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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 6, 2012 18:00:08 GMT -5
Ashton didn't clean his room very often. It was easy to forget that things were piling up in there when he spent most of his time out with friends and so it was only the cross glare of his mother than sent him upstairs to tidy it that evening. "You're not going out until it looks at least half decent." He wished that he could argue or sneak out like some of his friends would have but Ash was far too much of a chicken to do something like that. Besides, he didn't have a car of his own. The battered beige van owned by his parents was his car of choice and in order to secure the keys he had to ask for them. He certainly wouldn't be driving anywhere when his mother didn't permit it. Sighing, he eyed the mess of clothes and textbooks scattering the room with dread. When did it get so disorganized? He certainly wasn't the type to throw everything everywhere when he was hanging out in his room but it wasn't hard for a single discarded item a day to pile up. He resigned himself to starting with one corner of the room and working his way around, wondering if he'd even have time to go out by the time he was done. He was soon distracted upon unearthing a photo album from the previous year, buried underneath two shirts and a math textbook. He kicked the textbook aside (ignoring the resulting pain in his toe) and sat down on the edge of his bed to peruse the pages with interesting.
Soon Ashton was smiling, having completely forgotten the mess of his room as he examined the many different photographs of him with his friends. He had a very broad and varying social circle and yet he'd managed to print the dates and names of everyone in the pictures underneath. There was one with Ashton and what looked to be at least half the Earth elementals in the dormitory and he laughed as he read the title, 'Blackout.' Yes, he remembered now. Classes had been cancelled when the snow shorted out the power and they'd hung around in the Earth dormitories to pass the time. He was smiling in all but a few of the pictures, the exceptions being when he wasn't looking at the camera and thus was unaware of the snapshot being taken. He loved to smile and usually did so whether there were cameras around or not. However, the smile slipped automatically when he flipped the page again and saw the picture of the snowman with a very familiar friend in the frame with him. He felt a stirring sadness in his chest as he read the caption, Me & Nell, February. The title below it was simply 'Snowman' for obvious reasons. He sighed. Nell. After he'd found out about the trial, about her mother, about how she'd lied to him, it just hadn't been the same. The feeling in his gut told him something—he missed her. A lot.
She got off, he remembered. Does that mean... she was innocent, right? He closed the photo album and fiddled with his hands, uncomfortable and feeling awkward. He knew he'd been a little unfair to Nell. He hadn't even let her say a single thing about the trial, had merely cut off their friendship and left. It had been too soon after Asha's betrayal for him to handle. I shouldn't have made her suffer for Asha's mistakes. That decided it for him. Ashton made quick and lazy work of tidying the rest of his room, shoving a lot of things where they didn't belong in order to make it look presentable. It was still evening by the time he finished and secured the car keys and he hoped that she was not asleep by the time he arrived. He also hoped that she and her fiancé weren't too busy because he hated getting in the way of any relationship. He hesitated before he knocked on her door, feeling nervous and uncertain about the whole thing. He hoped that she wouldn't slam the door in his face or anything like that. He figured that he'd deserve it after what he'd said and done (even if it she was the one who'd lied) but he still hoped for better than that. "U-Um, hi Nell," he said awkwardly when she opened the door, turning red and ducking his head. He really wished he'd thought to rehearse what he was going to say but he hadn't really thought this out at all. "Could we... talk?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 7, 2012 1:58:23 GMT -5
Nell cradled the phone in-between her shoulder and ear, fingers lightly tapping against the keyboard. "I don't even know how to start this thing," Mira's voice on the other end told her, and Nell bit her lip in thought. "Well, I started with talking about some history," she said, reading over her words to make sure they sounded coherent. "Why don't you read it to me very slowly so I can uh...get some ideas." Nell snorted and picked up her notepad. She looked around for the pen, and found it under Pablo's stomach as he slept on the coffee table. He cracked open an eye as if expressing his discontent before turning away. She would rather not disturb him when he was actually at rest. "Okay, how about you brainstorm what it's gonna be about," Nell suggested as she bit the cap of the pen. Mira groaned. "That's just extra work." Nell just laughed, sticking the pen in her bun to join the two pencil she had up there, twisted in her hair as she first wrote down the paper. She preferred it to typing the first time around, just to get ideas out.
There was a silence as Nell went to work on her cereal. "What are you eating?" Mira asked curiously, apparently wanting to find any way to avoid starting on her own paper. "Frosted Flakes. I heard they're--" "I swear, do not finish that sentence." She continued to eat the cereal, apparently audible on the other end. After another pause, Mira said, "You know I was thinking--" "You should start on your paper." She grinned hearing the groan of frustration, and gave it another few seconds before the girl got off topic again. "Do you have any other papers?" Nell blinked at the papers on her coffee table, turning her gaze to Pablo momentarily with wariness, before answering. "I got a few this week, as per usual." She knew it really wasn't of interest to Mira, she just wanted to stall. "You want me to come over?" That might not have been the best idea, considering that usually when friends plan to study, they ended up getting distracted. It bothered Nell to procrastinate simply because of the idea of unfinished business, but she was always conflicted if her friends wanted to procrastinate. What they wanted usually won out and left her cramming.
Mira sighed heavily. "I'm staying at Karrie's place, remember? House flooded and all that good stuff." Nell stuck another pen in her hair as she looked at the computer screen. "I guess Karrie doesn't like me, okay." She smiled as she said this but before Mira could rectify, she heard the knock on the door. "Give me a sec," she chirped, before telling Mira in a lower voice, "I'll call you later, get started on the paper." She hung up and went to put on a bra. The rest of her appearance was disheveled anyway thanks to her spaghetti straps, Yankees sweats, and moccasin slippers, but she wasn't high maintenance anyway. When she opened the door, one of the last people she expected to see--next to the Pope, maybe--was Ashton. "Hey," she said in a surprised, but not at all unpleasant, tone. Her eyes were bright with curiosity, and there was an uncomfortable feeling in her gut. What could he want? Not like they parted on the best of terms, and the memories did well to make her feel awkward.
