-- you're not close enough [joshua]

Though the war was over, it really didn't change much within the alliances. Thunder and Fire still loathed him and as far as they were concerned, his relationship with Nell was as good as treachery no matter if he'd taken her side in the war or not. He didn't mind all of this, but it did get to be a bit of a bother where his friends were concerned. More specifically, the friends in the very alliance that shunned him. Lark, Harley and Skye were the remnants of what had once been a respectable but small group of friends that he'd made in the two allied elements over the years—of course, Harley had turned traitor just as he had but the other two still remained loyal. At least, he thought they were. He knew that Lark had a bone to pick with quite a few people that dared question their friendship (she'd told him so herself) but she still had friends in Fire. And Skye? He hadn't really spoken to her much about the war, the alliances, about Nell... heck, he wasn't really the type to talk much. Casual conversation was about all you could get out of him until you really managed to crack his shell. However, all things considered, she was still his friend. So when they arranged to meet each other at Tim Hortons he didn't even think about refusing.

Besides, he was going to go over to his parents' house and pay a visit in a couple hours time so he figured that he might as well pick up some donuts for the occasion. Their parents had always been disapproving of Josh and his sweet tooth but it was suffice to say that he had rubbed off on his baby sister after the years. As it was quite a miserable day outside with the snow and the cold he bundled up in his warm, insulated jacket and headed out of the apartment building. Even though he'd been staying with Nell for several months now—it occurred to him that he'd never told Skye where he lived, not even when he'd been with his folks—he still couldn't shake the feeling of not belonging. He'd grown up in a mansion with credit cards and sports vehicles, a lake in the backyard. Living in a small studio apartment was weird for him. Still, he never complained. Nell was nice enough to let him stay and her company certainly wasn't what bothered him. He liked spending the extra time with her. Speaking of sports cars, his Aventador looked out of place as always in the parking lot. He drove most of the way and parked in the lot of a home improvement store a few blocks from the Tim Hortons. It was on a busy street with no parking spaces that did not require payment so he figured he'd risk the frigidity of the walk.

Not that it was too much of a hassle for him, being a Fire elemental. The jacket kept him warm enough and even that was just a cover-up for his powers. He could go out into the snow wearing nothing but his boxers and his power would get him by but the mortals were bound to think something was up if he was walking around in twenty below with jeans and a t-shirt. Granted, there were a couple people crazy enough to do it, but he preferred not receiving odd looks. He blended in quite well with the crowd as he fell into step behind a mother pushing a stroller, talking on the phone as the older of her two children skipped along beside her. Noting that the lights up ahead were still red and that the streets were mostly clear, he skipped out on the legal way and simply made his way across the street before any stray cars could come by. He had spotted his friend, after all, and didn't feel like waiting for ages at the crosswalk just to go over and say hello. "Skye," he greeted her warmly, adding a smile. The Fire elemental could be cold and distant if you did not know him well but friends got a chance to see his less unpleasant side. "It really has, hasn't it? There's just been so much going on."

Though the winds hadn't been too much of a problem, a small gust brought with it a chill breeze. He felt it only slightly but figured that his less-resistant friend would not be as lucky. "Let's go inside," he suggested, holding the door open out of habit when a group of friends followed in after them. It was not very polite to let a door smack someone in the face, even if they were total strangers. Turning his full attention back to Skye as he realised there was a small line they'd have to wait in, he said, "How have you been? We've got some catching up to do, eh?" His smile remained light and relaxed. He was quite looking forward to playing catch-up with a good friend of his. From his knowledge, their ignorance of one another at school had given others reason to suspect nothing. Josh and Skye might as well have never been acquainted in the eyes of the alliances. They'd done a good job of hiding it. Even though his own alliance of Earth and Water were decidedly less vicious than the one he'd previously followed, he knew they'd likely kick him out on his ass if they knew about his risqué friendships. "What are you getting? I could do with an iced capp myself, I think—ah, and I promised my sister donuts." His grin was playful for the full two seconds it lasted. He didn't go into detail about his sister or his personal life, never did.

