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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 29, 2012 12:57:30 GMT -5
Clouds lazily drifted by overhead, a cool breeze pushing through the small city. It was not cool enough to wear a thick jacket or a hoodie, but for those who enjoyed the hotter weather of summer some tended to switch out their shorts and flip-flops for jeans and tennis shoes. Not that Lark ever wore flip-flops, but she did take notice of people's change in attire from her place on the park grass. Her Converse tapped back and forth, matching the beat of a song only audible in her head. Her headphones were blaring her music, something she loved to do when alone. Dark eyes scanned the park, watching people go about their day as she sat back on her palms looking thoughtful. A few kids giggled and screamed as they played tag on the playground, eliciting a smile from Lark; innocence of youth was something she had been craving lately. After the fight between Frank and Josh things had altered at home. Her dad was cautious when entering the house, as though expecting the Fire graduate to come around the corner and beat his face in again, but once the coast was clear he reverted back into his usual self. The self that Lark could no longer stand to be around, even for five minutes. She had taken to staying at the school later in the afternoons on the grounds, or doing homework with her allies just to avoid going home to face that man. Josh made her feel safe and well-protected, but even he could only do so much. He did not live there. He was not able to be around all of the time. I should be protecting myself. Lark thought bitterly, angry that she had not been able to do what was necessary to ward off her father.
Lark heaved a sigh and glanced over at her guitar case; today she was supposed to meet Ashton here and get started on his first guitar lesson, and hoped that she would be able to effectively teach him. She had the patience for it, it was more that she was unfamiliar with teaching someone from the very beginning. The bare basics. Placing their fingers on the strings, how to hold the guitar so your fingers can properly reach the chords and notes, how to use a pick, and other simple things Lark found to be second nature by this point. She only hoped it would go over well. Either way...at least I can spend time with him. The girl found herself completely enamored by Ashton. It was unexplained and out of the blue, leaving her confused but happy at the same time. Just his smile managed to brighten her day, something he did not even have to try to do. Ashton never had to try. Lark smiled a bit at the thought and sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. The children were now playing hide and seek, something that seemed difficult on a playground such as that, but it was adorable none the less. Lark's eyes flicked back and forth as she watched, before catching sight of something out of the corner of her eye. The swings. Without even hesitating the girl stood up and took her guitar case towards the swings, setting it against the support bar before sitting down in the plastic seat. Her hands gripped the chains, memories filing in and out of her subconscious as she sat, remembering her first time in the park, the first time she played in an actual sandbox as opposed to the beach, the first time she met Josh. It was not exactly the greatest way to meet your best friend, but not everything started out perfect.
Biting at her lip, Lark pushed the swing back and let herself go. The wind that brushed past her before was now encompassing her, pushing her hair in every direction. Back and forth, back and forth, the rhythm soothing. The song coming from her headphones matched the beat almost perfectly, causing her to toddle her head from side to side. It was actually a pretty good day, and although the prospect of teaching a first-time guitar player was a bit daunting she was excited at the same time. And maybe after they were done they could do something else later in the afternoon (assuming he was not extremely busy). Mid-swing, one of the children who was playing wandered over and looked at the swing next to Lark, examining it thoroughly before glancing over at her. She stopped swinging and put her feet down. They exchanged a look before he pointed at the swing, parting his lips to speak. The girl removed an ear bud so she could better understand him. "Can I swing with you?" He asked innocently. Lark smiled and nodded before pushing off again. "Of course, you don't have to ask. It's a park after all. I think the swings are open for everyone." With a bright smile and a nod, the child sat down and started his own rhythm, the two going back and forth in a comfortable silence. Lark got to the park ahead of Ashton for a reason; to enjoy the afternoon sun and relax for a while before jumping into the lesson. That, and it helped calm her nerves. Spending time with the Earth leader always seemed to make her anxious, though not in a bad way. She more or less wanted to make sure that he would not find out about how she felt.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Apr 30, 2012 0:15:38 GMT -5
Ashton could definitely feel the chill in the air, the autumn weather fading into the more unpleasant winter. He didn't mind the snow, liked it, even, but he did wish that it didn't have such a negative effect on his plants. He sighed as he brushed his fingers along the withered leaves of the window-box plants, debating whether or not the preservation of their life for another few days would do more harm than good. They would die without his earthen powers and he thought of his mother as he studied their wilting forms, glancing back over his shoulder at the half-opened door. She wouldn't approve, he knew that, and it made him almost nervous. He doubted he would get caught if he closed the curtains over, the window faced out back and she didn't go out there often, but it still set him on edge. Disobeying his parents always felt weird. He wasn't as rebellious as some of his friends, didn't get as much enjoyment from doing the opposite of what he was told. They'll die if I don't help them. Deciding that he couldn't just wait around for nature to run its course, Ashton exhaled softly and allowed his own energy to flow into that of the plant. He watched its leaves strengthen, brighten, their life returning under his care. Then, for the hell of it, he turned the pinks and purples to blues and oranges just because he could. His mother wouldn't approve, no, but if he didn't plan for her to find out, what was the point of holding back?
"Ashton!"
He jumped at the sound of her voice, right on cue, grasping the edge of the box to make sure that his flailing didn't send it over the edge. Analynn didn't sound angry in the least, nor did she seem accusing, he was just so bent on his powers being practically against the rules in the house that it had frightened him. He calmed down and shut the window, pulling the curtains over and brushing the dirt off his hands quickly before she entered the room. "Yeah, Mom?" She didn't seem suspicious and that was a huge relief, enough of one that he stepped away from the window so that it didn't look like he had anything to hide. "Your father and I are going out," she said. "Do you need anything?" Assuming that she meant food or something from the store, Ashton thought for a long moment before shaking his head. "Nah, I'm good. What about Cam?" Ashton really hoped that he wasn't going to be roped into babysitting because that would mean that he would have to cancel his plans with Lark for the day. "He's coming with us." He tried not to look too relieved as he bade his family farewell at the door and was left along in the house for a little while. He made a sandwich to top up on his energy and checked the clock every few minutes, trying to decide when he should leave. He didn't want to get there too early and spend half an hour just sitting around but he was bored and full of energy that he wanted to burn off. Hanging out with friends was always exciting to him.
