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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 2, 2011 15:56:00 GMT -5
The tension built in the air as she stood there, waiting for him to begin moving with her down the sidewalk. When she glanced up, it was more than obvious he was unhappy with the situation. Lark sighed. This is exactly why I hesitated telling him...I don't like him getting upset over something stupid like a fight. They aren't out of the ordinary for me. "Yeah, he broke my nose. But it healed alright, see?" She pointed to her nose, eyes crossing slightly from the motion. As the brunette made an effort to try and walk forward, he made an observation that she did not deem worth notifying her of. No, they were not in the middle of the war, but no matter. These were fire elementals they were discussing here. Fiery tempers with a loyalty as strong as steel (at least for most of them), so when something changes, they become vengeful. Lark so happened to be a target. It was nothing unusual, to be honest.
Lark shrugged, taking a step forward to stand in front of him, eyes bright blue even with the dimly lit sky. "And...? Come on Josh, you aren't surprised? He was still upset about the last war, and was just itching for a fight probably." She looked him squarely in the face, hair tousled from the wind breezing by. There was no way she was going to let him take the blame for something that she volunteered for; that was not fair for him, and insulted her. Lark wanted to be his friend because of who he was, not because she felt forced or because she had to. That was stupid. The girl was not one to waste her time with such things, and when she made a friend she took the relationship seriously. Lark did not tiptoe around in friendships. "I took the hits because I'm your friend. I want to protect you. It's an occupational hazard. It was not your fault in any way." She waved her hands in front of her, trying to banish him of the thought. "It will blow over soon. Let's just stay as positive as we can..."
When he smiled, it put Lark at ease. Finally, they were in a state of "normalcy" if that was at all possible in this world. It was not easy for Fire elementals to make friends with one another at times--their temper usually put the relationships to a quick end--but it seemed they were doing decently well given the circumstances. With a slight step back, Lark moved with him in a backwards motion. It was odd, but she liked to walk backwards sometimes. Made it easy to hold a conversation with the person you were accompanied with. There were a few times where she ran into someone or hit a pole, but that wouldn't stop someone like Lark. "Maybe not for you, but I don't remember you being interested in buying them." She replied, smiling lightly at him. "Besides, people buying me things makes me...edgy. I don't like feeling like I owe people something." She hated that more than the war sometimes--owing people. It made her feel dependent, and that was the last thing she wanted to be.
"I know they don't care too much but...better safe than sorry, right?" She would continue to fight to keep their friendship, but if she could avoid a few fights here and there, she was going to do so.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 2, 2011 16:41:11 GMT -5
He nodded curtly when she gestured to the no longer broken nose but was clearly still displeased. It didn't take a lot to anger him but it always took a long time to calm him down. At his side his left hand was curled into a fist, itching to slam it into the faces of all the people at the Academy that gave a damn whether he was friends with Lark or not. He hated having his friendships contested, having them challenged. Joshua had made bad choices in the past in terms of who he had hung around. Hell, he'd ran around with a gang for five years and that had almost ended in criminal charges. He had learned his lesson and now he picked the people he would really click with. Unfortunately, things didn't want to be as easy as just hanging around whomever he liked. "Sometimes I wish I was a Wind," he said bitterly. "It would change a lot." Of course in this war Wind were being forced to take sides as well, but that always blew over quickly for them. They were neutral, they didn't have to worry as much about the alliances. Did he really wish for that? Well, no, not really. He was a Fire at heart--it was in his blood, his lineage. All he wanted was to be friends with both Nell and Lark simultaneously and not have people starting fights over that.
An angry sort of sigh brushed past his lips. "No, I'm not surprised," he said, "but I think he should have minded his own damn business." He was still possessed with the overwhemling desire to hit something but the only things within range were the glass wall of the store on one side and Lark. He certainly wasn't going to hit his friend to vent his rage and he'd only have a bloodied hand and police on his case if he vandalised the window. Clenching his fist tighter to resist the urge he shoved his hands into his pockets. If Lark was trying to make him feel better by insisting that she'd taken the fighting as a way to protect him it wasn't going to work. He hated his friends being hurt but he hated it even more when they were so obviously hurt because of him. Hell, the guy had broken her nose. That wasn't some little burn that could be taken care of in a moment by the Medical Wing staff. "You don't have to do that," he said. "Tell them you hate my guts if you want. We haven't spoke in a few months, tell them we had a falling out. It'll keep you safe in their ranks." As long as he knew she didn't hate him he'd be fine with other people believing it.
