The Apple & The Arrow :: Josh

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

Lark watched with half-lidded eyes as the snow drifted on past the window, body curled up against the armrest of the couch. Her arm made for a wonderful pillow as her cheek rested on top, the other hand draped lazily over her leg, fingers barely grasping the guitar she brought along for the visit to Josh's house. She blinked a few times to retain focus; after staring at the sheet of white outside everything had started growing blurry. "Mmm.." Was all she managed, a murmur of happiness. This house was like home to her. Always had been. If ever a time came where she wanted to feel safe, this was the first place she would try and go. Her pinkie finger ran over the strings of her guitar. "I feel so lazy," Lark drawled out the last word before pulling her eyes away from the window and looking at her best friend. "But only when I'm here. Like your house makes me feel tired or something." No, it was more that she felt comfortable. Safe. Warm. Like nothing could harm her. Everything felt familiar or held a memory. It was nice. Feeling a small spurt of energy, the girl sat up and put the guitar in her lap. The tuning had already been done but--out of habit--fussed with it anyway to make sure it was right.

The guitar was the one Josh got her. It was the replacement for the one lost in the fire. She lost a great many things that day but despite the material losses it made her realize how many good people she had in her life. Frank was a dick, there was no doubt about that, but Josh had been there for her. Ashton had been there for her. People that mattered most. Things could be going horribly wrong and the world could be on the verge of extinction but having those she loved and cared about stand by her side made everything easier. There was a soft, contemplative smile on Lark's face as she began to pluck the strings, humming a little to whatever tune she had conjured up on the fly.

And that's when the fire nation attacked the doorbell rang. Her hand rested atop the strings to quell the vibrations as her head turned to look at the entryway, blinking a few times before glancing at Josh. "Maybe it's the paparazzi. They heard my awesome guitar playing and just had to stop by." She joked with a huff of amusement before setting the guitar on the couch, watching as Josh went to go and answer the door. She could have continued playing but curiosity distracted her. When he came back into the room with a package, Lark stood up and looked the box over. "What is it?" Her voice held anticipation, almost like that of a child, then she eyed him warily. "If it's a box of porn magazines, then lie to me and tell me it's full of stuffed animals for Nell or something." Teasing of course, though that image was a bit awkward and Lark quickly shoved it away. Porn was not exactly uncommon but still. You can understand that most of your friends are guys and understand that some of them liked those sorts of things but it did not reduce the awkwardness factor by any amount.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

His fingers gently plucked at the guitar strings as he worked to get the instrument in tune, playing it by ear instead of using any kind of device to achieve his goals. He had taught himself most of the things he knew about the instrument and this was no exception. His friend was staring lazily out the window when he glanced up at the sound she made in her throat. "Hm?" He wasn't sure whether she wanted something or whether she was just contemplating the snow that drifted lazily past the window. She explained to him and he lifted his brows, giving an experimental strum before moving to work a little more on one of the strings. "Guessing that's not a bad thing?" he wondered aloud, chuckling. "I hope my guitar playing isn't putting you to sleep. I haven't played in a while but I'm surely not that rusty." Breaking his wrist had been a bit of a complication but now that he had the cast off he was working his way back into his normal hobbies. 'Take it easy' wasn't advice that he took well. He wanted to get right back into doing everything that he could before. He'd ordered a new archery bow online, he was picking up the guitar again. The only thing he tried to avoid was very heavy lifting, just in case.

He felt content as he listened to her play whatever random tunes came to mind, occasionally joining in when the inspiration hit. It was fun to have a simple jam session like this with a friend. She would always be more musically talented than he was and he didn't have a problem with that. It didn't make it any less fun when she brought her guitar over to play. He'd bought her it, after all, and it felt nice to see the happiness that settled over her whenever she was playing. She was one of his best friends, he liked to know he'd done something good for her. His head turned in the direction of the lobby when the obnoxious chime of the doorbell interrupted them, scoffing at her suggestion. "Careful or you won't be able to get that inflated ego of yours out the doorway." He shoved her gently when he stood, smiling as he exited the living room and went to the door. He had a feeling he knew what it was and his thoughts were confirmed when he saw the form he was passed. "Can I get you to sign for this, sir?" Josh nodded, already doing just that across the bottom of the form and handing it back. "Thank you," he said politely before closing the door and heading back into the living room with the package under his left arm. He set it down beside him when he got back to the couch, moving his guitar off to the side so that he had a little more room.

Lark seemed intrigued by the box but then changed to a more guarded tone. He blinked at her and didn't miss a beat with his response. "How about I let you share if you don't tell Nell about it?" He pressed a finger to his lips. "It'll be our little secret, I promise." Like Lark, Josh was only kidding. He figured some girls liked those kinds of magazines too but he wouldn't want to know that kind of information about a friend, especially if they were into fetishes or other weird things. He shook his head and opened the package by pulling his switchblade from his pocket and running it over the sealed top, extracting the bow from inside with gentle care. "It's a bow," he said, not to be Captain Obvious or anything. "I ordered it back when I got the cast off, I figured it would come in soon." He felt like a kid on Christmas as he ran his hands along the wood hurr and admired the craftsmanship. It wasn't one of the robotic-looking hunting bows—he knew how to operate them but he preferred something a little less modern. "And I think..." He rifled through the rest of the box and pulled something out with a triumphant, "Yep." He set the arrows back into the box so that they didn't slide off the couch and onto the floor or anything like that. "A lot of my old ones were getting fragile." They didn't break with every shot but nothing lasted forever.

