The salter plays [Jade or Julien/Open]

[Julien Duval]

Julien laughed as she tried to persuade him to take out his camera. "That's not the point...I just want you to be you and you seem interesting enough without being a villain or the first murder victim." It was that simple. Everyone was more interesting than him, that was for sure and yet when he looked at his footage he'd collected of random moments and people in his life, nothing seemed to remarkable, not as remarkable as he'd thought it might be when capturing it, looking at life through the lens. Gingerly, he removed his prized camera from the bag sitting on the table and clicked the on button, smiling as the screen came to life. His breath caught every time he turned it on, worried that one day it might not. It was all he had left of his grandad.

He'd started filming, but hadn't told her, not as if it mattered, she could probably tell from his facial expression that he was. He wasn't so good at hiding things. He was quite taken aback by her reaction and stopped looking at the screen, but instead up at her. "What do you mean?" he asked before she continued to fire questions at him. "I wish. But no, I did not read your mind. I swear. I don't...I can't do anything like that." And he said it in disappointment.

"Really?" He was appalled that she liked his suggestion. "I don't know. Chocolate and spice..." He wasn't sure, but then again, it could be that she wasn't literally talking about the food combination. "You also like to flirt," he pointed out. "I'm not psychic, but I do know that."

[Jen Mitchellson]

"Do I, now?" She said with a smile. Well, this was certainly different. From all the men she'd met and... dealt with, she'd never actually intrigued anyone on a level that wasn't physical. She'd been called special, hot, 'sexy' even, but never interesting. She was starting to like this quiet type, if it weren't for the fact that she knew already things would never go anywhere. It was disappointing, but it also was intriguing. She'd never had a friend... just a friend before, not a male one at least with her tendency to flirt with everyone she met. Maybe he could be just that. Wouldn't be that bad, right? "I don't know much about movies." She admitted, resting her chin on one hand, "I mean, I've watched movies, don't get me wrong. But I can't tell when one is good and one isn't." She was shallow like that and she didn't have an artistic bone in her body. Perhaps this was why she was starting to like him. Or maybe it was the fact that he kept complimenting her. Either way, she wasn't complaining.

He took out his camera and she smiled in amusement at his expression. There was why he was behind the camera and not before it. She didn't mind being recorded though, having lived with just that all her childhood, and it wasn't like she was any shy in any situation.

"So, you're just a normal artsy French man with a camera?" She snorted, "Yeah, right. I don't believe it." But he was, wasn't he? What with him looking so bad at hiding anything, proven by the camera bit, and behaving so disappointedly. "Why do you sound so sad? Being a meta is a pain." She shrugged, "You need to constantly care for yourself, the downsides are always worse than the upsides and you're taken away from the ones you love when you're very young." She hadn't noticed it until she'd been done, but her tone had turned bitter. So she turned and smiled again, "But I guess it depends on what upsides you get." She leaned forward, giving him a playful smile, "I have this friend who can actually provoke orgasms by just touching you with her pinky." She chuckled and leaned back, thinking of Chassy. "Just that is worth any downside, right?"

He finally got her flirting and she smirked. "Oh, so you ARE catching up. I was beginning to think I was losing my touch." She chuckled slightly. Losing it? Nope, thank you. She stopped, smiling at him knowingly. So he was disappointed. Big deal. "I think you have a power of your own." She added with a slight shrug, "Reading people like you do... Knowing how they are by just looking at them." She leaned forward again, "You may not think so, Julien, but that's some power not a lot of metas have." She paused for a second, before adding, "I had this therapist type doctor we all get at Hammel who did that, but I don't think he counts since it came from his ability and not really him."

[Julien Duval]

"Yeah," Julien confirmed again, not big on rehtorical questions, if she didn't truly want an answer. "A lot of people have to try to be interesting." Hell, he had to try. But she didn't. "You just are...naturally." And although she made him feel slightly overwhelmed, he relished in the feeling of having someone different in his life, someone to spice things up a little. Paprika. "Well, whether a movie is good or not is mostly subjective, but if you look at it critically like a lot of film critics do, no movie is good." It was his attempt at a joke, but it was true. People who did movie reviews often hated everything they watched for some reason or another. "I look at it in terms of the filming techniques, I guess. Although I've been told that I suck the fun out of movies on various occasions."