He rolled his eyes in good-natured amusement when Lark replied. She had hit the nail right on the head with that one, Joshua definitely didn't own any Converse. He had a collection of boots and a wide variety of other expensive shoes but the ones in the window were not a part of his collection. His most infamous collection, however, was of sunglasses. He had a ton of them. During the summer it almost seemed like he had a new pair for every single day and if you asked Josh about it he'd probably tell you that he agreed. He just couldn't resist the allure of the sunglasses hut every single time he passed it. Sometimes he even shopped online for his designer shades. It was an addiction but at least he had the funds to feed it and it wasn't destroying his body like drugs or smoking would have done. "If it was a gift you wouldn't owe me anything," he pointed out with a bit of a smirk. "Ah, but if your pride is too stubborn then I understand." He wasn't teasing even though his tone was light at this point. Josh had a lot of pride so he knew how that was and he'd drop the subject if she wanted him to. That was okay with him.
"I suppose," Joshua agreed, shrugging. He didn't want a fight with them and didn't want Lark in any more trouble so he kept up a steady pace for the hell of it. He was used to his friend and her walking patterns so he didn't bat an eyelash, instead making a mental note to watch for incoming poles, people, stop signs, the works. "How are things at home?" he asked tentatively, not sure whether or not it would be a sensitive subject. He didn't ask personal questions unless he thought that there was a bond of trust established but even then he left things open for a dishonest answer. He hardly ever talked about himself and so he would understand if she was the same way. He never held such things against people.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 2, 2011 17:26:18 GMT -5
Lark tilted her head thoughtfully as she watched him; there was no way in hell Josh would ever be a wind. His personality was so far beyond theirs that he would stick out like a sore thumb. After a while, he would probably drive himself mad having to deal with them. They were with their elements for a reason. She smiled after a moment, understanding his feelings on the matter. "You would miss fire too much, and don't deny it." Even Lark could not deny that being in a more pacifistic element would make the world much simpler, but she would surely miss having the element of fire. It was something she was used to. Lark continued to step backwards, turning her head halfway to watch behind her.
"There's a lot of people that should mind their own business, Josh," Lark pointed out gently, aware that he was still flustered. "But it's human nature, you know? Just some people are more aggressive about their nosiness than others. I'm just gonna roll with the punches on this one, so to speak." And indeed she would. If they threw a punch, fine. If they called her names, or a traitor, fine. The world was not going to fall apart; Lark was never concerned with the newest in fashion, who was popular, who was a traitor, and who wasn't. Why should that change now? It wouldn't. That's how it was going to be, period. Josh needed to understand that she was out of the ordinary when it came to subjects like this, and he would have to deal with it.
She glared at him, not particularly angry, but hurt. How could he ask her to do something like that? Lying would only make things worse. All it took was a white lie to snowball into all sorts of hell. "I could care less about ranks, Josh." She stated flatly in hopes to get the point across. "I don't recall a time I ever gave a damn about what others thought about me...why start now? I'm staying loyal to those who are loyal to me, and that's how it's going to be. I'm tough enough to deal with their nasty, poor excuses of attitudes on my own. I will not deny a friendship that I cherish." Lark exhaled, drooping her shoulders. She hoped that he would not get upset with her for sticking up for him--it was in her nature, and that is one thing about Lark you could never change. In order to keep him from getting to upset, she smiled a little.
Grateful but not so eager for the change in the subject, Lark bit the inside of her lip a little as she glanced at the ground. He did not have to spend that much money on her. No matter how long they had been friends, she was not worth as much. It would make her feel guilty. She was unable to return a gift of equal amount anyway, and that would bother her to no end. As soon as she looked up he questioned about her family, and the subject suddenly became even more awkward. Why did you have to ask about them...? Lark thought bitterly, but keeping her expression neutral so as not to give anything away. "They are uh...strained, to put it simply." That was the best short description she could give without burdening him too much about her personal life. Josh had more important things to worry about, anyway. In attempts to draw the attention away from her own shitty life, she decided to put some of it on him instead. Maybe she would discuss home life later, but for now... "How are things with Nell?"
