((Ben Fields continued from Sadness Augmentation ))
Ben wrestled with his copy of Macbeth, literally wrung his hands at it's spine in a chokehold that grasped for something that wasn't there. Fucking interrogation was about as effective as any other method for understanding this shit. Not that it was actually hard reading. Ben just wasn't sure what he was supposed to be seeing when he read between the lines. Logically he'd just pick something and run with it while he mined for quotes, but this was a group project. The bane of many a high schooler's once unmolested grade point average.
The trees laying siege to his castle held the form of wood pulp. Or something like that. Ben had never been the best with laying figurative language to pencil, and he let his thoughts implode with a disgustedly disappointed sigh.
He let his eyes wander some. They were in a room as nondescript as any other Ben had ever been in, he wasn't really intent on picking out the details. He was saving that for the reading.
The groups for the project had been picked by lots, because at some point Mrs. Webber had stopped trusting their collective maturity and responsibility as a class. Respectable, Ben could admire his English teachers' trying. Ben honestly would have lost hope the moment his kids had walked through the door, if he'd been in her shoes. Groups had coalesced, and Ben had ended up with Scarlett McAfee and Aiden Slattery. 'Beaks', he apparently preferred. Kinda sleazy name for a kinda sleazy guy. He was as of now off the shit list though, same with Scarlett. No grudges or misunderstandings yet. Hopefully everything stayed nice and professional.
"Either of you guys come up with a thesis?" Ben shamelessly anticipated some kind of shitty witticism from Beaks and some kind of vaguely awkward but legit suggestion from Scarlett. They'd been around each other long enough. But shit, where was the scruffy Bieber bowl? Of course Beaks was MIA. How long had it been since he'd asked for the bathroom now, five minutes? Not like he cared about what a dude got up to in the toilet. As long as their group partner wasn't ditching, and got back before sundown.
That left Scarlett, so Ben shifted a bit to properly consider her. Tee and jeans went from 'wrinkled' to 'differently oriented state of wrinkled'. His back was still supported by the side of the couch he had chosen to prop himself up against. He vaguely recalled meeting her in a grocery store before? Unimportant. He maintained casual eye contact, pupils ready to roll on out the moment a threshold of awkwardness was passed. It probably would be at some point. Some in Cochise were cooler than others for sure, but they were all goddamn dorks. Teenagers and all. Ben was also one of those, but only for so long.
"I was thinking maybe something about the natural order and how the hubris of Macbeth disrupts it." Vaguely put, but strongly stated. "Seems like a subject up my alley. Of course I'm not the one making the call." Ben only intended to be making final decisions if he needed to. No need to waste the energy otherwise. People would argue and chafe and in the end nobody would be happy anyways. Ben figured he was well learned in the mechanisms of adult compromise.
Romeo And Juliet
'I forget, I forget, the movie song' - Scarlett McAfee's home
Romeo And Juliet
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Primrosette
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((Scarlett McAfee continued from Sadness Augmentation))
Scarlett was gazed down at her own copy of the novel, Macbeth, in her lap and she started to flick through the pages. She had to be honest. She didn't really understand much about this story. She wished that Mrs. Webber had made them do an assignment on a different story. Maybe something like Romeo and Juliet as she knew that one more better. Although, Scarlett did guess that it would be a good challenge to learn something new. What a strange thought she was having.
Scarlett hadn't minded being paired up with Ben Fields. He seemed like a nice person and she didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence. The other person in their group was the one who she didn't like being around. Aiden Slattery. He liked being called 'Beaks' but Scarlett didn't want to call him that, so she would use his real name. Which was possibly why Aiden stomped off to the bathroom or something. There was something about him that made Scarlett get a bad vibe from him. Maybe because he flirted with her in the past in a strange way made her want to stay clear of him. Well, after the three of them have hopefully finished this assignment, she wouldn't have to let Aiden into her home again. Why was he taking so long anyway?
Ben had said something to her. Scarlett looked up from her novel and she made eye contact with him. She was sitting pretty close to him on the couch so she moved a little as to not be too personal in his space. She knew some people didn't like how close people could sit beside them. So she wanted to somehow be.... polite? Anyway, Ben had said something about a thesis. Hm. Scarlett didn't have an idea for an thesis herself.
Scarlett nodded as she listened to Ben's idea of what they should do and she would agree that it would be an interesting subject that the three of them could work on. "I actually think that would be an interesting idea to do, Ben. I would be up for doing something like that. However.... We need to hear Aiden's opinion on this as well." Scarlett didn't really want Aiden's opinion but they were working on this assignment together so she had to suck it up and deal with Aiden for now. "We should wait for him to come back."
IF he came back.... She thought to herself, turning her attention back to the novel on her lap. This assignment would have been so much more easier to do if it was just her and Ben.
Scarlett was gazed down at her own copy of the novel, Macbeth, in her lap and she started to flick through the pages. She had to be honest. She didn't really understand much about this story. She wished that Mrs. Webber had made them do an assignment on a different story. Maybe something like Romeo and Juliet as she knew that one more better. Although, Scarlett did guess that it would be a good challenge to learn something new. What a strange thought she was having.
Scarlett hadn't minded being paired up with Ben Fields. He seemed like a nice person and she didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence. The other person in their group was the one who she didn't like being around. Aiden Slattery. He liked being called 'Beaks' but Scarlett didn't want to call him that, so she would use his real name. Which was possibly why Aiden stomped off to the bathroom or something. There was something about him that made Scarlett get a bad vibe from him. Maybe because he flirted with her in the past in a strange way made her want to stay clear of him. Well, after the three of them have hopefully finished this assignment, she wouldn't have to let Aiden into her home again. Why was he taking so long anyway?
Ben had said something to her. Scarlett looked up from her novel and she made eye contact with him. She was sitting pretty close to him on the couch so she moved a little as to not be too personal in his space. She knew some people didn't like how close people could sit beside them. So she wanted to somehow be.... polite? Anyway, Ben had said something about a thesis. Hm. Scarlett didn't have an idea for an thesis herself.
