-- THE DIRECT APPROACH [Ashton]

The last fifteen minutes of class were not spent listening to the professor as they probably should have been. Instead, Ashton and his partner found themselves playing a rather intense game of hangman while they waited for the bell to ring that would release them from their prison for the day. They had both set up their own game and were guessing back and forth, deciding that the first one to hang was the loser. That way they both got their share of fun. "Uh, okay," said Ashton, glancing up quickly to make sure the teacher was not watching them before he turned his attention to the little lines at the bottom of the paper. "Is there a C?" His friend shook his head and Ashton groaned as the first leg was added to the figure. Two more strikes and he was out. "How about E?" Ashton pursed his lips and reluctantly filled in the letter. His friend cackled his triumph and then stiffened with a self-conscious glance toward the front of the room. The professor was glaring at the pair of them and Ashton ducked his head. The man frowned but went back to what he was saying and the Earth leader breathed a sigh of relief, believing that they'd gotten away with it for the time being. "Alright, er... F?" He didn't have any high hopes but his friend rolled his eyes and sketched an F in as the first letter.

F _ R _ S T

He hadn't guessed any vowels yet but Ashton had to resist slapping his hand down when he realised something. "Forest!" he said in a hushed but excited voice. He knew by the expression on his friend's face that he'd won. "Really? Forest? Could you get any more generic?" His friend stuck out his tongue in an immature gesture that nevertheless made the Earth chuckle. The bell rang and interrupted their fun and Ashton started to work on clearing his papers while his friend got up and joined the crowd filtering out into the hallway. "Mr. Raleigh," said the cool voice of the professor when he had stood up and was almost at the door. "A word, if you please." Chewing the inside of his lip, Ashton turned and stayed where he was, waiting. "Your grades are dropping," the man said sternly. "If you want to spend your time fooling around, it won't be my fault if they... slip below the passing mark." It was a threat, not even a disguised one, and Ashton swallowed nervously. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, wondering why his friend wasn't getting this treatment. He then reminded himself that the other Earth was near the top of the class and had been fooling around because his work was already finished. "Next time it'll be detention and a possible fail." He waved his hand toward the door in dismissal.

He was silently worrying over his slipping grades and so did not notice Lark until she touched her hand to his arm. He gave a start of surprise and turned, his emerald eyes wide when he saw who it was. He glanced around in mild panic, relieved to see that they were alone, and didn't protest when she said that they needed to talk. He had no idea what it would be about but the sanctuary of the empty classroom was a lot safer than the hallway. It wouldn't remain devoid of students for long. When they were inside the room he closed and locked it behind them, jerking his head toward the back of the classroom so that it was impossible for someone to look through the window of the door and their voices would be better disguised. "Lark, right?" He'd only spoken to her once but Ashton was a friendly guy and he remembered most of the folks he became acquainted with. "What did you want to talk about? It must be important if you're willing to put us both in danger." There was the slightest hint of an edge to his voice. He was protective of his position and he didn't want to lose it. "We can't make a habit of this." He recalled Asha and how much of a mistake that had been. He wasn't keen on a repeat experience but perhaps what Lark had to say was important. He went silent and waited for her to speak.

Ashton felt his irritation diminishing as the girl in front of him seemed to deflate a little. She didn't seem as rough around the edges as a lot of the Fires were, though Ashton knew from limited experience that the Fire elementals could be pleasant toward the right people. It wasn't who you were but what you were in this school. It was a sad reality but it was one that most, Ashton included, accepted without much of a fight. The alliances were as old as the school itself—as long as it had been a school, anyway. It was to his understanding that elemental affiliations had existed even before the Academy had opened. Prejudice had occurred. The settlements were often purely consisted of a single element or at least two allied elements, with Winds as drifters or in colonies of their own. He didn't know the specifics but he did know what it meant for the alliances. It was in the blood. "Alright, as long as it's important," he said, dipping his head. His tone no longer carried the bitter edge. He was used to Fire elementals having his worst interests in mind and so his reaction to Lark had been almost automatic. Ashton was not a mean person in any respect but he could definitely get defensive at times. He knew how to stand up for himself, too, which was probably why he of all the guys in his element had been chosen as a leader.

He was usually not surprised when people came to him for comfort and advice. Ashton was like a giant teddy bear to his friends, always willing to offer hugs and warm words if they had something on their mind. Then again, his surprise this time around had more to do with whom it was he was speaking with. He was used to Earths, mainly, even Waters and the occasional Wind. Not anyone else. However, it wasn't in his personality to outright refuse to listen. He did not have to help her but he would at least let her put her words out there for him to hear. He would do it for any Fire no matter where they were in terms of the alliance. Any Thunder, too. He gave people chances. Not always as friends (in fact, hardly ever as friends when it came to opposing elements) but as people. "If you think I can help you in some way, I'll listen. I can't promise anything beyond that, though. You understand, right?" His position and his standing would need to come first. He did not seek to offend Lark or make her feel disliked but it was his duty to defend the alliances. When Lark mentioned these alliances, he did not try to disguise the surprise in his features. He did not immediately speak, instead dipping his head and gesturing with his hand for her to say what it was she needed to. His mind was whirring but he would let her get out what was on her mind before he interrupted.

