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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 16, 2011 17:50:49 GMT -5
This entire outing felt like a revenge phase, part two.
Joshua could remember with surprising clarity when his father had been angry with him the first time. He'd counteracted this anger by spending as much out of Donovan's bank account as he possibly could. Mind you, it probably hadn't been the best idea at the time considering that bank account held a fortune that would have belonged to Joshua himself one day but he'd been angry and it had been an available source of venting. Plus he'd gone shopping with Nell and that had been quite fun. His lips twitched into a reluctant sort of smile as he recalled trying on designer labels and pissing off the clerk as they tried on hats and Nell decked herself out with jewellery. He still had the jacket that he had bought on that occasion. He wore it now over the typical combination of dress shirt and jeans, though he did strip it off and toss it over a chair at first opportunity. It was a bit chilly but for Fire elementals the cold was rarely a problem.
"Can I get you anything to drink?
Gray eyes shaded by designer sunglasses surveyed the girl who'd asked the question. These outdoor tables were patrolled by staff that sated the drinking needs of all the loungers and he supposed his lack of a drink had caught her attention. The words 'No thank you' were about to brush past his lips when he reminded himself that it was alright to indulge every once and a while, as long as he didn't go overboard and get drunk. Country clubs were not like bars, you couldn't afford to get pissed and expect everyone to tolerate your wild behaviour. "Just a bottle of whiskey, thanks." He knew that it would be the good brand because this place was expensive. This place was also a frequent haunt of his father--his family--for several years. Josh had a feeling that it would anger Donovan to think of his son hanging around the place and that was the main reason he was here. You can't control me any more.
He knew a slight twang of guilt for his mother as he handed the money over, not bothering to put it on tab considering he wasn't exactly planning to drink much. Hell, he probably wouldn't even finish the whiskey but he could always take it out with him. He could make it last. He wasn't in the mood to get drunk, he was in the mood to live the high life and spend a lot of money. It's not Dad's money you're spending, his conscience chided him. He tried to push both the thought and the excess guilty that accompanied it away. It felt like this whole disowning was a breakup and that he was in the rebound phase. Done with the grief and onto the 'I am going to cheat with everyone and make that bastard/bitch jealous' phase. He was trying to live as extravagant as he was accustomed to with the understanding that it would bug his father. Of course, Donovan wouldn't get wind of this unless he told his high-class friends that his son was disowned. A part of Josh doubted he had.
Shame, he thought. I wish they'd all see me and go tell him what a wonderful disappointment I'm being. He downed a shot of the whiskey, shook his head at the thought of his father, then leaned back in the chair and sighed slightly. He didn't really know what he could do for entertainment right now. Sports were one of the main things that the club catered to but he wasn't much in the mood for golf or tennis or anything of the sort. He could play golf (not particularly well, but he at least knew how) and he was rather good at tennis but he just wasn't in the mood. There were televisions and a lounge as well as a bar but he had all the drink he needed right in front of him and had never been much of a TV person. The lounge meant conversing with other people and he hadn't came here with those intentions. The on-site restaurant was fancy and great when you wanted sustenance but he wasn't hungry either. Deciding that he'd just stay here for a while, he didn't bother taking another shot. This was for revenge, not for drowning his sorrow.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 16, 2011 19:05:20 GMT -5
Nell was strangely enthusiastic to go to the country club with her father. Not that she didn’t wanted to spend so much time with her father, but it was a place she’d never been before, and so it would be an interseting experience. Of course, she had to first make sure that Jane wasn’t coming along. The woman was causing a great deal of frustration for her, but she’d never tell her father that, because it would be like admitting weakness to him, and she didn’t want that. However, he was aware of the dislike of Jane that was shared between them, and assured her that the woman was off doing her own thing. ”Have you checked her trunk lately?” she asked with a snort as they were walking into the building before heading out to the green. ”She might be doing some business.” She knew that her father didn’t approve of her talking like that, but she ignored his hard stare. Because he didn’t glower or anything like that—he was an intimidating man without having to do that.
As they were getting into the golf cart, León decided to finally make comment of his daughter’s outfit. ”You look ridiculous, by the way.” Sitting in the driver’s side after convincing her father to let her, she turned on the vehicle and looked down at her sweater vest, khakis, and knee-high argile socks. ”What, isn’t this proper country club attire?” she said with a smile, tipping her flat cap with a wink. He gave her an incredulous look and she stepped down on the pedal, starting off at an uneccesary speed. With his hand clinging to the roof of the cart, León, ”Nell, really?” She didn’t answer as she drove over the grass. Instead, she said, ”Who keeps up this place, the jolly green giant?” She eased up on the gas a bit, but still was going at an unneccesary speed.
They played around twelve holes, Nell taking her time in deciding the club she was going to use at each one, then shouting ‘fore’ even if there wasn’t someone there. She grinned whenever whacking the ball over to the flags, then turned back to give her father a thumbs up. He just shook his head, and she thought that maybe he believed his daughter turned out to be a weirdo. And she couldn’t really care. Their relationship was getting somewhat better, because she knew that she couldn’t stay wholly angry at him forever. She may still be bitter and still taking out passivve aggressive revenge on him, but there was less fighting now. After he apparently grew tired of her antics—showboating after getting a hole in one—they returned to where the main building was located, and as they returned the golf cart, a man in a finely tailored suit approached León.
Grabbing a bottle of water from her father’s bag, she said, ”I’ll be wherever food can be found.” She walked off then, sipping from her bottle and about to head to the restaurant. However, she passed by a familiar person and her face immediately lit up. Half-skipping up to Josh she said in a faux-posh voice, ”Why hello, dear, and what finds you at our exclusive club today?” She pulled out a chair and sat across from him, taking the hat from her head and smoothing her hair down. ”Seriously, whatcha doing here?” Then, to explain herself, she said, ”Papa brought me here to golf. Clearly.” She tugged at the sleeve of her sweater vest with a grin. She waved her hand, and sighed a bit. ”But he went off with some business associate or something.”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 17, 2011 6:24:56 GMT -5
Joshua glanced in Nell's direction curiously when he heard her voice, then snorted at her tone and the words which she spoke to him. Only Nell could get such an amused reaction out of him without putting forth much effort. "I just fancied being a disgrace to my family, of course," he replied airily and without missing a beat, waving his hand as if to be dismissive of his own words. Though they were spoken in the same falsely posh tone that his girlfriend had used Joshua's words carried the softest hint of bitterness. Would she be able to detect it? None that were not well acquainted to him could pick up on his more subtle of moods but Nell knew him better than everyone except perhaps his parents. Then again, it wasn't like his demeanour gave off any hint of loathing. He appeared quite relaxed as his unscarred hand rested on the table and the other curved around his knee, sunglasses shielding his gaze from the worst of the sun.
