QUIET AS THE SOUND -- ASHLEY

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua was with a group of people whom he normally would not have sought out in the large expanse of tables peppering the mess hall. The Earth and Water elementals accepted him into their midst quiet easily and without question--the latter a little less willingly, but still readily enough. He was appreciative that they still accepted his status as a traitor to his own alliance as a reason to help him out. In the beginning of the war when he'd first announced his switching of sides he'd worried that it wouldn't be as easy to get in with the other side. Nell had been the target of the last war and as her best friend at the time people had accepted him after a little doubt. Now the war was about nothing in particular that he had heard of and so things were much murkier. "Thunders give you trouble?" he asked the youngest of the Waters sympathetically. It felt a little strange to address them like he would a friend or acquaintance but he was getting used to it after a few days of this. When he could not find Nell, he grouped in with the masses. Josh was brave, but not stupid. He knew that to sit alone was like painting a target on your forehead.

"Yeah," the girl sighed, shaking her head. "I'll be alright, though. The medical wing patched me up." It was true that the medical wing was needed more than ever during wars but that also meant that it was dangerous ground. The Wing had a status of neutral ground. No one was 'allowed' to attack anyone else in the place of healing, but placing people of all five rival elements in one small space (it was always packed in times like these) meant this code was sometimes broken. Of all the places in war, the mess hall was the worse. That was why groups like these were needed. "Are you sure you don't want any help dealing with them?" A couple of the Earths shifted uncomfortably as he said this, knowing what he was suggesting. Joshua was an aggressor, not a pacifist. He might not have been the most confrontational guy but he did not leave violence as a last resort, either. And much as he sometimes missed the familiarity of the old alliance, he'd turned his back on them now. He would support his new friends.

The girl blinked in surprise. "Would you do that?" Thankfully the Earth students respected the fact that they were all different people and that none of them in the group had authority over the other, so they just started up a conversation amongst themselves whilst Joshua conversed with the Water girl. They discussed plans to get together after the lunch period and the couple of classes after it were through and act as a sort of mutual defence. "Alright, so I'll take out Thunder and you've got Fire?" She nodded and gave him a hesitant smile. "Deal." It felt so weird to be cooperating in such ease with someone he normally would have been planning attacks against--he really couldn't get over the feeling. He was used to Earth by now but he'd mostly ignored Water in the last war. It had been Earth who'd taken him in. Now he was staying with Nell and so only hung around the Academy during the day. "I'll stay an extra hour after school until your parents can pick you up," he said. "I've got a car of my own so I can go back whenever." She thanked him for this and then the conversation between the Earths and other Waters swelled to include them into its midst.

After another couple of minutes Joshua ran out of the water he'd been drinking, not realising that he'd been exhausting the supply in the bottle until he went to take another drink and swallowed only air. "Damn," he said, frowning at it in mild surprise. He excused himself politely from their table so that he could go up to the table that held all of the beverages. Unfortunately there was a bit of a crowd blocking his access, something to do with a fight that the teachers had just broken up. Things were much more strictly regulated by the staff during times like these. It was as if the teachers thought that by making a lot of extra rules they could discourage all of the skirmishes. Even the staff couldn't stop the wars. There were too many students and too many intricacies of war to keep track of at once. Sighing, Joshua stuffed his hands into his pocket and approached one of the other people. "Mind moving out of my way?" It was carefully neutral--he wasn't sure which element they were in, so he didn't want to offend someone who was an ally.

