ANGEL VERSUS EEL, (tagged: JOSH)

"Fucking freshmen..."

Joshua glowered heavily at the group of students who had taken up refuge in his favourite section of the library, a gang of giggling girls in the ninth grade gushing over the cute boys they were going to meet. They seemed a bit frightened by his scowling demeanour, but the fact that they didn't scatter meant they probably didn't know what everyone in school thought of him. He had half a mind to go up and make threats to clear the place out, but stopped himself. He didn't want to get kicked out of the library by threatening to roast the happy-go-lucky teenagers. With any hope, they'd be the ones getting kicked out for talking too loud and he could come back to his sanctuary in a couple of hours.

For now, though, he'd need to move on.

He considered going back to the dormitories to study, but decided against it in the end. Since it was not only a day off but also snowing, with the temperature in the negatives, most of the Fire students would be holed up there and horsing around like they tended to do. He was not in the mood to deal with that, either. So he just wandered around until he found an empty classroom, deftly picking the lock--who cared if he wasn't supposed to be in here? It was quiet--and slipping inside. He could have closed and locked the door behind him, but he assumed that most people would just pass it by and be done with it. Going to the back of the classroom, he dropped his study books on the table with a loud thunk, then sat down and pulled out the rest of the stuff he'd brought from the library.

He was in the middle of jotting down a key point in the text when someone entered, causing him to go stiff and completely silent with alarm. He opened his mouth to tell them off as if he were allowed to be here--bullshit baffles brains, after all--but stopped when the door slammed loudly, blinking. The heavy wind from the force of the door fluttered his study papers, his hand slamming down on top of them to keep them from sliding off the desk. Once he was sure they were stable, he glanced up just as the person called out in what seemed to be irritation. He was surprised when he recognised her, and even more taken aback by her harsh tone.

"I never denied being here," he said smoothly, blinking. "Deal with what, exactly?" He wasn't aware that she'd been having a bad day, only that she seemed to be really upset about something.

She sounded--and looked--so weak with relief when she noticed that he wasn't someone lying in wait to prank her. Understanding flashed through his colourless gaze as she mentioned stupid high-school children, dipping his head a little. She couldn't see the gesture, and he knew that, it was more out of reflex than anything else. "Bah," he spat, irritation colouring his tone like a portrait, revealing him to be just as unhappy with them as she was (though he reacted with more frustration than upset). "They're a bunch of superficial bastards." He wasn't very well-liked in this school, and given that it was mainly the teenagers that spread rumours about him and whispered behind his backs, he could definitely share in Elaine's distaste. They may have hated the idiots for drastically different reasons, but they still hated them, and that was what mattered.

Joshua was not a very empathetic person, but even he knew mild sympathy for the girl as he realised they must have been giving her a really hard time. She seemed incredibly frustrated as she threw her pack down and then punched the ground. "That isn't always the best way to vent frustration," he pointed out, mildly concerned. "I busted a couple of my knuckles the last time I took my anger out on the wall." That had been a real pain in the ass--or the hand, rather. He'd had to resort to typing out all of his assignments with one hand whilst he waited for the busted knuckles to heal up again. They hadn't been too bad and they'd healed alright thanks to his father's care--this had been when he was still living at home--but it had still been a pain. Of course, it also hadn't stopped him from punching inanimate objects when he was angry. Or people. Specially the object of his frustration. If you angered him past a certain point and you were within reach...

"It's not always as great as you'd think," he admitted. "It also means I'm not trusted, even when I am trying to be half-decent." Elaine seemed to trust him well enough, but she was one of the few. If you acted hostile and vicious all of the time, that stuck with you. People feared you because you had given them reason to be afraid. Did he really regret it? No. Joshua couldn't allow himself to feel regret, for he knew that he wouldn't really have changed a thing about his attitude if he had the chance. He didn't want people to get too close. The last time he'd had friends, they'd left him for dead in an alleyway. Those same 'friends' would probably kill him now if they got the chance. Never again. Never that close. "But don't worry, I understood what you meant by it." It was hard for her, he got that. He probably would have had the same angsts and frustrations if he didn't have his sight.