[Here's a helpful Timmes Menu that I like to reference in case you want a guide to what they actually serve xD]

He arched an eyebrow but did not speak when she dismissed the war as 'stupid'. Before Nell had come into his life and thrown everything off balance, Joshua had been somewhat of a loyalist to his Thunder and Fire allies. He'd been a leader in his twelfth grade year and so even though he didn't have a lot of close friends, his element had respected him and trusted him to fight for their side. However, he was also a loyal friend, and watching what was essentially a bloodhunt be put into place against one of his closest ones had quickly changed his tune. He did not want to start an argument or even a mild debate with Skye merely because their views on war differed—instead, he just said, "Among other things, yeah. College has been busy too." He had a double major of History and Biology and so he was often overworked. That was just the way Joshua liked things. He was a workaholic and so it was only too easy to become absorbed in his education and forget about most everything else. It could be difficult to arrange face-to-face meetings with friends during his busy schedule as well as maintaining his relationship but he did his best. If not an actual meeting, he always tried to drop a text or make a call.

He gave a bit of an amused smirk. He and Skye had very different views on a lot of things and education was one of them. He was the dedicated overachiever in most cases, striving for the best grades wherever possible. Skye might not have enjoyed learning as much as he did but Joshua would never use that to judge a person. Everyone was different and for the most part he respected that. "If you say so," he shrugged, his amusement betrayed by his tone as he waved a hand. "I've been keeping up alright so far but I've got some stuff that I need to do. I'll probably finish some of it tonight." He had to drop by and see Annabel but he could always get some work done later when he returned to Nell's. He trusted his girlfriend not to be too much of a bother when he was up to something. She never was, after all. She was remarkably easy to live with and he found himself glad of that. "What about you? Anything planned?" He was curious about his friends and what they were up to in their lives, particularly when he hadn't spoken to them in a little while.

Though he was unlikely to answer honestly either way, Joshua did consider the question for a moment. How was he doing? He was under the belief that Nell was getting better and even if it was only his imagination, it was comforting to him. Things with his father were still... well, they were strange, to say the least. He didn't really talk to the man if he could avoid it and mainly kept up appearances for his mother and sister. He was better than he'd been the last time they'd spoke (though it was doubtful Skye would have noticed anything wrong—he was rather good at hiding things) and so he replied, "Oh, I'm fine. I've just been swamped with school, hanging out with Nell, that sort of thing." He never really talked much about Nell and his relationship but he at least informed his friends that they were together. He didn't have anything to hide, he just wasn't an open guy. "I would have arranged to hang out sooner but I really haven't had much time." That was the truth, at least. He didn't apologise for it, though—Josh never apologised for anything, or at least very rarely. The words 'I'm sorry' were almost foreign when it came to him. It was only when he had true regrets that he would voice an apology.

As he had plenty of money and could purchase as many donuts as he wanted, Josh gave an easy nod. "Though it's not really stealing if you have my permission," he pointed out with a very brief chuckle. His gray eyes were almost mischievous as he turned his attention away from the menu and said, "So you can 'steal' however many you'd like." Though he did not actually make the motions, the quotes were evident in the way he enunciated the word. He was also going to be having some of the donuts himself and figured that between the two of them he might need to purchase an entire second box by the time they were through. Not that he cared. His parents didn't mind if he went on entire shopping sprees in the expensive district, a small splurge at Timmies was hardly going to be a problem. The line finally dwindled in front of them until he found himself facing a rather young server whom he thought he recognised from the Academy, but did not know personally. He said nothing about this, merely placed the order and requested for the donuts to be of random assortments with a shrug and a, "Surprise me." There wasn't much he didn't like when it came to sweets and if Annabel disliked any of them, he'd be happy to pick up the slack.

