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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Nov 8, 2012 3:34:45 GMT -5
costume
Ashton knew that the jealousy he'd felt toward Cameron in earlier years was normal, that it was not his fault he felt that way, but it was reassuring to have his girlfriend point it out. It meant she didn't think he was stupid for having a period of jealousy. He'd grown into a remarkably non-envious person over the years and the Earth elemental felt like his experiences with the green monster in youth had everything to do with that. He'd learned to get over it because there were so much more important things. "I'm just glad it didn't wreck things with my brother." They could have grown up as rivals and that didn't sound like a good thing. Who wanted to fight with the family that they had? He gave a bright and enthusiastic smile when she mentioned her own little brother, remembering that she was an older sibling as well now. "If you want to I'm sure you will! Mindset has a lot to do with it." He wasn't exactly one for being deep, this was about as serious as he could get without becoming flustered by the amount of overthinking, but he was speaking from experience here. "I know that things got better after I decided to stop being mean to him." Ashton, mean? It seemed like a strange concept but children were a lot less cautious than adults. Besides, it had been verbal attacks the majority of the time and a few fits pitched and things blamed on his little brother. Nothing physical. He'd never been violent, not even when he was a child and biting was considered the equivalent of a kick to the nuts or a punch to the face.
He didn't envy the staff of the medical wing their jobs. There was a lot of potential for injury at an Academy where teenagers and young adults could kick one another's asses with the power of the five elements and so there was probably a lot of drama that went on behind the scenes. He wasn't good at dealing with drama. He was glad they were there, though, because he'd be charred to a crisp if all the burns he'd received over the years had been left to 'heal' on their own. He didn't want to be scarred, thank you very much. "If we get out," he echoed, chuckling. He didn't sound nearly as frustrated with their situation as Lark, simply because he wasn't. Ashton was a very patient guy and he found it easy to stay calm in situations that might be considered stressful. Of course he also became an emotional wreck when he was upset or really drunk and he envied Lark and her ability to conceal her emotions as well as she did. Except anger. "Avery..." His brows knitted together as he tried to put a name to the face. He didn't know names as well as Lark because he'd never really gotten to know any of the medical staff on a personal level. He was friendly and all but he tended to go in and out of the wing as fast as possible. Hospitals were not places he was fond of because he didn't like spending time among the sick and injured. It depressed him, quite frankly. "Yeah. I'm sure someone can tell us something. I'd hate to have to resort to like, the library or something." He wasn't allergic to books or anything but the place was huge and he didn't know the layout too well. He doubted they'd find an answer to their question on Google.
He and Lark must have been close, for he heard her curse under her breath. Catching on, he said, "Wait, so you think Nell's messing with us?" He looked up as if expecting to see the Earth girl hovering above him with a devious smile on her lips. He saw only the night sky dotted with stars. If she could see them, they certainly couldn't see her. Lark sounded like she was frustrated with their friends and he wished that he could calm her down but it was hard to do that when they could not even see one another. "I've got some paths I can follow but I don't know how far away they'll take me... guh, I don't know what to do." Distressed rather than frustrated, the Earth elemental pulled off his mask for a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow and run a hand through his hair. Tugging it back on, he wished he had Batman's array of gadgets at his disposal. He was sure one of them would come in handy.
He winced when Lark swore, glad that she could not see his physical reaction to her anger. He didn't want her to feel bad for startling him or anything—Ashton was a jumpy guy, it was to be expected. She suggested cheating and he hesitated, glancing around him as if he expected someone to scold him for trying it. Chewing his bottom lip, he tentatively said, "I mean... I could give it a try..." He took a few steps toward where her voice was strongest and placed a hand on the leaves. He could feel branches under his palm but they didn't hurt him. Concentrating his power, he was excited momentarily as the bushes started to shift underneath his touch. It was like peeling back a curtain. He caught a glimpse of Lark and then, so suddenly it nearly made him jump, the bushes closed themselves again. "Damn!" He was on the verge of suggesting a new plan when he felt something grab him from behind. He let out a half-yelp, half-scream of surprise as he found himself being pulled into the hedge behind him, the vines strong and unyielding. He struggled with his plant captors to no avail, eventually giving up and blinking slowly. "We, um, we've got a bit of a situation here..." Can't move. He could breathe, at least, and talk, because his friend wasn't an evil bitch and she hadn't wrapped vines around his face or his neck.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 12, 2012 2:27:54 GMT -5
OUTFIT.
