-- ARE YOU READY? [Josh]

He had come a long way from sitting alone in the mess hall with his nose in a book. Joshua still had a book in his presence but it was closed and sitting beside him, his attention turned toward the friends he was sitting with. He sat with Nell and their shared circle whenever possible, delighting in the days when he shared his lunch period with the majority of them. They were good company, better even than books (which was saying a lot). "So what are you doing later, Josh? We were going to go to Blackjack tonight, wanna come?" He was tempted by the offer pitched by a couple of his college buddies but he forced himself to refuse, shaking his head. "Can't, I've got studying to do." He gestured to the abandoned textbook. His friend considered it, rolled his eyes, laughed. "Typical. Why not do that now? You know you want to come with us later." In truth, Josh really did want to hang out with his friends. It was his day off work, a day that was usually spent studying or catching up briefly with his friends. "Fine," he relented with a small smile, picking the book up. "But don't bug me." He usually refrained from reading because people had a habit of pulling him into the conversation, distracting him. They seemed to be respecting his wishes today, no one saying anything too disruptive. Until...

"The hell?" He looked up sharply when one of the girls at the table smacked his arm persistently, not meant to injure but to gain his attention. He followed her gaze to a group of his old comrades, currently harassing someone at a lone table. Damn. It was always awkward when a war broke out but this time it was only Fire and Earth. He was the wolf among the flock of sheep, fangs bared and claws sharp. They were pacifists and he was not. She was not expecting him to do anything, he could tell by the fact she was staring, transfixed, at the scene. He felt the urge to assist the stranded Earth, however. None of the Earths wanted to risk going up against a group of Fires. It was not necessarily a desire to ignore the situation but a fear of a fight. They were weak to Fire, after all. I'm not. He exhaled, closed the book softly, set it down. "I've got this." By this time, quite a few people seemed to be paying attention to the argument. Things like this in the mess hall were somewhat of an excitement, after all. Dinner and a show. The Waters and Thunders were content to observe casually, the Fires and Earths a little more invested due to it being their own involved. The Winds, as usual, were passive. Joshua made his way over to the group and did not need to announce his presence, one of them turning to face him.

"Aw, look who is is. Come to protect the earthworm?" The guy didn't look like a freshman but he was still pretty young compared to Josh. The same age as the guys in the group, maybe, but as there were five of them, he was overpowered. I can handle this. "Guess I have. Are you going to fight me?" He raised an eyebrow in challenge and stepped back into the clear area between tables, not wanting any obstacles in case he needed to dodge something. Josh wasn't as confident as he appeared on the surface, for the 'leader' of the little group seemed to be a year or two ahead of his companions. Their idol, Josh guessed. Older and cooler, someone to look up to. It was he who stepped forward. "Damn right we are. You're outnumbered, Dale. You think those Earth pussies are going to back you up?" The group laughed as one and Josh narrowed his eyes, anger rushing through his veins. "All talk, no action. Why don't you go for me, then?" He was almost expecting more stalling and thus barely managed to block the wave of fire sent toward him in time. Thankfully, his superior skill allowed him to deflect the entirety of the blast before it did any harm. His opponent scowled in frustration and then three members of their group attacked at once, sending three separate attacks toward him. He blocked the first, the second, but the third ball of fire grazed his arm and left a searing burn in it's wake. Fuck. He was outnumbered, but hopefully not outmatched. Now it would get serious. He set his lips in a scowl of their own and sent a blast toward the group.

Upon sensing the presence of another stepping beside him, Joshua turned on them with a harsh glare and a flash of determination in his colourless eyes, clearly ready to fight as many students as there were to take him on. The more the odds weighed against him the less likely it was he'd succeed but he did not consider that. Six against one was an almost certain loss unless by fluke but his anger was control his actions. When he saw that it was Lark, however, the scowl settled into a fierce smirk. Just like old times, huh? He was not stupid. He realised that this was dangerous for her. She was making the switch, here and now. They'd talked about this, how she was going to go over to the Earths and Waters, but he hadn't known she'd announce it like this. Good on her. He was glad for his friend. The time to dwell on this was not now, however. "Come to help us take down the traitor, Lark?" The oldest seemed to assume she was on their side, that is until he caught onto their lack of hostility. "You too, huh? We'll teach you how we treat traitors." Joshua knew that they meant to gang up and overpower her, well aware of how their element worked (as she was too, he figured) and so he sent a burst of heat toward his fellow graduate. "Forgetting something, asshole? Too afraid to face me, are you?" That got his attention. Fires were easily provoked. Joshua himself was the same way, so he knew that it was a good weapon to use against his own kind.

