COME TO TERMS;; tagged JOSH,

The library had been overtaken today. Something to do with the freshmen and the fact that one of the professors thought that her class was slacking off and needed to do some supervised learning. There was nothing quite so annoying as being shut in a library with a bunch of others that had about as much desire to learn as the desks did--which was absolute zero, considering the latter were inanimate objects. He had tried to tolerate it for a while before he'd eventually just given up and endeavoured to find another place to study for his exams. They were about halfway over but halfway was not enough for Josh. He would not relax and allow himself to enjoy free time until everything to do with work and school was over with. Being intelligent was nothing if you didn't study hard to keep your intelligence in check.

It was under these circumstances that he found himself in an empty classroom, having requested politely to use it when a professor was just leaving. The man had seemed confused but willing to surrender the use of the room seeing as it would not be utilized for classes until well into the next week. Josh didn't have much with him at the moment--two empty cups of tea and one half-full, a stack of books and a binder full of notes and papers. He was very much intent on the work and not paying attention to what was going on around him, so the loud sounds of sneering and jeering from the students out in the hall did nothing to capture his attention. Indeed, it was not until there were thumps and sounds of the doorknob being messed around with that Joshua looked up. What in the hell--?

That question was answered moments later when the door opened and a girl who was very much familiar to him was shoved inside. Pure instinct made him stand up in alarm as she tripped and fell, hesitating slightly as he decided what he would do. Should he leave? This wasn't something Josh was positive he wanted to get involved in. If she'd picked some sort of a fight--but no, as it turned out they were jamming the door shut. Joshua went over to it and tried to turn the knob, but it was stuck fast as if they'd done something to it. "Hey!" he yelled loudly, slamming his hand against the door and scowling as he heard hoots of laughter from the other side. "Open the god damned door!" They clearly didn't even care that they had trapped in more than their intended target, for there was only more laughter before the shadows disappeared from under the door and there was the faint sounds of retreating footsteps on the other side. Kicking the door in frustration, Joshua cursed loudly. It was unclear whether he was angry about the students or about the pain in his foot.

Suddenly recalling that he was not alone, Joshua glanced toward where Deirdra had been, intending to ask her if she was alright or who it was that had attacked her. But she was not where he'd last seen her. Instead, the Earth girl was literally cowering in a corner, hyperventilating and crying. He didn't know what to do. Josh didn't make a habit of getting involved with things like this. He preferred to just keep to himself and leave everyone the hell alone--especially when it came to this sort of drama. He also wasn't very good with people when they were crying. Especially not when he didn't know them. It had been different with Nell because he'd been her friend and he'd even been in love with her at that moment, so there was incentive to help. This girl was just a former patient at the hospital that just happened to attend his school. But she was crying and they were stuck here. Somehow it didn't seem practical to just go back to studying as if nothing was going on.

Leaving his tea to go cold, Joshua tentatively approached and stood about ten feet back, not sure that he wanted to go close. "Deirdra?" he asked with hesitation, trying out the name he remembered. He wasn't sure what else to say. What'd you do with crying people? He'd never been good at this. "Hey, um, are you alright?" He mentally kicked himself. She obviously wasn't alright, she'd just been tossed into a classroom by a bunch of assholes. "Did they hurt you at all?" If she had any injuries, that might be something to cause a problem. Especially since they were locked in a classroom with no access to the Medical Wing. They were also on a higher floor and so couldn't exactly bust a window and climb out.

There was something alarmingly different about Deirdra this time around. Joshua wasn't the most observant of guys but he did not remember the girl he'd spoken to at the hospital as someone so shuddery and spooked. Her only response to his speaking her name was to glance up and glance back down again, cursing. Confusion and panic started to twist his gut. How was he supposed to deal with this? At the hospital he'd had a specific list of things that he was meant to ask and to do in order to make sure that she was okay. He'd gotten over his surprise and cold feet easily enough because he'd fallen into the professional pattern. But right here, right now... this was different. He'd never been instructed on how to comfort someone when they were curled up against a wall and shaking like a leaf.

