LONERS ~tagg Josh~

Joshua Dale had always sat alone.

There were people in the lunch room who would accept him, certainly. The Fire students probably wouldn't have said a word against his presence if he were to go and fit himself amongst the majority of them that seemed to like sitting in a small group of tables. The Fire element was rather close-knit and friendly with one another, so the large group of them would likely accommodate one of their own even if they were afraid of him (or perhaps because they were afraid). And yet despite this general acceptance, he'd sat at the same table without regular company for five years now, going on the sixth. Occasionally he'd have a current fling or a casual acquaintance that might spend a few minutes near him whilst they waited for the rest of their friends to show up, but for the most part he was alone. And he liked it that way.

Today was no exception. He spotted a couple of naive freshmen sitting at his table, but a single glare was enough to scatter them. They'd probably sat there on some sort of a dare: everyone sensible understood that this was his spot. As usual, the selection he'd taken from the large buffet table at the front of the room was completely devoid of meat, featuring a large plate of salad in its centre. Most kids grew up learning to despise vegetables and everything they stood for, but not Joshua. Being vegetarian they were a massive part of his diet and so he was able to stomach them with ease. He was halfway through this simple meal when out the corner of his eye he caught a bit of a commotion involving a couple of the other guys from his element.

Normally in the pestering of a freshmen, Joshua would neither participate or interfere. He was not confrontational, but neither was he the most kind of gentlemen. It was not his business and not his responsibility: he'd protected his own in twelfth grade when he'd been the running Fire leader, but that time was over now. Plus, this victim was not of the Fire affiliation. However, it was a young girl. And then moment he caught that wild look of fear in her eyes as she searched for someone to help her, it triggered an old memory in his mind.

He leaned against his car door and took a sip of the tea he held in one hand, frowning. His parents had told him that he should pick up Annabel today because they were both running late and their driver hadn't shown up for work. But where was his sister? It wasn't like he hadn't picked her up before--she knew to come and find him here, he'd had the office tell her.

"No, stop it! Get away from me!"

Instant panic and unhindered rage had filled him when he'd heard the small voice of the eight year old raised in panic. He'd made his way behind the building and spotted a bunch of older kids circling his small sister, and then everything had went blank with blind anger. Next thing he knew he was sitting in the office of the private school trying to explain that he'd only broken the boy's nose because they'd tried to hurt his sister.

For some reason, this reminded him of that time.

He pushed the tray away from him and had crossed the room in a few quick strides, shoving the nearest of the guys out of the way as he approached the group. "And just what the fuck do you all think you're doing?" he demanded, anger flashing in the colourless depths of his gaze. A few backed off, but Joshua locked his gaze on the one who had a hold of the smaller girls arm. "Let her go, or I swear you're going to regret it," he growled. He allowed a few seconds for the boy to comply, then shook his head in slow disgust when he did not. "I warned you."

The blast of fire was hot and strong and blasted the boy right square in the face, causing him to howl with pain as he let go and recoiled. "Might want to go get that checked out in the infirmary," the sophomore hissed. "I sure as hell don't plan on healing it." He glared at the aggressors until they backed off, then turned his gray eyes on the girl. He was over a foot taller than her and so had to literally glance down to meet her eyes. "Are you alright?" His deeper voice was rough with the after-effects of the anger, but there was something like genuine concern behind it.

Joshua normally didn't feel strong emotions, especially toward a complete and total stranger. He thought of Annabel when he saw the girl begin to tear up, however, and he suddenly felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach--was this... sympathy? It had been so long since he'd felt like this toward anyone who was not a family member that it almost didn't identify with him right away. She looked so small and scared and pitiful that he almost didn't know what to do with the situation. It was like watching someone kick a puppy--you had to wonder: how the hell did they live with themselves? Joshua could be a complete and total jerk at times, but he would never take advantage of someone who was so young. Probably because of Annabel. Are you alright, right now, Belle? he thought to himself. I know you wouldn't have liked me to just stand there and watch. His sister was his complete and total opposite in every way--such a good person.