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley had been in the crowd watching her first fight. As far as she could tell a fire and water had made the horrible mistake of coming within seven feet of each other. Ashley had just been walking by and happened to notice it so she figured Hey why not watch? However by the time the teachers had shown up she had began backing up. Being new the last thing she wanted or needed was to get in trouble after being here not even a week. The fight had stopped and people were going back to their business when Ashley heard something from behind her.
[glow=red,2,300] “What do you want?” [/glow] Ash asked spinning around to see the man behind her. The word’s harsh tone came naturally, almost second nature. He was a taller man with dark hair. He looked a lot older then her and she didn’t want to get on anyone’s bad side, especially if he was a water. Quickly realise what she said Ash let out a nervous laugh. [glow=red,2,300] “Sorry.” [/glow] She corrected, herself [glow=red,2,300] “I’m a little lost, getting frustrated” [/glow]She admitted.
Ash had decided not to introduce herself, in fact she wanted to keep this little encounter short and to the point. Getting mixed up with anyone right now was a bad idea no matter what the element. She wasn’t yet sure of the relationship between thunder and fire and would hate to accidentally be associated with earth or water. All Ashley needed was a point in the right direction. Then she could get on with her day.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua was not the type of person that could be snapped at and then counted on for directions immediately afterwards so his gray eyes were cold and unfriendly as he narrowed them at her. He was unaware of the fact that she was Fire and thus they were natural enemies but even if she'd been on his side at this point he wouldn't have been very pleased. He was not a very pleasant person by any means. Like all Fires he tended to have a quick temper but he was also just a jerk in general. "I told you what I wanted," he half-sneered, "or are you deaf?" His attitude was shifting from careful neutrality to the tones that he often used when confronted by someone that he did not like. He did not like anyone that snapped at him and thus Ashley had been quick to pigeon-hole herself amongst this category.

He was about to scoff at her for apologising when another one of the Fire elementals decided to meander over and involve themselves in the 'conversation' of sorts. "Is he giving you trouble?" the boy immediately asked Ashley, acting for a moment as if Josh himself was part of the wall. Instinct told him to make some sort of sneering, snide retort but there were a couple of professors nearby and Josh didn't want to land himself in the detention hall for losing his cool around a Fire elemental. However, the camaraderie which the Fire had displayed toward Ashley made him assume that she was either Fire, Thunder, or a Wind elemental that had taken the side of the more aggressive student body. Great. Just great. Wars were hell. You couldn't step outside of your dormitory in the mornings without worrying about people ganging up on you. Josh was a day student that lived with his girlfriend in the Hollow and so he got some reprieve at 'home', but he was still stuck her during the day.

"I'm getting frustrated as well," he said to Ashley, still in that hostile and unfriendly tone. He was warier now, though. "Tell me," he asked almost snidely, "how do you manage to get lost in the mess hall?" It was the end of the year now. He could understand the niners with coordination issues getting lost in the halls at the beginning of the year but now? This was ridiculous. Of course, Joshua had no idea that Ashley was new to the Academy. He wouldn't have cared anyway. His temper issues did not stop to consider that she might be at a disadvantage, they just flared up because she managed to offend him. Offending him was not a difficult thing to do, after all. "Traitor," the other boy spat, though Josh ignored him. He didn't deny being a traitor to the Fire element and he didn't care if the whole lot of them ignored him. Shaking his head and scoffing, the other boy left the scene. Now it was just Joshua and Ashley again, not that it changed anything about Josh's opinion.

[Sorry he's so mean, he's just... like that xD]

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley smirked at his comment. His attitude made it clear that he was a fire so she assumed that meant he was a friend. Having been at the academy for not even a full week, she was clueless to the idea people could switch sides. Even though Ash was a fire herself and therefore not the nicest of people, she wasn’t interested in making any enemies, especially from her element. ”No, i’m not deaf. I heard you.” Her tone was more playful then his but still vicious. No matter what the element if she came off as weak no one would respect her.

The boy who approached them caught Ash off guard. If someone was offering to help her that meant she might have over looked something about him. She panicked a little worrying if she had messed with the wrong guy. If he was a fire and she was a fire who was this boy? If he was an ally then had she misjudged the man in front of her? Or could she be coming off as another element? Ashley felt a bad headache coming on. Of course she didn’t let her pain or her fear show. She turned to the boy and looked into his eyes ”No. Were fine here, thanks though.” Ashley’s answer was –for the most part- emotionless. The boy nodded, glaring at the dark haired man angrily before returning to his table.