Just as Skye herself was often too serious for some people, Josh was exactly the same way. It would seem that they'd even managed to confuse one another this time—Josh chuckled at the thought and shook his head slightly. "No, don't worry," he insisted. "I didn't think you were planning to drop out." He had believed that she was busy and had just remarked to her kidding around with some joking of his own. They were both so serious that they'd mixed one another up, it seemed. It was funny in itself but apart from the quiet and brief chuckle, Joshua did not show much for it. He was not someone who bothered laughing or smiling a whole lot—not because he was too grim for that, merely because he felt he could be content without telling the entire world. His stoic expressions often led people to believe that he should not be approached even when he was in an entirely amiable mood. Sometimes it entertained him how opposite he was from his girlfriend, how they contrasted and complimented one another in a whole lot of different ways. Hell, even their elements were opposite. "I'd have had a lot more to say about it if that's what I'd assumed, believe me!" His gray eyes sparkled briefly as he pointed this out.

He nodded. "No use putting it off," Joshua shrugged. He could never feel comfortable leaving things until the day before they were due. That worked for some people but Josh was very careful and meticulous when it came to his work. He had to plan things out, make rough drafts, improve on those drafts and then go over the final copy again to make sure everything was as he wanted it. He'd often started out with one idea and finished with an entirely different one thanks to epiphanies along the way. If he were to try to finish something a few hours before he went to bed he'd likely panic and turn in work that was only half his usual quality. But it was not only that—he liked being revered as intelligent. He was rather clever and liked when that was acknowledged. It was his forte, the one thing he was good at. He didn't really like any sports besides tennis, his voice wasn't terrible but wasn't good enough for music, either, he wasn't very personable... no, his intelligence was the one thing he had going for him. He honoured that by keeping it sharp.

As he paused to think about it, the Fire graduate realised that most of his weekends were quiet ones. He didn't really get up to the crazy things and parties he used to on the weekends, mostly because he had a girlfriend that would no doubt disapprove of him sleeping with other girls in a drunken haze. He wished he could say he was confident enough that it wouldn't happen but hey, he was getting desperate. If Nell wasn't putting out (which she wasn't) and he went to a party where everyone and their mother was there for a 'good time'... well, he worried too much about the possibilities to entertain the idea. Pushing this from his mind, he replied, "I have to watch my sister and her friend for a few hours on Sunday, I'll no doubt have some homework, but I'll be hanging out with Nell, too." He understood that she had probably been kidding but he'd answered honestly anyway. Being stuck babysitting your sister and her kid friends might have seemed irritating to someone else but as he was fond of Annabel he didn't mind so much. She was pretty low-maintenance and so as long as her friend didn't act up, he'd be fine.

He picked up the iced cappuccino when it was slid across the counter toward him and balanced on top of the familiar red box decorated with donuts. His mouth nearly watered just thinking about them and by the time he sat down across from Skye he was coming to terms with the idea that he was definitely going to need a second box on the way out. He opened the box and took out a full-sized powdered jelly donut—as good as Timbits were, he liked the dozen donuts a lot better. He was careful when biting into it to make sure that jelly didn't drip everywhere and he set it down on a napkin in order to take a sip of his drink. "Fuck that's cold," he remarked, seeming more or less alright with this fact. Iced capps were supposed to be cold, it certainly wasn't a complaint. "I'm surprised they didn't run out," he remarked, gesturing to Skye's own order. "I mean, it's February. That's quite a while after the holidays, unless they're doing it for the whole of winter. I wouldn't complain." His tone was thoughtful as he spoke. Indeed, he'd like if they kept their specials year-round but then again, they wouldn't be specials if that were the case.

Josh's lips twitched, the only sign that he was amused by her comment. He considered for a moment whether he would actually lecture Skye if she dropped out or merely allow it to happen and silently live with his disappointment. In the end, and to himself, he decided that if any friend of his barring Nell—whom he would definitely try and talk out of it—would probably be safe from too much of an earful. He imagined that he would inquire as to their reasoning and let it alone if it was not too ridiculous, because what a lot of people did not realise about Josh was his reluctance when it came to prying. He did not consider himself as someone whose opinion ought to be law, was not conceited enough to believe that his way was the only way of thinking. Most of the time he allowed his friends to do as they wished and just offered his advice at best. He'd been controlled. He'd been manipulated. He'd been told that his choices were irrelevant and that he was not anyone worth hanging around and so Joshua wouldn't do that to someone else. However, this was mostly in jest, and so he merely left it with a, "How very kind of you."

