For Better or Worse? [Josh/Closed]

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

Standing out in the hallway, in front of Josh's door, waiting for some sort of response, left Ebony just slightly nervous. She felt out of place, even though she had already been staying there for a quite a while now. She fidgeted slightly, and looked down at her feet, hoping no servants came down this hallway...Finally, she obtained a response from the other side of the door, albeit it being a little muffled.

“Yeah sort of. Come in if you want.

And that was all Ebony needed as she reached for the doorknob and entered. It took her a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, even though some of the light from outside filtered in through the curtains. She closed the door behind her, and just stared at the bed, where Josh was laying, all comfy like.

"...I thought you said you were up..."

She went over next to bed and squatted down, crossing her arms and laying them on the bed, before placing her head on her arms. She saw the IV pack that stood on the other side of his bed, as it ran down underneath the covers, and most likely into Josh's arm. She sighed, and closed her eyes, trying to get slightly comfortable, even though her ankle was starting to bother her...maybe, squatting wasn't the best idea right now...But, Ebony really didn't feel like moving at the moment. She had actually got her head neatly tucked into her arms and just felt slightly comfortable.

"So...how long have you been up, so to say?"

She opened her eyes, and looked at him for a few seconds before the pain in her ankle escalated once more and she had to sit down and put her hand over it, trying her best not to let out a sound. This was getting harder and harder to hide, if the pain was going to be happening regularly now...

Words: 432
Muse: Good
Notes: Short. v.v

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

Josh was laying peacefully in his bed, eyes closed and a small smile on his face as he enjoyed the day off, though it was still really early, it still felt like the day had been longer than it already was. Perhaps because at this time on a normal day, he’d be at the base ready for his next assignment, guard duty, or battle, that’s usually how his mornings went. But not for a few days, maybe even a week or so to recover from the shots he took yesterday. It was something he was going to love and dread when it came to an end. Time to make the most of it and catch up on as much sleep as possible.

His eyes closed tighter as he heard the door open and felt the light from the hallway pierce into the room. He opened one eye as Ebony had closed the door, surrounding the room in dim darkness once again. “I didn’t think you meant literally.” Josh said with a small shrug of his shoulders as he continued to rest back against his pillows and bed, it was almost too comfy to move, so soothing…to be able to actually understand the term ‘good night’s sleep.’ “At least I’m awake and in my own room eh?” He said with a grin on his face as he thought back to yesterday’s events, that was a real treat to see. Though Ebony’s actions did concern him a bit, he’d never seen her use that much magical power on such a little annoyance. He had seen her at her worst though…it wasn’t a pretty sight, and thankfully back that time, she didn’t do anything she regretted. Once again, Josh decided to himself that he’d drop it for now.

Once Ebony was down next to the bed, Josh just sighed and went back to relaxing instead of worrying about her right now. She was probably fine, maybe just a bit too irritated yesterday. “Um…I’ve been up for quite a while…It’s hard to sleep in when you’re so used to waking up at the crack of dawn…or even before that.” He said with a yawn before his eyes settled on her and her slight discomfort. He raised an eyebrow as she sat on the ground and he could just tell that she wasn’t…exactly the best right about now. He sat up a bit and looked down at her as she covered her ankle. He didn’t know whether to say something or just let it go for now. She’d tell him right? Whatever was bothering her, but something just felt out of place…he had to speak up. Even if he played off as a bit oblivious, he had to give off a hint to her that he noticed something wasn’t right. “Are…you okay Ebony?” he said leaning over and looking down at her as he made sure his IV tube wasn’t getting twisted around. He was concerned now, and not about his own problems, but hers.

Words: 614
Muse: Good- A bit distracted with the KH hate convo lol
Tagged: Ebony
Notes: MY INTERNET BETTER WORK THIS TIME! D<

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

“I didn’t think you meant literally. At least I’m awake and in my own room eh?”

Well, she had to give him that. And at least, this way he would be able to catch up on all of the sleep, that his soldier position deprived him of. He needed rest, and much of it after all that he had just gone through. Hell, she couldn't blame the guy if all he wanted to do during this period of rest was to eat and sleep. He needed both of those componets to keep himself fit, and being in the army, he needed to be ready for what was thrown at him.

“Um…I’ve been up for quite a while…It’s hard to sleep in when you’re so used to waking up at the crack of dawn…or even before that.”

She knew that feeling. As an orphan, you were up when the sun rose, which always seemed to be extra early. In the Academy, you had to be up early for classes. Her jobs made her get up early as well, so that she could be prepared. It always seemed like this poor girl never got a break, whether it be life issues, or simple needs like sleep. Her luck just didn't seem to be the best in the world. But, she didn't believe in luck. She had Josh, right? That had to account for something, luck or no luck.

And then it hit. She sat down on the floor, and silently clutched her ankle, as pain shot up her leg from it. What the hell was going on? She was starting to get annoyed and she wuld have to look into it later. But, right now she had to deal with Josh who was now leaning over to look at her.

“Are…you okay Ebony?”

How to explain this? She quickly ran through her thoughts, thinking of an acceptable backstory, as she continued to sit there and grasp her ankle that still had pain shooting from it. She tightened her grasp over it, trying to convey some sort of message telling it to stop. But, she knew it was futile.

"I...just hit my ankle on a desk in the library. Nothing big, just probably a bruise that got irritated from my position. Nothing for you to worry about."

She slowly stood up, putting a hand on the bed, to help with the leverage, and finally stood up fully, allowing the pain to just subside, and enter the back of her mind, going from a throbbing pain to a droning pulse of discomfort.

"I'm thinking about heading down to the kitchen to get something to eat. Want me to get you anything?"

