Is This Your Spoon?

[Anonymous]

"N-no!" Oliver said, his hand falling from his neck. "I..."

The words faltered, caught in his throat. It was by luck his eyes caught sight of a large digital clock on the far wall. Oliver stood up, flinching as he hit his knees against the undersize of the table, and inching forward the tray of food he didn't touch. The time had gone by so fast!

"I g-gotta go." He stuttered out, "S-sorry."

[Anonymous]

"Oh, sure! Bye! It was really nice meeting you!" Eli gave a smile and a wave. He had to get going too, but he was much more collected as he cleaned up his tray and headed off to class.

It wasn't until a few days later that he got to run into Oliver again. He was heading down the halls by the dorms when he caught sight of bright red hair and he jogged over, catching the nervous candidate just as he opened his door, "Hey! Oliver! What's up! How have you been doing? Still got all that rough energy, huh?"

[Anonymous]

The days were feeling shorter at the ATC, the routine of getting up far behind the regular hours of the average denizen of Aedolis was starting to be less and less of a big deal. For anyone who wanders into the mind of Oliver, they would find something like that gathering of logic to be a significant finding. Except himself. Quicker to TRIM, Oliver would say and be on his way down a corridor with shoulders slumped. Down those same hallways he would then look for the taller, albeit younger, stage three candidate he encountered by chance in the lunchroom days ago. And be left with nothing but disappointment.

Which is why when he heard Eli's voice behind him, his nervous instinct was to kick the door of his dorm room closed with his foot as he gripped the doorhandle until his knuckles turned pale.

"E-Eli!" He said, his eyes wide. "Huh, what? U-uh, I g-guess so."

[Anonymous]

Eli concentrated a moment, switching his power on. It was pretty easy and Oliver seemed to find it useful before, "Aw, that's too bad. You really should do some cleansing you know. And start thinking some positive thoughts. Negative only attracts negative."

The fact Oliver slammed his door startled Eli a little, but he didn't comment. Obviously Oliver was private and Eli wouldn't try to invade his safe space.

[Anonymous]

Oliver could tell when Eli flipped on his ability; the sweet sense of relief that came with knowing that no the world wasn't going to end just because he put the wrong socks on his feet that morning. He hadn't seen his mentor, Sabela, to ask if his own powers could be related to why he was kept up at night on many occasions. Among other things. With the cause and effect, or the "Eli Effect", working the way it does, he only needed a confirmation to actually believe it and that it wasn't some placebo.

"I-I've been trying..." He said. The only sort of cleansing he knew of was the kind that left his mother locked in the bathroom every other month. "The ATC...Really doesn't promote it. I guess."

[Anonymous]

"See, ya gotta just find your own positive energy and just take it with you. Clear yourself a good spot and just, center yourself there. Release the bad stuff into the world and take the good stuff in." Eli gave Oliver a bright smile, "Helps keep the balance, ya know?"

[Anonymous]

He really had no idea what Eli going on about. Oh sure, it was words, he just couldn't discern a meaning from them. Not that he didn't try, but he lost him at 'positive energy'. Oliver gave a slow nod to the candidate's bright smile.

"Uh, okay." He said, his hand turning the knob on the door, and then easing it open. He shifted his gaze to the side, avoiding eye contact with Eli on purpose. "Do...Do you want to come in? I-I mean if you have time...I mean, I-if you want to uh, talk. I mean...So we're not standing in the hallway..." Where people could stare and overhear, he held back from adding that.

[Anonymous]

"Great!" Eli's smile never faltered, as he always tended to forget his simple explanations made no sense to most people. He glanced at the open door, surprised Oliver was allowing him in, as he had thought the other candidate hadn't wanted him inside, "You don't mind? I don't wanna invade your space and mess up for flow or anything."

[Anonymous]

"Um...No." He said, biting down on the side of his lip. He wouldn't have asked if he was going to mind. Oliver might've pressed his back up against the door, the handle digging into him, and moving out of the way wouldn't bean option he'd consider. But, this wasn't the case, obvious by the way he continued to give a small gesture towards the inside of his dorm.

   There wasn't anything to hide. While the room was to be shared by two people, a bed against each of the opposing walls, he had no roommate. The nights where he would stay up until the odd hours with his incessant cleaning, or ask them to stop breathing because they were being so loud he couldn't sleep might have had to do with them applying for a transfer. If they were still there, the space would have looked like someone existed in it. Instead, it held the dull militaristic order that the ATC gladly cultivated; no personal belongings in sight, no wrinkles in the bedding, nor uniforms laying on the back of the chair of the once shared desk. It made sense in Oliver's mind to keep it this way. He was only visiting.

[Anonymous]

Eli blinked when he entered the room, then shivered, "Oh man. This place has really stiff energy. Nothing can move or live in here." Eli stepped inside and took a seat on Oliver's bed, "Doesn't that bug you?"