A Chaotic but Perfect World: In the Epping Forest

Welcome to hell?

-You're right. But, Mr Carter could've been mistaken.
He turned to Marina.
-So...Marina...
Her muscles immediately pulled her lips upwards.
-That's me!
Jonathan politely smiled.
-Yes, Sam didn't follow Theresa's rules, but I have to.
Marina nodded understandingly.
-Got it! Ask me anything you want! I'll try to answer as honestly as I can.
Oliver sighed and looked at Jonathan.
-Isn't it clear she's in your team? Obviously, she's not the INTJ.
Jonathan affirmed.
-I know, but I have to give answers to Theresa and, if I don't ask her questions I won't know her answers!
He rolled his eyes.
-Just give her answers an ENFP would give. It's obvious, she's an ENFP. Like I said, body language says It all.
Jonathan sighed and continued arguing in a lower voice.
-Mr Carter might have made a mistake and, for example, brought an INFP instead of an ENFP. We'll ask her several questions to find out whether her first function is NE or FI. Okay?
Oliver stared at him.
-Why is it, that people are so afraid of the tongue, and yet enjoy only worldly things, mostly?
Jonathan blinked.
-Sorry, what?
He continued.
-I mean, look, if I say something true, people will cry and feel attacked, insulted and hurt, but if I talk about abstract subjects and possibilities, they will flee with the excuse that they're busy and do something meaningless. They contradict themselves!
Jonathan sighed.
-Humanity is complex, which means they can be paradoxical, also. And you can't say everyone does that, because each individual is unique.
Oliver scoffed.
-Yeah, but there's stuff like majority and minority, you know. Majority is mostly similar, and the minorities are the outcasts, got it?
Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows thoughtfully.
-Majority is built of unique individuals, who agree on an opinion about a certain subject. Since the individuals part of it are unique, they may contradict themselves with differing opinions. But that doesn't mean they will be harsh towards each other. Respect, empathy and compassion are crucial in such matters.
Oliver rolled his eyes.
-Yeah, then a person declares an idea and says "whoever disagrees is stupid" or whatever, then several people, who are self-conscious and have low self esteem, to feel validated, agree and support that person, then a majority is built. Then, generations pass, and opinions morph or change, majority might split, but into other majorities, not independency.
Jonathan shook his head.
-That's possible, but not the only reason. And why are we discussing this now? We have a job to do!
Oliver groaned.
-I'm bored! Watching people's bodies isn't so fun, you know. I wonder how some people do it, call it an addiction...And, I mean, if each person is unique, then why is it, that we see a certain movement and go "ahh, yes, this person is anxious". I mean, what if that's just how they express anger and not anxiety? Body language stuff is stupid!
Jonathan smiled worriedly.
-That is why we focus more on their answers than their body languages, but you cannot say it's stupid, it's psychology of humans, something each person has in common. While it is true some express themselves uniquely, that doesn't mean we should disrespect those, who express like, as you say, the "majority".
Oliver rolled his eyes.
-Respect and people pleasing aren't the same thing. If they are, then just kill respect, I'm allergic to it.
-You can't survive without respect, it will be utter chaos! Nobody will have authority and there will be no true connection between people! No harmony.
He answered.
-Well, I'm bored.
Oliver plainly stated.
-If you don't like doing this, why do you do it?
He asked him.
-Because Selena is always busy and Emily is stupid.
Jonathan slightly gasped.
-Emily is not stupid at all. She is very intelligent.
He chuckled.
-According to Cipolla, being stupid means making absolutely no contribution to society, or to themselves. Emily has no social skills, she can't help us with that in any way and neither to herself, so, she's stupid.
Jonathan shook his head.
-No, she is an important member of our group. She helps us with research, technology and with her vast amount of knowledge!
He snickered.
-Then she's the helpless. Gets used by bandits. And we're the bandits.
-Oliver, she is doing her job and we are helping her, not using her. Please don't speak, alright?
In answer, he chuckled.
