NOT BULLETPROOF, tagged ALEX;

[marci]

Elaine couldn't remember the last time she had been so stir crazy. She could remember other times when she'd not been able to pick up her violin or sit and play the piano because of an injury, but for some reason her memory had blocked out exactly how excruciating it was to have that taken away. She's tried sitting at the academy's baby grand piano and doing exercises with her left hand, but that had only kept her occupied for so long. It was very hard to do anything interesting when her right elbow was braced and all but unable to move. It was the same deal with guitar, and flute. And she really didn't feel much like singing these days.

So with her inability to surround herself with cathartic music, the blind girl had gone to studying. Then to IMing. But all had failed in the end, and she, overcome with restlessness, had taken to wandering the halls. Had she had her vision, she would have been staring at the offending joint with malice. As it was, every three or four steps she shifted her arm in some way or another, trying to make it stop itching and start being comfortable. With a grimace, she finally gave up and just started walking faster, farther away from the halls that her friends tended to frequent.

Finally, Elaine stopped in an empty hallway, leaning against a wall and letting her thoughts take her. They were troubled, as they had been for the past several days, thinking of Josh and Nell and the bastard who had made her injure her arm. The war. Alex. With a sigh, she shook her head and started off on a different train of thoughts, wondering what her father was doing, how her aunt was getting along. Before long, her distress had her remembering the many times she'd been bullied by her cousin. Without realizing it, the girl set up a breeze along the hallway, one that was slowly picking up strength.

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[alexandre]

Though they had come to a full agreement in starting this war, the Fire leaders weren't exactly invincible in the outcome. Alexandre scowled as he wound the gauze tight around his calf, tying it off and then tugging the leg of his jeans back down to conceal the injury from sight. Some stupid Earth student had got him with a thorny vine--it sounded weak and meagre until you considered the fact that the thorns of an Earth elemental could be increased in size and sharpness if they had skill. And that they'd wrapped the damn vine around his leg and tripped him for maximum damage. What a humiliating fight that had been, really! Bested by an Earth elemental, the infamous Fire leader! Well, alright, he wasn't really infamous, but... when a guy has his pride shot down, he needs some egotistical thoughts to cheer himself up.'

Friends hadn't really crossed his mind much. He often thought of Elaine, however, and this was concerning. He didn't seem to be able to find her, and it was like she was more elusive than ever all of a sudden. Of course, with the hectic mess the war had placed everyone in, Alexandre had shrugged it off and just fought for his element like his position commanded he do. He hadn't questioned it too heavily in the forefront of his mind. In his sub-conscious, however, he worried. He worried a lot. What if she was hurt, sick, possibly even dying? He'd seen some terrible injuries already in this damned war and Elaine's disability left her a little more vulnerable than most.

She wasn't on his mind as he got up from the couch and stalked out of the dormitories, however. No, he'd had a very rough conversation with the other leaders on his side and so that was what consumed him at the moment. More people were siding with Nell than they'd counted on, moving to protect her. Working like a human shield. They had expected a clear shot, even so much as a complete give up from the other side. She was a murderer, after all! Why did they insist on protecting her? Alex didn't understand it. He'd never known Nell, but he trusted the Thunder element. They were his allies, why would they lie to him? He muttered a string of curses under his breath and shook his head.

The wind made him look up from the floor at which he was glaring, immediately on his guard and assuming he was going to be attacked. However, he instead found himself staring at the one person he hadn't seen since this whole thing started. "Elaine." He spoke her name shortly, unsure of how to think of her at the moment. He felt a little betrayed that she'd been as good as ignoring him for several days, weeks even. "Fancy seeing you around." Though his tone was not quite scathing, there were hints of sarcasm laced throughout. "Why haven't you been talking to me? I didn't take you for someone that would just up and ditch a friendship like that."

[marci]

Same as any of her other senses, Elaine's wind sight was useless to her if she didn't pay attention to it. And while she was wearing out her mind by going through memories best kept in the dark, she wasn't paying any attention at all to what was going on around her. This was not the greatest idea—the injury that had le to the elbow brace had been because she hadn't been aware of a thunder student about to attack her. But Elaine was the pensive sort, and if she didn't give her mind some time to sort through it's confusion she would explode on someone, and that was not good during a war.

