+ TO LEARN THE HARD WAY

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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Oz’s eyes were on the ground as he walked. He had just been to the grocery store to pick up some canned foods. He was usually pretty fussy about what he would and would not eat, but after coming to Riverdale and not having a chef to cook for him, he had adjusted to eating less enjoyable foods just to stay fed. Oz didn’t like eating out and was very fussy about the foods he did like. His biggest problem being he had rich tastes. Cheap meats tasted wrong to him and they were not fresh enough for him. Canned food was watery or greasy and lacked the fresh flavour of a well cooked meal. But hey, it was better than starving, and he had no idea how to cook for himself.

In his hand was the fabric grocery bag saying ‘say no to paper and plastic’ and his coat was sitting draped over the same arm, half in and half out of the grocery bag. His other arm wasn’t much help after all, seeing as it was still slung across his body in the sling. His shoulder was evidently bruised now, but it was starting to heal which was a plus. Though, he was told it would take quite a bit of time for it feel proper again, and that it would be much more susceptible to dislocations in the future. It didn’t help his hand was also in a cast from being broken. Isa stomping on it hadn’t been fun and the results were irritating as well.

He was still not walking 100% correctly, but the pain was far less than it was, and almost comfortable by comparison. The real pain wasn’t so much from the pull anymore, as it was the actually crunching that had ensued. He still thought it was an unnecessary target for Isa to go after, but clearly he hadn’t been in the control position. Either way, bruising down there was dark at this point and still very very tender. He also maintained small amounts of bruising on his shins, one of his knees and his chest from where she stomped on him. He was lucky she didn’t break his ribs…so for that at least he was thankful.

Oz’s eyes were cast down for now, seeing as he wasn’t anywhere near back to his normal self. His usual charming smile wasn’t on his face, and instead his expression was one of someone who had been beat down. Despite his talk with Alison the other day, he wasn’t anywhere near happy. He was still trying to figure out how to improve his situation without upsetting her or causing her to disapprove because he actually cared what she thought. That in itself spoke wonders.

Last time, Oz had parted by kissing Alison and she had kind of agreed to a date. He had a bit of hope from events, that there was something more that came of this than a pure loss. In fact, he hadn’t felt this way in this life yet. He had once before with his main wife in Egypt, the rest were just a good lay. In fact, he didn’t really miss his first wife regardless, as he had everything he needed back in Egypt and women were not hard for him to get. Now, he had to work for it and he felt an even closer connection as a result. It did make a difference at least. But now he was conflicted. Alison had no reason to want to be with him even if he was starting to really desire her.

His heart had been fluttering and he found himself concerned about how he looked to her, what he did in front of her and concerned that she knew all the bad things he had done so far. And he knew they were bad things even if he tried to justify them and managed to do so for his own sake. It wasn’t quite that easy when it was for someone else’s sake. And Alison actually had connections in RSOR for her to hold on to. Really, she could have anyone if she wanted them and that was enough to tell Oz he really should have been more careful about what he did. He half regretted kissing her and half of him was really happy he did. But he was very frightened of what her response would be.

Oz realized he had stopped walking and picked up his steps again. His eyes remaining downcast and his mind still lost in thought, trying to understand where he stood, both with Alison and with RSOR. Right now, he was more than a little lost and confused and when he once would have asked his gods for guidance he no longer had the strength of faith to face them, assuming they even existed. He wasn’t sure if they had just died long ago, or if they were there and had abandoned him. Either way he didn’t want to think about it…

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 837 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••

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[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

It seemed that whenever Alison's crazy hectic life might offer a reprieve, something else came along to add to the already complicated life that she was leading.

Was Alison Driscoll dating Oz Jenson? Could it be called that at this point? He'd asked her on a date and she'd accepted (albeit, under certain conditions), and he'd kissed her and she had not pulled away. This was something she would not have even fathomed doing before her conversation with Oz. This wasn't to say that she hadn't started to feel something toward him before. These weren't emotions that just cropped up out of nowhere. If she had to put a date onto the beginning of her feelings toward him, she'd have to state that it all began the day they went to prom together. The day that she found out that Oz wasn't as bad as she wanted to paint him. He could actually carry on a good conversation, and he was willing to put aside their problems (for the most part) in the spirit of the event.

The fact still remained that Oz had done things that Alison didn't approve of. She didn't plan to let that part go easily either. If she and Oz were to date, Oz had to change his life around. He couldn't go on printing Wizard articles. She felt for him as he explained his desperation, and the reasoning behind the slanderous articles he'd printed about various members of the RSOR, but if he wanted to stay in her good graces he had to stray away from these actions. At this point, his blackmail meant nothing. There was nothing stopping her from going the Leader's Panel and outing Oz as the weird. Nothing besides her own feelings toward him. If he screwed it up...well, Alison wasn't the type of girl to take things lying down.

