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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 28, 2011 0:00:14 GMT -5
After leaving the cafeteria, Nell didn’t really know where to go. She didn’t know a lot of things, actually. She didn’t know much in terms of war, or anything like that. She’d never experienced it, didn’t know what happened. But she did know this: she had a bull’s-eye right on her forehead. For some reason, the leaders had gotten into their heads that she’d murdered Cynthia, and now she was a target for the vindictive Thunders’ wrath. She knew how they worked, she’d met her father’s family. The Fuentes’ had even less reason to be spiteful toward her than these students, and yet they were aiming to land her behind bars. Because she had killed someone before. No, Nell, you didn’t. You don’t think about these things. Especially not now. Being accused of murder again was not doing good for her psyche, and as she walked she realized that her entire body was shaking, and she crossed her arms over her chest to do her best to stop it.
She decided her safe haven would be the Earth dorms. But even as she came to this, other thoughts stamped out that and run amuck in her head. The reassurance that she had the upper hand against Thunder was nothing. Because she knew she wouldn’t retaliate if attacked. Verbal conflicts, yes, but physically hurting someone… No way would she ever do that. But that would mean playing the victim again, and enduring what she’d went through for years with her mother. Nell was caught between pacifism and defending herself. And then she did it again, thinking about things that should stay safely in the back of her mind. You’ve proven how well you are at self-defense. The thought was filled with never-before felt self-loathing.
She needed to stop thinking. But that was kind of hard to do when war had just been announced because someone accused you of killing Cyn. She had a good alibi for that, too. She’d been with Ari, last night. Her friend was probably there at breakfast for the declaration. Nell wondered how she responded to it. It didn’t quite dawn on Nell that she had all of the Earth and Water students’ support. For one, she didn’t know how closely united they could be. For another, it was a foreign concept. Nell didn’t know about loyalty. No one came to her defense when she’d killed her mother, but that had been because she actually did do it. Still, the way her family twisted the truth was completely unnecessary, and only her nurse had told her that she didn’t believe Nell could be a cold-blooded murderer.
But that’s what she was. Keep walking, Nell, stop thinking. She hoped her friends at the Academy didn’t see that, didn’t see somehow that she’d killed another human being, and hopefully what they were thinking would be ‘she wouldn’t kill anybody’. But that wasn’t true. Don’t think. She practically fell down into the Earth dorms, and flailed around to keep herself balanced, placing a hand against the wall to steady herself. Breathing in deep, she brushed her bangs away from her face. War. She just couldn’t believe it that such a thing could be started over one person’s death. That’s what happened in World War I, dummy. Cyn was this century’s Franz Ferdinand, then. The humor of the thought was dry, and Nell still couldn’t understand why she’d been pegged in her murder.
In the common room, Nell honestly didn’t know what to do with herself. Her nerves were excited, agitated from the news. She wished there were other students around, but they were still eating breakfast. She sighed, and started to pace. This had become her sanctuary, the room untouched by winter. But right now her mind was racing far too much to settle into its usual comfort zone. Not even the flowers that would usually claim her attention to calm her.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 28, 2011 0:39:08 GMT -5
Joshua didn't really know where he was going when he stormed out of the mess hall, his hissed words of warning to Alexandre the only thing he'd really planned when he'd left. A couple of Fire students tailed him and made threats, telling him that his leaders had opted to cast him out of the dormitories. "Come back and you're dead meat, Dale," the group jeered. They sounded excited to be part of the action of the ordeal. Such was the curse of being a teenager. They'd all get worked up over a death just because it meant that they could be a part of the bigger picture. This was usually what made these wars so terrible. People took sides because they wanted to be included as opposed to actually caring about what happened to the victims of the war. Perhaps that was why Joshua had never really been into politics, even as a leader. His own mother had taken it more seriously than he had in her own youth. She had mellowed out now, though, and she'd voiced her general approval of how he'd handled himself. That had been years ago, though. This was now. He was no longer in charge. And for once since he'd graduated and thus given up the position, he almost wished that he was.
"Nell," he said under his breath, shaking his head. He was alone, and thus whilst talking to himself might seem utterly daft there at least wasn't anyone else around to question it. "I can't believe it." His own loyalty to her shocked him. Joshua didn't usually get defensive and protective over other people. He wasn't close enough to anyone at this Academy to really jump ship for their sake. But she'd saved his life. It all kept coming back to the simple face that she had not ignored that phone call. I wouldn't be here to make this decision if not for her, he realised grimly. But Josh did not feel forced into siding with Nell. Hell, he was opinionated and self-reliant enough that he made his own decisions no matter the circumstances. However, he was going to choose Nell. He didn't feel obligated, he felt decisive and determined. She was innocent, had to be innocent. "Sorry, Cynthia," he said to himself, remembering time spent with the Thunder femme. "But I won't kill someone in your name." Not even an Earth student. Especially not this Earth student.
