[Ben hasn't shown anyone this for years; the stories come to him more easily, become easier to apply where they're needed, have a wider range. He did this for Zack one or twice after they escaped Manticore, but mostly it's just been for himself. An intangible touchstone back to a time when he felt secure and necessary, when he had something to offer to those that are important to him, when the world made sense.
His repertoire, as a result, is not extremely varied; he does birds mostly, letting the shadow of the dove trail from his hands in circles and patterns over the wall, spreading his fingers more for something larger, fiercer, changing the movement of his hands. He can do dogs, which become menacing, sharp-toothed and narrow-eyed creatures flowing along the bottom of the available light, and something human-like, half-formed and stumbling and always converting to one of the other creatures.
After several minutes, hands still raised, he finally glances back to Alex, and there's another slice of the personality that would have been, once. Signs of it show through from time to time, if one knows how to pick them out from amongst the rest, but overall not many would describe Ben as shy. His gaze now, though, is almost furtive, hopeful and hoping, the youthful core of him bringing Alex something precious and hidden, seeking approval as he so often does, trusting that he won't be punished for having it in the first place.]
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His repertoire, as a result, is not extremely varied; he does birds mostly, letting the shadow of the dove trail from his hands in circles and patterns over the wall, spreading his fingers more for something larger, fiercer, changing the movement of his hands. He can do dogs, which become menacing, sharp-toothed and narrow-eyed creatures flowing along the bottom of the available light, and something human-like, half-formed and stumbling and always converting to one of the other creatures.
After several minutes, hands still raised, he finally glances back to Alex, and there's another slice of the personality that would have been, once. Signs of it show through from time to time, if one knows how to pick them out from amongst the rest, but overall not many would describe Ben as shy. His gaze now, though, is almost furtive, hopeful and hoping, the youthful core of him bringing Alex something precious and hidden, seeking approval as he so often does, trusting that he won't be punished for having it in the first place.]