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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 15, 2012 15:45:10 GMT -5
The mess hall was always a place of discomfort and tension during wars. It was thick enough to be cut with one of the flimsy plastic knives that the mess hall provided, the Fires and Earths all glaring at one another and making it perfectly clear that the other was not welcomed in any way, shape, or form. Joshua always felt uncomfortable during these wars. He was a Fire and yet his own element treated him about as bad as their enemies, if not worse. Treachery did not go down well when it came to the alliances and so they made no secret of their hatred. There was also the fact that he'd fight back if one or more of them attacked him, for he was not a pacifist. He returned the fierce glower of one of his former allies as he leaned against the salad bar in the mess hall, almost daring the other boy to say something to him. Joshua almost started an argument himself, simply because he did not like the way the boy was staring at him, but he thought better of it.
The Earths aren't fighters, the Fires are. I'd get my ass kicked. Oh, he hated weakness. The idea of losing a fight made his pride sting before it had even happened. He exhaled in his frustration and broke eye contact, poking experimentally at one of the salads before he decided it looked alright and loaded some of it onto his plate. There was an entire table full of meats that he skipped right over. Being vegetarian at the Academy wasn't too bad. He wasn't the only one and they did their best to cater to the majority of the student population. He decided to stick with the salad (I'll have something better with Nell when I get home) and realised with a slight roll of his eyes that there was an argument going on by the beverage bar and the watchful crowd were blocking his way. Thirst had been his main motivation for going to the mess hall and it was incredibly frustrating when he couldn't get around to the table. Shoving people seemed like a good idea in theory until one considered the mass amounts of elementals in the place. People had friends that would back them, entire elements, even.
What are they even arguing about? They were Fire and Earth, he could tell that much by how agitated people were getting. In the middle of the war, a simple argument between two opposing people turned into a big deal. They could be arguing over the silliest of things and the whole school got involved. His gray eyes smouldered with irritation as he turned to someone else in the crowd. "This is ridiculous. Do you know how long this has been going on?" His voice was rough with frustration but not loud. Joshua was not the type of person who shouted, at least not until you pushed him to absolute breaking point. His father and fiancée were two of the only people who'd ever managed to get him that upset. "You think they'd have the sense to just get out of the way." To be perfectly honest, Josh didn't care what their problem was. He cared more about his, which was the fact that the water looked incredibly good right now and they were stopping him from getting it.
[Figured the mess hall was a good place for strangers to meet~ And I had him talk to Jacklyn so that it wasn't just him standing there and nothing for you to work with xD]
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Post by jacklyn on Apr 15, 2012 19:13:47 GMT -5
It was loud in the mess hall. So loud one could not even hear themselves think let alone what others were saying. That is probably how this whole mess got started. Most arguments, in Jacklyn’s experience were created by a lack of thinking and a lack of listening. That would make crowded environments like this virtually impossible to sustain any kind of peace. That was part of the reason there was no shock or surprise for the young earth girl when an argument broke out before her. Although she was anxious to get her drink and return to her seat, she wasn’t about to interfere with what was going on. Instead she quietly stood there in the gathering crowd of a few other people waiting and listening.
The words came from a man standing behind her. At first she wasn’t sure if they were directed at her but after turning around to see the tall, irritated looking man it was clear that they were. ”Just a little bit.” She said grabbing one of the french-fries off her plate. She chewed slowly thinking, wondering what they could possible arguing about. ”I guess, but that would mean the fire involved would need to open there eyes. I think it’s a little late for that.” She said grabbing two fries at once. The salt was making her body crave the satisfying taste of water. ”I’ve been thinking about slipping in, grabbing a drink and slipping out but then I remember that today, not a great day to die.” Jacklyn sighed heavily. She had turned to walk away drink less when the fists started flying.
Jacklyn ducked out of the way to avoid being crushed by a man twice her size falling on top of her. The crowd they had been in grew in size at an extreme and unreal rate. Curse words were exchanged and before long bits of food were being flung. Jacklyn had been pushed over and was now attempting to crawl away from the chaos but the crowd seemed to go on. Trying to stay as low as possible people were tripping over her and things were being spilled. The girl paid no attention to her surroundings, she kept all her attention focused to the doors out of the mess hall. By the time she crawled out of the crowd the young girl’s face was stained with tears, she was covered in gravy and salad and while she sat there crying she noticed a heat in her arm, her left arm began to burn. It was bright red and blistered.
[I’m a little nervous. Is this ok or too much all at once?]
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 16, 2012 19:48:48 GMT -5
Joshua stiffened and a warning flashed through his gray eyes, a pulse of anger coursing through his veins. "Are you suggesting the Fires are unreasonable?" Oh, there was little doubt in Joshua's mind that the Fire in question had probably started the fight and would end it, too, if they had to (in violence, how else?) but there was something about other people insulting his element that got to him. He was the odd one out, or at least one of the odd three out, and he couldn't help the fact that he was just like his old allies in many ways. Temper included. The reasonable part of him realised that she'd probably meant the one single Fire elemental who was causing the problem and that hell, most elementals were biased, and he fought to control the surge of anger and fight it back. Don't go starting fights and proving stereotypes wrong, idiot. He berated himself a lot when it came to his anger. "Not all of us are like him." He was admitting that he was a Fire, that he could be counted among the more vicious Academy numbers. He was on Jacklyn's side, though, and so he did not start a fight with her.