Where would he go, now that his access to the Fire dormitories was blocked off? He knew well enough how the wars worked. There were guards posted around the dormitory entrances, almost as if you were in a real war and there were soldiers guarding the bunker that led to the enemy commander. In fact, he even saw a pair of them as he passed one of the dungeon entrances. "Don't even think about it," a girl hissed, and she and the male with whom she stood closed in to restrict his access. Josh, who had indeed been just passing, narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't even if I had the choice," he snapped. "My loyalties are no longer with my own. You're wrong, and I won't side with you for that. Not now, not ever." They started to summon their Fire, but the two were both a few years younger than him. He vanquished their Fire with his own, but he did not fight back. "I wouldn't try it," the sophomore suggested lethally, "unless you want to end up in the medical wing with third degree burns." And so he walked away, leaving them to glare.
He didn't consciously head for the Earth dormitories. He supposed that his waxing and waning train of thought had simply fixated itself on Nell and decided without his full consent that he would head in the direction she was most likely to have gone. When he got close enough to the Earth dormitories, however, he was nearly swarmed by a group of about seven students. They were mostly in junior and senior year of high school--he assumed the college kids would be more involved in serious fighting as opposed to dormitory regulations. They were forced to band together in a large group like this because he was a Fire student at graduate level. He might have been able to create a large blast as a diversion and slip away (he certainly couldn't fight them all, even with the upper hand) but that wasn't what he wanted. He was not their enemy--at least he didn't want to be. Vines started to snake toward him and Joshua held up his hands in a cautionary gesture of peace. A few of the students flinched back instinctively, probably having expected a massive blast of flame. "Peace," he said calmly, "I'm not here for a fight."
"Oh?" He was surprised to recognise the female Earth leader, looking as if she wanted to order them to overwhelm him and take him out of the fighting. "Like we're going to believe that. You all bend to Blackthorn's will like puppets." She clearly wasn't fond of the male leader, and Joshua scowled. "I am no ones puppet," he retaliated, gray eyes flashing with anger. He suppressed it as best as he could. Now is not a good time. Certainly not. "I sided against my leaders and their will, for it is not my own opinion. You can do as you wish, for I won't fight you." His gaze found the vines that had paused in their advances but were twitching slightly like snakes. "I won't be able to stop you if you plan to take prisoners, but there is really no point. I am much more useful as an ally than I am as bait, especially since Blackthorn and I are at considerable odds right now."
She glared. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't," Joshua replied with a shrug. "I suppose you could come down with me to the dormitories and see what kind of reception I'll get there. I can't promise they won't try to toast us both, however." His tone sounded almost matter of fact, for he was being entirely serious. The Earth leader stared at him for a long moment, then gave the signal to call off her students. "I'm choosing to trust you, Dale," she said slowly. "If you lay a finger on Nell, I swear I will strangle you personally." Joshua shook his head. "Like I said, I'm friend, not foe." Although he wasn't sure 'friend' was the correct word, Josh was at least glad they weren't going to kidnap him. He'd heard of it being done before, it was never fun.
"Maybe you should stick with us if your element kicked you out," she suggested. "As long as you don't cause any harm..."
It took him a moment to grasp the fact that she was offering to let him hang around in the Earth dormitories as opposed to just sitting around in the halls where he would be an easy target for the enemy alliance. "Oh... thank you," he said quietly, not sure how else to react. And so he did just that. One of the boys offered to let him in considering he didn't exactly know how to access the place without breaking in as he had before, and he doubted they'd appreciate him burning the door down. He wasn't expecting to see Nell as soon as he entered, the Earth student disappearing back down the passage to go help guard. He cleared his throat awkwardly to try and get her attention. Well. What was he going to say?
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 28, 2011 2:51:46 GMT -5
Nell didn’t know what to do with herself. She couldn’t sit down, couldn’t stand still. So she just paced back and forth, not even realizing what was going on outside the dorms. No, she was busy trying to frantically organize her thoughts. Or avoid them. Or do something with them. Why was she even so upset about this? All she could think of was that this was full-blown war that the Fire and Thunder leaders declared. War on her, to be specific. And anyone who dared to side with her. A strange, almost masochistic, part of her thought maybe she should give a false confession to prevent others from getting involved. She didn’t want war. People got hurt in war, plain and simple. And if it meant sacrificing herself to prevent others from getting involved, then so be it. But would the police get involved? No, this was just in the Academy, they wouldn’t bring law enforcement into it. That reassured her only somewhat. But the thing was, she was pretty certain they didn’t want her to be incarcerated—she knew that the opposing alliance wanted much worse for her.
