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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Feb 8, 2012 20:14:55 GMT -5
Growing up in the scenic mountains of Maple Hollow, hiking was a natural thing for Joshua. Though he was not an Earth elemental and had not been raised by one, he still had an appreciation for nature and its wonders. When you had the woods and mountains as your backyard, it was difficult not to gain a respect for the land. The hiking trip was decided on a whim when he was trying on a new pair of boots in the store, admiring their treads and the fit. They were expensive, as most everything he wore tended to be, but that didn't even make him hesitate as he brought them to the counter and pulled out his credit card. This wasn't the sporting equipment store and so it took another trip in order to pick up the things that he would need. He weighed a flashlight in his hand, debating. I have my fire, he thought, and I might not be up there once it gets dark. He wasn't going camping, after all, just hiking. His powers had their limits, though, and he always favoured precautions. Hiking was a common sport in the Hollow for obvious reasons and so the sporting goods store had a huge section devoted to it. The sales clerk smiled when she rung up the purchase. "Going up into the hills, eh?" He returned her smile briefly as he slid his card through the reader. "Sure am." He thanked her and took the bag out to his car, driving out to a one of the trails he remembered from his childhood.
About halfway through the drive, Joshua allowed his thoughts to dip into reminiscence. He didn't often think about his childhood—not for any particular reason, merely for the fact that he was consumed by the present. His childhood life had a few rough spots like anyone else's but he did not resent it. In fact, the memories he perused were fond as he remembered family trips up both popular and less well-worn trails. Sometimes they had went up for the day and held a picnic, other times they'd pitched a tent by some river or another and stayed the night. Camping had been a less frequent occurrence, as Donovan wasn't very fond of 'roughing it'. Patricia was more patient with the wilderness and Joshua found himself somewhere in between. He didn't mind staying the night but it was not something that absolutely enthralled him or something that he did often. Hiking, though, now that was fun. He wanted to break in his new boots and what better way than what they were supposed to be used for? Boots and sunglasses were somewhat of passions for Josh and he owned several pairs of hiking boots that had never actually seen a hike in their life. These ones would not be so unlucky. As for sunglasses, he had slid a pair on before even leaving the house. They were Versaces, his favourites of the hundreds of pairs he owned.
As he delved further into the recollections, he thought back to the people he'd spent the most time with. The Dale's often brought along family friends on the trips so that the kids and adults alike could enjoy themselves. One such family were the Callahan's and Joshua frowned thoughtfully to himself as he realised it had been a few months since he'd spoken to Andrew. The alliances and their difference in grades had complicated things for a good many years at the Academy and though they'd kept in touch, it had been on a less personal level until he'd finally went public with his betrayal to the Fire element. There was no specific reason he hadn't had any face time with his friend in a while, it simply hadn't happened. That was going to change. He pulled over so that he wasn't using his phone while driving and phoned his friend up, leaving a voice message for convenience. "Hey, Drew, what's up? Listen—I'm hanging out by those trails we used to go on as kids, thinking of going hiking. You up for it? I could use the company and besides, it's been a while. Text me if you're coming; I'll wait." He then gave a more specific location to the trails so that Andrew didn't have to wander around for ages searching and drove the rest of the way, parking his white Lamborghini Aventador on the road, not daring to risk driving her off the road. She wasn't meant for rough terrain. He sat down on the road with his back leaning against the side of the car, pulling out his phone and messing around with an application, the bracelet his sister had made him years ago adorning his wrist and occasionally brushing the screen, messing up his concentration.
outfit, except with hiking boots~
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Post by endlessinfinity2 on Feb 12, 2012 0:44:52 GMT -5
  it doesn't have to be too [ f a r a w a y ] ,» Today was no different than most others. In his free time, Andrew spent a great deal of his hours in the park need the school grounds. It was beautiful in all months of the year—so much so that he even dared to venture out in the colder months, bracing the elements with his downy jackets. In hand was his acoustic guitar, a Martin that he received for his birthday about a year ago. Strumming chords and humming out melodies, time passed quickly and he had no care in the world. It being a day free of schoolwork, Andrew had headed out from his dorm early this morning, and parked himself at a bench under the nearest tree. Most days he walked there, since driving the few minutes there seemed to be a waste of gas. During these times, his phone was silenced so he wouldn’t be bothered by the outside world. No texts, no phone calls, nothing at all.