Words: 564
Muse: Good
Notes: I think we may need to start plotting again...v.v

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

Josh wasn’t as tired as he was a little bit ago, in fact the little bit of extra sleep he obtained, made him feel great! Despite the holes in his chest at the moment that were healing, he felt like a million bucks, all rested and if his health would allow him, he felt like doing back flips, though he didn’t want to go as far as to test that idea and end up having a heart attack or something. If the things Josh did in life didn’t kill him, then Ebony might with all those things he did, like being a soldier and putting himself in the line of fire practically every day, and from experience, getting shot and wounded to near death…or something like that. Tired, energetic, or whatever else, Josh just was nuzzled into his bed enjoying the relaxation as much as possible, it would only be a matter of time before he headed back out to the battlefield, risking his life once more for the safety of the crown and his people.

Ebony was acting a bit weird today, she was down on the ground, no longer leaning against the bed and clutching down at her ankle. Now Josh knew something was wrong, and perhaps this time he wouldn’t let it go. It seemed a bit weird to him that Ebony of all people was having difficulties. Maybe it was a magic thing? No, that wouldn’t happen to Ebony! She was a master at magic and one of the toughest people Josh had ever met. What could possibly be wrong with her? He didn’t want to just flat out ask her, it was her business, and if she wanted to tell him…then that was her choice. Then again, Josh was the curious protective type…the story she was dishing out to him, he didn’t buy one bit. “Alright…if you’re sure.” He said in a monotone as he sunk back into his pillows instead of looking over at Ebony. He was going to let her tell him when she was ready…whatever it was. “If it’s bothering you that much, perhaps you should have one of the docs look at it?” He said looking at her as she stood up and seemed fine…yet there was a hint of discomfort to her posture and expression, something was up. He’d play oblivious and let it roll for now.

Way to change the subject Ebony. “I think I’m okay, if you really want to get me something…maybe a water bottle? Or whatever’s there.” He said shrugging his shoulders a bit with a small yawn. “I think I’m going to take advantage of these next few days and get as much sleep as humanly possible.” He said with a grin on his face, not to say he was happy but playing oblivious was all he could do right now. “I’m gonna catch some Z’s…I’ll emerge later…” he said folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes, looking quite content as it was, which he sort of was..but his thoughts were on Ebony…she’d be okay right? He couldn’t worry like this, he had to recover, that was essential for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Richard Raines sat in the kitchen at a table as he had his eyes glazed over staring at the cup of coffee ahead of him. Things were getting so crazy these days, Repa was running off which god only knows who, Josh was near the brink of death more than the average person, and this war was not ending. Things had to settle down soon or Richard might throw in the towel, or…his hair would turn gray from all the stress! With a chuckle to himself at the thought he leaned back in his chair a bit. There was something he wanted to do today, he wanted to speak with Josh’s girlfriend, Ebony. She had helped his son so much, he owed her quite a bit. He wanted to tell her how grateful he was for her being there and what not. Richard really liked the girl, she wasn’t a softie and she wasn’t too hardcore, the perfect girl to keep Josh in line. With a grin on his face he lifted the coffee mug to his face and took a sip before sighing and enjoying the morning of quietness.

Words: 843
Muse: FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!
Tagged: Ebony! and that one guy!
Notes: >.> ignore my random tags, btw, my muse like exploded!

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

“Alright…if you’re sure. If it’s bothering you that much, perhaps you should have one of the docs look at it?”

Let the doctors look at it? No, there was no way she was going to do that. Not in a million years. They would ask too many questions. Most of those she wouldn't be able to answer, and the reason was much to hard to explain. The only way she could avoid this was to just run away and hope that they would forget about the whole ideal, but that would most likely never happen. If something intrigued people, they would never forget, and work hard to find out more. Ebony was a prime example of this. But, that was another story for another day. She just crossed her arms and looked off to the side, showing that she just wanted to drop the whole thing for right now, which she did by easily changing the subject to something completely different.

“I think I’m okay, if you really want to get me something…maybe a water bottle? Or whatever’s there. I think I’m going to take advantage of these next few days and get as much sleep as humanly possible.”

Well, she couldn't disagree with any of that. She was actually happy that he was planning on catching up on his sleep. With all that he had just gone through and everything, she wouldn't be surprised if he took this time to get some down time. He needed it. Badly. With all the work that was just piled up on him, he needed the sleep to get his energy back, and get him back to tip-top shape. And even then, she was glad that he was taking it easy. She would not have been happy if he tired to spend all of this time with her, and overexert himself...not that he had already passed his limit...

“I’m gonna catch some Z’s…I’ll emerge later…”

Ebony nodded, and turned to go leave the room.

"Alright. I won't bother you then. I'll be back when I think you're awake again."

And with that, she opened the door and closed it behind her, heading off down the hallway towards the kitchen, where an unexpected person was sitting. She entered the kitchen, planning on just heading off to the library once again after a quick and small breakfast. But, that plan was soon outlived when she looked up and saw the King of all people sitting there, seemingly enjoying the quiet. She stopped immediately and just stood there, dumbfounded. She hadn't seen him around many times. The last time was when they went in to visit Josh, and even then it was short. But, he was King. He was bound to be one of the busiest men she knew...besides Josh.

She took a few breaths before tentatively walking over, and sitting next to him, looking over at the chef who was in eye shot, and nodded, giving him the signal she just wanted the usual eggs and toast for breakfast. He nodded back and set to work. She looked down at the table, with her hands folded in lap, before she glanced over silently, to look at the King. She wondered if she should say something, or just let this unnerving silence continue on...And she wondered what he was thinking about at this very moment. How important it was...or if it was just trivial thoughts roaming around in his mind that he just needed to get rid of. Fal'Cie knows, Ebony did that quite a lot.