She thanked him and Joshua responded with a curt nod, unsure of what else to do. He'd never really been put in a situation like this. Did he just walk off now, or did he follow through and make sure no one else in this god awful mess hall decided they wanted to play keep away with the freshman? The young girl rubbed her reddening arm and muttered something under her breath, making him frown slightly in concern. "Is that going to be okay?" he wondered, nodding at the injury that might just blossom into a bruise if they had gripped tight enough. Joshua would barely have felt an injury of its nature, but he supposed to a thirteen year old girl it could be quite traumatic. "Do they bug you a lot?" It bothered him to think that people did such things on a daily basis, but he knew it to be true.

He noticed that the girl seemed oddly concerned for the well-being of the Fire student, exasperating Joshua slightly considering what they might have planned to do if he hadn't intervened. She was young, though, and he withheld the urge to go into a rant about how stupid it was to sympathise with your enemies. Instead, he patiently said, "Bah, don't worry about him. You're a freshman, right? You probably wouldn't know--the staff at the infirmary can fix him up without a problem." He might have a nasty red residual mark resembling a sunburn for a week or two, but that would also fade, and then there would be no trace of the attack save for the memory. "I could have healed him myself, but I didn't think he deserved it." He would have cussed out the boys, but then he (once again) reminded himself that this was a young girl and that swearing like a trucker was not a good idea.

Then she expressed concern over him, which made a little more sense considering he had just saved her ass and everything. Joshua shrugged. "I might, I might not. Depends on whose side of the story they believe." It also depended on who the story was recounted to. Professors generally respected Josh's academics and might back him up... unless they were in an opposing element. Then they might get him in trouble just to spite him. "I don't really care, though. Not like I could have just let them go after you." He wouldn't have been able to live with himself just sitting there and watching.

He suddenly noticed the strong odour of trash, wrinkling his nose at the smell. "Jeez, looks like you drew the short straw on seating today, huh?" He glanced back at his lone table and then made up his mind, gesturing toward it. "Why don't you come sit over here? Just as lonely, but at least it doesn't smell." He chuckled a bit at that, then introduced himself, "I'm Joshua Dale by the way. Fire student, sophomore."

Joshua's already fairly morbid gaze darkened further when she pointed out her age like it was some excuse for them all to target her. It was true that the first time was pretty much 'open season' on the freshmen--the older kids were on them like white on rice. "Still," he said in reply, tone as dark as his eyes. "They shouldn't." She was smiling at him and Joshua honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Damn it, why did this young girl remind him so much of Annabel? There were a lot of sick guys in the Academy who would feel attracted to someone a lot younger than them and flirt shamelessly, but Josh didn't have those sorts of instincts--thank goodness. All he saw was someone akin to the sibling he hadn't seen in months.

"They shouldn't be going that far," Josh said a little fiercely, also pausing to glare at the door through which they had left. How dare they take advantage of their age and size superiority like that? This girl was what, like fourteen? Younger even? He'd only been thirteen in his first year at the Academy. But he was a guy, and he'd been a Fire elemental. They looked out for their own.

He chuckled a little when she seemed fascinated by the fact that he'd mentioned healing. "A bit," he said, nodding. "Only things to do with fire, though." If he burned someone, he (or another Fire elemental who was that far along in training) could erase the burn and just leave the victim with a temporary mark that resembled a sunburn. It would last for several days and then slowly fade, until there was no trace left of the burn at all. "Well I started learning it in my final year of high school," he said, "so you're some ways off yet, but... you'll learn."

She said she'd stick up for him--even though he'd just rescued her from them and thus this should have made perfect sense, Joshua was quite surprised by the gesture. "Thanks," he said, and he truly appreciated it. Not many people took the side of the big bad wolf, even when that wolf was being as gentle as a puppy. Well okay... maybe burning someone (especially facial burns) wasn't gentle, but it was like a mother with her cubs: things got fierce when you threatened something Josh was out to protect. Dani was just lucky she reminded him of Annabel. It was funny, because they really didn't look similar. Belle was blonde and a little younger.