"I don't know. Maybe?" Was he just a normal artsy French guy? That sounded like a stereotype. Was he really that generic? "I don't want to be." That much he knew. "Being a meta is interesting. It's different. It sets you apart." Sure he didn't have a power so he wouldn't know and he could imagine that every power had it's struggles, but it was really so amazing when you really thought about it, that a human could do something that they normally wouldn't be able to. "Exactly...I mean, some powers are better than others. Like...that one for instance." She was leaning awfully close when she talked about her friend's power, a power that Julien hadn't known existed. "That's uhhh...intense." Trying to get past the awkwardness, he couldn't help but wonder what she could do.

"No, I'm just really bad at social ques sometimes," he admitted honestly. "I can't read everyone like that." Sure he was kind of analytical. That came with his interest in film and photography, but he didn't think that he could read everyone so easily. He wasn't a telepath. "I just...pay attention to people."

[Jen Mitchellson]

Naturally interesting. Well, Jen couldn't hold back the sincere smile that followed. "That's gotta be the best compliment anyone's ever given me." She said in all honesty, before returning to her usual self, "I get 'Nice ass' often, but it doesn't have the same ring." It was a joke, sorta, but it was fun to see him squirm in embarrassment. It was funny, she didn't know men her age could still be cute in the 'I want to pinch your cheeks' kind of way.

"Nah. There's something there." She added. "I think you're just hiding it from me." She sent him a nod, still grinning, "So what's the secret? You have a basement full of doll heads? Keep stuffed cats all over your place? You're a porn film director? That's it, right? The camera. Yup. Should've seen it coming." She was trying so hard to make him blush too.

She raised an eyebrow at the 'all movies are bad bit' completely missing the joke. Wow, wasn't that fun? "So you can't enjoy a movie? Ever?" She wondered, thinking he'd been sincere about that.

He talked about powers with such interest it made her smile. And hey! There was the awkwardness she enjoyed in people! "Oh yes, it is." She leaned forward with a grin, "She once touched some random dude in the street, just as a prank. It was the best thing I've ever seen. And I've seen my good deal of crazy." Sure, she'd sort of asked Chassy to do that, but the adventure that followed had been worth all the trouble. She chuckled at the memories, thinking maybe of introducing the two just so Julien had someone to record. Prank videos were artsy, right?

And he was bad at social ques. How adorable could a guy be? "Well, paying attention could be a power all by itself." She said with her usual playful smirk, "Especially for a guy. Why, you could just go ahead to Hammel and start pretending. No one will ever catch on." They would, but she was teasing.

[Julien Duval]

"Really?" Julien asked incredulously. He'd just said it, because it's what he truly thought. Surely there had to be someone who had complimented her in a better way, or someone better to compliment her. "I'm glad." He tried not to think much of it. "Are those the only compliments you've received?" He was truly curious. "I mean..to be fair I can't say that because you're sitting down, but even if you were standing up and not facing me, I don't think that's what I'd choose to say to you." Oh man, why had he said that?

"If there's something there, I don't know what it is." He shrugged. He didn't think there was anything. She started listing off possibilities of what the something could be, and he shook his head over and over again, perhaps more vigorously at the porn director comment. "Honestly, that's a horrible thing to use a camera for." He looked away briefly.

"Well, I can enjoy a movie. I do often...usually more indie films though. They don't try so hard...they just have an idea, and they make a film. And it's almot always great in some way." That was just his opinion of course.

It seemed that Jen lived quite a different life than his own, one not so sheltered. This girl she was talking about, she sounded exciting, just like the air that Jen gave off. The two of them together could even be more interesting. They'd be great in a film, he was sure. "If you've seen so much crazy, maybe I should follow you around...might get some good things on film." He didn't realize how creepy that would sound. At all.

"I don't think paying attention is a power so much as an expectation we have of people..." And then he realized she wasn't being serious about it.