Words: 718
Muse: EXPLODED~!
Words: At first, I lost the first 300 words, but I think this second version of the beginning is alright. v.v

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

Josh sure knew something was wrong with Ebony, but L’Cie never came to mind, it wasn’t something he actually knew much about. Sure the word was thrown around here once or twice and he knew what it was, but it wasn’t something you thought about every day like on Cocoon or anything. He wouldn’t be able to place the pieces together just yet, a few more hints and maybe, but for now the outlook on this was a blank page for him. Nothing came to mind! So maybe that bruise story about the library was accurate? No, probably not, but there was no alternate theory for Josh to explore right now. Josh would just have to explore more ideas later on when he was more focused and less tired. As Ebony said her goodbyes, Josh nodded at her and sunk into his bed with covers over him, his eyes closed and he felt sleep drifting over him so quickly…It hit him before Ebony shut the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting in the kitchen, Richard Raines was indeed enjoying the silence. As food was being prepared and what not, he sat quietly, his hands folded together and his elbows resting upon the table. So much to think about these days…so much to take care of. Resting his forehead against this tightly bound hands, Richard sighed heavily. How on earth was he going to end this war? There was no compromising with these rebels, they wanted the crown and that wasn’t something he was willing to give up. His family had been ruling this world for many generations, and the majority of Delatorr’s population never seemed to have a problem with it. Stupid rebels, soon someone would have to wave the white flag and give in to the other’s demands and what not, and Richard was not going to be the one to surrender…he would fight till the end.

As silence was still in the air, Richard heard the creek of a door, His eyes glanced up at the kitchen door opening as Ebony walked through. Talk about ironic timing, he had just been thinking about wanting to thank her for all that she had done and now here she was! As she sat down next to him, Richard glanced his green eyes over at Ebony. Perhaps he should just stay quiet and not say anything, though he never really got the chance to talk to the girl all that much, so now was a great time to probably get to know one another. “Do you need anything to drink?” He asked standing up from his chair and walking a few feet away towards a heated coffee pot and refilling his glass. Keeping the pot in hand, he looked at Ebony waiting for her response before a smile crossed the middle-aged man’s face. “You know Miss Ebony, I never did get the chance to thank you some time ago for all that you did for Josh…and now I need to thank you for all that you’ve done now.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders a bit as his smile widened.

“I’ve seen the way Josh looks at you…how he acts around you…it’s good to see my boy finding someone good for him, someone to keep him in line.” He said with a small chuckle before setting down the coffee pot and pressing one hand to the tiny whiskers on his goatee, rubbing his chin in thought he kept that smile on his face, not quite as intense or anything, but it was clearly visible. “I’m glad you’re the one he picked…a highly unlikely choice at least coming from his personality…but a perfect match none the less.” He said returning to his seat next to Ebony. “Sorry for not getting a few more words in to you before…as Josh as probably filled you in on…things are pretty chaotic around here.” He said with a sigh not wanting to dwell on things like that for awhile. “But again, Thank you so much…you’ve saved my son time and time again…and for that, I am in your debt. I’ve lost so much family already, I feel as if I lost Repa as well…I can’t stand to lose my boy either, and you, you’ve kept him alive…”

Words: 836
Muse: Meh, it was good considering im dead tired
Tagged: Ebony
Notes: Epic win for about 3:00 a.m.

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

Sitting here with the King, was unnerving for Ebony. She had only been acquainted with people of his status through professional and work terms. And even then, it was kind of awkward for the girl. But, she had to put that behind her for right now. This was different. He wasn't asking her for anything. No one to protect, no one to die for, nothing...At least...she hoped not. She was broken out of her reverie when he asked her a question, and she jolted up, looking over at him.

“Do you need anything to drink?”

She looked over at where he was standing, and saw the coffee pot.

"Oh, um...I don't...drink coffee..."

At least, not after a little mishap back in Cocoon, that she decided would remain untold. Let's just say that it had an unknown side effect, and that she had vowed never to drink the stuff again. She turned her head away, and just looked off to the side, until he started to talk again. She looked over at him and saw the smile that had formed on his lips.

“You know Miss Ebony, I never did get the chance to thank you some time ago for all that you did for Josh…and now I need to thank you for all that you’ve done now.”

Miss? No one had ever called her "miss" before. Especially, not from a royal. She raised her hand, and scratched the back of her head, readjusting the goggles that were placed on top of her head. And what was it with everyone thanking her? Josh had wanted to thank her, and now the King? She had only done what she had felt was right. She had no need for thanks.

"Just...call me Ebony, Your Majesty," she felt hypocritically, but she hadn't known any other way to address him. It felt unusual to her even now, just nonchalantly talking with him, "and you don't have to thank me...I was only doing what I felt was right."

“I’ve seen the way Josh looks at you…how he acts around you…it’s good to see my boy finding someone good for him, someone to keep him in line.”

Someone to keep him in line? Well, she could most certainly do that. But, she couldn't help the small blush that came up on her cheeks as she looked off to the side once more. She didn't say anything. What could she say? Well, nothing came to her mind that was for sure. Ebony just sat there, and continued to listen, as he continued to bring out more and more points.

“I’m glad you’re the one he picked…a highly unlikely choice at least coming from his personality…but a perfect match none the less. Sorry for not getting a few more words in to you before…as Josh as probably filled you in on…things are pretty chaotic around here. But again, Thank you so much…you’ve saved my son time and time again…and for that, I am in your debt. I’ve lost so much family already, I feel as if I lost Repa as well…I can’t stand to lose my boy either, and you, you’ve kept him alive…”

So...this was what it was like when you had a father who cared about you. They wished nothing more than to have their sons and daughters safe and in their grasp. Not...that Ebony knew. She had pretty much already failed in that category. Not like she wanted to remember what had happened recently. Even now, it was too painful. She could only shake her head and let the memories wash away, as she focused on what the King had just said.

A perfect match, huh? Funny, she wouldn't see herself as a perfect match...She would see herself as an abusive magician who cared for his safety...Yeah, that was it. And the chaotic...ness...yeah, that she understood. She had sorta witnessed that with all of the work that had been dropped on to Josh before he had been shot. And then came the thanks again.

She laid her head against her arms, and just listened. She was in debt to a King? Well, that had never happened before...She knew what it was like to lose family. But, she just shook away the memories once more. In actuality, she couldn't bear to lose Josh either. He...was all she had left.

"I don't know if I 'm all that great, actually. I feel like I'm the one that keep bringing him down, with all that just keeps coming. But, those are memories I don't exactly like to remember. Heh, actually I never like to remember them. But, those are stories for another day, that you probably don't need to hear. But, like I said, I only did what I felt like I needed to do. Everything else happened of it's own accord."

