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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on May 10, 2012 0:15:03 GMT -5
Emmett grumbled, his face in a permanent frown. It's not like he intentionally want to start a fight, but he was in such a bad mood that day and when a few waters walked up to him to antagonize him, Emmett just snapped. He was usually tolerant with these kinds of things, resulting in him just walking away, but his clenched fist was tingling and he needed to take his frustration out on somebody. They were just conveniently there, just like how a teacher was conveniently passing by at the exact same moment. It wasn't the first time Emmett got in trouble, but it was definitely his first time going to detention. So now here was, angrily walking toward the detention hall. It's like the other students could feel the electricity radiating from him, because they naturally parted down the middle as he walked through.
Upon entering, he headed straight to the back seats. It was rather empty and Emmett was rather thankful. He didn't want to deal with anyone, especially in his state. He had a feeling he'd earn himself even more detentions for bad behavior and potential lashing out. Considering Emmett was usually a kiss-ass to teachers, it wouldn't end well at all.
Emmett rested his hand on a propped arm, scanning the classroom with a bored expression. It took a few breaths to calm himself down, and that was only slightly. How long was he to be in here anyways? He glanced up at the clock and groaned, hanging his head back to stare at the ceiling. If anything, he should've brought his book bag or something to preoccupy himself. This was just torture, and it didn't help that he wanted to punch a wall right about now. Emmett sat back up in his chair, looking at the supervisor. He was at his own desk, drinking coffee and reading an oversized newspaper. Ass far as Emmett could tell, he didn't want to be here as much as Emmett did. He tore his eyes away from him after a few seconds and ended up resting his head on the desk he was sitting at. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... Soon after, Emmett's eyes began dropping from sleepiness.
...ten sheep...
And he fell asleep, unable to fight the raging bored-ness that came with being in detention.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 10, 2012 7:20:44 GMT -5
Joshua was never late. On a scale of one to absolute truancy, the Fire graduate had a near-perfect attendance record and always showed up to his classes on time. He had a good reputation with the majority of his professors as an intelligent, hard-working student who sat quietly in the back of class and always handed assignments in on time. Unfortunately, he also had a reputation as a traitor, and the Thunder elemental he had for one of his classes was always looking for the smallest of reasons to centre him out. It was high school bullshit all over again, professors playing favourites and making subtle jabs at the students they didn't like. He was sure the Fires and Thunders in the class got a kick out of it, at least. However, Josh rarely gave the man any problems to nitpick. That was why, when he walked into class two minutes late thanks to car troubles in the morning, he was rather offended when the man called him out on it. "Late, are we? You would think, would you not, that someone your age would have learned to be punctual." There were a few snickers and Josh, who had already sat down, narrowed his eyes. He shouldn't have taken the bait, really, but it had been a bad morning and his temper was short. "I guess that's why I'm never late, isn't it?" The class went quiet in excited anticipation. Everyone always loved student-teacher arguments. "I had car trouble, it was two minutes. I'm pretty sure my record is on my side."
Unfortunately for Joshua, the professor was not on his side, and he held most of the power in their situation. "Excuses, excuses," the Thunder said heavily, as if disappointed with Joshua, as if he'd 'expected better'. It made the Fire graduate's blood boil, which was never a good thing. A Thunder, one of the professor's favourites, slipped quietly through the door and sat down while the confrontation was going on. Josh waited a few seconds, realised his professor would not call the girl out on it, then did the stupid thing in the situation and opened his mouth. "I don't see you saying anything to her." He mentally kicked himself but didn't take it back, too irritated to play the smart cards. The professor's blue eyes gleamed. "Are you trying to tell me how to run my classroom, Mr. Dale? The last time I checked, I was not the student in this situation." Thunders were not known for their tempers. The professor was as placid as ever as Joshua's temperament worked against him. He couldn't stop himself from speaking. "Oh, right, I'd forgotten you like to play favourites," he shot back. "So sorry." His tone dripped sarcasm and that seemed to be the last straw, the one that broke the camel's back. "Detention, Mr. Dale," said the Thunder smoothly. "Don't bother waiting until lunch, I don't appreciate cheek in my classroom."
Scowling, Joshua held back a bitter response and stood up from his seat, snatching the detention slip a little more roughly than he probably should have on his way out. Fuck you, too. He was angry, really, because if the day started like this then who knew how bad it could get? First his car gives him issues (he fully intended to have these fixed, it was a hell of an expensive car), then his professor? It was because he was a traitor and he knew it. He was sick to death of Thunders and so when he saw one sleeping in the detention hall it did not do anything to better his mood. Nakamura, isn't it? Hell if he cared what the kid's name was, he was in a foul temper and he didn't like him by default. Joshua handed the pink slip off to the supervisor, who took it, nodded, then went back to his paper. He probably wouldn't give the occupants too much trouble unless they started a physical fight. Meanwhile, the Fire graduate sat next to the snoozing Thunder, his bag making a loud thunk as it hit the floor. It was full of textbooks and his laptop was in there, too, so it was pretty heavy. In a spiteful mood, Joshua lifted an eraser he found inside the desk and flicked it at Emmett's head. "Don't you know you're not supposed to sleep? It's against the rules." His tone was snide, almost mocking. It was unlike him to start fights for no reason but anger issues could do a lot for a person.
[It's like the other students could feel the electricity radiating from him, because they naturally parted down the middle as he walked through.
^ It's testament to how tired I am that my first thought on reading that was "Ha, like Moses. xD]
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on May 13, 2012 4:18:52 GMT -5
If Emmett could stay asleep in dreamland forever and avoid the obnoxious reality, he would be the happiest person on earth. He could control everything in his own little world without the annoying disturbances that he called people. Emmett was a tolerant person, at least he liked to think so, but some people just pushed his buttons. Earths with their saints, waters with their irritating pranks, fires with their hotheadedness, and winds who were just a whole mxing pot of every element. 'Course, Emmett's own element had their faults, but his pride in them prevented him from saying anything negative. Hypocritical? Yes. Did he care? No.
