SPINNING OUT;; Josh

[erin]

Ethan noticed how most of the students had been on edge since the announcement of the war. It definitely turned his senses up another notch, making him more aware of where he was and who he was with. Preferably, he liked to be around people. The more people, the less likely it was that trouble would begin. He honestly didn’t want to get involved with any of the fighting. He wasn’t the aggressive type and wouldn’t go around picking fights with people. But that didn’t mean Ethan didn’t appreciate the drama that accompanied a good fight. It wasn’t that he was happy for the war—he surely wasn’t—but he was interested in what was going to happen. The heightened tension in the school thrilled him, making life at the Academy a little more exciting.

But none of these things occurred to Ethan as he walked through the courtyard alone, unaware of his vulnerability. And certainly not when he smacked into the back of something hard. He quickly pulled his head up to find he’d walked into a guy who looked a little older than him, and much, much taller. And bigger. And as the kid turned around, Ethan recognized him as a Thunder he’d seen around school for the past few years. And he certainly knew Ethan was a Water by the look on his face. Ethan gulped. “Oh, looks like I didn’t see you there, sorry about that,

[/color]” Ethan said, in the best apologetic voice he could muster under the circumstances. He took a step back and to the side, in an attempt to skirt around the boy. But apparently he wasn’t going to have it. The boy took a step to his left, matching Ethan and blocking his way.

“And where do you think you’re going? You Waters think you can do whatever you want, get away with anything. Well, you’ve got another thing coming for you,[/color]” he growled, balling his fists. Ethan inched back, but slapped an expression of contempt on his face in attempt to try and intimidate the Thunder student. Ethan knew he couldn’t take this guy on alone. Not only was he twice his size, but he was a Thunder student. Ethan had a weakness for pretty much every element, so about twice the disadvantage against this guy. He didn’t want to flee but he surely didn’t want to get pummeled. He quickly debated his mode of action in his mind but finally decided he’d have to tough it out. As bleak as the circumstances were, Ethan wasn’t the type to back out. Planting his feet firmly, he made it known he wasn’t going anywhere.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

The war made simple tasks such as going to the mess hall a lot more difficult than usual. Students with their wits about them had now taken to travelling in packs, the better to avoid being ambushed by a group of their enemies. College kids were a little luckier in that there wasn't much of a threat from high-schoolers unless they were in a group, but there was still a wariness of each other amongst their ranks. Josh just hoped he didn't bump into an older Fire elemental on his way to lunch. Thunder he could handle, but his own element? If they were numerous or if a single elemental was older than he, Joshua knew there would be trouble. He was able to defend himself to a degree but he was not invincible. There was a small comfort in that he would not have to face the wrath of Water elementals. An older Water could absolutely pulverise him if they knew what they were doing but Joshua was fighting on their side this time around. He had mainly sided with Earth alone in the last war. He was getting to know some of the Water elementals, grudgingly, and they were accepting for the most part that he wouldn't cause them any issues. It was still a tad awkward. Josh had spent most of his life sneering and jeering at their population and changing this was a challenge.

The mess hall was tense, not as filled with the buzzing of life that was usual. People conversed, but it was in low voices accompanied by frequent glances over their shoulders. Almost no one was alone. He scanned the crowd for a moment, searching for a friend, but deduced that he was the only one in his circle that was here at present. He grabbed a bottle of water and an egg salad sandwich from the buffet tables and then left the hall again. Josh did not want to provoke attention by sitting by himself in the large hall--the mess hall was the centre of a lot of fights during Academy wars. It was one of the few places where enemies and allies frequently correlated and thus was practically a powder keg of tension and anger waiting to explode. He took the longer way through the halls to try and avoid any confrontations. It was another advantage of knowing his way around the school, albeit one that anyone who had been here for long enough might have. Whether they thought to implement it was another matter entirely. By ducking down lesser known corridors he avoided the masses. He passed a couple of people including someone he knew to be a Thunder but the younger boy just quickened his steps and passed by. Josh exhaled. He hated how careful you had to be during times like these. All he wanted to do was get to the library and study for the rest of the afternoon.

