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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 3, 2012 20:08:50 GMT -5
November was crunch time at the Academy and Joshua was feeling the pressure as much as any other senior. The wedding and honeymoon in October had given him a brief reprieve from studying and overloading his brain on academics but he had not expected nor did he receive any special treatment upon returning to school afterwards. It was only the first week in November and he was still juggling catch-up with studying and studying with work in the medical wing. It was stressful and reminded him a lot of how he used to panic over juggling two majors and his job at the retirement home. At the same time, the senior wouldn't trade his position for the world. Graduation was on the horizon and his hopes for medical school were high and so it was worth it to spend less time with his friends and a little more time studying for these few weeks that it counted the most.
With that in mind, he politely turned down the offer of a classmate to hang out at Blackjack later on in the evening. The good thing about his friends were the fact that they tended to be understanding about his situation and his buddy shoved him almost playfully, ignoring the look Josh gave him in response. "Go study for your test then, nerd." He knew his buddy didn't actually intend any offence with the comment and so he did not react negatively to the 'insult'. "You know, my parents always tell me I'll be your boss some day," he said with the pompous tone of someone that was trying to show up a rival. It was almost hard not to laugh. Almost. "Have fun, asshole." He shoved him back for good measure, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips as they parted ways. It might have been fun to go and spend the evening at Blackjack drinking with a couple of the guys but you didn't get into medical school by putting your work off until the last minute. The things I'd do for success, he thought, shaking his head and shifting his bag on his shoulder and heading for the library.
It was quiet and peaceful, the perfect environment for studying. That he had decided to study after classes instead of at lunch meant that there were a lot less high school students hanging about, a fact that pleased him. Josh tried not to be too judgemental of others based on age but sometimes it was far too hard to resist when the ninth graders were busy being obnoxious and those in twelfth grade were all busy procrastinating their exam studies. There were some younger students about, none of whom he recognised, and he chose one of the few empty tables left for his studying purposes. It was not that he was incapable of sitting with others and still conducting his studies in peace, he simply preferred not to interrupt others. He fell quickly into the lull of reading over notes and outlines again and again, his gray eyes scanning the pages with utmost concentration. He would take breaks every now and then to process the information and relax and it was on the third of these such breaks that he got up from his seat in order to grab an extra cup of coffee. He often thought about the person who had first petitioned to have the coffee machines brought into the library. He'd like to thank them for his sanity and alertness during these extended study sessions.
Returning to where he had been sitting, Josh decided against reading his notes right away. He needed more than a couple of seconds to breathe and stop thinking so hard or he was going to end up doing himself more harm than good. So he set his books aside and concentrated on his coffee instead, letting the warm blend burn its way down his throat. Most would consider it too hot to drink but for a Fire elemental it was not much of an issue. Though he had not been so tired that he was falling asleep at the table, the coffee ensured that he would be able to hold off on getting to that point until much later. There was also the inevitable crash to look forward to—or dread, rather—but he would cross that bridge when he got to it. For now, he was going to enjoy his reprieve. When he glanced around and saw someone contemplating a choice between all of the occupied tables, he lifted his hand slightly. "No one else is sitting here," he said mildly, gesturing at the table in explanation. His large stacks of books might have given the illusion that there were others expected but Josh simply had a lot of source material. "You can if you want. I don't mind."
[they can know him or be a stranger, doesn't matter <3]
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Post by theepicfiend on Nov 19, 2012 20:01:51 GMT -5
On his walk around the school, Tiger stumbled across the library. He decided to take a look, hoping he could find some books on all of this elemental business to help him get a head start before school let back in for the new semester. He might not have been good at math and science and stuff like that, but now that he was going to this school for people with magic powers- no, he corrected himself, elementals- he'd need to at least figure out if he was any good at this elemental business.
What he really wanted, though, was to get a head start. He didn't want to end up falling behind, so he figured since he'd found the library anyway, he'd take some books on Thunder, the element that was apparently his. That would explain why he shocked people. He really hoped that he would learn how to not do that.
He grumbled to himself as he surveyed the room, finding that all the tables were taken. Then, a man much older than Tiger waved his arm in the air, signaling him over. Tiger was cautious at first, but the pile of books next to the man would probably be as good a place to start as any.
He made his way over, sitting in the chair across from the man. His eyes flicked back and forth, examining every inch of the man in a split moment. He was older, and male, so he lost points there. He didn't seem to be violent from the offset, but Tiger most certainly didn't trust him. He was going to be cordial, though.
He spent a little too long deciding what to say. He figured 'thank you' would be too formal, but 'thanks' might have come off as too casual... when he opened his moth to speak, what came out was a cautious, "Thank."