She turned at the sound of a throat being cleared, and her eyes widened when she saw Josh. The exactly last person she expected to see in the Earth dorms. With her brain working overtime and thinking frantically, she didn’t assess the situation (and she wasn’t aware that he’d been led in) before automatically stepping back and holding up her hands in a half-karate, half-defensive gesture. She felt like an idiot, but she wasn’t at all sure what to do. Did he break in? Was he sent to kill her? This was her paranoia speaking, but she didn’t know how wars worked here. Wars usually had spies and assassin, though, so why not here? And she didn’t think Josh would have any reservations about it. They weren’t really friends after all. As a matter of fact, she didn’t know how to feel about him. He was the freaking kind of mixed signals. Nell swallowed, and said, ”Please don’t hurt me.” She was pretty certain he would attack. After all, the idea she had was that the Thunder/Fire alliance sent him as some sort of assassin. This made sense to her for the fact that a, she heard he was a pretty strong Fire and b, this was war.
”Let me at least explain first, please Josh!” she said in a rather small voice, still holding up her arms in an ‘x’ in front of her face. ”I absolutely did not kill Cynthia. Sure, we had problems before, but that was just once and I forgot about it right after. I don’t hold grudges and even if I did I’d never hurt someone! Wherever they got the idea that I had something to do with this, it’s very, very wrong. I wasn’t even out last night, I was with my friend. Here in the dorms, as a matter of fact, so there was no way at all it could have been me! You can even ask her, I’m sure she’ll come here soon looking for me. Here name is Arielle, and she’s a college student, and please don’t kill me!” She was rather winded after her rambling, but she still held up her hands, just waiting for attack. Because really, what other explanation could there be for his presence? At least she hoped he listened to her appeal, because he was a sensible, intelligent guy. Right? Right?
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 28, 2011 5:51:23 GMT -5
He hadn't been counting on the idea of Nell freaking out and overreacting. Perhaps Joshua should have considered the fact that Nell was on edge and that the fact they'd never really been friends meant that he might not hesitate to hurt her in times of war. But Joshua had been too enveloped in his own thoughts and confusions to weigh all of these options. He wasn't thinking of things like that, all he could think about was how stupid that it had been of them all for deciding to blame her and that whomever had caused the target to be painted upon the poor girl was an absolute bastard with a lack of a soul. He'd been dwelling on how stupid Blackthorn had been and how his own element were now his enemies, so he hadn't reminded himself that Nell would think he was siding with his own kind. Not that he could really blame her--that was the first thing one would assume, in times of war. There usually weren't too many turncoats in an elemental war. Then again, wars aren't usually started with the intent of murder, he reminded himself snidely.
Nell panicked and started rambling, Joshua's gray eyes widening with surprise. He raised his hands and waved them a little in a sort of a 'woah, calm down' sort of gesture, wincing a little when she begged him not to kill her. "Woah, woah," Joshua cautioned, shaking his head. "Nell, Jesus, relax. If I wanted to kill you I would have done so already." He certainly wouldn't have cleared his throat and stood there waiting for her to see him so that she had more than a chance to defend herself. Then again, she thought he was out for her blood--why wasn't she defending herself? Maybe she just doesn't see the point? After all, he'd been in school for five going on six years, and she was technically a new arrival. Not only that, but his power was strong against hers. Perhaps the poor girl saw this as a lost cause. "Please stop panicking," he asked, aware that it was the first time he'd probably said 'please', or at least one of very few. His tone softened a little as he furrowed his brow. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm not even going to lay a hand on you." As if to try and reassure her of this fact, he took a step back and kept his hands up in the sort of surrendering gesture, so Nell could easily see if he planned to turn around and attack.
"I know what it must look like," Joshua admitted, sighing. He couldn't really blame her. "But I didn't break in, I swear. Ask your friends outside." He nodded to the door which he'd just came in. "They've got a full guard outside, I wouldn't have been able to overpower the lot of them on my own." He was a very powerful Fire elemental and all, but he wasn't invincible or capable of doing too much that others weren't. He was skilled, he wasn't overskilled. "They... let me in." Another sigh, this one more awkward as he rubbed the back of his neck with his uninjured hand. He felt uncomfortable talking like this but he wanted to make sure Nell completely understood where he was going with this. "I took your side, Nell. I knew Cynthia, better than I know you, but I don't believe you killed her." He shook his head a little, looking unsure of himself and distressed. It was hard to keep his walls in place when everything was such a mess, so there were flashes of the person underneath the mask as he struggled to fit it back over himself. "But in taking your side, I also--obviously--lost the support of my element. They kicked me out." He chuckled, dark overtones lacing the gesture. "Well, I don't care. I won't kill just to keep the proper roof over my head."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 28, 2011 6:59:01 GMT -5
Nell guessed her first clue should have been that he didn’t attack sooner. That he waited and stood there. But she didn’t think of those things when freaking out. Instead, Josh surprised her by holding up his hands, eyes wide, as if she had a gun pointed at him and was not just making a pathetic excuse for a kung-fu (though more of a guarding) pose. She studied him for a moment as he spoke, wondering how much she should trust him. But he was right. He could have killed her already if he wanted to. Her hands slowly fell down to her sides, though she was still tense like one of those wind-up toys. ”Okay…” she said slowly. She shouldn’t have been so suspicious, but Josh also shouldn’t have been in the Earth dorms, which was her main cause for suspicion. But he sounded genuine as he spoke and she chose to believe him. Though…if he wasn’t here to do away with her, what else could he be here for? Nell watched him step back, still with his hands up. She breathed in deep. ”All right—I’m calm, I’m cool.” On the inside this wasn’t really the case, but she just kept taking deep breaths to calm herself after her little panic attack.
