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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 4, 2011 14:28:35 GMT -5
The library had always been a place of solace for Joshua, a sanctuary. He had no problems with coming to school every day and was certain that he enjoyed the learning process more than the portion of his classmates that stumbled in and slept through most mornings but it was still nice to escape to his little corner of the place every now and then just to relax. It was a place mostly untouched by the war, as well. Fighting and use of one's powers—especially when it came to the Fires—was forbidden here. He'd seen someone get a permanent ban for setting a bookshelf on fire during an argument. It meant that any fights could only be verbal and even then were rare. After all, who wanted to hold an argument in whispers hoping the librarian didn't hear? No, it was best to just keep silent and keep to yourself. This suited him just fine. He didn't really like wars—who did? Sure, some enjoyed the fighting and excuse to start arguments for no reason but the previous war with the attacks on his girlfriend had soured his opinion, probably for good.
The familiar smell of aged paper and the quiet atmosphere greeted him as he pushed open the door, polite enough to hold it for someone as they made their way out. He recieved no thanks but was unbothered by this—he had done it more out of habit than to actually be considerate of another person. He greeted the librarian with a nod and a brief smile. Joshua had always liked the woman despite the reputation she had amongst the students as a controlling bitch. It's her place, her rules. I like it quiet, too. If you used the library for the correct purposes, it was here for studying. Hence the quiet. However, Josh understood that a lot of people liked to make use of the free wifi on the first floor as well as the row of desktop computers along the back wall. It was only too tempting to bust out the computer and play games when you were trying to work and it wasn't like the librarian could do much about that as long as the students were being quiet. He had gotten lucky today—it was mostly deserted.
The third floor was always the least likely to be occupied. It was comprised of the history and science sections as well as a lot of smaller sections for less perused subjects. It also had no computers, so it was ideal for someone looking to get away from the noise. He wasn't even here to study today—not primarily, anyway. It had been a long day and he just wanted to relax. There was a table by the windows that overlooked the grounds and he dropped his bag beside a chair before sitting down, idly admiring the view. Snowfall was quiet nice when it lay flat and undisturbed as it did now, no students having yet trampled across that area of the grounds after a recent blizzard. It was cold, though, and he could feel it. The glass was frigid to the touch as he briefly rested a hand against it to check. I know I'm not supposed to use my powers, but... He glanced around surreptitiously before letting a comfortable wash of heat engulf the area, chasing away any sort of chill. Much better.
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Post by cassandra on Dec 8, 2011 7:25:41 GMT -5
The library was the perfect place to study no matter what was going on outside of it, and she needed to study. She procrastinated to much this time. She has a test in her next class, and she has not studied nor has she even done the work. She sighed and sat down at a table. There she sat with a book open and her notebook out to take notes and to finish up the homework. She did not know why she was always like this, nor will she ever know why she is like this, she just knows that she loves to put the stuff off and that it was fun to put it off for then it meant that she could be in the peace and quiet later.
She was having her peace and quiet until others started to wander into the library. More than likely trying to get out of the cold. She looked up and saw a few people who she recognized walking in and one that stuck out. It was Josh, Nell's boyfriend. She knew he was a fire, but she also did not talk to him much. The only reason Josh did not get attacked by any Earths or Waters is because he aligned himself with them. not with his own element, but his enemies. Cass did not have the ambition to finish reading, so she put the book and notebook back into her bag and she wandered over to him.
As soon as she walked over the air warmed around the spot and she shook her head. Hm, I figured you of all people would listen to the Academy's rules. Being as you graduated so long ago. She smiled a bit and tried her best to be friendly. But then, it was not hard for her. She motioned toward the empty chair and looks at him. May I? She started to wonder then if Nell was going to be here as well. She was not used to seeing them apart.