Emmett grumbled in his sleep, burying his head in his arm, as a loud thud landed right beside him. At first he was going to ignore it, because he was way too sick of it that day, and honestly he was just too tired. It was barely five minutes since he first fell asleep; Emmett could feel the grogginess and his eyelids dropped from the heaviness, but his eyes immediately snapped open when something came flying at his head. Emmett lifted his eyes, realizing it was an eraser. His eyes flashed dangerously and he turned his head slowly to look at the source of Emmett's now flared up irritation. He scoffed. Emmett recognized the guy; fire, a graduate, oh yeah, and a traitor. He faintly remembered listening to hallway gossip, and this traitor was engaged to an earth--Nell Shepherd, to be specific. She was his tutor, much to his dismay, and Emmett began to think his luck was the worst when running into, ahem, unpleasant people. "We're all in here for breaking the rules. Including you." He twirled the eraser in his fingers, Emmett's famous smirk on his lips. "What difference does it make, and why do you care?"
His eyes then became expectant. A slight pause, and Emmett tossed the eraser to Joshua. He leaned back in his chair, an overwhelming urge to push the fire's buttons coming over him. Two can play that game. "And while we're on the topic of rule breaking, trying to start a fight with a mere tenth grader when you're already a graduate, is pushing it, don't you think?" Emmett rolled his head to the side, a mocking, lopsided smirk on his face. "How childish. But it should be expected." He let out a short laugh, before his face became serious. "You are the traitor who turned his back on his element for the care of earths and waters. Cute. Did you become soft after joining them?"
Emmett was fully aware that Joshua could kick his butt. Joshua was a junior at the Academy's college, and Emmett was just in his second year of high school. But would the fire really want to get into a fight with him? Let alone in detention. Emmett took a glance at the supervisor, who was completely unaware of the brewing tension, and smirked again at the traitor. He was the one who started it. Emmett would end it. Physically? Hell to the no. But psychologically? Hell to the yes.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 13, 2012 9:39:05 GMT -5
Picking fights wasn't his usual deal, not even with people his own age. He wasn't an antagonistic person, having shed that skin way back in high school. At the same time, he was in a foul mood right now because of the Thunders and everything that they stood for. Being vindictive by nature, he found that a lot of the Thunder elementals held more vicious grudges toward him than his own element about his treachery. They hardly ever hesitated to start things with him. So, feeling a little spiteful, that was when he'd decided to bother Emmett. "Actually, I'm here because your kind don't play fair." It was true, surprisingly. A lot of people had to make up lies in order to cover their tracks of hypocrisy but this was just convenient wording of the truth. No mention of the fact that he might have avoided detention if he hadn't snapped at the professor. Temper problems were problems, all right. "Care?" He raised his eyebrows. "When did I say that I cared?" He didn't, really. It would be all the more amusing for him if Emmett were caught sleeping and given another detention but he wasn't in the mood to sit in silence for an hour.
Joshua laughed under his breath. "It's hardly considered a fight when you don't stand a chance." He wasn't even boasting, merely stating the facts. This was not a fight to Josh, it was more of a game. An irritated battle of words more than anything else. He didn't pick fights with tenth graders, not physical ones at any rate. There had been the Fire leader, Altair, but she had been asking for it. She'd attacked Nell, he'd needed to intervene. (In his eyes, at least. He was a protective guy). "I was reminding you of the rules, Emmett, it's not like I attacked you. Calm your shit." He didn't like being called childish, it sparked anger in him. Thankfully his temper was not as easily provoked as it had been when he was Emmett's age, else he might have thrown caution to the wind and attacked him foolishly in the middle of the hall. Starting a fight in a supervised area of the school was one of the most idiotic things that could be done but anger issues didn't care about looking stupid.
"And what does switching sides have to do with my being 'childish'?" He did not make the air quotes but the way his tone changed at the word childish was more than enough to imply them. He didn't see himself as such and so he wasn't going to include it into serious conversation. "I don't suppose you'd dare to test how soft I am." It was a threat, not even one that he'd attempted to veil. He wasn't picking a fight and wasn't going to prove his lack of 'softness' unless seriously provoked but he didn't appreciate suggestion that he was weak, either. He still had the Fire mentality, that fighting back made you the weakest link. Ironic, considering Nell and Devin (his fiancée and best friend respectively) were extreme pacifists, not even fighting back when directly attacked. He didn't see them as weak, and yet the same trait in himself would be considered by Joshua as a weakness. His mind worked in strange ways, or perhaps his love for Nell and defensiveness over Devin refused to acknowledge the 'negativity' of the trait. Reflexes sharp, Joshua caught the eraser with a flash of his left hand, arching an eyebrow at Emmett before flicking the offending object toward the general direction of the trash can.
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on May 15, 2012 0:11:51 GMT -5
Emmett usually didn't add more feul into the fire--he often walked away, or in this case, changed seats. He didn't need these kinds of things affecting him and he'd only react to it as he saw fit (as stated before, with no emotion or just escape the situation). Emmett very rarely reacted with such rashness in this kind of unpleasant meeting, but when he did, he couldn't help himself from burying himself deeper into it. It's a bad habit, Emmett would often say, but it released (very unhealthily) couped up anger. "Gee, maybe you should take that up with our leader," he said, rolling his eyes. When one negative thing happens, a whole element is always put to blame. It was one of the things that Emmett couldn't stand. One rotten apple spoiled the others. "You didn't," he stated simply. But then he leaned forward, roughly patting Joshua on the shoulder. "But wouldn't it have been more satisfying if I'd been caught." Emmett asked innocently, his head tilting in feigned curiousity. His face then abruptly dropped, his face void. "Or did you need a playtoy to chew on?"
