Ivan

Ivan is a guy who defied everything I considered normal in this world. He befriended a witch, tried to tame one (read: the witch is a control freak) and would almost get torn apart by the creature had it not been for his invulnerability. Ok, ok, so it borders to insensitivity sometimes.

He was hailed unanimously by peers and elders alike as the future mad scientist of our batch, with the emphasis on "mad". However, describing him as plain crazy would be wrong, because it is impossible to describe him in a sentence, let alone a word. There are times when contradicting sides of him would show. However, being the promising psychologist that I am, all I can say is he is a high-IQ low-EQ individual. My parents once described me as that when I become too clueless about my surroundings. Finally, an accurate analysis of their own daughter...

When I was first introduced to Ivan, the warning bells at the back of my head clanged noisily. Uh-oh, if he's in league with an obnoxious demon as Baron Lollipop, I'm getting out of here. His Highness has very lived up to his reputation as the King of Intrigue by circulating rumors in our previous section in the form of blind items. Anyway, when I got to know Ivan later, a more mind-boggling question bothered me. How in the world did he tolerate the Baron since preschool?! Parallel brain frequencies answered this, as I am to find out in our relationship later.

He proved to be more than just a juvenile nutcase when he became my friend. And through him, Baron Lollipop became my ally too. Imagine the mortification. He shared a couple of nasty class humiliations and interesting conversations with me, including an argument about the root crop associated with Mojacko. He insisted that it was kamote, while I on the other side convinced every person to say it was the potato. The debate continues on to this day.

What drew me to him was his apparent knowledge of anything under the sun. Think of my thrill when I discovered that he's a CSI follower too. Crime and mysteries interested him the same way as I did and it was a good thing to finally have someone that can relate to me. He has a mini-collection of Agatha Christie books I am planning to steal someday for my private library. His brain capacities allowed him the production of ideas I swear I've read in a book. To paraphrase Dr. Watson, he would have made a great criminal with his genius had he been on the other side. Hmm, I smell red herrings for dinner.

It wasn't long before we connected instantly. I mean, how often would I find a smart guy whose mentality could reel me in? The paranoia kicked in with this question. My dream guys in fiction were those who lose the screws in their head, while staying remarkably logical. Hence, I constructed the defunct Bishounen Asylum with my cousin. Among my patients were sorcerers and magicians. Ivan's character in Ragnarok is a mage. If the universe is sending me a series of signs, can I get second transmissions?

It's inevitable once you've fallen for someone; you begin seeing him anywhere. The pain is awful. Whenever I would chance to glance at their side, I would catch him looking at me. Or was I simply imagining such? I started wondering if he really liked me because of his frequent texting. Not a good thought: affections used to be a bunch of illusions for me. To curb the doubt, he confessed. The subject? Reasons why you and I can tolerate each other.

~*~
TO BE CONTINUED...

I have to go now. As I have said, my Ivan will take forever to be described and I'm running out of time in front of the PC. I'll come back later to share more of his curiosities after the Affair of the Corpse Bride. /no1