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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 19, 2011 6:36:05 GMT -5
The mess hall was a dangerous place in the war. As Joshua walked in, he could have sworn it was like walking into a prison cafeteria. He could feel the tension and he felt like he could cut it with one of the cheap plastic knives provided in the hall. They didn't provide silverware because the staff knew full well--war or otherwise--that some students would pocket the weapons and use them in later incidents. Joshua had his switchblade anyway, more useful to him than even a steak knife with its compact size and concealability. He liked the fact that he could flick it in and out, so that it didn't cut him when he sat down but it was more than capable than cutting someone who tried to seriously hurt him. He hadn't used it yet in the war. Joshua was violent, sure, but he preferred to warn people off with his bursts of fire before he'd stab them. He didn't want to be a killer, which was precisely which he'd turned his coat and went to stand with the softer side of the school's population in this war.
As he'd expected, the mess hall was quite unwelcoming. He caught glares from his former allies, but was surprised when a Water student in his class that he'd never before spoken with suddenly slipped into step beside him without a word. It seemed to warn off the Fire kids who had likely been planning to gang up on him. Joshua blinked, surprised at the sudden camaraderie. He was used to such unexpected support from the Fire elementals, but he'd once professed his hatred of the Water kids. "Thank you," he said, honest and sincere about it. The boy just nodded. "You're on our side now, no need to worry about us." It left him feeling oddly strange as they parted ways and Joshua sat down by himself as usual. He'd never had allies in Water before, and he'd always--honestly--viewed them as brats and pranksters and annoying little shits, no matter whether they were older than him or not.
It left him a lot to think about, really as he poked at his salad slightly. He didn't know whether it would be safer or more dangerous to leave. On one hand, the mess hall was always a prime place for fights to break out. But at least here, he might have people that would back him up (even though it had been unexpected). If he went out into the hallways and a group of them followed, well... then he'd be in more danger than he cared to realise. Supressing a sigh, he decided that he'd stay at least for the moment. He wasn't one to go flouncing around with a target on his back, thank you very much. Then again, he'd made a target of himself the moment he'd chosen the Earth students over his own kind. I hope this war ends quickly, he thought, and I certainly hope it doesn't end in Nell's death.
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Post by seth on Jul 19, 2011 9:45:59 GMT -5
Honestly, Seth didn't know what to think of this whole war business. All he knew was that the female thunder leader had been murdered and the blame was being put on an earth student. Which was odd, now that he thought about it. As far as he knew, they were the peacekeepers of the school. But whatever the case, he was no traitor, and he stuck to his own element, just like everyone else did theirs, except for a selected few. In his opinion, those kind of people deserved to be stoned to death, if not outright murdered themselves. Thoughts like those disturbed him and brought back bad memories-- memories that he would much rather forget about, but such was his loyalty to his element.
When he entered the mess hall, the mood was... tense, to say the least. Everyone was glaring at each other, and no one was really concentrating on the food they were eating. People sat in groups to avoid any messy confrontations, but despite this, fights still broke out every now and then, and he himself had started quite a few of them. What could he say? He loved the thrill, the adrenaline rush, and most of all, he loved winning. Sometimes, he started fights just for the heck of it. If you glared at is direction, then you'd better be prepared to take a lot more than a glare back. A black eye, maybe, and a few burns here and there. But to be honest, he didn't exactly know why he started fights. Maybe it was to distract himself from his past. He couldn't be sure, and besides, he never gave much thought to things like that.
After he had gotten his tray of food--no salad for him thank-you-very-much--, he scanned the mess hall, searching for a group of familiar faces to either sit with or wage a war against. He chose to do the former, but when he finally found them, a group of five or so fire students at the other side of the mess hall, and started to make his way there, he saw another familiar face. It was Joshua, the only one of his element, to the best of his knowledge, who chose to side with their enemies. He almost dropped his tray in disgust when he saw a water student approach him. But instead, he had a better idea.
