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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 6, 2011 2:15:35 GMT -5
Though he had at first been doubtful about remaining in contact with his mother, Patricia had kept to her promise when she'd told him that she'd only do as much as he was comfortable with. She couldn't give him as much money as he was used to seeing as it was coming out of her own pocket and not the endless fortune of the Dales, but she could at least help him keep his head above the water. Her presence was good for his morale, as well, and she had even managed today to bring Quartz along. The dog practically attacked Joshua with licks and excited barking, almost tugging Trish off her feet. Laughing, the blonde woman slid her hand from the leash and the freed German Shepherd bounded up to Joshua and put his great paws on his masters shoulders. "Hey, buddy," said Joshua, a bit of a smile touching his lips. It was a strange feeling, that sort of longing in his chest. He wished that he could go back home and see all of the animals, lay down on his bed, sit in the part of the attic whose low windows overlooked the backyard and search through boxes of stuff from his childhood with Annabel like they used to when they were younger. It was silly the kind of things that you remembered about your childhood when you found yourself missing it. He wanted the safety and security of long before he'd even gotten involved with the gang, when the only problem he'd had with his father was the fact that he had almost no interest in sports. He tried to push such childish desires from his head as he ruffled the fur on the Shepherd's head. He knew that he could not turn back time. Things would never be like they once were.
"Are you alright, Josh? You look distracted." Voice filled with the concern of a mother, Patricia eyed him critically. He always felt like she knew him better than anyone else ever could. She picked up on subtle things like his expression where others would only see a thoughtful look and never assume that it meant his mind was in much darker places. He tried to smile but knew he hadn't convinced her, not even when he replied with his stereotypical, "I'm fine." Wanting to change the subject, he asked Patricia about her work and how things had been going as of late. She had good news about how they had not yet found new dirt to dig up quite yet, the stories of his gang involvement turning stale. "I told your father it wouldn't--" She broke off there, seeming to realise that the subject of Donovan might not be the wisest path to take. Coughing a little and trying to disguise it as the clearing of her throat, she asked in a too-bright tone, "So how's Nell?" On the subject of Nell, Joshua was quite proud and fond of his mother. She had taken the news that Nell was both a fugitive and guilty of matricide surprisingly well--she'd asked Josh for very few details, only wondering whether he had specific reasons to believe that she was not as guilty as she'd seemed. He told her he did, and she'd nodded and left it there. "I'm heading back to her place later," he said, and didn't miss the flicker of disappointment in his mother's eyes. She wanted him to come home, he knew she did. But he also knew she understood why he couldn't.
The sudden ringing of Patricia's phone distracted them both, and after pulling it from her pocket to check the number his mother gave an apologetic grimace. "I've got to take this," she said. "Do you--" She didn't even have the chance to finish the question (mind?) before Joshua was shaking his head. "I'll just walk Quartz alone for a bit and meet you back here in...?" He trailed off and looked at her questioningly, wanting her to fill in the blanks. He didn't know how long his father would be out and so wasn't sure when they should be getting back. "Around an hour," she finished for him, then mouthed a 'thank you' before answering the still-ringing phone. "Hello, Catherine? Yes, this is Patricia Dale." The rest of the conversation was lost to Joshua as he wound the dog's leash around his hand and entered part of the forest in the park. The trails were wide and well-travelled, clearly a popular destination for families or people, like himself, out walking their pets in the sunshine. That sunshine was getting colder, however, as they neared the end of summer and the start of fall. He didn't mind too much, though he did lament the extra strength that the summer gave the Fire elementals. Winter meant that controlling his element became much more of a pain. The trail he followed opened out into the public area of the park once more, and he glanced around and picked up a large stick. Unfastening the leash from Quartz's collar, Joshua hefted it to get a better grip and then threw it as far as it was able. The dog gave an excited bark and then shot after it, Joshua leaning against a tree as he waited for his pet to return.
