the real folk blues [craig]

[NELL DOE DALE]

In the snow, Nell felt as helpless as a kitten. Wrapped up in two scarves, a jacket, jeans, and she forgot how many socks, she still could not get warm. Cheeks flushed red, she looked at the snow in front of her indignantly. Luckily no more was falling, otherwise she wouldn't have taken her Pontiac to school. She was very careful with it, but she also wanted to show it off. The Earth graduate had put a lot of work into restoring it, and she finished it up a lot sooner than she thought she would. It had been something of her own creation, and that made her proud. She'd formed something out of bare bones, and it felt almost as good as starting something from scratch. She liked creating, forming things out of nothing.

She also liked warmth, but that was something that she just couldn't get. At least, right now. Picking up her feet as high as she could, she started through the snow, painfully aware of just how short she was. If she were taller, she'd be able to traverse the grounds quickly. As it were, she half-tripped over herself, the snow soaking into the legs of her jeans. If I were a Fire... Don't get her wrong, she loved her element. She wouldn't have traded her control over the Earth for anything. But she also saw the benefits of being a Fire elemental, able to whisk up a flame, or at this age she would be able to melt the snow itself. Then she stopped, putting her foot down so it crunched in the snow. Why had no Fire elemental gotten on this yet? Maybe some college Waters got carried away... Far-fetched, but she believed that they could get tricky.

She sighed, starting up again, but within a few moments she toppled over, falling face-first into the snow. "Ouch," she said into it, coughing as she lifted up her head. If she had been shivering before, it was nothing compared to now. She was soaked through and through, and it took her several moments to pull herself up from the snowdrift. Nell brushed off the snow covering her, and patted down any stray hairs. She shouldn't have worn it up, but it was her preferred style. Out of the way, even if it did leave her neck open to the element. Two scarves should have been enough protection, but now both of them were pretty wet. I can do it, she thought determinedly. The building was just up ahead, and it would only be a matter of moments before she could reach it. She was dogged, not about to give up.

With a few more trips, but no falls, she stumbled into the building, breathing a shaky breath as she entered the warmth. Of course it was a little drafty, but she barely noticed as she stripped off her jacket. She began walking, preoccupied with taking off the wet clothes when she bumped into something hard. "Ouch, sorry," she said instinctively, before blinking and identifying her roadblock. "Oh, Crow!" Her expression immediately brightened, and she tilted her head to the side. "You're early." She shook out her jacket, trying not to get him or anyone else around them wet.

[crow]

Craig loved snow, and winter in general he didn’t say that just cause he was a water elemental and that once he became more proficient with his powers he would be able to create and manipulate ice. Ever since he had awakened to his element he was always bummed out with the fact that he couldn’t make or control snow. Unless he melted it first that is, but then it wasn’t snow anymore, even if snow was technically ice; he had tried speaking to his element teacher about why this was, why they could with growth and advanced training control ice yet not snow.

He hadn’t got any definitive answer, not that he blamed the teacher they were likely as puzzled as he was at how illogical it seemed. He supposed it was somewhat the same as thunders not being able to control plasma, fires unable to control light, how the wind folks couldn’t command oxygen, and the earth people couldn’t make trees dance.

The blond boy was leaned against one of the hallway windows staring out into the cold, wet, wintery world outside, pondering whether or not to go out and just mess around in the snow and in the process just skip first class or something. Some would argue that he was too old to play around like a little kid, but then most agreed that if anyone would do such a thing the water folks were the ones most likely to. For his sometimes cynical view of the world and the human condition, Craig still retained almost a childhood innocence in other aspects even if he had a tendency to pull pranks he preferred a fun and friendly snowball game over dumping ice water on hapless victims.

Fun and games were more his thing than responsibilities and chores, there were only a select few ordinary school classes he enjoyed; specific ones being history, drama, and music, most of the time however he spent honing his elemental control, even in his off time he did this… kept training, though he made a point to have training be fun and practical in application. In rare times he managed to coax another of the more friendly aligned elements on join in, mostly earths but he had also trained with a wind before.

