-- GHOST TOWNS IN THE OCEAN && [jace]

"Senior year is tough," his sparring partner complained when they eventually called for a break, the sound of shifting rock filling the air as the wall she'd built up to block his fire slowly retreated backward into the earth. There was a sheen of sweat on her brow and she wiped it after the complain, shaking her head. Endurance classes were one of the hardest courses in the entirety of the Academy. It was a course that the high school students did not have because to pit the elementals against one another was thought to promote rivalries and wars amongst the younger students. The Academy believed that college students were capable of handling it more maturely. If only that were constantly the case. "Least you've got that wall trick of yours. That Thunder I had for a partner last time couldn't block for shit. It wasn't my fault I wore her out." He grinned devilishly as he realised the double meaning of the words and his partner smacked his arm playfully, seeming exasperated but amused.

Unfortunately they were still in the middle of class and so after the brief break he was partnered with a new person, this time another guy but in the Water element. He braced himself mentally for the fight that would soon ensue. The session with Katie had been pretty simple because he'd been the one on the offensive but now he was going to have to prove that he could handle attacks as well as dish them out. "You ready, Josh?" Joshua inhaled, exhaled, then made sure he was relaxed enough to remain in tune with his powers. "Yeah, I gotcha. Hit me with your best shot." Though determined, his tone was friendly. He was on their side and so while this fight was going to be intense, it was staged. The other boy would be aiming to drain him but not hurt him. He trusted his partner not to try drowning him like a certain Water graduate, Jacob, had once done. He did not think he could deal with something like that. "Be careful what you wish for," the Water joked, then attacked.

His first instinct was to dodge the massive torrent of water coming toward him, so he did. He realised his mistake right away and cursed, cringing when the professor shouted over the turmoil of the battling classmates, "Let it hit you, Dale!" He needed to remember that this was endurance, not plain old defence. It was about increasing your stamina and efficiency, especially against the elements who bested you in a fight. "Try me again," he requested, and his partner looked entertained but sympathetic as he nodded and obliged. This time Joshua was ready to counter, sending out a blast of flame that collided with it in midair. A loud hiss sounded as the rival elements clashed, water turning to steam and both evaporating harmlessly. Joshua retaliated with a second burst of flame and then a third, both of which were blocked easily by his opponent. "Step your game up, Joshua!" The friendly but teasing taunt made him narrow his eyes. "Come at me, bro," he joked back. This time when the wall of water barrelled toward him he allowed his move to be much more stealthy. The heat wave was much more draining but it eliminating the threat of the water and made his partner visibly uncomfortable as it seared his skin.

The professor looked on with approval. "Better. Next time try to start as strong as you finish." Joshua nodded, not trusting himself to speak until the dizzying wave of drain passed. It took a few seconds for his thoughts to clear and then he shook his partner's hand and paced a little ways away. The class broke up slowly, some people going to extra classes and others wandering to different parts of the grounds. Joshua stayed by the lake, some areas of the water starting to freeze over while others remained open. He could not remember a time when it had frozen completely. Most of the time the Fires thawed it out with a blast of heat or the college waters broke it apart. Spotting someone else around that he was surprised he found he knew, Josh lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey, you're the theatre guy. Jace, right?" The movie had not been at all memorable but Joshua rarely ever forgot a face or name. "Didn't know you were an elemental, too. What element?" He wondered whether or not Jace had witnessed the sparring session since it had been so close by. That would be a little awkward, since Josh was Fire and Jace was... not. He'd explain if Jace asked, though, about the fact that he'd switched sides.

[Gave a way for Jace to find out Josh was Fire BEFORE finding out he's a traitor, for the lulz xD]