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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 18, 2012 17:26:38 GMT -5
Ashton lay on his back in bed that morning, staring at the ceiling and procrastinating on his papers as per usual. It was a common routine for him. He knew that he should have woken up and started on the papers an hour ago, especially the one that was due tomorrow, but he was so lazy. He didn't want to do work, he wanted to sleep in or go hang out with friends. Sighing, the Earth pushed himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of the bed, getting up and wandering over to the closet. He kept his papers high up thanks to a prank by the Water leaders the last time they'd been in here. They'd asked if they could talk to him about the alliances, along with his female counterpart, and the moment they'd gotten inside they'd flooded the dormitory. It had only been a joke but it had resulted in the ruining of his homework, which had been in his bag on the floor by the bed. He forgave them easily when they apologised but he was a lot more cautious now. Ashton sighed and flopped back down on the bed, chewing the end of his pen out of sheer habit while he thought of what to write. He'd never had a particular way with words.
In fact, half an hour later there were drawings in the margins of the lined sheets and only a sentence or two written down, rendered unusable anyway thanks to his sketchy artwork. The pen was running out of ink as he coloured in random bits of the drawings, nothing impressive as standards went. He had completely spaced out by this point and so when someone walked into the room he did not notice them until they cleared their throat, causing him to jump violently and score a huge blue line across the paper. "Sorry! Sorry!" The girl looked mortified as, heart hammering, he turned to face her. Ashton was relatively easy-going and so he smiled and shook his head. "It's fine. I did leave the door open." He did so with the intention of allowing his fellow Earths to simply walk in and speak with him, being that he was the leader. He assumed that's what she was here for and so he pushed aside his doodles and said, "Sup?" It was rather informal but the leaders often were. They were all the same age, after all, he only had authority and not superiority. In his mind, there was a difference. "Well, there's been a bit of a problem with the Fires..."
Long story short, Ashton was getting sick of the Fire elementals and the way that they thought they could do whatever they liked to his friends and elemental kin. He barely had the patience to sit through the entire account, impatient to deal with the problem. He'd let the last couple of incidents slide in the hopes that he could avoid confrontation but it was clear that pacifism wasn't the ideal way to deal with Fires. He found a Wind elemental and asked calmly, "Could you tell one of your leaders that I'd like to meet with them?" The boy gave him a strange look and Ashton only smiled. "Whatever." Ashton hoped he followed through. He then practically demanded a meeting with the Fire leaders, though he'd heard the male Fire wasn't at school. They're not getting off that easy. It took a lot to upset him, really, but attacking the people he cared about was a surefire way to rile up the kind-hearted Earth. He was more frustrated than mad but that could soon change. He was, of course, the first one to the meeting room. Ashton flopped down in a chair and watched the door, feeling restless. He hoped this didn't turn into a fiasco, but one could never be sure with these things.
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Post by asher on Mar 18, 2012 19:34:22 GMT -5
Leader. He was actually elected leader. Out of every wind elemental that they could have picked to step up and take the position, they picked him. Asher's smile was bright and unwavering as he strode down the hallway with a group of students, chatting amiably with most of them. From what he gathered they were Earth and Water, which he felt easier around in the first place. Joshua was an exception to the fires, but even then he was on their side of the alliance. "So what's gonna be your first act as leader?" One of his friends held up an invisible microphone, acting like a reporter taking a story from the wind student. Asher laughed and ran a hand through his hair, putting on an air of importance. "First off, I will install an indoor swimming pool. Then I'm going to ban detentions for making paper airplanes in class, because I believe it's an important skill all highschoolers must obtain." His friends snickered and continued to talk to him, his stride slow and comfortable. It was definitely a good day. He knew Adam was be pissed, but that little douche of a child could take his issues somewhere else. No one was going to bring him down today.