She still had a lot on her mind, both about Oz and otherwise (she was still spying for Anti-RSOR, after all, which still meant that there weren't too many people that she could confide in about the full extent of her every day life). Her own eyes were downcast as she walked through Riverdale Park. She'd heard a bit of good news in that her past brothers had gotten jobs at the bowling alley with Xelios Savas, and she'd gone so far as to buy a congratulation card. She couldn't spend too much time around them, for fear of who might witness, but she wanted the sentiment to be known. She was looking at the card (yet to be signed or addressed to anyone) when she felt herself bump into someone. Her eyes shot upward at once, about to apologize, until the facial features and demeanor of the young man before her clicked. "Oz!"[/color] She exclaimed, in a voice barely above a whisper.

Word count: 481
To: Jez-E/Oz
Notes: Good song choice.

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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Oz snapped out of his mind as soon he bumped into whoever he had bumped into. He winced, pain lacing through him as he was still very tender. He tried to stifle it, hearing his name spoken. Concern filed him as that meant it was someone who knew him, but didn’t register the voice right away. He really just hoped it wasn’t Isa, or really anyone so he was reluctant to look up, but he did so, his charming smile flying to his face and his posture moving to appear more confident. That was when he noticed it was Alison before him and his smile dropped and his eyes expressed pure surprise.

He hadn’t expected to run into her so soon after what happened last time. Hell, he had been cautious to avoid her, fear of rejection causing him to remain away from her and leaving her to her own life. She had her own life to live and he was not a part of it, even if she had said she didn’t mind still talking to him. He had pushed his way in and in the most horrible of ways. He had been more than surprised she had agreed to a tentative date and had just assumed it was out of sympathy which was something he didn’t want right now. (Though I think it’s safe to say he needed it).

Mix feelings sprung up all at once. He felt his heart rate pick up, his stomach start to flutter and his mind start to race. He wanted her response to what happened before, but at the same time he felt fear, confusion and a certain sinking feeling because he was certain there was no hope for a relationship here, let alone a friendship. He felt respect, as he had come to respect Alison. She had won that short game of deceit, and she had done it with grace too. She had also not flaunted her victory by tattling the LP about what he had done. It was hard not to respect that.

But through all that he wanted her to want to be around him. He wanted her to notice him more from her own desire to than because of what he had done. He wished she had no idea what he had done. And he hadn’t recognized his own feelings toward her until just after their last conversation. The kiss just felt like the right thing to do and after that he had realized when walking away what had compelled him to do it to begin with. He had been alone so long and with someone finally in his life as something more than just another RSOR member, he was finding himself more and more attracted to her attention.

But then after thinking about it, he finally understood his outstanding respect, and desire toward Alison. He didn’t just want her to notice him or be in his life. He wanted her to be a permanent part. And he knew that was asking way too much. Even if she wasn’t dealing with so much, he didn’t fit into this world, let alone her world.

He brain stopped to a halt and he took a bit long to reply, the surprise leaving his face and his posture slowly lowering back down. He didn’t have to hide with Alison anymore. She knew he was run down, beaten up and not in a great state of mind. Keeping it from everyone else was the problem. In such a public place Oz should have been a lot more careful. In fact, before answering he glanced around, finding the park rather quiet and no one from school was around.

Then Oz awkwardly answered, ”Hey Alison…”

[/b] Not sure what else to say. He found himself awkwardly shifting where he stood. He felt so out of place and like he didn’t belong around her right now. Then again, Oz felt that way everywhere, but the feeling was more evident around her now that he had put himself in this situation that he had to make an effort to ignore it. ”Nice weather huh?”[/b] He asked weakly, not sure what else to really say. It was strange for Oz, because conversation came so naturally to him usually. He had felt this way before though, and never had this reaction. He always just knew what to say, so this was new for him. It was a pretty dramatic learning curve.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 742 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••
•• Notes • I thought so xD ••

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[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

Upon seeing Oz wince, Alison felt a rush of pain in her own stomach. It bothered her to see him like this, despite how she'd reacted at first during their last meeting. Per usual, she'd been using him as a punching bag for her own frustrations, and he'd finally cracked. So had she, for that matter. He now knew who she was, every frustration that she was enduring - but then, she knew the same of him. He also had nothing over her any more. She could run along to the Leader's Panel at any time and turning him in. So what was stopping her?

Alison still wasn't sure that she wanted to admit it herself. How could she be falling for him of all people? How could she even want to spend any amount of time with him if she didn't have to? She should have been right there in line to punch his lights out like Isa (not that she would have been able to do much, other than kick him while he was already down, both figuratively and literally).