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

The strum of the guitar was a welcomed addition to her surroundings, almost rhythmic with the snowflakes outside. At least it was in her mind. Everything could be put to music. Josh's response to her murmur went unnoticed, but his actual question did catch her attention since she was actually looking right at him. "Either I'm really comfortable or you've got a gas leak," She replied, lifting one eyebrow, then chuckled. "Putting me to sleep by playing the guitar is a good thing you know." She loved to listen to acoustics and electrics in their natural state, right in front of her in the room. It was calming and settled her mind. Rhythmic, gentle, like listening to the ocean waves on the beaches of Hawaii. Oh how she missed it. Canada was her home now but that did not mean she did not have brief moments of nostalgia and a desire to visit. Soon. The money was being saved up, so a few months from now she would be waking up to a beautiful Waikiki sunrise. Maybe Ashton would be willing to join her.

By this point her playing had become a subconscious sort of thing, Josh's additions a nice thrum behind her own little random pieces. A jam session without loud singing, amplifiers, and drums. She enjoyed things like this, especially with her best friend. Little memories were so important to her. She rarely told people how much she cherished them, instead proved her attachment through spending time and doing things for those she cared about. Most--if not all--seemed to understand. She gave a faint smile as he nudged her to go and answer the door. "Your front door is big enough I think. It can handle me." She replied, listening to the murmur of their conversation from where she sat on the couch. Sometimes it was difficult to avoid being a nosy person when an unopened package was sitting directly in front of you.

At his suggestion, Lark feigned interest by wrapping a finger around her chin and bobbing her shoulders up and down, as though weighing the options. When decided, she gave a firm nod. "Deal." She flashed him a wink, the smile gracing her features briefly before disappearing again. No matter how awkward the conversation was for her, there was no way in hell Lark would let Josh know. Porn was a pretty common thing. She sat back down and watched as he opened the box; it was not hers but still there was a flutter of anticipation in her chest. The item was, obviously, a bow, but she merely nodded and observed the weapon with an unusual gleam of interest in her eyes. She'd never messed with one before but always found them rather fascinating. "That's bad ass," Lark commented, watching as he dug around for the spare arrows he purchased along with it. "I didn't know you were into archery," She added, then shrugged. "But hey, makes you unique." He was one of the only people she knew who liked archery, or at least owned a traditional bow. When she thought of a bow her mind instantly drifted to the hunters' bow. This was entirely different.

"You should try it out. I wanna see it in action." Lark suggested. The only ones she had seen in use were the ones she saw on TV, and those were brief glimpses. This one was real.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

His lip twitched as she spoke, the Fire looking entertained as he adjusted the final string. It's high pitched note sounded right as it reached his ears and so he started shifting through a few chords and playing random tunes to ensure that everything was in working order. "I'm not tired, it's just you." He was content and relaxed but tired wouldn't be the word that he used for it. He usually got tired around midnight and he liked to try and get to bed around then, if not earlier. He had a lot of stuff that he had to get done during the day between his job and his schooling so a proper schedule was important. "If school is any indication, falling asleep means you're bored or that you didn't get enough sleep last night." He chuckled, not really meaning it. He understood what she was getting at and wasn't all that offended either way. He muted the strings with his palm and played another few chords, marvelling the way it sounded and the way that his left hand responded to him. It was a tiny bit stiff and his timing might have been off by a fraction of a second as a result but it was much better than he'd felt about it when the cast had first come off. It was the second time he'd had the same wrist broken, though thankfully the first culprit had been a tree and his own stupidity as opposed to a couple mobsters.

Thanks to Lark's efforts at hiding how uncomfortable certain conversations made her, Joshua was completely oblivious to how jokes about pornography might affect her. She'd started it, after all, and so he saw nothing wrong with it. It was a part of his personality. He smirked when she commented on the weapon, liking the choice of words. Bad ass. I can deal with that. He might not have relied on the opinions of others but who didn't like feeling like their ego was being stroked? "You didn't? Huh. It must never have come up." It was almost surprising that after so many years of friendship, there were still things that they didn't know about one another. It didn't bother him, though. "Implying that I wasn't unique beforehand? Excuse you." He drew his head back and scowled as if offended. Brushing off the act, he said, "Nala got me into it. Ms. Thomas to most people. Do you know her?" He didn't know if Lark had ever had the woman's classes. Josh was rather fond of the spunky history teacher—not only because she taught one of his favourite subjects, though that was definitely part of it. "I'd like to think I've gotten pretty good on my own, though. I've had quite a bit of practice." Being rich meant that he could afford the bow, the arrows, and even a target on which he could practice.

