closing walls & ticking clocks | israel

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

Rowena wasn't a big fan of the cold and a single look at her outfit could tell anyone why. Her attire wasn't exactly suitable for winter weather and the jacket that she'd hastily thrown on before going out the door wasn't much better. She was glad for the sanctuary of her old but functional car as she ducked inside and closed the door, hoping that the heater didn't act up and refuse to start. A hand over the vent and a sigh of relief later, she took comfort in the fact that life was being kind to her and backed out of the parking space, going over the directions in her head. She was headed to a friend's house, Israel, one of the few people in her life that she didn't want to murder after more than an hour in his presence. It was a place she'd never been before and she didn't recognise the name of the street, meaning it was somewhere far away from the wretched downtown area where the bulk of the apartment buildings were located.

It came as no surprise to her when she got lost several times on the way to her friend's. That's what I get for trusting an app to get me there, I guess. Several wrong turns and a bout of mild frustration later she found herself on a long road flanked by some of the biggest houses she'd ever seen in her life—bigger than even the nice house she'd grown up in. They were mansions, and she wondered for a moment whether he'd given her the wrong address. Israel had never struck her as the snobbish rich type with the fancy cars and the high-up parents. She recognised one of the houses with an angry twist in her gut. The Dale mansion, they'd had the Halloween party there and she and her sister had snuck past. She hated them both. They were exactly the sort of rich folks she didn't want to associate herself with. She found the house from the address and hesitated as she reached the door, pulling her hand back from the doorbell. What if he doesn't live here? She was still getting over the whole 'rich Issy' thing and she could only imagine her embarrassment if a stranger opened the door to see the shivering girl with her battered car standing on the front porch. Don't be stupid, she chastised herself, then rang the bell.

Her worries evaporated when the door opened to reveal her friend and she offered him a smile and lifted her hand. "Hey Issy," she greeted. "Woulda been here sooner if I hadn't got lost about three times looking for the bloody place." She laughed it off but in reality it struck her that she'd only ever been to this part of town once before for the party and that had been to get some subtle revenge, nothing more. She could feel something akin to envy kindling in her gut and tried to ignore it, knowing it wasn't her friend's fault that he lived in a gorgeous mansion while she and her sister were crammed together into a falling-to-bits apartment. I know who I'm never inviting over. Would he judge her for the state of the place, her life? She sure hoped not but she wasn't going to try and find out. "You never told me you lived here," she stressed, gesturing as if words couldn't properly describe the house. "This place is wicked." This was the sort of place she fantasized about living in, with expensive furniture and no cracks in the walls or noisy neighbours. Only in her dreams. "Can I live with you?" she joked, shaking her head.

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Lately, Israel had gotten used to being lonely. Though he had always spent his time in solitude, being the quiet child he was through his younger years, this kind of loneliness wasn't self-imposed. No matter what, he'd always had his parents around. He'd had his family, and they were the ones he'd go to if he ever felt like he needed someone to spend time with. He had some friends, but they were sparse and scattered. Ever since last year, the accident, it hadn't been the same. The boy had understood it instantly, identified and recognized that this was how a broken home looked. He'd never had experience with it before, never really knew what it was like to have divorced parents or constant arguing or any of the other things that plagued other teenagers households. Now, he had an absentee mother and father. His father's lack of attention didn't bother him much, he had always been like that, but his mother had shut down completely. And to him, it didn't look like his father was doing anything about it. No comforting words, no helping hand, he just watched his wife as she left early from the dinner table before finishing her food, or stayed in her room for five-hour long naps. He could no longer ask for help with homework without getting a short or snippy reply, he couldn't talk to his mother without her excusing herself shortly after. He bore it easily, and no one really knew what it was like. He had always been told that what happened in the family should stay between the family, that no one else needed to hear about it.

So no one did. Not even Raine or Knox knew, and they were two of the only people that could stave off the loneliness any longer. The other was Rowena, who'd he told to come over. Well, maybe not told in a forceful way, but requested. Because the house was empty and it was huge and he was absolutely bored. He'd spent an hour of his morning reorganizing his bookcase before realizing what he'd been doing and wondering why he was even doing it. Spending time with a friend seemed like the better way to go on this one, and so he eagerly awaited Rowena to come over. In the back of his mind, he remembered that she'd never been to his house before but thought nothing of it. So used to his house, he forgot that a lot of other people didn't have it like he did. He never behaved rotten because of it, as a matter of fact he was sure a lot of people didn't know about the kind of house he lived in or the money that his parents had. He took a few minutes to think about any preparations he might need to complete for his friend's arrival, but everything was already clean and he was pretty sure that the fridge had food in it. The boy never really had to host his friends, they didn't visit often, so he was unused to the whole concept of it. Should he answer the door with a platter of cheese and crackers? Should he leave the door open so she could walk right in? Speaking of the door, he heard the bell ring and slid over to it in his socks, almost smacking his head against the wood.

He opened the door with a smile, blinked when she told him that she had gotten lost. "Did you knock on anyone else's door? Because that would have been pretty funny." Israel imagined the blond girl roaming around the community, knocking on any door of a house that looked like his. In any case, he was glad that she had eventually found his and he didn't have to call the police and send out a search party for her. He hadn't even noticed any lateness, as concerned about setting up as he was. Gesturing with his hand for her to come in, he stepped aside and closed the door behind her, locking the bottom lock. He'd have done the deadbolt, too, if his parents weren't out. "I would have given you some directions, but it's kind of hard to say you know, it's the big house. Not that one, but the one with the fountain. Because there's quite a few with fountains. And I don't even like the fountain, it's a naked boy peeing, it always made me uncomfortable." Shaking his head, he realized he was rambling but didn't mind too much. Usually he was completely quiet, around strangers and near-strangers, but with friends he was very different. Outgoing and talkative, it only happened when he felt comfortable enough around someone that he didn't feel forced to talk.

She decided to make comment on the fact that he, well, he lived in a mansion and that had never come up before. Israel wondered how surprised she was, if it may have been a problem, but decided that if she did have a problem with it she wouldn't have ever come. He scratched behind his ear, saying, "I don't think anyone knows where I live, actually. I'd like to say it's because I'm a spy and have a lot of secrets, but it's really because people get all weirded out when you tell them that your house is bigger than a football field." And then he didn't want people being friends with him just because of his money, or anything like that. Luckily he wasn't the type of person that flaunted it and therefore it wasn't something that often came up, unless he was talking about the vacation home his parents had in Minsk. "But thanks, my father loves a compliment." He was the one to pick out furniture, because his mother had found it terribly boring. The television had been her only purchase. He gasped when Rowena asked if she could live with him, stopping on his way to the kitchen. "Oh my god, yes, why don't you? Just move in with me. We have enough room and we could have slumber parties and I would braid you hair. But you'd have to refrain from painting my nails, my father is already uncomfortable with the fact that I have a boyfriend." He wasn't completely homophobic or anything, he just didn't know how to handle it. And it just widened the divide between them, created more reasons why they just couldn't understand each other. They were very different people.

He continued to the kitchen and started going through pantries. "Is there anything you like, because I'm pretty sure we have it. Cookies, chips, actual health food..." He pulled out Oreos from behind a back of chips and put them on the kitchen island. Since it was near the front of the house, the room filled with light streaming in through the windows. It didn't feel stuffy like some mansions did -- their furniture didn't even have plastic on it. "So how've you been with winter vacay and all?" He pulled open the top of the Oreos and cursed when he remembered that he hadn't gotten himself milk, but he'd wait until Rowena answered him.

