A football playing king in space.. With a mustache. :D

Stephen sat quietly in the lounge, keeping to himself on the edge of the couch, he paid little attention to the other people in the room minding their own. In his hands were a decent sized chemistry textbook, a subject he hadn't actually dared to touch, until a few days ago that is. He wasn't one to be studying constantly on his free time. Good grades were hardly his usual concern, but he was no issue with brushing up on the subject in order to help a friend... er - I mean, helping tutor a fellow student in some private lessons - wait, no -. Alright. This paragraph was just going to end now on this awkward note.

Anyways, he was just sitting there being all Stephen-like. M'kay? Cx M'kay.

Melody sat in one of the many seats in the lounge, a few feet away from the couch. Her feet hung off over the side of the chair, and she used the other as a pillow. In her hands was a book, one she had picked up from the library a few days ago. Mel wasn't a big fan of reading, but it was better than studying, and she didn't have anything else to do.
Though, in all honesty, she didn't find this book that interesting anymore, and her gaze keep traveling away from the book. She looked around the only slightly grounded lounge, at she spotted... herself. Well, no, it definitely wasn't her, but it had been her body for a while there. Which was pretty awkward, because the guy with strange hair was just that, a guy. She wanted to say something, call him over, start a conversation, but she didn't know what to say. So she bit her lip and returned to her book, absentmindedly peeking up at him from time to time.

Stephen turned the page, though ever-so-slowly his attention was being dragged away from his school book. You know that feeling when you can't help like you're being watched? Well, he had it. Big time. His cold gaze flickered up at the first body in sight, seeing a strange girl in an opposing chair. Did she want something? The man frowned a little, thinking he had recognized her from somewhere, but where...? Hm... Oh, yes, that's right. She was the girl who had stolen his body. Inwardly, he flinched at the memory, honestly preferring to forgetting that it had ever even happened. Honestly, it was horrible. (He was stuck in the body of Happy Rhoden. Happy Rhoden.)
Still, now that he was paying a bit of attention now to the girl, she noticed her gaze in his direction. He said nothing for a bit, but finally felt compelled to say something. "Is there a problem?" he called over, his voice light, but his tone low.

Oh yes. Lucky Stephen. Funny how that worked out. Heh.
Whenever he spoke, Melody's eyes widened as she realized that she had been caught staring at him. She looked down for a moment, using her longs bangs to cover the slight blush on her cheeks. Jeez, she felt like a stalker. Shaking the hair out of her face, with it a normal slightly tan color as before, Mel smiled at him nervously. "No, no. Nothing's wrong. Sorry. You just seemed.. Familiar." Yeah, familiar was the right word. She'd seen all of him, whether she had liked it or not. and of course she liked it. he's one of the pimps. *shot* The thought bringing another slight rosy blush to her cheeks.

He said nothing for a few moments at her thoughtfully after that, one of his key characteristics. If he honestly didn't know you that well or didn't feel completely comfortable, he would speak quietly and say the words he felt only absolutely needed to be said. It threw some people off, thinking he was rather freakish or awkward, or maybe they were intimidated by it. Either way, there was a small part of him that hoped it wouldn't throw this girl off. She didn't seem half-bad.
And yes, he realized it was practically inevitable for her to see all of him. Let's not discuss it. u_u

Stephen blinked, surely she must have known. No need for the gentle go around. "You're Melody Delangelo?" He asked, though it sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

And this was rather unlike Melody's extroverted and unreserved self. She wasn't a blusher, first of all, and often spoke calmly and frankly in a condescending way at times. But right now, she was acting quite awkward, and Mel knew she needed to get out of that slump. And soon.
In all honesty, she didn't really want to talk about it. It was a part of her life that she would have been glad to forget, though that didn't seem likely. It was an awkward thing to think about, but right now, her mind couldn't help but occasionally flash back to how she- or he- had looked without... Inwardly, she shivered.
Forcing her mind out of the gutter, she focused on his statement-like-question and nodded. "Yup. And you're Stephen Malone?" She replied, her question also coming out in a definite sort of way as she kind of copied him.

Mm, by now he was used to her behavior at current moment thanks to someone, though it still struck him as odd.
And come on, Melody, don't be shivering about it. You know you enjoyed every little bit ;D - /shotdown foreverplz.

Still, he nodded again quietly, thinking about turning his attention to his textbook for a few minutes... maybe she could focus on her literature again, but then he realized that he had already quickly lost interest and sighed silently, setting the book aside. "I suppose you could say we've ... met before?" For lack of a better word choice.

lolsorry. failpostis fail.