She asked if she could stay, and Joshua knew he would have had to have been an absolute dick to turn her away. "Sure thing, I don't mind." As long as the door was shut, this still had all the appearances of a locked and forbidden classroom. Given that this was not a school day, he figured they'd be safe from the intrusions of the professors. So he didn't mind sharing his temporary sanctuary with anyone else. "I guess I could take a bit of a break from studying, too." The graduate closed the book he'd been reading and set to tucking everything carefully into his bag. Unlike a lot of his peers, he didn't just shove everything pell-mell into whatever bit had room. His books were organised, his binders full of notes were organised, and his laptop was slid into its own little compartment behind the main part of the messenger bag. "I came up here to get away from the chaos as well, albeit of a different sort. The freshmen have decided to take over the library for the afternoon." He sighed.

A casual flick of his hand turned the room to a bit more pleasant of a temperature, much more akin to room temperature than the chilly winter air. Things that would have taken concentration and focus in his high-school days were now as simple as if he'd known how to do them all his life. Joshua's power, as well as his education, was one of the few things he felt he had good control over. "Is your hand alright?" he queried, wondering if she'd hurt her wrist when she'd slammed it into the ground.

Elaine snapped at him, and Joshua went stiff. He set his jaw slightly as she cut herself off, clearly trying to hold back her angst just as he slapped the restraints on his anger. She had every right to be irritated, it would have angered him too. He was just... he wasn't a very easy-going or relaxed person by any means. Say the wrong thing and you might sent him right off the diving board and into the deep end. Breathe. Part of him was snarling that she knew full well he hadn't meant it like that, but the bit of him that managed self-control was a lot more fair. She was blind, of course she might trade being an outcast for being able to see the people that shunned her.

But Joshua was quite bitter to anyone that suggested being socially outcasted was a 'good' thing. They didn't seem to realise that it wasn't restricted to the way he was treated in school--if all he had to deal with was a lack of friends, Josh likely wouldn't have gave a damn what was thought of him. But no, it stretched outside of the Academy. The police had pulled him in for questioning a couple times when 'suspicious' things were going on in the area around his apartment. Not only did this reveal they were keeping tabs on him, but they expected him to be involved in shifty activity. The gang had tried to kill him; it wasn't like he'd be welcomed back after he landed a couple of them behind bars for murder! The parents of the Academy kids always kept their distance and muttered about him, too. He was seen as a delinquent, and he hated it. A couple of stupid mistakes in youth had stuck with him. Did Elaine want that? Did she want to be labelled a criminal?

He inhaled deeply. "Don't worry about it," he said with surprising self-control, though his hand was gripping the edge of the desk quite tightly.

Getting rid of the anger wasn't nearly as simple as calling it into being. Once something frustrated him or put him in a foul mood, it took much longer for him to get completely over it. He was most definitely a Fire student--worse than most of them. His anger was the bane of his social acceptance. This was why people feared him, and they had every right to do so. He was a loose cannon. He was silent for a moment as he worked on pushing it down to a manageable level, and he managed a bit of a dry laugh when she joked. It wasn't as filled with humour as perhaps it should have been, but she was getting a lot better treatment than anyone else might have. This was what happened when a friend, or at least someone with the potential of becoming a friend, angered Josh. If it was a simple irritation, he could hold back some of the intensity with which he struck out at others. If she'd said something to really anger him... not even her disability would have saved her. He'd actually struck his father once. That had not gone well, and Donovan had most definitely won that little... dispute. He'd told his mother it had been a friend that had caused the lovely bruise on his face after that.

"Some might suggest I'm the perfect person to ask about situations dealing with ire," he pointed out, his tone just as dry as the laugh had been. He was not really as frustrated with her any more, this was just the way in which Joshua conversed with other people. It was no wonder it took so much patience to get along with him. It often became difficult to interpret what he was thinking or feeling.

