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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Sept 24, 2011 21:08:44 GMT -5
I need a drink.
The unfortunate and rather uncomfortable thought possessed his mind as he stared out of the car window and over to the hospital across the road. He knew that it possessed a generic name (probably St. Something-or-Other General Hospital) but he had always just known it as 'Dad's hospital'. Even before the man had actually gained ownership of the place in a business deal Joshua had known it as the place where he had worked and had simply thought of it as such. He'd never felt so simultaneously intimidated and disgusted by a building before. Luckily he didn't contract a lot of injuries or illnesses and most small things could be fixed up with a trip to the Medical Wing in the Academy, but what on Earth was he going to do if he became seriously ill? Die. The thought was sardonic and laced with bitterness. The previous that had changed: I am definitely getting a drink. He didn't like the idea of drinking at Blackjack because his girlfriend worked there, but after reassuring himself that he wasn't going to get in any way drunk (It's been a long time since beer got me drunk, I'll just not take anything harder!) he finally gave in to his desire to forget and turned the white Lamborghini around to head in the other direction.
Once, the stares that his car had gotten as he cruised through the streets had thrilled him. He knew that it was flashy and he was proud of this. Now he wished more than anything that he could own a car that would catch no one's eye. He was no longer the flashy, spoiled rich kid that the Aventador (christened Harper with the help of Nell) suggested he was. It was a conscious thought as he pulled into the parking lot nearest the bar and got out, checking to make sure he had at least enough for a few drinks to last him the night (he did, thankfully) and then going to the door. He flashed his ID almost mechanically, knowing that their standards here would have them check. It was why he'd never been able to drink here until recently when his ID showed his proper age. He'd drank at Corrosion a few times on busy nights when their greed meant that they didn't check as often, but it wasn't like the seedier clubs never turned people away. He was glad that he didn't have to worry about the headache of an ID tonight, however, and reflected with dry amusement the fact that the girl whom he knew worked here was not even of drinking age. What they don't know can't hurt them, he thought to himself. "Just beer," he said with a lazy wave of his hand when asked.
The fact that he had to carefully monitor his pocket funds was something he rarely experienced. Corrosion had cheap but watered down beer that even he'd been able to afford, especially since he'd had a job back then. Blackjack was much more upscale. Josh had been stretching out the money he had as craftily as possible, mostly eating in the mess hall and only asking his girlfriend for anything in terms of money if he was really desperate. Speaking of Nell, despite his original qualms he was actually hoping that he ran into her tonight. He was drinking to distract himself from the sorrows that plagued him but he wasn't drinking to get drunk, so he'd like the company. With thoughts of her on his mind, he slipped a silver object out of his pocket and smirked to himself. The ring was a clever way of warding off female attention, really. People were less likely to go after a "married" man, so he'd let them think that he had his commitment in sworn vows and promises rather than just in the 'relationship' status. To him it was all the same, but why not play pretend if it worked out in his favour. He sipped the beer slowly, not wanting to rush it. He doubted he could get drunk off of just plain beer even if he gave an effort, but he was also considering the cost of replacing this one if he drank too fast.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Sept 24, 2011 22:50:41 GMT -5
 Jane was treating her time in Canada as a sort of vacation—or at least, that what she’d told her brother-in-law, León. Life in the big city was hectic, after all. It never slept, and she rarely did. The Thunder elemental said that he understood, and the conversation between them was always tense, like the words that each of them said were spoken along a taut wire. But she had to endure his company, no matter how it grated on her nerves. After all, if he wasn’t cooperating with her, she’d have a harder time getting at Nell. And she needed to get at her. Which is why finding out that the girl worked at Blackjack was vital information for her. She frequented the bar often enough to mix and mingle that the girl’s presence did not go unnoticed one night—however, Nell did not notice her aunt. She had waited a while until confronting Nell. Her shift would be soon, Jane knew from that night, so it was with this thought that she pulled up to the bar in her rented Cadillac.
It may have been considered petty to torment her niece like she did, trying to drive her out of Canada and into the arms of the law, but she had a very good defense. She wasn’t about to let the girl get away with murdering her sister. Even if Nell said that it was in self-defense, murder was still murder. And she still didn’t have her baby sister. Jane had still kept in contact with Mia even though the latter insisted that she didn’t need the former’s help. Because it felt like blood money, the younger sister had claimed. She didn’t want money from a family that wanted nothing to do with her. Besides, she had the sense of independence that absolutely refuted anything Jane tried to use to help her. She had wanted forgiveness, redemption for what she’d done eight years prior. Mia wouldn’t give her that forgiveness. So she settled into the belief that revenge on her niece—the girl who killed her sister—would make up for the betrayal. Because there was redemption beyond the grave.
