-- THERE'S A FORK IN THE ROAD && [karlee]

Joshua held the bottle of whiskey loosely in one hand, tight enough so that it did not slip and smash against the stone patio tiles but not so much that his skin bleached white and his muscles hurt. Though he would have liked to take another shot or two, the compulsion simply wasn't the same as it had once been. He was not an alcoholic and had never had a particularly addictive personality but he had drank a lot more in his teenage years than he did now. He'd drink to have fun, to pass the time, to drown his sorrows. He'd drink because he could, because his friends were doing it, because he felt like it. Now he drank only in moderation, rarely taking enough to get himself drunk. He blamed his relatively cheerful life for this and did not regret it for a second. It didn't amuse him as much as it used to and he realised in sobriety how much of an ass some drunks made of themselves. He did not want to be that guy again. He'd done it to Nell and still felt a little bad about it so he was aiming to avoid a repeat experience in the future. Standing where he was and staring at the pool, he must have looked quite bored, for one of his acquaintances (whom he'd met at a similar party to this one) approached him. "Why don't you jump in the pool with us?" he asked. The thought made Joshua want to shudder, though on the surface he settled for looking merely disinterested. "I'll pass. I'm not really in the mood for a night time swim."

He left out the more important reasons, like the fact that he couldn't swim or that even submerging himself in such a deep pool would panic him. He didn't mind water on the shallow side and certainly didn't flip his shit when it rained or he needed a shower but anything that could pose a drowning risk was out of the question. Joshua was also afraid of drowning, for as a child he'd been pushed into the lake behind his house and very nearly had. So instead of jumping into the pool as another boy did at that moment, a wave of water splashing onto the concrete with the impact, he allowed the other boy to part company and join the swimmers. And good riddance, he thought, not really regretting the decision. He did not waste his time on envying people for things he knew he could never have for himself, like confidence around the water. He pushed up the sleeves of his shirt and took a minute swig from the bottle of amber liquid, savouring the brief burn as it seared its way down his throat. That was it for now. Any more and he'd only be tempting himself to start taking shots and really enjoying the taste. He might have had control and not much compulsion to drink but parties could get boring when you came alone and had to watch everyone else drink from the sidelines.

He winced almost sympathetically as he saw someone trip and crack their head against the stone tile, staring in their direction as he debated whether he should go and help. He was no doctor, even if he was training to become one, but the basics of first aid were beyond him and his buddies didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Another party-goer, a girl, rushed up before he got the chance to make his decision. Judging by the accuracy of her gait despite wearing heels, Joshua dubbed her as sober and decided she could handle things. It was not in his personality to get involved in a situation if he did not have to. His attention was distracted a moment later as he felt someone bump against him, turning his head with an instinctive glare. His expression calmed at the apology as he realised that the girl (who was considerably shorter than him, somewhere around Nell's height) had meant no harm. "It's fine," he assured her, his voice quiet but carrying. He never spoke louder than he had to in order to be heard. Yelling or making the most noise in a conversation was not something he made a habit of. He noticed her biting her lip and felt a slight wave of discomfort, recognising the gesture as something girls did to flirt on occasion. Don't jump to conclusions, he scolded himself. A small part of him admitted that she was pretty hot and if he were single—

He wasn't single, however, and so he cut that thought short before it could come to fruition. Hell, she probably wasn't even flirting with him. Maybe it was just her way of showing embarrassment, seeing as she'd bumped into him and he was an imposing guy. Gray eyes flicking to the bottle of whiskey in her hand, he decided to start conversation anyway. "Jack D, nice choice," complimented the graduate, gesturing to it. "I usually drink Crown myself but hell, it's still whiskey." Whiskey was Joshua's poison of choice, the drink he'd always choose if he had any say in the matter. "This, though," he said, holding up his own drink, "It's some twenty year old stuff. Label's faded and I can't read what it says but it's damn good." It was why he was so hesitant to drink the entire bottle in a night. His father had a collection of older alcohols in his liquor cabinet and this had been one of them—obtained only with his express permission, of course. He couldn't go around sharing with everyone at the party and he'd probably have more than half of it left over when he went home. That was how it went with the rare bottles, at least for him. Crown, though, Crown was fair game. It was cheap (for him) to buy and so drinking the lot of it was only a hazard to his health rather than his pocketbook. "You know Justin?" he asked. She looked high school aged but he could never be sure. Maybe she was the date of one of the guys.