He couldn't enter carrying food, however, and so Joshua took a left rather than a right down a certain hall and pushed his way through heavy doors that led into the central courtyard. He had plans to settle on one of the benches and finish his food but before he could so much as open the water a scene nearby caught his attention. A face he knew and loathed but who was nevertheless an ally, facing off against someone he identified as Thunder. Neither of them seemed to have noticed him and Josh hesitated. It would have been satisfying in a way to watch the Thunder elemental kick Ethan's ass. Ever since the incident with rumour spreading Joshua had loathed the Water elemental with passion. At the same time, that Thunder guy was his enemy and Ethan (at least in terms of the war) was not supposed to be. Sighing, he decided to do the "right" thing and tossed the water bottle onto the bench where he'd been about to take a seat, heading over. Swallowing the bite of his sandwich, Josh approached the Thunder elemental from behind and whacked him in the back of the head. "Hi," he said to his enemy, in a mocking confrontational tone. Glancing at Ethan, he said with barely veiled sarcasm, "So did you make up stories about him, too?" Knowing that he'd have to stick around until the Thunder went down, Joshua took a step back from his opponent and blasted him heavily with fire.

[erin]

Ethan was more annoyed than anything. All he wanted was to walk to class without any trouble. Well, sure, he was a little nervous facing off against a Thunder…maybe more than a little. But he wouldn’t succumb to his fear. The guy was older, bigger, and had the elemental advantage but Ethan was going to stick around until the end. He had a bad feeling that the end of the fight meant his going down. But if it also meant he didn’t run away, then so be it. The one thing that made Ethan the most nervous was the fact that he couldn’t really rely on his element. Not that he had much skill in this area, but it was at least more defined than his physical strength. He’d been working on his element all through school and even though he slacked most of the time, he had picked up on a lot more than if he hadn’t gone to the Academy. Ethan balled his fists, ready to fight.

But neither he nor the Thunder was able to make their first move because they were both caught off guard by the arrival of a new person. Ethan’s stomach dropped when he realized who it was. He felt that Josh would probably think he’d started this all due to their previous meeting. And now he looked weak, like he needed saving. “So glad to see you,

[/color]” he snapped back sarcastically, not breaking his stance. He narrowed his eyes at Josh’s comment. “Very funny. I bumped into this big doof.[/color]” But that comment didn’t go over well with the Thunder. He made a move to attack but before he could do anything, Josh had hit him with a wave of fire.

“Thanks, but I really don’t need your help,[/color]” he said taking a step forward toward the Thunder. Before he could even raise his fist fully, a sharp shock nailed him in the stomach, making him double over. So, maybe he was well-aware that Josh’s help would mean winning against this guy. And most likely save his ass. But it didn’t mean he liked the thought of his help. However, Josh was his ally now. And he knew that Josh choosing to help him meant something. “All right, fine,[/color]” he said grudgingly. “Let’s kick his ass.[/color]” He didn’t like it, but he knew he needed Josh’s help. He really didn’t feel like losing again and he knew there was no other way around it than accepting Josh’s help.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Josh's morales and values were a strange thing. He had a twisted and usually unwavering loyalty to his friends and family but that loyalty was also grudgingly extended toward anyone he could count as his ally. He would not give his life for them as he would if they were one of his closest friends but at very least he would help out if he had to, even if--as with Ethan--he didn't particularly get along with the person in question. He merely smirked in response to the other boy, not bothering to answer verbally. Surprisingly enough, Josh actually believed that he'd just bumped into him rather than starting shit. Most people weren't stupid enough to run their mouths during a war and fights broke out for absolutely no reason at all. However, just because he believed him didn't necessarily mean he was going to give him credit. Joshua was not as vindictive as the Thunders but it was still quite possible for him to hold a bit of a grudge on occasion, especially when that occasion involved someone spreading rumours and lies about him. At least they weren't sexual, he mused, but it was a small comfort. Besides, Nell didn't listen to those rumours anyway. Thank god.