Jane entered the establishment with an easy smile, hair pulled up with some strands falling around her shoulders, black dress hugging her curves—she knew about the air she had. She understood that she was a presence, because it was something she’d made sure of. If she wasn’t noticeable, well, there was no point in being a musician, was there? She was about to take a seat with some acquaintances she met before—even with the short time she’d been in Canada, she was social enough to meet new people. She noticed a somewhat familiar face at the bar. Or rather, his back. Her eyes narrowed before a smile stretched her lips and she approached the bar, sliding onto the stool. ”Hello, hello,” she greeted affably, as if she had never attacked him and they were simply old friends meeting up at the bar. Jane hailed the bartender and asked for a scotch before returning her attention to…well, she didn’t know his name. ”It seems you haven’t properly introduced yourself to me.” The bartender gave her the scotch and she paid, pulling out her pack of Virginia Slims as she pulled out the money. After paying, she took out a cigarette and placed the pack on the table, and lit up, taking a puff before turning her attention back to the Fire boy.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Sept 25, 2011 13:02:29 GMT -5
Joshua tensed visibly when the woman sat beside him, immediately recognising her and immediately shifting into a state of discomfort. He didn't like this bitch at all. Not only had she been about to seriously hurt Nell when they'd 'met' (or so he thought, and so she'd said) but she had attacked him. He would have been an idiot not to recall how powerful she'd been and how drained he'd felt after a rather simply and light attack by graduate standards. That was, of course, because of the fact that she was much older and more skilled than he was, as well as a full-fledged Water elemental. Attacking her had been stupid, but Josh didn't often take stupidity into account. Now, however, he was much more wary of her. He didn't like the almost friendly tone she used when greeting her, unable to trust and assume that she was actually going to be a nice person. No, nice people didn't try to kill their relatives. Still, he wasn't planning to start a fight. "Hello," he said stiffly. Whilst Jane was behaving as if they were old friends, his distaste and mistrust was very evident in his tone.
Of course I didn't, thought the graduate scathingly, you were after Nell, do you think I was going to give you the time of fucking day after that? If this had been anyone else Joshua would have shamelessly and rather recklessly said this aloud. He was holding back, however, doing his best to keep a clear head and not start anything that he knew he couldn't finish. It wasn't a worry of getting kicked out of Blackjack that sedated him (though he definitely didn't aspire to be chucked out) but rather the fact that he didn't know how to treat Jane at the moment. Nell had said that she wasn't aggressive or anything but he never trusted the words of other people. All he knew of this woman was her violence and it was going to take some convincing before he believed that he was at all safe around her. And even if he was safe, Nell probably was not. "Does it matter?" he said instead, rolling his eyes. He didn't see at all why she would want his name. He certainly hadn't cared about hers, though she'd given it to him anyway. The name Sinclair was still irritatingly familiar, but he hadn't yet figured out where he'd heard it. Hell, she probably wasn't even in any way related to the name he'd heard. Was it an unpopular surname? Why do I even care? "Joshua Dale," he said in the same stiff 'why-are-you-talking-to-me?' tone he'd used before.
Indeed, why was she bothering to talk to him? They didn't know one another. Not well, anyway. It was Nell that she--
His thoughts stopped there as if they'd careened and crashed straight into a brick wall. Nell. Nell worked here. It was a connection he probably wouldn't have made unless his mind had flicked to his girlfriend, but it had and now he could find no other explanation. Maybe he was being paranoid or overly suspicious, but hadn't Nell said that Jane was out to get her? An uncomfortable feeling twisted in his gut but he did not want Jane to know that he suspected her. Instead, he just demanded coldly, "What do you even want?" He wondered whether Nell was working tonight and dearly hoped that it was either a day off for her or that she would decide to stay at home. At least until this woman gets her ass out of here. It was ironic that he was now hoping the exact opposite of what he'd been thinking before. He'd wanted the companionship of his girlfriend but that could wait until he dropped by her apartment later. He didn't want her path to cross with this bitch, but he couldn't think of any way to warn her off without making his intentions obvious to Jane. Fuck.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Sept 25, 2011 15:06:34 GMT -5
Jane had to say she enjoyed the boy’s discomfiture and stiffness. Maybe she was a sadist, which could be a possibility. No, it was more because she didn’t like him much. And how could she, after he interferred with the ‘conversation’ she’d been having with her niece, behaving all high and mighty. If she weren’t so concerned about being noticed, there little confrontation could have turned out much worse. It wasn’t mercy, it was simply wariness. ”For the sake of conversation, I should say so.” She rolled her eyes, though the gesture was supposed to give off the air of being playful and joking. Jane always gave the appearance of being an amiable and friendly person—and she was, unless you gave her a reason for her not to like you. Which Josh had successfully done.
He answered the question nonetheless, and it piqued her interest. ”Dale?” Jane repeated, lifting an eyebrow. ”Now that is a name I am familiar with.” She blinked at the boy—Joshua, as he’d introduced himself—before deciding. Yes, Dale was a name she knew from memory and because families like theirs tended to be aware of each other. Sinclairs were decended from royalty, old money like the Dales. ”You wouldn’t be Donovan’s son, would you? There’s a striking resemblence, I must say.” And they were both Fire, so she determined that her assumption was right. Well that was certainly interesting. Donovan had been an acquaintance of hers from her school years, though she couldn’t call his wife as such. There was animosity between the two women, though of course Jane had always been perfectly civil around Patricia.
