* - HURTS MY SOUL - , [tag: Joshua]

Unfortunately for Aramina, Joshua was nowhere close enough to the lake to hear her plea. He was elsewhere on the grounds, lying in the grass with his Biology notes open in front of him and a wash of heat around the area. They still had not yet gotten the snow that was promised but the cold chill of the coming winter had already settled in. Hating the cold, the graduate used his affinity for heat and fire to warm the area in which he worked so that he could still enjoy the pleasant and snow-less grounds. Besides, even though the grounds were a place where fights often broke out he felt that he was safe where he was. It was a good vantage point from which he could see anyone who tried to come up to attack him, a wall to his back and a sloping hill leading down toward the lake opening out in front of him. The lake was pretty today as sunlight sparkled off the water. He could see a cluster of mulched leaves along one part of the shore from where an overhanging maple tree had shed its foliage into the water. They clean that out, don't they? He'd never taken much interest in the lake before, given his whole 'deathly fear of drowning' thing.

A lone figure caught his attention. Even if he had known the person he wouldn't have been able to identify them at this distance unless it was perhaps Nell. He could tell that girl from a mile off but he supposed that was just a perk of being in love with someone. This person was likely female by her build and the length of her hair but that was about the only thing he could tell from this distance. Focus, he chided himself sternly. He was not someone easily distracted from studying or work of any kind but he was in the mood to do something other than take notes at the moment. Even someone who enjoyed school work got sick of it occasionally. He wasn't some perfect little teachers pet, after all. Maybe I'll just-- But the thought stopped itself in his tracks as he caught sight of some other people heading toward the girl. Who...? He didn't normally get involved in situations like this but he thought he recognised a blonde streak through the hair of one of the group. It set him apart from his fellows and also set off a couple alarm bells in Joshua's mind. He's a Fire elemental, isn't he?

Josh stuffed the notes hastily back into his bag and headed toward the area, intending to just scope out the situation and figure out what was going on. However, as he drew nearer it was all too apparent that they were indeed from his element. The blonde-streaked hair belonged to a ninth grader and thus suggested he wasn't a threat. The rest of them appeared to be around the same age, thankfully not much of a threat to a college-level elemental but possibly a large problem for the girl they were surrounding. Throwing caution to the wind and assuming that she was on his side, Josh called out to the Fires. "Don't bother picking a fair fight, oh, no!" he taunted loudly to get their attention. "It really makes you look brave when you surround someone so they don't have a chance!" He was evidently being sarcastic. The ninth grader pulled out a pack of matches he likely used as a catalyst but Joshua burned the package with a flick of his hand. Thank goodness he wouldn't be too much of a threat.

One of the tenners was a bit more street-smart, carrying a lighter around. He flicked it and increased the size and heat of the flame before sending it toward Josh, who swept his hand and turned it back around so that it hit its owner instead. "Which side are you on?" he asked Ara warily. "I don't think we've met." He had to make sure she wasn't going for true neutrality before he decided to help. Those that refused to pick sides made enemies of both alliances and thus were helped by no one. "I'm Joshua," he offered, not knowing whether she'd know the name or not.

Joshua was still keeping a wary eye on their collective opponents, ready to defend himself or the unknown girl if anything were to go wrong or if the Fire elementals attacked. He felt a sense of relief as she said that she was on the side of Water and Earth even if it didn't show in his expression--if he had helped out a true neutral party he might have been in a bit of trouble with his Alliance. True neutrals were the targets of both sides in the sense that they chose no one for protection and helping them was practically a deathwish. "I am," he said, causing a couple of the Fires to glare, sneer, or express their distaste in other ways. "Traitor," one of them spat, but as Joshua was getting used to being called out for his treachery it didn't have nearly the effect that it had in the beginning. At one point in time it had made him wince to hear people he once would have sided with, fought with, address him with such hatred and contempt. Now it was viewed with more of a stony distaste from the graduate, who blocked another attack as easily as the first. There were at least advantages to being a college elemental in that sense.

