Upper Flower (Ash)

[Ashley Engel]

Slang. Some degree of deep thought.
Argumentative, but not confrontational. Teasing? Was that what it was called?

The way she watched him was sharp. Observant, if not slightly over analytic. A scientist eyeing up some fresh experiment, as it were. Oriel didn't make sense to her, and she didn't like that. Ash liked order and straight lines and explanations. So she listened to him, very keenly. Took each word very seriously before breaking it down and rearranging it in her head to try to learn something from every syllable and inflection. Maybe normal people would just hear and respond and that was it. But she took every second, every half second, and put it towards deconstructing and rebuilding words and phrases and meanings to get somewhere. How else could people understand each other at all if they didn't do the same? She didn't get it. Not people, not conversation. But she was trying, in her own incredibly unorthodox way.

Both?
She blinked, looking mildly confused again. Her face put together frustration and confusion well, because the two were very close in her. Not understanding something irritated her. So she narrowed her eyes and stared at him, for a time not seeming to blink and only vaguely breathing. Slow, easy. Attentive.

After a moment, her head tipped back. When Ash nodded it was slow, and the clear movement of someone who still didn't entirely get the point. But she was working on it. Trying to find an angle to turn everything in her head to where it made sense.
"Hollow."

The word just hung there for a moment before very gradually her expression evened back out. Neutral, collected, and seemingly no longer confused. Or, at the very least, less irritated about it.
"You're.. playing." That she both understood more, and less. Games were weird. Especially the ones other people seemed to like. But she could understand the concept of enjoying something regardless of how it effected other participants. That was practically half of her learning process- pulling information from people and things even when they seemed to get upset about it for no good reason. So, in that sense, she felt like she understood Oriel just slightly.

"But how do you determine a winner in that?"
Because really, winning was the important part of playing. Right?

[Deleted]

The way that Ashley analyze him was surprisingly similar to how Oriel did, only he analyzed people through body language than words. Most of the words he heard he naturally twisted around to suit him. After all, they were just words and words could lie. Body language rarely did. He remembered hearing that somewhere. It was why poker players were always looking for tells and stuff, right?

She appeared confused by the concept of two things being true. That it didn’t have to be one way or the other. That there was grey areas, no absolutes. There was never only one reason for why he did something.

Wasn’t that true for everyone? Maybe….it wasn’t like he was an expert on human psychology and motives or nothing.

”Hollow.”

What? Oriel mimicked her movement. Sheesh, this girl didn’t make sense, but he still let a smile creep onto his face. This was still fun.

Theeere we go, seemed like she was getting it. HIs smile widened. “Easy, if I have fun, I win.” It was simple as that. There were usually a couple of other rules, but the number one rule was that there were no rules. They were constantly changing and shifting to suit his needs. Just like that game he played at the retreat, Calvinball, where you made the rules up as you played.

[Ashley Engel]

And just like that, the confusion was back.
Ash sighed. Frustrated, but not pointed. She wasn't frustrated with Oriel per say. It was more self-directed. She typically assumed in cases where people didn't make sense with was either the fault of their stupidity or her own ignorance.

Oriel, as far as she'd decided thus far, was not stupid.
Not intelligent, precisely, but there was more to being smart than being well-read or polished. So if the issue didn't lie on his end, it was hers. And she did not ever like to be the reason something wasn't making sense. A lack of understanding on any topic was never acceptable.

After a short moment of contemplation she was moving. Giving in on the front of not showing anything that could hint at being effected by the conversation. One hand rose up, and slowly she was pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to diminish some of the rumbling stress in her head. Between her own thoughts and Oriel's (something about Calvinball- sounded dangerous) trying to think straight on such a confusing topic was a step above difficult.