He eventually settled for leaving a good half an hour before they'd arranged to meet up, mostly because it took twenty minutes or so to walk to the park. He'd been planning to drive but when your parents took the only car, you were shit out of luck. He supposed in retrospect that he could have asked for a ride but he didn't mind walking so much. Once at the park, he found Lark sitting on the swings with a young boy that he did not know. He smiled at them both, having a fondness for young children himself and not wanting to come off as hostile or someone that posed some sort of danger. He leaned against one of the support poles, shielding his eyes from the weak but bright sun with a hand. "Looks like you beat me here, huh? Sup?" He became aware of the fact that he didn't know what time it is, chuckling to himself as he added, "Parents made me walk so if I'm late, blame the traffic lights." His tone was light and not accusatory, hopefully conveying that they hadn't literally forced him to walk, that it was only a twist of the story for humour's sakes. If they'd actually forced him to drag his butt to the park on his own two legs he still wouldn't have a problem with it, though. Walking was good. "See you brought the guitar. Which one is it?" He vaguely remembered their names from the discussion they'd had before Halloween.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Apr 30, 2012 23:58:45 GMT -5
"You're awfully big to be swinging out here by yourself," The boy pointed out sweetly, not intending to be offensive. It was merely a fact: Lark was definitely not a child. She shrugged and glanced over at him as they passed one another in the back and forth. "I'm just waiting for a friend is all. I'm going to teach him to play guitar." The boy lifted his chin a bit, interested in this small fact. "That's cool! I don't know any girls who play guitar." There were a lot of females who played the stringed instrument, but he was young so it was no surprise that he knew of no female guitarists. It still made Lark feel special though, to know that there were definitely more males who played than female and even fewer made it to the top. Lark did not crave to be at the top, but if she ever did reach that point it would be a day to remember. Music was her passion and hoped that she could share some of it with a portion of the world. She considered Nell's question about placing her chords on the internet, and recently began considering it more and more. Lark saw Ashton approach and smiled at him, partially removing her hand from the chain to wave. The boy glanced between them with a smile of his own. Eventually a woman on the other side of the playground called for the boy on the swings, and without waiting for the swing to stop he jumped straight off and waved to Lark and Ashton before chasing after his mother and the other child he was playing with earlier. "Good luck with the guitar!" He called out behind him.
Lark allowed the swing to slow down, her shoes scraping dirt before coming to a halt at the bottom. "Yeah, I was just enjoying the afternoon. It was lonely at home so I figured...why not?" When winter hit it would probably be too cold for her to enjoy sitting around the park, so took up opportunities like this to soak up the remains of warmer weather before she froze to death. She could feel the chill pushing past her when the wind blew. Lark stood up and stretched a bit, letting her hair fall behind her. With a grunt and sigh of contentment she pulled out of the stretch and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Oh man," Lark replied, laughing. "I didn't realize pedestrians were meant to obey traffic laws too...who knows how many tickets I'll be racking up in the near future. I'm not sure if my hourly pay will cover that..." She feigned concern, biting at her lip all the while smirking and shaking her head. I always get so concerned and then when he's here I feel fine... Lark managed to build up the anxiety, expecting to fumble over her words or turn red in the face when he smiled at her, but it did not happen. Perhaps it was her extreme comfort in his presence, or the fact that her personality held back her emotions as it always did, subduing what might have been more extreme for another person. Did he make her feel nervous? Yes. Did she feel more like a girl around him than anyone else? Yes. But she somehow managed to keep all of that low key and hopefully unnoticeable. Ally or not, Ashton did seem to have a general dislike for most of the Fires, and felt that maybe she would always remain in the friend zone simply because of that. Lark felt bad for the assumption but it did help her keep things realistic.
"Ah, I brought Nani with me today." Lark piped up, getting off of the swing and grabbing the hard black case from where it rested against the support bar of the swing set. "Most people start learning with the acoustics. Figured you could at least get the basics with her today and then try out Ikaika later on to see which one you like better." She would have brought both of them, but that would have made for a heavy haul to and from the house and she'd rather not dread lugging them around. Lark pulled a brand new pick out of her pocket and handed it to Ashton. "You'll need one of these, too. Your first pick." She smiled brightly at him before turning and walking back towards the patch of grass she was sitting on before, getting comfortable and removing the beautiful acoustic guitar from its case. She did not use her as much as the electric, but it was well taken care of none the less. Lark spent a minute or two tuning it before handing it over to Ashton. "I'll teach you how to tune a guitar, too, but I figure I can do it today. They have tuners you can use until you get the hang of finding the right tone for each string, but I left it at home." It was left in the electric guitar case instead of the acoustic. Whoops. No matter, it was a boring aspect of guitar anyway and she would rather get to something more fun. "So, ever held a guitar before? It's not an insult or anything. But...there's like, a certain way each person holds it so it's easiest to play." Some people tilted it up a little, others preferred to rest it in their lap while others stood. Ashton would need to find his niche so his wrist and fingers would not tire out within five seconds of playing.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on May 2, 2012 21:50:59 GMT -5
Ashton totally understood the restless feeling of being alone and wanting something to do, though he didn't know about Lark's home life enough to pick up on the fact that this might have inferred something different than what he was thinking. The Earth elemental gave a broad grin. "Can't argue with that," he said cheerfully. "I almost came out early myself but I decided against it. Might've if I'd known you had, too." After all, then he would have had company and it wouldn't have been Ashton wandering the park aimlessly by himself while he waited for Lark. He didn't really like to be that guy, the one who seemed so desperate for a social life that they arrived somewhere before all their other friends in eagerness to get the day started. Ashton was a social butterfly and had loads of friends, though, so even if he appeared desperate it would never be the case. "You know what they say, huh, great minds think alike?" He cracked a smile, bright and optimistic as usual. He had off days as any person did but he usually got over his down-in-the-dumps moods in a few seconds and lifted his own spirits with ease. Either that or he hung around his friends, such as Lark, and allowed them to do the spirit-lifting without really knowing that they were being such a great help. He never moped around his friends, didn't have the heart to drag others down when he was in an unhappy mood. That wasn't a very nice or considerate thing to do and seeing as Ashton was both, it didn't sit right with him. "Did you know that kid, or?" It was general curiosity and conversation making on his part.
