Behind Closed Doors [Isa]

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

"Your assignment for the weekend will be to write a two page paper discussing the literary devices used in Romeo and Juliet. Class dismissed."

Oliver Winchester rose from his chair near the back of the classroom. English had never been his favorite subject in either lifetime. However, even he could recognize the irony of having to write about the works of a man who was actually teaching at the school. Up until recently, he would never have guessed that the theatre teacher at the school was actually William Shakespeare (worse came to worse he might have to seek out the man for a bit of help on his homework...then again, was that against the rules?). Then again, it was only recently that he discovered that his lab partner was almost certainly Anne Frank, that her roommates were Joan of Arc and Bonnie Parker, and that his own older sister was the first woman in America to earn a pilot's license.

That was a startling revelation if he ever saw one, and he had a feeling that it was only the beginning of this pattern.

Oliver smirked as he hiked up the stairs to the school. He considered it to be quite fitting that two historical figures associated with early aeronautics were reincarnated into the same family. Their parents, on the other hand, probably weren't pleased with the outcome. He recalled a trip to the airport with his parents to pick up a relative who was coming to visit. It would be exciting, Ed Winchester said. The kids would be so absorbed in all of the happenings around them that they would make absolutely no trouble, he said.

He was soon proven wrong by a bawling eight year old daughter who insisted that the crash wasn't her fault and a five year old son who was trying his darndest to explain the mechanics of lift in aircraft to an amused yet stunned pilot with the limited vocabulary that he had thus far obtained in this lifetime. Neither he nor Cindy could get out much, but it was enough to cause a few odd looks, and enough that Ed and Judy left Cindy and Oliver with a babysitter whenever they went to pick up grandma from the airport from that time on.

It was a bit sad, then, that Oliver could not confide in his parents this time around that he was in fact Orville Wright, and that his sister was Harriet Quimby. It would certainly explain...well, everything, but the risks of that were just too great. Ed and Judy Winchester surely realized that there was something odd about their children, but as Cindy and Oliver knew to hide it now, hopefully it would pass off as silly childhood phases.

Not that he could pass off the mechanical curiosities entirely, but the brothers thing, and the adoption thing? Pssh, he was just a curious boy! He didn't know what he was talking about.

Right.

Oliver stopped at the top of the stairs to the attic, at a locked door that he did not have the keys to. It made sense, of course, for security purposes, though he couldn't help but think it would look even odder if a normal happened to be passing by and saw him standing on the stairwell with his freshman literature book still tight in his hand. The HQ was the best place to discuss Oliver's new job as a recruiter without the risk of being overheard, not to mention a fine place to print out all of the extra red tape that dear Joan confided that he would have to receive. Red tape. Even under the radar organizations had it.

Oliver opted to sit at the top of the stairs, holding open his literature book and pretending to read it. In reality, this was just an illusion so as not to draw any suspicions to a "normal", non reincarnate that happened to be passing by. A close look would show that Oliver was actually studying blueprints for a computer, but no one would get close enough without his knowing.

Word count: 686
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: Hope it's decent. XD

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

The class bell rang, and the class was dismissed. Isabella piled her books in one arm - her shoulders were still too sore for the messenger bag she would use if she couldn't go to her dorm right away - and filed out with the others.. Any homework she had - in math, that was a bunch of questions on slope, the equations of a line and the dastardly domain and range, and in English a bunch of stuff on "Lord of the Flies". It was all going to be on hold as the small, athletic girl went up the stairs. She had stuff to do. Like teach a boy on how to recruit, and get red tape gone and dealt with, what have you. There was a fair bit, but then again, Oliver had done some recruiting before. He'd touched on it, anyhow, with the while Kimaya ordeal, which was not quite over. But the kid had some knack for spotting, or he wouldn't have picked anything up on Kimaya, who didn't seem to want to be found. Or knew she was there to be found, to start with.

But that was raw stuff. He needed to know how to get back out when he'd found that people got hostile, or weren't a reincarnate, or any number of things that could go wrong or right or...Wright...ahaha. She grinned a little to herself at that. Wright -it was a bad pun. But she couldn't help herself. She hadn't had a whole hell of a lot to grin at as of the past day or so, anyways. Things had been rough, judging by bandages, a bruise on her cheek, and well, she'd kinda flipped the last time she'd been in a the RSOR room. Accidental, but still. It had been embarrassing. If people looked up what happened to her, they looked it up and they knew. They didn't need her being a baby about some things. Like fire.

Now granted, that wasn't going to change. Fire had been her worst enemy from day one in this life. If her family went camping, Isabella was known to go nowhere near a fire. According to her dad, she'd rather feed the mosquitoes than feed herself with s'mores. Well, they could laugh all they wanted. She hated fires. It was a damn good thing for electricity, she'd tell you that much. Fireless light and heat. Well, not so much heat, but forced-air heating worked well enough. And space heaters. Fireless. At the top of the stairs she saw Oliver, waiting by the locked door.

"Because that's not like you're not obviously waiting to be let in." Isabella leaned on the wall, raising an eyebrow at the freshman. Not that anyone really passed by without being a reincarnate. Those who weren't were curious, but they weren't getting in. Too bad for them. It was better off they didn't know. They were better off as they were, without sometimes feeling like a ghost. It was weird when she thought about the fact that as a saint, people out there prayed to her; that she was a patron saint of the country she loved to the death (and still did) but had been born in Spain and lived in America. "Doing your English homework at the top of the most mysterious door in the state?" Her tone was mildly bemused as she walked over to him. "You're gonna need to get up if you want in." She added, looking behind her once before reaching into a pocket and pulling out one of the keys. The rest were stored on other assorted parts of her person, for safety's sake.

-----------
words| 654
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| I should probably get her a new thread pic for while her hiar is boy short...Wright? XD

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Oliver figured after a few minutes of studying the computer blueprints, he should actually go back to looking toward his English book every once in a while. That way, on the off chance he was questioned about what he was looking at, he could come up with some sort of believable excuse. Then again, how hard was it to get the jist of Romeo and Juliet? Two teenagers in love. Their parents didn't approve, so they decided they'd rather be together in death than alive and apart.

