Safety first! (Oriel) [mature references]

[Deleted]

"Better, faster, stronger," Oriel replied to her exclamation, maintaining his grin. Of course, he laughed when she mentioned the level of her bedroom activities with her other "younger men".

However, Oriel wasn't pleased when Noa tried to play off that other comment as a lighthearted joke. "A joke, huh? That's not something I joke about." While his upset was somewhat dissolved with her agreement on the serious nature of the subject, Oriel was still visually disturbed that she would even make that kind of suggestion. Did he really automatically come off as the kind of person who would do that? He hated it.

Oriel did seem to lighten up with Noa's shared interest on bedroom banter. "Oh, you just like to think you're cute, don't you," he teased, feigning an unimpressed tone in his voice. He hadn't known her long enough to know if she really was cute or not. So far, she was entertaining, at least. Another thing they had in common. While Noa had only gotten to see Oriel's brooding side, she had yet to see the side of him that liked to be ridiculous and not make sense. The side that kept on going so long as his companion was laughing or engaged with interest.

"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."

"I'm sure he wouldn't be into that," Oriel said with a shake of his head. "Then again, I could probably just tie him to a chair and make it happen." That was actually a really good idea. Oriel could hear the obscenities now.

Oriel gave Noa a confused look, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. "Wait, what? Sub? Switch? Brat?" These were terms he didn't know. Well, he could kinda figure out Sub. Bottom was obvious. But switch? Brat? Those were foreign to him.

"Do you like to leave marks? Cause aspirin can help with that. It makes it easier to bruise."

Another thing that caught him by surprise. "I didn't know you were allowed to…" Oriel responded hesitantly. He always tried his best to make the marks fade or be in places no one could see. Oriel panned his eyes over the rows and rows of over-the-counter drugs, not really being able to differentiate one from the next. All he ever really used was Tylenol, because it was the easiest to find in the mass of bottles and boxes that pretty much all looked alike, save for the color of the boxes, but he hadn't memorized what those were. Oriel poked at a random box, scowled, then turned back to his "teacher." "Where to next, 'enry 'iggins?" he vocalized in a cockney accent and a completely serious face.

[Noa Reese]

The look on Oriel's face as he commented about her 'joke' made Noa feel kinda bad. She almost spoke up, to share her power, to explain why she'd asked the question so point-blank. But then he let up on it, so she did too. She could explain some other time.

"Oh, you just like to think you're cute, don't you."

Noa grinned, cockily, "Damn right I do."

"I'm sure he wouldn't be into that. Then again, I could probably just tie him to a chair and make it happen."

"Now we're talkin'!" She joked, but she nodded her head, sincere about the negotiation form. "It'd be a good thing to look at, to get an idea of things you may want to explore, stuff you've done that he really likes, and stuff he isn't comfortable with. Also, if he can go over it without you at his side, he may let slip a few things that he says he doesn't like but is secretly interested in trying. Or things he doesn't like but can accept as a punishment." There was a whole system for that on the form, and it was very useful, a way for people to denote when they were embarrassed about liking or being curious about something.

"Wait, what? Sub? Switch? Brat?"

Oh, yeah, he really was new. She reminded herself not to pinch his cheeks like she might do to someone a little more subby. "There's a few different spectrums that BDSM is measured on, and lots of different roles come out of the different balances of interests." She explained, trying to put it into words. She had a friend who had written an article about it - a good one - and she tried to paraphrase that.

"There's a range of how much you like to give rather than receive, or who the active partner will be, who'll be 'doing' - 'doers' are tops, receivers are bottoms, and people who can do both are considered to switch. Then there's the pain spectrum - people who like to see others in pain, who like to supply pain or discomfort, those are the sadists, whereas people who enjoy receiving pain are masochists. And then along the lines of D/s - sorry, Dominance and submission - the person giving the orders is dominant (or Dom) and the person obeying orders is submissive (or sub)."

But there was more to explain, a sort of convoluted list of different combinations of each. "Along the range of these things there are roles that someone might fall into. There may be a masochistic dominant bottom, who orders his submissive to hurt him. Or a mildly sadistic dominant top who is more interested in the power exchange than the pain, and may work more with humiliating his sub. And then there's people who are more into the bondage side of things than the pain side, or who are only interested in ordering someone around."