She straightened out her tank as if that could make her look any better, but nodded her head in. Her smile was warm. "Sure, come in. Sorry I'm a hot mess. Working on a paper." Looking back over with her hands on her hips, she scowled a bit. "And the place isn't doing much better. Pablo only likes my stuff when it's on the floor." Like most cats it seemed. She went to scratch the back of her head and felt the four writing utensils she had stuck in her hair. She picked them up as inconspicuously as possible before going over to gather up her papers. Nell gestured with her thumb to the recliner. "Make yourself at home. I've got food, if you're hungry. Leftover Thai. Not a lot of people like Thai." She wondered if Ashton was the same. She really shouldn't be trying to make him comfortable with how coldly he'd done away with her, but she didn't blame him for severing their friendship. Now she was just curious as to what he wanted to talk about.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 7, 2012 2:26:30 GMT -5
Ashton was a mess of nerves and insecurities when his ex-friend pulled open the door, entirely unsure of how she was going to treat him and knowing that she would be completely justified in being an absolute bitch. He was normally a sweet and loving person and Ashton resented himself for rejecting her so quickly. It was a tough time for me, he tried to defend himself, though it didn't really work out too well. He wasn't good at looking positively upon himself. He didn't hate himself, certainly not, but he liked other people a lot more. He had flaws and he was sure they did, too, but Ashton spent a lot more time acknowledging the positive points of other people. Nell had a lot of positives that he'd overlooked when he was telling her that they couldn't be friends any more. She was surprisingly pleasant and not even glaring when she addressed him. Did this help the guilt? No, of course not. Why was he feeling guilty? This hadn't been all his fault! He was a mess of conflicting thoughts as she invited him inside and so he complied without thinking it through further, thus condemning himself completely to their "talk". He didn't even know what he wanted to talk about. "Tell me about it," he said weakly, chuckling. The sound was a little awkward but genuine enough. "I've spent the past two hours shoving things into forgotten corners of my bedroom to silence my mother." His tone suggested he was a lot more fond of the woman than his words let on. He was a good kid and had a good relationship with his parents, Ashton was just a procrastinator.
He glanced curiously around her apartment when she mentioned the cat making a mess of it, having never been in it before. He'd visited her old apartment and hadn't found it to be all that bad (really, he wasn't a judgemental or picky guy) but this one was actually what he would call nice. At least when there wasn't a persistent kitty trying to tear it up. He spotted the cat in question and his lips twitched into a soft smile. He'd never owned a cat in his life before but Ash had a fondness for most animals. They had two big dogs at home that could knock a person clean off their feet if they tried. "It's not so bad. Should've seen the state of the room in question." It hadn't been grimy or dusty, there'd just been a lot of things strewn across the floor. He guessed he could attribute some of it to Cameron, who liked to hang out in his brother's room when Ashton wasn't around. There was more floor space and thus a larger place to play. The loft had been repaired since the move and that was where Ashton now stayed, with Cam stuck in the smaller room they'd shared at the start. "Thanks," he said, sitting down when he was invited to. He still felt incredibly awkward, especially because she was being so nice to him and it was doing nothing to ease the mass amounts of guilt prickling at his stomach.
Ashton shook his head at the offer of food. "I'm alright." He wasn't too hungry but he didn't think he could have eaten even if he had been. Nerves could do that to a person. He wanted to cut to the point of the conversation while at the same time wanting to steer as far clear of it as possible. Realising that he didn't want her partner to kick his ass for mishandling the information he'd learned about the trial, Ashton glanced worriedly around the apartment and tried to sound nonchalant when he asked, "Josh not here?" He wasn't on bad terms with Nell's boyfriend—fiancé, he reminded himself as he recalled their last conversation—but he had a feeling that would change. He'd basically labelled her a murderer and refused to keep in contact with her. Generally insulting someone's loved ones didn't go down well. "Any idea when he'll be home?" He definitely wanted to keep this conversation private and he'd be getting the hell out of there if the Fire elemental was due back soon. Having no other reason to delay the point of his being here, he sighed and scratched at the back of his neck in discomfort. "I guess I wanted to kind of... uh... apologise, for what happened the last time we talked." He swallowed hard and ducked his head again. "I wasn't in the best state to be making judgements on people and... no, never mind the excuses." He shook his head. "It was wrong and I'm sorry. I just... I miss talking to you." He finished lamely and waited for her to speak.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 7, 2012 20:00:45 GMT -5
No matter how weird the situation--maybe not Twilight Zone weird, but pretty high up there on the 'what the fuck' meter--she laughed when Ashton told her about cleaning his room. "Good method," she told him. It was weird sometimes, especially when she was in high school, when her friends talked about their parents. The awkwardness returned when she realized she really couldn't relate to Ashton, and that left her at a bit of a loss. Really, what does he want? The thought wasn't mean, just very confused. Nell ducked her head and smiled when he mentioned his room. It was true, Nell wasn't a very disorderly person. She supposed Ashton was, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Some people preferred a mess, others preferred everything to be in order. She guessed it had something to do with how everyone's minds worked, or maybe her psychology class was getting to her. Whatever it was, she sat down and didn't think about it, simply noted how her cereal was getting soggy.
Nell nodded with a smile, and decided not to question his diet to see if he had eaten recently and whether she should push the food on him. That would be too weird for an ex-friend, right? She didn't know. Not like anyone who had cut ties with her had talked to her again. "Nah," Nell said when he asked if Josh was home, not intending to elaborate until his next question. It shouldn't hurt the way it did. She made her choice. "He moved out," she stated simply. She didn't tell him about the fact that he'd inherited the mansion from his parents and she chose not to live with him anymore, because that was something else that seemed too awkward between ex-friends. Usually she was better at conversation, but she was still trying to gauge the situation. She guessed she'd have to wait until he told her what he wanted to talk about before she could determine whether or not talking about his personal life would be appropriate. Superficial pleasantries were fine in any situation, and she supposed she'd stick to those.
