You've Got My Soul On Fire [Open - Bonfire!]

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

This bonfire was starting to sound like a bad idea.

Unlike others, Oliver had absolutely no problem with the flames. He was no pyromaniac, but fire did not scare him. It was easy to watch the flames from the firepit shoot straight up into the air from a respectable distance of a few feet away. There were plenty of other factors that bothered Oliver, on the other hand. For one, this was pretty much an outdoor party for the students of Riverdale High. Parties and Oliver never really mixed all that entirely well, and usually resulted in Oliver being a wallflower and hanging out with a close group of friends, sitting back and watching the action unless he was forced into it (which he hoped would not happen this time around). To make matters worse, there were plenty of normals around, and normals made Oliver retreat into his self-made shell that much more.

Then there was Isabella. He really had not expected Isabella to come, given the blatant similarities to her execution nearly six centuries prior. He'd tried to approach her, but she'd spurned his advances. He would have continued to push the point had it not been for his past sister walking past at that point and beckoning him over, away from Isa. "She'll be fine. She just needs time to adjust."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Won't it be easier to adjust if she has someone to help talk her through it?"[/color]

"It might be. I just know that in her situation, I might want to be alone with my thoughts. I'm sure you would be too. Plus, she may just be waiting for the right person to come along..." She nodded back in the direction of Isa, to where Xelios was approaching. Oliver could not help but smile a little at this. "She'll probably just tell him to go away too..."[/color]

Alison smiled a little as well. "She probably will. I just...think she needs to find her own way in this, that's all. She'll be fine, Orv." She stated in a barely audible whisper, before adding. "You'll be fine too. It's just a party, not the State of the Union address. Loosen up." She squeezed his shoulders a couple of times jokingly (causing Oliver to jolt a little, thus revealing just how tense he actually was), before heading off on her way.

Oliver looked at Alison's retreating back for a moment before sighing. Oh how he wished that Alison would have stuck around. He knew she couldn't, for it would be too dangerous - They could spend limited amounts of time around each other, seeing as Nathan was her older brother in this life and she was friends with Lenita, Oliver's girlfriend, but it would just look too suspicious if Alison was at his side this entire time. She had other friends, and she had to go tend to them. However, this left Oliver in a bit of a bad situation.

This whole day seemed like the universe taking it's chance to laugh at the members of RSOR once more. It almost seemed like the mystery Sir HC, whoever he was, knew that this bonfire would bother Joan, and therefore planned this bonfire for this very day on purpose. He knew it was an utterly ridiculous thought, and that there was nothing to it, but it still seemed awfully cruel. Then again, life could but awfully cruel at times - as it had been exactly ninety-nine years ago when it took Wilbur away from him far earlier than he should have been. Forty-five. Wilbur had been forty-five. Not an old age, at least in the early 20th century, by any stretch of the imagination. He may have met Wilbur again, may have been blessed by the presence of both his past brother and past sister in his life again, but why a bonfire today? Bonfires were usually celebratory, weren't they? As far as Oliver was concerned, there wasn't much to celebrate today. Even the American holiday of Memorial Day, which also coincidentally happened to coincide with the day of the bonfire (and possibly provide a reasonable excuse for it) seemed to be a laugh in the face to reincarnates of Riverdale High, many of whom really did have memorials.

It was with all of this in mind that Oliver took a seat on a bench located near the edge of the lake, close enough to the bonfire to be detected as part of the group, yet clearly apart from the group. His mind was clearly in another place, possibly even another time. It was his girlfriend, Lenita, that stated that Oliver had 'old soul eyes'. Rarely was Oliver's visage evident of the condition of his soul. He enjoyed his renewed youth. Today, however, Oliver's wide open chocolate brown eyes perfectly fit the description as he gazed at the fire and his schoolmates, worrying and wondering all at the same time.

Word Count 845
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: ...ahem. 0.o Yeah, obviously you don't have to go anywhere near this long. I would not be offended at a 150 word post, seriously. XD I just...got carried away. Extremely.

