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Post by william on Apr 16, 2012 21:25:28 GMT -5
There was nothing quite so delicious as a warm double cheese bacon-burger supreme. William sat staring at one, his eyes appreciative and his mouth already salivating. He could smell the sauces, the lettuce and pickles, the melted cheese. He almost shivered with anticipation. Beside his burger sat a steaming basket of steak fries, a little tub of ketchup, and a chocolate milkshake. When William went to Burger King, he went all out. William reached across his table, snatching up the salt shaker. He had always been a huge salt consumer. He shook it generously over his fries, grinning. He set down the shaker, rubbing his hands together for one quick moment. He reached down, grabbing his sandwich. He had to squish it down a little, or it might not fit inside his mouth. He had a pretty big mouth, some serious jaw muscles after all of the stuff he had shoved down his throat. But occasionally there came a sandwich that needed a little squishing. This was one of those occasions. William stretched his jaws wide, sinking his teeth with a quiet sound of appreciation. He set down his sandwich momentarily, chewing with satisfaction. His cheeks bulged awkwardly, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to mind. It was all for the sake of deliciousness.
He grabbed a paper napkin, swiping it across his lips before reaching for a few fries. He dipped them (more like drowned them) in his ketchup before happily devouring those and reaching again for his sandwich. William was more or less oblivious to his surroundings, in all honesty. He heard the jingle of the bell over the door as people came and left. He heard the fry cooks shouting orders. He saw the many happy patrons out of the corner of his eyes, but he mostly ignored them. Of course if some Earth invaded his momentary paradise, that would be a different story – like a grab his food and run kind of story. William wasn’t a coward, nor was he weak. He was actually a pretty imposing guy. But he didn’t mess with the Earths. The whole war thing had made him uncomfortable, made him wary and even afraid of the Earths. Just the thought that they might go after him – without him doing anything, without even knowing him – well it was a scary thought. People were emotional creatures, bad decision makers usually. And William had no desire to run through the middle of that.
He took another large bite of his burger, reaching for some fries. There was one Earth in particular that gave him the creeps. He couldn’t quite remember her name, something to do with an animal? Horse? Nah, but it had hooves. Not a donkey, or one of those African things with the horns. Not a moose. Doe! Doe! Nell Doe Shepherd. That girl gave William the creeps, mostly because she was a graduate level. So if shit went down, she was going to be serious trouble. But at the same time, she looked so innocent. William wasn’t the type to take risks though, so he gave her – and every other Earth – a wide berth. Of course, if the need arose he would go to battle for his element. He knew he was strong, had good control of his element. And he had a temper to match too. But that didn’t mean he went looking for trouble. He knew some Fires who did that, but it just wasn’t his style. William chewed thoughtfully, swallowing and reaching for some fries. Will hated this whole war, mostly because he was afraid. War made people crazy, made them dangerous. In a situation of life or death, did anyone really ever stop and think, think deeply and carefully? Will didn’t, but he wasn’t all that much of a thinker. Well he was a thinker, but he wasn’t coming to any brilliant conclusions. He was satisfied with the simple things, they were easy to grasp. He grinned, picking up the remnants of his crumbling burger. He took another massive bite, filling his chipmunk cheeks to the brim and chewing happily. He preferred the simple things, they never questioned him – never required decisions. And they were so easy to become lost in.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 17, 2012 7:55:30 GMT -5
He could tell something was off that morning when Annabel trudged down the foyer stairs slowly, wandering into the kitchen with a drag in her step. As this was the girl who usually slid down the railings and slid into rooms with a loud greeting to whoever happened to be occupying them, Joshua was immediately suspicious. His worries only intensified when he saw that there were bags under her eyes and her face looked pale. "Hey, Josh," she mumbled, her voice weary as it rasped in her throat. "You're sick." It wasn't a question but an observation and Annabel didn't deny it. Instead, the blonde girl just went up to the counter and grabbed a mug before heading to the coffee machine. "You know, Belle," he pointed out, "I think we have better things to drink than that, especially when you aren't feeling well." This was the Dale mansion, after all. With Josh and Nell under one roof—one a food fanatic, the other obsessed with all things sugary—the fridge was always stocked to bursting point with fresh food and drink. There was milk, soda, orange juice, water, coffee, lemonade—they even had liquor in the living room cabinet but he wasn't going to give her any of that. He might not have been the most responsible person and he'd corrupted quite a few of his friends but he tried keep his sister as innocent as possible for as long as possible. She shook her head. "I need—" She cut herself off to yawn, hand over her mouth, "—I need to wake up before school. Didn't sleep good."
Despite how serious the situation was, Joshua couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at the mention of school. She narrowed her eyes blearily, not seeming to grasp what he had, and Joshua pulled himself together long enough to take a deep breath. "Annabel," he said slowly, "this just proves my point. You don't have school." She seemed confused for all of about three more seconds before she gave a dramatic eyeroll and slapped her hand on the edge of the kitchen island they both sat at. "Fuck." He arched an eyebrow at her and she amended this curse word to, "Shit," which was a little more acceptable. He knew she swore around her friends like he had when he was younger, knew that he wouldn't really be able to stop her, but it still felt like his responsibility. He had legal custody of her now, he was literally her guardian, so he didn't want people saying he was bad at it or anything. He hoped she understood that. "I know you're eager to start at the Academy, Belle, but it's not for a few months yet!" She glowered at his teasing tone until he took pity on her. "Go back to bed, I'll bring you something. Anything you want." She was sick, she deserved a little doting. He was generalizing, he'd bring her anything from a rental movie to a chocolate bar if she wanted it. She thought for a moment, then said, "How about... Burger King?" He nodded and then listened to her recite her order. "I'll be back in a little bit. Try and rest." He ruffled her hair like he used to when they were kids and prepared to head out the door.