She tried to consider what exactly she meant by brat. "A brat is... someone who will take orders, but isn't afraid to talk back about it, basically. Usually there's a lot of banter, a lot of jokes, and a few threats, and sometimes the dominant will play more with power dynamics to put a brat in their place. It's generally a bit more give-and-take, and a lot more insubordination than some more traditional D/s relationships." That was the best she could do, really. And that was off the top of her head.

When she'd mentioned the bruising, he'd seemed a little shocked.

"I didn't know you were allowed to…"

"Well..." Noa bit her lip. To be honest, he probably should avoid bruising. At least until he knew how to wield things properly, it would be best if he was policing himself to prevent going so hard as to leave marks. "For now, you should probably avoid it, since people will ask questions and you may not be comfortable answering. There are definitely some legal complications to being involved in stuff like this - a lot of times, people will assume, based on marks, that someone has been abused. It can be very hard to explain that the pain was consensual. And that can also be difficult..." she frowned, a little bit upset at the thought, but continued.

"Some people do take advantage of others under the guise of a D/s relationship. But if any part of it is nonconsensual, it isn't kinky, it's just straight-up wrong. Kinksters sometimes get a bad name because people assume we're violent to everyone, whether they like it or not, but that's not kink, that's abuse. And a lot of times submissives won't necessarily advocate for their own needs and boundaries within a relationship, and that can be a huge problem. I'm a big supporter of submissive's self-advocacy. Good Dominants want to know everything they can about their sub so they can put together a scene - that's, like, an interaction - a scene that's mutually beneficial."

"Where to next, 'enry 'iggins?"

Well, that was a lot less tense. She hated talking about abuse of power, it upset her. She smiled at his comment. "Well, Eliza, I believe we'll be headed this-a-way." Her voice was a mockery of a stuffy British accent as she pointed to the next row over, home goods.

[Deleted]

It seemed like a useful tool, but Oriel doubted that Madison would fill it out unless Oriel made him do it. The guy just didn't like taking the initiative to do things unless it was for his own twisted satisfaction. Or if he was hungry enough. Or maybe he did and Oriel just didn't know him as well as he thought he did? They'd been roommates for two whole years and all Oriel really knew about him was that he was a slob, he had hordes of prose and drawings stacked against the walls of his room, he liked porn, he had absolutely no tact (way worse than Oriel), and that he was a twisted masochist. Other than that, nothing about his family, his past, not even his birthday!

That was depressing.

But why the fuck should it be? It wasn't like they were lovers or anything! He was just an asshole to fuck when it was convenient, and one who apparently didn't mind….

"Somehow, I still don't think that'd go over well. He don't offer a goddamn thing and when I ask him, most of his answers are somewhere between "fuck" and "you"." Though, while his words were harsh, his eyes were almost affectionate. The contrast was a little off-putting, but Oriel couldn't help letting it draw him back in for another round.

Oriel looked at Noa blankly as she explained the categories and subcategories and cross-categories of the roles, his brain fizzling out somewhere between bondage and brat. "That sounds complicated," he said with a complete deadpan tone. He sighed and brushed his hand through his hair, combing through his lion's mane with his fingers. "So I guess that makes me….top at least, fuck I don't know." Oriel had issues with admitting he was a sadist, especially since it was one of the parts of himself that he hated the most. He broke into a twisted, amused grin when she described the Brat role, however. "Ok, yeah. I gotcha. That is Mads to a T, no two ways about it," he said with a laugh.

He didn't like hearing the talk about the abuse of power, though. It was disconcerting. It seemed like the more Oriel knew and learned about the power dynamics, consent, abuse, etc, the more he began to doubt himself and his own ability to judge the situation.

That's why he was relieved to have successfully pushed that topic aside with something lighter. Oriel tilted his chin up like a proper lady and strolled next to "Henry" with the finest posture he could manage. As they walked, Oriel began to hum the familiar notes to "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" with a high class smile.

[Noa Reese]

"Somehow, I still don't think that'd go over well. He don't offer a goddamn thing and when I ask him, most of his answers are somewhere between "fuck" and "you"."

Hm. Well, they could stand to have a little more communication, that was sure. Kids these days; so unable to communicate their desires coherently.

He didn't seem to get the concept of all the different roles, though Noa didn't really expect him to at first. Once he had an idea of how different things overlapped, he'd get a better idea for types of play and personalities. At his confusion over what he should classify himself as, Noa jumped in, "You don't have to put a label on yourself right this moment. Just keep in mind things that you like to do. You obviously are a top," she agreed with him, "And I'd definitely say you were dominant. And beyond that, you'll just experiment with things that you're interested and see where you fall."

