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Post by erin on Dec 4, 2011 10:18:46 GMT -5
  The beginning of school this year proved to be much different than before. Of course, Ethan had prepped himself mentally for the start of college but it didn’t eradicate the fact that it was overwhelming. Just the concept alone stressed him out. Everyone talked of college as being challenging. When it came to academics, Ethan usually found himself straining to get good grades. Or at least decent grades. He’d never completely failed a class before but he also never got great grades. He loved putting things off which always had repercussions in his grades. Now that he was in college, he actually wanted to do well. He had to fight his dad tooth and nail to be allowed to stay and he didn’t want to give his father the satisfaction of his failing out. Besides the whole actor-musician thing that his dad hated, he also despised the fact that Ethan was a water elemental. He had always held it against him because it reminded him of his mother. This was the first time in his life Ethan actually felt the drive to succeed in school.
So, naturally, the stress of school had been getting the best of Ethan. He typically shrugged things off and didn’t let them bother him, but this was different. Even though he hadn’t been assigned much work so far, the stress of the year to come was bearing down on Ethan lately. As did the fact that he was on his own for the first time in his life. Now he was living on his own and paying some of his own bills and tuition. The new pressure of independence gave him both feelings of freedom and being stuck. But he decided that the benefits outweighed the costs. He was on his own for the first time. It was the start of a new chapter in life and it excited Ethan.
But with the new stress came the need to relax. It was a cold Saturday mid-morning and Ethan found himself bored. Boxes still littered his apartment and he knew he should begin to sort them out. But he knew doing so would take up the entire day and the exhaustion from moving had wiped him out. Instead, he decided to go out for a walk. Shrugging on a heavy black coat, scarf, and gloves, he stepped outside, locking the door behind him. A few flurries whipped around in the wind and the chill bit his face. Walking down the street, he realized he had no destination in mind. Then, he had an idea to visit a friend and turned to walk in that direction. A few minutes later he arrived on the doorstep of Nell’s apartment, knocking on the door. But there was no answer. He figured he should have called, realizing she might not be home. But he decided to wait another minute or two, in case she didn’t hear the knock.
[/justify][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 4, 2011 15:00:05 GMT -5
Joshua balanced his coffee precariously on the surface of the binder as he held it in one hand, fiddling with the key in the lock of the building door with the other. It took a moment of jiggling the thing in the lock before he managed to get it open, shouldering through it before taking the steaming cup back in his hand and pocketing the keys. He'd been out most of the morning with his father, discussing the possibility of getting a real job at the hospital in due time. He wanted that sense of independence again, the one that came with making one's own money rather than just leeching off your parents all the time. Oh, he wasn't going to stop using the cash from the family fortune—no, a job only made so much. He couldn't live on working wages again, he just couldn't. He loved his privileged life a little too much to give it up in favour of complete independence, he just wanted to get the feel that he was actually getting something out of all the hours he put in at the hospital. One of these days I'll work there for real and make as much as Dad does. He had ambitions for himself, for his future. Sometimes he simply lounged about and entertained these fantasies, imagining himself as the head of a team in the hospital, getting a chance to really put his intelligence and skills to the test. It excited him to the point where he almost forgot that he still had a long way to go before he became a real doctor.
Ah, well, he thought, not too bummed out about this. All in time. Besides, didn't they have a saying about that? 'Good things come to those who wait?' Joshua was a pretty patient guy despite what one might assume thanks to his serious issues with anger. He knew how it was to wait for things, didn't mine exhibiting a bit of self-control in order to have it pay off in the end. It was beneficial to his relationship as well, seeing as that relationship still hadn't gone much past first base. If he could be patient with Nell then he could be patient with the slow development of his career, too. He wasn't in the mood to walk up seven flights of stairs with his hands full and thus he took the unpopular choice of the elevator. "Would be rotten luck if this thing broke down again, eh?"
