the walk home

Who: Taylor and Eben
When: After school
Where: Outside and on the way home

Taylor was thankful when the bell finally rang. The past couple of days had been a bit stressful, and the prospects for the rest of the week weren't particularly hopeful either. She took one last check of her bag once she got outside. A couple of juniors had gotten ahold of it briefly and tossed it around, but thankfully she'd had it zipped up. Still, with her computer in there it never hurt to give everything the once over. Sighing, she zipped it back up and slung it over her shoulder. If she could just make it outside the immediate area of the school without incident, the rest of the walk home would be a breeze.

Eben spotted the girl on his way out, and therefore walked over and fell into step with her. "How was the Goddess' day today?" he asked. Even if he'd just spoken to her earlier in the day, that didn't matter. Eben never pretended to make a lot of sense anyhow. "Think I'd get into too much trouble with the faculty if I brought a lot of cameras and equipment to the little trip to the madhouse?" he asked.

Taylor looked over her shoulder just in time to see Eben come up behind her and had to smile. Dorky as it was, the boy never failed to get that out of her at least. Pulling out her white board, she began writing, which wasn't as easy while walking, although she'd learned to manage it. Not bad. Idiots stole bag. Don't think they'll care, most ppl have camera phones anyways. She looked at him then signed to him. Learned sign yet? she asked, raising an eyebrow. She doubted it, and she didn't mind, but it never hurt to ask. Maybe he'd surprise her.

Eben made a little face. "Not yet, but I promise, I'll learn! I have some of the alphabet down. I think." he said. He'd been making an effort, he just happened to be wickedly unfocused as an individual, so learning something like a new language, that was going to be a long time coming. He did start going through the alphabet with her though, to see if there was anything he needed corrected. "Who took your bag? Want me to go have a talk with them?" he asked. Though what Eben meant by go have a talk was just that. He wasn't a fighter, he was a lover, but he wasn't above having a chat with people about behavior.

Taylor shook her head, correcting his finger position on the "F", giving him a smile to let Eben know that she appreciated the effort. She got out her board again. Don't worry about it. Not worth the headache. Couple of JV players. She exhaled, watching her breath fog in the cold air. She always liked this time of year, when winter was still semi-mew and they hadn't totally been beaten into submission by it yet. After giving him time to read, she erased it and wrote again. How about you, Paladin? How was your day?

He tried out the corrected sign for "F" a few times thinking he might have it down now. He mostly got confused with P and K. But either way, he moved on, accepting her telling him not to worry about it. If she said so, then alright. "My day was alright." he told her. "Typical school and all. My parents are a bit upset that we're going to be gone for the holiday though. I mean, not that holiday dinners at the Willows household have always been that big a deal, but they thought it was strange that we were getting carted off during it. Mostly, I think my mom wanted to test out some cooking she's been picking up from reading cookbooks from the seventies. I can't tell if I'm kind of disappointed or glad I'll miss out on being a guinea pig there."

Taylor shrugged and smiled. So there are pros after all! She kept walking as they went, kicking a rock off the sidewalk as they did. Grandparents think it's a great idea. Character building. She stuck her tongue out and made a "ick" face, then grinned at him. At least my brave knight will be there to protect me. She gave him a friendly punch in the arm for emphasis.

He laughed. "Not sure I'm brave so much as oblivious sometimes." he admitted, rubbing slightly at a scar on his neck. He'd been around when the vampires had hit town, and he'd gotten fangs ripped along the back of his neck and down towards his shoulder. It wasn't overly noticeable, but there, not that anyone could see it with his coat on, and the hoodie he wore generally covered it up just fine. People didn't usually ask him what had happened even if they did see it, though, and his usual answer was 'I was at a bad place at a bad time'. Which was trueish. He'd been following explosive lines of chaos and just kind of...didn't see things coming. Sorta. It had been a weird night. "But they really think it's a great idea? Maybe it is. I think it'll be interesting if nothing else."

She kind of smirked at that. Like the fortune cookie. May you live in interesting times. She showed him the board as she stopped to re-adjust her bag on her shoulder. Sometimes she really wished her grandparents- or maybe even her sister- would pitch in and at least help her get a car. Even an old beater. It'd beat walking through the slush every day. Sometimes oblivious is good and ignorance is bliss. Don't knock it. she wrote below the first part. There were certainly times in Taylor's life she wished she could've been oblivious and ignorant about things she shouldn't have known about. Like the time she saw-without-seeing her grandparents having sex while she was in the middle of a biology test... she shivered at the very memory.

"Well, we definitely live in interesting times." Eben agreed as he read that. "But yeah, isn't that kind of meant to be a curse? And hm." he said, reading her next note. "I don't think I'd like to be ignorant. But then I suppose I see ignorance and obliviousness as different things." he mused as they walked.

After his first comment about a curse, Taylor kind of gave Eben a look that said, "Exactly." But she did give his second one a little thought before writing again. Maybe didn't word it right. And definitely NOT the same thing. But sometimes just better She paused, trying to think of the right words. She'd never meant to imply that just because Eben was a bit oblivious at times he was ignorant. Hardly. just better not knowing some things. She shrugged and passed the board over to him.

Eben blinked and looked at her. "...you do realize you just spoke to me, right, Taylor?" he asked, using her name, even if it was rare for him to do that. He ticked his gaze over her written words, but he was a little stuck on the hearing her voice thing. And just randomly, at that.

