No Pain no Gain -Cassie-

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

It was ironic really, sitting in the hospital getting stitched up when he could probably heal himself in an instant. He could heal others accidentally, bring people, things back to life and he refused to use his power on himself. It didn't seem right. He was still a human being and he wanted to keep that experience, to associate with those around them. He couldn't truly empathize unless he felt their pain litereally.

He had refused freezing but it didn't matter he was barely reacting to the pain anyway. It had just been a mishap with one of the volunteers and He's been knocked into a board that had some metal supports attached and it had caught his arm and side the back of his shoulder pretty good. He hadn't looked at it but from the reactions and the insistence that he go to the hospital he figured it was pretty bad.

He'd been cleaned up and given a tetanus shot when he'd arrived there first and been triaged into the emergency. He cringed suddenly as he was suddenly aware of the pain. He shouldn't complain at least he wasn't being nailed to a cross....yet. "Thank you" He said to the woman who was doing the stitches for him. "Can I leave after this?" they looked at him in surprise but couldn't give him a reason why not.

He smiled slightly. While he was here he wondered if he could do some good. He'd been warned already about drawing attention, not healing too many people at too many times but he couldn't just walk away without helping at least one other person. He was bandaged and told he could leave. Standing up he slipped his hoodie on due to the fact that his shirt was covered in blood.

He zipped it up and headed out into the hallway moving through the unit listening for something to indicate a patient he could help.

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


She hadn’t been entirely sure what had happened. The attack had been a blur, ironically enough she had been on her way to the hospital when somebody informed her that Josh Van Buren had gotten injured on site. Now though, all what she knew was that she was bleeding now and that she and her dog were in a white room. Crystal eyes glanced around wildly, her finger tips touching her temple, feeling something wet. Pulling her hand away from her face, crimsome liquid sat on the tips of her fingers, ‘They’re getting violent now, and they don’t care if you are dead or alive. Everything’s a game,’ the voices said, giving off choruses in her head. They were loud and piercing, Cassandra thought her skull would break. A scream of pain escaped her, she doubled over holding her head, trying to block out the voices but they kept on coming, ‘You have to stop them. You have to stop their games or we’ll all be dead. Find the others,’ but their words were so trivial to her. Just as they always been. Wherever they came from, they must be in trouble, or there was something going on with the world that they weren’t telling her. Or they were merely distracting her from the pain of her defensive wounds along her arms, but Cassandra couldn’t decide which was worse, the pain from the cuts or the voices inside her head. Blood was dripping down her arms though, streaking everything red as she dared to look around.

White walls and metal bed frames. Her nerves went up a notch as panic started to pour into her system. She didn’t like it here, it was too dangerous. Needles with men and woman in the same type of clothing, they would sedate her, they would send her away the moment they figured out who she was. Back to Canada and back to the wards, drugged up twenty four seven and locked away in a room with nothing to stare at but white walls. A bark escaped Job, she had forgotten that he was there and she glanced up as people were entering the room now. They had no black eyes that she was aware of, and her dog did not snarl, but there were no signs of affection either. Crystal eyes looked to her dog, his white fur stained red, but not by his own blood. Some was hers, but some were their attackers, causing vital damage to them without so much of a second thought before the police and ambulances came, “Cassandra, we’re here to help you,” one of the woman said, snapping her attention right up. How did they know her name? But her stuff was gone, with her ID’s, she should have used a different name, a fake name, “We just need to give you a shot to help with the pain so we can stitch you up.” Her eyes widen, drugs, they were going to give her drugs, “NO!” she shrieked, she didn’t want their help, she didn’t need any help.

Jumping from her bed, Cassandra stumbled and strong hands grabbed hold of her, and she tried to kick and wrestle herself out of the male nurse’s grasp, another come coming to help, “I don’t need it! You’re going to send me away! I know you are!” she screamed, panic and paranoia settling into her voice, “Nobody’s trying to hurt you, we aren’t sending you away,” one of the women said, trying to calm her down as she started filling up the needle. Lies, all lies, Cassandra didn’t believe them for a second as once again, she tried to put up another fight. Clearly, she didn’t deal with hospitals very well. An ugly bark escaped Job, there were no demons there but he didn’t like anybody handling his human this way. As the two were having troubles with Cassie, a third was about to descend on them but Job took a lunge for them. The individual moved out of the way, and the german shepherd slid out into the hallway now, his paws having issues staying up right with the linoleum floor. The door slammed behind him, leaving Job out in the hallway while his human was inside screaming bloody murder about wanting to leave. Job slammed himself into the door, pawing madly at it as he barked, thinking the door would open as chaos ensued on the other side.