Being vegetarian, he did not grace the doorsteps of a lot of fast food places on a regular basis. It was not that he'd sworn never to step foot on their premises'—he wasn't hardcore about his diet, he didn't force it upon others or go to extremes—merely that he had no reason to. They didn't cater well to his sorts of people. The smell of meat and fries hung heavily in the air as he got into the line. Thankfully, Joshua was a patient person when he didn't have somewhere else he needed to be. Waiting in line like a good little patron did not bother him, he would not glare at those who took their time in ordering or try to butt ahead. He glanced around when he was waiting and his gray eyes found a familiar figure, currently pigging out on his own order. The eyes narrowed and his gaze sharpened intensely. William. He'd cut ties with the majority of his friends in Fire and Thunder when he'd betrayed them. It could only be that way. He had not told them he would stop talking to them, he'd simply done it and that was that. He kept his gaze locked there for a moment and if William were to look up, it wouldn't be hard to meet it. Then he looked away when it was his turn to order and forced a smile when he realised the cashier was put-off by his fierce features. "I'll have a chicken sandwich combo, large fries and drink, and an apple pie turnover." Then, as an afterthought when he realised that he was pretty hungry himself, Josh said, "Make that two larges fries' and drinks." She paused for a moment to think that through, nodded, then tapped the cashier and asked the usual, "For here or to go?" He answered 'to go' because Annabel certainly wasn't here, but when he got his own order he sat down at one of the tables to eat. Might as well, right? He glanced at William again, distrust in his colourless gaze, then picked up his drink and started on it.
[Josh absolutely was not talking to him, so I had him glare and shit to at least acknowledge him. Sorry! xD Hopefully the next post will be better.]
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Post by william on Apr 17, 2012 17:55:17 GMT -5
William was mostly oblivious, still enthralled in what little remained of his burger and fries. He wouldn’t really describe his eating as “pigging out” or “stuffing his face”. William had been taught manners by his parents. He knew to chew with his mouth closed, use a napkin, all of that. He was a pig by no means. Sure he enjoyed his food a good deal more than the average person might, but what was the harm in that? People had to take pleasure in the little things, or risk being completely annihilated by every little sorrow in life. At least, that was how Will saw it. He set down his now quite destroyed burger, reaching for his milkshake. He could feel the back of his neck prickling strangely. It was a strange sensation, and not at all pleasant. He rolled his shoulders, his face uncomfortable. He reached his arms back, scratching his neck. But still the prickling sensation continued. William looked up just in time to see Josh look away. William’s eyes widened in a moment of pure surprise, then narrowed with anger. His fists clenched just as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. William yanked it out angrily, flipping it open. “Who is it?” William didn’t bother with a friendly greeting. He was too distracted by the distinctly edgy (kind of intimidating) back of Josh’s head. If he could have shot lasers through his eyes (which was one of William’s top desires), he would have melted Josh’s skin right off his head. The voice on the other hand mumbled in his ear. “Woah, call at a bad time or something?” The voice was male, one of William’s many Fire buddies back at the Academy. William growled a reply, “I’m staring at a traitorous dick ordering a burger.”
The poor phrasing of the comment kind of ruined the effect of the message, but his friend understood all the same. There was a moment of silence on the other end – the tell-tale sign of a Fire considering reigning in his temper. If there was anything William despise, it was a traitor. The fact that this particular traitor was Josh, well that just made the situation so much worse. “Want me to gather the guys? We can be there in ten.” William shook his head, for a moment forgetting that his friend couldn’t hear him. William didn’t want to make a scene. He didn’t even want to beat the shit out of Josh – though there were quite a few who believed the Fire graduate deserved it. No William wanted to confront Josh alone. Then, maybe after he had his say, he would call the guys. Well, that was a lie. It was doubtful that William would actually assemble a posse to beat Josh into oblivion. He might attack the guy himself, but William was neither cruel nor sadistic. He was just angry. “Nah, let me take this one solo.” A few words of shrugged commitment on the other end and William closed his phone. He glanced back down at his tray. About fifteen fries and two bites of burger remained – plus a bucket of ketchup and a nearly full milkshake. There was no chance William would abandon his food for Josh. He doubted the other graduate would go far in the time it took William to finish his meal. William glared at the back of Josh’s neck, not even looking away to grab his fries or a bite of burger. Again, it was a comical sight – unless you were Josh. Then perhaps it was both comical, but slightly intimidating.
