No Pain no Gain -Cassie-

[JOSHUA ELIJAH VAN BUREN]

"Maybe..." me mused quietly sure if his Mom asked him to go home he wasn't going to say no...you couldn't really say no to your mother after all. "You could come if you wanted-" He started but was suddenly cut short by a gasp and exclamation from a woman in the lobby. He blinked his blue eyes in surprise but just stayed quiet allowing Cassie to explain what happened, before she even could the womans eyes fell to him and well, it was one of those moments where Josh finally understood the true meaning of the phrase if looks could kill.

He didn't even have anything to respond with, no defense, just silence. As Cassie defended him he turned his attention to her then back to the woman to see she didn't...quite believe her. Part of him couldn't blame her, and was glad she seemed to be concerned for Cassie's safety so much but he didn't enjoy being the target of her suspicions either. "Right sure..."He said following her away, he didn't want to be alone with that woman any more than she probably wanted him to be there, he was a bit fearful for his well being and his calm aura was suddenly... a little unnerved. The idea alone... it was horrific.

" A bit like Cerberus huh?" he asked barely above a whisper sort of joking but still a little... unnerved by the accusatory stares. First of all, the idea of him hurting anyone was probably the biggest joke someone could think of, secondly why on earth would someone escort someone they'd just attacked home. That just didn't make sense from any perspective. He had almost forgot he'd been asking her to visit home with him for the holidays. His mother would probably have been over the moon if he brought a girl home, she always lectured him about being a solitary person and how it wasn't good for him and the usual.

[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...


Cassandra was quite certain that she had heard an invite starting to come out of Josh’s lips, but before it really could form into a question, the interruption came in the lobby and Cassandra felt more awkward than usual. Explaining the whole thing didn’t really seem to be doing them any good judging by the looks, and even when the woman went back to her books, there was still that heavy doubt in the air that lingered. The young woman was beginning to realize that all of her explaining had been for nothing, but considering the poor girls who came and went through this hostel, it did not really surprise her. Maybe she should be thankful for the interruption, because she really hadn’t even been sure if she could have given an answer to Josh about seeing his family. It’s not so much as she wouldn’t mind meeting them plus it meant that she could still keep an eye on him, it was more so of the questions that would arise from them about her. Personal questions were difficult, and it was easy to lie, but to lie to someone’s family in front of them, it didn’t seem quite right. Plus, she was certain that Josh would catch on and then what?

Maybe she simply was fretting over nothing though. In fact, the question hadn’t even technically happened, but they were standing there awkwardly in a silence. Josh hadn’t spoken a word and she was certain that he is or was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable in the presence of the woman. The idea of leaving him behind was beginning to sound absurd in her head, but that was his choice on whether he wanted to wait for her in the lobby or not. Thankfully though, Josh seemed to think the same way as her, “Right, sure…” A wave of relief fell over her as they started to walk out of the lobby. The woman’s eyes were on them once again, like a hawk and Cassandra only offered her a smile and brief wave before she and Josh disappeared down the hallway. There was still silence, but not for long as Josh finally seemed to find his voice once again, “A bit like Cerberus, huh?” he asked her in a hushed whisper. Cassandra found herself smiling and having to stifle some laughter, “A little bit. Are you scared?” she joked for a moment, crystal eyes glancing over at him, “I wouldn’t take offense to it. I think she’s seen a lot with the people who pass through.”

Up ahead, once again the white german shepherd was sitting outside a door, waiting patiently for them. In the dim hallway lights, he almost looked like a ghost. Her mind wandered back though, to what Josh had been asked her earlier. Maybe he had forgotten about it, and maybe she should forget about it as well. It’s not as if his family had asked him to come home yet, but Cassandra was beginning to wonder if she was only prolonging something. Digging into her purse now though, she grasped the keys as if looking for a distraction from her thoughts as they came to the door. Job’s tail thumped on the ground, happy to go back into their current ‘home’, although he was probably unaware now that he would be thrown into the bathtub the second there was a chance. Placing the key into the doorknob, she twisted and unlocked it and pushed the door gently open. The german shepherd picked himself up and walked on through, but Cassandra herself remained at the door way before finally glancing up at Josh, “Um, before hand, before the interruption. Thank you for the invite, but I’m not sure if I could go. There are things that I’m nervous about getting brought up and I don’t want to lie about myself the whole night…” this was getting a little too awkward for her now, “Um, sorry, here, come in. Can you help me with Job? He’s not a fan of baths, or at least, staying in the bathtub.”