Dani was a Wind student, and this relieved him. No worries about invoking the wrath of the Alliance today. He started toward his table and sat down, ignoring the people who were staring in curious confusion. "If those idiots ever bug you again," he said, "come find me. I'll sort them out." He smiled a little--an actual smile--and picked up his fork.

She called him 'nice', and to someone like Josh this was a mixture of ironic and flattering. Joshua was not a nice person, he knew this full well. He had some good moments and some bad, but they mostly ended up tipping the scale toward the negative. He was callous and arrogant and a tad narcissistic, he had no friends and a violent temper to boot. But he wasn't going to deflect her compliment and get into all the nitty-gritty truths of his personality, so he merely dipped his head in acceptance of the words instead. "The Earth students tend to be pretty friendly," he replied. He wasn't trying to be modest or anything (modesty really didn't work well with Joshua) he was just pointing it out in case she hadn't become acquainted with any yet. She was a freshman, school had just started... it was possible.

Joshua gave a bit of a dark chuckle. "They'd best hope they don't," he agreed, the words having a clear double-meaning. He didn't know why he still felt so protective over the younger girl. In the heat of the moment it had been because of his sister, but now that the comparison had calmed down a little he still felt as if they had been needlessly cruel and that he should make sure that they didn't do so again. He was sure that someone of her sweet disposition would be better off making friends in the softer elements--certainly not with a Fire student whose own dorm-mates feared him for his volatile nature and bad temperament.

She asked after his classes, surprising him a little with her interest but deciding to answer regardless. "Well, I'm in college," he said for starters. "We focus more on elemental studies than we do academics, so I've got a few hours of power control classes, then another block of history. Elemental history, that is," he clarified. Whilst the idea of sitting in a stuffy room for hours listening to a teacher drone on about history subjects might have sounded absolutely dreadful to some, it was Joshua's favourite subject. He was actually looking forward to it, believe it or not. "Then I've got some work to do for my online classes. What about you, Dannica?" It felt weird to say her name, really, he wasn't used to talking to freshmen.

He gave a bit of a snort. "Friendly? There are some, but..." He trailed off, figuring that she could infer the rest. Dannica was both a freshman and a Wind student. Whilst Wind wasn't exactly frowned upon by the Alliance, it sure did make some people uncomfortable. Plus, the mere face that she was fresh meat was enough to some. "You're probably best staying away from my kind." They weren't the nicest bunch--even Joshua could admit that without much urging. Hell, he was probably amongst the worst of them. Dani was lucky; Joshua didn't get involved in the 'initiation' process of the younger kids. He didn't get the rush from it that others seemed to.

She complained about the food and Josh furrowed his brow. "No, actually," he said. "It's usually quite good--you probably just drew the short straw and got the worst of it, as everyone else got here first." Not only that, but there was a sort of a pecking order when it came to the buffet table. The biggest and most intimidating of the student body could usually get to the food first since no one wanted to get in their way. Josh was lucky like that. People were scared of him. "Show up early next time, if you can. It helps."

He nodded as he listened to her speak, politely letting the freshman know that he wasn't ignoring her even though he wasn't talking. He stabbed some of the salad vegetables on his fork and popped them in his mouth, enjoying the taste of fresh greenery as most could not. The salad was usually very abundant since there weren't many people that liked it. Mostly the girls watching their weight and those rare vegetarians like Joshua himself. "Yeah, I like college," he replied. "It's optional; wouldn't have taken it if I didn't think I was going to like it." He thought about her next question, then shrugged. "Not for me, it isn't. But I've always enjoyed studying, so..."

He was an odd guy, really. Bookworm and workaholic by choice. "What about you?" he said, flipping the question around. "Aside from being treated like the mouse in the lions den... do you like the Academy?" Some did, some didn't. It all depended.

