Like Acids and Bases. (IC)

[Russoboo]

"Different rules is cheating." Darren closed his eyes a moment and smiled. "But...it's the kind of cheating I can appreciate." He wagged a finger in Elias' direction. "You're making me reconsider flirting with you, better watch it."

Darren spread his fingers and placed the tips against his chest, over his heart. "Everyone has an image, mine just happens to be a bit more visible. I'm kind of a celebrity." He dropped his hand, looked about the cafeteria, and shrugged with a smirk. "Admittedly, not much of one here, specifically, but enough to worry about the world outside campus or Freedom. And you're hardly compromising anything, Elias, jeez, you're not, like, a leper or anything. Give yourself some credit." Darren beamed, excitement as clear as Elias' own. "That's kind of hard question to answer, though, it's more like it depends on the exact situation. I wouldn't, like, do something dangerous or immoral just to protect my follower count, I'm not that shallow."

"But, it's like, people who see me, but don't really know me, they don't let me get mopey. They see this drop dead gorgeous rich kid with visually appealing powers, think about how easy that kind of life must be, and they convince themselves that I am beneath sympathy. If I were to look like I needed something, with everything I already have, well..." Darren rolled his eyes. "It's easier to be an object of envy than one of contempt. I'd rather play the part I was born into, most of the time."

[TheAbsurdist]

"Alright, but that kind of sidestepped the important part of the question I asked." And he leaned his cheek on his up turn, rather blatant about ignoring Darren's comment about him being a leper. He'd get there, but certain things were more important. "Why is this image image important?" He closed his eyes after asking that question, but then with what Darren knew, the looking wasn't really essential for him. Of course the why was the hardest answer, and one that tended to be avoided. It involved too many things once that stuff came to light.

[Russoboo]

Darren stayed quiet. His jaw tightened, his teeth threatened to grind, and his eyes narrowed just enough to be a glare. Elias' own eyes were closed, so there was hope that the telepath couldn't notice, but Darren sort of wished he would anyway. Usually, a bit of bluster and a verbal sidestep was enough to dodge any question thrown Darren's way - he didn't know whether to be angry or impressed. He dragged a finger down his lip and tapped his chin.

"Because." His expression relaxed and neutralized until a little smile broke across his face. "Just because. Do you want me to feed you some, like psychoanalysis here? How about 'it's mine'. That's more than enough reason to care about it." He splayed one hand over the table top and drummed his fingers. "It'd be a bad idea not to think it's important. Sometimes perception is more important that reality."

[TheAbsurdist]

"So you have understand something, and this is important, because if you want to be my friend it will come out. "Actions have motivations. For you to act one way you would have a motivation for it, a reason why. So, you cling to something because it's yours? Or is it because it is what you have associated with being you?" His brows lifted as he asked that, his eyes still closed.

"A bad idea to think what is important? That you are this image? Became this image?" And then he opened his eyes, and there was an earnest edge to his voice as he spoke, none of that calculated distance to his words. "Darren, ya? That's just bulls***. Don't say anything. Just stop. Listen, yah?" Lifting his cheek from his chin as he affixed a gaze to him. "You didn't ask where I was from, you want to be my friend, understand I am not how I am because of my powers, they helped, sure, but then I've had them my entire life. Including the first six and a quarter years. Where I was in my homeland. Do you know what dystopia means? What indoctrination is? I am just speaking intellectually. You understand those concepts. I was lucky I was taken away before that seeped in. And I knew what was happening was wrong, because I could feel it was wrong, just like I could feel each person's struggle or acceptance of what was happening. The truth is I am 'weird' because that is a part of my story, that I spent the rest of my life, until recently on the run, that my mother made sure we would survive, yah. Important. Made sure I couldn't try and twist her about with my powers, like my father would do. If you want I'll show you those scars. This is truth. The perception is that I am just weird because I can hear thoughts. Which is more valid? More important? Who does it matter to? No one wants the truth. It isn't happy. It is stark and without compassion. It illuminates and burns. The perception is that I am a telepath. And that is why I am different."