As he was not a jealous person by nature unless it came to the subject of his girlfriend, in which case he usually felt a stirring of unease when he caught other guys looking at her, Josh did not catch on to any feelings of envy. Instead he just replied, "Wanting a social life on top of that would be too much, I'm afraid." Though he said it lightly, it was partially true. His circle of friends was small and so he could generally maintain it as long as the minute group understood that he had a jam-packed life. He liked the fact that he lived with Nell because of this. There were times where he was too swamped with school to juggle time with friends beyond phone calls and he knew that the same might have happened with Nell sooner or later, where there would be days without contact and nothing but the tiny words on a cellphone screen to keep him company while he slaved over his assignments. It was easier with friends because he was not in love with them. He loved them more like siblings than anything else. Apart from Nell, he was quite sure he'd never felt anything beyond a possible physical attraction toward his friends. He had hot female friends (Skye included) but didn't feel anything for them other than friendship.

Josh felt the usual ripple of unease when he was asked a question about his life but it was much more easily brushed aside nowadays. Not only was Skye a friend, but it was not an invasive question. There had been a period in his life where he would answer nothing at all or at least lie in his answers to avoid looking suspicious but he'd gotten a lot better with his distrust. Now he only distrusted the really prying things, and strangers. Neither Skye nor her question fit into these categories. "She's twelve," replied Joshua, and a rare smile graced his lips as he added, "Or almost thirteen as she reminds me at every possible interval." Not only did the smile brighten his features a bit but Josh's entire tone seemed to warm as he spoke of the young girl. It would be clear to anyone that spent enough time around Josh to realise this was not a usual reaction for him that he loved his younger sibling dearly. They were many years apart, what with Joshua being nearly twenty himself, but that did not change anything.


After blinking away the brief brain freeze that he'd gotten from ingesting the frigid drink too quickly, Josh put it down and smirked across the table at his friend. "And you've got a hot chocolate," he said, "so well spotted." He would drink scalding tea in the summers and frigid lemonade in the winters if he so wished, not abiding by the general "rule" that it should not be done. He also liked hot chocolate in the winter and ice cream in the summer, though. He was really an all-year-round sort of guy. Being a Fire elemental helped, because if he was really all that cold he could fix that and in the summer even the sweltering heat didn't bother him. "Thunder elementals never get static shocked, do they? I read that once in a book..." It might have seemed a bit of a random remark when they were sitting and discussing their respective orders but he did not apologise for the abruptness. "Can you confirm that for me?" Joshua's tone was genuinely curious and interested as his gray eyes met hers.

Joshua nodded, not arguing this point. He agreed with it, actually—he'd functioned without much of one for years and it had never really bothered him. He was comfortable with the idea that he'd be wealthy and educated with a doctorate years down the line rather than being a social butterfly. There were people like his mother that amazed him by being both smart and social but he didn't know if he could ever reach that level. Of course, Trish told him herself that she only had a bachelors in Political Science. "I had to raise you, Joshua," she'd reminded him with a slight smile. "I don't regret it because I got what I wanted anyway." He'd been younger at the time and she'd ruffled his hair, making him duck out of the way and fix it with an irritated expression. Donovan had a doctorate in medicine—Josh remembered having fun with that and addressing him as "Doctor Dale, M.D" for a few days after he'd officially passed his exams and gotten licensed. His father had taken that in pretty good spirits and Joshua would even go as far as to say he'd liked his son's approval. He missed their relationship back then. Why had it changed so much?

Speaking of being young, he smiled a little when Skye spoke of being twelve years old and wishing that they were much older than they actually were. He did not regret growing up as much as some people did because he'd been in a bad place when he was twelve but he certainly remembered his attitude during those days. He could not remember very specific examples but he knew that standing in a group of the much older gang members had made him long for getting on in years. "What, trying to convince everyone we were almost thirteen? Nah, I tried for sixteen." He grinned briefly in jest but he was only half kidding. He'd tried to sneak into places like clubs with his 'friends' and had almost always been kicked out. He hadn't been quite as much of a runt at twelve as he'd been when he was a child but he still hadn't hit the growth spurt that had shot him up in height, so his childishness had been evident. "I'll hand it to her, Annabel isn't too bad. She can be immature sometimes but I think all kids have that tendency." Given his stoic personality, a lot of people assumed that Joshua loathed children. Such was not the case—he was pretty fond of them, actually.