Shrugging, the Fire elemental stepped back with a cheerful, "Suit yourself, then." If Ethan was going to insist that he back off and not help him then Josh certainly wasn't going to argue. He was only helping because he felt the alliance made it necessary, not because he had any semblance of a hero complex. The shot to the stomach looked pretty painful, judging by the fact that Ethan doubled over with the impact. Wonder what grade this Thunder bastard is in? He was still pretty confident that he could take him as long as he wasn't too much older than Joshua himself, especially if Ethan were helping, but seeing as the Water elemental didn't want his help... Josh was just about to turn and leave when Ethan gave in and accepted the help. "Thought you might change your tune." Unfortunately, this verbal confirmation alerted the Thunder elemental to the fact that he was going to rejoin the fray. A blast of electricity made him tense and hiss a breath through his teeth, but thanks to his natural resistance it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. Rather than using his powers, he opted to punch the guy in the face instead--it was quicker and he figured the guy would be expecting a blast of fire instead.

Focusing his energy on the manipulation of heat rather than flame, now, Josh sent out a few blasts of it to thicken the air and shorten the length of the fight. He'd used it on Ethan before, it was a rather useful technique, but at the moment he tried his best to carefully avoid affecting either himself or his grudging ally in the fight. His expression was tense and rigid with concentration and he could feel the tug at the edge of his stamina but he wouldn't go down without a lot more firepower, first. That was the good thing about being in college, especially when it was so close to his junior year. He wasn't sure what grade Ethan was in but the guy had at least demonstrated reasonable stamina in the fight with Josh, he'd give him that. Silently. He might be able to admit to himself that his opponents and former ones were pretty good at what they did but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of voicing it aloud. "Going to help at all?" It carried a little less biting sarcasm than the last remark had--Joshua was trying to be decent, albeit not managing all too well.

[erin]

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Ethan was relieved Josh was there. He knew there would have been no way he’d have a chance at winning all alone. Of course, he wouldn’t let Josh know of this gratitude or how helpful his aid was going to be. He figured Josh assumed these things, but he wasn’t going to hear it from Ethan’s mouth. A split second of panic washed over Ethan when Josh began to leave. It wasn’t that he thought Josh wanted to help him—he figured if it weren’t for the alliance Ethan would be alone on this one—but that he didn’t realize Josh would actually leave. And even though it killed his pride, he knew he had to accept the help. There was no way around it. Ethan watched as the electricity hit Josh and secretly admired the fact that it seemed to have little effect on him. But he stood frozen as he watched Josh whack the kid in the face. Ethan found he was afraid of making the wrong move, afraid to lose again. He also was unsure as to what mode of attack to choose. Both physical and elemental fighting was a weakness for him, and he couldn’t decide which the better of two was.

Ethan watched as Josh seemed to become focused and concentrated. He was confused at first what he could be doing, but then he realized it was the same tactic Josh had used on him when he had made the air hotter. Ethan silently snickered at the Thunder, appreciative that it wasn’t him in his shoes. He remembered that this attack had really done a number on him. He had been drained in the first place, and the heat only intensified it. Ethan realized how little he was doing when Josh made the comment to him. He decided his insecurities about what tactic to use had to be thrown away; it’d do him no good to just stand there. Despite his obvious fault, Ethan couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice. “Of course not, I was expecting you to do everything,