[Iskander Rafel Azizi]

What was the harm? Why not go? Iskander wasn't a party animal. Never had been, never would be. For one, drinking was an Islamic no-no. So was having a dog the way Lump was "employed" as she was more a pet than a hunter or guard. And she'd had her rabies shots, something that didn't exist when Islam's dog rule was first brought up. But drinking? It didn't have any appeal. Dancing? Only if it was Jennah.

But, Iskander was known as the guy with the blank face or glare and little else. He ought to get out a little more, and his mother had been urging him to go since she heard of the bonfire. So, off he went, in a simple white t-shirt and jeans. He went on foot, rather than possibly lose his bike, and wondered if anyone was going to be injured from this. Iskander had to doubt it - this wasn't an execution or something - and soon was followed up by the crowd, weaving in and out of the faces for someone he could talk to, even if he didn't know them that well. Surely there was someone from RSOR out there willing to talk. He wandered close to the fire, close enough to feel the heat on the side of his face, and momentarily relished it. He'd always liked scorching hot over cold. He passed it by, and spotted a lone freshman on a bench. There was someone he could talk to!

"'Evening, Oliver." The senior said as he sat down beside the boy. "Nice night for a fire. For most." Iskander added, with perhaps a bit of amusement. "How're you?"Though RSOR made this the bonfire of ironies, he would try to enjoy the night.

--------------
words| 336
tagged| Oliver / Mandee / Open
notes| none

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Though Oliver appeared to be observing the bonfire, the truth was that he wasn't observing anything at all. The fire just happened to be a convenient place to rest his eyes as he continued to ponder. He did not notice Iskander approaching, though to his credit he didn't jump too much. He watched as the (biologically) older boy took a seat next to him, managing a smile despite how withdrawn and removed from the crowd that he felt. Iskander, after all, fit that description as well, didn't he?

"Evening Iskander."[/color] The fifteen year old stated in return. The corners of his mouth twitched a little. "For most."[/color] He conceded Iskander's point verbally, though his expression betrayed that he was not entirely sure that he agreed with the matter at all. "What's done is done, not like we can change it much now. Just feels odd, almost like I'm celebrating Joan and Wilbur's death."[/color] There. He said it. Maybe now that he admitted it he could take the steps necessary to get this off of his chest and perhaps enjoy the night. He could tell that this wasn't bothering Iskander, after all. It wasn't bothering most reincarnates, despite the ironies of a bonfire falling on Memorial Day at a school with an entire club of people who'd died before. Then again, this personally affected Oliver. Didn't he have a right to be a little contemplative today? At the same time, his words served as a reminder to himself that there really wasn't much that he could do to change the past. Even if he could, would he really want to? Changing the past might change the present, and did he really want to change the present? Not particularly, not when he had two of the most important people in his first life back again, and had met so many great people up to this point. No, he didn't want to ruin that.

Still, he didn't want to ruin this conversation for Iskander. He also didn't want to spend this entire time moping. He just had a few issues that he needed to sort out. So, as with any other heavy conversation, Oliver tried to interject more lighthearted material into it. Maybe this would get his mind off of things. "I'm pretty good. They've got the fire going pretty good. You planning on joining in or just watching?"[/color] Oliver nodded to the crowd gathered nearer to the fire, singing and dancing as the radio played in the background. He could not say that he would blame Iskander at all if he just wanted to watch. After all, whether with a group or not, that was what Oliver intended to do.

Word Count 470
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: Yeah, I know, no Memorial Day in Canada. I just...feel that the American holiday that happens to fall on May 30th adds a lovely amount of irony in addition to the irony we already have. XD And I loves me some irony.

[Iskander Rafel Azizi]

Oliver didn't seem that comfortable at the bonfire, so he had to wonder why he'd bother coming, then. Morbid curiosity, perhaps. The desire to try, probably, like him. Iskander was about to ask exactly what was bothering him, but the younger boy verbalized it a second later and Iskander nodded "'Perhaps it seems so." He had to admit, this was a morbid day for Nate and Isa - neither of which he could see at the fire, and frankly, it made no sense for the latter to want to attend such a thing. "But at the same time, perhaps it's just a celebratory day." On memorial day? Did this Sir HC even know what he was doing? "Perhaps we'd all do better to think of this night as a singularity, unconnected to everything else on this day." Reincarnates would need that distance - Iskander himself wasn't bothered, but it was a different matter for Orville, who had closer ties to Isa and especially Wilbur, who happened to have died. He almost wanted to add that no one would have thought that in 1912, when brother died, Orville would attend a bonfire 99 years after the fact, on the same day.

