Hypnotic Hymns

The Aquarium, why was Esha so attracted to the place? Maybe because the emptiness and largeness of the room gave it a unique acoustic sound when she played within it, or maybe she did have a secret affinity for her fellow undersea dwellers despite the fact she wasn’t all that interested in marine life. Either way, she found herself seated in front of the glass with her mandolin in hand. The strums of the instrument bounced around the room in a strangely soothing manner that she had expected it to when first visiting the room.

Her entire body was dyed an aqua blue from the reflections of the tank. The affect didn’t quite translate to her outfit however since it was already a deep blue as it was and covered a good majority of her body as per usual. A scarf tied around her head disguised the last of her unhuman-like features, matching her sari quite well in terms of its colour palette. She did look somewhat overdressed for the season, but to be fair the room wasn't at a comfortably warm temperature, somewhat chilly. Besides, her fabrics were much less heat absorbent than one might think.

Esha’s eyes wandered around the Aquarium, visiting all the different varieties of fish as she did. Her gills tingled just at the mere sight of the fish that passed by, even a puffer fish or two she met eye to eye with. She felt like poking at the glass whenever she saw the accursed creatures, but it would ruin the steady beat she had going with her miniature guitar. Although, she was doing a good job at souring her notes on her own. In an instant, her finger slipped and ripped a foul sound around the room that even caused some fish to flee. “Yaha lanata” she cursed as the room went silent once again so she could adjust her fingers back to the right position. She wasn’t very good with the mandolin, in fact she was playing the only song she really knew. Practice made perfect, right?

( WORDS ) 642 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here The world seemed to be at peace today. Well, save for the fact that Chase needed to satisfy his lustful urge to at least look at the creatures he could be eating, rather than watching tantalizing sacks of flesh pass him by during school. If he'd been any other, normal person, he might've been repulsed at the shameful desire constantly wracking his mind, but at this point, it was nothing other than a pestilent nag. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he strode forwards, feeling over his pointed teeth with a swift swipe of his tongue. Even now, that always seemed to catch him a bit off-guard, and it was an element to his 'curse' that he'd never grow accustomed to. He released a sigh of resignation as he entered the aquarium, his feet pressing silently against the tiled floors. Although he appreciated the tranquility and grace surrounding each of the flashing, sleek creatures, he couldn't help but feel an irrational pang of hunger strike him from within, fending off the yearning to leap into the tank to sink his teeth into the salty bodices of the fish. He'd hoped that giving the beast a visual of potential prey would be enough to satisfy the aching longing for flesh, but it only edged his ravenous appetite. Exhaling softly, he continued to step forwards and let his gaze shift between the flickering animals, feeling his eyes constantly drawn to a new target as soon as it darted forwards. Chase felt his hands begin to tremble as the threat of the werecat resurfacing seemed to heighten, and he forced his gaze back to the floor. All at once, he knew that this had been a mistake to try and come here to appease the beast, yet before he could leave, a distinct sound and scent entered through another corridor. He paused midstep, frozen with slight apprehension that it was someone he didn't want to encounter. However, the noise was translated into a pleasant, plucking sound that one could recognize as a stringed instrument of sorts. Intrigued, Chase furrowed his brow and pursued the music, drawn to it like a moth to a flame. If there was something that he had to be ashamed of, it was the simple yet alluring factors that always taunted his bestial side. Music had some sort of affect on him, and as much as he tried to will himself to turn around and take his leave as he'd wanted, the notes seemed to bring him further on his journey. The young man moved deftly and silently, as if prowling after unsuspecting prey in a predatory manner, and listened carefully every now and then to ensure that the music was growing louder in volume. However, as he rounded a corner to view the origin of the delightful sounds, he heard an unsavory note pierce the air, interrupting the melodic rhythm of the song and eliciting a brief, inhuman snarl to wrench from his lips and his body to jolt to attention. The instant it left him, though, he lifted his muscular arm to trace his fingers across his lips in surprise, usually having been able to stifle such outbursts before. His eyes trailed to the young woman that seemed to be playing an instrument he hadn't seen before, noticing her exotic scent and unique atmosphere that baffled him. Chase had never seen someone like her, yet as not to impose, he dropped his lucid, blue gaze to the ground, speaking in a clear yet subdued tone, "My apologies for interrupting your session." After speaking this, he dipped his head briefly, taking a step backwards as if to indicate that he was preparing to leave her be. It only seemed natural, since he'd been the one who intervened with the animalistic noise on her own practice. AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