Lifting these for a moment so that he could get a better look at her, he gave his girlfriend a slight smile and stood to give her a light kiss before sitting back down as she did. "Just enjoying the fading weather," he replied less honestly, ironically to her more serious question. The weather was indeed fading, however, turning from the heat of summer to the chill of the autumn air. He had never been quite fond of the cold as a child but it was certainly growing more tolerable as he gained his control over the element of fire. In his first years at the Academy he'd had to keep a source of open flame around him in order to stay warm, but as the years progressed he built up a natural tolerance for the weather. It was apparently the same for all of his kind, which he had read in a book when it had peaked his curiosity. It was not, after all, surprising to find Joshua doing personal research of some sort. He enjoyed it all the more when there was no stress to finish anything for class and he could take things at his leisurely pace. "It really is a bit chilly, aren't you cold?" The inquiry was only mildly concerned. He didn't want her freezing to death or getting sick but he was not about to start fretting like a mother.
His eyes narrowed at the mention of Leon, clearly portraying his distaste. What he'd heard of the man so far was not good and thus he couldn't really find it in his temperament to like him. He wasn't about to start bashing Nell's father in front of her, however, and so he merely sighed and said, "Does he ever follow through with commitments?" It could have been taken as a subtle insult but really Joshua was just exasperated. The man had given up on raising a child and now he couldn't even be reliable for a few games of golf? It seemed ridiculous to Joshua but then again, who was he to talk? He currently loathed his own father for the fact that the man had disowned him. "We just don't have the luck, it seems," he concluded with a roll of his eyes. He didn't have to explain to Nell what he meant--she knew only too well about his issues with Donovan. He didn't like to talk too much about them considering they were partially her fault and so he didn't go into detail, but she'd probably pick up on it easily enough.
Gesturing to the still quite full bottle of whiskey, he said, "Help yourself if you like, though I know you're not much of a drinker." He avoided taking a second shot because now he was going to be even more careful about his level of intoxication. He wasn't even buzzed right now but the taste of the single shot had been pleasant enough. He knew that country clubs were practically a raging stereotype of the rich and entitled but Joshua didn't really care. He let people say what they like as long as it didn't stray into dangerous territory such as Ethan with his rumours about murder. Josh was not a murderer but the subject hit too close to home. Murder made him think of the gang when he was fifteen, it made him think of Nell and her mother, it made him think of the trial and that was not alright in the least. "Have you ever been here before?" he wondered aloud, because honestly it didn't much seem like her sort of hangout.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 17, 2011 16:43:11 GMT -5
Nell really didn’t know whether to take him seriously or not. She noted the hard edge to his voice, so she had to assume there was truth in what he was saying. And with that thought brough with it her feelings of guilt about the fact that she was responsible for the fact that he was a disgrace to the family. So yes, she could consider the off-hand comment to be quite truthful. ”Well , what a fine day to do so,” she said , keeping up her entitled tone. ”I say, I find it a pastime myself.” She could relate to Josh, in a way, except that she didn’t grow up with her family and therefore could care less about how they viewed her. Well, that’s not true—her life was quite the mess thanks to the fact that she was a disgrace to the family name. And so is Josh’s, she thought bitterly. Well, she couldn’t let herself get too deep into that now could she? Her thoughts wandered too far and she’d end up curling into a ball on the ground.
After returning the kiss, Nell said, ”The fading weather? That sounds so sad.” She scrunched her nose up as she tried to think of a better phrase to describe the weather. ”I would like to think of it as…colorful weather. Or something.” The leaves were turning colors after all, so it was certainly more vibrant than usual. She wouldn’t call it fading, but either way it was nice. Of course Nell would think it nice even if it was terribly cold. This would be her first autumn of freedom, and therefore it was the greatest. She liked experiencing the cold outside for all it was worth, instead of just stealing pieces of it when she snuck out. ”I am very comfy, actually,” Nell said with a smile. ”Sweater vests are nice for cold weather, I should wear them more often.” Well, that was a lie. Her father was right—the outfit was ridiculous. She knew that, which is why she wore it in the first place, just to mess with her father. She felt like a bit of a sadist in that matter. It was simply leftover resentment from so many years ago.
Speaking of the man, she noticed that Josh wasn’t quite pleased with the mention of him. He never seemed to be. Did he ever follow through with commitments? Well, sure, she guessed. He got the lawyer, which was in a way a commitment. Her voice chimed in laughter as she said, ”He endured me being an idiot for about twelve holes, I give him credit for that.” Not like she was easy to deal with when it came to her father, but Josh wouldn’t know that. He hadn’t even met the man, and she didn’t think she wanted the two to cross paths. Neither of them took care to hide their distaste for the other. Her father especially didn’t approve of her relationship with Josh, which was actually something she enjoyed—it was nice to do something that she knew he wouldn’t be able to interfere in even if he wanted to. ”S’pose not,” she murmured. She actually didn’t know how to feel about Donovan. Of course, she didn’t like the fact that he disowned his son, but she couldn’t harbor the same loathing for him as Josh did for León. Even if he most likely believed her to be a cold-blooded murderer. She could only imagine what Jane told him.
Nell waved her hand to decline his offer of whiskey. She wasn’t too concerned about him getting drunk. It didn’t seem like a normal occurrence at a country club. ”That is illegal, dear sir, you know I cannot drink yet,” she said, placing her hand over her chest as if truly affronted. ”I am aghast by your conduct.” She shook her head, trying her best not to smile and ruining the effect. Even though she was a bartender, she really didn’t drink all that much, and she found it amusing that Josh knew this. He asked her if she’d been to the country club before and she shook her head. ”Nope. But I find there is a certain air of…sophistication.” Then, seriously, she said, ”The food’s good. But I do have to watch my conduct.” Not like she’d go wilding out or anything, but she knew they had standards here. She didn’t grow up like Joshua, she never really had money and so the opportunity to come to the country club had never presented herself before her father came along. And of course, she had some predisposed impressions of them. Old white folk with sweaters around their shoulders and women with pearls stringing their neck, all talking about real estate they just bought in some foreign country. Even so, she was interested to take a peak inside such a world. Nell was from the ghetto, after all—she was pretty sure that country clubs didn’t even exist in South Bronx. ”How long have you been coming here?” she asked, because Josh certainly grew up with the money.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 18, 2011 4:26:58 GMT -5
Josh shrugged when Nell pronounced his words as 'sad'. "Autumn's alright, it's winter I can't stand." He liked the colours of the leaves as they fell from the trees and he appreciated the lack of sweltering heat that even made Fire students a little uncomfortable but fall always seemed too short a season before winter to him. He could possibly bring himself to like the snowier months if not for the fact that they did such a number on his powers. He wasn't as opposed to winter as he sounded, however--you got used to the cold and snow after nineteen years of Canadian winters. It was a rather depressing season seeing as it killed everything off with its icy chill but that didn't bother him too much considering he knew it would all come back in the spring. Spring was his favourite season. Normally the coming of winter would only bring a mild distaste but there were other reasons to be worried about it this year, reasons he was sure that Nell knew fairly well. Their conversation about the trial had been one of the hardest discussions he'd ever had.