-Yeah, tongue hurts more than pulling out the organs with a knife and frying them, then eating them, but dancing still is better than an interesting conversation. Got it. Now, returning back to watching bodies and pretending to analyze them...
Jonathan looked at him angrily, but then turned to Marina and Serly.
-I deeply apologize, we got distracted.
Marina brushed it off and giggled, while Serly's slight smirk and intrigued eyes stayed.
-So, let's move on...without further distractions...here's the first question, Marina. Why do you work as an evil-hunter?
Marina bit her lips, seemingly disappointed at the question, expressed it by deeply sighing and awkwardly chuckled.
-I... actually don't know. It just turned out to be that way. At first I began studying medics, then I got disinterested and changed to curse breaking, then this job grabbed my attention, so I studied it...and, I just...ended up as an evil-hunter. I was just... exploring, like I always did... until I...found the job that I felt better being myself as... even though I have some, uhh, disabilities... this job managed to glue me to itself.
Oliver smirked at Jonathan.
-NE. But ask others too.
-Of course.
Jonathan cleared his voice and turned back to Marina.
-When approaching evil-hunting tasks, do you tend to focus more on uncovering hidden meanings, making connections, and envisioning future possibilities internally within yourself, or do you find yourself more engaged in exploring multiple perspectives, brainstorming ideas, and seeking external input and stimulation?
She blinked, thought a little and answered.
-I think I provide different perspectives on the task and tell the others about them and do whatever they order.
Oliver chuckled.
-NE once again. But if you need to be really sure, ask another one.
Jonathan smiled.
-I'm testing her because if I don't, Theresa will find out. I'm sure you're right, but Theresa will find out that I haven't tested and typed her.
Oliver rolled his eyes.
-So? I'm not afraid of her. Neither should you. You can waste time here, but I'm taking Serly with me.
Jonathan shook his head.
-No. You will stay here until it's 100% clear she's a NE dominant.
His face morphed into irritation and boredom.
Marina got questioned again.
-When making a decision, do you tend to focus on different perspectives and ideas and work based on external input or do you focus more on your values and beliefs and even if you're told to do something else, you do it your way? Think carefully before answering it, alright?
She nodded and looked down, furrowed her eyebrows and got transported to a universe of viewing yourself from a different perspective.
After carefully imagining and maybe even remembering, she raised her head up.
-Sure my values and beliefs are important to me, but I'm more the type to show different perspectives and follow their order. If it doesn't align with my morals, I argue until I understand why their idea is good.
Oliver turned to Jonathan.
-"I'm more the type of person to show different perspectives and follow their order" is NE. "If it doesn't align with my morals, I argue until I understand why their idea is good" is FI and TE. And the last, the demon function is SI. Enough proof?
Jonathan completely ignored Oliver.
-Well, Marina, come on with me. It's clear you're with us.
She smiled, stood up and they disappeared.
Oliver looked at Serly.
-You're stuck with us then...how do you feel about hell?
She slightly smirked and replied.
-I think, that entirely depends on your definition of hell.
Oliver chuckled lightly.
-So...how do you know you're an INTJ? Serly smirked and scoffed.
-I've studied Carl Jung's cognitive functions. To be extra sure I'm an INTJ, I, besides self assessment, studied handwriting analysis, which is graphology, which has 70 – 90% accuracy, in most cases, proven so by professionals, and also drawings' analysis.
He fixed his posture and sat up, legs still wide open.
-It sounds like you've went deep into psychology. Why?
She laid her leg on the other.
-It's just a hobby. I like doing research and learning and it won't be incorrect to say I'm very fascinated by the human mind. Many things are left mysteries, yet reveal great things, surprisingly in so much depth.
His smirk was still stamped on his face, eyes moved from lower parts to her eyes.
-Oh? And you mentioned studying Carl Jung's cognitive functions. What else do you know about him?
Her eyes, squinting, pierced into his.