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

Rowena pressed her lips together in disapproval as Issy teased her, though it was hard to be frustrated with a friend and she ended up laughing and shaking her head. "Sorry, can't give you any laughs at my expense." Thank goodness, too, because Ro wasn't exactly shy but knocking on the wrong door would have been embarrassing nonetheless. "I think your neighbours would probably chase me off," she joked. She didn't feel like she belonged in a place like this even though the home she'd grown up in had been of decent size and her parents hadn't exactly struggled financially. There was a difference between the regular upper-class and... well, this.

She'd always liked Israel for how much he rambled around her about the simplest of things. "Did your parents buy that fountain or did it come with the house?" She was curious as to whether or not the naked baby fountain had been a design choice of the people who had raised one of her closest friends. That'd explain a lot, she thought to herself, though it was affectionate and not cruel as her usual judgements of people were. Friends were those rare few exceptions, the ones who made good first impressions and managed to make those impressions last. She had a lot of respect for her friends, no matter how little she might show it. Ro followed after her friend into the mansion, trying to calculate how many times the small apartment she shared with her sister might fit in it. A lot, she concluded, having never been that great at Math. She wondered if anyone else was home but didn't bother asking, deciding that it wouldn't matter much.

What her friend said was true—it was weird to learn where he lived, especially given her issues with jealousy. At the same time, Israel was one of the people in her life that she made a real effort to avoid judging. She wasn't sure how to respond, typical of her quiet nature, and so she merely passed him a brief smile as if to assure the Wind that she wasn't going to hold it against him or anything like that. She envied him the presence of a family and all their money but envy didn't always translate into dislike. "What does he even do to afford a place like this?" Tagging after Israel into the kitchen, it felt like there was too much around for her to process. She kept going over how much stuff there was, how much room to move around. "Don't I wish," she said, shaking her head. "They'd look so pretty in pink, though," she teased him, amusement clear in her tone. She wasn't serious. There was something else he'd said, however, that she thought about for a moment before furrowing her brow. "Hey, you never mentioned a boyfriend," the Thunder realised. There was a twinkle of mischief in her gaze, "Do I know him?" She knew a lot of people from her position as Thunder leader last year but she wasn't aware if this guy would be one of them.

The Oreos looked good as Issy set them on the counter and a part of her wanted to mention that she'd be just fine with sharing what he'd already fetched. Then self-doubt kicked in. How many calories did they have apiece? Could she afford it? She knew it wasn't a good mindset to have, given her previous struggles with disorders and self-destructive behaviour, but it plagued her all the same. "It's all good, I ate before I came over," she lied. It was always easier to avoid the truth. "Ughhhh, not so good," she confessed, dragging out the sound for a moment as she leaned against the counter. "Can you believe they made me repeat the entire year again? As if I'm not old enough than the rest of you already." It had been humiliating enough to be placed in tenth grade when she was supposed to be in twelfth and now she was in twelfth when she was meant to be in college. "All for failing that stupid Math course." Well, that and another couple of credit requirements she'd failed to meet, but Math felt like her biggest flunk. There hadn't been enough time over break to make up for the failed classes and so she'd found herself in the failure boat yet again. "Plus it's been so boring. I hope you've been doing better than I have?" She'd be jealous again, it was a serious issue of hers, but she tried to feel as genuine about it as possible.

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Israel sighed as if completely disappointed that Rowena hadn't been wandering around like a lost kitten. He couldn't help tease her, because that's what he did once someone crossed the boundary of 'acquaintance' to 'i will talk until you get sick of the sound of my voice'. "They would have done it very sophisticated, of course, with an upturned nose and a few pitbulls." Maybe not pitbulls, they were the ghetto's animal. Doberman Pinschcers sounded more like it. He wrinkled his nose, thinking of the fountain. Though he couldn't see it from the front windows, the simple physical presence made to upset him. "Bought..." he said, obviously displeased. He rolled his eyes. "I tried to talk my mother out of it, but she said something about it being avant-garde." Being that Rowena was an artist, he figured she'd know exactly what avant-garde meant. And why his mother had been very wrong. "It's a naked child. Nothing avant-garde about that. More kitschy." The Wind boy shook his head. Maybe that was another reason he just could not invite friends over. What kind of impression did that fountain make? "We enjoy children here." He inwardly cringed. I am so sorry, Ro. At least she didn't seem terribly put off. She came in, didn't walk away after finding the place and seeing that. Maybe he should have included that in the directions -- the house with the naked baby fountain.

As private a person Issy tended to be, he had no real problems talking about his family with a good friend. Especially seeming that Ro didn't seem very put off by his museum-sized house. He didn't like it when people made assumptions, and he wondered just how many people knew about his parents or anything else he generally kept underwraps. The Thunder girl clearly didn't know anything about it, and he was happy to fill her in. "Defense lawyer. He works with a pretty large firm, and from what I know they're damn successful." He shrugged. "He doesn't talk about work much, though. For all know he's actually Batman." He was serious enough to be Batman. And he was rich. Simon Valentine was beginning to look very suspicious. He jokingly guffawed at her comment of painting nails. "Please, I'm a summer, Ro." Pink was totally not his color. "You do have to sleep over some time. I mean, this place is the best place for a slumber party." They could ghost hunt, even though he believed he was pretty free of moaning spirits. He noticed her mischievous look when he mentioned boyfriend. Issy had no shame about his relationship, but he understood how secretive Knox was. Unfortunately, thanks to his ditziness, that was forgotten in the moment he said, "Oooh, I haven't spilled yet. I don't think you do. His name's Knox and he is so cute." He placed a hand over his heart. Then it came back to him, the fact that Knox probably wouldn't want anyone -- even his friends -- knowing about his sexual preference. His eyes widened. "But you must not tell anyone of this information. Pleasseee." He clasped his hands together as if praying, his eyes full of pleas. He trusted her not to go around telling people that he and Knox were together. She was a quiet girl, anyway.

Rowena already ate, which he supposed was pressure off his chest. He didn't need to impress her with that platter of cheeses. Because he had a feeling that's what he was supposed to be offering when he lived in a mansion. That, or goblets full of cobwebs and lightning in the background. Of course, Issy had no clue of her body issues. He knew that she was really thin, but he also knew she did modeling. They were always skinny. He chewed the Oreo thoughtfully as she groaned. Uh-oh. Apparently she had to skip a grade, and in that moment his heart went out to her. All he wanted to do is hug her, especially because she was obviously displeased. "I feel you, girl. I mean, repeating last year was pretty much hell. Even though that's how I met my boyfriend." He spread his arms, almost knocking over his drink as if he had a superb idea just then. "Maybe you can get a totally sexy tutor and you know, date him." Or bone him. Though as a romantic, he would prefer she had a relationship. Relationships were better than one-night stands, in his opinion. "And math sucks. I mean, all we need it for is tips and every phone has a tip calculator now. And you're an artist." There was basically zero point to her having to take a math class. "Aren't you supposed to be in college? You're what, eighteen, nineteen now?" He tried to remember, but again, he had a habit of forgetting. And just being plain stupid.