He would have been prepared to set the bow down after a moment of marvelling to go back to their jam session if Lark had wished it. After all, she'd come over to hang out with him and he was not going to be that rude friend that ignored her for the entire time. His friend expressed an interest in seeing the weapon put to use, however, and a grin spread across his features. "Want me to go out and give it a couple gos? Yeah, all right. Come on!" He set the guitar back into its case so that the animals wouldn't mess with it while they were in the back yard and led the way outside through the garage so that he could grab the target on his way out. He hefted it with his left hand, not wanting to put his right under too much strain. "The range has targets but I don't always have the time so I got one of my own." He loved his money and all the things that it could buy him. He set the target up on a flat part of the lawn that didn't slope down toward the lake and forest and stood back at a good distance. "Okay, so how much faith to you have in me? How many points do you think I can get outta this one?" Betting and gambling could be fun as long as it wasn't too competitive. He took competitions too seriously.

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

She snorted and gave an over-dramatic eye roll. "If I were bored I would say so. You know me." Her honesty was rarely sugarcoated and considering this was her best friend she was even less watchful about how she spoke. He at least understood her. Being sensitive might come in handy, though, and she was working on it. Sometimes they got into spats over things, probably including some of her comments, but what two Fires didn't? She didn't let it affect their friendship in any way. Everyone had their disagreements and arguments but that did not make them incompatible. "And I slept just fine last night, actually. So nyah~" There was a brief moment of childishness as she stuck out her tongue. "I'm gonna go with the gas leak. Sounds more probable." There was obviously no gas leak; she was merely talking for the sake of doing so. Not to mention it was difficult to explain why she felt the way she did. Maybe the combination of snow and music? The white flurries were slow to drift to the ground, quiet but peaceful while the guitar added a beautiful hum in the background. Even if Josh's guitar playing had been off by just those few milliseconds, she did not even notice. It was nice to be here and spend time with him. That was what mattered, anyway.

Best friends or not, some things did not always make their way into conversation. She was not offended or upset by it of course because, well, that was the beauty of friendships. You had the chance to learn new things about people over the course of time. What was the fun in knowing everything right off the bat? She shrugged. "Probably not, but it's cool." Now she knew and that was what mattered. This could be helpful knowledge for the future, for gifts. Her eyebrow barely twitched upward, a small smile playing on her lips as he drew his head back. He looked offended--and maybe he was--but that did not cause her to withdraw. "Pfft. The most un-unique person in the whole world, Josh. I mean, I don't even know why we're friends." Her eyes rolled up to glance at the ceiling as she shook her head, looking disgruntled. It was not the least bit serious of course; if she did not want to be friends with someone, they would know. Lark was never very good at subtlety in that area. She mulled the name over in her head a couple of times when he asked about Nala, but drew a blank. "I don't think so, no. Doesn't ring a bell." If memory served her right, there was never a Mrs. Thomas heading up any of the classes she took. "But she must be pretty awesome if she was into archery." Out of all the sports Lark had played over the course of high school, archery was not one of them. Maybe trying it out in the future could not hurt.

Seeing the grin on his face caused the girl to smile in return, glad that the suggestion pleased him. They could have continued playing guitar and making up random songs but they could do that any time. He just received his new baby and she was interested in seeing it in action. "Alright, awesome! Like modern day Robin Hood. Only you don't wear tights." Which would be incredibly creepy and Lark inwardly shuddered at the image. No thanks. Best friend or not, she could not cope with imagining Josh leaping around in green stockings. She followed him willingly through the garage, content to stuff her hands in her pockets and wait until they were in the back yard to step to the side and allow him the room he needed to draw his bow. It was a nice day outside despite the cold. "Makes sense," She replied with a brief nod. If she had the money to do things like that, she would, but that was not in the cards right now. She was content though. Lark had everything she needed. Josh's question caused her to blink, not sure if it was meant to be rhetorical or serious. "I have infinite faith in you," She replied simply, then allowed a bit of humor to seep in. "Unless you tell me that jumping off of a cliff is safe. Then I'll question you." No one could ever convince her that that was safe, not even Josh. There was a faint hum in her throat as she thought on the next question, eyeing the target. "I dunno if you'll get bullseye but...I'm gonna say at least the ring outside of that." Her finger traced the outline of the ring in the air; she did not know how the points worked so best to go by rings.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Apparently Lark had never had a class of Nala's. "She teaches World History." He'd never been a student of hers but he liked history enough that they'd gotten into a few discussions about it and hit it off, going from there. Then she'd invited him to the archery range and thus his love for the hobby had sprouted. "Oh, yeah, she's great," he said, nodding. "I could introduce you some time." He was used to being a loner and not having a whole lot of friends with which to network but things had changed over the past couple of years.

Joshua raised his brows at his best friend with a judgemental expression settling over his features. "There's a lot wrong with that. Like the fact that I'm, y'know, rich. I'm hardly going to steal from myself, now am I?" And the tights... no, there was no way that was going to happen. It would probably make him laugh if it were someone else but picturing himself in tights was a nightmare. He'd leave that to Robin Hood. "I'm also lacking any merry men." He looked around as if expecting men in green to burst out from the scenery and join him. Nope, nothing. So the only similarity between Robin Hood and himself was the bow. He had similarities to a lot of people if that was the only thing he needed to count.

His friend answered the question with more seriousness than he'd intended but Joshua didn't mind. It was nice to hear, really. He liked when his friends believed in him. A lack of trust was one of the greatest insults to him. He chuckled. "I think it's perfectly safe. Take the cliffs at the Academy—you could totally make that jump. It's not far at all. I'm training to be a medical professional, L, would I lie to you?" Never mind the signs all over the cliffs warning against the dangers of jumping off of them. There had been a few deaths early in the school's history that had led to some barriers being set up along the most dangerous parts and all of the signs cautioning a risk of fatal drops. It would only take one drunk idiot to climb up there with the idea that he would be totally fine and they'd probably close the cliffs for good. There had been threats of it for years whenever someone was injured but the lack of deaths had stopped that.