Joshua upheld his brusque demeanor, but Jane’s easy smile remained as she flicked ash into one of the trays on the bar. As if perfectly unaware. As if she didn’t know that the boy liked her about as much as she liked him. ”As I said, conversation,” she told him, flicking her deep blue eyes over in his direction. She’d gotten the color from her great aunt, she believed, since Mia had been as brown-eyed as her mother and daughter. ”You are friend of my niece’s, I assume?” Of course, he should be considering that he’d defended the girl when Jane had her pinned against the car and very close to slitting the girl’s throat. Or causing some serious damage. Because she knew the girl couldn’t report anything to the police, now could she? As long as she didn’t end up dead, Jane was perfectly immune when it came to Nell. ”I make it a point to meet and get to know Nelly’s friends,” she told him, which was a very honest comment. A friend of her niece’s was in fact an enemy of hers. Even though she wouldn’t say as much—no, she was simply just an aunt interested in her niece’s life. More ash was flicked into the bowl. ”As a matter of fact, she should be coming in soon.” Her smile flicked into something else for a moment, an indecipherable change of expression really.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Sept 25, 2011 16:11:03 GMT -5
Joshua couldn't deny, not even to himself, that he was surprised when she pegged him as being Donovan's son. He immediately wanted to know more--she knew his father? However, Joshua was stubborn in the mindset that he didn't want to let her know that this information had caught him off guard. Instead, he simply narrowed his gray eyes which were almost the exact shade of said father's and said, "So I've been told." He was both responding to the comment that they looked a lot alike and also confirming the fact that, yes, he was Donovan's son. It at least explained why the surname might have been familiar. Perhaps Donovan had mentioned it in passing, or even Trish, but the latter seemed much less likely. He almost wanted to ask but again bit his tongue. Don't give her the satisfaction, he thought. Besides, even thinking about his father made him feel sick lately. The man had kicked him out. Little did he know that the reason he was no longer the heir to the Dale family fortune was this woman sitting beside him.
A friend of Nell's? He almost laughed bitterly but again stayed silent. The irritation he felt toward Jane was practically coming off him in waves, like some sort of aura. "Something like that." It was all he said, working his jaw and trying to keep calm. He took a sip of the expensive beer but even though it was normally not too bad, it was no longer to his tastes tonight. He had the urge to flag down the bartender nearest him and order a bottle of whiskey but that would drain the rest of his funds and he didn't know whether he'd be able to resist the temptation of drinking it all right quick. He wasn't in the mood to face this conversation with Jane sober. I'll just stick with the beer. He found himself staring at the amber liquid much like he had when Brittany had been hitting on him and he'd wanted nothing more than to escape. Jane was a lot different--he'd be downright freaked out if she hit on him--but the same basic principles applied. He didn't like this. He didn't want to sit here and have this conversation with her. All he wanted to do was say 'fuck this' and walk out, but now he was worried about Nell.
"Before or after you attack her?" He couldn't help but allow these words, coated with venomous sarcasm, slip from his lips. He didn't do anything comical like gasping or covering his mouth but Josh slightly regretted this slip of the tongue. He didn't want to start anything or make it worse. No one around them seemed to have heard but that didn't matter. On the surface, he still appeared to be as unaffected and tense as he had been before. Joshua was good at hiding things. His concerns only increased a moment later when Jane said that Nell would be along soon. Stay away, Nell. Please. To Jane he said nothing, sitting in stoic and irritated silence. He really wished that Nell didn't work here so that he could get up and walk out without needing to feel concern for her. Could he perhaps persuade Jane to leave? No, if I do that she'll probably only want to stay more, he thought bitterly, and so kept his mouth shut.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Sept 25, 2011 18:07:33 GMT -5
Her suspicions were confirmed in a rather curt response from Joshua. ”Then send your father my regards,” she said with a smile. ”Your mother, too. It’s been so long since I’ve spoken to Trish.” She added the last part in with a light chuckle. As if to explain why she would want Joshua to pass on her greetings to his parents, she said, I know your parents from when we went to the Academy.” That was long ago, now that she thought about it. Right after graduating she returned to New York and moved in with her great aunt while trying to convince her sister to come back to a family that didn’t want her for lack of the Water gene. Jane wasn’t even bitter toward the Sinclairs because of that—she understood how rooted in tradition they were, and accepted it for what it was. Just like the Fuentes family, their lineage was very important. Which was why the marriage between León and Mia caused such a stir. And why the hatred between both families was now directed to the child of such an ‘unholy’ union.
Jane said as if considering, ”Something like that, hmm?” She swirled the liquid in the glass, pursing her lips a bit. Taking the cigarette from her mouth, she blew out the smoke. ”That’s really a shame, because she won’t be your friend for much longer. That girl...” Jane sighed, and shook her head as if a mother disappointed by her child. ”Well, she’s gotten herself into quite a bit of trouble.” She hoped that Joshua would take the bait, unaware that he already knew of Nell’s history. She may not have liked him—of course not—but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to turn him against her niece. All for the sake of taking the girl down, really.
His snarky comment made her smile flicker for a moment. Well then. ”Whatever do you mean?” she said, the subtle sarcasm in her voice like the riptide under the waves of the ocean. She took a sip of the scotch and sighed a bit, as if saddened by a thought that just occurred to her. ”Nelly is just so difficult, I have to be a bit…tough with her.” This was at least true. The girl clearly went out of her way to rile Jane up, just as the older woman did the same. There was clear hatred between the two of them, and it made things that would otherwise be taboo fair game. ”And I must say, when others don’t understand the situation, it is a bit frustrating to have them play hero.” Her voice held a subtle warning. She was not one to to be taken lightly, and if Josh ever made it a point to start something with her, well, she’d show him just how much more powerful than him she was.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Sept 25, 2011 19:08:30 GMT -5
Both his unease and his curiousity peaked as Jane revealed that she had not only known his mother but his father as well. He wanted to know the details, to understand how well she had known them and, better yet, how well they had gotten along. He knew that she was a Water elemental and with both of his parents in Fire, it was a little surprising to hear her speak of them as if there were no hard feelings. Then again, look at how she's talking to me. This was rather confusing, but again he had to stop himself from asking. He didn't want Jane to think that she was dictating this conversation or that the ball was in her court so he just kept his mouth shut when it came to asking questions. I'd love to give them your regards, he thought with a sarcastic and biting venom, but as I'm no longer part of the family... He would not tell her this, however. Of course not. "I'll do that," he said stiffly, sounding as if he had no intentions of carrying out this wish whatsoever. Jane could not know that he was disowned, that he was no longer the heir to the Dale family. Hell, he hadn't even been telling his friends and he'd only told Nell when he'd been backed into a corner (or, rather, against a car) and forced to fess up. He supposed he'd have to tell them all eventually (it wasn't like he could pretend that he lived in a mansion when there was no mansion to go to) but he was holding off on doing so for as long as was possible.