Scarlett nodded as she listened to Ben's idea of what they should do and she would agree that it would be an interesting subject that the three of them could work on. "I actually think that would be an interesting idea to do, Ben. I would be up for doing something like that. However.... We need to hear Aiden's opinion on this as well." Scarlett didn't really want Aiden's opinion but they were working on this assignment together so she had to suck it up and deal with Aiden for now. "We should wait for him to come back."
IF he came back.... She thought to herself, turning her attention back to the novel on her lap. This assignment would have been so much more easier to do if it was just her and Ben.
She shifted away a bit. How long had they been breathing the same air? He considered himself fairly tolerant of people sharing his personal space, or at least girls doing so. Probably just hadn't noticed that she'd crept in so close. He watched her nod, curtly nodded himself as she presented her counter proposal. Eh. He'd heard better in his time, and he was no debater even. But what she was saying was par for the course logical. Yeah they did probably have to wait for Beaks before coming to any decisions. Two out of three was a margin, sure, but it was a thin one. Ben did not have the time or energy for handling mutinous douchebags, he already had enough of that at hand with this book's characters.
"Yeah, probably. Good call, we shouldn't do anything without him or he might get pissy about it." A moment's lull, and then:
"Not being judgmental or anything, but man, Slattery's a bit of a short stick to draw for project third." Ben didn't intend for the comment to start any sort of protracted gossip, it was just an observation. Honestly he shouldn't have even said it, but the clarion call of talking about the person who wasn't in the room was too strong for even his tempered and buffed resistance. "You know? He seems like a good kid but kinda flakey. I'm half surprised he even showed in the first place." He watched Scarlett closely for a second, his dark eyes searching her expression. Might be that she wasn't comfortable with the conversation going down this road, and if so he was well prepared to drop the subject.
Oh yeah he definitely had met this girl in a grocers before. If he recalled correctly Darius had been there that day. Explained why he hadn't bothered to commit that outing to memory so well.
His hands continued to idly rifle through his book. At least three fingers were spared towards bookmarking several pages with quotes that at least seemed decent to his laymen eyes. Thus, hand numbing and cramping. Fuck it. He pulled out the troops and granted them reprieve, stretching out individual fingers to coax life back into them.
"Yeah, probably. Good call, we shouldn't do anything without him or he might get pissy about it." A moment's lull, and then:
"Not being judgmental or anything, but man, Slattery's a bit of a short stick to draw for project third." Ben didn't intend for the comment to start any sort of protracted gossip, it was just an observation. Honestly he shouldn't have even said it, but the clarion call of talking about the person who wasn't in the room was too strong for even his tempered and buffed resistance. "You know? He seems like a good kid but kinda flakey. I'm half surprised he even showed in the first place." He watched Scarlett closely for a second, his dark eyes searching her expression. Might be that she wasn't comfortable with the conversation going down this road, and if so he was well prepared to drop the subject.
Oh yeah he definitely had met this girl in a grocers before. If he recalled correctly Darius had been there that day. Explained why he hadn't bothered to commit that outing to memory so well.
His hands continued to idly rifle through his book. At least three fingers were spared towards bookmarking several pages with quotes that at least seemed decent to his laymen eyes. Thus, hand numbing and cramping. Fuck it. He pulled out the troops and granted them reprieve, stretching out individual fingers to coax life back into them.
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Primrosette
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Scarlett glanced back up as Ben was speaking to her and she was paying attention to him very carefully. She didn't really want to say anything about Aiden but Ben was talking about him. Should she just ask him to drop the subject? Well, Aiden wasn't with them right now and they weren't doing any harm. So she guessed that it was alright. Until Aiden was back in the room.
Scarlett was fiddling with the edge of one of the pages of her novel with her thumb and her finger. "I was only suggesting that we should wait for him in case, he would have an idea of his own." She still felt uneasy with Aiden being in her home. What was wrong with her? Was she just scared that he would try something with her again? Ugh. She really should try to be comfortable with Aiden around. She should give him a chance. "It wouldn't be fair if we concluded that we would do your idea without hearing what he thinks about it himself."
She raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that Ben might not like having Aiden as a third partner either. However, she couldn't just tell Aiden to leave and work on his own. Yes, she didn't really like him but she didn't want to come off as the bad guy here.
Scarlett was thinking about Aiden for a few seconds. Maybe he really wasn't that bad of a guy. Maybe she was just too quick to judge him as a person. She actually felt a pang of guilt. Would it even bother Aiden if she told him why she didn't even like him that much? Maybe she was just thinking about things too hard. She had noticed that whenever she had seen Aiden, he would give her a goofy grin or smile. Strange.
"Aiden seems like a good person at heart. I don't think he's too bad. Maybe just misunderstood sometimes...." She was talking a bit quietly now. She didn't know why she was. Maybe she just didn't want Aiden to hear her or something. She felt like she was being silly now. "I'll be honest with you, Ben. I don't really like Aiden that much. And I normally like a lot of people. But Aiden.... I don't know why I always feel uneasy and uncomfortable around him. I'm not a bac person for disliking him. ....Am I?"
Scarlett was now feeling more unsure about how she felt about Aiden. She hoped that Ben didn't mind her own opinion. She bit down on her lower lip and she flicked through one of the pages in Macbeth. She was staying quiet and waiting for Ben to speak again.
Scarlett was fiddling with the edge of one of the pages of her novel with her thumb and her finger. "I was only suggesting that we should wait for him in case, he would have an idea of his own." She still felt uneasy with Aiden being in her home. What was wrong with her? Was she just scared that he would try something with her again? Ugh. She really should try to be comfortable with Aiden around. She should give him a chance. "It wouldn't be fair if we concluded that we would do your idea without hearing what he thinks about it himself."
She raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that Ben might not like having Aiden as a third partner either. However, she couldn't just tell Aiden to leave and work on his own. Yes, she didn't really like him but she didn't want to come off as the bad guy here.