...quite a depressing subject, really. He would be much more content looking after the blueprints once more.

At first, Oliver wondered why he even needed to be 'tutored' on how to be a recruiter. It didn't seem so hard with Kimaya, after all. As he thought about it, though, he was really winging it (haha, winging it) with her. He'd gotten lucky, and although he seemed to have a natural talent for it he certainly didn't want to get anyone in the RSOR in trouble. He also didn't want to have the blame on him if the secrets of the RSOR were leaked out. Especially not so soon in his career in the organization.

Oliver overheard footsteps approaching, and though he appeared to be simply perusing over the book that was in his hands, he was kept glancing surreptitiously up to see who was approaching. When he saw that it was Isabella, he dropped his guard considerably. Well, that was fortunate. He hadn't really expected anything different, but he was learning that it was always good to play it safe when it came to RSOR matters.

The teen glanced up at Isabella, returning a raised eyebrow of his own. "It does, but that could be easily passed off by me trying to figure out what's up here. I'm a freshie, remember?"[/color] Yes, he did have to agree that it looked rather obvious, but at the same time, he could just pass himself off as a curious freshman. It wouldn't entirely be inaccurate, after all. He was a freshman, and he was curious. He just also happened to be one half of the duo that invented the airplane.

Oliver closed up his English book at Isabella's mention of English homework, thus also sealing the blueprints within. He would retrieve those later. There were other tasks at hand at this moment in time. "Well, you know, I figured someone had to come by eventually with the key."[/color] Oliver answered back with a small smirk. He pushed himself to his feet before Isabella even gave the command. He held his infamous English book in his left hand and let his other hand drop to his side. "You know, you're carrying a pretty heavy load too for a supposedly abandoned room..."[/color] He had to play it off, after all. Partially because this was simply the way that his relationship with Isabella seemed to be going, and partially because there was still a risk, however small, that a normal might overhear. Best to make things easier for themselves in case they did have to play it off. Sometimes it was fun playing the word games that came as a result of having to hide the RSOR. It was like a secret code, really.

Nevertheless, he wanted to quickly get inside, where they would feel much more at ease talking about the real reason why they were there.

Word count: 586
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: Wright, you probably should. XD

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

"But reading, Oliver? That's dead obvious to anyone who'd have keys in that you're here for no good." Isabella shook her head. If she found a normal freshman up here reading, she'd have either gone away of told them to get the hell away from here, if they were being annoying or saw her or something. "It's also a red flag. You seem to do well at throwing them up, how well will you catch them...we'll see about that." He would probably be decent. She didn't ask anyone to do the job, and he'd already proven himself to some extent or another.

She shifted the book in her arm as Oliver spoke again. The books were getting irritating. She could wait to put them down on a table and go about teaching. Not that she'd gone and done a lot of teaching, but she'd get the hang of it, she was sure. "Well, you're right, of course. I am carrying a lot, but then again, I don't have the right key for my dorm in my hand." She replied, just as coded, though really, anyone would piece together that they were going into that room in the attic, so if anyone passed by now, she'd have to flip them the bird, which wasn't nice at all, and somewhat out of character for her, but what could she do? She'd kill to keep RSOR. Die, it didn't matter. It was like her family, RSOR. Well, all expect for a very few. Serial killers needed to go to hell, not be reborn!

"However...I do have a key." She slipped past him to the door, and slipped it into the first of a lock. With a click, it opened, and she slipped it back into her pocket. And she wasn't done there. Of course not. She bent down , pulled a key out of her pencil case. Unlock that one, and open the indent it covered. Combo lock, open that up, and turn the latch it protected. Click. Click...Click. And once more. Then backwards. A more final click rang out, and Isabella shut then stood again to turn the doorknob. "Many keys. Sometimes I think it's overkill." She added, quite honestly. Gone were the days RSOR was five reincarnates large and held in a dorm room or shed out back. But then again, RSOR's number have always gone every which way. Right now they were at a "boom", but reportedly five years before Isabella had shown up, they were in a "bust" where there were barely more reincarnates than panel members. Go figure. God got bored with reusing souls, he made new ones for a time. Right now, he was all into recycling?

The door opened, and Isabella waved Oliver in. Once he was in, she bent down, turned the latch three more times counterclockwise, shut the combo lock and it's cover, and joined him inside RSOR hall. She reached back and shut the door behind her, and it clicked with finality. It was the sort of door where you could get out from inside, but not the other way around unless someone on the inside bothered to unlock it properly. Which really, there was no reason to, it was just the two of them. She walked down the hall, not taking in the tapestries and banner just now. Flags hung, mottos were present - Isabella herself had made her own standard that now hung from the sloped eaves, a symbol to her past life. The door at the end of the hall was even better locked, and Isabella put her books down for this one. She took off one off her runners, after giving a wry smile to Oliver, and pulled out a key from her shoe. It went into the first of the locks, which was just in her reach. She put her shoe back on before pulling a second key from just under her shirt, on a chain. No, she really wasn't going to reach down her chest with a boy beside her. The same key she had before went into a third lock, and then she moved to the little keypad beside her.

"And if you haven't thought it was overkill before, Orville..." She muttered, poking in "lapucelle" and then a number. The door clicked open. "Now you know it is." She opened the door, picked up her books, and entered. The room was large, and had table,s chiars, a long table and six chairs nearest them, where the Abel sometimes sat to address people. A TV, sofas, beanbags, a computer or two in the corner...a right clubhouse, microwave and fridge included, for use on movie night and the like. There was a small nook with a sink in it, too. Funny she didn't get water splashed on her when...but she really, really didn't want to go there just now. She put her books down on the nearest table, and stretched a little. "Okay, you." Isabella began. "Time to learn something. Now, you know a lot of stuff...so. Tell me, what sort of things might a reincarnate display to suggest that they are a reincarnate?"