Of course Emmett considered that fact. "Oh, I totally agree. That's why it's so pathetic." he chided, putting a spiteful smile on his lips. Hell to the no, Emmett would never survive going up against the fire graduate; he knew this fact very well actually, but the overflowing current of electricity that was now running through his veins dissolved any other rational thoughts. "I am calm." And he was. He wasn't quite angry yet, but more like irritated beyond recognition. The small hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and Emmett felt no need to control himself. "Sleeping is pedestrian compared to what happened. Rules, especially a petty one like this, doesn't impress me." He looked around the detention hall, finally realizing some stares from the other students. Some looked on with irritation, because they too were sleeping, and others were giving looks of fascination, as if they hoped a fight would break out. He rolled his eyes, resting his head on his propped up hand. Emmett rarely got into fights because he really wasn't easy to provoke unless they attacked him physically first or somehow his enemy would touch a soft spot on him (mainly his phobia and family, but the only person who knew about that was his best friend). Overall, Emmett found fights petty and irritating. Especially this one.
"Oh, I don't know," he started, his tone sarcastic and harsh. "Maybe it has to do with the fact that your alliance now consists of irritating pranks and saints of purity that believe in world peace." He paused, then continued, "Oh, and also has to do with the fact that merely minutes ago you claim my element doesn't play fair--when it was you who let them." It was getting harder for Emmett to control his voice level. He could see in the corner of his eye that the supervisor was now looking at them over his newspaper, and Emmett bit the sides of his cheeks to control his expression. "Oh, go ahead." Emmett sneered at him, egging Joshua on. He had no intention in starting anything, but it was evident Joshua was quick to anger. Emmett wanted to see how much longer until the fire graduate snapped.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 15, 2012 22:21:49 GMT -5
Joshua laughed, the sound bitter and humourless in his throat. Their leader? He wouldn't associate with the Thunder's supposed 'top dogs' if you paid him. It was almost ironic that Josh had once been the Fire leader and the Thunder leaders of the time had been close friends. Not confidants, but friends. Now they were enemies, like so many other people Josh had once liked, respected. "Like your leader would try and boss around a professor." That would be a pretty stupid thing to do. Ugh, why did Thunder elementals have to exist? They were such a thorn in his side lately. Skye was perhaps the only one that Joshua considered decent, and that was after nearly seven years of friendship. He glared at him when the Thunder touched his shoulder, lips twisting into an almost-scowl. "Don't touch me." He didn't like when people put their hands on him. It usually ended in the guilty party getting punched in the face. "Satisfying to watch you get another detention? No, I think your futile attempts to antagonize me are a lot more entertaining." He shot this back smoothly, a smirk tugging the edges of his lips. They were both going out of their usual attitudes to provoke one another and since Emmett was taking the bait, Joshua saw no reason to back down. He probably should have but hell, they were both griping at one another. Why back out?
He shook his head, realising that Emmett either didn't get what he was saying or he was trying to twist the words around to his favour. Joshua had known what he meant and so he was sticking to it in his own mind. "So it's not a fight I'm starting with you. It can't be a pathetic fight if it's not a fight to begin with." If I wanted to fight you, you'd know. Joshua was not one to try and disguise his aggression. If he was going to attack a person, he attacked them outright. "It's a figure of speech." A slang figure of speech, really, but he hadn't meant it in the totally literal sense. Hell, Josh was more likely to lose his composure than Emmett was. He was a Fire elemental, they were known for their tempers. Trying to piss him off often didn't have the desired effect, however. If he realised you were trying to set him off then his stubborn pride kicked in and he tried not to let things get to him. Right back at you. Of course, there were triggers that even Joshua could not avoid. When they were tripped, he snapped. He didn't even see them coming himself half the times. Of course, causing Nell physical harm was the biggest and most obvious, but he wondered whether someone like Nakamura would be that stupid. You didn't mess with some guy's fiancée if you wanted to keep your head. "You fancy yourself as a rebel? Cute." It was dry, sarcastic.
He blinked, raised his eyebrows. Testy, testy, he thought. Apparently Emmett had pretty strong feelings against the Earths and Waters. Joshua could say the same about the opposite alliance, though at least to him it made sense. They were assholes. The Earths didn't try to invite the hate. Waters? Well, Joshua had always hated them for their pranks until they finally accepted him as part of their alliance and stopped trolling so much. "My alliance doesn't define who I am. I am not a pacifist." If you pushed Joshua, he'd push back. He was quite a dangerous force to be reckoned with when you considered the fact that he was six foot three and had the power to wield an element as vicious as fire. "Let them do what, exactly?" He snorted, rolling his eyes. Like it had been his choice to get his ass sent down to detention. He hated the fact that professors had power over him, hated anyone having power over him. He would follow rules if they were put in place without question (so long as they were sensible ones) but if the rules were ridiculous or their enforcers were patronizing, there was an instinct to rebel buried deep within him. He couldn't help it. It went hand in hand with his anger issues. He hated control, hated manipulation. "Attack you here, in the middle of detention? I'm not stupid." Really, he didn't need to get expelled. But if Emmett were to provoke him in an empty hallway, well, they'd see who was soft.
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on May 17, 2012 23:56:56 GMT -5
Emmett rolled his eyes. "Can't be helped if professors have their favorites." He couldn't even count the times he was antagonized by a teacher for no reason. It was ironic, because the first few years they encouraged not to be consumed by the whole concept of enemies--yet, they feul those angry feelings by playing favorites. Emmett was always a kiss-ass to them no matter what they did to him, so it never really bothered him unless they made direct verbal attacks toward his element. Which was rarely, because no professor wanted a whole portion of a class pissed off. "Perhaps." He said, his hands in front of him. This was getting old, fast, and he was sick of it. What was more amusing was that Joshua started it. Childish as it sounded, it was true. Their life at the Academy was just like a child's playground. "Ah, well then. I'm glad I amuse you." Emmett returned Joshua's smirk, his face quickly molding into a sneer.