Finally, the chef came over and set the eggs and toast in front her, and she sat up and started to eat, not looking the King in the eye. He would probably try to her question her as to why she said all of that, but she really didn't feel like answering...unless, he changed the subject.


Words: 1012
Muse: ...Totally awesome
Notes: Can't believe I wrote half of that.

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

It almost seemed silly sometimes how people felt around Royalty, they were people too, and Richard Raines was a quite humble man like any other typical father out there. He enjoyed Ebony’s company though even if it was rather silent at first. Standing up and grabbing the coffee pot, Richard refilled his own glass and nodded a bit at Ebony’s response, well it got her talking. “Alrighty then.” He simply said setting the coffee pot down and returning to his seat with a quiet sigh. So many things to think about lately, it was hard to keep track of It all. Running a world, trying to keep a family together, though that was hard when one was getting shot at and the other you had no contact with…it seemed that things were falling apart, this was a losing battle to him. There were many times Richard just wanted to call it quits and let someone else take over the crown, but that would be dishonorable to his family name.

With a small chuckle Richard nodded at Ebony. “Okay, Ebony, and you just call me Richard none of that majesty stuff.” He said with a grin on his face as he stared forward, his eyes blinking very little as his thoughts continued to cloud his mind. If only he could return to the glory days of his youth, the days when he was young and well fit to take on anyone with his own two hands…back when his wife was still alive…when things were going great for Delatorr…if only if only. Those were questions that raced through his head all the time, the typical ‘what if’ question. “Oh no, believe me, you deserve my thanks…you deserve a lot of thanks.” He said with a confirming nod before sinking in his seat a little trying to brush off the stressful thoughts from his mind and just focus on chatting with Ebony, get to know her…and distract himself.

After all Richard had said, he truly meant it. Ebony was the perfect person to keep Josh in line, to make sure he didn’t do anything completely stupid and reckless, to be there for him, and to be the only one for him. Needless to say, in simple terms, Richard totally approved of the couple. He had no problem with his son and the girl he had brought home after a tragedy. That’s all Josh had left it as, a tragedy, something he didn’t want to talk about, and nothing Richard really wanted to know about all that much, but maybe one day he’d get filled in on all the things that had happened on Cocoon.

“You’re too modest…” He stated with a shrug of his shoulders as he sipped a bit of coffee then. “When you were back on Cocoon, and Josh would come home for soldier work, he’d spend lots of time talking about you…I hardly think you are bringing him down…I think I’m doing too well of a job of that myself to think you have any cause in his health or well being.” Richard said as his eyes sunk to the wood of the table, it was hard to open up to someone you really don’t know, even with his many years of dealing with people, it was just hard.

This was the girlfriend of his son, he never imagined how he would cope with this conversation, it was more Repa he was worried about. Bringing some rocker rebel boy home, that was his biggest fear, of course then he could break out the shotgun and scare the guy off as any loving father would do, but that day hadn’t come…not yet. “Either way, I gotta say…I’m pretty fond of you…you’re not weak, and sure beat the hell out of that one nurse from medical…I swear to god, if Josh ever took interest in her, I’d probably smack him.” Richard chuckled a bit before going back to all seriousness and placing a hand on Ebony’s shoulder. “You’re just right for him…and I’ll gladly and honestly say, I’d be more than happy to welcome you into our little family as my daughter in-law…that is if Josh gets the guts to ask you unlike his old man did.” He said with a wide grin before looking away from her once again.

Silence filled the room once more and Richard didn’t mind. He was at peace now, not realizing the upcoming strike from the rebels.

Words: 866
Muse: good
Tagged: Ebony
Notes: trying to make this as 'father-daughter'ish as possible lol

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

“Okay, Ebony, and you just call me Richard none of that majesty stuff.”

Ebony nodded and didn't say anything, only trying to talk herself into actually agreeing with his request. Not once had she been told to call a royal by their true name. To someone like her, it just hadn't felt right. But Josh, and apparently now Richard, were going to be an exception. Josh, well, she had already gotten to be friends with him when she found out that he had been a Prince. There was no way she could stop calling him by his name by then, so she just continued on with it.

“Oh no, believe me, you deserve my thanks…you deserve a lot of thanks.”

What was it with the Raines family and giving thanks? She had already said that she didn't need it, that she had just done what had needed to be done. But, she didn't reply or retort. If they wanted to give thanks, then so be it. She would just shut her mouth, and take it as it was. Because if she didn't continue on with this, there would be no ending it. It would just continue on and on. No. Yes. No. Yes. So on and so forth. So, she just let it drop.

“You’re too modest…When you were back on Cocoon, and Josh would come home for soldier work, he’d spend lots of time talking about you…I hardly think you are bringing him down…I think I’m doing too well of a job of that myself to think you have any cause in his health or well being.”

That was what Repa had said back when she had gone to Gaia. That Josh had never stopped talking about her. That hadn't really surprised her, she had to admit. The guy was beaming every time he came to see her when he came to Cocoon. She could only go to the idea that maybe he had never stopped thinking or even talking about her while he was away back in Delatorr. She shrugged. If she had any thought that she would be affecting his health then it would be from her anger and what came from that. Wasn't that nurse a prime example of what happened when you pulled a string you shouldn't have with Ebony? She just shook her head and continued on eating her eggs and toast.

“Either way, I gotta say…I’m pretty fond of you…you’re not weak, and sure beat the hell out of that one nurse from medical…I swear to god, if Josh ever took interest in her, I’d probably smack him.”

Oh dear Fal'Cie, how she couldn't agree more. Ebony was actually surprised that he didn't like the nurse either. She just figured that he didn't know anything about her, but he was the King. He had to know something, right? She could only grin as the thought of the now-bruised up nurse came into her head. It was still funny to her to think about. And if Josh did have some affections for that nurse, then she would probably do so much more than slap the guy. Much much more. But, then she noticed one slight little thing.

"So I guess you heard, or even saw the outcome of that...I went a bit overboard with the magic...sorry about that..."