"If it isn't the little traitor, Joshua." he said, spitting out the word 'traitor' like it was something disgusting in his mouth that he needed to get out. "Why aren't you off hugging trees with your 'friends'? Or whatever it is you people do in your spare time." he raised an eyebrow. Despite the face that his soon-to-be opponent was older than him and probably had more advanced control of his element, he felt no fear at all. Just the usual thrill and adrenaline rush that came before a fight. And of course, disgust. It was there, etched across his face, and it couldn't have been more clearer if he wrote it out on his forehead with a permanent black marker.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 19, 2011 16:28:50 GMT -5
He hardly ever instigated the fights without good reason. But with Joshua Dale, snapping at him was more than enough reason to respond and start an argument. His temper was fiery and even more fierce than most of his element, so Joshua reacted to the original comment of the younger boy with a glare. "My, my. If it isn't a brat come to interrupt my lunch break." His eyes were cold and his tone sharp with anger. He was sick of these stupid Fire elementals and the stupid way in which they treated him. He was starting to actually doubt his decision to ever consider them allies. It really wasn't nice on the receiving end of things. He wondered if this was how people usually felt when he antagonised them, but he reminded himself a moment later that he didn't usually start fights like this with no reason at all. They had to provoke him in some way--even if it was for an incredibly stupid reason.
He came to a realisation: he didn't know this boy's name. Great. So he was being snapped at in the mess hall by someone whom he didn't even know the identity of. Though he was a Fire student, Joshua had never really stuck with their whole 'pack mentality' thing. He'd been a loner even before this stupid war had broken out, and it had only served to make things worse. He shook his head when Seth said something about tree-hugging. "If I didn't know any better, I'd have pegged you as a freshman," he retorted. "Or perhaps younger. I haven't heard an insult akin to 'tree-hugger' since I was in elementary." It sounded ridiculous to him, even though it was admittedly a stock insult to use on Earth elementals. He was being likened to an Earth elemental, and Joshua really wasn't sure how it was he was supposed to be feeling about that.
"Whatever I do, it's no concern of yours," he said, completely unamused by this whole situation. He could outmatch the boy normally but what would happen if this turned into an actual fight? Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to be a dick to this boy in the middle of the mess hall. He glanced around subtly, wondering if the amount of Earth and Water students outmatched the Fires and Thunders. On the other hand, Joshua didn't suppose it mattered all that much. The Earth kids were mainly pacifistic. He might have the Water students to back him against his own kind... until the Thunder elementals stepped in. Joshua was strong against them, but more than two at a time--if they were older than him, at least--was deadly. And there were not only two, but several. There were also a lot of Fire elementals lurking about. He stood no chance in this fight if it did happen. Should he try to prevent it?
Deciding that it would be safer if he left, the graduate abandoned his salad and started toward the door, not bothering to spare any words for the fellow Fire elemental. He didn't want to fight in a place where everyone else got dragged into things. Joshua was tough enough that he figured he could take him one on one. He was older, and of the same power, so surely that gave him the advantage? He was pretty sure that it would.
[I'm totally up for them taking it outside and Josh being ganged up on by the others after he beats up Seth xD Cause Fire students support one another.]
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Post by seth on Jul 20, 2011 7:20:12 GMT -5
Seth wasn't that good with insults. Usually, he just used his mouth and his powers. But that didn't seem to be the fun choice at the moment. "Well, that's much more than I can say about you." he remarked. It was true, though. He couldn't say much about him, except that he was a traitor. But that was enough. With that thought, his anger was back, tenfold. He couldn't believe that someone like him had actually been leader of their element before. It was too horrid to think about. But honestly, the only thoughts he was thinking at the moment were only serving to increase his anger, so he tried to control them. From experience, he knew that angry people were reckless people, who in turn, were screwed people. He had no intent to be any of those.
Some part of his mind was telling him that Joshua was a college student, and therefore, had much more experience than him when it came to elemental control. But that same part of his mind was very much neglected and hardly ever used. And so he went on, "It's not so much an insult as it is the truth, but if you want to see it that way... Then it's really no fault of mine." Actually, he had meant it as an insult, but if he admitted that, he wouldn't have much to say back. He imagined the college student hugging a tree, and he had to admit, it suited him. What kind of universal force decided to put someone like that in their element? A pretty stupid one if you asked him.
"In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a war. Technically, anything you do is a concern of ours." he snorted, noticing that a few curious people were starting to edge closer, to see what all the fuss was about. Let them look. Let them see how much of a traitor he really is. He wasn't worried about the fight he knew was coming. The earth students were nothing but babies. They were practically next to useless in a fight. And he had more than a few thunder elementals he knew who would be more than willing to back him up, if ever those pesky water students got any crazy thoughts.