------
words| 947
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| Whoa big post.

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Oliver was starting to learn the tricks and methods that the RSOR used, and the dos and do nots of being a member. Making blatant references was not such a good idea, while sly references were a plus, and could sometimes result in gold. He'd lived life before, yes, but perhaps he didn't know all of his tricks. He somehow doubted that any one person ever would, no matter how many lifetimes they lived and remembered. After all, reincarnation was a new trick that life had thrown at them, and he doubted that anyone, even the principal, knew the full dynamics behind reincarnation.

The young man watched in silence as Isabella inserted a key into the doorknob. He knew better than to assume that this was the only step that would be taken. After all, he'd peered over Isabella's shoulder as she accessed the RSOR website to print out his forms for acceptance. He expected the RSOR room to be under similar lock and key.

"Well, I guess better safe than sorry?"[/color] The words sounded strange coming from Oliver's mouth. He'd never been one to follow those rules in his own life (well, lives). However, his attitude had always been a little different when it came to other people. Without these safeguards, who knew what might happen to some of the members? Like Bonnie and Clyde, for example. He'd never met Clyde, but Bonnie...he had mixed feelings toward the girl. Sometimes he just wanted to shake his head in disgust, such as the time that she mentioned that she practically idolized Charles Manson. However, she'd also remained by Joan's side along with him during a particularly poignant episode in the RSOR. He didn't particularly like her that much, but he had to offer a grudging respect toward the girl. Criminal or not, she had some redeeming qualities.

Oliver chuckled at Joan's comment at the other end of the hall. "Eh, could be worse. Didn't ask for fingerprints or retina scans, after all. Or blood."[/color] Blood was added as an afterthought. Really, if it came to that, he preferred fingerprints and/or retina scans. Pricking his finger just so that he could obtain access to the RSOR HQ would really seem like overkill.

His whole body seemed to relax as the two of them entered the official 'clubhouse'. Here, they were free to do what they wanted, to refer to themselves in the past tense with no qualms about being overheard. Here she could call him Orville, and he could call her Joan.

And here, she could start in on him right away. He had barely taken his perch on one of the chairs when she hit him with her first question. Tough teacher.

"You mean, for instance, something like correcting a textbook in the middle of the library?"[/color] Oliver remarked with a small smirk, obviously poking fun at his own discovery by Isabella/Joan. He hated tense moments, and was going to try his best to insert a bit of humor into this. He crossed his legs and leaned back slightly as he took a more serious approach. "They might make references to things that no ordinary teenager would know about. They also might display an odd knowledge or aptitude for something."[/color] Of course, there was much more to it than even that, but Oliver decided to stop there. He didn't want to get too far ahead of himself. He figured that three examples was enough to show that he at least had some idea of what he was talking about.



Word count: 603
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: Good ideas with all of the locks and keys, lol.

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Key after key after key. Isabella had grown used to the routine - ever since being voted into the panel, she'd devised her own places to hide the keys, memorized the turns and locks, and for good reason. Really though, if a normal was scary determined, they'd crack the secret of RSOR. They might have been the world's most notable, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be beaten, by any means. New leaders emerged every day, and once or twice Isabella had to wonder that when she was old (since hopefully she'd live past nineteen this go around), that if some of the older people who made the news and Nobel Prizes and such today would be the reincarnates seventy years from now. Or maybe six hundred years from now, if some reincarnates were any indicator. Maybe a thousand, even. "Safe over sorry, yes. With this, yes." Isabella agreed, caught up in her locks and such to speak that much.

Once inside, she had to laugh at the fingerprint can comment. "Funny you should mention that. Edison is working on a fingerprint scan for the door to HQ, and then we'd move the little keypad outside the first door. It's not like we can exactly buy decent ones without arising suspicion, so most resident scientists are working with him on it." Isabella hoisted herself into one of the tables by her books, swinging her legs. She was considerably more at ease here than she was in other places, and it only went without saying. Here was a fragment of home. A place where time didn't really matter when it came to history, and a place where conventional rules of reality - at least, in the sense of life-after-death - did not apply.

She questioned him right away and right away he came up with answers, which was good. He brought up his own recruitment first, which made perfect sense. So did each of the thing he mentioned. "Okay, you've got a grasp on a few things. But there's more. So they're mechanically gifted, giving you as an example, or they may display military finesse and skill where it doesn't make sense. I hardly look like a marine, and here I am. That one's somewhat common, the further back in time you go as far as reincarnates are concerned." If anyone had a xbox, they probably knew full well the havoc Isabella would wreak on any first person shooter or strategy game, playing online under her name she'd fought a war behind - La Pucelle. A reference? Yes, but only if you knew french and were very, very well acquainted with the battle tactics of said maid, and really? She'd change it if it got dangerous, but she doubted it ever would.

"What else...here's how I got in. Fear. A stupid candle. Nothing any normal girl would have reason to be afraid of, unless it was a very traumatic thing. So unnatural or extreme fears of things is another indicator. It usually marks how someone died, too, which can help zone in on time period. They thought I might have been from the Inquisition, for example, before they realized I was medieval. So not quite always accurate, but you get the idea." The story of her own recruitment was oddly related to his own. Not in any other way then literally. It had been his sister who had had found her, so literal relation. Nothing else. "Skills are a good one all around, athleticism, or artistic skills, or speaking in a dead language. I ought to teach you how to recognise Latin, on that point, since randomly blurting out Latin can be an indication, but I'm not fluent. However, I know a girl who is." Isabella hoped off the desk, walking aimlessly around near where Orville sat. She just wanted to move as she spoke, that was all. "Of course, you can probably guess there are littler triggers, but those aren't always so accurate unless you can add up more than one. Helps if you have a person from the past who you think could be it, too. And then there are always times where you might misstep."

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words| 765
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| I think this post of mine is lame. -.- I sorry.