Though he was a lot more mature about partying than he had been as a teenager, Joshua nodded in agreement to her words. "I can't really get drunk off beer any more." He had a strong tolerance for alcohol and coupled with his height and weight it took quite a lot of standard alcohol to get him drunk. He needed to drink the beers in rapid succession and he usually felt sick from drinking too much before he got anything more than a buzz. "Whiskey tastes better anyway." He didn't mind the taste. It wasn't as good as anything sugary and sweet, his personal weakness, but he appreciated the way it burned a path down his throat. He knew that it did not really warm a person, only gave an illusion of heat, but that wasn't what mattered to him. He liked drinking, that was what counted. He had cut back immensely in recent months but he allowed himself to indulge on occasion, especially now that he was confident enough in his relationship with Nell that he could get drunk and not have to worry about sleeping with any random girl that wanted to get in his pants. Not tonight, though. He was responsible when he had to be and he was the designated driver for birthday boy, so Joshua would only be able to give himself a buzz if he wanted to be okay for driving later on.

He remembered something his father had told him once when Josh asked what kind of drink he preferred. "Only the best." Donovan was a doctor, a doctor sitting on a massive wealth to begin with. Father and son could afford such frivolities as expensive whiskey and fine dining. Josh liked the lifestyle he'd been born into but thankfully he did not waste all of his money on expensive bottles of liquor. "Yeah, it definitely is." He watched as she took a swig directly from the bottle. She'll be drunk soon enough, he thought. Someone of her stature drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey without even measuring how much they'd consumed meant someone who didn't care how fast they got drunk. Either that or it was her first time drinking and she had no idea what she was doing. He disregarded the latter thought. Most people spat in disgust the first time they tried hard liquor. It was pretty funny, really, and sometimes Josh allowed his friends to try some of what he was drinking just to see the faces they pulled. It certainly took some getting used to. "Ever had any of the good stuff?" he wondered. Josh was still aiming to keep the conversation buoyant and hey, they both drank. Why not talk about drinking?

As he had no reason to question her motives or whether or not she was telling the truth, Joshua accepted Karlee's words with a nod. A lot of the party guests had brought their dates along, people who knew Justin only as the kid brother of Mark and an acquaintance of their fuck-buddy for the night. Josh would have invited his fiancée along but he was pretty sure she was busy tonight. "His brother, Mark, he's a buddy of mine. I'm doing him a favour." He didn't mention what the favour was, feeling no need to do so. Joshua didn't often offer more information than what was needed unless he was in a particularly chatty mood or if he knew a person well. He was bored enough to make conversation with strangers, as Karlee was a clear example, but not to babble his life story and all of his commitments to her. He wasn't even an open guy when he was drunk off his ass and trying to swing from the light fixtures. "Where'd that somebody else go, by the way? They ditch you or something?" He wasn't suspicious, just curious, and his tone reflected as much. A lot of people ditched their dates for other dates or crowds of friends. It was an inconsiderate thing to do but hell, this was a party. People weren't here to be saints.

The name did not ring a bell. If it had, if Joshua had known that she was a Fire elemental, he would not have done what he did next. "Josh." He did not socialize with Fire elementals. He did not even go near them if he could avoid it. His kind had all but exiled him when he took the side of Nell over his own kind and so he treated them all with the same disdain in return. He did not know Karlee was even an elemental, though, and neither did she know about him. A loud yell and a crash from inside the house made Joshua arch an eyebrow, glancing toward it but unable to see what had happened through the brick walls of the exterior. "I think I'm staying out here for a while." He didn't want to be in the house when there was broken glass all over the floor, for that was what the crash had sounded like. Drunk people, so careless. He was just as bad when intoxicated. At least if he did go indoors he'd be sober enough to watch where he was going and not forget the risks.