Seeing Joshua leaving brought a smirk to his face, and boosted his confidence all the more. Before he was fully out of the mess hall, he pushed Josh's tray off the table, watching as it--and all of its disgusting contents-- fell crashing and clattering onto the floor. "Oops. My bad." he smiled innocently, before placing his own tray right where the other one had been moments earlier. Then he took off on the direction where he saw Joshua headed. A few of his friends, well, a lot actually, tried to follow him, but he shook his head. He would do this himself. He didn't need their help.
He didn't run to catch up, but instead, he walked with a fast pace. When the traitor finally came in view, his pace slowed. Expertly, he conjured up a fireball and threw it lazily at his opponent. It wasn't meant to hit him, just to get his attention. "Walking away, are we?"
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 20, 2011 8:16:25 GMT -5
He could tell that the boy wasn't exactly the most experienced when it came to insulting people, and this at least made Joshua feel a tad more smug. But he wasn't into the back-and-forth banter that many people were, so he just arched an eyebrow at Seth and shook his head. "I'm flattered you think so highly of me," he said tonelessly, being sarcastic but not really putting any effort into the words. He was an angry person and easily provoked, but insults generally weren't the right way to provoke him unless you could find one of his hidden berserk buttons. Seth didn't really know him that well--no one at this school did--so he probably wouldn't be able to find the triggers that would help him gain a real reaction out of the traitorous Fire graduate.
Arching an eyebrow, Joshua shook his head. "Do you think I'm stupid?" He didn't usually view the high-school students as kids (well, maybe the younger ones) but Seth was acting so childish and petty that it bothered him. Why couldn't he just eat his damned lunch in peace? He had class in an hour and he wanted to be ready for it, he didn't want to be exhausted by arguing with someone like this. "I'm well aware you meant it as an insult, but you can believe what you like if it feeds your massive ego." Not that he was one to talk on the subject of egos. Joshua's was also pretty impressive. He was arrogant and confident at times, and right now was one of those times. He was older and stronger and as long as he wasn't surrounded by other Fire elementals if they got to fighting, he'd be alright
Alright, so maybe now Seth had a point. But Joshua still had something to say in return. "It may be concern of the leaders, but you don't look like Blackthorn to me," he replied. His salad was abandoned due to the fact that he was less concerned with eating and more with making sure this guy didn't randomly attack him. "No. You look like an idiot who's trying to make themselves look impressive by insulting me. It's not working, you should give up." But Seth didn't seem like he was going to, so that was when Joshua took his leave. The tipping of the tray just made him shake his head, not even looking back. "How mature," he muttered under his breath, irate.
The ball of fire was blocked easily--Joshua raised a hand and it dissipated before it could get too close. "Yes, yes I was. Following me, are we?" His tone was hard and full of challenge. He wasn't in the mood for a fight, but if that was what Seth wanted it was what he'd get.
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Post by seth on Jul 26, 2011 10:34:05 GMT -5
"Oh, well then you can stop, because I don't." said Seth dryly. Actually, he had thought highly of Joshua before. But that was a long time ago, back when he was still the leader of their element and it just goes to show how unreliable first impressions were. Now he was getting tired of just trading insults back and forth, because obviously it was getting them nowhere. And he wasn't one to sit still and wait for something to happen. More often than not, he made things happen. "Why yes I do, I do think you're stupid." he smirked. It was awfully convenient that he had asked the question, and in the process, saved him from having to think of something witty to say.
He thought for a moment. He never thought of himself as having a massive ego, or an ego at all, for that matter. "You know what I believe? You're a traitor. A backstabbing traitor who turned against his own element. But you know, I'm curious. Why'd you do it? I'm sure you knew that you were turning the wrath of your element against yourself when you made your choice." It was true, he was genuinely curious, but judging from Joshua's character, he really didn't expect an answer. Still, there was no harm in trying, right?
Was he really so ignorant? So determined was Seth to make his point and make him see how wrong he was, that he could never even begin to try and see things from Joshua's point of view. So when he thought of things that could possibly make him want to turn against his own element, he came up with nothing, and that only served to further motivate him to make the college student see his point, whether by reasoning, or through force. "Don't you get it? This isn't only about the leaders. Does the war only involve the leaders? No, it involves the whole academy, and every single student within its walls." he growled, as if it would help show him the reality of the situation they were in.