Of course, the day had its own plans, and just as the group of students lingering around him had disappeared to go their separate ways a fellow wind approached him. "Hey Perry," Asher greeted jovially, smile still plastered to his face. The kid did not look all that pleased, leaving Asher to tilt his head a bit to the side. "What's wrong man?" The student seemed less than eager to be bringing him the news; whether it was because he wound up being the carrier pigeon or because the news was bad he could not tell. "The Earth leader wants to speak with you. Seemed urgent." With that, Perry wandered off down the hall, leaving Asher rather bewildered. He had not dealt with much of this before now, and looked more like a lost child than a leader at that moment. What did the other leader want? What was going to happen? Would there be food? So many questions ran through his head, and he was not quite sure how to sort them out. Did not help he was hungry, which distracted him from the matter at hand. Deciding it best not to dawdle around, the curly haired Wind made his way towards the meeting room. He had only been in there one time before and it was more for his touring pleasure than an actual meeting with the other leaders. Asher felt confident that his skills would make him a good leader, and was not afraid to feel that way. He was focused, driven, and did not mind placing some of his time in school politics.
After weaving through what seemed like an endless sea of students going to and from their classes and the mess hall, Asher made his entrance into the meeting room. So far, only the earth leader was present, which he supposed was for the best. Ashton, he recalled; Asher was good with names and faces. With a gentle smile Asher approached the Earth leader and sat down next to him with a soft thud. "Hey, Ashton," The boy started, leaning back to get comfortable. Something told him that this was not just a simple 'meet and greet' sort of deal, and felt his back tighten up slightly. "What's going on? Is there something wrong?" He could only hope that nothing was wrong, but why else would Ashton have summoned him here? Twiddling his fingers, he glanced around the room, now feeling oddly out of place. It's just the new leader jitters. You'll get past that. They wouldn't have elected you if they did not think you could handle this. Confident as he was, Asher did have his doubts as to whether he could handle some of the issues leaders dealt with. He supposed he would have to wait and see.
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Post by ALTAIR SABINA BENNETT on Mar 21, 2012 18:14:04 GMT -5
Altair held her cigarette between French manicured fingers, a cup of coffee in the other hand. Half and half, four sugars, diabetes in a cup. She was an early riser, no matter what. Even hangovers couldn’t sedate her. She gazed at the light of the sun reflecting off the water through sunglasses, drawing on her cigarette. It felt like it would be a mild day, the sun not as abrasive as she knew it to be in the summer. She didn’t mind the weather either way. With only the filter left, she flicked the butt over the cliff’s edge, not watching its descent into the lake. Her coffee was lukewarm by now, but she sipped from it as she headed back down the cliffs in strappy heels. You can walk on a runway, you can walk on cliffs.
She knew she was supposed to be meeting with the Earth leader, but she decided that she wanted to prove she had her own rules that she operated by, her Magna Carta. Just because the Earth kiddies were whining didn’t mean she’d come running. She wasn’t a mother. Even though she was now top dog of the Fire element, she was the same person, same Altair Sabina Bennett. Just with more power than should be allowed to a megalomanic sycophant. She wasted more time by talking to a group of friends and dicking around. When she checked her phone, Altair figured she might as well show up fashionably late.
The mess hall was crowded, and she pushed her way unforgivingly through the crowd, sunglasses now on her head. When she entered the room, she did not expect there to be two boys sitting there, but she simply cast a glance between them. Not friendly or unfriendly--just casual observance. ”Yo,” she said without apology, taking a seat and leaning back. ”Thought I was just supposed to be meeting with the Earth leader.” She lifted a finely plucked eyebrow, indicating that someone there didn’t belong. She didn’t know who. The girl was still green to the position, still didn’t recognize other leaders, people she supposed were her kin.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 21, 2012 23:56:15 GMT -5
He held in his sigh of relief when it was Asher who entered the room first, a boy he'd met only briefly during their introduction. Despite that they were almost strangers, Ashton felt a lot more comfortable with the idea of a neutral party than in dealing with the Fire leader in a room devoid of any sort of support. He was no coward but the Fire elementals were not known for playing fair. What if they brought a group to assault him? It had certainly happened before. He was brave, though, brave enough to have been elected leader. Asher's smile seemed gentle and Ashton returned it without hesitation. "Hey." He was normally a lot more bubbly and cheerful than he was at present but the matter at hand had subdued his usual enthusiasm a little. He was not a particularly angry person but the Fires went too far with thinking they could walk all over his element without consequences. He wished his counterpart had been around to join him but she was busy with her other commitments and so this was a battle he'd need to face alone.