... Weeeeell. *shot*

At his choice of word, Melody stifled a laugh. She hadn't really ever talked to Mr. Malone, but they had definitely gotten familiar with each other. Or, at least she had. Again, her neck and face grew warm. "That's... One way to put it." She replied, falling his lead and awkwardly closing her book and placing it in her lap, happy to forget about it. "Though, I don't know you that well." Oh Mel, I think you know him well enough. ;D *shot*

Fayl.

Stephen couldn't help but smirk, looking down at the ground. "Other than my body, I don't think you do." Oh, Lord. Does every topic he is thrown at have to be filled with awkward conversations like these. The young man brushed a few white bangs out of his face, just to get a better look of her. "Alright, I hate starting things out on the wrong foot. And this is almost as wrong as you can get." Better or worse than getting a free lapdance? ... He didn't know. Whatever. And really, he had to stop himself there, carefully picking his next words.

"Alrighty then. So you want to get familiar?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Well, didn't that sound seductive. Melody laughed at her stupidity, shaking her head. "In a completely friendly way." She grinned, slowly getting comfortable and returning to her old self. "I agree with you on that one. Alright, lets start over." She began playfully. "Hi, I'm Melody Delangelo."

Stephen smirked, almost like he wanted to laugh. "Familiar? Out of the bedroom, certainly, it would be a pleasure." Alright, enough with the innuendos~. Amazingly hot pimp, or not, he was still Mr. Purity Ring. He blinked slowly at her in acknowledgement. "Stephen Malone." he repeated for good measure, the slightest smile on his face. "So, what are you doing in this daft room on a day like this?"

Unlike Stephen, Melody actually laughed at that. *shot*

Now, Melody wasn't exactly Miss. Purity Ring, but- I mean, it's not like... But... *corner*

Okay. Trying this again. She nodded slightly whenever he stated his name, as if she was just hearing it for the first time and was trying to place it in her head to remember. At his question and attempt at a non-awkward and perverted conversation, she smiled softly. "Well, I really have nothing better to do. So I came here to read." She replied, looking down at her book. "Though, it's not as interesting as I thought..." Seriously. Why did people sit still and read the little words in the first place? The book she was reading didn't do justice to daily life at this school. She looked up. "What about you?" Because Steph seemed so interested in that book.

Lol. xD *patpats Melody* We know... ;w; She's a good girl... Until Nate sings to her. /shotdownplz.

Oh, no, not at all. D; Stupid books... Nobody likes you. books;; okay. u.u "I see..." Stephen muttered, glancing at the chemistry book, admittedly having considered just chucking it across the room (and perhaps even out the window) the entire time that he had been reading it. He had already passed the class, and loathed every second it had taken to do it, he wasn't so keen on revisiting the subject, but... "Brushing up on a subject - to help a friend study..." He explained. Well, it was what Aislinn spent most of her time doing anyways, so it definitely wasn't an excuse for anything at all, not like getting closer to her. Ahem. Nope, not at all. "I'm starting to remember why I hated the class so much." The young man muttered.

Then lord help us all. xD
Melody smiled at his answer, something about it interesting her. He could just be Doing the nice thing and helping his friend study, or he could be trying to win a friend over. Because if Melody knew one thing, it was that studying sucked. She'd probably only read a chemistry book twice if it meant helping someone special. If you weren't, screw you, you could figure it out on your own. Which probably explain why Mel was getting a C in chemistry. C is for Chemistry. |D And not much better in any other subject. But hey, that's not why she came to this school. She came here for her power. But back on topic. "Really? Who's your friend?" She asked nonchalantly, hoping to ease him into telling her. Yeah, that's right. You don't need to be Empathic to be insightful. >:U
At that Melody laughed, looking at the dreaded book he had. "Yeah, I can relate." She mused with a smile, toying with a stray strand of blonde hair.

He actually wasn't too bad at chemistry, or math either for that matter. The problem with it was that it bored him to all hell and back, and the same went for the rest of the subjects. Like Melody, he couldn't care less about the learning (and was probably just cruising with Cs and Ds. cx), he was only here to improve on his powers. However, it mattered to some people, so he was willing to at least try to pick up the book again and give it a go... as terrible as it was.
Stephen stared her down for a few moments after that, going over in his mind whether or not it was worth actually answering her. Luckily, it seemed to be in Mel's favor. "Aislinn Tucker." His answer was low, wondering if she ever even knew his dear friend outside of the classroom. Or, hell, outside of that Truth or Dare night.
With a silent, melodramatic sigh he pushed the textbook away further, not wanting anything to do with it again anytime soon. "Terrible." He muttered and smiled slightly, once again to make up for lack of laughter.

Erm. She didn't. |D Though, at that name, an image of the girl did come to mind. Bright red hair, golden eyes? She hadn't exactly talked to her, but she'd seen her around. "So. You wouldn't happen to be helping her because you like her, would you?" She mused, biting her lips to hold back a smile.
She laughed at his melodrama, and put the back of her hand to her hand and sighed, her grin going as she looked over at him.

