-- BURNING THROUGH MY VEINS [Ashton]

Ashton leaned over the back of the couch as he chewed on a piece of beef jerky, his parents barely acknowledging him as he turned his gaze to the television screen. "Whatcha watchin'?" It might have been considered obnoxious or annoying if it was not Ashton in his innocently curious glory, walking around the couch to flop down beside his mother as it switched from commercials back to the program in question. "News," said his mother, while Dustin helpfully supplied, "Hey, Ash." Oh well, his mother had it covered. "You guys are boring," he teased them both. "Boring and old." Dustin laughed where Ana looked irritated, the former seeming to realise it was only a joke. His mother was the no-nonsense and serious type, where Ashton inherited his jokester personality from his father. He might have been a Water if he wasn't such a pacifist. They tended to be troublemakers whereas his idea of joking and fun was a little less harmful toward others. There was the usual boring weather report during which Ashton chowed down on the rest of his jerky and then it switched to something about a house fire that had caught the attention of the middle-class neighbourhood it had happened in. They tended to do that. Ashton wouldn't have thought much of it... if he didn't recognise the area. The street. The house. Holy... holy shit. That's Lark's house, isn't it? "What's wrong, Ash?" His father took note of his floored expression and it took him several seconds to reply. "Just... just give me a sec." Crap, he really needed to not worry so much about his friends. It was going to give him an aneurysm. His father started to say something else, Ashton cutting him off with a loud "Shh!" Ana scolded him (your typical "Don't talk to your father like that!") and he held up a finger pleadingly. "I think... I think that's my friends house. Can we just... listen?" They both seemed to understand after that, watching the screen as intently as he was.

Unfortunately it ended up being a rather short segment and did not give any details, mentioning no names. All they said was that there had been no deaths and that the house had undergone serious and possibly irreparable damage. Again, fire tended to have that effect on things. Maybe it's not Lark. I could be overreacting. Surely her father could... he's Fire, he could fix that, right? But Ashton didn't know the details, didn't know that Frank was actually the cause of the Fire. The cause of a lot of problems that related to his friend. They'd become friends rather quickly but Ashton was close to everyone he befriended, loved them all equally. Fretted over them equally. "Why don't you try calling her?" Analynn's suggestion was gentle, a prod in the right direction. His mother could be kind when the situation called for it. He nodded, his throat dry. "If she needs somewhere to stay... The implications were obvious and he gave his mother a strained smile. "Thanks. I'll... I'll be right back." He excused himself and went up to his own room, wanting to be able to talk to Lark without his parents listening in. God damn, he hoped that she was alright. He dialed his friend Lara by mistake in his rush and she seemed confused when he immediate asked about the news, the Earth giving a sheepish apology before hanging up and dialing the correct one. "Lark, are you alright?" Not so much as a hello the moment she picked up, instead a demand to know whether she was okay or not. He wanted to know, needed to know this. "I was watching the news and... and holy shit, was that your place? God, I'm so sorry. Are you... where are you right now?" So many questions. He tried to keep calm and sort out his thoughts so that he made sense over the phone. "Do you want to come hang out or something?" Translation: So I can make sure you're doing alright?