She loves her best friend and she will always be there for the girl if Nell needed it, and Nell knew that. She was not so sure that josh remembered who she was, and if she needed to introduce herself again, then she will. She was to nice to not do that. She looked around the library again seeing as more people started to show and she sighs. So much for peace and quiet. She looked back at Josh though and ignored the others. She was good at that at least.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 8, 2011 18:52:07 GMT -5
Joshua turned at the sound of the accusation, however friendly it had been, fully intending to tell off the person who had questioned him. What, going to tell on me? The thought was scathing and he was completely ready to get into a bit of an argument with whomever had spoken. That is, until he recognised the speaker. She was a friend of Nell's and an acquaintance of sorts to Josh himself. "I'm not doing anything wrong, per say," he said smoothly. It was not rude—he doubted that she'd meant it to cause offence as he'd initially assumed before identifying her, so there was no reason to start a fight. His temperament could be a formidable thing if you managed to set him off but he was more stable and controlled than he had been in his high-school days. He was learning the many complications and facets to his anger and learning to avoid some of them. Not all, never all, but it at least made him a little less of a jerk to those that didn't deserve it.
He blinked at her and then gestured to the empty seats. Though he did not speak, Joshua figured it was a clear enough indication that he did not mind. He was not so self-absorbed that he thought he owned any sort of rights to the library, after all. She could sit across him whether he liked it or not. Still, it was polite and appreciated that she had asked. He preferred a request to someone just striding in and planting themselves across from him, especially if they were someone on a computer. The tap-tap-tapping of the keyboard was enough to drive him mad if they didn't know how to keep it quiet enough. He was not so obsessive compulsive that he needed a place of absolute silence but rhythmic and unceasing noises would really get on anyone's nerves after a while, he thought. He could not see if Cassandra had a laptop—maybe she had fit it into that bag of hers? He wasn't nosy enough to ask or even to stare at the offending bag, training his steel-coloured gaze on her face, as well.
His memory was quite a remarkable thing, so he had no troubles in remembering her face. His retention of information was also part of the reason he was able to study so efficiently, a backing force behind his intelligence. He was no savant or the next Einstein, just a smart guy who put his brain to the right uses. "What brings you to the library, Cassandra?" It would be considered a stupid question by some—"I need to read, duh."—the more sensible of folk might realise he was being a little more specific. He was wondering if she was here for an essay or just some casual reading, whether she'd planned to work on a project or just take advantage of the relaxing air. Either way, he didn't care. As she was not quite a friend he did not really take a hardcore interest, but that didn't mean he was opposed to the company. Joshua was honest and a tad blunt, so if he'd wanted Cassandra to leave him alone he would have told her as much. This refusal to bow down and cater to others before himself was a part of the reason he had a reputation for being sour.
He had planned to pick up a book or two once he'd gotten settled and the fact that he was now sharing the space with someone else did not stop that. He tugged a history volume from the shelf and flipped it open, already letting his eyes scan the page. He was not ignoring Cassandra, though, just finding an outlet for pauses in the conversation. It was a library, after all. They'd came here for reasons other than to solely converse, right? He would not mind if she stuck around and kept up a chat, though, and might even be persuaded to carry conversation himself. His need for the material he held in his hands was not dire and he could always continue what he was doing at a later date.
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Post by cassandra on Dec 9, 2011 21:43:06 GMT -5
She saw the look on his face before he spoke and she knew that she should be a bit more careful on her speaking around him still. Her had probably thought that she was someone from Fire, but then, she did say the question a little rude. Oh well, nothing to be done from it now. She chuckles though and shakes her head. Nah, nothing wrong. Just want to make sure that you are not trying to burn down the only quiet place to study. She joked. When he motioned toward the empty seats, she sat down and looks at him carefully.
She figured he was up to some kind of studying or work for his college classes. She heard his question and motioned toward her bag. I have some nice tests coming in and I plan on passing my final year in high school to get to college. She grabbed one of the books in the bag and looked at it. It was probably her worst subject ever, math. She sighed and shook her head. There are moments I wish that they would have dropped the regular high school courses, but that would have been unfair for when we leave here.
