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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 23, 2011 17:59:57 GMT -5
. tell the world i'm coming home . Yep, both of them definitely did not enjoy talking about themselves. She guessed that was why they couldn’t hold a proper conversation between them. Especially since he wasn’t the joking around type, at least not with her. He was simply…dark and quiet. The opposite of her. But that didn’t mean she hated him or anything. Liked him? Well, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. If she thought about it though, aside from the whole first impression business, he’d really given her no reason not to like him in her eyes. So she was simply awkwardly contemplating friendship, perhaps. She considered friendship with anyone who wasn’t outright rude to her, but she doubted that Josh wanted it. Or did he? Just…stop…thinking. Her over-analytical mind was becoming quite the hassle. When her spoke, she couldn’t tell whether he cared or not anymore, and at least this was familiar. Him showing anything resembling concern was very strange. ”Yeah, I do too,” she agreed, a bit quietly. Nell really wondered how it would work out. Maybe if he leaves me alone. But no, he was actually moving, and she had a feeling it would be close by. She’d have to ask him if he got a new job, wondered if he’d make up an excuse to cover the fact that he was moving to be near her. She knew that’s what it was. Really, Nell, stop. Wondering about his intentions wasn’t going to change the fact that he was going to be around her now. That thought truly disturbed her. She didn’t want him around. Not now.
Of course you’re fine. The thought was humorous and light, though. He was being tough, as if telling her that those injuries hurt worse than he’d care to admit would be like letting her in on some big secret. He probably shouldn’t be doing a lot with his still-healing wounds, but it’s not like she could tell him to go back to bed and eat some chicken noodle soup or whatever you’re supposed to be eating after getting jumped. She nodded. ”I’ll manage.” Okay, she could believe that, at least. But what she couldn’t believe was that he was discharged after only a few hours. ”Only a few hours?” she repeated slowly and incredulously. With her injuries—the knife wound in her gut and the welts that made her flee in the first place—she had to stay for about three days. She had actually wanted to, for when she was to be discharged, she’d be placed into police custody. The main reason she stayed so long was because she faked a lot of things, like the crippling pain in her guy. It had hurt incredibly bad, but she made it look it was as if she couldn’t walk. It was the first time she ever complained about anything and it was so that despite what her family said she could stay away from prison a little longer while they tried to figure out what was wrong with her. She hadn’t been faking the vomit, though that was just from the shock. She still wondered if god had taken a Sharpie to her forehead and written ‘murderer’ on it, and if that gave people incentive to avoid her.
”Your father’s a doctor? Or does he not act as a physician?” He might have been the ‘doctor’s doctor’ as they called it, someone who oversaw what the surgeons were doing and the such. During her stay in the rather low-tech hospital in the Bronx, she observed all the doctors in what they did, how they operated, since she really had nothing else. The kindly nurse actually gave her paper to fold paper cranes upon Nell’s request, and she’d left the bird behind with a thank you note written to that nurse on one of their wings before she left. Not letting her mind stray too far since today felt like a bad day for her thinking, she figured that Josh’s father owning a hospital made perfect sense. It explained where his money came from. ”Still think that maybe you should have stayed a bit longer, jeez.” She wrinkled her nose and then sighed as if giving up. Not like she could force him back into the hospital, even though she was worried about his health. Which may or may not have come as a surprise to him, Nell really didn’t know what he thought of her.
The Fire student opted to study his apartment, and so she busied herself with picking off invisible fuzz from his couch. Damn, did she need a couch. She would have been all-for inviting her friends over if she wasn’t so self-conscious. She loved company and slumber parties and just being with her friends in general, but she instead opted for their places. This was all new to her what with her never being over anyone’s house before, or having sleepovers or even a girl’s night out. But she found she enjoyed them, as long as they didn’t include her apartment. After first seeing Josh’s apartment, however, she did get to work on buying cleaning solutions and pulling on elbow-length yellow gloves to scrub down the water-stained walls (and other stains which she would not like to talk about, thankyouverymuch). She also tried incense, which worked quite well but she always feared she’d somehow burn the place down with her luck. Of course, her experiences with burning things hadn’t been good and she found that she screwed things up easily. But Lemon Pledge was certainly her best friend now.