Hearing Lark's words rasp in her throat made his stomach leap into his own, a weird and disorienting feeling. He was an incredibly empathetic person and so Ashton tended to fret more over his friends than it even made sense to fret. If Lark had been sitting next to him she'd have seen the way his features twisted into a mask of concern but he managed to keep at least moderate control over his voice as he spoke to her. It wouldn't do any good for either of them if she couldn't make sense of what he was saying. He laughed softly, a knee-jerk reaction, when she said that she was okay. "Oh, good," he breathed. "That's... it's good that you're alright, I mean, not that—" He cut himself off and chuckled again, clearly anxious. He wasn't very good in situations like this and he hoped that Lark would understand that his strange reactions were only a result of how stressful and strange the situation was for him. He wasn't used to dealing with anything like this. There had been the accident where he'd almost lost his mother and a few bumps and bruises over the years but he was lucky in that his life and his friends' didn't seem to be filled with drama. Lark was a new friend but Ashton didn't judge his friends on a scale. Once he cared about you, the boy cared, and that was that. "Oh, god, I'm sorry," he sympathized when she admitted that it was her place. "It didn't look so good, and I thought... well, at least you're alright, but..." Damn, this sucked. He wished he could do something more about it.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly when she told him not to apologise, and then the Earth elemental groaned and there was the distinct sound of flesh meeting flesh when he smacked his forehead. "I mean... okay. I won't." He was one of those people that automatically apologised for everything whether it was their fault or not and so it was a hard habit to shake. He understood how it could get annoying after a while, though, and so he decided that he was going to try and cut it out around Lark. Or at least cut back a little, especially in the current situation. He was quite sure that he was making an idiot of himself but he was more concerned about Lark than about his state of self for the time being. "Hospital? Are you—oh." He had started in alarm before she was finished the statement but when Lark mentioned her father he broke off with a soft sound in his throat. He had been there, he remembered how it had felt when his father had taken him to the hospital to see his mother and how they'd been worried about whether or not she'd regain consciousness. It was scary. But then Ashton didn't know the full story, he didn't know that her father was the cause of the house fire. "Oh, geez, Lark, I hope he's okay." Better than 'I'm so sorry' again, right? He was trying, making an effort, but it was hard not to go off in a ramble of apologies. "Yeah... yeah, okay. See—see you in a bit." Ashton, too, hung up, raking a nervous hand through his hair.

Exhaling heavily, Ashton went back down into the living room with his parents. "She okay, kid?" That was his father, seeming just as concerned for Ashton's mental state as Ash had been about Lark's physical one. His parents knew how he was about his friends, how attached he got. He nodded shakily. "I invited her over... hope that's okay?" He probably should have asked before he invited her but he'd been wrapped up in his own worries. "Of course it's okay," Ana soothed. "It's like we said, Ash, as long as she wants." Right, he'd forgotten about that. His thoughts were a mess and he sat down on the couch, playing absently with the bottom of his jeans as he waited. He couldn't think of what else to do. The boy was up and on his feet the moment the door went, pulling it open and almost immediately pulling Lark into a hug. He was incredibly affectionate by nature and he couldn't help but react on instinct for this one. Pulling away, his green eyes held every bit of concern that he was feeling. Windows to the soul, and his soul was an open book at the moment. The boy was shit at hiding what he was feeling. "Hey, Lark." She wasn't trying a smile but he did, and though it was strained from anxiety it was there. "Come on in. Do you want anything? I don't imagine hospital food is that great..." It wasn't awful but it wasn't the same as food at home. Ashton was fairly efficient in a kitchen at least. He'd never blown anything up and that, to him, was an accomplishment.

[So much muse o.o He told me he'd hug her, I am so sorry .-.]

His expression turned sheepish at her words, and though she could not see his face the chuckle that left his lips matched it effortlessly. Was he something else? He didn't know. All he knew was that he was so incredibly concerned about her, this girl he hadn't known for very long but already considered one of his close friends. Really, it did not take long for Ashton to befriend a person. Once they're in, they're in for life. Even Nell, whom he'd tried to detach himself from, Asha who'd hurt him and still managed to earn his forgiveness, Hannoly who'd disappeared but whom he'd still welcome back into his life with open arms if she returned. He was too trusting. He was not surprised when she didn't return the hug, in a way hadn't expected her to. It was his instinctive reaction when someone wasn't doing alright, to hug them whether they hugged back or not. He did not notice that it paralyzed her, figuring that she was just in shock about the whole house fire thing more than anything else. "That's okay too," he said quickly when she said she wasn't hungry. He just wanted to make sure that Lark was alright and he really wasn't sure what to do, how to go about it. "You can if you want," he said when she expressed an urge to sleep. "I won't mind if you crash in my room." Always selfless, always looking out for other people, Ashton would sooner sleep outside in the yard than expect a friend to do the same. Granted, the floor was a little less harsh, but the same principles applied.