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Oliver chuckled as the subject of the fingerprint scanner came up. Really, it shouldn't have surprised him that other members of the RSOR were already trying to devise a way to put more safeguards into action. This one, however, he could say that he wanted in on. It was a mechanical challenge, and one that he definitely wanted to step up to. It had been a while since he worked on an in depth project, and he was starting to grow a bit frustrated as a result.

"You think he might need any more help?"[/color] Oliver was hardly able to contain the excitement in his voice. He did not want to get his hopes up too high, but it was hard to contain himself, especially as he'd been doing so much of it lately. His only outlet in front of 'normals' was paper airplanes. Paper airplanes. They were fun, yes, but rather simple in nature, and there was only so much you could do with paper airplanes. This fingerprint scanner would be a real mechanical challenge, and he would be able to work with similarly minded people on the project. What could be better?

Well, perhaps having Wilbur back.

Of course, Oliver expected that Isabella would have more to add. He'd left it open-ended for a reason, after all. She expanded a bit upon his suggestions, throwing out a few examples. Oliver nodded, taking all of this in.

Then Isabella mentioned how she'd wound up recruited for the RSOR. "A candle?"[/color] His eyebrow arched up a little. What a way to be discovered. It was not that unbelievable, really, though he had to imagine it was a bit humiliating for Isabella. Little did he know that his own older sister in this lifetime was the one who caught Isabella. Oddly, though, this mention drew him back to his sister. Now that he knew who Cindy was, it was easy to draw such conclusions. "Kind of like Cindy and her fear of flying."[/color] He felt tempted to mention the two moments that stood out in his mind as signs (signs he'd completely missed at the time, but signs nonetheless) that Cindy was not as normal as she pretended to be either. However, he decided against it. That would be violating his sister's privacy, and he didn't want to do that - Especially in front of what seemed to be a mutual friend, if his conversation with Cindy at the museum was any indication.

At the mention of Latin, Oliver gave a light shrug. "I know a bit of Latin. Latin was still taught in schools when I first went. I don't know that I'd be able to tell you what exactly is being said, but I'd hopefully be able to recognize it."[/color] Then again, he wasn't so entirely sure. Latin was the root for many languages that were in use today. That might offer a source of confusion. Perhaps he'd better take Isabella up on her lessons after all. "Lessons might help, though."[/color] Oliver added. He was tempted to ask who the girl fluent in Latin was, but stopped himself. He had the strong feeling that Isabella would not tell him anyway - She seemed to respect the privacy of fellow RSOR members, much as he respected Cindy's privacy. He did want the subject of Cindy to be broached, however - He wanted Isabella to know that he'd figured out the identity of the plane crash victim, and that said person had been right under his nose the entire time.

"What do you do when you misstep?"[/color] Another question lingered on the tip of his tongue - Have you ever misstepped? He did not dare ask, however. It wasn't pertinent to the conversation at hand, and he did not want to put Isabella on the defensive if he did not have to. Joan of Arc wasn't exactly known for being one of the most docile girls in history, after all.

Word count: 640
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: Haha. XD

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

When Isabella heard him ask about the fingerprint scanner, the sheer excitement in his voice made her laugh. She'd never been much for overly mechanical things, and maybe that was just something of her past life. Simple things were nice, and religion was strong in her, unlike with most teens. Then again, most teen weren't canonized. "He might, inventor man. I'll ask him about it when I next see him, he's on the panel as well." She didn't know how cagey Edison was about partners or having any, but she didn't think he would refuse another inventor. Not any RSOR inventor, anyhow, since all of them had game-changing gadgets to their names. He might need help, and the fact Oliver was a freshman would mean someone who knew about the thing (since Isabella was not that technically inclined) around long after he graduated would be a good thing.

They entered the room an so the lesson began. Isabella, being one of the few who had been spotted by fear, used herself as an example. "Yes." Joan of Arc admitted. "A freaking candle, and I could barely hold the thing. I was practically in tears. Over a candle." Her voice was dry. "Safe to say, that didn't exactly seem normal, and safe to say I was embarrassed as hell to be picked out that way. But such is death." Life had not instilled a fear in her. Death had. But it had also instilled a courage in her. She feared only the means by which she had died last time, but did not fear death itself. Any way she went now, it would be better. And she'd like to think at least a little more consensual or sudden. Anything was better than the first time going, she had long ago decided. She'd die that way all over again, if God wanted it to be so, but she dearly hoped not. She pointed out Cindy, and Isabella nodded. "Yeah, like that. Funny you should mention Cindy, actually." Joan said with a bit of a laugh. "The stories this place has seen..." The teen mused, looking around the rafters. It looked almost like any other clubhouse on the surface, but open a cupboard and you might find a popcorn maker - or a stash of medieval weapons so people could spar. You might think your resident nutcase was, well, a nutcase, but your resident nutcase was not a prolific serial killer.

"But that can almost mean more work for you." Isabella took off from her tangent, bringing it back to a pertinent point. If he asked what she had meant about Cindy, she might - or might not - tell him, depending about how much he knew about his own sister and her secrets. She had no intentions of saying anything until Cindy told him what was going on; he may still not know if his sister was another great aviator.

And he may not know a whole ton of Latin anymore. Well, neither did she. But it was spoken a lot more in her day than in his. She could recognise it, if not speak it. But there was a reincarnate who was fluent. Maybe she ought to get some lessons, too... "Just so long as you can recognize it. You don't want to ask someone why they're speaking Latin when they're garbling in Swahili because I can promise you, that will not, and could not possibly, go well. I might brush on it myself, if she even agrees to it. As for missteps..." Isabella raised an eyebrow, eyeing Orville Wright with suspicion. Was he going to ask if she'd messed up? "Well, what you're meant to do is find the most graceful way to back out. I guess the key to backing out is how you went in. Notice when I recruited you I put the fact I was a reincarnation and who I was before I even mentioned our lovely little society? That's a key thing. If you bring up RSOR before anything else, and you misjudged, you may have risked or blown more than just a recruitment. Provided you haven't gotten to "I am so and so" you can probably change the conversation's tune. Don't just walk away, or you'll keep them thinking about what you may have meant. If you did more...well, things get sticky. I've never been into such a situation, mind, but you can imagine."