He was just standing there, as suave as always in his emo-boy clothing. William had always used to tease Josh about it, lightheartedly of course. Then it had seemed part of what made Josh who he was. Now it just looked sort of like a cry for attention – as if abandoning his element wasn’t a loud enough cry. William picked up his tray, now empty of food. He marched over to the trashcan, dumping the contents away and brushing off his hands. He wanted to be presentable when he confronted Josh. William shouldered his way through the line, murmuring quiet excuses though the anger was plain in his voice. He finally came to stand behind Josh. The whole time he had been trying to come up with something intimidating, something witty and pointed to say. It culminated in this. “I thought vegetarians didn’t eat meat.” Shit. That was neither witty nor tough. William cleared his throat. “Or is that just another thing you forgot to tell me?” There, that sounded marginally better. It was still slightly feminine, but better than the beginning. William crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze stormy. Despite his look of total anger, William was a bit hurt. Josh had abandoned him, right when William had needed a friend. And truth be told, William had always thought they were pretty close friends. It was funny how wrong someone could be.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 18, 2012 14:03:36 GMT -5
If Joshua had thought to spare William another glance, he might have noticed the fact that the other boy was as opposed to his presence as he was to Will's. The abandoning of his friends had not been so much due to hatred as the fact that he figured they wouldn't want to hang around him any more and the way they'd acted toward each other ever since had only backed that up. He did not know that it had hurt Will to abandon the friendship, was completely unaware of the family issues the other man had. If he'd known, he might have been a little less cold about it. Maybe he'd have hit him up with a warning. Would it have changed anything? There was a strong possibility that the answer was no. The Fires were a tight and very cliquey group, but only if you remained loyal to them and their cause. The truth was, if he'd really regretted leaving his alliance the first time then he would have crawled back into the sanctuary of his old friends and never made it official. They'd given him a second chance, after all, and that was something he could appreciate in retrospect. They'd been wary of him but they'd been willing to accept him back into their fold and forgive his past ills. They hadn't been willing to accept his relationship with Nell. That was why it had never worked out, could never have worked out.
So now he felt the same way toward William as he did the rest of the Fires. He was the enemy. When the other boy approached him, Joshua looked up from where he sat with a cold gray stare, eyes penetrating and slightly wary. What the fuck do you want? He did not say that, however, and merely waited for him to speak. The comment made him snort softly in contempt. "We don't." He would have left it there and went back to his fries, actually picked up one of the salted potatoes as if to do so, but apparently William wanted to cut deeper than that. Despite not considering him a friend any more, the fact that they had been friends at one point made that more effective than if Will had been just another one of the guys. Even in the Fire dormitories there was a strong difference between a friend and an ally. The Fires as allies would back you up in a fight, would include you in their circle, but a Fire as a friend would do more than that. "Seeing as you've made it more than clear how much you approve of Nell, I think I had a perfectly good reason not to tell you." He looked away at him and back at the French fries, figuring that in the sanctuary of Burger King the other elemental would probably refrain from starting a physical fight. Joshua couldn't say that he was afraid of Will but there was the chance that his ex-friend had back-up and that was never a good thing. He would never admit a fear of his element, he didn't get scared, but he was extremely wary about the dynamic of the group. He was the outcast and he wouldn't be surprised if they converged upon him.
He could have been much nicer about the whole situation, Josh realised that. He could have calmly explained that the meal was for his sick sister and that he was simply grabbing something quick to eat before he went home to take care of her. It might even have caused Will to back off a little seeing as they both knew the other had siblings (it was hard not to realise when said siblings went to the Academy). He could have told him that he regretted being dishonest in their friendship. He didn't, though, and that made all the difference. I don't tell my friends a lot of things, what makes him think he's so fucking special? The thought was bitter. "So when'll the guys be here, hm?" He did not realise that Will didn't really plan on fighting him. As a fighter by nature, Josh usually assumed that confrontation would boil down to an exchange of hissed words and flying fists. "Can't a guy enjoy his food without you breathing down his neck?" Like Will, Joshua had manners when he ate. It was a bit hard to focus on eating when someone was glaring you down, though, and so Joshua stood up and leaned against the trash bins. He hated when other people stood over him, it reminded him of being young and small of stature. Thank god Will hadn't known him back then.
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Post by william on Apr 18, 2012 21:45:27 GMT -5
William wasn’t particularly interested in the social undercurrents of the Academy. He kept tabs on the Alliances – who was with who, who to avoid, etcetera. But besides that, unless the information was shoved in his face – William was more or less oblivious. And even when he did bother to inquire, it was only for the most skeletal of facts, only what was absolutely necessary. Sometimes he took special consideration, when it was a friend of his or perhaps a truly amusing story. Even those instances were rare though. Added in to that, William had been dealing with enough problems at home that he’d been too busy to look into other people’s problems. Somehow the fact that some reckless high schoolers had been colored by the small town police force paled in comparison to Alexandra calling him because Dad was throwing lamps again. William hated those calls. Each one sent him into a flurry. He returned home whenever possible – less for his parents, and more for Alexandra. He liked to take her away for as long and as often as he could. She had no right to have her childhood stolen from her because of the transgressions of their mother. Occasionally this meant sacrificing a grade or missing a lecture, but William didn’t give a second thought. Alexandra was obviously and by far William’s favorite. He doted on the little girl – though she was twelve years old and not quite little anymore. It wasn’t that William ignored his other siblings, they just had different relationships. Laura was only three years younger than William and the two had always been sort of competitive. They had largely taken over the care of their three younger siblings last year when everything went to hell.