In all honesty, she was reminded of herself in him. Their situations were different yet similar. She'd met royalty in the past, and had to wonder if, say, King Edward found himself in this time how he would feel. Monarchs of even the early 20th century were far different from the monarchs of Ancient Egypt, but going from a position of status to a high school student? Even she knew what that felt like. Oz had it worse than damn near everyone at the school, and he was coping with it in a pretty crappy way. Then again, how was he supposed to improve when he had no one helping him, but only hindering him by tossing insults his way or trapping him further?

Alison let out a snort and rolled her eyes at Oz's greeting. "Really, after all we've been through, you ask how the weather is?"[/color] She knew how awkward the situation was, but honestly, if something as awkwardly stated as that was supposed to help matters, he'd utterly failed. Fortunately, Alison had her ways of recovering, and gestured to an area of the park that was covered mostly by trees. While she did want to talk to him, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to do it out in the open where anyone could see. "Let's talk about something a little more worthwhile, shall we? I think there's a nice spot in the shade with our names on it."[/color] It wasn't like they weren't used to sneaking around. While Alison was tempted to grab his hand and lead him over to the area, she instead decided to head off in that direction, allowing him to decide whether he followed or not. Nevertheless, she hoped he did.

Word count: 481
To: Jez-E/Oz
Notes: Good song choice.

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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It was amazing how the world could slow down or speed up so dramatically based on your feelings, the moment and your state of mind. Oz felt like the world was going in slow motion at the moment, and had been in that state since the world had sped up so quickly as he was getting pounded by Isa. He hadn’t been forced to face how lost he had been up till now. Well, more directly he had avoided thinking about it and anything to do with the world he was missing so dearly. You’d think with all the perks in today’s world that Oz would find it more to his tastes, but his position in this world was so miniscule it was hard for him to see the benefits. And he had finally found one and wasn’t sure if there was anything to be done about it. He felt as if he had already messed things up bad enough and he had no idea how to show her that there was more to him than this. In a way Oz felt like Alison knew that, but at the same time he felt as if she was still on the fence about him.

He didn’t know how to win her over or even where to start. He also didn’t know if he wanted to. He knew he wanted her, yes. And he knew that in the past he would have said so and she would have been his. But that was part of what made this world different. He found his feelings for Alison tempered and changed by what he knew of this world, and he wanted her to want him back. He just felt that it wasn’t possible right now.

He was still fearing what would happen if she told the rest of RSOR about his actions, and still uncertain why she hadn’t. It couldn’t be because of him, seeing as she had so openly detested him before. Though she had made suggestions that she felt otherwise, he knew that in the end Alison’s loyalty was to RSOR and he had done them a wrong. You don’t just plop a bandaid on that and hope it will heal. Things didn’t work that way.

But on top of that, Alison didn’t approve of what he had done and had said so on more than a few occasions. She made it plain and clear she didn’t approve and he had stopped the Wizard posts for now, though that could be assumed to be a result of his ragged state. He wasn’t sure if that would be enough and he couldn’t just suddenly be buddy-buddy with RSOR. It was not a logical or practical transition to expect from him. He just had no idea how to fix this, and what was worse, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. He deserved more than this, and it was hard for him to think that there wasn’t more than this set aside for him. His faith had all but died though, and he was finding himself struggling to find something, anything to believe in. He had lost a huge part of what made him who he was, and he wasn’t sure how to fill that.

Oz felt a lot less awkward when she snorted and rolled her eyes and a hesitant smile briefly appeared on his face. ”Yes. Seems so.”

[/b] he answered. He wasn’t sure what else to honestly say. The world was just spinning in reverse, things were more than awkward and Oz felt like the whole world moved in slow motion. He could feel pauses between her words, as if everything was moving far too slow and he realized it was because he was anticipating some sort of negative response from her. When it didn’t come and she invited him to talk, he found things move a bit faster and more smoothly. He was still wary of a possible negative confrontation about last time, but he couldn’t really say things had gone their worst if she was still asking to spend any time with him.

Oz felt almost a pang of disappointment at the thought of speaking in hiding as usual, but reminded himself of her situation and how important it was for them not be seen together. Their association meant bad things all around. RSOR was seeing Oz as a villain, or at least it felt that way. He hadn’t been to the room since the incident with Isa and her standing with the Leader’s Panel was in the balance. If Anti-RSOR saw them, they would assume she was associating with RSOR in some way, which was more than bad for Alison. And he wasn’t sure if anyone could report back to any of the possible problems. The sad part, Oz realized, is he had nothing to lose from being around her like she did from being around him. A depressing thought really…

Oz watched Alison walk, then his eyes dropped to his feet a moment and the grocery bag in his hand. He knew he would follow her and had no idea why he even needed to think about it. He turned and walked a short distance behind her, following her to the shady spot she mentioned. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going and he had no idea what to make of it. But it was strange having Alison around at all for him. He had so many feelings and so much confusion (not that the confusion wasn’t there when she wasn’t around). He was just not adjusted to this—not in this life especially.