Lark now wondered what would happen if she allowed her anger and bitterness towards Paula to seep into the relationship with Carter. It probably would not even exist and the boy would grow up with the knowledge that his sister wanted nothing to do with him. Paula was the type of person to use that against Lark. Sometimes she wondered if her mother was part Thunder. "I'm glad too. In the end family is usually all you have." That was not pessimism in her opinion, but the truth. Well, for people other than her anyway. She held onto those like Josh, because he felt as close to being family as anyone could get. Ashton's family was still functional and well put together. Lark was glad for that. She nodded in agreement, smiling before glancing off elsewhere; Carter was a good kid and he had done nothing wrong, not to mention she was eighteen years old and capable of handling things like an adult. It would hopefully be easier now than it would have been eight or nine years ago when child-like jealousy could cause serious problems. Even Ashton battled with it when he was young. "You? Mean?" She asked, blinking. That was difficult to believe, but then again people changed as they grew older. There were things about Ashton she was still learning and this was one of them. He did not even seem capable of scowling, something that seemed second nature to her. Even now she wondered why he decided to date her of all people. Not insulting his intelligence but times like these made her realize how abrasive she was, not to mention her temper.
She released an inward moan; this maze was ridiculously annoying. Good thing one of them did not seem as phased by this as the other because having both of them gripe and grumble over it would certainly do more harm than good. Even Ashton did not seem entirely sure if they were going to make it out of there any time soon and that just made things worse. Lark watched as her boyfriend mulled over Avery's name, wondering if he knew who the nurse was or if it rang any sort of bell. Maybe not. "Yeah, he's one of the nurses. You two would probably get along." She said cheerfully. Both of them were social creatures so it was a possibility. Then again Lark was never the best at matching personalities. "Ah, the library wouldn't be so bad but I'm not curious enough to spend hours reading books when I have other stuff I could be doing." Work, guitar lessons, school, friends, Ashton...there were a lot of things she deemed more important than a random inquiry about elemental allergies.
"I dunno, it's possible," Lark replied, feeling comforted by the fact that Ashton was at least nearby. Driven apart by a bush. That sounded like a cheesy rendition of some sort of dramatic playwright. She might have been more amused if she were not distracted by the fact that they were not only lost, but separated. "I have a couple of paths too, but I think a few of them lead in the other direction..." And of course that would be counter-productive. "There is one that runs along this row of bushes but if I wander too far and get turned around we could make it worse." She pointed out, noting to herself that she had a knack for finding dead ends. Splitting up was a horrible idea and if they both wandered off again, who knew what that would do. At least he seemed interested in cheating. As horrible as it was, Lark could not come up with anything else that would bring them back together. This would eliminate further confusion and her rage. Please work... She stared at the hedge, watching and waiting. Finally it started to move and a brief flicker of hope welled up in her chest, but as soon as it appeared--like that of Ashton's face--it vanished and the bush was forced shut again. "Goddammit!" Lark cursed loudly, muscles tense. So focused on her anger, it took her a moment to even hear her boyfriend's cries, but they were enough to distract her from their situation. Her fists were still clenched tightly, knuckles white. "Ash! You okay?" From here Lark had no idea what was going on but obviously by his response it was not good.