Nell blinked when he went into an awkward...apology? He was apologizing? She was at a loss for words for a few moments, watching him. Honestly, she believed that he was in the right for what he did. She'd lied to him for a while, he had every right not to be around someone like her. Especially because, no matter what, she was a killer. Even if it was justified, somewhere in her past was that fact. The smile that came to her face was small, but sincere. "Apology accepted," she said gently, seeing that it was hard for him to do. "I miss being friends with you too," she told him. Of course, it hadn't been her choice to cut off the friendship, even though she accepted it. Not like she'd force Ashton to continue to be friends with him, or be pushy and text him all the time to talk. "I mean, what you said was true--" And that was probably why it still hurt for Nell, "But I'm glad you came over. It means a lot to me." Not like she could ever hold a grudge. In some cases, but that was when the offense wasn't against her. "So uh...good to have you back." She laughed softly after saying that.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 7, 2012 21:28:16 GMT -5
Ashton's green eyes widened when she mentioned that Josh had moved out, not having expected that. He automatically assumed the worst, being the worry wart that he was. He was an optimistic person but he did not consider the idea that moving out could be a good thing. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, feeling bad for bringing it up. I come over to make things right and now I'm probably making them worse. His luck was truly terrible, wasn't it? "Did something happen?" He didn't think to glance at the engagement ring that still adorned her finger despite the fact that this would have reassured him greatly. It might not have been his place to ask about her relationship troubles but his automatic concern for Nell despite their awkward situation could not be ignored. He wasn't quite as careful about boundaries as some people were so his questions came from the heart but were sometimes a little more intrusive than was considered acceptable. At the same time, he was a little relieved that it meant he wouldn't have someone to deal with after the talk with Nell was over. He hoped that things were going alright for her. This is the girl you're supposed to be hating? It was silly but even when he'd been persistently ignoring Nell and glancing the other way when they passed in the halls he had still worried over the slightest thing that might go wrong in her life. He wasn't the type that could throw someone out like old news. Not Asha, the girl who'd played with his emotions, nor Nell, the girl who'd lied to his face about murder.
He gave her a small smile and breathed a sigh of relief when she said that she accepted his apology. He'd been so worried that she was going to tell him it was too late to say sorry and that she had enough friends that didn't care about the trial to keep her going. To think that his friendship was invalid to anyone was a little hurtful to Ashton but he would have gotten over it eventually, just not for a while. He was glad he didn't have to go through that recovery process. Ashton opened his mouth to protest when she said his words had been the truth and then closed it again, realising that she was right. They'd both been right. "True or not, I should have handled it differently." He almost told her that he was sorry again and caught himself, not wanting to wear out the meaning of the words. You could only apologise so many times before the words became just that—words, with no thought or feeling behind them. He wore an odd expression when she said that she'd missed him, too, shaking his head and feeling a strange emotional tug in his chest. I am such a sap, he thought, laughing in spite of himself. "Thanks for not hating me, Nell," he said genuinely. He moved to hug her, though he gave her plenty of time to protest if she felt the need. He was not the type to force physical affection on his friends, even if he was the type that gave it freely.
He also laughed at her comment, still feeling a little awkward but a lot less uncomfortable about it now. "Yeah," he said in soft agreement. He did not quite know what to say at this point. "Seems like we're going to have a bit of catching up to do." He gestured around her apartment and smiled, the gesture a lot easier now than it had been when his nerves were persistently dissolving his stomach like acid. "Your new place is nice. When'd you move?" He had already (awkwardly) told her that he lived in the Hollow now but he'd not invited her over because it had been the same day he'd cut ties with her. He regretted doing so and promised himself that he'd bring her over to meet his kid brother and mess around in the house some time. The backyard had a lot of space for playing sports and rough-housing so he figured they could get up to something fun. He sucked at sports but he didn't mind a good laugh at his expense and enjoyed playing them even if he lost. Ash was not a sore loser in any respect, nor was he competitive. (If he was, it was all in jest). Shifting a little awkwardly, he admitted, "I, uh, heard rumours about you and some chick from the Fire alliance, too. Didn't know what to make of it, to be honest. People always tell me these things now." He was their leader and they relied on him, he guessed. Trusted him.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 8, 2012 21:59:57 GMT -5
At first, Nell didn't realize what Ashton was apologizing for, and she glanced around in confusion before turning her gaze back to him and tilting her head. Then she realized how she must have made it sound, and laughed, even though she was feeling kind of sick about it. "Oh no, nothing happened," she reassured him, which was weird that he needed reassuring. Of course, he might have been being polite, but his reaction wasn't something feigned. And she'd always known him to be a genuine person. "He inherited the mansion from his parents and moved in. I just decided to live here." She shrugged with a half-smile. It wasn't that odd, they were married, so it was safe to assume from how she behaved that she wasn't very bothered. Even though she was very much bothered, and she knew why. It wasn't the same and she didn't like it. It was cold and lonely and boring. She really was living on her own, and she realized that as much as she liked her freedom, she was a social creature. She relied on Josh. Nell just didn't realize it until he was gone. And he was very much gone, considering their conflicting schedules and the fact that they couldn't spend as much time together. Of course, none of this was made privy to Ashton. Even if they were friends, she didn't talk about it.
She noted that Ashton was about to say something and then seemed to change his mind, and she only smiled at his reply. He was very genuine, and she was glad for that. It was nice to have the people who could be honest instead of sweeping the truth under the rug. Nell couldn't help but laugh when he thanked her for not hating him. "Ash, I don't think I could if I tried," she said truthfully. She didn't hate people, and he wasn't a person that could be hated, so it was really a conflict of interest. She returned the hug, laughing again because it really was a relief to have him back in her life. It was refreshing, like she was resurrecting something from the remains that the trial had created. That whole time had been a mess for her, really, not that Ashton could have known. Only Josh knew how deeply the time in New York had affected her, and she hadn't even wanted him to know about it. She was just glad that that chapter of her life was done with, that she rebounded from the depression. No more pills or therapy or anything. Nell felt as normal as she could, being an elemental.