Once it had come out, it was too late to lengthen it into a 'thanks' or a 'thank you'. He just let it go, turning his focus to the books piled on the table. His eyes traced up and down the spines, a slight smile sparking in his eyes. They all sounded really... interesting.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 20, 2012 17:17:43 GMT -5
The feeling of being scrutinized and judged was an uncomfortable one that he had never much liked. It wasn't hard to tell that he was being judged based on the awkward silence and the way that the boy kept glancing at him but it was nearly impossible to tell whether the judgements were good ones. Probably not. He was not optimistic about the way that others saw him. Tall, dark-haired with a scar on his face and a neutral expression that closely resembled a scowl? He had no reason to be surprised that people avoided him and he wasn't. Well, the kid hadn't bolted for the door or declined the offer to sit within a hundred feet of him and so that was something, he supposed. Maybe he was wrong to assume that all judgement of him would be negative. Not all the school are Thunders. Unaware that Tiger was, Joshua could not fully appreciate the irony of his thoughts.
The kid, a stranger to Joshua with no name to put to the face, sat down across from him as the Fire graduate took a slow sip of his coffee and savoured the hot blend as it burned a path down his throat. He drank caffeine with such regularity that the shakes and jitters associated with it rarely plagued him and his hand was steady as he set the cup back down. The word appeared to get stuck in the stranger's throat, not coming out all the way, and Joshua raised a brow before accepting the attempted 'thanks' or 'thank you' or whatever he'd been going for with a simple nod. He was no Thunder in his brooding silences but he also wasn't very talkative. He spoke more out of necessity than the need to hear himself talk and he simply didn't see the need for a verbal response at times like these. Unless the guy was blind, and he sure as hell didn't look it, he could pick up on the physical signals.
He might have been content to leave it there and go back to doing his own thing if he hadn't caught the boy's eyes scanning the books piled next to Joshua with what appeared to be interest. "You don't look like you're in college." He was assuming the kid was a lot younger than that—ninth to eleventh grade, maybe, or a really young looking senior. Some looks were deceiving, though, and so he supposed he couldn't say for sure. He's not in college. Maybe he shouldn't have gone making assumptions but it was a little late for that now. "What are you here for if you didn't come to study?" There was a trace of exasperation in his tone as he realised the unknown elemental hadn't brought any books of his own with him. "Somehow I doubt advanced bio would make much sense to you." He didn't add the usually obligatory 'no offence' because hell, why was it his fault if people got offended? It was the truth in his opinion. Biology was his major, or one of them anyway, he'd gone through a lot of schooling to understand things at the level he did. And in Josh's eyes, no matter how well people aged at times, this kid could not be in college.
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Post by theepicfiend on Nov 20, 2012 19:01:45 GMT -5
"Correct," he nodded, still examining the books as the man commented that he didn't appear to be college aged. He was right. Observant, this one was. A moment of silence passed, and the man asked why Tiger was there.
In the moment Tiger took to think of a response, the man commented on how advanced the books he was reading were. Drinking in the new information, Tiger had to take another moment to think before he came up with a response.
"I got lost," he stated bluntly, giving Joshua what resembled a blank stare. Well, not so much blank, more... the stare of a boy who couldn't think of any emotion to have, given his situation. He wasn't sad, nor particularly happy. He wasn't scared. He'd been lost plenty of times before. This one was a happy coincidence, though, since he could probably have used a little help getting caught up before the semester ended. He was neutral. He turned his eyes back to the book the man had commented on, 'advanced bio'.
"I do too," he nodded in agreement that he would not, in fact, understand. Book smarts weren't really his forté. Neither was talking to people, especially people that made him uncomfortable.
Having picked up on the exasperation in Joshua's voice, Tiger got the impression he might not want to continue the conversation. He sat, watching Joshua as he waited for a response for what might have been a moment too long if he had an awkwardness radar.
He glanced around the room, focusing specifically on all of the signs indicating which books were contained in each section. He spotted the section with books about his element, then turned back to Joshua. He was engaged in conversation now, so even if he knew the answer, the polite thing to do would be to ask Joshua where the books were to make him feel smart... right?
"Hey," his voice cracked, and he coughed to cover it up, "Do you know where they keep the books?"
Somehow, in the moment, it slipped his mind to mention which books. Yea.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 20, 2012 21:07:16 GMT -5
The kid seemed quiet and Joshua couldn't help but wonder why that was. Shy, perhaps, or just the silent type like the Fire graduate himself? Does it matter? He decided that it didn't, not really, because he didn't know the guy and it wouldn't change a whole lot about their situation. Josh was a inquisitive man and he'd learned throughout the years to prioritize his curiosities to avoid tripping himself up with too many pursuits. If it didn't matter in the long run, he could pass up the chance to dig deeper. It was for the better. If he stumbled across an answer somewhere later on down the road that was fine, that wasn't hurting anybody, but for now he'd focus on what mattered—what the hell was this guy doing?