Esha continued to slowly scramble her fingers around her instrument in order to fix up the foul note she released not a second earlier. Much to her surprise though, she wasn’t the only fully sentient being in the room to hear it. A slightly bulky boy had made his appearance known clearly after her practice session. It was nearly the first person she had met outside of her own dorm. Not a bad first timer either. He looked fairly well built, he wasn’t quite a snappy or trend setting dresser, but she wasn’t going to be quite picky about that. He could easily show her the ropes around school, perhaps introduce her to a couple of people. A good contact to make in general. He fit the bill for her fairly well already and he barely spoke a sentence. Her thorny brow raised which indicated the start of her pursuit.

She swung the mandolin around her back, the strap of it held it in place. She quickly rose to her feet and darted her fir tinted eyes at the feline-mammal hybrid. “Ah-no, it is fine. It is always better to practice with, um-an audience. Is it not?” she corrected him as she slowly swayed toward the boy’s position. “Oh, manners. Namaste. You, uh, shake hands here instead of bowing, yeah?” she questioned as she gently splayed her hand out, ready for him to take hold of it at any point in time. Despite her tone seeming to be somewhat nervous (which was only due to the circumstances and just having to speak English in general), she had a warm yet small smile greeting the boy’s countenance.

Upon closer inspection, the boy had flowing electric blue eyes, either that or the light radiating off the tanks were enough to mute their true colours. Even without saying much Esha could feel a very simple and fairly easy air around the boy, one fairly straight forward to breathe in and quick to enact upon. “My name is Mullur, Esha. I’m an exchange student, if my ah-outfit hasn’t made it clear enough, from India. You’re welcome to stay and listen to the rest of my uh-session. In fact, I insist after that sour note. You at least deserve a better score to leave on than that.”

( WORDS ) 476 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here To his complete shock, the young woman before him seemed to be completely content with his presence, causing him to pause midstep as she sauntered in his direction. He was completely unused to social interaction that wasn't required for a specific set of circumstances, and found himself at a loss for words as she suggested that she should have an audience to practice properly. His eyes remained glued to her as he turned to face the young woman properly, each movement poised and apprehensive. But, when her hand reached out towards him, he at least knew what to do then, extending out his own muscular arm to meet hers. "Yeah, we shake hands here. I'm Chase," he said, carefully connecting their hands for a brief moment, and although he shook it at a normal grip, he felt the inner monster stir within him and retracted his hand quickly to avoid clenching her hand too hard. The last thing he needed now was a transformation to occur in front of a girl that he'd just met. Already, the event upon the roof was humiliating as it was, and he'd rather not replicate that. As his lips moved, he was far too aware of the sharpened canines that would inevitably reveal themselves, but he hoped inwardly that it would go unnoticed. It was then that she explained that both she was an exchange student, and though he could've guessed this, he was surprised to hear her insist upon him remaining here. He blinked a couple of times, as though he needed to fully registered just exactly what she was asking for him to do. Well, it was more of a command, really, but it still took time to be comprehended by the typically antisocial teen. ".. Uh.. Okay," he murmured, his tone oddly unfeeling and detached from the situation as to avoid an unsavory shift. He rubbed the back of his neck with slight discomfort, letting his eyes trace the outline of her narrow features briefly, before reverting his attention to the peculiar instrument attached to her back. Seeing how seldom he was involved in social interactions, he chose to try and reach out in the subtle and only way he knew how: Factually. He'd never encountered an instrument like it before, and he wouldn't have to delve into any of her personal matters if he inquired about it. "What type of instrument is that?" he asked in his professional voice, disregarding the fact that it might've been rude to outwardly be inquiring about something of hers. Chase lifted his bulky arm to gesture to the mandolin upon her back, his eyes flickering towards hers for a few, brief moments. There was definitely something eccentric about her that he hadn't recognized in many others, and with it being unknown to him, it unnerved the young man to an extent. AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