Dying was a bit of an exaggeration but with a glance toward the crowd, Joshua could definitely agree that something bad might happen to anyone that tried to push their way past. "Very true." He had expected their conversation to end there seeing as she turned away to go back to wherever she'd come from. He decided that he would be patient and wait a little longer, never one to enjoy food if he didn't have something to wash it down with, but then the fighting broke out for real and he was pushed backward by the expanding crowd. Affronted by the way people suddenly lost their general courtesy toward others in at least offering an 'excuse me' or allowing him to get out of the way before they backed into him and trod on his toes, Joshua sat the food down on the nearest available surface and sent out a warning blast of heat to those nearby, a silent reminder that they should stay back. It was also a clear indication that he was a college student with college skills, therefore making the high school students reluctant to fight him. He liked it better that way.
When he managed to dodge and weave out of the thick of things, Joshua noticed with surprise that the girl he'd been talking to a minute prior was on the ground and looking in quite a bad way. Jesus. She'd been knocked down by the looks of things and her arm was burned. Joshua did not like to get involved in dangerous situations over a stranger's well-being but she was not in immediate danger (she hadn't been outright attacked from the looks of it, just caught in the fray) and so there was nothing stopping him from going over to her and offering his hand to help her up. The medic in him kicked in, aspiring doctor taking the forefront of his thoughts. She was crying, though, and that made him feel awkward. He did not do good with crying people. Someone empathetic like his fiancée, Nell, would probably be best-suited for the whole 'comforting' deal but he was good at something else—healing. Quite literally, in the case of Fire, for elementals could cure the injuries their own power created. "Your arm looks pretty bad. I could help you, if you'd trust me to." He knew that Earth elementals didn't often place their trust in Fires and he could respect that, so he was giving her the choice. "I'm Josh, by the way."
[It's fine - loved your post! Sorry it took so long to reply <3]
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Post by jacklyn on Apr 17, 2012 20:37:50 GMT -5
Jacklyn did not know the man she had been talking to was fire, nor did she notice the anger that came over him. She wasn't use to people getting mad and being who she was, she didn't even realise what she had said may offend someone. She was merely stating a fact. "I don't know many fires." She began "I'm not saying there unreasonable all the time but, I mean, there known for there blinding rage right? Things look pretty heated. I'm just guessing by this point it would be a little late to reason with anyone." The young girl took a second to watch the argument in front of her. From what she could hear it was about being knocked or bumped and food on the ground. "Especially a fire." She finished just as forwardly as she had started. When he commented she noticed the glare in his eye and figured he was a fire. Although she ignored his comment her mood perked up. She felt like a bad ass, she was talking to the enemy.
Jacklyn sat on the ground and cried. She was covered in food, bruised and burned. She wanted to disappear. It felt as if she had been sitting there for an eternity before the familiar face of the fire came her way. The thoughts going through her head were all bad. She was worried he was coming to hurt her. To her surprise however he bent down and asked to help. "But, you're a fire." She said through the tears. But after he introduced himself she realised he may not mean her harm. Jacklyn shakily stood up wanting to go with him but her her knees gave out, she collapsed into him making her too humiliated to even apologise.
[By the way, how do you get your text small and in the center like that? Is it just Html cause it didn't work great.]
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Apr 18, 2012 14:04:07 GMT -5
She seemed sincere with her words but Joshua could not fight back the rush of anger. He hated that he was essentially proving her right about the whole 'blinding rage' bit but thankfully after years of growing up with anger problems he had learned to reign them in at least a little. "We're not the only ones who start fights." He confirmed the suspicions that he was a Fire with these words, unashamed of his element despite the fact that he wished he was not always so heavily judged for it. He knew that his former allies as a whole did not make the best reputations for themselves but that didn't make him feel any better about it. His anger was a curse in its own right. His gray eyes flashed with contempt when she added her end comment. "You know what, forget it. Clearly you're just as difficult to reason with as we are." He turned away, still bristling with residual frustration about what she'd said. Quick to anger, hard to calm down. He was a Fire in almost every sense of the word. He was confident like they were, too, reckless and angry. He was a little less selfish and aggressive than some of them, but only a little.
He was less angry and more resigned when she pointed out his element, wishing that he could traverse the stereotypes and simply have people accept him as a nice person on occasion rather than letting the ills of his element mark his personality. He understood it, though, and he knew he'd proved the Earths right in their assumptions many times in the past. "I'm also on your side," he said, and maybe he should have pointed that out before he bit her head off for making assumptions about his element. "You can trust me." He didn't know whether or not she would, especially given the fact that it might have been a trick, but it seemed she was willing to give it a shot. He blinked in surprise when she collapsed into him and it was a good thing that he was rather tall and steady on his feet, not even staggering.
