Migraines (Oriel)

[Alexander Rothwell]

It had been a very long eight hours for Alexander. School work, projects, tests, and all of those other things that really put a drag on a perfectly good day. Not to mention that he had his fair share of episodes for one day. They started out with and old ruler and ended with a much older penny, jamming memories into his brain like no tomorrow. His heard was just starting to hurt, and he knew he was going to be in for a good one. 

Take a deep breath. He consoled himself before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone, ready to dial. Usually he would pop a few migraine pills and be ready to head home with Hay-lin for the weekend, but he could already tell that he wasn't prepared to catch a ride into Vermont with her. The teen would just stay in his dorm room for the night, and hope to ride out the worst of the stabbing pain to come. 

The sun held low in the sky, partially covered in clouds. It wasn't a warm day, but there were just enough rays still reaching the Earth to make the weather bearable. Today was one of the rare occasions Alex had opted for a long sleeved shirt, over one of his various hoodies that he had stashed away in his closet for such weather. His phone, now unlocked, started dialing Hay-lin with the push of a pre-assigned emergency contact button. 

The glare from his phone made Alex grimace, causing him to fish a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slip them on over his eyes. Relief.

It didn't take long for Hay-lin to answer, and when she did, Alex immediately jumped into a tirade about how much he hated pocket change. When that was over, in a more calm voice he got to his original reason for calling her.


"It's a pretty bad one, Hay-lin. I'm just going to stay in my dorm room tonight. Yes, I will be alright. Yeah, I got an extra bottle on my nightstand. Don't worry, I'm sure Lucy wouldn't mind getting them. Don't worry, I will be home tomorrow. See you then!" The conversation wasn't too long, or too outstanding, but the pained youth was probably speaking louder than usual. 

[Deleted]

It was no surprise that Oriel was sleeping in class again, even the last one of the day. It was so commonplace for the boy to simple crash once any of his classes started, that most of the teachers just didn't even try anymore, because the threat and even administration of detention did nothing. Though…he hadn't been actually sleeping much lately, since he was doing better at getting those Zzz's when he was supposed to…at night…in Phoenix's bed.

So now classes were just a little bit of a boon where he can pretend to sleep(while sometimes actually doing so) and just not pay attention and avoid his classwork like usual(he really should try a little harder, but fuck studying! and reading!).

But…That's why he was able to overhear the conversation so clearly and his ears perked up at the mention of his dance teacher's name. And he wondered if the kid was even talking about the same person. But then again, how common a name was Hay-lin in this town?

Hmmmm…..

By the time the conversation was over, Oriel was already sitting up at his desk, chin held up in his hands, and eyes glaring at the other boy.

No, he didn't want to say something….no he didn't want to ask what their relationship was….no he didn't care who this kid was that apparently "went home" with a teacher over the weekends……

Oriel grabbed a handful of ink from a handout that had been left on his desk and flung it at the boy's head.

[Alexander Rothwell]

Alex's resolve was waning, and he felt the start of a whimper in his throat. He had had these problems since he hit puberty, and back then, his first migraine was the worst. They didn't get much better though, and he hated all the caution that went along with it. In every class he had to make sure he sat at the newest desk, received a fresh textbook, and make sure that the 'old' in his surrounding environment was as far away from him as it possibly could be. 

He didn't even have any of his friends in this class, just a background of random students he only had the pleasure of talking to when they worked on projects together. The teacher, nowhere to be found, had stepped out for a conference call toward the end of the class. There probably wasn't a random legion of substitutes on call for when one of the instructors decided to let his class alone for the last nine minutes until the bell rang and they were excused to the sweet freedom of the weekend. 

Is it even the weekend tomorrow? He wondered. School memories were the worst, memories of Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, all jumbled up around in his head made it nearly impossible to decipher what day it could possibly be. 

Something hit his cheek, that weird feeling crept along the side of his face, like when you get hit by something wet or maybe something solid, like a water balloon or a sponge, but not nearly as big. Out of reflex Alex quickly brought a hand to his cheek, something had definitely hit him, but what? He moved his hand to rest in front of his face, and with his free hand gently lifted up his sunglasses to investigate without any obstacles. A wet inky 'a' sat on his index finger, as if it had been freshly run through a printer. Judging by the amount of wetness on his cheek, he probably had the whole alphabet just stamped onto him. 