...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 can't exactly blame her, unfortunately whether I'd like it to be true or not there are some bad people out there... makes you wonder whether free will was such a good idea or not" he said casually. Course, what free will was really to be had. Your destiny was it, whether you wanted to follow or not, the decisions you made would eventually lead you there, which is why he knew that despite his efforts, history would eventually repeat itself....he was going to die so that others would live, he'd been doing a lot of catch up reading and there was no real way around it, now that he knew of the existence of Jesse.... neither could live while the other survived.... and vice versa, to keep the world safe, they had to kill each other, and only one of them would succeed.

His eyes fell to Cassie again and he wondered now if he should have kissed her, he'd wanted to and inexplicably she made him happier than he could remember, just being around her... but he knew that he was going to die, or if he didn't die he'd have blood on his hands, the blood on an anti-christ sure but also the blood of a father and someone who was loved, whether he believed it or not. Josh was certain he wouldn't be the same, how could anyone look at him the same after something like that, how could his mind even handle it?

"No problem" he said " though you shouldn't even feel like you have to lie about who you are..." then again he didn't exactly go around telling people he was the son of God... but were the topic to come up... maybe he would have. This was such a different world that even one mention of it and either a bunch of people would believe him and he would become some media circus, or they would lock him away in an institution, or both. No, he could understand the need to lie, or at least to with hold the truth he just hated that it needed to happen. "But if that's what you're concerned about... my family wont judge you" He promised her. Well, he couldn't speak so much for his sister since she was a teenage girl and she was pretty sure that teenage girls did nothing but judge others, his parents however were probably the two most caring and understanding people in the world... and he may have been a bit bias but they truly were good to the core.

He nodded when she asked if he could help with Job. He didn't have a lot of experiencing with making sure dogs stayed in the bathtub but well, he was pretty strong, and his injury was to his back so his arms should have been able to work just fine. He knelt down by the dog and looked at him in the eyes "we've got a mutual understanding right buddy?" he said to Job, though in all actuality he had no idea if the dog even liked him or not, let alone would be willing to listen to him enough to stay in the water long enough to get clean without also inadvertently giving them a shower they weren't ready for.

[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...


People said things some times that could spark an emotion. Shock was usually the key ingredient though along with something else. Cassandra though, couldn’t quite decide on what she felt at Josh’s words: “I can’t exactly blame her, unfortunately whether I’d like it to be true or not, there are some bad people out there…makes you wonder whether free will was such a good idea or not.” She couldn’t be quite sure what to make of it other than it had hidden meaning. The comment started off about the desk lady but melted into something else entirely. Free will was choice, and Josh was eluding to something else, something that she was sure was constantly on his mind: Destiny, and yes, in Josh’s case, she was certain it came with a capitol D. Everybody had a destiny she supposed, but there were very few of them who knew their final outcome. Josh being probably one of the very few who did, and every day there was a reminder of it in the form of a cross. She could feel his gaze fall on her now, more like intuition and second nature than a lucky guess, her crystal eyes glancing over to meet his eyes, “I think that…free will is more about the journey. The places you go and the people you meet…rather than the end.”

Her mind still wondered what brought this on, and why he was looking at her with that steady gaze. There was something at work in his mind, and Cassandra couldn’t help but to wonder if it was about her. Regret perhaps, kissing her, being with her even, “Is everything okay Josh? You look…troubled.” It was probably a stupid question, even now she was certain that she knew what was going through his mind right now. But she was there, and he didn’t need to think that he had to go through everything alone. She could only hope though that he understood that. Her hand reached forward, her fingertips brushing his forearm before traveling down to take his hand gently, giving that same reassuring squeeze that he gave her earlier before allowing the conversation to continue on in another direction. Although, now it was her who was heading into territory that she wasn’t quite sure of just yet, “No problem, though you shouldn’t even feel like you have to lie about who you are…” There was that trailing off and Cassandra couldn’t help but to smile and glance away now. She still hadn’t quite understood why he had told her, showed her what he could do, he hadn’t lied to her once and shared his deepest secret with her the first time they met.