[/color]” he shot back with obvious sarcasm. Now with the Thunder under the heat, he figured he had a better chance. Rather than risk a water attack, Ethan balled his fists and rapidly punched the Thunder in the cheek and then the gut. But using both fists right after another prevented him from blocking himself and ended him with an electrically charged punch to the gut. Ethan staggered back, his hands over his stomach. “Well how was that?[/color]” he said, unable to hide the sarcasm but with a touch of joking to it. Hey, he’d hit the kid. He noticed as a trickle of blood began to ran down the guy’s mouth. “Ooh, you’ve got me so scared,[/color]” he spat at the Thunder. But he didn’t seem to like Ethan’s comment as his scowl grew larger. Ethan straightened up, the pain beginning to ebb away. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua was completely unaware of Ethan's concerns when he'd been about to leave, having not realised that the comment hadn't been entirely serious. He didn't hesitate to return to the fight when Ethan admitted the desire for help. Joshua might have been a bit of an asshole and he certainly hadn't gotten over the rumours that Ethan had spread about him quite yet but he also was not a Thunder elemental. He wasn't vindictive enough that he would stand and watch someone who was supposedly on his side suffer at the hands of another. Not when they needed help. It was a twisted sort of loyalty that he'd probably acquired from being a Fire elemental--they always helped their own. He did not acknowledge this himself for he was more focused on the fight at hand. Oh, ouch, he thought, almost wincing as he noticed Ethan take a shot to the stomach and stagger back. "Nice one," he replied in response to the comment. Even Joshua didn't really know whether it was sarcastic or not. Maybe it wasn't. It was possible that he could put aside their differences both elementally and socially at least for the course of the fight--he wasn't always indecent and it wasn't like Ethan had offended him by hurting a family member. When you attacked Joshua personally he was actually less hell-bent on stringing you up by your innards. He worked in weird ways sometimes.

Thankfully the Thunder didn't seem to stand much of a chance against the two of them. Whilst his former ally was busy scowling at Ethan, Joshua was building up strength behind his elemental powers. Once he had enough focus he released the energy in the form of a fiery blast. The heat must have alerted their opponent a split second before it made contact--he tried to move, but the fire aimed at his back only caught his shoulder instead. Another blast met the lightning of the counter-attack in midair, causing an explosion of light and heat that made him blink a few times before regaining composure. It stunned him enough with the blinding flash that his opponent managed to catch him across the jaw, Joshua cursing loudly and shoving the Thunder back to stop him from getting it another good hit. Son... of a bitch. It was pretty painful, actually, and he could taste blood in his mouth from where his teeth had grazed the inside of it. Not wanting to show weakness in front of Ethan Joshua just spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, "Is that the best you've got? Not so tough when the fight's not in your favour, are you?"

[erin]

This was probably the first fight Ethan had ever felt confident in. Any doubts of losing had been washed away. The Thunder didn’t stand a chance any longer and Ethan bet he realized that by now. But if he did, he didn’t show it. Ethan couldn’t remember the last fight he had walked away from practically unharmed. Most likely because there wasn’t one. He could handle a few attacks, nothing serious had happened. But he couldn’t deny the fact that this was all thanks to Josh. If he hadn’t showed up, Ethan knew he’d be flat out on the ground by now. He was appreciative of this, but grudgingly. That meant he’d owe Josh. Even though they were allies as of the time, Josh didn’t have to come and bail him out. And he hated that Josh had done just that. Ethan loathed seeking help, admitting he couldn’t do something on his own. But he especially hated it when it was from someone he didn’t particularly like. And he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he’d have done the same for Josh. There was some shame Ethan felt for having been beaten by him. But Ethan knew he couldn’t be outright mean like that. All in all, Ethan was appreciative of Josh, but dreading having to show this gratitude because he knew he should.