She reached back up and readjusted her goggles once more. It was sort of little nervous habit of hers when she was talking with people that she really didn't know much about it. Especially when the coversation turned onto something embarrasing or that made Ebony nervous.

“You’re just right for him…and I’ll gladly and honestly say, I’d be more than happy to welcome you into our little family as my daughter in-law…that is if Josh gets the guts to ask you unlike his old man did.”

Now that really surprised her. Ebony actually had to put down her fork, before she made a movement. Her jaw fell open slightly, as Richard lapsed into silence. Daughter...in-law!? She almost, almost slapped herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. And then she had to keep herself calm. He was already bringing her into the family...That one thought almost made her stand up, and leave the room from surprise. No one had ever told her that. No one back in Cocoon had ever accepted her. And now...here she was. This was the moment her and every single other orphan wished for. To be accepted into a family that whoever it was knew, but frankly, they didn't care. Of course, once the thought of acceptance left her mind, she thought over what he had just said and then second part hit her. The question? Well, then her cheeks went bright red, and she pushed her plate forward, and she put her face into her arms, hiding the blush. Oh dear Fal'Cie.

"I don't know if I'm that great," she mumbled into her arms, not raising her head to look at him.

Words: 988
Muse: Awesome
Notes: Nothing actually.

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

Keeping quiet now, Richard just closed his eyes as the room really did fall into silence. It seemed neither one of them was much for talking anymore, at least he had said his piece and been okay with what he said. After he was done babbling for a few moments, he listened to what Ebony had said about the Nurse, oh god she was so annoying, and he couldn’t deny that he would probably smack the crap out of Josh if he ever fell for anyone like that. “Oh I heard…don’t you worry about that. I was just a bit bummed out that I wasn’t there to see that.” He said with a small chuckle as an interesting image came into his head. That girl flying down the hall from a magical blast from Ebony, it was entertaining. “I’ve wanted to tell the doctors to fire her for awhile now…perhaps I’ll do that later today.”

Again with calling herself not that great. Richard shook his head and folded his arms across his chest as he decided that telling her that she was much more than great, would probably be a losing battle and get him nowhere, so he simply stood up from his seat and looked down at Ebony, whether she was paying attention or not, he grinned. “Well, think what you will, just know I’m glad to welcome you into our small family, related literally or not.” He said with a shrug before finishing off his cup of coffee, a great way to end a relaxing early morning. Perhaps now he would go check on Josh, see how his son was doing. But as the thought barely got done crossing his mind, one of the servants ran into the kitchen huffing and puffing and looked scared to death. She started blubbering tears and clinging to the King’s jacket.

Well, that was…weird. With eyes wide, Richard put the woman servant at arm’s length as a look of concern washed over his face while she was still blubbering like a baby. “Calm down, what’s the matter?” Richard asked quietly as the woman started heaving in breaths to calm her crying as she pointed back towards the door that led further into the castle. “Rebels! They’ve made advancements!” Richard’s eyebrows rose and he shook his head for a second before he himself started to grow frantic. “What? How close? Did they get to the base? The courtyard?” He started throwing out questions left and right before the two had rushed off to discuss the tragic warfare that was yet still continuing on.

Walking into his office, Richard stared out the window as he was trying to plan what to do next, what to tell his Generals to do for the advancement made by the opposing forces. It was hard to decide these things on spur of the moment, but it had to be done. As he faced the window, his hand on his chin rubbing it as he was deep in thought, he didn’t hear the doors to his somewhat dark office creak open, and then gunshots were fired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Josh was up and getting ready for the day. Feeling less sleepy he was going to walk around and try to get back on his feet as soon as possible. With his clothes changed and himself all ready and about to walk out of his room, he heard a sound that made him stop, pause, and then a look of worry crossed his face. Standing there in his completely normal outfit, he turned back around and leaped over his bed to grab his gunblade before running out the door as fast as he possibly could towards the sound of gunfire. Keeping his gunblade in gun form he bolted down the hall and towards the main hall that led to the kitchen, the ballroom, and the king’s chambers. He saw the door open to the chambers and watched as two men ran out of it, in the uniforms the rebels wore. It was hard to decide of what to do, but first instinct told him…to check on his dad. Running into the office…it was just too late for any good news today.

Words: 815
Muse: Good-ish
Tagged: Ebony
Notes: it will get better! I's promise! >D cant wait for my next post, Joshy's temper gonna go BOOM!

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

“Oh I heard…don’t you worry about that. I was just a bit bummed out that I wasn’t there to see that. I’ve wanted to tell the doctors to fire her for awhile now…perhaps I’ll do that later today.”

Ebony almost smiled at the statement. Almost. The idea that she wouldn't have to worry about that damn nurse now made her completely ecstatic inside, and she showed it by grinning. This way she, if Josh, or even her, got injured and placed in the hospital they wouldn't have to worry about her barging and doing what she wished with them. Or having Ebony have to guard Josh from her onslaught of dense flirting that neither could understand as to why she kept on the advancements. But, the girl was stubborn, Ebony had to at least give her that much.

Now with her head placed against her arms on the table, she could only close her eyes, and try to gain some control over her hormones, and the blood that had rushed up to her cheeks, causing the deep blush that was still there, but unnoticeable from her position. She had never felt this embarrassed in her life, and that was saying something.

“Well, think what you will, just know I’m glad to welcome you into our small family, related literally or not.”

But still, that statement in and of itself brought a small smile to her face. He didn't care who she was, or what she was. All he saw was a young woman who had fallen in love with his son, and who he had come to grow slightly fond of. He wanted to accept her into his family, even if it was small. Back in Cocoon, her status would be scoffed at, and no one would take her in. Here she was, a King placing that he would bring her in, giver her a true place she could call home, a place she could actually come back to, and not feel like she was burdening anybody. All of his thoughts made Ebony more happy than her whole life combined. She raised her head slightly, the large blush now much smaller, as she looked up at Richard who was now standing.

