well. this is new,, josh

He needed somewhere quiet, he decided. They were having a library day in some of the ninth and tenth grade classes and so the place was pretty full and made it hard to find a table if you were not a part of the distinct group. With no desire to be crowded by a lot more people than the solace of the library was worth, he decided that his research would be better conducted elsewhere. Perhaps an empty classroom or a deserted corridor would be best. He packed up the computer and slid it into his bag alongside his school books and whatever papers he had stored inside the large binder. The bag was heavy and it sometimes hurt his shoulder but he was tough enough that it didn't bother him too much.

There wasn't much snow on the ground. He noticed this when he was passing a row of windows in one hall and their light spilled in, shattering into different colours and patterns from the stained glass and pooling in a light iron-like shape from the windows that had regular glass. There were torches along the wall opposite the window that cast a warm glow over everything. A nice touch. He barely paid the interior of the castle any mind nowadays though, it's grandeur long since adjusted to. He had been attending the Academy seven years and he was now on his eighth and final. It wore out its novelty after a while.

When he reached one of the hallways full of classrooms he took to trying all the doors in succession as he walked down it. Most were predictably locked but the repetitive motion was lulling and he did not find himself frustrated by his lack of luck. He was almost surprised when one of them finally did turn and open. He blinked as he noticed a girl rushing to her seat and plopping down, only witnessing the last few seconds of this and so not realising what she might have been up to before he'd entered. He blinked once or twice and hesitated to say something for a couple of seconds, not sure what to make of it. The classroom was far from disused from the looks of it and he wondered what it was she'd been in a rush about. "Did you think I was someone else?" he wondered, still unsure of why it was that she'd hurried back to her seat. He was no one to run from, after all, just another college student.

Then he realised that she looked familiar, blinked again. "Kiya?" He made a point to introduce himself to any friend of Annabel's that she met online and knew in real life, mostly because he was protective of his little sister and wanted to keep her safe. It annoyed the hell out of his sister but this hardly phased him. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were in here. I could leave, if you were looking for privacy." Wasn't that why he himself was here, after all? He was not intending to intrude and didn't have too much of an issue with wandering back into the hall and trying doors again.

When Annabel had first started getting a little more serious about her gaming in talking to (real) people online instead of simply playing solo on her many consoles, both Joshua and his parents had been a little concerned. They'd put him up to trying to make sure she didn't talk to anyone that could end up hurting her. Since Annabel was close to him it had made sense that she would let him hang around and play a couple of rounds with her, talk to the same people that she was talking to. He had not asked many questions of them or been too overbearing, he'd merely wanted to ensure that none of them came across as... concerning, that none were a threat to his little sister.

After realising what he was up to, Annabel had pitched a bit of a fit about it and confronted both Joshua and her parents. That had been rather awkward because he didn't like it when his little sister was upset with him but at the same time he understood and had shared his parents' concerns. Of course, 'we just want to make sure you're safe' might have sounded reasonable to anyone that wasn't a thirteen year old girl struggling with her need for independence. She'd cried a few times in frustration, slammed her door, refused to talk to him. It had been especially strained since he was living with Nell at the time. He hadn't been able to stick around and make up with her. She'd gotten over it eventually, though, and he had to admit that it had been kind of nice when she'd found out that Kiya lived near her. She was always searching for more gaming friends to hang out with in real life as well.

Kiya seemed in a good enough mood at least. He was still puzzling over the way she'd rushed back to her seat but as she hadn't answered his question about her thinking him to be someone else, he wasn't entirely sure the reason for it. Trying not to let it bother him too much, he said, "Yeah, uh, same to you." He didn't know her all that well and so he wasn't completely comfortable in conversation yet. It took a few meetings for Joshua to really grow accustomed to a person's personality enough to let a conversation flow easily. He nodded when she told him not to worry about the interruption, deciding then that he might as well come further into the room. He sat down on one of the desks, hands braced against the wooden surface. He was tall enough that his legs did not even dangle in the slightest over the sides. Six foot three, to be exact.

