-- JUST REMAINS OF AN AGE && [asher]

A flicker of distaste passed through his gray eyes when he realised that he would not be able to consult with the owner, but it cleared a moment later and he nodded to the younger boy to show that he'd heard. He would have much preferred someone that looked like they had a couple decades under their belt but he wasn't the type that would rudely insist upon this. It's just an oil change, he tried to soothe his paranoia as he informed the employee of what he wanted done. He guessed that it was a possibility to wait around until the owner returned but again, being rude was not on his list of top priorities. If it had been something much more serious, he would have done, only because he did not want anything to happen to Harper. Then again, if it had been something more serious he'd have taken her to the specialist for sure. It may have been a waste of money but it was a willing choice in order to deal with someone that had over forty years of experience in dealing with sports cars, specialising in Lamborghinis as well as taking money out of peoples pockets. Of course, most that could afford such a high-end car didn't have much to worry about in terms of a bank account. "She's still going smoothly, but I prefer to catch problems before they start." Maybe the oil would hold out for the next little while but Josh wasn't taking any chance.

His lips twitched when Asher caught sight of the car, always having an immense pride in the vehicle. She was a little over a year old but he treated her the same as he had when he'd first gotten her, with that same reverence and respect. This was one hell of a beautiful car. "Ten?" he repeated, surprised. Most people didn't start that young and he wondered whether it was an exaggeration or just special circumstances. Perhaps he was the owner's son, or a nephew or some sort. "How many years is that?" He raised his eyebrows slightly, not necessarily impressed, just curious. Joshua knew how to change the oil in his car, he just preferred to leave it up to someone else. It wasn't rocket science but it wasn't something he'd let a total amateur do to his Lamborghini, either. In the end he decided that the years of experience this guy had were probably trustworthy enough. Just an oil change. "Yeah, sure," he shrugged. "As long as you understand that I'll run you over if you fuck her up." His tone was serious but he did smile slightly in an attempt to diffuse any tension, not really as serious as he may have sounded. He'd be furious and he'd probably seek some sort of compensation but even Harper wasn't worth murder.

He nodded in agreement, also wanting to avoid oily fingerprints all over the inside of his precious car. The audible purr of the engine was a sound he'd become accustomed to in driving the sports car and it was silenced only when he turned it off and stepped back outside. As Asher went over to do something with the battery on his own car, Joshua patted his pocket to make sure he had his wallet on him—which he did—and then lounged around for the short while it took for him to return. "That's a nice car, too. You said it was yours?" He gestured to the Camaro, though he did not know the exact specs of the car. He loved cars but he wasn't one of the experts that could tell everything about a vehicle just by looking at it. "Due mila undici," he said with a grin, then, "Two thousand eleven. She's relatively new." He nodded. "They are, aren't they? I toyed with the idea of a Ferrari but I much prefer the Lamborghini's designs." His father had an Italia in the classic red colour. Josh liked the plain white of his car, though. White could become dirty rather quickly but a clean white car signified good ownership and care. Harper was spotless, something he took pride in. "Name's Josh, by the way. I'd offer to shake your hand, but..." His gray eyes were slightly amused as he nodded to the oil on Asher's hands.

Always one to appreciate a compliment, Joshua was relatively content with the guy's opinion on him. He liked it when people recognised the good things that he did, even if it was something as simple as taking great care of his vehicle. Josh got a lot of heat from his enemies about his bad qualities so it was a welcome change when a complete stranger seemed to get a good impression. "I want her to have a long life," he said, patting the hood of his car like it was some treasured pet. He didn't see his car as a living being and only called it his 'baby' when he was kidding around but that did not mean he had no respect for the vehicle. Hey, she was lovely. "They aren't the easiest cars to replace." If a cheap car coughed and died, most people would be glad to see it go. He'd bet that Nell would celebrate the end of her current car, Gwen, judging by how much she seemed to desire a change. Good cars were of a whole different calibre. The Aventador, being among the newest models of its bran, was in high demand and, in Donovan's words, had been 'a hell of a thing to get my hands on'. Being rich and having a lot of friends had its upsides. Joshua had no doubt that he wouldn't have been able to get one of the cars if not for his father's intervention. Heck, he hadn't even asked for the Lambo. Donovan must have caught sight of his son poring over the magazines or websites and figured it out on his own. The man knew him better than he sometimes cared to admit.

"Seven years? That's a pretty long time." Joshua relaxed a little, feeling better about this than he had when he'd first walked in. Once upon a time he wouldn't have been nearly this trusting and friendly toward a complete stranger but his walls weren't as thick as they'd once been. It was a good thing, at least in his mind. He felt more comfortable around people now. So comfortable, in fact, that he added, "I know how that feels, though. The old man's a doctor and I'm going to medical school in a couple years myself." Revealing this personal detail didn't bother him in the least. A lot of people talked about themselves in conversation to better acquaint themselves with people and Asher had offered him the same information just a moment before. Not everyone followed the passions of their parents but it was nice to know he wasn't the only person who was going into a career he'd learned about as a child. Unfortunately, medicine wasn't a career you could learn without all the proper degrees. Donovan couldn't have taken him to the hospital at ten years old and shown him how to perform surgeries. That was alright with Josh. He was fine with taking the long way around. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to know he could get through life without holding his parents' hands.