Scarlett was thinking about Aiden for a few seconds. Maybe he really wasn't that bad of a guy. Maybe she was just too quick to judge him as a person. She actually felt a pang of guilt. Would it even bother Aiden if she told him why she didn't even like him that much? Maybe she was just thinking about things too hard. She had noticed that whenever she had seen Aiden, he would give her a goofy grin or smile. Strange.
"Aiden seems like a good person at heart. I don't think he's too bad. Maybe just misunderstood sometimes...." She was talking a bit quietly now. She didn't know why she was. Maybe she just didn't want Aiden to hear her or something. She felt like she was being silly now. "I'll be honest with you, Ben. I don't really like Aiden that much. And I normally like a lot of people. But Aiden.... I don't know why I always feel uneasy and uncomfortable around him. I'm not a bac person for disliking him. ....Am I?"
Scarlett was now feeling more unsure about how she felt about Aiden. She hoped that Ben didn't mind her own opinion. She bit down on her lower lip and she flicked through one of the pages in Macbeth. She was staying quiet and waiting for Ben to speak again.
Glances crossed. She told him the obvious. And then something a bit more interesting than that. Wasn't his business to go prying into, and he wouldn't be anytime soon. But interesting all the same. She had a reason to dislike him in particular. What could Aiden have possibly inflicted upon her? Maybe they had used to date? Or he'd just been inappropriate her way in general, throwing heaven knows what kind of comments her way. Just speculation, idle musing really, but he could see why she might feel such trepidation in Beaks' presence. That would explain why the room had felt kind of awkward before Beaks had left. Well, okay, honestly it still felt kind of awkward. People involved and all.
Ben let the silence carry the weight of the moment, for a moment. His eyes flicked down. Lip bite, page rifle. Maybe he'd look at his own book for a bit. Nah, that was the easy way out. Not to mention rude. He kept looking her way, though he did angle his eyes a bit. Sort of a glancing gaze. Looking more past her than at her, like a sort of compromise between 'we are having this conversation' and 'eh not really'. His response came fast, a finger snap couldn't have sounded in the amount of time he needed to speak. Even if the subject matter was a bit awkward he had no intent to make it obvious in the conversational flow. Pauses and beats were for music, not casual speech.
"Misunderstood." Cliche, like teeny teenage fiction cliche, but honestly Ben would have hoped so himself. He just nodded in affirmation of the possibility. No point in wishing the worst of people. "And I see. Yeah, I totally get you there." He wanted to ask but he wouldn't. This wasn't the time or the place, in the home of a girl he only essentially knew in passing. "He does give me a kinda off impression as well. I'm also not inclined to hate on people if I can help it, but I can totally understand if you're not too fond of him." He glanced at the door frame, suddenly. Of all the times for Slattery to come back this would be the absolute worst moment to pick.
"You're not a bad person for disliking him, Scarlett. Whatever the reason." A simple, sage nod. "I might too if I were in your shoes." Maybe that was overselling it, but Ben could vaguely imagine the world of a girl where creepy guys pulled shit pickup lines on-
Okay, weird thoughts. Veer away.
Ben let the silence carry the weight of the moment, for a moment. His eyes flicked down. Lip bite, page rifle. Maybe he'd look at his own book for a bit. Nah, that was the easy way out. Not to mention rude. He kept looking her way, though he did angle his eyes a bit. Sort of a glancing gaze. Looking more past her than at her, like a sort of compromise between 'we are having this conversation' and 'eh not really'. His response came fast, a finger snap couldn't have sounded in the amount of time he needed to speak. Even if the subject matter was a bit awkward he had no intent to make it obvious in the conversational flow. Pauses and beats were for music, not casual speech.
"Misunderstood." Cliche, like teeny teenage fiction cliche, but honestly Ben would have hoped so himself. He just nodded in affirmation of the possibility. No point in wishing the worst of people. "And I see. Yeah, I totally get you there." He wanted to ask but he wouldn't. This wasn't the time or the place, in the home of a girl he only essentially knew in passing. "He does give me a kinda off impression as well. I'm also not inclined to hate on people if I can help it, but I can totally understand if you're not too fond of him." He glanced at the door frame, suddenly. Of all the times for Slattery to come back this would be the absolute worst moment to pick.
"You're not a bad person for disliking him, Scarlett. Whatever the reason." A simple, sage nod. "I might too if I were in your shoes." Maybe that was overselling it, but Ben could vaguely imagine the world of a girl where creepy guys pulled shit pickup lines on-
Okay, weird thoughts. Veer away.
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Rorick Skyve†
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((Aiden Slattery continued from Spotted Peckers: Black Ocean
Aiden was standing directly in front of the McAfee's bathroom mirror, a strained expression on his face, his hands gripping each side of the sink like he was about to try and rip it off the wall. He grimaced at himself. Handsome fella right there, staring right back at him. Problem was that the guy was in the same predicament as he was.
His glance wandered down, towards the tin pillbox he had placed next to the faucet. Tiny thing like that surely couldn't even harm a fly. Aiden knew better though. Thing was an evil little fucker, or rather, its contents. Ritalin, man. Helped him once, sure, was his personal Robin over many years. Beaksman and Robin, heh. No idea why he hadn't thought of that one before.
Aiden saw the subtle smile on the features of his reflection. Maybe that'd do the trick. Think of funny shit, distract himself from the - nah, he knew damn fucking well that wouldn't work. Not with the work he had to do. Ugh, Mac-frickin-Beth, dullest thing he'd read since the manual for his mom's hair dryer. Didn't even remember why he read that one, truth be told. But he did and now he was kinda wishing he could be reading that instead of that snoozefest of a tale about some douche who got bossed around by his old lady.
There was no escape though. Couldn't risk being a sloppy sloppster with this one. His sis had been right, he had been slacking off too much lately. English grade was looking a-bizzedi-bysmal. One more goof, he was done for, straight up toast. Couldn't have that, no fucking way. Sharon being disappointed alone would be enough reason for him to fucking shoot himself to the moon, outta existence. Only one way around it. Had to stay focused with this one, pull his sorry ass through, somehow. Goddamn Shakespeare, man. Should have stuck with shaking his own spear, that limey bastard.