Or, well, with some company. The reason for Asher's presence was simple: Ashton didn't want to be backed into a corner and left alone, and he also didn't trust the Fires not to show up and start a fight with him. They were aggressors by nature and he worried about that sometimes. "I don't know if it classifies as 'wrong' yet, just something I wanted to clear up with the Fire element." He trained a steady green gaze on Asher when he mentioned the other element in the equation, wondering if the Wind elemental understood. "It's always best to have someone unaffiliated around for these kinds of things. You don't mind, right?" It was a part of a leader's duties to respond when the others called upon them. Leaders could not outright refusal meetings because it resulted in consequences. After they'd been waiting for a while, Ashton tugged awkwardly at the end of his sleeve. "This sure is taking a while. I did put the word out." Sighing, he went over to the back counter and got a bottle of water from the fridge. The meeting room was always stocked with water and non-perishables. Helpful, really, because these meetings could drag.
Altair finally showed her face and Ashton couldn't help a prickle of irritation when she did not apologise for being late. He got over it quickly, though, resolving not to start any fights. "Altair," he acknowledged, also staying carefully neutral. It normally wasn't hard for him to be friendly but tensions between the elements could make this difficult. "Do you have a problem with Asher being here? It's normal for the Wind element to watch over things." He wondered whether she knew that or whether she would have cared if she did. He didn't quite know what to think of her, seeing as they were unacquainted. "Ashton," he introduced himself. "I wanted to meet with you to discuss the... issues... my element has been having with yours." He worded it carefully, trying to avoid offence.
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Post by asher on Mar 22, 2012 10:27:19 GMT -5
Asher half frowned when he took notice of Ashton's lack of enthusiasm, and instantly became wary. It was not really that he expected something bad to happen, but he fed off of what the Earth leader was emanating. Although Ashton attempted to brush off this meeting as though it were nothing, Asher was not so quick to believe it. "Oh, I getcha," He replied with a nod, smiling still. He was not going to let the possibly dangerous meet up turn his smile into a frown, because it was simply not his nature. Asher waved him off and slouched a bit in the chair, looking calm and collected despite the strange churning in his gut. "It's cool! I'm still a bit fresh to all of this, but I definitely don't mind being here. Hopefully no mediating will be needed but..." He shrugged, not really finishing the sentence since Ashton probably picked up what he was putting down. Asher was not extremely fond of the Fires and Thunders and knew who he would protect if shit hit the fan. He just hoped he wouldn't have to do that today.
They sat in silence for a while, Asher picking at the fabric on the seat and trying not to let his mind drift too far. He never fared well with sitting still, ever. Eventually he stood up and began to wander the room, sorting out car parts and naming them off in his head to keep him mentally occupied. "I guess some people just don't have any sense of time," Asher stated coolly, trying not to imagine what might happen between the two opposing elements. The pacifistic Earths and the trigger-happy Fires were not a good combination in a setting like this, especially if a possible issue was involved. Finally the Fire leader showed up--a female, to Asher's surprise--and sat down without so much as an apology for keeping them waiting. He found his seat again and sat back down, watching the girl with a wary gaze. "Just here to observe and keep things civil," The boy replied with a shrug, glancing between the two elemental leaders. He was still not proficient with politics, but figured that was something appropriate to say without seeming like an intruder on their discussion. I hope things stay civil for all our sakes. He thought, fighting back a frown.
He was really surprised at how calm Ashton tried to be considering the possible upset the Fires may have caused to the Earths. What exactly happened? How would the Fire leader--apparently named Altair--respond? He knew the tempers they possessed and wondered if she was going to fly off the handle over some small thing. For now, Asher was going to merely sit back and watch them and hope that no one ended up in the medical wing. That was his goal for this meeting, he decided.