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Post by tallulah on Oct 8, 2011 14:20:09 GMT -5
Tallulah McDonald was a lot of things. A touch too tall, far too timid, always helpful, very creative, and pretty smart would be the things that most people would list off if you asked about her. Possibly that she's a Water Element, not exactly in control of her powers but supposedly that happened with time and more practice. What a lot of people might be surprised by was that Tallulah's all time favorite pass time was running. She did it to get away for a while. Away from the constant conflict of the dorms and the endless to-do list she seemed to make for herself. She was able to lose herself for a little bit while she ran and it was comforting.
Feet pounded on the dirt trails, her ankle cushioned by it's lightweight brace. Sometimes Tallulah thought she should have more marks than just those ugly scars on her ankle from that night. 6 years wasn't enough to lessen the pain in her heart when she thought of her mother and sisters and she doubted 60 years would make her feel any better about that time. She hadn't just lost her mother and sisters in the accident, she'd lost her father. He'd been different since then, like he had died too even though he'd been on the other side of the state.
Tallulah turned up her music and focused on running in time to the beat rather than on memories that made her sad. She forced a smile on her face and hummed along to the oldies that her Grandfathers had seen fit to make her addicted to. Nothing quite like it these days, though she enjoyed contemporary music as well. Old school rock was definitely her favorite, something else that might surprise other people about her. She chuckled at the thought and lost herself in the music and the run.
She attempted to lose herself in the music and the run. The path crossed into a clearing and a stick came flying toward her, a happy looking dog bounding after it. Tal did a quick back peddle, nearly falling on her ass to avoid the dog that gave her a quick sniff before grabbing the stick and heading back to the one that had thrown it. Tal tugged out her ear buds and laughed a bit, a large smile spreading across her face. "Josh, fancy meeting you here!" She walked over to him, pulling her long ponytail tighter and completely ignoring the less than lovely sweat dampened parts of her t-shirt.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 8, 2011 18:37:27 GMT -5
As Quartz bounded back toward him with the stick clamped in his jaws like some priceless treasure, Joshua allowed a rare smile. "Give it here, bud," he said in a stern but gentle tone as he held out his hand for the stick. The dog tilted his head at his owner for a moment then obediently dropped the slightly slobbery stick into his hand and let out a quiet bark. "There you go." He was just hefting it (carefully trying to avoid touching the wet areas of the stick) and preparing to toss it a second time when he heard a voice and turned his attention toward the speaker. Joshua was a little surprised by the fact that someone had addressed him in such a public place but he was not a jumpy person by nature. Though caught off guard, the way in which he turned to survey her almost seemed as if he had known she was there all along. Certainly he'd noticed that the dog had paused to give her a sniff but he hadn't been paying enough attention to recognise her until she'd approached him.
Now, however, he dipped his head in quiet acknowledgement. "I'm just giving Quartz here a bit of a work out," he joked. Though he didn't laugh, his tone was light enough to suggest he was in a pleasant mood. Turning away from her for a moment to look at the expectant dog (who had barked again to get his master's attention) he threw it long and hard, trying to get it as far away as possible. Quartz shot off like a rocket and Josh turned back to Tallulah. He wasn't going to bother mentioning that he was here with his mother or that the only reason he was walking his dog right now was because he likely wouldn't get to see the animal for another long time. He wished that he could visit his cats like this but the mansion had security and so he couldn't run the risk of slipping through the doors even to say a quick hello. "And what about you? Out for a run, by the looks of it." He didn't really care about the fact that she was sweaty from her jogging or anything like that. Josh wasn't bothered by the appearances of others for the most part, and it wasn't like she'd hugged him or anything. Hell, he didn't let people hug him even if they'd just gotten out of the shower. He wasn't big on physical affection unless he actually loved you, like he did his girlfriend.
