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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 7, 2012 23:07:03 GMT -5
His lips twitched at her sarcastic comment. "I've been told as much." It was serious in contrast to her joking but did not sound cynical or bitter. He knew that his temper could be a right pain in the ass if you managed to say the wrong thing. That wasn't always difficult—it depended on what type of person you were and even how you worded things at times. He'd gotten angry with one of his friends over a comment he'd completely misinterpreted and then not spoken to her for months because of it. On the other hand, there were people like Skye and Nell who seemed a lot more capable of handling him. He assumed that it was love for Nell that kept him from biting her head off over the little things, for he did get mad at his girlfriend sometimes. But Skye and the other few who were more resilient to his temperament? He didn't know and didn't care to. There had to be some mysteries in the world and he respected those that kept him his inner circle. "Honestly, though, I don't bring a whole lot of people by. Sometimes I wonder if they think of me as a hermit." There was humour in his tone even though his expression remained neutral and impassive. He'd never brought friends around the mansion when he was hanging around the gang because they weren't really the crowd you'd welcome past the doorstep of your expensive home. It had been his secret from his parents and one he'd kept well. Now he didn't bring friends around because he was just too much of a private person most times.
Pondering the likelihood of lightning strikes and thunderstorms as he stood up and brushed a few spare donut crumbs from his jeans, Joshua frowned. "Well, yeah, but fire doesn't exactly strike anyone." Lightning sought out the nearest path to the ground whereas fire just sought to consume everything in its path. They were different entities with different plans of attack. It was a beautiful thing, nature and all the elements that went along with it. To be the commander of a roaring torrent of fire was the dream of many a young child flipping through comic books and even though he'd never read much of the sort, Josh had that very power at his fingertips. He didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about his power as it felt so natural to him but he supposed it was a blessing. Or not, seeing as almost every being of our species is born with some sort of kinesis. It wasn't like they were gifted humans—in comparison, it was the non-gifted elementals who were the odd ones out and it was to their disadvantage. "Let's not call it cheating," he said, amending his own term with a mischievous smirk. "It's... bending the rules a little." It really was bending the rules. He knew he was not supposed to use his power in public but he figured that there was no harm in it so long as the mortals didn't take notice. His parents likely would have scolded him for the recklessness he often exhibited in these situations but he shrugged off the misgivings and wreathed heat around them immediately after they stepped outside.
Perhaps the most wondrous thing about college was the sheer increase in stamina. The college experience was more about building stamina so that you could teach yourself things rather than learning by the books as high-school had always been. Where he loved guidance and structure in academics, Joshua adored the opposite in elemental prowess. He liked the freedom of experimenting. He had relished the feeling of the heat bending under his influence much as he'd felt excitement the first time he'd coaxed a fire from dying embers or snuffed a candle from afar. It was nice. The snow-white Aventador was parked between a Buick and a Ford, still looking rather out of place in the middle-class neighbourhood. The sports car was meant to be parked in front of the large mansion that they pulled up to some time later, nestled between Donovan's red Ferarri and Patricia's ice blue Jaguar. Annabel did not own a car but insisted that it would be purple when she did. The house itself was massive and white, with a large area around both front and back. It was the pride and joy of the family but it was also his childhood home. "Don't think you've ever seen my house, have you? Well, it belongs to my parents, but..." He gestured vaguely as if to say that it didn't matter. He also left out the fact that he no longer lived here, because he did not feel like explaining why.
The front foyer of the home was where Joshua paused and called out a curious greeting, wondering if anyone was within hearing distance. He gave pause for a couple of seconds and shrugged, not bothered. "Maybe my parents are out." They would not have left his sister unattended—the butler was a near-constant presence in the home even when Joshua was watching over them. The man could be a little unsettling sometimes in his ability to be almost anywhere. It didn't bug Josh, who'd grown up used to it. He led the way up to the second floor where his sister had her room and rapped lightly on the door of it. Annabel herself pulled open the door a moment later, blue eyes bright and grinning face surrounded by tamed curls. "Hey Joshy," she greeted him with affection, hugging him. "Who's your friend?" She gave Skye an amiable glance and waved her hand once, not shy. "Her name's Skye. This is my sister, Annabel," he said to the Thunder elemental even though it was unnecessary. "Can we come in, sis? Where's mum and dad?" The blonde almost-teenager stepped aside to permit them and flopped down on her bed. "Just missed 'em—they'll be back soon, they said. Did you bring the donuts?" He laughed and unearthed the box, opening it again. Nice to see she's got her priorities straight. "So, Skye, what do you want to do first? We could raid the fridge or we could find something better to do, your choice."