Emmett nodded, a feigned look of interest on his face. "Okay, would you rather I call it a bicker? Or perhaps just a conflict?" He blinked innocently at Joshua. "Oh, the earths will just be so proud of you. I'll be sure to tell Nell the next time we meet." He clapped, an overly bright and proud expression on his face. Emmett figured the traitor's fiancée would be a soft spot. And he purposely left his sentence hanging vaguely like that, his smile turning into a smirk. Emmett could feel the tension rising, the surface of his skin tingling from the static electricity emitting from him. It was times like these where his pride was off the charts (even though it really shouldn't be, because Joshua could turn him into a pile of ashes with one wave of his hand). Emmett was confident enough that the fire wouldn't dare try to start something, in detention of all places, so he took advantage of that fact to the full extent. It wasn't everyday that these sort of confrontations happened, and since Emmett usually just walked away when an enemy alliance tried provoking him, this was a way of boosting up his ego. Often the enemy alliance would take it the wrong way and assumed Emmett was a coward because he walked away, and there were times he just didn't care enough to prove otherwise. This was one of the rare cases. "Thanks," he replied, his tone sarcastic. "You're quite adorable yourself."
He didn't know when he garnered such hate for waters and earths. Other than being his enemies, there wasn't much to it. Emmett guess it was because he was isolated much of his life, and coming to the Academy reminded him of the cold foster home. Sure, he had the fires and his own element to back him up, as well as a portion of the winds, but he felt so separated from them. And when he first arrived at the Academy, the earths and waters deviated away from him naturally, too naturally--before he even understood anything--that it brought back so many bad memories from when he lived in the hell hole of the foster home. Eventually Emmett got into the swing of things, and because of their difference in personalities, he got pushed to edge of hate. Being a thunder, he held grudges. Simple as that. Emmett blankly stared at Joshua, his eyes unmoving. "Okay, maybe you aren't. Let's ignore the fact that you associate yourself with earths and waters. But help me understand so I don't push any more buttons. Why'd you turn your back on your original alliance?" This time, Emmett wasn't sarcastic. His voice was void of emotion, but he was truly curious. Emmett couldn't stand the thought of being turned on and just hoping the opposite alliance would accept him. The thunders weren't very tight knit as the others, but they were still just as loyal. What would make someone turn on their element? "Walk all over you," he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You honestly expect them to treat you the way they did after being betrayed?" Emmett scoffed, almost disgusted by the idea. "You put this on yourself. Don't go blaming us for your troubles."
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 18, 2012 10:08:05 GMT -5
He shook his head, would have rolled his eyes slightly to match the gesture but decided against it. "Never said you could." And he hadn't. He'd stated that he was here because of elemental favouritism but he had not claimed that Emmett could in any way have prevented it. It was statement of fact on Joshua's part, nothing more. A correction of the words that the Thunder elemental had said. In a way Emmett had been right about Josh breaking the rules but Joshua didn't think it was fair that the Thunder professor had started a confrontation with him all because he was a traitor so, in his opinion, that should negate it. He wasn't going to bother explaining this, though, and just let it stand. He did roll his eyes when Emmett reverted back into mocking innocence. "So you've learned how to utilize a thesaurus, have you?" Bickering, arguing, that could definitely be what this was called. He wasn't going to argue with that, Joshua merely didn't see this as a physical fight. Nor would it turn physical, not if he had any say in the matter. Seeing as he had perfect control over his own actions right now, he certainly had a say in it. A physical fight would be pointless, truly childish in every sense of the word, if Emmett was not the instigator or didn't give Josh a good reason for him to attack.
Something changed in his expression when Nell was mentioned, though it was hard to tell what was going through the Fire graduate's mind. His expressions were usually unreadable, his face as smooth as glass or the undisturbed surface of a pond. Bringing Nell into this, are we? It bothered Josh that his fiancée was always dragged into the conversation. She was not a chew toy, not a toy at all to be used for antagonizing the Fire. Yet people acted as if she were just that. "If I'm honest, I doubt she'll care." Nell knew that Joshua was antagonistic, that he got into a lot of fights. They were different people of different elements. He assumed that by her nature she didn't like when he roughed up other people or vice versa, but she did not try to control him. A relationship was not about control. "Nothing that I do is meant to please my alliance. I do what I want; if they have an issue with me, they'll let me know." He said this with slight sarcasm. It wasn't as if he disrespected his new alliance or wanted to antagonise them but he did not allow them to restrict his natural urge to defend himself. Born of Fire and not Earth, he did not think he could ever be like them. Didn't want to be like them.
He was surprised when Emmett seemed to honestly inquire about his treachery, though it like many other things did not register in his expression. He lifted an eyebrow coolly, went quiet for a moment as he thought of how to answer this. He could have given Emmett a sarcastic response but as the question had not been snide he decided to humour the Thunder. "It was necessity rather than choice," he shrugged. "Nell is an Earth and my ex-alliance didn't like me associating with her. They didn't try to keep it a secret, nor did I keep my friendship with her secret." He hadn't believed there was anything to hide. He was a college student and while he understood the dangers of the alliance, at the time he'd met Nell they had not been friends. Study partners were not scowled down upon by the alliances. When it started to become a genuine friendship, when they'd accused her for the death of their leader and turned on her, he'd made a choice. "It was Nell or the alliance and I chose Nell." He did not feel he had to elaborate on why he had chosen the Earth girl, considering she now had a ring on her finger and a promise for marriage in the future. He planned to stay with her. The alliances eased up after graduation but he doubted his affections for Nell would ever be that fickle.