And then Elias' words dipped lower as he locked gaze with the other boy. "I've seen... I've felt the will of people stripped out drop by drop, and they are happy for it, they love it, yah." He leaned closer to Darren as he spoke, adding a layer of intimacy, but to anyone watching it was looking more like a bit of a staring contest. "So why should I indulge these perceptions of yours? You leave this room, you go back to your hotel, yah. Maybe sleep on a pile of money. Luxuries, like your perception. Feasts of ashes. So I cheat. Just when you think you know the answers I will change the questions, yah." And then he went back down onto the bench, his position and posture resuming what it had been, cheek in his palm, the elbow of that arm resting on the table. It seemed to happen between blinks, it was hard to know if that brief dialog had happened here or it was just projected in his mind.

"Perceptions are more important than reality? It's like saying we are only free so that we might be caged."

[Russoboo]

"Ooh, a money joke, how clever." Darren didn't flinch when Elias leaned over to him, but his nostrils flared regardless. The idea that a psychic might try to play headgames neither surprised nor intimidated him. Well, he thought, maybe it intimidated him a little, but he had no intention of admitting it. "You know how I said I don't like dealing in absolutes? It's cause of stuff like this. Once you start trying to argue philosophy or ideology or ethics, blanket statements just don't work well. There are such things as fringe cases and extenuating circumstances. Basically, I can't say that you're wrong, but I can't say you're right. But we could talk circles all day."

He took a slow breath and let his shoulders fall back down. "I like my image. I like being able to control my image. There aren't a lot of aspects of my life over which I actually have control." Darren flashed Elias some teeth in a smile. "I suspect you may understand feeling like that. Or maybe not. I'm not, like, psychic or anything. But, to be honest, I'm not really interested in a 'facts or feelings' debate with you or anyone else." He stood up and made sure his bag was looped over his shoulder. Darren shrugged.

"You're only as free as you think you are. Just another trick of perception."

[TheAbsurdist]

"Just because you choose not to believe in something, to not deal in it, doesn't change whether or not exists. The ability to make that choice is a luxury. But like you've said I can't change your mind, so no more." That statement was partially true, he could, but that... well there were lines he didn't not cross without good reason, and he was learning to just shut up. Realizing that he was getting into inadvertent misery pissing contests left and right, and that was just not wise. He just sighed and shook his head a little. He realized that he was just leaping at triggered not intentionally meant. He ducked his head a little bit more.

It was better this way. He had the target on his back. It would better. Had to be better. "'m not a leper, just... artless at this."

[Russoboo]

Darren tilted his head and stretched his neck until he was looking down at Elias like an insect. He tried his best at impassive, but it came out as harsh. "Artless? Whatever. Just means you know it's a problem, but you either can't or won't fix it. Or even fake it." He clicked his tongue behind his teeth and grimaced. "It's been a long time since someone's tried to call me out with any kind of, like, real argument, maybe I'm getting upset over nothing."

Darren twisted the toe of his shoe against the floor. "And even if you're weird and combative and you've got a messed up past, I can't, like, say that I don't still think you're interesting. But...that's just me being selfish, since you haven't told me what you want. Not really." He scratched his ear. "So, Elias, philosophies aside, would you want to? Like, do the friend thing with me?"

[TheAbsurdist]

"Catching myself after I've stuck my foot in my mouth doesn't help..." His expression wry as he fidgeted a little bit with his free hand and shrugs. "I... your stated views conflict with mine strongly... it is a personal thing to me and saying things don't help because there is a gap in understanding. I don't hate you for it. So let's try the friend things. That'll work, yah."

Lifting his head and looked up at Darren then, and nodding a little bit.

[Russoboo]

"Conflict is fine. Any relationship worth having has conflict. Doesn't easy bore you?" Darren grinned down at Elias. He put his foot on the seat he'd been using and leaned on his knee. "Besides, if you're going to change the questions, I'll just change the answers. No hate, just an equal and opposite reaction." Darren jerked his thumb towards the textbook. "I guess that would have sounded cooler if you were, like, actually studying physics instead of chem, huh? Whatever."

He tipped his head up at a clock on the far wall. "I gotta run, but I guess, like, we can hang out later. You do that, right?"

[TheAbsurdist]

"I guess I do that, never really done it before."

Looking up at him still, and letting his arm drop to the tabletop. "Chemical reactions just as valid." Shrugging a little bit at what he said. "I am not easy to bore." That was the truth, there was a lot that could happen, and thus far he had proven able to amuse himself with seemingly banal things. Like chemistry textbooks. And if that was one's idea of a good night out, well that and cafeteria food, then the bar was low. "Later then."