He eased himself down with some difficulty, his groin still a concerning area. He glanced about to see who was around in the park, and made sure, yet again, no one would notice the encounter. ”I am sorry I’ve been avoiding you…”[/b] He admitted and apologized both at once. ”It seemed the best action at the time…”[/b] He said, as if that explained anything at all. It didn’t of course, but it was simple enough in his mind. But what was going on in his mind was far too complicated to be simple.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 1030 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••
•• Notes • I thought so xD ••

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[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

To say that Alison was struggling with the wide array of feelings that she felt toward Oz was an understatement. There was still a part of her that wanted to slap him across the face for everything that he'd done. There was a part of her that wanted to hug him, to tell him to keep hanging in there, that it would be better eventually. There was also a part of her that just wanted to cry out in frustration and stomp away from the whole situation, leaving it behind her.

Instead, Alison did none of these. She kept herself guarded, as usual around Oz, though she did not walk away. Fact was, she wasn't sure how to interact with him around others. She couldn't very well show that she was anything more than just acquainted with him through a friend of a friend, or through seeing each other in the halls at school. Anti-RSOR would have an issue with that. Wilbur and Orville would have an issue with that. The Leader's Panel would have an issue with that. As it was, people still wondered why she'd attended prom with him. Even now, if they asked her, Alison would probably respond that she didn't know what kind of guy he was when she went to prom with him. To the contrary, she knew all too well what kind of guy Oz was when she attended prom with him, which was why she'd attended the dance with him in the first place. The only problem was that now? She wasn't so sure that she wouldn't make the same decision, even if she didn't have the threat of blackmail hanging over her head.

So away from the crowds she led him. She didn't want anyone to see her with him, first off, but more so, she needed that short period of time to figure out what she wanted to do. It was noteworthy that the option of just leaving was not even one Alison gave consideration to.

Once they were in a properly deserted area, Alison took a quick glance around, noting that Oz was doing the same. This caused her to smile a little, though the corners of mouth dropped in contemplation as Oz began to apologize to her. "You were avoiding me? No hard feelings, because I was just about to apologize for doing the same to you."[/color] At least they appeared to be on the same page as far as that was concerned. The corners of her mouth twitched a little at this amusing realization. "Well, now that we have that out of the way, how are things? I noticed there haven't been any Wizard posts lately."[/color] The smile widened, along with a raised eyebrow that almost seemed to convey the message 'and it better stay that way'. However, the smile also conveyed that she was pleased. She just wanted it to stay that way.

Word count: 496
To: Jez-E/Oz
Notes: Finally finished this one. XD

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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Oz often brought out the cautious or the calm in people he was around. Those who bought his charming smile and the appeared relaxed demeanor found him calming to be around and often didn’t consider his presence. To those who knew or had a heightened sense of instinct, he brought out the more cautious side of them. He knew Alison was likely being more cautious than even he was at this point. Oz was getting sick of his own games and that was a problem. But at the same time he wasn’t completely ready to drop them. Most people wouldn’t like the real Oz anyways, seeing as manipulation, arrogance and expectation was all part of the real Oz. People didn’t like any of Oz’s dominant traits, and he was so used to pretending things were not what they appeared to be in the face of his people, and now RSOR. But either way, he felt it safe to assume Alison still had her head in the game for the time being. But Oz had been playing the game longer, so he wasn’t so sure her resolve was so much better than his. It was more like she currently maintained a higher tolerance and hadn’t suffered the strain so long. She also hadn’t been publicly beaten down, hospitalized and then had the proof posted on YouTube.

Oz also recognized that as a player of the social games going on right now, he would hamper her game by being around her. As a result he understood the need for him to stay away and more importantly for her to stay away. He was almost surprised by the disappointment he felt upon hearing she had been avoiding him too, despite this. This situation was dangerous and Oz was starting to get more than a little concerned with his interest in Alison. His self preservation was lacking for the moment, seeing as he was letting himself into these situations, but at the same time he almost didn’t want to care. Why couldn’t things be less confusing?

Oz tried to appear in a better and more confident mood than he was, and when he tried to appear one way, he generally succeeded. He squared his shoulders so they weren’t dropping and turned his body toward her so she knew he was paying attention. At the moment he wasn’t really sure what else to do. It was amazing how he was once so confident and at ease telling Alison half truths, and appearing so confident, relaxed and happy. Now, he found it much harder to do and he wasn’t sure if it was because she had seen him at his lowest point, that she had seen through him at all, or that she had witnessed his beat down. It had come easily when he had run into Oliver and Isa the other day. And yet, Alison was the one who was concerning him enough to throw off his game. It had to be his recent feelings for her, and they had snuck up on him and appeared so quickly he hadn’t been able to fully sort them out yet. It was the only explanation.