He nodded and took on a look of concentration as he surveyed the target, planting his feet and shifting his grip on the bow as he notched an arrow and narrowed his eyes. I'm going to hit that bullseye. Admittedly he wanted to show off in front of his friend. He liked being good at thinkings. He pulled the string back and adjusted his position ever so slightly before letting go, the sound of the arrow hitting the wooden board discernible even from their distance. It had landed in the very ring that Lark had guessed it would. "Totally where I was aiming," he lied. Would Lark understand his competitive nature enough to see right through the fib? Probably. Years of friendship could do that. "Let's try this again..." He adjusted his shot and this time the arrow buried itself in the opposite side of the ring surrounding the bullseye. God damn it. He'd get it some day. He wasn't perfect, after all. "Again, I totally was not aiming for anything but that spot..." He chuckled, shaking his head.

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

Lark tilted her head upwards and formed an 'o' with her mouth, giving a brief nod. She could not really remember half of her teachers considering that was not her main focus, nor did she take time afterwards to talk to them. Their longest conversations were usually dealing with detention or overdue homework. She vowed that college would be different, though. If there was any chance at doing anything with her music career or teaching, she needed to train her focus on that. "Maybe you could, yeah," Lark agreed with a smile. It would be weird meeting a teacher that would not be your teacher. While Josh now had the opportunity to make friends with the school staff, she was still in student mode. "Is she a highschool teacher, or college professor?" The inquiry was merely to satisfy curiosity, though she wondered if Nala would wind up being her professor should she have a need to take World History.

There was a bit of a playful smirk on her lips as she rolled her eyes, a light sigh escaping her nose. "You never know, brah. Maybe you steal from yourself in your sleep." She eyed him, thinking. "Have you ever gotten up in the morning and stuff is moved around? If so, that might be why." Her finger met his upper arm in a playful poke, the smile gone but the light in her eyes still there. What she would give to be wealthy. Life was not horrible but having extra money to line your pockets could not be a bad thing. She could have escaped her parents sooner, avoided all of the drama that went along with it, and maybe the fire would not have happened either. Past is past. Was the harsh reminder that met her thoughts, halting them almost immediately. Wishing for the past to change would only prevent her from seeing the future that lay ahead. Things were looking bright and that's all that mattered. She looked around, also expecting men to leap out from behind bushes, but nothing happened. Then she pressed a thumb to her own chest. "I could be a merry man. Woman. Whatever. I won't wear tights but I don't mind leaping out of bushes and bursting into song." She could even wield a guitar. It would be perfect...ly awkward. At least the discussion was there simply to be funny. "Devin would probably do it." That kid was more comfortable with himself than he probably should be.

She had a high level of trust in her best friend. Whether he was looking for a serious answer or not, she still gave it because it was the truth. If Lark lacked trust in Josh there was a chance she would avoid discussing it. Honest yes, but eager to cause a rift in her friendships? No. The girl snorted and settled a hand on her hip. "About the cliffs? Yes. Nice try though~" Medical professional or not there was no way in hell she would ever take a jump off the cliffs at the Academy. There were warning signs all over the place. People died attempting to land in the lake below. She'd have to either be on drugs, wasted, or aiming to end her life to make that leap. She liked to take dares and push the envelope a little bit but if she knew there was imminent danger she tried to avoid it if possible.

Arms crossed one over the other as dark eyes watched Josh notch the arrow and take his stance, preparing to let it fly. The chances of hitting the bullseye were definitely slimmer than hitting the other rings but if he had been practicing then maybe he would be dead on. Still, the competitive part of Lark wanted him to hit the ring she gestured to just so she could be right. Her gaze followed the arrow as he let go of the string, it hitting the target with a discernible thunk. A triumphant smile briefly twitched at the corner of her lips before disappearing. "Totally," She replied, giving him a 'suuuure you did' look before looking at the target again. A triumphant feeling coursed through her chest before disappearing again. She didn't say anything this time, only waiting until the next arrow buried itself into the wood before looking at him again. "At least you're consistent?" Better than missing the target entirely, right? She went thoughtfully silent for a time before pressing a finger to her lip. "You should try shooting something off my head," The suggestion was dead serious, too. "There was a book or something where they shot an apple off this kids' head. Think you can do it?" Her eyebrow quirked upward, wondering if he would accept the challenge or turn it down.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Unlike Lark, Joshua remembered the vast majority of the people who had taught him over the years. Perhaps it was his good memory or maybe it was because education was so important to the Fire but Joshua could rattle off a list of his educators over the year without much trouble. Nala had never been one of them but he still had an answer to Lark's question. "High school. I was never a student of hers myself so it's never been that awkward." They had still been student and teacher in general but not to each other. They'd clicked over a common passion for history and that had been that. He was glad he'd met her, for otherwise he would never have found an interest in the hobby that now occupied him.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Please. I don't sleep deep enough to sleepwalk. I'd wake myself up trying to move things around." Though he mentioned his lack of deep sleeping lightly, there was a much darker reason behind it—paranoia. Fearing that someone could enter his home while he was fast asleep and take his life kept him on the edge of alertness at all times, ready to spring up at a moment's notice. It was a bit of a pain when the cats were around and making a racket.