Josh changed the subject again, and his adorable little sister was something they could both enjoy talking about. ”Really?” Nell said, leaning forward a bit with a chuckle. She was ridiculously glad she made a good impression on the girl. ”I’ve taken a liking too. I think it's truly impossible not to like her. She's just so cute. And energetic, too! Sugar sure helped with that.” Nell stopped herself before rambling too much. Nell’s smile slipped from her face without her even being aware of it, but she was aware of how her hand tensed and stopped picking off couch fuzz. She wasn’t upset, it was just…another surprise. But she replied as easily as possible, a small smile quickly back on her features, ”No. I used to but…no.” She then looked back at him, a sort of apology in her growing smile because this must have seemed like such a weird reaction to a normal question. The girl had been the only good thing about Nell's childhood, and she didn't want to be a freak who couldn't get over her sister's death even after ten years. Still, it was a part of her past and the past wasn't good for her. Time for a subtle shift back over to Josh…well, his sister. ”So do you really think Annabel is going to become a Fire elemental when the time comes?” Reaalll subtle.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 24, 2011 5:59:59 GMT -5
-i'm coming up on infra-red, [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 295px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] THERE IS NO RUNNING THAT CAN HIDE YOU 'CAUSE I CAN SEE IN THE DARK I'M COMING UP ON INFRA-RED FORGET YOUR RUNNING I WILL FIND YOU - - - -
| [cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; height: 300px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)]Nell seemed rather shocked that Joshua had only been in the hospital for a very short period of time, but Joshua was used to short hospital visits. After all, his father was more than aware that the places made him uncomfortable when he was there to be fussed over rather than just to hang around. He volunteered sometimes for work experience, as he knew that getting into medical school wasn't exactly easy. Part of him still wanted to try and get into Harvard but he knew that his parents might be reluctant to let him go to school so far away. Why does it have to be in America? He'd actually have preferred to go to school here if the Ivy League schools didn't have such impressive reputations. Then again, now that we're no longer fighting I'm sure I could get a job at my father's hospital. That was a strange thought, one he'd never had before.
But he was still in conversation so he pushed his internal musings to the back of his mind. "Father pulled some strings, as I said," he shrugged. When he spoke of his father there was a flicker of distance in his gray eyes, but he said not a word further about how he was feeling. It was strange to be back in contact with the man after they'd been arguing for so long. And it hurt that Donovan was so upset with him. Patricia was glad to have their son back but he got the feeling that Don was only allowing him back into the house because she'd demanded it of him. His injuries would probably heal only to see him kicked back out again. Nell asked after his father, then. "He was a regular doctor for a while," Joshua replied, "but he mainly just oversees things, now." Then came slight pride as he said, "But if there's ever a need for more hands on deck, he'll do something." He always had the feeling that Donovan hated not being a part of the action. Whenever he had the chance to just hang around and relax, he'd go around and visit patients instead, making sure that everyone was doing alright and the like. He'd also been the one to fix Josh's hand, apparently, though Joshua had been unconscious at the time. Thank goodness.
It still felt strange to think she cared that much about his well-being. Only his parents had ever expressed such things. "I've always got my father if things go wrong," he reminded her. Even though Donovan wasn't too fond of his son at the moment Joshua knew that he'd take care of him at least. If something happened or a wound reopened his father wasn't just going to lounge nonchalantly as his son bled to death in the living room. Plus, Joshua didn't want to miss too much school. He was doing all of his assignments online right now but he couldn't very well attend the physical applications classes when he was not in the building. It was the scars that stopped him, knowing that people would take one look at his face and see only the horrible marks that lanced across his skin. "How have classes been going for you?" he wondered as school came to mind.
Nell seemed happy when he mentioned Annabel, and once again he felt a bit of a soft spot for the fact that she liked his sister so much. He was intensely protective over Annabel, and so her enemies were his worst enemies. On the other hand, everyone that was nice to her got a little less hatred coming from his direction. He couldn't actively despise someone that liked his sister unless they gave him good reason to. And Nell had given him practically every reason not to hate her. He laughed softly as Nell mentioned sugar. "She's like that even without the candy," he said softly. His tone changed when he spoke of Annabel. They might have been the better half of a decade apart, but that didn't matter to him. She was his baby sister and she was his friend. And he loved her.
The reaction to the question about siblings was such that Joshua almost immediately picked up on the fact that something had probably went wrong. He felt bad for asking, truly, considering "used to" was past tense. Did they just fall out of touch, or... worse? His throat constricted at the mere thought of losing Annabel and he immediately felt all the more horrible. He almost apologised for asking, but Nell deflected this by asking after Annabel, and understanding flashed in his eyes. She wanted to change the subject and Joshua certainly wasn't going to refuse, only hoping that Nell realised he hadn't meant to bring such discomforts into the conversation. "I'm not certain," he admitted. "The genetics in my family are incredibly strong. Fire elementals on both sides. But she is very sweet." He was worried that she would end up as Earth, Water, or even Wind. But he hadn't been lying when he'd promised her one thing--it wouldn't change anything between them. He just didn't want his sister to feel estranged from him during any wars, that was all. SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE THERE'S GUNNA BE AN ACCIDENT
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TEMPLATE BY TAYLOR THE CANADIAN OF AOTE
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 25, 2011 10:39:10 GMT -5
. tell the world i'm coming home . Nell scrunched her lips when he said his father pulled some strings. Still… Shouldn’t his father as a doctor know that Josh may need more rest? But he was a doctor, so that must have meant his injuries were healing well enough that he could go home. It didn’t stop her from assuming that something terrible may happen, or that he may reopen the wounds. It didn’t take much for her own to reopen, but that was because upon regaining consciousness after losing too much blood, she’d freaked out and moved a bit too much. Then threw up into a bucket. Bad memories, Nell. There were other times she opened her stitches, but they were minor. Enough to make the scar look a little jagged, but nothing antiseptic and gauze from a convenience store couldn’t help. ”He’s proactive, I see,” she said as Josh explained. He even seemed proud of that. Then what did she see in the car with him that time? No use in fretting, you basket case, her mind reprimanded. ”I’m sure it’d get boring just sitting behind a desk. A sedentary lifestyle doesn’t seem to appealing. As a matter of fact, being a doctor sounds pretty nice.”
