Thunder Breaks; Fire Burns (tag Rowena)

"Didn't you wear that to prom?" Rowena was not looking at her roommate as she held up the dress, frowning at her reflection in the mirror and trying to figure out if it would still fit her well. She shrugged at the question. "Yeah? So?" She was not the type that wore a dress to a party or to prom and then considered it against the rules to wear it ever again. If it looked hot on her once, it would look good again. "My date ditched." She was not offended by this, she didn't really care about guys leaving her because she didn't consider it a relationship. They'd went as friends because they didn't want to go alone, it was that simple. She'd ended up having a good time anyway. Ro was perfectly fine with dancing around people she did not know, getting close with strangers. She'd gotten drunk and the rest of the night was a haze but she was pretty sure it'd been fun. The morning after had not been so pleasant but hangovers, as everything else, passed. "So does it look good or not?" She didn't honestly care about the girl's opinion, she'd probably wear it anyway, but for the sake of conversation... "It looks fine." That was that. Rowena hunted down the gold jewellery and bracelets that complimented the band around the dress and headed out the door.

The majority of the Thunder students were milling around the halls closest to the dormitories, located high up in one of the towers that reached for the clouds. They liked to be close to the heavens, to feel the energy of lightning in the clouds. Rowena, however, headed downward. It was a hot day outside but it was even hotter in the dungeons, and she could tell how close she was to the Fire dormitories solely based on the temperature of the air. How does Altair stand it? She strayed away from the halls closest to the dorms, not wanting the discomfort, and was glad for the warm but not suffocating halls a little way away. Rowena found herself curious when she detected another sort of heat, however, and she wandered until she found its source. Smirking, the Thunder girl put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Showing off again, Rivers? How typical of you." Though the words might have been snide coming out of someone else's mouth, Ro actually sounded friendly. "Heard about your war with the Earth pussies. Nice one." She hated the Earths. They were too nice, how the fuck did anyone stand them?

outfit~

Practice did indeed make perfect and the lack of practice in her earlier high school years was the reason that Rowena was two grades behind the people her own age. She was older than Chase and yet she was in a lower grade than him, something that still bothered her a little even now. She wanted to be in college, a year above people like Chase and looking down on them. For she liked to be high above others. The blonde smirked when he complimented her dress, a spark in her blue eyes. Bet you're thinking how much better I'd look without it. She didn't mind when guys checked her out, liked it even. It wasn't like she was modest about her appearance. "I try." She did and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. The girl was a model, tall for her gender, blonde haired and blue eyed. Gone were the days of her self esteem being dead and buried. She still wasn't as cocky as her sister Altair but she had a confidence of her own now.

Mud puppies. Registered the unaffectionate nickname, Rowena chuckled under her breath. It fit them, it really did. "They're always a pain in the ass. A shame Thunder didn't join in, not that I need a war to mess with them." There was one Earth graduate in particular that really made her tick and it irked Rowena that Thunder was weak to the wimpiest element of the Academy. Why couldn't they be weak to Water and Fire to Earth? At least Water had some backbone. When the Earths kicked Thunders' ass it just looked pathetic. Then again, she always felt empowered when she shocked the shit out of some cocky Water trickster. Fair trade. "Wandering around, I guess," she shrugged, and her British accent was still prominent. She still missed home, too. She knew she couldn't go back but that didn't assuage the bitterness about leaving. "I'm not a Fire, I couldn't give a bloody fuck about the heat." She did better in winter, actually, because there was a lot more static to be found.

