It's Time to Begin (Everett)

[Everett Lilien]

The kid was not relaxed. Everett just shook his head. "What do you mean, maybe?" He was obviously stuck on her.

"You couldn't have known that's when it was going to happen though. So unfortunate that it had to be then. You two usually an unlucky pair? Maybe you shouldn't be together to save yourselves." It was a joke, but the moment he said it, the smile faded from his face. "Sorry. Bad joke. Very bad joke." His smile returned, a sheepish one at that.

"Hey, once in a while I say something useful! And did anybody ever tell you sarcasm doesn't fit you well? Because it doesn't." He really did think that Oliver should stop phasing so much though. "It's not good for your health though. So tone down on the random phasing, alright? You can't just use it to avoid every awkward situation in your life no matter how convenient it may be."

[Oliver Barnes]

"Like... maybe I like her still? Possibly?" Oliver phrased it as a question, but deep inside, knew that the feelings that lingered that night were still around. He didn't notice the rising colour in his cheeks.

The colour faded as soon as Everett cracked the joke. Oliver licked his lips, his throat dry and unable to respond to the retort. He knew that his trainer was just trying to lighten the mood, but the joke had... fell a little short. "No.. no, it's fine." Oliver feigned a smile. "Just... a little bit of a sore spot still, I suppose."

"I was hoping sarcasm was going to be my new thing." Oliver joked. See, the introverted boy could appreciate jokes! He rebounded from the initial setback, chuckling underneath his breath. "I'll stick to silently brooding amongst the walls." Or maybe not so much anymore. His ability really was causing a lot of pain lately. "I'll try." Phasing was super convenient, but with the introverted boys' idea of confronting AJ, maybe it would come easier than expected. Afterall, it was only her he was avoiding. And that one kid. Maybe it was more common than Oliver thought.

"Didn't you ever use to use your ability for your convenience?" Oliver asked suddenly.

[Everett Lilien]

"And that's a bad thing, why? Something happened that wasn't your fault. You're allowed to still think she's pretty. Or interesting. Or whatever it is you feel," Everett mused. The boy was really too hard on himself. It was hard to watch.

"No, it was a really bad joke. No wonder it's a sore spot. I may be an 'adult' but I'm really stupid sometimes. As in, I crack jokes when I get uncomfortable, just like you phase through walls. Both not good tactics..."

"Uh, yeah, duh," Everett replied to his question. "Who hasn't? I think that's just something teenagers do when they discover they have powers. I used mine to cause power outages so classes would be cancelled."

[Oliver Barnes]

"I suppose so." Oliver quietly mumbled to himself. To him, it felt... weird, still feeling that way after a year had passed and after the falling out. "But I guess I should probably try talking to her." Who knew, maybe AJ had changed since Minnesota and would no longer be into bookish introverts, like himself.

"Well, I forgive you, so it's okay." Oliver said sincerely, with a hint of a smile that lasted a brief moment. It still hurt a little, but the quiet boy knew that Everett didn't mean to be offensive. "What is a good tactic then when you're uncomfortable?" He asked.

Oliver began to laugh after his trainer shared the brief story on causing power outages at school. "Clever." He had to give that one to him. "So really, teenagers just... should not be given supernatural abilities." Yet, here they were.

[Everett Lilien]

Everett nodded in agreement. "That's probably the best idea."

He was glad that Oliver was so forgiving and that he realized that Everett wasn't trying to offend anyone, but humor just came to him and he used it, regardless of it was a good idea or not. "That's a good question, Oliver," Everett told him, trying to think of something that actually wasn't a bad thing to do when you felt uncomfortable. "Not talk at all?" he suggested, half-joking.

"Probably not. I think that's the moral of the story I was trying to communicate."

[Oliver Barnes]

The only problem was Oliver didn't know how to initiate conversation, and would probably continue ignoring the problem. As always.

He leaned back against the wall, careful as to not phase through it like usual. It took some concentration, but he was successful with the task. Waiting for an answer, Oliver tilted his head to the side, snorting at Ev's suggestion. "Real funny, Ev." He said, with a grin.

No wonder why there was always something happening at Hammel. Oliver shook his head at the thought, pushing himself off off the wall. "Well, we should probably start the training session. I don't want to waste your day." He offered. The introverted boy never had anything to do, and didn't mind the conversation with Ev. He was only being courteous.