Cassandra wasn’t even sure as to why she was so hesitant about sharing with Josh. She knew he wouldn’t judge her, he probably wouldn’t care, yet it she was beginning to believe that it was just the stigma that it carried over all that troubled her. Life had been so normal until she had heard the voices, and maybe that was her problem. Up until very recently, she still thought she was just a crazy girl. But in a church one day, she got a visit from an Angel and everything that she thought and had been told, by her parents, by the doctors and the nurses, everything had just been shattered. She was human, but she was also the remnants of an angel. Past lives were real, or at least, as far as she was concerned. Josh’s voice started to bring her back down to earth once again though, “But if that’s what you’re concerned about…my family won’t judge you.” She knew that he meant it, but she still found herself uncertain. Smiling weakly, she released him from her grasp and crossed her arms now, “Josh, you were lucky. I didn’t have parents so understanding. When I first heard the voices, I…I lost it and my parents sent me away and after a year, I got better and they came back. And I was fine for a while, two years maybe and then I had another…episode, is what the doctors called it, a violent one. So…my parents sent me away again, only this time. They didn’t come back…they never came back. I shouldn’t have ever met you…I shouldn’t be here.”

She felt ashamed, telling him this. Like something was her fault in this whole equation that became her life. Psych Ward patient…runaway, technically escapee of the dangerous kind she supposed. All of those scientific words were coming back, the charts, the terminology used to describe her, her problems. If it hadn’t been for Raziel, that one angel, Cassandra would have still thought herself insane. Now she wasn’t even sure why she told Josh, well, she did, but she hated it and dreaded that he’d look at her differently. So, she decided to just retreat, “Come on Job,” of course, Josh was helping her so she wasn’t sure if it was much of a retreat as she sat on the edge of the bathtub, glancing back into the room where the white dog and Josh remained. Job had been sitting paitently, amber eyes watching the two humans and their exchanges before his human left the main area and went into a smaller one. He glanced over to see Josh crouching besides him now, his tail thumped a little at the words before nudging the human a little with his head. Getting up though, the dog trotted into the bathroom now and hopped himself right into the tub. However, he stayed at the very end, staring at the faucet as the water started coming gushing out, his canine logic telling him if stayed at the far end, the water wouldn’t get him right away.


...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]

Josh nodded "Maybe you're right about that but..." he trailed off for a moment. "it's hard to think about the point of it all if you know it's going to end badly" he admitted. The point of his existence he meant, so he'd lived an average human life....he'd healed a few people but then what? He died and everyone just forgot about him. "it's selfish maybe to want some sort of life, something to say I accomplished and left behind but everything... it's just a reminder of where I could end up..." he didn't expect to be literally crucified of course, not his untimely end would most likely come at the hands of Jesse Turner, the man he'd come face to face with at the resurrection of Samantha Winchester, the task he'd failed to do have been performed by his 'enemy' and the truth was, Joshua didn't hate him, or fear him, he did, however pity him since he knew what it was like having a path looming over your head with no choice but to follow it. As he felt her fingers brush against his arm and her hand in his all his worries seemed to disappear instantly and a smile replaced the trouble look on his face.

He had just let her tell him her story before he said anything, in fact he concentrated his attention on making sure Job stayed in the bathroom but as the water starting to run he sat on the edge and turned his attention then from the dog back to the woman sitting there with him. "I know I was lucky..." he said he wasn't denying that, he knew that not everyone had parents who just accepted them, it was probably a rarity, and admittedly even he had been afraid to go home since he'd found out the truth, but part of him knew that it wasn't a surprise to them. Somehow, he figured they already knew.

He thought what she'd said about her parents, how they'd sent her away, and how the second time they hadn't come back for her. It hurt him to think of the pain that caused her, he could sense it, the shame she had from something that wasn't her fault "You know, Some people simply can't understand..." he admitted. "It doesn't make them bad people, it just means they made bad decisions" he said trying to offer perhaps a seed of hope about her parents but he wasn't exactly the poster child of offering advice about parents who made the wrong decisions. His whole life his parents had done nothing but made the right decisions, they'd started raising him at 15, they'd only been kids themselves and somehow his life had turned out okay.

