Endlessly -Joshua-

[aristotle]

• THIS PART OF ME •
YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
THIS PART OF ME
I'LL NEVER SHOW
- - - - - - - - - - - -

She knew it was late, but the girl couldn't sleep. She hopped out of her bed and then began to walk around her room. She knew that she shouldn't leave the dorm room so late at night, but if she couldn't get to sleep, the water often helped her out. She rolled her eyes and just decided to change out of the pajamas and wonder around the lake for awhile. She just changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She threw on a light blue jacket and something to make her hair not look like crap. Her bright blue converse were her easiest pair to slip on since they were the oldest. She looked into the mirror and decided that she probably wasn't planning on running into anyone she knew. Her curly red hair looked really messy, so she ended up brushing out her hair.

She knew she didn't really have to "sneak" out, but she still tip toed out of the dorm and onto the school grounds. She zipped up her hoodie and put her sleeves over her hands. She crossed her arms and then just walked around the school's campus. There wasn't much too look at, just some flowers that she'd been notorious for growing and then the forest basically. Of course, there was the large cliffs and caverns by the lake, but you couldn't exactly see them unless you were at the lake, which is the direction she was headed too.

Ari walked her way down the narrow path from the cliff to the sand. She felt the cool breeze on her skin and then blow her hair. She smiled as she continued out towards the lake and saw the stars and the moon. Once she got down to the part of sand where the lake's water barely came up, but still came up. She then proceeded to sit down and take her shoes off. She slid her socks off and tucked them in her shoes. She then curled up in a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs. After about five minutes, she changed positions to just laying down in the cool sand. This is the only place she felt at home at. Fire kids tended to stay away from the lake because of the whole water deal. She would need to hang out here more in order to escape the wrath of the fire kids. Ever since the incident, well, only a person can imagine what the kids who were earth elementals were going through right about now. She had yet to meet one nice fire kid.

WORDS ?! decent amount
TAGGED ?! joshua
OUTFIT ?! click
LYRICS ?! endlessly by muse
TEMPLATE ?! PANIC! ITS LAUZ @ CAUTION
NOTES ?! blah blah rahr[/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

He hated the lake. Joshua couldn't swim, and he'd been severely hydrophobic ever since he was eight and a group of boys had thrown him into the lake in his own backyard, laughing as they didn't realise that he was drowning under the surface. He could shower of course, and rain never bothered him, but once you got to a body of water deep enough to drown in then you were asking for trouble. He wouldn't go near rivers, and if you expected him to cross even something as menial as a creek it had to be a shallow one that was moving very slowly. He had nightmares about getting caught up in a current and dragged underneath the water, getting pulled out to whatever ocean or lake it led into and drowning. At the same time, most people weren't aware that he didn't know how to swim and the reason he avoided the lake was because he was scared he would drown in it. He usually just bullshitted with the excuse, 'There are too many fucking water students at the lake, leave me be.' and left it at that. Since Fire and Water were natural enemies, most took him at face value and believed it.

He generally avoided the cliffs for the same reason. He wasn't scared of heights, merely of slipping on a rock and tumbling into the icy waters below. That wasn't to say he'd never been up there, for he had, he just usually opted to stay away. And indeed, tonight he had not left the Academy with plans to go down to the lake. He was hanging out on the lawn and reading by a dim firelight which he himself provided, taking comfort in the fact that the grounds were lonely and void of others that could bother him or disturb his concentration. This war was a nuisance. It wasn't that the Earth kids were particularly bad people--quite the opposite--he just felt awkward hanging around in their dormitories. Getting along with them. Socializing with them. He'd never been the type to instigate any fighting unless someone set off his horrible temper--it wasn't hard to do, but most Earth students were so pacifistic that he didn't have many issues with them. It was mainly the Water kids he had a problem with. Tough luck for him considering they could turn his nightmares into reality with a flick of their wrist, provided they were strong enough. Not to mention he got frequent threats of being thrown into the lake.