Esha grew a bit of a brighter smile, showing off a bit of her pearly whites as the boy completed the gesture even if only for a brief moment in time. His grip was weaker than she imagined it to be, but perhaps he was holding back for some reason. She was at a place where super human strength was the norm so it wasn’t outside the range of possibilities that he could have such an ability and only held back for her own sake. It didn’t matter all that much though. It was a bit strange for her to greet someone like that though and not in the manner she grew up with. Wherever she was, she had to respect their culture the same way she would expect someone to treat hers if they were visiting her country. What country was the Port owned by anyway? It mattered little, people from a plethora of different countries resided in the school anyway.

“Good to meet you, Chase” she spoke pleasantly as she turned back to the spot she was kneeling at not thirty seconds ago. “Uh-My seat over there is um-good. Close to the glass and I brought a pillow to sit on. Only one though, it’s big enough for the two of us though, not problem.” She turned back to her seating area fairly quickly afterwards and even pointed the area out with her hand. Even before she asked him of such things he seemed somewhat nervous, even almost having as much uhs in his sentences as Esha. He could be suffering from the English language as well though, maybe he had a different language he was more comfortable with as well.

Her brows sprung as Chase questioned what type of instrument she had. Even in her home country it wasn’t quite the most popular instrument either, so she wasn’t exactly surprised by the question. Although she wasn’t sure why his immediate question to her was regarding her mandolin. Maybe he was just trying to squeeze in some small talk. “It’s a mandolin, like a mini-guitar, yeah?” she answered him as she swung the stringed tool back into her hands.

Esha proceeded to sit down after reacquiring her instrument and stared back at the were-cat. She nudged her body over a bit to adjust to the man’s size and allow for more room on his designated side of the pillow. She even lightly tapped the space with her hand like she was signaling him further. “What brings you here by the by?” she inquired as she began to position her fingers on the strings.

( WORDS ) 489 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here Without him uttering all that many words, it seemed as though this stranger was already prepared to invite him to a 'session' of music. His eyebrows had arched slightly as she spoke of a pillow they could share, and being in such close quarters certainly didn't bode well with him. Nonetheless, he felt a bit awkward attempting to convey this to her, and decided that as long as she didn't attempt to engage in physical contact with him again, it should be fine. Besides, he needed to learn how to endure his bestial desires in a closer proximity to others. Running his fingers through his short, bristling hair, he trailed hesitantly after her, nodding to her remark about the mandolin. "I don't think I've seen one of those before, or if I have, my memory deceives me," he muttered absently, positioning himself to start striding towards her side. The frightening part of this encounter was definitely the fact that his werecat seemed to have realized that another mound of flesh had been placed tantalizingly close to him. However, contrary to the normal lust it'd often display, the beast was far more uncertain in this situation, and Chase didn't want to wait around until it made up its mind to yearn for the girl he'd just met. No, he'd much rather experience a meeting without the nagging desire to consume them stinging in the back of his subconsciousness. Slowly, the young man seated himself at Esha's side, making sure to leave a small amount of space between them. Chase knew that his monstrous side might've been giving him a brief break, but that didn't mean he particularly enjoyed touching others, even in the slightest bit. He'd always been forced to isolate himself in every way possible, so when he did get the chance to engage in these types of encounters, he decided against it, for the sensation was almost painfully unfamiliar to him. Although, with his broad shoulders and bulkier form, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive at their close distance from one another. While he was lost in his own thoughts, though, it seemed as though Esha had asked him a question. What was he supposed to say, that he was trying to fend off the lust for flesh by watching fish swim by? Shifting with a disconcerted expression, Chase answered her hesitantly, "I just wanted to have a few moments of tranquility, I suppose.. The aquarium is one of the more serene locations in Foresta." It was all true, but his motives behind seeking this calm would remain hidden. There was no way he was going to elaborate upon his abilities to this girl, no matter how open or friendly she seemed. With those words, he fell silent, awaiting something to be procured from the mandolin. If anything, that would be the element to soothe any nerves that had flared up in this process of socializing. AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

