothered on a regular basis.

"As long as he's said that, in some form, and you know it's true - whatever floats your boat."

"Does, 'Ahhhh! Oh my God! Fuck!' and a harder dick count?" Oriel offered with an amused grin. He did like the idea of head mummification, however. He'd always wanted to try it, but was always afraid of doing it wrong. Oriel continued to listen to her explanations, not quite certain where he fell in those sub-categories. "Hmmm….I guess….I just do what I like. I never thought about categorizing it before."

However, Oriel did feel a bit like an idiot for not making the connection between Dom Depot and Home Depot. He'd never really been to a hardware store before, so it never crossed his mind that he could find stuff there. And of course, he was too headstrong to ask anyone. He was going to have to get him some rope, Oriel decided. Because there was only so much you could do with power cords, belts, and bedsheets.

Suddenly Noa ran off ahead and grabbed a cart, the sudden movement surprising him a little. But soon came an explanation and, well, after careful consideration(of about .3 seconds) Oriel nodded and threw up his hands. "Right, whatever. You're the one running this show, I'll leave it to you. Where to next, oh wise one?" He rolled his eyes again and made sure he sounded as sarcastic as possible. As if he knew what was going on in that over-driven perverted brain of hers.

[Noa Reese]

"Up to you. I didn't say you were shit."

Noa grinned right back at him, and clenched her fist in victory, "Sweet! Upgraded!" She'd known that he hadn't been referring to her, she'd just wanted to lighten the mood a bit. It was really nice to see him smile. He came off a lot less 'angsty teen'.

"Hey, you never know. Might like it from a younger guy."

"I do. On a semi-regular basis." She smirked at him. "Though, I suppose, that's not really the level of risk we're talking about here, it's more on the vanilla-plus-hair-pulling-maybe-spanking side of things." She reminded herself that she didn't have to share all of the details about her encounters in the bedroom. He probably wasn't interested.

She was immediately taken aback by his vicious response to her almost joking question. She frowned, and held her hands up in submission, "Hey, hey, I'm just making sure. You can never be too careful. Besides, it was a joke." There was some tension in his statement, though. It was basically truth, but some counter-tone was in there as well... something like... she couldn't tell. Maybe guilt? He hadn't given her a straight answer, but his vehemence was promising. He at least knew that it was beyond wrong. "I'm glad you're mad about it. Because you're right to call it shit. It is. The worst." The nodded in agreement to his sentiment, grabbing a first aid kit (for safety) and a blood pressure cuff (for fun) for the cart.

At least he seemed to warm up to her compliment. She did think his preferred title was silly, but she liked to laugh in the bedroom, and to attempt to not laugh (and completely fail until she was told in no uncertain terms that it wasn't funny).

"Good to know, though it usually degenerates into a battle of the most creative insult."

Noa laughed, "That's so much fun, though, right? God, it's the best. I prefer to just sound like an idiot for a while, once I get stumped. It usually my partner laugh. Cause - yknow-" she did a mock polishing of her nails on her shoulder like she was some hot shit, "-I'm just so cute and all." Her tone was so obviously joking as she rolled her eyes at her own words. Though the sentiment was true. When she got stumped she wasn't afraid to look stupid. She liked to make her top laugh whether on purpose or unintentionally. She liked to please people and to entertain; it was a perfect set up for her.

"Does, 'Ahhhh! Oh my God! Fuck!' and a harder dick count?"

Noa rolled her eyes, smirking as she grabbed a container of IcyHot. Ah, boys. She would've preferred a verbal okay or written admission, but he was young and might not be able to vocalize what he was into. "Practically, but you never know until it's been said. To be on the safe side, I can print you a cool sheet with a ton of different shit on it. You guys can read it over - that can actually be pretty hot if you're looking to build sexual tension between you - and fill it out, and we can go over it some time." She wasn't sure he'd be into the idea of reading it, he seemed more into watching and doing than just reading, but it could be a fun thing to have his partner read aloud.

"Hmmm….I guess….I just do what I like. I never thought about categorizing it before."

"It's fun to explore the different genres." She nodded. "Like, while I used to consider myself more of a sub-" she wasn't sure if he'd be surprised at that, even though she had been dropping hints at it. Sometimes people were; she was pretty dominant in her everyday life. "-I've realized I'm more of a bottom or even a switch, and that I like to fall toward the 'brat' role." She grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, glancing around to see if they had any medical staples. Yeah, of course they didn't.

She actually looked at him, slightly surprised, as he relinquished the outing to her. Oh, lovely. This was just plain lovely. She tried not to grin. "Do you like to leave marks? Cause aspirin can help with that. It makes it easier to bruise." She held up the bottle, not dropping it in the cart yet. As much as she liked to show off bruises when she got them, she didn't make the effort to bruise more easily, since she went out pretty regularly and didn't want vanilla people worrying that she was getting abused.