[Jen Mitchellson]

"Hey, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true!" She so would though. Jen was smiling at the fact that he was taking her words so seriously. True, that joke had only been half true, considering she did get some compliments but all of them, while not entirely focused on her backside, were certainly all focused on her appearance. It sort of made her believe there wasn't much to her than the pretty wrapping, not that she complained. Not everyone had pretty wrappings. He kept going though and she resisted the urge to laugh as she nibbled on her lower lip. He was just adorable. "Oh, you wouldn't?" She asked in mocked disappointment, "So you don't think I have a nice ass? That's really-wow, that makes me really sad." She shrugged slightly, as if getting over her pain and she leaned over the table. "So what would you say?" She was so fishing for compliments here. Hey, don't blame her! It wasn't everyday she met a guy who wasn't focused on getting in her pants. It was refreshing! And she was so taking advantage here, especially so because he seemed like a true gentleman. How many of those were left?

Jen laughed at his reaction to the porno comment. "Horrible? My dear dear Julien, then you haven't seen enough! The cheesy settings, the ridiculous reactions, the bad acting? The horrible inappropriate angles! Bad porno is one of the best things you can use a camera for!" She laughed at the memories of a couple of very bad ones she'd seen during her dull times. Truly, porn movies weren't exactly sexy, more like 'Oh come on! How can someone without powers bend like that?!' Ha... maybe she would make a good porn star now that she thought about it, what with her powers and all.

"I don't think I've ever even seen an indie movie. You should take me once." What a way of guarantee a second... date? Nah. That wasn't it. Jen smiled as she leaned on her hand to stare more easily. She had to admit he was a rather nice change of pace, particularly considering the type of men she usually hung out with.

Her eyes widened at the following around part. "I-" She wasn't sure what to say. He'd said it so straightforwardly too, as if he hadn't even noticed what he'd said. And perhaps he hadn't. It made her chuckle and she covered her mouth with one hand to keep her laughter quieter than it was. "Sorry!" She said between giggles. "You're just adorable! I can't help it." She felt the giggles starting to fade and she grinned at him widely. "Sure, why the hell not?" Being followed around by someone with a camera might not be the most usual of things, but Jen loved weird and different. Sort of the reason she was still sitting here with him.

He was taking her so seriously. Jen smirked at him, "I'm just teasing, Julien." She said, raising a finger and lightly tapping his nose. Someone so sweet shouldn't look that cute. It was sort of cruel to other men. "But I happen to agree with you. I sort of expect others to listen when I speak, even if they don't." Particularly men, that part hadn't been a lie. "Hard to listen when your eyes are wandering on places that are not the other person's face."

[Julien Duval]

"I didn't say that you didn't have a nice...butt," Julien said, lamely. "I just haven't really seen it. It is kind of pressed to a chair right now, is it not?" He was trying to keep up with her, be somewhat witty in his responses. It wasn't going too well. But she was still here talking to him, right?

"Well, you have a great sense of humor, of course I wouldn't know that just from seeing you. So..." Her eyes. They were a really deep blue. "So I guess I'd compliment your eyes first."

What was it with bad films that inspired such responses in people? First Kaillin and now Jen. Of course, with Jen they were talking about pornos... If it was so bad, then why watch it? Because it was so bad it was good? As in funny? Isn't that what Kaillin had told him? He just still didn't agree that cameras should be used for something like that when you could make art. "I don't get it," he mumbled. "Why do people like to watch things that are bad?"

"They're great. The plot lines are always intense and character driven." Of course, he didn't know if that's what she looked for in a movie. She didn't really even know what movies she liked. "What other movies do you like? Besides bad pornos. I mean, I wouldn't know if you'd like an indie movie." Still, she'd suggested that he take her to a movie.

How easily she agreed to have him film her. It was strange. "Really? You wouldn't mind? I wouldn't be intruding on your daily life?" It was foreign to him for someone to agree so quickly. Most found it creepy. He didn't say much when she'd said he was adorable, just felt his face flush slightly. He was always going to be that adorable curly haired boy that girls might have fawned over in middle school, but would only laugh and call him adorable now.