Joshua loved being legal. It was great to finally be able to go to the liquor store and flash his ID to buy the stuff rather than trying to pass with a fake one or else steal from his father's liquor cabinet. He'd gotten caught by Donovan a few times when trying to jack a bottle of whiskey and it hadn't been pretty. He tried not to think about that too much. "I can afford this stuff but I usually drink the cheaper shit. Once you're drunk past a certain point it doesn't matter anyway." He saved the good stuff for when he was only aiming for a buzz, for when taste mattered. He'd probably make the bottle in his hand last a few more parties where he was designated. If he wasn't then it was time to break out the generic liquor and have a good time. "Yeah, that stuff's intense." He remembered a party with the Fire graduates in his freshman year of college where they'd gotten a bottle and dared everyone to take a swig. It was the name that had enticed them, Fireball, like it was made for them. They'd learned the hard way how vicious the drink could be. He liked it anyway, though, and he'd drink some if it was available. Whiskey was his poison, simple as that. It was his favourite.

The fact that Karlee was not of age didn't bother Joshua at all. He'd been drinking since before he was in high school and so it would be hypocritical to bitch about anyone else doing it. He was somewhat of an enabler, too, encouraging his friends to drink with him when he had anything on hand. It was in his opinion that the individual made the choice, not the person who offered it. 'Just say no' had worked for him plenty of times when it came to drugs. He'd gotten a contact high once or twice when he hung around the big parties but he'd stayed away from drugs for the most part. Addictive or not, weed was a gateway drug and he didn't want to be nursing any addictions. He doubted he'd get hired at the hospital if he was a stoner, a junkie. "Ha, no. I gave his brother a ride." He left out the fact that this had only been necessary because Mark was too drunk to go himself. He was a very irresponsible older brother, much unlike Joshua. Josh protected his baby sister as best as he could. He really hoped she didn't fall into the wrong crowd like he had when he was younger. "I'm stuck being the designated so I feel your buddy's pain." It was said lightly and with a smirk. He didn't really care about being designated. He could live through a party without getting drunk, it wasn't a big deal.

He dipped his head. "Same to you." He didn't mind meeting new people and it was nice to have some company rather than sitting alone and waiting for Justin's party to finish up. Then again, if he hadn't found Karlee he would have went inside and started up a game of poker, strip or otherwise. Strip poker could be hysterical when you were sober and your partners weren't, mostly because watching them struggle to remove their clothing was golden. He was engaged but he wasn't bashful or modest. He'd went streaking before, played strip poker, done other things when he was single that he hoped Nell didn't have to know about. He'd stayed faithful to her since the start of their relationship, though, and he planned to keep it that way. "Better yet I wonder how the fuck they destroyed it." Had someone been thrown into a table? Swung from the chandelier? Fallen into the table? Heck, it could have been as simple as a broken stack of plates or a smashed window. It had certainly been glass breaking but he didn't know what kind of glass.

He made a brief face as the water peppered the pair of them and splashed on his cheeks. He didn't mind the rain but pool water was a little different. It smelled of chlorine and he lifted a hand to wipe his face on his sleeve. "I'm surprised half of them manage not to drown themselves," he said with vague disdain, watching those that were playing around the pool. It was not evident by his reaction or his words but Joshua, too, loathed the water. He could not swim and he was terrified of drowning. "So, Karlee," he said, remembering her name, "How long are you planning on sticking around tonight?" Some left parties before they got wild, others waited until all hours of the morning, some actually crashed and slept over. Mark was lucky that this was his own house and not his parents'.