She held up her wrist, and Joshua stood up from the desk and leaned across it slightly to get a better look. "Well you've definitely got a bruise," he remarked, arching an eyebrow at the flowering purplish mark on her skin. "At least it's not anything worse." It would have sucked if she'd broken it, considering she'd have to have it bandaged and then she'd have another nuisance to deal with on top of the fact that the kids at school were being assholes. He sat back down and pushed the chair away from the desk, resting his feet up on it and leaning back slightly--lounging, to use a better word. A hand went into his pocket and pulled out a stick of mint-flavoured gum, popping it into his mouth. He loved the taste of mint and often carried the scent of it on his person, considering. He'd actually kept a bowl of mint leaves on his dresser back at the mansion so his room had always smelled nice. That, and incense. He was weird for a guy.

There was the chuckle again, void of emotion and amusement. It was incredibly dark and grim, just like the teenager himself. He should have admitted his overreactions and tried to make peace, blame neither of them for the situation. And he really didn't blame her for setting him off--it was much too easy to do--but he wasn't your typical person. Pride would not allow him to suck it up and admit he was wrong. Pride never allowed him to do much of anything that made him seem like a decent person. Hell, the only really commendable thing he'd done for Elaine was avoid taking advantage of her blindness and occasionally lending her his company as he was now. That was hardly up there with acts of earth-shattering kindness. He was not a good person. He wasn't evil, either--it wasn't like he'd slaughtered anyone or gone out of his way to make a person's life hell. But he would never be as good as some. He accepted this, unfortunately.

Elaine fell silent and Joshua had little else to say, watching the weak sunlight cast patterns across the room. A glance toward the large windows revealed that it was snowing, and the Fire student scowled quietly at the scene. The more snowy it was, the colder it got. Fire students had a natural heat, but that didn't mean that their powers didn't take a hit during the cold. Especially the younger kids--he remembered how much of a pain it had once been to create things when the snow blanketed the ground. He was better at it now of course, being a graduated student and merely having to work on absolute mastery, but he still had memories of rough times. Did Wind have a season like that? No, he figured he'd have remembered. Earth students had trouble with winter, just like Fire students. But they also had difficulty during heat waves, whereas Fire students took advantage of these sweltering spells and manipulated their powers with much more ease. He supposed autumn might be nice for a Wind student, given that it was, well, windy.

Her question surprised him. However, whilst Joshua was quite a paranoid personality, he wasn't the jumpiest fellow. He got a bit worked up and antsy whenever he was in his own apartment and worried about the gang and all, but at school he felt much more safe. Rather than starting and glancing over in alarm, he turned his gaze slowly and fixed it on her. "Look at me?" he echoed, brow furrowing. "Take no offence to this, I'm just wondering... how would you...?" I mean he was trying to be polite about it, but the fact was that Elaine was blind--as far as Joshua knew, she couldn't see anything. She could certainly glance toward him, but her sightless eyes would not be able to take in her appearance as far as he knew.

Josh often wondered whether the lack of physical intimidation had to do with her general ease around him. He was very tall at six foot three, he had lean but hardened muscles on his arms and some definition on his chest from working out. He didn't do this to look attractive, but merely so that he had some form of defence should he be jumped in a dark alleyway. (Of course, it didn't count for much against multiple, equally muscled guys...). The expressions on his face were almost always negative--some people took one look at his scowl and backed off before they could even figure out whether he was posing an imminent threat. He was like a silent predator in the wild, warning others off with sheer intimidation rather than anything else. And he had to remind himself that Elaine had only just experienced the tip of the iceberg with his ire starting today. She'd never been on the receiving end of one of his... moments.

Joshua furrowed his brow. Told him about what? He was curious and a little guarded about this whole situation, given that he had no idea where she was going with this. The Fire student was glad he hadn't offended her or anything, but he didn't further pressure her to explain. Was she going to tell him? He'd just wait to find out. He was naturally a very curious and intellectual person, but unlike others who would ask tons of questions no holds barred, Josh was a little different. He was careful. He didn't like to inquire too heavily into the lives and personal details of others. Of course, if they spammed him with questions about his life, he'd first get very offended, but then he might feel as if asking a single and simple question was a little more justified. It would be hypocritical to grill someone on their own backstory and then not expect an innocent question in return. Well, however innocent a question coming from Joshua Dale could be.

