[Josh]Here 'n there...

The forest was a good place to go when you were trying to avoid people. The fact that it was so broad and open and maze-like with its winding paths meant that not only was it easy to get lost, but it was easy for everyone else to lose track of you. And today, that was what Josh had wanted. He was sick of the war and the random attacks, sick of the stupid detentions he kept getting for fighting in the hallways. It wasn't his fault that his presence seemed to send the Fire students into a rage these days! It was true, he'd betrayed them and gone to the other side. But the Thunder/Fire Alliance meant a lot less to him than the life of his friend. God, he felt like punching something every time they spoke to him like he'd committed some sort of unforgivable sin. So that was why he'd come to the forest. To get away, really. From everything.

He was neither lost nor looking for a way back, but a feminine voice from somewhere nearby alerted him to the fact that there was someone in this forest that was searching for their way home. Or at least back to the Academy. Joshua spoke from behind her, Canadian accent crisp and sharp, but also a little sarcastic as he said, "I'll give you a hint--it's certainly not the way you're facing." He spent a lot of time in the forest. The mansion back home had a forest, so he was used to strolling amongst the trees and didn't usually get lost as long as he kept careful track of what direction he was heading in and certain landmarks. Like the boulder. The slight angle to it was familiar and told him not only where they were, but where they'd need to go if they wanted to get out of here.

Unfortunately for Joshua, as he grew closer it became apparent that he had intruded on the directional impairment of one of his former allies. She was an enemy now, and he wondered what sort of things she might chance doing or saying when they were out here in the middle of nowhere. He was several years her senior and she didn't have any sort of elemental advantage, not to mention the fact that he was much taller and could likely best her in a fight. But would she make any remark? He noticed that she was wearing nothing but a bikini, and his gaze flicked over her overall appearance, but he wasn't interested enough in the girl to ogle her like most guys might have. He just wasn't the type. His mother had drilled respect and all of that 'gentleman' bullshit into him from a young age.

Joshua cocked a steady brow at the girl as she introduced herself. The fact that she'd gotten his name right suggested that his reputation preceded him in some way or another, and the older Fire graduate just couldn't help but wonder in what way that was. "What, no angry words to spare for the resident turncoat?" Again there was sarcasm drifting through his otherwise smooth accent, colouring it and adding contours and flavour. He was expecting her to react as most of the Fire students had--first they'd sneer at him, then make some sort of snide remark, and then they would attack him if they had the balls. He was usually safer when the target in question was alone, but most of the Fire elementals had that sort of pack mentality, which was one of the major reasons they were dangerous.

Still, the girl appeared to be alone. If there were more people lurking in the shadows and waiting to pounce, he couldn't see or hear them. At the same time, Joshua was still wary as he took a step closer. He wouldn't put it past the sneaky bastards to set some sort of a trap for him and force the upper hand. Though he did not regret siding with Nell in any way, shape, or form, it had its repercussions. If you were a Fire student you had the backing of a very violent and dominant alliance. If you weren't, your alliance was a lot less aggressive. He found himself oddly outcasted and alone on the other side of the grass. It wasn't always greener, no matter the presence of Earth students or anything. "Regardless... yes, I am Joshua." He wasn't afraid of her, and so he took another step closer before leaning casually against a nearby tree.

"How did you manage to wander this far in?" The question was innocent enough, marked with the civility of someone who was clearly against starting a fight unless she drove him to it. Joshua was opposed to this stupid war. Unless Freya spoke of attacking Nell or actually, physically harmed the Earth girl, she likely didn't have anything to fear from Josh save for the fact that setting off his temper was very simple and that would get you on his bad side.

Joshua snorted slightly in exasperation. "That's what happens when you side with your friends, I suppose." His tone was sharp and just begging her to challenge him, daring her to suggest that he should be on their side and attempting to kill someone whom he was good friends with. His temper was starting to flare up. He could always feel the first signs of the anger, the first prickling of rage dancing about the edges of his mind. How long they lasted and how quickly they turned into the fires of fury all depended on the person who enraged him and the reason for the anger. Right now she was just annoying him--and it wasn't really Freya who annoyed him, it was everyone on the other side of this stupid, pointless, reckless war.

"Have any friends about?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion that had not yet been cleared up. He still didn't trust her, even if they were alone for now. He was a Fire elemental himself, after all. He knew how these things worked. "It's not honourable to play sneak attack. Then again, murder isn't honourable either, and your side has no qualms about that." Alright, so maybe he wasn't the most peaceful person when it came to discussion about this war. But the fact that they were trying to kill made him decidedly sensitive. It wasn't just stupid teenage drama, it was an honest attempt at true crime. "All the same, if you're going to have me attacked, forewarning would at least show you have some pride in your abilities." Pride, or confidence? Whatever, it didn't matter to Josh.