The twins were only fifteen and five years younger than William. Growing up, they had been more nuisances and attention hogs. Plus, William had always envied them. He would have loved to have a twin of his own. Sure he and the twins played their share of backyard sports and rough and tumble. But there had always been something so endearing about Alexandra. Perhaps the way she worshiped William impacted their relationship. William couldn’t say for sure. All of this was the reason that until that exact moment – William had only had really the barest details of Joshua’s defection. He had heard Josh had run off to profess love to some Earth chick, but had never gotten the details on which chick in particular. The casual way Josh dropped her name made Will’s mouth drop. “You’ve got to be fucking with me bro!” Will took a step back, running his hand over his face and through his hair. Josh had ditched him for Nell. That chick meant business. She smiled like a princess, but William was convinced she was just waiting to go crazy on someone’s ass. William was of course completely unaware that Nell had murdered her mother. This probably would have only increased Will’s fear of the girl quite near to terror. “Shit man, that chick is scary as fuck. You left us for her?” William was in a state of absolute shock. His anger was forgotten momentarily as he attempted to sort through his utter disbelief that Josh – one of his closest friends – had abandoned him and his entire element for…for…well fuck for the goblin that popped up in William’s nightmares. That was an exaggeration of course. William wasn’t that afraid of Nell, but he certainly avoided her above most other Earths. But somehow thinking of her as a goblin was an amusing thought, though not one he wished to voice at the moment.
“The guys won’t be showing up anytime soon.” William had mostly recovered from his shock. He had shoved his hands in his pockets and couldn’t quite look at Josh. William was angry, he could feel it burning inside of him – not quite hot enough to really set him off, but surely getting there. But it wasn’t just the anger, it was the hurt. William had always seen Josh as a guy who just knew what was going on – a guy who could give Will a nudge back in the right direction. And Will had been careening all over the place recently. “Would you quit trying to avoid the topic? You did a shit thing dude.” Now William was getting annoyed. Josh could make all the suave comments and witty remarks, but he wasn’t addressing the core of the problem –he had abandoned all of them, William too.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 19, 2012 17:26:23 GMT -5
[LOL HIS REACTION.]
Given the fact that the Fires themselves were quite concerned with traitors and that his relationship with Nell had never been something Joshua had bothered to keep a secret, he had merely assumed that William already knew the name of the girl he'd turned traitor for. It was not some dramatic love story about forbidden romance, after all, but a simple decision to switch sides in order to avoid persecution because of someone he happened to be in love with. He did not like dramatics. Joshua blinked at her former friend when William's mouth dropped open and he took a step back, mingled surprise and curiosity housed in the gray eyes. He had abandoned his fries for the time being because the shock of the man in front of him was far more commanding of his attention. "Not fucking with you," he disagreed, giving a simple shake of his head. He looked irritated but not angry, certainly not as incensed as William had been. Buttons had not been pressed quite yet. The presence of an enemy was enough to spark his anger but not enough to turn that spark into a fire, consuming and burning everything in its path. It was probably a good thing, too, because they were still in a fairly public place. When William next spoke, though, the irritation vanished to be replaced by shock. Then more shock. Then—Josh gave a short laugh as if disbelieving—he caught on. "Scary? That's a good one. You almost had me there." He laughed again and shook his head. Nell, frightening. No, he couldn't see it. She was the least intimidating person he'd ever met, except perhaps for the time she'd went for his brother.
He honestly thought that William was kidding, that he was simply mocking Joshua for the fact that he'd ditched the big bad Fires for a kind and gentle Earth elemental such as Nell. In all honestly, Joshua did not think he could have held down a relationship with a Fire. It took patience in getting to know the temperamental Fire graduate, it took patience to deal with him after you'd gotten to know him. Nell was forgiving of his anger problems and she was patient with him, something that he needed. "Really, I thought you knew. I didn't keep it a secret." He shrugged and picked up a French fry, popping it into his mouth and chewing slowly. They always did put a lot of salt on these things. He did not take a sip of his drink quite yet. William surprised him yet again by assuring him that the other Fires were not on their way. Should I even believe him? Given how often Josh himself tended to lie to people, he was not entirely sure if he could accept this answer as the truth. Perhaps Will meant to lull him into a false sense of security and then have the guys jump him once he left the sanctuary that was Burger King and headed out to his car. He hoped that was not the case. It wouldn't be easy waving off a multitude of injuries when he got home to Annabel, if he got home. The Fires as a group could be vicious with their beatings, he knew that all too well. I'm not scared, he thought defiantly. His pride was really his downfall sometimes. It would have been more intelligent to call back-up of his own.
His eyes narrowed at William when the other boy challenged him. I'm not ignoring the fucking subject, I want you to leave me in peace. He hadn't really wanted to have this conversation, not after he'd already gone through it with so many of his other ex-friends. "What, actually fucking finding someone who can put up with me in a relationship? That's a shit thing?" There was an edge of a snarl in Joshua's voice but he kept his tone low. He wasn't someone who yelled in an argument and besides, he didn't fancy getting them both kicked out of Burger King because of it. Anyone who chanced a glance toward them might have seen the way he tensed, though, how he squared his shoulders and his lips set into a scowl. Joshua was preparing for a confrontation. It was not hard to see. "You all made it pretty fucking clear what you thought of me hanging around an Earth elemental so I took matters into my own hands. I left. Plain and simple." Really, he did not see how this was anyone's fault but theirs. If they'd all been willing to give him a chance, give Nell a chance, it might have worked out. At the same time, Josh knew that wasn't how the alliances at school worked. He'd been leader once, someone the Fires idolized and looked up to. No one could accuse him of not understanding. It was that understanding that had driven him away. It wouldn't have worked out.
