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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 10, 2012 6:51:30 GMT -5
It was a hot day in September, the grounds lit by searing sunlight, and thus naturally most of the students were taking the day off for slacking purposes. Being that it was the weekend, classes were not in session and so the grounds were full of more people than usual. Josh was not the most comfortable in large crowds and so he walked with his friend to a less dense part of the grounds. It was always strange to play tennis at the Academy, mostly because he was used to the structure of the tennis court at the mansion, chain-link walls that stopped the ball from going too far out. He was not a lazy person and in fact quite enjoyed being active, hence how easily he'd agreed to playing the sport, but the trek up and down the sloping hill could get tiring after each miss. Hopefully they would only have to chase after the runaway balls every now and then. He and his friend helped set up the net together, struggling a bit to make the poles sink into the dry and cracked earth, then took up either side of their makeshift 'court' and began the game. The heat was taxing but bearable, both boys getting quiet and intense the longer they played. Shit, he's pretty good. He'd never known his buddy could play tennis until the boy mentioned it off-handedly and they'd discovered they had something in common. Josh rarely offered things about himself but his friend was not so discreet.
"I'm beat," his companion called, tossing down the racket and wiping sweat from his brow. Joshua exhaled, relaxed his posture, then smirked at him from the other side of the net. He looked funny through the mesh, cut up into pieces like the bits of a perfectly arranged puzzle. "What, afraid you're going to lose?" Joshua crowed out his taunt with a glitter in his gray eyes. It was not serious but whether or not the Wind elemental knew that was another matter entirely. "I'm afraid I'm going to die of heat stroke, to be honest." He did not sound like he was kidding and so Josh took his word for it. "Right, I forgot." He was so often forgetting that not everyone was like him. Insensitivity was not something he took pride in but it was hard for him to stay in tune with other people. He did not feel the effects of the heat quite so much as others and so he took for granted the fact that he had a higher tolerance for it. All the same, he too was ready to take a break. He drank down an entire bottle of water without much pause and sat down in the grass beside the tennis bag, two extra rackets and a tube of fresh tennis balls visible within it.
"Want my help clearing up?" Joshua glanced up in surprised when his friend approaching, using a hand to shield his eyes from the persistent sunlight. He shook his head, realising how red-faced and exhausted the Wind really looked. "Nah, you go on ahead. I'll get it." The other boy nodded and then he was gone, leaving Joshua alone with the sporting equipment. Joshua took his sunglasses from where he'd sat them on top of the tennis bag and slid them on. He hadn't wanted to risk getting hit in the face and having them break, however rare the chances. He took good care of his shades, all two hundred or some odd pairs of them. Everyone had their obsessions and that happened to be one of his. The sun was much more bearable and the darkening to his vision was a willing sacrifice for that. He took down the poles and folded them in on each other, stuffing everything into the bag before heading closer to the lake. He was too fearful of the water to go too close, staying a good twenty feet from the edge, but the air was cooler here. There were more people, too, but thankfully he was not pulled into any particular crowd. He didn't do well with crowds.
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Post by kat on Apr 10, 2012 8:45:20 GMT -5
Don felt the sun beating down on her pale skin. It was warm. It was september. Why couldn't it have been chilly? Then, at least, she'd be able to stay inside with her books. Fortunately, the sun wasn't all that bad for her. It gave her a chance to observe her classmates, she had dirt on most of them. Being the solitary wind girl did have it's perks. She played therapist to a lot of students. She listened to their problems and let people get things off their chests. You'd be surprised at how many products left actually had some serious secrets. Dominika prided herself in collecting them all. If you paid the right price she'd sell you the dirt she collected. How you used it after was up to you. People knew she was a secret collector, they just didn't know she sold them after. Often times some elements asked her to find things out about other elements, and they give her offers she just can't refuse.