"Right? We expect to be listened to. But people..." He sighed. "People fail at basic communication a lot of the time."

[Jen Mitchellson]

"Very pressed, yes." She said with a grin, finding it funny that he found it difficult to say 'butt'. He was so cute! And so different from the guys she usually spent time with. Wait, he was a good guy, right? What was he doing talking to her? Usually this type of guy would just smile awkwardly at her and move away, in the best of cases. Worst cases? Well, let's just say she'd heard a good share of slut shaming names and phrases in her day.

The bit about her sense of humour made her smile and she felt slightly warmer. No one had said something like that to her. Well, maybe Caelum or Zack, but they truly didn't count, right? Yeah, big brothers certainly didn't count. And it was sweet that he wouldn't immediately go to her looks when he thought of compliments for her, something she wasn't used to. She nodded along then, as he said so himself. "My eyes." She repeated with a smile. That'd been cute. "And how exactly would you compliment them?" She was being pushy and she knew it, maybe a tad too much considering who she was talking to. Sure, most men liked a pushy girl, flirting and smiling like she was now, but she honestly had no idea what he would think.

She laughed at his confusion on bad movies. "Because it's funny!" She replied as if it was obvious, "Don't you ever laugh at silliness, Julien?" Jen gave a slight shrug as she thought about it. "People like seeing others messing up, particularly if it's in a very obvious way. I mean, have you seen the Room? What were they thinking?" She laughed at the memories of the movie and nibbled on her lower lip to hold back her wide smile. "It makes us common people feel smart." She shrugged again. "We're not all creative geniuses, you know? I can see why you don't like them and see it as a waste of time. But me? Well, I'm sure if I ever saw any deep stuff you made or watch I wouldn't get it." She sighed, still smiling. Wow, had that been a downer? "I can't be this pretty and be all creative and deep at the same time, you know? There HAS to be a limit to how much the universe gives me." She winked then, obviously joking. Truth was Jen didn't like any movie that handled sad... stuff. She hated what they did to her. They got her thinking, which was always dangerous. Movies about people, like he'd so mentioned, were about dreams, feelings, love, things she didn't understand nor wanted to think about. When she did, she grew quiet and sensitive and like playing video games all day and night without even showering. After seeing Caelum go through depression, she really didn't want to deal with one of her own. What would her father think of her then?

She snorted when he said 'apart from pornos'. "You make me sound like a pervert." She said with mirth and then added in a whisper, "Which isn't that far from the truth." She winked then still smiling and then shrugged to get back to his question. "I don't know. I like superhero movies. I'm a bit of a geek like that." Another wink. "I guess... I like to laugh. Anything that makes me smile I guess." Except romance. For some reason, she couldn't deal with those. She was more about passion than love, if that made any sense.

He seemed shocked that she agreed to be filmed. "Nah. I don't really have much going on anyway." She smiled at him, disliking the thoughts he'd left with their previous conversation. Now she remembered why she was so bad with serious types like him. They actually thought with something other than what they had between their legs, which made her think the same way and her thoughts... well, they weren't exactly kind to her. "If you don't mind a bit of craziness and bad puns, I think we'll go perfect with each other." She said that last part with a flirty voice, acting completely fine and still smiling widely despite her thoughts.

People fail at basic communication. Ha... "They can still be fun if you don't expect much from them." She said with a shrug, displaying just a tiny bit of her layers. "People are self-centred Julien. I've had my share of.. people to know it." She winked again. "It's all about knowing that they expect to take and never give." She shrugged again. "And knowing they're not there to stay." Because no one ever did, right?

[Julien Duval]

"I mean, I'd say something about how they're blue," Julien mumbled and felt stupid immediately. But they were so blue. He didn't really understand her questions, as if she was pushing him to admit certain things. Did guys like this? Because he was thrown off by it. What was wrong with actual conversation?