However, upon her name being spoken, the girl basically jumped to a ready position, a quiet look of warning crossing her face as she balled her left hand into a fist. She would not be taken advantage of again, not during this war. This reaction only lasted a half a second, though. Her brain quickly told her body that this was Alex, his familiar voice somehow both relaxing her and making her extremely wary at the same time. She lost her threatening look, gaining a carefully blank expression as she started to lean against the wall again. ”Hello, Alex.”

His next words, however, had her deliberately standing straight and facing him fully. A light, insincere smile started on her face before she thought better of it and said very, very carefully, ”Did you know that Nell is one of my closest and only friends?” She knew he knew she was neutral, at least, so this was hopefully not a question that would make him attack her, or something. The blind girl took a deep breath, her voice gaining a defensive edge as she said, ”I can't believe she'd kill anyone, for any reason. I won't.”

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[alexandre]

Alexandre noticed when Elaine was quick to ready herself for some sort of fight, but despite his usually confrontational nature he didn't so much as lift a finger to fight back. So it was a good thing that she relaxed a moment later and went off of the defensive--however wary of him she still may be--because a small part of him didn't think he'd be capable of hurting her. It was strange, really, to consider their friendship was so deep. Most of his friends were fair game so long as they turned against him. Then again, the majority of them were in an allied element. And most weren't as... unique... as Elaine. And her differences had nothing to do with her blindness. It was the way he felt about her that was different. The way she made him feel about her.

"How was I supposed to know that?" he shot back, irritated that she might have somehow expected him to just know these things. Whenever they'd hung around one another, they were usually alone. He didn't know of Elaine's friends and he was pretty sure she didn't know the identities of his, either. "Besides, why the hell would it matter?" he added, frowning. "You don't have to fight. No one has asked you to fight. I'm definitely not asking." His tone possessed a jagged edge as if daring her to argue that point. He wouldn't ask her to fight with him, but he didn't exactly want her to be against him, either. A selfish part of the boy's mind hoped that she stayed as neutral as most Wind students tended to be.

"Well I can't believe she's innocent."

That was it, plain and simple. He wasn't going to lie to her, there would be no use. "I trust my allies, so I took their side. If you're so smitten with this Nell chick, well why don't you go ahead and take hers?" His tone was sharp and almost bordering accusing. He felt betrayed now that he knew she was more on Nell's side than his, and he didn't quite know how to deal with this odd emotion. So he wasn't going to deal with it, not if he had any say in things. "I'm out of here," he muttered, turning to leave. "Go find Nell and be friends with her, why don't you."

[She can insult him now if you want, trololol <3]

[marci]

Good lord. Temper, temper. Alex took her careful words as some sort of instigation for a fight, and even the slow and steady blind girl was hard put not to snarl at him like some sort of cornered dog. An emotion was rising inside of her that made her want to scream and cry at the same time, and she had no idea where it was coming from. It rather scared her. Trying to ignore it, Elaine clenched her fists and responded to his cutting words. ”People don't ask me to fight, Alex.” Her own tone was threatening as she raised a hand to pull back the long right sleeve of her sweater, revealing the brace. ”They just jump me. I don't suppose you had any idea that one of your precious allies tried to maim me, either? Got me a wonderfully painful electrical burn on the other arm, too.”

The burn had been mostly healed by the nurses, but the skin was still a raw, red reminder. Elaine pulled her sleeve down with enough force to jostle the arm when Alex said he couldn't believe Nell was innocent, but after a brief expression of pain she ignored it. She turned her head away from him when he accused her of choosing Nell's side. It hurt, both because she knew he was right and she couldn't believe that he would go that low. Not to her. Well, obviously, he would. In order to keep her emotion down, she let her rage rise instead. She was just about to open her mouth to respond again when he said he was out of there.

She heard him turn and start to walk away, and she heard the hurt words he threw at her. But she was too taken up in herself to try and understand why he was taking this so hard. Her left fist hit the wall with amazing force for her size, and she almost shouted at him, ”What, the great fire leader doesn't have the balls to face down a little blind girl? What do you think I'm going to do to you Alex, that has you so scared? Or are you just going to be a girl a start avoiding me like I was avoiding you?” It was amazing how hard-put she was to keep her eyes was watering as she said this.