Whoa, whoa, he had to calm himself. Shit was way too negative, ruining his mojo and stuff. He had to get to a happy place again, no matter what. Get happy, get focused, then profit. Easy cheesy.
Aiden sighed, rubbing his eyes with two fingers. No way around it. Had to take his 'medication.' Only way for him to stay concentrated, actually do and think stuff that was worth a damn. Other two peeps were prolly thinking he was jacking off or something, been in the bathroom for what - ten minutes now?
So he did the deed. Short moment, opened the pillbox, swallowed pill - not feeling better. But he would, soon enough. He had promised himself he'd get off the stuff, he didn't need it no more, damn Ritalin had outlived his usefulness. Only today wasn't the day to stop. Maybe tomorrow. Shit, prolly not even that. But one day, one frickin' day.
Aiden gave himself a light slap on the cheek. Had to stop being such a whiny weenie, shit was embarrassing. Think of something positive, all he had to do. Last weekend with Jerry the Ferg, that had been some good classic load of fun. Yeah, that was an image to have stuck in his head. Could totally roll with that. His lips slowly curled up, formed that shit-eating grin again. Time to get busy.
Starting to whistle some random tune, he opened the bathroom door, ready to join his peers who were eagerly anticipating the return of the Beaks, sure as shit. First step he took was slightly insecure, but his stroll grew more confident with every consecutive one. Heard their voices around some corners, kinda muffled. Ben talking 'bout something, prolly important. Everything that guy said sounded important, maybe cuz he didn't talk much in the first place. Not when Aiden was around, at least.
"I might too, if I were in your shoes." All he caught. Didn't really sound like it had anything to do with the project, maybe the two had waited for him with that. Aw, how sweet. Almost wanted to shed a tear, so he did. As if.
Looking as smug as if nothing had happened, he finally entered the other two's field of view again, immediately raising a hand defensively. "Sorry bout the delay, folks. Technical difficulties."
Aiden was standing directly in front of the McAfee's bathroom mirror, a strained expression on his face, his hands gripping each side of the sink like he was about to try and rip it off the wall. He grimaced at himself. Handsome fella right there, staring right back at him. Problem was that the guy was in the same predicament as he was.
His glance wandered down, towards the tin pillbox he had placed next to the faucet. Tiny thing like that surely couldn't even harm a fly. Aiden knew better though. Thing was an evil little fucker, or rather, its contents. Ritalin, man. Helped him once, sure, was his personal Robin over many years. Beaksman and Robin, heh. No idea why he hadn't thought of that one before.
Aiden saw the subtle smile on the features of his reflection. Maybe that'd do the trick. Think of funny shit, distract himself from the - nah, he knew damn fucking well that wouldn't work. Not with the work he had to do. Ugh, Mac-frickin-Beth, dullest thing he'd read since the manual for his mom's hair dryer. Didn't even remember why he read that one, truth be told. But he did and now he was kinda wishing he could be reading that instead of that snoozefest of a tale about some douche who got bossed around by his old lady.
There was no escape though. Couldn't risk being a sloppy sloppster with this one. His sis had been right, he had been slacking off too much lately. English grade was looking a-bizzedi-bysmal. One more goof, he was done for, straight up toast. Couldn't have that, no fucking way. Sharon being disappointed alone would be enough reason for him to fucking shoot himself to the moon, outta existence. Only one way around it. Had to stay focused with this one, pull his sorry ass through, somehow. Goddamn Shakespeare, man. Should have stuck with shaking his own spear, that limey bastard.
Whoa, whoa, he had to calm himself. Shit was way too negative, ruining his mojo and stuff. He had to get to a happy place again, no matter what. Get happy, get focused, then profit. Easy cheesy.
Aiden sighed, rubbing his eyes with two fingers. No way around it. Had to take his 'medication.' Only way for him to stay concentrated, actually do and think stuff that was worth a damn. Other two peeps were prolly thinking he was jacking off or something, been in the bathroom for what - ten minutes now?
So he did the deed. Short moment, opened the pillbox, swallowed pill - not feeling better. But he would, soon enough. He had promised himself he'd get off the stuff, he didn't need it no more, damn Ritalin had outlived his usefulness. Only today wasn't the day to stop. Maybe tomorrow. Shit, prolly not even that. But one day, one frickin' day.
Aiden gave himself a light slap on the cheek. Had to stop being such a whiny weenie, shit was embarrassing. Think of something positive, all he had to do. Last weekend with Jerry the Ferg, that had been some good classic load of fun. Yeah, that was an image to have stuck in his head. Could totally roll with that. His lips slowly curled up, formed that shit-eating grin again. Time to get busy.
Starting to whistle some random tune, he opened the bathroom door, ready to join his peers who were eagerly anticipating the return of the Beaks, sure as shit. First step he took was slightly insecure, but his stroll grew more confident with every consecutive one. Heard their voices around some corners, kinda muffled. Ben talking 'bout something, prolly important. Everything that guy said sounded important, maybe cuz he didn't talk much in the first place. Not when Aiden was around, at least.
"I might too, if I were in your shoes." All he caught. Didn't really sound like it had anything to do with the project, maybe the two had waited for him with that. Aw, how sweet. Almost wanted to shed a tear, so he did. As if.
Looking as smug as if nothing had happened, he finally entered the other two's field of view again, immediately raising a hand defensively. "Sorry bout the delay, folks. Technical difficulties."
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Primrosette
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Scarlett didn't even get a chance to say anything to Ben. Because Aiden had entered the room. His voice sounded very chipper and slightly smug. So she decided to stop that conversation with Ben and she put her focus onto Aiden. Which wasn't that hard. All she had to do was turn her head and give Aiden a look. She didn't even know why he was raising his hand as he was speaking. At least he was joining them now and that was all that mattered at that moment.
"Are you okay...?" She asked unsurely as she was still fiddling with the edge of a page and she tried to give him one of her friendly smiles. "You were gone for some time. We decided to wait for you to hear your opinion, Aiden."