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | Sorry about the over the topness of this post. I had a second idea hit me afterwards that was actually normal but then I was just too lazy to write it out. Let me know if you want me to change it!|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

Josh could feel something was wrong but it wasn't until he heard the screams and the familiar barking sound did it really become clear what was going on. He felt a strange pang of protectiveness that he was unable to explain. Nothing he had ever felt before not even for his siblings. The closest he had ever felt like this was when his sister had been shot in New Orleans but even then he had felt far more calm and in control of the situation than now.

He turned quickly and hurried back in the direction the sounds were coming from and he got there just in time to see Job being shut out of the room. He hurried to the dogs side and with a calming hand and one sound he tried to calm him. “Ssssh” he said standing up again and he moved to the door just barely being able to see in. He saw Cassie in the bed, he saw the way they were handling her and he could tell she was scared, afraid.

“Job stay” he ordered the door and had no idea if it would listen to him or not, it had no reason to do so but he knew that it was all he could manage in the moment. If Job were the attack anyone he would get taken in by animal control and most likely put down, he couldn't let that happen to Cassandra he knew that Job was one of the only things she seemed to have in her life.

In the moment he had forgotten about his own injury and about the fact that he probably shouldn't have even been going in there. No one seemed to notice as he did and he tried to send out a general aura of calmness throughout the room before he went directly to Cassie's side. “Cassie...sssh it's okay” he said placing his hand on her head gently to calm her. “They're just going to help you, I promise I wont let anything happen”

As suddenly they became aware of his existence they tried to drag him back away from her and out of the room telling him that only family could be there. “Wait! She's my wife” he …. lied? Josh couldn't even remember ever telling a direct and such a blatant lie but he'd panicked. He knew he couldn't leave her alone here and there was a good chance that they would send her away if she didn't calm down and did anything to endanger herself or anyone else. He just needed to keep her safe and calm.

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


Job was still outside barking, he wouldn’t leave that door until it opened up. On the other side, Cassandra was still screaming and trying to fight off the help. Clawing at the door, the white german shepherd thought that would be enough for the door to open but he was having no such luck. As he slammed his body up against the door again, a familiar scent hit him. Amber eyes glanced down the hallway for a brief moment but he saw nothing, and one again, Job was back to his loud barking. A few minutes past before there was a shadow standing over him. The dog was about to let lose a snarl even though the presence was familiar until he glanced up to see who it was. A familiar face to the dog, his tail wagged ever so slightly as a hand ran over his fur. As Josh stood up again, Job scattered to the side and watched as the man looked in, “Job, stay.” The command only caused a snort to escape the dog for he hardly thought that their relationship was that far long to where he took commands from somebody else, not when his human was screaming. The door opened and Josh went in, Job quickly scampering in but stayed hovering by the door. His ears laid flat but he did nothing, merely observe to see if the chaos would end.

She had been struggling with the ‘help’ and their strong grips. They reminded her so much of the people back at the ward. Forever those memories would probably haunt her, “Let go of me!” she screamed again, trying to push out as they wrestled her onto the bed. It didn’t help that she could hear Job outside, growling, howling and barking. The door shook ever so slightly under his weight as he threw himself at the door, trying to get back in. Cassandra glanced around wildly, her crystal eyes locked on the needle that the one woman had in her hands. If she came any closer, Cassandra wasn’t even sure as to what she would do. Kick her? Bite her? Reasoning was beyond them, the young woman realized and she had set herself up for that. But she panicked; there was no other way around it. Every time she struggled though, their grips got stronger. Cassandra supposed that should be happy that they didn’t have her in restraints, she still felt like she had a fighting chance even in these conditions. The woman was drawing closer now and the needle was going for her arm. Somehow, probably through an adrenaline rush, Cassandra broke her arm free; “No!” her hand slamming into the woman now, knocking the needle and it went clattering to the floor. Outside, the barking had stopped and the door was pushed open.

Cassandra didn’t pay attention to who was walking through the door though, she just thought it was another person to help them restraint her. However, there was almost a calming aura filling the room now. She tried to not pay attention to it as she felt their grips start to loosen a little on her arms, maybe affected by whoever had entered the room. Once again, Cassandra tried to free herself of their grasps but paused when she heard a voice, his voice, “Cassie…sssh, it’s okay.” Crystal eyes glanced up to see none other than Josh Van Buren. Her sheer state of panic calmed down a little bit and Cassandra felt her body start to ease up. She didn’t know what it was about Josh, but he made her feel safe, that nothing could go wrong if he was there, “They’re just going to help you, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” Her gaze never left him and she found herself fully believing his words even though her nature told her not to. Cassandra’s labored breathing started to die down for a moment, and the world felt like it was going back to normal until they grabbed Josh. Panic kicked in full force as they started to grab him away from her, “No, Josh!” he couldn’t leave, she didn’t want him to leave, not after they found each other again. Ripping her arm free, she jumped off the bed and was about to move when one of the nurses grabbed hold of her again, pulling her back and all what she did was wail on him and scream for the man they were dragging away.

