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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 16, 2012 0:03:15 GMT -5
At first Joshua thought she might have been asking if he was coping alright with Leonard's death, but after a moment's consideration the Fire graduate realised that this did not make much sense. Instead, he considered their situation for a moment and then realised she was inquiring about the drain on his stamina. He nodded, smiling a little to further reassure his fiancée. "Oh, I'm fine. College." It really counted for a lot of things—his stamina was well tended to thanks to his college education. The intense classes could sometimes be a pain when they wore him out but then, he was sure Nell understood that now. It was nice that they were both in college and had similar experiences to relate on now. Of course, their majors (and her minor) were very different but that was besides the point. At any rate, the heat had barely had a drain on him. He might not have been anywhere near the peak of his power but he was strong enough now that simple things could be accomplished without a whole lot of energy expended. Heat was one of the first things that he'd been eager to learn when he had entered college and so he'd approached the subject with fervour, pushing his limits wherever possible. Progress had been slow at first but it was now one of his specialities. He liked the fact that it was much more subtle than fire itself and that he could get away with using it in public to warm himself and his friends. People tended to notice hovering balls of fire, after all, but a subtle heat wave could be contained and invisible.
He was fine with doing either thing and so he gave a nod of confirmation when she asked him if it was a good idea. Joshua might not have been too pushy or opinionated but if he had been opposed to roller-blading he certainly wouldn't have agreed with it to begin with. Or suggested it, for this had been his idea. He figured he might regret it if he was terrible at the sport but there was always that risk when you were trying something new. At least this didn't involve teams! He smirked a little as he realised how much inexperience they both had. At least we're not alone. He would hate to embarrass himself in front of someone who knew what they were doing. He hefted the skates in his hand with a thoughtful look, trying to decide whether he enjoyed the thought of putting them on and actually trying to walk—erm, skate—in them. He wasn't sure he'd do too well. "Let's go over here," he suggested, gesturing to the wall of the building the parking lot was situated behind. It was deserted but that wasn't what mattered, he just wanted the wall to steady himself against while he got his bearings and figured out how to balance. Sitting on the curb, he pulled off his heavy hiking boots and set them down nearby. He was not entirely sure how he was supposed to stand once he'd actually gotten the skates on but that was another matter entirely. He stared at the curb as if it had a death wish out for him and glanced hesitantly at Nell. "Uh..."
Admitting that he had no idea what he was doing was not something Joshua did often, but there was no avoiding it this time—he had absolutely no fucking clue what to do. He was hesitant to stand up in case he face-planted; not only would that be really painful but humiliating himself in front of his fiancée was not on his agenda for the day. He knew she was not a judgemental person but that didn't mean he liked fucking up in front of her. Eh, fuck it. Joshua was pretty confident and brazen so he could handle it if it happened, laugh it off. Besides, it wasn't like Nell was an expert on roller skates, either. Standing up a little shakily and tilting his foot back so that the brake stopped him from moving or wobbling, he chuckled at the thought of how ridiculous it probably looked. "I feel like I'm going to end up breaking my ankles," he remarked thoughtfully as he nearly went over on one of them. The blades were awkward and uncomfortable, probably because he'd never tried them before. He hadn't even taken a step yet and he was already concerned. Not sure if I like roller-blading, he thought doubtfully. He walked—not rolled, not that yet—over to the wall and braced his hand against it. "How do you feel?" he asked Nell. "I'm not quite sure what to... you know, do." He wasn't really ashamed to admit that. A selfish part of him hoped that she was having as much trouble as he was.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 16, 2012 14:27:16 GMT -5
Nell never stopped worrying, really, but she accepted his response because she wasn’t too concerned. He was in college, but that didn’t mean he was completely immune to exhaustion. God knows she wasn’t. Sometimes she felt like she’d been too stunted to ever catch up to others in the class, but this only pushed her to try and do better. Unfortunately, the winter weather was not too friendly, but she wasn’t completely helpless. She really did feel like she was doing better, and she was sure all the classes and work she had to do last year helped with that. Even now she took extra classes because she felt so weak. As with her element, she was ready to tackle rollerblading when they decided to do that first. She wasn’t too nervous, more excited from anticipation as she followed Josh over to the wall to put the skates on. Nell kicked off her sneakers and replaced them with the wheeled shoes, and thought about her powers once again. She focused her powers and a four-leafed clover bloomed between her gloved finger. Tucking it into the laces, she said, ”For luck.” Being a card player, one developed some superstitions. She didn’t really believe them—they simply became habits for her, like blowing on a deck while shuffling, or tapping your favorite card before playing.