Ethan watched Josh’s two attacks in front of him, so quick he couldn’t do anything. He figured if the Thunder hadn’t moved for the first attack, it would have knocked him back pretty hard. There couldn’t be that many more hits until the guy was down. Then again, he was rather big and would take a lot more to knock down than it would, say, for Ethan. He realized what was going to happen with the thunder and fire too late for him to react; the explosion blinded him momentarily, and as his vision returned he watched as the Thunder punched Josh in the jaw. Ethan winced, the hit looking bad but from Josh’s reaction it didn’t seem like it bothered him. Ethan gave the guy credit; he was tough. He decided he was going to throw in an elemental attack, wanting to switch it up. He sent a stream of water at the Thunder, whacking him across the face and blinding him temporarily, allowing Ethan to get a good punch to the guy’s ribcage. But the Thunder wasn’t down yet as he hit Ethan in the nose, causing him to lose his balance and fall on the ground. Clutching his nose, he felt the blood beginning to spill. “Ow,

[/color]” he muttered, unable to hide his pain. He knew it wasn’t broken, but it certainly didn’t feel good. And he wasn’t a fan of blood. “Let’s finish this chump off. Can’t take much more, can you? Pick a fight with the wrong group?[/color]” he said, mocking the guy with a baby voice, as if he couldn’t understand him. The Thunder was starting to look a little drained, especially since he’d used his power so much. Then again, maybe the guy had more kick in him than Ethan thought.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

The fight had really gone on long enough, short as it had been. Two on one was surely enough to easily pound this asshole into the ground, right? Especially since he, Joshua, was a Fire elemental. It would be a disgrace to his elemental advantage if he wasn't able to maintain the upper hand. It was different when your opponent was older than you as he'd proved in the fight with Ethan but the fact that this guy was not superior to him in age upped Josh's confidence in the situation quite a bit. Besides, Ethan was now sporting a bloody nose and Joshua's jaw was throbbing painfully--he didn't want to come away with this with a collection of injuries, thank you very much. He stepped back and out of the immediate range of the Thunder elemental so that the boy would need to use his powers in order to catch the older Fire off guard and then found the focus point of his powers again. The flames licked up slowly from the ground and followed a path almost as if there was gasoline underfoot, blocking off the immediate escape points with hot, thick fire. "Confident enough to run through that, buddy?" Joshua sneered. He had to focus on keeping the fire burning on the stone ground and could not make a second attack as he could have if this had been on grass or in the forest, but he was also not the only one on his side of the fight. The advantage of teaming up with someone was just that--a team. Working together to end a fight made it much quicker than when you were alone.

The fire edged slowly closer, though Joshua was concentrating hard on not breaking his focus and losing control over exactly how and where it burned. It was sapping his strength slowly to keep it burning without any fuel and with such precision so it was a good thing that this was fight was (hopefully) going to be over soon. If he let go now it might either come in contact with his ally instead, which would be bad, or it would disappear, which would be a wasted effort on his part and thus also pretty bad. "Go for it," he said to Ethan. He was prepared to shape the fire and use it as a shield to block the electricity if he had to (if the Thunder attacked Ethan, that is) but hopefully the guy wouldn't be that smart. The added heat from the flame was joining the heat wave from earlier and now even Josh was starting to feel it. Natural resistance helped, at least, so he and Ethan were likely less affected than his elementally-disadvantaged opponent. "This'll teach you to mess with our side," he sneered at the Thunder, gray eyes flashing coldly. He might not have liked Ethan all too much but there was still satisfaction in seeing this bastard go down. Not only that, but Joshua didn't see this as something the Water would 'owe' him, even if Ethan saw it that way himself. Josh was helping because they were forced onto the same side. It was an issue of pride and loyalty rather than personal issues.

[erin]

Blood covered Ethan’s hand as he pulled it away from his nose. He wiped it with his sleeve, but it didn’t stop the blood from flowing from his nose. Wonderful, he thought, agitated. This guy was seriously getting on his nerves. Ethan was mainly annoyed by the great inconvenience the Thunder had caused. He was already going to be late for his next class, but now he’d have to run back to his dorm to fix his face or possibly visit the medical ward. He’d definitely miss the class completely. And he’d wanted to pick some of his grades up with the little time he had left before he graduated. He gritted his teeth as he tried once more to stanch the blood but to no avail. All right, he was tired of this Thunder.