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Post by ALTAIR SABINA BENNETT on Mar 22, 2012 18:35:51 GMT -5
Altair's posture was confident but relaxed all at once, completely at ease with the situation. She'd been informed of why she had to even come here, and honestly, she didn't really care much. But this was her job, her duty, and she at least had some sense of responsibility. When it suited her best, that is. She looked toward the brown-eyed one when he spoke, still at a lost for names. "How gracious," she said, tone impassive. When the other one spoke, the green-eyed one, and asked if she had a problem with Asher (so that's his name...) being there, it was almost as if she hadn't heard the question. No change in facial expression. In a moment she turned her head back to Asher, not lingering for long. She didn't know much of the Wind element, they were just a bunch of unattached students to her, as random as objects thrown into a junk drawer.
So this was a usual thing for meetings? Or was it because Earth and Fire were at such odds with each other that a neutral party needed to monitor them? "It's no problem for me," she said, voice fluid and thankfully untouched by a few years of smoking. Maybe she should quit just so her voice didn't grow coarse with it. "Though I have to wonder if you don't trust me." By now she figured out that this boy was the Earth leader. She couldn't say she was any fond of him, considering she wasn't very chummy with his element. She tried to read him, but knew that despite their weak constitutions by her standards, most of them didn't shake like chihuahuas, beady eyes darting everywhere at once. It was still a mental image she held of them.
Green Eyes introduced himself as Ashton, and she gave an appraising nod. He started in diplomatically, and it was something she didn't really know about. Diplomacy. "Trouble?" she questioned as if she didn't understand the word. "More so than usual, I assume. What kinds of things have been going on?" She had a feeling this would be the Earth kids whining, running to their Papa Ashton and tugging on his shirt, asking him to do something about the playground bullies. Conflict happened, and she guessed that the Earths were too soft to realize that. Her thoughts did not come across in her behavior, arms crossed over her stomach and gaze probing.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 22, 2012 22:11:08 GMT -5
Asher seemed friendly. Ashton went ahead and decided that he liked him, because friendly folks were usually good ones in his books. It was good for all of the leaders to stay in the good books of the Wind leaders so that they didn't turn on you in the event of a fight. He'd learned that during the most recent war when Wind had split down the middle and everything had gone to shit. "Feel free to ask us questions and all that," he said, aiming to make Asher feel more comfortable in his position by explaining the usual procedures. "The Winds usually try to get both sides in case things don't go too well and questions are asked. Protocol, y'know?" Ashton didn't mind being questioned because he honestly didn't think his element was in the wrong here and so he believed he had nothing to fear.
Ashton was not sure what to think of Altair, though he did find himself relaxing as he realised she was not quite as openly aggressive as he'd been expecting. Ashton's frustrations with the Fire elementals had led him to believe that they were all trying to start shit at the current moment and he realised that he was going to need to stop letting his defensiveness get carried away with him. He was not easily incensed but his Earths were like a family. Brothers protecting brothers. "I certainly don't trust your element," he said levelly, deciding to be honest with her. He was a fairly bad liar and so she probably would have been able to see right through him if he tried. Ashton didn't like lying to people and so he didn't do it very often, certainly not often enough to be proficient. "As for you, I don't know. I can't judge someone I hardly know." The Fires certainly did a good enough job of that, though. They were constantly stereotyping. Then again, the Earths believed in stereotypes, too. The entire school was roped in by them.
Don't play that dumb, Altair. He reminded himself that it was possible she didn't know and calmed himself. This was supposed to be a civil meeting between leaders, not a fight. "I would definitely think so." The usual trouble was tolerable. A pain, yes, but tolerable. Tensions between the five elements would always exist but when they started to really wear him down he knew it was time to take action. "When I start to have multiple people approaching me a day, Altair, I count it as a problem." One was common enough. Maybe two if it was a particularly stressful exam day and tensions in the halls were high. Not multiple successive days in a row. "You're the leader now, which means you're supposed to be keeping your element in line. I don't know if their behaviour has simply slipped your mind, or..." He trailed off and looked at her questioningly, wondering how she would respond.