His mental thoughts were shattered as he felt something bump into him, twirling around to meet the person, silently praying it wasn’t a thunder person more specifically one named Hunter, even since that incident in the courtyard Craig had made a habit of avoiding that guy like the plague. The voice that then called out soothed all his anxiety, though it was not his name as most used but rather a nickname he had among friends. Close friends called him Crow specifically for his playful nature, it might have made more sense if he was black haired; but the name was given also because he was highly intelligent but kind of hid this beneath the free-spirited, laid-back prankster facade.

“Nell!”

[/color] He beamed a smile at the older woman; he rarely hung out with graduates in fact besides the woman in front of him he couldn’t say he knew any. But Nell was a bit of a special case even so, she was a dear friend and had been almost ever since he arrived at the school. To Craig this woman was almost like a big sister even if the water’s experience with siblings was hardly what one could call nice. “And yea, I make a habit of being an early bird.” He smiled through a shrug of his shoulders learning back against the window behind him, gloved hands shoving into his jeans pockets. “You're quite early yourself?”[/color] ice-blue eyes trailed the woman who despite the neatness of dress seemed a little ruffled as if she had let the snow get to her. He rarely ever saw graduates at the school even if there were quite a few, when he did however it was always in passing and from a distance, though that was mostly cause he made a habit to avoid them, more than anything.[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[NELL DOE DALE]

Nell wished she had better handling of snow. And maybe that she was taller. Something that could make winter in Canada just a little more bearable instead of the travesty it usually turned out to be. Lump in her wilting powers, and she felt like a wreck half the time. Of course, this never shows in her actions or on her face. She met every challenge with a smile and a determination to overcome. If she didn't have optimism, she would only see the worst outcome of any situation, and that did not do well for anything. She didn't see how pessimists could deal with everything.

Thus, her smile toward Crow was wide and happy, brimming with curiosity about how he felt and how vacation was and the things she usually trilled about like an excited bird. She was interested in his well-being and how he'd been doing without her. Of course, she spent time with her friends, but she had also been spending a lot more time with her husband lately, and not just because they were newlyweds. It may have made her clingy, but being away from her made her very antsy. Though, she couldn't stay around him all the time. He had medical school to attend, a job at the Academy, it was rare that both of them had free time to spend.

It was easier with her friends in the Academy. "Good habit to have, methinks," She said, opening the flap over her messenger bag to try and find a napkin -- anything to help with the wetness. She would just have to either wait, or find Josh or Lark to go all space heater for her. Having Fire elementals in her life was definitely a plus with incidents like these.

She nodded her head enthusiastically. "You know, just couldn't wait to come to school." After a giggle, she admitted, "It's a funny story, actually. I planned to be late, but then bam." She clapped her hands together before spreading them apart. "I remember I had homework that I didn't finish. And while getting ready I had to wonder....what kind of college professor assigns homework?" At least nowadays it was rare, they were focusing on more stuff when it came to stamina and personal style. However, her academic classes, though most papers and research projects, did have homework sometimes.

Draping her coat over her bag, she winced as she said, "Then I kind of fell in the snow. I guess no one has gotten to clearing a lot of it up." Or maybe she had gone the difficult way. It could have happened, she didn't doubt her ability to do something silly like that. Pointing over into the distance, she said, "I should start walking, but do you wanna come with? I didn't see you much over vacay, how were your holidays?" She didn't know what he celebrated, and apparently that was the politically correct thing to say to people. She didn't know much about the world with things like that, but she trusted the status quo.

[crow]

Nell was always the talker, at least in Craig’s opinion she was, not that it was a bad thing quite the contrary he’d much more enjoyed listening to people than chewing their ears off. And she was also so positive Craig sometimes had difficulties seeing the bright side of situations; he still didn’t really understand how this woman did it.