His explanation started off as if he’d just been caught in a compromising position. I know what this looks like, but I can explain. She eased up a bit when he said he didn’t break in, but then begged the question of how he really got in. It was surprising that she actually trusted him on that fact, that he was being honest in what he was saying. But Nell decided she’d hear him out since he wasn’t on an assassination mission. Tensing back up at his words, she slowly said, ”A full…guard?” So she did have allies in the Earth element. She didn’t think it possible that so many strangers to her—even though she did try to become friends with most—would defend her so easily. Especially since no one had done that before. ”You mean to say they let you in when they have a guard outside?” She didn’t know which was stranger—the fact that there was a guard outside or the fact they’d let Josh pass. There must have been an explanation then, and when it came she was truly taken aback.
Josh had sided with her. He said he’d known Cynthia well, and yet he believed that Nell hadn’t killed her. ”You…what?” This was hard for her to digest. She fully expected to face him as an enemy, and was deathly afraid of him attacking her. But now he was saying he’d sided with her? She felt overwhelming gratitude, confusion, and still a little bit of dread because of the whole situation. It seemed to be equally difficult for Josh, though, as if he was struggling with something. She couldn’t tell what though, and wondered if there would be any more explanation because she honestly couldn’t see why he’d side with her over someone he had apparently known well and his own freaking affiliation. When he said he’d been kicked out, she felt a pang of sympathy. ”Josh…” she sighed. ”You didn’t have to go and do that.” Her eyebrows came together in an expression of worry and still some confusion. He’d left his own element, that definitely was not easy. And he didn’t even have concrete proof that she didn’t kill Cynthia. But they also don’t have concrete proof that I did do it.”
More deep breaths, and then she blushed now that she realized that he hadn’t had any intention to harm her at all and she’d acted like a hardcore, kung-fu freak. She winced as she said, ”I am so sorry for overreacting like that it’s just…” Nell looked away for a moment, and sighed when she looked back at him. ”It’s just being accused of murder can do that to you. Not to mention your allies declared war on me, so I assumed...” Though they weren’t his allies anymore. They were his enemies. He must have realized what he was doing right? In siding with her, he has incurred the wrath of his own people. Nell bit her lip, and sighed again, calming down a bit. She tried to add humor to the situation by saying, ”At least I didn’t go off in a Spanish tangent.” Teehee. The humor was lost with the gravity of the situation however. And so she decided not to try that, and instead ran her fingers through her hair, one hand on her hip. ”This entire situation is ridiculous, it really is.” She dropped her hands to her sides once more, and offered a wan smile that was still full of gratitude. ”Thank you…for being on my side. You really don’t know how much it means.”
No, he didn’t understand how the people who were supposed to be beside her during her previous murder accusations were the ones to twist the truth and turn the law against her. No one had ever been with her during a tough situation. There was no way for her to show the extent of her gratitude toward him, toward everyone who decided to take her side. Who are putting themselves in harm’s way by doing so. The thought was very scary. Other people were going to get hurt because of her, because they chose to take her side. ”But you didn’t have to,” she reiterated, now feeling guilty. ”They’re going to be after you, Josh. They’re going to attack you. Your own element is against you.” He knew all this, but she still felt the need to make it a point. Fidgeting and shifting from foot to foot, she sighed once more. This was her cooling off, she guessed. ”I suppose…you’re going to be hanging around the Earths and Waters, then?”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 28, 2011 8:16:30 GMT -5
Nell didn't seem as calm as she said that she was, but Joshua made no remark on this fact. Of course she wasn't cool, calm, and collected. When a group of people accused you of murder and then sent people out to kill you, 'calm' was probably the last emotion on your mind. He understood that, but it didn't mean he wasn't going to try and convince her that he was someone safe to be around. She seemed confused about the guard letting him in, and maybe even a little surprised that there was a guard to begin with. She was new at the school, he had to remind himself that Nell hadn't had the normal four years of bonding time with her fellow Earth students. Josh understood the strength of the elemental bond because Fire was so involved with their own kind, but he had to consider the fact that Nell wasn't as schooled as he. "The guard is a... necessary precaution of war," he said. "All the elements put them in place, but Earth's will be especially heavy, because..." He trailed off and winced a little guessing she could infer the rest. It would have to be doubled so that no one broke past the defences and tried to slaughter Nell, that was all. Nothing too life-threatening or anything, no, not at all!