He chuckled when she made her joke, deciding for the sake of humour not to point out that he'd only meant crossing at the traffic lights in intersections and thus waiting for the lights to change colour. He tried to preserve jokes where possible and since he wasn't a person who needed to be serious at all times, it was easy for him. Then he realised something else and his expression shifted to reflect his surprise. "Pay? You have a job?" She could have been carrying that out for the sake of the humour and thus only kidding about getting paid but he definitely remembered conversations in the past about their mutual lack of work. Which reminded him, in turn, of the fact that this had changed for him since they'd last spoke. He smiled, green eyes light to match his mood. "I took your advice and checked in with a couple of the florists and stuff around the city," he said, the excitement thrumming like an undercurrent through his tone, clearly evident even to one who wasn't perceptive to those sorts of things. "Turns out one of them went to the Academy, too. He gave me the job without an interview or anything!" It was the sheer luck of finding another Earth elemental, somewhat of a kindred spirit, that had sealed the deal for the both of them. The other man was still pretty young, only in his later twenties, and he'd admitted that he'd put off hiring someone for so long because he didn't know how he'd hide his gift from them. "It's all your fault that I'm working now, Lark," he joked, nudging her playfully. "Thanks, though, really. I probably wouldn't have tried it if you hadn't said anything." It was weird, though, having a job. His own money... it was a foreign concept.
Nani... it meant beautiful, right? Ashton didn't have the most impressive memory in the world but when his friends told him things he was likely to remember. It was school he didn't really care about enough to bank things in his mind. "Sounds great," Ash grinned. "You're the expert here, so whatever you think works best is good for me." He was putting his trust in Lark as he had with so many others. Really, if someone told him that jumping off a bridge wouldn't kill him and that they'd done it all their life, he might be naive enough to take the plunge. It was a dangerous level of trust. He had a bad habit of falling for negative people in relationships, too, something that Ashton was surprisingly not that bitter about. Speaking of bridges, he was pretty good at building them and getting over things. The Earth elemental turned the pick over in his hands curiously and nodded when she explained tuning to him, understanding to a point. He'd never used a tuner before, didn't even know what they looked like, but it wasn't like he was completely retarded. Thank goodness, else Lark would have an issue on her hands. "Once or twice," he said. "Never with the intent of playing, though... so I'll just go with 'no' on that one." Sometimes when he'd hang out with his musically inclined friends he would jokingly handle their instruments but he'd never had any of them offer to teach him. Then again, he'd been the one to ask Lark, but even still. This was the first time he was trying to learn something.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on May 4, 2012 23:42:46 GMT -5
Lark was a lone wolf by nature. She did not need the constant presence of other people to be content. She loved her friends, enjoyed their company when they were around, but she coped well with being by herself for long periods of time. Being around the Earths and Waters changed it up slightly, seeing as they were infinitely more social and friendly than her old allies. Thunders were a bit more quiet by nature, and the Fires well...tempers. Not to say all conversations ended in a fight, but if they weren't Josh, Lark was not as watchful of her words and attitude around them. She shrugged and smiled, not at all bothered that she spent some time watching the kids playing by herself. "It's no biggie," Lark waved it off. "Watching them play hide and seek and tag was decent entertainment. Kinda...drifted around in thought. Y'know." Who did not allow their thoughts to wander when they were by themselves? Lark had quite a bit on her mind, what with school, work, her dad, and friends. And of course the guy standing next to her. He was always a little naggy thought in the back of her mind. She nodded in agreement, the old saying playing back a bit of a memory. She did not dwell on it for long. "Ah, no I don't. He just wanted to swing is all. Nice kid." Most kids were actually nice; there were a few rotten apples at the bottom of the barrel, but that was the same with every age and human being on this earth.
Speaking of children, Lark's smile brightened considerably at his question and passed him a curt little nod. "Yep! Hired by the daycare. The interview went well and I'm a teacher's assistant in the three year old classroom." They had her float around to other rooms if they needed an extra hand, but her primary station was with the threes. They were bubbly little tikes, wobbling around and interested in everything they could possibly touch, see, or hear. Lark clapped her hands together once and put out her palm to offer Ashton a high five. "That's awesome, congratulations!" She replied enthusiastically, still smiling. Ashton was constantly making her smile. At this rate it would remain plastered on her face forever. "If you keep making that face it will stay that way!" Ever the warning from her parents. She liked this face though. She did not mind. "Blame me allll you want then," Lark chuckled. "I don't mind taking the credit for something like that. I'm glad you found someone who would actually let you use your power." She knew how his mom felt about the use of the element in their home, and wondered how she felt about this (if she even knew). It still upset her that the woman was so harsh against the elementals, being as her son was one. Shouldn't she just accept it? It was not like Ashton could merely toss the power away into the trashcan and forget about its existence.
Being a teacher had so many perks and benefits, most of them non-monetary in value. To know that someone trusted you with their learning, the gaining of a new skill or set of facts was a big deal. Lark liked to be trusted, to be entrusted with things and people and situations. Not everything had a positive outcome, but such is life. You could not expect to have everything turn out okay simply because you wished it to. With guitar and Ashton, however, she felt confident that this was going to go in a positive direction. Lark smiled. "I'm glad you think so, but don't forget that you're going to learn differently than the way I did. If you think something will work better for you, don't hesitate to speak up." And for that, Lark had no doubts. Ashton was, as she termed him, a squirrel. Always chatting, moving about and socializing. It was a term of endearment really. "Okay, well..." Lark tapped her chin and scooted around to sit in front of him. "Set your fingers on the strings as though you are going to play, and adjust yourself until you're comfortable. You'll need to hold that position for a while, so..." After she helped Ashton find his 'comfort zone' with the guitar, Lark reached over and pulled out an old, tattered notebook covered in permanent marker. It had bands and doodles all over it. She showed him a doodled illustration of the notes and frets. "Let's start with the notes. Top string is E, then A, then D, then G, then B, then E again. And the frets are the spaces in between those metal strips. If you strum and move down the guitar, it will change the sound."