"Life on repeat does funny things." He added quietly, to avoid anyone overhearing things about Wilbur, Joan, RSOR or anything. Granted, a normal would know full well with a bit of digging what Oliver meant by celebrating deaths, but not that Wilbur or Joan were Nate and Isa. Better safe than sorry, though. Which was a pity, given Saladin quite likes debates like this, about life and death and the theories surrounding it. He wasn't a scientific genius, but he was a philosopher. Deep conversation was fine with him, but this was supposed to be some sort of celebration or party, so he didn't object overmuch to Oliver's lighthearted insertion.

"Just watching." Iskander admitted. "I'm not much a dancer or party person, but there is just something intriguing about being here. What about you?"

--------------
words| 378
tagged| Oliver / Mandee / Open
notes| None

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Iskander was actually correct in both his assumptions. Oliver was there both to try, and out of a sense of morbid curiosity. At least he wasn't sitting completely alone any longer. He didn't mind having time to himself to think, but he also realized that by sitting alone, he might attract targets such as Errol to harass him. Then again, Oliver noted Errol with Chess, and realized that the junior might be distracted with other things at the moment.

"A celebratory day?"[/color] Oliver blurted out in surprise. He couldn't help but smile a little despite himself. "Thinking of today as a singularity might work. Though one good thing did happen today - Will and I started to focus more on our project. I guess I could try to focus on that rather than the negatives."[/color] Oliver shrugged a little. "We ended up making our kite later that summer to test out the theories we had about control. It worked even better than we expected."[/color] This was all stated rather quietly (for obvious reasons), but there was a reminiscent look in Oliver's eyes. Yeah, best to keep this conversation on the down low.

"It does, doesn't it?"[/color] Oliver honestly wouldn't mind discussing the subject in further detail with Iskander, but he wasn't entirely sure if they should go that far. They were in public, after all. However, it wasn't as though private conversations weren't held in public before. They just had to make sure to keep their voices low, and check for eavesdroppers. Either that or speak in code. Oliver enjoyed codes, even working on a coding machine as Orville, so he wasn't entirely against that option either. Only thing he was really against at the moment was being pulled into that large crowd! Oliver shuffled a little on the bench and leaned back a little, happy to hear that Iskander had no intent of doing just that. "I figured if I didn't come I'd probably miss something big. That would be just my luck. Plus, the fire looks quite nice from a distance."[/color] Oliver was no pyromaniac, at least not in the traditional sense, but he did have to admit that fire held an almost haunting beauty to it. From a distance, of course. "And, honestly? I wanted to see if Isa would show."[/color] Morbid curiosity for 1000, Alex.

Word Count 414
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: Yay kite reference. ^^

[Iskander Rafel Azizi]

Iskander couldn't help but smile at the surprise on Oliver's face over his comment. "Yes, a celebratory day. After all, it's likely whoever thought of it thought of it as themselves at face value." To a normal, that would have sounded either very discriminatory, or just bullshit, but to a reincarnation such as Oliver, they might get the 'face value' comment as opposed to what could not be seen. The younger boy smiled in a moment, and went onwards. Good. He wasn't dumb, being a Wright brother, and in typical Wright fashion went off about planes...or, in this case, kites, something Iskander liked very much. He didn't delve too deeply into it, but he liked them all the same. "Have you gone to the kite fields before?" He asked innocently. "There are plenty of kites to watch there, and an excellent place to fly them." That and Iskander wouldn't mind watching kites. Maybe not planes, but kites. Unfortunately, such a conversation would have to be kept quiet for now. No need to perpetuate the "Orville Wright" fiasco longer than needed. Iskander wasn't very involved, but even he knew that one!