His parents didn't seem offended by Lark—not even Ana, for which Ashton was Ashton was relieved. They seemed to understand as he did that she was not in the best of states right now. He nodded to show he understood when she gestured toward the stairs, following her up to his room without argument. He was uncharacteristically quiet because for once, Ashton was quite unsure of what to say. He was incredibly concerned about his friend and her silence but that was only to be expected. He felt like to ramble as he usually did might be taken as insensitivity and so he subconsciously hushed himself. Sitting down beside her, he said softly, "Take all the time you need." If she was too stressed to talk right now then he wanted her to know that he would understand, that he would not be offended if she wanted to wait. Lark did speak, however, and the first words that came out of her mouth were surprising. "You don't need to apologise!" He sounded surprised but his tone didn't change. "Really, Lark, you didn't need to tell me anything," he assured her. "I can only imagine what it was like, it makes sense that telling people wasn't the first thing on your mind." His words were entirely sincere, it was obvious that he meant them. He didn't feel like Lark should be apologising for any of this. "And it's not a burden," he added in afterthought. "No one should have to suffer through that alone." Unless she'd told someone else, but he guessed by 'or anyone else' that she hadn't.

Of course, Ashton did not know the full story. There was no way that the Earth elemental could go about knowing her home life, that in telling him about the fire she was not just revealing a tragedy but a family secret. When she spoke, though, he listened in stunned silence. "Physical?" he repeated after a pause. "You mean like he...?" Saying it felt like too much, though, and he figured that he had indeed caught on to what she was implying. He never would have guessed that her father was such a person. There had been subtle cues throughout their conversation but Ashton wasn't good at picking up on those. He hadn't realised it then and didn't even realise now as he sat beside her and tried to process this new piece of information. "I'm s—" No, she'd already told him off once for apologising, he was going to need to stop that. After a brief reworking in his head, the sentence came out as, "I wish you didn't have to go through that." There. It wasn't an apology but still an expression of remorse for what Lark suffered. "I never knew." Obviously not. And Ashton didn't know what it was like, didn't have any advice that he could offer. Apart from the usual few times his parents had laid a hand on him (and what kid didn't go through that?) they were not abusive in the least. He felt awful for her but didn't know what he could say. After a moment he just put a hand on her shoulder, for a hug would be awkward at this ankle. "If there's ever anything I can do..." The implications were obvious.

Ashton had been so wrapped up in his own concerns over Lark's well-being that he hadn't even realised that he'd not asked her if she needed somewhere to stay. He was flustered and frantic about the whole situation with the fire and so it was only to be expected that a couple of things might slip his mind. He didn't like the idea of his friend having to sleep in the hospital. That wasn't a good place to sleep, he knew from experience. "Oh, geez, Lark, I couldn't let you do that!" His insistence was not forceful even if his words sounded like he wasn't giving her a choice. There was always a choice. Ash wasn't very good at forcing anyone to do anything. It wasn't in his nature. "Really, my parents won't mind if you stay a while. It's better than the hospital and I promise I won't tell anyone if you don't want." He was willing to do anything to protect a friend. Anything. He wasn't a very good liar but for Lark's sake he'd simply avoid "lying" by not bringing the subject up in the first place. It wasn't like people were going to be omniscient, like they'd understand immediately that he had a guest. "At least until break's over?" It was almost funny to think that he was the one begging her to stay and not the other way around. He hated the idea of his friend having nowhere to stay. The dorms were open for those students that had them reserved but they wouldn't take new people until the new year and her element despised her. It was a complicated situation indeed.

