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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 5, 2011 17:03:29 GMT -5
[Started in the mess hall because there were no threads here -- they can go anywhere/get up to anything as the thread progresses xD]
The war seemed to have cooled down a little with the start of the new year and the election of some new blood into the pool of leaders but Joshua still felt the tension that morning as he left his last class before lunch. Almost subconsciously he found himself falling into step beside an Earth elemental going in the same direction, their protection of one another unspoken. It felt strange to defend and respect the same group he'd once fought against but he felt that he was almost adapted to it now. He still missed the fierce loyalty of the Fire elementals and the comforting warmth of their dormitories at times but he had, for the most part, gotten over such trivial things. "How'd class go?" He was also becoming a little more amiable, more willing to approach or talk to people even if they were merely acquaintances. He blamed Nell and Devin for being so damned friendly compared to him. He couldn't spend most of his time around a pair of kind-hearted Earths without having something to show for it, now could he? "It was good," the girl said with a slight smile, seeming surprised by but not opposed to the fact that he had struck up a conversation. "Yours?"
If it was weird to talk to people on a whim, it was even stranger when he didn't feel quite as wary of their questions. There had been a time when he would hesitate to answer even the simplest questions but that was all gone, now. "Pretty great." He wasn't lying, either. As it had been one of the courses in his History major, there was no chance of him not enjoying it unless it had been completely boring. He hardly ever found history as something that could be considered 'boring', not unless it was a subject he was incredibly well-versed on. That happened a few times when they went over something in class that he'd taken a personal interest in over the holidays. "I'm just heading to lunch, now," he said. "Are you as well?" He wouldn't sit with her once they were there, of course, but it helped to fill a silence with words. Joshua was hardly ever uncomfortable in the quiet but he knew that some other people appreciated constant conversation to keep them from getting too awkward. "No, actually," she replied. "I'm off to the Medical Wing." She held up her hand to show that it was wrapped in a bloodied cloth. He hadn't noticed before as it had been tucked in her binder. "I'm in a metalworking class," she explained at his weird look. "Had a bit of an accident with a twisted bit of material."
"Ah," he said, having never taken an interest in that kind of thing himself. "Well, good luck with that." They parted ways as she turned down a separate hall and he was left on his own again, a fact that didn't bother him. The good thing about being a junior in college was that none of the high school students were any sort of match for you and most of your fellow graduates that could kick your ass had better things to do. Like study, sleep, eat, that kind of thing. He viewed the war in much the same way—he would fight a battle if he had to, he would defend his allies if needed, but he would hardly go looking for trouble. No, seeking out a fight was just idiotic when you had a full schedule. He was studying with a double major and hoping to get a job on top of that. He also had a girlfriend and a small but close social circle to attend to. 'Overworked' would be an understatement but it suited him just fine. He had always been somewhat of a workaholic—Joshua just wasn't happy unless he had things to be doing. Sitting still or lazing about made him feel antsy and strange. The only time he enjoyed lounging about for hours was when he was reading a book or when he was with a close friend.
'Lunch' ended up being a salad and an apple as well as a large coffee from the beverage bar. They didn't have the most elaborate vegetarian selection but they at least catered to his minority a little. The coffee was meant to jumpstart his energy so that he could get through the day without experiencing random bouts of exhaustion. He hadn't been suffering from insomnia lately—and thank goodness for that—but that didn't mean he'd slept particularly well, either. The life of a college student could be hell sometimes. He yawned as he sat down alone, not having seen Nell or any of the others that he would sometimes sit with. His girlfriend was always the first choice—he still remembered that first day when she'd insisted on accompanying him despite his obvious distaste toward her—but any of his other friends would have worked, as well. For now he'd just try and get through as much of the food as he could. He had a free period after lunch that he planned to use for studying, though he might be persuaded to change his mind about that.