The lake. As it crossed his mind, Joshua chanced a glance out toward it, expecting to see an empty beach with moonlight beating down upon the surface. Instead, he spotted a figure that appeared to be lying in the sand--perhaps unconscious? Worried that someone might have fallen from the cliffs and washed up on the shore, he closed his book gently and stood up from his perch against a tree, heading down the gently sloping lawn toward the lake. The shadowy cliffs loomed up around them, jagged and intimidating, but Joshua was unphased as he reached the girl's side. "Excuse me," he said rather politely when he was close enough, noticing that she was conscious and appeared to be quite dry, "but are you alright?" What was she doing out by the lake at such an ungodly hour? Then again, he reminded himself, you're out here too. He suddenly recognised her as one of the college students from the Earth dormitories, though he didn't remember her name. They weren't in the same year. He was hanging back a good ten feet away from the lakeshore, however, not wanting to get too close to the water in case he fell in.

[aristotle]

• THIS PART OF ME •
YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
THIS PART OF ME
I'LL NEVER SHOW
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Ari sighed and blinked a few times. She tilted her head in many different ways, trying to make her own shapes. She made a cat, an owl, and a bird. She kind of giggled when she could make a smiley face upside down. She closed her eyes and just listened to the lake; it almost could pull off as an ovean for someone who was blindfolded and in her position. The waves crashed up on the shore and it made her want the ocean more and more with each sound. She opened her eyes back up and sat up, pushing her hands back in the cool sand. The moonlight struck the lake in a beautiful way that it was intoxicating. She wished she had a camera, or at least her phone, on her. She laid back down in the sand, placing her hands on her stomach and interlocking her fingers. She crossed her legs and just looked up at the sky.

She was startled when she heard a voice saying excuse me to her. She quickly popped her head up and saw a guy, taller than herself most likely. He asked if she was alright. She immedietly got up and brushed the sand off of herself. She looked up at the cliff and decided that it probably wasn't the best idea to lay down, it may have looked bad. "It probably didn't look too good from up there, did it? But yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." She really did appreciate the guy asking if she was okay though, however, he seemed to stay away from the water but still being within reasonable distance with her. She didn't want to come to the conclusion that he was fire, but she couldn't really not think about it now. She then saw a little bit of smoke coming from a top the cliff.

She picked up her shoes and stayed in the spot she was in. The last run-in she had with a fire student, the jerk ended up burning her psychology notebook that was super important for her. She looked him over again. Wait, she knew him. Oh, he was a fire student alright and one grade above her, but something about him seemed calm and not crazy. She took a few steps closer. "I'm sorry, but do I know you from somewhere?" She may have just been imagining things, but his face seemed really familiar. She thought back to everyone she may have talked to on an occasion for anything and everything. She went through different pictures she'd looked at and his came up. "Oh! You're friends with Nell, right?" That's right. Basically the only fire kid that wasn't crazy and out for Nell's neck. She had never really talked to him before, but she had passed him in the halls every now and again, "My name is Aristotle, or Ari for those who are lazy."

WORDS ?! decent amount
TAGGED ?! joshua
OUTFIT ?! click
LYRICS ?! endlessly by muse
TEMPLATE ?! PANIC! ITS LAUZ @ CAUTION
NOTES ?! blah blah rahr[/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua was relieved that she seemed to be alright and that she wasn't dead or anything. He wasn't the most considerate of people but even he wouldn't be too pleased with a death. She stood up after he addressed her, revealing that she was much shorter than him as most girls seemed to be. It didn't bother the Fire graduate, however, seeing as he was used to it. His lips twitched but never formed a full smile. "I was worried you might have fallen into the lake and washed up on shore," he confessed truthfully, a flicker of amusement in his tone. It might seem silly, but hell. "It's a good thing you hadn't; I'm no good at CPR." It was both meant to be taken seriously and jokingly. He was pretending that he was serious about the whole CPR thing, but really she'd just have been screwed because he'd be panicking about getting close to the edge of the water. He knew CPR from a first aid class he'd took in early high-school. He'd never had to use it before, but it was useful in case something ever came up.