The sides of Ethan’s lips perked up when the fire erupted from the ground, blocking the Thunder’s path. The guy must’ve been an idiot for sticking around once Josh showed up. Ethan wondered if the guy really thought he stood a chance. Well, he did make it this far and had a few good hits. But in the end, it was clear who was going to come out victorious. And Ethan had to admit it felt good to be on the winning side for once. He felt the heat from the flames and he figured controlling the fire must require a lot of energy. “Aw, are you scared?

[/color]” he chided, adding to Josh’s comment. “No way out now, bud.[/color]” He smiled, knowing the Thunder had to be feeling drained by now. On top of him using his powers, the heat had to be cranked up even more now. Ethan couldn’t help but smirk when Josh told him to go for it. He just hoped he’d be able to knock the guy down for good. Truth be told, he didn’t have that much confidence in his abilities but the situation was in his favor: the Thunder was tired and outmatched.

Ethan decided to hit the guy instinctively, whichever way came first when he approached him. The Thunder appeared to be distracted by the flames, and Ethan swore he saw a flicker of worry on his face at the fire surrounding him. Ethan balled his fists and darted at the guy, swinging his right fist and then his left at both sides of the Thunder’s face. He took both hits directly in the jaw on each side of his face. The guy started to raise his fist, but Ethan punched him square in the mouth before he could act on it. A dazed look replaced the fury in the Thunder’s eyes as blood began to run from his mouth. Ethan worried he punched a tooth out; he’d never actually inflicted that much damage to someone before. But his worry quickly abated when he realized how little he cared about this guy. “How’s it feel?[/color]” he jeered as the Thunder took a few shaky steps back. Ethan figured he’d be down in a matter of seconds.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua felt a sort of satisfaction as he watched the Thunder seemingly reconsider having stuck around this long. He was not a sadist and did not naturally enjoy watching or making other people suffer but this guy was his enemy. This guy had bitten off more than he could chew in a fight and Joshua was determined to show him the consequences to that. He would once have just stood back and watched the fight so that he could congratulate the Thunder on a job well done once he had Ethan in pain on the ground but the tables had flipped now. The grass really was greener on the other side when it was grass maintained by the Earth elementals. He might have missed the familiarity and comfort of his element sometimes but he didn't miss it enough to regret his decision. Nell's friends with this guy, isn't she? If he had known that the first time he might not have been so quick to attack him but, hey, Ethan had gotten on Joshua's bad side. Nell or no Nell, the situation likely wouldn't have changed. He was his own person and he could make his own decisions. Nell couldn't hold his hand and guide him through what he could and could not do and thankfully she didn't try to. You're lucky to have her, he thought, mind wandering for a moment. The flames wavered momentarily and broke his train of thought as he focused again and they flared as hot and bright as they had been before.

Their combined taunting of the Thunder elemental seemed to infuriate the boy but he could do nothing about it without running into the flames or else straight at Ethan. Josh hoped that the Water elemental would have the sense to make the first move and get the upper hand. When he did the Fire graduate felt a sense of relief, still keeping most of his attention on the blazing barrier so that the Thunder couldn't make his escape from Ethan's fists. At last the Water stepped back and Joshua waved his left hand, the flames twisting and dispersing into the air. The drain was immediate and significant enough that he felt it, blinking a few times as the dizziness disoriented him. The Thunder rounded on him, apparently thinking about attacking him whilst he was in his down time. Though he still felt a bit sick from the read rush the sapped strength was giving him Joshua sneered and said, "You're done. Don't even think about it." A tongue of fire started to form, snaking closer to his opponent. He barely felt the drain on this seeing as it was in mid-air rather than burning against stone and the Thunder seemed to get the point. Joshua kept his glare on the boy's retreating back as if debating whether to send the twisting rope of fire after him but ultimately decided against it as he let it vanish once more.