"Yes I did," the college student protested with a frown when she sighed and insisted he needn't have done this. He didn't like to even consider the other option he had: siding with the Alliance and participating in the fight to take Nell down. She'd saved his life, it was almost like a paradox to consider taking hers in return. "I don't believe you're a killer," Joshua said, shaking his head slightly. "And even if you did have something to do with Cynthia's death--which I don't believe--I certainly wouldn't think it was for no reason at all." Joshua was not opposed to murder in self defence. Sure, you were taking a life, but you would lose yours if you didn't! All the same, he fully believed Nell when she said that she had an alibi and he didn't even demand to speak to Ari to get her side of the story because he didn't need any more convincing than the strength of his own thoughts. "I had to take your side because I'd be going against my own morales if I didn't." It was as simple as that.
Nell apologised for overreacting, and Joshua replied with, "I know," almost too quickly after she passed it off to the fact she'd been accused of murder. Because whether she realised it or not, Joshua understood what it was like to be accused of murder and backed into a corner. Except I was actually involved, he reminded himself with a sour and unwelcome thought. But no, this was not about Josh and his past experiences, this was about Nell and the fact that she was being hunted down for something she didn't do. "I understand, don't worry about it." He gave a bit of a wry smirk as she mentioned his allies. "My allies are protecting you," he said, and allowed a moment for that to sink in. He was verbally declaring that, against all odds, one of Fire's main powerhouses was siding completely with Earth and Water. And it was all for one simple fact--protect Nell. United by a common goal. "It is most definitely ridiculous," he agreed with a sigh. His lips had twitched at her mention of Spanish, but he hadn't replied because the humour had just been sucked dry thanks to the situation. "You're welcome," he said simply when she thanked him for being on her side.
He was so focused on the fact that he was worried about the war that Joshua didn't even realise how easy it was becoming to speak to Nell. What had once made him feel uncomfortable and awkward was now becoming much more simple and fluid. He still didn't prattle on about himself as some people were able to but he could at least make conversation without incredibly short answers and a multitude of pauses. He didn't take notice because his mind was overloaded. "I did," he repeated when Nell once again voiced misgivings about his betrayal, though he allowed her to continue. He almost laughed as she pointed out that his element was against him. In fact, he did laugh, but the sound was so dry that it could barely be considered as such. "Oh, Nell." She really was something, wasn't she? "I think Blackthorn made that clear enough when he announced that I was 'dead meat' if I came near them. Friendly guy, isn't he?" Joshua rolled his eyes, then realised Nell might not know all the leaders by name. "Fire leader. Ignorant bastard, but the leader all the same." It was clear that he didn't get along with Alex by the anger that flashed and danced behind his colourless gaze.
She mentioned her own allies and Josh nodded. "Congratulations, you're stuck with me," he joked, though in their current situation it was about as amusing as Nell's mention of Spanish had been. Humour just wasn't a reliable concept in times of war. "I... get along with the male Water leader," he admitted, the discomfort coming back as he revealed something personal about himself. But he was only doing this to reassure Nell that he wasn't in any danger from her side by defending her innocence. "We don't hang out at school, but we're not enemies." In war, he and Jake had always just taken care to avoid one another. "It's going to be difficult for the next... oh, however long this takes," he said slowly. "But I'll stick with you as much as I can, I'll protect you. I've got more of an advantage than any of your other allies given my element." He'd be a bodyguard of sorts when she needed it, because he was determined not to let them take her down. This war was wrong and he was determined to prove it.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 28, 2011 20:00:18 GMT -5
Her eyes widened at Josh’s words, but she calmed down again with a few deep breaths. Just smell the flowers, Nell, aren’t they nice? ”Because the Thunders are ‘hunting for my blood’,” she finished, using air-quotes to imitate the male leaders words from not too long ago. They sure liked dramatics, that was for damn sure. And apparently the Earth students were taking it very seriously. Christ almighty, they really had an actual guard outside. Like soldiers. ”What is this, the barracks?” Her tone was exasperated and hinted at fatigue. Really, war? She kept asking herself over and over. Why war? This whole thing was just…ridiculous! The elements apparently couldn’t have a civil conversation with her to discuss this and hear her side of the story—no, it was straight to war. Academy politics are just like real world politics. Lovely. Nell forced herself to stay calm, though. If she freaked out again, there’s no telling what could happen. The main reason she hadn’t called up on her powers when she was in the Earth dorms was because she was afraid, and she remembered what happened the last time she had done so when she was afraid.