Oz nodded at the “no hard feelings” from Alison, noting the twitch that the corners of her mouth made and wondering what had caused that reaction. He didn’t comment on it though, letting it rest as it would. Now the next comment was another story. He wasn’t 100% sure what to say to that, but it was clear she was pleased there hadn’t been one. He decided to address that, ignoring the ‘how are things’ because he would have to lie to her or bring the conversation to an extreme negative.

”No, no Wizard posts. Though I do have one last one in mind…You may see it shortly.”

[/b] He commented, not specifying more than that. He wasn’t completely behind what he was considering so far, and hadn’t decided for sure to do it. He was also aware that this may anger Alison, and he felt it might be easier to handle things if she was angry with him anyways, so he didn’t bother saying more than that. If she knew the full intentions she wouldn’t get angry, but at the same time, Oz didn’t want to reveal everything yet. Maybe she’d think differently of him later.

Oz paused a moment before adding on, ”I need some time to fully catch my bearings first…”[/b] He didn’t want to give anything away, but at the same time, that could hint that there was more to it than a standard Wizard post. He wasn’t sure she would catch the slightly careless hint, but it was damn subtle. So if she did he’d be rather surprised. It also sort of answered the question of how he’d been lately.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 802 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••

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[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

Being cautious around Oz still felt like a given, though the feeling was gradually fading. Once they were safely hidden, it shrunk to the point where she could sufficiently ignore it. Alison very much did still have her head in the game, but she also had her head on Oz. It was growing increasingly hard not to think about him, she was coming to find. Even the games, annoying as they were, offered banter that could be quite fun to engage in at times. Especially now that her feelings toward Oz weren't so negative.

Alison was going through challenges of her own, there was no doubt about that. That said, it was also very true that she hadn't suffered the same humiliation that Oz had. Alison still felt that Isabella had gone too far. She knew that Oz would have stopped at nothing to keep Isabella from getting her hands on the key (and really, she thought the key was safer in the hands of Isabella anyway...although really, knowing what she knew about Oz, the key was pretty darn safe in his hands anyway). Still, he was already down for the count when Isabella took the finishing step. Conscious, but barely. She could have yanked the key from him easily. Yet who was she to question Isabella's methods? She respected the other girl, who was a good friend of hers. Isabella was also in a hectic situation herself. It also occurred to her, though she did not want to admit it, that she probably wouldn't have cared if it had been just any member of RSOR. The fact that Oz was worthy of such a reaction scared Alison to some extent. What was she doing?

Back to Wizard posts. Alison never thought she'd think of the subject as a safe one, but compared to the rest of the conversation, it felt like a fair assessment. Alison's eyebrow went up when Oz indicated that there might, perhaps, be another Wizard post in the works. "Don't you think those posts have caused enough trouble, Ozymandias?"[/color] Her tone was firm, though if one listened closely they would likely detect a hint of pleading.

Alison took a deep breath, then spoke. "I hope you won't be attacking any more RSOR members. Remember, I can turn you in now, and if you choose to take that course of action...well, I can't make any promises."[/color] It killed her to say it, and she honestly wondered if she'd be able to stick to her word if it came to it. Did she really want to turn him in after everything that happened? No, not particularly. She just wanted to stop him from printing any more of those damn articles! That was fair, wasn't it? That said, part of her was still hoping that he would call her bluff, and tell her he was joking...

Word count: 489
To: Jez-E/Oz
Notes: Took a little while. Sorry. XD

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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Oz recognized the problem that came with him having feelings for Alison. He also recognized that Alison having feelings for him was just as problematic. The sad part was that so far he just didn't care. Alison had caught his interest in ways he hadn't viewed a girl in many years. Hell, he could say a lifetime, since his first wife had died so young back in Egypt. He hadn't loved like that since and he was feeling the attached emotions he hadn't really had since then. It scared him and at the same time he felt compelled to act on them. He was more than a little positive this put Alison on the spot, and he had made a not to pull that again, especially seeing as he didn't want to complicate her situation.

Oz watched carefully for Alison`s reaction to his comment on one more Wizard post. He already knew she disliked the idea of what he was doing with it. He also knew she understood the reasoning. So he was interested in how she would react. He could have explained right away what he intended, but he wasn't so sure that was the right way to explain himself. He also still had a need to feel some manipulative power, even if it felt wrong to play it over Alison. He wanted to get a reaction, and that was what Oz was good at controlling. Oz wasn’t disappointed either.

”Yes, they have. Hence the need for one more,”

[/b] He said, still not fully explaining it right away. He noted the way she had asked the question and decided that that was more than enough. He also listened to her next comment and paused to consider what to tell her and how to tell her. Would you do that? Turn me in that is? I already said I am surprised you haven’t. It seemed to me you were more than willing before…so something has changed.”[/b] He commented, not expecting an answer.