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Post by mercer on Dec 7, 2011 17:44:56 GMT -5
 Mercer chewed down on her thumb nail, staring into some imperceptible void in front of her as she listened to the repetitive dial tone. Her bad habit had caused the grey nail polish to chip unattractively, but the red was too immersed in connecting the current call to notice. The grounds buzzed with low chatter as people emigrated around the campus, bouts of laughter erupting from a large group a few meters away from her every so often which caused Mercer to cringe into the phone a little. Blah, loudness in general just made her uneasy. Perhaps she just had weak ears – either way she still couldn’t stand overly-loud voices, they went through her and rang unpleasantly even after the noise was gone. Finally with a click, her call connected and her brothers drawling voice murmured from the other end of the line; “Go for Seth.” Rolling her eyes at the predictable greeting, Mercer chirped, “My name appears on your screen when I ring, as does a picture. That time I stole your phone I even set my own ringtone for myself. Is ‘Hey Sis, how’s it going?’ really too much to ask for?” A small smirk lightened her features as she listened to the resounding sigh that came from the other end; “Was there a point to this call?” He had just woken up, she could tell; his voice was absent and thick with sleep. Mercer could imagine him having been up the whole night before, drinking bad beer with friends as they played Call of Duty on the X-Box. Boys.
“Doesn’t wanting to hear my brother’s voice to check he’s still alive reason enough?” Pushing Seth’s buttons was a favourite pastime of Mercers, simply because she knew she could get away with it and he’d either play along or flat out tell her she was being a dick without making a huge argument about it. It’s what she loved about him. They shared the same temperament, although he was a little more erratic than her. His silence let her know that he wasn’t about to answer her, thus leading to the next part of her call; “I was wondering how you were…and where you are. You know I got about five texts from mom last night asking why you weren’t replying to your messages.” Seth was always a flighty being, never staying in one place for too long. Last time he had called Mercer he was somewhere on the outskirts of Canada, sleeping in his car and earning money by working part time at some dive bar. It was shoddy work, but at least he was living his life – to some extent. He rarely talked to their parents, only dropped in at random moments, staying until their parents started arguing again. Ugh, family. “Ah yeah. I’ve run out of ...minutes.” Muttered the twenty-four year old down the phone, the excuse lame and obviously a lie.
Rising from her seat in the courtyard, Mercer made her way inside and away from the cackling group. The connection became poor, crackly and Mercer frowned; “Seriously dude, where are you?” Although she was the younger than him, Mercer felt extremely wary of her brothers welfare. A broken response came back, something about the signal being terrible where he was. “Look—call you back—tell mu---and that I’ll be over—“ Catching the basics of what he was saying, she sighed a little impatiently but simply retorted; “Alright. Speak soon.” Mercer hung up and threw her cell into her pocket. She knew Seth was eager to travel to Europe so he could live his desired life of art, alcohol and anarchy but also thought he could have been a little more talkative about his plans to get there. Her ballet flats carried her over to the Mess Hall where a majority of the students were seated for lunch. Hunger hadn’t hit her yet, so she settled for her usual beverage; jasmine tea. Caffeine often made her too wired and although she adored the smell of it, drinking it hyped her up too much. Chancing a sip of the too-hot beverage, Mercer flinched away as the heat of the liquid burnt her tongue. Her phone buzzed in her pocket; Sorry we got cut off - talk soon sis. The message was brief yet put a smile on her face, glad that at least Seth kept in touch with her if not her parents or sister.
Pale green eyes scanned the room, scouring for a vacant space. A familiar face fell into her light of sight. Within seconds she had manoeuvred her way through the tables and over to the lone male, hoping she wasn’t disturbing, “Hey Josh,” her tone was light and approachable. Not being one to invite herself into someone’s personal bubble, the red head stood beside the seat opposite him, inclining her head to the side as if to silently ask whether he minded her joining. It had been a while since she’d spoken to the boy; the two had established a friendship over their thirst for knowledge of history. And on the subject of it; “How did that last history essay go?” Mercer asked with conversational curiosity, her interest intent rather than a random statement. They’d talked briefly about it before and Mercer – as always – had been terribly jealous of the topic he was writing about. She had an untameable resentment (though a good natured, of course) at the fact his classes were more advance than the ones she took, because of their different grades.