"Dom, look." one of her friends said, honestly Nika had spaced out. She was more focused on staying as far away from the water as possible than to identify who was around. She followed her friends finger over towards a dark haired boy with sunglasses exiting the wooded area. Dominika smirked. That boy, ca dying the heavy sports equipment, had been on her radar for the last few weeks. She hadn't got very far in getting much out of him, but she collected a few bits and pieces. Definitely not enough to please her secret finding side. This, however, was the perfect chance for her to poke a little further at Josh, the fire elemental
”I'll be back, this opportunity is to good to pass up."
[/b] Dominika whispered back, getting up. She wiped whatever dirt had fallen on her off, and started walking over to Josh. She walked normally, her boots make a satisfying thump noise in the dirt. She didn't bother sauntering her way over, she picked up from elsewhere that he already had a lucky lady... She was pretty sure they were engaged. She only used the deductible not technique on the guys she knew would fall for it. A little pouting, a little giggling, a little light touch and she could have a man wrapped around her finger like a ribbon. This procedure, however, needed more delicate handling. "Hey, need some help carrying that?"[/color] Nikki asked, walking so she was blocking his path without running into him. She was extremely weary of the Lake 20 feet to the other side of her. She played it cool, calm, and collected, as if this was something she'd ask the fire element any day...Even though this was basically getting him "alone" for the first time. [/blockquote][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 10, 2012 9:14:26 GMT -5
It took a long time for him to warm people, and in all fairness Joshua knew nothing about Dominika at all. He did not pay attention to gossip, and if he'd known she valued herself a 'secret-keeper' he'd have been all the more wary of her presence. His secrets were his own to protect, to guard. He paused when she stepped in front of his path, not looking amused. "Excuse me." His voice could be called more blunt than polite, almost to the point of being irritated. People were not his strong point. He could be a great guy around the right people and if he were in a great mood he'd be much more amiable, but right now he only wanted to get by. I don't think you're blind, you should know you're in my way. Were his gray eyes visible behind the dark sunglasses that shaded them, she might have seen exasperation mixed in with his usual serious intelligence.
Did he need any help? Joshua lifted an eyebrow at her inquiry, having to wonder for a moment whether he'd heard her correctly at all. But no, he was not going deaf and there was not enough irritating background noise to be misled. She was shorter than him, five-foot-something for sure, though he knew at a glance she was not as short as his fiancée. At six foot three, a lot of people were on the shorter side compared to Josh. Plus, he was muscled and not struggling with the bag. "Do I look like I need help?" Really, he was a bit offended that anyone would suggest that he was somehow weak and incapable of hauling the bag back to the school himself. He'd gotten here in the first place, hadn't he? It was heavy but not such that he needed any assistance. He realised that his sharp words might have been a bit too snippy and so he rolled his eyes. "No, thank you, I'm fine."
She might have been attempting friendliness in approaching him these past few times. A lot of people at the Academy, mostly the Earths, seemed to be that way. He didn't understand the need to make friends with every random stranger that happened to cross your path but it wasn't in his own personality. He respected Nell and her social nature but he mostly stuck to his smaller circle of friends. He'd run into and spoken to Dominika a few times but did not consider her anything more than an acquaintance. An acquaintance who, at present, was blocking his path and causing him mild irritation. "Now, if you'd please move..." Though he used words like please and thank you, he didn't sound as sweet and pleasant as his parents had probably intended when they were instructing him in the art of manners. He didn't even offer a smile. He'd have went around her but really, on a crowded day such as this, there wasn't many other places to step.
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Post by kat on Apr 10, 2012 14:43:01 GMT -5
Josh didn’t seem to amused that Dom was standing in his way, but that was the point. If she was beside him then he most likely would have brushed her off and kept walking. No, she was capturing his attention. It was a public scene so he couldn’t exactly run away from her without drawing attention. Dom hated when the spotlight was on her. Right now everyone seem more preoccupied with what they were doing to even notice the little chat going on ”Excuse me” Josh said, very blunt. He sounded irritated, but Nika didn’t budge. She, as a matter of fact, stubbornly stood her ground with no inclination of moving. She gave him a half lazy smile with hooded eyes.