He was right in that they had a bit of catching up to do, and she was more than willing to do that. "Oh, uhm," she started, looking around the place. 'Early spring. It's great here, yanno. So much space to run around and play hockey." Oh, wow, she was assimilating quite nicely into Canadian society. By the time she got her Visa, she'd be fully assimilated. "How's your brother?" she asked him, fully intending to see how he was doing now that she knew it was appropriate. They moved passed any awkwardness that may have developed over the months quite well. Until, that is, he brought up a Fire girl. There was only one person that came to mind, and she said, "Ashley? Yeah, she came into the daycare I work at looking for work." Then she realized that she had spoken to the girl on school grounds and...well crap. "I may have talked to her a few times on school grounds." She rubbed the back of her neck and then tittered. "Am I in trouble?" It felt like she was being interrogated by a professor or something. Almost humorous, considering this was Ashton and he was still in high school. College students could avoid some of the rules, but not all of them.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 9, 2012 2:50:16 GMT -5
He listened, wide-eyed, until she reassured him that everything was alright. Ashton sighed his relief and chuckled at how quick he'd been to jump to conclusions. "Oh, good. I thought you guys broke it off or something!" He was a bit surprised to hear that her fiancé had inherited a mansion, having had no clue of the Dale family wealth, but he was so caught up in his relief that he paid that matter little attention. He didn't realise that Nell was unhappy and lonely in her apartment and so he had no reason to dwell on the subject for much longer, moving on easily. Ashton was so determined to believe that everything was alright in his friends' lives that he'd almost immediately accept any reassurance that they were okay. He didn't want anything to be wrong because it then affected him, too. You're not friends, though. He was here to (try and) make up, however, so he hoped that they would be in a few minutes. This proved true and he smiled at her when she said she couldn't hate him if she tried. That felt overwhelmingly good to hear and he basked in the warmth of the words for a moment. "We really suck at grudges," he pointed out with a laugh. It was true that they didn't seem to be able to harbour any resentment despite the circumstances. Maybe it was an Earth thing?
His green eyes twinkled with amusement when she mentioned hockey. It was so good to be around Nell and her sense of humour again. "It's definitely more spacious than the last one," he noted, though Ashton had found very few problems with her former apartment except a terror concerning the soft spot in the floor. He was a tad forgetful and had always feared that he'd step on it and get his foot stuck. Definitely not what someone planned when they made a date to hang out with a good friend. "Cameron? He's great," said Ashton, the smile that seemed permanently fixed onto his face getting wider still. "He really likes having his own room—so do I, for that matter, though it kinda sucks when you're stuck cleaning by yourself." He was mostly joking. He'd take the freedom and space of his loft room any day. The barn was attached to the house and so he had access from inside of it as well. As they didn't actually use the barn for animals his only company was the car below and the dogs whenever they decided to show their faces. "I'd like you to meet him some time," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe not tonight, since it's getting so late, but soon." He wanted to integrate his good friend back into his life now that they'd got the awkwardness out of the way.
Ashton felt as uncomfortable as Nell did when she mentioned the name of the Fire elemental and admitted hanging around with her at school, not really wanting to deal with this. He knew his element would expect him to do something—it was why they'd told him, after all. "Um... no?" He didn't sound certain and so it was said as more of a question than anything else. She was older than he was, albeit only by a year, and it would feel strange to try and reprimand her for simply hanging around someone. He also felt like a hypocrite considering all the time he'd spent running around with Asha. Then there was her fiancé, but that was different thanks to the treachery. The Earths didn't pay that much mind lately. "It's just that... well, people notice, Nell." He shifted uncomfortably and wished he hadn't brought this up. He had horrible timing, didn't he? Right after they'd made things right and he was already getting onto her about trivial things. Except they're not all that trivial, he reminded himself. The alliances at the school could be a big deal. "I don't want them to turn on you," he said. "I don't want to have to turn on you. Not again. But it's hard when the alliances get involved..."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 9, 2012 18:37:48 GMT -5
It was a little strange that Ashton seemed so concerned about the possible failure of her relationship, but she chalked it up to him being a nice kid. And he was right. They really couldn't hold grudges. She laughed at the thought. She had the possibility of being vindictive when the time called for it, and she joked with her father that it was his blood that made it so. But she and Ashton were Earths through and through, and she was comforted by that, always appreciating the feeling of belonging somewhere. And it warmed her to be able to talk to Ashton like this again, to be friends with him. It was great. Spaciousness was definitely a plus for the apartment. She always appreciated space. You'd have even more space if you had moved in with Josh. Her thoughts were especially cruel to her, but she ignored it. "I don't know, is it possible to bribe him to do your chores?" she asked with a light laugh. Nell could relate on one aspect and that was sharing a room with her sibling. Bed, actually. Thanks to the lack of money and space, not that the two really minded that they were essentially forced into it.
Nell lifted her arms up and spread them in an open gesture. "That'd be great, actually. Just call me any time. if you uh, still have my number." She was looking forward to hanging out with Ashton again, not realizing how weird it was not to have him around. Even if she knew that she had made a mistake in hanging around with Ashley. She realized it when Nell had warned her away on the school grounds, and the second time...well, she couldn't leave the poor girl on a bench. "Yeah," she sighed, her eyes falling to her computer, the papers. People certainly did talk, since apparently it had gotten to the Earth leader's ears. She was glad to be back in his good graces, even though she wasn't the type to be friends with someone because of their power of affluence. She was sure there were people like that who hung around Ashton, and it upset her a little to think someone might use him like that. But it showed that he was a good leader in the fact that he could take matters seriously even with his friends. Newly reacquainted friends, but friends nonetheless.