She was less hesitant to get started, immediately standing and trying to find her balance. It was a lot more difficult than she thought it would be. ”Adios mio,” she said, realizing that it probably wasn’t the best idea, but she was still smiling as she wobbled. Maybe she’d just do that, and not skate at all. ”All right, we cool.” She nodded as she said this, holding her hands out to her sides like a tightrope walker. At least she had good equilibrium…most of the time. Rollerblading was possibly something she could be good at, but at this point, she didn’t really know. Not like she could become an instant expert at anything. The things she did know how to do came with time, and therefore she was just going to give this a little time. She laughed at Josh’s words as he balanced himself against the wall. ”It’s not that bad,” Nell said with a grin, half of her mind staying focused on the fact that she had to keep herself upright. Okay, it may be very possible to break one’s ankles thanks to a fall, she didn’t know and she honestly didn’t want to find out.
Instead of doing the smart and safe thing that Josh was doing, she headed further away from anything that may save her if she fell, and really didn’t know what to do when she realized that if she did brake, she’d end up falling anyway. That wasn’t really what she wanted to do after already getting herself maimed on the street today. Her solution was to swerve and turn, now rolling backward. ”Like a pimp,” she told him when he asked how she felt, brushing off her shoulder. Now there was the issue that she was still rolling, but backward this time, and so she didn’t know where she was going. She tilted her foot back slightly to brake, flailing her arms as she once again lost balance. Don’t fall, please don’t fall… She leaned forward to catch her equilibrium and grinned before skating her way over to Josh, still holding her arms out. ”Okay, I think I kind of…not really got it,” she said. Nell knew she could catch on, considering this was the best method of learning for her. If someone tried to tell her what to do, there was no saying what would actually happen if she tried to do it on her own. ”C’mon, c’mon,” she said, pulling on his hand. ”All you have to do is feel the skate, become the skate.”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 21, 2012 14:49:48 GMT -5
Nell seemed to be a lot more confident in her ability to stay on her feet but Joshua still didn't move away from his safe zone beside the wall, feeling a lot more certain about things when he wasn't trying to keep his balance. It wasn't like he'd never seen anyone skate before—he knew the general motion that they used, he could probably copy it—he just didn't want to end up flat on his face if the wheels hit a rock or something. Paranoia and pessimism were not exactly the best attributes to have when you were trying new things. As Nell wobbled and held her arms out, he was envisioning several different things that could go wrong to make either one of them fall over. "If you break your ankles I'll remind you of what you said," he returned in a gravely serious voice. Then he smiled a little, betraying his humour. He didn't really think that they'd break their ankles (at least he hoped not) but that didn't rule out a number of different bumps and scrapes. He was no stranger to pain and didn't fear it, per say, but that didn't mean Josh fancied falling on his ass. Annabel can roller-blade, he remembered, as memories of her and a friend skating up and down the driveway came back to him.
Hell, he was not about to be outdone. If both his little sister and his fiancée could figure it out, surely he shouldn't be any different, right? He was not competitive of course, but he did have his pride. He rolled his eyes when Nell tugged on his hand, stepping away from the wall he'd been steadying himself against with a good-natured, "Fine, fine." He didn't really know much about roller-blading beyond the bare basics but he did have good balance. He did let go of Nell's hand, though—if one of them went down, it wouldn't do very good to bring the other one along for the ride fall! This would be so much better with instructions. He resisted the urge to sigh, determined to be a good sport. He had suggested it, thereby setting himself up for it. Unlike Nell, Josh learned better from being told what to do and following a guide rather than through trial and error. That didn't mean he couldn't learn without instruction, just that he did a lot better when he had some. Even though sports were hardly similar to the academics he was used to dealing with, the same base principles applied. His father and another man, a friend of the Dale's from the country club, had been the main two to teach him tennis. They'd explained things and he'd adapted his routines to the instruction. Now he was good at it. He might still have gotten good on his own but, well, it probably would have taken him much longer.