Taylor shook her head, her eyes wide, making sure she was hearing Eben right and giving him a look that showed she had no clue what he was talking about. She grabbed the board and quickly wrote, holding it up. Great, now he was losing it. One of the few people she could count on. Must be confused. Haven't spoken since was 6. You know that. Hearing things? Wind? The last thing she needed was for him to flake out on her right before the big field trip.

"No, not hearing things, you looked at me and said 'Exactly'." Eben said, shaking his head. "You spoke." he insisted. "Look, I know I can be a little flighty sometimes, but that was not my imagination." He definitely knew the difference between fantasy and reality and while he was often accused of being stoned, he exceedingly rarely was. Nowish he definitely wasn't.

She'd thought the word "exactly" when she gave him that look, but she knew she hadn't said it out loud. She was positive. Speaking suddenly after years of silence wasn't exactly something you would overlook. She stopped and erased what she wrote, then thought for a minute while she figured out what to "say". Eben, swear I didn't say it. Thought it. But didn't say. Promise. She handed the board to him with a raised eyebrow. On a whim, she decided to try something. Are you hearing my thoughts? she thought at him. Not that she relished the idea of being a telepath or something. She already had enough problem with seeing things going on in other places without people hearing her thoughts.

Oblivious to anything she was thinking he just read the board, and frowned at her. "So you're calling me a liar." he said. "...or a mind reader. Which I know I'm not." He was a lot of things, but a mind reader didn't make the list. "Look, you said it, I heard you. You looked directly at me, and said the word 'exactly'." he told her. "I know you don't speak, but you did just then. Are you physically incapable of it, or are you, and you just don't?" he asked, because he hadn't ever been clear on that, he'd just accepted her as she was. It wasn't important to him the specifics of why she wrote things down instead of saying them. She was just Taylor, and that was how she was, and she was just fine like that. This was disturbing him though.

Taylor shook her head. She didn't think he was a liar at all. Just maybe... he got confused or something. Not a liar. Just know it's impossible. She exhaled in frustration, her breath showing in the cold air. How could she explain to him that at this point, even if she wanted to, there's no way she could make any noise without extensive speech therapy. It had just been too long since she had used her voice for that to even be possible.

Looking around, she saw a bench beside the sidewalk. This was going to take a while to explain, and she didn't want them to just stand there in the cold. She pointed to the bench, then to herself and Eben, then made a talky-motion with her hand.

Eben looked over then walked to the bench, and brushed the snow off of it so they could sit and not get wet. "Sure. I mean, we can drop it if you'd rather, but..." he said, trailing off. He didn't mean to frustrate her or anything, he just could have sworn he'd heard her.

She shook her head. Taylor had never really told Eben why she was... well, the way she was. She hadn't really told a lot of people. But she trusted him, trusted him more than most. She smiled and signed thank you as she sat on the bench. She took the dry erase board again and began writing. It took a couple of minutes and she wrote a little smaller to get it all on there, but when she was finished, she finally handed it to him so he could read, then wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

It's not physical. Doctors, shrinks, no one can say why. Most likely psychological. When I was 6, we were at grandparents house while mom and dad went out. We went to bed, and a couple of hours later, I had a dream or vision or whatever you want to call it. Ran into grandparents' room, crying that mom and dad were dead. Grandma held me for a while and told me just a dream. Was putting me back to bed when cop came to the door. Mom and dad were killed in a car accident, about the same time I had "dream". I stopped talking after that. Maybe mental block, psychological stress, whatever. But nothing. No more talking since. I'm used to it. Not sure I could now if had to.

She watched Eben as he read, wondering how much of a freak he thought she was now.

Eben wasn't really the type to label anyone as a 'freak'. He'd been called one himself quite often, and he was a guy who'd grown up playing hopscotch across the nation from cult to cult, so really, his definition of 'freak' really just didn't coincide with other people's. So, he read it, and looked over at her, noticing that she was tearing up. So, he put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "Sounds awful. I'm sorry it happened to you." he told her genuinely.

Taylor returned the hug gratefully. Thank you, she signed with her free hand, then took the board back again. Sorry to dump all that on you. Figured you of all people should know. You're a good friend. She handed it back to him with a smile. She still didn't know what he had heard that sounded like her, but it was probably one of those fluke coincidences or something.

"You're welcome, and don't be sorry, it's all good, your Divinity." he said, smooching the top of her head while he was at it. "Want me to finish walking you home then?" he asked. Since it was bloody freezing outside and being out in it for long periods of time wasn't ever the best of plans.

She smiled and nodded. It was frakking cold out here, and sitting on a bench, even when it had been de-snowed, wasn't exactly the best thing to be doing. She returned his kiss on the nearest part she could find, which turned out to be his chin, then got up, making sure all her things were together. Once again, she signed to him. Thank you. Appreciate it. He might not know exactly what it meant, but he would probably get the gist.

He did! Eben was pretty good on picking up intents for people and that one was pretty clear. "No problem, Chica." he told her, starting to lead them off again. It was interesting, what she said. It gave him ideas for a painting, maybe a charcoal drawing. Possibly a collage but he'd have to see. Inspiration was everywhere, after all. You just had to nab it when you could.