[/b] This was said to a woman who got into the ungodly contraption next to him, chuckling and voicing her agreement to his statement. Joshua was slowly getting better when it came to dealing with people. He could strike up pointless conversation with strangers now and not get that prickling feeling of awkwardness and discomfort. "Well, bye," she said when it stopped on the fifth floor. He got out on the seventh and started toward Nell's apartment, reaching into the pocket of his jeans for the keys as he went. That is, until he noticed that someone else was occupying the limited space in front of the door. As the person had not yet caught sight of him yet, Joshua had several seconds for a thought process to form. First came recognition— Shit, that's Lovejoy, isn't it? Then he was suspicious— What the fuck is he doing here? Joshua wasn't sure what anyone would be doing at Nell's apartment when she wasn't home. True, it was possible that Ethan wasn't aware of Nell's current absence but Joshua was just wary of anyone. He didn't know how well the two were acquainted, if at all. Finally he was aware that a few rare few knew that he lived with the girl. He didn't want to increase that count, so he dropped the keys back into his pocket and adapted the air of someone coming to visit rather than returning home to a place of residence. "I'm guessing Nell's not here?" He disregarded pleasantries such as 'hello' and 'fancy meeting you here' because they weren't exactly what you could call... friends. However, Josh had been mostly telling the truth when he'd said he didn't hold a grudge. His tone was not hostile, just a little guarded. [Woo, so excite for this thread <33][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by erin on Dec 17, 2011 18:42:46 GMT -5
The air seemed as if it was getting colder, but Ethan figured it was just the fact that he had been outside for a while. The sun hung high in the sky, but it served no comfort in the cold wintery weather. He silently cursed himself for not calling in advance. It would have saved him the excursion out in the cold, or at least would have changed his direction towards the nearest coffee shop. As much as he enjoyed the winter, he still had a limit to the amount of cold his body withstood. But, maybe Nell was home and just hadn’t heard him. He rapped once more on the door, a little harder this time. Seconds passed with no answer, and Ethan decided it was time to find out for sure whether she was home. He stuck his hand in his pocket for his cell phone, but found it empty. He then fished around in his other coat pocket and all four pockets in his jeans and came up with nothing. Then, he vividly remembered it sitting on the arm of his couch, one of the few pieces of furniture in his apartment. He groaned, well-aware this wasn’t a rare occurrence for him. Forgetting things was rather common for him and often wound up with negative consequences. Phoneless, he realized there wasn’t a way to find out whether she was home, but figured she wasn’t. He had already waited a while with no response. The tips of his fingers felt cold and numb, and a hot coffee suddenly sounded like a wonderful idea. But a voice from behind stopped his thoughts.
He recognized it before he turned around, and when he did he found himself facing Joshua Dale. Bitterness filled his gut as he usually associated Josh with this feeling. However, this time felt slightly different as he remembered their last meeting. Josh had helped him out and they had left things better than the first time they met, despite the clear awkward tension between them. But that didn’t mean that Ethan liked the guy. However, surprise prevented Ethan’s next words to be filled with this bitterness. “Uh, no—no I don’t think so,
[/color]” he stammered. “ What are you doing here?[/color]” He was completely confused, wondering why Josh was here as well. Ethan found himself feeling somewhat defensive, curious as to why Josh would want to visit Nell. Surely the two enemies didn’t have a common friend, and especially not Nell, whom Ethan was close with. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 17, 2011 23:50:54 GMT -5
Joshua did not smile as Ethan confirmed what he'd already been thinking, that Nell was not currently at home and thus the two of them were stranded outside of the apartment. Of course, Josh could have let himself in, but that meant revealing to Lovejoy that he was a resident of the apartment or at very least someone with a key, a fact he was not comfortable with being known. He was secretive and mistrusting of most people. It might have been fair to give Ethan the benefit of the doubt but Joshua rarely found himself giving people a chance. A person usually had to prove that they were good and earn his trust, not prove otherwise and compromise it. He'd once been a lot more naive and eager to befriend, but not now. "I'm her boyfriend," he replied bluntly, deciding to go for at least a partially honest route. He thought for a moment about adding 'I live here', considering in hindsight it would make sense, but opted in the end to leave it out. Ethan didn't need to know that he and Nell lived together. Not because it presented the wrong idea—though he certainly could see where people got certain ideas—but because it just wasn't a relevant piece of information... yet. "I figured I'd drop by and see if she was in." And of course, lying had always been a strong point of Joshua Dale's. Realising that it would have made more sense to call first (he was her boyfriend, he'd undoubtedly have her number) he quickly came up with a workaround. "It was on my way, I'm headed downtown for some... business I have to attend to."