She might have had aspirations of being such one day. Pouring over medical textbooks in the like whenever she went to the library had certainly helped her in academic classes at the Academy. Back then, she thought she might become a doctor just so she could help Till and other people, because she loved caring for those in need. Or even those who weren’t in need. But that was also the time when even during Till’s sickness there had been a lot of hope that perhaps they could both reach adulthood. That hope was squashed by reality. And now all Nell wanted was to be truly free, where she didn’t have to worry about anything. She wanted a garden she could tend to so she could be outdoors at all times, perhaps making a living out of it. She was very near considering be one of those voodoo which doctors and making herbal remedies in the such instead of being a doctor and being shut up inside a hospital or clinic. Or maybe somehow make a living with a garden. Perhaps own a farm or something. Pipe dreams, Nell, you still have to graduate high school. There was a realist in that head there.
”True, true,” Nell relented with the fact that his father was a doctor. Little did Josh know, that she would continue worrying. It’s what she did, it was built into her just like her appetite and her element. The mention of classes seemed random, but that was the least-oddest thing between them, so she took it. ”It’s the daily grind,” she said, but she was smiling. ”The workload is as large as usual, but I don’t mind it. It’s the price of knowledge, ya know. I think I’m getting pretty good.” She wasn’t a dork like Josh, but she did like to learn, even if that meant sitting down for hours in front of a textbook. It wasn’t the best way for her to absorb information, but she found ways around it. Practical application in things like notecards and all that. ”And you? I’m guessing you like your classes and excel in every single one of them.” Since he was a bona fide dork, and there was nothing at all wrong with that. It was one of his redeeming qualities, actually.
Josh seemed instantly regretful for asking the question, and she wished it weren’t so. It was her own damned fault for being weird. He didn’t know, so of course she didn’t blame him. She guessed she should better brace herself for those questions. It’s just that…no one had asked her before. Nell made sure to fortify her defenses against any such questions in the future. But he bit the hook, and she was thankful. Of course he understood. She nodded in understanding about his concern. Surely if his family’s genetics were so strong, he’d be worried if she turned out to be something other than Fire. “Strong genetics don’t always help,” she said. She was living, breathing proof of that. Her father’s side was all Thunder, whereas her mother was skipped over with the Water gene. If anything, she probably should have been Thunder. But then came a lingering thought brought on with the question of her siblings. Till would have most likely been Thunder. There was no doubt in Nell’s mind about that. Since she turned out to be an elemental, surely her twin would have been too. And the girl had taken after her father.
Now aware that she’d fallen silent, she shook herself out of the disturbing reverie ‘what if’s brought on, and continued as if there hadn’t been a lull. ”But I’m sure if your entire family is Fire, that’s give her a fighting chance. Perhaps even her desire to be Fire will even help. Annabel does look up to her big brother after all.” She laughed lightly, more like an exhale. No, she hadn’t missed that. The girl idolized Josh, that was clear. ”Time will only tell, I guess.” And though she is an energetic girl, one may never know. She might even have a temper, one that Nell didn’t see when she meet her. The Earth student was actually eager to see what would happen when Annabel entered the Academy. Tilly would have been Thunder. The thought came round to haunt her again, and she damned herself for letting her think like that. ‘What if’s hurt the most. They reminded her that Tilly should be there next to her, like double-vision. Still, she didn’t blame Josh for bringing her thoughts over to that kind of darkness.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 25, 2011 11:12:21 GMT -5
-i'm coming up on infra-red, [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 295px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] THERE IS NO RUNNING THAT CAN HIDE YOU 'CAUSE I CAN SEE IN THE DARK I'M COMING UP ON INFRA-RED FORGET YOUR RUNNING I WILL FIND YOU - - - -
| [cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; height: 300px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)]He nodded when she said that being a doctor sounded pretty nice, barely even realising as he thought allowed, "I'm considering it myself..." There was a distance to his tone that gave away the fact that he hadn't been meaning to share this with her, and he snapped out of it a moment later. "Uh, being a doctor, that is." He had never even admitted that to his own sister because he hated the idea of being pegged for something. He'd pretty much made up his mind but he knew that if he told Annabel what he was going for she'd spread the word like wildfire. He hadn't told his father yet. When he'd asked Donovan if he could volunteer at the hospital, his father had wanted to know why, and Joshua had simply replied, "Change of scenery, I'm bored." And that had been that. "I could've skipped elemental college and gone straight to pre-med but I decided not to. I wanted to know more about my power." He also really wished that said power was at its full strength. Paranoia meant being constantly in fear of the gang coming back. He didn't even feel safe in this apartment now knowing they could come back to it. "Have you thought about what you'll do after school's over?" He remembered she had plans of her own to attend college, but he wondered what field she'd go into in eventuality.