He did seem offended by her asking him if he needed any help. He was giving her a look like he was in disbelief that she would actually say that. It seemed like a perfectly appropriate question. She still stubbornly stood her ground. ”Do I look like I need help?” he all but snapped back. Dominika swiftly brush her hair over her shoulder and cocked her head to the side ”Not in the slightest, you seem perfectly capable of carrying the load.”
[/color] was her recovery from that. She could mark that down in her book as well, offended a little easily. Not that Dom had an actual book... more of a mental book. She didn’t forget a face, and she couldn’t forget a secret. Hypnotism didn’t exactly work on her either. It made her groggy and sour, but it did not make her forget. ”No, thank you, I’m fine.” he said with an eye roll. Dom returned it with her own. ”Now, if you’d please move...” Josh added extremely irritated with her. Dominika didn’t really mind, but she still wasn’t giving up. She was still firmly rooted in front of him, she held his gaze for a second before smiling and slightly stepping to the side. She moved, but she would follow. She wasn’t letting this opportunity pass her by. It was to good ”It’s a lovely day out, isn’t it?”[/color] she inquired, making sure to keep in step right beside him. Even if she had to annoy the information out of him, she’d probably be able to do it. Even the smallest of bits were helpful to her, or, well, whoever actually needed the information anyway ”Do you play tennis a lot?”[/color] it was an innocent question. Innocent seeming anyway. Nothing about Dominika was innocent [/blockquote][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 11, 2012 7:11:13 GMT -5
Nika may have recovered her form when it came to the question but Joshua was no more amused with her than he had been before. He was a Fire elemental, easily irritated (or offended) and rather hard to calm down. He frowned at her, eyes narrowing for a moment before his expression cleared a little. "Then why bother asking?" He could manage the bag, he was fine with it. If she'd apparently seen that, why would she care to step into his path and inquire about it? All the same, he was less suspicious and more irked with her than anything. He didn't jump to conclusions about people unless they gave him good reason to. Why do some people insist on forcing their company? They were the worst, in his opinion. She could have asked without cutting me off. It would have been much more polite but it wasn't like either of them were making a great deal of effort to be courteous.
She did move out of his way, at least, and he nodded his acknowledgement before he started to walk again. A breeze that blew in from over the lake was calming and cool. He welcomed it, a little worn out after the intense match of tennis, but he was pretty accustomed and comfortable with the heat. He had not expected Dominika to accompany him and could not deny the fact that it rubbed him the wrong way as he scowled briefly. "There's nothing too special about it, it's just like every other day in the summer." That was both truth and lie at the same time. There were certainly plenty of other days like it but it was nice, he was merely exasperated with the Wind elemental by this point. If I'd wanted you to follow me I'd have invited you along, Dominika. She didn't seem to care about that, though. Whatever. He supposed her company wasn't the worst thing in the world as they walked toward the school. If she'd refrained from offending him he might even have been pleasant.
Why do you care? Alright, now he was being harsh. Trying to relax enough in his irritation in order to be decent in conversation, Joshua said, "Often enough." He never really offered extra information, sometimes not even when he was talking to a closer friend. He might answer a question but he did not elaborate any further. He had grown up with tennis, he played it more than just a little, he had a tennis court in his own backyard. Posh country clubs, athletic centres, he'd be up for playing a game with a buddy. He wondered whether she played, if her interest was simply out of common ground. That might have been it. There was something about social people he didn't understand; why did they choose his company out of all the people around they could have talked to? Sure, he had good days where he'd be nice to a perfect stranger and hold a conversation, but for the most part he was hard to get to know. They had patience, he supposed, an admirable quality even if they were annoying.
[Sorry he's not talking much, it's just... Josh xD]
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Post by kat on Apr 12, 2012 8:50:53 GMT -5
Dom felt like she had to tiptoe around the sleeping bear when it came to josh. He was a fire element... If things went bad Dom could wind up getting burned pretty bad. She studied him he was definitely irritated with her. His was not working out in her favorite at all. ”Simply to be polite."