Focusing on his mental recollections of how other people usually went about roller-skating, he did manage to stay on his feet, even progressing a little with steady and careful motions. He was a lot more cautious and hesitant than Nell had been, but he was at least trying. "I'm not sure if I like this or not," he chuckled honestly, tilting his foot back to brake and turn his gray gaze toward her. "You?" She hadn't been making any complaints, but then again, Nell didn't strike him as the complaining type. She'd probably be a good sport even if she hated it. He'd never really known her to be whiny about anything, so he was just going on assumptions and past experiences. He wondered if she'd be any good with bike-riding and took silent comfort in the fact that he already knew how to do that. Noticing that there was a slight incline toward a sewer near the centre of the large lot, Josh skated (albeit unsteadily) toward it and then stopped motion, balancing as gravity did the rest of the work. He stopped himself before he actually hit the sewer, though, because he didn't want to unbalance himself. "I imagine going down hills could be pretty dangerous," remarked Josh, thinking about uneven sidewalk squares and curbs in particular. If there was any way to injure yourself, surely that would be it. At least the lot was fairly smooth.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 21, 2012 19:10:37 GMT -5
She stuck her tongue out when Josh said he’d remind her of those words if she so happened to break her ankles. ”You’re so nice to me.” Even though Nell could trip up from time to time—who didn’t?—she believed herself to be coordinated enough to do this. Well, when she did trip up, it usually resulted in injury for her. But she still had faith in herself. If she didn’t think she could do it, then what was even the point of doing so. Nell was glad he humored her and pushed off from the wall, and skated off on her own again, laughing. Yeah, she’d definitely have to get some practice in before she attempted to do any crazy backflips or anything. She didn’t know how others did it, probably people who dedicate themselves to it. Which was an amusing thought. Being dedicated to rollerblading enough to be pro? Well, she couldn’t look down her nose at those sorts of people. She was passionate about her games, so it wasn’t like she could really be taken too seriously.
He expressed his dislike for the rollerblades and she titled her head. ”Do you want to do something else?” she asked with a broad grin. She wouldn’t mind what they did. If Josh wasn’t very fond of rollerblading, she wasn’t going to force him to keep doing it for her sake. It would be rather cruel and unusual, punishing them by forcing them to keep rollerblading. Her rather banal thoughts were probably her mind’s way of defending herself from more pressing thoughts that would rather be at the forefront of her mind. The thoughts that she would try to avoid until she was alone, and that’s when she allowed herself to think. It was always dangerous then—thoughts had a funny way of spiraling when one allowed them to, when there was no one around to stop them from falling through. ”I have to say, I’m enjoying myself,” she said breezily. ”Be better once I actually get the hang of it. Practice makes perfect right?” Nell turned around again, though very carefully—it was easier to fall over in that action than simply skating in one direction. She had a feeling roller skates would be easier.
She stopped herself before she crash landed or anything. ”I guess if I go out more, I can do more than just skate in one direction.” She knew that people could even do it backward, and that astounded her. She would be too bust wondering when her skull would splatter against the pavement. Nell watched as he skated near a manhole cover, and made a comment about going downhill. ”How about we try?” she said, her voice much too enthusiastic to be taken seriously. She wasn’t that reckless. ”Then broken ankles will definitely happen, and you can say ‘I told you so’.” She knelt down to tighten up the laces of her rollerblade, afraid that if they weren’t tight enough she might break her neck, as well. ”I wonder who came up with these things? Who was the first person to think that this would be fun to do?” She often pondered those kinds of things, maybe because of the philosophy classes she was taking. Like how early humans knew how to eat to survive, how they knew how to grow things? Who was the first to do what?
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 21, 2012 21:22:10 GMT -5
Joshua grinned at her and made a mock bow, though he was careful not to sink too low in case he unbalanced himself. He was at least getting the hang of the way the blades felt on his feet, even if he hated the feeling. "I know, eh? I'm a real gentleman. I also push you down hills." The day they'd spent at his parents' had been pretty fun, even if they hadn't done a whole lot of sledding compared to what they'd intended to do. They'd spent a larger part of their time throwing snow at one another. And of course there had been the hill. He was glad that Nell was the type of girlfriend that didn't expect an overwhelming amount of chivalry and politeness because he definitely wouldn't be able to deliver. Realistic, not romantic. Words to live by. Most ideals in romance were taken from books rather than real life. He loved reading and all, but this was why he stuck to non-fiction. Joshua was getting a little more confident in his balance and so he proceeded a little less hesitantly toward Nell this time, slowing down before he applied the brake again. He still didn't much like these things, he decided. Nevertheless, he met Nell's gaze with mischievous gray eyes. "I'll sweep you off your feet, but you'll probably break a couple bones in the process." He winked and made a playful motion as if to knock her over, though he didn't actually make contact. He had pushed her down the hill because he'd been pretty confident she wouldn't get any injuries but he wouldn't shove her onto pure concrete. That would make him a jerk.