"Thank you," she muttered slightly, before the servant ran in, crying and blubbering like she was a little kid caught with his hand stuck in the cookie jar, and he knew he was going to get into trouble. But she looked more urgent than a simple child. Much more urgent.

“Rebels! They’ve made advancements!”

Ebony rushed to her feet, as her face became troubled and she stared at the servant who was still crying. She listened as Richard asked simple relevant questions, before rushing off with the servant to go do his duty as King. She didn't make a move. She only stood there, trying to come up with a small plan of her own. If the rebels had advanced, then they had to have some sort of plan as to why they had advanced. A reason. A motive. A resolution. A goal. They would have wanted to target someone important. Make the opposing side lose something important, something necessary, something that would change the turn of events in this war, that could change the whole war to turn into their favor. And then something struck her. She rushed out of the kitchen, heading off into the opposite of where the King had headed, opting to get check on Josh first. She ran as fast as her legs could take her and when she reached his doors, she didn't bother to knock. She grabbed the knob and pushed inward violently, opening the door.

But he was gone.

She closed the door, and stood there, reevaluating her idea. He wasn't here, he was somewhere else in the palace, which meant he was either safe, or not at all. But from her quick scan of the room, it looked like he had even taking his gunblade, which meant he had some sort of protection on him. That made her worry less, and so she set off running once again, opting this time to find the King and ask if she could help in any way possible. She was getting close when she heard the gunfire, and she willed her legs to go faster, hoping to not see a scene that she would not want to see. Ever.

She arrived as she got the glimpse of two men in rebel uniforms run around a corner, and she almost went after them, hoping to get some answers and get rid of some of the opponents forces. But, when she glanced over, she saw Josh standing in front of the Kin's chambers. With the door open. He didn't seem to be moving, looking almost like he had been bolted to the floor. She slowed abruptly, and went to go stand next to him.

"What's wrong? Are you-"

Looking into the room, she saw the horror of all horrors in front her. There the King lay, the same man she had only talked with a few moments ago, dead. She completely stopped, and her knees almost buckled and fell from underneath from her, but her arm instinctively reached up to grab the door frame and keep herself upright. No. This couldn't be happening. The same man that she had actually been having a conversation with only moments ago, was not on the ground, lifeless. It took a couple of seconds before it completely hit her to realize he was dead. Her eyes went wide, bringing her free hand up to cover her mouth, and she realized that the gunfire she had heard earlier must have been the shots that had killed him. And the men that were running around the corner...

"No...no...no..."

Words: 1100
Muse: Two words. Freaking amazing!
Notes: 0.o...I beat my word count!

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

Josh stood in the doorway of his father’s office, the darkness from inside didn’t make the image he saw any less clear. His father had been shot and the rebels had ran off to try and escape before getting captured. But Josh knew, no matter how much time he wasted here, those men would pay, dearly. For now he bolted forward into the office and skidded on his knees, dropping his gunblade with a clank to the floor as he checked his father’s wrists for a pulse, then the neck. It seemed hopeless to check all this out. Sitting back and falling onto his backside, Josh sat there in disbelief for a few seconds as his eyes closed and his head hung there before he opened his eyes, and they just seemed a bit darker, less life in them as more anger raged through his veins as he stared at the now deceased father in front of him. Rage had never been an emotion that Josh expressed, but this was freaking unreal.

Josh gritted his teeth together as he felt his hands clench together into fists and his anger just continued to boil. It seemed as if he were numb for the few moments when he was checking his father’s nonexistent pulse, but now, Josh was moving like lightning. Leaping from the ground to his feet he reached over and grabbed his gunblade in his hand and ran like no other. He charged out the doorway, barely avoiding hitting shoulders with Ebony as he rounded the corner out the door with a small slide. His legs moving faster with each stride as his momentum grew, as did his anger and rage. Hell even a few tears welled up in the eyes of this enraged prince, but who would blame him? After all, his trio of a family just got knocked down to two. Oh god, how was he going to find and tell Repa the horrible news? Josh didn’t even want to think about that, it was hard enough to concentrate on what he was doing now, in fact, he really wasn’t thinking his actions through, just acting upon any emotions he had…and he was damn sure to avenge his father’s death today.

Healthy or not, Josh was going for this, he didn’t care about risks anymore, nothing. Out of his soldier uniform and in basic clothes, oh yes, you could tell he was pissed. No soldier went out to battle without that useful uniform, right here, Josh didn’t care. As he ran out of the castle, full speed ahead, he started to see some figured ahead of him in the distance, those two men who had just annihilated his father. His eyes were full of rage and the pupils were a bit smaller than normal, almost as if the anger could clearly be seen on his face, and it was. He blinked his tears back as he kept running out through the courtyard and past the castle boundaries. Flipping his gunblade into gun form he made sure it was loaded fully before closing one eye as he raised his arm and started firing.

Getting the attention of the two rebels, Josh ran even faster as they turned around, drawing their own weapons to take on the pissed off Josh. They stood there waiting for Josh, and he sure didn’t slow down. Running at full force he got caught up with the men, and as they aimed their guns, thinking Josh would stop and wait to say a few words or something, they were mistaken as the prince was silent. He walked straight up, holding his gun up and pointing at eyelevel before aiming at what seemed to be the rookie rebel, perhaps a scout or something to make sure everything went according to plan. And as his sharp angry green eyes settled on the rookie, he shot him in the forehead before turning his attention on an obvious ‘veteran’. “You killed my father.” He growled in a dark tone that seemed much different that Josh’s usual happy jokester tone.

Aiming his gunblade at the last Rebel standing, the man dropped his weapon and put his hands up in surrender as his fellow buddy was down and out of the game. Dead. Josh was staring at the rebel with an angry expression on his face as silence seemed to last for an eternity when in reality it was just a few seconds. “Your majesty…I surrender! Please…have mercy.” Josh snorted a laugh at that statement, it almost seemed psychotic the way he was approaching this. Though the trauma of losing family could do that to someone, look at the way Ebony reacted to those orphans? Something unexpected, but this time Josh wasn’t going to be talked out of it by a few little words. “Mercy?! I’ll give you mercy alright. I’ll kill you quick rather than watch you thrive in pain at the original plan.” Josh said in his monotone and a wicked smile then crossed his face as he aimed his gun for the man’s forehead. “An eye for an eye…” Josh mumbled as that smile stayed on his face and the man in front of him almost seemed to start crying or something.