» Once it reached approximately noontime, Andrew grabbed his case and put his guitar away. It was around the time he normally ate lunch, and his stomach decided that it wanted food now, so he was planning to head back. Before heading out, though, he checked his phone. A notification saying ‘One Missed Voicemail!’ lit up his screen. Without bothering to check his missed calls, he dialed voicemail straightaway to listen to the message. He quickly recognized the voice—it was Josh. Josh, the guy who was pretty much the best friend of his childhood. "This is odd.." he thought, once the message came to an end. He had not heard from Josh in what—a couple months? Perhaps more than that? What he had disliked most about school over these years was the hindrance it put on existing friendships, especially if you were placed in an element of opposite alliance. Earth and Fire never mixed, and likewise the two rarely spoke. They texted now and then and on rare occasions dared to make small talk in the hallways before Josh graduated, but that was about all. It had been rumor around campus that Josh betrayed the Fire element, but no confirmation was sent Andrew’s way. Such petty alliances didn’t matter to him, so even if Josh was still loyal to Fire, it didn’t really matter. He always lived under the believe that elemental types didn’t determine friendships—personality did. "Did he say to text him? I guess it couldn’t hurt." He was beginning to think this might even be fun, especially since he didn’t get around to hiking as much as he liked.
» Opening a new text message addressed to Josh, Andrew quickly typed out a messaged on his iPhone; ”Dude, long time no speak! That sounds chill. I’ll be over as soon as I can.” Short, sweet, and to the point. Guy to guy texting wasn’t usually that in depth, and no other explanation was really needed. Good thing he was heading back to his room because he was going to need a quick change of clothes. His polo and shorts weren’t really going to cut it. Wearing shorts was kind of stupid anyway, considering the weather was still somewhat chilly yet. In no time at all, he was back to his dorm and efficiently putting everything back into its rightful place. He did an exchange of shorts to jeans, Nikes to hiking boots, and his polo to a plain white tee and his favorite North Face jacket. Before heading out the door, he grabbed his keys off the hook. Andrew adored his car, one of his most prized possessions next to his guitar. It wasn’t nearly as fancy as the care Josh had, but it served its purpose. When looking for once, he wanted one with class and style, but also one that could handle off road driving if necessary. His Suzuki SX4 was the perfect fit for that.
» Going out to where his car was parked, Andrew effortlessly jumped into the driver’s side seat and put his car into gear. As he drove, it was like navigating memory lane; it had been quite a long time since he had ventured to these paths, but finding them was like knowing the back of his hand. Effortless. It was etched into his memory as something he would never forget—mostly because of the fond thoughts it brought back to him. A rocky, somewhat make-shift parking lot marked the relative location of the hiking trail. Pulling over, he noticed Josh’s car was not there, assuming he had parked elsewhere, not wanting to drive his car on such terrain and all. It was understandable. Sure he wasn’t too far away, Andrew took out his phone once more to give him a call. Dialing the number, it rang a few times and made an indication that it had connected. "Josh, my man! I just got here, I’m right by the start of the trail.” Figuring his subtle indication would make his location clear, he waited for a response from his friend.
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tag. Joshua.
notes. ---
count. 840
outfit. pre-hike ; post-hike
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just a simplistic, trance-like [ g e t a w a y ] . |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Feb 18, 2012 12:22:21 GMT -5
Joshua was practically immune to the chill in the air, sitting with the sleeves of his light shirt rolled up to his elbows and the light breeze tugging his dark hair. Being a Fire elemental meant near-constant warmth, even in the winter if the elemental desired it. Keeping up appearances required that he wear a jacket in the winter months to ward off suspicious mortals and so the beige jacket that currently lay on the passenger seat of his car was a necessity. Since it was spring, though, he didn't bother with it—it was there in case of rain and he wouldn't be going up the hiking trails wearing it. His attention was called to his phone as it buzzed in his pocket, alerting him to a new text message. The ringer was off, as it usually was. He didn't like to be that guy, the one whom heads turned to look at when his phone blared loudly in a public place. Usually he'd have it on in a place like this but he supposed he'd just forgotten to switch it on when he last left classes. He suspected the message was from Andrew and turned out to be right, lips tugging into a brief smile. He had wanted to rekindle his friendship with Andrew for real once the alliances were out of the question but he hadn't gotten around to it yet. His real and final betrayal of the Fire element had been back in November and as it was now May he had waited a bit long but he was sure his friend would not hate him for it. At least, he hoped he could be sure. He pocketed the phone again, figuring that to send a text back was pointless. Technology wasn't his favourite thing in the world—Joshua preferred his discussions to be face-to-face.