"We're not done yet." he glared at the older boy with as much ferocity he could muster. Without warning, he concentrated, gathering just the right amount of power, before he let it go, channeling it into a line of fire, in manner that wasn't much different from the way a flamethrower worked, aimed directly at him.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 26, 2011 11:18:17 GMT -5
Joshua merely shook his head, exasperated to no end by the boy's constant attempts to put him down. It was a lot less hurtful than the sorts of things his grandfather used to say to him, so it was like shedding water off a ducks back for him by now. "Do you?" He arched an eyebrow at the younger boy and then said smoothly, "If you think I'm stupid, that only serves to make it clear who the real idiot is in this situation." Of course, Seth was likely just grabbing at insults rather than being literal, but Josh was being dead serious at the moment. He was intelligent and he'd like to think he was above petty fighting, but he knew that just sitting here and ignoring Seth wasn't going to work. He'd at least refrain from insults such as 'your mother', because those truly were childish. Honestly, he didn't understand a vast deal teenage humour even though he was one. He usually got the sex jokes and some of the other crude humour, but others just didn't appeal.
He had expected the comments about his backstabbing and betrayal, really. The moment that Seth had approached him with his snide and sneering attitude, Josh had been granted a preview of what he was likely to be faced with. But that didn't change the way it angered him, didn't cure the spark of anger that entered his gray eyes. "Bullshit," he snapped. "If you were curious you would have asked me already." Most of the people whom he'd discussed the war with had the sense to ask questions first and attack later if they didn't see eye to eye. Seth had clearly come here wanting to start something. It seemed likely he might get his wish--he was riling Joshua up pretty quickly. "I sided with my friend, asshole," he said. "And if this is the sort that the Alliance boast about, I'm glad I did." It was an insult on his former allies, but it was one that he actually believed. He hadn't truly realised how petty they could be until they'd turned on him as he stuck up for Nell. "A friend you're trying to kill. Call me a traitor all you like, I have no regrets."
He rolled his eyes. This kid really didn't get it, did he? "My actions concern those that lead the alliance most of all. You're just a pawn in their ridiculous war." And he was greatly opposed to the four leaders of his former alliance right now, Blackthorn most of all. He'd never gotten along with Alexandre, and this just back up his hatred. "You want a reality check? Go to a cemetery, read a eulogy. What are you going to do once you've killed her, jackass? Celebrate over her dead body while her friends and family mourn?" He was about ready to take this plastic fork and try to gouge the boy's eyes out, which was another defining factor in the choice to leave. When he was followed, his anger toward Seth only served to increase. Damn it, why couldn't this bastard leave him alone?!
Expecting an attack due to the antagonistic nature of his opponent, Joshua brought up a hand and clenched his jaw. It took a good deal of concentration, but most of the fire ended up phasing around his outstretched hand as if there were an invisible barrier there. He got minor burns that stung, but he was years ahead of the boy before him, a college student with a great deal of wrath built up on the subject of the war. The drain was barely noticeable to one of his stamina. He pulled back the same hand, then swept the hallway with a wave of intense heat to power up the strength of his next blast of flame--gathering a collection of fire from thin air, he sent it toward Seth. "You're the idiot that started this, you better expect I'll finish it."
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Post by seth on Jul 29, 2011 10:23:24 GMT -5
"Yeah, I just told you who it was, didn't I?" Seth answered back. A weak reply, but it was better than nothing. And right then, he was running out of things to say. He cursed himself for sucking at wordplay. He was so much better out there fighting with real, physical blows, rather than with verbal insults. Yes, that was what he wanted, a real fight. Not this. But he knew he needed to go through it to get what he wanted. Joshua would snap sometime or another. And if he didn't, well, he had multiple ways of getting the real fight started. So he grinned when the college student finally got angry. He didn't attack yet, but it was progress.
He listened to his reasons, but like he said earlier, he wasn't really good at stepping into other people's shoes and seeing from their point of view. "I confess, I really was looking for a fight. But now that you're here, yes, I am pretty curious." he said, even though he knew that there was nothing Joshua could say that would make him change his mind about fighting. They were headed that way, just as sure as a bullet was headed towards its target when fired. There was no stopping it now. Maybe a little delay, but no stopping. "Nell? That other tree-hugger? The one who started this war? You can't really believe she's innocent." he raised an eyebrow at him. Yes, she was an earth elemental, and he never knew they were capable of such things, but apparently, they were. And it turned out that they were also good at manipulating others. So much so that they had gotten Joshua on their side. Maybe they weren't the pathetic things he had always thought them to be after all?