The dog, who had been hovering by the door, once again started barking and he was dancing about, remaining by the door as his paws slipped slightly. An ugly snarl escaped him and he was about to dart forward when Josh broke the chaos, “Wait!” and the dog fell silent as the rest of the room, “She’s my wife!” That did it, a sound escaped Job, and he quickly bowed his head and hit it behind a paw, unable to look. Cassandra herself froze, eyes widen and she was certain that she felt her face begin to heat up. Thankfully, she was probably red faced from her hysterics as well; nobody would probably be able to tell that she was blushing. It probably didn’t mean anything, something shouted in a state of panic but it still affected her. The nurses were glancing back and forth between the pair now, uncertain of what to make, “Miss?” Crystal eyes remained locked on Josh for a moment before she glanced, “Yes…he’s my husband…we met in Church…” they were still staring at her, “I’ll be better if you let him stay, I can’t…I don’t like hospitals.” After what seemed forever, they finally relented. The moment Cassandra was free of their grips; she darted forward to Josh and gently wrapped her arms around his torso, hoping to god that she wasn’t about to injure him further, “Thank you,” she whispered softly.

“Sir…as we were trying to explain to your wife, she needs stitches, and we were hoping to dull the pain for her before we started,” one of the nurses explained now, still eyeing them.


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | None|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

“Stop! Let he go you're scaring her!” He begged as he watched her his own fear obvious in his eyes as they held her back, screaming and trying to break free. “Cassie just look at me!” He begged trying to keep her attention “just keep looking at me” He kept his voice calm because if he panicked than he would lose control of his calm, of their calm he needed to get the control back. He waited in awkward silence as they started between them for a response to his lie, he could almost feel the silence consuming the room before she finally spoke.

He actually managed a smile when she spoke. That was the truth they did meet in Church. After what seemed like an eternity of exchanged glances they finally seemed to accept this and let go of their hold on both of them. Within a matter of seconds she was there her arms wrapped around him tightly and he didn't even flinch for a moment.

He instinctively wrapped his arms around her in return holding her tightly against him. He just held her close for a moment making sure she knew that she was safe with him. He'd meant it he wouldn't let them hurt her even if it meant taking her out of there now without letting them treat her. He could heal her, if he wanted to but not in front of a room full of people.

He was a lot of things... but a show off was not one of them and he didn't want to risk the fear and ignorance that could come along with it. There were few he trusted with his skill and a room full of nurses and doctors were not on that list. He rested his hand on the back of her head gently closing his fingers slightly taking some of her hair. “no, thank you” he whispered back to her but smiled again gently. “but you're welcome” he pressed his lips against her cheek softly kissing her skin. “You can let them help you or let me help you ...it's up to you” Course he wasn't sure if they would just let an injured person walk out of the hospital and refuse treatment.

“I'll stay with you either way” He assured her still whispering. It wasn't really the business of anyone in the room but he honestly didn't want to let her go. He felt a responsibility toward her, he had since meeting her that day in the church and he only wished now that they'd never been apart, not that he would vocalize that fact.

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


With all the chaos that had happened, Cassandra had wondered what people outside the room must of thought of it. Between her screaming, Josh’s shouting, Job’s barks and snarls, and on top of all that, the hospital staff’s yells, it probably sounded like World War III in there instead of a patient’s room. It reminded Cassandra of her past and where she had spent a good chuck of her life, just minus the dog and somebody who genuinely seemed to care about her. It was funny, Josh always put up this calm front but just then, when he was telling her to keep calm, she had saw the fear pass through his eyes. Eyes always betrayed the true emotion that someone was thinking. But none of that mattered now, it had passed, yet Cassandra wouldn’t let go of him. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but returning the hug had not been one of them. Although Cassandra did not read a lot into it, it was probably just out of instinct and who he was. For knowing him very little, she felt like she had known him all her life. His embrace was tight, but it didn’t bother her at all, all what mattered was what was conveyed, and Cassandra felt safe.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she did nothing more than inhale his scent. As silly as it sounded, she could probably stand like this forever. However, that wasn’t an option. She knew she had to figure out what to do with her defense wounds. Even though she had barely looked at them since coming over, Cassandra knew well enough that they needed to get taken care of. Infection was the last thing that she needed in her life, and have to take even more visits to hospitals where they could get curious about her past medical history and end up with her psych evaluations. Okay, maybe not, but her name would certainly start a stir, since she wasn’t exactly a United States citizen. Crystal eyes open when she felt Josh’s hand resting gently on the back of her head, the tiniest pull of some strands of hair getting interwoven into his fingers, ”No, thank you.” Glancing up, Cassandra couldn’t help but to feel confuse. She didn’t do anything, she came to find him but that hadn’t exactly landed her in the best spot in the world, ”But you’re welcome.” If it weren’t for his gentle smile, the young woman might have thought he was making fun of her.