Ashley followed the boys glare with one of her own. She really hated people who acted like they knew everything. His tone and questions just angered her more, she hoped not everyone at the academy was this vicious. ”Actually If you must know I’ve been at this odd school for no more than 3 days. I just got my schedule and was trying to find my way around.” Her words were cold, she was about to turn and just leave when the boy walked by partially spitting on him. Ashley couldn’t control herself and let out a small smile. ”Traitor?” She knew the question would not be answered but She was curious. What would you have to do to be called a traitor? It would be a lie for Ash to say she didn’t care about this man’s story now, but she did realise it was a bit late for making friends.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

If Ashley was trying not to make enemies then she was definitely going about it the wrong way, at least in terms of dealing with Joshua. He was a caustic and angry person so upon detecting the vicious note to her reply it immediately added more fuel to the already raging fire of his temperament. If she'd heard him then what the fuck was she still doing in his way? He was not the sort of conceited person that thought everyone should part their path and bow down to him but if he asked you to move he and you heard him, he certainly didn't expect you to just turn and start conversation instead. He had places to be, even if they were just back at his table with the crowd he was hanging around. Besides, what if they'd been more important places? Then I'd have attacked her. It was true. Instead of attacking, however, he merely scowled. "Then what are you still doing there?" he asked coldly. He hadn't been a jerk when he'd asked her to move--he hadn't been nice, either--but now he was definitely being harsh of tone and demeanour.

The fact that she was a new transfer made Joshua feel two things--cold contempt as well as a strange desire to laugh. What a start she'd gotten herself off to, huh? Mingling with the traitor of her alliance and managing to piss him off in the same go. He didn't like the mere idea of this girl. "That aside," he said dismissively, "being lost does not stop you from stepping out my way." It was short and to the point, filled with no sympathy for the fact that she was new. There was a pecking order in the Academy and the new kids with no experience (usually the ninth graders at the start of a new year) were at the very bottom. The leaders were at the top, of course. He was neither new nor a leader (though he'd been one in the past) but it still left him in the comfortable middle-ground. "Ever tried a map?" he added sarcastically. "They tend to help." The Academy being a castle, they of course handed out maps along with the schedules to most new students. If they'd accidentally forgot to give Ashley hers then it was her problem, not his.

Another disadvantage of being new to the Academy was not knowing what the alliances and treachery meant. Oh, the leaders gave everyone a brief rundown at the start of the year during orientation but seeing as she'd missed that on being a late transfer Ashley was shit out of luck. "What, do you not know what the word means?" he asked snidely. He knew that he was being an asshole but that was alright. They were enemies, he really didn't care what Ashley thought about him. "You know, someone who betrays something?" He dragged out the word as if talking to someone who had never heard the definition before. He had a feeling that she'd been more curious about what it meant at this school and was probably well aware of the literal definition but this was Josh. If he did not like you, chances were he was not going to make an effort to give you honest explanations. Really, how hard was it to understand?

[The guy didn't actually spit at Josh -- just snapped at him under his breath xD]