Nell was even more surprised—and still very much confused—when he said that it was something he had to do. And then his next words were ones she knew that a lot of her friends were thinking, but that made her feel terribly guilty. I don’t believe you’re a killer. Those words should have been a reassurance, should have made her feel a helluva lot better, but it felt like a punch in the stomach. But she didn’t let the guilt cross her face—this is a part of her iron mask that that she’d perfected—and instead only smiled. She didn’t know what to say. And he actually said that if she had anything to do with Cyn’s death, that there must have been a good reason for it. Where were you two months ago? The only people she had back then was her family who didn’t care what good reason she had for what she did. They didn’t have morals like Josh, clearly. ”I’m glad…that you think that way.” He honestly didn’t know how much it meant to have someone believe in her, no matter what. He was so confident in the fact she was innocent, it was remarkable really. Because he didn't know anything about what she'd done. But I didn't kill Cynthia. Thought was clear and simple and she needed to keep reminding herself of if.
Josh quickly responded with an ‘I know’, but she didn’t think too much into it right then. She just took it at face value. And instead focused on the fact that his allies were now the ones that used to be his enemies. The thought of war made her physically ill, but she was glad she had people on her side ready to defend her even though they would get hurt. I’m so selfish. But she reminded herself that anyone who sided with her new exactly what they were getting into—the leaders had made it an express point that they would be taken down. And Josh was actually opposing them. Nell leaned against the wall, feeling a bit ill but saying nothing. ”Protecting me…” she murmured. ”I can’t believe that you guys actually have to go through this.” She shook her head. Nell hated this, that these stupid leaders had to go and make a whole big deal out of something they had no proof of. She was certain they had no proof, because she simply didn’t do it. It was more than ridiculous, actually. But what could they do to stop it? Nell would love to speak with the leaders and figure out who this ‘source’ they claimed they had was, but she knew they’d sooner smite her than let her within three inches of them. Still, she wasn’t just going to sit idly by while people were hurt over this.
Nell blinked when he laughed. Did she say something wrong? And then he said what this Alexandre guy told him and looked at him skeptically. ”He actually said ‘dead meat’? As in seriously? How old is he, ten?” Who used that expression anymore? Those were playground fighting words. It was just like saying Josh was toast. Which might have been even funnier, considering she was assuming this guy was fire. She would have laughed if she wasn’t so distressed. Josh then explained who he was, and her smile was bitter, but more exhausted than anything. She shouldn’t have been this worn out so early in the morning, but there you have it. ”Yeah, he didn’t leave too good of an impression on me.” After all, he backed up the Thunder students. But that was only to be expected. She really didn’t know what kind of guy he was, and didn’t care to know. But Josh clearly didn’t like him either, but she wondered if he actually really liked anyone other than his sister. ”I guess you fire students are close until one of you defects.” Fire was incredibly close-knit, she knew that. And she still felt incredibly bad for what Josh did.
Actually, his dry humor did make her feel somewhat better. She laughed softly, but really wished she could go to sleep and forget about all this for now. ”I guess so.” Nell was very surprised when he mentioned being on good terms with the male water leader. "You're friends with Jake? ….Or at least cool with him?" That was one mutual friend she didn't expect to have in common. Just when she wondered if he liked anyone, too. It didn’t sound like they were too close, but still. ”Well, that’ll make it easier for you, at least. I’m sure if Jake likes you, the water students won’t be so opposed to having you around.” She didn’t look at him when he said that it would be difficult. Of course it was going to be difficult, and it filled her with apprehension thinking about it. ”However long it takes? When would it end? Do I have to go Sherlock Holmes to prove my innocence?” She was a little frustrated, but still it was the exhaustion that took over. But she looked right at him when he said he’d stick with her. She really wanted to say she didn’t need protection, but that would be naïve. She was truly grateful to have Josh, because she knew that she wouldn’t physically retaliate against anyone who attacked her. And that made her feel incredibly weak. ”I’m glad to have someone like you on my side, then. You’re pretty much immune to Thunder and Fire, huh.” She was more glad, though, that it meant he wouldn’t be in danger as much.