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Post by SKYE JESSICA FORD on Jan 9, 2012 20:45:00 GMT -5
Though she hadn't been serious at all, she wasn't really surprised by his next comment. There was something about Fires that made them difficult to get along with, and Josh, though a friend, was really no exception. They were tolerable enough, but then again, Skye was used to it and, if she could say so herself, pretty damn good at tolerating people. Somehow, with the ones she was better friends with, it was much easier to deal with all of it than with others -- there were probably way more she found insufferable. Most simply put, it was probably just the fact that they were all their own people, after all. No one, even within elements, was just the exact same as anyone else. She didn't really respond to that, though, just smiled a little. Actions spoke for themselves, after all -- the fact that she and Josh were still putting up with each other and friends meant that they at least thought one another tolerable. Likeable, even. "Well, never a bad time to bring someone over for the first time," she said with a slight shrug, nonchalant though she was actually kind of looking forward to seeing where Josh lived -- like being in elementary school and excited to be invited over to a friend's for the first time. "Though I won't pretend I haven't considered the idea that you're a hermit for a few years now," she joked, her face thoughtfully serious.
Skye considered his words as she got up as well, wiping a bit of chocolate from a donut off of her finger onto a napkin before taking their garbage over to throw it out. "No, I guess it doesn't," she said once she'd come back, still thinking about it. If lightning struck, then fire kind of... engulfed. She wasn't sure what words she'd use to describe the ways any of the other elements destroyed things. All of them could be pretty destructive, though... There were, after all, natural and manmade disasters of all sorts. "That kind of makes fire even more common than lightning though, doesn't it?" she wondered out loud. She was sure that to others, the conversation sounded pretty weird, the way adults always felt when around kids talking about their latest video game or something... that, or they had to sound like pretty nerdy meteorology students. She followed him outside, her smirk kind of mirroring his at this suggestion of bending the rules, but she couldn't pretend that she was more than glad once they stepped outside and it was actually warm. It wasn't uncomfortably hot, either, like summers were, just pleasant as if it were a plain old nice day outside. She found herself envying Fire elementals again just briefly.
The walk wasn't too far at all, which was lucky, and before long she spotted Josh's car -- it was hard to miss anywhere, actually, and she'd seen it enough times before. She'd been pretty impressed the first time, and truth be told she still was, but it had been time enough now that she'd grown used to seeing Josh rolling around in it, and also to the idea that Josh's family was probably pretty wealthy for him to have all these things. They'd never really talked about it, mainly because it seemed a little rude of Skye to suddenly bring it up, but somehow it wasn't really on her mind until they pulled up to the mansion, and, trying to keep her eyes from going wide, she followed him to the house. "I haven't. It's nice!" was all she trusted herself to say without sounding like an idiot, thinking of their townhouse back in Ottawa. It wasn't really envy, actually -- she wasn't so much the type to feel envy over an actual material possession -- but she wasn't actually really used to mansions and fancy cars, even after years of seeing Josh rolling around in his. She trailed behind him inside, where he called out to no answer. "That's cool," she said when he suggested that his parents weren't home, "Maybe they'll be back later." She was, actually, fairly excited to meet Josh's parents, for reasons entirely unrelated to the mansion she was currently standing in. It was just a little weird how she hadn't actually met such a good friend's parents before.
She followed him up the stairs and over to a bedroom door -- Skye had a pretty good feeling whose room it was, and wasn't proven wrong when a girl answered. "Hey Annabel," she greeted when introduced, grinning a little. Annabel seemed nice, and it probably wouldn't do to just stare down twelve-year-olds she was talking to. She listened as Josh and Annabel talked, deciding it was best not to butt in, in the meantime absently wondering what it was like to have a younger sibling. The mention of the donuts pulled her back to attention, though, and she grinned as the box seemed to resurface. Luckily, she and Josh hadn't eaten away most of them after all -- Annabel probably had all the donuts she could want. "Enjoy!" she said with a smile, before returning her attention to Josh. "Far as I'm concerned, there's never anything better to do than raiding a fridge."