A bitter laugh brushed past his lips. "I don't allow them to walk all over me," he replied. He didn't, really. If pushed, Joshua pushed back. He was still a Fire elemental, albeit one on the other side. Being a traitor did not change his personality. The only thing it altered was the social circle that he kept. He didn't see this as a bad thing, really. He still had friends, he was still happy. He would still fight back if you started something with him. All in all, Joshua was... content. Nothing would change that for him. "Did I say I expected them to treat me the same?" He lifted an eyebrow, expression cool. No, he hadn't expected them to approve of Nell. His loyalty to those he loved, however, far outweighed his loyalty to people who only associated with him if he did what they wanted him to do. "The only thing I blame you for," he said, indicating the alliance as a whole with his words, "is a petty rivalry based solely on the fact that I happen to have a fiancée you don't approve of." It was their own fault that he'd defected but Joshua didn't mind his treachery. Aforementioned, he was happy where he was. It was they who had the problem. "Professors, however, are a different matter. It's considered bad taste to play favourites." He stated this simply, tone blasé.
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on May 20, 2012 23:25:28 GMT -5
Emmett merely shrugged. "True. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to." He hated the fact that professors feuled the hate for enemy elements. Sure, he was honestly a teacher's pet, but most of the time, Emmett will admit he barely likes half of his teachers. They provoked and ignited the worst feelings for one another--and Emmett also admits he became victim to the brainwashing. It's not something he could say he was proud of or something he had intent on fixing, because it was already too late anyways and he was used to it. Hate was easier than acceptance. Each side has their faults, some more than others, but does a teacher really have any position to do that? Especially in this evironment. "Oh? And why not?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in exaggerated concern. "I'm sure it would be a refreshing change, don'tcha think?" Judging by the way Joshua antagonized him, it definitely wasn't the first this kind of thing happened. Emmett then absentmindedly thought about how Nell reacted to it. Whenever she tutored him, she was always so calm to the point it annoyed Emmett. "I don't think that's any way to treat your alliance, Joshua." He emphasized the fire's name, almost as if he was scolding him. "Considering that they're all pacifists, I don't think you'll be hearing from them often."
The thunder kept his face cool, trying not to convey any emotion. Emmett wondered whether or not if Joshua would even tell him, and after a moment of silence, he opened his mouth to say 'forget it,' but the graduate began to speak. Emmett raised his eyebrows after Joshua said it was a necessity, honestly wondering what it meant, but kept silent for the rest of the story. It took a while to soak in. Emmett just couldn't wrap his mind around giving up his own alliance for one girl--it just seemed, to say the least, ridiculous to him. "Huh. Interesting," was all Emmett said. His expression remained distant, wondering what it'd be like to have that kind of ultimatum. Not matter what, it seemed, he just wouldn't abandon his element. Because Emmett knew that if he did, all the people he trusted would turn his back on him and not look back; and that terrified him. "Wasn't it scary?" Emmett asked rather abruptly, his eyes burning curiously. Just for a moment, he'll forget about his petty feelings toward the fire graduate.
"No, you didn't," he said, deadpanned. "But you shouldn't just not assume that they'll not treat you 'unfairly,' as you like to put it. It's a thunder's nature--simple as that." Besides, the way Joshua was thinking was rather one-sided. Wouldn't he be the same, if he were betrayed as well? "Is it really just that fact?" Emmett asked seriously. "Or could it be about the fact that we were betrayed by someone we trusted with our lives? "
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 21, 2012 19:16:03 GMT -5
The slight frown that tugged at his lips was the only indication that the Fire graduate was surprised at Emmett's implication. Why...? He was so used to the Fires and Thunders being completely unreasonable about his treachery and absolutely everything surrounding it that whenever one of them suggested a hint of sensibility, it baffled him. He took a moment to process this, only a few seconds or so before he said, "Why would you care? No, seriously." He wasn't being sarcastic because he honestly wanted to know why Emmett would give two shits about how the professors treated him. He was kind of used to it by now and had spoke more out of exasperation than anything else but even still. He scoffed slightly while on the subject of his fiancée and alliance. "Because not starting a fight with you doesn't change who I am." He didn't pick fights with people (physical ones) who were way younger than he was. That was bullying and it was pathetic, cowardly. Childish, as Emmett had suggested of the original confrontation. Josh was a tad antagonistic on bad days like this one but certainly not enough that he'd try to beat up someone several years younger than him. That was just stupid. "Change from what?" He didn't exactly get what he was supposedly changing. He was still the same person in his own eyes. Maybe Emmett was bothering him on purpose. Very possible.
He lifted an eyebrow when Emmett used his name in an almost patronizing manner, not remarking on it. Instead he waited a couple seconds until the Thunder had finished speaking to reply. He wasn't the type that cut other people off unless he was in a serious argument and this was tame compared to some of the others he'd had. "So what, I should let them push me around? Decide what I can and can't say? I don't think so." If the Earths and Waters started trying to control his every action or utterance, they'd have a problem. He was not someone that did well being bossed around. He liked rules and he liked structure but only if he understood those rules and didn't have a reason to contest them. He wasn't okay with being told off for not being a pacifist, thank you very much. "Better than having them act like we're in a fucking dictatorship." Alright, so before Nell had come along his old alliance had been pretty lenient. They hadn't known about his childhood friendship with Devin because he didn't talk to the Earth elemental at school (he did now that he'd switched sides, though) and Ace, whom he'd met at the hospital. He'd avoided them at school out of respect for the alliance just as he now avoided talking to Skye unless they were out of school.
He wondered what the Thunder was thinking, whether he was honestly considering the words or whether he'd already dismissed them as bullshit and just wasn't saying anything further. He'd always found the Thunder elementals a rather hard group to read. They kept to themselves, mostly, unlike the Fires who valued a close camaraderie. When it came to the alliance, though, they all stood together. "Scary?" There was surprise in his voice and it was clear he hadn't been expecting the question. Regaining composure, he said smoothly, "I'm not so easily frightened." That could be safely taken as a 'no'. It had been scary, actually, uncertain of whether the Earths would ever truly accept him, afraid of all the friends he would leave behind. He'd betrayed the alliances impulsively out of a desire to protect Nell but in the long run it had been a difficult experience. At the same time, Josh had a lot of pride. He did not want to admit fear, so he didn't. It was nearly impossible to tell he was lying because Josh was used to lying to other people, covering up his true intentions, emotions, reactions. It was second nature by now.