With the boy finally joining her as she had requested, Esha began to replay the tune from where she had initially left off. She was performing some basic strumming, but even the basic notes of the instrument were quite effective considering its light sound and easy tuning. Again, she was hardly professional grade or near any form of the status, but she had an idea of what she was doing. As she reached a certain point, she had enough confidence to take her eyes off the mandolin and back to the boy she was sitting with. There was still a bit of distance between them, so she scooted over subtly to close the gap a bit more. He still seemed like he felt somewhat awkward in the situation. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure how to rectify that, but she might find a way.

“It’s a beautiful instrument. I first heard it being played during one of my uh-ceremonies.” she answered simply as she investigated his body a little bit further now that he was closer. His muscles were fairly clear even from at a distance. His attention seemed to be elsewhere, not quite on her. Perhaps he was focusing on her music or maybe even the fish since there were so many around the room. Maybe she had to drop him a remainder that she was still next to him. She began to turn her back toward him and finally leaned herself onto his shoulder all while still playing and assuring her notes stay constant.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen anyone in here since you ah-came around. Guess this is our little private zone for the time being. Well, uh-besides the fish of course.” She spoke soothingly almost in beat with her tune. She didn’t question too much else in regards to his being here since she knew fairly well that school brought up enough stress for someone to seek out tranquility. He also seemed like quite the social abnormality, maybe it was just his mood. “You know a bit about the school, yeah? Maybe you can show me around later? What is your ah-dorm by the way? I don’t know too many people in my dorm and you know it can get kind of lonely when you’re in a place full of strangers.”

( WORDS ) 581 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here Even though Esha seemed to be rather subtle about the gradually closing space between them, Chase was acutely cognizant of the movement, and watched her warily out of the corner of his striking gaze. What was she expecting from this situation? He recalled the few times that a girl would single him out from his family in an attempt to seduce him in one manner or another, and each time he seemed to grow increasingly irritated with the notion. It wasn't as if he could delve straight into a relationship, and to be frank, he wasn't interested in something so frivolous. Nonetheless, he felt that he might've been leaping to irrational conclusions, and simply exhaled in an attempt to dissolve his tension. As usual, he was analyzing the situation far too critically. A small shrug of his shoulders was the best response he could offer to the Indian girl as she complimented her instrument. "It has a pleasant sound to it," he admitted, falling back into his stormy realm of thought. It didn't seem as though he could ever directly focus on anyone, seeing that two, split personalities constantly waged war within his system and left him mentally drained and occupied. But, the unmistakable feeling of another, warm body pressed to his shoulder caused an involuntary jolt to ripple through his muscular body. Oh, this was definitely not a good idea. The beast within him seemed to have awakened, although not for long, for he only succeeded in shifting Chase's eye color from a placid blue to a feral yellow and for his body to tremble as it suppressed a transformation. His voice was emitted in a raspy and strained tone, turning his skull around to face Esha with his now animalistic irises, "You.. Must warn me... Before we engage.. In physical contact.. Or else... We'll both be.. In trouble." It wasn't the contact itself that had elicited this type of response from Chase, but the surprise of it, and the fact that.. Well... He hadn't felt the bodice of a female against him in quite some time. That always seemed to egg the monster on further, as if they were somehow weaker and far more succulent prey. As if to add to the difficulties, he'd already been internally grappling with the were-cat throughout the day, and this was the element that had the potential to shove him off of the edge. He completely ignored her first words, seeing that he'd turned away to control and focus on reining in his bestial side as much as possible. It was only as the last flecks of yellow drained from his eyes and his quivering had ceased that he faced her again, his body a bit more in a 'relaxed' position due to his fatigue. He couldn't even be bothered to grow irritated at her ignorance, seeing that she had no idea he would be so easily affected by the physical contact, and that he didn't want to risk even prodding the creature embedded within him. And, due to this, he chose to reply to her questions without any trouble. "Room 102, but I can't guarantee that I'll be present, or that you'll still desire to see me," he responded in an eerie, detached tone, one drastically varied from the choked, gruff voice he'd been forced to use previously, "I'd recommend only seeking out my presence in an emergency of sorts... I have difficulty when being around others, as you've most likely noticed." AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