The boy stole a glance across the room, and his gaze immediately rested on a boy with brown skin and thick black hair. Alex's stomach dropped, recoiled, and did a summersault all at the same time. He was glaring at Alex, and regardless of how cute the boy was, he found himself shrinking back into his desk chair. Steadying himself, Alex pulled his lips into a tight smile and let out a small laugh. "Hi, I don't believe we have met." Kill me god, before this guy does. 

[Deleted]

Oh, good. He got his attention. And in a very effective way too. Oriel was starting to learn some things about his power, though he still didn't put a lot of effort into controlling it. The most he'd figured out thought, is that the less effort he put into reinfusing the ink onto a particular medium, the less likely he was to getting any severe side effects.

Oriel felt a tickle in his nose. He wiped the back of his hand across it and sniffed the blood back in sharply before it could fall.

Of course, he didn't take his eyes off the little dweeb-happy kid he'd launched his attack at. He still had an array of letters smeared across the side of his face. Though honestly, Oriel had been hoping for a bit more of a reaction from this kid, like an irritated one, or a "What the hell, man?" which is what normal people would do.

Nope, this kid was as polite as fucking fuck, which almost threw Oriel completely. But he could see the tension in the kid's eyes. He was nervous, a bit scared, feeling small under Oriel overbearing gaze.

And that just made Oriel smile his "playful" smile.

"No, we haven't," he replied, holding back an evil snicker. Oriel jerked his chin up lightly, staying in his seat with his predator gaze. "That's a nice look for you, fancy pants. Want a mirror?"

[Alexander Rothwell]

He really did need to find the target on his back that kept eluding him. Why me? Asked Alex, hoping for some cosmic answer along the lines of ~Dude, I finally found that target. Here let me get it for you.~ But no such luck was to be had as Alex once again found himself sinking back into his chair. He should have sat straighter, held a better pose, but who was he kidding? Confrontation was his kryptonite, he'd be the worst superhero in the history of super heroes, maybe even the lamest. 

The kid across from him continued to glare, maybe his ability was the ability to smell fear. But he doubted from the amount of perfectly printed letters on his face, that he had an ability anything close to that. Power to smell fear or not, he still flashed Alex a smile.. or was it a sneer... in his direction, like a cat getting ready to pounce on a very uncomfortable mouse that had been run through a newspaper printer. He wasn't sure what he expected, probably not an apology for firing his powers off, but when the boy spoke Alex's face twisted in confusion. Why me? He asked again, hoping that this time around some cosmic voice would answer him. 

"Fancy pants..?" He muttered to himself, before speaking loud enough for the other kid to hear. "It's this new body wash, Axe Inky Black, suppose to make you look as fine as fine print. Guess it worked too well."

Alex dropped his sunglasses back down, inwardly kicking himself for the lamest joke told in the history of this entire school. Talking to someone probably wasn't the best idea right now, but what was he suppose to do, turn his back and get inked on again? Who was this guy, squid boy? "Erhmm.. my name is Alex. Excited for the weekend?" Alex tried again, hoping to turn the conversation at least partly away from himself.


Holy crap, what if it isn't friday? He thought, hoping to whatever is gracious and good in the universe that he had just not made himself look like an idiot twice in a row. In the corner of his mind some memories once again started to try and tug their way in, like fire ants trying to make a nest out of his brain. 

[Deleted]

Oh this kid had a sign on him, all right. One that said "kick me, poke me, prod me, I'm easy pickings." It was in bright red neon lights and a helpful marquee that said "Jackpot! Everyone's a winner!" like a casino slot machine. Just the kind that lured in your classic bullying addict(such as Oriel here) like a moth to the flame. He was already looking the boy over head to toe and analyzing how he could invite the most amusing reactions from him.

But the kid, despite the fear so clearly laden in his eyes like he was about to be served his last meal, took the daring step forward to try to meet Oriel head on rather than just flop and take it like a fish on a board. Oriel stared at his (surprisingly good looking) victim with saucer sized eyes for a moment or two before his sinister smile was overwhelmed by a bright, beaming(and so obviously evil) grin!