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley dramatically rolled her eyes as she made a big deal of stepping aside for him. Ashley had tried to be kind but this man’s horrible attitude was making Ash unbelievably frustrated. Being so new and so shy she had really tried her best to not allow something like this to happen however she felt fairly threatened. To avoid punching him in the face she took another step back as he ran his mouth. It was the very end of the year and she had only just gotten her schedule without a map, there was no way for her to know that maps were even available. ”Thanks tips. I’ll try a map next time!
By the time Josh had defined the word traitor Ashley was almost too humiliated to speak. Of course she was aware that he was just insulting her, she knew what the word meant she was just trying to show an interest. The fact that he was a traitor made much more sense. Because she was so new she wasn’t sure how to react to this situation. She was a fire who was losing her temper however he had an entire table behind him where as she had a random boy who had offered his assistance, which she was now regretting not taking. ”Alright calm down. I’m out of your way, i’m sorry for trying to be friendly now piss the hell off!” She stormed towards him, bumping into his right side and heading for the table where the helpful boy sat.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua merely scoffed at the way she rolled her eyes and stepped out of the way as if it was some big deal. To Josh, it felt like it should have been something that was done before they even got into this whole argument. Or could you even classify it as such? He was not confrontational and he wasn't even yelling but they certainly weren't getting along, either. It was more or less a disagreement rather than an actual dispute. The moment Ashley decided to make her point upon leaving, though, that changed. Josh had nothing against starting fights with people who wronged him. No matter much much younger or older you were, no matter how new you were, he had issues with people. A lot of people. He would not hit a girl for no reason but if someone started a fight with him then he was going to be baited. He couldn't help himself, not with his temper problems. He might have just rolled his eyes if the comment had stood as normal but when she bumped into him his gray eyes flashed with anger.

He turned around instantly to face her, waving his hand and creating a blast of fire in one fluid movement. In the same second that he sent the fire toward her in a deliberate attack the boy from earlier stood up and started toward them. People turned to watch as Joshua raised his fist to strike the other boy, but before either of them could get a single shot in the professors who had previously been standing by now intervened. Joshua felt himself being pulled back--although he shot a very dirty look toward the professor that gripped his arm, he did not go after the boy again once he had shaken him off. "I think you'll need to come to detention with me, Dale," the man said unsympathetically. Joshua could have pulled the childish "she started it!" but instead just settled for glowering and voicing no argument. He gave Ashley a cold and pointed look--she'd made an enemy out of him, that was for sure. All Fires were his enemy. "Seems you're really great with keeping your record clean, freshman," he mocked before turning and stalking toward the exit of the hall. He didn't give a shit about detention, he'd go. It was either that or have the Fires attack him in a group. He was reckless but he wasn't a total idiot. She had the advantage even if she couldn't take him on herself.

[BTW all elemental injuries can be treated at the medical wing so if you decide it hits don't be worried about scarring. If she goes to the wing she'd be fine xD]

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley had only turned away for a second after bumping into Josh when the blast of fire and heat hit the back of her head, knocking her forward into the table where the boy was sitting. Other fires that had been at the table ran over to see if she was ok giving her attacker horrid looks, except for the boy, he went after josh instead. Ashley didn't notice much about what happened next seeing as she was crowded by the few fires that had been nearby. Ashley really doubted that most of the people around her really cared about her, they all just needed to make a point of sticking together, forming a wall around Ash made a wall keeping the traitor out. Ashley was able to look up just in time to see Josh being assorted out of the mess hall. This made her smile.

Ashley had been at the school for a short few days. In that time she had managed to get busted for smoking in the dorms (thanks to some new friends), gotten lost twice on the way to the bathroom and now gotten into her first fight with some traitor who's name she didn't even know. As much pain as she was in, two good things were going to come from this. One being she might get some kind of a name with the other fires for starting trouble and pissing off a traitor. The others being she would learn where the medical wing was without any more confusion like this. It was an important place to be able to locate in a war, something told her she would be spending a lot of time there.

The other fires, including the boy who had defended her, helped Ashley get to medical help; after all, fires stick together. It wasn't an overly large walk to the medical wing but long enough for the boy to feel he had time to comment on what had happened. ” You know, it's a whole lot of stupid to challenge a guy a lot older and experienced then you. “ Ashley just rolled her eyes. She didn't have time to answer, they had arrived. Ash sat on one of the beds in silence until a nurse cane over. She instructed Ash to lie down and try not to move, as well as asking the other fires to take off. They did leaving the injured girl alone.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

"Why did you attack that girl, Dale?" Ugh, questions. He hated it when the professors wanted him to explain why he'd done something. Felt like it? He almost let the snarky and sarcastic comment slide past his lips. Thankfully he'd gained better control over his attitude over years of being at the Academy and so he merely shrugged. He feared that if he opened his mouth he would be unable to restrain the tirade of sarcasm that was begging for release. The last thing he needed was detention for the rest of the week for running his mouth. He had exams to study for and it was usually a lot more difficult to study when you were limited only to the material that you came with. Laptops, iPods and other electronics were not allowed for use in the hall. "Don't let it happen again." Joshua did not respond to this as he pushed open the door to the detention hall and handed the slip to the woman overseeing it. "Fighting again?" she scowled, looking irritated. "Have a seat, Mr. Dale."