Esha felt somewhat relaxed in the position she had previously put herself in. She continued to strum on with decent ease until the boy she put her back to began squirming in place and suddenly became vocal about not a couple seconds after they made contact. Given that Chase’s voice switched to an odd rasp during his panic, she knew that meant nothing good. His words also suggested such without any subtly. She swiftly scooted off the pillow in case he needed more room than a couple inches, frankly she thought it was called for. She felt her quills were ready to spring anytime soon and given the situation she’d rather not have to put up with that. She couldn’t quite see his morphed eyes since he turned away as she left him be, so she was still fairly confused about the entire affair. She triggered it through touch, yet she didn’t understand what she triggered. Was he going to explode or something?

Needless to say, she quit her mandolin for the time being and watched the boy cautiously. Her prickly brows were furrowed as she spectated with concern. Even if she knew this man for only a couple of minutes, that didn’t stop her from caring. Besides, he also mentioned that he meant trouble for the both of them and with that added over her head it wasn’t all too comforting until he revealed himself once more. Her bottom lip swished around as she observed Chase returning to their chat as though nothing had happened. She wasn’t sure whether to acknowledge the tiny freak out he had experienced and maybe she could return to their conservation as well.

“Well, umm-uhhh- I guess I won’t bother you too much then. I still would… like a tour guide at one… point” she spoke in a sort of scattered tone. Her hand slipped under the hood of her scarf as she began to pet the smooth side of her quills. She couldn’t hide her disinterest for much longer, her brain was beginning to eat away at her. “Okay, so um-what was that about exactly? Why can’t I touch you?” Esha questioned with a gleam of worry in her eyes.

( WORDS ) 551 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here As unkind as it might've seemed, Chase couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief wash over him as the young woman removed herself from him. It was probably for the best that she didn't attempt a stunt like that ever again, and now he wouldn't have to worry about restraining the beast as adamantly as before. Of course, she was a bit shaken up by the bizarre behavior he displayed, and the young man expected nothing less in return. He deserved the questioning stares and bewildered inquisitions by vehemently rejecting interaction of any kind. Esha's distant and disconnected statement was the only element that wrenched him from his thoughts on the negative perception he received, and a noncommittal shrug pulsated briefly throughout his body. "I haven't been here for a substantial amount of time to provide an in-depth description of each location, but a brief outline wouldn't be too difficult. I'm sure there are other teachers or students better suited for that type of thing, though," he replied quietly, only glancing at her face every now and then. He didn't enjoy maintaining eye contact for too long, seeing that it was often viewed as a challenge in the rules of the wild, and the monster resting within him adhered strictly to those very ways. It was already predetermined that the girl would dare to ask him that question, though he was never certain how to relay an answer back to them. In some respects, he at least wanted to intimidate her to show her the frightening consequences that could come from agitating him in the least, yet at the same time, he wished to conceal that unsavory aspect that seemed to dictate his life. It wasn't as if he wanted all of Foresta to be aware of it, but seeing that she claimed to know of nobody else and was so openly.. 'Friendly', he had to assume the best for the moment. It would be best if he gave her a reason to stay away. ".. I'm a werebeast, more specifically of the feline variety, but my ability to transform isn't decided by the phases of the moon. It's more or less any emotion that I feel, or if someone nears too close for me to.. Smell or touch. It's as if there's an opening in myself for this.. This monster to escape," he began, unsure of how to describe having a living slaughterer within his veins, "I can't control what happens to me when I do end up shifting, and it's an... Unpleasant experience to say the least. I don't intend to harm anyone during my attendance here, so as long as I try to stay away from anything that might.. Lure my animalistic side in any manner, everything will get along smoothly." As if to further prove his point, he permitted a fragment of his strongly built barrier to break through so that his irises could flash from yellow to blue a couple of times. It was odd, having to find reasons to draw others off, but even if he was interested in befriending this girl, she would have to be comfortable with every dimension of Chase. And, even after explaining this, he decided against inquiring about her abilities, seeing how sensitive the topic had been to him. AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