Unfortunately, that really did shut out philosophy, too. Dammit. Iskander wanted to have a good conversation with this boy, but how as he supposed to do that when subjects were taboo? Carefully, that was how. "It never gets boring that way, though. Life never gets old." He hadn't died at such an age as Oliver, but for his time period, he had been old enough. The dark-eyed senior watched Oliver lean back, and shifted to as to get himself more comfortable as well, keeping an eye out for Jennah as he did so. As much as he loved her, if she didn't show, he'd be okay with that, too. "If something big happened, you'd hear about it tomorrow, anyways." Iskander said, straight-faced, then grinned. "But I'll give you that, it is much more interesting to see what happens for yourself. "

At the last comment, though, Iskander outright snorted. "Why on earth would she come?" He asked, shaking his head. He couldn't see her here. "She doesn't dance or drink, and neither do I, really, but I'm not scared to death." The sultan really had to wonder how often the absent Isa was going to end up the butt of jokes like his own tonight.

---------------------
words| 456
tagged| Oliver / Mandee / Open
notes| none

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

"Depends on who thought of it."[/color] Oliver had no idea and, unfortunately figured that he probably never would have any idea as to the true identity of Sir HC. If it was someone in RSOR, it was a cruel joke. If it was a normal, then it was simply cruel irony. Either way, the whole thing was amusing, at least where black humor was concerned. If they weren't laughing they'd be crying, and Oliver sure as hell preferred laughing to crying any day of the week.

Oliver smiled fondly at the mention of the kite fields. "Once, with Lenita on a date."[/color] He glanced over at Lenita, who still appeared to be chatting with her sister. He was okay with that, as long as Tamara wasn't trying to turn her against him or anything. Tamara was Lenita's sister, after all, and as a member of one of the most famous sibling duos in history...well, he couldn't exactly say that it would feel right putting Lenita away from bonding time with her sister. He turned back to Iskander. "Take it you've been there? I didn't know you were into kites."[/color] Yet, from the way that Iskander talked, he at the very least enjoyed them. It was strange, yet nice, that something so subtle could bridge a gap between two very different people. Yes, Iskander and Oliver had their similarities in that they were both reincarnates. However, they were originally from different times, with different interests. It was different than striking up a friendship with, say, Amelia Earhart (and not just in the fact that Oliver happened to know Amelia from his past life either).

Oliver smirked, fully recognizing the reference that Iskander made. "It never does. Even if you're foolish enough to believe that you've seen everything, you always have to keep in mind that life can throw curveballs. There's never enough time to see it all, even if you do get blessed with an abnormally long chance to do so."[/color] To normals? A reference toward old age, and likely the centenarians that were walking (or rolling) around in ways they hadn't before the advances in medicine within the past few generations. To a reincarnate? Why, a reference to reincarnation of course!

"Why would she come? Same reason we did - To give it a try."[/color] Oliver knew Isa well enough to realize that just being afraid of something wasn't enough to stop her. While this was fire, Oliver had also witnessed her trying to get over her fear of fire within the RSOR room with the aid of a febreeze candle. Not to mention... "Whether it makes sense for her to be here or not, she's here."[/color] He tilted his head in the direction of Isabella and Xelios. "Surprised you aren't with Jennah..."[/color] Oliver commented.

Word Count 505
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: Guess this didn't turn out too rambly. XD

[Iskander Rafel Azizi]

"It depends who Sir HC is, and I'm afraid there's no way to know that. Iskander said with a shrug. Sir HC might be unknowing, he might be a cruel bastard, or he might be both. Maybe memorial day was just an amusing day from him to have a celebration. He could be a normal with a taste for irony - such a thing wasn't limited to those who showered in the stuff routinely. Saladin didn't have a British accent in this life, but he did have a mild New York one, which, given 9/11, did have it's own amusing twist to it.

Irony and repetition. It never did end, did it? Oliver had taken Lenita to a date on the kite fields. Iskander had taken Jennah, there, too, but that time she'd told him she was leaving. Hopefully Oliver had had better luck on his date, but Saladin, even much more liberal than he'd been, was not one to ask someone how their date went, unless someone returned obviously distressed somehow. Kites, on the other hand, he could talk about. He'd flown kites in his past life, and this one. Aviators weren't the only ones who did it, medieval sultans had too. "I used to fly and watch kites a lot. I still do, on occasion." Iskander wouldn't claim to be a kite expert, not with Oliver Wright right (wright?) beside him, though.