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on May 5, 2012 9:09:43 GMT -5
They were really so different, he and Lark, but at the same time they had a few things in common. Like an affection for kids, one which made Ashton grin when he thought of the kids screaming in delight as they chased after one another. "Sometimes I envy kids, y'know? It was fun making mud pies and shooting each other with invisible guns." To define exactly what he meant by 'invisible', Ashton held out his thumb and index finger while keeping the rest of his fist closed. Pew pew, motherfuckers. Kids could really find entertainment in anything, couldn't they? "That kid knows what's up. I love the swings." He really was a kid at heart. Ashton could envision himself being the type of parent who whole-heartedly ran around the house after his kids playing the big bad dragon to their princess and knight. Honestly, he didn't see anything wrong with letting loose and having fun every once and a while. Sure, people looked at you funny, but what did it matter if you were having fun? "Managed to worm my way out of babysitting my own kid brother, though, which I'm definitely not complaining about." He loved Cam, he really did, but babysitting had never been something that he enjoyed when he had other plans. He didn't mind watching his little brother if his plans consisted of 'sit around and veg out in front of the television' but if he wanted to hang out with friends, he wanted to hang out with friends. There wasn't much 'hanging out' involved with a kid that was a lot younger than he was. They liked different things.
Though the fact that Lark getting a job did not affect Ashton directly, one might think it did with how happy he felt for her. Sometimes it felt like his empathy made him live vicariously through his friends. If they were happy, he was happy. If they were sad it dragged him down and he tried to use his bubbly optimism to lift them both back up again. "Lark, that's great! Congrats! Do you like it so far? Are the kids nice? The pay good?" Ah, and there he went again, motormouth as usual. Ashton simply couldn't help the fact that he loved to talk and loved to know things. He would make a brilliant interrogator if only for the fact that he was persistent and he always seemed to have questions to ask, even when someone might think he'd exhausted every last topic. He'd start chatting about the weather if he had to and he wouldn't even think it was lame. Who decided weather was lame, anyway? He found it a good thing to complain or rave about depending on how nice the day was. Anything and everything. "Yeah it's been really great so far," he grinned enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together as if displaying the fact that he couldn't contain his excitement. He couldn't, really. There was too much of it for any one person to hold. "He's really nice, too. I was worried about that 'cause my friends always complain about their bosses, y'know?" He laughed. He was an optimist but still a complainer. He complained about school, about life... he'd probably find something wrong with work. Eventually. Somewhere down the line. Nothing's perfect.
A laugh resounded in his throat as Ashton shook his head. "Lark, I know nothing about guitars. I can't speak up when I don't know my own preference." He honestly didn't mind learning either way. This was as much to spend time with a friend and give her a sort of avenue into teaching guitar as to learn the instrument. He was trying to be helpful and as little of a bother to Lark as he could possibly be. It seemed to be working so far. "Wait..." He realised something, green eyes lighting up. "So how'd you learn, then?" He asked too many questions sometimes. Good for conversation, bad for staying on topic considering he tended to branch off into about a million different things. He was silent with concentration as she instructed him, though, wanting to listen and to get this right. He placed his fingers on the strings when she told him to, his movements and placements a little awkward considering he had no clue in hell was he was doing. "Uh... like this?" He was probably holding it a bit too tightly but he didn't take notice of this himself. Never played guitar before, after all. It was an instrument, not a lifeline. No need to cling so tightly. He blinked as she told him the notes, moving his gaze from her face down to the frets and strings, frowning doubtfully and then giving a chuckle. "Uh, is there any way to like... remember like? Like an anagram or something?" Those were always helpful. Realizing what he'd said, Ashton corrected, "Uh, acronym, sorry. Like an acronym."
[... Someone kindly shush this kid xD]
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on May 7, 2012 9:17:07 GMT -5
"Mud pies?" Lark asked, tilting her head a bit to the side in confusion. She hoped that no one actually ate pies made of mud. In all truth, Lark had never made one before, let alone seen one. It was one of the things she missed out on as a child. It was not a detrimental thing, but still it felt strange to not know of what 'mud pies' were when Ashton talked about them so casually. Like they were common knowledge. Maybe they are. Did I miss something? Living out her early childhood on the beach, sandcastles were where it was at. Mud was not something she messed around with much, even after she moved to Canada. Lark smiled and nodded, glancing at the swings. "Always been one of my favorites. I'll be twenty-five years old and I think I'll still come out here to swing." She remembered she met Josh while on one of those swings. The kids pushed her around, called her names, and the boy came out of nowhere and helped chase off her assailants. Best friends to this day. It was amazing Lark had managed to keep someone around her for so long. I hope Ashton sticks around for a long time too. Even if she kept her feelings to herself, never uttered a word, she really enjoyed Ashton's company and would want him by her side. The boy made her inexplicably happy. She could not remember a time when she smiled so much. "I'm sure I'd dread babysitting too, if I had a little brother or sister. Family or not..." Lark shook her head. Voluntary childcare was one thing, but babysitting your sibling was not always a bowl of cherries.
Ashton was so incredibly social! Lark blinked a few times, trying to register his questions as smoothly as possible so she could give him an answer, but it was almost difficult. She probably looked like a bewildered deer in headlights before she managed to speak up. "Yes, yes, and yes." Lark replied with a chuckle, glancing over at the playground. "The kids are really nice. They seem to like me well enough, though one of them did take to holding onto my leg. Looked like a furless koala." The image made her smile, remembering the first day the little boy toddled over and wrapped his arms around her lower leg. He did not seem intent on letting go. Lark, forever gentle around children, merely let it happen. It was good that Ashton also found himself a place of work, even though he was not exactly the 'working' type. The kid was lazy, even Lark knew that to be true. Hopefully working with his own element and having a boss who knew of his powers would be enough to keep him going. "It'll happen eventually," Lark replied with a shrug. Ever the realist. "But at least he's an Earth like you, which should make it ten times easier. I'm just glad you get to have a little free reign over what you do at work without worrying about humans seeing you." That was always the dangerous part, wasn't it? Humans were not to know of their elements, what they were capable of. People always feared that which they do not understand. Lark could be sure it would not go over well for any one human to see Ashton sprouting flowers from his palms.