Thunder's nature. Hmm. "It's the professors that bother me, not the students. We Fires are aggressive but it's not like those that teach are allowed to burn everything in sight." He figured that he had a good point there. A teacher should always cater to all of their students and avoid playing favourites, right? Joshua was more concerned about how favouritism would affect his grades more than anything else. He was a hard worker, nose to the grindstone and all that. Hard work should be rewarded no matter how treacherous the student in question. "With your lives? I don't doubt for a minute you'd never have trusted me to take a bullet for you. The feeling was mutual." He had once trusted the alliances but not so much that he'd place his life in their hands. That was the ultimate expression of trust, an honour that Josh reserved for very few people in his life. Lark, Devin, and Nell were perhaps the only ones that had reached that point for him.
[I'm sorry for drowning you in a wall of text, my muse is just great xD]
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on May 28, 2012 2:26:29 GMT -5
Emmett's composure didn't falter as Joshua asked his question. He sat up straighter in his chair, his eyes downcasted before he spoke. "I guess you can say I can relate. But as if that's any of your business." And it wasn't. Emmett didn't feel like sharing his life story to a traitor; but as he lifted his eyes to look at Joshua, an instant replay of a flashback began to play in his head. It was the beginning of 9th grade; Emmett was weak, vulnerable--someone people now wouldn't even think he could ever be like. It was that bad. A new environment, new people everywhere...to say the least, he was absolutely terrified. He could barely stand sitting in a classroom and the anxiety of it all (plus his ochlophobia plaguing him) began to seep its way into his performance in school. His professor, who was wind but had an obvious bias toward earth and water, would antagonize him in front of the whole class because of his "lacking school work." Of course Emmett took it because he knew better. But on day, he snapped. It was a work period and the professor was sitting at his desk. Emmett was sitting in the back corner, doing his work, when a group of waters came up to him. At first, the thunder ignored it, but as the teasing became worse and more people crowded around to see what was happening, his panic attacks started kicking in and he tried to escape by pushing through. Of course that was when his professor decided to cut in. The person he scolded? Emmett. Why? Because "he wouldn't stand for any violence in an educational environment." Emmett clearly remembered the smirk on the professor's face and the satisfaction of his biased classmates. Just a whole bunch of BS. Emmett ended up in the medical wing for breathing problems.
"Oh, it's nothing." Emmett waved his hand in dismissal, an innocent smirk on his face. How would Nell react if she heard the boy she was tutoring and her fiancé were fighting verbally abusing each other? He shrugged. Nell really didn't respond to his sarcastic remarks, this probably wasn't any different.
"I didn't say that." Emmett said calmly. But the thought of earths and waters pushing him around was absolutely hilarious. "I just think keeping yourself to a minimum would be best. When the big, bad wolf goes strutting around, do you honestly think the little pigs would reprimand him?" He raised an eyebrow at him. He almost laughed at the idea of earths trying to confront Joshua--especially since the guy was huge. Emmett knew if they stood up at this moment, the fire would easily tower over him and that would another thing to add onto the list of reasons why he disliked Joshua. Emmett never felt easily threatened, but sometimes it was hard when he had to stretch his neck to look up at his opponent. He was not a short dude either. He guess you could say he broke the Asian stereotype of being short.
He flinched slightly as Joshua echoed his thoughts. Was it a stupid question? Emmett slouched in his chair, once again letting Joshua's words sink in. Huh. Wasn't scared? Emmett found that hard to believe, but then again, he barely knew Joshua. The betrayal, the switching of sides--everything was a hard concept for him to grasp. Although the fires were quick to anger and easily provoked, their value for friendship is completely admirable. "And your friends? ...what happened to them?" Emmett was completely terrified of the thought of losing his friends. He only had a couple, but he cherished them to no end. Losing Kai or Isabella, his best friends, would probably tear Emmett from the inside out. Isolation is the one thing he never wants to experience in his life ever again. Not when it is his own choice.
"But it's seems as if the students fuel those professors, no?" he pointed out. Emmett believed every side was at fault. The complete smugness of the students would then rub off on the professor and they relive their own school days, and it just becomes a unpleasant, bitter cycle. "You have a point." Emmett admitted after a moment. "Exaggeration at its best," he mumbled, stretching out his limbs. He groaned as he heard the stiff cracking of bones and absentmindedly thought how these chairs were not comfortable at all. Especially to sleep on. "But then again, I have a feeling that's how your fire "friends" felt when you turned your back on them." Emmett figured Joshua had more friends before his betrayal. After all, the fires did revere their friendships.
[no worries  walls of texts give me more to talk about<3 if that makes any sense xD]
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 28, 2012 22:59:46 GMT -5
Relate? It was a strange word to Joshua when applied to their situation. He was still trying to get over the shock of the fact that Emmett wasn't as much of a dick as most of his fellow Thunders. Then again, Emmett was younger than most of the guys that Josh was used to dealing with. The usuals were people that he had attended the Academy with for many years. They'd probably felt personally attacked when he turned on the alliance. Things were calmer now than they'd been at the start. Maybe he should get used to it. "I'm not prying." He stated it simply, accompanied by a shrug. Joshua would never try to peek into someone's life if they made it clear they didn't want to talk about it. He was very secretive. In a way, you could say that he understood everyone that wanted to keep their life under lock and key. He'd spent his whole life doing just that. He did wonder how Emmett could relate to his experience with the Thunder professor but he was not going to ask what had happened to him. Joshua narrowed his eyes in suspicion when Emmett said that it was 'nothing', not believing him in the least. There was nothing he could think to say in reply, though, so the Fire graduate just let it go. He wasn't going to go into a petty game of back and forth, "No seriously, what?" because that was childish.