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words| 822
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| Nupe.

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Oliver decided to let the subject of the fingerprint scanner drop for the moment, although the idea was still ever present in his mind. He hoped that Edison would agree to at least a bit of assistance. It was just the sort of outlet that he was looking for. The RSOR was good for that. He still hoped that he would hear back soon, and would remain on the edge of his seat in anticipation.

The freshman was unsure what to say about Joan's admittance. It made perfect sense, considering her death, but such a profound fear of fire was not something one normally saw in a high school student. Neither was speaking in dead languages or correcting a textbook on early aeronautics, however. The entire reason reincarnates were picked out was owing to them doing something that seemed off for normal teenagers. It could be something small, like Kimaya's offhand comments in class (Oliver still considered himself lucky for following that hunch), or something blatantly obvious...like his own discovery. He still felt a bit sheepish about that one.

At least Joan had the decency not to bring that one up again.

The subject of Cindy came back up, and a grin swept across Oliver's face. "Well, I think it's rather fitting, don't you? Considering she's a reincarnate herself."[/color] There, now it was out in the open. It still felt a bit odd, to realize that his older sister was indeed a famous aviator herself, but somehow it seemed only fitting. "I assume she was our plane crash death, unless there's another one?"[/color] Amelia Earhart's fate was up in the air - no pun intended - though she could very well be a plane crash victim as well. However, Joan's voice had sounded certain when they discussed the issue previously on the phone. He was nearly positive that Joan of Arc had not been referring to Amelia, but rather to his sister.

He did not realize the added irony that Cindy had been the one to spot Isabella with the candle, and thus play a part in the girl before him's own recruitment. It was funny how things worked out that way.

Oliver wasn't so sure that he could recognize it. He was hesitant to admit it at first, but when Joan made her own remark, he felt safe adding his own viewpoint on the matter. "Brushing up might not be a bad idea."[/color] He could only imagine how awkward it would be to confront someone about their jabbering away in Latin only to discover that they were simply communicating in Spanish or what have you. Some of the words were similar, after all.

He wasn't entirely sure that he liked the way that she was raising his eyebrow at him. So he raised one in return. However, she continued on with more useful information that he definitely wished to commit to memory. This had been a worry of his during his recruitment of Kimaya. It seemed as though Kimaya's recruitment was moving along well, but what would he have done if he found himself in hot water without any way to back out? Fortunately he was good at playing things off, because there were a few close calls that day on the grounds.

"With Maya I just tried to drop hints, while digging around for some information that I could use. I think it went pretty well," he indicated, with some pride in his voice, "but there were a few moments where she had me in a bit of a panic. That coin toss comment I would have never expected her to get."[/color] It was such an offhand comment, after all, but she traced it right back to where he was referencing it.

"At least you have God helping you out sometimes. The rest of us just have to go on our instincts."[/color] Oliver teased, as was common when he felt a bit uncomfortable. And yes, the idea of screwing up and blowing his duties was a bit nervewracking. Who could blame him?

Word count: 664
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: That and I just like having him make offhand comments, because it's fun seeing them tease each other. XD

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

Sometimes when a reincarnate exposed themselves, it could be embarrassing. Certainly she fell under that category. Other times, it was obvious - like Orville's, or a long, drawn out situation, like with Kimaya. "It's is a funny you mention Cindy, and more just fitting in that she's Harriet Quimby and you had no idea." Isabella recalled with a smile. If her hair had been longer, she would have tucked a strand of it behind her ear, but she settled for looking down with a smile. "She, funnily enough, was the one who discovered me. And I ended up discovering you. Go figure, huh?" She asked, looking over at him again, before at the empty clubhouse. "She's the plane crash death I mentioned, yes. As for Earhart, you'll have to ask her when you see her. It's a much better story coming from her." ((-since I need to leave that to whoever takes her XD-)) Isabella promised. "Much better than told from a girl who knows nothing of flying machinery." It was always better to hear the stories from the reincarnations themselves, though sometimes they did exaggerate things, it just made the story that much more. It wasn't the same hearing a story from a textbook, or even from the mouth of a different reincarnation if you could help it.

Isabella nodded that the comment about brushing up in Latin. If he did, all the more power to him. She, herself, was in no danger of mistaking something like her native tongue for Latin, or French, but you just never knew. She'd recognised it with Chess, at least. He raised an eyebrow to her own when she eyed him, wondering if he was going to ask about any mishap she might have made. But then she grinned, somewhat devilishly when Orville called Kimaya "Maya". The girl stood in stark contrast with innocent brown eyes. "Maya? Maya, Orville? Really? Some one's in love, I think." Isabella giggled, picking on him once more. It was by no means the first time she'd laughed at his crush on her roommate, and would never be the last time, either. She couldn't help her giggle, amused deeply by this. It wasn't the sort of thing Bonnie had for Clyde, it was just...two freshman and one of them had a crush, which just made it cute. "The question is, does she like you back?" Being in the said girl's dorm, and connected to not just Oliver but his sister, Isabella would probably be able to see this whole thing unfold. She wouldn't pry, but she would watch, and tease Oliver mercilessly about it. Oh, sometimes she was just a devil in a saint's form. The modernization had made the once extremely religious Joan still, well, extremely religious, but a little more open to things. For example, if someone had tried to tell her that the world was round in the past life, she would have smacked them upside of the head for such a stupid comment. But obviously...the world was round. "You sure that panic wasn't just butterflies, Romeo?" She added, looking innocent all over again, for all of thirty seconds before another gigglefit.