Lark chuckled in return, almost an automatic response to the Earth's constantly cheerful disposition. It was contagious. "It's kind of a subconscious thing I think." Same went for the first time someone held a spoon. One way felt comfortable, another way was awkward. She supposed it could go for those who were left or right handed. "Hm?" Her dark gaze switched over towards him, not quite expecting the question. Her eyes brightened up considerably though, glad that people took interest. "Self taught. I just...picked up a guitar, grabbed some info off the internet, and started to play. Had to find my own niche, but it was fun and worth working towards on my own." Not everyone could learn this way though, so she did not expect everyone to master guitar by themselves. Some people did better with guidance. Sitting before him, Lark watched as he fumbled to try and position his hand and arm with the neck of the guitar. He's holding it too tight. Fuck. She was not upset with him, no. But in the excitement of wanting to teach she forgot that she would have to use physical contact to make this work. Shit. Shit. Shit. Biting at the inside of her lip she leaned forward and weaseled her fingers under his to loosen the grip until his hand was just above the neck. "There...easy on the grip. The only part of your hand that needs to touch the strings and frets are your finger tips." Lark exhaled silently as she pulled away, the contact actually flustering her heart. This should not be bothering me. I'm just teaching him. Glad for the following question, she took that moment to think and clear her head. "I actually never made one up," She replied. "Hmm. Would it help if I wrote the notes above the strings? Or would you rather make something up?" She didn't mind writing on the guitar or making little stickers to help him.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on May 7, 2012 11:52:26 GMT -5
Ashton blinked, genuinely surprised when she questioned mud pies. It was written on his face, though he didn't look contemptuous, merely baffled. Ashton was terrible at hiding his emotions from people but for the most part they were not cruel ones. Probably a good thing for Lark, really, but then they wouldn't be as friendly if he was a jerk, now would they? He made friends because he was friendly, it was simple as that. "You don't know what a mud pie is?" Well, shit. How was he going to explain this one without plopping down near a pile of the stuff and showing her himself? Not that he was opposed to getting his hands dirty but he didn't was to fuck up the guitar and besides, there was no mud around. Maybe he'd just try to verbally make his way around it. "It's literally uh, like, a pie... made out of mud?" That sounded silly as he said it and he realised now that kids were a lot more fun than adults could be. Adults needed a lot of shiny gadgets and nice things that costed a lot of money to entertain themselves. Kids? Give them mud and they were happy. "Except you don't actually put it in your mouth because... ugh, no, I don't imagine that would taste good." He made a face and laughed. "I mean I ate a slug once for a dare, a worm another time, but straight mud is just... gross." So was the worm and the slug but he would have to label them as the lesser of two evils. Mud seemed like it would have a slimy texture and... and ew, he was shuddering just thinking about it. He was an Earth elemental and all but no thanks.
He was pretty sure that anyone with siblings hesitated to enjoy caring for them. It was not that he didn't like Cam or that he wouldn't mind watching him on some days but being treated like hired help was irritating. They didn't even pay him for any days that they made him sit around and watch his kid brother. Geez. "Holy shit," he laughed, trying to imagine a kid clinging to Lark's leg. It was pretty funny in his head. "What did he even want? Just to stay there, or?" Kids were funny little creatures sometimes, human beings in training. He didn't understand them and he didn't really want to. It was funnier that way. He tried to imagine back to his own childhood but it was hard. Not a lot of people could recall their childhood thoughts. They could remember what they'd done but not their thought process while they were doing it. "Well thanks, that's comforting," he said with light sarcasm when she made an off-hand comment and shrugged. He wasn't offended, more like worried. Would it happen eventually? What if he didn't like his job in a few weeks time? Thankfully he was more of an optimist than a realist and that kicked in before he could get too down about it. "He's been great so far and I get to use my powers, I've got nothing to complain about. Aside from, y'know, the boring stuff, but I'll get over it." It was his turn to shrug. He was lazy but not entirely non-functioning. If he liked something he could be the exact opposite of lazy.
Everything felt awkward to him to start off but he supposed that was because he wasn't used to it. He guessed he'd need to go for the position that felt the least awkward for the time being and work off it. He might have been oblivious but he did notice that Lark seemed pleased to talk about how she'd learned. This cheered Ashton up by default because he liked making people happy by showing interest in their passions. Hell, he liked making people happy in general. "Sounds like it was. Not something I could do. It's admirable, really." He flashed her a quick grin. He didn't think he could learn the guitar by teaching himself and so he was definitely impressed by Lark's dedication to the instrument. Then again, it was not like it took a whole lot to really impress the Earth elemental. Do anything that he was incapable of and it would most likely floor him. "But hey, I don't mind you teaching me at least." He liked it when his friends taught him new things. It was a lot different than learning something new in school because then Ashton actually wanted to do it and that gave him the enthusiasm he often lacked in a classroom or work environment. If he enjoyed something, he worked for it. He was not phased when Lark touched him, completely oblivious to the fact that she was bothered. "Oh, sorry," he laughed. He really had no fucking clue what he was doing. Adjusting, he said, "So... like this then?" It was better, especially with her guidance. Green eyes sparkling, he said, "Come up with something, it'll be funny!"