"The decisions they made affected you but they don't define you" he assured her. "There's so much more to you than what they did, what you think you are." he felt this strange sense of protection over her, he'd felt it before but he felt like he needed to defend her, but this time to herself "Cassie, You're sweet, kind, trustworthy, beautiful... you have all these amazing qualities, there's a light in you like nothing I've ever seen... not to be a cliche or anything but you just need to let it shine" he told her turning then back to Job and splashing some water gently on Job just to get him used to the water. "I'm going to do what I can to make sure you can see yourself" he said even though he had looked away. "Job sees it too or else he wouldn't be so loyal"

[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...


He simply nodded at her words, “Maybe you’re right about that but…it’s hard to think about the point of it all if you know it’s going to end badly.” At his words, Cassandra glanced down for a moment, thinking. He made a point, and there was no use in arguing. Josh knew how it was going to end, but didn’t it also mean that he was going to come back? She didn’t dare ask though, he didn’t know, and neither did she. There was no point in trying to figure out something that they didn’t quite entirely understand. Besides, the truth was, she didn’t understand what it was like to have something hanging over her head like that. All of that pressure, it sounded like a cage, “It’s selfish maybe, to want some sort of life, something to say I’ve accomplished and left behind but everything…it’s just a reminder of where I could end up…” Crystal eyes just watched him, still trying to gauge on what she could possibly say that would make him feel better. Everything he said wasn’t selfish; it wasn’t selfish to want a life. Sometimes, people just had to put themselves first, because if they weren’t happy, then how could they make other people happy. Their small contact seemed to relieve him of the stress and worry for now, “I’ll always remember you Josh,” and left it at that.

Sitting in the bathroom though, Cassandra found herself wishing to leave or escape the situation that she brought upon herself. She wasn’t even entirely sure as to why she told him what she did. No, she knew why, he needed to know and eventually, she would have told but why so soon? She did however know, that just because she asked herself the same question in a thousand different ways didn’t mean that she was going to come up with the answer any faster. Josh’s concentration to be on the dog for the moment and Cassandra merely dreaded what would become of it. He didn’t leave her hanging for long, “I know I was lucky…” Cassandra wondered what it would have been like, to have parents that would have known what was going on with their child. She remembered Josh saying that he heard the angels talk as well, but it was the parents who made all the difference. Her mind wandered for a moment, eyes trained on the floor. It didn’t matter in the end though, his parents, because everything she felt only came from her own, “You know, some people simply can’t understand…it doesn’t make them bad people, it just means they made bad decisions.”

He was trying to make her feel better; give her something to hold onto as far as her parents went. Cassandra couldn’t even tell where her feelings laid with her parents. Everything was conflicting in her head, “Five years is a long time,” was the only thing that she could manage. None of it mattered in the long run though, she was certain that five years ago was the last that she would ever see of her parents. The idea of even remotely seeing them was too risky, she didn’t trust them enough to think that they wouldn’t send her back the moment they saw their crazy daughter, regardless of circumstances. Glancing up now, she looked to her dog who still looked like he was judging on whether or not he wished to try and escape the clutches of the water, and then to Josh, who was watching her, “The decisions they made affected you but they don’t define you. There’s so much more to you than what they did, what you think you are.” He was so assuring, and she wanted to believe him but there was still that lingering doubt in her mind, and it played across her face, “Cassie, you’re sweet, kind, trustworthy, beautiful…you have all of these amazing qualities, there’s a light in you like nothing I’ve ever seen…not to be cliché or anything but you just need to let it shine.”

Beautiful. The word made her blush a little, his whole little speech made her blush a little and she didn’t know what to say. All day today, Josh seemed to be doing nothing but causing her to go speechless. There seemed to be this unspeakable, strong pull between them, something that Cassandra thought could ever happen between her and someone else. He was looking away from her now, concentrating on Job and the water, who still didn’t look quite to thrilled by his current predicaments, especially with the water splashing and the water growing, “I’m going to do what I can to make sure you see yourself. Job sees it too or else he wouldn’t be so loyal.” As if on cue, the white german shepherd moved forward, his steps causing the water to splash even more as he waded away from the man and to his own human now, resting his head on Cassandra’s thigh and glancing up at her with amber eyes. A smile tugged at her lips as she pet the dog, rubbing his head before glancing to Josh now. She didn’t think she deserved him, he deserved more than her, “I should be the one helping you, not the other way around...Josh…I have to ask…why did you kiss me?”