A roll of his eyes and a light snort were Joshua's response to her rather outrageous outfit. It did look absolutely ridiculous, of course. "They certainly attract attention." He arched an eyebrow and gestured mildly around them. A few people were giving Nell dirty looks for her rather inappropriate attire. If he was to come across as the good little son of a respected man he might have turned his attention away from Nell and acted as if she were part of the scenery but he was more tempted to cause a scene today. He knew a few of the people here, too, which was all for the better. Friends of the family, acquaintances that he'd met on his own time whilst wandering around and avoiding his parents and their 'business contacts'. The more the better. Let them tell Donovan what sort of low level his son had fallen to. Joshua would thoroughly enjoy that. "So was the getup a way to hint something at your father or were you just in the mood to impress?" He smirked a bit, clearly kidding and not actually trying to insult her. This was his girlfriend, he wouldn't say something cruel.
Joshua chuckled when Nell scolded him about drinking, answering back with a cheeky, "Suddenly concerned about illegalities, are we?" He meant that a lot less literally than someone like her bitch of an aunt might have done. He was just joking around a little about the fact that she worked illegally in a bar and thus drinking would have been one of the things that wouldn't be much of a step up in terms of doing things against the law. If Nell knew him well enough he figured she'd understand he wasn't even thinking about the trial and the fact that she'd committed murder, which was one of the most illegal things you could do on the scale. "My conduct is far more appealing than your outfit," he retorted, teasing. The fact that Nell rarely drank hadn't been immediately apparent to him, but after hanging around her for so long and barely seeing her consume anything alcoholic he had just taken a guess, really. He respected her for that. It was less 'lame' and more 'intelligent'. Drinking was bad for you if you did enough of it, which was part of the reason he was trying to cut back.
He took a moment to think about how long he'd been coming to the country club. He was unable to remember an exact age but he knew that he hadn't been in his early teens or anything, it had been before that. "Since I was pretty young," he replied with a shrug. "My parents didn't really believe in hiring anyone to watch me more than was necessary." Patricia had told him this when he'd inquired why all of his 'friends' (ie. the other rich kids he socialised with at fancy events) had nannies to watch them when their parents went out and he was just dragged along after them. "Annabel came too, sometimes, either that or stayed with friends." He didn't really have many friends he could have stayed with but carefully kept that out of the conversation. He'd also used past tense, because when he came here it would no longer be with his parents. "Where were you headed before my obvious charm distracted you?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 18, 2011 18:16:49 GMT -5
Nell didn’t mind any of the eyes on her, and pretended to be blissfully oblivious, simply smiling as Josh spoke. ”I see I’m making quite the splash,” she said in her posh-voice, spinning her hat around on the table. She had actually gone out and bought the clothes specificall for this occasion. She looked back up when Josh spoke again, and her oh-so innocent smile. ”Both,” she answered at first, and then she explained herself, still not unveiling her devious intentions. ”My father told me we were golfing. And so I wore a golfing outfit.” …From the 1920’s. Even the mental image she had of country clubs was one of old times that she’d seen in books and movies like The Great Gatsby. People wore short-sleeved shirts and shorts or slacks to golf now, but she knew her father would be proud if she did that. ”I guess I never pass up the chance to exasperate papa.” She understood that the man probably never got mad at her, which irked her—she was setting out to piss him off, couldn’t he at least humor her with a little more than simple exasperation?
She understood that Josh was just ribbing her, because sometimes she joked to herself about the fact that pretty much everything she did was essentially illegal. Josh knew enough about her to understand that, and so it seemed a little strange to have someone else joke about that with her. Not like many others knew she was a bartender or an illegal, for that matter. ”I simply wanted to make a good impression,” she said ironically. Her outfit must have been a decent enough impression. ”Underaged and drinking whiskey? Not very lady-like or a good impression, I must say.” Nell didn’t really set out to annoy people, of course. She wanted for everyone to be happy—mostly everyone. Her relatives were special cases in the way they managed to draw out her ire. If someone approached her and damanded that she change, of course she would. Nell drew her eyebrows together and said, ”How gauche!” She crossed her arms and gave him a very convincing dismayed look. ”My sweater vest and I don’t have to take this sort of abuse.” Of course, she didn’t leave. She remembered a time when she couldn’t joke around with Josh like this—when she could barely hold a conversation with him—and it seemed strange now. ”I’ll just wait for an apology.”
She had to wonder how it was like to grow up like Josh did, going to country clubs and having nannies. It was an amazing concept for her even now that people could just hire others to raise their children. Josh’s parents apparently weren’t like that, and she wanted to ask a little more, but with his familial situation, she didn’t think she should. She didn’t want to remind him anymore about his parents and the people who were no longer his family. Instead, she said, ”Was it fun for you as a kid? I mean, is there a lot do for the little ones? Miniature golf, maybe?” She believed she’d be able to find some fun if everyone wasn’t so uptight and concerned about image. Apparently, she had committed a rather incredible faux paus with her clothes, so she could only imagine that this wasn’t neccesarily a place for the kiddies. Then again, she really didn’t know, did she? This was a new experience for her, and she was still learning the ropes, after all.
Nell rolled her eyes. ”You were charming before you started insulting my fashion sense.” She didn’t wear the clothes to impress, clearly not, and so she was just joking. The girl was glad to find Josh, since she really didn’t know anyone else here. She was an outgoing person and willing to strike up conversation with anyone she saw, but she had a feeling she’d be turned down, thanks to the fact no one wanted to talk to an asshole wearing a flat cap with a pom-pom on it. ”Heading to the restaurant,” she said while jabbing her thumb in its general direction. It shouldn’t be too surprising. If she couldn’t have conversation with the upperclass ladies and gents, she could entertain herself with food. Food wouldn’t snub her because of her clothes, after all. She actually was of lower status all things considered, but it wasn’t like anyone knew that. ”Are you hungry at all?” Nell wondered if he would be interested in food, or if he was well off with his bottle of whiskey.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 19, 2011 9:50:40 GMT -5
Joshua nodded as he listened to her explanation, finding that he understood better than he once might have. He was doing this to prove that he was free of his fathers control now and even though Nell wasn't quite as vicious in her ways (of course, Josh didn't know about her fiscal revenge) he still didn't look down on her for it. After all, he disliked her father. He'd never even met the man and yet there was a certain prickling dislike toward him that festered in the back of his mind. He would be pleasant enough if they were ever forced to encounter, for Nell's sake, but that was as far as civility went. Josh arched an eyebrow as she mentioned that she wanted to make a good impression, not missing the irony at all. "I'm sure they're sufficiently... impressed upon." Looking around there wasn't as much attention being drawn to them now. People were either talking about her (possible) or just moving on in their conversations (also possible). "Eh, they'll get over it," he shrugged. He'd gotten into an argument with his parents once and ruffled the feathers of many members nearby with his anger but they'd forgiven him eventually. As long as Nell didn't show up in a chicken suit if she ever got the urge to golf here again...