The comment almost satisfied Joshua and that was a tad bothersome. What did it mean for his personality to think that he was pleased by the idea that a lot of his allies feared him? It wasn't that he wanted people to cower from his presence or anything like that but the idea that he was almost untouchable was one he liked to entertain. He was sick of people telling him what to do, ordering him around. At the same time, he didn't plan on taking advantage of their pacifism too much. He did obey his new alliance for the most part. He still talked to Skye and he got into fights, which they surely didn't like, but he didn't bully them or anything. He was sure the Waters would stand up to him if he tried. "The Earths are not the only ones in my alliance." He pointed this out with the arch of a single eyebrow. The Waters could definitely take Joshua down without incident. They weren't as pacifistic as their partners in Earth and they had elemental advantage. Still, he didn't fear them. He wasn't a coward. "I stick with them. I take their side. If that's not enough for them, that's their problem and not mine." He liked to be his own person, make his own rules. The alliances challenged that. He stayed loyal, but only to a point.
The question struck a chord. He almost flinched, actually, but he caught himself in time and maintained his composure. What about his friends? Well, they weren't friends any longer. It stung to think of the people he'd lost during his betrayal. Will, Lex, and many others had turned on him and vice versa. They had not been the sort of friends that Lark and Devin were. Ace, Pyson, Nell, Teddy. But they'd still been friends. "It's safe to assume they're not friends any longer." He said it like it didn't bother him but he shifted slightly as he spoke, the slightest cue that he wasn't as comfortable as he might have let on. Whether Emmett caught the movement or the brief flash in his expression was a different story. Joshua was a hard guy to read. "Not always," he countered, secretly glad for the change of subject. He didn't like entertaining the thought that the argument with his professor might be partially his fault, though, so he was going on the defensive. His tone didn't sound too adamant but internally he felt it. "They look for things. Stupid things, usually. That's their fault, not ours." By 'ours' he was indicating the entire student body.
Had the Fires felt that bad when he betrayed them? It was hard for Joshua to tell. They'd acted more angry than upset but then, angry people acted angry when they felt a lot of things. He would know, he was one of them. He pondered this with a half-frown, half-scowl. "If they were that bothered by it, they shouldn't have turned on me first." He shrugged. He knew that he'd broken the rules by hanging around Nell. His intentions had not been to betray them in the beginning. It had been a mentor-type relationship, he'd been helping her out with school work since she was so far behind when it came to the Academy. Then her number had been the only one on his phone when he'd needed help and she'd came to his aide. A friendship born of accident. He hadn't been willing to give it up, they hadn't been willing to accept it. "I'm not going to regret Nell. I don't care what they think." He shrugged easily. It wasn't an adamant declaration of love or anything, it was a simple statement. He was engaged to the girl, it was obvious he cared for her. He didn't care for his ex-alliance half as much.
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on Jun 7, 2012 0:55:15 GMT -5
Emmett hated it more than anything when people tried poking their nose into his life. If he wanted to share his life story he'd do it on his own--and that's only with his two best friends. So when Joshua didn't poke any further, Emmett sighed in relief. "Good. Now we have one less problem to deal with." Emmett kept his eyes down on his lap. It wasn't a memory he was particularly proud of (with him letting those students push him around, as well as that professor), but it changed him into who he was today. Now, Emmett wasn't sure if that was something he should be proud of either, but this way, being distant from everyone kept him and his weaknesses safe. Besides, he already had enough people to fill any empty voids. Heck, Kai and Isabella alone were more than enough for him. But even then, to his best friends, Emmett hated showing his vulnerabilities more than anything. Since the beginning, his ochlaphobia always managed to take hold of his whole life; it was something he resented wholeheartedly about himself. And till this day, no one else but his wind and fire best friend knew about it, and he'd like it to keep it that way.
He pondered what it'd be like to be a part of the other alliance. Just the thought of it made him shiver, but mentally, would Emmett even change? Like every other elemental at the Academy, he of course thought his current alliance was superior. Hate never vanished quickly, and even if he got along with the other side, Emmett knew he just wouldn't get used to the fact that they would be on equal terms. Call him overconfident, but Emmett thought of it as the truth, him being superior to the earths and waters. "You're right. They're not," Emmett agreed. He reclined back, a righteous smirk on his face. "That just makes it ten times more hilarious." A sudden image of a soaking wet dog flashed in his mind and he bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing. "Well then, I commend you. It's easy to be subjected to brainwashing, especially at the Academy." Emmett kept his face and voice steady. He really couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or if he actually meant it, so he cleared his throat and sat up straight in his seat, Emmett's eyes not showing any emotion.
Joshua's calm composure unsettled Emmett. Was turning on his own element that insignificant to the fire, or was he just that good at acting? Either, the familiar feeling of disgust bubbled in his stomach. Just even the image of either Isabella or Kai look at him as a traitor and disregard any past relationships was so...terrifying. "I figured," he said, Emmett's voice harsher than he intended it to be. But he couldn't help it. "I guess." Emmett shrugged, his eyes barely looking at Joshua. It was about time that they passed that subject; the small conversation about the fire's betrayal and the effect on his friendships struck more chords than he had intended. Maybe next time he saw Kai or Isabella he'd give them a big, warm hug. Quite possibly some handcuffs as well. "Playing the blame game now, are we?" Emmett rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you have a grudge against a professor?" Story of his life, but that didn't mean he acted on it, even if he felt angry inside. Professors had power over him, no matter what their element was. But that doesn't mean he liked it. It was equivalent to a first year earth trying to pick on him. It just didn't add up.