Now that they were not united in a common goal the situation suddenly felt a lot more tense and awkward. The heck did you say to someone whose guts you normally hated anyway? 'Good job, still hate you, tata for now'? It seemed way too double-sided. Joshua glanced at him with a neutral expression, gray eyes blank and unreadable. The heat was starting to calm down as well now that there was no longer a fight going on or fire in the air and Joshua suddenly felt a lot more hungry than he had going into this. He made up his mind to go back to the mess hall after... after what? He wasn't sure how to segway into getting out of this situation because it wasn't often that he tried to cooperate with his enemies. At all, really. "Good fight," he said at last, shrugging.

[erin]

Ethan had a new found feeling of confidence in this fight. Not the type of confidence as compared to insecurity, he certainly had enough of that. But confidence of winning, succeeding. That was something new to Ethan. And he liked it. The fact that he knew the person in the wrong here would be served justice made Ethan feel good. It was usually him on the other end of the fist. Sure, a lot of the time it was cause of him talking big game. And being able to look back at it, Ethan knew he was wrong in the fight with Josh. But here it was different. He hated the idea of the big guy getting away. Satisfaction welled up inside of him at the thought of the Thunder being put in his place. The war in general was a bunch of nonsense in Ethan’s opinion, anyway. It just gave people like this guy a reason to start fights with the little guy, like himself. Wars brought out the worst in people. Sometimes the best but not most of the time. He didn’t like the tension in the air around the Academy. He felt like every step he took had to be planned out. Times like these Ethan found himself in a danger zone because it wasn’t unlike him to start talking bad about the opposing side. He also wondered how it must be like for Josh to be fighting against his own element. Even if he didn’t like the guy he couldn’t deny the credit he gave him for switching over. Ethan would never be able to go against his own element. Yes, he didn’t care what others thought of him, but he did care if they saw him as a traitor. He didn’t think he could handle that.

The sight of the Thunder’s fading strength elated Ethan. As did the feeling of his fists colliding with the guy’s face. It felt good to be able to put someone in their place. Watching as the Thunder retreated from Josh’s flame, Ethan couldn’t deny the sense of pride filling him. Maybe this would teach the guy to back off. Probably not, but at least he and Josh had made a point. But as the Thunder left, he realized just he and Josh were left. He honestly wanted to thank Josh. If it weren’t for him, he’d be flat out on the ground by now. But his ego stopped him. He could feel the awkwardness creeping up, could sense it in Josh’s words. “Yeah, you too,

[/color]” he said, not really sure what else to say. But there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. It wasn’t as if he wanted to forget everything and be best friends with Josh, but he felt he owed him some sort of gratitude. “Hey, listen,[/color]” he started, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I know we might not get along, but I appreciate you helping. So, thanks.[/color]” He didn’t know what else to add. He certainly wasn’t going to apologize for their previous fight, he had too much pride. And he wasn’t naïve enough to assume all grudges would be eradicated now, but he hoped maybe this would clear the air a little. At least make it so they would be able to bear each other’s presence in the future.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

As a fighter by nature, Joshua always felt some sort of pride in winning. It was never anything sadistic or substantial but it was sure as hell a lot better than drawing the short end of the stick and getting your ass kicked by whomever you happened to go up against. He remembered Jacob, the Water graduate, and how the other boy had pulled a cheap shot by nearly drowning him. He had played upon Joshua's irrational fear of water and his rational fear of being killed by it and that had made the fight even easier than usual. Losing had been a harsh blow to his pride. This was different, this was a victory. His gray eyes were still unreadable as he glared after the Thunder but he smirked slightly for a brief moment before his attention was diverted. Right. Ethan. Shit. Joshua had never been any good at confrontations like this. He was fine being angry with people, he was alright with tolerating them, but a sticky in-between? That was a lot different. He didn't suppose it was any better for the Water elemental himself but that offered little consolation. The fact that it was uncomfortable on both ends was perhaps the kicker of the whole situation. Ethan returned the compliment--was that even what it was?--and Joshua was just wondering what in the hell he should do now (walk away?) before his enemy-turned-ally spoke again.