Patience was rewarded with a bit of an explanation, the older boy blinking slowly as she explained that she could use her Wind as a mild form of sight. No colours, no details, but a vague picture of the room or person. It surprised him, but also fascinated him. He'd heard of something like it once before, although it had been a different disability as well as a different element. But that had been in a much more dated scripture, occurring about fifty to seventy-five years in the past, and there hadn't been much details documented on it. It was clear by the fact that he relaxed slightly that she had caught his interest enough to throw off his ire, but he still didn't speak. He was trying to imagine how that could work, how one could feel with their gift like that. He could sense the physical presence of his fire when he controlled it, but it was nothing like sight. If he shut his eyes and tried to manipulate it he likely wouldn't have a fucking clue what he was doing. His element was a part of him, but it seemed like Elaine's had fully adapted to her weakness.

He shook his head slowly when she seemed upset, though he understood she wouldn't see the gesture, so he spoke aloud, "It's... it's completely fine," he assured her. "That's fascinating," he admitted, and the soft chuckle had a little more feeling behind it this time. "Forgive me, I merely allowed my thoughts to drift momentarily." He spoke with much more formality than your average teenager, his words careful and fluid. Perhaps it was a result of how much time he spent with his books, where characters and people generally spoke in much less informal ways than they would if one were to have a conversation with a friend. He hardly ever carried on long conversations with another person with whom he was not related.

A little less stiff and uncomfortable now, he would have smiled at her if she were able to see it. "I would not halt your curiosity in its tracks," he said. He didn't mind if she used her odd gift of sorts to get a vague picture of him in her mind. Hell, he even joked a moment later as he added, "As long as you promise not to have a heart attack or run screaming. I've been told I'm quite scary." He might not have been joking as clearly as some (seeing as he didn't laugh) but it might have been apparent by the subtle lightening of his tone that he did not mean it in a negative manner. "Forgive the curiosity, but... how does it... feel?" He asked the question slowly, frowning quietly to himself as he wondered if he'd used the correct wording. "I've never experienced anything like it before, so I can't help but to wonder... If I'm imposing on some sort of personal boundary, feel free to say as much."

He was slightly amused by the fact that his joking surprised her, but showed little for it except for a private smile. "I am not completely devoid of humour," was all Joshua said in response. His tone was coloured with mild teasing--to someone who judged more on facial expressions than actual tones, it might have been unnoticeable. But since Elaine was already so accustomed to listening for his reactions rather than actually seeing them, she may have been able to pick up on the fact that he took no offence. He did indeed have a sense of humour, but it was a part of himself that Joshua usually kept from others. You weren't frightening if people found you to be a humorous person.

At parties, though, Josh was a completely different person. He loosened up and actually joined in on the hectic fun of it all--he'd be the type to take the stupid dares, he'd be the one to slide down the banisters and crash horribly when his balance failed him. He liked to go to such social events outside of the small town near the Academy. He distanced his meagre social life from that of the school. He didn't crave this social acceptance, he just liked the alcohol. It was a scene he'd gotten used to under the influence of the gang and just never really forgotten about as he grew older. He usually didn't speak his name. Nor did he learn the names of the many people whose company he'd kept under the influence of shots and euphoria. They were flings, nothing more. There was never anything behind the romance. Perhaps this was why he'd never been in a functional relationship--he was too paranoid that all people only wanted him for a short amount of their time. It could never be real. He wondered briefly whether Elaine ever had these sorts of apathetic thoughts involving romance, but pushed the thought away.

He definitely felt the blast of the wind, but as he'd been expecting something like it he was able to stop himself from cringing or flinching back instinctively. It was like being blasted in the face by the wind from a slammed door, he reflected. Not painful, but certainly not the most subtle of feelings. Still, it didn't hurt like it might have if she'd meant for it to be offensive. The dark-haired male watched as her expression softened for a moment, then chuckled when she said that he wasn't scary. "Always good to hear," he said lightly, only half-joking this time. It might have helped that he wasn't scowling or stiff as a board as he usually was when he was upset with someone. He could still feel the twist in his stomach from the earlier ire, but he no longer felt the desire to be angry. It took a long time for the physical effects of his rage to fade (the breathing, the strange feeling in his chest) but as of now he had relaxed yet again in her presence.