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Post by william on Apr 20, 2012 23:42:20 GMT -5
For neither the first, nor the last time, William wished he was a cleverer person. Josh was just standing there, so cool and calm and unperturbed. William knew he had anger problems – hell they had been friends! But Josh was so under control, so opposite of William. Every question Will posed, every loaded comment, Josh had a calm dignified reply. And somehow William’s words were turned against him, leaving Will to play the fool. William had learned from a young age to leave the riddles and wordplay to his younger siblings, usually Laura Lynn. She was the one with the lightning (aha pun) quick mind, and a tongue to match. William had learned to avoid any sort of confrontation with his sister. Since he couldn’t really justify hitting a girl, even a girl who shared his blood, and Laura Lynn would triumph in any verbal argument – it was better just not to fight, at least from William’s side. It was much the same with Josh, but William could actually hit Josh if he wanted to. William did half want to, but he also knew that unlike taking on some high school Water kid, Josh was a serious danger. All of this left William dangling loosely, weak where he should have been strong. And this fueled his irritation further, pushing him closer to the edge of losing his very volatile temper. His brows knitted in anger as Josh laughed, mocking his words. “Dude that chick is packing heat, I know it.” Will had heard rumors, mostly stories told around the lunch table. Some of the other guys said that really obese girls hid weapons in their rolls of fat. Will had never been able to decide whether he really believed this or not. And either way, Nell had no fat rolls in which to conceal weapons.
William didn’t really want to think too deeply about all the places a thin woman could hide a weapon, especially not in the context of Nell. But Josh was already moving on. Will belatedly considered that it could have been a good comment to throw, something suggestive about the Earth girl – but the moment had passed for such an action, perhaps luckily. Josh was going on now, as nonchalant as ever. He actually shrugged, as if their conversation of his betrayal was as uninteresting as inquiries on the week’s weather. William just couldn’t understand. Had their friendship meant so little to the other Earth graduate? “Yeah well you didn’t stick around long enough to tell me either.” Will was hurt, couldn’t Josh see that? It was more than just Josh’s betrayal of their element (though that had been bad enough). It was that Josh had never even thought to tell Will, thought that Will might understand. He didn’t, but Will would have tried – for Josh’s sake. He resented Josh because he was a traitor, but Will hated Josh because he had abandoned him. “Don’t pretend you don’t know me. Don’t act like we were never friends. I’m the one trying to be civilized here.” And indeed Will was, though he was mostly failing. He had come over with the intention (though hazy in his anger) of getting closure. He and Josh would never be friends again, but he wanted to understand. But Josh insisted on acting as if Will was as foreign, as meaningless as a stranger on the street. But with each passing moment Will was getting angrier and angrier. He shifted his feet, trying to channel some of his anger away. He knew he couldn’t lose his temper, not here in front of so many humans.
“No! You fucking prick!” Will’s hands were clenched now, his jaw tight. Why was Josh so stubborn? Of course the answer was obvious – because he was a Fire. But was this really necessary? William ran a hand through his hair again, breathing hard in an effort to calm his rising temper. He could already feel himself becoming warmer, his body urging him to take out his anger in a way only he and his fellow elementals could. “The shit thing was just up and leaving. You abandoned all of us like we were nothing. You treated all of us like dirt underneath your traitorous shoes.” William turned sharply towards the door, his hands still balled into fists. “Lets continue this conversation outside.” His meaning was clear – in private, away from the humans. William paused, his eyes growing actually threatening for the first time – the first time ever, with Josh. “Or this time, I actually will call the guys.” William wouldn’t, not really, not yet anyways. What had Josh really expected? Were they all supposed to forget the war, just wave a hand and say “aww whats the problem?” William strode towards the door, the whites of his knuckles showing as he struggled to reign in his growing temper.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 22, 2012 14:29:32 GMT -5
When they had been friends, Joshua had never judged William for the fact that he wasn't as sharp of wit as the gray-eyed Fire elemental himself. He still would not judge him now, even though he glared him down and regarded him as an enemy rather than a companion. He was not the sort of person that held such things against someone. He could taunt someone for the things that they could change, the things that they had control over, but he would never stoop that low as to make a blow against something that couldn't be helped. He knew how that felt and it wasn't a nice thing to do to anyone, enemy or otherwise. He shook his head. "No seriously, man, you have got to be kidding me. This is Nell. Shepherd? An Earth elemental?" It seemed ridiculous to him that anyone, even William, would see his fiancée as much of a threat. She was so sweet toward him and toward most everyone else (barring, perhaps, Rafael and Joshua's own brother) so he couldn't consider her as vicious in any way, shape, or form. At the same time, there was something Joshua could respect about Will, and that was the fact that he hadn't used derogatory words such as 'whore' or 'pussy' in regards to the Earth girl. It would have started a fight immediately between the two but it also would have been an unfair blow. He didn't understand why people called Nell a whore, didn't get why they thought that was okay. As for pussy, well, she might not have enjoyed fighting but he didn't like to value her as a coward because of it. She was brave in his eyes, at least.