What Jane said next had Joshua practically bristling. He didn't realise that his knowledge of the trial was not knowledge to Jane, and so he took her words the wrong way and was immediately offended by what he figured she was suggesting. He finally turned to look at her--or rather, glare at her--his gray eyes blazing with anger and narrowed slightly. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" His tone was aggressive and his attitude was just the same. It likely would have been a lot more intelligent to handle this differently seeing as Jane could kick his ass in an instant, but Josh was not the type of person that took this into account once you set off his temper. This had definitely set off his temper. He hated when anyone suggested that he would drop a friendship or even a relationship with Nell for any reason. They didn't fucking know him! It took everything he had not to send out a wave of heat to exhaust some of his rage--they were in a public place, he couldn't risk such things. However, despite Jane's obvious skill over him, it appeared like he'd love nothing more than to take this outside and break her neck. "You think that--that just because Nell gets into trouble--that I'm just going to fucking--you clearly know nothing about me." He didn't seem to be able to finish a coherent sentence, this had irked him so much. "I don't give a shit what sort of trouble she gets into." This wasn't necessarily true--he'd care about some things, but he felt like he had to defend her honour or something here.
He was trembling now, the surefire sign that his anger was too much for him to contain. He had a quick temper that really wasn't that hard to set off to begin with, and when someone like Jane suggested something about Nell like that it was practically like having a go at his mother for how angry it made him. "Tough with her?" he said, his voice dropping to a deadly tone. "Tough with her? You aren't tough, Jane, you're violent." He spat the words as if every single one of them was an insult. She might not have been a violent person by nature--he wouldn't know, he didn't know her personally--but even if Nell was the only person she'd ever lift a hand against it was good enough to make him hate her. No one messed with Nell, not unless they wanted Josh to get involved. Of course, to Jane he was nothing more than an irksome teenager whom she could easily blast out of the way with a well-placed wave. This irked Josh. He wanted there to be more he could do, but unless he used knives or guns he was shit out of luck. "Understand it?" he snarled. "I don't need to understand shit past the fact that you were going to attack her. That's enough for me." Unbeknownst to either of them, he did understand what she was talking about.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Sept 26, 2011 14:36:17 GMT -5
Jane lifted an eyebrow at the sharp words. What she had said wasn’t meant to touch a nerve, but apparently it had. It was difficult to tell with this one what got through to him and what didn’t, but he couldn’t very well hide the glare. ”It means,” she started slowly, ”That Nell Fuentes is a murderer.” The omission of Sinclair was intentional, a way of separating the girl from a family that despised her. Jane expected this to be something earth-shattering. After all, finding out that your friend killed someone is sure to shock. ”Her own mother. My little sister. Do you have siblings, Joshua?” She was hoping that he did so she could play the empathy card. By now, she was pretending she didn’t notice his animosity and going on as if she hadn’t ticked him off. ”If so, you must understand how devastating it would be to lose a sibling. Even if you don’t, well, murder is still a foul thing. As is evading arrest. That is the trouble Nelly is in.” She turned her blue gaze to him, fingernails tracing the rim of her glass. ”You say you don’t care about trouble, but it is very hard to communicate with someone when they’re in prison. Or worse.” She didn’t think homicide could warrant the death sentence—she couldn’t stand speaking to Pilar, Nell’s abuelo, long enough to find out.
If Joshua had wanted her to feel bad about anything, she didn’t. She knew who and what she was, didn't need this boy to inform her of anything about herself that he apparently though she didn't comprehend. ”Tough, violent, whatever I need to be to get through to Nelly.” No, she was not usually a directly violent person. Nell just managed to rile her up by simply existing. And the Fire boy? Well, he’d gotten in the way of that. ”Of course, I wouldn’t kill her. I am not a murderer.” She was bringing back the fact that the girl he was defending was in fact a murderer. Her sister’s killer. And even though she was not there at the moment, Jane would still very much like to slit her throat. It was an inherent feeling. ”My, my, a parrot are we?” she said the second time he repeated her words. He was snapping at her? It was like a puppy yipping at a Doberman Pinscher. She certainly wasn’t afraid of a Fire student who was clearly much younger than her. No matter what she said that enraged him, he couldn’t touch her. And this fact just made her simply amused. She could silently let him simmer in the fact that she was a Water elemental leagues above him in power. ”Now you understand that whatever I do to my niece could never compare with what she did to my sister.” And now she was certain she had him in her grasp.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 3, 2011 19:58:37 GMT -5
Joshua looked more irritated than intrigued as Jane slowly started in at what she was about to tell him. He honestly didn't care what she had or thought she had on Nell--that didn't matter to him. He thought that he'd made it clear enough that he loved that girl no matter who the fuck thought they could stand in his way, even if the person in question was a graduated Water elemental who had already proved that she could kick his ass. He cared about Nell in this situation, not about Jane. When the woman did let slip what she had in store, however, Joshua blinked slowly, not immediately responding. "So that was her name," he mumbled, half to himself. Jane might have taken this as worried contemplation and shock at the fact he'd just found out about his girlfriend being a killer, but that didn't bother him in the least. Nor, come to think about it, did the name. He had just never heard it before, so it was news to him. Then she continued, however, and the gray eyes narrowed as the glare returned. "I have one," he said darkly. "A little sister, just like you. But rest assured, if Annabel grows up to be a raging fucking psychopath I might stand to forgive the daughter that had to suffer by her hand." There was no sympathy in his tone, no sign that he might pity Jane for the fact that she had lost her little sister. This did not mean he felt nothing. No, Joshua did indeed have Annabel and losing her would not be easy. However, he could not think of Nell as anything more than the unfortunate victim in this situation.