Nell bristled at the idea of having the element turn on her. They were her family, as close to a family she ever had. All of her friends she considered family because they were the people who provided the support her relatives couldn't. "I don't want that," she said with a wry laugh, because that much was clear. "I mean, I'll stop hanging around her at school. It kind of sucks, but I don't want to cause any trouble." She had enough of that when she first came to the Academy and she'd been caught up in a war. That wasn't a very warm welcome to the place, really, and she knew that unlike Josh, if she were ever kicked out of her element, that she wouldn't be so readily accepted by the other alliance. And she didn't want that. It made things too complicated. "Do you have any friends in other elements that you hang around with outside of school?" she asked, gesturing with her hand. She wanted to know if it was possible to do so. She hung out with her Thunder father, but that was different. He didn't go to the Academy.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 11, 2012 1:21:32 GMT -5
Cameron was a pretty gullible kid and when Nell brought up bribery, Ashton recalled that he had definitely tricked his brother into doing unfavourable things in the past. He'd also blamed some things on his brother back when they'd been sporting the worst of their sibling rivalry, something which he now regretted a lot more than he did the harmless tricks. "Ah, he's getting smarter around me now," Ashton said truthfully, chuckling. "If I promised him something I'd have to follow through." He was a nice guy, really, but he wasn't completely beyond a little manipulation. As long as it didn't hurt his little brother it was okay, right? He always tried to make it up to him at a later date if he asked Cameron to do something for him and so he supposed it didn't really count. "I still have it," Ashton nodded, ducking his head sheepishly with a small smile. Despite swearing off their friendship, he hadn't finalized it by deleting her number from his phone or (as he'd figured out) removing the photos including her from his album. He wondered if any of his other friends were dorky enough to keep photo albums that documented their years at the Academy. Ashton's friendships were all very precious to him and so it meant a lot that he could keep some sort of record. "I'll call you whenever I get the chance!" He meant that, too, and made himself a promise that he would stick by it.
As the Earth leader, he was expected to criticize those in danger of betraying the alliance rather than sympathizing with them. It was hard for him, however, especially since Nell was one of his good friends. That they had only rekindled their friendship five minutes ago did not matter—she was still a friend. He did not favourite friends by how long they'd been acquainted or what had happened between them. Ashton was good at burying the hatchet and brushing aside issues and he treated all of his friends as equally as possible. His lips twitched sadly when Nell said that it was what she didn't want, knowing exactly how that felt. "Thanks, Nell," he said. "It makes it a lot easier for me when I don't have to worry about taking my friends down." He could have passed the responsibility onto his female counterpart but he had a feeling that she'd catch on if he made her deal with all of his friendships. She was probably friends with a great deal of them, too. He had to stand up for his position and keep his element in line. His marks were already in danger in putting him out of his leadership position, he didn't want anything else lining up to fuck him over. "I think that's why most of us choose to stay away from the other elementals. It's easier to stay away if we don't get to know them, first." He sighed, having personal experience with this.
Nell brought up this personal experience a moment later with her question. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say anything. Would it be better if I lied to her? Then again, he'd already mentioned Asha once before. "Just... just the one time," he said a little awkwardly. "I didn't realise how stupid it was until it was too late. I guess it's for the best that it didn't work out..." He shrugged and let that stand. He regretted that Asha had left him but he knew that it would have come back to bite him in the ass at a later date if they'd stuck together. He wondered what would have happened if they'd been found out. Would Asha have switched sides for him? Would I have done it for her? He really wasn't sure. The Earth elementals were like his family and he didn't know how he'd survive without them in his life. But wouldn't it be like that with the Fires, too? "Now I stay away from them as much as I can. It's better that way. People got upset about the Valentines thing with... Lark Harper, I think her name was? We aren't even friends and it caused a fuss." Ashton rolled his eyes and shook his head. Lark was nice but he'd been forced to stay out of that. "As long as you don't attract attention, though, we're cool." He smiled at her, glad to have that over with. "Got any plans for this summer?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 11, 2012 16:17:10 GMT -5
Nell snorted when Ashton said he said that his brother was becoming wise to his ways. Sometimes (only sometimes) she felt a tugging toward the body in the ground that made her wonder what more could they have had. There would have been a sibling rivalry, fights, ball busting, but most of all, at the end of the day, they would have known the love is there. But woulds were all she had left. She didn't have her twin to follow through. The emptiness was there if Nell thought on it much, but it was erased when she thought of how it was better for Tilly wherever she'd gotten herself to. "Don't be cheap, holmes. You can pay some money out of pocket for your bro." What would be better, cleaning the room yourself or paying your brother to do it? Eh, she figured that Ashton was responsible in the sense he'd actually do it, even if it meant shoving everything into a closet. She wondered if Cameron was the type to snitch, but she guessed she'd find out considering Ashton hadn't gotten rid of her number. That made her smile. "Well, good," she said. Nell would wait for that call, clear out time in her schedule. She knew that she wasn't a very important person in the group homes, doing the grunt work, but that's basically what everyone did. She could take a little time off from that some days, considering that it could get to her if she let it.
Nell would not like to make anything difficult for Ashton, especially because of the fact that he must have had other stuff to deal with according to his title. Not that the Earths were really a handful. She wondered how the Fires dealt, and it amused her to mull that over. But she focused on the more serious topic at hand. "That's true," she said about other elementals. "It gets kind of complicated if you meet them outside of school first, though." That's how she met Ashley, in the daycare. "But now that I know...I'll put a stop to it." She didn't sound regretful, or like she felt pressured by it even though she was. All she wanted was Ashley's safety, and she was sure if her own element caught on it would cause issues for her as well. And Nell didn't want to be hated by the element that's been with her through everything since the beginning of last year. Mi familia. A much better one than she ever had. Where would she go if she had nowhere else? She found a place, without family and without the influence of the past keeping her as an outsider. Her own past tended to hamper her, but that was her past and she could deal with it.