Leaning against the wall, one heeled foot propped up against it, she looked toward the Fire leader. "So why aren't you out terrorizing the Earths, then?" Maybe it wasn't her business to poke into the war but when did she ever play by the rules? Besides, she liked him, considered him a good ally. She didn't have many close friends but she got along with a lot of the Fires and Thunders simply because the alliances demanded that it be so. She'd been confused and irritated by the alliances when she'd first come to the school, for they'd served as a way of separating her from her Water elemental sister Syria, but Syr was dead now and she and Altair were on the same side. Nothing to hold her back.

outfit~

She raised an eyebrow as he got close, immediately making assumptions but making no effort to side-step him or move out of the way. Again, modesty and innocence were not her strong points. Ro considered grabbing his finger and bending it back to see his reaction, she figured she'd get a kick out of it, a real laugh, but she refrained from doing so and merely smirked at the comment. "Mm, it certainly wouldn't be the first time someone's told me." He was clearly flirting with her, be it playfully or seriously she did not care, and Rowena was amused by this enough to let it slide. "That the best you've got? Surely you can do better...?" Fishing for compliments? No, she wouldn't call it that. Messing with him? Yeah, that sounded a lot more likely. She was a bit loose when it came to 'relationships', never having had a serious boyfriend before, and so the idea that she was a slut or a whore was not a new one. People slapped labels on everyone at the school. It used to bother her but she'd gotten over it.

That in mind, she chuckled at what he was not-so-subtly implying. "I like to look good no matter what I'm doing. It's like a force of habit." True as this was, it was not said with a genuine sort of sincerity. It was accompanied by a roll of her eyes but the light in them suggested she was still having fun with the conversation. If she lost interest she'd walk in the other direction, no questions asked. She'd ditched many people mid-chat in order to pursue her other desires and she'd gotten used to how offended it made some of them. A lot of her fellow Thunders were almost alright with it. She liked their solitary natures, a lot like her own. She was no social butterfly. "I'd say that it was working on you but then you're not exactly innocent, are you?" Teasing, she ran a hand along his arm for a moment and allowed a current of static to shock him. "If you're not careful you might get hurt." The shock was mild, not meant to seriously wound, only to hurt like a brief zap. She stepped back from him with another laugh.

Rowena was proud of her sister for securing a place of power at the Academy, for ingraining her roots into the Academy's political system. Rowena hadn't been so lucky to be elected but then, did she really want the position? Not exactly. "Much as I like the way you think," she said, "I'm not supposed to get involved with your wars. People might get... suspicious." The last thing she needed was her leaders breathing down her neck and demanding to know why she was taking sides in a war they were not meant to be a part of. Thunder and Fire were allies and that hadn't changed in recent developments but Thunder were not choosing to get involved with the spat just yet.

outfit~

She never really understood what was supposed to be sexy about ear-whispering and so she merely smirked lazily at him as he pulled away from him. She loved teasing guys, loved making them wait for what they wanted. There was no need to seduce Ro, for half the time she wanted to have fun just as much as the other party but that didn't mean she'd skip the teasing. "Who says I won't take them seriously?" she challenged him. In fact, Rowena took most things seriously when it came to being complimented. She liked it when a guy thought she was hot. Beautiful made her roll her eyes, that meant he was trying too hard. Hot, sexy, those were words that sounded legitimate. Guys called their girlfriends pretty or beautiful. She didn't have a boyfriend, didn't need one. Rowena wasn't into relationships because she didn't think she could commit to just one person. The Thunder girl tended to get bored with people rather quickly, drop them like rocks the moment she lost interest. Why would she try to limit herself to one guy?

It was actually surprising to have him meet her eyes considering he'd been checking her out most of the time but she stared back with a calm expression. "Most boys do. I don't take it personally." Her eyes glittered with mischief. She was complimenting herself now, putting Rowena Bennett on a pedestal of her own creation. Her lack of faith in herself had been one of the main reasons she was so self-conscious at the start and now she was a bit too confident. She really liked herself. Guys liked her too, though, so it worked out well. Most of them didn't care that she was a little self-centred as long as they got what they wanted from her. She was content to give as long as she got to take in return. "Do you? Your sex life must be bloody awful, then. Foreplay can get a lot better than that." She was just messing with him but she wondered whether he was actually into that. Masochism was something that Rowena did not understand, though she would play along if necessary.