His lips pressed up against her cheek, and Cassandra felt her face was on fire. The moment he pulled back, she still felt like her skin was prickling from the touch. Control as she might, she knew there was no way she could fight the flush coming to her face, ”You can let them help you or let me help you…it’s up to you.” This wasn’t fair; he couldn’t give her a decision to her just after kissing her. Of course, they were technically supposed to be ‘married’ at the moment; she shouldn’t be acting this way. In fact, Cassandra realized that she shouldn’t be acting this way at all. This was Josh, he had bigger things to deal with besides her, ”I’ll stay with you either way.” His voice was still in a hushed whisper, husky against her ear. Crystal eyes glanced up at him for a moment, wide and doe eyed, “I,” she started to stammer, unable to talk, “They’re not going to let me just walk out of here.” It wasn’t much of an answer, but she knew that if she wanted to leave with Josh, she was going to have to let them give her the stitches. Reluctantly, Cassandra pulled away from him now, her eyes still lingering on him for a moment before glancing over to the nurses now, offering a smile, “I’m sorry…I’m ready now…I just don’t want any drugs.”

“It’s going to sting a little then Miss, each time,” the one nurse informed her, still eyeing her to see if she was certain. But Cassandra merely walked over towards the bed now and sat down on its edge, pulling up her sleeves for the access to her skin. Her arms looked gnarled up, caked in dried blood. She could only look at it for a moment before glancing towards the door. Job, who had been standing there patiently now, started to wag his tail. On his way over, he brushed up against Josh’s leg, lightly hitting his head against it. His tags jingled with each step before he leaped up onto the bed and sat down, painting happily as ever despite being stained red in places.


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | None|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

She was certainly right about one thing. As he glanced up his blue eyes taking in the room, the staff just staring at the two of them. They weren't going to just let them walk out of there, not without giving her some sort of treatment first. He nodded in agreement and eventually loosened his hold on her as she walked back to the bed preparing herself for the treatment.

As he felt Job rub his head against his leg as he passed her laughed slightly and followed him to the bed. He stayed standing beside the two of then quickly patting Job on the head before he rested his hand comfortingly on Cassie's back. He'd heard her say she didn't want any drugs and he couldn't help but smile, it was probably for a different reason but for some reason he found it ironic and slightly amusing that they had both refused freezing for their stitches.

He however hated that world...sting, it did a lot more than sting when they were piercing through your flesh with a metal needle. It was completely unnatural. “ I refused the drugs too” he admitted to her as a topic of conversation maybe and also a way of distracting her from the pain if that was even possible. He glanced as his hand carefully and wondered how his power worked exactly. He wondered if there was a way to numb the pain.

“So do you want to go home after this or do you feel like something to eat?” he asked and it was more distraction talk but the question was genuine, was he asking her out? It certainly seemed that way. “Although I think the three of us could use a shower” he said referring to himself, Job and her of course....the three of them were covered in blood, he could feel his would, despite the stitches and bandages were still bleeding. He was trying to make the whole married thing believable but also trying to keep her concentration elsewhere, he didn't exactly know how well he was doing.

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


She felt comfort when her dog was up on the bed now with her. His body nestled in behind her as he sat and watched the movement around him. Cassandra could not help but to smile when she glanced back at Job now, who only met her gaze with his amber eyes. It was so funny to her, how human her dog seemed and it was hard to explain. There was a slight stinging on her arms and she glanced back to see them wiping the blood off her forearms now, attempting to make everything decently sanitary before the stitching started. It was something that Cassandra wasn’t looking forward to, their words were hardly comforting. The needle was one thing, but the thread was another and she couldn’t decide which made her feel more anxious: the piercing of skin or the thread sliding through her skin. Just thinking about it made her uneasy but she had to remind herself that she was not alone. For once, her company was not only the dog but also Josh, and his presence made her feel more at ease than anyone else’s. He by them now, electing to stand rather than sit as he gave the german shepherd a pat on head before his hand slid to her back and bringing her comfort.