It was hard to picture his life as some ridiculous Robin Hood-esque musical but it coaxed a chuckle past his lips as he shook his head. "You would, too." His closest friends never seemed to have an issue with doing completely ridiculous things for the sake of a good time. They'd rubbed off on him over the years, tempting him away from a stubbornly serious lifestyle. Getting some alcohol in him always helped. He made a face as she continued. "Ugh, could we not picture Dev in tights? I love the guy but really." He was amused, though he refused to allow the mental image into his mind's eye. He was out of brain bleach. "I mean, picture Ashton prancing around in tights and tell me that's not a little weird." Devin was not to Josh what Ashton was to Lark but they shared a degree of closeness that made it a worthy comparison. It wouldn't disturb him quite as much to think of Nell because she was female.

He gave a bit of a snort, not as satisfied with consistency as he perhaps should have been. Yeah, consistent at missing, maybe. Though he joked about aiming for the outer ring, Josh had been aiming for the bullseye both times and was not satisfied about missing it. Maybe if I just adjusted my shot a little more to the right... Lark started talking before he could finish any adjustments, however, and he dropped the thought and turned toward her to pay attention to what she had to say. His dark brows rose with doubt as he realised what she was asking. His thoughts immediately began a battle—pride versus conscience. He didn't like to turn down a challenge. He'd learned over the years to associate those who backed down as weaker than those who rose to meet a situation. Then again, this was his friend asking him to perform a rather dangerous task. If he missed, he might shoot an arrow through her skull instead of through the soft flesh of the apple he'd be aiming for. "Uh..." The doubt was clear as he blinked and hesitated. "I mean... are you sure you trust me not to miss?" The skull was tough but it wasn't that tough.

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

Lark wondered now if she should have kept a better tie with her high school teachers; if her grades had been high enough and they liked her as a person, chances were they would make good references for the future. Unfortunately that didn't happen. At least the opportunity still existed with the professors at the college. Having connections would be beneficial if she wanted to teach. It was strange how the prospect of teaching excited her. She nodded and lifted her shoulders a little. Well, highschool teacher or not it couldn't hurt to meet Nala. A bit strange but at some point in time a handful of her friends could be fellow educators just like her. Even Josh was a part of the staff team. Weird how fast they were all growing up. It felt like just yesterday they were playing on the playground.

"That's probably for the best anyway," Lark noted, trying to recall any time she woke herself up sleepwalking. "How weird would it be to start walking down the street or something? And you wake up in the gutter." Did anyone sleep that hard? She had to wonder. Up until the past half a year, sleep had been pretty rough for her. Stress from school, family, and everything else in between left her quite the insomniac. At least things were smoothing out well enough now. She was completely oblivious to why Josh was not doing well with his sleep habits, though. It was not her business of course; they were both fairly private people when it came to certain things. Josh was more so but Lark understood better than most people.

At least he knew that she was fairly shameless. She was not a fan of plays or acting but just for fun with friends was perfectly fine. It would be entertaining to have Josh walk into a store and suddenly a few of his closest friends leaped out from behind shelves or something and started singing and dancing. She flashed him a grin and lifted her eyebrows to embellish his words. Damn right she would. Of course Josh's reaction to Devin was perfect and she had to laugh, covering her mouth. "Aw, come on Ioku, you know seeing your best guy friend in tights would be the best thing on Earth. Don't deny it!" She wagged a finger at him, still smiling and hiding a chuckle. The smile then faded at the mention of Ashton in tights and her expression turned both disturbed and contemplative at the same time. "Oh...well, uh.." Great, now that image was stuck in her head and she probably wouldn't be able to take the guy seriously if he ever tried to dance around and be silly. The image would probably rear its creepy head. "Thanks for that, yep. Now I'll never look at Ash the same way again. I actually think I'm mentally scarred. But you have to admit you'll probably imagine Devin in tights at least once now, so we're even." Poor kid, being placed in tights without his permission. Ah well. Could be worse, right?

She had a feeling that Josh wasn't too pleased with missing the bullseye; had she been in his position her pride would have gotten the better of her, but he handled it well enough. At her question, Lark watched his facial response. Would he take her up on it? There was a chance he could miss but there was also a chance that he wouldn't. Josh wasn't a bad shot at all, so if he tried hard enough he could do it. Either that or miss, which was better than lodging an arrow in her eye socket or something. There was a faint flutter of anxiety in her stomach; of course there would be considering this was a sharp object being launched from a bow to pierce an object on top of her head. But the challenge had already been offered and, like her friend, Lark was not intending to back down now. She wasn't wired like that. She tilted her head to the side, cheek meeting shoulder. "I told you that I have infinite faith in you," She said to him, opening her arms a little before dropping them at her side. "So bring it on. I mean, if you don't want to that's okay but I figure it could make things fun." Lark didn't want to egg him on or make him feel like he was a pussy for turning it down, because well...that wouldn't really be fair. It could be dangerous and she knew that. She still gave him the option to say no though. "You're a good shot. You'd be fine." Her hand met his upper arm, giving him a firm pat to tell him that it was okay.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

He'd never walked around in his sleep before. He didn't know about talking in his sleep, either. No one had ever said anything to him that would suggest he did but it was possible they wanted to save him the embarrassment. He figured Nell might have mentioned something, though, being that she slept beside him every night, and so he was fairly confident that he didn't. "I've heard a lot of minds end up there. I'm not sure if I'd want to wake up after marinating all night in brain juice." He wasn't sure if she'd get the joke, serious as he was when he said it, but he wouldn't bother elaborating either way. A joke just wasn't funny if you had to explain yourself.