She shrugged then and looked at Josh. So, how was your break? She was curious, she had been talking to Nell and she herself had been stuck in town for the break. She did not really mind either though, for she actually did the homework she got over the break. She was going to pass this year like she said, and she was going to do her best. Even with the projects that would probably kick her ass.
She would stay at the table until Josh said he wanted to be alone, or until she had to go to class. Which ever came first, but while staying here and talking, she was going to do her math work as well. Hey, maybe Josh would even be kind enough to her and help her if she needed the help. That would be everything then.She sighed internally and she grabbed her notebook and pencil and wrote down the first question. Math, I hate it. To herself, this statement was said in her head, but then, Josh probably heard it.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 11, 2011 11:00:26 GMT -5
It was official—hanging around his girlfriend so much must have been having an affect on him. Though her comment about burning down a library might have offended him before, it was only a minor prickle of irritation before he reminded himself that it was a joke and pushed this aside. It always felt somewhat satisfying when he was able to suppress some sort of anger, like he was gaining control over it little by little. He knew that his temper was something he should be getting professional help with but he was too proud and stubborn to do such a thing. Fixing things himself would be very slow and gradual but he was determined that he could do it. He might have been too stubborn to accept help but he was also too stubborn to give up on himself. It was both a positive and a negative, depending on how you looked at it. "I like this place too much to endanger it," he pointed out. He understood that she was kidding but his own tone was more serious. He only joked around when he was really friendly toward someone and that took quite a while. It didn't mean he hated Cassandra, they just weren't at that level.
Understanding that not everyone liked school as much as he did, he nodded a little as she explained her stand on it. "College and university are the exact reason they keep up with the normal subjects," he said. It was often hard to get more than a few words out of him in casual conversation but whenever you switched the topic to school and education you were bound to get an opinion or two. He knew that he could be a bit of a dork and didn't care if people pointed this out, either. He'd be the one with a great job ten years down the line. "Not all elementals aspire to do something with their powers so it would be unfair to them if they didn't qualify for a college degree after high-school." He himself was one of those elementals, though he didn't offer this to Cassandra. He was talking more than he normally would have considering school was involved but he still didn't open up about himself. How long had it taken him to tell Nell he wanted to be a doctor? Devin? Some people had figured out by his Biology major if they also knew of a certain Donovan Dale that worked over at the hospital but it wasn't something he often talked about.
Thinking about that for a moment, he said, "Are you planning on doing something with your element?" He figured it wasn't too personal as long as she answered it with 'yes' or 'no'—he wasn't stopping her from elaborating more if she wanted to but he wasn't going to ask for an elaboration. He was far too private a person to be prying into the lives of others. She asked him how his break was and his response was fluid but brief, "It went quite well." He didn't tell her about Nell and the trial, didn't mention prom, didn't explain how he'd had a great Christmas with Nell and his family. It was an answer to the question with absolutely no filler in between. That was what you got with Joshua, usually. However, since she'd asked him he figured it only fair that he could return the question. "Yours?" It kept conversation going if you fired back some questions, after all, and though most silences weren't awkward for him it bothered him when other people just sat there looking uncomfortable.
When Cassandra went back to her book, Joshua went back to what he had been doing as well. He blinked as her voice disrupted his concentration, gray eyes flicking toward her for a moment. "Math?" he repeated, having heard she was being troubled by it. He could not help his curiosity from prickling at the back of his mind. He was good at Math—was good at a lot of things considering schoolwork, actually. You needed mathematics for some of the college courses in pre-med so he was lucky that he had the skills. Cassandra apparently did not. They were not friends but they got along better than he and Nell had when he'd agreed to help her, so he had no issues with asking, "What are you having trouble with? Maybe I could help." It was a statement rather than a question, but it was still an offer. He knew that he likely understood eleventh grade Math—it all depended on whether she was really sincere about wanting the assistance. If she was, he had no problem giving it to her.
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