When Nell insisted that she would wait for an apology, Joshua did a convincing act of pretending he hadn't heard her, glancing around as if the rest of the club was a sight which he had to see. He was kidding around of course, seeing as they both knew that the outfit was a daring approach to out-of-style fashion and he guessed she wasn't serious. He turned his attention back to her after a while and picked up the conversation again, not planning to 'tune her out' forever of course. She asked if it had been fun for him and Joshua snorted in disbelief. "No," he replied without missing a beat. "I didn't learn tennis on a whim, you know." He'd actually learned the sport for the sheer sake of having something to occupy his time whilst his parents meandered about with their business friends and talked about finances and such. Trish was respected because of her obvious charisma and Donovan was known locally so they both fit in alright with the rest of the entitled rich crowd. "Not to mention I couldn't drink until recently, so there was basically just food and sports." Food was not a bad thing, but you could only eat so much if you didn't want to progress into emotional eating or anything like that.
Gray eyes sparkled with mild amusement. Of course she was heading to the restaurant, where else would Nell be going on a day such as this? He wasn't hungry enough to venture there alone and sit down at a table without company but he certainly wouldn't mind joining Nell in her endeavours. "Sure, let's go," he said. Standing, Joshua tucked the bottle of whiskey into the pocket of his jacket without hesitation. He hadn't gotten it to drink so much as to make an impression that he wasn't going to abandon his old lifestyle. It would have been a lot more of a powerful statement if the man himself had been around to witness but Josh trusted a couple of Donovan's contact to pass on the news in time. They don't know I've been disowned but they sure love their gossip. Patricia often frowned at such things, telling her son that she worried what they might say about her family when they weren't around. Josh wasn't too concerned, as long as they didn't start anything too serious.
After eating at the restaurant--"At least there's a vegetarian selection."--and heading back outside, Joshua cast his gaze around indecisively. What could they be getting up to in a place like this? Nell probably wasn't in the mood to golf after she'd just played with her father and he was about to ask if she'd be up for a quick game of tennis when something--or someone--caught his attention. Though he had internally remarked on how this would have been so much better had his father been around to witness his actions, he hadn't once counted on that becoming reality. Donovan was out of earshot and not turned toward them regardless but there was a slight wariness in his tone as Joshua said, "Resident asshole at ten o'clock." He hesitated, unsure of what he should do now. Before he could form a solid decision, however, the person Donovan was talking to said something and gestured in their general direction. When the older man turned, a streak of nerve seemed to overtake him. "Play along," he told Nell quickly, then kissed her before he could go back on his decision. It was the first response he could think of that would make some sort of a point to his father. It was a 'fuck you' without the words to go along with it, really. After pulling away, he raised his hand and waved slightly just to ensure his father that he knew he was there. The look on his face was a mixture of fury and shock and Josh said sideways to Nell, "I think he got the point."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 19, 2011 18:08:02 GMT -5
Nell leaned back and smiled, ”I hope I made someone’s day.” In a way, she really did. She wasn’t aiming to upset the other people, after all, just have a little fun with her father. If someone among these people enjoyed it, well, that would be pretty nice. She was a people pleaser in some ways—she wanted everyone around her to be happy. Hopefully papa won’t get over it, she thought, somewhat caustically. The fact that he was cooling off in trying to push his way into her life made her more willing to tolerate the little things that annoyed her, but the fact that he probably still believes he could use his money to sew the eleven-year gap between them made her more inclined to prove to him how wrong he was. She was a believe of second chances, and she liked to believe everyone, but it would be a tough road for her father, even now that her anger toward him has quelled.
She snorted when he spoke of tennis. ”That bad, huh?” she teased, implying the lack of excitement for the sons and daughters of the wealthy upperclass folk. Perhaps they just enjoyed stiff conversation about stocks and champagne. She couldn’t really judge them for that, even though it wasn’t something she enjoyed. Even though she already had some ideas in her head about the wealthy, she wasn’t going to sneer at them and think that they were all entitled d-bags. Her boyfriend was one of them, after all, and she didn’t like to do that to people anyway. She grew up at the opposite end of the spectrum, so she figured there must be some stereotypes about the poor, even though she didn’t really know them. Nell grinned, joking, ”Well at least the booze makes food and sports better.” Okay, for her food was a big plus, she had to give it to the club for their wonderful selection. ”Though I wouldn’t suggest playing golf while tipsy.” It was hard enough to hit the ball off the tee when sober, she could only imagine doing it while buzzed.
Josh immediately obliged, for which she was glad. It was reassuring to know that he wasn’t drinking to get drunk, though she tried to keep her suspicions calm. In any case, though, food always made her happy. She kept her hat off, because she was still polite in that aspect. She may not have been raised too well, but she did have a certain idea of manners. That’s why she wasn’t acting out too much, especially out of the presence of her father. After eating, she was still hungry, because it seemed that her stomach was a vast, bottomless pit. But she would ignore that for the sake of finding something else to do with Josh and quite possibly avoiding her fahter. Nell definitely considered her boyfriend easier to deal with than her father, because with Leon, it required an extension of effort not to snark at any insensitive comment he made. It was another thing that irked her that, wouldn’t bother her if it were anyone else—he had not filter in the space between his brain and his mind, and he was wholly obtuse, even when it came to his daughter. Only when it came to the trial did he appear to exercise some amount of restraint.