Her manipulation would not work with him. He was not going to sit here and buy her stories of regret and sympathy. Lost sister or not, she had still attacked Nell with clear signs of violence and in Joshua's mind that made her no better than a murderer. Probably would have been one if I hadn't fucking been there. He reflected now on how grateful he was that Nell had cornered him at last. If she hadn't... Don't think like that. What's done is done, Nell is okay. But was she really? With a bitch like this on her tail, Josh couldn't be sure. "For your information," he said in a voice that suggested he was this close to leaping off the bar stool and going for her throat, "I am aware of Nell's impending trial. I planned--still plan--to support her, which is a fat lot better than the actions of her own god-damned family." His eyes were positively blazing now, the bar starting to get a tad warmer. He took no notice of this and thankfully, because of the closely packed bodies and atmosphere, nobody else seemed to either. A woman sitting nearby fanned herself and gave a coy smile to her companion. "Is it getting a little... warm in here?" Fortunately for Joshua, she was using this as a sexual advantage to the probably married man she was sitting with, and as it worked quite well--Josh ignored their shows of affection nearby completely--he had nothing to worry about. "I don't care that it's hard to communicate when someone's locked up, especially when it's for the wrong reasons," he hissed. "And I will be staying in contact with Nell, Jane Sinclair, no matter what you've got to do with it." It was a threat--not even a subtle one. This bitch was not stopping him from hanging around Nell, no way.
Trembling, Joshua half rose off his seat when Jane said that she would not kill Nell. What was that, then? What the fuck were you doing back there? He didn't feel like shouting this at her would have much effect, however, so instead he snarled, "Nor am I, but I just might be in a minute--" Involuntarily, his hand jerked toward his pocket where the switchblade was concealed. It was a bad idea, a terrible idea to pull it out in front of all these people, these witnesses. "I care about Nell just like you cared about your sister," he spat, and he was standing now. His voice was raised a little--not quite to a yell, but still louder than the soft tones he'd taken before, "and I can fucking promise you that if you hurt her--if you so much lay a finger--" But the conversation was abruptly brought to a halt by the towering and muscular man boasting the position of security for the night. Blackjack being Blackjack, they meant business when it came to avoiding bar fights. Normally, Josh would have realised this and backed down. Now, however, he was operating on absolute rage toward Jane and a desire to kill something. "Who the fuck are you?" This seemed to only further enrage the man, who would obviously assume that someone not recognising security was quite drunk.
"Oi!" Josh shouted, "take your fucking hands off me, you prick, I'm not the one you want to be fucking restraining!" His strength was nothing compared to that of the thickset man. He was quite easily held at bay and though he would have loved to sink his fist into the man's mouth, he was in no fit state to be doing so at the moment. He did dig his elbow into the guys ribs, though, which got him a clock across his own jaw to worry about. "No more drinking out of you," the man said threateningly. He likely would have followed this by throwing Josh out the door if the latter hadn't twisted violently and snarled, "I -- have -- not -- been -- drinking!" And, well, he certainly wasn't helping his own case by how loud he was yelling nor how violently he was resisting this reprimand.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 4, 2011 15:34:32 GMT -5
Jane watched carefully for Joshua’s response. What he gave her was a musing about her niece’s name. Was this just shock? It was such an offhanded comment that she had to think so. She was completely unaware of the information he already had. His next words made her ponderings flee. So he did have a little sister, but that was not what bothered—what bothered her was what he was implying about her sister. Jane’s smile vanished and was replaced by a thin, straight line before she said calmly, ”I don’t believe you knew Mia, and I suggest you not speak ill of the dead.” Her words gained a venomous intensity near the end, blue eyes like daggers. How much did Nell told him? Did she reveal what she’d said to her aunt? The woman was informed about the abuse and the attack, but to defend her sister she twisted it into a story about a problem child. Besides, she didn’t want to think of Mia as a psychopath—that was not her sister.