As a matter of fact, picturing Devin in tights was weird enough to even freak Josh out. He joked with the Earth elemental all the time, enough that their sexualities could be questioned by those who didn't know any better, but that did not mean he allowed certain mental images to permeate his thoughts. "God damn it, Lark. I hate you." He scowled as if he meant it and looked away from her. He was picturing it now, he couldn't help himself, and he concluded that men simply should not wear tights. Ever. It did not look good in his mind's eye. He shook his head like he hoped it might shake free the image but to no avail. He smirked at her, satisfied. "Not so funny now, is it? You're welcome." She made him picture his best friend in tights, he'd flip it around to punish her. All was fair. "You asked for it. I have no regrets." He felt quite proud of himself for that one. She couldn't even pull a fast one on him and mention Nell because his partner was not male. Ha.

He knew that Lark trusted him. It was evident in the way that the normally secretive girl told him about the problems she was having in her life—with her love life, with her father, with her new little brother. However, Joshua would not have assumed that she would trust him enough to make a shot that might put her life in danger if he missed. She had challenged him and he did not want to turn it down, especially when she stressed about how much faith she had in him. He met her gaze steadily as she rested a hand on his arm. You really trust me that much, huh? On the inside he was anxious, concerned that this might go wrong, but on the outside he was as chill as a lake in winter. He dipped his head. "Then you're on. Try not to flinch." He was trying to sound suave and confident in himself but he could not help pausing and adding, "And if you get worried, you know... duck, or something. I won't miss that spectacularly." Ducking would be low enough to avoid disaster if she had second thoughts or a bad feeling about this.

Wanting to stay true to the dare, he went and got an apple from the fridge and tossed it to Lark. He adjusted the bow in his hand and paced a good distance away before turning back to her. He readied his stance, one foot forward and posture relaxed but controlled, expression intense and unreadable. Dear god, don't let me miss. "Ready?" He was, in a way, giving her a way to back out if she wanted to. After a pause, he lifted the weapon and notched an arrow, drawing back the string. This was not a game. The arrow was no toy. This was real. Don't miss, he thought again, chanting in his head. Don't miss. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his shot carefully and then released the string.

[You can say he hit it, cause... y'know, dun want Lark to die. xD]

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

It took her a moment to register the joke fully considering it was not exactly a direct 'mind in the gutter' comment, which she found subtle but amusing. She snorted a laugh and gave a nod of approval. Well done, Josh. Well done. Her mind was not too far gone; it didn't swim in the gutters lined with stagnant perverted water, but it did take a dip every once in a while. Enough for her to understand the jokes and be able to roll with them without getting awkward.

The laugh was a bit louder this time when Josh verbalized his hatred. "Hate you too~" She sing-songed with another chuckle of amusement. It really was a bit of a scary image, she had to admit. Seeing any man in tights was disturbing. Hence why she avoided any plays that involved Peter Pan or Robin Hood. She applauded those actors for their confidence, though. Who on earth would feel confident enough to stand on stage in those things? Unfortunately her laughter didn't last for too long because she was distracted by the images of Ashton in tights and she just couldn't. "Ughhh...I'm going to have nightmares about this now. Why? Why. I can't unsee that now." Lark was being overdramatic at this point but still it was not something she wanted to have in her mind's eye ever again. It was far too painful. She had had her face covered as she lamented, but stopped and eyed him through her fingers before dropping them. "You don't have regrets now, but you might. I'll find a way to get back at you, trust me." There was a gleam of mischief in her eyes, a small smirk playing on her lips. Did she already have something in mind? Nah, but she would eventually. Maybe she could talk to Devin about it.

Had Lark been less of a stubborn mule about her fears and insecurities she might have expressed anxiety, but that never came up, not even in the expression on her face. It was calm, relaxed and completely confident. She trusted her best friend. Anxiety was a natural human reaction to the chances that he could miss, but would have felt bad even hinting at it. You can do this. She thought, hoping he could read her mind at that point. If he was feeling anxious he wasn't showing it either, which was good for Lark. If Josh were the one floundering around but still accepted the challenge she might feel a little less eager about letting him do this. "No flinching." She confirmed with a nod, snorting in defiance at the assumption that she might get worried. "I won't be worried. You'll do just fine." The words flowed from her mouth without a hitch but she did wonder what would happen if she didn't duck and he did miss. That was a frightening thought and quickly replaced it with her trust in Josh. That was always a safe area to be. She wandered towards the target and positioned herself, catching the apple when he returned. It was a pain to balance on her head; if only it were a little flatter.

