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Post by luna on Dec 4, 2011 21:41:39 GMT -5
The library was a rather tranquil place. The view from the many windows was spectacular on a clear day and allowed for light to creep into every nook and cranny. Of course, today, it was not sunny and cheery and warm. Winter does not call for that. Instead, the view outside was of clouds and snow, the lowest windows foggy. It was the type of weather that the pale blonde-haired girl preferred while she relaxed back in one of the armchairs, reading a book on myths. She would take clouds and storms over sunny days most any time. What was so exciting about being out in sunlight, anyways? Anyone could play in that, but a true challenge was playing with a storm raging and rain blinding you. That was the fun stuff right there.
Xena stretched out a bit with a yawn, wishing, though not for the first time, that she was still with her aunt. She seemed to have the coolest tricks with fire, but Xena had no hope of imitating them. That was the tricky part about being raise by someone of a different element-when you try to imitate your mentor's tricks, stuff explodes. Lightning, or thunder as it was technically called in the elemental world, was really unpredictable and tricky, and sometimes the girl got frustrated with it never going her way. But that was all going to change soon, she was sure of it. Now in the eleventh grade, she only had two years before graduation, and then college. Who knew what she could be capable of by then? She could only dream...for now.
Pausing from her reading for a moment, the blue eyed teen glanced up at one of the windows, watching the clouds outside. They weren't very dark today, in fact they were quite bright. She was not hoping for snow-too cold, but a bit of lightning would be nice. So far, her stay here at the academy had been quiet. Solitude was her best friend, sarcasm her body guard. No one really spoke to her and she rather liked it that way. Sometimes it was a bit lonely without her aunt around to at least listen to, but oh well. Nothing she couldn't deal with.
Words: 371
Tagged: open
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 5, 2011 14:44:08 GMT -5
[Figured I'd crash -- could be fun, these two are natural enemies, even though Josh hasn't picked up on that yet xD]
It was cold outside—cold, snowy, and in no way ideal for the outdoor study session he had been planning. The weather had been forecasted as overcast and cloudy, sure, but they'd also promised for a bit more warmth than usual. He'd been pleased about this, being that he was a Fire elemental and thus did not like his hands turning blue from the cold, but the bipolar Canadian winters had decided to rip the weatherman a new one by proving him wrong. Oh well. He wasn't too bummed out as he surveyed the landscape out the window of the classroom, a fog of frost rimming the bottom pane. He could shield himself from the cold with the manipulation of heat—nevertheless, he decided that he would perhaps conduct the studying inside of the library today. If it started to snow then he would have to shield his work from the snow and slush so it was much more practical to stay indoors. Besides, he actually preferred the library to the grounds of the Academy. It was one of his favourite places in the building and he'd been going to it regularly since the ninth grade. Is this really my seventh year here? Damn. A lot had changed since those complicated ninth grade days.
After the lesson had finished and he'd headed down to the cavernous circular room with it's many windows, Joshua spent the next hour or so in peace. He enjoyed the quiet and the overall atmosphere of the place, the scratching of pencils and tapping of keys nearby the only sound to disturb it. The fact that raised voices would get you immediately booted from the place was considered a blessing by the Fire graduate, especially during times of war. It meant that no fights could break out and that friends who decided to call the library a good place for social catch-up had to keep their voices down. It also meant that you had to carefully monitor the volume of your own voice, of course, but that had never been a problem for him. He spoke in naturally quieter tones that were likely the product of many years spent in libraries and classrooms. He wasn't softspoken, however—no, if he wanted you to hear him, you would. He had enough of a presence and enough confidence that he was rarely ignored in conversation. He didn't whisper, he just never felt the need to shout or talk loudly over everyone else.
He took a break from his readings in order to get a couple more books from the shelves, returning to find that the stack he'd left there had been relocated. Gray eyes narrowing as a mild frown tugged at his lips, he wondered where they had gotten to. Though it was probably just a result of the librarian tottering about the shelves and putting things back if she thought that another student had left without tidying up, he decided to make sure no one had accidentally lifted them—or perhaps on purpose? I wouldn't put it past some of the assholes in this school. It actually seemed like something a Water elemental might do. He was on their side now and that shielded him from the majority of their less friendly pranks but it didn't mean he was never a target. It irritated him to find that he'd been the guinea pig for any sort of prank, harmless or otherwise, but he wasn't going to allow himself to jump to conclusions. The only person he could immediately spot was a girl sitting close to where he'd been before and thus he approached her first. "Excuse me," he said, being polite because he hadn't a clue who she was or to which alliance she belonged, "You haven't seen a couple history books lying around, have you?"