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[alexandre]

Her threatening tone only further increased his ire, that is until she mentioned that someone had gone after her. No matter whose side he was on, she was neutral. Attacking her was not okay. But then Elaine said that it was a Thunder student and Alexandre scowled, understanding that there was nothing he could do about it. If he attacked one of the Thunder elementals now he'd likely lose the backing of the Alliance, and they were going to need it. If Thunder turned against them, Fire would have all three elements out for their blood. He didn't want that. "I can't change what they do," he snapped, perhaps a little more bitter than he'd intended. "But if any of the Fire students come after you, then I'll do something." If she'd been in Water or Earth this might have been a more difficult promise to make, so thank goodness that she was not. "They've got no right attacking someone that isn't outright opposing them."

Of course, in Elaine's belief they had no right to attack anyone most likely, but Alexandre was operating under the code of the Alliance. If one of the elements was in trouble and the other asked for your help, you gave it. There was a lot of trust there. But he had other loyalties too, much as he hated to admit it. Like Elaine. He didn't want to hurt her. And if she truly sided against him, once and for all, well... he didn't know what he would do. "You can't blame me for the shit the Thunder element does," he snapped. "I didn't shock you, I didn't ask anyone to shock you, so you can just fucking leave me out of that." He added this suddenly and rather bitterly, glancing away from her and glowering at the stone floor.

His upset and anger toward her for betraying him was likely what made him leave, but it was also because he didn't want to get too angry and accidentally hurt her. So when she called him a coward, Alexandre spun right around and practically snarled at her, "Don't fucking start! I'm not running away from you Elaine! It's not my fault you've been avoiding me for the entire goddamn time since this war started up, it's not like I made that decision! No! I would've fucking talked to you, but you weren't having it. And you turn around and call me a coward?" It was an insult to his pride and also his masculinity, considering she'd outright accused him of being a chicken and a girl and it just didn't sit well with poor Alex, who was indeed very conflicted about this whole war now that Elaine was forcing him to make decisions he'd been trying to ignore.

He wanted to punch something, yell, scream, or at very least continue to walk away. But he didn't want her to call him a coward again, didn't want her to think he was a coward. So he threw up his hands and cursed, "Fuck!" It was filled with all the pent-up rage and other unknown emotions he'd been holding back. "The hell am I supposed to do, Elaine?" he demanded accusingly. "I was leaving because I didn't want to hurt you, are you trying to back me into a fucking corner here?" An exclamation of frustration that sounded more akin to a growl left his lips. "If you're going to side against me then I can't be fucking seen with you else they'll expect me to go for you and I..." His expression contorted as he forced the words, "I don't think I can do that. Not to you." Not to Elaine, whom he was now being forced to realise he cared about more than he'd thought.

[Right... Alex, you have a foul mouth when you're upset. Noted.]

[marci]

Really? Elaine had been under the impression that Alex had some sort of influence with both the elements in the alliance. That he'd at least be able to say something about it, maybe tell them that she was a personal friend of his and he would appreciate it if they didn't kill her on purpose. That was what he'd said he would do, the first time they'd met. He'd as good as promised, and now look at him. One word from the thunders and she was left in the dust. Maybe she'd been completely wrong about him. A small current of air rose in the room as her temper rose.

She was quiet and stony while he was yelling at her, pulling up a wall inside her and forcing him out of it. But it didn't work so well—he'd already gotten in once, and thus everything he said had more weight, and she was a little more injured with each syllable he uttered. But she kept it back, suddenly horrified by the idea of crying in front of him again. So she snarled, venom lacing her words as soon as he stopped. ”No, but you started this damn war! Did you give one thought to how it affects people? How it affects me? There is absolutely nothing you can gain here except for pain and injury and hate! I've already got two of those on my plate—how would you like to add in the last one?”

Elaine actually winced when that single curse came out of his mouth, cursing herself inwardly for doing so. She'd never been scared of anyone. But when she checked herself, she found she wasn't scared of what he would do to her. She was scared that he wouldn't, that he would just walk away and give up and never talk to her again. She was almost relieved when he continued on his little tirade, making gestures and asking her what the hell she was doing. She opened her mouth out of instinct to answer, but he growled and continued. So she bit her lip. Hard.

Then he ended on a note that really shouldn't have taken the majority of her anger away. It shouldn't have made her expression clear up into stunned, it shouldn't have made her take a step backward, away from him. But it did. And for several moments, she couldn't speak. A part of her wanted to just shut down and walk away. Fuck this. This was too complicated. The little blind wind nobody didn't get to have the fire leader like her. And he'd just hurt her anyway. Because of the war, or after the war, or later.