Joshua cocked a brow at her, still leaning casually against the backyard fence. "Never lose, eh? Well I'm willing to bet that you will." He smirked, wondering if she was sober enough to catch the pun or whether it would fly right over her head. Sometimes drunk people did not understand the jokes of the sober and sometimes they understood them a little too well and laughed until their faces turned red. When he was the designated he realised how stupid drunks really did make themselves out to be. Did it stop him from drinking the next time he went out? Ha, of course not. He could learn from his mistakes but he didn't see drinking as a mistake. Drugs would be a mistake, smoking, knocking a girl up. Drinking was simply a good tool for a night full of fun. "Pride comes before a fall." He quoted this in a casual tone, swatting with a hand at a mosquito that came too close. The little bloodsuckers were tiny but their bites were itchy as hell. Unfortunately Joshua did not have any bug repellent and would probably have left it off even if he did. The stuff stank. Fire was a good way to ward bugs off, smoke, but he wouldn't dare risk using his powers at a mortal party. It was asking for trouble. The fact that elementals were secretive was often an inconvenience to their species but it was a necessary one. He didn't usually question it.

Gesturing lazily at the bottle of whiskey Karlee had clutched in her hand, Josh said, "Drink much more of that and you'll be calling yourself Superwoman." A loud yell distracted his attention toward the pool as someone launched themselves off the diving board and Joshua frowned, shaking his head. "Idiots." He didn't see the appeal. The guy had nearly cracked his chin off the edge of the pool by diving at an awkward angle but he seemed oblivious to this himself as he surfaced, yelling something to his friends in excitement. Parties were loud. Drunks were loud. As a naturally quiet person, Josh was often easily able to fade into the background. "I might," he mused, directing his attention back at the house. He could see people milling about inside from the window that gave view of the living room. One couple were getting carried away with themselves and making out on the couch. He wondered whether they knew one another or not. Deciding it didn't concern him, Josh's gray eyes found his shorter companion again, blinking at her. "You're right, though, it's probably best that you don't." If she went into the house she'd probably trip and fall right into the glass. He didn't know how good her balance was but everyone's went to shit when they were drunk.

He could sympathize with the fact that she couldn't swim but he did not tell her as much. Amiable as he was, Karlee was still a stranger and Josh was not comfortable in spilling his secrets. He could talk about himself to some degree but there were limits. Always limits. "Let's hope not. The last thing we need is to be involved in a police investigation." There would be cops, questions. Joshua had a general mistrust of authorities ever since they'd threatened to pin the murder on him if he hadn't squealed on the gang he'd been in. He'd ratted them out to save his own neck and he'd nearly been killed by them anyway. Yeah, I definitely hope no one drowns. He'd never seen someone drown before, not on film or in real life. If such a thing came on the television he didn't quite know if he could watch. It was a good thing he didn't watch a lot of TV. "Why'd you trust him if he's unreliable?" It seemed a bit of a stupid thing to do in his opinion. Not like he was the smartest when it came to making decisions but he still thought of himself as reasonably decent. Most of his intelligence came in the form of booksmarts. Whatever street smarts he'd learned were the fault of the gang. "Crashing here's probably your best bet. You might pass out if you try and walk. I'd give you a ride but my car only seats two." He was telling the truth. Lamborghini's were sports cars, they weren't meant for ferrying people about.

Noticing the fact that she was stumbling back toward the pool, Joshua opened his mouth to warn her, stepping forward. It was too late, though, and she plunged backward into the deep end of the poor. A couple guys around the edges laughed, not privy to the information she'd told him. "I can't swim so, I am staying away from the water." His gray eyes were wide with a mixture of surprise and mild panic as he realised that there was nothing he could do for her. He was sober, yes, but he couldn't swim either. If he jumped into the pool to help her out he'd probably get them both killed. While he was unable to swim, Joshua was of decent strength. Getting an idea, he set the bottle of whiskey down a safe distance away and got onto the pool ladder, ignoring the fact that he was soaking his clothes. There hadn't been time to strip down to his boxers. Curling a hand so tight around the pool ladder that his grip may as well have been a vice, Joshua stuck his other hand under the water and toward her, hoping that the fact she'd opened her eyes under it would allow her to see. This is mental. It was all he could do, though, because he didn't think anyone else had really noticed.