Oriel narrowed his eyes and cocked his head arrogantly to the side. "Do they make a shave cream in that too?" he asked with a snark then rubbed his invisible beard. "Thinking I'm gonna have to start chopping away at this old bastard pretty soon, 'fore I start looking like a fucking dwarf."

The kid offered his name and Oriel went out of his way to remember it. He didn't offer his own, the kid was going to have to ask for it if he wanted it. "Damn fucking straight I am. Chock full of plans to conquer the world and lay waste to all those who dare to oppose their Dark Overlord....that or napping." He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Let me guess. You got your precious basket-weaving. How's that working for you?"

[Alexander Rothwell]

If he did have a target on him, people seemed to look over it for the most part. If there was confrontation to be had, you could bet your most prized possession that unless Alex was pushed over his limit, he would find the quickest way to get out of it, if not avoid it completely.  The super evil grin that replaced the sinister snarl from before only made Alex more uncomfortable, he wished he could teleport away or something. But no, he had been stuck with something as useless as retrocognition. Oriel was one of those rare occasions were something had been diffused with just a simple stupid joke, that was something that surprised him.

When he spoke, Alex expected an insult that would cause him to melt further into his chair. When he offered banter about his stupid 'fine as fine print' body wash joke, his brain did a small somersault. Before he even wrapped his mind around the fact that he just distracted someone from his big ol' neon sign, Alex felt a small grin appear on his face. A real one, replacing any fake smile he had flashed toward the latino boy in an attempt to avert disaster. He even responded to the comment about being excited for the weekend. Something else had gone right, maybe he guessed the day right, Or maybe it is Thursday and I escaped looking stupid by the skin of my nose. 

"World domination? Who needs that when you can just hit the snooze button every other hour." Agreed Alex, now happy that he could steer the conversation in a different direction

~Damn this test is hard this seat is so uncomfortable can't wait till the weekend just one more year i hate my job.~

Keeping his eyes on the Latino boy, Alex's smile only faltered more a moment. He slowly withdrew his hand from the metal bar that helped connect his desk to his desk chair, concentration was never his strong suit when he was faced with confrontation. Fire bit into the back of his brain as Alex's smile cracked again. "Basket weaving?" He asked, looking up to the roof of the classroom as if searching for a carefully selected response. As if, not after the Flea Market Incident. As if he had found something floating in the air, his eyes quickly shot back toward the guy across from him. "Oh yeah totally. Ever heard of nationals? I'm weaving my way there this summer!" For a moment, his smile shot up again. 

"So... what's your name?" He asked, now that he felt more sure of himself and that hostile confrontation wasn't what was happening, Alex was actually getting pretty curious about the boy who had tossed ink on his face. "It isn't Mr. Tentacles, right?" He asked, brushing his fingers along the side of his cheek, the ink slightly smudging on his skin. Yeah.. he probably shouldn't have started a conversation with a spongebob joke. 

[Deleted]

Oriel was a difficult boy to predict. It was hard to determine what his triggers were in any given situation, and, depending on his mood at that moment, his response to them could change. Now, Oriel had an impulsive desire to bother and prod people to the point of sheer discomfort. The more he visibly bugged them, usually the more he poked, and poked and poked, until either they realized it best to just ignore him and walk away or, as in most cases, they exploded.

However, one of the activities that Oriel enjoyed just as much as bothering was bantering. He always enjoyed a good word battle. In fact, that was one of the best ways to get this guys to even like you, is to hold your ground and fight back, figuratively. It was uncertain if this was because he simply enjoyed the challenge, or if he enjoyed the attention, or just having human-human interaction he could relate to. Either way, Alex was lucky he had some wit to him, however awkward it might be, otherwise Oriel would have been sucking his blood right now.

"World domination? Who needs that when you can just hit the snooze button every other hour."