"It sounds like you're interested in tying this guy up." She pointed out, referring to his earlier remarks, "There are definitely more risks to bondage than people initially think, but as long as you're there watching him and don't leave, don't keep him up for too long, and keep an eye on him to make sure he's still comfortable, can still feel everything, nothing is going numb or needly, it should all be okay for now. You should avoid this whole area," she gestured to the area between the bottom of her ribs and her hips. "That's where the vital organs are, so you should avoid all of that business, whether in bondage or in impact - you know, hitting."

As he smiled at her brat description, she smirked back. "I should meet this kid, we might have something in common," she joked, though she didn't know the half of it, and probably wouldn't.

She snorted a laugh as he hummed showtunes, warming up to him. She was a bit of a drama geek and, even if she didn't think she could ever perform in one, she still loved musicals. She was tempted to hum along with him, but this guy could be kinda jumpy, so she avoided it. He might not appreciate someone butting into his little solo.

As they made their way through the home goods aisle, Noa packed more into the cart. She replaced the wooden clothespins with plastic ones, and added a featherduster, a fly swatter, a curtain pull rod, a pack of 100 zip ties, a metal-bristled fireplace broom, a couple of wooden spoons, a couple of different spatulas (they had the Mickey Mouse ones!), a cheese board, plastic wrap, a toilet brush, an exfoliating glove, a back scratcher, a couple of 'bonger' massage wands, and a massage roller. She distinctly avoided the candles. Wax play was one of those more dangerous experiments if done incorrectly, and she didn't have the time to go over candle composition and all of that. She'd just have to hope he would be too busy with all these other new ideas to think about trying it.

"Most of these would be for impact or sensation," she explained. "The zip ties can be used for bondage, but you have to be aware that, while they can tighten, they can't untighten. So you'll have to cut them off when you're done with them, or if they get too tight. Which is why you have safety scissors. If you just leave a couple of fingers of space, when you put them on, you should be fine, and that applies to all bondage. Zip ties can work as a temporary lock, too, if you don't have a padlock. Plus, it's a lot cheaper to replace a zip tie padlock than a real padlock." She shared, casually.

"When you have someone in bondage, you need to make sure that you're checking in every once in a while. You need to feel their hands and you should ask them to squeeze your hand to make they aren't losing feeling or circulation. Let them know that if anything starts to feel funny, they need to let you know as soon as possible. But don't present it as though it will end your interaction, cause that might prevent someone from admitting it," she cautioned, carefully, "It needs to just signal a change, not an end."

"Certain positions can be dangerous if held for a long time, so it's best to not keep them in the same position for over half an hour. And if you're doing any sort of bondage, don't tie anything around the front of the neck or anything that might apply pressure to the front of the neck if stuff shifts." She gestured to the area on her own body. "Also, if you're tying around the chest, make sure that they're breathing in all the way so they will definitely have enough room for their chest to expand. And keep your safety shears close in case there's any sort of panic or emergency, you can just cut off the bonds."

That was a lot to cover. She'd really need to meet with this kid one-on-one, she was realizing. Part of her warned that it wasn't safe to make those kinds of plans, but another part told her that if they met at Hammel she'd be beyond fine. If they met at her place, who knew, but she trusted the Hammel staff to be on alert for any mental distress. "We should have class or something. There's a lot to go over." She shook her head, a little bit surprised at the amount she was realizing she'd have to cover. Not to mention the fact that they didn't even have the more official, harder to make yourself, items.

[Deleted]

"I should meet this kid, we might have something in common"

"Good luck warming up to him. You'd probably feel like poplin' him one yourself within the first three seconds of meeting him." Because Madison and nice should never be used to describe one another.

Oriel was starting to wonder if it was worth it listening to everything Noa had to offer. He honestly couldn't stand chattiness, but was holding his tongue because he wanted to know more. But there was just so much information, Oriel's brain was starting to fry from so much focus. He was losing stamina.

Another good reason to lighten the mood with showtunes. Boy, Oriel had a million of them stuffed into his brain, though he was sure he couldn't remember from which one they all were from. After a while, they all just kind of melded together. But his favorites stood out to him like a neon light, and those were usually the ones he referenced first. His high class smile quickly morphed into a beaming childish(and slightly mischievous) grin when he heard the snort come from Noa and he degenerated into silent giggles himself.