He gave her a sympathetic and supportive smile when she said that she wanted to talk to him. He never tried to force people to talk (even if his questions were often a little too personal, there was a choice to back out) but he wasn't going to stop her if she wanted to. Course not. "Okay. If you ever want to talk I'm all ears." He'd been told that he was a good listener and Ashton knew that it was true. He played the role of therapist to a lot of his friends who had issues and no one else to turn to. He wasn't judgemental and he was very empathetic so they felt like they could trust him. They could. It seemed Lark was the prideful type that bottled everything up inside and Ashton's first thought was that it couldn't be good for anyone to do that. "I'd rather you told me than let it get to you," he said. "If you want to, that is. I can keep secrets, I'll understand. I wouldn't hold anything against you, Lark." Against anyone. He thought of Nell and there was the stupid guilt again. Then again, he hadn't found out through the girl herself. Maybe then it would've been different. He pushed the thought aside, focused on Lark. "Aggressive," he repeated, sounding upset for her. He didn't like the connotations of the word. To think that in all the time he'd spent hanging out with Lark that her father was probably slapping her around worried him, concerned him. "Shit, he started... did anyone find out?" His immediate concern was not for elementals as a whole but for Lark and whether or not the government would come after her. The horror stories that were told in Elemental History...

He was on his way to being a bit hurt when she mentioned being afraid of losing friends but when Lark corrected herself he smiled. "Sorry, Lark, you're stuck with me," he said, chuckling in an attempt to reassure her. He sounded anxious but it was more out of concern for her than anything else. It was touching to know that his presence alone meant something to her. A lot of people leaned on him but there were only a few who let him know that his support meant a lot. He didn't say anything but let his expression do the talking. "If you're sure." He wished he could do more than just sitting around and feeling bad for her but it was hard sometimes. "Not if you sleep in a hospital," he said, and though his tone was light his words were serious. "I really wouldn't mind, Lark. Honest. I'd feel bad if I knew you had to stay there overnight." He wasn't trying to guilt her into staying over or anything. He looked sad for her when she mentioned that she'd lost her surfboard and both her guitars. "Oh, geez, that's terrible. I'm—that's terrible." He laughed nervously. Jesus, just stop apologizing! Or, well, almost apologising. He'd caught himself that time. He wished he could do something but it really wasn't in his power to. That sucked a lot.

Unsurprisingly, Ashton did not understand Lark's hesitation when it came to staying at his place as opposed to sleeping in a hospital chair. He didn't understand a lot of things about pride and stubbornness because he'd never really experienced the feelings himself. He was empathetic and so he often tried to relate to other people for their sakes but it wasn't an easy task for the Earth elemental when it came to things he'd never been himself. He smiled softly at her, tilting his head slightly. "Impose? How would you be imposing on anything?" He didn't say it roughly or with a roll of his eyes. He wasn't exasperated. No, Ashton was confused. It was hard for him to understand that Lark felt like she'd be a burden because he didn't see her that way in the least. He shook his head, still smiling. "Lark, I promise that I wouldn't see you as an inconvenience." His parents wouldn't, either. It had actually been their idea. It was times like these that he did realise his parents had his back. They had their moments where they'd nag him or get on his case about silly things but in the end they understood when he was upset and they usually tried to prevent it. Unless of course they were the cause of the upset in which case he usually ignored them and moped for a while. No shame. "And you didn't ask," he added in afterthought, mulling back over what she'd said. "I offered, remember?" Why was it so bad?

He sighed his obvious relief when she said that no one had found out. "Oh thank god! I was really worried for a second there!" He sounded genuine and his brows knit together as if to back that up. "I'd hate for you to lose your powers or something." Or worse, for the government to get involved. He didn't pay much attention in history class but elemental history was another matter entirely. The history of the elements was as interesting as it was disturbing. The slow dwindling of their race as people began to discover their unique gifts was saddening. He didn't want Lark to be one of the unlucky victims, the ones that didn't get away. No. That won't happen. Stop panicking! "I'm sure they won't. No reason to!" It wasn't in their nature to doubt things if there was a rational explanation, after all. It was the fact that saved the elemental race for the most part. People didn't try to look past the smoke and mirrors to see the facade within. Ashton was glad when she finally relented to staying over, liking the fact that there was something he could do. Ashton thrived off being useful to others and so Lark allowing him to help her was actually more beneficial than anything else. Did she realise this? He hoped so, even though it wasn't likely. "Do you want the air mattress instead? It's probably more comfortable." They usually used it when company was over.