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 2, 2011 18:18:45 GMT -5
He did not confirm the fact that he would miss his own element but Joshua voiced no denial, either. It was true that he would miss his powers and the feeling that he got when he saw something burst into flame by his command but he no longer thought that he would miss the people there. Well, Lark, of course, but that was different. She was only a single person and it was the masses he had been turned against. Perhaps if they had understood his desire to change alliances as a matter of loyalty he would not have been so bitter toward them for it. He had not betrayed Fire for absolutely no reason he'd betrayed them because they were hunting to kill and they just so happened to be hunting a friend of his. He hadn't been dating Nell at the time but his loyalty did not change due to that. He treated all of his friends how he thought they deserved to be treated and siding with the people who wished them ill was not always the best way to be a friend. I don't think I'd miss the aggression, he thought to himself. He had enjoyed the excitement when he'd been in Lark's grade but the thrill had died down for him over time. He supposed he'd just gotten used to them. He'd fit in with Fire in the beginning but now it felt like he was an entirely different person. It was a strange sort of disillusionment.
Joshua frowned but offered up no further comment about the fighting. He did not agree with her and thought that they should be told just where to stick their damned curiosity but he also wasn't going to start a fight with Lark over it. They'd already argued once today and he wasn't going for the record breaker. If they snapped too much their friendship might crack under the pressure and they wouldn't be able to survive this one. Joshua was stubborn and could be very opinionated on certain matters but that didn't mean he always had to start fights about it. This wasn't even an argument about needing to be right, either. There's no right and wrong in opinions, he coached himself. With this thought in mind it was a lot easier to calm down and move on. Apparently Lark didn't agree with his comment about lying, judging by the glare she gave him. His lips pressed into a tighter frown. "Why would you suffer for this?" he asked honestly. "I consider you a friend, what does it matter if they know that?" He didn't think Lark was weak--he was sure she could handle people if they attacked one at a time. The thing was, Fire elementals didn't do that. They ganged up in groups. "I don't like the idea of broken noses and black eyes over something like this."
Understanding this to be a possibly sensitive subject judging by the way that Lark answered him, Joshua just nodded and said, "I know how that feels." It was phrased casually and sounded more like a filler statement than fact but in truth he really did understand what it was like to have a strained home life. Though Nell was the only one he'd confided in (and because he'd been backed into a corner, not because he actually wanted to talk about it) he had been cast out of his family. 'Strained' didn't even begin to cover it. He wondered about what was going on with Lark but seeing as she didn't want to talk about it he wasn't going to pry. The question about Nell surprised him but he had an answer almost immediately. "Oh, they're alright." He did not go into detail, either. It was not punishment to his friend for not saying more to him, Joshua just didn't really talk about his relationship too much. He loved Nell and he was proud of her--he didn't deny that he was dating her and would mention that he had a girlfriend if it came up in conversation, but their life was something he kept between them. Secretly he hoped that Nell returned the favour but he would understand if she wasn't so quiet herself. Judging by how little she talked about her life, though, he thought he was safe.
Wanting to steer the conversation away from his personal life just as she didn't like talking about hers, Joshua took the hint. He wasn't very good at making conversation and so there was a long silence as he mulled over the possible things they might be able to discuss. At least this silence wasn't as awkward. Josh got comfortable enough with his friends that he sometimes could just tolerate them in silence a lot of the time and since it hadn't fallen silent because they were angry at one another this time he was less hasty about breaking it. He couldn't think of any subject that wasn't potentially prickly. It would have been easier if he knew what had been going on in her life for the past few months and knew the sorts of things she might be interested in holding a chat about but as neither of them had seen one another since then it made things difficult.
[Gah, sorry, I couldn't prod him into saying anything just there xD]
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 2, 2011 20:02:51 GMT -5
She schooled her expression as she watched his facial expressions, feeding off of the silence that hung between them once again. It was more than obvious that he did not agree with her statements--she knew for a fact as they passed her lips that Josh would not be pleased with it. The silence was only a confirmation of said displeasure, but Lark merely continued to watch him, tripping a little over one of the cracks in the sidewalk. She quickly regained composure and left no trace of embarrassment. Lark was the last person to care what other people thought, at least in regards to her gracefulness. She merely pushed it off of her and acted as though it never happened.