Iskander nodded in agreement with Oliver about the comment on a long life, and it made sense. People were always able to try something new, and in some, it was evident. Their principal, for example, always seemed to be up to something (what, Iskander never cared much to know) despite being one of the oldest - if not the oldest - reincarnate currently known. Combining both lives she was 131 years old! That made his 74 seem like nothing, and Oliver was technically older than him, for that matter.

But Isa was not. She was what, 35? And there she was - Iskander looked where Oliver pointed and could see two figures across the lake. He couldn't really identify them, but he could make out a red scarf that he knew Joan had. "Try what out? She's not at all shy about how her last experience went...I don't get it, but...this is neither here nor there." There was no point making inferences when neither one of them died as...violently. Besides, didn't he mention something about a celebration? And Oliver mentioned Jennah.

"She's not here yet. I assume she will be." Iskander seemed nonchalant about it, despite being, at times, and incredibly defensive boyfriend. But Jennah could manage herself, and after the incidents with Hayden and Talia, people didn't cross him, much. "Can't get rid of me that easy." He added with a laugh.


--------------
words| 527
tagged| Oliver / Mandee / Open
notes| none

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

"I think we have more important things to find out anyway."[/color] Oliver muttered, referring to the Wizard (whether Iskander knew it or not). As one of the first targets, Oliver was quite interested in finding out who the mystery man (or woman) was. None of the information that The Wizard had as yet divulged seemed overwhelmingly dangerous, but he still wasn't entirely pleased at the turn of events. Not to mention The Wizard's latest hinted not so subtly at planes in an entry mentioning Nate and Cindy.

Oliver's accent hadn't changed much between lifetimes. He'd grown up in the Midwestern United States before, and he grew up in the Midwest in life number two. There were a few differences that Oliver noted in the pronunciation of words, but nothing profound.

"So did I, but I think that goes without saying."[/color] He had to be more careful with his experiments now, but heading out to the kite fields with a group wouldn't look too suspicious. The Anti-RSOR wouldn't even be able to pin it on him, as someone else in the group might have had the idea rather than him, and suggested it because they knew of Oliver's love of such things. He could even test kites of his own, and no one would need to know that they weren't store-bought, but rather home-made. "We should go to the kite fields some time. You and I, and Lenita and Jennah. If she's into that sort of thing, I mean."[/color] He knew Lenita would enjoy it. Contrary to what Errol and Tamara likely thought, hang gliding had been her idea, not his. He also much preferred activities in small groups, so four people would be no big deal. It was gatherings like these that put Oliver's nerves on edge.

"See how close she can make it? She was trying to get over her fear with a Febreeze candle in the attic a while back..."[/color] He figured this comment was innocent enough. Yes, it exposed both Iskander and Oliver as RSOR members, but they were both pretty well known as that anyway.

Oliver let out a laugh at Iskander's joke about getting rid of him. "Eh, no big. I just don't see you without her much."[/color] They'd nearly had a child together, though, so that only stood to reason...

Word Count 413
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: Antwats? Antwats.

[Iskander Rafel Azizi]

Iskander was aware of "The Wizard" to some extent, yes, but he didn't really see it as an issue that was more important than who Sir HC was. To him, they were totally equal. Only, Sir HC did something a little less useless and annoying to the general public, so he didn't really think that that was what Oliver was getting at. His mind jumped straight to the bigger pictures in life, and he simply nodded. Yes, discovering things like what happened when you died was a lot more important than the person behind the bonfire.

He loved deep debate, but now wasn't quite the time, so the conversation moved to kites. "We could do that sometime. Jennah likes kites, as well. It's not just you flying types." He and Jennah were warriors of the past. Jennah some three hundred years ago, and himself...he'd lived nearly a thousand years ago, when algebra was a newer form of math, nevermind flying machines and quantum physics. Though, he wasn't sure how t would go over. Oliver knew everyone, but then, he was one of the few in the school that knew and got along with most. Jennah came close, too, among some circles. Iskander was not one of them, and guessing by the fact he's only ever seen Lenita in passing, Lenita wasn't. It might get awkward...but there was no harm in trying, right?