She replied to his question about injuries and then fell silent. This didn't help Josh much at all--the boy hesitated awkwardly, glancing longingly at the door as if he wished that he could leave and be away from this situation. Not that he was trying to be an asshole, insensitivity was just something that he'd had ever since that damned gang had betrayed him. He felt little true concern toward her at the moment; his worry was toward the situation, her reaction, and how the hell they were going to get out. Could I maybe melt the door? But no, it would be dangerous to try and use his fire power (literally) to bust them out. They could be hurt, especially Deirdra seeing as she was an Earth student. He sighed and ran a hand through the back of his dark hair. So much for that idea.

So it looked like he was stuck here with her. Not wanting to come across as a jerk but also largely unsure of what to do, he decided that trying to be 'comforting' and to calm the girl down might be a practical approach. Problem was, he'd never done a lot of that in his life. Only with his sister and she was a child. This was different. What do people do when they're trying to be comforting? What do they want to hear? He was drawing a blank. He wasn't someone that often leaned on others for support and so he didn't have many of those thoughts himself. "Hey, it's alright," he attempted, swallowing nervously. He wasn't necessary afraid, just flustered. "They can't get in here and even if they did, they won't get past me." He didn't make a point to defend other people unless they were very close to him, but seeing as he and Deirdra were stuck in the same boat... he figured it might be sensible to promise help for the time being.

Joshua honestly didn't know how to handle this situation. He found himself taking an uncertain step backward and away from Deirdra--not to provide any comfort to her in her panicking, but because he himself was starting to become worried. He knew nothing about Deirdra other than that she'd been in the hospital before for an injury and that she was an Earth elemental at the school. Perhaps if he made a habit of listening to all of the gossip he might have known she wasn't as normal as she'd first appeared, but at present Josh was being thrust into this situation with no assurance at all. The way she dragged her nails up and down her arms was disconcerting, like she was suffering some sort of an episode. He stepped backward again and found himself against a desk, bracing one hand against it for extra support as he watched Deirdra and tried to decide exactly what he was going to do in the situation. He wished that he could just leave and go do something that didn't involve anything like this. Josh wasn't heartless or anything, just... well, if he could avoid a bad situation then he would certainly do his best.

He could not, however, avoid this. When Deirdra started muttering about being stuck with him it offended Joshua quite a bit. "Hey!" he protested indignantly, temper starting to flare a little. He stayed where he was but the irritation at this flashed in his gray eyes. "I don't want to be stuck here any more than you do." He didn't realise that it was memories that were being triggered and making her say these things. Josh took it rather personally, for what else would someone assume in a situation like this? He wasn't going to start jumping to conclusions about her and the life she'd led, of course not. Stuck in a room with a man. What the hell is her problem with me, anyway? Now bracing both hands against the desk (though backward, since he was facing Dierdra) Joshua sat down on the edge of it, frowning. It would be his luck that he wound up in a situation like this, wouldn't it? Cynical thoughts started to plague him and he considered how nice it would have been if he could just walk out and leave her to her own devices.

None seemed more cynical than Deirdra, however, and she was irritating his short temper with her constant denial that anything could work out in their favour. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Better than you can, most likely." He wasn't going to pretend that he was an amazing fighter because that would be a lie. He just had to hope that the idiots themselves weren't that great at fighting, either. He wasn't trained in any sort of official fighting style--he'd been taught to block a hit and throw a punch by the gang he'd ran with, but it was crude fighting with no real technique. If they knew what they were doing more than he did--and especially since they were in a group--he'd be in trouble. But of course there was always his element. Firepower was often better than physical force for Josh. "What?" he said sharply, when Deirdra shook her head. "Are you suggesting I'm weak?" That was rather offensive. She doesn't even know me!

[Miscommunication ftw? o.o His reaction surprised me.]

Her reply only confused him more and did very little to soothe the irritation that he was feeling. It was hard to calm Joshua down when he was in a bad mood. Quick to anger, impossible to calm, it was just part of his temperament. His volatile personality often marked him as a danger to the world around him. He was not currently a danger to Deirdra, but he was feeling considerably less fond of her than he had when she'd first been locked in the room with him. Fuck, why hadn't he just stayed in the library? The freshmen were annoying brats but it would have gotten him out of this. He didn't reply to her, just stayed sitting where he was on the desk and scowling softly. Though he could indeed be violent when his temper was provoked it usually took a special sort of provocation before he would reach that point. Dee had managed to avoid this, thankfully, but that didn't mean he'd relax any time soon.