Now that he knew he was fighting on the same side as the girl, whose element he was as yet unaware of, he was a lot less guarded about getting into an actual fight. He stepped away from her for a moment and the others might have thought that he was going to leave her to fend for herself but he was actually just making sure he didn't accidentally catch her with a part of his attack. A wave of flames that were as bright as they were hot swept out of thin air and descended upon the group, causing a mixture of yells and panicked mutterings as they scrambled over one another to get out of the way. He might not have been a sadist but he still felt they deserved the pain--not all of them managed to get out of the way in time. "Don't pick fights 'till you know what you're up against," he suggested coldly to them. Of course, they'd probably seen Aramina and assumed it would be an easy fight, a quick victory for their side. They hadn't cared about the fact it was unfair to gang up on someone just to guarantee that they didn't lose. I can't believe I used to agree with their values, he thought. Those that were a part of the Alliance were blinded by the Alliance, as they said.

After a threatening wave of heat, they seemed to take the hint that they couldn't win this fight and scattered. He wasn't going to waste his energy in ploughing them all into the ground because wars were not won by smoking out every opponent that you had. He'd learned that the hard way in high school when he'd fought much too fiercely in every fight. By the end of the day the Fire had always been exhausted and an easy target for older elementals wishing to avenge their allies that had been attacked earlier. Shaking his head in slight disgust, he finally turned his attention back to the girl and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Ara." It was a rather polite gesture because he was making an effort to be less of a jerk to people upon first meeting them lately. He didn't want his new alliance to turn him away and so he was grudgingly accepting the fact that they weren't as accepting of arrogance as his previous one had been. He didn't realise that Ara was not a Water or Earth but was just siding with them--that did make a difference, after all. "What was that all about?" he asked, indicating the fight in general with a lazy wave of his hand. He'd had no idea how it had started, only what had happened in conclusion.

Like Aramina, Joshua understood the necessity of hanging around in groups. Even a loner like the Fire graduate was a little more keen on extra company during times of war and he certainly wasn't going to leave the girl to fend for herself when there were groups of irate elementals hanging about. "No problem." And it wasn't, really. If it had been too much of a hassle on his part he probably wouldn't have helped out at all. Call it heartless or selfish and you'd probably be right—he didn't like to inconvenience himself for the sake of people he didn't know. Friends were different but they were not friends... not yet, anyway. It was not impossible to build a sort of friendly relationship with Joshua, it just took a lot of time and seemingly endless patience from the other party. He was not amiable or calm by default and his temper problem had gotten in the way of many friendships in the past. He was complacent at the moment, however, and didn't seem too irked despite the confrontation that had just taken place. The Fires had done nothing to personally wrong or upset him, after all, he was just acting out of respect for the alliance. Whilst some might have declared the war as 'stupid', he understood politics to be more important than that. Maybe it was being a former leader that fuelled his decision to take things a bit more seriously, maybe it was that the last war had used his girlfriend as a target. Either way, the outcome was the same.

His default frown deepened into a less pleasurable scowl as he listened. "Typical," he scoffed, not sounding surprised. "It's just like them to attack for no reason." He still often questioned why he'd once followed and even led an element so blindly when they would attack someone simply for standing—or walking, in Aramina's case—around and minding their own business. Politics. They really were the base grounds for the way the Academy worked. Your element brainwashed you, convinced you that they were superior, their allies your only friends, their enemies all people whom you should loathe and provoke as necessary. Even Earth and Water drilled this sort of rule into their side, though they did not see things as violently. He knew this because he'd now experienced both sides of the spectrum. One thing he hadn't experienced, however, was Wind. He wondered what it was like to remain neutral, how freeing it must have been to not have to choose between friendships or alliances. If I'd been Wind I could have supported Nell, dated her, and they wouldn't have even cared. "Did they hurt you at all?" he questioned a little more seriously.

Ah, of course. Though his supposed concern for the health and well-being of another person might have been confusing, in reality it was his aspiring career that was its driving force. He'd grown up hearing about all the things his father had done and it fascinated him. Sometimes he couldn't help asking questions or double-checking things even if it went against the core of his nature. She looked okay at first glance but he could have been wrong. "I could probably heal any sort of a burn if you wanted, that is, if you've got any. I'm a graduate." He tacked this last bit on to assure her that he wouldn't just make the damage worse. If anyone under college-level schooling attempted healing the effects were usually the exact opposite of what they were trying to do. Water damage (to the lungs especially) increased, burns worsened, shocks intensified. He knew mostly what he was doing, though, having spent a lot of time helping out in the medical wing. I swear, I should be paid for all the hours I put in. The thought was not too serious, though. He was rich. He didn't give a damn if he got money for the work so long as he enjoyed it and wouldn't have signed up for it in the first place if he hadn't.