In the next aisle, Noa went off again, explaining things in such detail that Oriel wasn't sure he could fit it all in his head at once. Too much overflow. He tried. He really did. But by the time she got to zip ties, Oriel was already holding his head, trying to keep his attention on the lesson. "Uh-huh…" was about all he could manage in response. He really wanted to know about this stuff! It was just hard to only listen and not do. While it wasn't impossible, Oriel was definitely more of a doer than listener. Or visual demonstrations. Yeah, he liked those.

And fuck reading. Fuck it up the ass with a spoon.

When she mentioned things in a classroom setting, he nodded rapidly. "Yeah, I'm going to need you to repeat a lot of this. " While a lot of if was purely common sense(such as keeping stuff away from the neck and having something around to cut the bonds just in case), it was still a lot to take in. Especially since there seemed to be a lot of communication behind this stuff that he knew Madison and he just didn't have. Well, there was a little, but it was limited. "Or just straight up demonstrate it, 'cause I know I'm not going to remember a lot of this prattle tomorrow, no, an hour from now." Which was an exaggeration, but Oriel knew best on how to make something stick in his head.

[Noa Reese]

Ok, maybe this was getting to be too much for the poor kid. She chewed her lip, deciding if she should bother continuing. She'd gotten what she came for, after all, she could buy the rest closer to campus. And he seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

"Yeah, I'm going to need you to repeat a lot of this. Or just straight up demonstrate it, 'cause I know I'm not going to remember a lot of this prattle tomorrow, no, an hour from now."

Noa nodded, sincerely. "I think you're right. I think we should put this on hold and find a time to meet up and go over stuff." She totally agreed that this stuff needed repeating. A lot of times people might think they knew something but then, in the heat of the moment, they think 'oh, I can fudge this' or 'oh, it'll only be for a second,' and those safety guidelines went out the window. It was very self-aware for this kid to let her know that he wasn't getting it.

"Where are you comfortable meeting?" She didn't want to assume that he'd be okay meeting in a coffee shop or restaurant or something, especially since he went to Hammel and might be self-conscious about being seen with her, or about being overheard discussing his bedroom life. She would prefer to meet in public, but would take whatever he suggested into consideration. "And before we do any demos, how is the best way for you to learn? What works for you?" She didn't know if she should draw up diagrams, or bullet-pointed list (though he seemed pretty anti-list), or maybe bring a tablet or something that could show videos. And she didn't want to keep talking his ear off, cause he had already explained that it wasn't sticking.

[Deleted]

Oh thank god, she knew it was a lot and realized he couldn't handle it all at once. At least not in the talking sense, he could "do" all day and not be bored. It was the droning without any visual stimulation that usually put him to sleep, though he really, really did try to make that work. More often than a lot of people realized.

[/i]"Where are you comfortable meeting?"[/i]

Oriel rolled his eyes up to the left as he tried to think of a place he would be the most comfortable. Honestly, his dorm room commons was the most comfortable place, but Madison was there(he didn't give a shit about anyone else). The courtyard maaaaybe. The pond was also good. In any tree anywhere. But Oriel was sure none of those were viable options. He made a sour look as he though about places other than those which might work.

He hated going places he was unfamiliar with and only did it when it was absolutely necessary. This meeting of her's was probably necessary.

"Anywhere at the school or somewhere close by," Oriel finally answered, his face still tensed with uncertainty.

"And before we do any demos, how is the best way for you to learn? What works for you?"

That question brought an even more sour look to his face. Oriel hated that Noa asked that question, but hated even more that she was pretty much the only one who ever bothered to ask. Oriel didn't want to answer. It was a fierce battle between his desire to want to know more about this subject and his inherent stubbornness that didn't want to ask for help because he didn't want to admit that there were just some things he couldn't do.

"Fuck…" Oriel looked at the ceiling and groaned in obvious discomfort as he nervously hopped on his heels. "Um…….5 to 10 minute at a time lectures. Videos with lots of demos or something, none of this powerpoint shit on a screen with a droner. Best by watching and doing, usually powering straight through repetitively with a lot of trial and error." Oriel rattled all that off pretty much in one breath, after which, he took another frustrated breath to let out a small growl of displeasure. "And I hope you got all that, 'cause I ain't repeating none of it." His neck might also have been slightly flushed as he continued to avoid eye contact with her. Yes, he'd thought about this enough to know exactly how he learned best. "Shiiiit..."

[Noa Reese]

"Anywhere at the school or somewhere close by."