A were-beast then. Looks as though she’d bitten off more than she could chew. Regardless of how he looked and his level of physique, that was a ton of extra baggage to add on. Esha came to this estate to escape for a while and relax. A touch sensitive were-cat wouldn’t exactly suit her needs. A challenge perhaps, but was she really all that interested in challenging herself with a boy she couldn’t even touch without setting off? To be fair though, her body wasn’t necessarily the most accepting of hands either. No doubt he felt awful about the entire endeavour, it was a harder life to lead in comparison to her own, although with all things considered such a statement was debatable. Dating him would almost seem out of the question, but maybe she could lend him a hand still, that is if there was anything for her to lend.

Esha’s focus went elsewhere as she stared off into a nearby taken, watching the fish herd around each other. Perhaps she was trying too hard to look at this in a negative light, what of the positives. She could potentially help the boy, by the way he described it his certain senses seemed to be overtly strong. Which section of the brain was responsible for smell again? Well, the touch aspect set him off way faster than her scent, so she supposed that didn’t matter nearly as much. Perhaps there was a way to desensitize him. While it was hardly beneficial for her to help him at this point, she could relate to his sort of curse-like ‘gift.’

She rearranged her seating on the floor so that she was sitting on her legs and turned back to Chase. “Oh, I thought it was affecting your health or something. Well, it’s not so bad then. There are ways to ah-calm your soul. I don’t want to enforce anything on you, but have you tried uh-yoga or mediation? It’s for the purposes of inner peace, so I’m sure it could do something for you. I could guide you through a session if you’d like. It couldn’t possibly have an um-negative effect, no?” She questioned the boy as she began to fold her legs. “We can start off with a simple mediation. Think of an easy sentence that has at least three letters, for now that sentence is your mantra. Just repeat that mantra and your mind will clear naturally.” Esha pulled her instrument out once more and began to pick at the strings slowly in an attempt to make a calm soundtrack. “Try it for a couple of minutes and tell me if it um-works at all.”