"And what does that make you? The queen?" he asked. They were all part of this. And from what he knew about chess, even a pawn could help checkmate the king. And it could beat the queen, if she--he, in this case-- wasn't paying much attention. "Just like Cynthia's friends and family are mourning right now. Did you ever think about that?" he couldn't possibly believe that any of this was their fault. No, the fault lay entirely on the person who killed the thunder leader. Nell. And whoever sided with her was an enemy.
Seth panted from the sudden drain. He hadn't meant to put so much power into that attack. But what's done was done. And it had done its fair share of damage, anyway, so he guessed it was worth it. He was completely ready for a counter-attack, but he knew he wasn't strong enough yet to block it like Joshua had and escape with only a few minor burns, so he prepared to jump out of the way. What he hadn't expected was for the counter-attack to be as strong as it was. So when he jumped away, he made it just in time to avoid being turned into a barbeque, but some of the fire caught his leg, and he let out a painful grunt as he collapsed on the ground, patting out the flame that had started on his pants. His leg was burned, he was sure of it, and all he could think of at the moment was that it would leave a mark.
He knew without much thought that he was going to lose. He couldn't defend himself like that. He had underestimated his opponent, and he had paid for it. But he wouldn't go down without a fight, that was for sure. Grunting again with effort, he sent twin balls of flame at him, one on each side, and a thin, but wide wave of fire below it. Yep, he wouldn't go down without a fight.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jul 29, 2011 12:11:24 GMT -5
Joshua shook his head slightly in exasperation, realising just how idiotic and outmatched this boy really was. He was throwing insults at Josh without realising that the older elemental was unphased, simply because he understood the reasoning behind these insults. He was trying to rile him up, and he wasn't going about it the correct way. The things you had to insult to make him go for you weren't always obvious--insulting his intelligence was pointless, for example. He knew by simple proof of his grades that he was smart. "Perhaps you should work on your vocabulary of insults for next time," he said dryly, gray eyes showing irritation but not quite full-fledged anger.
Until the war was mentioned. Normally the elemental wars didn't phase him too terribly, but this one could easily serve to anger him real quick. Heat seemed to sweep through their immediate area as Seth ignited his temper, Joshua gripping the edge of the table for a moment in an effort to resist strangling him. Calm down, he urged himself. He's trying to make you like this. Unfortunately for Joshua it was working. He stood up and went to leave, but Seth just continued to antagonise him. Pausing, Josh turned and shot a glare in his direction. "If I didn't believe it we wouldn't be having this discussion," he hissed. "Do you not realise how stupid you're all being? Even if Nell was the murderer--which she is not--what would this solve?" He scowled and shook his head again. "Forget it, talking to you is pointless. Nothing I say will get through your thick skull."
The heated words were catching the attention of several Fire elementals in the room, but at Seth's silent insistence that he could handle it himself, they hung back. Joshua was too irritated with the younger boy to really give a damn about them at the moment. "Worse, you idiot," he snarled. "I was one of those friends. I knew Cynthia personally." He'd also known her intimately, but only the two of them had known about that moment they'd shared. To others, it just seemed like the Thunder leader and the Fire graduate had shared a sort of a camaraderie. He'd never really been asked about his friendship with her, and Joshua didn't know if she'd gotten any questions, but they had gotten along. "The only difference is that I don't believe Nell was the one who killed her. Have you ever spoken to their supposed 'source'? No, neither have I. Why are they keeping it so quiet if he--or she--is so fucking positive?"
Josh didn't even know why he was bothering to say all of these things to Seth. It was incredibly likely that Seth wasn't paying mind to any word that came out of his mouth and that the Fire elemental was just raring to go. This was backed up even further when the fight started. He wasn't usually a cocky person, but the certainty that he could take Seth down was only backed up by how the boy went down with the injury to his leg. Josh took a step back to put some distance between them, a strategy in order to see the attacks coming. Even with his prowess he couldn't dodge three attacks at once, so he melded a strategy. Using his stronger will to take control of the fireball on one side, he slammed it into the other and sent the larger ball away from him and toward the very boy who had summoned it. A taste of his own medicine, perhaps. This also left him open to the wave of fire below it, which hit and made him wince with pain. Fuck, he cussed internally, but he was far from going down. It was just annoyance in comparison to what Seth would be feeling when Joshua was done with him.
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