Okay, she was scared. She didn't want to admit it, but the fear was definitely there. The usual reassurance she gave to herself that she'd been through worse was in vain--no, she'd never had anyone actively fight against her and her friends. And she guessed, since he took her side, that she was to consider Josh a friend...or something. "There've been other wars, right?" she said, crossing her arms on her chest. "How bad do they get?" She hoped there wasn’t any actual killing. But in this case…she had a feeling that that’s what the Thunders had in mind. They wanted retribution, which would probably mean her head on a silver plate. She felt the sickness in her gut again.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 28, 2011 21:57:52 GMT -5
Poor Nell. She sounded so worn out and exasperated, and Joshua cringed slightly. "That's more accurate than you'd think," the Fire graduate admitted reluctantly. "The dormitories are used--and guarded--like fortresses during times of war." It may have sounded like silly and childish games to anyone that thought of a bunch of teenagers declaring 'war' on one another, but it was to be taken a lot more seriously than most took it. People got hurt, people had died before. It was usually chalked up to accidents when inquiries were made. Luckily deaths were rare--you could only use the ol' 'she fell off a cliff' thing so often. "They won't even let me into the dungeons," he said with a dry and humourless laugh. "Not that I tried, but apparently even walking past the stairs is enough." He also understood that it would be the same for Nell--especially for Nell. She'd be blocked off from a lot of areas, including the mess hall. Getting to classes would be a real pain, as well. She'd need to have people protecting her the entire time. It was just a whole lot of stress that no one should have to deal with. But of course Joshua planned to do what he could to help her out.
He watched as she leaned against the wall, feeling strangely sympathetic. He knew how it felt to be hunted, but unlike Nell he hadn't been able to rely on the protection of friends. He didn't have friends then--his only 'friends' were the very people that were trying to kill him. They'd almost succeeded. And maybe this was why he felt so defensive of Nell. They had something in common now, no matter how grim. People were after them. If they got caught, there wasn't much hope. So he felt a strange sort of kinship. "It's no fault of yours that the leaders are douchebags," Joshua shrugged. "Fire didn't have to get involved. Fucking alliances. I never started any wars during my time as leader." He didn't know whether he'd ever mentioned his stint in leadership to Nell, and if he hadn't he certainly didn't take notice. "But it's done now. The enemy alliance has launched war, and our allies are going to protect you because they're against the barbaric blood hunt. It's their fault, not yours." It still felt strange to say 'our allies', but he tried to push this thought to the back of his mind.
Joshua snorted slightly when Nell insulted Alexandre's choice of words. He was amused, but not quite in the mood for laughter at the moment. "You'd certainly think so," Josh glowered. "But no matter, he's quite serious. They'll gang up if I try to get back there." He could take on a few as long as they were younger than him, but Fire elementals tended to swarm in groups. They were your typical bullies--they wouldn't bother you as much if they were alone, but in a group they were deadly. It was rather ironic considering things had been flipped in Joshua's case. He had fought most of his battles solo. Would his element have backed him up if he'd needed it? Probably. They didn't shun their own. But Josh had never asked. Nell was fortunate in that she didn't have to request for the elements to back her up. They had made their decision and that had been to defend Nell's innocence (and her life, too). He chuckled. "Defects?" he said, raising an eyebrow. But then he dipped his head. "Indeed, I had their general support up until now. But I'm not going to kill someone just to keep some extra firepower on my side." Especially since Nell was much closer to... almost being a friend... than the vast majority of the Fire elementals. They had proved today how fragile their loyalties really were.
Joshua wasn't really miffed by her surprise. Not many would expect that Josh Dale got along with the Water leader--and that was the way the two of them liked it. Nice and discreet. Nothing to see here, move along. "We get along," he repeated simply. He didn't want to get into his alliance with Jake too much. They were friends, but Nell didn't need to know how deep that friendship went. It had been more of a reassurance than anything else. "The Water students have more pressing issues than my presence," he said with a dry smirk. After all, they were up against Thunder. Joshua and Nell might be strong against the Thunder elementals, but the Water element had something to look out for. Usually it was the Water students that Josh had to be careful around in times like these. And so the tides have turned...
He gave an almost sad grimace. "They don't seem very liable to listen to reason at the moment," Joshua admitted. "Wars can last anywhere from days to months, it all depends on what comes of them. The longest stretched for an entire two years." Josh didn't want to freak Nell out or anything but there was no use in lying to her. Might as well be honest about this whole war business. "And yes, I can stand up to their attacks more efficiently than your own element, in the case of fire at least. You've probably got Thunder covered, but I've got an advantage over them as well." He didn't consider the fact that Nell was pacifistic and wouldn't attack either way. Not that she was going to need to if he hung around. He most certainly wasn't opposed to violence--if anyone tried to get at her they'd need to go through him first. And that was not easy. "Wars are common enough that we usually see at least one a year," he said, sighing, "though it's usually not this extreme. Normally it's a whole bunch of 'he said, she said' that ends up dragging everyone on board. They can get better or worse depending."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 29, 2011 15:24:41 GMT -5
Josh seemed even regretful when he informed her of the truth. ”You’re kidding me,” she deadpanned, her face blank. Nell just compared it to a barracks out of exasperation, but no, Josh said that it was basically what the dorms served as. That wasn’t disconcerting at all. She hadn’t known what to expect, but her gut was telling her that it was very, very bad. This wasn’t just a game of capture the flag on steroids. Though in all honesty, to Nell, this was all still overreacting on the thunder and fire’s part. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered is these people’s overreaction is causing a war. And preventing Josh from getting back into his dorms. ”That…god, that sucks.” She shook her head lightly. ”Everyone’s just overreacting to this. You think they’d be more concerned with mourning their loss, not starting a war.” She took another deep breath. The situation was already sucky and war had just been declared—Josh couldn’t even walk past his old dorms without being accosted.