If Joshua had been the type to allow such feelings, there might have been some guilt in the fact that he didn't give his friends a chance to understand. His old friends, anyway. He was not, though, and that made all the difference. Instead he turned it onto them in his own mind. Why did they cast him out because of Nell? They'd been wanting to hurt her when they'd had no proof she'd done anything in the first place! He wouldn't have turned on his alliance if they hadn't meant her harm directly. "What, are you telling me you'd have fucking understood?" He did not yell. Joshua was never the sort of person that would get loud in an argument, not unless you pushed him to his absolute breaking point. That wasn't easy for anyone to do. Instead, his voice was low with anger. "You certainly seem to be understanding me now." He was mocking, now, pointing out Will's bad reaction to Nell in order to use it as a weapon against him. He wouldn't have accepted Nell, I know he wouldn't have. She was an Earth elemental and to the Fires, that was not alright. It was against the rules, plain and simple. He used to be their leader but his loyalties were severed. Dead and gone. "We were friends." His tone was cold. He honestly believed that William saw him as all of the other guys did. A traitor, plain and simple, someone who was to be hated and threatened at every possible moment. He was not jumpy and so did not flinch when Will snapped at him, though he did blink and realise that this was going nowhere good.
He could tell that his ex-friend's temper was rising and this concerned him. As a fellow Fire, Joshua was more than well-versed in how incredibly volatile their kind could be. "I left because they forced me out," Joshua said, words trembling with anger he was fighting hard to suppress. His own anger was provoked, now. "I didn't fucking run away under cover of darkness, Will, I was shunned because of her!" He'd tried to come back. Tried. It hadn't worked out. He hadn't bothered to keep his relationship with Nell a secret and they had sneered and jeered at him because of it. He hadn't been outcasted forcefully as in the first war but the feeling that he was unwelcome had been force enough. "How's about you stop thinking about what I did and own up to what the fucking guys did to me." It wasn't all about him and he knew that, acknowledged it. However, he hated being treated like this was all his own fault. His gray gaze was wary when Will threatened to call the guys and Joshua had that feeling of being backed into a corner with no way out. He did not want to submit, didn't want to go with him, but he knew that the Fires could easily subdue him. "Fine." It caused his pride to smart and that only incensed him further. His thoughts were dark as they roiled around in his head, tossing and turning like a violent oceans waters. Once outside, Joshua rounded on William and tried to regain his sense of dignity by standing up for himself. "Now what the fuck do you want from me, huh?"
[So much muse o.o]
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Post by william on Apr 24, 2012 21:20:31 GMT -5
William didn’t know what he was doing, he barely ever did. He just kind of rolled with the punches, to use an American euphemism. He wasn’t a planner, a schemer, a plotter, none of that. And he wasn’t a leader either. He was a guy that was comfortable and happy following the examples of others – provided of course that they were respectful and all of that. Being a following kind of guy didn’t exempt him from his natural temper. William was the cool guy, the one in the group the guys looked to for a laugh, for a winning smile, maybe a good-natured prank here and there (usually from a good enough distance away that they could escape before William got really pissed). But William wasn’t any kind of leader. So when he was making comments about Nell, talking to Josh, there was no way it was pre-thought. None of these things were the types of things that William had wanted to say or had been waiting to say or any of that. They were simply coming to light in the heat of the moment. In a similar way, no comment William had made (as of yet) had been pointedly meant to set Josh off. Simply put, William hadn’t planned ahead that far. He was rolling with the punches. So what William said next, in the relative safety of the parking lot outside of the Burger King, was thoughtless – pure instinct, malice-less instinct. “Maybe you missed the memo, we’re in a fucking war and your “harmless” Nell is the fucking general.” William’s eyes were narrowed, though they didn’t disguise the apprehension that flitted across his features at the thought of the combination of Nell and war. “Do you even know what she’s capable of? Ask yourself that, how well do you know her?”
William had no idea, no idea what Nell had done. Sure it had gone around the school – but at a time when all William could afford to think about was his own family. And when he had finally returned his attention to a social life, Nell’s incredible act of violence against her mother was old news. That didn’t make it any less of a low blow – but it was an unconscious one. William was thinking purely in terms of the moment, of his own fear. He had no idea how his words could be taken by Josh. If he had, well he might have made himself a planner – if only to think ahead and watch his words. He was no fool, and had no particular desire to engage Josh in a fight that – one on one – Josh would almost certainly emerge victor in. But, against every desire, William couldn’t control his own temper. His voice was rising, as Josh questioned his ability to understand. “No I wouldn’t have fucking understood! I’m not going to jerk around and pretend I would have!” William just couldn’t, he wanted to, but he knew that even if Josh had told him – William would have been just as perplexed as he was now. “But didn’t we deserve something? Maybe a little heads up? A goodbye? Some sort of truce before we went to war completely unprepared?” And this was the heart of the matter. It was settled, right next to William having lost Josh as a friend and confidant in a time of horrible stress in his family was fear. Fear because Josh had joined the enemies in a war that was every bit as real as what was happening in the Middle East. It was fear because William couldn’t help but be afraid that Josh would attack him like any stranger on the street, and hold back nothing.