( WORDS ) 605 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here Not so bad? If Chase had been a different person, he might've permitted a smirk to pass over his features. Little did she know of his hellish lifestyle, and in many ways, he just wished someone would spear him through the heart while he was in his deranged, bestial formed so that the torturous days he endured were over. But, it'd been long since he reveled in such morbid thoughts, and shook them off quickly. To his surprise, the young woman really didn't seem that bothered by the fact that he was a monster of sorts, yet at the same time, she could have a plethora of secrets that fared worse than his. His brows lofted slightly at her remark about mediation or yoga, for both of those had never been viable options.. Or at least, that's what he'd thought. There wasn't necessarily the most open and welcoming atmosphere in his home, especially since he'd been so often confined to his room, but reaching an eerie numbness was the closest he got to 'inner peace'. "I suppose not," he admitted with a sigh. At this point, he should try to take any advice he could get, and if this method could subdue the animal within him more successfully than just suppressing it, he might find himself in a much more tolerable situation. As she folded her legs neatly and instructed him, he was a bit reluctant to do something that sounded so.. Nonsensical. This wasn't a childhood time to play make-believe, yet at the same time, she offered a valid method of relaxation. What's the harm in trying? he thought, exhaling a sigh of defeat as his barriers to keep out others were forced to dissipate. If he didn't like it, it wasn't as if he had to endure throughout the process. Slowly, his eyes drifted to a close as he continued to obey her instructions in an almost meticulous manner. The phrase he often heard when he was in his most agitated state was three, simple words: Let them come. For whatever reason, it always seemed to provide a bit of comfort to him, as if he was challenging others to take him on with a feigned arrogance about him. However, with this having been a phrase he heard when angered, he felt his breathing quicken as the irritation began to return, and he had to take a few moments to regain his composure once again. It wasn't the memories connected to the words, but the words themselves that he had to concentrate upon. The mantra replayed over and over again in his skull, his inner voice seeming to amplify it as the robotic and persistent words thrummed against his brain. His eyes remained closed as this occurred, as though if he opened them, reality would give him a slap in the face. Let them come. Let them come. Let them come. After a few minutes of the blank thought, he opened his eyes, and already, he could sense his steady heartbeat and the lessened edge of the beast. No longer was it prying at the edge of the barrier, hungering to leak through, but drawn back a little, enough to give the young man a few moments of true serenity that he'd lacked for so long. ".. Wow," he murmured in disbelief, frowning for a couple of moments, "That.. Really aided me. Thank you, Esha." He turned towards her briefly and offered a nod, still not being able to conjure too much emotion in his naturally rigid voice, yet he attempted to at least add a hint of gratitude somewhere in their monotonous depths. AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

As the boy tested out her theory, Esha continued to play her stringed tool calmly. She closed her eyes almost in sync with the boy to relax a little bit herself. Maybe if it did end up working out in the end the two of them could still be a thing. She still didn’t really know much about him in the few minutes they’ve had to interact, but so far he seemed nice. The moment he freaked out aside that is. It wasn’t entirely his own fault though. You can’t judge a book without reading it, that was usually her mindset when she approached men and dating in general. Test them out, see if it works and if it doesn’t then it wasn’t meant to be. Simple as that. She could wind up in a lot of danger with this one though. Her quills were still a factor in the equation, however, she could probably handle herself fairly well despite his mass and size.

Esha revealed her pale greens once more as the boy muttered something to himself. His words not hers, it worked. What it had done to him so that he knew he was cured for the moment she wasn’t quite sure on, but apparently it was a noticeable change so it had to be good. She held a sweet little smile for his eyes only and nodded. “Yes there are um-uh…” she banged on her head gently as she tried to figure out what the word in English she was seeking was. “…A lot of skeptics because it seems so simple and you know um-silly. Yoga and meditation is more powerful than some people realize” she finished off smoothly. She stopped her playing for a moment once again to let her arms free.

She motioned her hand over to the boy’s shoulder very quickly, but stopped dead a couple inches away from contact. Her expression switched to something a bit more worried, squinting her eyes and stretching her lips. “I-uh, I’m going to pat you on the shoulder, okay?” she warned with a weak little toothy grin. Esha then slowly motioned out her movements to placing her hand over the before mentioned body part. She softly gripped the edge of his neckline and firmed her fingers in the span of almost two second and then retreated her arm still a bit paranoid about setting him off again. “You, okay still?”