Nell smiled reassuringly, remembering Asha, knowing that she kind of just vanished off the face of the face of the Earth. She had to wonder what that was like for Ashton, how serious their relationship had been. She didn't know what she would do if Josh left, even though that had been a big concern after her father left. That man had implanted the idea in her head that everyone left, eventually. She wanted to find out that it wouldn't happen, but she was going to take it day by day to make sure if anyone else chose to leave her behind, it wouldn't hurt as much. "Other fish in the sea, you know. Maybe a nice Water chica, huh?" She mocked casting a line out and reeling it in. Ashton deserved somebody in his life, she knew that much. She recognized the name as belonging to one of Josh's friends and was about to open her mouth to say as much before she stopped herself. He wasn't actually an Earth, but he was a part of the alliance. That meant him hanging around with his friends from Fire and Thunder was equally as dangerous as her doing the same thing. Why do politics have to be so complicated? So she nodded her head and said, "Yeah, I heard the name." Should she really be lying to Ashton again? It gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. But it was to protect Josh, and that lessened the guilt. Maybe Ashton shouldn't have become friends with her. She was beginning to doubt if she was a good friend to have.
Nell shook the feelings off and folded her hands over her knee, her eyes catching the ring on her finger and trying not to think about it. "I understand," she told him with a smile, because she could make sure of that. She wondered what she should do if Ashley tried to approach her at school. Would Nell hide behind a bush and throw twigs at her, telling her to shoo so they wouldn't get into trouble? It looked that way. Luckily she didn't take to being in cahoots with people from other elements, despite her yearning to make as many friends as possible. Last year before the war, that may have been different but she was glad that she realized it before it was too late. "Yeah, yeah, going to Spain with Josh," she told him. Even though thinking about Josh made her kind of sad because he wasn't around right now and that's what she wanted. She didn't want the apartment or the emptiness. "I have some family out there, but it'll be my first time going there. It's a nice place, as far as I heard." The emigration for her family to America was for the prospect of new beginnings, manifest destiny, expansion. They were los conquistadores, cathedrals of stolen gold, dressing up as gods they didn't believe. "How about you?"
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 12, 2012 0:47:22 GMT -5
Ashton laughed and shook his head. "Uh huh. And where exactly am I getting that money?" He was not exactly ashamed to admit he was yet another broke high school student without employment but he certainly was starting to realise the benefits. His working friends could not hang out as often but when they did they were usually the ones paying for the movie tickets or the lifts home. Some of them had their own cars or even their own apartments thanks to the money that they earned and Ash realised that he might be willing to sacrifice some of his freedom in order to have a little more cash in his pocket. His father believed in strict work ethic and if he wanted any money from his parents he practically had to beg his mother for it. He didn't have a lot of pride but it was still embarrassing to tell your buddies that you couldn't hit up the mall with them because your mother said no. It made him feel a bit self-conscious and he usually made up some other excuse. "Eh, I might do a better job later," he shrugged. Might. It all depended on how he felt when he got home. Looking around her apartment, he said, "How the heck do you keep this place neat, especially with a cat?" Most people that lived in apartments did not have anyone to help them clean up save for roommates. Ashton almost looked forward to the day when he could live on his own until he realised how much responsibility it would take. He could be responsible but he was also a bit of a procrastinator and that often became a problem.
He couldn't argue with Nell when she mentioned the complications and difficulties, knowing full well what they were like since he'd faced them himself. It was why whenever someone asked him the stereotypical question about elements and if he ever wanted to switch his own he said 'no' and secretly wondered what it might be like to be a Wind. They were free of all the difficulties of the other elements. Then again, freedom of the alliances was exchanged for a lesser camaraderie. He knew that the Winds were not as tight-knit as any of the others and that there were a lot of inter-element fights. The Thunders got along better than they did. "It is tough," he agreed. "I helped Asha out of a tight spot and she returned the favour. I didn't mean for anything to come of it, but it did and then I risked my reputation for a girl who ended up vanishing anyway." He sighed and tugged a hand through his brown hair. Sometimes he hated the alliances but he knew that they were almost necessary. If it was 'everyone for themselves' in the school there would be even more fights than there already was. He laughed and gave her a soft smile. "I've never been that great at fishing." He did not sound wistful, however. He'd accepted being single for now. He was oblivious to Nell's hesitance to admit her fiancé's friendship—a good thing, too. "Have you? I hadn't. She was... decent, but it can't happen." He'd have liked talking to Lark again, in all honesty, but Ashton knew it was in the job description to protect and uphold the alliances. That meant no outside friendships.