She could sense some kind of irritation from Joshua, and the feeling was more than returned. Before, she’d let his intrustion of her “conversation” with Nell slide, but then he made implications of her baby sister being a psychopath and that just didn’t fly. Her soul was laden with malicious intent at that moment. However, it gave her a slight shock to know he was privvy to information about the trial. Jane laughed lightly, almost not loud enough to be worth notice. ”I suppose she told you,” the woman said, shaking her head. Her blue eyes turned hard then. Supid girl. ”Whatever she said about what happened, it’s a lie.” Ironic, but Jane was hellbent on Nell’s public image being splattered just like the girl had been about to sully Mia’s. ”Her family only wants to do right by my sister.” Not the Fuentes family, no, Nell’s grandfather only wanted to see a Sinclair—especially his son’s daughter—locked up. He didn’t have any faith that there could be good in that den of criminals. Jane was perfectly fine with that. It would be a win-win for both of them. If Jane hadn’t been aware of the fact that there was a Fire elemental in her presence, she wouldn’t have taken notice of the temperature spike. Her eyes remained steadily on his. ”That’s your prerogative, though isn’t it quite foolish to keep in touch with a murderous pariah? After all, you’ll be the friend of a murderous pariah.” Jane didn’t care about getting him angrier—she was relatively calm at the moment, save for the edge his remark about Mia had given her.
Jane narrowed her eyes as he stood. He was threatening with her. But she didn’t regain her smile with the confidence that she could end Joshua if she wanted to. Instead, her eyes grew large as she looked aghast. She was the innocent victim here, so why not play the part? Apparently, the bouncer took notice of the young gentleman’s rage, and she told him, ”Oh thank you! It appears he may have had a little too much.” Jane rested a hand over her heart and shook her head as if completely. Even though she wanted to, she didn’t even smirk as he resisted the larger man. ”I think I should be taking my leave, for my own safety of course.” And as she exited the bar, she didn’t realize the girl she had come in to see was just arriving for her shift.
What Nell entered on was Josh yelling at the security, and her eyes grew wide in her head. She looked between the two, trying to make sense of the situation. She took off her apron and came out from behind the bar, approaching the two. She told the security with a placating tone, ”You don’t have to manhandle him. I got this.” Nell turned her eyes to Josh and lifted her shoulders to show her confusion.”What’s going on, Josh?” she asked with a bit of hesitation. It was almost like deju vu, actually, but she’d rather not think about when they’d first met and she’d been naïve to the fact that she could help every single person who got wasted and decided to walk home alone.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 4, 2011 17:16:50 GMT -5
If Joshua had been the type to shout when he was angry, he would have been positively bellowing at Jane right now. He was not, however, and so his furious retort was in a low voice, "Yeah? Well I don't believe you know Nell." There was a challenge in his words and he was gripping the glass of amber liquid so tightly that it was a wonder it didn't shatter. It was likely for the best that Blackjack invested in thicker glass of stronger calibre. He was further enraged as Jane implied that her niece was a liar, something that he knew was not true. Alright, so maybe she had 'lied' to him in the beginning. It had been more evasion of the truth than lying, but still--he believed she had good reason. After all, most people would probably react along the same lines as Donovan if they discovered the truth. "She's no more a liar than you are," he hissed under his breath, ensuring that people around him could not hear his words. "I don't believe for a minute you wouldn't have killed her if you had the chance." He was going to do his very best to defend Nell from Jane wherever possible, and he was somewhat thankful that he was staying with his girlfriend at the moment. The idea of Jane showing up at Nell's apartment for a 'visit' chilled his spine. Would problems with Jane persist even after the trial, even if she got away with it? Probably. Well, he would be ready. This was Nell under threat, here, and he cared about her.
Joshua glowered at Jane as she persisted further. It was almost like she was trying to tell him that he should just drop the friendship (no, relationship) with Nell simply because of what might come of it in the future. He had decided a while ago that he didn't care what people thought about Nell, about what they thought of him because he was in love with her. He had went against his own father, his own family for this girl. Random people he hardly even knew, if at all, were of none of his concern. Joshua was adamant about this fact and actually stood by it quite firmly. "Let them talk," he said with a wave of his hand. It was a careless gesture to imply that he didn't give a fuck, but it was sharp due to his anger and he nearly knocked the glass over in the process. Steadying it with a glare, he turned his vehement attention back to Jane. "We're a lot more than friends and it'll take a lot more than a fat stack of lies to change that." He was raising his voice again. It was lucky that he wasn't saying anything too revealing about what the fight was about, at least. Much as he might not care if they talked about her if they knew, he didn't want to give them the reason to mutter and whisper behind her back. It would be harder for Nell than it would be for him, after all. As if to make matters worse, when he was restrained by security Jane instantly reverted back to playing innocent. "Have I fuck!" he yelled, outraged. "You know full well I haven't, you lying fucking bitch! Get back here, coward!" But his yells were all for naught, it seemed. Sporting a bloody lip from where he'd been punched and feeling the salty tang of blood on his tongue, it didn't stop Joshua from violently resisting his captor.