"I.." She started. Stopped. Sighed again.
Ash took a moment, just thinking about it. The rules -rule- was so simple. Overly so. Weren't there complications? She heard the mess. Rules being there were no rules. Oxymoronic. After a moment her hand dropped away and she just stared up at him. Just barely, she almost looked normal. Frustration wasn't exactly a pleasant expression, but at least it was something lighting up her face rather than dull, flat staring.

"If the only condition is that you have fun in order to win, then is there even a possible scenario for you to lose in?" She spoke slow, like she was still working out the idea in her head. Scenarios, concepts. She was trying to solve the puzzle of the whole thing, if for no other reason than because that was what she did.
"If your enjoyment is entirely independent of all other engaged parties then wouldn't it stand to reason you could amuse yourself in any given instance and therefore win? Though the involvement of others would seem rather important so in theory amusement would need to come from others not your own doing. But- if you are essentially just screwing with people, isn't their participation negligible by definition?"

Her attention dipped down, onto the grass between them. Ash was going on, talking more to herself than to Oriel at that point. Thinking, considering. Her arms crossed over her chest and one lifted back up, tapping a finger against her lips. When she finally looked back up it was in a sharp, almost too-sudden motion.
"I don't think I understand." Yeah. No duh.

"You.. Purposefully aim for hollow points of flirtation towards others in order to amuse yourself, regardless of how any given target feels about the action. And as long as you're amused.. it counts as a personal victory? Why wouldn't your just say the various comments to inanimate objects or a mirror if the other person's response is void?"
She really, really didn't understand. But damn if she didn't look interested about it, strangely enough. It was less the topic and more a general pursuit of knowledge. Not knowing drove her up the wall.

[Deleted]

Oriel, as far as his intelligence went, highly under-credited himself. He didn’t think he was stupid, but it was hard not to think so when there were specific things in academia that he found much more daunting than they ought to have been. Like reading. He’d only just stared getting a grasp on it over the past year and that was only because he’d finally relented to using the “right tools” that they’d been trying to get him to utilize since he came to this school. Again, it was hard to think that anything would be effective when traditional methods had failed him for so long.

If Ashley bothered to voice that opinion, he likely wouldn’t believe her. Or turn it into a joke.

Oriel kept his eyes on her, watching as she fell into a very traditional movement of frustration. Of course he was pleased with this. Because he was the reason why she was doing so. That made it a victory for him.

It was amusing for him, seeing those kind of expression appear on people while he ran circles around their logic. She did bring up a point, however. Was it possible for him to lose? The simple answer was “yes”. Yes, he could lose, and he had lost in the past. Losing typically yielded from the other person engaging and turning the game into something that caused Oriel to lose his composure. If Oriel ended up being the one to lose himself and lash out physically(or sometimes just verbally), or he had to disengage before he lost it, then Oriel lost the game as well. Just thinking about those moments perturbed him enough to dishearten him…just a little. “Not necessarily. If they ignore it enough and refuse to react, then the game ends rather quickly.” Oriel hated being ignored. That was another way for him to lose the game.

Oriel snickered to himself at her suggestion. “Sometimes I do. But ain’t as fun ‘cause no matter how much you berate a toaster, it ain’t going to do anything more or less than what it was designed to do. That is, it ain’t going to respond in a more or less interesting way than what it does naturally.” Did that make sense? Oriel probably could have worded it better.

[Ashley Engel]

She squinted.
Not at his answer. Well, not exactly. Ash didn't react to what Oriel said, but what he thought. Nosiness came with the territory of hearing people's thoughts. That, and she had no real appreciation for privacy outside her own. She never had before anything had manifested in her. And the nature of her ability- hearing things even when she didn't want to -made it all a lot less invasive in appeal. So she had no real respect for the idea of leaving what people thought alone as their business. As far as she was concerned they were forcing their thoughts on her just by being around. So why did she have to be "respectful" and ignore it? Not use it? Not respond to it?

It was incredibly disrespectful and childish. Self-absorbed.
But, generally, that was just who she was.