He hadn't seen The Room. "I guess," he said with a shrug. "I mean, I guess something can be so bad, that it's funny. But I still don't think I'd appreciate it." Creative genius? Is that what she thought he was? Highly unlikely. "I don't know. I just like watching movies that make you sit there for a while afterwards, unable to watch anything else. It's like you're stuck on it. That's when I know it's a good film. You've never had that experience with a movie?" She hadn't lived!

"Superhero movies can be good," Julien agreed. He was more into realism and the portryal of real life, but he didn't mind delving into the world of superheroes every so often, just for fun. "There are plenty of indie comedies!"

He liked craziness and well, bad puns he could deal with. Jen wasn't ordinary. "Well...that's awfully negative..." he trailed off, as she'd told him what she'd really thought of people.

[Jen Mitchellson]

Blue? Really? She snorted. "Oh, you just sweat out creativity, don't you?" She teased with a wide, amused smile. Poor guy. "They are indeed blue and I should feel impressed that you noticed that instead of my cup size, though you do lose points for not at least try to sneak a peek. I mean, I understand you're respectful, but I don't expect you to be dead." Man, it was so easy to tease him. Poor guy.

"Maybe you just haven't given it an opportunity." She said with a smile, though she did feel sorry for the guy. She just couldn't picture being in his shoes and seeing the world with such critical and serious outlook. No wonder he wanted something interesting around. In her opinion, interesting was what you did, not what happened, but then again, maybe it was just that she made an effort to have fun at all times.

"Totally get that." She said with a smile, "I so get like that every time I see the after credits scene in a Marvel movie." It'd been meant as a joke, but she probably sounded like an idiot to him. Not that she cared that much anymore. It seemed he just didn't get it, just like she didn't get him. "The Hulk giving Iron Man therapy?" She slapped the table for effect, "Hilarious." Again, joking, but she was sure he wouldn't get it. Did he even watch such films? Probably not. She was the only closet, not so closet geek she knew.

Indie comedies. Ah, yeah. "I don't think i've ever watched one of those." She eyed him for a moment and then added, "You do know I mean 'Ha ha' comedy and not 'Nobody died, yet everyone has an accent' comedy, right?"

Wait, what? Negative? Jen blinked in surprise. Well, she'd spoken more than she should had, right? Stupid serious guy making her talk about stupid serious stuff.

"Is it?" She asked, leaning over the table, "So tell me, future Guillermo del Toro," First name she thought of, "What's your take on people then?"

[Julien Duval]

"I felt pressured!" Julien said in his defense, which was true. How was he supposed to know what he would have said? "Besides, I'm not really the best with compliments...or insults for that matter." He was sure his compliments came out as insults sometimes. "Guys look at you and can tell you your cup size?" Was that impressive or disgusting, or both? "I'm not dead, I just don't comment on things that people wouldn't want me to." Okay, so that wasn't entirely true. "I mean, I just notice...different things, I guess."

That was not at all what he meant, but he nodded along with Jen anyway. He'd seen most Marvel movies, but they didn't have that effect on him, making him think about it in depth for days, effecting him in such a way that made him have to wait a week before watching another film. "That's funny, but I'm not sure that's what I meant."

"I know what a comedy is. I just mean, comedies that not everyone knows about, or hears about."

"I think so. I mean..." Now he felt pressured to explain and sound smart while doing it. "Not everybody is self-centered, right? I mean...you don't think so poorly of all of humanity, do you?"

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen almost laughed, but instead she grinned. She was being a tad too harsh on this guy, wasn't she? Particularly so because it seemed he didn't get jokes. Like at all. How sad was that? It was her equivalent of watching a puppy trying to go upstairs, half cute half pathetic. "Only the truly talented ones." She teased once more, actually finding funny that he'd take anything she said literally, "But I think that's a meta power, you know? One of the odd ones." She leaned forward and added, "I mean, they teach us at Hammel that we can't really say anything about it but... yeah, that power is there." It was a joke, of course, but she still found it amusing. He mentioned not being dead and she almost snorted. "Might as well be." She said with mirth, "You've never checked out a girl?" Bullshit. He had to, right? All men were pigs after all. He HAD to.