...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]

“We can't help each other?” he asked lathering up some soap on the dogs fur trying to wash the blood out of his white fur. “besides you do help me...just being here, I can't explain it” he admitted but she kept his mind... from wandering too much, from going off onto the what ifs, she seemed to be able to pull him back to the ground, just like she'd done in settling his nerves earlier with simply taking his hand. As the next words came out of her mouth he found himself pausing in the task and really thinking.

That really was tough question wasn't it. Why did he kiss her. The truth was, he didn't really have an answer, not one that seemed to make any sort of logical sense at least other than....he'd wanted to. It was hard to explain especially considering the fact that he'd never exactly just gone and kissed a girl he'd met...oh all of two times just off the wall because he'd felt like it. Fact was, Josh never did anything he wanted to do because usually he worried about other people first, and his own mind usually came second, if it was seen to at all.

Though he had been kissed before, a few times before he'd become a wandering vagrant with no time for anything but work, he couldn't pin point any particular occasion where he had been the one to initiate it, not until tonight. That was probably what made it even more confusing, and more difficult to answer for sure. “I think it's pretty basic actually” he admitted as he thought back to the moment just before he'd kissed her, and the moment just after.

“Because being around you, makes me happy...really happy” he didn't know how, or why nor did he really care for any explanation because he knew that somethings were better left to the heart than the mind. He smiled then slightly because he was baring his inner most thoughts and he knew that there was a chance that he could be completely crushed, like a grape but he also knew the importance of honesty and he would give her an honest answer.

He turned his blue eyes back to look at her and he smiled, just slightly. “and because sometimes...when you look at me... I feel like I'm the only person around, like you don't just see... Christ 2.0, or a duty, or a tool...you actually see me” he confessed. Maybe he was wrong...maybe he was being played but it was how he felt and he couldn't lie about that. “Why did you kiss me” He challenged back, gently, but he was genuinely curious because well....she'd kissed him the second time.

[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...


Cassandra’s gaze remained on the white dog, while his head was still in her lap, she could tell that he was slowly starting to loose interest in this bath, or at least, whatever endurance he felt like complying at the time. His weight continually shifted from side to side, and tried to purposely dodge and pull away from Josh’s hands. She knew he was going to try and make a break from the bathtub soon, but that seemed to be the last thing on her very mind. The only thing, or well person, on her mind was only a few feet down from her, and their current conversion, “We can’t help each other?” the bubbles soap was building, “Besides, you do help me…just being here, I can’t explain it.” Crystal eyes just stared at him for a moment before moving back to the dog, he couldn’t explain it and yet she found herself understanding it, as if it were an unspoken language, “I just…don’t want to become a burden to you like I was with them.” Her question though, seemed to stop all action itself. Josh paused in his word, and Job slid forward a little more.

She merely watched as the dog grew pushed up a little closer, but then her gaze moved back to Josh again. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked, maybe it was improper, but at the same time, she felt like she had to know. They hadn’t known each other very long at all, and yet it felt like they had. Cassandra felt a little crazy over it, between the hospital and the alleyway, asking her to stay with him for protection and then the kiss. Everything had just happened, and it didn’t feel wrong, if anything, it felt like a new beginning, “I think it’s pretty basic actually,” he commented now, snapping her out of her thoughts just like that, “Because being around you, makes me happy…really happy.” Just like that, she felt herself smile, softly. Their eyes met, and Cassandra just felt like the world had gone still for some reason, “And because sometimes…when you look at me…I feel like I’m the only person around, like you don’t just see…Christ 2.0, or a duty, or a tool…you actually see me.” She could honestly never imagine classifying him as just something, an object or a thing, Josh was a person and she was beginning to wonder if people forgot that some time.