He figured this would suffice, seeing as they did not know one another well enough for sufficient prying. If Ethan wanted to know what sort of business Josh was up to around the Hollow, Josh would just calmly tell him that it was none of his... ah, business. He had no problems with telling practical-strangers and even good friends of his where to stick their nose if they poked it where it didn't belong, like in his affairs. True, he was making up these places he had to be, but Ethan didn't need to know that, did he? That posed a question to Joshua, however—what was Ethan up to? "Besides, I could ask you the same thing." He supposed as Earth and Water were aligned and Nell was so god-damned friendly it would only make sense for them to be friends but natural suspicion stopped him from making such assumptions and being totally pleasant. This was his girlfriend, after all. He felt a sense of protectiveness toward her. Not that Ethan posed much of a threat, not to him, but Nell was a different story. She wasn't a fighter. If Lovejoy were here to cause problems, well, Josh would have something to say about it. And if he wasn't? Well... they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.
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Post by erin on Dec 26, 2011 18:55:13 GMT -5
The morning had taken an unexpected turn for Ethan with an unexpected guest. All he really wanted was to go sit in a warm, quiet café and sip a nice, caffeinated beverage. But Josh’s surprising appearance sparked his curiosity and he found himself thinking less and less of coffees and more about Josh’s presence. When Josh informed Ethan of he and Nell’s relationship, he suddenly felt very stupid. For a second it took him by surprise—why would she be dating this guy? Personalities aside, he was a fire and she was an earth. Needless to say, Ethan wouldn’t have guessed the two’s relationship right off the bat. But now that he thought about it, Nell did mention Josh’s name a few times. How didn’t he know? Well, it wasn’t uncommon for Ethan not to catch on to things like that, he often missed the mark even on obvious things. But still, it did begin to make sense that they were dating. “You are? Oh, well I guess I didn’t know that…
[/color]” Ethan thought aloud, failing at masking his ignorance. He suddenly found him keeping up a defense stupid, especially since if anyone should be doing so it would be Josh. However, Ethan found himself always on edge with Josh. “ Some business? Well, that doesn’t sound sketchy at all…[/color]” he said with a wry smirk. Sure, he was causing trouble for no apparent reason. But Ethan just didn’t like Josh, probably due to their first encounter. Even though he’d helped him out the last time they met, he didn’t think it made much of a difference to his first impression. Ethan blinked at Josh’s next comment. Of course, it would appear that he had no business being here and if anyone was going to get suspicious it should be Josh. But, Ethan found himself somewhat annoyed. “ Same as you, stopping by. Is that a problem?[/color]” he said snarky. Ethan usually wasn’t such a…jerk, but Josh made him irritable. He attributed it to the fact that he’d knocked him out previously. That usually would do it. Ethan didn’t exactly get over those things easily. And now, this new found information that he and Nell dated annoyed him as well. One of his closest friends was dating a guy he really didn’t like? He couldn’t help but be slightly unnerved by it. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 27, 2011 0:09:44 GMT -5
It didn't really phase Joshua to learn that Ethan was unaware of his relationship with the Earth elemental. They didn't really spend their time at the Academy making out in public places or skipping down the hallways and announcing it to everyone. Most people who were concerned deeply with the alliances and their inner workings had found out by now but the gossip had been fleeting, short-lasting. Perhaps Ethan had been too busy pursuing some other story to hear it through the grapevine. Guy should be a journalist, he thought sarcastically. He'd love that. It's all about going after rumours. Normally he would have said this to someone he disliked but the fact that he didn't hold particularly deep grudges made him keep it to himself. He was here to come home after a long day, he wasn't here to start fights in the apartment hallway. The last thing he wanted was Nell's neighbours to start talking about him. "Yes, because doctor's appointments and grocery shopping is incredibly shifty behaviour," he shot back, the words sparking a little bit of his own snark and injecting it into the conversation. "Society should tremble in fear of my shopping list." He was good at coming up with lies because he lied a lot and figured, as before, that he didn't have to justify every one of his actions to Ethan regardless.