A quiet laugh brushed past his lips as she returned the question of classes onto him. Joshua wasn't exactly what you could call modest, more like closed-off--he did enjoy his intelligence and he wasn't going to deny it. "I've always had good grades," he said with a shrug. "Going to the Academy never really affected that." He loved his power just as much as he loved to study. Admittedly there had been rough patches in the ninth grade as he tried to learn how to balance stamina building with study habits, but it had worked itself out by second semester. At the cost of his social life, unfortunately. The only people he'd ever spoken to on a regular basis had been the gang and even that had been rare. Looking back, he realised that dragging him along for the jumping-turned-homicide had been a way of testing his loyalty. One test I failed with flying colours, he thought grimly. "I've been keeping up with them online for the past few weeks."
And suddenly he was conscious of the scar again, looking down and turning his gaze away from Nell in a way that concealed it from view. He hated the idea that it was so large and noticeable as it lanced across his face. The scar on his palm was the worst, and even though the ones on his chest were pretty bad they at least were invisible unless he removed his shirt. How would he ever get rid of the one on his face? You won't, he reminded himself with an acidic thought. Nell didn't seem to be staring at them, which he respected, but it didn't mean he felt any more comfortable. Has she got any scars...? Sometimes people respecting boundaries they were familiar with. If you'd lost a loved one, you'd be more careful about breaching the topic of death, for example. "And yes, I do like my classes," he tacked on as an afterthought. "Studying comes naturally to me so it's not much of a hassle."
This was the most openly Joshua had really spoken with anyone. He was beginning to become uncomfortable, shifting awkwardly and still not looking at Nell as he replied, "Yeah, I know." Genetics certainly were not everything, but they were a large part of the whole. His parents, his grandparents and even his grandparents on both sides had been of the Fire element, however. Unless Annabel was a freaking saint, she'd be more likely to turn out as Wind as opposed to Earth, Fire's polar opposite. Not that the little girl wasn't angelic! But she did have a bit of a streak. He'd only seen it on a select few occasions, but that girl could hold a grudge. He gave a distant half-smile. Annabel did indeed look up to him--there was no argument there. He wasn't exactly the greatest of influences, but he did try. "We'll see," he said.
The teenager picked absent-mindedly at the edge of his sleeve, almost surprised to realise there were no loose strands. Adjustments, adjustments. He was used to his slightly more worn sweater with the shitty threads that was somewhat similar to the one he had on. This one was not damaged, and he halted the motion so that it did not become as such. Normally awkward silences didn't bother him, but with Nell it felt like a yawning chasm of quietness and discomfort. "Why did you walk?" he decided to ask eventually. "The weather's a bit cold for that." Yeah. Trust him to bring up the most odd and cliché topic ever when he was casting around for conversation. Well... at least he was trying? SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE THERE'S GUNNA BE AN ACCIDENT
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TEMPLATE BY TAYLOR THE CANADIAN OF AOTE
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 25, 2011 12:02:37 GMT -5
. tell the world i'm coming home . Josh said that he aspired to be a doctor, and she leaned forward interestedly. ”Really?” Like father like son then, she guessed. Nell liked the medical field, and doctors. People who helped others, what was there not to like? Even though her first hospital visit was less-than-stellar, she still respected the physicians and especially the kindly nurse who told her that she didn’t think Nell was a cold-blooded murderer. The statement almost brought her to tears. But Nell hadn’t cried in so long, she think she forgot who to. ”You’re planning to go pre-med after the Academy, though?” she said it as a question because he stated it as if it were that way. ”Any colleges in mind?” God, it was weird talking about this stuff. Not only because this was Josh of all people, but because she never had conversations like this before. And that in itself was weird. But she was growing used to this. She was a people person, and even though Josh grudgingly spoke to her, she was still glad he was speaking at all. Otherwise, she’d feel even more awkward than she did already because was generally unused to human conversation. I’m a freak, aren’t I? It wasn’t her fault at all, but still… It left her feeling strangely isolated.
He asked about her own goals, something she had little time to think on in her mother’s care. ”I actually wanted to be a doctor once,” she admitted sheepishly. Now that was something she’d never told anyone. Her father was a biochemist, researching in fields such as genetics. She used to look up to him, actually. He should have been able to help Tilly, she thought bitterly. His entire field was aimed toward that kind of thing. But no, she deluded herself into thinking that she could somehow help the girl. ”But now…anything outside would be good. I wonder how much money I could make with a botanical garden of some sort… Ah, but it’s not about the money. As long as your happy.” But really, she would like to have a job that provided her with a more-than-stable income. Part of it was so that she wouldn’t have to live in squalor and have her family endure the horrid conditions she grew up in. Another part of it was that she would like to show-up her family. But that was a deeper, more bitter part. Unabashedly, she decided to voice her previous thoughts: ”Oorr I was thinking…maybe one of those witch doctors that grows herbs to heal others. Being Earth and all, I’m sure it would be good.” Truly, Nell had a lot of possibilities in mind. She wasn’t set to one determinate thing.