"For her safety, she better stay away." Iskander said simple, pointing to a couple of serial killers that had also decided to show up. "I wouldn't put it past either of them to push her into the fire...I wouldn't put it past them to put you in the fire, either." Oliver had gotten into fights at the wax museum. So had Iskander, but people seemed to have neutral attitudes to him most of the time. Other people were not so lucky.

Iskander was thankful Oliver laughed, and grinned. "True enough, it's usually she who drags me out and about." He admitted, then shrugged. "But she might be with Echo planning a spar or something. I can't complete in that line of warfare."

--------------
words| 402
tagged| Oliver / Mandee / Open
notes| none

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

The bigger picture could be represented by Oliver's words as well. All things considered, The Wizard hadn't done anything too detrimental as of yet. All things considered, he (or she) was doing about the same level of damage as Tamara. Which, while irritating, wasn't a matter of life or death. For a reincarnate, matters of life and death became subject matter quite often, it seemed.

Oliver smiled. "Well that's good. I could probably make a kite and test it out. Used to make them and sell them when I was a kid."[/color] Though he couldn't outright say it, he shot Iskander a look that he hoped the other young man would understand to mean when he was a kid before. As for Oliver's propensity for socializing, it all depended on who he was with. If normals were involved, Oliver had an overwhelming tendency lately to keep his mouth shut and say as little as possible. Part of it was fear, and the other part was the lack of ability to get close to any normals. Sure, they could chat and make small talk, but Oliver would always be hiding a huge part of himself from said normal. Oliver took his close relationships very seriously, and found as such that he could rarely consider himself to be truly close to anyone who didn't know of his status as a reincarnate. He wondered how couples like Hayden and Sylent, or Echo and Lena, even managed.

Oliver scrunched up his face at the sight of Leila and Raven. The brief mental picture of the two of them being pushed into the flames themselves was oddly satisfying, and the slightest of smiles went across his features before he settled back into a contemplative glance back at Iskander. "There are reasons why I neither want to be alone or in the middle of the crowd..."[/color] He couldn't help but grin a little at this. Leila and Raven weren't the only reason, but the fact remained that Oliver's primary reason for not wanting to be alone was the idea that someone unsavory might approach him and take advantage of the situation.

"Yeah, well, Lenita makes a habit of that too. If Lenita wasn't having sisterly bonding time with her sister, I'd suggest that she and Jennah were plotting something behind our backs."[/color] He could clearly see Lenita and Tamara standing closer to the bonfire and talking. It looked as though Tamara had even thought to bring some firewood with her. He just hoped Lenita wouldn't forget her promise to him...

Iskander's words brought Oliver back to the conversation on the bench, and Oliver smiled. "Wise man, knowing your strengths and limitations. I've pretty much given up the idea that I'd be any good on the front lines of a war...I'd do a better job designing the weapons and such."[/color] Well, he had co-invented a device that could be used as a weapon. He'd been mauled at the museum in London, and was frequently slaughtered in COD. Yes, he'd stick with what he was skilled at.

Word Count 533
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: Will work on this tomorrow/later today (since it's technically past midnight here). Gonna get some shut eye considering I got up early the past couple of days. XD Yee. =D

[Iskander Rafel Azizi]

Matters of life and death, in the literal sense, weren't matters o life and death in the figurative sense to reincarnations anymore. They were common, common parts of speech. How else does one explain memories that otherwise wouldn't be, that shouldn't be, and to even the religions that believed in reincarnations, wouldn't be? As far as he knew, no religion had a rule that past lives (or, if they'd gone through several - there was no way of knowing - the most important of the lives). There was nothing, absolutely nothing but the occasional 'paranormal' show that had what Riverdale had, and ever of such intensity.

This was exemplified between the conversation between the two teenagers. Iskander nodded to Oliver, understanding what he meant about "when I was a kid". "I never made them, but I was skilled at flying them. Still am, in fact. Sounds like we have ourselves a plan." Even if it was just them. It didn't matter to him that much, it was a chance to not be the scary arab guy in school. Because, despite being a senior, he was rarely known as much more than that. It wasn't because he was a reincarnate, either. He was perfectly fine with "normal" friends. They didn't make him remember what he had lost. While Oliver's work reshaped the world, Iskander's had been nearly completely undone. Not even Vaughn, who he'd waged a whole bloody war against, (or was it the other way around? After all, Vaughn did the invading) didn't have no kingdom, no progress to show. England was doing well. The Holy Land? Even more chaotic than it had been, and that was saying something.