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on May 10, 2012 14:13:14 GMT -5
Suddenly—almost surprisingly—Lark felt ashamed and, well, rather stupid. She did not mind getting down and dirty and ruining her clothes for a good day of fun, but some of these things were completely lost to her. Perhaps it was a lack of friends growing up that hindered learning about some of the simpler child-hood activities? She was not even sure. Lark actually ducked her head a bit and glanced at the ground. “Nope. Guess I missed out, eh?” She replied, trying not to look bothered by this. The girl looked up and watched him with curious, dark eyes as he tried to explain it, her lip twitching what would have been a smile. “Well I guess that’s pretty obvious…just never knew that the other kids actually entertained themselves like that.” Lark knew about mud (what kid didn’t?), but actually picking it up and turning it into something? Hell, she was content just picking up a handful and chucking it at someone for shits and giggles. Perhaps her levels of creativity only ranged in the musical aspect and less towards finding other ways to play with mud other than caking it in someone’s hair. Feeling a bit better at Ashton’s attempt at humor, she smiled now. It was really hard to stay down around him. “Unless I was desperate, I’ll avoid eating mud. At least slugs and worms have nutritional value?” She quirked an eyebrow, chuckling. Lark never turned down a dare herself so she wondered if anyone would ever ask her to do such a thing.
Lark smiled as Ashton laughed. “I honestly have no idea what he wanted,” She replied, shaking her head and laughing. “He was like ‘oh hey, I’m gonna cling to your leg now. ‘kay thanks!’ I felt like he was connected to me with Velcro. Took him a good thirty minutes or so to finally let go.” It was obvious the way she spoke of the child that she enjoyed children in entirety. Their bright, eager eyes, their little smiles and chipper giggles were enough to brighten her day. Lark tilted her head, not realizing that her comment had been taken so negatively. It was merely who she was, though. No changing that. “Just stating the facts, Ash. It’s normally not big stuff anyway.” The girl passed him a smile and shrugged again, glad that he was such a positive person. It actually helped her see a happier side of life. That was often times hard for her after dealing with Frank and several of the memories that lurked in the back of her mind. The world was crueler than some people wanted to realize. It was this realization that kept her closed off to a lot of people; it was a defense mechanism. However, Ashton pushed straight through that and showed her that not everything has a downside. It was amazing how quickly he managed it, too. As though Lark had no way of stopping it.
Music was her passion. It was something she could talk about for hours if given the chance. If anyone was interested in truly getting Lark to open up and chat, all they had to do was ask about her favorite bands, instruments, or anything else musically related. Her passion was impersonal for the most part, and Lark knew enough to keep up a good conversation. There was a comfort zone. “Like I said, everyone learns in their own way. Some people do better with guidance, others do better on their own. It really depends on what you feel is comfortable.” Being a recluse and socially awkward, Lark had a hard time dealing with people around the time she took up interest in the guitar. Working with an instructor? Probably not the best idea with who she was. Too headstrong and stubborn for her own good. She chuckled and adjusted her hair a little. “That’s good. I’m going to enjoy the teaching experience. Hopefully you’ll come out of this learning something.” Lark really hoped he would. Although she had to admit that helping him find his fingers on the strings and adjusting his grip on the guitar neck was going to prove difficult. She was never one for hefty amounts of physical contact to begin with, but when this was the guy she liked? That altered things slightly. Ashton continued on in the conversation as though he did not take notice of her being flustered, and that was a great relief. Either she was good at hiding, or he was oblivious. Or both, which was even better. “Yep, just like that. Good!” She smiled at him again in approval. “Hmm. How about ‘Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie’? EADGBE.” Lark suggested, remembering it was one of the ones she used to remember the strings.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on May 11, 2012 11:57:58 GMT -5
Ashton was a pretty oblivious guy, yeah, but there were some cues that even he was observant enough to pick up on, like when Lark ducked her head. Realising that she might feel awkward or out of place for not knowing about what he considered a childhood staple, Ash worked quickly to rectify the situation, chuckling. "Hey, you should be glad you missed it. It's mud, Lark, it's not space travel. Honestly, I really wonder about kids sometimes." They liked the strangest things. When he was a kid, anyway. They'd name their water balloons before sending them off into 'battle' against one another, like a Pokemon themed water balloon fight of sorts. It was odd. At the same time, he almost missed it. The carefree attitude of a child would be something nice to have again. Once gone it was never coming back. Kids spent all their time waiting to grow up and it was only once they did that they realised it wasn't such a great deal after all. The story of koala bear kid (That sounds like a superhero, Ashton noted) did not get any less amusing the more he thought about it. He was fond of kids much like Lark was and so he wasn't put off by the idea of a cute kid using his leg like a tree. "It'd probably seem big to me," he pointed out, though he still sounded optimistic. Really, people were lucky if they managed to drag him down longer than five minutes. Asha had managed for a while but even that had been passed over quickly. It had hurt, yes, as all failed relationships do, but the power of optimism should not be underestimated.
He understood what Lark was saying, especially because he'd experienced it when learning other things as well. He always worked best in a team, a group project, because he worked well with people and there was something comforting about having a second (or third, or fourth) opinion of your work before you handed it in. Of all the projects he'd handed in, his best grades usually occurred when he was part of a whole rather than standing on his own. He also worked better with instructions given to him by another person. Hand him a manual and he would be lost in a few minutes, have someone nearby to help him out and Ashton would get through things much more quickly. "I'm sure I will!" With the confident tone and the grin on his face, it was hard not to believe his sincerity. Lark is really nice, he thought, and it was an effort not to add 'for a Fire'. It was hard to reverse four years of stereotyping. He meant well, though, even in his thoughts. Harley, Josh, and Lark were all examples that not all Fires were out to get their foes. Hell, he wouldn't doubt that there were gems on the opposite side of the alliance, either. But he also wouldn't associate with them because he understood the rules. "Holy shit, that is great," he said, having to pause in his concentration for a moment to display his amusement for the acronym. "I'll remember that all right." Wondering what the difference was between the two E's, he strummed the guitar twice experimentally, frowning in thought. One was higher than the other, a thinner string, too. That was good, easy to remember. "At least I don't need to remember letters for all the frets, or then we'd be in trouble," he joked, then paused and looked concerned. "... How will I remember that?"