Shunned? William didn’t remember this. Though he had been pretty dazed at the time. The way he remembered it, Josh was there one day and gone the next. William whirled around, clenching his fists and screwing his eyes shut in an attempt to maintain control. He had the urge to punch something, but still had control enough to know that his fist against the brick wall of the Burger King would lead to only disaster. “Get off your high horse! Stop giving yourself reasons to blame me! Why don’t you just come out with what we both know is true?” William was really shouting now, his voice growing horse with the fury in his voice. He felt his fists pulse with warmth that threatened to emerge. “I’m too fucking stupid to have had any clue what was going on!” William took a step towards Josh, his finger pointed accusingly and his body shaking. “You’ve known me for years! We were friends! You know I don’t get things, that I don’t pick up on all these little social signals!” William threw his hand down. “And you know what was going on with me while you were having your big traitorous show of abandonment?” William now gestured wildly at himself, his voice stammering. He was no longer even consciously thinking, just raging as the warmth built up steadily in his body, waiting for release. “You never even bothered to care.”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 25, 2012 17:13:22 GMT -5
Thankfully for William, or perhaps thankfully for the both of them considering the dangers of a fight breaking out in such a place, Joshua was more exasperated than enraged by his fellow Fire graduate's words. "Nell, a general? She has nothing to do with this war." Frustration coloured his words as he rolled his eyes. Nell was a peacekeeper more than anything, a pacifist, she stayed out of the fighting. He didn't think he'd ever seen her fight back even when attacked. She'd fought for him, once, but he'd never seen her lay a violent hand on another person. He respected her strength of will, really, because his own temper would not allow him to act as such. The next comment, however, made his lips contort into a snarl of rage. "A hell of a lot better than you, clearly! She's my fiancée!" He didn't know whether or not Will knew that he was engaged, didn't really care by this point. The other boy infuriated him beyond what he could put into words. They might have been friends once but Josh felt no affection now as he glared him down, eyes blazing. "Don't talk like you know more about Nell than I do!" He did know what Nell was capable of, knew much more than Will, apparently. Is he talking about the trial? He did, in a way, understand that murder put shame on his fiancée as a person. He believed her relative innocence, however, he loved her, so it angered him when others did not immediately accept the things as he did. He was unaware that Will was deciding Nell a monster of his own accord, else he might have been even more upset than he already was.
The insistence that he would not have understood damned Will to Joshua's harsher judgements. Then why the hell does he give a shit? His loyalty was hard to shake but anyone who couldn't accept Nell as a constant presence in Joshua's life was someone that he couldn't associate himself with willingly. At least, not if they made their distaste more than clear. He hated the idea of being shunned simply because he'd found himself in a relationship, fallen in love with a girl. It was ridiculous. "Well there you fucking go, then!" he snapped. He was growing short of patience with William. He was a naturally patient guy, could withstand a lot before he snapped, but in anger that all went to shit. In anger it was hard to keep calm around people. "The guys weren't willing to accept it. They didn't want a truce, they wanted Nell out of my life or I couldn't be in theirs. I decided I liked her a lot better than I liked a gang of judgemental, closed-minded pricks." It was a bit harsh but he was trying to cut deep, trying in a way to get a rise out of Will. It was stupid, but then again, anger often made him foolish. "I certainly didn't see you fucking trying to make amends, either. If you were that damn desperate you could have spoken to me yourself." He'd hung around the dormitories and around the Fires for months after the first war. He'd kept his old friends despite some tensions. Then there had been the realisation that he'd never be welcome among his own kind again, and he'd given up.
At any rate, he certainly hadn't disappeared without warning. The distancing had been slow, and by the time he'd actually threw up his hands and officially 'announced' his switch of sides, he was already hanging around more Earths and less Fires by the day. It set him on edge to think that he was being treated like some jerk that had abandoned the loving and innocent friends he had on the other side. It hadn't been like that. "Social signals? Social signals?" There was no way in hell that Josh was taking any of the blame for the fact that Will wasn't as observant as some. He understood that some people did not know Nell's name but to not realise he was switching sides when everyone hounded him for it seemed ridiculous. "It's not my fault if you didn't fucking think to ask what was going on!" He was fuming, now, and he took a step back from William instead of toward him. It was not out of fear but out of caution. He wanted to hurt his fellow Fire graduate but at the same time he wanted to avoid a fight. Just in case. He looked confused and irritated at the next question. "No, I don't have a clue!" Why would he know? "You never told me, the fuck am I supposed to give a shit about something I know nothing about?" It was hard for Joshua to honestly care about someone's plight if they did not extend the same courtesy, if they acted like he'd been some sort of criminal. They were both at fault.
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Post by william on May 2, 2012 14:43:40 GMT -5
This was ridiculous – all of it, every single word. What were either of them thinking? That justice, righteousness, maybe pure emotion would negate who they were at their very core? No, all those things were just pretty words, at least where two angry Fire graduates were concerned. William should have known enough to just walk away. He knew himself inside and out, but for those little pieces of him he refused to look at too carefully. He should have known he wouldn’t be able to keep his cool. But, as had been said so many times before, William wasn’t a thinker. He definitely made a habit of just leaping blindly. It had worked well enough in the past. William raised a hand, passing it over his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down before he did anything stupid. Josh was raging now, his anger evident. And as angry and hurt as William was, he didn’t want to fight Josh. He wasn’t some hero or some ultimate good guy or something – he just really didn’t want to get his ass kicked because inevitably – that was what would happen. It wasn’t all that embarrassing of a thing to admit. Josh was a year ahead of William in school, but only a few months older. It was in ways to be expected. All of this rational thinking didn’t stop William’s tightly fisted fingers from flinching at the venom in Josh’s words. “I don’t want to know anything about your little bride-to-be!” Couldn’t Josh see that wasn’t the point at all? In all honesty, William didn’t give a rat’s ass about Nell. She was just someone to be avoided, to be afraid of in secret, but never really investigated. “You were right! Is that what you want to hear? Does that make it all better? I’ve never denied it!”