Josh almost wanted to say that, yes, it was a problem, and that he was going to prove to him how much of a problem it was. However, he stopped himself just in time. Nell wouldn't be too happy about it. His girlfriend did not control him by any means. He had rubbed many of her friends the wrong way and did not get along with some of them—and some of his friends disliked her. It didn't stop him from getting physical if they pushed too far. Ethan was just using words, though, which didn't intimidate him enough to cause feelings of being threatened. He already knew what it was like to fight (and win against) Ethan. He wasn't exactly gunning for a repeat experience. "I never said I had a problem, I just asked for clarification," he pointed out smoothly. His tone carried a bit of a harder edge than before, suggesting that Ethan had hit some sort of nerve. "Nell has her friends, I have mine. I've got no problem with that." There was almost a challenge hidden in the words. People had suggested in the past that Josh and Nell were a bad match and he was getting sick of it. Ethan had suggested nothing of the sort but the mere fact that they didn't get along and now Ethan knew was hitting a nerve.
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Post by erin on Dec 30, 2011 0:41:52 GMT -5
Ethan figured he would never get used to confrontations of any sort. They usually went in two extremes, or a mixture of both. He either: had no idea what to say and got nervous, or he found it impossible to control what came out of his mouth. There wasn’t a time Ethan could recall when he thought about what he said first or actually dealt with the situation maturely. And this run-in with Josh was no exception. He wasn’t looking for a fight and figured the Fire elemental wasn’t either. Any level-headed person would just leave with an apology if they were Ethan, but unfortunately this would not suffice for Ethan. Having felt stupid for being unaware of Nell’s current relationship status and who it was with, Ethan felt the need to make up for his ignorance, especially since it was in front of Josh. It had little to do with Josh and mostly all to do with Ethan’s pride. But Ethan couldn’t cook up any sort of snarky response to Josh’s answer. If anything, he began to feel even dumber. Instead, Ethan narrowed his eyes at Josh. “Oh ha-ha,
[/color]” Ethan said with a pretend smile. “ Hey, I don’t know what you decide to do in your free time.[/color]” Ethan couldn’t help but still find it odd that Josh and Nell were dating. He wondered how long it had been, and if Josh had ever mentioned anything about Ethan to Nell. He assumed there wouldn’t be much of a reason to…but he still thought about it. Gee, he thought it was awkward the last time they had met but now things had been kicked up a notch. He really didn’t care for seeing Josh and he wondered if he was going to keep running into him like this, especially now with the connection between Nell established. He didn’t have much of a reason to still dislike Josh, but it was mostly just a pride issue. He hated the fact that Josh had beaten him, as unsurprising as it was. Ethan chuckled sarcastically at Josh’s last comment and said, “ Humph, clearly. I’m betting she doesn’t know how you beat me up, huh? I don’t see her liking that, exactly.[/color]” Ethan’s rare cockiness was in full bloom this Saturday morning, and it didn’t seem like it was going to help him any. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 30, 2011 1:51:32 GMT -5
Joshua's demeanour was frosting over by the second, provoked by the renewed conflict that the two had between them. He was the type that was willing to let a situation die if it had run its course but for some reason Ethan seemed to be dragging it out further. It was of little inconvenience to Josh either way and so he didn't care what Ethan did but he also wasn't going to be all cheerful and kind simply because they had Nell in common. To Joshua, it was exactly like he had said—Nell had her friends, he had his own. They did not always share contacts or get along with the other's respective friend choices. This looked like it was fixing up to be one of those cases and he wouldn't be surprised if Ethan disapproved of Josh as Nell's choice of romance. His opinion isn't worth shit. The thought was fierce in his mind. He didn't care what his friends thought of Nell. He'd turned his back on his entire alliance for Nell. Similarly, he hoped that Nell would not listen to her friends and their opinions about him. She'd told him he wouldn't and he trusted her on that, he just hoped that it wouldn't change.