What he asked next stunned her somewhat, causing her to fall back and land on her rear end. "Shit!" Lark muttered under breath as she stood up slowly with a pained expression on her face, dusting off her clothes. "'s what I get for paying attention." Once again she began to move again, completely unaware that a few stragglers wandering on the opposite sidewalk had stopped to watch her fumble over her own feet. Even if Lark had noticed them, it would not have mattered; she was the last person to give two shits about what strangers thought about her. Once her train of thought was back on track, she looked back up at him, feet still scuffling backwards on the pavement. "You are my friend," She said emphatically. "I'm not ashamed of our being friends, and never will be. You made your choices, and I will support you because that's what friends do. Who the hell would I be to do otherwise?" Lark acted as though this entire even was completely normal.
To get beat up to protect a friend...some would flinch and run away from it at the rising of a fist, claiming no ties with the assailants' enemy. It was self preservation, and Lark was the last person to judge another for preserving themselves--she did it quite a bit with people in general. But this was a friend, someone who stuck with her since she first stepped foot in Maple Hollow. A lot of things changed since then, but their friendship remained, and that was very important to her. "So I get a busted lip every once in a while. You are an important person to me, so it's no skin off my back. Okay? You worry about what you have going on, and I'll worry about the haters." Lark pointed to herself, raising her eyebrows slightly. "They don't scare me."
She was lying through her teeth, that much was true; Lark knew all too well what her kindred elementals were capable of, and they were not a group to be fucked with just for fun...if you wanted to survive. But either way she did not give any of her fears away on her face or in the tone of her voice--if she did, Josh would surely notice and say something on the matter. She was going to protect him whether he liked it or not. So there. The pavement became acquainted with her gaze when he responded to the family discussion; it was not something she wished to push further, although her instinct was screaming at her to let it off of her chest. "Yeah, I don't talk to mom anymore." Without her knowing, Lark rubbed her own cheek before pulling her hand away and looked up at Josh again when he gave the brief response about Nell. Figures. But it was not her business and he was a private kind of guy so...she let it slide by without much of a change in her attitude. "I'm not sure what the hell I'm gonna do for Christmas." She shook her head.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 2, 2011 20:50:15 GMT -5
He didn't laugh or seem phased when she fell over, merely blinking at her and mildly arching an eyebrow. She didn't seem to care about the people that were watching them and seeing as it was not Joshua who they were paying attention to, he did not care either. Like Lark, Josh wasn't easily bothered by others. Only if their rumours or whispers were truly detrimental--or worse, factual--would he pay much attention. A certain gossip monger in the school had been spreading a rumour that he was a murderer and that had not been alright with him in any way. A couple passers-by he didn't know giving he and his friend attention? Eh, it didn't bug him much. He had caught the pained expression and so he said, "You alright?" He didn't sound overly concerned, more like bored, but a friend would understand that it was just in his nature to sound disinterested even if he was. Maybe it was a defence mechanism, not wanting to show too much interest in case it came back to bite him. He was usually more lax with his friends but this was a little thing. Even if it had hurt, it wasn't like she was dying. Then he'd have something to worry about.
He shook his head as she continued to impress upon him the fact of their friendship. He knew that she valued it and was glad that they felt the same way about their being friends but this was different. "I never said you were ashamed." In his mind there was a difference between being ashamed of something and hiding it. Sometimes you had to hide for the sake of self-preservation, after all. Josh was being a bit of a hypocrite, here. He pronounced his relationship with Nell without hesitation if people asked, not scared to admit that the big bad Fire was dating a soft little Earthie. That didn't bother him because in his mind he loved Nell and he didn't give a shit if this bugged people. In theory he supposed it should work that way for friendships, too, but he still considered it different. He'd been willing to betray his alliance for Nell. Lark wasn't--he wasn't asking her to, didn't want her to--and so he just wished she'd be a little more careful about who knew they hung around one another. "Just don't go shouting about it," he concluded grudgingly, understanding that this was another one of the things they were not going to agree on. Hopefully people wouldn't find out and then they wouldn't need to worry.
He was quiet for a moment as she admitted that she was no longer talking to her mother but not because he didn't know what to say. It was because he understood and that made him a little uncomfortable for a moment. He knew what she was going through because he was not on speaking terms with his father but he was too stubborn and--dare he admit it?--ashamed to confess he was disowned. He'd always taken great pride in being a Dale, in being Donovan's son. He might have made bad choices and stained the family name a bit by being influenced by gangs and violence but he was still proud to call himself their son. He just wished his Dad had that same pride. Apparently not, as he kicked me out. "I've been there," he said instead. He had fought with his parents before and made up so hopefully she'd just assume it was like those times and not realise that it was going on currently. He almost felt bad for asking her these things and giving nothing in return but it was just too hard for him to talk about being kicked out just yet. "Hell, if you ever need someone to rant to, I'm your guy." It was a casual offer. He didn't mind helping his friends, he was just too stubborn to accept help in return.