The tables did turn though, not that she should have been surprised, “Why did you kiss me?” It was a gentle challenge, the same as hers had been. Curiosity. Her mind wandered back to his kiss, her reaction, and then kissing him back, but it wasn’t the only scene that played in her mind. It dug further, to the hospital, right to that moment when he lied for her and the staff let her go for that brief moment. Josh made her feel safe, his embrace but even just being there. There was always that pull, it felt like a magnetic force, like they were meant to be. It’s just like Josh said, he kissed her because she made him feel happy, it had been the same exact thing. Cassandra bit her lip, still trying to think of a way to phrase it but found herself hitting a brick wall and struggling to find words that didn’t make herself sound absolutely crazy. Crazy, the thought made her laugh a little, smile a bit more as she glanced at the wall as if it held all the answers but it didn’t, only she did. Her gaze moved back to him now, “Josh, I just…I feel drawn to you, like a moth to the flame. It feels like most natural thing in the world, and I never thought I’d meet somebody who’d make me feel…so many things. I don’t feel lost in this world, like I actually belong for once after everything that has happened in my life. I feel really happy with you too, and safe like nothing bad is ever going to happen again.” Her voice broke a little, and her eyes were watering up, and Cassandra just laughed a little, trying to wipe away the tears before they could actually roll down her cheek, “And clearly, you make me an emotional dork.”


...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]

“Ssssh” he said softly to Job trying to keep him...calm? If that was even possible, he was anticipating having to grab the dog soon just to keep him from bolting and well, with his injury, and Cassies, neither of them were really in the fittest of shape to be trying to wrestle an animal. He was distracted again by her words, His eyes widened for a moment as he thought about the possibility of her ever being a burden, it didn't seem possible, sure some crazy stuff had happened but it didn't bother him, things happened, life happened you didn't just run from it, you dealt with it. “You could never be a burden to anyone...” He assured her.

“Besides... it's different when the truth is involved” he pointed out. He didn't fear her, she...he hoped, didn't fear him. They knew what the other was capable of, as far as what they were and what they could potentially do was concerned. She knew now, the truth about herself too as did he, it was a completely different game now.

As he listened to her explanation he nodded. “Safe” he repeated, it wasn't a bad word, not necessarily and well, admittedly it wasn't the first time he'd heard it. People generally got the feeling of safety around him, he'd been told he had a calming affect...the only trouble was he wasn't sure if that meant she liked him because of his power, or because of him. Of course, MJ thought she'd be safe with her big brother too and she'd gotten shot.

“I guess that's good” he said with a half smile before he looked to see her tearing up and his smile became a little brighter. Not that he was happy to see her cry, but because he could almost feel the emotions that had led her to the point, and they weren't necessarily bad one.

He laughed slightly, not at her but just at her words. He didn't think it made her dorky, if anything it just made her all the more real. “you're not a dork” he assured her leaning over he pressed his lips gently against her cheek lingering there for a moment before he leaned back again at look at her before he gently spoke again

" Cassie, I can't promise that nothing bad is going to happen around me... but I can promise that I'll do my best to keep you from it" he told her. It was a bit of a half promise because he knew that no matter the situation, he would actually do his best, the problem was whether or not his best was going to be good enough.

[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 snort escaped the dog, shaking his head at the ‘shhh’ he was getting from Josh, completely ignoring it again as he shifted around in the bathtub. He did not, however, try and escape just yet. Cassandra only watched them though with careful eyes, seemingly ready for that little leap of faith that might happen. She glanced to Josh now though, allowing her guard to drop for the time being with her dog, “You could never be a burden to anyone…” He sounded so assuring and she wanted to believe him, but at the same time, it was hard to do. Society built homes, shelters, institutions for the burdens in the world, whether they were human or animal. But the more she thought about, the outside world didn’t matter so much now, all that truly mattered to her was Josh, and he was doing nothing that reassuring her. She smiled softly, “…Thank you.” But it did not stop there, for him at least, “Besides…it’s different when the truth is involved.” A very valid point, if people believed the truth that is and who you could trust. Cassandra had only shared her knowledge with Josh, and David had known, “I…I think the truth makes it more of a bond,” she commented, still smiling.

One thing did however, come to her attention now, was that she had said the wrong thing, or had given the wrong explanation. “Safe,” he was repeating her word, one word out of many that seemed to stick out from all the rest. Cassandra remained silent though, just watching him, “I guess that’s good.” Her heart could have dropped to the floor, feeling guilty about her explanation now. If only she had a better grasp or concept on how to explain her feelings, but she had been rusty for far too long. In fact, she never even had such feelings even in high school, when she was there of course. There had been crushes, but the simple crushes of her seventeen year old self were nothing compared to the emotion of what this was. She didn’t try and explain any more though, the hole was dug deep enough. And then, he laughed, but even Cassandra knew well enough that it was with her, not necessarily at her, “You’re not a dork.” That assuring tone with her again, and then he leaned in, closer. His lips pressed against her cheek and her heart fluttered for that lingering moment. Even when he pulled away, she still felt the lingering effect and shadow. He was looking at her at her now. Crystal eyes simply stared right back at him, watching and waiting.