The call was a lot less expected than the text, and so he assumed that it might be Nell or another friend or family member. He picked it up without bothering to check the number, answering with an inquiring, "Hello?" Though surprised to hear the voice, he would recognise it anywhere. Why the hell'd I stop hanging around this guy? He'd had so few real friends in childhood that he'd ran into the arms of a gang in order to feel accepted, then thanked those few that had stuck around by cutting ties with them. Not so much with Devin, but with Lark after the alliances started to get rocky and with Andrew once they'd started going to school. Alliances screwed up a lot of things. He respected them and tried not to get too involved with the Fires and Thunders but it sucked that some of his close friendships were under fire for it. At least his fiancée didn't have that problem. He had betrayed his element for hers and so they did not question their being together. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I know where that is. I'm up the road a bit—shouldn't take me more than a minute to get down there." He hung up, stood up, then brushed off his jeans before heading toward the start of the trails where he assumed Andrew would be waiting. He hefted the bag over his shoulder, flashlight and other supplies (food, first aid, ect) jostling around inside from the movement. He spotted the car before he spotted its owner, the silver unmistakable against the otherwise natural landscape.
Upon catching sight of his childhood pal, Joshua quickened his pace and shot him a grin once he was close enough. "Hey, man, how are ya?" His tone was light and friendly. It was rare for him to be so upbeat and cheerful—he was usually the serious, stoic one—but even Josh could get excited when it came to rekindling old friendships. "I was coming out here anyway and I figured it might be cool to go back on old times, you know?" He was positive that Andrew had not forgotten the childhood days spent hiking with family members, the two boys rushing ahead of everyone else in their young excitement. He did not know if Andrew's memory was as good as his own but it was a hard thing to forget. Joshua was not good at forgetting things, neither good nor bad. His memory was brilliant and he owed his good study habits to his ability to retain information with ease. And names, faces, people, places—he was good at things like that. "What'd you bring?" he wondered curiously. "I have all the standard stuff. Food, water, supplies, that kind of thing. Dad used to pack everything but I'm pretty sure I've not forgotten how to hike." He grinned a little, winking. Ah, to be a kid and to allow your parents the burden of doing all the work. He'd hiked as an adult as well and so he was mostly kidding around.
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Post by endlessinfinity2 on Feb 19, 2012 0:04:47 GMT -5
it doesn't have to be too [ f a r a w a y ] , » Not being very big on technological conversations—ones via text, phone, Internet, or otherwise—Andrew was glad the call was short and sweet. ”Sounds great dude, I’ll see you soon then.” Hanging up the call, he carefully tucked his phone back into his pocket for safekeeping. In the meantime, he walked around to the back of his car to check for supplies. He had been foolish to not come better prepared, but he knew there was a bag in the trunk. Of what, he did not know, but he figured he should check. Before leaving his dorm, however, he had grabbed some non-perishable food items, as well as bottles of water. Opening a khaki colored bag, Andrew examined the contents. One by one, he lifted them out and set them down for inspection: a flashlight—that’s always useful in any case; a full set of matches—good for building a fire, if he had been camping; an umbrella—convenient, since the weatherman had been calling for a chance of rain today; and last but not least, a first-aid kit—uses for that were self-explanatory. He neatly reordered the contents of the bag, and put his own in it as well. Though he initially hadn’t been prepared, things turned out all right.
» Just as expected, after a couple minutes of passing, Andrew saw someone approaching whom he recognized as none other than Josh. It had been awhile since they had seen each other, but appearances hadn’t changed much since then. Like usual, Josh was very well dressed in the nicest of clothes. It made Andrew feel rather silly in his blue North Face; he lacked greatly in comparison to his friend’s supreme fashion taste. When in a range that was close enough, Andrew offered a smile in return. ”Hey, Josh! I’ve been fine. I wonder how much has happened since last time?” After the fact the answer didn’t seem very enthralling, but it was quite a loaded question. Nothing could really do it justice unless he discussed it all at some point. There were so many different factors; the stressors of school, the illicit activities he occasionally got caught in but wasn’t about to discuss, girls girls and more girls, college plans, and so on. ”What about you? I’m sure you have lots of stories to tell.” A wink was offered after his statement. The fact that Josh was in college had made it all the more interesting, and he had heard that he was engaged to Andrew’s fellow Earth companion, Nell.
» When he was asked what supplies he had with him, he decided against mentioning the fact that he had blundered away from his dorm earlier today, without packing anything himself. Luckily, his car had saved him. With the bag slung over his shoulder, he gestured towards it for emphasis. ”The basics, all the same stuff you listed. An umbrella, too.” His shoulders rose and fell in a small shrug. ”Not that it will be of much use, but just in case.” Thinking back to previous times, Andrew tried to think of the last time he had been hiking—could it really have been five months ago? It was devastating to think that school had gotten the better of him, so much that he had limited time to leave the grounds. The farthest he had travelled as of late was Maple Hollow, but that was a necessity to keep up with his job at the tattoo parlor. ”It sucks, I haven’t actually been able to come out here much.” Disappointment lingered in his words. Time and time again Andrew had found himself thinking back on his childhood memories—he considered them to be some of the fondest he had ever had; not much could compete with them. As children, the boys raced through the trails, joking around and playing games. Hiking had probably been one of his favorites, though—especially when the night would be spent camping somewhere. Campfires and ghost stories never got old, at least as a little kid. Even still, at seventeen, he figured he would still get the same thrill out of it.