That was how he decided it was time to tell her. But he has a question first…”I need you to consider what I am about to ask you, and be honest. What is the problem you do have with me? I know there is one. Is it merely the things I have already done? Or is there something else?”[/b] he asked. Oz considered his wording. ”I understand that clearly you don’t think so ill of me as to turn me over to the leader’s panel and let their mercy or lack-of be mine to deal with, but at the same time you appear to have your share of problems with me…remember, be honest,”[/b] He added.

He so badly wanted to ask what it would take for her to be comfortable associating with him, but he knew that wasn’t an option. Not with her current position. She couldn’t be clearly involved with anyone in RSOR and he knew that, but even amongst a few RSOR members, she didn’t have a willingness to be seen with him. And that was a part that was concerning. Or maybe he was wrong. So far she hadn’t actually been in the RSOR room while he was, but he was sure there were more problems than he was aware of. Oz’s instincts were usually correct and this was surely no exception.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 557 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••

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[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

Of course she disliked what Oz was doing with his Wizard posts. She'd made that clear from the very start, when she'd confronted him. He couldn't possibly expect any reaction other than contempt from her. She wasn't pleased with the idea, and she wanted to make it clear. Yet...

...yet Oz threw her a couple of curve balls that caused Alison to close her mouth and contemplate. He was calling her out. He'd been honest with her up to this point. It was also clear as day that he had feelings for her. Why else would he have kissed her? The problem that Alison was grappling with was her feelings for him. Having feelings for Oz Jensen, Ramses the Great, the Wizard seemed like a dangerous thing. It was both terrifying and oddly tempting. Most of all, she was well aware that she was the only person who knew Oz as intimately as she did. That forged a connection between them whether they liked it or not...the trouble with Alison came with admitting that she liked that connection.

She decided to answer his second question first. To her, it was better to start with the negatives and end in the positives. She took a deep breath. Such a difficult question, yet he was asking for honesty. Honesty that she owed him after he was honest with her. At the same time, however, a part of her wondered why he was even asking. Surely he had to understand the effects of his writings. "My problem is with the posts themselves. Surely you understand that."[/color] She paused to try to collect her words, then continued. "While on one hand I admire your ability, you are either exposing secrets that people would rather keep buried, secrets that are the business of no one but themselves and perhaps those closest to them, or, in some cases, even dissolving into fiction."[/color] So far, it was pretty much stating the obvious...well, to her, at least. "I take issue with that because I know it all too well from before. To you it may seem like creating a ruckus, but you don't know how people will react. You don't know how deep you're digging with some people. One person may be able to shrug it off, but another person may be at the end of their ropes. Our status isn't exactly a walk in the park for anyone. Some of us are adjusting better than others."[/color] Alison bit her lip. While she didn't want to say anything nice about Evie, who she disliked even before the scandal, she couldn't help but think it was a perfect example. As much as she hated what Evie did...was it really the business of the entire school? "You mentioned Evie in your posting just a few days before Tamara posted confirmation of what you said. Now, I cannot say I'm pleased with Evie for what she did. It was wrong no matter what. At the same time, though, is it really the business of the entire school? Is what you did really better than what Tamara did?"[/color]

He may have told her to be honest, but she felt bad about it afterward. She knew that he had his reasons, but to her that did not entirely excuse him from his wrongdoing. He was a drama monger much the same way Tamara and the Anti-RSOR were. If he continued to be a drama monger, despite admitting his faults and why he felt the need to do it...she wasn't so sure that she wanted to be in his company after all. The first step was admitting that one had a problem...the next step was doing something about it. There was another part to his question, and she needed to provide an answer to this one as well. Despite how straightforward this one was compared to the previous answer she provided, she grappled with it almost as much, if not more, than the previous. She looked at him, meeting him in the eye. "I think you know as well as I why things have changed. We know each other, too well to keep playing these games. We have more similarities than we'd like to admit. We're both living on secrets. I enjoy spending time with you. I enjoy our conversations. I like that there's someone I can discuss absolutely everything with and not have to worry about the repercussions. And I think you feel the same way."[/color] While she did not come out and directly say that she liked Oz himself...she felt that it was sufficiently hinted at.

Word count: 799
To: Jez-E/Oz
Notes: I didn't expect this to end up as long as it did. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, though. XD

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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What Oz had asked he didn’t consider calling anyone out. He just had a few questions he really needed answered. And he wasn’t sure what he should do or say until after he had a few answers himself. So far he had been telling himself it wouldn’t work for him and Alison, and then he’d tell himself that she wouldn’t ever love him back, and then—wait. Love her...that was the first time he had thought of the exact word Love in relation to Alison. He forced back the feeling as best as he could manage, trying to listen for her answer. He didn’t see things like she did and he needed to know if there was even a chance of his being able to pursue this. If not, then he would keep up what he was doing and at least try to win one on the power front he had been waging all this time.