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 10, 2012 1:27:27 GMT -5
Joshua was used to being given strange looks when he discussed certain subjects, especially since he quite liked intellectual and thoughtful conversations like these. He ignored any odd stares and merely nodded in response to Skye. "Oh, it definitely does," he said. "They're easier to avoid, though, so I suppose it's a fair trade." He wasn't just talking about Fire elementals, but rather the population of the Earth as a whole. Then again, if the fire were able to surround an area, you'd be fucked either way. He had always harboured an admiration for the crackling destruction of flames. Josh could not be considered a pyromaniac and gained no rise from watching things burn under his touch—he was intrigued by it but not in a psychotic manner. Instead, he respected the flames and did not underestimate their power. They were not his plaything to be tossed around at will but instead a very special gift that had to be monitored with care. Elementals running amok would be a very bad thing for society indeed. It was part of the reason there were laws about their use and precautions that all elementals had to take. He shuddered to think of what would happen if they did not need to conceal their powers from mortal-kind. Flooded streets and burning forests, cracked earth and constant thunderstorms aided by the deafening howl of wind. He had read of such superstorms in his history books and was not keen on experiencing one himself.
Despite not living in it, he was proud of his childhood home. He'd seen the pictures of it before his parents had done all of the restoration work and could hardly imagine the state of ruin it had once been in. He hadn't been born for the first two years after its purchase and the last repairs had been conducted in the early years of which he had almost no memory. "Thank you," he replied. He was sure his parents would be flattered—Donovan loved the wealth and grandeur of the home and Patricia had worked hard to keep it in order. It would be his one day, he knew, and it was the main reason he did not loathe leaving it temporarily for the company of Nell. His girlfriend was the more important part of his life right now. His family could manage on their own. Besides, he was always welcome to visit. After the brief exchange between he and Annabel, his sister turned her light blue gaze on Skye and smiled. "Do you go to school with Josh, Skye?" Though it might have seemed a random question, Joshua understood his purpose. Annabel was silently judging to see whether or not Skye was an elemental. He could have answered for her but instead allowed Skye to say what she wished. She didn't hesitate to snatch a sprinkled donut and bite into it, holding her hand underneath to catch any crumbs. "You know Mum doesn't like it when you eat up here," said Josh in soft but stern disapproval. The girl seemed unphased. "So? You guys aren't going to tell, are you?" Josh sighed and glanced at Skye with a look of exasperated amusement. "I guess not."
He nodded and glanced toward Annabel with a silent question. Though the gesture might have been meaningless to anyone else, as his sister she caught on immediately and shook her own head. "You guys go, I'll guard the donuts." She gave him a wolfish grin at the word guard and he rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile slightly. "By 'guard' she means 'eat as many as possible before we come back'," he remarked to Skye as he led the way back downstairs and into the kitchen. The room was very large and very white, with a row of windows at the far end and a kitchen island that ran down most of the centre. He approached the large and stainless steel fridge without hesitation, pulling it open and frowning thoughtfully at the contents. His parents never cared if he ate their food and they didn't mind if he shared it, either. That was one of the benefits of being rich, he supposed—food was hardly ever an issue. Trish still hated being wasteful but didn't consider it a waste as long as it went into someone's stomach. Which, knowing Josh and Skye, it would. "What do you want?" he questioned. "We have almost anything—drinks first, maybe?" He pulled out the orange juice and poured himself a glass. It would be a change from the searing heat of his drink at Timmies but he didn't mind. "I'd offer you something a bit... heh, stronger, but I don't drink around Annabel." His father's liquor cabinet had a selection of fine whiskey and Josh knew how to get into it but it would set a bad example to his sister and that was something he was not about to do. "So we're stuck with the light stuff for now." He found some leftover salad and busied himself with taking some. "You can have whatever you want, I'm just a bit limited." He was talking about his vegetarianism but didn't know if she'd catch his meaning.