She asked after him, and that took some serious thought. How was he? Could he tell her in good faith that he was completely all right, with no problems, nothing at all to worry about? He tried not to take long in thinking about it, lest she notice his hesitance. "Eh, good? I don't even know. I mean I passed, but...it's been weird around here." He wasn't much one for opening up, but he tended to be an honest person. Usually, that went for other people and how he felt about them. If he didn't like someone? He'd go and say, "Hey, I don't like you." "You know with my brother and all, it's been hard." He said it quickly as if to brush the earlier comment off. It wasn't a secret that his brother had passed away, as a matter of fact, that's what most people knew about Israel, even if they didn't know him personally. It was his stigma. "Anyhoots, I just really needed to hang out with you because I have this whole place to myself and I must destroy it." He was a little better than that, he'd only broken about one picture frame in his life. No wild parties or anything. He was a good kid.

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

Rowena made a face at the idea, picturing a pair of slobbering and barking dogs with absolutely no sophistication at all. She wasn't a big fan of dogs and the look on her face undoubtedly said it all. No thanks. She frowned. While she hadn't gotten a good look at the fountain, more awed by the entirety of the place than any one detail, Rowena was going to trust her friend on this one. "It's a naked baby, what's so daring about that? Not like David didn't do the whole statue-dick thing ages ago." It was obvious that she didn't approve of the term. Not that she liked a lot of avant-garde or edgy stuff anyway—she was more simplistic with her appreciation of landscape paintings and portraits.

Lawyers were among the jobs that society tended to associate with the rich and well-educated, ironic considering how much they ended up being loathed for their jobs. "I don't know. If you've got a butler called Alfred, well, that'd raise some alarm bells." Joke though it was, she didn't have the tone for it. It was not Rowena trying to be serious, it was merely who she was as a person. The mansion still intimidated her but not enough to turn down the offer of a sleepover. "I'll bet. Do you have a home theatre, too?" It was sarcastic but then again, she wouldn't be surprised if he actually did. A pang of jealousy twisted in her gut and she wondered what it was like to live without the fear of not being able to make enough for rent. Hell, Issy probably never had to worry about financial issues in his life. He was her friend but she couldn't help the envy clawing at her insides.

The Thunder leaned forward slightly with interest as her friend spilled the beans about his relationship, the excitement of what was essentially gossip coursing in her veins. "Ooh, no, never heard that name before," she said, shaking her head. "Knox, huh? Don't recognise the name. So how long?" She assumed that he attended the Academy due to the fact that most Maple Hollow kids their age did but it wasn't a name that rung a bell. Probably a good thing, seeing as 'the boyfriend' was an Earth elemental. Issy begged her for her silence and she smirked at him as she mimed zipping her lips. "Relax, Issy, I won't tell." She liked rumours and spreading them was fun but that didn't mean she was going to do that to a friend. She didn't have a whole lot of people who genuinely liked her for who she was and she wasn't stupid enough to jeopardize this friendship for the sake of a little thrill.

Apparently Israel and Knox had met through school, which to Ro seemed the last place she might find a hook-up. She was used to finding guys at parties and bars now that she didn't have to fake her age to get past the door. "Ha, like anyone smart would want to date me." Though her tone wasn't necessarily pessimistic, she let the words stand without laughter or any physical sign that it was a joke. It wasn't. "I mean, come on. I'm repeating a year for the third time." The British education system was supposed to be a good one but when she had spent more time paying attention to modelling and parties than she had school, she really wasn't up to scratch. "Maybe if it weren't so bloody boring I might last longer than five minutes without wanting to shoot myself." What was interesting about numbers? 'Fuck all' would be her answer to that one. "Almost twenty. Can't even study what I want in high school, it's a load of horse shit." If she was going to school, Rowena wanted to go to college. It would at least be for something fashion and design related instead of being forced to take Math and History and Science and all the subjects that she didn't give a crap about. "Didn't even retake art this year because I already know everything in the curriculum." There was only so many times you could take a class before it got old, after all.

His answer didn't sound very encouraging and she caught on when he mentioned his brother, suddenly very uncertain about what she should do. What would a good friend do in a situation like this? Should she hug him, pat his shoulder, offer words of sympathy? She was selfish and so used to caring only for herself that she felt like a deer in headlights whenever one of her friends was down. She blinked and looked troubled, lip twitching sadly. "I can only imagine." It was plain as day that she wasn't sure how to handle the sadness of the situation and she could only hope that he didn't resent her the awkward reaction. "I... I hope everything's okay. With you and all, I mean." It was her way of insisting "Hey, I do care, by the way" without making a sap of herself. She was intensely glad for the change of subject and she jumped on it with a quick smile. "Sounds like fun. How long are your parents out for?" She wasn't sure how she felt about them being around. Would they judge her? Were they those sorts of parents? "And what did you want to get up to?" Hanging out with Issy was always bound to be a fun time, she wasn't worried at all about that. He could hold her attention even without the addition of booze.

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Ro expectantly had the same taste as he did. Which did not include naked children. He would like to have a talk with whoever did...that and made it profitable. "The daring thing might be the fact that it's an under-aged penis. Scandalous." Baby penises really were such a risky move. Definite kitsche. At least it wasn't pink flamingos and gnomes. He might have to drown himself in the fountain then. "Let's not talk about my parents' decorating choices, I'm getting an ulcer." He rubbed his stomach while wincing. One day he would be calling one of those TLC people to come and redo this house because it was a waste of a mansion. The interior wasn't so bad, but outside? It was a crying shame.

Israel narrowed his eyes, as if considering there being something fishy about his father. It would be pretty exciting where he actually a superhero, but that was too much to hope for. The guy was just a boring old lawyer closing in on retirement. "I don't know about the butler, but I haven't ever met his parents in person. And his car? Suspiciously looks like the Batmobile." It was a black sports car, which is all he needed to look like Bruce Wayne's car. When the blond asked after a home theater, he scratched the back of his head. "Well we have a big room and a projector screen, but it's not really a home theater. We got a game room, that's even better. Like, every game system ever." He wasn't even thinking of Rowena's own financial issues -- or that she had any, because it was never something he actually asked after -- he was just voicing his excitement over the fact that they could play games and everything. Including skeeball, which was just his favorite.

He was happy to talk about his new beau, and felt like a gossipy girl in doing so. But hey, this was his friend, and this was what friends did. Or well, what he did with his friends. Relationships were number one conversation topics, and all the stuff that was going on with people at the Academy. Who was single, who was hooking up. In his head, the school he attended could perfectly be 90210. "Not long, actually! We got together on Halloween. It was a magical, fear-ridden night." So the incident with being pulled into the maze wasn't very romantic. At least he got to make out with Knox before and after, so he counted all of that as a good night. A harmless prank could be overlooked. He exhaled with relief when she said that she wouldn't say anything. "Okay. Good. I mean, I trust you and everything! But right now it's on the downlow. Big secret affair and all. I mean, Dad knows but that's because he might question why I switched cologne." He rolled his eyes. Instead of perfume like with a girlfriend, he figured that he would be rolling in whatever Knox wore. Though he didn't think the boy wore anything. Still smells good. He smiled as he thought about it, maybe freaking Rowena out. At least she was good about it, promised to keep quiet about it all.