"Woah, careful," he cautioned, not sounding too offended. She'd clearly taken a bit of a pounding and so he tried to be sympathetic rather than irate. He helped her get back on her feet before leading the way over to one of the empty tables away from the fight, figuring it was best for her to sit down if she was feeling so unsteady. There was a lot of shouting going on and it grated on his ear drums but he did his best to ignore it, not wanting to get involved in the fighting and arguing. "That burn is from fire, isn't it? I can't do anything about your other injuries but I could probably heal that if you'll let me. I'm a graduate." He was also a biology student working toward becoming a doctor but he had a much better cure for burns than aloe or cold ice. He had his power, which could eliminate the burn entirely, leaving nothing but a red mark.
[PMed you the code~ Jacklyn is so adorable, feeling all badass xD]
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Post by jacklyn on May 4, 2012 22:44:02 GMT -5
Jacklyn again, was not meaning to be rude so his comment on how difficult she was being was a little off putting for her. She took a deep breath as they both turned. She tried to play what she had said in her head but she didn’t want to bring herself down. Jacklyn just wanted everyone to be happy and get along. Unfortunately her ignorance made it hard to understand what others were feeling or how her words may unintentionally hurt. Sitting on the ground looking into his big, comforting eyes she listened to his words. ”Alright, I’m not sure what else to do anyway.” Her voice was still shaky and the tears still flowing. Despite the fact they had gotten into an awkward moment only several moments prier she wanted to trust him, for some reason she really did. It’s not like she was angry about the comments that were exchanged, in fact she wasn’t even sure if he was really angry or not so it wasn’t too odd a thing when he offered to help. As Jacklyn fell into Josh’s arms her face went bright red and her heart jumped. oh my god, he caught me! An older guy wants to help me! She tried to listen but the mix of the rush and the pain and the panic mad it extremely difficult for her to focus. ”I guess there from fire, I mean they are burns.” She said awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact with him. He is just a stupid, really cute boy being kind enough to help. Get your head out of the clouds!She yelled at herself. The tears had calmed a little and she tried to get back to her feet. ”I would, um like the help. I mean.. if it’s not too much trouble.” She said taking steps toward the door. ooc; I’m sorry it took too long and ya, I know he is engaged. I like drama and a school girl crush is a nice innocent amount of drama  |
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on May 4, 2012 23:46:26 GMT -5
His question about burns might have sounded a little silly to the girl and so he knew he should probably clear up what he meant so that she didn't think he was slow or anything like that. A stupid Joshua was like a stupid Hermione, that bookworm chick from Harry Potter. Didn't happen. "They could have been electrical burns and then it'd need to be the medical wing's job." He was a Fire, not a Thunder, he couldn't do anything about burns that weren't caused by his own element. It was ironic to think that he once might have been the Fire responsible for the burns instead of the nice guy offering to help the Earth elemental out. A lot had changed in the past couple of years. Had it really been almost two? Damn. "If they're fire, though, you're in luck." She'd said that they were and so he figured he could probably come to her aid on that one. It was a lot faster and more convenient than taking a trip all the way to the medical wing and hanging around the waiting room to be seen. The staff at the Academy were a lot more qualified for the job than Joshua was but he wasn't incompetent, at least.
Joshua did not realise that she was avoiding his gaze for a reason, assuming that she was embarrassed by the fall and feeling awkward about the whole situation in general. He wasn't stupidly oblivious or anything like that but he could also miss certain cues if they weren't obvious. It was a good thing for the girl, really, because that would have made them both very uncomfortable at a time where it wasn't the best way to be feeling. First things first, he had to help her out with that burn. "It's no trouble, really. I help out in the 'wing a lot anyway." This was true. As an aspiring doctor he wanted to get as much hands-on experience as he could in preparation for his job in the far, far future. Nearly a decade into the future, in fact, but no matter how daunting he was up to the task. "Besides, I want to be a doctor. I'd be a really shit one if I didn't like to help, yeah?" He laughed, trying to inject humour into the situation to make things less awkward. Maybe it would work, maybe not.
Once they'd found a place to settle away from all the chaos, Joshua focused his attention on her burn. "Here, hold out your arm." It was almost as if he could feel his element thrumming beneath his fingers as he called upon his elemental power, a warmth seeping into his palms as he drew energy into them. He ran a hand over the burn slowly and it vanished under his touch, almost like magic. He inspected it and deemed that it was indeed gone, though there was a redness where it had been, just as always. "It'll feel like sunburn and itch something terrible but at least there's no scarring." Burn scars were not pretty things. Realising that he did not know, Joshua said, "Hey, I never caught your name." He didn't know if she would tell him, wouldn't be all that offended if she didn't, he'd just realised that he'd given out his own and yet he was unaware of hers.
[Haha that's cool~]
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