She asked if she knew him and he shrugged a little in response. "I've seen you around, and the same might be true for yourself," he said. "But I can't say we've ever spoken, and if we have I don't remember." Politeness was something his parents had taught him when it came to dealing with others whom you weren't sure how to react around yet but didn't want to count as en enemy. So he was cordial and nice as he said, "Pleasure to actually make your acquaintance." She introduced herself as Aristotle and he concluded that he'd heard her name tossed around by other people before but just hadn't known to connect the name to the face. "Ari," he repeated with a nod, committing it to memory. "Your name is quite unique. I shouldn't have trouble remembering." He was pretty good with names and faces, actually. "My name is Joshua, and yes, I am indeed friends with Nell."

It was strange acknowledging it aloud because he hadn't even fully come to terms with it in his own head. It wasn't that she was an Earth student or even that she was nice, it was that she was nice to him. Friendly toward him in a way that no one else had been in a long time. So he'd come to accept that 'friend' was now a term that he could use for her. "Do you know her very well?" he asked curiously, speaking of course about the Earthen girl that had come into the conversation. He didn't know much about Nell and who amongst his own contacts was mutual friends with her. It was definitely hard to be her enemy at any rate. "Just to get my opinions straight, I think this entire war is ridiculous," Joshua affirmed softly. She might have heard about his switching sides but he wanted to make sure she heard it from him as well. "I could never bring myself to believe she killed Cynthia. I knew them both, and of the two Nell was definitely the better person." He cracked another almost-smile that never reached his eyes, then asked, "So given that you weren't drowning, what were you doing lying in the sand like that?"

[aristotle]

• THIS PART OF ME •
YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
THIS PART OF ME
I'LL NEVER SHOW
- - - - - - - - - - - -

He kind of gave a look of relief when she said she was fine. He had mentioned that it had looked like she had fallen into the lake and washed up on shore. With that notion in mind, she looked up at the cliff and decided she might stay more away from them now. She was already slightly frightened of heights, but that took the cake. The sound of the guy's voice brought her back to reality with him saying that he was no good at CPR. He sounded half way joking and half way serious. "Well, then it's a good thing that I didn't fall then." CPR was just one of those things that everyone should get to learning. No one actually wanted to think of someone who was chocking on something or had drowned, but you never know when it might happen. Actually, she probably needed to take a CPR class. She hadn't done anything with the subject since she was about ten and took a babysitting class; and she was pretty sure giving CPR to babies and CPR to adults were two completely different things.

He said that he had seen her around, but they had never really talked. She nodded. He then said pleasure to actually meet your acquantince. That perked her interest a bit. Normally she would just get a hi or hey. She smiled, "Nice to meet you as well." She had wondered if this guy came from money with that sort of speak. But then again, the guy could just be super polite. All these questions ran into her head at once that she kind of wanted to ask him, but didn't. She didn't want to pry into his life and besides, she was socially awkward and wouldn't know how to ask. Her social awkwardness didn't stop her from saying hi or her name, but when it came to answering questions about herself or thinking of something to ask the person, she got scared and usually ended the conversation right there. It was an awful thing to do, but what was she supposed to do about it?

He mentioned her name being unique and him not having trouble remembering it. He then said his name was Joshua and he had been friends with Nell. When he said Joshua, her mind fluttered to thoughts of her brother. She put her arms behind her back and changed positions, trying not to make it look obvious what she was trying to do. She gently touched the charm bracelet that was given to her by her brother on her birthday. "And I'm pretty sure I can remember your's as well." She didn't feel the need to tell the guy that her brother's name was the same; or that she even had a brother in the first place. It was information not needed. He then asked if she knew Nell very well. Ari nodded, "Yes. She's probably the person I'm closest with at the school." And the one that was trying to get her 'out of her shell' as the girl had phrased it. When Nell had said that to her, Ari just rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew the girl meant well, but Ari was just a lost cause.