Christmas. Oh. Annabel, was his immediate thought, accompanied by a twinge of guilt. Nell, too, was the next. Would she be in jail by then? He hoped not. He wanted this stupid trial to be over and done with. Come to think of it, he didn't know how he'd be spending Christmas, either. He felt it was safe to say he would not be with his parents but where would he be if Nell was gone, too? Alone. He'd spent last Christmas alone, but this was... different. If he were alone this year it would mean the girl he loved was behind bars. Ouch. "Yeah, me neither," he admitted, though he didn't say why. "Looks like things are rough this time of year." Even though he had not went into detail, this was still more than he offered to most people in terms of conversation. Joshua was a very private, secretive person, so even a hint that life was not all sunshine and butterflies was a sign of trust from him. Lark was his friend and he did trust her, even if he didn't always show it.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 3, 2011 19:30:42 GMT -5
Lark shrugged it off and waved her hand to dismiss the question. "Psh, falling on my ass is the least of my worries." She replied dully, jumping backwards over one of the sidewalk cracks to distract herself. It was not that she was immature--she was easily amused at times, especially when things were coming down off of highly tense discussion or situation. It soothed her nerves and put her at ease. She did not like the fact that Josh was not understanding of the desire to protect him from the assholes at school. Wouldn't he do the same for her? Well, if the tables were turned around, Lark would have probably made the same request he asked of her a few minutes before. Would she get the response she offered him? Who knew. It did not matter. How she handled her friendships were going to be different anyhow.
"I know you didn't say I was ashamed. I would feel ashamed if I did that to you." Her face became overshadowed as she stared at her feet flashing in and out of her vision, their movements somewhat of a blur. "But I'm not that stupid. I wouldn't go and make banners or anything...I just won't deny our friendship if someone questioned me about it." She came across a little short, but she was in no way upset with Josh at his request. Lark may be a bit of a hot head, and blurt out insults at people she thought deserved it, but there was not much of a chance she would jeopardize Josh by telling the world about their friendship. That would be ignorant on her part.
After a while of silence, Josh spoke up again and she flinched. Lark was oblivious to his home life--not because she wanted to be--and thus was unsure of what his reply actually meant. The last home visit did not end so well for Lark, and after that she vowed that she would not step foot into that house unless absolutely necessary. Her mom decided it was best to get mad about the laundry the day she came to visit; it was just a small bag of dirty laundry that Lark intended to do while at home, nothing big. For whatever reason, her mom entered the room and began ranting about how she didn't separate the darks from the lights and that was going to ruin her clothes. It was always a bad time to piss Lark off, and that day she retaliated with a few harsh words of her own. It ended with Lark getting a slap on the cheek and a very angry parent, thus the brunette stormed out of the house and cut the visit quite short. It was in the moment of silence between Josh and her that she relived the day, and her face had grown uncharacteristically pained. "You have enough shit in your life than to worry about someone else's. But it's nice to know I can come to you." It was not a direct thank you or appreciative statement, but there was enough in her voice to express it.
Lark looked up at him as they discussed the holidays. It seemed both of them were struggling with some sort of issue or another, leaving their Christmas plans well...rather fucked up. She felt a twinge of pity for Josh; Lark knew all to well that he had a lot on his plate. She smiled slightly, jumping over another crack in the sidewalk. "Hey, I'm always around. If worst comes to worst, we can just chill out together for the holidays. Better than being alone." She knew he wanted to be with Nell, but as a friend Lark felt the need to offer up company to her long time friend. "And if not, well...I'll have my warm bed, pillows, and a bunch of music to jam out to until Christmas is over." She chuckled, clearly not phased by the plan in the least. If she was going to be alone, might as well make the most of it.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 3, 2011 20:36:22 GMT -5
As a very stubborn and headstrong individual, Joshua hated the idea of anyone else taking hits for him. It was a personal sort of thing and he always felt rather uncomfortable when he watched his friends suffer because of something that was his fault--Josh liked to be a protector, not a reason to need protecting. However, the Fire graduate was not an idiot. He knew that Lark would be Lark and he certainly didn't plan on changing himself any time soon so he couldn't give her a hard time about that. Friendship was often about learning to compromise, really. "If people talk trash, let them," he shrugged. "I'm not saying you have to deny this if anyone asks you, just... I don't care if they insult me." He hoped Lark wouldn't get involved if the Fire elementals decided to talk about the traitors in a bad light. He was used to taking the heat for his betrayal and it didn't really bother him as much as it had in the beginning. He knew he couldn't stop Lark from admitting their friendship but really, the less fights she ended up in because of him, the better.