Israel shook his head. This girl had the self-esteem of a fourteen-year-old with daddy issues and a chain of boyfriends in middle school. Not that he could judge. Everyone deserved love, especially Rowena. "Hush, child," he told her. "Repeating a grade is just the system holding you back. I mean, grades don't determine your smarts or your beauty or your talent. Just if your parents get mad at you and what college you get into." He wasn't very educational-minded. He did well enough, last year notwithstanding, but it wasn't something he felt particularly passionate about. He barely even enjoyed it. She probably hated it more than him, being that she was almost freaking twenty years old. "Just try to refrain from suicide, your teacher might take points off for that." After the little joke, he went on to ask a serious question: "What was the reason you flunked? Attendance or grades?" Either way, she would have to either attend more or focus more or whatever else. Though that was something he bet she heard over and over from teachers and counselors and it never did work, did it? Kind of like telling a dyslexic person all they needed to do was read words the right way. "Just look forward to college. You know, if you are going to college. Then you have all these cool art classes and junk." He would be majoring in sociology and liberal arts, he already had that planned. It all went into the package of being a relationship expert.

Seeing that he probably made her uncomfortable (there was really nothing a person can do to make anyone feel better about a dead loved one) he gave a one shoulder shrug, chewing on another Oreo. It hurt, he wasn't going to lie to himself about it. But he wasn't about to make it his friend's burden too. "Yeah, everything's good. I mean, last year not so good it got better." He was quick to get off the topic, though, because dead brothers weren't the best thing for his mood. And he wanted to be happy when he was hanging out with his friend. He looked at the clock above the sink before turning back to the Thunder girl. "Dad says he's working late, Mom is at some event somewhere." She didn't really say, and he could barely pick it up with her quiet voice. "So we have a lot of time. And I say skeeball. So I can totally whip your butt with my high score. And we have to discuss your single status, because that is totally not okay. Your awesomeness will be wasted without anyone knowing how awesome you are." He rolled his eyes, and pointed to himself. "Other than me, of course." They could do that while playing their games, he could multi-task. Besides, it wasn't too hard to speak during games. Skeeball was his favorite, but he also had other arcade classics. Including Ms. Pacman, because what game room was complete without it?

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

True to Israel's request, Rowena did what Thunder's were best at and fell silent on the subject of the mansion's exterior decorating. She couldn't complain about it as much as he could either way—it was much nicer than the view outside of the bedroom window of the apartment, that was for sure, baby penises or no. Rowena had to wonder if it was normal to be unacquainted with your grandparents. She couldn't remember much of her family beyond good ol' Mum and Dad and frankly she didn't want to. She wondered if Issy did. "So you're the son of Batman, apparently." She didn't know enough about comics to know if Batman ever had a son but she was going to go out on a limb and guess that he didn't. She made a scoffing noise in her throat. "Good enough." Rich people and their projector screens and giant wall-to-wall televisions. Apparently they had a game room, too, and that wasn't nearly as appealing to the Thunder. "I've never been that great at games." She supposed it would be the dream of many a teenager otherwise, though, especially considering the amount of games they probably had on hand. She owned a DS she'd bought from a friend but she didn't play it much.

Though she couldn't necessarily tell what it was like to fall in love with someone or hold down a long-term relationship, she was more than happy to gossip with Israel about his boyfriend. It was much easier to talk about something she had at least dabbled in. "Ooh, a holiday hookup," she said with a smile. "So who was doing most of the protecting?" It was funny to imagine Israel shrieking and jumping into someone's arms Scooby Doo style, even though she doubted that was how it had actually happened. A part of her envied him the closeness of another, a companion that didn't just want him for reasons involving lust. She'd never had that in her life before. At the same time, it was good to see Issy happy. "Did you even tell your ex? Raine, was it?" She tried hard to avoid making a face as she remembered that Raine was a Water elemental. Ro didn't like Waters nor Earths but she always had to keep in mind that her friend was a Wind elemental who wasn't tied down in the same way that she was. If it came to a war things would undoubtedly be a lot more tense but in times of peace she'd behave to the best of her abilities.

She appreciated the words of support and wished that self-esteem worked a little more like it should. She wished that being told she was beautiful or that she was good at something by a friend would give her all that she needed to get over her issues. If only it were that simple. "Guess I'm lucky I've not got parents to worry about, then." It wasn't the greatest bright side but she did like the freedom. Sometimes she heard people talk of their families and longed for that closeness but at the end of the day her sister was all she needed. As for college, well, she'd wanted to go to the Academy before they'd decided that failing her was a better plan. "I wouldn't be around to care, would I?" She chuckled dryly, appreciating his joke for what it was. "Bit of both, I think. Didn't go to class much and didn't pay a whole lot of attention when I did. Not unless it was interesting." She rarely missed an art class if she could help it. Unfortunately, that kind of predictability had meant that her teachers always knew where to find her if she didn't appear in their first-period class. She'd been cornered more times than she could count. Her only weapon was that she really didn't give a damn. "We might have classes together this year," she realised, blinking. "We should compare once schedules come in." Maybe things would be more bearable if she had a friend to suffer through the courses with her. "I planned on it. Well, plan, I guess. Here's hoping I don't fail this year, too." Was it legal to fail someone that many times? She sure as hell hoped not.

She nodded, glad for the easy out when Israel changed the subject. It was true, the death of a sibling was something that couldn't be repaired with words. They were both known throughout the school for having lost siblings, she could relate to him in that respect. Her brows knitted together at the word 'skeeball' and the blonde repeated it a few times in her head. "Skeeball," she echoed, her accent flavouring the syllables. "What's that? I've never played before." It was a familiar word but she didn't know what the game in question was and she was fairly confident she'd never experienced it. First for everything, I guess. "Is it on a console? I'm not very good with those." Most people with the slightest experience with games could flatten her in a matter of seconds due to how little she played. "What's there to discuss?" Cynical as always. She followed after Israel toward the game room, resisting the urge to look around too much in case she embarrassed herself by banging into a wall. She didn't need the headache. "I've always been single, least technically." Her lip twitched. "At least someone besides my sister thinks I'm all right." Rowena liked to brag and big herself up for her enemies but it was her friends who got to see how she really viewed things.

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

If only his family life was cool. It was just boring and lonely and kind of sad right now. Especially when he talked with his mom, which he could barely consider conversations. Even though he really liked Ro, it was just something he did not talk about. She could probably understand. He didn't know much about her personally, either, and they were both just really reserved people. Israel respected that. He tended to befriend people like her, he realized, except for Raine. She was the complete opposite of Rowena in so many ways. "We cannot let anyone know, Rowena. We'll put my family in danger." He nodded very solemnly. Lawyer by day, Batman by night. As if he has the time. He barely has time for family, he didn't think he would have time to defend anything else. Even he was surprised by the strain of bitterness that slipped into that thought. Like an evil villain, Israel tapped his fingers together in front of him. "You have revealed your weakness, and now I must destroy you." Not good at games? So maybe he wasn't terrible enough to go extra hard on her, but he wouldn't be going easy, of course.

Issy snorted at her wink. He flipped his hair as if he had any hair to flip, and told her, "Me, of course. And hey, I'm totally the pitcher." Okay, so maybe he really should have kept in mind the whole secret relationship thing, but Rowena was his friend. It was okay to tell her with the promise she'd keep everything secret. "Okay, so we haven't exactly done anything yet." Knox was a virgin, information made privy to him by the lovely and drunken Raine. She was the mastermind behind all this, as a matter of fact, and he really couldn't thank her enough. She was just a wonderful person all around. Speaking of, she asked about Raine, and there was a moment of guilt in his gut. He hadn't told the Thunder that he'd cheated on his ex, because that was his shame to bear alone. Raine had forgiven him, but it's been difficult to forgive himself, even for just one kiss. He smiled at his friend all the same. "She actually got us together. Weird, right?" Even though the girl had been drunk, he had a feeling that ever since he'd admitted his feelings for Knox to her, she'd been quietly scheming. That was just the kind of person she was. "It was kind of a drunken mistake, but it worked out for the best." The Water girl had all the cards, she'd just laid them out on the table. She'd known about Knox's sexuality, Issy's crush, and she took it upon herself to inform them both of it. Before he sent her away, of course.