He then started talking about the war. How that this whole thing was ridiculous. He mentioned how Nell could never kill Cynthia because she was the better person between the two of them. "Agreed. And I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but I'm glad your on Nell's side. You're the first fire kid to actually be nice to me." Okay, she went through the sentence once again and came to the conclusion that she didn't sound rude; she sounded pathetic. If only she could go back in time and slap herself for that. He then asked why she was out here in the first place. "I couldn't get to sleep and the water seems to calm me down," she simply answered, "And yourself?"

WORDS ?! decent amount
TAGGED ?! joshua
OUTFIT ?! click
LYRICS ?! endlessly by muse
TEMPLATE ?! PANIC! ITS LAUZ @ CAUTION
NOTES ?! blah blah rahr[/size]

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

She was correct indeed in the assumption that Joshua came from a family with a lot of money--the Dale's were wealthy, and they'd raised their son to behave like someone from an upper-class life. Of course, this was usually lost on the students of the Academy because Joshua was so anti-social that his first reaction was to be a jerk and shove them away. But when he was trying to be nice, when a person (much like Aristotle) was supposed to be his ally... well, then it was a little different. He was trying to come across as 'nice', and civil was really the closest thing that he got to being nice. It seemed to be working considering she wasn't running off or readying to attack him. That was how a lot of Earth students reacted, even now that he was technically on their side.

The comment about Ari being close to Nell almost amused him, for it was true for Joshua as well. However, it would seem strange to admit to an (almost) stranger that he was even closer to Nell than he was to the majority of the Fire and Thunder students, so he didn't say. It just wasn't considered normal in this school for a loner like him to be close to someone like Nell. "She's a good person," was what he substituted. At least he wasn't lying even if he was avoiding the truth--Nell was a good person, and Joshua firmly believed this. "It's good to know that her element has her back through this. It'd be a lot harder if they didn't." He knew from experience how ruthless the Fire students were with their pack mentality. If Nell hadn't been awarded the support and loyalty of the Earth and Water alliance, a group of them would have helped the Thunders close in and kill her. He didn't even want to think about that. Just be glad that's not what happened, he coached himself.

As it turned out, his attempts at civility seemed to be working. His lips twitched ever so slightly in response, though they never quite formed a smile. He might have looked fierce with his scarred face and his lack of cheerful emotions, but he was giving this more of an effort than most would realise. It was good that it was actually working. "You've given me no reason not to be," he pointed out. Well, he had a reputation for being a huge jerk and usually that was for little reason at all besides his temper getting out of hand when he was with someone. So if Aristotle just assumed he'd be a complete ass because of that, he really couldn't blame her. Instead, he just added, "Besides, the Earth students are my allies now. It wouldn't do any good to ruin that." They weren't the sort of allies he was used to--Joshua was accustomed to allies that were always gung-ho for violence and ready to attack at a moments notice. The Earth students weren't like that at all, and it was strange.

Hearing the fact that water calmed her was strange to someone who was terrified to even get close to it, but Josh nodded nonetheless. Not everyone share his ridiculous phobia and he wasn't going to kid himself that they did. The boy wasn't stupid, after all. "I also couldn't sleep," he said, though that was nothing new for him. He'd suffered from transient insomnia quite a few times in his life, usually when he messed up his sleeping schedule because of stress or studying, sometimes a combination of both if there was an important test approaching. Joshua studied more than he breathed, it seemed. It was just a part of his nature, he was a born bookworm. "I was merely reading a book, I just noticed you were lying in the sand and well..." He trailed off. Seeing as he'd already said the rest about how he'd assumed she had drowned or fallen in or something similar, he allowed it to be inferred.