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Post by SKYE JESSICA FORD on Jan 31, 2012 17:46:12 GMT -5
She thought about this for a second in silence, then just nodded her response. There was always something interesting to talk about with Josh, probably because he was so invested in his academics -- conversation couldn't possibly be boring with a guy who knew so much and wanted to know so much. There was always, it seemed, a question to ask or just an idea rolling around in his head, and it was interesting because he wasn't a particularly open person, so she was sure that she didn't hear even half of these interesting thoughts. The same could be said for herself, of course, but there was nothing especially interesting going on in her head. "Either way, I guess all the elements are deadly no matter how you look at it." Which was interesting, actually, because Earth had so much to do with life and allowing life to flourish somehow, but it was probably just as dangerous as any other element in the hands of the wrong person. Maybe it was lucky that they tended to be such pacifists.
She returned Annabel's smile, somehow ready for the question -- probably because she'd been pretty curious about the elements and the Academy as well when she'd been younger. Of course, she'd never had an older brother whose friends she could pester about it (not that Annabel was exactly pestering anybody) but she was sure her parents and some of their friends from school must have gotten annoyed at some point. "Yep!" Since ninth grade, in fact, she thought -- then, for no particular reason, the way things had been so much more simple back then. Of course, simple wasn't necessarily good, just easy. "Thunder," she added to head off the question she was sure would be coming next. "How many years until your turn at the Academy?" she asked. It was pretty soon, actually, she figured judging by Annabel's age, but it was probably something she was pretty eager to do, and kids (and adults, and everyone, in case Annabel was reading her mind and about to argue that she was not a kid at all) tended to like talking about things they were excited for. She just grinned a little bit at Annabel's response to Josh, though, and raised her eyebrows amusedly at him when she met his gaze. "I wouldn't mind keeping silent for another donut," she said without any attempt at subtlety.
Following him downstairs, she nodded once simply. "That I know... and can't blame her for," she said, thinking that between the two of them, she was surprised there'd been as many donuts as there were now for Annabel to enjoy by herself. It was probably a result of not having seen each other in a long time, actually -- catching up, and then whatever random conversation had come up earlier, was distracting. She followed him into the kitchen, which she noted as being not only very nice but also pretty huge... and probably very bright during the day, but it got dark early now and the sun was nowhere to be seen. She wandered over next to him by the fridge, looking around -- definitely lots of food and drink to choose from, that was for sure. "Mind if I steal some peach juice?" she asked. She was technically invited to raid the fridge, of course, but it was generally the better idea to ask for whatever. She poured a glass and took a sip -- it was a definite change from the general sweetness of Tim Hortons earlier, but a refreshing one -- but shook her head as she did so, in response to his comment about stronger drinks. "S'alright, I don't mind. Plus you're still my ride back to town, so it's probably best to just keep sober," she pointed out. She also just generally wasn't a big drinker -- most of the time, at least -- but this wasn't so much of a reason not to as any of the others. "Limited?" she repeated, not quite following, as she peeked around the fridge some more. There was some pasta or something that looked like it off to the side, which looked promising.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Feb 4, 2012 14:41:08 GMT -5
Joshua was not bothered by his sister's questions and did not consider the idea that Skye might be, as he'd been even more inquisitive than she was in his youth. He asked not only about the Academy but about everything around him, pestering his parents daily with his findings. His mother was the more patient of the two but it had always seemed to be his father who got the most attention from his young son. He had put up with it back then, albeit with increasing exasperation. Sometimes Josh missed that closeness and sense of connection that they'd had but for the most part he accepted that it was gone. It would never be the same again, so there was no point in trying so hard. Annabel opened her mouth to inquire after element but Skye seemed one step ahead, making the blonde girl blink and then chuckle as she realised what had occurred. "I start next year," she replied importantly, not even trying to disguise her excitement. Being seven years her senior, the poor girl had suffered through many years of envy. She'd cried a lot about it when she was younger but as she matured, she'd shaped up and stopped the tears. Instead, she'd taken to looking wistful whenever Joshua left for school. "I hope I'm Fire," she mused. "Our whole family have been, you know. It would suck if I was left out." Joshua shifted slightly but did not say anything as Annabel gave Skye information that he'd never mentioned himself. She had all of the open friendliness that he himself lacked.