It irked Josh quite a bit, however, when Ethan brought Nell into the subject of their fight. In Josh's own opinion, Nell had nothing to do with it. Ethan had ran his mouth and Josh had a problem with that, so he solved that problem like many others—with violence. It had never occurred to him to talk to Nell about the array of fights he got into on a daily basis and besides, he hadn't even known that she and Ethan were acquainted until now. "Is that a threat?" Joshua's voice was silky and challenging as the words slipped between his teeth. He didn't like anyone threatening him. He didn't care how ridiculous it was or what it was about, he reacted. He could have been wrong but it certainly felt like Ethan was trying to hold this over his head. You have no leverage over me, asshole. "So tell her," he sneered, though he was entirely serious. "Go ahead and bend the truth so it doesn't sound like you called me a murderer—oh, wait! She doesn't know about that either, does she?" He feigned shock but his tone was acidic. "I'm certainly not breathing a word about it. If you want to play tattle-tales you can go right ahead."
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Post by erin on Jan 2, 2012 12:37:20 GMT -5
Ethan’s annoyance toward Josh was increasing rapidly as their meeting went on. He never lost his temper with anyone unless they gave him a reason to. The only time he became violent was when someone acted that way towards him. But he often found himself playing the instigator, especially in this case. He knew he would never get along with Josh, nor did he want to. In the back of his head was a small voice telling him he could try for the sake of Nell, but Ethan knew there was no reason for that. He preferred to avoid Josh, and keep a distance. Guys like that brought out the worst in Ethan, the Ethan that didn’t let matters die and found it necessary to get the last word. He had no humility when it came to matters like this and also no filter. He wasn’t sure if he would mention anything to Nell. There wasn’t much of a point to it because the only thing he had to say about the matter was that he didn’t approve. He cared too much about Nell to say something like that and damage their friendship.
Ethan folded his arms across his chest, eyes still narrowed. Any thought of being a little less hostile toward Josh because of the fight with the Thunder had been thrown out the window. It didn’t matter that he was dating Nell who happened to be one of his closest friends; he didn’t like him. At this point, he just wanted to leave but his mouth had gotten him too far into this. “Maybe it is, if that’s how you’re going to take it,
[/color]” Ethan snapped, his scowl growing deeper. And it was true, Ethan was trying to get a one-up over Josh. But he hadn’t thought the matter through well enough. “ Oh right, because I made that up. Don’t try and make it like I’m the only one in the wrong, just because I said something doesn’t mean you have to go beating people up,[/color]” he said, trying to mask the fact that he was taken off guard. He certainly didn’t want to mention to Nell that he had called Josh a murderer even if it was something he heard. But he wasn’t going to let Josh see that he had gotten him at his own game. “ I don’t know, maybe I will maybe I won’t. Won’t she bit a little more upset that you knocked me out than me having heard a rumor? I don’t think you should keep things from your girlfriend.[/color]” Ethan was starting to grasp at straws now. But still, he figured a girlfriend would be upset with her boyfriend if he’d beaten someone up, someone who happened to be her friend. But at the same time Ethan had asked for it. Of course he wouldn’t tell Nell, there wasn’t a reason for him to, but he didn’t want to let that show. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 2, 2012 22:18:11 GMT -5
Joshua, too, was quickly abandoning any hope of being civil toward Ethan. He could be persuaded to forgive an offence against him if, like with Ethan, it wasn't too serious but this was just pushing it. This guy was threatening him with his girlfriend, of all things, and that was not alright with him. He didn't want to drag Nell into their problems. He thought that she might indeed be upset if she knew he'd injured her friend but he didn't really care if Ethan told on him, that would only make Josh feel like the more mature one out of the pair. He didn't want to get petty and whine to Nell about how Ethan had offended him and how the violence had been justified. "Certainly sounded like one, Lovejoy," he said in a low tone. It hadn't sounded like a mere comment to Josh. It had sounded to him like Ethan might have every plan to inform Nell of what had happened between them. He still wasn't entirely sure what he thought about this but he was also too stubborn and proud to try and convince him not to. He didn't beg, he didn't plead, he didn't even bother with compromise. That would mean giving in.