He thought about that for a moment. It was true; even if Dannica showed up early, there were a lot of tougher kids that did the same who would easily knock her out of the way or else just threaten her so that she backed down. In the Academy, threats were something to be taken seriously. People didn't usually muck around about things like that. He frowned thoughtfully, then got an idea. "Stick with me, then," he suggested with a bit of a shrug. He'd have done it for Annabel, so why not for this small freshman who reminded him of his little sister? "You can break off and go sit with your friends once you make them, but if you stick around me in the line then no one'll dare cut you off." He smirked a bit, the sentence clearly having a double meaning. Oh, they might cut Dani off, but never Joshua. It was a really stupid idea to mess with the volatile Fire graduate. "I show up pretty early myself."

Joshua gave a wry chuckle when she commented on his study habits. "Not many do," he agreed. The thing was, studying was all that Joshua had. His distinct lack of friends meant that he spent more time alone than anything else. He could have done something like veg out in front of the television and just watch programs all day, but Josh preferred to be productive. Another thing that had been taught to him by his father, unsurprisingly. "If you use your personal time for something that would usually be forced upon you, it gives you an edge over others." That was how he'd become so intelligent; he'd studied when he could be doing something more enjoyable like video games or simply having some alone time. He hadn't just woken up with intelligence, after all. It was something you had to work toward. He was naturally bright and picked up on things quickly, but it wasn't effortless by any means. "I suppose I'm of a rare sort. You can usually find me in the library, if anyone is bothering you." After all, he hadn't been kidding earlier when he'd offered to look out for her.

She complained about the weather and his lips twitched into a smile. "Can't say I blame you," he admitted. "I'm originally from Vancouver. It's in British Columbia, just like the Academy." His parents had been Canadian too, as had his grandparents. The only bit of bloodline that wavered was Patricia's aunt who had moved to Britain and gotten married. Her cousins were raised in England and she'd only met them a few times. Joshua didn't have any cousins which he knew about--both Donovan and Patricia had been only children. Joshua had been fixing up for the same singular life until his sister had been born when he was eight years old. He did not regret the birth of Annabel but rather rejoiced it.

"The weather improves come summertime," he assured Dannica. She was a freshman, which meant she'd came here in the winter and hadn't seen any of the warmer months, he assumed. Unless she'd moved to Canada before starting at the Academy, but he didn't know. "In fact I've heard the summers are a nightmare in terms of heat. I'm a Fire elemental so it doesn't affect me so much, but... ask one of the older Wind students, they'll tell you."

[That's okay (:]

Joshua stared at her when she mentioned screwing up his reputation, unable to believe that he was actually hearing those words. He blinked slowly... then actually laughed. Not a sardonic chuckle or a dark laugh that sounded more like he was planning world domination than finding something amusing. An actual laugh that lightened his tone for a moment as he revelled in his amusement. It was very soft and so not many around them would be able to take notice, else they'd likely all have been deeply confused. "Ah, that was great," he said, barely even realising that he'd not laughed like that in months. "You're worried about my reputation, Dani?" he asked, clearly still amused though he was already throwing back up the walls. A few moments after the laughing spell the humour had died from his aura and he was once again the stoic Fire graduate as usual. "Ask anyone--my reputation is non-existent. On the other hand, I can see why you would fear for your own. I'm not what you'd call... popular." He didn't care for the popularity contest, but he'd have nothing against Dani if she did. "Feel free to stay out my way should it benefit you."

She asked a flurry of questions at once and Joshua could only blink in surprise, slowly mulling over everything which she'd said to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Had he ever made a snow angel before? "Not really," he said, a lie to preserve his 'manly' dignity and pride. He had played out in the backyard with his sister, and she'd sometimes been cute enough to convince him to mess around like a kid again. He made snowmen and snow angels and had snowball fights. Despite his rather stoic appearance, Joshua was a kind and patient older brother. He let her climb all over him and pull his hair when she was little, he would be patient with all of her 'tea parties', he'd abandon what he was doing to read to her whilst she was falling asleep. Sometimes Belle would ask him to sing for her, as well. "I've travelled to America a few times," he said with a brief nod. With his father. "Disney World? No, I can't say I have. Six Flags and Canada's Wonderland, yes, but never Disney World." Theme parks were alright. Weren't his favourite places in the world, but he didn't hate them. "Of course there are amusement parks here," he chuckled. "Canada is hardly primitive."