Ashton couldn't speak a word of Spanish beyond 'hello' and a few odd words that he'd heard from Dora the Explorer when his little brother was younger. Still, he was glad that his friend would get the chance to travel. "Sounds like fun," he said, grinning. It was weird to think that his friend was engaged and going on trips when they were only around a year apart and he had yet to even get a job. People were different. "Oh, yeah, my family have plans to stay in Vancouver for a week with my grandma," he said. "Maple Hollow is nice but I'm kind of looking forward to see the coast again." He had grown up in Vancouver and it had been sort of strange to leave it behind. He knew that living in Maple Hollow was much more convenient now that he could see his family on weekends (he boarded during the week to save gas money) but that didn't rule out homesickness. "Take pictures, when you go," he said, still smiling wide. "I will, too, and we can share when we both get back." He liked doing things like that with his friends, spending time and sharing experiences. Glancing out the window, he noted the dark and chuckled. "Man, I wish I'd dropped by a bit earlier." They would soon run out of time and he'd have to go back home again, something he wasn't looking forward to. It was nice to hang around Nell again. "Got anything we could do to have fun before I go? Cards, board games, video games...?" He was really up for anything, no matter how terrible he was at it.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 12, 2012 20:56:01 GMT -5
Nell snapped her fingers as if to usher her friend on into the world, a career, his future. Ironic, considering she had no thoughts of hers. A future barely existed in her mind, but not out of pessimism. If she planned things, it took the surprise of life away. "Get a job, mi amigo," she told him. He was a senior in high school now, and she had to wonder what his plans for the future were. Those kinds of conversations were meant for staying up at sleepovers, however, not for conversations shared when just getting over a several-month silence that was like a chasm in between two people. But it seemed they craftily built a bridge and walked right over it. She didn't know whether or not he actually was going to follow through, but she grinned when she said, "Tell your mother that it'll just get dirty again anyway." It could be quite a good argument. Her mother was terrified about cockroaches in their row house, and Nell had set out graham cracker traps for them. There was benefits to keeping the house clean, so she could understand. "I have mice that come out at night to help me." She shrugged, grinning. "I've always kept my space neat, I guess." Leaving things lying around felt like a burden on her mind, and she felt that she needed to get things done quickly as possible. She cleaned quite a bit, especially when Pablo shed like a mother.
She could understand the fact that Ashton didn't mean anything to come of what happened between him and that Fire girl. You couldn't steer life. And even more so she knew about the vanishing, but she didn't say as much. There were things spoken aloud, that you wanted others to see, and things that stayed in. That never crossed your mind, because if you think of things, that's when you remember. Remembrance was for loneliness and solitude, something she felt like she had some of lately. But she never risked contemplation of anything. Introspection, especially. She didn't want to see the dark spots under the microscope when viewing herself, two-hundred times normal size, cancer cells in her body in the forms of things she couldn't even remember. The smile that came to her lips then was broad, genuine. "You can't predict the future." That was one of the things life had taught her so far. You may expect certain things to happen, some things to change, some things to stay the same, but there is no telling. There is no function or rhythm of life, it does as it likes, uninhibited. And one day she may think that she was sure of everything, and the next something will throw her off course like a gust of wind hitting her sail and changing her path. "Que sera sera, yanno. Whatever will be, will be." And she could almost hear the trilling voice, maybe she should get a shirt that said it so she didn't have to say it as much. Good things would come to Ashton, it was just whether the universe dictated it or not.
Nell felt her stomach tingling with thoughts of the trip, wondering what it would be like, in a country full of people who spoke a language that was taught to her out of pride and fondness for the heritage that she didn't really know about. She wanted to know more, she wanted to see where she came from, her beginnings in some ways. It may not have been New York, but that may have been for the best. She wanted to come from a place that didn't have a bad history for her. "Sounds like fun. Maybe you could work on your fishing there." She winked at him. Nell had a great fondness for the sea, something she only got to lay eyes on in recent times. Luckily, a lot of people could feel the same way, so it wasn't something terribly strange. "I'll make sure to," she agreed when he said to take pictures, knowing that she already would. "I'll even bring you back a souvenir." She'd definitely have to return with gifts for everyone, and she figured she wouldn't know what it would be until she went. "Yeah, it is getting late," she lamented, having noticed the waning light during the conversation. She almost snorted. "Course I have cards and games, whose place do you think you're at? For video games I mostly have racing and sports stuff." She liked to pretend she was a pro at Madden, and she lifted her eyebrow at Ash in question.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 14, 2012 2:57:31 GMT -5
Ashton didn't know much Spanish at all, but he knew enough for those two words. It felt nice to be referred to as such, even if it was in another language. "I really should," he said, nodding. "I don't really know where I want to work, though." He figured he might have a better range of jobs available to him once he graduated high school but he also didn't want to wait around until then. Mostly it was his laziness holding him back, that and all of the excuses he usually came up with to shield the fact that he was procrastinating. I need to stop that. He didn't like lying when it was something major but he didn't like telling the truth when it meant admitting he wasn't as responsible as he liked to pretend. A leader was supposed to be responsible, weren't they? High school and real life were drastically different but he couldn't help his conflicting thoughts and values. "Sass my mother? I don't want to get slapped upside the head!" The fact that he grinned and laughed suggested that he really wasn't afraid of his mother hitting him and had only used it in jest. Not that he'd never been hit before but he didn't come from an abusive family—most parents hit their kids when they really deserved it, at least from his knowledge. "Well, kudos," he said. "My apartment will be a nightmare when and if I get one, I bet." He wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. Would he be able to keep the place clean if it was his own? He'd never lived alone to find out.
Luckily for Ashton, he was the sort of guy that was relatively content to go wherever life took him. Anywhere the wind blew, he would follow. He'd not gone through enough earth-shattering tragedy in his life to become cynical and jaded—even Asha had been something he was able to get over. Optimism did a person good. He'd had a period of time when his optimistic side had been crushed flat (and it was during this time that he'd turned on Nell) but he'd sprung back. "You've got that right," he agreed. "I don't mind. Life wouldn't be worth living if we knew everything that was going to happen, right?" That was the way he looked at things. If you knew your future, it meant embracing the bad points as well as the good. Would you really want to go on living if you could look ahead and see that your loved one would leave you or that you'd die young from cancer or lose your memory in old age? Thinking about that sort of thing frightened him and so Ashton was glad for the mysteries of what was to come. He'd deal with everything when it hit him. He laughed when Nell brought up the fishing again. "Maybe I will." In the more literal sense, as well, he decided. His father liked fishing and used to go on trips with his buddies a lot. Ashton had went along a few times but he'd given up after he realised that he was pretty much hopeless. Maybe it was time to try again. He felt like he was at a good point in his life right now, ready to give anything a second shot—including this friendship.