He considered Nell for a moment, frowning in thought. He would like to do something else but it seemed a rather abrupt halt to their roller-blading attempt. If she was enjoying it as she seemed to be, Josh didn't want to cut things short after only a few minutes. "I'll give it a bit longer, a bit more of a chance," he bargained, aiming to be fair. Nell was so kind and selfless. He felt like it would be taking advantage of this to take her up on the offer. "Then we can switch. Besides, I have the advantage with biking. Do you really want to lose our equal footing?" Again his tone was playful and Joshua glanced toward his feet. "Or lack of footing, I suppose." They were standing and neither of them had fallen yet, something that Joshua considered an accomplishment. He focused on moving again, determined to at least get used to the rhythmic feel of the activity. Still don't like it. He felt like he was being a sour puss about the whole thing. It was the whole reason why he had turned Nell's offer to switch sports down—he felt like his own attitude was far worse than hers. Then again, that wasn't uncommon with the couple. He acknowledged that Nell was a better person in terms of her kindness and that didn't bother him too much. They were different people. He didn't match himself to others and compete to be the best at everything, for if he wanted to best everyone he'd have his work cut out for him. Then he'd never succeed. That was no fun. He liked to set realistic goals, ones he could actually achieve.
Josh furrowed his brow. "Forward?" he asked, to clarify. "But why would you want to?" He didn't really see the appeal of learning how to skate backward. It was pretty clear that Josh found much more sense in teaching himself intellectual things. He could still enjoy sports sometimes, like tennis, but he didn't really see how making a career out of it could be very rewarding. Besides, being an athlete had always seemed very cut-throat to him, no matter the sport. He'd once shaken his head at Asha's Fighter Girl status—fighting for a living? What was the point? And then there was the early retirement age, and the risk of brain damage if you were a football player. No, he'd stick with his academics. He quite valued his brain. After they'd roller-bladed for a little longer, Joshua skated to a halt next to the curb, sitting down on it. His feet were starting to hurt from the few times he'd nearly twisted his ankles trying to keep his balance. "Well... I guess it's not too bad, but I don't think it's for me," he admitted. "I gave it a shot, though." He smiled at his girlfriend, hoping she appreciated the fact that he hadn't taken the experience away from her. He never really aimed to do that. "Still up for trying out the bikes, or...?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 22, 2012 16:58:14 GMT -5
Nell rolled her eyes at his bow. Sometimes she thought it was funny how things had changed between them from the time she didn’t even know he was joking. Had they really gotten off on such a bad foot? She had never liked thinking about it—who liked thinking about being threatened by a drunk guy in an alley? But she could remember a time when she thought he was creepy, and more than a little intimidating. Attractive, yes, but scary. She placed a hand over her heart and shook her head. ”I know how to pick ‘em,” she said matter-of-factly. That was true, actually. She believed that she did well with Josh. Even though she didn’t pick him. She didn’t choose who she loved, it just happened. And she could be glad for the fact that he loved her back. Nell didn’t need anything else—she didn’t need any gifts, even though he had the money to do so. That hardly factored into her love for him. All she needed from Josh was himself. ”We have a very healthy relationship, methinks.” They actually did, because Nell would be out of an abusive relationship faster than one could say ‘lawsuit’. Josh was far from abusive—he was the one person who knew everything about her and still loved her.
She didn’t realize what her fiancé was doing for her, that he wasn’t particularly enjoying rollerblading but suffered through so she could have her fun. ”Okay,” she chirped. This really was helping take her mind off things, helping her calm down. Her nerves and muscles seemed to relax, like the stress was no longer there. She was thankful for that. ”I guess not. We can wait for you to one-up me when it comes to bikes.” She didn’t know how she would feel about that, actually, riding a bike. It looked…unsafe. She really didn’t understand how people did it, and sometimes she felt like a child because of this. So really, Josh was right. They were both new to roller-blading, and Nell liked that. He had to put up with a lot of her naiveté when it came to the simplest things, and she felt bad about that. She was more than competent in other areas, but it was clear that she was…underdeveloped in some ways. Just means there’ll always be something to learn. She liked looking at things that way.
Nell tapped her head when she said, ”It’s no fun to just be so focused to go in one direction. It’d be nice not to be afraid of, you know, turning and all that good stuff.” She laughed as she said this, almost losing her balance when she leaned back a bit. That was her dogma for most things. Well, she had many dogmas, but she liked to learn all kinds of things, to experience everything she could. The world was a wonderful place, she was going to take it for everything it was worth. Even though she might lose her friends, she still had to keep living. There was a reason life didn’t stop when someone else’s did. She followed Josh, and noticed that the clover had died. Oh well, she didn’t injure herself, and that was a good thing. It felt weird to be walking again, a dizzying sort of motion like just coming off a boat. ”That’s always the good, mhmm,” she said airily. It really was the best thing to do, trying new things whenever possible. ”Yep, yep,” she said when he asked about the bikes, her enthusiasm bringing out her repetition tic. ”Now, is it really too late for training wheels? I mean, if I fall over, that’s not gonna be very fun…” She was joking, but there was a hint of truth. She didn’t feel like skidding across concrete twice in one day.
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