Tallulah was... different, really. She wasn't like most of his friends in that she was completely good and genuine about everything. He didn't think she hated anyone, at least not from what brief conversations he'd had with her. Maybe she was the type that loathed a lot of people and just kept it to herself? He didn't know and he certainly wasn't going to ask. Josh wasn't psychic so instead of guesswork he just tried to ignore the things of which he was unaware. She was also a Water elemental, which was usually an instant repellent for him, but she was decent for their sort. She'd never tried to pull a cruel trick on him before and so he respected Tallulah for that. He wasn't so stubborn that he could not get along with someone simply because they were a Water elemental, it just made things much more difficult.
Quartz ran back again and dropped the stick at Josh's feet, then seemed to decide that he wanted to gnaw upon it instead. This suited the boy just fine, so he kept his gaze trained on the girl rather than his furry companion. Speaking of Quartz, he remembered how the dog had approached her. "Sorry if he nearly ran you over," Josh remarked. It was hard to tell whether he was really apologetic or only amused. "He gets excited like that sometimes."
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Post by tallulah on Oct 9, 2011 14:34:24 GMT -5
Tal liked Josh, he was quiet and rather self possessed. A very good fit to Nell's sometimes manic enthusiasm. He was mellow for a Fire, which was nice because sometimes the other Fire's made the timid Water a bit nervous. She was a bit fascinated by all the facial piercings that he possessed because she herself could never imagine doing that, it looked painful. Also it got a lot of stares and she didn't really like being the center of attention. Of course back home in Seattle it was pretty normal to have at least one piercing ... no. Not for Tallulah.
She watched the dog, Quartz? She watched Quartz bring back the stick and lay down next to Josh's feet and start gnawing on it like it was the best thing in the world. Tal felt a smile spread across her face as she watched the dog happily work on the stick. "Oh he was fine. Excited to be out I'm sure. Besides it's nice to take a breather now and then. I usually pause about half through my run anyway, give the ankle a break." She wanted to pet Quartz but didn't want to ask. Maybe she was intruding? She hoped not but Josh might not tell her if she was. Quartz was lovely though, really any kind of animal was lovely to her. She'd wanted a pet desperately when she was a little girl, preferably a puppy or a kitten so she could cuddle with it. Sadly her sisters were allergic to fur so that was a big no in the pet department. After the accident she just hadn't had the heart to ask for one. The house seemed empty with just her and her dad, but really if it was that empty was it fair to bring in an animal? Especially when she was away at school for most of the year?
Tal focused her attention on the here and now rather than dwelling on sad things. The past should be left in the past as someone had once mentioned. "Is it ok if I pet him?" Grandpa Max had told her she needed to work on being a bit more assertive and so she figured that even though she was worried she might be bothering Josh, she'd ask. Because the dog was cute and how could you not want to pet him? But maybe she was bothering him ... "Or actually it's ok. You were probably enjoying the solitude right? Then I came barreling in and start interrupting you're time with Puppy down there." and now she was babbling because she felt bad for interrupting him and she needed to stop but she was babbling in her head too. Great.
Tal covered her face with her hands and laughed softly. She was being ridiculous. She dropped her hands and looked over at her friend apologetically. "Sorry. I was attempting to be assertive but then I felt bad for not thinking about what you might want. I'm being a spaz again aren't I?" She sighed and shook her head at her own ridiculousness. If she had been at school she wouldn't have bothered to explain herself. Actually she probably would have just run away rather quickly but Josh was alright and she was comfortable enough to explain herself. Even if it was rather embarrassing.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 9, 2011 19:59:05 GMT -5
Tallulah was always so nice and at times it baffled him. He supposed by dating Nell he should be used to it by now but the Water girl was just so polite and sweet that sometimes he didn't know what to do with himself in her presence. It always felt strange when he befriended someone a lot less aggressive than he was, like they would be judging him for not being quite as kind and accepting as they were. Nell didn't seem to care and surely if Tallulah cared, she wouldn't talk to him, right? It was only a mild prickling of curiosity in the back of his mind. Josh was a confident guy and he didn't need to rely on the opinions of others to fuel this but it still made him wonder if his friends ever thought badly of him. "Your ankle?" he repeated, surprised and intrigued.