He actually laughed then, but the sound was bitter and entirely devoid of any real humour. Josh was not amused, he was angry, and he was losing more and more of his short fuse by the second. He was at least glad he had a good enough hold on his temper that he didn't lunge at Ethan right then and there. The murderer rumour had hit a nerve and he'd attacked out of sheer impulse but it was going to take a lot more than that to bring out the violence in Josh again. He might not have cared so much if Nell found out about the first time he attacked the Water elemental. He didn't care how she saw it, to him it had been justified. He loved Nell but her opinion did not trump his own. He could think for himself. However, if he attacked Ethan again he'd only be proving the Water boy right. "You didn't just hear it, you spread it," he pointed out sharply. "I kicked your ass for a reason. I don't care if Nell agrees with it or not, it was my decision."
It might have been making it worse for him. If he was convincing Ethan that it was a good idea to tell Nell about it, suggesting that her opinion meant nothing was probably a bad idea. It was why he didn't want her involved. "I've got nothing to hide—I just refuse to make her choose between us." His gray gaze was cold and hard as he spoke. He'd heard about friendships and relationships being torn apart when friends got too involved in someone's life life and vice versa. He did not have the right to choose who Nell was friends with and she didn't have the right to choose who he hated. It worked in either direction. "If you're so concerned with the morality of keeping her out of it, you can tell her whatever you like. I'm not stopping you. I'm also not planning to tell her myself." He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done. If she found out and asked him about it, he'd confirm it without hesitation.
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Post by erin on Jan 5, 2012 17:24:06 GMT -5
Ethan knew he wouldn’t tell Nell. It wasn’t going to benefit him much and if anything, it could hurt him and Nell’s friendship. And it wasn’t like Josh had no ground fighting him. He could only think of cons that would happen if he did tell Nell, and not much in his favor. As much as one wouldn’t like to hear of their opposite fighting their friend, they certainly wouldn’t like to hear their friend calling the other a murderer. So Ethan had decided telling Nell wouldn’t be the best idea. But he didn’t want Josh to know that. He thought it was a good card to play here, holding this over Josh’s head, but he was quickly starting to realize it wasn’t much. It was starting to dawn on him that it honestly wouldn’t matter to Josh what Nell thought and wouldn’t matter what he told her then. But he didn’t want to let his doubt show. Instead, he clenched his fists, becoming more agitated.