Lost. Huh. He lifted his brows but didn't immediately say anything on the matter. He supposed it was normal to get lost in the massive school, especially when you looked as young as this kid probably was. Though he wouldn't readily admit it Joshua had carried around a map of the Academy in his bag for the first couple months, paranoid that he'd take a wrong turn and be late for class. His good memory meant that he knew the place like the back of his hand now, from the dungeons to the top floor of the castle, but it hadn't always been the case. "Where were you trying to go?" It wasn't a direct offer for help but perhaps if Tiger had been trying to get to a specific place Joshua would be able to give him a couple directions. His wife was a bit directionally challenged and so he couldn't be too harsh about it. Besides, the first few weeks of school were always filled with directing the freshmen traffic. They tended to go for someone older looking that walked with confidence and purpose and, well, Josh pulled that off decent, even if he did scare some people off.
Intelligence was the basis of who Joshua was as a person. It was his skill in the same way that some people were good with art and others had their passions in music. He was smart, he could remember things, and he'd geared himself toward wanting to become a doctor from day one. But it wasn't for everyone and biology at the level he was currently studying probably would have fried his brain when he was in his early years of high school. It wasn't light reading by any means.
Predictably, it was a lot harder to be helpful when you had no idea what you were meant to be helping with. Sarcasm was his default and he said, "We're in a library if you hadn't noticed. There are books everywhere." His tone was dry as he shook his head. It wasn't as if Joshua was stupid—oh, no, he knew that probably wasn't (exactly) what the guy had meant to say. He was simply a blunt and sarcastic person by nature. It was his default setting. Suppressing a sigh, he decided to be a little more 'cordial' by saying, "What kind of books? I'm not psychic, sorry to disappoint you." The whole thing about not being very approachable? All right, so maybe his nature didn't help a whole lot. He wasn't really trying to be an asshole but it wasn't surprising when he made himself out to be that way a lot of the time. It was habit from years of trying to deter people. Now that he didn't have a reason to push others away he drove them off without even intending to.
Whoops.
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Post by theepicfiend on Nov 23, 2012 18:33:31 GMT -5
What had he been trying to do? Good question. Well the completely honest answer as to where he had been trying to go was, "The library." When he was inevitably met with a look of confusion, or annoyance, or general disapproval, he continued, "but that was three days ago."
"Right," he looked around, acknowledging that there were, in fact, books everywhere. A detail he hadn't overlooked so much as he had failed to verbalize. He then shook his head, an honest look in his eyes, "No it's okay. I'm not psychic either." It was almost as if he was comforting the man.
"I want to learn more tricks," he commented out loud, looking around the room again as he held up his pointer fingers, a small spark jumping between them as he did.
"To give me a better chance on the exams." he nodded, finishing his thinking out loud.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Nov 24, 2012 17:30:33 GMT -5
This kid didn't make a whole lot of sense. Suspicious as he was, Josh began to wonder if Tiger was trying to make a fool out of him. Not to be tricked like that, he narrowed his eyes briefly. "We're in the library, genius." It was impossible not to figure out where you were when surrounded on all sides by tall shelves crammed with all kinds of volumes on any subject imaginable. Joshua was going to go on to ask if Tiger thought he was stupid, and what the hell was he playing at, anyway? Before he got the chance, however, the younger student amended his words. That makes a little more sense... if he's being serious. Josh hadn't decided whether he trusted the guy yet. He lifted his chin slightly in silent acknowledgement of the words regardless.
He blinked at the honest-sounding comment. Does he not realise I'm mocking him? It didn't seem like it and Joshua was caught between being amused and concerned for the perception of the guy sitting across from him. Resisting any and all urges to laugh or roll his eyes, he instead accepted the words as they were without comment. Sometimes it was better to stay quiet than to continue digging a hole that no one else would be around to fall in.
At mention of tricks, Joshua immediately connected that the boy probably meant elemental studies. He backtracked in his mind to where they kept the high school level books on the elements. Damn, it's been a long time since high school. His memory was good, though, and he had only just touched on the answer when he caught the spark that jumped between the boy's fingers. It was in that moment that everything changed.
Thunder.
Suddenly a great deal less relaxed with their situation, he gestured to an area of the library on their floor. "Over there, near the back. It's marked pretty clearly. Thunder's, ah..." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and then said, "Fifth shelf in, to the left of Fire and right of Wind." He remembered walking past the shelves in ninth to twelfth grade to find the section on his element. "Probably shouldn't let anyone catching you asking me, though." A wry smirk played his lips. He was not ashamed of his treachery now because he knew what to expect, how others were going to judge him for it. Thunders didn't associate with him.
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