So she watched Oriel closely, listening to both of the tones between them. The voice off his lips and the one humming behind and around the more solid words. Describing the tone was difficult. It both was and wasn't like someone simply talking. She didn't have any good words for it the same way people didn't have good words for describing sight to the blind. What she did have, however, was probably a much better grasp on the game than she likely was supposed to have.

To her, it was a challenge. Oriel losing meant his interest in the situation was lost, right? If the other person reacted, he won. If they gave up and backed off, he won. So the only way to lose was to garner no response, or have the tables turned?

She liked that. More than she thought she would initially.

Ash was not a very strong or physically adept person. She wasn't really a stick, she had some degree of muscle tone left over from frivolous sport-esc hobbies growing up. But she didn't frequent the gym anymore and even when she had she'd never been a very powerfully built person. Short, petite. All different words for 'incapable of winning a fight'. So the idea of being able to beat someone in a nonphysical matchup? That struck her fancy a great deal. Learning and winning were about the two best things she could think to do, normally.

"So the goal is to derive a reaction from others deemed interesting compared to their usual behavior?" She stepped forward. Which was notably only because there hadn't been too much space between them to begin with. So the closing in offered maybe a foot or two of space. The total invasion of personal room was lost on her. She was caught up, very obviously enamored with the idea of the game. Her eyes were alert, settled on Oriel's face. Her arms stayed crossed over her chest but it wasn't so much a posture of anger as it was a kind of thought. Anxiously, she drummed her fingers on one arm as she thought about something.

"That's a surprisingly intelligent engagement for someone like you."
If it was any consolation (which it really wasn't) she hadn't meant anything towards Oriel's appearance or thoughts. But he wasn't her. And Ash generally assumed anyone that wasn't her was an idiot. If nothing else, the way she spoke was uplifted in tone. Chipper, almost. Excited.

"So if I found a way to turn this conversation on you in a direction that made you uncomfortable enough to want out of it, that would count as you losing? And therefore my winning?"
When she smiled, it was dangerous. Not entirely the same as an expression of joy or pleasure. She looked like a kid freshly discovering a magnifying glass and sunlight with a hill of ants underfoot. Interested, excited. And arguably minorly sadistic.

[Deleted]

“That’s right,” he confirmed, taking little displeasure from her entrance into his personal bubble. Well, there may have been a little more displeasure than that, but Oriel could shrug it off rather easily. It was something he did often to others as well. Total invasion of personal space. “I think you’re getting it now.”

Oriel was in trouble, however, and he didn’t even realize it yet. He should have, after finding out that this girl was psychic. Or rather, telepathic. There might have been an inkling of an idea of the trouble a psychic could cause, especially if she took him up on the challenge. And maybe that inkling was being reckless. As if it wanted her to take up the challenge and try to best him in the game. And if Oriel still won, then…well, wouldn’t that be an ego boost?

"Someone like you."

Oriel rose an eyebrow as her stoic face and robotic was of speaking seemed to lighten up considerably, along with that statement that might have hit a sore spot despite being unintentional, and his own smile grew into something twisted. As if he were daring her to continue. A good banter battle, or battle of who could BS the most, was an activity he rarely got to engage in. As fun as it was to see people become uncomfortable and retreat, it was twice as fun to have them engage and try to fight back.

The longest running engager Oriel had was McCarthy…and that sap lost like a loser after Oriel teamed up with his roommate. Oriel hadn’t seen him since.

“You’ll find I’m just full of surprises,” he snarked.

Oh, she was good. Just her realizing the rules of the game was enough for Oriel to start to feel that worried sink in his stomach…but he was far to stubborn to disengage this early in the game. And that look on her face reflected one that Oriel had worn many, many times himself. Yes, this girl was dangerous. “If being the operative word there,” he challenged. As much as he was feeling the worry bloom, so did his own excitement, his eyes lighting up with that spark of childishness he often got before running his Phoenix through a particularly trying scene. What had he gotten himself into?