Ethan was running out of things to say, realizing he didn’t hold the upper hand here. There wasn’t much he could argue back. It wasn’t like they would break-up if he told Nell of some stupid incident and Ethan realized he was losing his ground. “Gee, that sounds to me like you really care about what she has to say, how sweet,
[/color]” Ethan sneered, words dripping with sarcasm. And it was true, not just an empty statement. Sure, he’d never been in a relationship before, but he figured there had to be some respect as to what the other has to say. Of course, Ethan was twisting Josh’s words, but nonetheless it gave him something else to snap back with. But at this point, Ethan wasn’t sure where he wanted things to go. Of course, he didn’t want things to get physical and figured they wouldn’t. Just an exchange of words and the two could be on their merry ways. But Ethan wasn’t going to let off that easily. “Whatever, I’m not the one who has to tell her anything because I’m not the one dating her. I’ll do what I want, and you can do the same.[/b][/color]” Josh’s comment about having Nell choose between them struck Ethan as he didn’t think of it that way. When he said it like that, it didn’t sound exactly right. But Ethan realized there was no use in arguing because he figured he wasn’t going to convince Josh of anything. And what was it that wanted to convince him of? Him telling Nell would be worse for Ethan than if Ethan told her. Neither way was good and he found himself secretly agreeing with Josh. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 5, 2012 18:16:43 GMT -5
There were a few things that could be classified as a clear 'berserk button' for Joshua. Attacking his family (including Nell) was one of them, and insulting his loyalty was another. There was a flash of anger in his colourless eyes as Ethan's words struck deep and Joshua actually took a step back from the Water elemental so that the urge to strike him would require the actual thought of approach. He wanted to hit him for it, break his nose or his arm or at least hurt him for what he'd just suggested. He didn't take well to insults containing his loyalty. Joshua's next exhale shuddered on its way from his lungs as he suppressed the anger as best as he could. "Don't ever say that again," he warned dangerously. "You have no idea how much I care about Nell, asshole."
True, Ethan had been talking more about Nell's opinion than the girl herself. That didn't matter—what mattered was that it had struck a very sensitive nerve in the Fire graduate. This was his girlfriend they were talking about, a girlfriend whom he loved more than anyone. A girlfriend that he'd chosen over his element, over his own family. He'd sacrificed a lot for her and he'd done a lot, too. He'd stuck through the trial and the depression and hadn't pushed the subject of intimacy because he didn't know if she wanted that. Ethan didn't know that. Josh acknowledged this only briefly. It didn't matter if he knew, what mattered was that the words had offended him. At least, that was what mattered to Josh. "She's my girlfriend," he said slowly. "I meant that she can't control what I do—or what you do, clearly, so you're being a bit fucking hypocritical here." Why was he even bothering explaining himself? Because I'd be nailing him to the wall if I went for my other option? It was either hit him or talk to avoid hitting him, and he was pretty determined not to spill any blood. No matter what his first instinct had been to do.
His jaw set at the words. "I don't want to risk our relationship over your big mouth, thanks." His syllables were short and spoken in low tones because he was still battling with his anger at this point. One fist, clenched at his side, was trembling and stark white thanks to the pressure. Deciding that he didn't care whether or not Ethan knew he lived here or not, Joshua pulled out the keys and unlocked the door, though he did not go in. "It's probably not in your best interest either." He wasn't trying to protect Ethan with this comment—hell no—but it was more matter-of-fact than sneering because he was trying to avoid a real fight. He didn't want to get arrested for assault, didn't want the neighbours to talk, didn't want Nell to be angry with him. He wanted none of that and Ethan was pushing his limits here. If he tells Nell and she leaves me over this, I am going to fucking kill him. Though only half serious—Josh didn't plan on murder—the thought was sadistically comforting. Yes, he'd be paying Ethan a visit if this little confrontation led to the end of his relationship. He was very happy with Nell. He'd be very unhappy without her, he figured, and so wouldn't care of the repercussions that might come with breaking someone's face.