He noted her selection of question to answer first, not missing the reasoning for doing that. Naturally it was easier to answer something you’d thought about and was in the forefront of your mind more often, but also the importance of the answer. He didn’t realize his reasons were actually wrong, but he understood the logic in a different way. So he listened, trying to understand her perspective on the matter.

He listened to her explanation, having partially guessed at her issues with the wizard posts. Of what he posted he didn’t find many of them trespassed on secrets that were intentionally kept. He also noted her care to what the reactions of the individuals would be, and he couldn’t lie, he had been hoping for a good solid reaction. He had gotten some, but to get a reaction you had to hurt someone. That was the way it was. He also took more stock in her last words than he should… Some of us are adjusting better than others… interesting wording if you asked Oz.

”What I did was very different…unless you are looking in terms of pure blacks and whites. Evie sold out everyone when she traded that key as that had more chance for damage. Normal people can’t comprehend the idea of reincarnation as being an actuality. What I posted was drama mongering, yes, but it wasn’t dangerous to RSOR being revealed. I also made sure I wasn’t revealing too much, and I selected concerns and concepts that were suggestive but had room for fiction. I intentionally watered down what I had,”

[/b] Oz explained. The reason why wasn’t all that different, but he didn’t mention as much. ”I am not saying that either me nor Evie had done something right, just that the levels of what we did are different.”[/b]

”But thank you for being honest…”[/b] Oz added, meaning it. He would rather honesty than distrust and lies. Better that he know where he stands. And right now, his standings with Alison were not looking as pretty as he’d like to think they were. It was slightly depressing.

Oz found her second answer more intriguing and it almost conflicted with the first answer. The first answer made it feel like she didn’t want to be around him but the second answer implied otherwise. And she was right he did feel the same way. ”I do feel the same way. Being honest hasn’t really been a possibility till now.”[/b] Oz considered how to approach the previous topic all over again. He was now wondering if he should say something to her about the Wizard post. He decided to tell her when to look for it instead. ”The next post will be October 31st. And for Halloween…I’ll be a wizard. Just to let you know.”[/b] He said, figuring that was description enough and implied enough without blatantly spelling it out. It left some mystery as to the post but not all mystery.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 649 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••

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[Alison Caroline Driscoll]

It was a struggle for Alison to admit that she had feelings for Oz as well. She still didn't want to admit the full extent of her feelings to herself, let alone to him. Saying that she merely liked him in a more than just friendly way was a challenge in itself. Admitting that these feelings could be paving the way toward love? Toward a serious, long lasting relationship? More and more she found herself contemplating her relationship with Oz, and if it could even be considered a relationship this early in the game. Nevertheless, she was interested in trying it out, at least, which was a start.

There was one thing that she absolutely could not deny - She did have feelings for Oz. Like and/or love, the semantics didn't really matter at this point in time. They still had plenty of time to figure that out. She had feelings for him, and she was admitting them. Oz wasn't the only one venturing into new territory here.

Alison chose her words carefully, of course. She'd directed the 'some are adjusting better than others' comment to Oz intentionally, and she knew that he was clever enough to piece it together. Regardless of how much Oz would try to defend his actions, the fact of the matter was that his actions were prompted by his own ill-adjustment to his lack of power in this time period.

She listened intently as Oz tried to defend himself. "Of course it's not as simple as black and white."[/color] She responded, half snapping. Partially because it felt like a jab at her and partially because she was annoyed that Oz was still trying to defend actions that she did not agree with. While she understood better the motives behind his actions, that didn't mean that she approved of them. Rest assured she would not back down on this issue either. She was nothing if not persistent.

Her expression did soften considerably when Oz admitted that what he was doing wasn't right (not in those exact words, of course, but at least he hinted at it, which was sufficient enough for her), and even managed a smile in satisfaction. That was just what she wanted to hear.

She also couldn't help the fact that her smile increased in size as Oz admitted that he felt the same way, though to her credit she tried her best not to call attention to it.

Her face darkened, however, at Oz's next words, and she opened her mouth to protest. After all of this, had he learned anything? Alison's mouth closed immediately at the second part of the admission as she comprehended the full extent of what her fellow reincarnate was telling her. Her boyfriend.

"You...you're going to reveal yourself."[/color] It wasn't a question, but rather a statement, in a voice uncharacteristically quiet. Her expression was both contemplative and hesitant. After a moment or so, this was followed by a shrugging motion and Alison standing on her tiptoes to put herself on a more even level with Oz before moving forward to give Oz a peck on the lips. "I appreciate your honesty as well."[/color] Alison commented with her largest smile as of yet in this conversation. Then she added, with a hint of amusement in her voice, "The height difference kind of puts a damper on the romantic aspect, doesn't it? We'll have to work on that."[/color] As if they didn't have plenty of other obstacles to work through. But if they could work through this Wizard mess...Alison was confident that they could work through pretty much anything.