That is, until Nell entered the bar. He froze momentarily and in the absence of his struggle the man got a firmer grip and made it much harder for him to fight back. "He'll need to leave," the man said forcibly, but at least he did let go. Joshua could have turned and clocked him but seemed to decide against it. "Fuck you," he snarled instead. Turning to Nell, he snapped, "I'm not drunk," and jerked his thumb toward the door before leaving, feeling the eyes of many shocked patrons on him as he left. He didn't care much about that right now--he was so infuriated that he could concentrate on little else. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, cursed colourfully, then punched the wall. Far from helping, it added to his pain and he was now clutching injured knuckles on top of all the other individual pains--both from being restrained and punched across the jaw to boot. "Fucking Jane," he snarled, and though he did not mean to take that tone with her it was impossible for him to calm down so quickly. "That's what happened." Rubbing his jaw and glowering, his gray eyes did not meet hers for a long moment as he instead directed his loathing to the pavement. Though outside of a much more upscale club compared to Corrosion, there were still the hints of stains where the drunk and hapless had puked, spit on, stuck gum on, and--in Josh's case--gotten blood onto its surface. It didn't help his mood in the least, but he also didn't want Nell to see the pure loathing in his expression. "She was looking for you." It was sharp and stood on its own, no other words needed. He didn't blame Nell for this and hoped she didn't think that he did, but he was too riled up to explain. There was a pain in his finger from clenching his fist and he glanced down to see the silver of the ring cutting into his flesh. He gazed at it for a moment, then unclenched his hand and looked at her, not realising she might be confused by its presence. "Didn't tell her where you were." Not that she'd asked, but he felt like he'd needed to clarify.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 4, 2011 19:59:18 GMT -5
Jane’s eyes were cold and firm on his as she opened her mouth to say, ”I know her better than you, I have to assume. We are family. Besides, what more do I have to know to understand she murdered my sister.” She added emphasis to the last sentence as if forcing him to understand what the girl he was so adamantly defended had done. Even if he knew what Nell had told her, there was still the fact that she’d taken a human life. That wasn’t a good thing no matter how you looked at it. And to her, someone like that wasn’t worth defending. Her eyes narrowed when he seemed to certain that she would have killed Nell if he hadn’t interferred. ”And you obviously do not know me,” she said smoothly. She wouldn’t have damned herself like that, but it was tempting. Not like anyone would come to her defense, anyway. Except—apparently—Joshua.
She simply smiled at his dismissal of the matter. Even though she wished it would have been easier to get to him. She was one very concerned about public image, of course. And since Joshua was the son of Donovan and Patricia Dale, well, she’d expect that from him too. They were of upper-class society, they were people that the public saw. She had put herself out there as a musician as well, and anything else irreputable she might have been doing was kept on the downlow. It was embarrassingly easy for the rich and the famous to rise above the law. They had the power to do so. ”A lot more than friends?” she repeated. ”Too bad.” She blew out the smoke before saying what she was next. ”You really don’t know about Nell, hmm? She used to sneak out a lot living in the Bronx…meeting up with boys. And that’s not a lie, I assure you.” Oh, it was. An inference, actually. Nell told her a lot about her past, and so it was easy to twist that around. The girl probably thought that since they were family, she could be trusted with that information. Keeping up the innocent act up, she ignored his yelling at her and simply walked away.
Nell tilted her head to the side, looking out the corner of her eye. What the flying fish? She held up her hands in surrendering gesture. ”I didn’t say you were?” It was phrased as a question, because she was unsure of why he was so mad. He says he’s not drunk. So…what? She followed him outside, immediately crossing her arms over her chest to defend herself from the chill of the night, and in a way defending herself from Joshua’s rage. He was scary when he was angry, after all. She didn’t speak until Josh did, after he spit out blood that must have been from his busted lip. Nell wasn’t going to ask him if he was all right, because that was rather redundant, and she knew what answer she’d get in response. He was not all right, that much was clear. Then he said her name, and she shivered. ”She…she was here?” She hated the fact that the woman was now something that she had to deal with, a presence in her life when she thought she left her behind in New York. Jane was like a goddamn parasite she couldn’t get rid of. Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, she sighed. ”Of course she was looking for me.” It was like blood sport for the woman, tormenting her, and Nell knew exactly what she was trying to do. But she wasn’t about to give up everything just because Jane was a…a very bad person. She was only worried about Josh, because apparently she was the one making him mad. It was weird, the blending of two lives, her new one and the one she thought she could abandon. And it was almost creepy knowing that Jane was intruding on what freedom she had. ”Thanks for that, things usually don’t go well when I talk to her.” Josh had seen that back in the parking lot. Not that Jane was usually so…volatile, but she was rather terrifying.
She shifted her feet, trying not to be so affected by Josh’s anger. ”What did she do?” She wondered what the woman had said to make him so angry. She didn’t know a lot about Jane or how she interacted with people, all she knew was that she was that the woman hated her and that she was scared of the amount of power Jane had over her and her life. She felt the absurd need to apologize for her aunt. After all, it was her family member and the only reason that she was in Canada was because she was a vengeful bitch. ”I’m sorry that…that she exists.” She said it rather pathetically, dropping a hand down to her side. There was no better way to explain it. She didn’t know what had happened between the two, but she knew that whatever had wasn’t a pleasant conversation about the weather. Having been distracted by his anger before, she followed to wear he was looking. To a ring. A wedding band? "Uhmm...Josh? Why are you wearing a ring?" she asked, slowly as if not sure what to make of the situation.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 4, 2011 21:46:07 GMT -5