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Post by erin on Jan 21, 2012 1:00:00 GMT -5
Ethan had quickly begun to realize he was stepping in dangerous territory. It was clear to him that he had set off something in Josh and he was not eager to drag it out. He remembered that the guy actually could hurt him, as he had before. Sure, right now it was just words against words but it there was no guarantee it had to stay that way. Of course, getting in a fight would only escalate the issue with Nell, especially if she walked in on it. But still, it wasn’t impossible. Ethan knew he should choose his words carefully, but the sneer remained planted on his face. “Well you sure have an odd way of showing it,
[/color]” he said, trying to keep it void of any type of accusation. Ethan had no clue what their relationship was like or anything about it. But no matter how much Josh cared about Nell or how well he treated her, Ethan still didn’t like the idea of it. Ethan could tell that whatever he had said didn’t settle well with the Fire elemental. He could almost see his face getting pounded in and it wasn’t something he was in the mood for. He knew it was in his best interest to watch what he said, but that wasn’t the easiest feat for Ethan. At this point, he just wanted to leave in one piece. Swallowing his pride, Ethan decided to bite back any snarky retort he wanted to make. “ Fine, whatever, she can’t control you and nobody will tell Nell the truth,[/color]” he told him with sarcasm, even if there was an ounce of sincerity behind it. Ethan noted Josh’s tone of voice and clenched fist and felt a slight bit of satisfaction from it. He wondered if he and Josh would have another run-in in the near future, especially now that both were aware of their connection in Nell. He had no idea how that would go down. But for the meantime, Ethan was more than ready to back away. When he saw Josh pull out the keys to the apartment, Ethan felt a twinge of anger. Their relationship must be more serious than Ethan had previously thought. But shaking it from his mind, Ethan gave Josh a wide, obviously pretend smile and said, “ Well I’ve had a lovely time, great seeing you, hope we can do this again.[/color]” As much as he wanted to drop the issue, Ethan wasn’t going to drop the cocky-sarcastic act. For the time, he wanted to forget the information he had found out but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size][/quote] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 21, 2012 17:55:25 GMT -5
Joshua was vaguely aware of the subtle trembling in his hands, his left curled like a fist as he imagined how much he would enjoy giving Lovejoy a second piece of his mind. No, he thought sharply. "I'll let Nell be the judge of that," said Josh, his tone cold. He hated how her friends tended to shove their way into the business of the couple and take it upon themselves to judge how good of a match they were. In Josh's opinion, only Nell had the right to challenge his attitude toward her. It was the Earth girl who had to put up with him, it was she who lived with him. So if Nell had a problem with the way he behaved, well, maybe Joshua would consider changing. He was a proud person and didn't like to take the opinions of others into account but his girlfriend was a special exception. He'd given up too much for her to turn his back over something silly like a bad attitude. She hasn't complained yet, he thought, and he was proud of that. Unless she was spreading rumours to her friends about him instead of confronting him directly, but Josh didn't think Nell would do that. He might have been a suspicious guy but he trusted Nell, at least.
He clenched his jaw and smartly held his tongue after that, trying not to progress into further argument. If he didn't get himself away from this guy soon, they were going to have issues a lot worse than just insulting one another back and forth. He had attacked Ethan once and he could do it again—this wasn't what he was worried about, though. He didn't have morality issues when it came to attacking the Water and he certainly wasn't afraid of him, but he definitely didn't want to give Ethan more leverage. He'd attacked the guy once in circumstances that he believed were justified but assaulting him now would just be asking for it. He didn't know if the neighbours would talk or if Nell would just get wind of it from Ethan but he knew there might be issues if she found out. Or maybe not, but he wasn't taking his chances.
He gave a scathing sort of laugh. "And same to you, Lovejoy. How nice of you to stop by." He knew it was immature to play into the argument like this but sometimes Josh couldn't help himself. He tried to do the mature thing but it didn't work out all the time, especially not when you got his temper involved. Inside. Now. The thought was fierce in his mind, reminding him that he had solid walls which he could take shelter behind to stem the flow of his anger. Joshua hoped he could calm down before Nell got home—she had been the unfortunate victim of second-hand anger a few times and he was sure neither of them were keen on a repeat experience. He'd never assaulted her, never man-handled her, had just been a bit more barbed than intended. Alright, so he had once threatened her with a knife but she'd been a stranger then and he'd been pissed drunk. He opened the door for real this time, then paused and said shortly, "I'll tell her you dropped by." He went in and closed it behind him. He wasn't going to lie and say her friend hadn't been by. He hated Ethan but Nell didn't, and so he wasn't going to deceive her.
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