While it was true that he had enough problems to be getting on with before he piled on those of his friends, as well, Joshua was a loyal guy in personality. He found throughout the course of his friendships that he liked when people trusted him, liked to be relied upon. It gave him hope for the fact that not everyone saw him as the bad guy and that was important to Joshua. Of course, Lark had no way of knowing all this and he never mentioned it. He didn't like to pressure or goad his friends into telling him things, he just wouldn't be the one to judge them if they did. "I can always make room for friends," he said simply, leaving it there. They were both private people and he was alright with that. His mind drifted back to his father seeing as her comment had brought that to the forefront of his mind. I miss him, he acknowledged to himself. The thought hurt. He'd been thinking about Donovan and Annabel and his mother, Trish, and his pets... hell, Josh even missed the house. He missed the money. He just missed his life in general. God, I hope things with Nell work out. If they didn't, he would have lost everything for nothing. It was a thought he didn't often try to entertain.
Though he knew that Nell would be his first choice to spend Christmas with if they were able, he still appreciated the offer and his lips twitched into a very brief smile to reflect that. If the trial went badly and Nell was in prison on Christmas day he might just have to take her up on that offer. Or he'd spend it alone, moping. He was not optimistic enough to think that everything would be fine and he could have a normal Christmas with Annabel and Nell and his parents and everyone else whom he considered special. The lumping of Nell into the general category of 'family' was sub-conscious, but he definitely didn't see her as the friend slash girlfriend. They were closer than that. "Thanks," he said earnestly. "I guess I just hope things clear up before then." He heaved a long sigh, breath misting in front of him on the chilled November air. With any luck he would at least have his girlfriend with him on Christmas. Maybe he could convince Patricia to let Annabel come and see him for an hour or too. With any luck, he thought sarcastically, pessimistically. Since when have I had luck?
He was not good at making conversation. A part of Joshua wanted to find a safe subject that was not sensitive for either of them so that they could spend the rest of the day blabbering on about it but he'd never been very good at that. Not even with friends. Nell was different because he knew her so well but he was hesitant with his friends. Since he didn't push enough into their personal lives, he had a tendency of accidentally asking innocent questions that turned out for the worst. His mind settling on music, something he knew that Lark was quite fond of, he decided to see if he struck anything more worthwhile there. "What sorts of things have you been listening to lately?" he asked her. He liked music himself but Lark was definitely the more passionate one of the two. Joshua had learned guitar by ear and his mother had taught him to play the piano but they were not skills he frequently honed and practiced. He didn't want to be a musician or anything like that. He listened to a couple of bands enough that he'd developed a favourite but couldn't really get into the serious discussions about music. That was alright, though. He didn't mind talking to his friends about their hobbies sometimes.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 4, 2011 14:29:23 GMT -5
Lark could not quite comprehend what Josh was telling her. Did he honestly think that she was going to sit around and let some slimy asshole call him names or say more unnecessary garbage? He should know well enough by now that with Lark's temper and loyalty to her friends, there was no way in hell she would let them get away with something like that. It did not matter though; there was no getting him to budge on the matter and she was in no mood to state her position again. Lark felt that maybe he did not understand what his friendship meant to her, but that was fine by her. It was not in the girl's nature to openly express her feelings to the 'nth degree anyway. That left her feeling exposed and vulnerable, which was the last thing someone like Lark wanted. "Whatever you say, Josh." Was all she could reply, biting her tongue.
Josh was a very private person, and for the most part she was too. Maybe not as stone-faced as he was, but close enough to where it was hard to make conversation easily. No matter though, Lark could never get upset with him over it, because she was enough alike in that aspect to understand where he was coming from. That did not stop her from wanting to offer him a shoulder as well, because it was how friends worked. If Josh was going to go out of his way to offer his support, then she would do the same in return. It was only fair. "I can make room too." It was simple; she knew saying anything more would merely make the situation uncomfortable. In this way, they both thanked on another for the support without being overly gushy about it.