He actually laughed—she was kind of getting used to it but not really; at least it wasn’t true laughter—at her question and reaffirmed her suspicions. Of course. ”I don’t doubt that,” she said. And there was nothing else she could say on that matter. She couldn’t compare herself because she’d never actually been to school before the Academy. Everything was taught by tutors or her father, and then nothing. Just libraries. Just observation. She self-taught herself when it came to her powers, which seriously hampered her progress as she could tell by how far behind she was compared to other students in her class. Josh had a proper education all his life. There were spans between them, it seemed. Nell simply nodded about him taking online classes. Didn’t ask him why he wasn’t coming to school. Simply chalked it up to him having recently been through a traumatic experience and needing to recover. And it was awkward as it always was between them. The same-old. She felt like asking too much would have him shut down completely—that’s what would happen to her, after all and so she was just relating through experience.
He glanced away from her, and she blinked, not really noticing what it was about. She could never tell what was on his mind, so she assumed he was just deep in thought or something. You and me both, she thought sardonically, recalling his earlier statement. Returning to picking at the couch cushion to keep herself preoccupied from her thoughts, Josh went on after a gap of silence. They were good at this, they should win a trophy or award for awkward silence. They could share it between them—three days a week at her place, three days at his, and alternating Sundays. It was with these thoughts she kept her mind away from her father. ”It’s easy for people to do what they’re good at,” she agreed, her thoughts still on their talent for awkwardness. That was something they were both good at. ”That’s pretty good, then. A lot of people struggle with school, mostly because they hate studying. And when that cram comes, they short-out.” It happened—trying to pack too much information into your head during a short amount of time could cause brain farts. Nell hadn’t crammed so far, which was a good thing she guessed. She also didn’t study too excessively, which Josh probably did. No, not probably—he definitely did that.
Nell nodded again at his words, since that’s mostly all she could do with him. Nod and agree. Annabel is so cute, she forced herself to think. Not on her father. She couldn’t expect Josh to help her steer her mind away from the man. Her talkative Water friends were good for that, but solemn Joshua was not. She’ll probably be Fire and make her family proud. And she kept thinking these sort of overlapping things to prevent herself from going deeper into her mind. Because then she’d actually have to face herself, which is what she’d been avoiding doing. My father is an ass. Oops, and she slipped up. She found herself bringing the man to the forefront of her mind when he was supposed to be safely buried in her past. But no. He came back. And he was hell-bent on screwing her up. The silence was growing stiflingly uncomfortable. It was during these times that she just wanted to yell out something completely random, just so something could fill the silence and get her mind on some other track than the one going toward her fath—don’t even think of that word, Nell.
And it was Josh to break the silence again, with his glorious subtlety. The same subtlety she exhibited when breaking the silence with him. We definitely need a trophy. “I kind of left angry and needed to take a walk in the cold to…calm down,” she said, something like a smile on her face, though it was closer to a smirk. Nell angry? It was possible. Only her family managed that. “And my car just got out of the shop. I don’t want to push her too much. Especially since it seems to be the cold doing the most damage to the battery.” And she referred to the unfortunate-looking Monte Carlo as a ‘she’ but hopefully Josh didn’t think it weird. Jacob hadn’t, didn’t even think on her nickname. She knew people did that so it wasn’t too odd. ”Uh…I think walking might be good for me right now actually. You wanna come?” She feared that if she stayed there much longer, she’d succumb to her thoughts and have a nervous breakdown or something. But she hid this well. She was already moving to stand, though she stopped short. ”But you’re right, it’s cold…and you have your injuries…” No matter how much he refused to complain or anything, they were still there and it might not be good to talk a walk right now.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 25, 2011 12:41:23 GMT -5
-i'm coming up on infra-red, [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 295px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] THERE IS NO RUNNING THAT CAN HIDE YOU 'CAUSE I CAN SEE IN THE DARK I'M COMING UP ON INFRA-RED FORGET YOUR RUNNING I WILL FIND YOU - - - -
| [cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; height: 300px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)]He was surprised by her intrigue and maybe even a little self-conscious. Joshua was always the type to take pride in himself and his achievements, but it was different when people questioned them. Then he got a little flustered. Usually he covered this up by telling them that it was none of their business and that they could just butt right out but since this was Nell Joshua gave a small dip of his head. "That's the plan," he said. "I don't know where I plan to go for pre-med quite yet, though." His ideal school was too far away, he was coming to terms with that. Maybe he'd go to pre-med close to home and just try to get into their actual medical school program? Then I can see Belle through highschool. Looking out for his sister was of prime importance to Joshua. "I was going to apply for Harvard but the fact that it's out of the country as well as quite far away..." He trailed off and shrugged. He spoke so casually, as if he was confident that he had a good chance of getting in. Rule number one: don't doubt yourself too much, or you're screwed.