With a heavy sigh Josh’s face fell to an almost blank frustrated stare. He lowered his weapon and his eyes flickered downward. “I can’t do this…” he said sighing once more and closing his eyes for a brief second before he opened his eyes and stood up straight, looking at the man ahead and putting his gunblade resting on his shoulder. Walking a few steps closer to the rebel, Josh kept his expression calm, cool and collected. “I’m not in a merciful mood today.” He said as that wicked smile came across his face again and he swung his gunblade back, still in gun form, and hit the guy in the side of the head with the metal frame of his gunblade before dropping it to the ground and taking the rest by hand. He threw punches into his stomach causing the man to hunch over forward and then Josh kneed him in the face and did just about everything physically possible to damage this guy into pieces! When the man was down on the ground, thriving in pain, blood running out his nose, his mouth and with many bruises already forming on his body, Josh walked over with a dark grim look on his face as his gunblade was in his hand. “I’m your f***ing nightmare.” He growled before shooting the man in the head with deep breaths as everything finally started to sink in. With an angry huff he threw his gunblade to the ground and turned away from the two murders he committed himself and grabbed his head with his hands and just gritted his teeth.

Words: 1248
Muse: GREAT!
Tagged: Ebony
Notes: >.> yes he's angry.

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

Staying in the doorway of the King's chambers, Ebony could only stare at the image that now seemed to be forever emblazened into her mind, and she was metaphorically rooted to the floor, her eyes unmoving from the body that now lay on the floor. She watched through the corner of her eye as Josh ran forward, dropping his gunblade, and looking at his father. He started to move quickly, checking the pulse, once, twice...but, she knew it was hopeless. Glancing down at the puddle of the blood that lay on the floor, she could tell that even if he hadn't died from the bullet wounds, he would have most likely died from the blood loss.

She watched silently as she started to see Josh's hands grip into fists, and it almost looked like he was shaking from rage. She almost stepped in and asked him if he was ok, but then he shot up and ran out of the room, almost colliding with her while on his way out. She was once again frozen, and went back to looking at the body, opting to not go after Josh at the moment. She thought he would just go after the rebels, beat them up a bit, and then finally gain control himself, much like what had happened with Ebony. Oh, how she was wrong...Finally, her legs slid out from underneath her, and she fell down to her knees before sitting down on to the hauches of her legs, a sad look passing over her features now, as she just continued to look...

After a few minutes, she stood up, and went to go sit down next to the body, her boots and leggings being stained by the blood that now ran across the floor. She silently reached over and moved the body around until he was facing upwards, and she quickly noticed his eyes were open. It must have been such a shock for Richard, only hearing the slight noises before feeling death and leaving this world altogether. Ebony looked down at him, and let out a long sigh.

"You were the first one to accept me...not knowing any background...and for that I thank you...Goodbye...may you rest in peace..."

She reached over silently, and placed her hand over his eyes, moving downward slightly, and closing them, allowing for Richard to finally look peaceful. She sat there for a just a few more minutes before standing up and decided to go after Josh. She turned on her heel and rushed out of the room, and heading down the hallway in the direction of where he went. She could hear his first gunshot, and that only made her go faster, hoping that it wasn't him getting hurt. Ebony finally arrived where she could look at the scene and saw something that she could never dream of. She remembered that there had been two rebels before...well, now there was only one. The other was laying on the ground obviously dead, but she dared not look to see how. She only knew that it must have been Josh, judging that she had just heard the gunshot which must have come from his gunblade. She looked over and saw the other rebel wth Josh right in front of him, and though she couldn't see his face, she could almost sense the anger coming off of him, even from her position. Was this how she had looked after she had found the orphans dead and went after the murderer?...No, she had been more dead, in a sense, and filled with more vengeance than revenge. But, Josh...

...he seemed like he had gone insane.

“Your majesty…I surrender! Please…have mercy.”

When Josh laughed, Ebony knew something was horribly, horribly wrong. He didn't sound like himself. Not at all. He sounded like a completely different person, like he was possessed, but the thing was, he wasn't. Seeing his father dead, and wishing for nothing more but revenge, seemed to have driven him slightly crazy. After that, she couldn't move. It wasn't that she was afraid. It took a lot for Ebony to be afraid. No, this was fear. And fear was different. It wasn't that she feared what was happening, it was that she feared what she would see. On Josh's face. With his laugh, she could only imagine what his face looked like. And even that made fear run through her. So, she stayed back, opting to just watch as everything went down, and she turned away when Josh cursed and immediately killed the rebel. The shot was banging around in her ears and she closed her eyes, and tried to cancel it out. Sight pain started to reverberate in her ankle, but she only ignored it, choosing to walk slowly towards Josh who was crouching, and seemed to be thinking over what he had just done.

She tired her best to not look at the the rebels that were both shot in the face, and tried to keep her eyes focused on Josh's back, canceling aything out of her mind except the present. She reached forward slowly, her hand outstretched. "Josh...Are you okay?" she asked, before placing her hand lightly on his shoulder.

Words: 987
Muse: AWESOME!
Notes: Slightly sad post. v.v

[Joshua Raines]

Super Soldier
I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

Josh was in a rage, he wasn’t going to listen to reason, no matter what was said, but thankfully Ebony hadn’t followed him for awhile. His mind was just completely…blank. Nothing went through his head, he never processed his actions, he just acted upon pure rage. Running as fast as possible and beating the living snot out of the guy before shooting him…it didn’t change anything, it only made Josh more angry than he was to begin with! You’d think after beating someone down to a pulp that the anger might’ve just…went away by then, trying to calm down or something? But no, Josh was in a pure rage, again, no reasoning with him right about now, especially after he just shot two guys, not that they didn’t deserve it or anything…but perhaps it wasn’t the smartest idea to do. Perhaps it would’ve been better to take them in for questioning…but let Josh lay the smack down on them first with no deaths…that was probably smarter.