Unfortunately for Joshua, he had company. Company in the form of a big blonde Thunder who seemed to think it would be funny to sneer insults under his breath the entire time. Joshua's patience was wearing thin after only a few minutes, having slowly gotten more and more tense as seconds ticked by. "Shut up," he warned, "or I swear I'm going to turn around and shove my fist down your throat." Despite how unpleasant the insult was, the Thunder pushed that little bit further. Having had enough, Joshua had turned around and was on his feet in a split second. The supervisor barely had time to react before a burst of flame and electricity collided in the air, creating a mild explosion where they met. Josh threw a punch and actually tackled his opponent on sheer instinct, driving them both into the desks. It was a good idea in theory until he remembered that the guy was bigger and more muscular than he, despite Josh being a couple inches taller. He found himself pinned under the combined weight of the boy and a rather heavy desk, fighting to throw him off but not succeeding.

"Dale! Thames! Break it up!" The professor sounded stern and Joshua hissed a dry laugh. "I'd love to and all, but I--fuck!" As their teacher was about to attack, the Thunder wrapped his hands around Josh's throat and delivered a hard shock. It was a sensitive area to have electricity pumped through and he clenched his jaw as tears threatened to blur his vision. Fuck, fuck, fucking shit that hurts. He successfully fought back the moisture but was too winded to deliver as good as he'd gotten to his enemy. The Thunder was likely older than him--that had hurt more than he was used to from their kind. Using one of the nearby desks for support he managed to get back to his feet, reeling from the dizziness. He tried to wave the professor off when she came to help but she ignored his insistences. "Medical wing," she said firmly. "Now, Dale," she added when he looked about to protest. Scowling at the boy--who was sneering openly--Josh left the room much quicker than he'd been planning. Before the door closed behind him he could hear the woman scolding his opponent for the attack. The fact that this had gotten him out of detention was a moot point--he had an electrical burn ringed around his throat and he felt light-headed and nauseous. At this rate he'd take the detention.

It did not help his mood when he entered the medical wing to see the girl from earlier suffering from burns he'd inflicted. I hope they hurt, he thought viciously, his own pain putting him into a bad mood. He would have preferred to leave this without treatment but he also knew that the severity of it might cause scarring if he didn't. Minor wounds healed without interference but more serious things could not be ignored. "Bet you're glad you've got all your friends to back you up, aren't you?" he hissed. Fucking Fire elementals. Sometimes he almost missed the camaraderie and safety that seemed to come from being one of them.

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley couldn’t help but smile when she saw josh come in. After having time to think on what had happened she realised how much more power she had with him. Being a traitor the fires hated him and there was no way he was as close with the earths and waters as the fires were with each other. This meant that even though he was a lot more powerful she could really piss him off and know she would have support. Ashley was the kind of person who started fights for shits and giggles, not because she wanted to necessarily hurt people all the time but it was a defence for her. Her confidence was so low that if she started fights she knew exactly why people hated her instead of guessing what she may have done wrong. It kept people at a distance, and it was fun.

”You get into some trouble?” She asked in a mocking tone. She could tell he was not in any kind of mood to talk but that didn’t mean she felt like staying quiet. Her eyes followed him as he walked with a half smile plastered on her face. As much as she wanted to really annoy him she did need to thank him. He had after all not told on her when the teacher showed up. It was something she really appreciated. Ash had no idea why he did it and she knew her apology would just show weakness to him but it needed to be said. ”Hey, thanks, for earlier I mean. The last thing I needed was to get in more trouble in my first week here.”