"What do you notice then?" She asked, still pressing the matter, mostly because it was fun to watch him squirm. "We mentioned eyes, so you can't use that again." And maybe she just wanted to hear something nice. She needed it after all.

Again he didn't get her joke and she smiled sadly. Cute, but it was starting to feel a tad forced. Was he for real or was he trying to annoy her? "Like what?" She asked, "Shoot me a title."

When the conversation took a serious tone, she sighed again. He'd managed to turn her question back and she smiled bitterly. "Statistically, I guess you're right." She said with the same bitter tone, "Just like statistically, there has to be aliens somewhere, right? Still haven't seen any yet. Both good people and aliens."

[Julien Duval]

"If that was a meta power, what would it even be called?" Julien thought aloud. He was sure she was joking, but it was possible it could be a power, right? I mean, he'd heard of some pretty strange powers from his sister. "Hey, it's not that I don't look at girls. I mean, don't we all 'check people out'? I don't see the harm in that. I just think it's annoying when that's all people do." He was rambling now and slightly turning red. He knew that was probably Jen's goal.

"I don't know. I notice how people walk or like...their mannerisms, I guess. I think it's because I'm observant." Maybe that was a little strange.

"I think you're meeting all of the wrong people," he told her. Sure he didn't believe everyone was a saint, nor did he have total faith in humanity, but he had met some nice people, and while humans were supposed to have selfish tendencies, they hadn't shown them yet. Besides, you had to expect people to be human.

[Jen Mitchellson]

Jen grinned. Was he following her joke? Or was it him being... innocent? She wasn't sure. It was still cute. Plus that hair! "How about..." Hmm, tough one "D-Cupacity". She grinned, hoping that was witty enough to catch his attention. Man, was he cute. He got all flustered and she smiled again, nibbling on her lower lip. Jackpot! Again with the cute blush.

"But that's ALL men do." She said with a grim smile. "Well, not JUST men. I've been checking you out since I saw you." Again, she tried to flirt. But it was a lost cause, wasn't it? She sighed, still smiling. Men like this never liked her. Well, she'd never tried flirting with men like this so she had no idea where to go. Didn't stop her from trying though. "Not like that'll get me anywhere, right?" She was being pushy, wasn't she? But he was so cute and maybe he wasn't as shy as to not want a quick make out session in the restaurants bathroom. Hey! He liked new experiences, right?

He noticed mannerisms? How they walked? She blinked in surprise. Wow, she'd never really thought about that. She looked down at her hands, wondering what mannerisms she had, nibbling on her lower lip again as she thought about it. "What mannerisms do I have?" She asked, not flirting this time, but actually curious. Maybe she was doing things wrong here.

And when the conversation went deep she snorted. "And which one are you?" She wondered, leaning over the table, wanting to grab his hand, but wouldn't dare. She so didn't know how to treat this guy. "Are you part of the... wrong?"

[Julien Duval]

Julien couldn't help it, he actually laughed. He briefly wondered if Jen had expected him to, if she thought him to not have much of a sense of humor. "That's a good one," he agreed with a smile. It was getting easier to talk to her after a while, he'd warmed up to how she conversed, even if there was a lot of flirting, both hidden and obvious.

"So it's all people do?" Julien asked. "And I'm not saying I'm not human. I definitely am and certain things are just human nature." He shrugged. It wasn't that he wasn't picking up on every single vibe she was sending him, he just didn't know how to respond. What was the right way to respond? He was shocked, however, to find out that she'd been checking him out. He didn't understand why. He was tall, but in a lanky way and had a fro for hair. Was it just the accent that made up for all of it? And then she said that it wouldn't get her anywhere, but phrased it as a question. English was odd. "It might have if I'd noticed," he said sheepishly. It wasn't that he didn't think she was attractive. He liked the way she was interested in what he had to say, like he was interesting. Her eyes were so blue. And she had a sort of playful confidence. But he wasn't about to tell her that!

"You bite your lip a lot, for instance," he explained. "And you lean forward often." He definitely paid attention to people, just in different ways.

And then she'd leaned forward again, as if it was a habit that was impossible to break. "I'd like to think I'm not."