Speaking of fathers, her eyes quickly detected—after taking a moment to figure out where ten o’clock was in her head—Josh’s father, and she bristled a bit. It was still uncomfortable to know that he had heard about her past from Jane, and add to that the fact that—to put it lightly—he and Josh weren’t on the best of terms… Nell blinked at her boyfriend, wondering what he was going to do. Would he approach him? Certainly he had no reason to, after being disowned and all. So would he flee? Instead, he told her to play along, and she was going to ask ‘to what’, before his lips were on hers. The first question that poppped into her head was why would he do that in front of the father that apparently hated her? And then she realized that was exactly why he did it, and it made her feel a bit sick. She didn’t want this rift between the two after all, because it was her fault, no matter how indirectily. Josh chose you, it was his decision, she tried to argue with herself. And she couldn’t be blamed for how Josh felt toward his father. Could she? Shoving the thoughts aside, Nell’s lips twitched in amusement when he waved to his father. You shouldn’t be amused by this, asshole, you should be ashamed of yourself. Nell tried not to let the guilt show when she responded, ”Nope, he doesn’t look to happy.” Because his son is dating a murderer and everything would be fine if it wasn’t for you. Nell lowered her voice all the while trying to divert her eyes from Donovan—he knows what you did and Josh is suffering for it—and asked, ”Do you think he’ll…say something?”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 19, 2011 19:35:04 GMT -5
Joshua realised only after he pulled away from Nell that he should have given her more warning or perhaps a chance to protest the rather sudden kiss. Not that he had ever asked before, but in the face of a father who had disowned him and hated her he figured that the game had changed a little. "That's what I was aiming for," he assured Nell, not wanting her to think this was against his wishes or anything. She mattered more than Donovan right now. In hindsight if they ever broke up he might regret choosing his fugitive girlfriend over his financially stable father but at the moment he had few regrets. He still had his own views and his own personality, it wasn't like he would give up his sense of self for Nell. He just wasn't going to sit around in the mansion listening to his father speak ill of the girl he just so happened to be in love with. Now all he had to do was hope that this whole thing didn't end in the slamming of a jail cell door and they would be in sunny pastures. It seemed a lot to ask for, especially since he'd only taken a single shot and was as far from drunk as Nell was.
Turning away from Donovan for a moment to meet Nell's gaze and blink slowly at her, Joshua decided a little reassurance was in order. "I want him to understand he can't drive some sort of wedge between us." Donovan had already almost done that. It had taken a couple of weeks for Joshua to even speak to Nell again after what happened with his father and their catastrophic argument. It had been the girl herself who'd needed to step in and make him see sense before he'd decided to rekindle connections. He didn't want to make that mistake again and he didn't want the man to have power over him any more. Donovan might have been able to control his actions with threats to kick him out of the house or confiscate his car keys before but it was a whole different story now. It felt good in a twisted sort of way. He had his independence back, it was just sad he'd had to sacrifice the mansion, the money, and regular contact with his family to get it. Things seemed a lot less rosy when put into that perspective and so he tried to avoid long trains of thought as much as possible.
Glancing over at Donovan, Josh shook his head. The man was standing and glaring at them both as if affronted but it didn't seem as if he was going to come over and make conversation... or even yell at them, really. "Wouldn't want to risk his reputation, I don't think." Joshua sounded strangely smug as he regarded the older man but spoke to Nell. Even though he and Donovan had never really had the ideal father-son relationship he still knew the man pretty damned well. Donny had raised him, after all. He briefly wondered if Nell felt the same way about her father but didn't ask--that was something he didn't want to make her think about. Don was just a jerk, Leon had ditched her for eleven years and left her with a whack-job mother. There was a big difference in their situations. "I don't think he's told anyone." Though he did not clarify that he was talking about his disowning he figured Nell was intelligent enough to figure that much out for herself. Donovan glared at them both for a long moment, more at Joshua than at Nell, then shook his head slightly and turned back to his associate.
"He's probably saying we're a disgrace to the obvious integrity of the country club and that he'll talk to me about it later," Joshua said with an airy sort of sarcasm. He was feeling oddly optimistic about this whole daring thing. In truth Josh was just sick and tired of getting knots in his stomach every time he ran into his father. It had to end and what better way to end it than with the ball in his court? Speaking of courts... "Let's go hang out and play tennis or something," he suggested, walking toward the tennis courts that had crossed his mind. Alright, so he didn't exactly have a spring in his step or a sing-song voice but he did feel as if there was some sort of a weight lifted off his shoulders. "All his friends know about us, now. I hope they question him about it. He'd love that." Unlike Nell, Joshua was perfectly content with being openly cruel and spiteful. He was an asshole and he enjoyed it.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 19, 2011 21:35:53 GMT -5
Nell blinked up at Josh, busy convincing herself that this is what he wanted. No, it can’t be. Wouldn’t he want his family? He should want that over her, he should not want Donovan to hate him. It hurt to know that she was the reason his relationship with his family was so bad, even when he told her it’s what he wanted. It’s just not something that she could easily brush off without another thought. ”I guess he got the hint,” she said, smiling just a little bit. Donovan may not be able to do that, but the law had that power. She quickly steered her thoughts away from that train, and instead focused on the positive. Josh wanted to be with her. She should be thankful for that. Right? But all she could think of was the family that he was no longer a part of, a life that was no longer his. And she couldn’t imagine how anyone could want that, let along Josh. Then again, she didn’t understand him sometimes. A lot of times, actually. Every day she was just learning something new about him, and she was going to have to accept that he was just a strange person.
She bit her lip when Josh directed his gaze toward his father. She really needed to stop beating herself up about this. After all, if Josh thought that she wasn’t happy with his decision, then he would leave. She didn’t want that, as selfish as it was to keep him from his family. ”I guess not,” Nell said, successfully covering up any other emotion she might have felt at that point. She didn’t know why she felt so bad about this situation. Well, actually she did, but she didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about what Donovan must have believed about her, what Jane must have said, and how he must have viewed his son now. Nell just wished it didn’t have to be like this. ”So everyone just thinks everything is okay between you two?” she asked. She could see why Donovan wanted that, she supposed. Well, she was thinking that maybe it was to uphold the image of a perfect family and to keep the public from finding out what was going on. Or maybe it was for something else. Again, she didn’t want to think too hard on it.
Josh wasn’t making this too much better for her, but she smiled acqueiscently to his comment. ”Well that’s unfortunate,” she said in a similar tone, joking along with him. Nell was glad for the suggestion to play tennis, a sprot that she was now more decent at, but at least it was something to do. ”Tennis sounds great, actually.” She headed with him, trying to shed the guilt that seemed to always be with her whenever she thought of Josh and his family. He spoke of his father again, and she nodded silently. Josh may have been enjoying bashing his father, but she vainly wished that they could have Donovan’s approval of the relationship. She just didn’t want this, and she knew that Josh didn’t want all the burdens that came with this relationship, either. When they reached the tennis court, she was about to take off her hat so she could have a better view when she realized she wasn’t wearing it. ”Oh jeez, I left my hat at the restaurant. I’ll be right back.”