[Ashley Engel]

Her eyes roamed his face actively, watching his expression closely.
Words, words, words. All over thoughts in tone, louder but not by much. Given how close she was, there was very little that could make Oriel's thoughts any louder, short of touching him directly. Which wasn't really on the table. But hovering very close, listening intently- that she could manage.

He spoke of surprised and her lips cut up in a sharp, dangerous smile.
Ever so slightly her eyes narrowed and she shook her head, as if to say No, I won't.

"If indeed."
And for a moment, that was it. She didn't say anything, didn't immediate launch into some tactic. Ash was waiting. Thinking. Her fingers stopped drumming her arm and she just stood there, letting sunlight and an occasional breeze be the only filler for space.

Her mind was turning over faster and faster, sliding and twisting the problem in her head.
Slotting one or two pieces together then dismantling, starting over. It was all rapid, barely fully conscious. She didn't have to think hard, she just had to wonder briefly. What could make someone uncomfortable? What could make Oriel specifically uncomfortable?

It was manipulative. And that? Exceedingly dangerous. She'd never really thought about it before. Not fully. Not consciously. But it was pretty easy, wasn't it? Given her telepathy, her intelligence. She realized fairly quick how simple the game could be. And already her mind was lurching forward by leaps and bounds, considering how to play with other people and win.

"Ashley. Engel." She didn't offer a hand out, but she did bow her head in a brief mimicry of acknowledgement, like they were only just then meeting. Introductions were important. Not for the sake of manners, but as a means to an end. She was starting off her side of the game.
"But just Ash is preferable."

It was all casual. Almost jarringly so, given that just a moment ago she'd been primed and ready for some kind of attack. The smile was still there but she didn't say anything offensive. Just her name. And then, not a heartbeat after the cordial note of preference, she spat words out quickly. Mostly in an attempt to catch Oriel off guard.
"What's your biggest fear?"

Maybe it was cheating.
No- it was definitely cheating. But if Ash knew anything about people it was that their thoughts were very rarely controlled. As close as she was standing, as suddenly as she asked? It was pretty obvious. She was aiming to just get the thought in his head where she could hear it. And then, as long as it was audible to one of her senses, she could use it. All was fair in love and war though, right?

[Deleted]

Ashley Engel.

Oriel hadn’t asked for her name, but she’d given it anyway. Courtesy said he should offer his own back, but as a rule, Oriel never gave his name unless asked. And given her telepathy, she probably already knew his name. He smirked. Then again, amusement factor often won over any measure of rules or common sense. “Oriel. Vanguard.” His sneer grew. “But Evil Overlord is preferable.”

Oriel wondered what she was thinking about. What she was planning. She obviously was intelligent, if a little slow to grasp arbitrary and abstract concepts. Probably another sheltered one. Or maybe she was just weird.

Who cared, she was entertaining. And interesting.

What would she come up with?

The question caught him by surprise. Of course his instinctual answer was “Nothing,” which he said with a snort and smile. Because nothing scared him dammit! Nothing at all!

Or so he tried to convince himself.

Still, his unconscious mind couldn’t help surfacing a few stray memories here and there of times when he was “not afraid”.

The night of ghost stories that Phoenix had dragged him to during the blackout last May.

The time when Phoenix had texted him about being attacked in an alley on the way home.

When Phoenix had nearly drowned during a midnight visit to the pool.

When Erik had spontaneously turned into a snake the first time he met him.

Countless and countless nights he spent alone in the corner of his bedrooms - here at Hammel, with the Stawson’s back in New York, with any and all of his fosters before them - restless and unable to sleep, terrified of staying there by himself, but with nowhere else to go except to the streets.

There’d be a slight waver in Oriel’s expression as a mere flash of these memories surfaced in his mind, one after the other, before he shoved them down and forced himself to ignore them again. “Absolutely nothing,” he insisted again.