"Hammel, you mean?" She verified, curious if he was going to share his power or if she'd have to wait for it. Then again, she hadn't shared yet, so she really shouldn't expect him to. Was it one of those things you had to disclose, like an STI? That was an odd way to think of these things... but she took Dan Savage's advice at all times in terms of disclosure - you present it as something that just is what it is, not like it's cancer. Still, super awkward to consider how powered kids had to deal with that shit.

Oh - he did not look happy about her second question. Maybe he'd dealt with a lot of teachers giving him a hard time about 'learning differently' and all that stuff. He probably hated teachers. She'd probably fucked up with that. She was actually quite surprised to hear him give her a straight answer, and turned away to hide her surprise, quickly smoothing her face out into a very nonchalant gaze as she considered his answers.

"And I hope you got all that, 'cause I ain't repeating none of it."

Noa nodded, not even acknowledging his awkwardness on the subject. Another Savage advice tip; if it's not a big deal, don't make it seem like some big deal. It just makes anxiety worse. So she shrugged it off, "Nah, that makes sense. I'd prefer not to be writing, anyway. I'll probably bring a computer with some videos and maybe a few examples... meh, I'll figure it out." No big deal. Because it really wasn't a big deal. She'd just been surprised that he knew himself that well.

"What do you think of meeting maybe somewhere on campus? Not out in the open courtyard, but maybe along the side of the building on the grass? Or maybe in the Pilot Ridge park?" If things went well, she'd be up for moving to a more private place, but she wasn't about to do that until she found him completely trustworthy.

[Deleted]

"Yeah," he said, as if that was the only logical answer. "At Hammel."

Oriel had no intention of sharing his power. If Noa wanted to know, then she would have to ask for it, and even then he might not offer. He still thought it was stupid how people assumed that just because you had a power, that you had to share it upon meeting someone new like it was a customary greeting or something. It was stupid. It was nobody's business. And he didn't care about anyone else's either so long as it wasn't dangerous and they had a fucking handle on it. If they didn't, that's when Oriel would expect them to share/disclose it like goddamn disclaimer.

A hard time was putting it lightly. Oriel had pretty much been told that he wouldn't amount to anything or get anywhere in life and would always remain a no-good degenerate because of a number of things: his lack of parents, his temper, his difficulties in reading and writing, his constant shuttling through the foster system which pretty much just labeled him as a problem child, a problem that they could shove onto someone else when they couldn't handle it anymore, his involvement with other street kids...

Just the memory of it was enough to flare him up inside. Oriel clenched his fists so tight they were beginning to burn and throb from the pressure. He took another breath before turning back to Noa and nodding with a stiff scowl still pasted on his face. "Yeah," he cleared his throat and breathed again. "Sounds good. Um..." Now that he thought about it, he really didn't want any of his friends to stumble in on them. That could get awkward real quick. "The park will work. Probably." That is, if he could keep himself out of trouble between now and then. Oriel had been in way too much trouble lately.

Oriel released the pressure on his fists, letting the warm blood flood back into his hands and fingers. He was Ok. Though he kept up the scowl for appearances sake. "So," he started. "How'd you get into all this anyway?" Not that he particularly cared, Oriel just wanted a distraction.

[Noa Reese]

"The park will work. Probably."

"Awesome, sounds good." She nodded. They'd need to find a spot that was a little more private, but that shouldn't be hard. And she could bring a headphone doubler, so it wouldn't be audible for others. He seemed a little tense, but she wasn't about to confront him on it. Whatever it was, it was obviously personal and he didn't feel the need to share.

Rolling her cart to the self-checkout kiosk, she scanned each of the items in turn, thinking on his question. "I've always been into it. I mean, I was a fucked up kid - in the best way, of course. I was doing sexual stuff before I ever really knew what it was. Plus, my poor stuffed animals always ended up being held hostage or kidnapped for romantic reasons, or forced to do the bidding of some evil villain, and I always put myself or my 'pretend' personas into a whole 'damsel in distress' situation." She chuckled at that.

"And the whole tying myself to the bed business. Or, ooh-" this was one of her favorite things to share, something she found highly entertaining, "I used to have to sit all the way in the back seat, and I would sit in the center and pull the seatbelts from each side and the middle and lock myself to the seat. ....I feel like it was just a natural progression." She laughed at that, smirking. Like most kinksters, she hadn't realized until later in life that those had been precursors to the power play and bondage that she now freely enjoyed exploring. She thought back on those times fondly.