Soon after she headed back to the restaurant, Leon found his way to the tennis courts. He found Josh and had to resist sighing. Approaching him, the man said, ”Joshua Dale, correct?” He held his hand out, his demeanor overall nonchalant, not betraying how he truly felt about Joshua Dale. ”I’m Leon Corteas Fuentes,” Nell’s father introduced, using his formal last name. He wondered if his daughter ever spoke about him, but wasn’t going to ask. ”Nell’s father. She told me that you two are…dating. How are you doing?" It could have been considered a normal airy conversation about his silly teenage daughter if Leon could be described as ‘airy’. His voice dropped a bit lower when he spoke the last words, but his face was kept carefully neutral as it usually was. Leon didn’t make it too apparent that he disapproved of the relationship, but he still played the overprotective father bit well. He wasn’t about to threaten Josh with a shotgun, though he wasn’t about ready to shower him with flowers for being the best guy for his daughter. ”Have you seen Nell around, by any chance? I figured that since you two are…dating…” There went that drop in tone, as if he was resisting saying something else, ”That she may have found you for some company. I fear she may not be used to the environment.”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 20, 2011 9:22:15 GMT -5
Joshua was oblivious to how Nell was really feeling--he was not ill at ease with the situation and so he had not expected her to be. The Fire graduate easily accepted her false cheeriness about the situation. He felt a lot better knowing that he had solidified his decision to stay with Nell rather than his father and so he was rather cheerful himself as they headed toward the tennis courts. When Nell noticed that she had left her hat in the restaurant his eyes widened a little in surprise but he nodded when she excused herself to go and retrieve it. "I'll go and set up," he said, gesturing to one of the empty courts. He wandered over to the area where they kept the rackets and balls to get some for their game, chatting amiably with one of the guys that was leaning against the cage and drinking water. He didn't mind the company of the snobby upperclass folk because he'd grown up as one of them. He wasn't a social butterfly or anything like that but on a good day even Joshua could be found being nice to other people. He was not exactly anti-social, just not a very approachable or open person by default. If he really hated humanity that much he just wouldn't bother with them at all. "Well, have fun," he said by way of farewell, jerking his hand in a half wave when the guy met up with his tennis partner and headed for another court.
Josh turned at the sound of his name, gray eyes curious and slightly confused. I'm sorry, do I know you? The thought was wary for this man seemed to know his name but Joshua was unfamiliar with his. Perhaps a friend of the family, he thought dismissively, his expression clearing to a more polite and less cautious one. "Yeah, I'm Joshua," he confirmed, shaking his hand without much hesitation. He met a lot of people here and he'd sort of grown used to the custom of acting formal and businesslike even with complete strangers. He was going to add an 'and you are?' but he merely paused and waited to see if the man would introduce himself. Sure enough, he did. It didn't immediately ring a bell but then something clicked in his mind--Sinclair Fuentes, where have I heard that one before? It was a sarcastic thought for Joshua knew almost immediately where he'd heard it. He would have assumed that this might have been some ironic mistake if Nell had not informed him upon their running into one another that her father was here. Oh. His expression did not change for he was good at hiding his shift in emotions but there was immediately a stronger wariness than before. The last time he'd met with a relative of Nell's she'd tried to turn him against her.
Leon confirmed that he was Nell's father, not increasing Joshua's fondness for him in any way whatsoever. Both men were good at being courteous and polite, however, and Joshua merely gave a bit of a polite smile. "Did she? Well, that's right." It was not said in a challenging tone but to Joshua it sure felt like one. He was surprised that Nell had shared this information with her father but then again, they were family. Joshua couldn't dictate who she told and who she didn't, nor did he have any desire to. It merely confused him seeing as he'd thought she harboured some sort of a grudge for the eleven years abandonment. That's not my business, he scolded himself. "I'm quite well," he said, being honest, though he would have said the same if he were absolutely miserable. "And yourself?" The stiffly pleasant formalities were almost ironic. They had no reason to be polite to one another except for Nell and to be honest, Joshua was only being pleasant because of her. He didn't know this man but he was very, very suspicious and guarded against him. It was probably because of all the things Nell had told him about her life thus far. Trustworthy wasn't the first thing he'd thought to label him with.
Perhaps it was because he was paying such close attention to the man's words but Joshua did not miss the drop in tone. He arched an eyebrow as if he wanted to say something in return but managed to keep it to himself. He was quite good at acting, they both were it seemed. "As a matter of fact, I have seen her. She seemed fine to me," he said smoothly when Leon mentioned Nell and the uppity environment of the country club. It was true that she had come here wearing the most ridiculous outfit that she could piece together but Nell hadn't seemed too confused or nervous at least. Not that he'd had told Leon if she had. He still wouldn't trust the guy with a dollar. However, this was all that he offered. He wasn't going to tell Leon where Nell had gone because it was at her own discretion whether she wanted her father to track her down, right? Instead, he gave another one of the light smiles that indicated he was being forcibly polite. Of course, Leon couldn't know that he never smiled in the company of strangers, at least not genuinely, but if the other man was as wary as he was it might have been apparent. "I imagine she'll be back soon."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 20, 2011 16:36:17 GMT -5
Even though Joshua behaved like a perfect gentleman, Leon—of course—still disliked him. How could he not? For one thing, he was going out with his daughter, which meant points taken off immediately. Second of all, the first time he even heard of the boy was when Nell had been arrested because of him. And last but not least, the pretty scar on his face screamed trouble. Of course, he kept his judgments to himself. He may have been a blunt person, but he knew better than to start shit at the club. He had been raised among the affluent folk of society, grew up in the mansion his father owned in the Bronx—he knew how these things worked. Still, he felt the desire to state just how much he disapproved of Joshua. Maybe he could opt for subtlty, for once. He did want the boy to know that he did not have his approval and that he should be watching his step. Of course, he did not sense the wariness coming from Josh, so the tension was entirely one side for him.