Now determined to get out of this one way or another, the Fire took a step back and sized up the hedge looming before her. "I'm gonna try and burn this shit down." She stated factually. She was not sure who was controlling the bushes but she wished they would find someone else to mess with. Putting one hand out in front of her, Lark released a large ball of fire aimed straight for the bush. First there was a small smile of satisfaction on her face, which was quickly replaced with a scowl when she realized it was not even making contact with the leaves and branches. "What. The actual. Fuck!" Lark growled, hand dropping to her side and allowing the fire to dissipate. Josh, maybe. "I...I have no idea what to do." She finally admitted, though grudgingly. Ashton sounded trapped, her fire had no affect on the bushes, and they were separated. Wonderful.
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Nov 14, 2012 8:04:12 GMT -5
costume
Lark expressed her surprise and Ashton ducked his head, sheepish and embarrassed by the old memories. He knew he wasn't a bad person for succumbing to the jealousy that many children suffered but he didn't like to think about the things he'd said and done to his brother. It had never involved violence but the lies and passive aggressive behaviour was enough to make him feel regret. "Well, when I say mean," he chuckled, "I mean like blaming stuff on him and stuff. It was never anything bad but he's my brother... I still feel bad, y'know?" Cameron didn't remember and that was probably the only thing that made him feel better about the past. His brother did not hold it against Ashton or resent him for all the times his big brother had gotten him into trouble or pitched a fit for attention because he'd been too young to really understand. "He's never said anything, though." That was what made the Earth graduate assume that his brother was either incredibly forgiving or simply didn't have any recollection of the arguments they'd had when they were younger. He tried his best to make up for those years by avoiding fights as often as he could nowadays. They still had their occasional arguments but that was all a part of family life.
He wondered if he had ever met Avery before and simply didn't have a name for the face but he was content to trust in Lark's assurance that he would most likely get along with the nurse. "Probably!" he agreed with optimism. He was sure that he'd be able to get along with anyone that Lark assured him was a good person. He had a lot of trust in others and his trust in his girlfriend reached the extremes. "You should introduce me some time!" He loved meeting new people and making friends so he would be willing to meet Avery if Lark was so sure that they'd get along. He made a face. "I've seen more of the library than I ever wanted to lately. College is hard." It was shaping up to be less and less of his thing. He didn't like how stressful the tests were and he often left projects until the last minute. It was a high school habit that he was having a lot of trouble breaking. He was only a freshman and he was already feeling the strain. His mother didn't want him to back out but his father hadn't seemed surprised when Ashton had mentioned the idea in passing.
In retrospect, Ashton decided that it wasn't all that surprising to think that the woman who'd built the maze was now messing with their heads by shifting it around. He laughed weakly. "Nell," he whined, though he knew that she wouldn't be able to hear him from wherever she was holed up. He imagined her with an innocent smile on her face as she trolled them. "Yeah, same," he said, glancing over his shoulder and around to his left and right to examine the ways that he could see. "Well if we're not going to chance it, what will we do? I don't really wanna stand here all night or anything, it's gonna get colder." He hadn't noticed that the warmth in the maze was unnatural and that they'd have been much colder in reality without it. Instead Ashton merely assumed that the nightly chill hadn't settled in yet despite the fact that the sun had long since been sucked below the horizon. "I don't want to get too separated but we're not solving anything when we're just standing still..." He released a long and slow breath of air, lifting a hand up to brush his hand through his hair and coming in contact with the rubber bat ears instead. He gave one a tug and then dropped his hand. This is difficult.
After getting drawn into the bush by the vines, Ashton heard his girlfriend ask if he was all right. He laughed, not sounding hurt or worried. "I'm uh, I'm okay I think," he assured her. "Just stuck." Would she catch what he meant by that? Deciding to elaborate so that there was no doubt, he said, "In a bush. Thanks, Nell." Oh well. He wasn't really angry at his friend. It was funny if he really thought about it. Lark said something about burning the bush and his eyes went wide. "Are you sure that's a good—" He stopped himself as he saw the fire, instinctively trying to lean away from it. Years at the Academy had taught him that Fire and Earth didn't mix and while he trusted Lark not to attack him he was not sure if the bushes would catch and the blaze would spread. But there would be no blaze at all, it seemed, because the maze hosts were at play again. "Again? They hate us." He didn't sound angry, nor was he. "It's okay, Lark! I'll work something out..." He focused on moving the bushes that had trapped him and this time they shifted under his influence. Apparently Nell was deciding to be nice to him. He stepped out of the bush and brushed leaves from his costume as the bush closed behind him as if it had never opened up at all. "Come on, we'll pick a direction and follow it together. It's bound to lead to a path that meets eventually, right?" He was calm, trying to be the voice of reason.