He glanced down at her foot reflexively, then flicked his gaze back up to her face. He wasn't usually the type that pried into the business of others and so he'd never asked her about any injuries. "Did you sprain it or something?" he asked, not wanting to pry too much but still feeling a slight concern and curiosity. It wasn't a good idea to jog when you had a sprain or another sort of injury. Of course, this was probably just the aspiring doctor coming out in him. He'd never confided in Tallulah that he was going to attend medical school when he graduated (hopefully). He didn't really talk about himself much to other people and that was why a question as simple as the one he'd just asked made him feel as if he was prying. It was for a drastically different reason than why Tal held back, however. Josh was definitely of the dominant and assertive personality, he just didn't like to feel as if he was being a hypocrite. You shouldn't ask anything you wouldn't answer yourself. Would he tell her about an injury if she asked? Definitely not. Oh well. It was different, right? The scars all over his flesh were like secrets. He didn't talk about them, didn't even mention them.
He would have been fine with allowing her to stroke Quartz, but Tallulah seemed to back out and change her mind rather quickly. He blinked as she explained the reasoning for this, surprised yet again. In his experience people didn't usually tell you about their strange quirks or habits so he wasn't sure what to make of it. He didn't mind, though. "It's fine," replied Joshua, waving his hand lazily. Speaking of scars, the deep cut across his palm was still quite visible. It had happened months prior but he knew that the scar would never truly fade. He tried not to dwell on things like that. "If I really had a problem with it, I would let you know." He didn't have issues with admitting this. Perhaps his blunt nature made him a little bit of a dick but Joshua definitely did have a dominant personality. If he had a problem with something he was generally going to vocalise it no matter what that meant. He might be a little more gentle in manner if you were a friend of his but he wasn't going to withhold his opinion just because it might upset you.
He gave a sharp whistle to get the attention of the dog--clearly well trained, he dropped the stick immediately (though with a light sort of reluctance) and glanced at his owner. Ruffling the fur on the dog's large head, he gestured for Tallulah to come closer. "Go ahead and pet him," he invited in an amiable tone. "It's okay, he doesn't bite." The dog was actually really friendly and affectionate. Not so great if you wanted a dog that wouldn't try to lick your face if he hadn't seen you in a while but it was better than having your arm chewed off by your 'beloved' pet. He did get territorial when his masters were threatened, but in sensing that Josh was quite relaxed around the girl Quartz merely wagged his tail lazily and gazed up at her with warm amber eyes.
[Joshy doesn't have piercings btw xD Just his face claim <3]
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Post by tallulah on Oct 9, 2011 22:38:48 GMT -5
Tal's internal babbling paused and she turned to look at Josh inquisitively before realizing that he had asked about her ankle. She had mentioned it hurting, right. She knew that. Tal smiled brightly, covering the twinge of pain that hit her heart. "Don't worry, it's fine. Old injury, right ankle's half metal." She shrugged a bit self consciously, still smiling. It was an old injury, it just had ramifications that felt knew. Sometimes she wondered if she would feel better if her dad would wake up from whatever dream he seemed to be living in. Of course that was neither here nor there and something that she wouldn't dwell on while at school.
He pulled her attention back to his dog, letting her know it was alright to pet him. She wanted to ask again, to verify that he was sure she could pet Quartz. To make sure that she wasn't bothering him. To make sure she wasn't interfering some how but she bit her lips and managed to stay quiet while he reminded her that he was far more assertive than she was. How was he able to just say something and make it sound so final? He was always so nice to Tal and yet he was so firm. It seemed that all the Fire were like that. Of course most of them made her wary because they were also rather ... combustible. No pun intended. She giggled a little at her own terrible joke and knelt beside the dog.