How do you know my middle name? Rowena raised an eyebrow at him again as he spoke it, Audrey, like he'd known her since they were kids or something. She didn't often tell people her middle name but she figured it could have gotten around somehow. Her middle name felt normal compared to that of her two sisters (Sabina and Ryelle, respectively) but it was never something that had bugged her. "You know the alliances as well as I do, Chase, don't be stupid." That was a tad blunt but that was how she was as a person. "Watch? I could do that. Maybe if you put on a good enough show... I might give you one in return." It was clearly suggestive and she meant it, too.

outfit~

Leaning against the wall, acting vaguely disinterested, Rowena twisted a lock of blonde hair around her finger as she considered him. "I don't follow." What did he mean, was it going anywhere? Would she sleep with him? Maybe. Did she want a relationship? Certainly not. He was attractive, his looks pleasing to the eye, but that didn't say much. His personality was one she could tolerate in a friendship but the greatest, nicest guy on the planet would have a hard time winning her over. Commitment was her kryptonite. If he was merely inquiring whether it might lead to a night spent between the two of them, well, that was more likely. Not certain (Ro never made promises) but not impossible, either. The nickname had not bothered her. A lot of people called her Ro. At first it had bothered her ("Only my sisters call me that.") but she'd gotten used to it and it had caught on with her friends. "Friends", half of them, because Rowena was selfish and thought more about herself than about other people.

Rowena snorted softly when he got offended by her comment, smirking and not seeming to care that he was so upset about it. "You're a male, aren't you? You're all the same to me." Her blue eyes glittered. Now she was being cruel, almost intentionally so. There was something about the Fires that she'd never understand and that was their temper problems. She lived with her sister, typical Fire in every way, shape and form, and she still didn't understand how they worked. Rowena could get angry but not about most everything. "Wouldn't have believed you if you said you didn't." She gave him a look then, almost a challenging one. Guys, to Rowena, really were the same. They all seemed to want one thing and one thing only. She'd never had any good experiences with them to suggest otherwise. Rather than moping about it and 'swearing off love' as some girls promised to do (not that they ever followed through) Rowena took the other route and decided not to give a fuck. It worked out pretty well for her.

If not for his tone and the way he threw a wink, Ro might have believed his next words. She was certainly self-centred enough to believe that she was a better fuck than a lot of other girls. That said, she merely chuckled. "Mhm." It was pretty clear that she wasn't buying into that one. Rowena tended to be a bit of a tease in the way that she made a guy work to get into her pants. It wasn't because she was afraid of being taken advantage of, it was simply because it was fun and there wasn't anything better to do. Plain and simple. "Their dormitories, Rivers? And how do you suppose we're getting in?" She rolled her eyes, clearly he hadn't thought this through. Even if they did get in it would be dangerous. Two elementals, one weak to Earth and not planning to fight, against an entire dormitory full of the weak little shits? They were pacifistic pussies but even they were strong when united. They had leaders, too, and two leaders were better than one. Two leaders and a dormitory full of Earths could easily trump a mischievous Fire and his Thunder observer.

outfit~

Rowena rolled her eyes. Didn't Chase know anything about her? The rumours? She'd figured that was why he bothered to flirt with her in the first place, the fact that she was known for being loose and uncommitted. Guys wanted easy girls for quick encounters, they didn't want them for life. How could anyone trust a girl that had slept with all their classmates and then some? "Clearly you've a lot to learn about me." She didn't sound offended, almost amused by the entire situation. Had he honestly believed that she wanted to get into a relationship with him? Really? "I'm not looking for a relationship and even if I were, you're not my type." The last comment was a little unnecessary but it was true and so she said it. Sometimes Rowena almost wished she could find someone to settle down with but Chase wasn't the sort of person she envisioned. Friend-zoning in the strangest way, just like she did with everyone. I'll sleep with you but I'm not the dating type. That was how it went with her, how she functioned. He'd learn that soon enough.