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 15, 2012 18:33:08 GMT -5
OUTFIT.
Lark refrained from laughing because it seemed to bother Ashton that he had experienced a small mean streak in the past, but in all honesty when he said 'mean' her mind went somewhere else entirely. If she had to deal with bouts of jealousy with a sibling, she knew for a fact that--assuming they were old enough to even comprehend anything--she would not go so easy on them. Blaming them for her actions would only be a small part of it. Given the situation Lark had a feeling that she would relish in making them cry on occasion simply out of anger. She was an angry person though, and a vindictive person too. Ashton wasn't. Opposites attract? Maybe the phrase stood true. She gave him an understanding smile. "Yeah, I know. You're a lot sweeter to Cameron than most people are to their siblings when they're jealous or mad, so I don't think it's much of a big deal." Some people were mean to their siblings simply because they could be, without any instigation what-so-ever. Lark at least needed a self-justified reason of sorts. She nodded at him, still listening, glad that his family life seemed to be smooth in comparison to many other people. She considered hers to be decently smooth now, even if she loathed her parents for the past. Maybe one day she could come to terms and try to put things back together.
"I will," Lark agreed, feeding off of Ashton's enthusiasm. She knew he was a social person and did not normally hesitate with meeting new people so meeting her nurse friend would not be much of an issue. It was still nice to know that he was willing to meet people she knew, trusting her judgment of others enough to at least shake their hand and make their acquaintance if nothing more. She frowned sympathetically and inclined her head towards him. "I'm sorry babe," She apologized lightly. "Are you gonna finish school or do something else?" Genuine curiosity. Not everyone was cut out for school, and if he was already unhappy with it then would he actually stick with it? She had plans for college and--thanks to her best friend being a good influence--she decided that shirking her homework and studying was a no go. Things were going to change. Joshua's perseverance and success was admirable and Lark aspired to follow him in perseverance. A doctor was not her calling but music was and she wanted to use her skills to make a difference.
She hated feeling helpless and lost. It gave a sense of vulnerability that only pushed the frustration onward and prevented any logical thoughts from formulating properly. She ignored him whining Nell's name and instead tried to think of something--anything--that would help them. "I don't know," Her voice was a low murmur, maybe not even loud enough for him to hear. "I don't think it's going to get any colder, though. Not with Josh around." She noted a bit louder to reassure Ashton that they weren't going to turn into human ice cubes. She was a bit more confident in that than anything else. Her boyfriend's comment did cause her to draw her brows together and scowl; he was right but it still felt like a sort of insult. "I'm trying to come up with something!" Her voice was edgy as she replied, lip twitching. Ashton had done nothing wrong of course but everything was piling up and making Lark frustrated at everything. Every time she felt that pang of guilt, too. That was never pleasant either because apologizing for her shortcomings was hard. At least he voiced that he was safe; she did not think Nell or anyone else would harm him but she was protective.
Claiming to be trapped in a bush was not a surprise considering who their hosts were. At least they didn't send scary people after him or something, otherwise this situation would be a lot worse. "At least you're alright," She stated as levelly as possible. Lark did not even hear her boyfriend as she released the flames. She was not nearly as strong as Josh was and that put her at a disadvantage. Damn! This was not fair in the least! All she wanted to do now was grab Ashton, get out of the maze, and go find something to munch on. Her anger and attempt at setting the bush ablaze left her feeling tired. The girl stood in silence as he said he would work something out, allowing herself time to try and breathe. Tempers and expelling elemental energy at the same time was a bad combination. Sighing, Lark said, "Yeah, okay. Let's try it. I think this path to my left is the best bet on my end, what about you?" Her voice sounded distant and tired, but determined. Once they figured out which way to take she wandered through the bushes once again, calling out to Ashton every once in a while to make sure they were not being taking in different directions. Eventually she found an opening and picked up the pace, peering around it to catch sight of the Earth graduate. Her smile was full of relief. "You're a genius," She complemented, leaning against the bush for a moment. "No more separating. Nope." That was too infuriating for her, and the sense of helplessness was not welcomed. She kicked away from the bush and stopped next to Ashton, leaning up to give him an apologetic kiss on the cheek before glancing around. "Let's find the exit. I'm hungry now and I could do with Nell's home cooking."