“I refused the drugs too,” Josh told her now and crystal eyes glanced up at him. In all her panic with the hospital rooms and her run in with demons, Cassandra had nearly forgotten the original reason as to why she had been heading in the direction of the hospital in the first place: Josh. Her eyes traveled over his body for a moment, but if he had scars, they were well hidden from her by the means of his hoodie, “One of your friends at the site, he told me that you had gotten injured. What happened?” she asked him now, concern lingering in her voice. They assured her that it had only been an accident and the whole thing had been Josh’s fault, but she wanted to hear it from him. Honestly, Cassandra was still shocked it happened; she hadn’t even gotten the rest of the story because she had taken off. She knew that Josh’s powers extended beyond making little birds out of dust, but she suppose that he was beyond using them on himself. He would rather use them on other people than himself, because at least they benefited from it, or so, that was Cassandra’s understanding. She noticed his own gaze begin to wander back to his hand, eyeing it carefully, and she wondered what was going through his mind.

A sharp pain cut through her thoughts though, and she felt herself wince. It was even worse when she felt the threading start to slide through her skin. Even though she wasn’t suppose to move, Cassandra still felt herself shift uncomfortably, not a fan of this feeling. She understood now why people were usually on something when they went through this ordeal. As if sensing her discomfort, Job nestled his head against her. It only distracted her a little bit, ”So, do you want to go home after this or do you feel like something to eat? Although I think the three of us could use a shower.” Already, Cassandra felt confused, forgetting for a moment that they were supposed to be married, “Josh…we don’t-“ but Job cut her off, a sound escaping him as he shifted himself about on the bed. Oh right, they were together. There was tugging on her skin and the threading was done, on one at least. Another piercing into her skin, Cassandra tried to keep herself together this time, “Um, getting something to eat sounds nice. As long as you don’t mind,” why would he mind? He was the one who asked in the first place, but she couldn’t read into it, it didn’t mean anything…did it? Josh was certainly right about one thing, they needed to shower, especially her dog, he couldn’t hide the blood. “And you’re right about showering, but, um, we don’t…we don’t need to shower together,” she managed now, hoping that he could pick up that she could easily go back to her own place at the hostel rather than crashing his apartment or hotel room, whatever he was using in the city.


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | None|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

“One of the Volunteers got a little excited with one of the 2 by 4's swung it around and knocked me back into some of the metal supports that were sticking out” He said as he explained what had happened. It was fine the way she'd set it up that she didn't already know what had happened.

“What about you did that happen on the way here?” he asked but he felt like there was maybe more to her story that wasn't exactly public friendly. Just a hunch, then again he could have been wrong, he didn't presume to be able to read everyone, after all he wasn't perfect.

It was surprising that anyone had been able to knock him back but when you got hit with a wooden board he supposed it was pretty usual to lose your balance. As he shifted in his place he suddenly began to feel the back. His arm, his shoulder and down his side were all beginning to itch and ache.

A shower was going to be interesting because he was probably supposed to keep them from getting wet at least for a while, he hadn't exactly thought of that and it was essentially half his torso. Maybe he would do less of a shower and just sort of change and use a cloth to wash the blood off around, if he could reach it.

“...” Was she serious. Did he mind? He was just begging for the company. He was with people all day everyday but honestly the evenings got lonely, not that he generally liked to admit that to anyone because he didn't want to burden them with his own personal woes, and the truth was he shouldn't have any.

He had all that he needed in his life, a place to sleep, food to eat, he had family when he found the time to see them. “Yeah we'll go” he said simply. He didn't specify where or anything further because the lie was already making him slightly uncomfortable, just because he didn't like lying, not that he didn't like the idea behind it.


It had sort of sounded sexual, or intimate in the manner which she'd said they didn't need to shower together but he knew she hadn't meant it that way, he got the point but he also didn't see the point of not sharing what he had. “Well I don't know how I'd feel about Job showering with me anyway” he said joking obviously as he moved his free hand to ruffle the dogs fur.

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


Every word of Josh’s explanation only made her eyes widen a little more, “One of the volunteers got a little excited with one of the two by four’s, swung it around and knocked me back into some of the metal supports that were sticking out.” The way he explained it, it all sounded very nonchalant, Cassandra couldn’t get over how he acted like it wasn’t a big deal. Honestly, though, it sounded like he was lucky to even be functional right now, accident or not. Crystal eyes slid down to his torso for a moment, assuming that had been where the damage had been done, but whatever it had been, Josh had it covered up by his hoodie, “You’re okay though, right?” she asked now. After she said the question, it seemed so obvious to her that he was fine, but Cassandra couldn’t help but to worry about him, and it wasn’t just because he was the Christ, there was something else deep down that had her worried. Probably because he was just a friend…they were friends though, right? Josh’s voice cut through her thoughts, “What about you did that happen on your way here?” She glanced down at her arms for a moment and automatically wished she hadn’t and quickly glanced away now, nodding, “Um, yeah, I got jumped. But, um, Job took care of it for the most part.”