"If only things were that simple," Emmett mused. "When people feel like they're being betrayed, I don't think their first reactions would be to clear up any misunderstandings, especially when the evidence was clear." He shrugged then, too. "But hey, that's just my two cents," he said, his voice unconcerned. Sure, Nell helped him a lot with his schoolwork, but anything beyond that was just cringe worthy. With anyone, actually. "Oh, how lovely." Emmett rolled his eyes. "So lovely that I might just throw up unicorns." Secretly Emmett thought if that was really true. Sure, Joshua loved her, the thunder knew that much, but his life would most likely be so much more different and less complicated if he hadn't turned on his alliance for the girl. Emmett couldn't help but think that sometimes, just sometimes if Joshua thought about what his life would be like without Nell in the picture. He surely wouldn't have ended up in detention, that's for sure.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 7, 2012 12:14:45 GMT -5
He didn't know what was so funny about it, why Emmett thought the Waters being on his side was amusing. He didn't bother asking. Josh, on the other hand, though it was pretty hysterical that Emmett was weak to the elementals that was often considered weakest in the school. Then again, so were the Water elementals. Thunder was also weak to Fire the same way that Earth beat Water. The only difference was that Fire and Thunder did not often clash and those weaknesses could thus be ignored. It was rare to see a Thunder fighting with a Fire just as it was not likely one would ever see an Earth take down a Water elemental. It happened, though, on some occasions. Fire were not the only element with traitors. Every element had their bad seeds. The worst at the Academy were the outcasts, the ones that no element wanted. Not even Winds would associate with them. He did not want to become one of them, did not want to lose everyone. "You don't seem to have been." It was a clear enough statement. Joshua was not even sure himself whether it was a compliment or a mere six words rolling off his tongue. Emmett didn't seem like he was so blinded by the alliances that he could not hold a conversation and that was not often seen at the school.
A flash of anger lit his gray eyes like the lightning Emmett's kind could control, betraying if only for a moment that Joshua was a bit more bothered about the loss of his friends than he might have let on. His fingers curled into a tight first for a moment and he clenched his jaw. "Well if you're so good at making assumptions then perhaps you can avoid asking." His words were tense but still carefully neutral. He was trying his best to avoid a fight because they were in the middle of the detention hall and, until now, Emmett was one of the more reasonable Thunders. He didn't want to be the first one to snap, didn't want to seem like some uncivilized idiot who snapped at anything that dared move or breath in his presence. His friends were a sensitive subject, though, and the insinuation that he was a bad friend for ditching them had him seeing red. "Other way around," he corrected on the subject of the professor. He did not like that professors were allowed to hold grudges against their students. Well, they weren't permitted to, per say, but they did it anyway and no one was able to do anything about it. Joshua hated that. The lack of power. "He's an asshole, though, so I can't say I like him either." Josh had no problem when it came to insulting the faculty. He could respect most of his professors but some of them really were not good at playing fair.
Treachery was a big thing and he understood that but Joshua did not hide and he tried his best not to waver in his decision. He had known in cementing his friendship and later relationship with Nell that he was taking a big risk but it was worth that risk. So he didn't argue with Emmett, merely shrugged. It didn't matter to him whether they cared about Nell, not any more. They'd committed a great wrong in targeting her for Cynthia's death. He hadn't liked seeing a target on one of his best friends. The comment about unicorns made him scoff and roll his eyes. "I'm sure that was the sappiest thing you've ever heard." It was sarcastic because Joshua was not a sappy or overly cheesy person. He told it like it was. There was no desire to go back to his old life because he saw his life with Nell as better. She wasn't just a girlfriend, she was a fiancée. Emmett had probably been around her enough to see the ring on her finger. That was a promise of sealing a deal in the future and to regret his betrayal would be to regret his relationship. Regret was not meant to lead to engagement.
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Post by EMMETT HIKARU NAKAMURA on Jun 12, 2012 0:12:08 GMT -5
Emmett shrugged. "Going along with the crowd really isn't my thing." He refused to be brainwashed into something as silly as this, but like most people, he was a hypocrite. Just because Emmett refused didn't mean he wasn't subjecting himself to it when the opportunity arrived. The easiest example--the alliances. Right when Emmett was thrown into the Academy, he was taught to hate the other side. Even if he didn't understand it, he hated them anyways because it was just how things worked. Who was he to question it? Besides, it was easier to hate than love--and he learned that the hard way. "Perhaps that's another thing we have in common," he mused, Emmett's eyebrows raised. It unsettled him, the fact that he and Joshua were probably more alike than Emmett originally thought. In the back of his mind, Emmett knew that if the fire wasn't a traitor to the alliance, they most likely would be getting along just fine, despite the age difference. A mentor-student relationship, at most. Someone Emmett would look up to. At that thought he frowned.
He narrowed his eyes at Joshua's next comment. "I'll remember that next time," he said sarcastically, Emmett's face portraying no emotion. He hadn't meant to offend the fire (which was probably the first for Emmett)--he was just curious and it just...slipped. More often than not Emmett's emotions got the best of him, especially on the subject of friends. Emmett spent most of his life in loneliness, so naturally his friends meant the world to him; as if Joshua could understand that anyways. "Oops. I stand corrected." Emmett rolled his eyes. "Since you can't do anything about it, just accept it." He shrugged. It was a philosophy he picked up in his first year at the Academy. It was useless to fight back with someone with enough authority to ruin the rest of your school career. That's why he was a kiss-ass to all his professors--besides, it was more fun to see them make an ass of themselves.
He looked back at the supervisor, who he had long forgotten about, to only see him back to reading his newspaper. Emmett scoffed and straightened his legs. The tension was somewhat lifted; at least that was what Emmett sensed. People weren't staring at them anymore in hopes of a fight breaking out. "Correct." Emmett paused, then smirked briefly.. "Tied with the most disgusting." He pondered the idea of getting engaged to someone outside of his alliance. Truth be told he shivered at the thought--and wondered how Joshua felt when he started having feelings for Nell. There were so many things Emmett wanted to ask the fire, both out of curiosity and just to spite Joshua, but his pride was too big for him to actually ask any of them. Besides, Emmett already asked enough questions about Joshua's betrayal; and as if that didn't spark enough emotions. No point in playing 21 questions with someone he'd end up treating like a stranger after the day was over.
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walls of texts give me more to talk about<3 if that makes any sense xD]