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Post by ASHTON CAMDEN RALEIGH on Nov 16, 2012 17:28:01 GMT -5
costume
Lark expressed her sympathy for his dislike of school and then asked after his plans for college, a question that made the Earth graduate pause and look away for a moment. Would she judge him for how he wanted to leave? He'd never brought it up with her before and so he couldn't be sure. Still, Ashton was an honest guy and wouldn't feel comfortable avoiding a subject like this one. With a sigh, he admitted, "I... I didn't want to." His hands were in his pockets and he wasn't looking at Lark, never one to make eye contact when he was talking about things that made him uncomfortable. He liked to be smiling and happy so that none of his friends and family worried about him but school was a tense subject as of late in the Raleigh household. "My Mom's not too happy about it, though... Dad doesn't want to take sides and she's threatening to make me move out if I don't go back." He didn't like fighting with his mother. She'd always been the one that had made the rules and enforced them, the stricter of his parents, but that didn't mean that it was any less upsetting when they clashed. Ashton wasn't good at arguing, he wasn't good at sticking up for himself. "I just... I don't know if I want a degree, you know? Four years and I might not even end up using it..." He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to go into sports. Snowboarding wasn't as big as hockey in Canada but he knew there were competitions and he believed that he was good enough to make at least a decent living off of it. He laughed and shrugged, finally looking her way as he attempted to shrug it off. "It's no big deal, though. I've still got time to decide." He didn't want Lark to worry about him. He didn't want anyone to worry.
He did not hear the mumbled words of his girlfriend through the hedges and so he did not respond immediately. Only when she raised her voice for his benefit did he have an answer. "Oh, right, yeah, he can do things with heat and stuff..." It was admirable in a way but Ashton didn't think he envied Josh and Lark their Fire powers. He could not see himself as anything but an Earth elemental, his connection with plants made him feel special. He supposed everyone's element made them feel like that. "Hey, you'll be able to do that once you get to college, won't you? That'll be cool, huh?" Well, not everyone chose to expand their elemental development. Some people chose only to broaden their stamina and still others simply weren't capable of learning whatever it was they were trying to learn. His element was perhaps the only thing keeping him in college at this point. He didn't know if he was going to take his mother's advice and stay on at college and switch his major to something more practical. Lark snapped at him again and Ashton winced. "You know that's not what I meant," he said softly. He wasn't trying to rush her, he was simply talking for the sake of talking and that was it. At the same time, Lark had a temper problem. He'd known that from the beginning. If he wasn't okay with it then he would have backed out a long time ago. Besides, Lark was better for him than Asha had ever been.
He wasn't usually the type to take charge of a situation but when he could tell that his companion(s) were stressed out he was capable of stepping up. It was something that had been instilled in the once hesitant Earth elemental during his leadership days. "I've got one on my right... that should line up, right?" His right would be her left and vice versa if he was right about where they were standing. "Let's try it and see..." He would call back each time that she called to him in an attempt to ensure they were on the right track and it was comforting to at least know that they weren't getting too distanced from one another as they followed their separate paths. He was not expecting to see her face when he turned the corner and his lips broke into a smile when he did. "Hey, we got it!" She called him a genius and he ducked his head sheepishly, flattered. He was sure that if Nell and Josh really wanted to fuck with them further they would never get out of the maze but apparently their friends had some mercy in them. This was probably for the best considering he didn't think Lark's patience should be tested any further. He wasn't mad at her, though (of course not, this was Ashton) and so he smiled when she leaned up and kissed his cheek, returning the gesture. "Yeah, me too," he agreed. He aimed to keep up an endless babble of conversation as they walked, talking about nothing and everything to distract Lark from how long it was going to take them to find the exit. As it turned out it didn't take much longer and he held out his hand for a high five when they left the maze. "Hey, we're awesome, huh?" He blinked. "I have a feeling we both lost." Thanks Josh and Nell. Thanks. "So do we split, or...?"