FAUL

He really did try to hide his reaction to the question, but he honestly couldn't help but be a little surprised by her light tease. He looked at her with an almost blank expression for a few moments, trying to think of how to answer. "Well, of course I like her." Stephen muttered back a little blandly, as if what he were saying were obvious. "I had said she was my friend, didn't I?" Somehow he knew his smart-ass answer probably wouldn't fly, but he didn't see why she was concerned with their... er - relationship? Not that there was one, 'cause - no. You know how it is. D;

Melody frowned softly at his response, unsatisfied. Was he trying to act ignorant of what she meant? Of course, if they were friends he'd like her, but she wanted to know if he had a thing for Aislinn. He wasn't that dumb to not understand the meaning of what she said. "Oh come on, you know I don't mean just liking her. Do you want to be more than friends, is the better question."
Perhaps she was interested because her love life wasn't a fairy tale at the moment, and she could use some good, even if it was from helping someone else find their happy ending. Or maybe because she was entertained by the drama of love. It was sort of like a soap opera. Or maybe she really, truly wanted to help, because she was a nice person... Well, I'm going with D) all of the above. |D

Stephen held his tongue, instead blinking slowly and flicking his cold gaze out of her direction. "Be more than friends...?" He repeated quietly. Did she mean... best friends? :D Hell yeah! /shot. No, he knew exactly what she had meant, and was honestly a bit tied on how to answer her. Well, he did have a small 'thing' for her, but... "I don't know." The young man frowned, confessing to this Melody-girl. Why exactly? He wasn't too sure on that either, but oh well. "I don't understand her at all."
And God damn, wasn't that an understatement. It was nothing but a back and forth chase between each other. He had given up on it and hadn't a clue what Aislinn was left of it; it had left the two of them on a rocky relationship. Just...
fff-.
Women.

Melody nodded when he repeated her, as if to answer his question. That's right sir, she said it. And he better not ask why she gave a crap about his life. >:U
Mel smiled softly at that. She understood the feeling of not knowing what your feelings were towards a person. And she knew why he was confessing in her- he probably needed someone to talk to, even if he didn't know it. Otherwise, he'd just be confiding in himself, and no one likes that. And don't ask why she thought he had no one to confide in. >:c Melody was either right, or she was right. Well, at least in her mind.
Agh. Complicated love. Didn't she know to well about that, too. What, with what had been stirring up recently... Just... Agh. "Yeah?" She murmured thoughtfully. What he needed was a woman's perspective on all of this. And he wouldn't exactly get a choice, either. "So, you have feelings Aislinn. Does she feel the same way?" Melody questioned, interested now.

Agh? Problem, Melody?
Stephen nodded silently and let somewhat of an agitated sigh, brushing the bangs out of his face and looking back at her. He frowned at Mel, assuming still she had feelings for her even though he still said nothing to admit so. But really, it was obvious, so he was just being more of a stick in the mud. "I don't know." He repeated himself, a little sternly this time around, as if she didn't get the point before. His eyes slit and he tossed his gaze to the ground. "I like to think so at times, sometimes I'm sure." He couldn't help but smile a little now, remembering times where she'd fumble around and her face would turn a deep red. And then there was that time in her room - ohbby. -, but... "Other times, I feel she just hates me." Stephen's frowned returned. He couldn't read that girl at all.

Melody knew she was walking a tight wire here, as nosy as she was being, but she wasn't one to give up about this kind of thing. She was horrible at dealing with her own problems, but about other people's, she was practically an expert. In her mind. In reality, probably not so much.
Oh my, Stephen was getting stern. ;3; In all honesty, she seriously hadn't gotten the point before. She figured 'I don't know' meant 'Yeah, sure.' She didn't exactly grasp it now. Stephen liked Aislinn, she was almost sure. Almost.
"Hm. Yeah, I can understand that. It's confusing, I'm sure." She replied thoughtfully. "But if you're sure at times that she likes you, then she does." She murmured with a smile. "Buuuut. She probably hates you too, at times. I mean, think of it as a scale. You can't one without the other, or else it isn't balanced. You just can't have one extreme without another." Now she was quieter, to where he'd have to strain to hear. She was basically talking to herself now. Jeez Melody. When did you get smart? xD If what she said made sense at all. Except, to her it made perfect sense. And woah, did that make her feel like crap. She was weighing on the hate side with Nate right now, but... Didn't that mean that there was just as much love on that other side? She had wallowed in that love power, had gotten a taste of it, but what was one extreme without the other? True, you didn't have to love someone to hate someone, quite the contrary, but... Okay. It made sense to us. D;