Once she regained her composure, and had moved from giggly teenage girl to Joan of Arc who was now business, she spoke again. "Voices are helpful, sometimes, but more often than anything I'm running around Riverdale at odd hours looking like I've got a sixth sense." The school year had just begun, he would see soon that her 'hunches' took priority over, well, everything. "But see, those moments of panic - at least that's what I know you're going to insist it is, not butterflies - are exactly what we don't want. Not the one. I'm going to have to teach you how to properly control a conversation You couldn't seize this one and play what words I'm going to say if I were trying to get around you, and that's an issue, because people will say - and do - many things to take the heat off them, sometimes."

----------
words| 766
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| There you go, O speedy typer. XD Isa's merciless, innit she?

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Oliver let out a sigh as Joan capitalized on the fact that he had not figured out who Cindy was sooner. "I really should have known. I mean, there were hints all over the place."[/color] He felt as though he should have been paying closer attention, rather than jumping to the assumption that he'd done something stupid in telling her that he was Orville Wright. Granted, he probably could have gone about that in a better way as well, but reincarnation was an entirely new concept to him. In his excitement, he'd run home to tell his sister about his groundbreaking discovery, and, judging by her initial reaction, it had backfired in his face.

Oliver was left to wonder what had really gone through Cindy's head when he admitted who he was. She'd already known who she was at this time as well. It still seemed as though it would have been a perfect moment for Cindy to come forward with her own identity, especially as their parents had not been home at the time, but Oliver was through with questioning Cindy's motives. He'd already done it once before, with results that made him feel incredibly guilty.

The next words out of Isa's mouth caused Oliver to sit up with a jolt. "Really? She's the one who discovered you?"[/color] Oliver was grinning from ear to ear at this point. What an interesting twist of fate! Winchester sibling one figures out that Isabella is Joan of Arc. Isabella then discovers that Winchester sibling two is a reincarnate as well. "How bizarre is that?"[/color] Oliver was highly amused with this.

"I still have yet to meet her, but I'll be sure to ask her that at some point. After we do a bit of catching up, of course."[/color] It wasn't as though Orville Wright and Amelia Earhart had been good friends or anything the first time around, but he'd met the woman a few times, had attended a few events with her, and therefore there was a bit of catching up to do. Not to mention they were two early aviators, automatically giving them something in common otherwise.

Oliver's smile quickly turned into another arched brow as Isabella set in on the teasing. "Really, you're going to get me for that? It's just a nickname, like Joanie or Isa or Orv or Oli."[/color] The slightest of blushes appeared on Oliver's cheeks after he mentioned the word 'Oli'. Yes, it was the nickname that Kimaya had given him. He really did not have that much experience with girls in either life. He had quite the romance with a friend of his younger sister's, but that never panned out. Perhaps he'd played a few too many practical jokes on her. Hopefully Kimaya would have a better sense of humor.

Of course, Isabella did not let up. He chose to ignore Isabella's question on if Kimaya liked him back...for if he said anything in response, he'd only be admitting that he did have a bit of a crush on her. And why on Earth would he give Isabella more cannon fodder?

Oliver snorted at her butterflies comment. "Pretty sure my making that coin toss comment and her attributing it to the Wright Brothers cause more panic than butterflies, but thanks for playing."[/color] Oliver shook his head, willing to take Isabella's teasing in stride. However, the gears in his mind were turning as he tried to think of a way to turn it back on her.

"Well, at least you don't run around seeing dead people."[/color] Oliver realized his wording mistake, and let out a snicker. "Well, not dead people who aren't living again, I mean."[/color]

The conversation quickly turned back to a realm of seriousness, and Oliver quickly found his way back into the groove. He could be serious when he needed to be, and this was definitely one of those occasions where he deemed it necessary. It could be life or death, after all, for some RSOR members. "Well, I could try to play by ear again, but I would feel more confident with a few more pointers, and so, I'm sure, would the rest of the RSOR."[/color]

Word count: 748
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: So tempting... XD

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

"Well, it's also something on her for not pointing that out sooner, but yes. See, this is how you can miss a reincarnate. Not many get past us, but there probably were a few, and that's why you need a lesson, natural knack or IQ of a fork, or whatever the case might be." Isabella pointed out simply, quick to turn her own little comment into a lesson. Okay, so, it was somewhat funny; she was smiling after all, but it was just an example of what could be. Firsthand examples were always better than stories. Sibling reincarnations themselves - as in, a similar situation of Cindy and Oliver, well, she hadn't found one yet. There was a normal freshman and his cousin, a reincarnate, but two siblings with old souls? She couldn't recall a case. Her own brothers were most certainly not reincarnated. Rico might be a bit young to say, at only six, but Felipe, who was all of ten, just didn't fit any criteria. She wasn't sure she was glad about this or not.

She laughed at Oliver's response when she mentioned Cindy picking her out, and nodded. "Yes, she did. And here I am, a year later, picking out you. Bizarre is just how some things are meant to be." It did not make them any less unusual, or strange, but she could speak for the fact that sometimes out of the ordinary was just what the doctor ordered. France might have been a very different place if she hadn't shown up, and she went under the category of a bizarre turn of events. She also had to smile at Oliver's next words. "Yeah, do a bit of catching up first...not an ideal conversation starter, asking how one died." Some reincarnates got offended by that, and she couldn't entirely blame them. Joan was kinda used to it herself, she got questions about it; it was one of the more common things associated with her, after all. But that moderately morbid topic was left behind with one that amused not the commander part of Joan of Arc, but the teenage girl bit of her.

And he went pink! Isabella's smile got a little more confident. "Oli, hmmm?" She asked. "Did Kimaya coin that one? I don't think you'd go pink if she didn't." She teased. Hey, yes, she was a saint, yes, she was a tactical mind, but that did not mean she couldn't tease. She'd done it to her elder brothers, so, so long ago. And her sister, to a lesser extent, as she had died when Joan had been young. She'd been teased back, anyhow, for going to Church so much. "Nicknames have meaning, you know. The fact I'm thinking Kimaya gave that to you makes it cute." Of course, he ignored her other comments, but if she wanted, she could have used the silence as more canon fodder...but she relented a little, and went on.