At the sound of his name as well as the praise, or well, half praise, Job merely just wagged his tail and let out a small sound, perfectly content. It made Cassandra smile and she would have petted him if she could have at the moment. She knew she owed her dog a lot; he’s helped her out more times than she cared to remember, and the young woman knew she had been lucky with him. Not a lot of people had been bringing into question his ‘temperament’, but maybe it had only been because he had been protecting her. Cassandra didn’t know what a lot of people thought about dogs attacking other people, but she knew it wasn’t good. Glancing back towards Josh now, she watched him shift and for a moment, she thought that she could see pain flicker across his face, but if it had been there, it was gone now. There was a mildly awkward silence that pasted between the two of them now, maybe she should have phrased her words a little better, “Yeah, we’ll go.” His answer was as simple as that, and Cassandra figured that it would be expanded upon when they would leave. He really didn’t look comfortable about lying; no doubt it went against his morals. If it did, then she wondered why he did it for her. Of course, she had been a mess though, that probably had been it.

“Well, I don’t know how I’d feel about Job showing with me anyways,” and that line earned Josh a look from the dog. Amber eyes stared at him and his ears flatten slightly, but all was forgiven the minute his hand started ruffling his white fur. Shifting his weight, Job began to press more into the man now, enjoying this attention. A laugh escaped Cassandra, watching, “No…he doesn’t smell that great afterwards either.” Despite being a hospital room, everything felt rather natural to her. This conversation, this closeness, it was nice, “There, you’re all done, Cassandra,” the nurse said now, cutting the final thread. A sigh of relief could not help but to leave her lips, she was glad and that also meant that they could probably leave very soon too. Placing gauze and medical tape on her arms now, the nurses informed her that they just wanted to get the paper work done before she could leave, and excused themselves, leaving her and Josh alone. Nonetheless, she still got up, sliding off the bed, as if it would it would be a lie if she didn’t get up, that she would be stuck there forever. Glancing up at Josh now, she offered a smile, “Thanks for staying with me…was it killing you inside to be my husband?” she asked with a laugh, figuring with them being out of earshot, it was safe enough to ask.


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | None|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

“ I bet” he admitted thinking about it. He'd never had a dog of his own but he'd been around enough to know the wet Dog smell was probably one of the worst ones out there along with a sewer on a hot day, or driving back a meat factory. Actually off the top of his head there were several but he didn't want to think about them.

He froze for a moment considering to himself the answer to her question. Had it been killing him? Not at all the only part of the situation that had made him uncomfortable was the fact that he'd been lying about it. He knew that he'd done it for the right reason and he knew why people found themselves so often between the gray areas of life where they were never a right or wrong thing to do and sometimes you did something against your belief just to protect someone you l- cared about.

“it didn't kill me at all” he admitted not really sure of what else to say on the matter. He liked it was a little, forward even if it had been true to himself, he didn't feel like he should admit that. It seemed, wrong for him to do anything that made him happy, it was selfish.

“I was serious about getting something to eat but... I understand if you were just you know agreeing because of the audience we don't have to” he assured her. She had just been attacked, they'd both just been treated at the hospital and though he did have to eat he didn't want her to feel like she was obligated to go with him just because he'd asked. “If you're not up to it...or have other plans or something” he thought for a moment why she was there.

What were the chances of them both being in the same town? Had she been serious about hearing that he was hurt? He'd assumed it was all just part of the act but now he wondered if she'd been telling him the truth.

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


A sound escaped Job, wishing for the subject to change. There was only so much petting they could do to make up for it, “I bet,” but that was what Josh left it at. Cassandra merely offered a smile to her dog and took up to stroke his stained fur, gently brushing her thumb over the crane of his skull and already, his amber eyes started to close, content once again. Crystal eyes watched the german shepherd for a moment before glancing off now, thinking to herself for about before asking her question. Perhaps it had been too awkward of a question, because there was certainly a silence in the room now and she glanced up at him, wondering if she could read him. It was far from the case though, Cassandra had never been good about reading people, she tended to only see what she believed she saw. Sometimes, she wished that she could read other people’s mind, but wasn’t that always the same story? To know what people thought about you? Cassandra knew that for a fact, but when she thought about it, if she could read people’s thoughts, that might be even worse than having angels chatter in her head constantly.