It was sad to see her struggling. Perhaps it was his empathy that clued him in on the fact that she was more upset than she was probably letting on. No, it was probably how she'd always seemed happy when she talked about music and surfing. There was no way she didn't care about the loss. "Think of it this way—you lost the guitars and the board, but you didn't lose your musical or surfing talent. It'll still be there when things get better." It wasn't much but he was optimistic, he had to find some kind of silver lining. He knew she probably wouldn't feel the same about a new surfboard or new guitars but at least she'd be able to play again. Surf again. That was better than nothing at all, right? "And it happened over break so you don't need to worry about school for the next couple of weeks either. I'll probably be around too save for when I have to work." He was implying without saying it outright that he'd be more than happy to keep her company, take her mind off things. That's what friends were for, right? Support and all that? Ashton was a very good friend when you needed someone to lift your spirits. He was hardly ever not smiling, even if his smile was tinged with sympathetic sadness like it was now.

Ashton smiled before pointing out, "Wouldn't offer if I didn't." He was willing to do almost anything for his friends but it wouldn't make sense to go out and purchase a brand new air mattress so that your friend could stay over for a week or so. They had company on the odd occasion, though, and since they didn't have a guest bedroom the air mattress was the next best thing. The Raleigh household had two loveseats instead of a full-sized couch and so sleeping could often times be a little bit cramped. Lark's desire to avoid being an inconvenience was nice but it was also countered by Ashton's desire to make her feel comfortable. At least they'd found a compromise at last. "Think of it like an extended sleepover," he suggested. "Friends do that all the time!" He would know, really. He might not have been the gay friend, but Ashton was totally willing to sleep over at a girl's house if she wanted. Innocent intentions, completely innocent. Her parents might not believe it but he really was the nice guy sort. He mostly spent sleepovers eating, playing video games, watching movies. His situation with Lark was a little different but with his words he was offering a way to make her feel more comfortable in his home. "I have people over a lot. My parents like to joke that I should run a hotel out of my bedroom." He rolled his eyes but smiled to show that this didn't really bug him. Nothing did.

It was sad to see Lark going through something like this, especially when he couldn't do much about it. Ashton thrived off being an asset to people, being helpful. It killed him to stand around and do nothing when his friends were hurting. You're not doing nothing, he reminded himself. He'd given her a place to stay until the shit at school had straightened out. This thought comforted him and he moved on. He didn't do well with being unhappy, didn't know what to do with himself. Perhaps that was a part of the reason he was so bright and cheerful all of the time. He forced himself to be. If he thought everything was going to be alright he didn't have to worry so much. He still worried over other people but he could put his own troubles aside. "I know," he said, and he didn't want her to think that he was trying to undermine what she'd went through. Never. "But when things get better it's always nice to know you've got the... familiarity?" He said the word with a soft frown, as if unsure of whether it was the right word. After a moment he decided that it was and nodded with a, "Yeah. It's nice to have something familiar." It would be absolutely shattering if a tragedy could take away her talent as well as the objects she used to bring that talent into the world.

Ashton liked walking but he couldn't fathom having to do it all the time in the cold. No thank you. So he made a face for a moment at the thought and nodded to Lark's comment about the car. "That's good. I've just got Dad's truck but it's something." He really needed to get on getting a car of his own. And maybe an apartment in eventuality, though Ashton knew it was better for him to prioritize. He still had college to pay for and he wanted to make sure he was really settled into his job before he started relying too heavily on it. It wouldn't do him any good to quit or get fired when he needed the money to support his life. "And then there's prom," he said as the thought crossed his mind. He hadn't thought about it as much this year as he had last year because he hadn't invested everything into getting himself a date. Hannoly had wanted to go to prom during her last year and so he'd asked her along but this year there had been no reason to secure a date. Except that, well, "Totally forget that the leaders are expected to go and I don't have a date." He laughed at his own idiocy, shook his head. Well, at least he could find humour in his own faults? "So it looks like I'm on my own. Ah well. Unless..." He looked at his friend almost curiously. "Are you planning on going? We could go as friends." The suggestion was an easy one because his mood was relaxed.