"If I'm to go by film example, 'handsome' is the word to describe buff blonde guys that play sports and have blue eyes," Joshua mused. "I am neither blonde nor blue-eyed, and I most certainly do not have the patience for sports," he said, and the laugh that followed actually had traces of true amusement. "In fact, I'm quite the opposite. Then again, I've always considered films to be overrated." He'd never been fond of them, if he were to be honest. He supposed that Elaine didn't know what it was like to watch one. She could listen to audiobooks and all, but it wasn't the same. "Though apparently it can also be described as the 'bad boy' type, and I think I fit that stereotype." He snorted a little, as if exasperated. Yes, ladies--it's incredibly alright and intelligent to date someone because they're criminal and bad ass! That wouldn't possibly get you negatively involved with the law!

"There's one quite close to you, actually," Joshua responded when she asked, trying to judge the distance from his position in the room. "I'm pretty sure this classroom is still in use. I didn't exactly seek out an abandoned one." He was hinting without really saying that he'd gained access to the room in a rather shifty manner. What did you expect from his sort of reputation? She explained her wind-sight to him then, Joshua blinking as he tried again to imagine it without much luck. It was something one could only feel through experience, he supposed. But it didn't make it any less intriguing.

Normally he just would have smiled a bit in appreciation of a joke, but he was taking into account that she couldn't see his facial expressions, so he chuckled softly at it as well. He was glad that she didn't get offended by what he'd said. Joshua wasn't always an over-cautious and careful guy when he spoke to you--he assumed that you could make your own decisions about whether or not he was trying to be insulting. It became slightly different when he decided that he could stand your presence for longer than two minutes. People, in his eyes, were arrogant little shits. There weren't many exceptions. So when he found one such exception, he took advantage of it and put more effort toward being... what would one call it, exactly? Civil? Kind? Cautious?

It hadn't occurred to him that she wouldn't know the opposite of blonde hair being dark--he was certainly not oblivious to the fact that she was blind, but certain things like that only became apparent when they were mentioned. "It's black," he answered. "And my eyes are gray. Colourless, really." He wasn't some pretty blue-eyed model or anything, but he was happy with the way he looked. If Joshua wanted to change anything about himself to be more 'appealing', he'd have bought contacts or hair dye a long time ago. But Josh wasn't that type of guy. I wonder what it's like, not being able to tell what the colours look like? Unless she hadn't been blind her whole life. But he figured she wouldn't have had to ask what colour his hair was if she knew what colour was generally considered the opposite of blonde. He could have been wrong. Smart he was, telepathic he was not.

She smiled brightly at him before insisting that he didn't have to concern himself so much over boundaries. Joshua dipped his head in personal acceptance of these words, then replied with a simple, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." And he certainly would not forget that she'd said it, but as for taking her up on the offer to ask questions more freely? It just wasn't in Joshua's nature to pester people about things, however lightly. Oh, he was fine with asking about the menial things like school and favourite books and all that--such knowledge was generally impersonal and helped to get a better feel for an individual's personality without prying too much. But once you started to delve into their issues and their personal lives, things got a little rocky.

His fingers drummed a steady rhythm on his thigh, legs still stretched out from his previous position. He gave a sigh that had neither distress or any other emotion behind it--merely a heavy expulsion of the breath from his lungs that brought with it the coldness and scent of mint. Deciding to continue on the conversation since they were both stuck here until further notice, he searched his mind for something to talk about. Given that he didn't talk a lot, this took a moment. Finally he asked, "Why is it that you can stand my presence?" He sounded more curious than apathetic. "Most are very opposed to the thought of spending mere minutes in my company, yet you seem much more at ease than the others and we must've been here for several."