Asher may have felt guilty for holding him up a little but Joshua was, on the contrary, completely relaxed. It took longer to have his car looked at by a specialist and so a couple of minutes of waiting around was a lot better than the usual deal he got. He didn't mention this to Asher, unaware that the Wind elemental was having such thoughts. "How's that going for you?" Joshua had never really desired to get a fixer-upper. It might have been a dream for a lot of car enthusiasts to build their own car or restore an old one but Joshua didn't have the time or the experience needed. He was fine with Harper and her youth. Besides, her speed was incredible. He remembered racing down the road that led out of town with Nell and hoping they weren't caught by the cops, relishing the speed and the burst of adrenaline it gave him. However, he was a responsible driver. He kept within the speed limits when he was driving on residential roads, having no desire to cause an accident. It would wreck his car and cause injuries or even deaths that could land him in a prison cell.

"Same goes for you, Asher." It was a name he hadn't heard around before but that meant nothing. Maple Hollow was a fairly decent city—not huge, but decent. There were a lot of inhabitants both elemental and otherwise. This was why the question about the Academy surprised him, his dark brows lifting slightly. "The school in the mountains? Yeah, I go to college there." He did not hesitate to admit an Academy education but he carefully avoided any talk of elements. Some of the mortals were every bit as curious about who went to the school as the elementals were and he didn't want to slip up and blow his cover. He was fine with the human inhabitants thinking that it was only his intelligence that had gotten him into the Academy. He was smart enough to get into institutions of the sort and so it was believable even to the mortals that knew him well. He and Asher had only just met but what reason would the other boy have to doubt him. "What about you?" he returned casually. "Where do you go to school?" It was his not so subtle way of wondering if Asher was an elemental or not without outright asking it.

[Did not even notice! Nell suggested it to him and Josh was like "Yeah, sounds good." xD]

The introduction of a new name into the conversation did not slip Joshua's notice. "I assume Greg runs this place?" It did not seem to be a half-bad business, even if it was not the sort of high-end and high-priced place he was used to. He wondered how old Greg was and how long he'd been working on cars but he withheld the question, knowing that it was a bit personal to ask someone other than the man himself. Personal questions were bad enough when you weren't gaining the information from a third party. "With seven years under your belt at your age it would seem a bad decision to kick you out!" It was mostly a joking compliment but it had some hint of truth to it. Wasn't it better to start training someone young and keep them around until they were well into their own careers? Then they'd have loads more experience than the Average Joe. That was how he looked at it, anyway, and also why he stuck to volunteering rather than finding an actual job somewhere other than the hospital. What use was money when your lack of experience bogged you down? Especially to someone like Josh. When he'd first decided that he wanted to become a doctor, Joshua had hidden the information from everyone with the fear that he'd be unable to accomplish his goals. Now, with much higher confidence, he talked of going to medical school like he'd already sent in the application and gotten the okay to attend.

Though he was not as conceited as some, Joshua still did possess an ego. He liked to be praised and liked the feeling that he got whenever someone looked on him with the slightest admiration. He would not croon about himself or brag about his accomplishments endlessly but that did not mean he couldn't be appreciative. He understood that Asher was kidding around but allowed himself to believe there was some shred of truth in the compliment. "And if you're good to my car, I'll take special care not to leave any unwanted surgical tools resting in your stomach." He was kidding again, relying on the assumption that Asher could catch his reference. In all honesty, Josh was baffled by any accounts of foreign objects being left in a patient by a surgical team. There were usually multiple people performing a surgery—how the hell did it escape everyone's notice? Perhaps it was the ego again but Joshua was damned positive he wouldn't be that stupid or careless.

He was no mechanic, but Joshua understood the majority of the conversation. He wouldn't be able to look at a car and tell what was wrong with it like Asher could or what exact restorations would need to be made to get one up and running again but he at least knew what a timing belt was and so followed what the other boy was saying. "I'd bet it would," he agreed. It was nice to talk to someone that knew more about cars than the difference between a sports car and a regular one. A lot of people complimented his nice car but it wasn't like he could rattle off a list of her specs in excitement and have the other party understand. He also loved that Nell knew her way around car talk, that she understood how much he liked them because she was much the same. That she was female did not matter—aside from his sexuality, Josh didn't really give a damn who was female and who wasn't. "What sort of car do you drive in the mean time?" he wondered. He realised after that Asher's age might mean that he didn't have a car of his own just yet but didn't take the question back, figuring the boy would correct him if he was wrong.

He was not sure how to take the comment, wondering whether it was a jab at his physical maturity or an honest sort of comment. Deciding that Asher had no real reason to try and offend him, Joshua said, "Twenty, actually. I'm a junior." He wasn't even a teenager any more. At the same time, the fact that this guy had mistaken him for being younger could be seen as a strange sort of compliment. It meant he aged well, right? Either that or it means I'll be stuck flashing my ID until I'm thirty, he thought sarcastically. Confirming his age and identity was something he was used to by now but which he still considered a hassle. He relaxed fairly quickly, not that offended. "I'm also a Fire elemental," he said, keeping his voice fairly low. There was no one else around but he was always one to take precautions. Josh was the opposite of Asher when it came to being discreet. His mother worked with the government and so she'd always drilled it into him how dangerous they could be. Go figure. "Thank you," he said, once Asher had finished the oil change. He doubted that there was anything amiss with his car and so he handed over the cash without checking first. He trusted him to know what he was doing after seven years.

[It's funny cause Josh's face-claim is actually 32 xD]