Normally Lark would take offense to being placed on the back burner, being sure to speak her mind on the matter, but it would not do her any good in this situation. Josh was her close friend, but that did not make a difference if his girlfriend was not around to spend the holidays with him. Although Lark was probably going to be the last person on Earth to find herself any type of boyfriend or special someone, she still understood that most people would prefer the holidays with those sorts of people instead. Lark looked up and breathed out, watching the strands of air pass her lips. She had to admit it was interesting to watch, so she did again and smiled to herself. It was almost childlike. "Yeah, I hope they clear up for you too." She wanted to point out how much it would probably suck to not have his loved ones around, but that would only dig a knife into his heart and that was not her job. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
As she exhaled again and looked back up at Josh, he inquired as to the music she was recently listening to. Lark could not help but raise an eyebrow--since when was he interested in her hobbies? Strange. With a quick turn of her heels she stopped walking backwards and found her place at his side once again. The world was boring this way; nothing ever changed. The people, the places, the weather...it was always the same damn thing every single day. What she wouldn't give for something out of the ordinary to come and hit her in the face (not literally...unless it needed to). Lark shrugged and stepped past another pedestrian shuffling in the opposite direction. She turned her head to glare for a moment before focusing on the conversation. "Oddly enough I got into a little Dubstep. It's actually something I came across on accident, but I enjoy it quite a bit. My headphones broke so...makes it hard to listen to my music as loud as I like." It was her favorite pair too--her Skullcandy headphones. A damn shame. They were sixty bucks too, and that made it even more difficult to replace. "I may just have to suck it up and get me a pair of those shitty earbuds for the time being." Another item to add to my Christmas list that will never get checked off. God I hate my family.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 4, 2011 17:04:59 GMT -5
Joshua let most of the conversation drop at that point, sensing that they were both just going to be sticks in the mud and that it was never really going to move them forward. He was alright with that, really, as long as they didn't fight over it. So he allowed the conversation to move onto the subject of music in hopes that they didn't hit any sort of roadblock here, too. Their private lives made things difficult but the fact that they still remained friends attested to the fact that they cared enough about one another to work around that. "Dubstep?" he echoed doubtfully. It really was not his thing but he wasn't the type of person to judge people based on their musical preference, especially not if they happened to be friends with him. Shrugging, Joshua said, "Whatever floats your boat." He wasn't a judgemental guy. It was somewhat ironic that he was so difficult to get along with on one respect and then on another he was a remarkably easy to handle guy on the other. His temper and lack of social prowess were really the most notable things that made things hard to get around.
"That sucks," he said when she spoke of her broken headphones but it contained no real sort of sympathy because he did not, in fact, know how that felt. He'd always been able to replace things when they were broken. His laptop had been busted during the last war because he'd left it in the dormitories when he'd betrayed his element and it had only taken a simple call back home for them to replace it. The new one had been more expensive and useful than the old. That was the way he'd spent most of his life and so whenever his friends talked about their financial struggles it was hard to find a common ground on which he could relate. There was always the time when he'd lived in the apartment struggling to make ends meet but that didn't really work out either seeing as he spent most of his time trying to ignore this part of his experiences and put it to the back of his mind. "You know, I've never understood the point of blasting music anyway," he said. "It just gives you a headache and hearing problems for the future." Bit of a pessimist, wasn't he? Well, this was Josh after all.
Joshua's phone buzzed in his pocket, the ringtone alerting him immediately to the fact that this was Nell. As Boombox by The Lonely Island shattered the silence his lips twitched apologetically to Lark as he excused himself for a moment to take the call. He was not whipped but he also was not an asshole. He wasn't going to ignore his girlfriend just because he was not currently alone. As it turned out, it was a pretty urgent thing and he replied with mingled exasperation and amusement, "Alright, I'll be over in a minute." Pocketing the phone, he returned to Lark. "I'm afraid my presence is needed elsewhere," he said dryly but he was obviously not as irritated as he sounded. Nell hadn't called him to hang out or anything but it was very hard for him to get upset with her as easily as he did with someone like Lark. Maybe it was because she was Earth, maybe it was because he loved her, Josh wasn't sure. "I'll see you around, though." The walk back to his car would be a bit long but he didn't really mind.
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