His little sister grinned at Skye when she offered a vow of silence in return for the treats, gesturing to the box. "Have as many as you like," she chirped cheerily. Turning her bright blue gaze to Joshua, she frowned at him. "I should withhold them until you promise, too." Joshua merely laughed at the thought, knowing that Annabel was mostly joking. She was trying to imitate his stoic seriousness when he told a joke but her lips were twitching and her overall demeanour was much too light. "I paid for them, Belle," he reminded her. This seemed to silence any sort of comeback, though the girl looked far from upset. Leaving her to 'guard' the rest of the donuts, Joshua shook his head at the question. "Not at all. The glasses are in that cupboard there." He gestured lightly with his scarred left hand. There were a lot of cupboards and drawers in the large kitchen, holding a variety of different things. Trish knew her way around like the back of her hand but for the most part she left the baking up to the cook. She was usually too busy with work and while Donovan and Josh were not completely hopeless in the kitchen, they also weren't better than a chef. Annabel didn't seem to care much for the kitchen unless it was baking with her brother. "I'm vegetarian," he explained, wondering if he'd ever told her before. Probably not. He tended to keep even small things to himself, and not always intentionally.
There was a full case of Coke in the fridge but Josh ignored it, instead taking orange juice to compliment his meal. Aside from his intense love of sweets, the graduate ate quite healthy. He didn't often have takeout and he wasn't that big on sodas, only drinking coffee or tea when he needed to keep himself awake. He'd grown up eating vegetables and fruits and so he didn't have any sort of loathing for most of them. The dining room was right next to the kitchen and included an adjoining door that was usually used to bring the food in during a large dinner so he sat down there and dug into the meal. The dining room contrasted the kitchen immensely with its dark colours and dimly lit feel. The huge chandelier that hung over the table was not lit and the sky outside was dark—the only source of light spilled through the archway leading into the hall. Josh flicked his wrist so that the decorative candles sprung to life and added a little more colour to the room but didn't bother with the chandelier. "Come to think of it, I've never met your family either," Joshua observed. It didn't really surprise him, seeing as he tended to leave others to their own lives until they made it clear he was welcome in them. He was very courteous when it came to privacy. "Do they live around here? I apologise if I'm crossing boundaries, I'm merely curious." He kept his tone light and allowed the words to imply that she could keep things to herself if she wanted to. He'd understand.
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Post by SKYE JESSICA FORD on Feb 10, 2012 16:53:31 GMT -5
Skye's lips twitched a little at what Annabel told her, though not in what she intended at all to be in a condescending way. It was just a little... interesting that she'd learn things about Josh's family from his sister, of all people -- a twelve-year-old girl she'd just met, when she'd literally known Josh for what was coming on about seven or so years now. The bit about their entire family having been Fire was interesting, though -- if only because it was so completely different from her own family. Her father was Earth, her mother Water... her own element was a shot in the dark, considering the diversity in their backgrounds as well. That happened sometimes though, obviously -- she was probably not the only one around with mixed elemental background. Maybe it was also why she judged alliances between the elements to have such little value. "Wow, that's pretty impressive," she replied, nodding at Annabel. "My entire family's a whole mix of elements, I think," she added, deciding she could divulge information as well, but not sharing much more than that. It seemed a little trivial to do so -- there were only so many elements, after all. "Well, thanks," she said brightly when Annabel freely offered the donuts, but still choosing just one out of the box anyway -- they were Annabel's, after all, and she wouldn't have really been that bothered if the answer had been "no way, these are mine to eat".
"Ahhh, I see," she said, stretching it out at the news that he was vegetarian. There was, evidently, quite a bit to learn about Josh that she'd never known -- she didn't think she would have really forgotten something like that, and if she had it'd have come back when prompted. She had definitely never been told that before... but maybe she should have figured it out. Then again, it wasn't very important to their friendship itself, and it wasn't particularly conspicuous. The absence of meat in another person's diet wasn't exactly the most noticeable thing, though, especially when she hadn't seen him in quite a while. She picked the pasta out of the fridge anyway after getting herself the juice, opening the container to take a look inside. It looked like leftovers from dinner or something of the sort, but they looked delicious anyway. She peeked into the drawers and found some plates to be near where she'd found the glasses, so she decided to just go ahead and toss it in the microwave as there wasn't too much left anyway. (That was sort of good in a way -- she wouldn't feel like she was stealing all the food in their fridge.) She noted where Josh left the room through, and saw the candlelight flickering a few seconds later. Perks of being Fire.