Joshua rolled his eyes. "I'm aware of that," he said shortly when she said that he worked at a hospital, not realising that she was explaining the meaning behind her words. He often took things the wrong way when he got irritated with a person. It was remarkable that someone with his aptitude for learning could be so inept in social situations. Perhaps if he'd been a little more calm he would have realised what she meant but he was too irked to try and work things out at the moment. However, when she clarified a little further he finally managed to pick up on it. Did it appease him? Unfortunately not. He was a difficult person. "So?" he replied. "Doesn't mean I can't defend myself." The words were a challenge accompanied by a sharp glare, as if daring Deirdra to suggest that he was going to lose if they burst through the door right now and started a fight. Even if he didn't stand a chance against them he wouldn't appreciate being told that he was inadequate. His pride was too important to him for that.

He also wouldn't go in depth to explain why he could defend himself. Josh was a very secretive and closed off person. Even if you got him to speak with you he usually didn't reveal anything about himself. He might have learned to fight from a gang but Dee was never going to know this. He didn't think he'd even told Nell that they were the ones responsible for what few things he knew about self defence. Nell was too nice to appreciate words about fighting and violence--if she asked, he would probably let her know. Dee was a different story. If you asked him anything about himself he would only reveal it if he felt moderately comfortable doing so and he usually wouldn't elaborate further than the question required. If you asked of his grade he might tell you that he was a sophomore, but he probably wouldn't say that he was studying Biology or that he'd went to college to become a doctor. It made conversations difficult. "I think they've gone," he said, half to himself.

Most of the time, solitude and quiet were the only things that could calm down Joshua's temper. And Nell's company, when available, because he found it incredibly hard to be angry with the girl. Other than that trying to calm him could be like navigating with your eyes shut--you could take the wrong turn and crash into a proverbial wall in the conversation, often making things worse rather than better. Contrary to what Deirdra believed, Josh was not ignoring the fact that they were trapped in a room with a jammed door, he just didn't make a habit of discussing things allowed. When it came to assignments, he worked better on his own than he did in a group. He viewed things like this blocked door just as he would view a project, really.

He didn't know what had gone on in the hallway. It might have been helpful to ask Deirdra if they'd been holding anything with which they could shut the door or if they'd discussed any later plans for coming back to the room when they'd been chasing her here. However, Josh was adamant that he would not talk to her at the moment any more than was needed and so he allowed the drawn-out silence to continue. It certainly seemed as if he were doing nothing--his expression was blank and he did not get up and go over to the door. He didn't think that there would be any use to doing that until he had some sort of a plan in his mind, for without a plan he was basically helpless.

Her question brought him out of his train of thought and he bit back the sarcastic response that jumped to mind immediately. (How the hell am I supposed to know? I've been stuck here this whole time just like you have!). Instead, he just shook his head sharply. "I'm trying to think." In order to put some distance between them so that he didn't do or say anything that he would regret later, Joshua went over to the door. Not that Josh usually cared if he upset people but he'd prefer to avoid making her go into another spiel of muttering or dragging her hands up and down her arms. He couldn't deal with that sort of strange behaviour when he was trying to concentrate--it was foreign and freaked him out.

He could not tell how the hell the door was being blocked and this frustrated him, but it didn't really show other than in the tightening of his lips. Fucking thing. He tried the knob to no effect and shoved his weight slightly against the door to achieve similar failure. He thought for a moment about just blasting the door and saying to hell with precaution, then reminded himself that he could potentially get into a lot of trouble if he nearly burned down the classroom. With a noise of frustration in his throat, the graduate stepped back from the door a pace or two and then slammed his weight against it whilst trying to give the jammed knob a turn. Nothing, and now his shoulder was aching like a bitch to boot. Rather than making him give up, this only strengthened his conviction as he tried it again, this time succeeding (with a slightly concerning splintering sound) to get it open. He was so surprised by this that he did not let go of the door for several seconds, glaring at someone who was giving him a strange look as if to say, 'What's your problem?' Shoving the irritation off mentally, he glanced back into the room with a pointed look at Deirdra. 'Aren't you coming?' it said without words.