Instantly he reacted when she seemed to spaz out, a bright flash of brilliant flame bursting into being and curling itself around him, twisting and burning and ready to be manipulated to his will. Josh had gotten used to summoning his power with speed thanks to the fact that no one gave him time to prepare before they attempted to take him down these days. But the reason for her reaction turned out not to be an approaching army of murderers, however, but a spider.

A fucking spider.

He blinked slowly as she scrambled to the top of the boulder, then slowly relaxed his stiff shoulders and allowed the fire to seemingly dissolve into the air around them. "I can see that," he remarked, arching an eyebrow. Well, this was shaping up to be quite the strange encounter.

Joshua's voice was alarmingly chilled as he responded smoothly, "Now, did I say anything about it being odd?" No, he hadn't. He didn't think it too strange that she was afraid of spiders, a lot of people were, he was just on edge because of this stupid war. As for the cliché fear? Well, guilty on his part. Though rather than it being a random fear, his hydrophobia was due to the fact that he'd almost drowned in his own backyard when he was much younger, it had actually been brought about by something. "You talk about clichés without realising that a chick fearing a spider is as cliché as they come," he reminded her, smirking a little bit. He had a point, you had to admit. Spiders and bugs, sometimes snakes. They seemed to be the commonplace and predictable fears of most women.

The girl made the mistake of going off on a tangent about how 'not everything was about him', and her almost condescending tone made him want to punch her in the face. Hard. As it was, Joshua's jaw clenched tightly and the air around them seemed to swelter. Ever since he'd started learning to manipulate heat--what a nifty college trick it was--the element had become like a handy mood ring between anger and neutrality for Joshua. Right now he was most definitely, definitely angry. "I never said I didn't think it was believable," he snapped, his temper short and his tone even shorter. "You need to learn to listen and stop putting words into my mouth." He hated it when people twisted the things he said. "You'd be a bit wary yourself if everyone was trying to incapacitate you wherever you went." She had enemies in this war, but luckily most of those enemies were pacifists. His enemies, at the moment, also his former allies... they were not.

"Since when has this been my war?" he added, gray eyes flashing with a dangerous anger. "I didn't start this, and I certainly don't support it!" He wanted Nell to be safe. The only reason he was participating in this stupid thing was to make sure that he did his best to keep her that way. He'd much have preferred if it had been a little less violent, or better yet it they hadn't started it at all. But they had, and he'd practically been forced into it.

She apologised, and his expression smouldered dangerously as he glared. At least he didn't attack her, however, showing great restraint as the air continued to grow hotter still. His temper was a very hard thing to control. "You really shouldn't have," he agreed. "If you're so opposed to this damn war, why are you participating in it?" His words spoke a challenge, and he wondered if she'd answer him truthfully.

[lolol omg the water dorms terrify Josh xD They're under the lake and have a glass ceiling, and he's terrified of drowning.]

He raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. Her temper couldn't be any worse than his. The air was still incredibly heated despite the fact that Josh wasn't actually planning to attack, because once you ticked him off it took a hell of a lot more effort to get him to calm down. Easy to anger, hard to placate. He was actually worse than the majority of even the Fire elementals with his temper, and it was not something which he prided himself on. He'd lost friends because he'd gone too far when they'd upset him.

Apparently she hadn't hurt anyone. He wondered if she was just playing the innocent, then decided he'd give her the benefit of the doubt... for now. If she showed any sign of hostility toward him in this war he'd be ready to attack once again. At the same time, he was somewhat secretly relieved that this wouldn't turn into a fight. Josh didn't enjoy fighting, it wore him out no matter whether he won or lost. "'Out of hand' is an understatement," Josh said bitterly, frowning. His anger was directed less at her now and more toward the Academy in general. "I consider 'out of hand' to be serious injuries in an elemental war," he went on. "They don't just want to hurt Nell, though. They want her dead." By 'they', he was just referring to the Alliance in general.

He sighed in frustration. Why was he even discussing this with the enemy? They surely wouldn't listen to reason else they wouldn't have agreed with it in the first place, right? "No," he agreed, shaking his head. "It's not very positive at all." Decidedly grim, actually. But they were rivals in this war, what the hell were they going to talk about? Kittens? No, he didn't think so. She said that she was going to ask him something and Joshua merely shrugged, indicating that she could do what he like. He'd decide whether or not he was going to answer once he heard the question.

It surprised him, not having been what he'd expected. Blinking, he took a moment to get over the initial shock. Deciding that it wasn't too personal or anything, he shrugged. "I've been hanging out with the Earth kids since Alex kicked me out." He spat the words with venom, hating their leader with a burning--no pun intended--passion. So it was natural that he slept there too. Which was strange, really, because he missed the warmth and the comforts of his element and the normality it had always given him. The Earth dormitories were too... well, attuned to the Earth kids, really. He was sure they wouldn't like his dorms much, either. It was nothing personal.