Scarlett really did prefer to call 'Beaks' Aiden. She felt a bit more comfortable with it. If Aiden didn't like it, then he would just deal with it. Maybe? Scarlett actually liked his name but she wasn't going to tell him that. What if he tried to flirt with her again? Now she was just feeling slightly paranoid.
Scarlett moved closer to Ben's side a little and she patted at the space beside her on the couch. "....You can sit beside me if you want to. Unless you want to sit on the floor, then that's okay too." She suggested to the boy who was still standing and she waited for him or Ben to say something.
"Are you okay...?" She asked unsurely as she was still fiddling with the edge of a page and she tried to give him one of her friendly smiles. "You were gone for some time. We decided to wait for you to hear your opinion, Aiden."
Scarlett really did prefer to call 'Beaks' Aiden. She felt a bit more comfortable with it. If Aiden didn't like it, then he would just deal with it. Maybe? Scarlett actually liked his name but she wasn't going to tell him that. What if he tried to flirt with her again? Now she was just feeling slightly paranoid.
Scarlett moved closer to Ben's side a little and she patted at the space beside her on the couch. "....You can sit beside me if you want to. Unless you want to sit on the floor, then that's okay too." She suggested to the boy who was still standing and she waited for him or Ben to say something.
Enter Slattery. Post jack off sess-
Oi. Fucking brain was being a little shit today.
"Whatever sort of technical difficulties a kid can suffer during a bathroom trip we don't have to hear about it." Ben's tone was as neutral as his words were vaguely aggressive. Not like there was actually a reason to be annoyed with Aiden at the moment. The ten minutes probably wouldn't have been any more productive with Beaks around. Honestly they probably would have been less so.
The hand thing was overselling it though.
"We decided to wait for you to hear your opinion, Aiden."
First name basis. No weird ass nickname. Ben wasn't entirely sure how to read that, but knew it didn't really matter. Wasn't worth the attempt at a split second judgement. Ben's eyes flickered between the standing, the sitting, the more standing, the scooting. Nice of Scarlett to take one for the team. Aiden looked like the sort of kid who wore one layer too many of cologne, AKA, one layer of cologne. Ben shrugged and gestured at a section of floor close enough to make for an uncomfortable bromance. His fingers barely poked out from under the thick words of the Bard.
"Floors open. Your call dude." Scarlett seemed a bit nervous, but Ben was probably reading into that too hard. As opposed to Beaks, who he made little concerted effort to look too closely at.
Oi. Fucking brain was being a little shit today.
"Whatever sort of technical difficulties a kid can suffer during a bathroom trip we don't have to hear about it." Ben's tone was as neutral as his words were vaguely aggressive. Not like there was actually a reason to be annoyed with Aiden at the moment. The ten minutes probably wouldn't have been any more productive with Beaks around. Honestly they probably would have been less so.
The hand thing was overselling it though.
"We decided to wait for you to hear your opinion, Aiden."
First name basis. No weird ass nickname. Ben wasn't entirely sure how to read that, but knew it didn't really matter. Wasn't worth the attempt at a split second judgement. Ben's eyes flickered between the standing, the sitting, the more standing, the scooting. Nice of Scarlett to take one for the team. Aiden looked like the sort of kid who wore one layer too many of cologne, AKA, one layer of cologne. Ben shrugged and gestured at a section of floor close enough to make for an uncomfortable bromance. His fingers barely poked out from under the thick words of the Bard.
"Floors open. Your call dude." Scarlett seemed a bit nervous, but Ben was probably reading into that too hard. As opposed to Beaks, who he made little concerted effort to look too closely at.
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Rorick Skyve†
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There they were, Ben all down to earth, while Scarlett was sitting on her couch like it was a plushy throne or something. Curly and the Grump, sure made for a functional duo. Throw in a little Beaks and you have - something less functional, to be sure. Just like they said, two's company, three's a crowd. He wasn't deluding himself, those two were prolly even a whole lot smarter than he was. But that was fine. He was mostly there to add some spice anyway. Other two could use some of that, sure as shit.
He eyed the empty spot on the coach, then glanced at the ground.Tempting, yeah. Buuut then again, maybe not. Woulda been kinda weird, with him next to Scarley Scarls and Ben going solo on the ground. Besides, couch didn't look that comfortable anyway. Bit more space to himself sounded a whole frickin lot better, yup. Floor it was, then, fitting, seeing how he needed to get to the bottom of things. Better keep that pun to himself though - not his best work.
"Ground's fine by me. Looks comfy enough." Without as much as another word, he practically leaped to the spot next to the couch, then let himself drop and get into a cross-legged position. He was now staring up at the other two like some kiddie expecting gifts or something like that. Knew he wouldn't get any, but what the hell.
In any case, it was time to get serious. That assignment sure wasn't no walk in the fucking park, more like a rooftop parkour. He had to give it his goddamn all, owed that much to his sis. Well, to those two as well, even though he didn't really like Ben all that much, dude seemed like he could use a shot of vitality straight in the veins. Scarlett was nice enough. Seemed a bit bothered by something, but that was prolly just her thinking really hard. He'd try and do the same, even though he prolly wasn't going to be much of a help.
"So, what do we have so far? I didn't exactly think about our task and stuff during my little break, so like...anything you wanna share?"
He eyed the empty spot on the coach, then glanced at the ground.Tempting, yeah. Buuut then again, maybe not. Woulda been kinda weird, with him next to Scarley Scarls and Ben going solo on the ground. Besides, couch didn't look that comfortable anyway. Bit more space to himself sounded a whole frickin lot better, yup. Floor it was, then, fitting, seeing how he needed to get to the bottom of things. Better keep that pun to himself though - not his best work.
"Ground's fine by me. Looks comfy enough." Without as much as another word, he practically leaped to the spot next to the couch, then let himself drop and get into a cross-legged position. He was now staring up at the other two like some kiddie expecting gifts or something like that. Knew he wouldn't get any, but what the hell.