In response to the comment about their relationship, León lifted his eyebrow, not being able to resist saying, ”Is it?” in the most polite manner possible. They were both being quite polite here, it was almost amusing if the two could realize each other’s distaste. Even though León said it with a touch of amusement, it showed that he was not so thrilled about it. Of course, he wasn’t about to try and split them up. He would warn Nell away from him, but Josh was not his child, and therefore he could have no control. However, he was aware of the boy’s father, the owner of Maple Hollow’s hospital. ”That’s good to hear,” he replied. He wasn’t smiling since he never really smiled, but his aura was not at all threatening. ”And how is your father? I’ve never spoken to the man, but I hear good things. The laboratory I work in has some connections to the hospital.” Joshua would be able to assume that León was some sort of scientist through this even though he didn’t directly say. And while speaking, he kept his voice perfectly even pleasant and level. He was used to being in the company of people he didn’t particularly like, especially now keeping up airs with Jane. ”I am faring well enough. In perfect health, as a matter of fact.” One as well acquainted with the droll prattling in pedantic conversations would have said more on that, but even León couldn’t abandon his personality or the sake of pleasantries. He didn’t like talking to people much, but when he was forced to he managed
Of course Nell had found Joshua. He wished he could keep more careful watch on the girl, but it was impossible. He was still in an atonement period, and his daughter didn’t live with him. It wasn’t as if he could try to make her move in with him, either, considering she was now an adult and unfavored by the law, anyway. ”Good to know she’s doing all right. I thought it might have been a bad idea to take my eye off her,” León said with a dip of his head. A frown pulling at his lips for a moment, he said, ”I suppose she still hasn’t changed?” His tone was dry. He knew what Nell had been aiming for, which was why he so worried about her in this environment. ”That girl worries me sometimes…” He sounded just as a father should, and he supposed he was getting better with it. He knew himself that he didn’t have the best track record or the most knowledge on how to be a good parent—it wasn’t like his own provided much of an example. Noticing that Joshua had neglected to inform him, León asked, ”Any idea to where she might have gone off to?”
To show that he wasn’t going to leave now that pedantic introductions were complete, he said, ”I’ll just wait for her return.” León looked at the courts and said nonchalantly, ”I suppose you two are going to start a game of tennis?” Well that might just have been Nell’s way of showing how much she wanted to be around him. and the thought almost made him sigh aloud. So Leon busied himself coming up with some way to give him the third-degree, the classic father-to-daughter’s-boyfriend grilling. He especially wanted to bring up the topic of the prior arrest and his scar, the reasons that made him so sure that he didn’t want his daughter to be around Joshua. He could be pleasant, but that didn’t mean he had the capacity to be at all sensitive to other people. Why should he try to be sensitive? The boy had chosen to get involved with his daughter, and so he should have known that he would have to meet her father (and face his wrath) eventually. Then again, their relationship might not even matter in the end. He was trying his best for his daughter—he’d even given into her wish to postpone the date till the end of the year—and so he didn’t want this to end badly. ”Are you any good?” Leon asked conversationally, his tone still as stoic and almost monotone as ever.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 20, 2011 17:20:01 GMT -5
Though he could have responded with an 'it is', he simply dipped his head in further confirmation and kept up the polite air that he was nursing for this conversation. It had been Joshua's father that had taught him how to behave in social situations such as this one and when the man was brought up, Joshua froze internally. On the surface he didn't give much pause before replying, "He's doing great." He had prepared himself mentally before coming here, knowing that a lot of the people knew him as the son of Donovan and Patricia and that questions of their well-being would probably be common-place. Granted, he hadn't expected such questions to come from Nell's father but he'd forewarned himself nonetheless. "Ah, yes. He's a well respected figure in the community. As is my mother." He took a sort of sadistic satisfaction in that Patricia probably had more connections and influence in the Hollow than Leon did. She had been raised here herself (she'd shown Joshua the shabby middle-class street she'd grown up on, once) and thus she knew many people from childhood as well as having a myriad of contacts thanks to her work in politics. "How wonderful." He sounded sincere enough, but internally his thoughts were much different.
Joshua had to resist the urge to arch an eyebrow. A bad idea to take his eye off of her? It sounded like something one might say about a young child rather than their grown teenage daughter. Perhaps he had meant nothing by it but it irked Joshua slightly. You didn't seem to have a problem with taking your eye off of her for eleven years, he thought. Thankfully Joshua was not in a temper and thus easily suppressed the urge to voice this bitter and sarcastic comment aloud. "It's a good thing Nell can look after herself." Though voiced as a compliment it was also hinting at the fact that he disapproved of Leon's words. Her father or not, Joshua didn't like anyone treating his girlfriend like some misbehaving child. Her outfit had been ridiculous but she wasn't primitive or idiotic. She could take care of herself. "Changed? Well, I suppose over the last eleven years or so but I've only known her for so long..." He shrugged, his tone amiable. It was a jab at Leon's leaving but he did not know whether the man would catch on or not. Part of Joshua almost wished he did.
If you were that worried about her you never would have left her. He did manage to keep this to himself and even managed to resist the urge to insult him in a more passive aggressive manner. Instead he just gave no response to these words. "She just said she'd be back shortly," he lied. "She didn't say where she was going." He didn't feel like giving this asshole the satisfaction of knowing what Nell was up to. In Joshua's mind the man had no right to treat her like the daughter he'd abandoned years ago. He might have given the man a little more slack if it had just been via divorce or something like that, but he'd left the poor girl in the house with only her sister and a psychopath. He did not like the idea of Leon lurking around here and talking to him as he waited for Nell to return but he also had no authority in telling the guy to go away, either. So he just nodded as if to agree with this notion and twisted his racket lazily in his hand. Oh, why had he suggested the tennis courts? Maybe if they'd went somewhere else they could have avoided her father. He might even have to part company with Nell if her father planned on taking her out anywhere.
"We are, yes," Joshua replied, carefully keeping it present tense so that Leon understood Josh didn't plan on leaving just because he was there. He wanted to hang out with his girlfriend and as long as Nell wanted him around there was going to be no deterring Joshua. He didn't like this man and his urge to bend to his will was second to none. He wished that he had some subtle way of informing Nell that her father was hanging around so that she was warned but knew that pulling out his phone and sending a text would be a little obvious. Instead, he kept up his nonchalant and friendly demeanour. "Quite," he said, when Leon asked him if he was good at tennis. Joshua was not modest in the least. He knew that he was good at it. He wasn't the sort of person that would rub it in the faces of other people or brag about it endlessly but if you asked him about his skills and talents (or complimented one of them) he would take it in stride.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 20, 2011 20:37:23 GMT -5
Joshua answered his question without missing a beat, and so León did not assume there may be anything off. He merely nodded calmly, a perfect picture of stoicism and nonchalance. His build was rather imposing, just like his father’s, and he was rather like a dark shadow. He had power, but it seemed that the boy wanted to impress upon him the power that his own parents possessed. Of course, to him it was a spoiled child flapping his mouth about his parents’ wealth. ”Oh? I haven’t been formerly introduced to your mother. What does she do?” León hadn’t been in Canada for long, and so he didn’t know each and every important person there is to know. Of course, spending his time at the club has made him a bit more knowledgable, but it had been in his younger years spent with his parents that he could actually move around with the wealthy upper class and have their names memorized. It was a life he didn’t care for, because it had been a life with his father.