He listened with an air of genuine interest, soaking in the answer like a sponge. He loved to learn new things and confirm the ones that he had heard. "I don't get the chance to talk to many Thunder elementals recently," he said with a brief twitch of his lips. It was not bitter but its meaning was still clear. The Thunders hated him. "I was wondering whether it was true or just an unconfirmed belief." He knew that Thunder elementals could be affected by static shock if another Thunder intentionally tried to attack them—it was the same with Fire elementals, of course. Elementals could do to one another what the natural elements could not. "We Fires are immune to the heat, you know," he told her. "Have you ever heard that?" He was honestly curiously. Even in the sweltering heats of the summer, Josh was scarcely bothered. He would still remove his shirt if it was humid because it got uncomfortable but he did not sunburn and the warmth didn't make him fan himself or feel weak. It felt pretty good, actually. Cold was more or less the same, except it didn't feel good, their heat just counteracted and balanced it out so it didn't bug them.

He actually laughed then, but the sound was not as loud or obnoxious as some. "God, no," he said, shaking his head. "I was thrown out on my ass more times than I can count." He chuckled again, the volume not increasing in the least. Josh was a relatively quiet person even around his friends but it was not the sort of quiet that could be mistaken for shyness. He was more contemplative than hesitant and he could deal with people rather easily on a business-like level. He just wasn't friendly. He was courteous and civil toward his 'coworkers' when volunteering at the hospital and he never started anything with project partners in school if he could help it. Sometimes he missed the days of high-school when he and Skye had been able to partner up without fear of sending the alliance into a frenzy. Now they had to be quiet and secretive—it was a real pain in the backside if he were to be honest, but he knew it was better to hide than to risk the wrath of the school. The concept of fighting high-schoolers based on what was basically clique problems might have seemed ridiculous to anyone who heard it but if you factored elemental powers and politics into the matter, it suddenly got a lot more serious. "Now, when I was actually sixteen I stood a better chance." He'd slipped under the radar at that age once or twice, with maturity and height to help him.

Having been the only child for around seven years before the birth of his sister, the arrival of a sibling had been a fear of his. He'd expressed it many times to his exasperated parents until even Patricia's patience was wearing thin. Afraid that they were trying to replace him with a 'better' kid or that they'd always wanted a daughter more than a son had been a very legitimate paranoia at the time. Then Annabel had been born, and after a while his concerns had melted away. The wise couple had the sense to involve him as much as he wished in the care-taking of the child, impressing upon him that the role of 'big brother' was a very crucial and important thing. He hadn't felt left out or replaced and it had given him a very close bond with the girl despite a seven year gap. He was grateful to his mother and father for handling it like they had. "I do," he admitted. He didn't often talk to people about such intimate matters but it was alright with Skye. They'd known one another for ages. "Maybe you could tag along, meet her. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind." It might have seemed remarkable that she'd not already met the girl but Josh kept his life and his friendships quite separate. He was good at that. "That is, if you've got nothing better to do."

Corny as it was, Josh quite enjoyed spreading knowledge to others—even if it was simply stating a fact that he'd read in a book or mentioning something that he'd watched a documentary on. He also liked it when others shared things with him and so was quite cheerful when Skye was able to confirm his curiosities. "I suppose we do have that air about us," he mused. The Fire elementals also gave off an air of arrogance and violence to which he was no longer as partial. He had been proud to count himself amongst their ranks in his earlier years. It had promoted a sense of power to stand beside one of the more feared elements in the school. Then he'd realised that people were afraid of the Fire and Thunder alliance for the wrong reasons. They'd attacked and nearly killed Nell on a mere whim, on the simple word of someone who had in the end turned out to be a liar. Coward. He ran away, didn't he? He thought about the question before answer. "Yes," said Josh slowly, "but it's a bit... different." He considered a way to explain it so that he wouldn't sound confused when he next opened his mouth. If there was anything that he hated, it was stumbling over his sentences. "Heat doesn't bother us. It feels pretty much the same—comforting, familiar. It doesn't burn at all. It's not unpleasant. Cold... well, we can feel it at first, but I think our natural temperatures adjust once we've noticed." That was his speculations from the way it felt to him, at least. He'd noticed the biting chill of the air and then it had faded as his body adjusted, much more quickly than any mortal ever could. Or, indeed, any other elemental that was not Fire. "It was less effective before college. I think the control of heat has something to do with it."