She mentioned that she might be in the room for a while and he frowned. "Why's that?" He didn't like to pry or be nosy but the way she worded it made it sound like she either did not have too much of a choice or she was forcing herself to do... whatever it was that she was doing. "Are you busy with something in particular?" He'd only come here for some peace and quiet so he could not share that feeling. He liked being busy, though, so it wasn't like it would be much of a burden. Lip twitching in amusement at the thought of Kiya's friendship with his sister, he wondered, "Have you talked to Annabel at all today? I haven't run into her." They'd be going home together and all since they lived under the same roof but he had not bumped into his sister for the whole day. He wondered if Kiya had.

There were a few things in Joshua's life that he was passionate about. Biology was one of them. His gray eyes almost seemed to light up as his lips were graced with a rare smile, a sign that what she'd said had caught his attention. It might have seemed a bit odd that he was getting excited about her being stuck in the classroom thanks to her professor but that was not it at all. It was the simple mention of the subject that had drew him in. "Ah, Biology," he said, as if that explained everything. He did love it but he knew that it could be a bit of a difficult subject to work through if you didn't have a strong passion for it. "I'm a Bio major," he told her, for though they had spoke a couple of times before he had not really revealed much about himself at all. He wasn't a very open person if he did not know someone well and usually avoided talking about his own life if he could help it. Which he could, most times. If things got too bad he was not opposed to simply telling someone to mind their own damn business. Actually Joshua was a double major but considering she wasn't studying History he avoided mentioning this. It was not relevant right now. "What are you working on? Maybe I could help." He said 'maybe' so that it sounded more like an offer. He could help, he was pretty sure of that, but he did not like to force his company on others.

His lip twitched fondly at the mention of his sister. She's always with her friends, he thought to himself. They were as different as day and night concerning their social habits. He had a few close friends and not many other people that he felt he could trust, where Annabel would befriend anyone and their mother. She also didn't hesitate to talk about herself, as he'd learned from hearing her babble away to people she met, including Joshua's friends sometimes. It was why he'd been worried about the internet thing at first, scared that she was going to get carried away in some conversation or another and suddenly everyone knew everything that there was to know about her. "Cause she's my sister?" It wasn't meant to be sarcastic and he didn't roll his eyes or anything. It wasn't even really a question. Why else would I want to know? "Curiosity is all. Figured you might have talked to her or something." He didn't often talk to his sister at the Academy because they had completely different friends. Age difference could be a pain sometimes. She liked Nell, Devin, Lark, Gale, a lot of his friends really, but liking them did not mean that she hung around them at school. She had her classmates to hang around with, and her friends like Kiya with whom she shared far more similarities. "Will the teacher be back soon? I'd rather avoid being chewed out." Some teachers got really weird about friends 'helping' one another out and even though Kiya was not exactly a 'friend', the same principle applied.

She really seemed to light up when he mentioned being a Biology major. He was not used to cheering people up a whole lot but it was a nice feeling on the rare occasions that it happened. He lacked the consistent compassion and empathy that others often had but that did not mean he didn't enjoy helping. It only meant that a lot of the times he found trouble relating to people on a more personal level. He couldn't understand things as well if he'd never gone through them himself.

Papers had always been something he was good at. English had never been his favourite class and he had never held any sort of desire to be a poet or an editor but that did not mean he was bad at it by any means. He had a decent way with words and he was good at coming up with things that got his point across in a sensible but unique way. He liked to stand out. He liked to receive compliments. He liked to be better than his classmates because it meant that he'd have the better chance at getting into medical school when the time came. It was a competitive field. "All right. Cell structure. You said human biology so I'm guessing plant cells are out. Anything specific?" There was a lot of biology to be had in the human body and so he didn't want to overwhelm her with a wealth of knowledge. "If you've got all the research and you're just struggling to write it, feel free to bounce things off me. I can tell you if I think they'll make sense?" He knew about Biology so he'd be able to tell if it was accurate and if he could understand what she was going on about.

He didn't like being tired. In all fairness he didn't think that anyone enjoyed the feeling. It was so strange and once you got to a certain point, nothing made sense any more. His lip twitched. "Don't worry about it." He hadn't been irritated that she'd asked, at least. He was a Fire but his temper was a lot less random than that.