Knowing that they had the best chance if they split targets rather than banding together to tackle their opponents one at a time, Joshua left Lark to deal with the two students she was provoking and faced the other three himself. The presence of his best friend by his side was encouraging. It reminded him of when they were younger and they were a part of the group that were now assaulting them. He realised now that it had been a mistake to terrorize the Earths but he was nevertheless glad to have Lark on his side again. Most of the nearby tables were paying attention to the fight now. Arguments happened frequently but full-blown fights were exciting. Joshua dodged one attack, dispersed another, retaliated and narrowed his eyes when the jet of flame missed its mark. "Watch yourself," he warned a Water elemental who'd been more focused on their food, allowing the girl enough time to douse the fire with her own power. She seemed reluctant to tear her eyes away after that, probably sensing that sitting so close was dangerous. Josh's attention was already back on the three he was facing, holding in a curse when a weak wave of heat washed over him. It was not detrimental but felt uncomfortable and hurt the worst on his already burned arm. "That's all you can do? Are you sure you're a graduate? You don't hit like one." Oh, but he did, and Josh knew it. He was careful to side-step the next attack, knowing it would do impressive damage if it hit.

The tenth grader attacked him again and Joshua glared at him. The hits were easy to block but they would drain his strength all the same if it kept up. You're out of your league. In tenth grade he was sure he'd have been just as eager to join up with his Fire friends to tackle someone twice his size and skill. It didn't mean that they would win. Indeed, he remembered getting thrashed by older Water elementals often in his early high school years. Instead of trying to wear him out the hard way, Josh concentrated on the lighter the boy was using as catalyst. He burned the other elementals hand, made him drop it, took it into his own possession. He recieved a blast from behind by the eleventh grader as a result of taking his guard down but it was worth it. "Looks like you'll need to try and take control of my fire if you wanna do shit, kid." The boy tried, failed, tried again. He tired quickly and was soon in no fit state to fight. Josh left him alone, not wanting to rough anyone up too terribly. He was already in enough trouble for fighting. "Fancy seeing you here, Lark," Josh said with a dry laugh as he threw up a fiery shield to block a couple of quick-succession attacks. "Was lunch a little too boring for your tastes? Not that I'm complaining, but..." He said the words to convey his appreciation for her help without actually thanking her. He got his point across in strange ways.

In a way, his fellow Fires reminded him of the gang, and that did not help them as it fuelled his rage. They were weak, cowards, too afraid to take someone on alone. Not all Fires were fearful of a one-on-one spat but they generally attacked in groups to ensure they gained the upper hand. Once he'd thought himself as part of a bigger, better thing with an entire group by his side. It felt empowering to stand amongst allies and face off against enemies. Now he realised that those enemies had probably been a hell of a lot more innocent than he was. Not the Waters. No, they deserved a lot of the beatings they'd gotten and he did not regret that in the least. The Earths, though, they were innocent. They were kind. Helpful. Entirely undeserving of what the Fires often had to give. He had to focus and remain quiet for a moment as the other graduate abandoned fire and stepped toward Josh to swing a fist. Joshua threw up his arm and caught the blow, feeling the hit reverberate through his arm and jar his shoulder. It hurt but not terribly and it was better than being whacked in the face. He feinted right, right, left, up, then took another jab to the left and connected his fist hard with his opponent's cheek. He spun to block another wave of fire, breathing hard by this point, starting to realise how taxing fights could be. He didn't often think when he got into them. Josh was not the most cautious of people when it came to his anger being set off.

The graduate jabbed him in the ribs with a low hit and Josh gasped with the unexpected pain, cringing. He took another hit to the jaw, the temple, and then came the retaliation. The pain fuelled his anger further and he collected a large burst of energy, releasing it in a torrent of fire that rushed like a flamethrower toward his foe. The graduate tried to deflect it and this became his undoing. Joshua watched as he managed to disperse the majority of the fire and then as he slumped down in exhaustion. He had left the tenth grader be but he made sure to give the graduate a good shot to the mouth, not enough to knock any teeth out but enough to cut his lip, at least, Josh noticed when the boy spat out blood. With the oldest and youngest of the group Josh was fighting defeat, the eleventh grader looked a lot more hesitant. "I'll let you run, coward, but you better not touch our allies again." Lark and Joshua were unafraid of violence, not like the pacifistic Earths who they now considered friends. Companions. If you shits want a fight, you'll get one. The eleventh grader went with both of his friends, mumbling something about the medical wing, and Joshua panted as he leaned against a nearby table subtly. He needed the support but tried to look casual so he didn't appear as weak as he felt. Fighting could take a lot out of a person, even a graduate.

"Thanks, Josh," the Earth breathed once the fight concluded, seeming grateful. Joshua's lips twitched in acknowledgement. The Earth elemental turned to Lark. "You, too. What's your name?" Always trusting, never faltering. He didn't think he'd ever understand the nature of Earths. They were too willing to make friends among those who were once enemies. I guess it's a good thing, though, or I'd be fucked. No Nell, no Devin. Now that the threat had passed, Josh scowled at the burn on his arm and shook his head. His back hurt, too, but he couldn't see that to assess the damage. I'll need the medical wing. He was proud, sometimes too proud, but even he acknowledged that he wouldn't be able to handle something on his own when he couldn't see it to begin with. "You alright there, Lark?" He wondered how many injuries she'd sustained in the fight, if she was better or worse off than him. He hated fighting with unfair odds. Most fights meant coming away with injuries but having the odds against you ensured it. At least we won. He felt relieved of this, for going into it he had doubted his own skill. Lark's aid had truly helped him. "People are staring. No taking it back now. This is what you wanted though, eh?" He cracked a smile. "Welcome to our side, I guess, huh?"