"Completely." Stephen muttered to her first comment, but not saying much after that. Wait, was this supposed to be the oh-so-great view from the woman? Because, Hell... Alright. He appreciated the thought, Melody, but this was simply confusing him all the more. As she went on, he noticed her start to quiet down and distance herself. He ended up having to lean forward and focus just to hear her finish talking. Was she even talking to him anymore?
He crossed his arms and sat forward, processing these thoughts in a similar manner to Ebony. "So you're telling me that to - feel for someone in that way, you have to hate them as well?" Off the top of his head, that was what he pulled out of it. Stephen blinked, almost laughing a little. "That sounds unhealthy." Going deeper into the matter, though (and Potato, please correct him/me if he's/I'm wrong), he pulled out something that made just a little more sense.
He understood it on a different scale (eh? ;D) though. Being the totally deep guy he probably didn't appear like, he compared the hate to sadness. The sadness was something terrible, but it would have never been that way unless there was something really grand before to compare it too. Some kind of great happiness. Like love.
But beyond that, Stephen was still quite confused on what she had meant. Him and Aislinn had surely tipped the scale to the darker side before going on to the lighter. What did she mean? Maybe he should explain further? Or - what?
"Melody?" He asked, "Is something bothering you?" Seriously girl, how the hell did you expect to play the love doctor when you have your own shit to worry about?
They'd have to just sit here in a stump and figured out both of their problems together. |C

She was staring down at her hands until he attempted to summarize what she was saying. "No! That's not what I'm saying." She snapped quickly, as if she was a teacher scolding a child for answering wrong. Though, she couldn't help but laugh lightly along with him. Even if that was basically what she just said, it wasn't what she meant. Dammit Mel, pretty soon everyone's gonna need a Mel For Dummies. >:c *smack*
"I mean, you can love without hate, and sure as Hell hate without love, but... but... It just can't be... Maybe what I'm saying, is that if you love and hate, then you can experience both feelings clearer. It would be, oh, I don't know, better? More of a 'match meets gasoline' kinda deal? You could still have love without hate, but that's not what I-" Want? Have experienced? Why was she talking about herself now? She was suppose to be focusing on Stephen and Aislinn. She had gotten so off track, and probably confused the Hell out of him in the process. *gives Ebs/Stephen a gold star* xD
Stephen interrupted Melody's thoughts once again, and she blinked herself out of her thoughts. "No, no... Well, it doesn't matter. None of that made any sense, I'm sure." She apologized, shaking her head softly. "Sorry, I ramble sometimes."

Stephen gave her a strange look and shifted backwards. Well, excuuuse him if he wasn't fluent in her little language. Jeez, was Harmony this terrible at explaining things? probably even worse. Yes, I'd like to order that book for each one of my characters, thank you.
Match meets gasoline - the hell kinda metaphor is that - wait - what chapter is this in?! ;A; Dammit. Oh well, we'll just have to wing it.
I suppose the good thing at the moment was that Stephen carefully planned out his words before he said them, unlike Melody who rambled out all her thoughts at once and hoped they'd spell themselves out. He looked down and crossed his arms for a few moments, looking very thoughtful, once again trying to compare what she was saying to what he had pictured before. "It's not better." He commented after a little bit, his voice low and each word said with careful precision. As with the ups and downs in life... "You have to take the bads with the goods. It doesn't make anything better exactly, it just makes the whole thing real."
Alright, just to explain the thing running through his mind;; When you're really sad, it really shouldn't be a bad thing, because for something to make you that upset, you really needed to be hellav happy before. So those emotions, while are sad, still make you feel more real. ;w; moar huumin. So, it's more of a beautiful kinda sadness more than anything. ty butters.
Though, she was clearing talking about her own issues, he was slowly applying his own words to his own situation, coming to two small ideas;; one. someone seriously needed to write a fucking aislinn-for-dummies book. two. well, maybe he shouldn't honestly be so... erm... well, - he didn't want to exactly put it that way, but afraid of the bads? If there were a natural thing, that is, which he was sure what she was trying to say... That was why he sorta kept pushing the friend-zone... He didn't want to push her away any further otherwise. Yeah, seriously. Help him out here. D; /shot.
The man actually laughed a little, "So you get me to talk to my problems out, then leave me in the dark when I ask you to return the favor?" ... Woman logic. He stayed quiet for a moment before retreating to a soft, warm smile. "Aislinn rambles a lot as well." He said quietly, not minding it in the least, even finding it a little endearing. Stephen was by far more of a listener than a talker.

We'll take that gold star, thank you very much. |3 /shot.

And don't worry, Mel. If he got way too tired of your blabbing, he could always use his power to shut his hearing off. |D