But the other part of her won out in the end. Her fists relaxed, and she turned halfway away from him, lowering her head to let her hair hang down and cover her expression. But for all the forced quietness of her composure, her voice was strained with hurt and anger. ”Well, I've got news for you, Alex. I chose to be neutral. I chose to have no real allies and to be vulnerable. I did it because.... I didn't want to fight you.” Which was exactly what she was doing right now. Damnit. She wanted to pay attention to the breeze she had going through the room, and see what he was doing. But if she lapsed in concentration, she'd probably start shaking. And that she couldn't do right now.

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[alexandre]

"Is that what you think?" Alexandre demanded harshly when she said that he had started all of this. "You think I found out about the dead god damned Thunder leader and said, 'Oh hey, let's go kill someone for no reason!'? No! Thunder started this war, I'm respecting the Alliance. Their source said that--" Alex cut himself off abruptly, closing his mouth. Shit, he'd almost slipped up big time right there. He'd been practically ordered not to reveal anything about the 'trusted source' that had been spoken of when the war had started, let alone what they'd said. "Forget it," he snapped, and though he sounded angry he was more frustrated with himself for being such an idiot. "Forget I even said anything." He exhaled shortly in anger. "Point is, I didn't start this." He wouldn't have went after Nell if Thunder didn't have a reason to. And they did--she was a killer. Alex believed that, even if Elaine didn't. Although... perhaps it was possible to instil doubt, knowing how much he trusted Elaine...

He didn't expect her to calm down. He was just yelling and venting and getting all of the feeling off his chest that he'd been suppressing since he first noticed that she was ignoring him, and so it came as a bit of a shock when her fists uncurled and she spoke to him. He blinked, her words making no sense to him. The fuck did she mean she didn't want to fight with him?! He'd tried to walk away and she'd insulted his masculinity to call him back. "Then why the hell are we fighting?" The question made enough sense to him. It was spoken, however, not shouted as his other words had been. Though he had a bit of a temper like most of his elemental kin, he could calm down as long as there was something to placate him. The fact that Elaine was calming down seemed to be having an effect on Alexandre as well.

He huffed out a breath--this whole thing was so damned complicated. Why did he have to have friends on the other side? Mind you, most of them didn't matter. He'd attacked his own brother yesterday when they'd bumped into one another in the hall. Lucas had given in pretty quickly, however, Alex coming out victorious despite the elemental match-up. But Elaine was... different. There was no other way to explain it. "Jesus Christ, you'd think I agreed to this in order to upset you," he muttered. No wonder guys could never understand women. He was having a pretty hard time understanding her myself. "They gave me a good reason to believe she's guilty, so I took their side. I didn't want war, but it started and I took sides. I'm the Fire leader, Elaine, I have to make these choices." His blue eyes reflected hurt that she wouldn't be able to see, but perhaps she could hear it in his voice.

[marci]

”You have influence, Alex!” Elaine said, her voice growing intense again, though it no longer had its wrathful edge to it, ”You didn't have to just pick one way or another just yet, you could have said something, you could have at least tried to stop this.” She paused, her face turning away from him and her shoulders dropping a bit. She had ignored his words when he'd almost let slip something confidential at first, but then he made a big deal out of it. Though she had a habit of biting her tongue and letting people have their secrets, this was different. This was why he'd decided to try and kill her friend.

”No.” She said, a new stubbornness entering her voice as she stepped toward him. She turned her blinds eyes on him, ”No, I can't just forget it. Why do you believe it, Alex? What makes you so sure that this girl you've never even met could have killed the thunder leader? You know Cynthia was very good with her powers, everyone did.” Though she had a point to lead off of that, the blind girl bit her lip. So blinded she was by her feelings for Alex, she almost told him straight off that she was a dunce with her powers. Nell didn't need the other side to know that right now.

Elaine let out a mirthless laugh, ”Alex, if you think we're fighting, you don't know me at all.” These words were almost said under his breath, but it was likely he'd be able to pick up on them. Sure, she had been very angry with him, but it had been in the hurt and defensive way, not in the way that had her going all out. Honestly, The girl just wished they could go back to hanging out easily, smiling and joking and even being awkward would all be better than this. But it was not to be.