He smiled a little at the thought, nodding. Yes, it had definitely been a little easier to pass for older when he was sixteen rather than nineteen. He'd been tall and didn't have any look of innocence or fear about him at that age, instead appearing confident and stoic. He'd still been kicked out almost every time they'd checked ID because even the fake ones weren't always reliable, but he'd at least gotten his fun a few times. Never in Blackjack, though. Not only did the upscale bar check the identities of all that entered the premises but his father drank there. Some of the patrons and indeed the staff as well knew his face if not his name and he'd have been both kicked out and reported to the man had he tried it then. Nowadays, being of legal age, he preferred Blackjack wherever possible. It did not double as a nightclub and so there was not the heavy stench of sweat and bodies pressing in around you and the alcohol, though expensive, tasted loads better. "Sure is," he replied. "Loads of homework, lots of stress, and beer. What more could anyone want?" He was kidding, though only in a way. Kids spent their entire childhood wanting to be older and then when they finally got to that point, all they wanted was to feel young again and not deal with all the responsibilities dumped on them. It was a vicious road.

He was admittedly looking forward to the introductions. He liked his friends to meet his family after he'd known them for so long, after all. He was a secretive person but the time for secrets had to have its limits as well. Nell had met his sister when he wasn't even friends with her! Of course, that had been a fluke. He'd probably have delayed the meeting otherwise. He liked to protect his outside life from his one at school because of how rich his parents were and how awkward that could sometimes get. He figured Skye had guessed at how much money he had by now—what with the designer sunglasses he always wore, his expensive-as-hell Lamborghini, his clothing. He wasn't ashamed of it, he just wasn't so proud of it that he paraded around crooning about it. Cash was cash. "That's settled, then," he decided, sounding cheery enough about this. Cheerful for Joshua was just 'lighter than usual' in tone but it was still detectable to those who were long-time friends. "Donuts and chocolate and whatever else Mum's got in the fridge, I assume," he said with a chuckle. They always had a lot of food in the fridge so he never protested to a fridge-raid when he brought people over. Even when they had appetites like that of his girlfriend. "My family will like you," he assured her lightly. "They like anyone who'll tolerate me!" This was said as a joke but, unbeknownst to Skye, was factual. He didn't have many friends so his parents appreciated those that were friendly without simultaneously being a bad influence on him.

He understood what it was like to only speculate the experiences of the other four elements besides your own. Sometimes he wondered what it was like for Nell, what it felt like for the life of a plant to flourish under your touch. He regarded fire as a 'living' entity in a way but it did not live as the earth did, as the trees breathed in the air. He'd never asked. "I imagine I'd disagree with you if I'm ever struck by lightning," he jested. Lightning strikes could kill a Thunder elemental just as fires could kill a Fire, but it was a lot more difficult. It took a lot more power and precision. Likewise, a Fire elemental would have twice the chance of surviving a blaze (especially if they could manipulate it enough). He'd heard that Waters also had less chance of drowning. He envied them that in a way. Not enough that he'd trade up his own power for it, of which he was much too fond, but enough to think about. He was terrified of drowning. Not that he'd told this to anyone except Nell and his parents. Looking outside, he noticed that the snow was drifting slowly downward. At least it's not a storm. "We'll need to walk the distance to Nell's place if we're heading to my parents'—I left my car there." He figured he'd warn her of this in case she decided to change her mind. It wasn't too far, but it was still a distance. "I could always cheat and make the walk warm, of course."