[Just in case you weren't in the chat--I'ma send you a PM about the Fire leader thing, had an idea.]

Joshua was surprised when she seemed to understand him. He didn't usually expect such reactions from other Fire students, he was just ranting and getting it off of his chest because he was frustrated about the way everyone was treating Nell and didn't understand why it had to be this way. "You... what?" He wasn't stupid, he'd heard exactly what she'd said and he was pretty sure her meaning was clear as well. He was just... baffled. Shocked. Unsure of what to make of it. He knew most of his fellow Fire elementals to be complete assholes that didn't listen to reason once you'd made it clear you weren't on their side.

He blinked, deciding to believe her. "Uh, thanks, I suppose." Where did that leave them now? It was awkward considering they still weren't allies, even if they weren't enemies. He wondered if the girl was going to take a more neutral standpoint in the war now that she knew her element was trying to kill Nell rather than just assault her for the death of Cynthia. A death that (in Joshua's mind at least) she'd had nothing to do with in the first place. It was ironic considering he'd known Cyn. He'd been friends with Cyn. But he believed Nell.

Again with the bewilderment. She was just full of surprises, wasn't she? "You don't like Blackthorn either?" Most of the Fire students that had something against him wouldn't voice it, but Joshua'd always been shameless. He'd been Fire leader himself, once. It would have been this girl's freshman year, but did she remember that time? At any rate, his previous authority made him understand how things worked a little better than most. College students had more freedom because they were adults, and it didn't make sense for teenagers to boss around those superior to them. They had some authority (after all, Alex had ordered his element to block Josh from accessing the dormitories) but they were not all-powerful.

He noticed her step closer but didn't assume it was because of the heat, which unfortunately for the girl was starting to slowly fade as his anger did. He was still a little ticked--his rage didn't just go away, even if the reason for it did--but not at her, so roasting her wasn't top priority. She asked him if he came here often, then seemed to be resisting laughter. His lips twitched with something that might have been amusement, it was hard to tell with Joshua. "Not too frequently, but often enough I guess. It's quiet here." He liked quiet. "And you? I wouldn't imagine, seeing as you managed to get lost." At least he wasn't being scathing and sarcastic this time around.

[Heat manipulation is college level only xD Same with controlling the things that the element burns. (For example, if you flamethrowered a tree, it'll burn, but once you're older you can teach your fire to hit the bark but not char it.)]

He chuckled softly when she mentioned her failing navigational skills, nodding a little. Yeah, that was pretty clear. But it was also amusing because his mind immediately jumped to Nell and how she'd forgotten where the mess hall was when they'd went inside after power-training together. Then he remembered how she'd sat with him despite the fact that he was usually a loner and everyone stayed out of his way, and his gut twisted painfully. How? he thought. How can they consider someone so innocent and pure a... a murderer? It just didn't compute, didn't click in his brain. "Might want to avoid coming out this far next time," Joshua suggested, though it was not unkind. "There are a lot of wild animals since we're smack in the middle of nowhere." He'd seen wolves and bears and deer, but the latter weren't quite dangerous.

His lips twitched. "Claimed? Nah, it's a free country." Joshua winked as he reiterated the childish whine of most children when someone tried to boss then around and they pulled the cheap card. He was kidding, clearly. Normally he didn't joke around people this soon after meeting them but he was so relieved by the fact that this was a Fire elemental that didn't want him dead that he was lightening up a little. Much as his former allies were crude and snide and not very nice as a whole, he missed their familiar presence. It wasn't like he'd had many friends in the Fire element, but he'd grown used to their familiar attitudes around him in a way he was not accustomed to the genteel Earth kids. "Seriously, though, I'd just went for a walk. Was merely passing by when I heard your voice." He shrugged a little. Always shrugging, always non-committal as ever.

"Call me what you like," he said, unphased. "As long as it's not my middle name, though I doubt you know it." He didn't like to be referred to as Donny or Donovan. It was like he was being compared to his father, and Joshua had far too much respect for the elder Dale. Being likened to him felt way out of his league--though he'd admit that he always felt oddly touched when relatives remarked about how, "You look so much like your father!" And I'll be like him too, one day, he thought. After I graduate medical school, I'll show him I'm worth the title of his son. He pushed such thoughts of his his head. "I doubt you'd be able to," he said, not being mean but just being straight with her. "It's college level stuff, difficult as hell. Took me a while to master it." And that was saying something. Joshua was a bookworm and a dedicated studier, he completed his assignments like they were demands. Which they were, but he was probably taking them more seriously than they were meant to be taking. "Why?" he asked, furrowing his brow.