Aware of the fact that the strings weren't the softest things in the word and remembering one of his guitar-playing friends with callouses from years of steady playing, he wondered, "So this won't mess up my hands too bad, right?" His tone was light and he didn't sound too concerned about it. If it was a serious issue then people surely wouldn't play guitar. Always the bright side, always the optimist, never assuming that bad things were abound. You'd think he'd get tired of it after a while. "I have a test next week and I'd like to... y'know, not fail." It was bad enough that his hand cramped up after he spent a while writing but to have sore fingers would only add to the experience. Plus it was a test. They were bad enough in their own respect. "Least it's not a Math test, though. Or History. It's Science so I think I'll be okay." Math was the bane of his existence and History was boring to someone with his short attention span. Science was fascinating in a "what the fuck?" kind of way, though he probably wouldn't take it if it wasn't a mandatory course. Lab experiments were his favourite part of the class by far. Hands on work and with partners most of the time. That was ideal for him. "So have you had any luck finding other people to teach?" he wondered conversationally, figuring that it would be nice to have idle chatter in between his trying to figure out what to do and her showing him what to do. He liked to talk.
[OMG the Eddie one was totally my favourite when trying to learn. High five. xD]
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on May 11, 2012 16:45:56 GMT -5
Ashton, maybe without realizing it, made Lark feel better about lacking knowledge with mud pies. It was honestly not a huge deal, nor was it the end of the world to not know what they were, but lacking the information made her feel so...naive. So stupid. She did not like to feel that way, confident as she was. To flounder around made her feel helpless or open to attack. Ashton never did either one, and the smile on her face hopefully displayed how grateful she was that he did not do such a thing. Instead he diverted the conversation away from her awkwardness. Lark frowned, then, now realizing that she might have said the wrong thing. Dammit. She really was oblivious to the things she said sometimes. There was a filter when it came to certain situations, but in general conversations like this one there was not as much of one. Being a realist and being oblivious to how her words might make others feel was a pretty bad combination sometimes. However, Ashton was so dangerously optimistic that it seemed nothing could keep this boy down. It was shocking really. Lark found that being around him made her feel better about herself, the world around her...other people. Seeing someone completely disregard some of the darker evils of the world really did have a profound effect after a time. It was as though Ashton could not see the dark shadows that lurked amid the light. Often times it was hard to focus on the brighter aspects of life when you were busy wondering what lay in the shadows.
"Good! Because it will help you when you start working with the notes and chords." If you didn't know the strings, you were basically fucked. Not everyone first learned knowing them in order--hell, Lark started off with basic information about how guitars worked and found a few sets of tabs on the internet to get her started. Once she was comfortable with playing, she started to learn how they functioned as sheet music. Lark nodded, then smiled at the flash of concern on his face. "Don't worry Ash. It's not complicated I promise. When your fingers shift down the neck, you'll feel the frets pass underneath. You'll be able to count them that way. Once you learn the chords and such it will be simple." She refused to overwhelm Ashton to the point to where he was unable to function. Baby steps. You can't burst into a full run until you've learned to walk. It applied to just about everything in life, so it worked. Lark found she really enjoyed teaching. The feeling of watching someone accomplish something was more heart-warming than she first anticipated it would be. To see someone grow excited when they got something right--something that she taught them--excited her in return. "No, not unless you play like a mad man and try to go on and on for hours on end." Lark reassured him, hopefully. When Lark first started out on her journey to playing guitar, she went on until her fingers started to bleed. "I think you'll be fine for next week. Just stick to practicing every other day for maybe an hour, and it won't hurt so bad." She smiled at him, showcasing her fingers towards him. They were calloused--it was easy to tell--but nothing grotesque or misshapen.
"Science isn't too bad," Lark agreed, resting her arms on her knees as she observed Ashton and the guitar simultaneously. It was amusing to see who looked good holding the instrument and who didn't. Ashton could pull it off really well, she thought. Or maybe she was biased. She mentally shrugged. "I don't mind taking tests but they definitely aren't my favorite." Mostly because she froze up mid-way through the tests, wondering if she got any of the answers wrong. Confident yes, but only in the things she knew she could do. Like guitar. Tests were simply a struggle. Her eyes lit up at his question; with some things it was so easy to tell what made her happy, and with others it was like prying open a diary with a lock. Especially when it came to things she was afraid to display to others. "Actually I have!" She piped up, straightening her shoulders. "The Water leader seems interested in taking lessons, as does Nell. I think there's a few others but I haven't set anything up with them yet." Lark--again, with severe hesitation but hiding it well--reached out and placed his fingers on a specific chord. "Okay, right now...you're on the second fret. Your fingers are on D, G, and B. That makes the A chord. Go on and strum from the second string down to the bottom. One fluid motion." She pulled her own pick out of her pocket and displayed air-strumming with a smile before placing the plastic triangle between her lips. It was a habit a lot of guitarists managed to pick up. "That is actually one of the more common chords. Thousands of songs use that chord repeatedly." Glad to keep conversation going while she taught, her eyes glanced up from his hand towards his eyes. "I suppose you're getting even more excited for the end of school huh? Only a couple more weeks and you'll be free from highschool. While...I get stuck with another year." She pouted a little.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on May 12, 2012 7:37:15 GMT -5
Ashton was pretty eager to learn the guitar because it was something that interested him, and interest made all the difference in his laziness. Unfortunately he tended to doubt himself at times (he was an optimist but that didn't mean he was immune to worry) and wasn't sure whether he'd remember all the chords and frets and strings and everything so soon. Lark reassured him, though, and he smiled his thanks at her. "Sorry, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?" He laughed, shaking his head. He tended to do that a lot, thinking too much until he ended up confusing himself more than anyone else. "That doesn't sound so bad. I can deal with it, I think." And the optimism returned along with the smile. Never down for long. "I might be a man but I'm not mad," he joked. "I wouldn't do something like that." Ashton didn't mind the idea of having calloused hands, really, it was the pain he was most worried about. He didn't do well with pain and he wasn't sure how badly playing guitar could make your fingers hurt. Still, he was willing to take it slow, learn to play and have fun while he was doing so. Guitars were nice and it would give him something in common with his musically inclined friends, Lark included. He liked having things in common with people. He saluted and winked at her. "Yes ma'am." Really, did Ashton ever take things seriously? The answer was probably a 'no'.