[She can know as much or as little about his identity as you want -- he's well-known as a traitor but it's up to you whether Xena would be aware of that/who she was talking to xD]
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Post by luna on Dec 10, 2011 1:06:52 GMT -5
Xena was not a talkative person. She did not go out of her way to talk to her people and vice versa. That was the way she preferred things to go, though she had been forced to get rid of her sensitivities to such matters when she had first arrived at the Academy. In fact, she'd had to adapt significantly since her first day as a freshman. The cold, for once, drove her nuts. She wasn't used to it at all. That and the abundance of talking everywhere was enough to make anyone go mad. Sometimes people had the nerve to come up and ask her about things. To avoid getting thrown out of the one place where her power was encouraged and controlled, she responded to those of Thunder alliance and allies. Polite, not really. Humorous? Obviously. Even if the other person didn't find it funny, her sarcasm was always amusing to her, though she rarely felt relaxed enough to show such expressions.
While the elementalist's thoughts drifted away from her book, a young man approached her. Blinking herself back to reality, she looked up at him with her hazel eyes, puzzled and a bit annoyed that someone was interrupting her thoughts. He was a few years older than her, probably a graduate by the looks of him. He looked vaguely familiar-a face she'd seen in the halls at some point or other, but other than that he was a complete stranger to her. She observed people when she was bored, sure, but she found gossip irrelevant and boring, not to mention almost completely inaccurate. Well, at least he was polite. He only wanted to find his books-history books. She was curious as to what era of history they were on, but was not inclined to ask a stranger his reading preferences.
The blonde shook her head. "Sorry, but no. Perhaps try the section you first found them in?" she suggested, equally polite. No use making useless feuds when she did not know the man's element. If he were water or earth, then sure she could be as aggressive and snappy as she would like, but if he was of her alliance then she would've made herself an unneeded enemy. Besides, what harm could come from pointing him in the direction of his lost books?
Words: 385
Tagged: josh
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 11, 2011 10:43:12 GMT -5
Though quiet, Joshua was not opposed to talking to a stranger when it meant getting something that he wanted. The Fire graduate was not shy—quite the opposite, in fact. He was confident in himself and in his abilities to the point where he didn't need to rely on compliments and praise to feel good about himself and also didn't need to hesitate when speaking to a person in order to get a feel of how they felt about him. At any rate, he guessed she didn't mind too much considering she answered his question. He could not pinpoint her element right away, had no clues with which to go on, and so his level of suspicion was almost negated. He was not a trusting person but no trust was needed to ask a simple question. If she'd known his identity and he hers this could have been undoubtedly drastically different but as they were both in the dark, things were going smoothly.
"I was going to check there next, actually," he said with a slight dip of his head. "I figured I'd ask around first, just in case." He retained that air of calm politeness, nothing to suggest that a temperamental and volatile Fire was in the confines of the library. He had more of a handle on his anger and sarcasm than he had in his younger years, and thank goodness. Otherwise he might have started an argument over the simple fact that she'd suggested the obvious. Though not pretentious or conceited about his intelligence, Joshua admittedly could not stand when he was treated like an idiot. If anyone were to talk down to him, he would not be pleased. This girl did not appear to be doing so and the graduate understood that, even though he likely would not have when he was younger and more irritable around strangers. "Thank you, though." He had manners even if he didn't always use them. His parents had raised him right—spoiled him rotten in the process, yes, but no one was perfect.
It was possible that they were back in their original section but he wondered if someone else besides Xena herself had come by and lifted them for their own study purposes. They were good books if he did say so himself—if you liked History, that is. It always miffed him a little when others dismissed the subject as boring. He was not the type to shove his opinions onto others or suggest that he was right all of the time but it was not boring. Physical education had never been his thing as he wasn't too fond of sports and the roughhousing that went on in them but it didn't mean he was shocked that some people liked it. "Has the librarian come through this way?" The old woman could sometimes be as silent as a ghost with the way she tottered about the shelves and tables cleaning up after the student body so he wasn't positive Xena would have heard or seen her even if she did. Still, it never hurt anyone to ask questions.
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