[sorry, this is rather very rambly! and hope mercers random question about the essay is alright :P my mind went blank and i kind of made it up a possible conversation starter heh.] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 8, 2011 18:28:53 GMT -5
His gaze was just as amiable as her tone, the dark-haired male giving his friend a light smile. "Mercer," he greeted her by name, pleased to meet up with a friend in the solitude of the mess hall. Though he did usually sit with Nell and whatever friends decided to join them for the day, he didn't mind separate company for the afternoon. Besides, he liked to catch up with friends. Joshua might have had a bit of an abrasive personality when you were getting to know him but he was an intensely loyal and dedicated friend once you crossed certain boundaries. It was crossing them that was the problem, but Mercer luckily hadn't much of one. He liked to believe it was their shared love of history that brought them together. He didn't necessarily drop all other issues and strike up conversation with others just because they liked the same things but it helped when building a relationship to have some sort of common ground. History was theirs, and so his lips tugged into a momentarily wider smile, more like a grin, when she mentioned it. The gesture was brief, his expression fading into the normal neutrality after a second or two, but it was most definitely genuine. Though it had been a query about school work, a dread of many high-school and college elementals alike, the facility had never caused him any problems at all. He liked learning, cheesy and dorky as it sounded.
"Quite well, I think," he replied. "I added in some extra credit just in case but I'm sure I did alright either way." He was not bragging, as he did not smirk nor sound the least bit conceited when he spoke the words. It was confidence that carried his thought process. He did not constantly fret over academic failure because it was the one thing in life that had never failed him before. He was not optimistic about many things but the quality of his work was one of those few. "Have you taken History this year?" His gray eyes were teasing as he gave her a look, trying to imply that it was a joke. It might not have been too apparent as it could sometimes be hard to detect if he was trying to be humorous—however, the fact that they both knew the sort of... obsession they shared suggested as much. Why would he ask such a stupid question if he were being serious? Joshua's memory was quite sharp and so he would not have forgotten such a crucial detail. "Apart from that, though, how are classes in general? A new year, a new start... do you like that?" He was honestly curious. Some dreaded the new year and some, like Josh, saw it as a step ahead. He was one year closer to his goal of medical school and so the progression of his education could hardly be counted as a bad thing. He wondered if it were the same for his friend.
Once you crossed into friendship territory, he also ceased to care only about the common interests. At one point, it felt like history and its many wonders was the only thing he was comfortable discussing with Mercer. He was such a secretive person that he did not allow anyone to question him and, in return, was very reluctant to branch out to others, as well. His trust issues were a main part of the reason his social circle was as small as it was. He did not mind this. He'd always been a bit solitary and he knew that keeping up with too large a crowd would be overwhelming on top of his school and soon to be work schedule as well. As such, his time with friends was limited. He made sure to keep in contact as often as possible, a fact he hoped at least some of them noted and paid attention to. "At least this new year has calmed the war down a little," he said. "I can actually study in the library without worrying about the books becoming projectile weapons." He rolled his eyes lightly. He was jesting in a way—most people wouldn't be stupid enough to throw the books and anger the librarian (or Josh)—but he was also being serious. He was glad that the war was not as harsh as it had been before the holidays had come upon them.
"How was your break, by the way?" He figured it was alright to ask as much. He was not shy, just guarded. He would not ask a question of someone if he was not comfortable answering it in return, it was a general rule of his. He would not ask what she had done over break, only if it had went well. If she chose to elaborate further that was fine by him, he just wouldn't do the same if she returned the question. He had a careful code mapped out in his brain and if other people didn't share it, well, it didn't give him any guilt at least. "I couldn't keep in touch personally—I was busy with family and all that." This was truth and lie bundled up into a package. He had been with family a lot, including Nell who was just like family. However, he'd also been busy with Nell and the trial so he'd been hard-pressed for time. Maybe Mercer had been busy, too. He wasn't sure. He was sorry that he'd sort of neglected face-to-face meetings with a lot of his friends during the holiday season but he'd made sure to drop them a call or a text every now and then. Friends were important. If they could put up with his attitude, he could put up with keeping in touch.
[Your post was fine—I don't mind, no worries <3 Sorry for the wait, my internet is going all weird lately.]
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