Once she'd gotten her food she followed him into what was evidently the dining room (and a pretty huge one, though this didn't surprise her at all now). She was absorbed in her food -- not having eaten since breakfast, which was predictable of her unhealthy college student dietary habits -- but paused to consider what he said. She wondered if she'd ever told him before that her family lived far away, but probably not; if anything, it would have been mentioned in passing... Even if not, if she didn't remember telling him, then she definitely didn't expect him to remember being told. "No no," she started off, shaking her head. She didn't really mind telling people about herself, guardedness aside. Though it wasn't exactly public information, the place her family lived also wasn't anything particular private either. "We just live all the way in Ottawa, so it's a bit difficult for anyone to come visit," she said with a frown. She'd had visitors from the Academy, but that was mainly coincidence -- not many people exactly had the money to take a plane or the time to drive almost across the country just to see her over break or anything, especially when they saw each other so much anyway. "If they ever come visit though, remind me to introduce you." She flashed him a smile briefly. "Weird how that is, though, isn't it? Considering how long it's been..." That was sort of what happened with two rather introverted people, though.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Feb 10, 2012 18:37:59 GMT -5
It was interesting to learn of Skye's lineage and he did not hold her mixed bloodline against her. Joshua was dating an Earth, a blatant step out of boundaries for someone that had a strict Fire line. Donovan had said it himself, though, "If your mother had been Water I'd have married her anyway." It had been his subtle hint at an acceptance for the relationship between Nell and Josh. "We've probably had a few odd ones out," he said, considering this. They were probably disowned, though. Back when their family had been much less modern and a lot more strict, certain things had been practically forbidden. It was all written somewhere, an account of the family's history in one of the books in the basement. A lot of the older elemental lines had taken to documenting things, keeping them written down for the sake of future generations. I still got disowned for dating Nell but not for those reasons. Now that he was back with his family and the storm had passed, the thought could amuse rather than anger him (though he couldn't deny a slight spark of bitterness). "Couldn't imagine myself with a different power," he mused, looking at his hands as he let flames lick playfully across his skin. He loved his fire and the way that it felt like an extension of his being, an extra limb, as easily controlled as a muscle. "Could you?" It was a common question among elementals and possibly one she was used to receiving, much like a new acquaintance would be certain to ask for your name or offer theirs in the hope of a return gesture.
He was a little surprised to learn that Skye was from Ottawa, though looking back on it he supposed it really shouldn't come as such a shock. They didn't discuss things like this very often and so it only made sense he was unaware. Had he ever told her that he lived in Maple Hollow before inviting her over? Probably not, but I'm sure it was implied. He had been a day student and virtually all of the day students were from Maple Hollow. Some of the Hollow residents chose to board but those with a car or with parents that could drive preferred to treat it like a regular high school and return to their families at night. There was no other dwelling close enough to make the long and winding trip. "I've been there a couple times," he said, smiling slightly. "It's really nice but I'll admit I spent the entire day in the library the first time I went." He chuckled, though he was not kidding at all. The National Library of Canada was like a bookworm's dream land. His father hadn't seemed to understand why he'd wanted to make a beeline for it but his mother had just rolled her eyes in a good-natured way and let him go. He might have had his own personal library back home but it was not even a tiny portion of the massive one's size. "I'd like that," he agreed. He then committed himself to eating his food, of which he'd prepared quite a lot. At six foot three and fairly active, he needed a lot of food to keep him going.
After they'd finished eating, Joshua directed his gray gaze to the archway by instinct as he heard the front door open. Though the dining area was not directly adjoining the front foyer, it was rather close and so the laughter carried as the front door was opened and the faint sounds of booted footsteps drifted toward them. It was his mother's light chuckling that alerted him to who the intruders were and she appeared in the door a moment later, cheeks flushed a little red from a combination of laughter and cold weather. She didn't seem at all phased by the presence of a stranger, merely continuing to grin. "We got back a little earlier than we expected but the roads are rough out there." Joshua assumed that the snow had not let up. The upperclass neighbourhood and the stretch of roads that the mansions bordered were almost always ploughed but the same could not be said for the ordinary residential areas. Ever the social butterfly, his mother didn't bother waiting for an introduction before she stuck out her hand. "I'm Patricia," she offered. Being into politics, social interactions were part of her nature. Josh occasionally wondered why this gene had skipped over him so fantastically. He was more quiet, solitary, more like his father and yet less like him as well—Donovan was similarly well-liked by people. Perhaps it was just the fact that he helped people for a living. He appeared a moment later, lingering in the doorway and offering a smile. "Hey, Dad," Josh greeted. "This is my friend, Skye, from school." He didn't bring home friends very often. He supposed it was nice for his parents to see the side of him that didn't threaten to become a hermit. "Donovan," his father introduced himself, as Josh hadn't offered a name. "How are you?" Guessing that Annabel was busy gorging herself on donuts or else looking for a place to hide them from their parents, Joshua glanced at Skye. "When do you want to get going?" he asked curiously.