[/color] Nikki said, playing a bit on the naive side. Nika had many faces that she could wear, people only saw the ones she let them see. Unfortunately she made a mistake. She went from cool and aloof, to naive and sweet. Even she found herself to be quite suspicious. She internally snake herself for this. She was slipping, her weariness over the large body of water on the other side of her was making her screw up. She knew this wasn't a chance she'd get again, and the way things were going now... She wouldn't get another one. A cool Breeze blew across the lake, blowing Nika's hair back infringement of her face. With a swift movement she set it back in place. She kept it long and wild because she liked it that way, because when she went back to Russia, her grandmother could braid her hair elaborately and elegantly. When Dom was in Russia, she really did look like a Russian princess. The scowl appearing on Josh's face, let her know, her facade was not working on him. His snippy tone also let her know she was not welcome to walk with him. Dominika was to stubborn to quit. ”It's not Summer though, it's autumn. Warm days in autumn are a blessing."[/color]Nik said her own voice slipping back into the regular coldness. Maybe if she kept pressing on, she could get something out of Josh. Maybe. Josh wasn't being talkative. Dominika knew her chance was running away, she knew she had to stick around, yet... Something was telling her maybe his secret should stay secret. That was her conscious... She usually ignored it. She was tempted to cut him off, but didn't switching between names very and aloof wasn't really working out, maybe she had to Be brash? It had worked occasionally in the past... But not very often. ”Blunt, aren't you?"[/color] Don said the snippets of irritation leaking into her voice. ”Not very talkative, I'm simply trying to make conversation."[/color] she added, playing back on being naive. Switching back and forth was going to give her whiplash, quite frankly she figured Josh could see right through her, she was prepared for the worst outcome. [/blockquote][/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size] |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 12, 2012 9:25:18 GMT -5
Joshua scoffed, the noise low in his throat and matching the scowl on his lips. "If you wanted to be polite you'd have asked without cutting me off." He was not good with people, not good at diffusing tension. It took someone of forgiving patience to get close to him and it took months of effort before he'd start winding down and really relaxing. His inner circle consisted of three people he'd known for years and then Nell, the girl he loved. His outer circle was more diverse, but though Dom might have considered them to be on 'good' terms by talking to him in a good mood a few times before, she was not a part of it. Acquaintances were the outer ring, the people he had not formed a solid opinion on. He rolled his eyes and started walking again, attempting to avoid a confrontation. At least she was not a Fire like him or she'd probably have already gone off on him. Temperamental people were tricky. Talking to them was like walking on eggshells and hoping that they didn't break.
He narrowed his eyes at her colder tone, her words. "You're so funny," he drawled, the sarcasm flooding his words, colouring his tone a brilliant shade of displeased. He did not like it when people were smart with him, it incensed the Fire graduate easily. "It's September, it's still hot, I consider it summer." He didn't care much for the official season changes. Sometimes winter decided it would stay another couple of weeks and mar the beauty of his favourite season, spring, or it would come early in October and freeze the poor kids trying to get Halloween candy. In his opinion, it was autumn when the leaves started dropping from the trees and the chilly temperatures really started to kick in. Not today.
Blunt? Yes, it certainly was a word that could be used to describe him. Joshua was not a people-pleaser, he did try to make others happy. His friends were rare exceptions. "No need to sound so friendly," he said dryly. "I'm really in the mood to talk, now." He'd thought that it was made clear by his attitude that he was not the most easy person to converse with. Insulting people generally doesn't make them want to chat. Her rapid changes in mood and tone were also throwing him for a bit of a loop. She was lucky that he didn't know about her reputation or he'd definitely have started something by now. He tried not to let his volatile nature and terrible temper get the better of him but trying did not always mean succeeding. "Besides, I answered your question." Now it was Joshua's turn to be smart, acting like he'd gave her everything he wanted by telling her that he played tennis. Just because you're in the mood to talk doesn't mean everyone else is. Taking a breath, nice and slow, he said, "Yes, Dominika, I play tennis often. Is there a reason you're asking?" He still wondered if maybe she played, too, but was mostly saying it more 'politely' in order to be an ass.
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