"Of course you don't bite!" She spoke in a bright quiet voice, a huge smile on her face. "You're a love bug, you wouldn't bite. You just wanna play with people and have them adore you because you sir are thoroughly adorable. Yes you are," She didn't use a baby voice or anything as irritatingly inane is that but Tal did have a habit of talking nonsense to animals as though they could understand. Thankfully Quartz didn't hold it against her as she scratched behind his ears, running her fingers through his furs and laughing gaily as he licked her chin and she jerked her face up in surprise. "You are such a good boy, yes you are handsome, yes you are." She continued to fluff him, running her hands down his sides and the rubbing his ears again as he excitedly pawed at her wrist, encouraging her to continue with his silly doggy grin.
Tal laughed again as she looked up at Josh, completely enthralled by his pooch. "He's so sweet! Could I borrow him for a few years?" Her last request was a bit wistful as she patted the doggy once more and stood up again. Time to pretend to be a little mature in front of her friends college boyfriend. Most boys made her freeze a little bit but Josh was different, even though he was a Fire he was ... well he wasn't gentle. She knew that. He was just -was nice the word?- he was something with her. it was like he loved Nell so very much that he didn't mind being friends with her wierd Water friend. It made him a good guy in her book, that he was nice to her even though he didn't have to be.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Oct 10, 2011 0:25:09 GMT -5
Tallulah answered his question with an explanation of what happened to her ankle--or at least a semblance of an explanation. He was curious as to what sort of an injury had caused for the replacement of half the ankle but he was polite and respectful enough concerning injuries that he didn't ask. You wouldn't be truthful if she asked you, he reminded himself. Considering this he merely gave a nod to show that he'd heard and that he understood what she meant. Well, at least she wasn't running on a sprained foot at any rate. He knew how to treat sprains and the like thanks to the fact that he wanted to become a doctor one day and had grown up under the careful influence of his father, who had constantly lectured him about any little injuries or risks. He could still remember the concussion spiel when he'd fallen out of the tree in their yard. Well, one of the (many) trees.
He chuckled a little as she started to fawn over Quartz but offered no comment, preferring to stay quiet. He didn't mind that she was talking to him in such a strange manner because his sister did things like that all of the time and he'd kind of gotten used to it by now. Besides, Josh was just a quiet person by nature. It wasn't that he was shy or wanted to stay hidden from the world he just didn't feel the need to talk to people, wasn't very social by nature. He supposed that was a part of his father's personality coming out in him. Patricia had always been a social butterfly who made lots of friends and Donovan had always sort of stayed behind the scenes. His father still had more friends than he did, though, since he got a lot of respect and contacts from his job.
His gray eyes were amused when she asked him if she could borrow Quartz, though he wasn't really sure how to respond and so just let that linger there. He always felt odd sharing his sense of humour with people if he wasn't totally comfortable with them as a friend. It had taken him quite a while to open up to Nell on that level but now he cracked jokes with her all of the time. With Tal, though, he just kept whatever he might have said otherwise to himself. Silences never felt awkward to him unless the tension was obvious--when he'd driven with Nell to go and pick up his sister you couldn't even have cut it with a knife, it was so thick. This to him just felt natural, though there was no telling how Tal might react to his silence. He wasn't trying to be rude or anything like that, after all. Even Joshua wouldn't stand in silence forever considering even he would start to notice if they just stood there staring at one another for five minutes straight, so he cast around in his mind for something to say.
Blinking, he finally asked, "So, do you live in the Hollow or are you just taking a break from the Academy?" The usual barrier of it being a less innocent and more personal question was there, but he didn't ask to know what part of town she lived in or if he could have her address or anything at least. Joshua figured that the fact he was walking his dog in the park and that the dormitories didn't allow pets would clue her in to the fact that he was a resident of the place himself. Normally he didn't talk about where he lived to the other students of the Academy--he might tell them he resided in the Hollow, but he wouldn't say where. For some reason people looked at you differently when you told them you lived in a mansion. Not only that, but he didn't even live with his parents right now. He was staying with Nell. I wonder if she's told anyone? But no, he trusted Nell to keep that quiet for him.
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