The girl was finally quiet enough in herself to gauge the emotion in his voice beyond 'angry' or 'less angry.' He seemed lost, defensive, but there was definite hurt in his tone. Again, that same utter confusion entered her, and she tried to sort through the fact that he seemed to really care what she did and thought. If she had not heard the subtle pain in his tone, she might have just gone right back to pushing him for a reason he was trying to get someone killed, but this stayed her tongue. She didn't know exactly why. But her voice was softer as she spoke, her own feelings of betrayal finally entering her tone and expression. ”Alex.... I don't think you can understand the situation you've put me in.”

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[alexandre]

[ASDFGH I didn't even notice you'd posted, I'm sorry! The Ace/Elaine thread buried it and sometimes I forget to check xD]

It was true, he couldn't deny that he had influence. He winced slightly when she accused him of taking the wrong side, not using those words exactly but pretty much implying it anyway. "My partner immediately vouched for war," he told Elaine, hating the fact that he was revealing something about his element but wanting Elaine to understand why he'd done what he did so that she could stop being so angry with him. Her opinion really mattered to Alexandre, and this was why he felt so inclined to inform her. "I definitely wouldn't take the side of this Nell girl, and she wouldn't have agreed to go neutral," he said. "Besides, Thunder have a good argument." He hated arguing with Elaine over this whole stupid mess, but she wasn't giving him much of a choice.

And of course she wouldn't drop what he'd said, of course not. Nothing could ever be that easy, not for him. He worked his jaw when she demanded to know what proof that they had. "That's the business of the leaders, Elaine, it doesn't concern you." He tried to make his tone short and snappy, but it came out as more of a sigh. He wished he had never run into her to begin with, or at least hadn't spoken to her. Maybe he could have just turned and walked off and she wouldn't have noticed him at all. After all, she was blind. "She was," Alex agreed grudgingly when they spoke of Cynthia. "She was also a Thunder elemental, and this Nell girl is Earth. They're in the same grade. It's very possible." He was being stubborn and he knew it, but it was going to take more than a few words from even Elaine to convince him of this Nell girls innocence. "Besides," he added, deciding to break down and tell her so that she knew exactly where they were coming from, "the Thunder students have a witness."

He knew that this wouldn't be good enough. Elaine was going to want more. So fine, Alexandre would give her what she was asking for. "They won't say his name," Alex said, "because they know you lot will probably single him out for slaughter given the fact that his words painted a target on Nell's back." And so, inadvertently, had Alexandre's. But he tried not to think about that as he continued, "But he says he saw it. What happened. He named Nell as the killer." Alexandre swallowed uncomfortably. "I get that she might be your friend, but I made my choice. Cyn is dead, and the Thunder elementals aren't going to stop until they've avenged that fact." With blood. Nell Shepherd's blood. An eye for an eye, really. It was almost barbaric, but Alex had taken his side. He'd chosen to stand with their allies. And now it seemed that decision might be costing him one of his closest and truest friends. His tone was filled with regret when he next spoke.

"Then what are we doing, Elaine?" It was a good question, really. "If we're not fighting, then what?" Whether or not she agreed, he considered this uncomfortable and upset state of arguing to be 'fighting', even though they weren't physically assaulting one another. Because he couldn't do that, he couldn't hurt her. "I'm not putting you in any situation," he protested. "You're neutral, can't you stay that way?" He didn't want her to take Nell's side because he didn't want to fight her. But he knew that she wouldn't take his. And really, that hurt.

[marci]

A vile taste entered her mouth when he mentioned his partner—obviously the female fire leader—and she didn't know why. Some irrational part of her was raging around, ranting about the fact that he should be loyal to the people he actually cares about, not just the people who happen to also have power. Then she had to shush it and tell herself that she really had no idea what he thought of his fellow leader. This took so much of her concentration that she was unable to make a response to those words, unable to carry on with that train of thought any longer. Then he said it didn't concern her. What the hell did he mean by that!

Elaine's fist flew out to her side, stopping short of the wall but sending a blast of air that smacked with audible force against the stone. She couldn't help it—her frustration needed an outlet. Actual anger registered on her face as she snarled. ”Are you thick? Of course is concerns me! What you've done concerns every last student of this school, and I want to know why you've done it!” She was actually scaring herself now. Elaine didn't go into passions, in wasn't in her nature. So why was she losing track of herself and shouting at her fondest friend? A knot tightened in her chest, but for now she was ignoring it. Since she'd already decided not to point out Nell's lack of power, she skipped over the point Alex made about Cynthia.