He hated tests. There was nothing worse than sitting in a completely silent room for an hour or two and trying to remember all of the coursework from classes he sometimes hadn't paid much attention in to begin with. His attention span wasn't the greatest and so he often found himself taking breaks and looking around the room as if he hoped someone would be doing the same and they could exchange a silent, knowing glance. 'This sucks, doesn't it?' 'Yes, yes it does.' "Ugh, and then we have exams. I am not looking forward to those." A barrage of tests to determine whether or not he passed the entirety of twelfth grade and graduated? No thank you. Ashton was seriously worried about his ability to pass the Math exam. He'd tried to study but studying for Math was even worse than studying for something like History or Geography (subjects he didn't like much). It was all numbers and boring things that made his head hurt and his brain bleed out of his ears. He was more than happy to go back to thinking about guitars. "Gale and Nell, huh? Awesome!" Ashton knew the Water leader of course, their elements were allies and so it only made sense that they were familiar with each other. He considered Nell one of his close friends, too. It was nice to have a social circle in common with Lark. "I'm sure you'll do good with them, too. You're a better teacher than a lot of mine." Bad teachers made bad subjects, especially when they snarked you for not picking up on the material the first time through.
He went silent for a moment in concentration as Lark moved his hand, letting her do her thing all the while being oblivious to what she was feeling. "Okay," he said, nodding. He had this. I got this. His fingers felt a little strange, like they shouldn't bend like they were, but he supposed that was because this was his first time trying to play and almost everything felt unnatural when you first attempted it. He strummed the guitar as instructed, then tried it a few more times for good measure. "I think the fact that it doesn't sound like a dying cat is a good sign, yeah?" He grinned, green eyes bright. "Dude, you have no idea," he stressed, clearly in agreement. "I almost considered taking a year off because freedom, but then I realised that I kind of need college." He laughed. What could you do, eh? He was glad to be free of high school at any rate. College wasn't mandatory, you didn't need to attend it, so he could always drop out if he didn't enjoy it. "Besides, I already got in. It would be stupid to back out now." He was planning on taking Elemental Studies for his major because really, how could someone like Ashton take anything else? "Hey, now, I went through four years! I deserve my freedom!" His tone was pretty light. "At least there's winter break first. I don't think either of us want to get thrown right into the new year." Who would? He wished it was two months long like the normal schools' summer break before a new year but then, their winter break was shorter than the Academys. Compromise?
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on May 13, 2012 22:27:27 GMT -5
“I’d rather you get ahead of yourself than lag behind.” Lark pointed out with a smile, passing him a curt nod. To her, it meant that perhaps Ashton was eager and that was far better than sulking around and acting disinterested. She would also lose interest in teaching him if he lost interest; she did have a habit of feeding off of other people’s enthusiasm for the things she had to offer to teach. It could potentially be a downfall, but then again if she were to teach in a group setting the urge to stop teaching would not be as present. Other students would still be eager to learn, and that tuned out the one or two that perhaps did not wish to do the same. “I think you can too. It’ll become second nature. Like…like breathing. But not nearly as important.” Breathing was definitely far more important than learning the frets on a guitar. Lark quirked an eyebrow and smirked at him, leaning forward on her arms a bit for support. Sitting up straight was only comfortable for so long. “You sure about that?” She asked. “About being mad, I mean. I never try to question a man’s…manliness. Wouldn’t want to hurt feelings, y’know.” She shook her head and looked up as though exasperated, merely playing up her comment with an added flair.
Lark was not bad in school, but preferred hands-on experience; the learning process in the classroom bothered her. It was the environment she had been thrown in, and the events outside of school that added on unnecessary stress as well. Had Frank and Paula stayed together and their family remained whole, Lark supposed that school would not have been half as bad as it was. Was, because since her switch things were improving little by little. Some of the professors were not entirely kind, but that was to be expected. If only Frank would stop being a dick. Then maybe her focus would be a bit better. She wrinkled her nose a bit and nodded. “Not looking forward to those either,” Lark agreed. The exams helped to determine whether or not she would move on to her final year of high school. That was only slightly intimidating. If I wind up stuck in eleventh grade, I’m going to flip. It was why, even though she was not a fan of obsessing over school work, she tried to study a little here and there so she could be prepared. Lark’s smile returned, nodding. “Yep! This will be great for my references and resume. Everyone loves to see volunteer work somewhere on there. So thanks for being a willing participant.” She could do it for money, get paid for her time, but employers liked to see that you were willing to dedicate yourself without pay. She ducked her head a bit and chuckled. “I’m trying to be.”
It was difficult to receive complements from other people, especially when it was in regards to something you were still unsure of. Had he said ‘you’re good at guitar’ she would not have been embarrassed being as, well, she knew she was good at it. Teaching, however, was a completely different thing altogether. You can be a master guitarist and not know how to teach for shit. To hear Ashton tell her she was efficient at it made her face grow warm. “Thank you.” Lark went quiet now to watch as he tried to strum the chord she had set up for him. It sounded right, give or take a couple of stray twangs in between. She smiled at him. “Definitely a good sign. That sounded great for your first attempt! Let’s try the chord of E.” Now enthusiastic, she adjusted his hand again to find the right notes all the while telling him what notes they were and what to do. It was still bothering her to make contact, and no matter how many times she tried to tell herself it was stupid her brain shot back “not stupid, normal”. What was normal about this? Nothing. “Well, it’s not necessary for every job but it’s definitely more helpful in the long run I guess. A lot of places like to see that degree.” Fuck degrees. Lark wanted to display what she was capable of through experience and talent, not sitting in a classroom. That would not be possible if she wanted to teach, though. “Congrats on getting in though!” She chirped, moving her hair out of her face. “I could definitely use my winter break. What are your plans? Gonna hang around the Hollow or are you going to visit family?” Christmas was going to suck balls this year, she just knew it.
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