It was hard for Nell to feel like this whole thing wasn’t her fault even though she was innocent, because the Thunders declared war on her, and everyone else got dragged into it by taking sides. But he was right, it wasn’t her fault the leaders had done so. She remembered that his sister had said he had been Fire leader once, and was a bit surprised that he actually didn’t start any wars, but it didn’t show. Exhaustion was quite the nice mask. Not that she thought Josh would enjoy that kind of mayhem, just that he was…volatile. Unpredictable. ”The leaders don’t see it as their fault. They apparently felt the need to start a war. But you’re right…they were the ones who instigated this. It doesn’t even really matter who’s to blame, though. It’s amazing how quickly this blew up.” The only blame that mattered now was their blame for Cynthia’s murder. And not even that. She had a feeling this whole thing would turn into a free-for-all. Eventually, the students will stop caring about their initial intentions and just be in it for the fighting. But she did take note of one thing he said—our allies. She didn’t think he really knew how much it meant to have someone on her side when there’d never been anyone to help her before.
Nell didn’t mean to sound so nitpicky or anything, she was simply surprised that the Fire leader said something so out-of-place in the starting of a war. She wondered if the Thunder leader would say something like, "We'll pay her back...with interest." These thoughts were a mechanism to help her, but it just wasn't doing to steer her mind away. ”More overreacting, huh,” she said, voice laced with a now ever-present sigh at the mention of him being ganged up on. Right now, she was just feeling the exasperation and toughening her skin even more for what was sure to come. It would get worse. For everyone involved, it was sure to get worse. Why does everyone have to be so dramatic? ”Yes, defects. This is war, so I might as well start using war jargon.” She tried her best to keep her tone light, even attempted a smile because she didn’t want this to get to her. You can’t succumb, Nell. Okay, the situation sucked, that much was clear. But she couldn’t just shut down and do nothing. She couldn’t let it overtake her. She’d built up a tough skin, and she’d now use it as a shield in this war. ”I’m happy you’re not my enemy…though it cost you.” Honestly, if she ever had to face him she’d instantly back down. Not only did she not want to hurt anyone, but she did not stand a chance over an older Fire elemental. It was like a kitten staring down a dragon.
Of course, she didn’t push on the subject of Jake. It was just…strange, is all. Then she remembered that everything is strange about Josh. She shook it off and nodded when he said that the Water students wouldn’t be too preoccupied with him. ”Thunder…right.” Water was an excellent conductor for electricity, and therefore so were the unfortunate Waters. It almost made her laugh thinking about how if her family got in a fight with each other, her father’s side would probably take down the Sinclairs. Really? You’re thinking about your family now? No, now she had new enemies who were after her. And these ones would probably outright kill her rather than throw her in jail. Josh’s voice was like the equivalent of fingers snapping before her face, and she came back to attention, albeit slowly considering now her mind was pushing through the leftovers of fear and panic.
He merely affirmed her suspicions, looking a bit dejected himself. "Didn't think I'd be able to parlay with them," she said with a sigh. Nell wished they would be more reasonable, but clearly that wasn’t going to happen. She couldn't go and speak to them, lest her head be taken as a trophy. It was a practical stalemate for her in those terms. And Josh talking about time lengths of wars certainly didn’t help much, but she wouldn’t let that bring her down. No, if she was going to survive whatever would happen, she needed her optimism to pull through, even if she was fatigued. "The Thunder students may be getting in over their heads starting a war with Earth. But we're not exactly the most aggressive group." They were peaceful, harmless folk. She had a feeling that Thunder usually had it easy, actually—they had an advantage over Water and Earth certainly weren’t confrontational. Now their side had Josh. A part of her assumed that this was may have been a special circumstance. That usually accusations of murder didn’t start it. ”So you’re saying there’s no way to tell.” She figured as much, so the words didn’t come out as resigned or anything. Just a simple statement. "The way I see it, there's still a bit of 'he said, she said' going on since the leaders aren't revealing this source of theirs. And now everyone is being forced to choose sides. I guess there are still similarities." She had a feeling this usually happened during war, of course. Alliances were formed, sides chosen—it’s how it worked. It didn’t make it any less ridiculous.
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