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua narrowed his gray eyes dangerously in the girl's direction, loathing her even though they hardly knew one another. He didn't really hold long-term grudges like a lot of the Thunder element but if you got on his nerves in some way he'd probably be bitter for around a week or more. It didn't mean he'd be friendly after his cool-down period was over, just that he'd ignore you rather than trying to provoke something. Ashley had not reached that point and thus he took the bait of her comment almost immediately. "No," he said, the word dripping with sarcasm. "I'm here to admire the surroundings." He rolled his eyes and scowled. He hated being in the medical wing for injuries, it was almost demeaning. There was irony in that he'd been raised by a doctor and had very little problem with hospitals but that was because he was generally working there rather than being the patient. He didn't like to let people take care of or tend to him, his pride was much too vicious for that. Still, he knew that the detention supervisor would check to make sure he'd gotten the injury treated and that there would be more of a punishment if he disobeyed. Stupid rules. He was good at following directions but that didn't mean he enjoyed doing so all of the time.

Being that this was Joshua, he was of course suspicious of the thanks. Is she trying to be funny? In his experience it was not exactly common for someone to thank a person who had attacked them quite viciously and would have done more if the teachers had not intercepted. He frowned as if considering. "I'm no rat," he said. He didn't like to be the one that 'told' on other people. Besides, he was wearing the physical signs of what had happened when he had sold someone out. To the police. He hadn't wanted to sell out the gang but he didn't have a choice--now the scar on his face and the others elsewhere reminded him that it wasn't the best decision. With Ashley, however, it was not out of fear that he held his tongue. It was pride, yet again. It was cowardly to try and get yourself out of a situation for blaming other people and Joshua was not a coward.

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley was really enjoying making Josh mad. When he had made his sarcastic comment she looked around then back to him “It is pretty” She said with a stupid smile on her face. The man didn’t seem like the kind who would lower his pride to ask for help, something big must have happened to him in the short time since there argument in the cafe showing Ash how unstable he really was. "I’m serious though, what the hell did you do?” She asked in an interested and intrigued tone. “After all you know why I’m here. It’s only fair.”

Ashley’s apology had been sincere and his answer, as cold as it was, was comforting. “I know you’re not, because your actually not as cruel a human being as you have shown so far.” She didn’t want to make too much more of a deal about the thank you. It was over and she didn’t want to look any more soft. There was something she wanted to ask him however it was completely random. She wanted to ask but didn’t want to be lied to or be compared to the stupid earths. She decided to ask however since, being much older, he might have the answer. “um... Does this school have any courses at the school that have to deal with kids? Like a parenting course?”

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua really didn't give a damn about how serious Ashley was, he had no plans on opening up to her about what had happened in the detention hall. Pride was a difficult thing to deal with. Sometimes he even had trouble asking his own family or his girlfriend for help -- when he'd been kicked out of the house by Donovan, he'd avoided Nell and stayed in the dormitories rather than asking her for any sort of aide. She'd actually had to confront him before he would breathe a word about the argument he'd had. That was the girl he'd loved. Ashley? She was some Fire whom he'd met less than an hour ago and who had already managed to turn him against her. If he suddenly had the urge to share his stories with anyone it certainly wasn't going to be with the likes of her. Scoffing, his gray eyes were cold as they fixed themselves on her. "Yes, but I don't do 'fair'," he said, stressing the final word with an almost mocking tone. "It's no business of yours." He knew why she was here because he'd inflicted the injury she was suffering from. In his opinion, it was practically entitled to him. On the other hand, she probably didn't know the guy that had attacked him, let alone why or how serious it had been.