She considered him for a moment. "No, I wouldn't." Her answer was honest and she wondered if Chase would believe her. He's into me. Most guys at least like to look. Being interested didn't just pertain to actually wanting to sleep with someone in her opinion. If you found someone attractive it didn't necessarily mean that you had to get into bed with them but it still meant you were interested. She didn't honestly believe that any guy could look at her when she was showing some skin and looking her best and not feel something. Conceited, perhaps, but those were her thoughts. "Would you believe them?" A challenge in its own right. She wondered whether or not he'd be honest with her in his response or lie to gain some sort of favour. "Us girls can be just as bad as you guys. Remember that." She wasn't some innocent little fairy that never had any bad thoughts. She wasn't attracted to every guy that crossed her path but that wasn't to say she was immune to lust.

Rowena decided that she liked that, the way he didn't pretend that he was innocent. It sickened her when guys tried to trick her into their beds, like they thought they were being clever if they praised and complimented her a path to their bedroom door or some cheap motel room. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't." She hadn't decided whether she'd give him what he wanted yet. She might have been what a lot of people classified as a whore but she wouldn't sleep with anyone and everyone. Sometimes she changed her mind, sometimes she led guys on and then laughed when they didn't get what they wanted from her. It gave her a sense of power. She valued Chase as a bit of a friend and so she was a little less cruel to him... but not much. Ro wasn't the best friend in the world. However, her expression lit up immediately when Chase mentioned Nell. "You messed with that little whore? Oh, perfect." She hated Shepherd, hated her and everything that she stood for. "Little cunt deserves it, I hope that prick she's with drops her like a rock." She felt a lot better now, knowing that Chase had messed with Nell.

outfit~

She rolled her eyes. No, that wasn't what he'd said. He'd asked her if she thought anything was going to come of it, if Rowena was one of the girls who were looking for a relationship, not if she'd sleep with him. Ro figured that there wouldn't even be an issue or debate over that. All the same, though he exasperated her, Rowena did not get angry like the Fire elementals did. She'd thought it was silly when he'd gotten all upset about being called a boy. If someone called her a girl, she accepted that. She had the right parts and thus she was female, a girl, a woman. They all meant the same thing in the end. "I'd say 'nice try'." She smirked at him. Really, she was half-considering it by this point. It might be fun. It was also fun to mess with him and so that was why she wouldn't give him a straight yes or no answer. She certainly wasn't going to pull off her dress in the middle of the hall where anyone, student or professor alike, could saunter in on them, so she'd make her decision later.

The Thunder elemental laughed. "You're as full of yourself as I am, aren't you? I was asking if you'd believe a guy if he said he wasn't into me, not the other way around." She'd remember the information that he'd given her anyway, though. She tended to remember things like that against people. A lot of the times she used her information to cut deep if she got into an argument with someone. She was a cocky and vindictive bitch when it all came down to it. No temper like the Fires but a mean grudge-holder. "I wouldn't say that," she said. "You boys can be just as foul." It didn't bother her. She knew that guys liked to use pretty girls and pretty girls liked to use desperate guys. Hell, it was a vicious cycle and she was a part of it. She took pride in being a part of it. Chase was nice to look at, at least, though blondes weren't always her type. Nor were males. Rowena was just as appreciative of the female figure. She wondered for a moment what Chase would think of that but didn't bother telling him.

"Oh, does it?" Well maybe might mean no in hers, then. Just to troll him. The subject of Nell was a lot more interesting to her for the time being anyway, for she hated the Earth bitch and all that she stood for. Earths were weak little pansies (pun intended) to begin with and this one had messed with her sister. "Good. Tell her I said hello next time you mess her up, would you?" She wished that she was physically stronger or at least a Fire so that she could knock Nell down a peg. Or several. She remembered attacking her in the library and how the stupid bitch hadn't even fought back when Ro slapped her and shocked her with electricity. Rowena had wanted a fight and Nell hadn't given it to her. "Well, then, I'll meet you, just as you said. Tomorrow." She supposed that was when her decision of whether or not she'd sleep with him would be made. The fact that he'd attacked Nell was working in his favour. She liked that.

outfit~