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Post by asher on Mar 23, 2012 10:28:35 GMT -5
Asher was not going to hesitate asking questions if need be; he was not shy by any means, nor did he particularly care if they found his inquiries to be burdening. For now, though, he was content to sit and listen to the other leaders talk out their problems and hope that no punches were thrown. His bright brown eyes continued to flit from one leader to the other, trying to figure out how they were going to respond next. "The request for my presence has nothing to do with lack of trust," Asher replied, lifting his chin a little bit. He wanted to ensure Altair did not feel his presence was because of her, even if it probably was. "It's always good to have someone neutral no matter which elemental leader was placed in this room." He sounded confident and light, no hint of wariness to his voice even if his eyes did not exactly match it.
Altair did not seem happy to be there, but also attempted to play stupid and act as though nothing was wrong. He continued to eye Ashton to see how he was going to take all of this. Asher wanted to tell Ashton that criticizing another leader about how to care for their element was probably not the wisest idea, but nothing could be done now. Pointing it out would only make things worse. This was the first time he ever had to truly think things through before opening his mouth and making an unwelcome comment or tossing in a joke. This was going to be harder than he first thought.
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Post by ALTAIR SABINA BENNETT on Mar 23, 2012 22:48:43 GMT -5
Altair's head was already aching. It was so pendantic, so formal. She hated these kinds of situations. They were boring, terse, made her think of nine-to-five jobs and board room meetings. Ashton made his first mistake by saying that he didn't trust her element. Her eyes took on a steely texture, like ice on a river. "You just judged the element I hail from," she said, calm. Steady. "Therefore I have to believe I'm party of that judgment." When you generalized, you included everyone. Including the element's leader. She could tell Ashton just what she thought about him and his element, but her eyes turned to the Wind leader. "I see," she said. She could believe him. He didn't seem like he was lying about that matter, and there would be no reason to.
Her attention was drawn back to the Earth leader, and her posture was somewhat less open now, more like a big cat staying low in the grass, watching its prey. Tracking the patterns. "Or maybe your element just likes to whine," she said. Pure and simple, Altair didn't get Earths. She spent her time around people who got pissed when the element with the upper hand fucked with them. They got violent. Though she should figure that the kind, squishy element liked to take the other route, the one of peace and understanding. She didn't do peace. "I understand that it is a concern for you." She smirked, her eyes saying, It's because you're weak, like your element. "But I hear nothing from my element. So I have to wonder..." She knew why she heard minimum complaints from her element, and it was because of forest fires and the fact that wood is used to burn--Earths were the susceptible ones.
She leaned back, her eyes flashing but there was no leaping up to grab him by the collar and punch his teeth into the back of his throat. That was good. Don't tell me what I should be doing, you little fuck. "Oh no, I'm well aware of it," she said, sickly smooth. It felt like a shot at her intelligence, though she should have known better with the Earth elementals who were basically doormats for her to scuff her Jimmy Choos on. "But what am I supposed to do? It's just in our personalities. And hey, I'm new here." Her smirk fell, and she tilted her head. "Would you like to give me some tips on how to keep my element in line? You do it exceptionally well. They just lie down and bare their bellies." Her fellow elementals were not dogs, she wasn't going to put them on a leash and tie them to a stake in the dorms.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 24, 2012 17:00:19 GMT -5
He didn't like her. "And I'm supposed to believe that you don't judge my element in return?" There was a bit of a challenge to his voice now, more of an edge to it as he realised that Altair was like the rest of her element. There had been a rare few Fires that Ashton was able to tolerate or even get along with but this girl was not one of them. He did not hate her, for Ashton found it very hard to hate anyone. He had told the truth when he said that her element didn't have his trust. They attacked in groups when a single opponent angered them. They made sure that they had the upper hand no matter the situation. It was not hard to triumph over Earth, for Ashton knew full well that his element was weak to hers. Water became the difficulty. They compromised by making an unfair fight or by dragging their allies in Thunder into things. The other alliance was deadly. "You're right, Altair, I don't trust you. I don't think you'd trust me either." After all, every leader looked out for their own element above all others. Even the peace-keeping Earths and fun-loving Waters.