"Of course," Lark replied simply, not daring to move her head. Her arms were crossed, legs spread enough to give her good balance should her knees decide to buckle in automatic reaction to the arrow. Who knew what sort of knee jerk reactions might happen? The lump in her throat was small but annoying as she swallowed and watched the string drift backwards, arrow notching to prepare to fly towards her. She didn't dare close her eyes. There was a distinct sound as the arrow was released and another, more relieving sound as it drove straight through the apple and landed somewhere behind her. The only hint that she flinched was the tight grip she exacted on her arm when he let go of the string. That was no easy feat, wearing a brave face in the midst of something dangerous, but she managed. "Good shot!" The girl exclaimed with a smile. Her heart was racing. "I knew you could do it. You've got a talent." After a moment she shoved her hands into her pockets and approached him. "Do you mind if I try? Aiming at the target I mean. Apple thing would come later." She smiled.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua's brain had resided in the gutter for quite some time now, his thoughts permanently sulking in a darker place. Nell's presence in his life had calmed his jokes for a while as he feared that she might not appreciate his off-colour sense of humour but now that she understood him enough to play along, his old ways had come back full force. Lark was not safe. He smirked, glad that she seemed to appreciate his joke. He tried. Well, not really, but he was glad that it had worked out all the same.

He might have been a little offended by the image of Devin in Robin Hood attire but the satisfaction he felt at watching Lark react to a similarly scarring affair fat outweighed his upset. He wore a devilish smirk, doing all he could to rub it in without actually sticking his tongue out like a child. "Don't mess with me like that again, then. This is why you can't have nice things." She probably wanted to wipe the smug look off his face right about now but it wasn't going anywhere. He was competitive, she'd asked for it, he figured this was all fair game. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I don't like that tone. Do you want to turn this into war, Lark? You'll regret it, I swear." It looked like he was ready to throw down and a lesser friend might have had cause for alarm but he trusted his best friend to know that he was only putting on an act. Well, kind of. He was serious about it turning into a competition if she went any further. "I will find ways to permanently scar your mind so that you'll be beyond the help of the strongest brain bleach. You really wanna go there? Hm?" He was already coming up with things. He'd back down if she did but for now, he was ready to cook up trouble. "Remember: Ash in tights. I'll make it worse."

He was confident. He was a good shot. He could do this. That was what he had to keep telling himself as he slowly prepared himself to make a shot that would endanger a friend if he missed. He tried not to think life or death. Aim higher if you're in doubt, he cautioned himself, lifting the bow a slight amount as he considered this. That way if you miss, you'll miss high instead of low. Arc the shot. Posture steady. God damn, why did I agree to this? A smarter person might have backed out then, realised that a silly little challenge was not worth this kind of risk. But for all his intelligence, Joshua still had flaws, and his refusal to back down was one of them.

There was a twinge of fear and regret that coursed through him when he let go of the string, realising that there was no turning back down, but it was placated a moment later as he watched the apple split into pieces and the arrow land harmlessly somewhere behind his friend. Oh thank fuck. Joshua dropped his arms back to his sides, bow still in hand, trying not to look as relieved as he felt. Instead he aimed for a calm confidence, like he'd known all along that this would be the final result. He strode up to her with a slightly shaky smile. "I am awesome, eh?' He took a mock bow as she complimented his talent, weak with the relief. "Thank you, thank you. The world's next Robin Hood, ladies and gentlemen. Minus the tights and stupid hat." He didn't like hats anyway. He still couldn't get over the fact that he'd actually done that. Never again. And yet, should a similar challenge come along, it was within his nature to take it.

Gray eyes widened for a moment when she asked if she could try, the Fire graduate hesitating. He didn't want to offend Lark by admitting he didn't have as much trust in her not to miss as she'd had in him but Lark reassured him before he could open his mouth. He laughed. "Okay, good. I love ya and all but I don't think we've reached that point." He gave her a friendly nudge and held out the bow. "Careful with her. It's a little hard to draw back the string if you're not used to it." Archery took a lot of practice, after all. He wasn't fantastic but he was good enough to have not killed his friend. That had to count for something.

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

Like Josh, Lark was not very willing to back down from challenges. Anything she felt confident enough with was fair game, including...well, whatever this was. A war to see who could scar the other person more seemed to be in the near future. "No regrets, brah," She replied with an air of confidence. "Bring it on. Declare war and you're so in for it." No turning back on that one now, was there? She would do what she could to come out on top. The only time playing dirty ever crossed her mind was in times of desperation but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Josh was a good rival for these sorts of things and, if he did decide to take her on, it would not be an easy win. The wheels in her head were already turning. She shoved a hand out between them, wiggling her fingers to entice a handshake. "I'll go there. You're on. I'll find shit that will haunt you even in your most pleasant dreams." Seeing Ashton in tights was a scary image and not exactly something she wanted to have on repeat, but there were definitely worse things. Would Josh be able to find what made her cringe? Even through years of friendship, Lark only revealed what she wanted. Have I given him any ammo over the years? That was the million dollar question.