Still, she wasn’t sure what Josh thought of her, other than she was not crazy from their first encounter at the church. He cared enough to stay though, and that meant a lot to her, and he didn’t even know anything about her really. Not her past, not the wards or her fears. Yet he still stayed. “It didn’t kill me,” Josh’s voice interrupting her thoughts now and bringing her back down to earth. Crystal eyes lifted from Job to glance up at the man besides her for a moment before offering her usual smile, “I’m glad,” and she left it at that. It was probably best anyways even if she did have trouble believing it herself. But Cassandra didn’t even know what she felt, what she was yearning for when it came to Josh Van Buren. It shouldn’t be anything, he was the Christ, she should keep him safe even though she was hardly able to keep herself safe. She wanted to do so much even though she was certain she couldn’t, yet Cassandra felt like she could do it for Josh, just to keep him safe when the Angels couldn’t. An ugly thought reared itself in her mind though, and the young woman bit her lip just thinking about it, but instead of thinking about it, she pushed it aside, denial forever resting in the back of her mind of something that couldn’t happen, history didn’t repeat itself, not like that.

“I was serious about getting something to eat but…I understand if you were just, you know, agreeing because of the audience, we don’t have to,” Josh said, assuring her like it was no big deal. Was that how she came off as? Fake? If it was, that was hardly the case for Cassandra as she just stared at him as he continued to talk, “If you’re not up to it…or have other plans or something.” Those words alone made her laugh a little. The idea of her having plans other than sitting around in a hostel with her dog doing nothing was a funny idea to her, Cassandra could barely remember what she did for fun before getting sent away by her parents to the ward. Her current life didn’t add up to anything either, fear and paranoia unless she was with Josh, then the world magically seemed to piece itself back together for her, “Josh…just because I say something in front of an audience…it doesn’t always mean it’s a lie. I…I really do want to eat with you, and I really was coming here to see if okay…” Her eyes glanced down to her arms now, stitched and wrapped up, “It just didn’t go exactly as I had planned.”


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | None|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

He wondered truly, what it was about this girl, this one human being that seemed to change him. He was always a nice person, there was no doubt of that fact but with her it was different, he wanted her to like him. It was stupid, it even sounded stupid in his head. He wasn't the type of person to ever care what someone thought of him, he always did what he did and left it in the will of others how they formed their opinions. It usually didn't bother him either but he worried now, he could feel the fear that he was going to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing.

Claiming she was glad didn't mean anything but he couldn't help but grin, slightly at the words. They some how filled him with a little bit of reassurance. His confidence continued to grow when she said she actually did want to eat with him, and that she had been coming to check on him to make sure that he was okay. “ I wasn't accusing you of Lying I would never do that” he assured her. “ I just thought maybe you'd changed your mind” he admitted. She was after all fully capable of doing so and he didn't want to force his company upon her and Job.

“I'd just hate to impose my company on the dazzling duo, but I'm glad you still want to” he admitted and glanced out of the room briefly to see if they were okay to get out of there without anyone making a fuss. “If you want me too I could heal that for you... when we're out of here” he offered. Just because he refused to use it on himself didn't mean that she should have to suffer, besides, on her arms like that just seemed like it was going to be way more painful. He could at least avoid … well, actually he probably couldn't avoid putting himself through pain he'd have to sleep on one side maybe and maybe walk to the site, not to any lifting for a while.

It was going to be way to hard to be on the sidelines but it was the responsible thing to do. He turned back to her and offered his hand. “Most things don't go as planned... I find sometimes life is more fun that way... of course this is a bad example” he admitted with a smile “Come on”

[CASSANDRA EDEN LUXE]

†Cassandra Luxe



Here I am, a RABBIT HEARTED girl

frozen in the headlights

It's seems I've made the final sacrifice...


Simple words seemed to bring a slight grin to Josh’s lips, as if she were reassuring him. Although Cassandra could not figure out what he would need any reassurance from her on, and it wasn’t long before that grin became full fledge on his face. It was rather infectious, Cassandra felt herself smiling from it as she glanced up at him, “I wasn’t accusing you of lying, I would never do that.” She nodded, showing that she understood his words. Perhaps she had taken it too personally a few seconds ago, but honestly, she had been worried. He wasn’t someone that she was trying to send away, she never wanted to leave him with a bad impression, “I just thought that maybe you had changed your mind.” Crystal eyes glanced at him, curious by his words. If that had been really what she thought, perhaps she really did need to work on her talking skills a little more. Still, she offered him a smile and shook her head gently, “No Josh, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” and the young woman truly meant that.