”We don't single people out for slaughter, Alex.” She spat, more hurt and ire spilling into her tone. Other than that, though, she didn't say anything. She couldn't take out the anger she felt for the bastard who lied to create a war on Alex, it wouldn't be fair. She wasn't being fair already, but that would be stepping over some major boundaries. She stay quiet, clenching her fists by her sides again and lowering her head as she strove to shove the emotion back inside her. Now, she was feeling like walking away. But now she couldn't, because of what she'd said to Alex earlier.

”Yes you are.” It was unexpected. It was almost a plea, the way it came out of her mouth, and it was much quieter than the rest of what she'd said. She opened her mouth to speak again, but all that came out was a noise that could have been a sob. She lowered her head more, until she felt locks of hair obscuring her face. ”I feel like a little bitch because I can't bring myself to support my friend during a war, and I think of you and I'm paralyzed. I won't be able to do anything to you unless you actually kill Nell, and by then it won't make a difference. But I'll never be able to forgive you, and it'll be all your fault.” She wasn't even thinking as she said these words. They just spilled out, and the more she said the more tears she felt falling silently down her face.

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[alexandre]

Alexandre's next words almost came out as a snarl as she yelled accusingly at him. "Watch who you're calling thick, Elaine!" He was very frustrated and by this point he wished that he'd just kept on walking and ignored her insults on his manhood. At least if he'd had the guts to ignore her then they wouldn't be standing here and arguing like this. "I'm not thick just because I don't fucking agree with you." He hated being insulted in any way, especially when the person who was insulting him had an opinion that actually counted. She was not only making him irate, she was also hurting him. This was something that most of the people who angered Alexandre Blackthorn could not brag. Though since he and Elaine had been friends before this had started, he doubted she'd go around flaunting the fact that they were at each others throats.

He rolled his eyes and scowled when she demanded to know why he had made his decision. "Jesus Christ, I already fucking told you!" The torches on the walls were absolutely blazing, radiating heat and light from the flames that popped and crackled in unison with his wrath. It was just a good thing he didn't have any influence over the heat itself yet or they'd be smouldering ashes by now. "I made this decision based on the proof of the Thunder element and my loyalty to the damned Alliance. How was I supposed to know you had a thing for this Nell chick?!" He didn't mean that romantically, however it might have sounded. He was just angry was all. The Fire leader threw up his hands and muttered a steady string of curses. For fucks sakes, this was difficult. "You probably hated Cynthia, Elaine, but she was one of my allies," he reminded her in a sharp hiss. "So when her element comes to us begging for help to avenge her murder, what am I supposed to do? I trusted my fucking instinct."

Elaine was blaming him for the fact that she couldn't back Nell up, and all Alexandre could think of was how stupidly unfair that was. "I'm not telling you to do anything!" he said, or rather shouted as he had started to raise his voice again. "If you don't want to fight then don't fucking fight me, I'm not asking you to turn around and go after your friend, or whatever!" He nearly punched one of the walls himself just then, but thankfully he was closer to the centre of the hall and they weren't within immediate striking distance, else he might have ended up with busted knuckles. "You seem to be forgetting," Alexandre seethed, "than I am not solely response for the actions of the Fire element. There are two of us leaders." He wasn't great friends with the girl, either. They were more allies than anything else. "If I start spouting shit about how I changed my mind because of you, they'll call me a traitor and kick me out! Is that really what you want?!"

Then he turned bitter and vindictive, his frustration with Elaine reaching paramount. "Besides, they have proof," he snapped. "I don't see your best-fucking-friend over there pulling anything out to defend herself." He hadn't heard about the alibi. It had been mentioned so very little due to the severity of the blood hunt that it hadn't even caught his attention.

[marci]

Well, she had done the wrong thing, as usual. Her own temper was fueling Alex's, and the bit that was unfair was that Alex was a bit more brutal than she was. Or maybe she was just easier to hurt. Regardless, Elaine was soon feeling her knees trembling from the force of the emotion that wracked her body. Damn him. Damn everyone! What right did he have to get angry at her like this? Why did she even have to be at this stupid school, where stupid people treated her horribly for stupid reasons. All Elaine wanted was for things to go back to normal, but no. This shit had to happen.

He went right back to the fact that he wasn't doing anything, and that was the last straw. A current started in the air around them, giving Elaine the sight needed to step forward until she was right in front of him. It didn't matter to her that he was almost a whole foot taller than her—she just prodded him in the chest with her left pointer finger and spoke with raised tones, ”You don't understand anything, Alex! And you won't, not until someone slaps you in the face with it. You ever killed anyone before? You ever known how it felt? Are you sure you know enough about this to try and kill someone? You're resorting to murder to make another murder right, and guess what? It's not going to work! It won't ever work!”