-Carl Jung's been Sigmund Freud's student. He is often criticized for having too complex tools, yet it's impossible to speak about the human nature without being too complex. He has brought forth the idea of archetypes, which, he believed, are crucial parts of a person, reflected very often in literature, especially. Another thing he analyzed are dreams and the subconscious mind, which play great roles in a person's nature and behavior. It is said, the subconscious mind is the marriage of biological instincts and also learnt behaviors from the surroundings. Each expression and microexpression possesses information about the conscious mind. So the subconscious and conscious minds are relative.
Oliver chuckled, fingers soaring through his hair.
-Interesting...you've got a wide range of information...and also vocabulary. It's a flowery and vivid language you've got there.
Serly sprang a small smile.
-I do. It helps me communicate my thoughts far better.
He smirked.
-Or perhaps worse. Some people just have trouble grasping sophisticated expressions, you see. I'm thinking you don't have a large audience or circle.
She closed her eyes for a second, as a sign of affirmation and agreement.
-You're correct to think that, but my language isn't fabricated to make sure my audience grasps the message, but so I, myself, understand what I'm saying. Not only it's more appealing, but also it's more imaginative and, thus, easily understood. Of course, this is just my experience. Besides, the words you choose to use over some reflect much about you and the person you're speaking to.
Oliver squinted.
-Understandable, but eloquence, something beautiful and harmless, is stepped on and crushed by society. Of course, it used to be a crucial part of the bourgeois' lives, but cultures evolve, now it's different. Just like manners used to be of common sense, but now are something to be praised... it's all the same...you have to become like them in order to survive. You'll get killed if you stay true to your values, because nobody cares about them.
Serly smirked.
-Well, that's exactly the battle of life. The more powerful one wins. But power isn't commonness or popularity, it's not mainstream or liked by all...it's exactly about staying true to your values, despite the wind blowing against you, the rivers flowing against you, because if you become one of them...you lose yourself in the fog. You lose your individuality, humanity and become a servant of a wretched and ungodly system. The world is supposed to hate you. And when you die despised by the world...then you've won the battle of life. Victory isn't having an easy and happy life, having everything you've ever wanted, richness, fame or success...it's having everything you need. And there's only one thing that you need in order to survive the world's evil ways...
He smiled and exhaled as a way to end the conversation here.
-Overally, you seem promising.
He stood up and gave his hand to her. She hesitated, but gave her hand, and in the end, got pulled close to him. They looked at each other, for a second.
-You're going to have to get used to physical proximity. Are you friends with it?
He chuckled, as she answered, a bit flustered.
-N-no. I don't like physical proximity. -Well, then, you've got a flaw to work on. You know, during fights we have to brush against each other, accidentally hit each other, sometimes we see each other's nudity, accidentally...alright, I exaggerated the last one, it only happened once and it wasn't full nudity, don't worry about that. Everyone's got privacy.
She quietly giggled, trying to suppress it, but failing to, as he smirked and watched her. His palm took hers, eyes glared at them, then returned to hers.
-Such delicate hands you've got. I regret to say, they're going to get dirty.
Serly retreated her hand, posture straight and face tall.
-They're dirty, already, I'm just going to get them dirtier.
He smirked, eyes squinting, then cut contact. Casting a spell, they disappeared from the room. Now they were in a forest. There were tents, logs, woods on the floor, axes, lots of technologies, bags, clothes, papers and a river near.
-Selena and Emily will come in some seconds. Selena's the leader. Dare to not listen to her, she'll kill you, mentally. Emily is our technician and food eater. She's got knowledge about almost everything, but she can't beat my high score. I'm the executor. I do the stuff. But all these roles aren't limited. You can do whatever you want, as long as you get something done. Your job here is to plan, but you can do other stuff too, like research or leading. Just joking you can't do leading. Well, you can, but you can't. As In for execution, we're all executors. That's when you can become the leader. You'll team up with Emily.
While Oliver was explaining, Selena and Emily came.
Selena had long wavy black hair, olive green eyes, thin lips, a long nose, high cheekbones and curvy body. Her height reached Oliver's, but he was taller.