He didn't really know how to take her words, if they were facetious or not. The boy could be pretty dense sometimes, all his friends knew this. "That and parties all night. Holla!" Israel decided to take it as a joke. When in doubt, it was the best thing to fall back on. Well, maybe not because it could hurt a lot of feelings, but otherwise it worked. He was glad his joke worked well, and listened as she explained the scenario. A bit of both, huh? "I would tell you some advice, but you've heard all that before. I know I did from both my parents and the counselor." Well, really just his father, his mother hadn't been around too much for the whole parenting thing. However, he got excited at the mention of schedules. "Right, Right! I hope we do, I barely talk to anyone in school." He wasn't completely friendless, but he didn't necessarily have a wide circle. "Then again, it'd be bad for both our grades, I bet." The chances of failing were higher when you had a friend around to talk to. He knew he got easily distracted from his work.

Israel stalled when Rowena spoke her question, Oreo halfway to his mouth. Skeeball? What's skeeball? His eyes were wide. "It is the most wonderful arcade game ever. I'll show you, it's totally fun, but it's weird to explain." You throw a ball up on a ramp and into different holes. Kind of sexual, actually. He couldn't help it when his thoughts went down that path, and he giggled to himself. Taking his Oreos, Israel felt the need to announce, "Oreos are miinneeee," as he led the way to the game room. It was down in the basement, but thankfully they had heating down there. It certainly helped. The space was wide open and resembled an arcade, save for the plush carpet. "I mean, the single life is great. But it gets lonely. Especially when you like someone. Do you like someone?" He was so subtle. He took her arm and guided her to stand before the three skeeball machines they had. They didn't give out tickets so it wasn't exactly an arcade, and you didn't have to pay either. "Throw those balls up the ramp and into them." He pointed at the holes. "Middle one is the most points." He put the cookies on the floor and grabbed his own balls. It would be just a little friendly competition.

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

She didn't appear too intimidated as Israel 'threatened' her, blinking at him. She thought about giving it a good, "Bring it on!" but realised that if he brought it on in the slightest he would probably kick her ass five times over. Oh well. She wasn't all that competitive when it came to things she wasn't invested in. Modelling, fashion and art were her passions but games were just games. "Well that's me fucked," she said instead. She kept her tone light so that Israel would know that she wasn't actually miffed about it. She wouldn't hold it against him if he absolutely thrashed her. That was the point of a game, after all—winning.

Totally unfazed by the admission, Rowena smirked and whistled at Issy's words. "Good on you, then." She nudged him on the arm as if to silently congratulate him on some kind of an accomplishment. It was mostly friendly teasing on her part. Apparently her friend was also joking, going further and admitting that he and his new hook-up had yet to hit all of the bases. She wondered what that was like, waiting. She was used to sex being the only real depth to any relationship. Then again, her relationships could hardly be called such. "Aw, why not? That's half the fun of it all, isn't it?" She may not have been a prude but there was still a certain kind of naivety to the Thunder girl. She knew how relationships were meant to work in theory but as she'd never experienced that deep connection with another person she couldn't imagine having to wait to bridge all of the gaps. She would be quick to rush into things because it was all she knew how to do. Apparently Israel was a lot more considerate of his partner than that. She looked surprised. "Super weird. I'd have thought she'd be jealous or something like that." Break ups were usually awkward and involved a lot of resenting the new partner of your former lover. At least, that's how she saw things. She refused to 'respect' Raine, not like that, because the girl was a Water. At the same time, Rowena guessed she was supposed to be glad that the graduate hadn't been a complete dick to her friend. Feelings were hard to sort through. "Oh, so there was alcohol involved. Well that explains a lot." She laughed, playing it off as a joke while at the same time wondering at the accuracy of her own words. She didn't know Raine well enough to judge.

The words had been more of a silly slip than anything else but she found herself glad that Israel had taken them for a joke. It was easier to pretend that she hadn't meant anything by it. Ha, not in that apartment. "No wonder I never get anything done. Don't even have to clean my room." She rolled her shoulders and leaned back as if she were feeling liberated. "Freedom's spectacular." It wasn't always, not when it was for the reasons she'd never told anyone, but she kept things positive around Issy. He didn't know about all of the shit she'd stirred up in Britain and she prayed that he'd never find out. Would he judge her any different for it all? She'd never know. "Ugh, yeah," agreed the Thunder without enthusiasm. "Up your attendance, try harder. And my favourite, don't be afraid to ask for help!" She echoed all the common words of advice in a falsely cheery tone and shook her head. "Guess I'll need to try, won't I? S'either that or be the laughing stock of the entire bloody school come next year." All right, so not a lot of kids would chance teasing the Thunder leader too much for fear of Rowena trying to bring the wrath of an element down upon them but it was their thoughts that counted. If she knew they were thinking it, it was enough to bother her. "Ditto. It'd be nice to have class with someone I knew for once." Most of her friends were in college because they were her own age. "Eh, who knows? Maybe you can remind me to focus." She didn't actually expect Issy to babysit her, of course.

Weird to explain? She wondered what that entailed but decided to just trust that he knew what he was doing and would be better at showing than telling. She snorted at his possessive comment over the cookies and let an amused smile touch her lips as she followed after him. The arcade room was enough to awe her even if she wasn't all that into games. I wonder how much all of this cost... A lot, that was the most likely answer. She always found herself wondering about money. That's the mindset being poor put one into. "Great? I wouldn't call it that..." She suppressed a sigh. She hated that she wanted a relationship. It made her feel strangely needy and vulnerable and that wasn't a fun thing to deal with. She didn't want to die alone, though. She didn't even want to go through her twenties alone. She wanted someone. The Thunder ducked her head, almost shy. She wasn't used to feeling so sheepish. "Well... I've liked a few blokes, sure, but... it's never really been a mutual thing." Not that she knew this for sure, merely assumed. And she'd crushed on girls before, too, but that was always harder. She couldn't tell right off the bat if they were all right with women or whether they were strictly interested in the opposite sex. Asking was out of the question unless she was drunk. Everything was simpler with alcohol. She took the balls doubtfully and tossed one experimentally. It missed all three of the holes. "Told you I sucked," she laughed.

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Issy positively beamed when Ro nudged him. Knox really did make him happy, and not just because he was in a relationship. It was one that he'd really always wanted, with the person he wanted. On the matter of sex, okay, he would prefer it, but he just got into a relationship. "You don't know him, he can barely get a sentence out sometimes! I don't want to traumatize him or anything, you know?" At this point Knox was like an easily spooked deer or something. Plus, Issy didn't like to treat his relationships like one-night stands. But he almost cringed when it came to mention of Raine. "She's a great person. I mean, no keyed cars or death threats came from our break-up, so I have to say it ended pretty well." As far as break-ups involving cheating went. She had forgiven him from what he could tell -- from what he could see in her -- but he knew that it was pretty rough on the both of them. They had cared about each other, and they still do. It was just...his feelings had changed. He couldn't help who he loved, though he was still hesitant in using that word with Knox. That would feel like going too fast. "I guess we can blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol." He snorted at his own joke, realizing then that it was pretty lame. At least it was a good song and so she couldn't be mad at him for that. "I got kind of drunk too, but you know...I actually didn't think anything would happen between us." That would have been the most depressing thing in his life. He had had his crush for a very long time, since childhood really.