Listening, he thought dryly, because what else was he going to do? He at least had the sense not to speak his sarcasm aloud and cause more problems. He thought that Ethan was going to start something with him (always assuming the worst in people, Josh was) so when the opposite happened he was mildly surprised. He blinked, considering this. "I don't hold grudges," he shrugged after a moment. It was partially true. He could stay angry at someone for a while but if there was something in place that could resolve the conflict or if the issue was left alone for long enough he usually got over it. "After all, I'm not aligned with that idiot." He gestured vaguely in the direction the Thunder had went. He'd been making a subtle--well, not too subtle--jab at the fact that most if not all Thunder elementals were a vindictive sort. They could hold grudges and most of them would not forget. That likely meant being attacked by this guy again some time in the near future. Oh joy. Josh knew he could handle him but he didn't exactly look forward to it. "Uh, yeah," he said, still a tad awkwardly. He wasn't used to being mature and dealing with his rivalries, conflicts, what have you. He usually 'dealt with them' by fighting all over again. "No problem."

[Awkward conversation is amazingly awkward xD]

[erin]

Now that the Thunder had been taken care of, Ethan found his pulse slowing down and his adrenaline rush dying out. The day’s events had started and ended rather quickly and it took him a moment to process everything. After all, he hadn’t been expecting to get in a confrontation with anyone. And he especially wasn’t expecting someone he didn’t like to come to his aid. The day had become a blur of events in his mind. Ethan began looking forward to retreating back to the dorm room and lying down, as soon as he fixed the issue with his bleeding nose. He couldn’t help but appreciate how the war obviously brought out the worst in people, but sometimes brought out some good. If it weren’t for the war and the alliances, Ethan would have bet any amount of money that Josh wouldn’t have come to his aid. And why would he? Ethan wouldn’t have if there was no alliance between them. Of course, if it weren’t for the war he wouldn’t have been in a fight in the first place, but that was beside the point. Originally Ethan felt alliances only caused trouble, but he was starting to think a little differently. Sure, this didn’t mean he and Josh were going to be best friends from now on. But he got help when he needed it and was grateful for that.

But now that there was no common enemy, Ethan wasn’t sure what exactly to do. Did he walk away? What was the proper way to leave the situation? It wasn’t like the two of them were friends. He assumed Josh was feeling the same way, the awkward air was almost tangible for him. He nodded at Josh’s comment of not holding grudges. That actually provided him with a spec of relief. Ethan didn’t like the idea of people hating him. He knew it didn’t mean Josh liked him or vice versa, but at least it made the air somewhat clearer. It was unusual for Ethan to not have something to say as it was hard to get him to be quiet, but now was one of those times. He knew he would never apologize, but he felt there was something else he should say. “And I know we got off on a wrong foot but… well it was really decent of you to help,

[/color]” he said, choosing his words carefully. He didn’t want to make it sound like he wanted to be buddy-buddy with him. “I would’ve gotten my ass kicked, as you might know,[/color]” he admitted, making a slight, brief smile. It was a sad attempt at lightening the air between them. Besides, he wasn’t ashamed of his inferior physical ability. It was quite obvious.

He brought his shirt sleeve to his nose once more and as he pulled it away, noticed it was smeared with blood. Clearly he’d have to go clean his face before he did anything. And probably change his shirt as there was now blood on it. “I, uh, should probably go do something about this,[/color]” he said, with a small smile once more. Maybe this would be the escape he figured both he and Josh were looking for to release themselves from the awkward situation.

--hah yay uncomfortableness!--
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