It surprised Joshua to hear that Nell had once considered the same path, but then he reminded himself that it was even more sensible to assume that the kindhearted Earth girl would head toward such a career as opposed to the volatile Fire boy. But hey, don't judge a book by its cover, right? "As long as you have financial stability," he countered quietly. He knew now what it was like to struggle with a lack of money, floundering about as you tried to scrape together enough for rent and car payments and bills and the like. Happiness was great, but you wouldn't be very happy if you couldn't keep a roof over your head or a full stomach. She mentioned being a witch doctor and he seemed to be amused by this, considering it flickered momentarily in his gray eyes. "Oh?" Well, he wasn't going to judge. Doctors were doctors--as long as they could find the cure in the end there was nothing wrong with that. "My element unfortunately isn't useful for much in the profession, but unless I aspire to become a volcanologist I shouldn't be using my fire to choose my profession, anyway."
Nell, angry? The thought would have reduced him to a puddle of hysterical laughter if he'd been the type to easily collapse into giggles. As it was, he merely arched an eyebrow before nodding a little. It wasn't that he didn't believe her--everyone had their off days--it was just such a bizarre concept that one couldn't not find it entertaining. She mentioned the engine of her car, however, and that was enough to distract him from the temporary amusement. "I suppose I'm lucky in that sense," he remarked. "I can keep the entire car warm without much effort." What could Nell do with her earth, he wondered? Probably not much to do with cars, he decided.
The proposition of a walk seemed rather random, and Joshua blinked in surprise as he took it in. Wait, what? Nell was already correcting herself and admonishing the idea over his injuries by the time he'd even grasped the question, but the older Fire male shook his head and stood up regardless. His entire body tensed with pain as he accidentally used his left hand to push himself upward, but instead of crying out he just held the stiff position for a moment and then slowly forced himself to relax as the agonising pain ebbed. God, that hurt. "No, I'm fine," he said, despite that this was clearly not true. "Cold doesn't bother me, I'm a Fire elemental after all." This was both truth and lie. Normally it didn't bother Joshua. But with his powers not working as well as usual he could feel the cold more than usual, too. He grabbed a sweater from the closet and glanced at Nell. "Where do you want to go?" He really didn't mind where. SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE THERE'S GUNNA BE AN ACCIDENT
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TEMPLATE BY TAYLOR THE CANADIAN OF AOTE
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 25, 2011 22:21:21 GMT -5
. tell the world i'm coming home . Nell nodded as he spoke, still with an interested gaze. Harvard? That was in Massachusetts she believed, in America. ”Don’t want to move to far away, huh.” She nodded, understanding that since he had a family here he wouldn’t go to Canada. ”Harvard is one of the top dog schools in America, though.” She grew up there, she should know, no matter how ‘sheltered’ she had been. She’d decided to call it that—‘sheltered’ instead of less appealing words like ‘prisoner’ and ‘locked up’. She subtly shook her head to dispel the thoughts, and said, ”One of those Ivy League schools. I hear legacies have better chances of getting in, but you seem pretty confident.” Which was a good thing, definitely. Something that Nell lacked in a way. Her self-esteem was something that she didn’t put much focus on mainly because it was near nonexistent. She was a hard worker who didn’t stop until she finished something, but that didn’t mean she liked herself.
She looked into Josh’s eyes when he mentioned financial stability, and down back at her lap, nodding. ”Absolutely right,” she murmured. Yes, she knew about the struggle. She’d been struggling her entire life, and Nell didn’t know whether it was possible to move on up. Her grandparents did it as immigrants, but she didn’t have their kind of drive and ambition. Or their opportunities. He even seemed amused by the ambition of one of her possible careers being a voodoo witch doctor. ”You know, I am being completely serious,” she said, though she laughed through the words. Nell didn’t really know exactly what she wanted to do. She’d go wherever the wind took her. But then again, if she tried to think too far ahead, there were obstacles. She wasn’t a legal citizen of Canada, she didn’t know how long she could hide out even though she told herself in crossing the border she left everything behind, and the most terrifying fact of all was that she was on the same path as her mother. They started off in terrifyingly similar situations. Her mother had actually killed her uncle and then came to The Bronx to work as a cocktail waitress living a crappy life too similar to Nell’s own.
At the use of his element in his future profession, she smiled. ”Hey, you can also be a pyrotechnic, or a welder, or glassblower…” She trailed off because she was chuckling now. ”There’s more opportunities than you think, should you stray from the path of a doctor.” But she was sure he was dead-set in his desire to become a doctor. How could he use his fire in his profession? ”There is cauterization but that’s mostly for survival situations.” And Nell also read up on survival books during her childhood spent in inner city libraries. She felt she needed them when living with her mother.
Even he seemed amused by the idea of her being angry, and even though she found this funny she couldn’t really do a real, full smile. This just wasn’t a humorous situation for her. It was distressing and turning her world inside-out. She wasn’t really looking at him, so she barely caught his nod, she just focused on picking invisible fuzz off the couch and flicking it away with her finger. He commented on his use of his powers to act as a space heater—and yes, she still thought of his as such. ”I’m jealous. My car hates me, and makes it a point each day to prove that. And there’s unfortunately nothing I can really do with my powers.” And still she smiled, like ‘no biggie’. Car problems were nothing compared to her dickwad of a father. That voice in her head scolded her once again for thinking about it, but she couldn’t help it. She thought way too much.