“Cassie, I can’t promise that nothing bad is going to happen around me…but I can promise that I’ll do my best to keep you from it.” She wasn’t sure what brought this about, whether he thought it was his powers that was affecting her beliefs of him, or that he would have said it, regardless of her words of feeling safe, “I know, but don’t feel like it’s your job. I just want to…be with you.” Besides, Josh had been doing a good job of keeping himself safe, from what she understood. At that moment, Job stirred in the water again, and Cassandra sensed the spring before it even came. He tried to hop out now, but she managed to grab him and he never even made it out of the tub. Gently, she pushed him back in. Job’s head turned towards Josh now, staring at him with his amber eyes, “He doesn’t doubt you Job,” she commented with a smile and the dog would hope not, because he was certain that he could do more damage than the human male ever could. Splashing more water on the dog, it release the soap from his fur and she figured that by now, it had been enough torture and she pulled the bathtub plug. Just like that, as if it had been his invitation, hopped out again, this time without any capture and trotted out of the bathroom to shake. Cassandra watched him go before glancing back to Josh, “Um, I should probably clean myself up now. I’m not sure on what you want to do while I do that.”


...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]

"The truth changes the whole game... I find that you can't really build something on anything but the truth otherwise it's bound to come crashing down" he said. It went for literal and figurative terms. If construction companies didn't know what they were building on it could be a disaster, and a simple example of a relationship built on lies he didn't have to look much farther than his counter part. Dean Winchester had lied to his children, Josh didn't judge him for it, he'd had his reasons but eventually it had turned sour especially for his young daughter, it had landed her with the Anti-Christ which everyone in the situation had fully been aware of...everyone but her. Inevitably lead to her death, resurrection and God only knew what had happened to her now that the kids had actually been born. That...was only one example.

The opposite effect had been his parents, he'd known...pretty much forever that Jared wasn't his father...not in the biological sense, but not that he'd treated him as such. His mother had told the truth and well... like it or not, somehow Jared had believed her, it was a rare thing to find their qualities and their faith in each other. He'd always envied it, and now he was beginning to see the importance, the stability. As he looked at Cassie he thought to himself for a moment, He had lied for her...but he knew he would never lie to her.

"Nah I've already Got a job...carpenter remember" he was trying to make a joke, though he was being serious he did, and he was but she was right, he couldn't worry about keeping her safe. He would of course, worry about her, but that was just what happened when you cared about someone and unfortunately one of his character flaws was caring too much. He wasn't just going to make it his soul focus though. When she said that she just wanted to be with him he couldn't help but smile and he nodded in agreement. "me too" He was just happy she was going with him, it would be nice to have some company. "Fair warning, I talk in my sleep" or so he'd been told by his parents last time he was home. His mom had actually checked on him for the first time since he'd been a kid, because she'd told him it'd sounded like he was having a nightmare.

Truth was...he was, though he wondered if it was less of a nightmare and more... of a reliving of the past pain and all. He just shrugged it off at the time, pretending like he didn't know what they were talking about, he wasn't having any nightmare. Truth was it had been getting worse, hopefully if he thought about it, he'd be able to keep it in check.

"Ah wait.." He said but Job was already gone and shaking his fur out. Oh well, guess it was just water right, at the end of the day it was just gonna dry up he just laughed and stood up drying his hands on his hoodie which wasn't exactly the cleanest considering his bloody condition earlier. "Right I'll.... wait... somewhere" he said awkwardly and managed to make his way out of the bathroom. "wanna keep me company in the hall?" he asked Job. Then again the dog would probably station himself right at the bathroom door if he had learned anything it was that he was a protector. Either way Josh made his way into the wall and took a seat there trying not to lean back onto the wall to avoid the pain that may follow. As he sat there he let the insanity of the evening run through his mind. It had started as an average day but it certainly had taken a sharp turn at some point.

Nothing happened by accident... she was right that there was a reason and for some reason they'd both been in that hospital tonight, for some reason he'd been willing to lie for her and he wanted to protect her. For some reason he couldn't shake the euphoric feeling he had when he was around her, even in his doubting moments he still felt...happy.