"I say it was butterflies. Don't worry, though..inventing the airplane is impressive enough. Even if there was panic in there, well, that's what you're here to work out. Now, was it panic and might you actually be blundering about or butterflies or both?" Either way he went, Isabella was pretty confident that she'd caught him there. And he'd caught himself with his next words, too. Seeing dead people indeed! Isabella had to laugh. She saw dead people quite routinely. In fact, they were both dead people, in their own, unexplainable way.

The conversation went back to the reason they were here, and Isabella shook her head. "Playing it by ear is not seizing a conversation. You have to be able to pick out how to control a situation, and you have to do it without them knowing it. You have to be able too..." Isabella gestured with her hands, unable to find the English words. "Know English," She muttered, then found something close enough, "Ebb and flow with the way of things. Let us simulate." She sat down on the sofa beside Oliver, looking him dead in the eyes. "You just caught me doing or saying something that suggest I am a reincarnation, but you do not know for sure. You don't know who I am, and it's nothing so obvious as what you or I did to get in. But I don't want you to know anything, I am on defence. So. Have at it." She was going to find a way to make this very awkward, with her perfectly straight face. Chess and her own recruitment was in her mind...now that had been awkward. Now, the trouble was, Isabella did not know how to hit on a person, even in simulation. She'd probably have to say something cheesy or get close or something and not laugh at whatever facial expression resulted.

---------------
words| 896
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| This is gonna get amusing. XD

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

Oliver mulled over what Joan was saying. Yes, part of the onus was on Cindy for not mentioning it sooner. Cindy had provided an adequate explanation, but he still wished she had done things differently. Yes, she'd had a hard time thinking about a way to tell him. Wouldn't it have been much easier, however, to tell him from the start? It would have resulted in Oliver not blowing up at her, and Cindy likely not dissolving into tears as her brother demanded an explanation as to why she'd kept something that important from him for two years.

He tried not to dwell on this, however.

"I would have to agree with that."[/color] Bizarre that Joan was discovered by Cindy and that Oliver was discovered by Joan. Odd that Harriet Quimby and Orville Wright were reincarnated as siblings. Oddities seemed to be a way of life at Riverdale, and Oliver wasn't sure if he'd ever get truly used to it. And to think, he had nearly four more years of this!

Oliver scoffed playfully at Joan's next words. "I can certainly see where that might be a bit awkward. 'Hey Amelia, haven't seen you in decades. I was just wondering, and I figured you of all people would know the answer...how did you die, anyway?'".[/color] At this point he let out a laugh, clearly amused at the mental picture that ensued. Somehow he could picture himself being slapped, if Amelia was anything like she was before.

"Nah, I don't know if I'd even bring that up during the first meeting with her."[/color] If the subject came to it, perhaps, but not out of the blue. Any reincarnate knew that deaths weren't something to be taken lightly.

Oliver let out an audible sigh as Isabella started in on him again. He couldn't fault her, really - He'd do the same in her shoes. He could be a merciless tease at times. However, it was quite frustrating to have the tables turned back on him. Panic or butterflies, he'd almost given himself away prematurely, and that was something that bothered him. Fortunately his instincts about Kimaya seemed to be true.

He could play word games, but he clearly needed to become quite skilled at them to succeed as a recruiter for the RSOR. Oliver chuckled at Isabella's comment as she struggled for English words. "Yes, knowing English helps."[/color]

Next thing he knew, she was instructing him to act out what he would do if he caught Isabella and was trying to recruit her. This one would be tough, but he was going to take on the challenge. He met Joan of Arc's eyes at once as he tried to think of how to start off.

"Hey, I noticed you were having a hard time with that candle. Need a little help there?"[/color] He decided to go with Isabella's actual recruitment, as it would be easier than simulating an unknown quantity. Plus, he knew exactly how Isabella was recruited, if not all the details. It was too bad he hadn't asked Cindy for advice before coming to this meeting. Oh well, no turning back now. He was going to start off slowly, and work his way up. It seemed like the best option.

Word count: 568
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: Waaaaaait. She's not going to hit on him, is she?

[Isabella Jillian Avadore]

When Oliver didn't go on with the Cindy thing, Isabella didn't bother with it anymore. She hoped the two of them would work around it it whatever siblings did in such bizarre circumstances, since she really didn't want to be stuck in the middle for having recruited Oliver without Cindy knowing about it before it happened. She liked both of the Winchester siblings, after all, and it would be a shame to see two great aviators not get along over something that was (in the society that the school harboured, at least) a minor issue of timing.

Wasn't that just the thing about RSOR? It was a minor issue of timing. "You'll get used to it." Isabella said with a smile. Moreso if he was a recruiter to be, he'd have to get used to dealing with everyone, and he better love the history channel, because the more he knew about history the better a chance he'd stand. "To some degree, at least. Some people will always throw you off, but you've got to work around that."

At Oliver's next words, she smiled and shook her head. Oliver would be in for a slapping, most probably, if he opened a conversation like that around Earhart. Now, obviously, Joan hadn't known Earhart - or any of the current reincarnates that she knew of - in her past life, but she sure knew the other panel member, and that girl was a spitfire. Given what she did, it could only be expected. "Yeah...don't bring that up in the first conversation you have. Some of us are more tolerant of it than others, but it's like -if you pardon the irony - throwing yourself into a fire. You'll end up burned. Or slapped." Oliver had a thing for throwing out fire jokes and Joan of Arc did not take kindly to them. If she put fire into the equation, it could be used, but sparingly, Goddamit! Bullets, heart attacks, suicide, sickness....Isa would trade any death over her own. Any death - and she was dead serious about that, if you'd pardon the pun.