Word count: 627
To: Jez-E/Oz
Notes: Jeez if this post is 600 words I can only imagine how long the Oliver one's gonna be. 0_0

[Oz Gavin Jenson]

let’s let everything slide
you got me floating, you got me flying

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OZ JENSON[/size][/b]
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Oz wanted to think that this was going to be easy. That he could just woe the girl, they’d go out and everything would be awesome. He wanted to think that Alison would be on board for that. But reality wasn’t what you wanted all the time and Oz was constantly plagued by the reminder that he was at the bottom of the food chain now, and Alison was in a much better standing. It was one that Alison could easily lose if she was seen with him. On top of that, he knew that she couldn’t be seen with RSOR members in front of Anti-RSOR for fear of the damage that would cause.

Even if Oz won over Alison’s affections they couldn’t ever be open about it unless Alison was no longer an RSOR double agent. Oz knew that this was important to her too, so he wondered if maybe it’d be better if they stayed apart altogether for now. But right now, Oz was taking a huge risk. He had to choose; power or the girl.

Power was something he had been working to achieve for some time. And sure he had some control, but control wasn’t really the power he wanted. He had manipulated and cheated people, gossiped and caused friction. He had weakened the foundations of RSOR. And that was a start. He could keep going and even with the risk of her telling on him. And Oz had no doubt they’d believe her over him. Not the slightest doubt.

Or…he could drop that, and fix things. He could take the much harder route to impress and please Alison. And then perhaps she could see him as something more than just a monstrous gossip. No one would trust him but her and it would be quite lonely for some time, but at least he’d have someone and not be completely alone like he had been. The decision had been hard for Oz, but it was clear to him that he needed someone. He hadn’t had someone all this life and all he had in the past life was because they had no choice but to give it to him. It was time he earned someone’s attentions and not just that, but had someone who actually cared about him. The real question was if Alison could be that.

Either way it was a gamble. He may have never gotten power at all. And he may never get the girl now. That was why he was taking stock in what he did have and asking Alison these questions. He needed to feel he had a chance to just sacrifice everything he had so far for this. And this was worth much more if he could have this relationship with her as something more than just sneaky talking and visits full of guilt and discomfort. For once in Oz’s life he had someone whose opinion mattered to him…and that was a big deal.

It was for that very reason he was defending what he had done. And Oz felt he had to defend himself. Evie had done something far more terrible in his eyes. Of course, he didn’t hold it against her though. With just one more key they couldn’t do jack shit. RSOR was secure as long as even one key was safe, and Oz himself had kept a key secure until Isa had taken it. And Oz was sure that once Isa had it, the key was just as secure. So the rooms were secure by default.

Oz had not jeopardized anyone’s security. He had been careful not to reveal anything because RSOR was his haven as much as anyone else’s. RSOR was his space to be himself as much as it was for anyone else, even if his version of self was more underhanded behind RSOR’s doors than Oz ever should have been. He wouldn’t take that huge of a risk. So he felt his doings were much less vicious than what Evie did. He didn’t sell out RSOR, he just played around with its emotions a bit.

Oz shut up immediately as Alison snapped at him. Well, it was a restrained snap, but it still made him feel like he had something large and pointy thrust into his chest. A strange feeling indeed. Oz didn’t realize she had taken it as a shove at herself, but he also didn’t see any reason for Alison to take it personally, so he assumed she just was angry with him for what he had done all over again.

Though he was further confused by her sudden smile and had to prevent himself from inquiring as to the strange shift in emotions. He kept his mouth shut though, not wanting to tick her off again and also not wanting the conversation to lead that way. He was trying to lead up to something after all.

Oz glanced at his feet a moment and then back up at Alison. ”Yes…RSOR won’t have peace of mind unless they know who did it. And it concludes everything that way. And hopefully you’ll think better of me…”

[/b] Oz said in a hushed voice. He both wanted and didn’t want her to know that her opinion did matter to him. It’s clear which side won that conflict.

Oz was stunned by the sudden kiss, pleasantly surprised. He got a light flush to his cheeks, but nothing overly notable in the low light. He was pleased to see the smile and felt his heart jumping in his chest. This was more than confirmation that he was making the right choice. He just hoped his feelings stayed that way. He found himself laughing when she mentioned the height difference between them.

”Well…I don’t see myself shrinking anytime soon…”[/b] He offered with a laugh. ”Personally the height difference doesn’t bother me. But I guess it is more of an inconvenience for the shorter of a pair…”[/b] Oz said, not quite sure if they really were a pair or not to be honest. It just felt like the right words and for someone like Oz who was usually so confident, charming and quick to know what to say, it felt right. That alone told him it must be right.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/color]

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•• Tag • Alison Driscoll ••
•• Words • 1041 ••
•• Outfit • CLICK ••
•• Lyrics • "This Kiss" by Faith Hill ••

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