( WORDS ) 557 ( TAGGED ) @esha  ( MUSE ) here The young man was baffled to say the least, yet he didn't have too much of a reason to be. The beast had always been angered by anything overly complex or irritating, which were typically the methods Chase preferred so that he could analyze and eradicate the creature for good. However, with this simplistic routine in mind, he decided that he should attempt to keep a marginally more open mind than he'd had before. He couldn't blame the large amount of skeptics that Esha described, seeing that he'd been formerly one of them. It seemed ridiculous that something so painfully basic could solve the most intricate of issues, and yet, this was exactly the case. "Yes," he mumbled absently, lost in his own train of thought and unable to contribute much to the conversation at that point. Chase had the tendency to drift in and out of a dialogue depending on the intensity of his stirrings, or whether or not he was inclined to continue speaking in general. The mandolin's music had aided him exponentially, providing a soothing background for his meditation. Perhaps that was the only thing keeping his werebeast subdued, but nonetheless, he was appreciative of the tranquil melody that Esha provided. He'd never been musically gifted, but he certainly appreciated the art. Unlike the young woman beside him, Chase was weighing the pros and cons of simply letting her befriend him eventually, for he was still stuck in his belief that anything beyond a friendship would end in catastrophe. Sure, he had a fair reason to believe so, but with this mindset, he never seemed to get far with anyone, no matter what type of relationship it was. Thus, when Esha warned him that she was going to touch his shoulder, he braced himself for some sort of jolt of irrational anger to course through him. But, as her fingers gently pressed against his collar, he only felt the subtle shift of the beast deep within him, as if it was stirring gently in its lulled sleep. For some reason, it seemed to have been drastically less agitating than before, and half of the discomfort that shook his system was from his own unfamiliarity with touch. Slowly, his eyes trailed from her now disconnected hand to her face, as if he was shocked that she was able to create such enormous results from something so straightforward. Chase nodded his head slowly in response to her question, speaking in a low yet incredibly even tone, "Fine.. I'm not sure if it was either the music or the meditation, but perhaps the combination was enough to temporarily keep myself in check." To her, it might've seemed like a lucky coincidence, but the young man was quite shocked from this. "Is it your ability to assist others with their powers?" he asked rather bluntly, seeming to have forgotten the social boundary he'd created against blatantly inquiring about others' abilities, "I haven't been able to feel this.. Normal in quite some time." He lifted up a muscular arm to remove his hoodie from his body due to the warm climate around him, displaying a plain, fairly loose gray t-shirt underneath that billowed around his buff physique. Carefully, he folded the article of clothing and placed it onto his lap, before returning his iridescent gaze upon the young woman. AM I DIFFERENT FROM THE REST

MADE BY VEL OF GS

So she could touch Chase after a meditation session. That still left for how long and in what ways out of the equation since it was nothing more than a pat on his shoulder, but it was still a step in the right direction. Esha was kind of interested in testing her luck further in this situation, but she also didn’t really want to encounter this ‘beast’ form of his, especially in a place like the aquarium where there was plenty of fragile objects within arm’s reach namely the giant tanks. Still though, giving a guy a reliable way of calming his powers down should earn her some brownie points. In theory. Chase was probably the type of guy to break such an equation.

Then came the question, what was her ability. She’d gotten this far with this guy, she wasn’t going to chase him off just yet. While in comparison to Chase’s curse, hers seemed pretty tame. It didn’t affect her life in the same way his seemed to have, but to her it was still nothing to be proud of. For the most part, he could at least hide his without having to outfit himself in full body attire. Though she supposed there was no point in comparing the two of them since both their powers meant something else entirely to each of them. They technically both had animalistic curses, but their affect was not the same.

Then his sweater came off. Her teeth glided over each other slowly as she investigated his quill-less bear arms. She could say yes to his assumption of her ability and not have to him about her quills and deal with her lie later on. Esha wasn’t expecting anything long term out of anybody around the school, one year here and she’d be back in India, so if she could keep up her little white lie for until then she’d be golden. Besides, if she did admit that her ability was to help out other people’s abilities, Chase would want her around more as well. The cons were drastically outweighed by the pros in this situation, so she decided on going along with his suggestion. It couldn’t possibly give him that much false hope. “Yeah, I uh-guess you could say something like that.” she answered him somewhat confidently as her hand naturally placed itself right under her mouth. “It’s kind of like I can um-gauge how much power is coming off somebody. I’m still not very good at it, but I’m learning” her voice went a bit hoarse by the end of her sentence.

In order to quickly change the pace of the subject, she hopped up back onto her pillow and beside the untransformed were-cat. She was still a little bit cautious about touching him with her hands, but during her stabilization onto the seat she no doubt bumped him once or twice. “You’ve felt that on edge for most of your life? I uh-guess you don’t get to relax often do you?”