"It would be safest in the middle of the crowd, where they would have a time getting to you easily." Saladin mused. "Provided the crowd is a respectable distance from the fire, else wise you could be shoved in along with a few bystanders." Still, the subject was best not dwelt on. No need to make Oliver paranoid, and anyways, it looked as though Jack the Ripper was roasting a marshmallow over roasting the public just now, anyways.

The Wright Brother's next words confused the strategist. "Plotting what against us? They're entitled to go talk..." He gave Oliver a confused look, then went on. "You never know, though. You might be good at front line work...well...nah. No offence. But then again, I wanted to go into religious sciences, not other things." 9/11 had slaughtered his faith, but back then? Saladin had not intended to be a sultan, military genius and Vaughn's resident pain-in-the-ass. Nope. He'd wanted to study religion. Funny how stuff worked out.

---------
words| 506
tagged| Oliver / Mandee / Open
notes| none

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

"Well, we picked a good time of year to do it. Worst thing we have to worry about is rain, I'd think, and even then, we could just move it to another day."[/color] He'd gone with Lenita to the kite fields in February, and while it was still an enjoyable experience, the two had been rather chilly by the time all was said and done.

Oliver shrugged as Iskander made an admittedly good point about how being in the middle of the crowd might not be a bad defense against Leila and Raven. "Most of the crowd's pretty close to the fire, though."[/color] He chuckled a little. "Should probably go up there at least once tonight. I'm not particularly bothered by fire."[/color] Instead, he was bothered by the crowds. He was still more worried about being accosted by Errol, Tamara, or Kodi, and not so much about Raven and Leila. Especially when he saw the aforementioned couple...toasting marshmallows? That was odd.

The freshman became confused at the sultan's next words, until he realized that Iskander had likely taken them seriously. Oliver grinned a little. "I was joking. Besides, even if they were plotting something, I wouldn't think it would be anything bad."[/color] Not much plotting between Lenita and Jennah could be done with Lenita was still in Oliver's line of sight with Tamara, though. Jennah was nowhere to be seen. Therefore, there was no plottage between the two girls. Simple as that. In fact, there was more plotting going on between the male members of the two relationships, considering they were making plans for a trip to the kite fields with their girlfriends. So there.

Oliver couldn't help but laugh when Iskander tried to reason that he may be good with front line work, then quickly took it back. "See? You agree with me."[/color] It was obvious that Oliver had not taken offense to Iskander's words. He'd stated them himself, hadn't he? "I used to play army when I was a kid, but that was just roaming around with a group of friends in second grade and using military names. I was never the strategist anyway...that was a certain someone else, who was doing some reading on it at the time."[/color] The freshman grinned fondly at the memories. Again, he wondered if Iskander would make the connection. If not, it was no big deal, but Oliver was once again referring to his past life, and that 'someone else' whose name he could not mention was his brother.

Oliver was a tad surprised to hear that Saladin's life had not turned out how he wanted it to. "Well, you still have time to follow those pursuits. Just...try to stay away from the army if you don't want to go into other things again."[/color] He didn't think Iskander would be bad in the army, but the senior's words more than hinted at the fact that he didn't want to do that again. "I'm not sure whether I want to go into aeronautics...or aerospace."[/color] The pause between aeronautics and aerospace was not for effect, but rather for Oliver to stop himself from blurting out the word again after 'aeronautics'. That one would look more than a little weird, and Oliver wasn't in the mood to come up with explanations if someone happened to overhear. Errol, Tamara, and Kodi seemed to have let up on him lately, and he wanted to take advantage of this, not draw more attention to himself and start the chain all over again. The Wizard was providing enough as it was already.

Word Count 639
To: Open/Bonfire!
Notes: Hmm, came out longer than I expected it to be. Awesome. ^^