Green eyes lit up when she promised a souvenir, not even caring if he was childish in his excitement. Ashton loved it when his friends brought him things from their travels and knew that he'd do the same if he went to another country. It was fun to share and appreciate things like that. "Ooh, really? I'd like that!" He grinned, already excited by the idea. He really did wish that it wasn't getting so dark so that he could stay over as long as he liked and spend the time catching up with an old friend. Looking back on it, he realised how stupid it had been to give up this connection with Nell. She was one of his closer friends, one of the people he trusted the most. Maybe it was because she was an Earth elemental and he felt that deeper sense of kinship they tended to have or maybe it was thanks to the fact that he trusted everyone a little too much. "Racing sounds like fun," he said, nodding as if to reaffirm this. He was terrible at sports games and figured he might at least have a chance with racing. "What games do you have?" He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as if he could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of video games. It was more spending time with her that elated him but their activities could be entertaining as well.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Mar 14, 2012 19:05:11 GMT -5
Nell laced her fingers behind her head, disturbing the alligator clip and mussing up her hair. Not that she wasn't already disheveled. "I would tell you there's lots of places, but you might not like those places. No one really likes their first jobs, methinks." She didn't mind working at Corrosion, but that was mostly because she tried not to complain, even to herself. The hours were pretty weird, the place was crap, and the pay wasn't that good either. Blackjack was certainly better, but then again it was still crap because she was working illegally. And she got fired. Not good memories. Nell said ironically, "Maybe you should wear a helmet." She shrugged as if it was just a suggestion. She snorted, an out-of-place expression of amusement considering it was a little late. But she had been too busy picturing him walking around with a helmet. "I'll come over and clean for you." It was joking, but then again, she would help clean. That's what she did sometimes over friends' houses, and sometimes she wondered if she was taken advantage of since she usually did a lot of the cleaning.
If Nell were one not aware of the others around her and their own interests, she might have engaged an intellectual conversation, gone deep into the concept of future awareness, but psychobabble might not have been on Ashton's mind so she didn't know if it would be acceptable. She'd keep the conversation light, though she thought of Russell and of Rushd, of philosophers and mathematicians who saw the world through logic and reason and others that entertained the idea that the future is something that could be read like runes. "''As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it,' she put forth, her the corners of her mouth tugging into humorous commas. "Predicting the future is bo-ring. Kind of feel bad for Mr. Nostradamus." thought Nell couldn't say she was a pure skeptic, that she could shoot down everything that did not have a basis in science or reason as fiction. After all, there are things out there that can yet be identified, mysteries without method. Whose to Nostradamus didn't have a clue?
By Ash's reaction, she knew that she'd have to get him something. She was thinking of things that she could already get, but then again, she may find something interesting while there. She didn't want to get something tacky bought like an afterthought and thrown into an over packed suitcase. At his question, Nell shifted her legs, swinging them down before the tingling made her realize that her one leg had fallen asleep. "I feel like a cripple," she said as she hobbled over to the entertainment center, and pulled open the cabinet underneath the television where video games sat in the dark. "Ooh, totally forgot I have Mario Kart! We have to play. I will own your scrawny little butt with Yoshi." She may not have been competitive, but she knew how to trash talk like the best of them. "You up for it?" she asked, taking it out and opening the case to see that it was in there and that a friend hadn't borrowed it or anything.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 15, 2012 12:48:35 GMT -5
Wanting to move on from the subject of jobs before it became overly daunting, Ashton grinned when she mentioned a helmet. He lifted his hand and rapped his knuckles lightly against his skull, asking, "Don't you think my head is thick enough?" He was kidding of course. Ashton had never had a problem with insulting himself for a good laugh—he didn't actually believe the things he said and so it was all in good fun rather than a morbid way of picking apart his own flaws. He didn't think that he was stupid, just a bit of a slacker, and so he could safely call himself thick without feeling inadequate. One of the good things about optimism was the bright side to everything. "There would be a catch, I'm sure," said Ashton, nodding gravely. He knew she was joking of course. "I'd come home to a clean apartment only to open the closet and get crushed by a mountain of things." That's how it worked in almost all of the cartoons. Kid cleans his room, parents are impressed, kid goes to get something later and ends up buried under a huge pile of whatever it was he'd shoved in the closet to begin with. It was largely unrealistic in some ways thanks to how difficult it would be to stack things that high without them falling out but it was still amusing to consider and so he didn't care about the inaccuracies.
"And you came up with that yourself, I'm sure," he said, chuckling. He was pretty sure it was a quote judging by the way it sounded but he was not entirely sure whom Nell was quoting. Instead of leaving it up to mystery, he wondered, "So who did? D'you know?" It was possible she'd picked it up from a book or heard someone say it without learning the source. He was inclined to agree with Nell when it came to predicting the future. He didn't know what was to come and he didn't particularly care for finding out, especially not hundreds of years in the future. "Poor guy," said Ashton. "Bet he was great at parties. 'Hey, want to know what's going to happen years in the future when you no longer exist?' A real conversationalist." Ashton was not one to rule out the possibility of the supernatural, however, and so he didn't immediately dismiss the idea of prophets or psychics. He did believe in the paranormal and while he wasn't sure about whether or not there was some sort of higher power, he wouldn't object to any proof. He tended to accept things more easily than most.
He couldn't help but laugh as she hobbled over to her television, hoping that Nell didn't take it personally. He was easily amused and probably would have laughed at himself if he were in her position. "Hell yeah!" he said enthusiastically when she mentioned Mario Kart, slapping his hands on his knees for emphasis. He gave a short burst of laughter at himself, rubbing at his now-sore thighs. "Ha, ouch." Probably wasn't the best idea, was it? No, definitely not. Shaking his head at his own over-zealous reaction, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm totally up to it," he said. "But don't count me out yet! Bowser and I will take you down." He had the game back home and while he wasn't the best (his brother always beat him) he was better at it than he would be at a game he'd never played before. He wasn't exactly confident he could win but that wasn't what mattered to him. He wasn't competitive, in it for the fun rather than the urge to kick ass. "So what track are we going to do?"
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