He thought about what it would be like to live on his own. He didn't know whether or not he'd be able to fend for himself. "That is called laziness," he said. "But I give you props. I wouldn't be able to last long on my own. By the end of the first day I'd be curled up in a corner with a blanket from a can with a fork." That seemed like the right mental image. Maybe he was more of the sheltered rich kid than he thought. He just didn't know what it was like to live without his parents. He shook his head. Ro spoke the usual adages used by teachers and authority figures everywhere. "But Ro, you have so much potential." He strained the last word as one of those teachers might, his eyes pleading. High school wasn't the place where most people proved their worth. It was mostly just a place to sleep during the day. Issy waved his hand. "Psh, most people won't even know that you've been held back." It was a little bit of a lie considering that stuff like that circulated around, but he didn't want his friend to feel like a laughing stock or anything. He cracked an awkward smile, like he was hiding something. "Sure...I can totally help you focus." Then he shook his head, "Please, Ro, I have the attention span of a...what's something with a short attention span?" Most animals he knew couldn't stay focused for too long unless it involved a laser pointer. Then again, he'd never had any pets. His parents didn't like them, thought they would dirty up the place. Understandable, though he'd always wanted a puppy as a child.

It really seemed like Rowena was seriously considering a relationship. He could understand feeling lonely. He usually was in a relationship of his own, he'd been with Raine for a while, and before that he'd had another girlfriend. He didn't whore around, he just liked being with another person. He liked being in love. Ro made it known about her own relationships, or lack thereof. "Have you ever tried making an attraction something more? Like showed a guy you were interested in being his main squeeze? His boo. His honeychild." he wondered out loud. That was a big part of it. If you were interested, you have to let the other person know. Slowly build it up before bam! You ask for a date. He laughed at her words, before picking up one of his balls. "First time is always the worst." That applied to most everything, including skeeball and other arcade games. Unless you were a natural with things. Skeeball could be considered a mini, harder version of bowling. "Hold on, I've always wanted to try something." He held the ball in both hands and did a gentle, underhanded throw. The ball ended up ricocheting off the edges before rolling back down the ramp to him. He laughed. "Okay, not so smart."Israel grabbed the ball again and this time did it the right way, getting twenty points. He took another Oreo out and chewed on it before saying, "You know I have a little black book of people. I can set up something casual, maybe with me and Raine or Knox tagging along so it's like a group thing." If she didn't want pressure or any awkwardness. It was usually best to start off with a group outing to get to know someone.

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

Rowena's blue eyes glittered with mischievous amusement as she tried to picture Israel's mysterious new boyfriend, giggling as she pictured a stuttering and stammering prude thanks to her friend's comment. She had no idea how accurate she was about the stuttering. "Oh doesn't he sound adorable!" Her tone suggested she'd very much enjoy teasing this man in Israel's life if she ever met him. All in good fun, of course. It would be actual taunting if she didn't like Issy as much as she did. Ro might have been selfish, blunt, and a whole lot of a bitch but she tried her best to respect some boundaries with those she was close to. "You're lucky, then. Any guy breaks up with me and I'll be having words." She lifted a hand and smirked as she let sparks dance across her palm. Ro tried not to think about the fact that she'd never experienced a break up before because no guy had stayed with her for more than a night. It was her own fault, of course, it wasn't like she ever asked for commitment, but it was still a depressing thing to consider. She snorted. "You did not just go there." She had to smile either way. "Now I have the bloody song stuck in my head, great. Thanks." Her dry tone wasn't serious. If she got that upset over something so silly she'd have done better as a Fire.

She couldn't argue with laziness—the word fit her to a tee. She didn't like doing anything that required a lot of effort unless it held some kind of a benefit for her. What did a clean room do for her except get dirty again? She swore the dust bunnies conspired against her when she had her back turned. "What kind of a blanket comes in a can?" Rowena thought that sounded like witchcraft. Could a blanket even fit in a can? Now she was picturing trying to jam her comforter into a tin of Campbells. Doubt I could even fit a corner. "Living alone's not that bad. Well, not alone, I've got my sister, but you know what I mean. You get used to it!" The first night she'd spent away from her parents house in youth had been frightening, an alien experience, but by the time she and her sisters had gotten an apartment of their own she was used to it. She wondered what it was like to be Israel, growing up in a big-ass house with all your needs waited on hand and foot. Would it really be harder to adjust then? She wasn't sure. "Only half the school," she groaned, exaggerating only a little. "Maybe if I wasn't the leader last year but everyone knows about them." Something crossed her mind and she nudged him. "But hey, you'll be learning all about the publicity, won't you? I heard." She was talking about the leadership elections. Leaders were always voted for at the end of one year and elected the next. You got a notice along with your schedule if you were chosen and word tended to travel. "A... gnat, maybe? They're... small, anyway." Small things had tiny brains, yeah? That was her logic.

She was listening with intent interest until a certain word slipped past her friend's lips. Fixing him with a judgemental stare and arching a brow, she said, "It's hard to take you seriously when you use a term like honeychild." She pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh, taking things seriously. "You have a point, I guess, but... how? I mean... I've never done anything like that before." She nibbled the skin on the inside of her lip and looked anywhere but her friend. God, this was embarrassing. She'd slept with plenty of guys and yet she had about as much experience in relationships as your average five year old. Issy knows what he's doing. She respected her friend, considered him to be intelligent even if it wasn't booksmarts he was skilled in. Every person had their skills and his just happened to be in relationships. "And how will I... know?" She felt oddly like a child questioning its mother, like this was a stupid question that anyone would know the answer to. "That he's interested in me, I mean. Not just for the sex." That was her biggest fear. Confiding more in Israel than she had in anyone else but her sister, Ro admitted, "That's all they've ever wanted. I don't know how to make it different." Was she doing something wrong with the way she showed off her body, leaned in close when she flirted with a coy smile? Probably. But it was all she knew. She watched her friend closely when he scored his points in the game, trying to mimic his toss when she gave it a second go. It still didn't go as well as she'd hoped, bouncing off the rim of the ten and then falling without scoring any points, but it didn't miss quite as spectacularly as last time. I'm learning, I guess. "You're going to kick my ass. Prepare for me to hold a grudge, Issy." Nah, she'd try not to. She held grudges, sure, but she wasn't that bad.

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Noticing the look in his friend's eyes, he held up a finger that said behave yourself. He didn't need his boyfriend to faint of a heart attack because Rowena thought it was a good idea to bust his balls. When she spoke of someone breaking up with her, however, Issy grimaced. That had been what he'd expecting. He'd had amicable break-ups, everyone did. Not a lot of people went psycho when it happened, especially if both parties realized it had been a long time coming. But this had been a pretty steady relationship, not just making out in the back of cars and going to the mall together. "I count myself lucky that I didn't have to deal with that, honestly. I mean, Raine is nice and all, but the way it happened, I'm surprised I didn't have a 'fuck you' carved into the doors of my car." Strangely enough, he'd wanted that. He wanted some way to suffer for what he'd done because he'd felt so guilty for it. But Raine had instead taken it so professionally, like he just called off a business date between the two. Not the relationship they'd been working on for months. When she made her comment, he had to go further, and with a more sing-song tone than before he loudly and proudly started up again. "Blame it on the goose, got you feeling loose!" At least he wasn't going so far as to grinding up against her. Scratch that, Issy saddled up behind her and started gyrating to the music that was only playing in his head. His friends were certainly the only ones who got this side of him. He was sure that if he started singing Jamie Foxx songs to simple acquaintances, they'd be fearing for the usual quiet and reserved boy's sanity.