Nell didn’t realize that what she said had been at all random. She was too absorbed in her thoughts, which is what she exactly what she wanted to avoid. When he got up and said that it was fine to go, she didn’t know whether to be glad or worried, since she saw the flash of pain in his expression when he stood, stopping for a moment. She looked down to his hand—his injured one—and sighed a bit. Really Josh? Even when he said that he was a Fire elemental, the entire reason they went into his apartment was because of the cold outside. ”If you say so,” Nell said with a steady gaze on him, making sure he doesn’t tip over or something. He went to retrieve a sweater, and she shrugged. ”Anywhere. I just need air. A lot of it.” She exited his apartment first, because she was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic, something she found happening even in spaces that were relatively open. Outside, she said, ”How about getting something to eat? Food is always good. And lately I’ve been eating fast food like it’s going out of style. Burger King sound good or…?” She looked at him, remembering that he was a vegetarian and knowing that the joint wasn’t too kind to those with alternative diets. ”In any case, I’d like to eat outside.” Nell was pretty sure that if she was freezing, she would not be thinking of her father. And it was working now as she started walking, arms folded across her chest.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jun 26, 2011 13:00:47 GMT -5
-i'm coming up on infra-red, [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 295px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)] THERE IS NO RUNNING THAT CAN HIDE YOU 'CAUSE I CAN SEE IN THE DARK I'M COMING UP ON INFRA-RED FORGET YOUR RUNNING I WILL FIND YOU - - - -
| [cs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, width: 105px; height: 300px; background-image: url(http://dsmy2muqb7t4m.cloudfront.net/articles/roundup_2009_04_27/Layer_9.jpg)]Joshua nodded a little. "Yeah, I know. Ivy League and all that." She spoke of legacies, and that only caused him to shrug a little. He didn't have any family (that he knew of) that were alumni considering they were Canadian born and raised, but that didn't matter to Joshua. He would try it anyway. His lips twitched a bit into a smirk as his confidence came into the conversation, dipping his head. "I've got good grades and volunteer credit. I can get letters of recommendation, and I was valedictorian in my final year." The nonchalant way in which he spoke suggested that he knew what he was doing with the whole credit thing. "It'd be easier to get into the medical school if I went to pre-med at their college, but I'd prefer to stay here for college at least." He was already in college of course but he was talking about after elemental college. "I've already taken some of the courses in the major I'm going for anyway, so it won't be for too long, but..." He trailed off and shrugged. It would be more time with his family, at least.
"I know," he assured Nell when she told him of her seriousness, holding back the desire to laugh. He didn't want to seem too rude, now. "Nothing wrong with that." Though admittedly the idea was still hysterical. He knew what she meant but all he could picture were scarily dressed women with wide eyes chanting and throwing herbs around like nobody's business. He could take Nell seriously, but the mental image she'd provided was just too much. "I don't know if I'll specialise and go into a certain branch of medicine or whether I'll just see where I fit in best, I guess I'll work all that out once I get there." It felt odd to talk to someone about his thoughts for the future. Josh was usually very hush when it came to discussing where he wanted to end up in life. "I don't know," or some form of a bullshit answer (such as volcanologist) were popular.
He wasn't big on laughter, but he did smile a bit when Nell joked around. Or was she being serious? Her chuckling made it hard to determine. Either way, she'd gotten a reaction out of him and considering how stoic he was this was quite impressive. Nell mentioned cauterization and Joshua blinked as he realised something. "No, I doubt I'd have use for that," he admitted, "because it would be a fairly obvious demonstration of elemental power, but..." He remembered back to his childhood when his father was telling him a tale about a burn victim in the hospital. He had told Josh that she'd been burn almost beyond recognition and that she was lucky to be alive, but the burns had all healed--something that the hospital hadn't been expecting. Even the doctor who had treated her had been stunned. It had been published as a medical miracle, and when Josh had been fascinated his father had just smirked a little. "What they don't know can't hurt them." At his young age, he hadn't grasped it, but now that he thought about it... "I suppose I could heal fire damage as long as no one caught me doing it. The burn victims surely wouldn't mind." Because really, who wanted such horrible scars? If only there had been someone to save him from traumatic scarring.
Food didn't sound like something he'd be opposed to. Burger King on the other hand... well, that was a little different. It was a burger chain after all and their vegetarian choices were skimpy and not very tasty on top of that. "You sure you want take-out?" he asked sceptically. Nell had specified that she wanted to eat outside (which he supposed was fine with him) so he frowned in thought. "What about that restaurant down the street?" he asked, shrugging a little. "It's got an outdoor section." Then he thought of a compromise. "Or you could get Burger King and I could order from there and we could both hang around out front. People use their tables for all manner of things, I doubt they'd care." They had decent salad and even an option for vegetarian gravy, which meant that Josh could have all the poutine he liked without fretting over the fact that the gravy contained animal products.