Laughter escaped her though at his next comment, “I’d just hate to impose my company on the dazzling duo, but I’m glad you still want to.” She probably shouldn’t laugh, but the idea of being dazzling at the moment was just, funny to her. With her cuts and stitches and Job with his blood stained fur, well, she felt like they were anything but dazzling, “Dazzling? That’s…an interesting choice of words…but no, you’re not imposing at all,” Cassandra commented, glancing at her dog, “What do you think of that?” A snort escaped Job and he shook his head before hopping off the bed and onto the floor. It appeared that both he and Josh had the same idea about getting out of there though as she noticed that he was glancing out of the room. It was also then when he made his offer again, “If you want me to, I could heal that for you…when we’re out of here.” Crystal eyes glanced down at her arms for a moment, staring over them and the stitches, and she did wonder if they would mar her arms for the rest of her life. After a moment though, Cassandra glanced back up, “I believe that is your choice to make Josh, not mine. It’s your gift.”

It’s not as if Josh was just some healer anyways to her, a tool that she could use. He was a person, and he meant a lot. She didn’t need to feel like she was using him just to benefit her. Cassandra did however; eye his body now, wondering how much pain he would be in later on tonight, and how much stitching he had received. Honestly, she wished that he would heal himself but in her little time of knowing him, she knew that it would never happen and managed to keep her sigh to herself. When he started to turn around, she averted her eyes, glancing away hoping that he wouldn’t have caught her studying him. That was all what she needed, “Most things don’t go as planned…I find sometimes life is more fun that way…of course, this is a bad example.” A smile crossed her lips and she glanced down for a second, “A very bad example,” she commented now before glancing to his hand, which Josh was offering to her, “Come on.” It took a moment, but Cassandra took it and helped herself up, but instead of letting go, she interlocked her fingers in his. Somehow, it just felt right, “I’m glad Job found you that day…in the church.” She might have gone on or maybe not, but either way, her dog was barking at them, ready to go. A small laugh escaped her and she only shook her head slightly, “Well then, ready to lead us out Josh?” she asked now, glancing up at him.


...I must become a LION HEARTED girl

Ready for a fight before I make...

the

[/font] final [/color]sacrifice...[/color][/size]†
[/center]


NOTES: | None|
OUTFIT: | Grey mid calf boots, white jeans, cerulean blue top, grey hoodie|
MUSIC: |Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence + the Machine|
TAGS: | Joshua Van Buren|

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

When she placed her hand in his the grip just slid naturally into place, he didn't have to put much thought into it. “Well that makes two of us...” He admitted, he was beyond glad that Job had found him in that church. It was unbelievable really to say that a dog had been the one to find him, but in the few brief encounters he'd had with Job he knew that Job was not ordinary dog. He'd said dazzling duo for a reason.

“More ready that I'll ever be” Unconsciously, or maybe a little more consciously than he wanted to admit to himself, he kept hold of her hand the entire way through and out of the hospital until they were walking down the street and well away from having to keep up the facade of the lie he'd woven to protect her, to protect them both. He didn't want to let go, he didn't even want to let her out of his sight not after what had happened to her on her way to find him.

He felt responsible, for her, for what had happened but this was nothing new to him. He'd always felt the need to protect people but lately, with the revelation looming over his head the worry and stress of it all had been kicking that into high gear. Now that he knew what he could do, there was a certain expectation he had of himself. What was that superhero saying? With great power, comes great responsibility? That was an understatement in his case. Not that he was comparing himself to a super hero, far from it in fact though he knew that he was probably facing a lot of the same identity issues that seemed to be so popular in the story lines.

He however, had someone, beside him that he didn't have to hide his 'secret identity' from and it was strangely relaxing. She not only knew, but understood and wanted to help him. As they walked down the street he wasn't really putting much thought into where they were headed. “You know... I'm glad you know who I am...” he said suddenly still holding onto her hand not ready just yet to let go, let the feeling slip away. “It's nice knowing I don't have to hide” there were so many paranoid people in this country that even devote Christians would undoubtedly not believe the truth.

He'd be burned at the stake long before people realised he was truly what he was, and to be honest he was really trying to avoid history repeating itself because he didn't exactly fancy the idea of being crucified to death, especially not after what had happened today, he knew that pain would be minor in comparison to his predecessor. “You know if the two of you need somewhere safer to stay I have an extra bed in my room” He offered.

“I'd feel better knowing you were somewhere safe” he admitted. That sounded stupid, who was he to worry about her safety, she shouldn't care how it made him feel. “I'm sorry that sounded stupid I was just being honest” he was always being honest sometimes he needed to learn to shut his mouth.