His anger was a dangerous thing--though he loved Nell immensely, it was very difficult for Josh to separate his rage at Jane from his feelings toward her at the moment, and thus he was snapping and snarling as if it might be Nell's fault that Jane was here. Which, inadvertently, it was her fault, he just didn't blame her. Josh was likely going to feel bad about this later when he realised that he'd shouted at his girlfriend because of her bitchy aunt, but it was how his towering temper seemed to function. "Don't think it, either," he muttered darkly, and it was worded as a threat though not actually intended to be one. Joshua was frightening in his anger and he supposed that a part of him understood that, but unfortunately for Nell that part was being held hostage by the overwhelming desire to hunt Jane down and strangle her. He didn't think he'd felt strong emotions such as these toward someone in a long time. He got angry, yes, but he was feeling absolutely mutinous right now and he'd only met Jane very recently. "She -- they didn't -- bastards wouldn't take my word..." He was muttering and shaking his head--speaking of shaking, he was trembling violently with the attempt to get himself under control. It wasn't really working.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Things don't go well? Now that's an understatement. He was treating Nell fairly coldly at the moment and could hardly explain why--he didn't know how to put into words what Jane had done to offend him. "Manipulative, lying little..." It was said half to himself and he was still not looking at his girlfriend. He might not have been in a fit state to be nice to anyone but he was at least trying to save her from the brunt of his anger. He also took a few steps back to put distance between them. She could run now if he took a step toward her and he wouldn't be able to catch up. Not that he thought he was going to. Joshua just wanted to reassure her that she wasn't in imminent danger. He wasn't, after all, intoxicated. If they'd been having this conversation drunk he might not have been so resistant. Taking a great, shuddering breath, he said, "She's a liar." It was ironic, for it was the exact thing Jane had said in accusation of Nell. "A -- a manipulative, cocky, sneaky little liar." Oh, the things he wanted to do to Jane Sinclair. He doubted murder was something he could commit, but if she ever hurt Nell again--
The sudden question caught him so off guard that he broke off in the middle of a string of curse words and looked right at her, the burning rage in his gray eyes criss-crossed with confusion. "What?" In truth, although he'd looked straight at it and taken measures to stop it from cutting off his circulation, Josh had been too absorbed in his anger to pay the ring any mind. Brows shooting up, he hastily said, "Oh!" and then got a little sheepish. It seemed the waters had calmed for the moment, Nell having unintentionally found a much safer subject. "It's, er--" He pulled it off and chuckled a little, flexing his fingers. The laughter possessed no real amusement thanks to the lingering fury, but at least he was no longer shouting. His voice did sound a bit affected, like his throat was sore from yelling. He didn't yell very often, so when he did it was a shock to his vocal chords. "More precautionary than anything, but, uh... I pretend I'm married when I go out drinking." It sounded rather stupid even to Joshua himself but hell, it worked, didn't it? He didn't want any more Brittany incidents when hot girls tried to take advantage of certain... urges. "It doesn't get rid of everyone, but most girls won't go so quick for a married man. Makes things... ah, a little easier." He was so awkward in admitting it because he hated admitting that the Brittany incident had caused problems, but he knew it had and these were his countermeasures.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Oct 5, 2011 16:59:33 GMT -5
Nell was well aware of his anger issues, but that didn’t mean that whenever he got pissed she was perfectly fine with that. Like just because he was her boyfriend, she could just smile and act like it didn’t scare her. It always scared her. Especially in the setting of a bar. She trusted when he said that he hadn’t been drinking, because he would tell her if he had, wouldn’t he? Nell actually didn’t know. But when he mentioned Jane, she could understand. Well, a little. She didn’t think that the woman aggravated anyone else, because she had been so influential back in New York, so charasmatic. It was like everyone lent an ear to whatever hse had to say just because she was rich and beautiful. She didn’t think the woman could make Josh angry, even though it wasn’t like he was the…gentlest of people. So yes, she was well aware of his anger, but if she knew anything about being in a relationship, she figured that you should accept the one you love for their faults. Even if you were terrified of them at the moment.
Josh put distance between them, and Nell was perfectly fine with that—she didn’t want to make a wrong move or anything when he was like this. Was it strange that she didn’t feel the desire to defend Jane against whatever Josh said about her? He was being truthful, in any case. It wasn’t only that keeping her from speaking, but the fact that if she spoke it might piss him off even more, and so she was being caareful with what she did. He was mad at Jane, but that didn’t mean his anger would remain static. Should I defend her? The thought was met with an immediate refusal. Even though she was family, Nell knew her situation wasn’t a normal familial relationship. And it wasn’t like Jane deserved to be defended, because Josh was right—she was a lying, manipulative witch with a ‘b’. The woman was supposed to be protecting her niece, and yet she was tormenting her. As long as Jane was willing to get vicious, Nell would reciprocate. That meant letting her boyfriend say whatever he damn well pleased about her. ”Yeah, she’s like that,” Nell said quietly. There was nothing she could tell him that could make it better. She couldn’t say “She’s just a stupidhead”, because Nell knew she couldn’t just blow off the power Jane had over her life. So she stood silently and hoped that Josh would cool off soon, knowing it was a fruitless thing to hope.
It was almost comical how Josh seemed confused, him being the one wearing a ring, but Nell figured that it was a bit random to ask. Even though he had been looking at it before. Nell watched as he took it off, waiting for an explanation. Nell blinked a few times as she comprehended this information, eyebrows furrowed together. Only you, she thought, looking down and shaking her head. She laughed softly, though, but she was still feeling very bad that Jane had made Josh so angry. ”What am I going to do with you, Josh,” she said. Really, who else would think to pretend being married to ward off girls? She didn’t know a lot about the world, but she was pretty sure most guys didn’t do that. Except for Josh, of course. ”Well…if you works for you,” she said, with a hand gesture that seemed to mean ‘go right ahead’. Not that he needed her permission to wear a ring on his finger to imply that he was married. Or did he? She didn’t even know, just like she didn’t know a lot about relationships. In any case, it was kind of…adorable that he thought about something like that. Sighing, she peered over at the building. ”Uhm…” she pointed a finger back to the direction of the bar. ”I should probably get to work. I’m late as it is.”
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