As a leader with over a year's seniority, Ashton did understand that it was also his responsibility to cater to those who fell out with their own side and wandered over to his. Any leader approached with such a problem was expected to deal with it. He had an option when it came to dealing with Lark, though—a choice. He could turn her away if he wanted to. Luckily for the Fire elemental, he wasn't so quick to make his decisions. "What all entails?" he repeated, furrowing his brow with a frown. "What do you mean? Are you asking what you have to do or what will happen when you do it?" He thought to the traitors that the school did have and how they were recieved. Some fared better than others. Some weren't accepted by their new "allies" and those students became the absolute bottom of the school's social ladder. No one, not even the Winds, associated with them. It was a bit rare to be rejected by both sides but it certainly was possible. "I suppose I can understand that," he said fairly. He knew that not everyone felt at home within their element. Once again, it was rare, but rare did not mean it never happened. "You've certainly approached the right person," he admitted. It was his job. "If you're asking whether or not the Earth element will accept you, I can't speak for all of them, but I can give them my opinion. It would help." An element generally looked to its leaders for guidance. "Is there any strong reason you want to switch sides?"

Ashton's lips twitched in what might have been sympathy, though it was hard to tell. "Not many people are." Most of the school stuck hard to the alliances and the students never had a clear reason to betray their element. Thus, the knowledge on traitors and how exactly to become one was rusty or non-existent in the minds of most. Some managed the easy way by making their loyalties known in a war, which was about as clear a picture as could be sent. Times of peace were a little different and so their methods were also changed. "Well first I have to ask—are you a day student? It's easier that way." It wasn't simple to shelter an enemy elemental permanently in the dormitories. It could be done, yes, but it meant talking to the Academy's staff and making sure they knew about it. It wasn't to say it was out of the question, it was merely simpler when the student didn't stay overnight at the Academy to begin with and thus had nothing to lose by being blocked out of the dormitories. "If you are, it's just a matter of changing who you hang around. Cutting old ties, forming new ones." It meant slicing away those friendships in the alliance you were betraying and starting anew on the other side. "Are you really ready to do that? Your element probably won't take you back, no matter what regrets you have." He said it slowly and carefully, not wanting to offend but wanting to make sure she was aware of the risks.

Scratching the back of his neck, Ashton was quiet for a moment as he thought about what else he should tell her. He'd only had this discussion once or twice. It was more than a lot of leaders, given the rarity of traitors, but that didn't make the situation any less pressing. One thing he forgets to mention and he could risk messing things up for Lark and for himself. "Once people are aware that you're a traitor, it usually takes them a few weeks or even a couple of months to accept you as one of them, at least completely. It might be a bit slow but... they're only looking out for themselves." The elementals were always wary of someone from a side they were used to opposing. He knew that it had been that way for all traitors of the Academy thus far. It wasn't a matter of changing sides and having everyone love you within two seconds. "If you want advice, I'd say to be honest and as genuine as possible." The Earth elementals and most of the Waters responded the best when they felt they could trust a person. He wasn't asking her to be open, merely to admit her reasons for switching sides and to give them a sense of security. He observed her, feeling bad for how crushed she seemed to be. "That's why I'm asking you these things," he pointed out. "If it's any comfort, I don't think you're lying." She seemed to be in a pretty bad place so his opinion of her was a good one. Sometimes Ashton could be a little too trusting.

He was not sure how he felt to know that one of the traitors on the side of the Earths and Waters was associated with Fire elementals, but then he calmed himself with the reminder that Lark was considering a switch, too. There were weak points in every alliance. And more than most, Ashton could understand the pull of a friendship, of a relationship. He didn't think he could have betrayed his element for Asha but the fact that he'd stopped to consider it even once spoke volumes for how love or companionship could affect a person. "If you're positive about switching sides, the best I can do is let my element know that you're not a threat. I can't speak for the Water element but if we accept you, chances are they might, too." If Water accepted a traitor into their midst, the Earths would not be immediately friendly toward the other side, no. But if they realised that their allies trusted the newcomer then they'd come around eventually. Sometimes it didn't happen but there was a strong chance of it. Strong enough that he didn't feel the need to outline the risk further. "I'll have to talk to my partner, too, but she usually trusts me." They worked well together. "You have my backing," he told her. "It's up to you to do the rest, I think." She'd need to make it official on her own terms by creating her new bonds with the side she wanted to switch to. He wondered whether or not she would.