"Oh, still my beating heart," Oriel said dramatically, with a demure-like pose to match his ridiculous, then raised his hands in a sub-par hallelujah towards the boy. "You understand me, my dear fair-headed Montegue." Oriel had devolved into silly mode. "For what good is the whole of the earth, all the riches in this plane, if one cannot conciliate a most gratifying slumber."

Oriel waited in anticipation for Alex's response, hoping it was as amusing as he suspected.

"Oh yeah totally. Ever heard of nationals? I'm weaving my way there this summer!"

Oriel snorted as he stifled a laugh and tried to hold back a smirk, failing ultimately into a stream of short little cackles, his shoulders quivering with each tee-hee-hee. Yes, Oriel was easily amused. Calming himself down in nearly an instant, Oriel glared up at the other boy with an amused (though still quite evil) look. "I'll have to come watch. You know, if I'm not too busy winning the napping Olympics."

Well, what do you know, the kid actually asked him straight up for his name. Gotta respect that. "It's Oriel," he said with a tilt of his head, dismissing the Tentacles comment with a snort. He considered a moment, flitting his eyes to some distant corner somewhere, then sighed. "Here, let me get that for you." Oriel reached forward and brushed his finger over the print on Alex's face, peeling it off like a sticker.

A normal person would be apologizing at this moment, or probably easing into friendly conversation. But that wasn't Oriel. "So what the fuck's a bully-magnet like you doing standing around making yourself an easy target?"

[Alexander Rothwell]

Things were going pretty well now, at least this didn't turn out like it did down by the pond with a certain other person. Joking could actually get you somewhere, it might not have been the reason why the latino boy had a change of face, but it had at least worked to diffuse confrontation in a way that made Alex's heart leap. He was pretty proud of himself, at least this day wouldn't turn out to be as horrible as it would have been if he was cornered yet again. But the aching pulse that rang through the back of his head reminded him that the day would still have it's own fair share of headaches.

The comment about the napping Olympics immediately brought a full smile to Alex's face. This was way better than he would have originally predicted, the conversation had taken a complete U-turn as the two boys had a little back-and-forth with words. When he shared his name, Alex was a bit perplexed at first, Oriel wasn't the first name he would have guessed for him, but it did actually seem to fit.  Oriel, have I heard that from somewhere before? The thought was dismissed when the other boy leaned over to him, and drug his finger across his cheek. He didn't necessarily feel the ink come off at first, but the skin of his cheek did feel a bit weird after he withdrew his finger.

A cold lump in Alex's throat formed when Oriel spoke once again, it wasn't exactly challenging as it was shocking. He didn't really expect to be asked a question like that, especially since he didn't have an answer for it. "That's like asking a gazelle why it was standing next to a watering hole, being a lion magnet." Alex countered, trying the best he could to dismiss the question with more humor. "I need school, and I don't think staying in my dorm all day would be fun at all." His full smile widdled down to the same nervous one he had started the conversation with.

[Deleted]

Truth be told, Oriel might never had noticed Alex as being a thing to poke at had he not eavesdropped on the guy's phone conversation and been curious enough to get his attention. Though now that he had the boy's attention, Oriel still had little intention of asking straight out when the kid's relationship was with Hay-lin, or if it was even the same Hay-lin that Oriel knew.

Yes, Oriel was a hypocrite and he knew it. And didn't care.

However, with the situation relatively diffused, Oriel was feeling pretty good about the conversation thus far. And the kid didn't even ruin all their progress by making some lame joke about Oriel's name. It was definitely weird, but he liked it and wouldn't trade it for nothing. And with Oriel in a good mood, he didn't even feel like picking on the poor kid….too much.

The ink came off easy, Oriel could do that much with barely a thought. Though he was probably going to have to make this kid copy his own so that Oriel at least had a copy to make Phen read it to him later…or something. Maybe he should just forget about the fucking homework.

"That's like asking a gazelle why it was standing next to a watering hole, being a lion magnet."

And to that, Oriel merely smiled, showing his demon teeth. And growled. Because he thought that was funnier. Just because he was being friendlier, didn't mean he was going to pretend he wasn't an asshole.

"I dunno. I can think of a few things to do in your dorm that could be damn fun….but they all require a partner." He winked and licked his teeth, solidifying the implication.