He lifted his brows at Kiya's comment. Annabel, go to bed that early? It was funny and elicited a brief chuckle from the Fire elemental. "I'm sure that worked out so well." It was sarcastic but in a good-natured way. He did try to be a good older brother and remind her that she had classes in the mornings but she was an independent and stubborn girl. Eventually he'd given up. He did go to sleep at a decent time and he knew she'd just wait until he dozed off to get back online if he tried to force regulation. "There's no use trying with her, really." She was fourteen years old, not five, she wasn't as impressionable as a kid. Teenagers were stubborn.

He'd never had a particularly forgetful teacher and decided that it was a good thing. What if they forgot which students got good marks and messed up the system? Goodbye perfect GPA. "All right, then. Guess I'm staying." He sat down with the intent of helping her with her Biology work.

He flashed a brief smile when she thanked him. He didn't see it as being much trouble, honestly, for he was passionate about Biology and she appreciated the help. He had tutored students many times before and so it wasn't like it was a one-time thing. Besides, Kiya was a friend of his little sister and he was always more willing to help if he didn't have a previous problem against someone or they weren't a complete stranger. Strangers often felt intimidated by his imposing nature and Fire and Thunder students, well, he tried to avoid having to work with them if he could. It was simply a lot easier to avoid a fight if the people he was tutoring didn't have some kind of grudge themselves.

He furrowed his brow and looked as if he was contemplating something. After a pause, he said, "You're not too much older than her, though, right?" He'd thought that she was only two or three years above Annabel and in his opinion that wasn't a whole lot. He considered five years to be a bit more of a sizeable stretch. His own fiancée was almost two years younger than him and that didn't affect them at all. Nor did the age gaps between he and Lark or Devin matter. "Our parents used to try but, eh, everyone gives up after a while." He shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't the responsibility of her friends to make sure she didn't stay up late and so he didn't blame them if she was still awake at three in the morning. Chuckling, he said, "I just remind her that it's no one's fault but hers if she falls asleep in class the next day." There was a lesson to be learned, there.

He occupied himself with his phone whenever she was busy with writing or reading over things, checking his text messages and messing around with an app or two. He'd never been reliant upon his technology but he couldn't deny that the phone was a nice thing to have around when he needed a distraction. When she spoke, he glanced up and then slipped the phone back into his pocket, sliding the paper closer to himself and flipping it around so that he could read it when she pushed it toward him. He frowned thoughtfully at it, twirling the pen he picked up in one hand. He didn't actually write on the paper as he would have if it was his own work or if he'd been told it was all right but he pointed out things as he read and offered specific opinions, corrections, or compliments depending. "But then, I've been taking Biology for years, I might be a little over-critical sometimes," he reminded her, to be fair. "If anything ends up being something unfamiliar and I mention it, just disregard it. Wouldn't want the professor knowing you had help." He winked.

Joshua tried not to let age come into the picture with most of his friendships, mostly because he knew how it had felt at fourteen to have anyone older trying to tell him what to do. He was proud and he was stubborn, it had set him on edge. Annabel probably took it with a lot more grace than he did but it still brought back memories, some good and some not so much. "I never had the best schedule either. Granted it was for different reasons but my parents still tried their best to correct it." He was terrible when it came to studying, not because he was bad at it but because he took it so seriously that he'd stay up hours past a 'respectable' time and forget to eat unless someone came up to remind him. His parents had tried to monitor it at first out of concern for his health but when it became clear there was no solution, they shrugged their shoulders and gave up. Now he was their successful son headed off to medical school next year. He hoped they were proud of that. "They failed, 'course. I never was into games, though, so I guess they weren't as critical as they could have been." He would play a few rounds of Halo with the guys if he hung out with a group of his friends but he was usually the underdog that ended up dying a lot. His focus had always been on school work.

He nodded. "Can't argue with that. It's not always a good idea to critique your own stuff. You miss mistakes." Either that or you ended up judging it too harshly or too lightly depending on your self-confidence. Joshua was very critical of his own work not because he thought he was bad at writing or research but because he always wanted to make sure that he did the best that he could. Medical school was competitive, they only took the best, he wanted to be the best. That brought a question to mind. "Looks all right to me overall, just keep the possible changes I mentioned in mind, I guess. Why'd you take bio, anyway? Is it an interest of yours?" He couldn't help himself sometimes. A lot of his friends had no interest in the subject that he fawned over and so it was nice to bump into someone who at least took it so that they knew what he was talking about when he went off into a tangent.