Rowena seemed pretty fine with living on her own, and that made sense. It was her choice. He had no clue how long she'd been living with her sister, or why or how, but then again he had never had any reason to ask her about that kind of stuff. "How's your sister?" he asked with politeness, considering that was the only family he knew about when it came to Rowena. If he had his friends asking about his parents, he wouldn't have much to say. The easy defaults would be "doing fine", but that would be very much a lie. He knew that as their son, though, he wasn't supposed to bring familial issues out into public eyes. His lawyer of a father would be especially displeased. He snorted when she said half the school. That was right, she had been leader. One of his usual slips of memory. "Are you gonna be leader this year? Because you can totally hold that over people's head. They won't mess with you." Apparently she'd also heard about his digs, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Is that a bird? A plane? No!" He made a pose. "It's Issy, the Wind leader." So he really was proud of it, how could he help it? Oddly enough, he hadn't told his parents about it yet. He predicted a lackluster response. "We'll be a super-duo together. Though we have to promise each other not to bring politics in our relationship. That's when things go sour and we'll have to break up." Not that he could ever break up with her. He had very few friends, and he kept them close. He was even still friends with Raine, and that said a lot. They both just happened to be very nice people.

He flapped his hand when she criticized his use of honeychild. It was totally a word, right? Or was he just calling her a hooker, like sugarbabies? Oops. "Baby, I could show you how. It's all the tricks of the trade. Laugh at all his jokes, do the whole flirting game, but don't let it go further. If he's interested too, he might just tell you. If not, you're gonna have to make the first move. Guys are pretty easy, girls are the complicated ones that you have to watch out for." So he had been uh...very straightforward with Knox. Getting together with him had been a very heated makeout session. Sometimes it happened that way, right? He considered her question very seriously. "Guys have some cues. Like how close he sits to you, what kind of questions he asks. If he starts punching your arm and challenging you to eating contests, he just wants a friendship. You know what I mean?" He'd dated a few guys himself, enough to know how they worked. And he was also a guy, so he had all those things covered. He knew the ins and outs. "If he just wants sex, he'll be right in there trying to suck off your face." He leaned over to her and made a kissing face as if to emphasize what he meant, before he stood back and laughed, picking up some more balls. He pursed his lips when she spoke of a grudge, shoulders shaking. "See this? This is me crying. Boo hoo." He grinned before he tossed the balls, racking up his score another hundred points. "How about after this we can watch a movie of your choice, anyone and I'll sit through it. Even if it's a really bad Nicolas Cage one." Except the one where he's set on fire. He didn't think he would like having to witness that again, not without his brother to make fun of it with. A pang hit his chest.

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

She still looked devious when he held up a finger but it was a moment before she said anything, eventually telling him, "Relax, I don't even know the guy!" She figured it wouldn't be too hard to ask around and find out more about him thanks to the fact that Knox wasn't exactly Chris or Joe. She was good at getting information about people if she wanted it, the rumour mill was a fun if inaccurate place for that, but she figured she would try her best to refrain in this case. Rumours flew but they also had a nasty habit of winding back up with their target and she didn't want this Knox thinking badly of her. Relationships had a bad habit of coming between friendships. She couldn't be having that. Her eyes widened when he continued. "Jesus, Issy, what did you do? Fuck her brother?" She snorted. She didn't even know if this Raine had a brother. In the spirit of not causing too many issues with friends-of-friends, she mostly stayed out of her way. "Guess it's good you got off the hook either way. Though you know you can always give me a call if any Waters cause you problems." Maybe he wouldn't appreciate the violent implications of that but Israel was her friend and she was a vengeful bitch. If you messed with the adorable and sometimes awkward Israel Valentine then Rowena wasn't going to be all too happy about it. At first she just rolled her eyes at her friend being ridiculous but she laughed in surprise when he sidled up from behind, ducking her head and slipping away from him. "You are so obnoxious!" But she loved that about him. He was fun to be around.

Not a lot of people asked after her sister. Then again, Rowena didn't have a lot of people she was close to around. She smiled at him to show her appreciation of the question. "She's good," she said, unsure of what else to add. She could go on for ages about how amazing her sister was but she'd spare her friend the ramble. "She actually managed to graduate, she's always been better at the whole school thing than I have." It didn't bother her to praise her sister more than herself. In her eyes, Altair was the better everything. She was older, too. It was almost compulsive to ask after Israel's family in return but the Thunder caught herself when she realised what kind of territory that would stray into. She couldn't ask how his brother was, now could she? "Yeah, I was re-elected. At least I know my element likes me even if the school doesn't." She huffed briefly in amusement, shaking her head. She liked to think she'd been a good leader. It was a rare boost in confidence to think that they wanted her back. She wondered if it felt the same for Israel when he was elected. There were a lot of Wind elementals but there were only two leaders. They were a special bunch. She grinned at his dramatic display and then nodded her agreement. "I'll try not to get mad at you if you don't take my side but you have to agree to the same, yeah?" Politics could be really sticky business. It had been fun to lead with Altair because that was her sister but they were on the same side of the alliances. Issy was different. "You guys are neutral anyway. I'm sure we'll be fine!" She hoped so. There had been times in the past when Wind had taken sides and even when they'd split right down the middle. That better not happen again.

It was strange to be discussing something like this with her friend. She knew that Israel was really good with the whole romance deal but she wasn't exactly an open person. Now he was getting all of the emotional relationship baggage she hid from everyone else. Had he been this nervous when he had first realised his feelings for someone? She didn't even have a specific person in mind and her stomach was fluttering. "So you're telling me I should be a tease?" She laughed, but it was the sort of nervous laugh that suggested she might not be joking at all. That's what it was called when you left a guy hanging, right? God, she really felt naive. "But yeah, so laugh at his jokes and... flirt with him, okay. Then make a move, maybe. Got it..." She was taking notes in her brain that she hoped she'd remember later. "Well what are the good questions?" Questions made her feel weird a lot of the time, at least when they were about herself. She always felt like she'd get the answer wrong even though it was a personal thing. "Now that I've dealt with." So a lot of the men she'd met just wanted sex. That didn't surprise her. Then again, a lot of it was the way she presented herself. "As for the double date... I mean, wouldn't the element thing make it a little awkward?" She hadn't really hung around a Water that wasn't her sister before. "Maybe Knox, though... if he's not too shy." Her tone was teasing, the Thunder still unaware that Israel's boyfriend was one of her elemental rivals. Her brows rose. "Well, at least we know who's never making the A-list," she joked dryly. A smile touched her lips at mention of movies. She did like watching them, mostly romantic comedies for a mixture of humour and something she wanted but felt she couldn't have. "All right. But no Nick Cage, I promise." She'd avoid torturing her friend.