In any case, it was time to get serious. That assignment sure wasn't no walk in the fucking park, more like a rooftop parkour. He had to give it his goddamn all, owed that much to his sis. Well, to those two as well, even though he didn't really like Ben all that much, dude seemed like he could use a shot of vitality straight in the veins. Scarlett was nice enough. Seemed a bit bothered by something, but that was prolly just her thinking really hard. He'd try and do the same, even though he prolly wasn't going to be much of a help.
"So, what do we have so far? I didn't exactly think about our task and stuff during my little break, so like...anything you wanna share?"
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Primrosette
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:58 am
- Location: In the Dark Abyss
Scarlett was a bit surprised that Aiden decided to sit on the floor but she tried to not show it too much. Which wasn't that hard to do. It felt strange that she had to look down at Aiden on the ground. He looked like a small little kid to her. She must have been a little too uneased to think a weird thought like that. Ben seemed to be calm about everything so far. That was a good start as long as Aiden didn't say anything that would annoy the both of them. Then everything was going to be alright. Scarlett was actually starting to feel a bit more relaxed.
Aiden was asking if there was anything that he needed to know about. She decided that she should get Ben to explain what they should do. Afterall it had been Ben's idea, not hers. "I think Ben should tell you about what we were discussing about." She nodded at Ben with a warm, small smile on her face. "I actually think Ben came up with something pretty good for us to do."
Aiden was asking if there was anything that he needed to know about. She decided that she should get Ben to explain what they should do. Afterall it had been Ben's idea, not hers. "I think Ben should tell you about what we were discussing about." She nodded at Ben with a warm, small smile on her face. "I actually think Ben came up with something pretty good for us to do."
The old criss-cross, apple and sauce. Ben watched Beaks for a moment, glanced back at Scarlett. The two made for an odd dynamic, even when they were only interacting by taking up space. Another thing that was readily brushed aside in pursuit of academia. As infuriating as said academia happened to be.
"Wasn't really discussing, but yeah. The thought is that we can write something half decent on how events in the story are essentially the natural order being disrupted." Ben mulled over his own expository soliloquy for a moment. Wait, no, it was a monologue. Barring random interruptions by Beaks, at any rate. Monologue, that was the right term. All credit to the lit. terms worksheets from last month.
"Remembering that Mrs. Webber mentioned the importance of divine right at the time, the book's pretty obviously a pandering to the actual king. James the First, the book had his favorite subjects like witchcraft." This was why Ben had said this was a topic up his alley. Historically relevant, and thus personally relevant to his interests. Well. He was hardly super into pre-British Empire Britain- not enough guns- but close enough. "We could easily write an essay about the historical connotations with the symbolism." 'With the symbolism'. Man that sounded pretentious as fuck.
Ben's eyes flickered back down to his Macbeth, a copy half eroded into the sands of time that he had on loan from the school library. Every page turn was accompanied by an ominous creak, as if the page would fall off if molested any further. A few near misses on a library fine later and Ben had his mark. "Uh, 2.2. Whatever page that is in your versions." Ben didn't even bother to glance up, he knew that the editions of the book floating around in the class were diverse. Hand-me-downs, different bookstores. All of the maybe three that existed in Kingman as a whole, somehow stocking twenty different yet equally dog-eared versions of the same book.
"'It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman.' And the stuff about the crickets crying too, immediately after Duncan gets his ass knifed by Macbeth. Shit's going down in nature, probably, since the rightful king's dead and a pretender's usurped his throne." Ben realized he was probably going on a bit too much. Impolite, and ridiculous sounding to top it off. Ben was positive he wasn't the sort who could simply up and put on the guise of a nerd.
"Wasn't really discussing, but yeah. The thought is that we can write something half decent on how events in the story are essentially the natural order being disrupted." Ben mulled over his own expository soliloquy for a moment. Wait, no, it was a monologue. Barring random interruptions by Beaks, at any rate. Monologue, that was the right term. All credit to the lit. terms worksheets from last month.
"Remembering that Mrs. Webber mentioned the importance of divine right at the time, the book's pretty obviously a pandering to the actual king. James the First, the book had his favorite subjects like witchcraft." This was why Ben had said this was a topic up his alley. Historically relevant, and thus personally relevant to his interests. Well. He was hardly super into pre-British Empire Britain- not enough guns- but close enough. "We could easily write an essay about the historical connotations with the symbolism." 'With the symbolism'. Man that sounded pretentious as fuck.
Ben's eyes flickered back down to his Macbeth, a copy half eroded into the sands of time that he had on loan from the school library. Every page turn was accompanied by an ominous creak, as if the page would fall off if molested any further. A few near misses on a library fine later and Ben had his mark. "Uh, 2.2. Whatever page that is in your versions." Ben didn't even bother to glance up, he knew that the editions of the book floating around in the class were diverse. Hand-me-downs, different bookstores. All of the maybe three that existed in Kingman as a whole, somehow stocking twenty different yet equally dog-eared versions of the same book.
"'It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman.' And the stuff about the crickets crying too, immediately after Duncan gets his ass knifed by Macbeth. Shit's going down in nature, probably, since the rightful king's dead and a pretender's usurped his throne." Ben realized he was probably going on a bit too much. Impolite, and ridiculous sounding to top it off. Ben was positive he wasn't the sort who could simply up and put on the guise of a nerd.
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Rorick Skyve†
- Posts: 246
- Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:26 pm
Well, fuck. Took all but a few sentences from Ben for Aiden to have to cover his own mouth with his hand, to avoid bursting out in a fit of laughter.
"Got his ass knifed....Fuck, man, that's a damn riot!" His words came through muffled and snorting, and he felt his palm getting all wet with his spit. Guh-ross.
His giggling lasted a few, in retrospect awfully painful seconds, before he caught his breath and removed his hand from his pie-hole. Not going well, nope. Getting distracted too easily, so he was. If only his dumb ass had remembered to take the meds sooner, all would be hunkily-donkey-dory by now, focusing and stuff. They had to come into effect sooner or later though, sure as shit. Rocky-ass start aside.