» ”Without further ado, let’s get this show on the road!” There was no other way to describe it: Andrew was so pumped. It had hard to believe he had ever been so excited for something recently; it was foreign to him. ”I bet I can beat you there!” Jokingly punching Josh’s arm, Andrew sprinted off towards the trail. A sudden burst of youth reappeared within him, and he was loving every second of it.
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tag. Joshua.
notes. ---
count. 761
outfit. pre-hike ; post-hike
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just a simplistic, trance-like [ g e t a w a y ] . |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Feb 19, 2012 12:51:30 GMT -5
He thought on the comment for a moment, a brief smirk touching his lips as he recalled some of the things he had done in his time apart from Andrew. More specifically, things he'd done with Nell. Then his thoughts navigated to less intimate waters and he replied, "Quite a bit, probably. Busy with college, with Nell, thinking about getting a job. Not that I need one." He shrugged easily. Joshua was one of the lucky ones, spoiled rich and never really feeling the struggle of living paycheck to paycheck. His only job had been volunteering at his father's hospital for experience that he could flaunt on his medical school application. He'd done that for about six years now and he was thinking of getting a job with a little less bias to help him along. Somewhere that had no ties to his father so that the school he applied to couldn't claim that all of the accounts were based on his status at the hospital. They weren't, of course, because Joshua and his father did not often acknowledge one another at all. "Well I'll be a married man in a few years time, for one, and I have plans to go to Spain in the summer. What about you?" He didn't know if Andrew knew about the engagement and so he allowed his words to infer as much. He did not seem unhappy about the engagement at all—thrilled, actually. Nell hadn't pressured him into proposing, at least not consciously, he'd just done it on a whim in hopes that it would prove his loyalty to her. Mission successful. He felt a jolt of pride every time someone complimented her ring or congratulated either one of them on the commitment.
Not having heard about the chance of rain but not really surprised about it, being that it was April, Josh chuckled. "I am a walking umbrella." He twitched his wrist slightly and heat washed over the area briefly in explanation of what he meant. Sometimes Josh wondered whether people like Andrew, Devin, Nell and Ace felt strange in his company. He was a Fire elemental, after all, and his power was quite unlike theirs—especially in the case of the former three, who were weak to it. He would never use his gift to harm a friend, though, not consciously. If they provoked his rage to the extremes and he snapped, he didn't know what he would do. It was a good thing that Earth elementals weren't the sort to continuously provoke rage. "Sounds good. We're both set." He didn't realise that Andrew had come unprepared, never bothering to question a friend's words without meaning. He exhibited a rare level of trust with his friends. "That does suck," he agreed. "I've got a double major and a fiancée, so I'm not exactly free very often, either." He didn't regret it as much as Andrew seemed to. He loved his fiancée and he liked learning, so he was willing to sacrifice some of his time on the trails. He'd come up here with Nell a few times, though, or to work on things for college, so there was always room for compromise in his opinion.
He blinked in brief surprise when Andrew took off and then launched himself after him. "I have longer legs than you do," he reminded him when he caught up. He also kept himself very active and fit with a gym membership and occasional joking or biking trips. Or hiking, as they were now. Joshua was very healthy in terms of his physique—vegetarian in diet and careful about staying in shape. Still, Andrew was a pretty fast little fucker and Josh kept pace rather than surpassing him. When they actually reached the trial he found himself grinning, gray eyes alight with the same vigour and enthusiasm as his friend. He'd forgotten how much he missed messing around like this. "That was fun." His pale cheeks were flushed with colour from the run, the vicious scar that cut across his face ever visible. He wasn't thinking about it at all. He used to think on it constantly but now his attention was only drawn to the ugly mark on his face when he glimpsed his reflection or caught someone staring. "So how's school been going?" he asked Andrew as they walked. "This double major can be a bitch, especially Biology with all the labs and stuff. But I like it." It would be incredibly unlike Joshua to loathe anything to do with his schooling. Except gym. He was good at exercising and tennis but when it had come to other sports, that showed his weak points. He did not work well in a team due to his stubborn and solitary nature and so he'd always failed to learn what others did. "And History never feels like work, anyway." Favourite subjects could do that to you.
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