[Just noticed I derped on a line of dialogue in your last post -- sorry o.o]

[ISRAEL JEREMIAH VALENTINE]

Israel had luckily never experienced sibling rivalry, not with his younger brother. They had had a very good relationship, so it's what he imagined that most other's relationships with their siblings were like. "You'll get better," he said with a bit of a sigh. They would have to do it together. He wasn't very fond of school, either. He didn't think anyone could be. It was school. On the matter of her leadership, he said, "It's because you're so cool and awesome and admirable, yeah. Plus not too hard on the eyes." The Wind boy nodded with certainty, knowing this for a fact. Everyone wanted their leader to be pretty to look at. He was pretty to look at, right? Maybe...if he shaved. His mother always got on him about that, but Knox had yet to complain. Truth was, Issy enjoyed politics. It was part of the reason he wanted to be a leader. They were always something he'd been interested in. "You know me, I can't get angry at nobody, nohow. Except with fish. They have no right to be around." Their eyes upset him. Did they even have eyelids? Did Rowena even know that he had this thing about fish, or was it something he had conveniently left out of conversation before? It was possible, not like they came up often. "And if not, we can settle it old school. Go fisticuffs." He held up his fists as if he was about to fight. Okay, so he would not be fighting. He didn't really like to fight unless it was necessary, and he didn't believe it was necessary to fight a friend.

He thought about that. A tease. That had such bad connotations, he didn't know if that was the word he wanted, even if it did fit rather well. Tease was more for a sexual relationship, though, when both knew what the other wanted and that was just to bang each other. Relationships weren't just sex. "More like a fish to catch." That was better. Parents and friends always said "there's more fish in the sea" after a break-up, and he supposed that fishing analogies were the best. Even if he didn't like fish, and thus had no experience in the actual sport of it. Israel tried to think of some questions he got himself, the ones he had asked girls when they were interested. He stood closer to her, feigning one of these interested guys as a demonstration. "So uh...what's your favorite food?" He gave her space them to explain, "That's one thing a guy wouldn't be interested in if he weren't interested in you. As a person. And possibly planning to take you on a picnic or something like that." It was all give and take, of course. She had to show she was interested the same way. "And of course, you have to consult with a friend, ask them if the guy seems interested." A third party opinion was always the best bet. Half the time he wouldn't make a move if not for a friend's word on it. Now it seemed Raine had taken that place, though everything got bungled in the situation. Whoops, he's a gay virgin. Thought you should know while I continue to drink this spiked soda. It ended up well enough.

Israel hadn't been good at one-night stands. Ever. He supposed she may have been better in that department. The Wind always ended up getting too attached. Asking if they wanted to see him again, vertically this time. It usually didn't work out. People willing to sleep with you anonymously wanted to stay anonymous. "If it's not in a dark room or in the back of a car, that is very worrisome. And if you get the idea that you know, he's just in it for sex, stay away from that. Those relationships end up as gossip fodder. And someone ends up getting punched in the balls." So it had never happened to him first-hand, but he had seen it happened. He knew about whatever relationships he could get the juicy gossip on. But he wasn't the kind of person who needed to go around spreading other people's business -- he just used it for himself. She brought up a good point about the elemental difference. "I can get another group of people, but I don't usually hang around many people except for Knox and Raine." He shrugged. He knew that he was a loner, and he preferred a few friends to having a lot. That was kind of scary. He frowned at her words. "Gosh, Rowena, you're so mean to me. I wonder why I haven't run away from you yet because obviously this is an abusive relationship." If he really felt like he was being bullied by the Thunder, he probably would have ditched her after they first met. But he liked her, and he liked her sense of humor. She was chill. "Oh god, thank you." Issy snapped his fingers. "The Wicker Man, that's it. A horrible movie, two thumbs down, would not recommend." He sniffed and shook his head, before looking at her. "I can have you redeem yourself at another game. Maybe some Pacman?" He wasn't too good at Pacman, always ended up cornering himself, but that would mean it's better for Ro. That was his goal.

[ROWENA AUDREY BENNETT]

Could she believe that herself? You're three years older than the other idiots. She'd been told a few times that she'd do better if she were to suck it up and apply herself but the application was the entire problem. She didn't like school. She didn't want to go into anything involving science or history, why did she have to take it? At least mathematics were actually used somewhat outside of school, annoying as they were. "I'm going to try. I can't repeat another year, I would die." She'd be in her thirties by the time she reached college. That was the way it felt. "Do you reckon you've got a good chance this year?" They'd both failed grades and so she respected him a little more than she did some of her other future classmates. She smiled and ducked her head when he complimented her, much more sheepish than she would have been if it were anyone else. She tried to hide her self-esteem issues from others. The Thunder blinked at Israel, wondering if she'd heard him right. Did he say... fish? What? She sat for a moment in silence with a confused expression on her face as if trying to figure out whether or not he was joking. It hadn't sounded like much of a joke to her. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time something soared right over her head. "Fish?" she echoed, fixing him with a look as if asking him to explain. What had fish ever done to Israel? She didn't have much of an opinion on them herself, save for the fact that they tasted good. "I wonder who would win that fight," she mused. She was the more aggressive one but she wasn't all that tough.

Fish were brought up again not long after, though this time it was in a much less confusing manner. She didn't think that she was much of a catch but she kept this to herself, not wanting to whine constantly about how no one loved her. No one liked to hear about that. Besides, she did want to change her way of thinking. It was just hard. He asked her what her favourite food was, all the while impersonating who she assumed was her metaphorical romantic interest. "Why would he care about that?" She was selfish, she didn't think too much about other people. The only people she cared about were her rare few friends. Then it clicked. If you actually cared about someone, you would care about their interests. "I've never had someone do something like that for me before... I kind of like the idea." A picnic might have seemed cheesy but Rowena could handle cheesy. It was a lot better than the detached hook-ups she was used to. She wanted a guy that cared about her and wanted her happy. She'd never felt that before. "A friend of mine or his?" She knew sometimes that friends would hook you up but she'd never really had that happen anywhere but at parties and it had never been for an actual relationship. "I really hope I find someone like that," she said with a wistful sigh. "I'm tired of it being about sex, you know?" She enjoyed the sex but when it felt like all she was good for... no, then was when it lost its appeal.

Though she wanted a relationship more than she wanted a lot of things in her life right now, high school diploma included, Rowena was afraid of the heartbreak. She didn't know how she'd handle falling in love and then falling right back out of it because she'd never experienced the feeling before. "Thanks, Issy," she said with a half-smile. "I guess I kind of needed the advice. I don't really have anyone else to ask about this kind of stuff." There was her sister but she wasn't very good at getting sappy in front of Altair. She wanted her older-by-a-few-minutes twin to think she was tough and that she was getting better, she didn't want to shine light on how many cracks there were in her armour. "I get you. I don't have a whole lot of people, either." They were both loners of a sort. Rowena knew a lot of people but she was solitary by nature and only allowed a rare few to get close. She was too selfish for a wider circle of friendship and support. Whatever good qualities she had were reserved for the people she liked the most. She gave a wicked smile, glad to be joking around after the heart to heart. It felt strange after having just told him about all of her drama. "You stay because you love me," she hummed. That was how a lot of actually abusive relationships functioned, too. Thank goodness they were only dicking around. "I've never seen it. Really that bad, huh? Is it even worth watching for how awful it is?" Some movies were, others were so downright awful they were almost impossible to sit through. "I've played that before!" If anyone had went their entire life without playing Pac-Man at least once there was something wrong. "I say let's go for it."