"Only the most awesome," She agreed, amused by his little bow. Even more awesome because he didn't miss and her head didn't wind up pinned to the target somewhere behind her. Could arrows hold that much power behind it? That was a scary thought. He didn't miss though. And that would be the last time she would suggest something so dangerous. For now. She clapped. "Now you can go steal money from the King of England! Goes along with the title. Or maybe you could go for the Three Musketeers." Did they wear tights? There were several movies, all of them portraying the men differently. Still, she liked their hats with the feathers. They were oh so fancy. Lark was completely unaware that Josh had been nervous about the whole ordeal; he hid it really well. She still wanted to try out his bow, though, so long as he was alright with it. No apples today though! She chuckled. "No offense taken on that one. I've never even used a bow before so that wouldn't be the best idea." As confident as she was, there were limits to her boasting and bragging. Maybe this sport would come easily enough but it might not, and she'd be damned if she tested it out on Josh's head of all things.

Her hand gripped the bow and examined it closely for a moment, tilting it back and forth to get a feel for its weight before doing a practice drawback. No arrows yet. It was definitely difficult to pull back. She grunted a little as her hands and arms fought to keep steady, elbow a bit higher than it was supposed to be. "Hmm, I guess I could see if I can make the target." All she wanted was to hit the target, period. It didn't matter which ring it was. That could help her avoid a sting to her pride at the very least. Picking up an arrow, she tried to copy Josh's movements. Notch the arrow, grip the back of the shaft and the string, and pull back. She took a stance. "Like this?" She asked without even looking at him. The look on her face spelled determination.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Always the one to volley back a serious remark in response to a joke, Joshua said, "England hasn't got a king." It hadn't for quite some time but that was not the point of the joke. He was perfectly content to kill said joke for his own brand of humour and knew that Lark might even have expected it. They'd been friends for long enough to understand one another on some level.

Though he trusted her immensely, he still wore a frown and watched carefully as she accepted the bow from him and turned it over to examine it. He was possessive of his things and very protective over them, especially when they were not easily replaced. He hovered about his car like a guard dog and did not often let others play around with anything he owned that was unique or valuable. It was a testament to their friendship that Josh let Lark handle the bow at all. She was careful with it as he'd requested and so he stepped back without a word, wondering how well she would do for her first time. He tried not to think about his own aim in the beginning. It was not uncommon to fall short of the target altogether while you got the hang of how to tilt the bow, how far to pull back the string, where the arrow would land. Wind was a bitch, adding a whole new dynamic to deal with.

Lips dry from his earlier nervousness, Josh swiped his tongue around them to wet them and resisted the urge to step forward and correct his friend's posture. He was picky, a perfectionist, but he did not want to appear pushy or give the girl help that she did not want. He knew how their personalities worked, how pride played into things.

Her question was a request, however, and it freed him of the restraints that he'd placed upon himself. Approaching her, he shook his head despite the fact she was not looking at him. "Not quite." He drew close and put a hand on her arm to adjust the position of her elbow, chin nearly at her shoulder as he worked out the distance and trajectory of the path the arrow would follow as best he could. The closeness did not make him feel uncomfortable. They'd been friends for years and both had partners, Josh with a ring on his finger to seal the deal, so there was no worries about sending the wrong sort of message. They'd always been like siblings. "Try to relax," he suggested. "Instinct tells you to stay rigid but it helps to take it easy." He didn't want her trying too hard, that was never a good thing. "Angle yourself a little more... all right, try that..." She might still miss, as she was a rookie, but he hoped his guidance would at least help her hit near the target, if not on the outside board.

[LARK MARIE HARPER]

Although Josh didn't say anything or express his hesitance with someone else handling the bow, Lark could have--and would have--understood if he had said something along the lines of 'be careful'. Like him, she was a guard dog over certain items in her possession and understood what it was to watch others when they came close to said possessions or even handled them. Her guitar was probably sitting at the top of that list. Josh was one of the few people she could remotely trust with it seeing as he originally bought it, but other people had a better chance at winning the lottery than messing around with her instruments. They were some of the most expensive things she owned. As much as Lark didn't want to ask if her posture was correct, she asked anyway because she'd rather miss with the right stance than the wrong one.

"Okay," Was her calm, short response. That was fine; it would be a shock if she had it right the first time. The only thing she had to go off of were movies. She allowed him to adjust her position, mind trying to remember it all the while. At his suggestion, Lark exhaled and tried to drop her shoulders. Relaxing was somewhat difficult to do because pulling back on the string required so much effort and her muscles instinctively wanted to keep tight rein. "That's definitely easier said than done." She said finally, dropping her arms for a moment to readjust and then lifting them again. This time she kept her body as loose as possible without losing grip on the arrow. She tried to place herself where Josh had put her before, which proved to be somewhat easy. She angled herself until he gave her the all clear, then stared at the target.

I'm going to hit it, Lark chanted over and over, eyes narrowed and cheek nearly resting on the feathers of the arrow. After another slow exhale to keep herself from quivering, she let go and allowed it to fly. There was a rush of exhilaration as it made a distinct thump sound. She frowned but then shrugged and gave a small smile. "Well, it hit the bottom of the target but I guess it's not too bad..." Bottom of the target meaning the tip of the arrow was not too far from the edge. If she had aimed a little lower it would have collided with earth and grass. Still, Lark was incredibly proud of herself and knew that, with practice, she might be a decent shot. Content for the time being she gave the bow back. It was Josh's plaything anyway and since it was brand new he should use it. Maybe this could become a consistent thing? Josh could prove to be a good teacher for this, if he found himself interested.

[End? I'm not sure what else could be added. XD]