Huffing in an out of breath, Josh was kneeling down after he threw down his gunblade like an angered kid, and he was just trying to cope with what had happened and what he just did. He had gotten revenge sure…but…it sort of didn’t feel right, then again, he was so blinded by rage right now that it was useless to try and think about things like that right now. Josh closed his eyes as his head hung there staring at the ground and he felt a hand lightly reach and touch his shoulder. He shuddered a bit at the unexpected voice that spoke behind him, he knew Ebony had seen his complete psychotic act, but he was just so…not himself that he didn’t care. In fact, he really didn’t know it was Ebony behind him, he wasn’t thinking all this through, like stated before, just acting upon rage and not comprehending the things he was getting ready to do.

Jerking his shoulder away from Ebony’s hand Josh stood up straight and didn’t face her. His fists were tightly clenched together as he turned around and faced her, getting in her face he didn’t look like the same person. His eyes fiery with anger and his overall expression just angry and still a bit psychotic. “Do I LOOK okay to you?!” He growled at her before taking a step to walk around her, keeping his eyes on her for a second before turning away and starting to walk back, but stopping. “And where were you during these turn of events Ebony?! Didn’t you say you were going to the kitchen? Conveniently close to the King’s chambers…and you couldn’t have done something.” He growled back as he cocked his head to the side to look at her out of the corners of his eyes. What was he speaking of!? In his head it was nothing but gibberish to him, not being able to form the right words and understand that he was snapping at Ebony, trying to put blame on everyone around the castle for not seeing this coming. Josh even blamed himself for the most part.

Standing there being quiet after snapping for a brief moment, Josh reached his clenched fist up to his chest and took in a deep breath as he started to feel the pain of his wounds either opening back up from stitching or just in utter pain from his run and deep breathing. Resting his hand upon his chest he felt a warm sticky liquid from behind his shirt. That was freaking great, better go get stitched up again so he can bum around and be emo about his father’s death. Planning a funeral wouldn’t be fun…but now that things were just getting worse, Josh decided to take it out on anyone who was around…conveniently that was Ebony. “Could things possibly get any worse?!” He growled loudly in a tone that was just…scary. “Perhaps it’s my lot in life to lose everything I’ve got…what next am I going to get word that Repa fell off a cliff and died?! Or are you gonna get killed my some psycho school teachers from Cocoon?! Anyone want to explain this long road of death and despair to me?!” He said still not facing her and starting…to calm down from rage…to depression.

Words: 831
Muse: Good
Tagged: Ebony
Notes: None

[Ebony Blackwell]

Black Researcher

Those orphans gave me the name Ebony. The citizens of Cocoon gave me the name Blackwell. Now you'll see why.

It was hard to believe that Josh had committed murder that was full of revenge. Thinking back silently when her own family, the orphans, was killed, Ebony couldn't help but remember how the only thing she had felt was vengeance. She had almost succeeded as well, until Josh and Repa had stopped her, and she fully came to her senses, realizing that killing this man would have just been adding on to it all. Realization and commen sense had stopped her. But...nothing had stopped Josh. He had gone on and completed what he had wished. And Ebony had just sat back and watched. It was funny, how things worked out. Josh had stopped her, but she hadn't stopped Josh.

She silently stepped forward as Josh had kneeled down and just stood there, seemingly thinking over what he had just down. She stood behind him, placing her hand against his shoulder, and asked him if he was okay. She didn't know her mistake before she walked forward, but she knew it then. He renched his shoulder out form her grasp and stood up, yelling.

“Do I LOOK okay to you?!"

She didn't answer, opting to look down at the ground as he started to walk away. Anger was still coursing through his veins apparently, and she still could only stand there, avoid looking at the corpses.

“And where were you during these turn of events Ebony?! Didn’t you say you were going to the kitchen? Conveniently close to the King’s chambers…and you couldn’t have done something.”

Where was she? She was thinking, forming her own plan, not understanding what was truly going on...looking for him. Her assumption was that they were looking for the Prince, and not the King. And then when she saw the truth, she could only stare, and give the King peace, and then follow after Josh. But even now, she couldn't move. She could only stand, and feel doubt start to creep up out of the corner of her mind.

"I was looking for you," she mumbled silently to herself, movnig her head up to look off into the distance. She could still feel him standing silently behind her, frustration rolling off him in waves. The pain in her ankle grew once more, but she ignored it, as Josh spoke up once more.

“Could things possibly get any worse?! Perhaps it’s my lot in life to lose everything I’ve got…what next am I going to get word that Repa fell off a cliff and died?! Or are you gonna get killed my some psycho school teachers from Cocoon?! Anyone want to explain this long road of death and despair to me?!”

She wished she could explain the road of death and despair. After all, didn't Ebony go down that same road too only a bit ago, and practically through her entire life? She could say that Josh was blowing this out of proportion...but she couldn't. She lost her adopted family, the orphans. Her only family. Josh had lost his father. But, he still had his sister...even if he never really got to see her, but he still had her. She had nothing. Completely, utterly nothing. And on top of that...

The pain in her ankle escalated exponentially, to the point where she completely couldn't stand, and she fell to the ground, clutching her ankle. Something faintly glowed from her boot, where her hands were covering, and she couldn't help but let out a small cry of pain. Off slightly, a giant magical circle, nothing like her own, appeared, and a black mist of sorts started to creep out from it. Something quickly jumped out of it, and landed hard on the ground in front of her. She raised her head slightly and saw a wold with purple and white fur, and splotches of darker color all around it. It snarled, pulling it's lips back, showing it's sharp teeth, and growled at her, almost like it wwas waiting for her. To stand. To fight. Her ankle still hurt, and she could still barely stand, as she just stared back at it, realization crossing over her face.

The eidolon will guide you.

Words: 801
Muse: Good
Notes: Eidolon~!