[Deleted]

The park wasn't the best place for Oriel to work and be comfortable with, but it was at least a lot better than some of the other options, like someplace very public and severely crowded. He'd deal, no problem. Probably.

Oriel's face slowly relaxed as Noa continued with her story. He wasn't interested at first, but listening to it opened the door to more questions. "So, what? Like, is it default that you have to be a fucked up kid or something?" Because Oriel knew he was pretty fucked up. That much was pretty obvious. But he wasn't sure if he could compare his fucked up self to Noa's "best way" fucked up childhood. Technically, Oriel was still in his childhood, and while there were moments that he did look back on fondly, it was still pretty screwed up, especially when he compared himself to "normal" kids.

Another thing that pissed him off. Oriel couldn't stand how adults always compared and judged the way they did.

Of course, Oriel was pretty good at doing that to himself all by himself. Seeing her laugh all fondly at her own screwed up childhood was grating.

[Noa Reese]

"So, what? Like, is it default that you have to be a fucked up kid or something?"

"Nope." He seemed to be a little upset with her, and Noa wasn't sure why. Assuming he hadn't shared similar experiences, she attempted to correct herself. "Some people become interested later in life, I just had an interest from a young age. I use 'fucked up' lightly - bigots might call me fucked up for what I do, so it's become a joke."

"There's a whole controversy about sadomasochism being considered a mental illness, so a lot of kinksters joke about the subject, in a sort of sarcastic 'you can't fire me I quit' type of way. Reclaiming the term." She shrugged, but was avoiding looking at Oriel, under the guise of packing the bags. Had she crossed some line she didn't know was there?

[Deleted]

Jokes.

Mental illness.

These words cut deep. Oriel could understand making it a joke, playing it off lightly like it wasn't a big deal, but it really was all just a cover-up to make it seem like he didn't care. He was fucked up, broken in some way he didn't want to be. Or did he? Which was it? Oriel couldn't tell. He just knew that he liked doing what he did, and that he hated himself for it. And he couldn't help but wonder that if he had grown up differently, would he still be this fucked up? Or was it inherent? And if it was mental illness, could he be fixed?

Shit. Oriel needed to stop thinking about this.

While Noa wasn't looking at him, Oriel kept his eyes on her, glaring just a little as he considered forcing those questions out. Instead, he gave a low grunt and reached over the short girl's shoulder to grab a couple of bags she'd already packed. He gave her a look, but didn't say anything. At least not right away. When Oriel had straightened himself out again, he finally asked a question. "When did you wanna meet? I got classes, so it'd have to be after those." Unless she wanted to wait until the weekend, which would probably be more convenient for the both of them.

[Noa Reese]

Something was definitely up. He seemed really on edge. She was about to point out - firmly - that it wasn't a disease or a disorder. That was huge part of the organization she supported, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. They'd been somewhat successful - or maybe the times had changed just enough - that the newest edition of the psychiatric association's new guidebook, the DSM-V, had revised their definitions from "paraphilias" to "paraphilic disorders," and put in a little clause about consent, but that was a very recent development, and most people still referred to the DSM-IV.

She didn't get a chance to say anything, though, when he asked her about meeting again. She shrugged. "I have classes, too, over at UVM. Whenever you're free, I guess. My stuff is usually between ten and four, with the occasional eight o'clock or six o'clock. Here-" she pulled out her phone (the shitty flip phone she'd had for nearing on six years, never having upgraded to a smart phone), "-Got a number?"

[Deleted]

Even if Noa had explained it, Oriel probably wouldn't have believed her much. Having the truth shoved right in front of his face was pointless if he was too busy convincing himself otherwise. And hearing only one person say something contrary to what he'd heard all his life was ineffectual against that kind of conditioning, especially if he believed it.

No, he didn't.

Yes, he did.

He didn't want to.

"Yeah, we're usually done by then too." Oriel was going to be exhausted, he usually took his naps right after class(in addition to the ones he took in class), but he'd manage somehow. He recited his cell-phone number to her. "I don't got any clubs or shit like that to go to either, so I'm good for late afternoon until curfew." Unless he managed to get himself another detention between now and then, whenever it ended up being. "But if you got time this weekend, that'd probably be better…..maybe." He looked away as he thought over his schedule for the next few weeks. Did he have anything to do this weekend? Next weekend was definitely the whole camping trip thingy which he wasn't sure if he was going to go on yet(but if Lux was going then he definitely was!). But he was pretty sure he was mostly free this weekend. "What say you, oh grandmaster?"