[This can end with your post? <3]
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Post by LARK MARIE HARPER on Nov 19, 2012 21:22:32 GMT -5
OUTFIT.
Ashton looked away from her, lips dipping into a frown of concern. Had she said something wrong? Maybe the question struck a nerve. He did not seem upset, really, but she supposed that he would confirm or deny his emotions whenever he gave an answer. "Well, then don't," Lark stated plainly, shrugging her shoulders to show how his desire to leave school did not bother her. People could do as they pleased, choose what they wanted to do with their lives. Ashton was no exception to that rule, and all she wanted was for him to be happy. There was a surge of irritation and protectiveness when he mentioned that his mother was threatening to kick him out of the house. It took everything in her power to keep her response from being bitter. "It's not her business what you do," She pointed out. "If you aren't made for school, you aren't made for school. Why do something that makes you miserable?" Sure, maybe her parents were not approving of the fact that she was pursuing a music career because it was not easy to make money, but it was not their life to live. The same went for her boyfriend. Whatever he wished to pursue, she would support him one hundred percent. "And if she does kick you out, you'll have places to go." Lark did not offer her apartment outright, even though her door was open for him any time he wanted to be around. She smiled and placed a hand on his arm, giving it a supportive but affectionate squeeze. If this was what he wanted, then she would approve. He had plenty of time, that was true.
She could not wait to reach the level in her elemental power where heat was attainable. Winter would no longer be an issue and it would be helpful in a fight too. She nodded when Ashton confirmed that Josh had heat manipulation abilities. It certainly helped them with the maze and kept the outdoors unnaturally warm for the party. That was a definite plus. "Yep, I'm gonna work hard to get it too. I've wanted to manipulate heat since Josh could first do it." She had been amazed and found herself enthusiastic about the prospect of adding to her powers and becoming stronger. While her new allies were Earth and Water she still loved her element and wanted to improve upon it as much as possible. Right now she was less focused on the future of her Fire abilities and more focused on the fact that they were stuck. In doing so she snapped at Ashton yet again and could only feel that tiny trickle of guilt directly after he replied in his soft tone. It made her wonder why he put up with it sometimes. Instead of saying anything she just sighed and made it loud enough for him to hear.
"Yeah, it should," Lark agreed, not really caring about who took charge of the situation at this point. Stubborn, yes, but she simply wanted to get out of this situation as fast as possible. She trusted Ashton to make good decisions. It was not hard to follow him as they called back and forth. She smiled brightly at him as they met up once again. "Yeah we did. Finally. I don't mind doing things on my own but..." She trailed off and shrugged; doing things on her own when she was not originally with someone was simple, but if she started something with another person it was nice to have the company the entire time. His kiss reassured her that things were alright and he was not too upset by her previous outbursts. She followed him, allowing him to make any and all conversation that he could possibly create and responding accordingly. Surprisingly the chatter was helping, his voice calming to her frayed nerves and irritation. He was the only one who could calm her down the way he did, and sometimes all he had to do was smile at her or offer a hug. Lark's hand met his in mid-air for a high five. "The most awesome, of course," She bragged lightly, knowing that they failed quite epically before now. She chuckled. "Yeah I think we did, but that's okay. Could be worse, right?" They could still be lost, or Josh and Nell could have made it impossible to get out by closing off every exit. Positive thoughts. "How about my treat? I can manage it." Lark offered willingly. It was the least she could do for earlier without outwardly apologizing for everything.
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