The first hint of genuine anger flashed in his green eyes when the Fire leader took a jab at his element. Excuse me? He held his tongue, resisting the urge to make a scathing remark of his own. Ashton's impulses of anger were very controllable for the most part. If he wanted to be the calm one, he could be. Ash didn't like to start fights. He also hated to crouch down and take everything she spat at him but if it avoided a war, pacifism and refusal to take the bait was worth it. "I don't consider it whining when they have real reason to complain." Vicious burns that required treatment in the medical wing, black eyes, bruises. Some of his element, Ashton included, would bite back if forced into a corner. Others did nothing at all. It was these others that made Ashton resent the Fire element for the things they did. "You hear nothing from your element, Altair, because we do not pick fights with them." His words were a little shorter, now, tone clipped.
By the end of the Fire leader's statement, Ashton was practically bristling. "It is not in our personalities to start pointless fights with anything that moves!" He was not yelling but the frustration in his tone was obvious as it wavered slightly. He forced himself to breathe and lean back in his chair. You didn't come here to start fights, Ashton. You came here to discuss an issue, not make more of them. He calmed himself down and shook his head, disgusted with Altair's holier-than-thou attitude. "To say that it's in your personality to fight is to make up an excuse not to intervene," he said. "You might be new at leading but I don't think you're stupid. You surely know that it is our duty to keep peace between our elements, between all the elements." No one liked wars. Well, alright, the elements who enjoyed fighting didn't seem to mind them a lot of the time. But there were negative effects of war on both sides. "Why accept the position if you aren't willing to keep your element under control?"
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Post by asher on Mar 24, 2012 20:08:23 GMT -5
It did not take a person with twenty twenty vision to see that the two leaders were already at odds with one another without having much conversation between them. It was no surprise, being as they were opposing elements. One was pacifistic and tried to retain peace, while the others seemed to thrive on doses of chaos. Not that the Earths were not capable of being fighters, but Asher never witnessed them searching for trouble. It seemed that, even as they sat here trying to be civil, Altair had already begun the search. So many stereotypes, so much judging. It was enough to drive the boy mad. There was nothing he could do about it though, so instead decided to sit there and continue to flick his gaze between them. Altair did not seem opposed to his presence, which was beneficial for him, but that was a moot point. He was here for neutrality. It made sense that the Fire leader did not deem him a threat at this time.
Asher nearly jumped at the edge to Ashton's tone, surprised by the response, but tried to keep himself still. He was not accustomed to sitting still for so long and dealing with things he still had yet to fully understand. To watch his tongue. To see the sparks of hostility spewing between their gazes. He felt a bit powerless, but said in a soft tone, "Ashton is right on that point." Asher felt like he was leaping into a dark endless pit. "Personality or not it's our job to make sure things stay level. Fights are not unavoidable all of the time but we should do our best to keep them to a minimum." He included himself, tried to make sure Altair did not feel like she was being ganged up on, tried to stay neutral no matter how frustrated he was growing with the Fire leader. Asher had never been a fan of the Fires and Thunders, mostly because they rarely got along, and more or less found the other elements more pleasurable company. That did not mean he was going to come to Ashton's defense immediately on every point made, however.
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Post by ALTAIR SABINA BENNETT on Mar 25, 2012 14:55:13 GMT -5
Altair shrugged at Ashton's words about judgment. Bored already, she wondered if there was some way she could get herself out of this. Maybe explosive diarrhea could get her out of this place. She could practically feel the boredom knocking around inside her brain like a rock in an empty box. "Does it matter? I'm not the one being a hypocrite." To say on one hand that he didn't trust her element and then go to say that he didn't know whether to trust her or not made no sense. If you were going to stereotype her element, she should be included in that. Just as she did him. Now trust, she didn't say anything on that. Did she trust him? She didn't think trust was a part of it. Besides, trust was a foreign word not yet introduced into her vocabulary. She didn't trust anyone, really, not in the way that he was suggesting. So it was nothing personal.