He arched an eyebrow at her. No need to get all fucking philosophical on me, he thought sarcastically to himself. There was a reason behind his lack of desire to rat someone out, sure, but Ashley was way off. It had nothing to do with how good or bad of a person he was and more to do with negative experiences he'd had in the past. This was yet another thing he wasn't going to waste his breath on explaining. He had no reason to feel obligated. He didn't care that his attack had landed her in the medical wing, felt no guilt about the situation. Callous as that was, it was just a part of his personality. He didn't feel indebted to her in any way. "You don't know the next thing about me," he said coldly, as if daring her to suggest that she did. Not a lot of people knew him. Even most of his friends couldn't tell you what he was like as a person, the things he'd gone through. He hadn't even told Devin about the gang and they'd been best friends since they were kids. It was ironic, given the boy was Earth and Josh Fire, but they'd met before element mattered.

Speaking of elements, he didn't think it to be an 'Earth student thing' to enjoy working with kids. He did, however, think it was a little strange that she was asking him this when he clearly couldn't stand her. "Are you trying to be funny?" he said with a roll of his eyes. "Why the hell are you asking me?" Was he not making his attitude toward her clear enough? Was she stupid? It was possible that she was just trying to get on his nerves, and if that were the case she was doing a damn good job of it. Whatever the issue, Joshua's patience was wearing thin. She's lucky this is a neutral place. Attacks were not allowed here, even he understood that.

[imaginaryfriend]

Ashley gave up trying to apologise. He clearly wasn’t interested in hearing it. She figured it was best to shut up before he became violent. She knew it was none of her business but she was just trying to start conversation. Who knows how long they would be there? There was nothing wrong with a little conversation in Ashley’s opinion but it seemed pointless, she turned her attention away from him. When Josh made the comment about not knowing him she had to laugh. Not turning toward him she commented ”I don’t even know your name! Of course I’m aware that I know nothing about you.” Ash couldn’t even comprehend how this man, as horrible as he was could even manage to make friends with people who were suppose to be “nice” If the fires didn’t want him she couldn’t imagine who else would.

Ashley’s question was something important to her since the last fire she spoke to wasn’t much help. “I’m not being funny. I’m asking you because you’re a lot older then my and judging by the damage you did you have probably been here a lot longer than some of the other people I’ve talked to. It was just a question you don’t need to answer.” Ashley wasn’t stupid, she understood that he wasn’t interested in helping her but it would be nice to be told now since last time she was trying to get to the office to ask she ended up in the mess hall. If she could find out now it would save her some time and trouble.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

He simply rolled his eyes at her comment, not bothering to explain what he had meant. She had no right to go making assumptions about him if she didn't know him but clearly the girl hadn't understood his meaning and so he just let it stand in the silence. He could have offered a name but he was not that kind of person. Besides, he didn't know hers either. It wouldn't have changed his mind on introducing himself if he had but at any rate, mulling over the 'ifs' was pointless. This Fire freshman, whomever she was, had a lot to learn about the Academy and the people in it. A more sympathetic person might have thought back to their first few months in the ninth grade and recognised how hard it could be to adjust at times but Joshua was not that person. Fuck, he thought, resisting the compulsion to flinch as the pain in his neck burned sharply. He could kill that Thunder elemental. Figuratively, of course. He'd have liked to have gotten a nice burn mark on him in return but it hadn't been possible with the professor standing right there. Fucking Thunders. He didn't know how he'd ever gotten along with them.

Well duh. The thought was scathing and irritated. He had obviously been at the Academy for more than just a few years but that did nothing to affect the alliances and his loyalties. He was no longer aligned with the Fire element, despite how loyal he'd been at the beginning, and thus he wasn't about to go making friends with the enemy. There was Lark, of course, and Harley, but they were different. He'd known and befriended them before he had defected from the alliance and switched sides. He'd just met this girl a little while ago and despite not knowing her name or the next thing about her he was already certainly that he couldn't stand her. He did not reply to the comment. Ignore it and it will go away, he thought to himself. Wasn't that a saying of some sort? He didn't want to be here, didn't want to be having this conversation. He hated the medical wing unless he was working in it.