Not paying enough attention to notice if Joshua was was in fact as tense in this situation as he, the older man nodded at his comment about Nell. ”In some ways, yes,” he agreed. Sure, the girl could live on her own and provide for herself, she’d made that perfectly apparent. However, she had shown to him her more childish side more than once—it kept the perfectly perserved image of her as a young child in his mind fresh. ”As her father, though, I still need to keep her in line.” He said it with a barely-there smile that vanished just as quickly as it had appeared on his bearded face. In his voice, however, was a challenge, daring Josh to question his parenting. León’s eyes narrowed slightly at Joshua’s words. ”Eleven years?” he asked, his tone plain and still affable. ”Why, that’s quite the specific number. But yes, I suppose she would have changed over that course of time.” Was he reading too deep into this, or did he know something that he really shouldn’t? León remembered the number of years, after all. As a matter of fact, he could count it down to the day he left, the minute he decided that he wasn’t going to come back. It was before Nell had even come to him, and her plea should have made him think twice before going to work that day—but it only spurred him into leaving. How could Joshua know that, though, unless Nell told him? He couldn’t control what the girl said and did not say, but he hoped she would be so quick to divulge information about their past. Especially to someone like Joshua, who he very much disliked.
His gaze hard on Joshua’s on eyes, he asked, ”So I take it you haven’t known Nell for too long?” That’s what he made it sound like, at least. And it would make sense. His daughter told him that she ran away right after her relatives made their intentions clear, and she’d been in Canada for ten months. León still couldn’t shake the ‘eleven years’ comment. Maybe if he’d said a decade, or five years, or anything like that—no, it was too specific. ”However, it seems as though she’s told you a little about herself.” The man was more than certain now that the boy’s remark was not just an off-handed comment. ”Have you told her anything about yourself though? Such as…how you came to get that scar.” It wasn’t that he didn’t care that he may have been crossing a line there, it was simply that he didn’t recognize where the line was. Everything was fair game to him. ”Where did you get it? An accident?” It may have been too personal, but consider it a background check. What father wouldn’t be concerned about his daughter going out with someone with a nasty scar on his face and a criminal record? Of course, he was simply ignoring the fact that Nell had a criminal record of her own. She was more concerned about her wellbeing than the boy standing in front of him.
To demonstrate how little he actually sympathized with Joshua, León was perfectly willing to go on with pleasant conversation as if he hadn’t asked a possibly sensitive question. ”Ah,” he said in response. At least he didn’t believe Nell could get herself into too much trouble wandering alone. He didn’t believe her to be a completely incorrigible child, but he also knew that she had set her sights on getting under his skin. And he let her have that, because he knew what he’d done was wrong. He deserved worse, but he was trying his best to make up for it in any way he knew how. ”We’ll have to see how long it takes her,” he said, checking his watch for emphasis. He would pull his daughter away from Joshua if he felt the need to, come up with some excuse to pull her away. No, he did not like Josh at all, and he did not like his daughter being around him. Even if it was just for playing tennis. ”It’s a sport that every blueblood seems to know.” He learned it at a young age, after all, when the relationship between him and his parents’ was still decent. Yes, he was very good at pretending that what he hadn’t asked wasn’t something insensitive.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 20, 2011 21:00:30 GMT -5
Joshua was not usually the type of person that bragged about the wealth and status of his parents. He was a bit entitled but he was not overall pretentious or holier-than-thou. He did not believe that the riches of his family granted him some sort of special treatment from everyone without question and normally he would have simply answered the question with a remark about the well-being of his father, not mentioning his standing in the community and indeed not mentioning his mother at all. With Leon it was different. He wanted Leon to understand that his parents were upstanding. "Oh, she's a very well known politician," he told Leon in his same polite and cheery tone. "She's quite high up with the government." He was proud of his mother but he almost felt guilty using her power in this sort of manner. Joshua knew that the woman herself wouldn't approve of her son threatening people. She did not frequently abuse her power. Now, Joshua knew that she would pull strings for him if he asked or if he really needed the assistance but she was an honourable woman. She had not grown up rich, she'd earned her riches and her rights in the community. Unlike Donovan, who had been raised by a shifty businessman, she understood the fine lines between right and wrong and minded them carefully.
Keep her in line? The thought sparked Joshua's typical temper problem. He didn't like the idea of this guy coming into her life after he had been absent for ages and suddenly trying to control her. You should have no power. He knew how independent that Nell was--it was something that Joshua had come to respect about her after knowing her for as long as he did. He understood that this man was her father and parents usually... well, parented their children. He wasn't arguing with that. But he did think that Nell had earned the right to take care of herself when this man had left her for eleven years. He did not reply, knowing that the comment would have come out much more snide than he would have wanted. Joshua was trying his hardest not to lose his temper with Leon. His parents had high standing, but he, Joshua, did not. If they got into an argument Leon would probably be favoured and it would be Joshua who was kicked out. He knew this well. "Is it? My, I never noticed." Of course he had noticed. He could not tell whether Leon had caught the fact that it was meant to be that way or whether it had sailed over his head. They were both playing at niceties and so it was hard to differentiate.
He did not like the way that Leon was starting to question him about he and Nell. He supposed that it was his right as the father to play the protectors role but Joshua felt that he'd been the more supportive one throughout this ordeal. Of course, he could have just been biased considering how much he disliked Leon. "Just since she moved here." He left it there, not offering up any more of the details. He did not want Leon to know anything about the two of them--not how they'd met, not how close they were, nothing. He wouldn't even have revealed they were dating but that was Nell's choice and he respected that (though he didn't realise that she'd done it to infuriate the man). Then, however... then Leon brought up the scar. Joshua could not help the flicker of anger that flashed through his gray gaze. He didn't like when people questioned the scar and he did not trust this man at all. Nevertheless, his voice remained pleasant (if a bit more strained) as he replied, "What Nell and I discuss is between us, thank you." He wasn't sharing details with this guy. He didn't want to talk about Nell to him and he certainly didn't want to go into detail about his scars. "Forgive me but I believe that's my business alone." Nell knew, of course, but she was the only one that did.
Josh didn't want Leon to stay here, especially not after the man had brought up such a personal subject as his scar. He wanted to make some excuse to make him go away but he knew that the world didn't work that way. Leon was staying and Joshua was stuck with him. "I suppose you're right," he replied in regards to the tennis comment. Yes, tennis and the rich seemed to be a stereotype. It was probably because of country clubs just like this one. He didn't care for casual and polite conversation any more, even though he was still playing along. Oh, if you weren't Nell's father-- But he was, and Josh had to remind himself that this bastard was helping her with the trial. He would keep his temper as in line as he possibly could (he was doing wonderfully, considering) for Nell's sake alone. He didn't give a shit about Leon but he did give a shit about the man's daughter. Hurry up, Nell, please, he thought. Maybe it would be easier with her around.
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