He punched the wall, but it didn't faze her in the slightest. She clenched her jaw at what he said next, unable to see the rationality in his statements through the haze of her wrath. Perhaps a part of her, deep down, knew she was taking out everything that had been going badly lately on him, but she didn't care at the moment. He was the only person she knew who could fix all this, and he was refusing. ”You haven't been too crazy about the details so far! You haven't even tried to listen to the other side of the argument, you don't even know if the source is trustworthy, you don't know anything except what you've been told by people overcome with vengeful emotions. Why the hell would you feel like you have to tell them if was me who made you start thinking differently?” She was growling now, and much more dire tone than her previous shouting.

She got a great urge to slap him across the face when he said his next, but the blind girl restrained herself. Barely. She was just raising her hand when she got a hold of herself and bit her lips instead. Hard. The pain actually reached her expression, and soon she was tasting blood. She almost felt like baring her teeth as she slammed her hand against her side. A very loud sound of frustration escaped Elaine before hissed at him. ”Have you given her a chance? Have you let her get a word in edgewise before you've sent flaming infernos her way? She won't even show her face in the halls because of you, what makes you think she could formulate some sort of a comeback for two entire elements accusing her of murder and trying to kill her!” Another sound escaped her before she felt slip out, ”You damn, impulsive little boy, do you have any idea how may innocent lives you are ruining?”

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[alexandre]

The little blind Wind girl stormed right up to him and jabbed a finger in his chest. Normally Alexandre might have winced back a little and felt guilty for pushing her to this limit, but right now he was just so angry at her that it didn't even affect him as he towered over her with a mutinous stare. "How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't start this war?" he snarled at her, sick of repeating himself. He might have been wrong but in Alexandre's mind there was nothing wrong with what he was saying and so her constant insistence was frustrating him. "Neither of us--my partner nor myself--wanted war, Elaine. Our allies were going to attack whether we backed them up or not." He hated the fact that she was trying to shove the blame of the blood hunt onto his shoulders. They'd still be trying to get at Nell whether Fire was around or not, it just might be a little more difficult for them.

"You're not a leader," he hissed, and it was the first time he'd truly acknowledged his real superiority in terms of power in the school. "I don't think you get how politics works, or maybe you'd be treating me a little fucking differently right now." He had never really looked upon politics with a real hatred before, but he was starting to loathe them now. If he had been talking to another leader then maybe she'd have got what he meant about his actions affecting the entire element and blah, blah, blah. But even then, would it have mattered to her? "Sure, I might've been able to ask them not to go to war," he said, "but it's not that simple, Elaine. My partner would have disagreed with me, in all likelihood. My element would have disagreed with me. And then they'd strip me of my power, kick me out, and start the whole god damned war without my help!" It wouldn't be much different except for the fact that Alex would be the one on the defensive, rather than in the position he was in now.

She accused him of not listening, demanded to know why he hadn't sat down and talked to Nell. Again, he felt like he'd told her all of this (they had a witness, they were his allies!) and that she just wasn't listening, so all of this drama was just pushing Alexandre to his boiling point. "Oh for fucks sakes!" he cried, and this time he actually did walk over to the wall and slam his fist into it, flames bursting into the air and wreathing around the point of impact. He'd been so close to attacking Elaine just then that it was frightening. He was going to hurt her if this kept up. It took a lot more to get him truly frustrated than was true for a lot of his fellow fire elementals, but once you had he was ready to go off on you. And maybe if it had been anyone else he'd have stayed and let them push him to his breaking point, but not Elaine.

"I'm out of here," he said, "and for real this time." Bluish eyes glimmered with an orange light from a nearby torch burning brightly. This anger was expending his energy, but he barely noticed the drain past his rage. "If this keeps up, one of us is going to get hurt--" he shot a pointed glare at her to indicate just who, "--and I'm not going to let that happen no matter how much you're pissing me off right now." He was breathing hard and his knuckles were bleeding, again something he took no notice of as he said, "Insult my apparent 'weakness' all you fucking want, Elaine, I'm not turning around this time." And he spun around and stormed off, likely to take out his anger on the next unsuspecting Earth or Water student who passed.