Her smile was light as gossamer's wings, as if hearing a joke in the Earth leader's words. Was he angry with her? She couldn't really tell, he hadn't made a move to throttle her yet or anything. His next claim, however, made her snort. Oh yes, the Earths were just so completely innocent, wide-eyed kids in a sandbox getting pushed around by the big, scary third grader. "Yes, I'm sure your element is completely free of guilt," she drawled, rolling her head a bit. "Bloody saints, huh." Could she believe they didn't start fights? Generally they liked to cower and stick their tails between their legs, and she knew that for a fact because she was one of the people who messed with Ashton's element. That didn't mean they weren't capable of pissing a Fire elemental off and enticing them into a fight, whether it be intentional or not. Besides, it ticked her off that Ashton was painting his element as some downtrodden group that should be canonized for their pacifistic ways. It was sickening.
Now she was certain she had incensed the Earth leader. The comment about being new here had been a counter-attack against his telling her what to do with her element now that she had become leader. "We have peace," she said. "It'll only become war if you make it so and create a mountain out of a mole hill." Did she care if a war started? No, she'd much rather enjoy it, but she kept that to herself. Leaders weren't supposed to revel in the violence, were they? Her eyes slid over to the Wind leader. "Oh yes Asher, and how do you want to do that? Install video cameras in the corridors? Give the troublemakers timeouts?" It was like how the concept of detention was good in theory, but never actually worked. People were going to do what they wanted. Her gaze strayed back to Ashton. "Obviously, you and I have two different ideas of leadership and control." Now she was purely fucking with him, looping words around to suit her.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Mar 26, 2012 0:14:19 GMT -5
Ashton's willingness to give people a chance had quickly been worn out by Altair's attitude. "Hypocrite? I'm being honest." When she'd walked into the room he'd thought that maybe she was the good sort but it hadn't taken him very long to drop that thought. It was a lot harder for him to trust an enemy than it was a stranger. He could be too trusting sometimes but he was not a complete idiot. Altair wasn't out to help his element, she was out to back up her own. He understood that in a way, seeing as he was here for that exact purpose. Doesn't mean I can trust her. No, if anything it meant he trusted her even less. "Everyone knows the reputations of our elements. My Earths aren't fighters. We don't start things for the sake of starting them." Did she know it was true and simply say things to fuck with him? If that were the case, it was working. Ashton was starting to regret holding this meeting alone. In retrospect he figured it might have gone better if he had his partner with him or if he'd saved the conflict for a meeting with all the leaders. No, on second thought, full-fledged meetings did a lot more harm than good sometimes.
He was glad for Asher's support, even though it was on a neutral standpoint. Ashton understood that. Most of the time the Winds stayed neutral in order to avoid bringing heat onto their element. They had no true allies and so if they invoked the wrath of one element or an entire alliance, they put themselves at risk. "I don't consider it very peaceful when your kind assault mine needlessly." They may not have had a full-blown war but for Ashton this was enough to call a meeting, to bring it to the attention of their two elements and Wind. "Besides," he said, "it doesn't matter how the fight began, what matters is the outcome. We're supposed to prevent fighting, not sit around and shrug it off!" He knew he was taking a hit at her efficiency by suggesting she was lazy but at this point Ashton didn't care. It was clear that Altair's attitude wasn't getting them anywhere at the moment. "On the rare occasion an Earth does start a fight, I handle it. Can you say the same? Clearly not."
He wanted to smack his head off the surface of the table before him, frustrated with the way things were going. He was not as easily provoked as a Fire but the Fires themselves had a good way of getting under his thick skin. "Let me put it this way, Altair," he said slowly. "If you don't keep your side under control, our side is going to have a problem with it." He didn't often make threats. Really, Ashton would have preferred to solve this peacefully so they could all get back to whatever it was they'd been doing before he'd dragged them here. "I don't want any issues. I'd rather we sort this out here and now. But if you refuse to do anything about the problem..."