"Sorry, just, you saying a thing like that all serious looking and sounding and stuff...funny to me, you with me? Over now, I'm good, won't happen again, scout's honor!" He ended the sentence by pounding his chest just above his heart and giving a quick salute. Prolly looked goofy as hell, but screw it.
Aiden looked from Ben to Scarlett, then back at Ben. They'd show some understanding, right? Not like they were some bitter, crusty ol' fogeys. Dude maybe, but not Scarley Scarls, no way. Grump and not so grump. Yeah, that worked. Except his head was wanderin' up Trash fucking Alley again. Had to fucking pull himself together, for real this time.
"So, anyway, divine order, yup. No, natural order, yeah. Sounds like it'll work, sure does." He rubbed his forehead slightly, as if to look like he was actually using his savvy. Prolly saw right through him, so they did. Or maybe not. Normally, he'd have just admitted that he was in way over his beak. Head. But not now. Could just pretend like he was followin', so he could. Maybe he'd actually get it after a while. Eventually. Yeah, he would, for sugary sure. Crank up the optimism.
"Like, wanna split it all up? Everyone gets one act or two or so to go through, scan, take notes and shit, you follow me? Wait, there's five acts, right? Won't really work." Aiden looked around the room while tapping the tip of his nose. "Maybe just go through it together? Three Musketeers style?"
"Got his ass knifed....Fuck, man, that's a damn riot!" His words came through muffled and snorting, and he felt his palm getting all wet with his spit. Guh-ross.
His giggling lasted a few, in retrospect awfully painful seconds, before he caught his breath and removed his hand from his pie-hole. Not going well, nope. Getting distracted too easily, so he was. If only his dumb ass had remembered to take the meds sooner, all would be hunkily-donkey-dory by now, focusing and stuff. They had to come into effect sooner or later though, sure as shit. Rocky-ass start aside.
"Sorry, just, you saying a thing like that all serious looking and sounding and stuff...funny to me, you with me? Over now, I'm good, won't happen again, scout's honor!" He ended the sentence by pounding his chest just above his heart and giving a quick salute. Prolly looked goofy as hell, but screw it.
Aiden looked from Ben to Scarlett, then back at Ben. They'd show some understanding, right? Not like they were some bitter, crusty ol' fogeys. Dude maybe, but not Scarley Scarls, no way. Grump and not so grump. Yeah, that worked. Except his head was wanderin' up Trash fucking Alley again. Had to fucking pull himself together, for real this time.
"So, anyway, divine order, yup. No, natural order, yeah. Sounds like it'll work, sure does." He rubbed his forehead slightly, as if to look like he was actually using his savvy. Prolly saw right through him, so they did. Or maybe not. Normally, he'd have just admitted that he was in way over his beak. Head. But not now. Could just pretend like he was followin', so he could. Maybe he'd actually get it after a while. Eventually. Yeah, he would, for sugary sure. Crank up the optimism.
"Like, wanna split it all up? Everyone gets one act or two or so to go through, scan, take notes and shit, you follow me? Wait, there's five acts, right? Won't really work." Aiden looked around the room while tapping the tip of his nose. "Maybe just go through it together? Three Musketeers style?"
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Primrosette
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:58 am
- Location: In the Dark Abyss
Scarlett raised an eyebrow after Aiden's suggestion to do some of the acts like that and taking notes. That was actually a smart idea and it would give them less to read through. Sometimes less is better. She couldn't believe that she was thinking of agreeing with Aiden. But she was willing to risk it. Just give him a chance.
"Actually.... I like the idea of splitting the acts up and taking notes, Aiden. It sounds like it would be easier for us to work with. I couldn't mind doing two acts and you guys can decide what you would like to do." She gave Ben a nod and then she gave Aiden a small smile. Maybe Aiden wasn't that bad. "Great idea, Aiden."
"Actually.... I like the idea of splitting the acts up and taking notes, Aiden. It sounds like it would be easier for us to work with. I couldn't mind doing two acts and you guys can decide what you would like to do." She gave Ben a nod and then she gave Aiden a small smile. Maybe Aiden wasn't that bad. "Great idea, Aiden."
"Sorry, just, you saying a thing like that all serious looking and sounding and stuff...funny to me, you with me?"
Kinda strange. Understatement, really. Beaks did look like a total goof, his self-appraisal was right. And he didn't wear it well at all. This guy was two steps short of being legitimately annoying. Not a particularly impressive distance to close. One second they were talking book reports and the next, suddenly, there would be elephants and trumpets parading through the room as Beaks guided them to and through bumfuck all in a fit of inspired idiocy.
Like, dude. It hadn't even been funny.
Crazily enough Beaks actually managed to produce a fairly decent suggestion. 'Split up gang' rarely worked in the cartoons, but shit it probably had a good shot here. At least two of the dorks in the room had enough mental acumen to be trusted with quote mining sans supervision. Seemed like decent enough odds. Final product would probably look good at sixty-six something percent, however all that math worked out.
And Scarlett agreed too, so Ben nodded. "With Scarlett on this one, divvying up the work should get us somewhere. Look for quotes and all. Maybe remind ourselves of whatever we forgot." Or in Beak's case, likely, see it all for the first time. "I can get the last two acts and Beaks can take the first act." As if it was decided Ben was already hauling ass through the book. Pages old as time itself were brusquely shoved aside for the millionth time in their existence.
Kinda strange. Understatement, really. Beaks did look like a total goof, his self-appraisal was right. And he didn't wear it well at all. This guy was two steps short of being legitimately annoying. Not a particularly impressive distance to close. One second they were talking book reports and the next, suddenly, there would be elephants and trumpets parading through the room as Beaks guided them to and through bumfuck all in a fit of inspired idiocy.
Like, dude. It hadn't even been funny.
Crazily enough Beaks actually managed to produce a fairly decent suggestion. 'Split up gang' rarely worked in the cartoons, but shit it probably had a good shot here. At least two of the dorks in the room had enough mental acumen to be trusted with quote mining sans supervision. Seemed like decent enough odds. Final product would probably look good at sixty-six something percent, however all that math worked out.