Puns. Haha. Puns and wording. Isabella struggled for the English to descrive the ebb and flow - the...waves (for she alluded a conversation to tides and water in her mind) of the conversation and couldn't really put that into words. "Oui, Bien que l'anglais ait tant de mots, en les changeant quelquefois n'est pas si facile que cela peut sembler." That was, although English has so much words, sometimes changing them is not so easy as it can seem. She only smiled though, offering no translation. That in itself should make a point to him - sometimes controlling a language was easy, and other times it was hard, and he'd have to be able to manipulate the situation, even if someone was speaking in a language he couldn't begin to understand off the bat.

Of course, there were other things that happened, too, like getting hit on that made the whole thing either difficult, weird, or distracting. In her case - or her and Oliver's - it was going to be really weird. Firstly, she was a saint, and secondly, she had no idea how to hit on anyone. There was an air of mischief in her eyes as the scenario began, her only warning that she'd pull a curve ball, and his only chance to prepare. He met her eyes, so she figured it was fair game. The trouble was, did Isabella even have the guts? Joan of Arc pulled an arrow out of her shoulder, took a crossbow bolt to the thigh and even a hit to the head with a stone ball (though she'd worn a helmet that day, it had made her see stars) and kept on marching. But this? Ohboy...the things she did for RSOR.

Oliver went with her own recruiting, which Isabella figured was fair enough. "Anything goes..." She muttered, mostly to steel herself about this. God almighty. She'd just pretend it was Chaz, and they were doing that stupid Romeo and Juliet skit they had to do last year. That had gotten people talking, unfortunately, mainly Cindy. She fell back into the character she'd devised, and pulled an obviously "oh, nothing, I'm not hiding anything" smile that well conveyed the point she was hiding something. "Oh no, cutie, I'm...I'm fine...I just...whooo, bad d-day." That had been her excuse to Cindy at first, since after all, the junior candle bearer could not trade with the freshman one anyways. Her next words took a moment. God, this was so awkward! God, she had to stop saying God! She'd have thwacked herself with her own sword six hundred years ago for cursing this much! She could just avoid it, and throw him another curve ball; there were plenty more tactics, like the one she employed to keep herself secret; verbal twisting and turning, or what Saladin was rumoured to have done, which was getting somewhat aggressive. However, given the scenario, she couldn't start getting aggressive. Think Romeo and Juliet. It was in the script. Just the script. The freaking script! No, no, that was bad language. In the script...how the...no, bad Jehanne, how did Bonnie do this sort of thing routinely, she'd never know. "Everyone h-as days where they flip out, r-right?" Okay, so she hadn't exactly done any hitting on, but this was making things just as painful as it someone had a blowtorch pointed at her head.

--------------
words| 1011 - 'cause Isa can't spit out pick up lines yet, apparently. xD
tagged| Oliver / Mandee
notes| Not awkward yet...but hm.... >D

[Oliver Lee Winchester]

It wasn't that Oliver didn't want to talk about Cindy, it was that he didn't know what to say. The issue was still a fresh one, and though he and Cindy were picking up the pieces and getting back to normal, there was still an awkwardness between them. Regardless of when or where Cindy told him it would have been awkward, really, but he still thought it would have been less awkward for both of them if she'd brought it up when he originally confessed who he was to her.

"Of course some people will throw me off. That's just...a given."[/color] Oliver had never been all that horrible with one on one conversations, although when it came to high pressure situations he did get a bit nervous at times. Crowds were his major issue, and he didn't think he'd have to deal with too many of those in recruiting. Thank goodness.

"I'm not that stupid. I knew her before. Not that well, but I knew her. And I know she wouldn't go for that."[/color] Oliver shook his head. Maybe later on, when and if they got to know each other well this time around.

"By the way, you yell at me for making fire jokes, yet you can make jokes of your own? That's hardly fair."[/color] Oliver remarked, though only somewhat serious about the whole thing. He'd never had a problem with fire, so it was still a bit hard for him to understand that fire was an absolute no-no around Joan. In fact, as Orville, he had nearly set the fence to their house on fire when he was six. And as Oliver...well, he'd almost burned down Riverdale High with a computer. No big deal.

The teen arched an eyebrow as Joan started blathering away in French. He had absolutely no idea what she was saying, which made him feel just a touch uncomfortable. She might be quoting Shakespeare or insulting him for all that he knew. He frowned as no English words followed, though he did not press the subject either, for the time had come for a training session.

The words 'anything goes' sounded rather ominous, and thus Oliver tried to steel himself. He knew that Isabella would likely try to throw him for a loop, though he did not know how yet. This made it difficult to prepare, but he would try his best. At the very least, he could try to squander his nerves.

Then came the smile, and Oliver could tell that they were play acting once more. Well, Isabella was at least. He just had to try to pass the test.

Cutie? Had she just called him cutie? It took everything that he had not to start laughing at this, as it sounded so odd coming from Joan's mouth! He had to remember that she was playing a role, and that if this were a real girl calling him cutie, it wouldn't do him very good to laugh at her.

"Oh man, I know the feeling. New school and all. Sure you don't need help with that candle?"[/color] To Oliver, it seemed like the best course of action would be to maintain small talk while trying to push the conversation toward the subject at hand. Obviously, he could not just start bombarding her with questions, as tempting as it was. He had to remember that he was pretending to recruit a girl that had no idea about RSOR, or that there were other reincarnations present.

Kind of like Kimaya.

Oliver tried to push this similarity (and distraction) out of his head as Isa spoke once more. "Of course. Happens to everyone, especially when starting off at a school like this."[/color] One unfortunate habit of Oliver's was that he was impatient. He would have to get over this in order to become a careful recruiter. As it was, he was managing to control his inquiries now, but he was already anxious to get this show on the road. He had to make sure he did everything right, however. Otherwise, if he made a mistake, he could risk blowing a lot more than just his own reputation.

No pressure at all.

Word count: 725
To: Isa/Dante
Notes: Guy's making it harder on himself right now than she's making it for him. XD