A cold wind made Joshua shiver slightly, more aware of the cold than he'd been in a long time. Hoping that Nell hadn't noticed, he simply stuck his hands in the pocket of his sweater, trying not to flinch as the motion caused pain in his left palm. Fuck! He glanced up as it started to snow very softly, frowning at it but not making any remark. The Fire graduate watched as the flakes melted in the air before they could get within so much as an inch of his skin, something which amused him slightly. He could feel the cold, but it still couldn't get too close without starting to melt. Take that, winter. He felt a little childish and goofy at the thought, and thus he didn't voice it aloud. Instead he just glanced at Nell to await her answer, hoping she hadn't realised how much the melting snow had amused him. SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE THERE'S GUNNA BE AN ACCIDENT
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TEMPLATE BY TAYLOR THE CANADIAN OF AOTE
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jun 27, 2011 5:14:40 GMT -5
. tell the world i'm coming home . Nell was not Ivy league material. Sure, she probably had legacies from the Fuentes side of her family, but that wasn’t all that mattered. She never had a proper education before, that was more important. It was not in her realm of capabilities, no matter how determined she thought herself to be. Josh however had much more assurance than that. She’d already pegged him as the confident type, especially when it came to his education and powers. However, she didn’t much doubt his capabilities either. ”Legacies definitely aren’t everything.” She nodded as if to reaffirm this. Nell blinked as he explained the measures he’d gone through, not really quite understanding everything he meant, so she gave a quiet not as response. He has big plans. She had to be envious of that much. Smiling wanly, she said, ”You’ve got it all planned out, huh.” Nell sat back a bit, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at him. ”Don’t let the distance stop you if it’s your dream college.” Nell’s plans weren’t for the future, they have always been short-term. For so long it had simply been escape, she really didn’t know what to do with herself.
Jeez, it was so difficult to joke around with him! She hadn’t been completely serious on either parts, of course, had wanted him to laugh or something. It seemed like he might have had a sense of humor. Sometimes. Maybe. She just really couldn’t tell. She resisted shaking her head at his always-stern demeanor. Instead she shrugged and said, ”I’d mostly be in it for the fancy headdress.” Nell would have asked if he wanted to specialize and go into something, but she really didn’t know how exactly he could specialize. Her ingenuousness prevent her from having any real knowledge on the subject. ”There’ll be time to decide,” she said, aware that this was a strange conversation to be having with him. About his future. It was…weird that he was actually saying this much to her. But she reminded herself that it was always weird with him. There was never a moment he wasn’t weird. Not a bad thing, just….a weird thing. I need to think of some more synonyms for him…
”I sure hope not,” she said, blinking as he turned down the idea of cauterization. She had told him that it wasn’t for hospital settings since there were better options. That’s for gaping wounds when you’re out in the jungle or some other survival situation.” Yes, she was well-read when it came to survival, she had facts listed in her brain. Nell had a feeling she’d still be using them now, even though she wasn’t living in what she thought to be a situation deemed as ‘survival’. But then he did bring up something interesting that she hadn’t considered before, actually. ”That’s right, it’s possible to reverse elemental damage,” Nell murmured. ”Of course, you’d have to chalk it up to a higher power when serious damage is involved. And use it sparingly. But it is convenient, definitely.” The differences between their powers were numerous, and so she wondered how exactly an earth wound could be healed. Maybe if someone gets stuck by a thorn or something… She never explored that part of her powers, but she truly wanted to. Though that wouldn’t be practical in the real world where none of this was known to others.
She shifted on her feet when he spoke. ”I just want something to do, and food is the first thing that came to mind, so I don’t care what kind of food it is.” Her smile was light as ever, and she was now gearing to go somewhere so she wouldn’t be preoccupied with her thoughts. ”The restaurant sounds fine. Probably better than Burger King, anyway. Especially since I’ve been eating too much of it lately…” Nell liked to eat, that was true, and her vices were junk food and fast food. Which sucked when she was actually quite a bit of a health nut. But Burger King was convenient and cheap, as was the junk she bought, and she hated the word ‘diet’. ”Sorry I’m being so determined with going outside when it’s practically a tundra.” Nell just hoped he wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. She just really needed this, as displayed by the randomness of her request.
Not particularly noticing how her companion was affected by the weather, Nell looked up at the cloudy sky as snow began to fall, sighing. ”Still want to be outside?” she asked, more concerned about him than anything now. Nell needed to clear her head, but it was snowing and she didn’t know whether Josh should be out in such conditions with his injuries. ”Usually the snow is a little bothersome, but it’s nice right now. For me, at least.” Because as she shivered and her cheeks flushed, it was keeping her mind away from other things. Which is what she wanted. She looked over at him and thought it might just be her vision playing tricks on her, but the snow seemed to disappear around him. Either she was just being stupid because snow could melt before touching the ground, or he was using his powers. And she didn’t think it was good in his condition, really. ”You don’t have to come with me, you know,” she said a bit quietly, now feeling a bit bad that she was bringing him out here.
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