And Scarlett agreed too, so Ben nodded. "With Scarlett on this one, divvying up the work should get us somewhere. Look for quotes and all. Maybe remind ourselves of whatever we forgot." Or in Beak's case, likely, see it all for the first time. "I can get the last two acts and Beaks can take the first act." As if it was decided Ben was already hauling ass through the book. Pages old as time itself were brusquely shoved aside for the millionth time in their existence.
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Rorick Skyve†
- Posts: 246
- Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:26 pm
(Minor GMing approved)
Dang. Getting showered in praise over a simple suggestion like that? Sure, he'd take it, especially with Scarley giving him that sweet smile. No reason to be all humbly bumbly. Though he had hoped that the other two would go for his latter suggestion, going through the whole thing together. Would have been tons easier for him to follow. Still, good thing Ben was being a bro for once, take one for the team and leave Aiden with only one act to go through instead of two. Either that, or it was some sorta backhanded insult. Like saying "Yeah, I know you're too dense to take on two, so try to at least handle a single one." Well, result was the same either way, so no complainies from him.
"Yeah, sure. First one's prolly not a tough act to follow." He waved his digits around as if operating invisible drums. Badumm tsss indeed. "Hey c'mon, gotta give me that one, was just too tempting." He grinned, only for a split second, before immediately picking up and opening his issue of Macbeth, while mumbling a barely audible "Sorry." Guilty on the charge of bad puns. Was about time he pulled himself together, for real this time. 'least he was starting to get self-conscious.
Minutes passed in total silence, everyone busy starin' at dusty old pages filled with even dustier old words. And with every minute that passed, Aiden's frustration grew. Total fucking train wreck. Other two were prolly making progress like crazy, flyin' through that gibberish like it was nothing. But he? He couldn't even get past the first frickin' sentences, read them over and over, like they were suddenly gonna make sense or something. Only they didn't. He tried the next ones and the ones after those, looking for something, anything that looked worth noting down, something that made him sound all smart when he'd quote it later on. Some more minutes later, same result. Nada, big fucking plug corking up his brain. What'd he take that goddamn ritalin for anyway? Wasn't doing jack and shit for him.
Couldn't focus, not one itty shitty bit. Felt like he was getting a frickin' headache to top it all off. Part of him wanted to just chuck that stupid book away and hightail the fuck outta there, go for a jog or some shit. Anything better than having to deal with MacDense and MacDunce and whatever anymore. Only that was no option. He was getting cranky, not good. Reminded him of all those times in the past, him sitting down and despairing over some home work until big sis or mommy or anyone came along and made him feel all cheery again. Work was suddenly a lot easier after that. None of them were around though, shit outta luck. Had to find some other way to pull this off.
Couldn't be that tough, not any more than putting together a frickin'...
Puzzle?
Grand magic cure, tested and proven to work by The Beaks. Had always worked back in those therapy sessions, made him all calm and focused and stuff. Shit sounded dumb as a bag of hammers, sure, but why not? Only had to ask the lady of the house for one.
Aiden lifted his head, still seeing letters float around everywhere. Prolly wasn't healthy starin' at that stuff for frickin' ever. "Hey Scarlett? Know it sounds weird as heck, but do you have a puzzle lying around here somewhere? Y'know, put-some-happy-looking-pieces-together, that kinda stuff."
Dang. Getting showered in praise over a simple suggestion like that? Sure, he'd take it, especially with Scarley giving him that sweet smile. No reason to be all humbly bumbly. Though he had hoped that the other two would go for his latter suggestion, going through the whole thing together. Would have been tons easier for him to follow. Still, good thing Ben was being a bro for once, take one for the team and leave Aiden with only one act to go through instead of two. Either that, or it was some sorta backhanded insult. Like saying "Yeah, I know you're too dense to take on two, so try to at least handle a single one." Well, result was the same either way, so no complainies from him.
"Yeah, sure. First one's prolly not a tough act to follow." He waved his digits around as if operating invisible drums. Badumm tsss indeed. "Hey c'mon, gotta give me that one, was just too tempting." He grinned, only for a split second, before immediately picking up and opening his issue of Macbeth, while mumbling a barely audible "Sorry." Guilty on the charge of bad puns. Was about time he pulled himself together, for real this time. 'least he was starting to get self-conscious.
Minutes passed in total silence, everyone busy starin' at dusty old pages filled with even dustier old words. And with every minute that passed, Aiden's frustration grew. Total fucking train wreck. Other two were prolly making progress like crazy, flyin' through that gibberish like it was nothing. But he? He couldn't even get past the first frickin' sentences, read them over and over, like they were suddenly gonna make sense or something. Only they didn't. He tried the next ones and the ones after those, looking for something, anything that looked worth noting down, something that made him sound all smart when he'd quote it later on. Some more minutes later, same result. Nada, big fucking plug corking up his brain. What'd he take that goddamn ritalin for anyway? Wasn't doing jack and shit for him.
Couldn't focus, not one itty shitty bit. Felt like he was getting a frickin' headache to top it all off. Part of him wanted to just chuck that stupid book away and hightail the fuck outta there, go for a jog or some shit. Anything better than having to deal with MacDense and MacDunce and whatever anymore. Only that was no option. He was getting cranky, not good. Reminded him of all those times in the past, him sitting down and despairing over some home work until big sis or mommy or anyone came along and made him feel all cheery again. Work was suddenly a lot easier after that. None of them were around though, shit outta luck. Had to find some other way to pull this off.
Couldn't be that tough, not any more than putting together a frickin'...
Puzzle?
Grand magic cure, tested and proven to work by The Beaks. Had always worked back in those therapy sessions, made him all calm and focused and stuff. Shit sounded dumb as a bag of hammers, sure, but why not? Only had to ask the lady of the house for one.
Aiden lifted his head, still seeing letters float around everywhere. Prolly wasn't healthy starin' at that stuff for frickin' ever. "Hey Scarlett? Know it sounds weird as heck, but do you have a puzzle lying around here somewhere? Y'know, put-some-happy-looking-pieces-together, that kinda stuff."
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Rorick Skyve. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.