Taking note of her tone, Joshua smirked. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." He wondered what she would think of that, how she would respond to him. He was not, by nature, a fiercely competitive person. Competition was bad for him because it made him reckless and it messed up his concentration. If he took things too seriously he would forget the reality of why he was even competing in the first place and lose out of stupidity. Ambition for him had always been something he handled on his own. He would not try to backstab or cut the throats of anyone else to further his own purpose in life. What was the fun in being at the top if you had to cheat to get there? Bets were the same way. He watched her slap at the mosquito, amused by her reaction to it. He did not like the bloodsucking bugs but he wasn't afraid of them, at least. At least they're not wasps. Mosquitoes were one thing but wasp stings were painful little fuckers. He had a high pain threshold and they didn't bother him as much as they might someone of weaker tolerance but that wasn't to say he was numb to the agony. Being numb to pain was a bad thing. It meant you couldn't tell how bad your injuries really were.

The Fire graduate cocked an eyebrow, snorting softly in amusement. I'm sure it does. She was already drunk and he could tell this by looking at her and the way she reacted to things so he wasn't sure whether she was bragging or whether it was a serious claim. It took a lot to get him drunk, yes, but even with her high tolerance he was quite sure he'd outlast someone like Karlee. He was tolerant, too, and his frame was a lot larger than hers. He also hadn't drank on a completely empty stomach. He wasn't here to get drunk so Joshua wasn't about to take all the necessary precautions to get drunk faster. If he wanted to be smashed all he had to do was tilt the bottle back and down as much of it as he could. Good as gold. He'd be vomiting to all hell in the morning and his hangover would be something terrible but he'd be drunk alright. It's a good thing that's not my plan. He tried not to get too fucked up lately because he had a sister to take care of and a fiancée on the side (though Nell could take care of herself). He still drank and he still got drunk but he didn't get that kind of drunk where he could hardly remember his own name in the morning past the agony in his head and the burning in his throat.

Karlee seemed to have a strong opinion against cops and it wasn't something he was about to contest. Dicks in suits sounded like a valid label to him. He remembered his own experiences with the authorities and his lip almost curled. Won't do shit, huh? They'd certainly done enough to him. "If someone was dying I don't think they'd have a choice," he pointed out. Was it worth it, trying to argue with a drunk person? Probably not, but Josh had enough of an opinion that he'd at least put it out there. So he's like her supplier. Joshua didn't trust people in general and so he did not think he could rely on someone he mistrusted to be his designated driver. He lied to people and said that his scars, ever so noticeable, were the result of a car accident but in reality he'd never gotten into a car wreck before. He didn't exactly want to make that a first and so he was always careful. He'd trust Nell or any of his closer friends but not a guy (or girl) he barely knew. To each their own. "Too drunk to care, I'd think," he agreed. He'd never have a party like this at the mansion. He had the big house for it and all and he was sure he could throw an awesome party but things tended to get wrecked and fucked up when a bunch of drunks took over. Besides, he had Annabel to look out for.

He was shuddering a little himself once he pulled her out of the water and sat down, though he figured she wouldn't pick up on it since she had other things on her mind. He could hear his own heartbeat thudding in his ears and he breathed slowly through his mouth so that he didn't go into some sort of a panic attack. Fucking hate water, I hate it. If it had not been for the fact she'd have drowned without his help, Josh would have been perfectly capable to let someone else help her. He didn't often try to help people he didn't know, unless of course he was at work. He didn't mind helping people when it was his job, he merely didn't intervene in situations in the 'real world'. He was glad the pool water was as cold as it was. Maybe anyone sober enough to make deductions would think he was just cold, rather than the reality that he was shaking out of fear and mild shock. She seemed worse off than he was, though. "Yeah, no problem." His voice was smooth and he sounded fine, thank goodness. He was good at faking it. At least she didn't seem to have swallowed too much water. "No, I don't imagine you did, especially not after what you said earlier." "I can't swim." Yeah, well, that makes two of us.