And Josh was right, about a lot of things. William and the rest of the guys, there was no chance they were even giving Nell a second glance – much less any sort of friendly handshake or congratulations on the engagement. There were Alliances, a whole freaking war. Things like that just couldn’t be forgotten. So yeah, Josh had a right to be angry that none of them had tried, or had even considered accepting Nell. That didn’t piss William off. He didn’t feel guilty about it, but he wasn’t defending himself in that area. Judgmental? Yeah they were judgmental. They were fucking Fires. They made snap decisions, listened to their tempers, occasionally thought with their dicks. Hell Josh should have known all of that. Closed-Minded? Yup that was accurate too, at least where it came to Earths. It was like Josh was surprised by this or something, like he could have expected anything different. William found himself laughing, though he was neither amused nor happy. “Give it a rest Josh. You knew exactly who we were every single minute of our shared lives. Did you expect us to change for you? I’m not going to apologize for remaining loyal to my alliance, but yeah sure I can see why you’re angry. But get down off your high horse for a second would you?” William was getting tired of this. There was only so much he could take. William speak to Josh? Josh who was now always around little Ms. General Earth? Josh who now had a reason to attack William for no other inclination that that he was on the “other side”. Yeah, talking seemed like a real safe idea there. “You’re a self-centered bastard.” It was a simple statement, and one William found he believed to be true.
William could, to an extent, understand why Josh was mad. He saw it, he tried to. He would never understand the whole Nell thing. That was just too fucking gross. But he understood the other graduate’s anger. Why couldn’t Josh even try, even for a moment? “All you ever think about it you! How did this affect you! How were you betrayed! How have we hurt you!” William’s voice was rising until he was yelling again, his fists heating up expectantly. William didn’t want to do this, not with Josh. He didn’t even want to bother anymore. He was never going to get his closure, his revenge, his anything. Because as long as Josh lived, Josh would only think about himself. Wasn’t it true? William was fuming but he forced his hands to uncurl. He didn’t say another word. He doubted he could control himself that much. Instead he raised his hand, lowering all his fingers but one which he flipped to Josh through narrowed eyes. He was an idiot, and this time not even an idiot with good intentions. He pulled his jacket closer around himself and turned to walk away. He was done with this, done with Josh, done with regrets. And if he and his boys ever found Nell, they’d take her out Josh or no Josh.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 2, 2012 21:53:21 GMT -5
William was exasperating Joshua, driving him up the wall. If he didn't want to know about Nell, why did he ask how well Joshua knew her? It didn't make any sense and he wondered whether or not this was Will being Will, speaking without thinking as usual. Did he really believe his own words, was he serious? "If you don't care about her, shut your fucking mouth about her." That was what Joshua thought would be the wise thing to do. Insulting some guy's fiancee was asking for trouble. Josh still thought William had been shitting him about the whole being-afraid-of-Nell thing, mostly because Nell was the least intimidating person he'd possibly ever met at the Academy. Her and Devin, maybe, and quite a few of the other Earths. He didn't understand how anyone could fear them unless they'd had some sort of traumatic experience with Earth elementals in the past. Joshua had nearly drowned and so he feared water but then... no, that didn't really work, either. Because Joshua didn't fear Water elementals, not unless they gave him a reason to cringe in fear. Like Jacob, who'd nearly drowned him, or Jane, who'd given him quite the soaking as a display of her superior power and skill. I don't give a shit what he thinks about her. I don't care what anyone thinks. That was love for you, wasn't it? Against all odds and all that romantic bullshit that he'd never put much stock into. Josh didn't believe in fairy tale romance or star-crossed lovers or any of that bullshit, really, all he cared about was the fact that he did have affections for Nell and Will's disapproval didn't change a thing.
Jesus Christ, what about this was Will not getting? Though Joshua had been considerate of his friend's slight disadvantage when they'd still been friends, it really hadn't affected them much back then. Maybe it was the fact that Josh had never fought with William as he was doing now but he couldn't grasp quite how much his ex-friend seemed to be missing in the conversation. "Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" He shook his head, scowled. It didn't seem like Will was listening. "Let's try this again, shall we? I don't give a shit about what you think." If he'd cared for the approval of his fellow Fires that much, he'd have dropped Nell like a rock and stayed with them instead of her. That was the only way he could have kept on good terms with them. Harley and Lark were different. Harley was a traitor like he was and now Lark was, too. Defective elementals tended to be a little more understanding of others like them, though, so it wasn't like it was all that surprising. "I knew you wouldn't change, none of you! I didn't fucking ask you to!" Fires were not like that, they weren't kind and accepting souls. "Again with being self-centred!" he snarled. "I'm not selfish simply because I don't do what you want, asshole!" He still wasn't yelling but there was a strain to his voice, a suggestion that he was being pushed to breaking point. Was Will fucking stupid? Oh, wait, yeah, he was. Josh felt no sympathy, only burning anger.
No, this wasn't going to work. I'm going to fucking punch him. Joshua wanted so badly to haul off and attack William with everything he had at that point, pound his face in to shut the fucker up. This was how he got when he was truly upset, the unhindered rush of absolute rage. Joshua was glad when Will walked away, however, because it meant he could avoid fighting him. Angry as he was, Josh didn't want the guys on him. He didn't want to be surrounded and helpless while they beat him down for something he didn't even think was wrong to begin with. As the Burger King would have since gone cold, Joshua stalked back into the building and got a replacement meal rather than just heating the other one up, knowing that microwaves often made food taste worse rather than better. He then got back into his car and resisted the urge to slam the door forcefully (not that it was easy with scissor doors) and drove home. Fuck, he was going to need some serious alcohol to calm himself down.
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