[Figured we can start wrapping this up seeing as it's been going on for a while, though I'd be up for another thread xD]
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Post by SKYE JESSICA FORD on Feb 13, 2012 16:51:20 GMT -5
What he said was probably true enough, whatever the repercussions may have been for those black sheep in such a strictly Fire family. Of course, she didn't know what the case was any more in his family, how strict these sole elemental families were these days (certainly less strict than the way things had been before, but it wasn't like she was a particular expert on that sort of thing), but it was probably much more... yes, just strict, than her own family. She could probably marry a completely normal, run-of-the-mill mortal... but it would probably be a bit weird for both of them. She had always been fairly immersed in the world of being an elemental, even when living in Ottawa, before coming to the Academy at all. "Well, if you go back far enough in history, anything's possible when it comes to things like that," she said, wondering vaguely what it would be like to just take her own family tree and just go up the line seeing who had which elements. Maybe at some point, her family had even been purely Wind or Water or Fire or Earth... or Thunder! There was no telling. She herself was definitely Thunder, though, and as far as Skye was concerned with things, there was no other way to do things. "Definitely not," she said, shaking her head slightly but mostly keeping her eyes on the flames dancing across his hands easily. She couldn't exactly do that, but she supposed that she could summon a charge to her hands -- though that wouldn't exactly be noticeable unless she touched something, of course. Maybe the electricity was a little bit less... ostentatious. "I don't think I can see anybody as an element other than their own." It wasn't even just a comfort level of seeing others messing around with their powers, either -- it was heavily based on personality, and Josh may have been pretty quiet, for instance, but he was a Fire through and through.
It wasn't surprising that Josh had been there several times -- many people had, considering it was the capitol city of the entire huge country. She wasn't sure if the Parliament buildings would attract more tourists and visitors overall than, for instance, the CN Tower, but Ottawa was definitely up there on a list of Canadian cities people visited. "Believe me, I'd be way more surprised if you told me you didn't visit the library at all," she told him with a straight face, nodding and smiling a bit in return. There were certain things that seemed to just be given, when she'd known someone long enough -- Josh and his love of books and learning, for instance. It would have been extremely weird for him to have visited Ottawa without seeking out the National Library. "I do hope you've seen a few more things than the inside of the library, though," she added, frowning but really joking, whether or not he could tell. There was plenty to learn outside of books. She nodded and smiled again when he said that he'd like to meet her family -- they weren't a particularly interesting family, but they were her family nonetheless, plain and boring and content enough in life. "Next time they come, then. Or when you happen to be visiting Ottawa, if ever." She followed his lead into lapsing into silence though, never having been one to mind peace and quiet.
She followed his line of vision to the front door, where Josh's parents appeared a few seconds later, laughing and generally looking happy, his mother's cheeks red from the cold it seemed. There were still several large chunks of snow stuck to both his parents' hair and clothing, but they would melt soon enough she was sure. Skye was more distracted by his actual parents, anyway -- his mother, mainly, as she showed up first. "I'm Skye," she introduced in return, taking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Patricia." She said the same to Donovan when he walked in a few moments later, adding, "I'm doing well! And yourself?" Joshua's parents certainly seemed more sociable than he was, anyway -- but then it would be hard to be more reserved than Josh, because while she obviously considered him a pretty nice guy and a fantastic friend to have around, she wouldn't exactly call him a particularly social person. It was interesting to see the difference between Josh and the rest of his family, though. She looked over at him, thinking over the question. "Hm... Soon would be good, I guess. Whenever you'd like to go is fine." She didn't have anywhere to be, really.
( yeah, that's a good idea. we can just end it here if you want~ since i figure not much else would happen anyway, lol. i'm always up for another thread! )
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