Even so it was admirable, Craig was in a mind to ask if there was anything he could do with her soaked garments; he could attempt to extract the water from her clothes, he had tried it once with a soaked napkin but each garment were a little different, wool for example was almost downright impossible to pull the water from, and at the same time prevent the titular shrinking. Decides it would likely take longer than easy route which was just throwing them over a heater and the like.

Craig didn’t mind most homework, only math and English essays got boring, sometimes he’d even write down the essays in Faroese first and then translated them, sure it entailed more work but it was easier going that way. “I finished most of my homework before the holidays.” The young water shrugged, that way he had nothing waiting for him once school would start up again, less stressful that way. “And here I was hoping going to college would mean no more homework.” Craig conjured a fake pout, “Thanks for crashing that fantasy.”

[/b] He grinned through a tease.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my classmates or other has been out there, turning the bottom layers into ice.” Craig ran a hand through his hair, he did enjoy a good prank or joke like the next water, with the premise that no one got hurt and turning the entire courtyard into an ice field was potentially dangerous as people could slip and break limbs and what have you. He nodded then as he agreed to follow Nell down the corridor.

“Oh, the usual; spent my time at the school. My guardian insisted I’d come to stay them for a day or two.”[/b] The young man kept his hands in his jeans, “So I decided to humor them. Beyond that the holidays were rather uneventful.” A hand rose to rub his neck. “I assume you had a great holiday?”[/color] he smiled turning his head.[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[NELL DOE DALE]

Nell enjoyed college. Education meant having opportunities she never had before. The Academy had always meant a lot to her. First arriving to Canada, it had been home. A sanctuary, a place to rest her mind. She'd been under the radar of the government for so long, and the Academy had protected her before everything caught up with her. Now, this place would challenge her and give her the option to be something greater in the future. She didn't know what she wanted to be, but she knew whatever she did she would like it to involve helping other people.

She nodded and listened to Crow, her brown eyes wide and full of interest as if he were reading straight from the Koran. Her friends' lives were important to her, and falling behind felt similar to falling behind in a show she usually kept up with. If she kept up with shows, the only being Dora the Explorer.

She tilted her head, appearing to think about his words. "It depends on the professor, I think." Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she told him, "There's definitely a lot less paperwork in college. Junior year is looking to be more about practical application of my powers." She looked forward to it, wondered if other people felt the same way she did about her powers. She had never been very exceptional with them, but over the course of three years she had steadily improved with time. Her maze was testament to that. "Wait, so does this mean you're thinking of going to college?" Her grin matched his. Not everyone made the decision to attend college, but apparently Crow would be one of them. She was glad -- it meant she would keep on seeing him.

She shook her head, though her expression didn't look very serious. Not that she ever looked particularly serious. Ironically, unless she was joking. "You need to learn to control your bros before I file a lawsuit. What if I break my back?" She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Most Waters weren't that bad, but she couldn't speak for the entire element.

He explained that he had been at the Academy for the holidays, and she nodded her head. He had been adopted, she knew that much, and she liked hearing about success stories like his. She worked in a group home -- hearing about the girls' stories did not make one feel very good about the idea of them being adopted. But it happened, sometimes it worked out. "Did you not want to spend time with them?" she questioned about his guardians. It didn't really sound like it, by the fact that he 'humored' them.

When he asked about her own holiday, she nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it was great. Celebrated with the family." She could say that she actually had a family now that she had married Josh. There was the dark looming cloud, but she always tried to keep a positive outlook for the future. She would do something about that cloud. Hands in her pockets as she walked, she said, "I actually got you a present," she told him with a nod. "Well, not here...but you can stop by after school to pick it up." Just last Christmas she wasn't able to really go all out with the job she had, but now she could get her friends some pretty good presents. All of them, too, and she had a wide circle of them. "Hopefully you like. And if not, that means we can't be friends anymore, I'm sorry." Anyone who knew her, knew she was joking. Like she would be able to part with any of her friends. She was too clingy for that.