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Post by asher on Mar 26, 2012 13:58:49 GMT -5
No element was free of guilt. Simple as that. Everyone had their quirks and qualms, except some of them were bolder than the rest. If there had been a fighter among the Earths, then that was merely one fighter as opposed to an entire element full of them. It was harder to see the one amid the multitude. Asher leaned back in his chair and tried to keep an air of nonchalance despite the fact that he was growing more and more agitated with Altair's attitude. Neutrality. The Wind element should remain as detached from the opposing sides as possible to try and keep balance. There had been times when the Wind leaders chose one side over another in times of all out war, but Asher wanted to try and stay in the middle as best as possible. Altair addressed him now, the boy turning his gaze onto hers. He did not like her vibe, not one bit. "You make it sound like I was saying we had to stop every fight in the hallway." Asher stated simply, keeping his posture lax and calm. "As leaders, it is our job to let our fellow elements know that causing dissension simply because they want to or feel the need to is highly frowned upon. Of course, if we fight among ourselves it won't help the situation any." His gaze once again shifted between the two opposing leaders, insinuating that he was referring to both of them. If the leaders started up a fight, then their element was sure to follow.
Asher was not quite sure what to make of this now, how to respond. Ashton was threatening Altair with an ultimatum: either control yourself and your element, or we will retaliate. That was a serious ultimatum, and one that might not be taken lightly by the Fire leader. Fires were, by nature, easily angered and stubborn. If Altair felt she was not in the wrong and that her element was actually under control, then what was going to happen? Would she agree to the retaliation, waggling her finger at him in some sort of mocking taunt? And if Ashton reacted...Asher had a feeling that his neutrality would not remain as neutral as he'd like it to be. He had never been the biggest fan of Fires, especially after his father and what he dealt with at home with Adam. It was difficult not to see them as a threat. "I'm hoping we can settle this here and now, peacefully, so we can go and enjoy the rest of our afternoon." He suggested lightly, hating that he had to sit still for so damn long. "I'm pretty sure we'd rather get back to what we were doing, hm?" Asher felt like a father figure sitting at the head of a dinner table, watching as two siblings fought and argued over who got the last piece of cake.
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Post by ALTAIR SABINA BENNETT on Mar 27, 2012 20:19:54 GMT -5
Altair figured they could sit here for hours and play word games, but she wasn't really interested in that. She was a good public speaker, didn't get stage fright, butterflies, but she had better things to do than sit in this room with two guys and discuss...whatever. Blah blah blah. Conversations like this couldn't really hold her attention for long, she was flighty as a gnat. Ashton went on about his peace-loving element, tree-hugging and hand-holding and skipping. She gave him a thumbs up, not bothering to respond to that. Eighteen, with the mentality of a four-year-old. She couldn't claim to be the most mature one, she didn't want to be.
Ashton was really getting on her nerves. Her tolerance for people was pretty limited. She looked at Ashton with a bored expression. "Uh huh," she said when he talked about stopping any fighting, keeping the peace, she imagined people marching around with picket signs. Stop war. She brushed her thumb along the tips of her nails before looking back up at him. "I can handle my element just fine, have no worries," she said, adding in a roll of her eyes. Then Asher spoke up, and she really just wanted to block him out. He was like the Earth leader's buttbuddy, and she really didn't have time for this. She should have just skipped the meeting entirely. "Well, why don't you two take care of it since you seem all for...whatever you want to do to 'rectify' the situation." She held her fingers up in air quotes to emphasize this, the fact that she didn't see any rectifying to be done.
She arched her eyebrow at Ashton. "Then you guys can have a problem with it," she said, waving her fingers, as if allowing them to go ahead and do whatever they wanted. They kept talking about peace and issues that she didn't really care about because it wasn't her element that was the one being kicked around. Therefore she didn't see how it should be any of her concern. At Asher's words, her glared was cold. No one wants you hear, fucker. She didn't really care about his two cents. "Yes, Asher, I would like to get back to my regularly programmed schedule," she said in a mock sweet voice before looking back to the Earth leader. "And since I don't care about your element, Ashton, you can do whatever the fuck you like." She shrugged. It was obvious nothing they said was getting through to her. She didn't sway for anyone.
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