17 [Voice]

[knifetotheface]

Hanna Marin's gone. So's Ellen Harvelle.

[Jo sounds like she's loading her shotgun. Her voice also sounds like she's speaking through a tin can, but that's totally your imagination. Jo doesn't cry over stupid things like people going home. That's what happens in this world. Right?]Anyone want to come tell me to my face that they aren't real can be

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[Voice]

[wingsandwill]

Jo?

[Voice]

[knifetotheface]

Present and accounted for.

[Somewhat bitterly.]

[Voice]

[wingsandwill]

Would you...

[He's a little frazzled so it takes him a second to remember what he's supposed to do in this situation.]

I have some whiskey remaining.

[He hadn't drank it when he'd has his talk with Lucifer, after all. Unless Rei had found it it's still under his bed, and Jo could use it.]

[Voice]

[knifetotheface]

[She's silent, for a long moment.]

-- alright.

I'm by the river, at my house.

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[wingsandwill]

[It takes him awhile to figure out how to leave without worrying Rei, but he finally managed it and eventually arrives at the designated location, the bottle tucked into the pocket of his coat.]

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[knifetotheface]

[Jo was shooting things off of the small stone wall by the river, but she's given that up in favor of staring into some bushes. She's holding a picture, in one hand, along with a piece of lined paper, and she has a small knit bracelet tied securely around her left wrist, right above her bracelet with her anti-possession charm on it.

Hanna left her a note in case she ever vanished. The girl was a lot smarter than she gave herself credit for. Jo never bothered to write one, but she would now. Seeing as it only took a couple of minutes for someone to disappear.

At least Hanna would be safe. Ellen was dead.

-- and with a sudden twitch of her wrist, her knife embeds itself neatly into the tree in front of her.]

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[wingsandwill]

[Castiel watches her throw the knife, keeping his distance for the moment, a little wary. He doesn't think she'd do anything, but with this current event? Who knows.]

Jo? Are you alright?

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[knifetotheface]

Peachy.

[Somewhat dully, but she doesn't make a move to get up or look at the angel.]

Just -- I'm peachy.

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[wingsandwill]

[He steps up next to her and pulls the bottle from his coat pocket, holding it out wordlessly.]

[Offline]

[knifetotheface]

[She doesn't move for a moment, but finally, she takes the bottle, scooting over slightly so he can sit down if he wants to. Jo doesn't drink from it immediately, though. Instead, she stares down at it.]

-- I should be happy they're gone. Hanna's got her friends back home and her mom and she's got things going for her. And hell, Heaven's probably a hell of a lot more comfortable than this damn place.

[Her heart twists, at the thought -- Heaven. Ellen is dead. So is she, once she leaves this place. It's just a ticking time bomb until the hardware store explodes --

Jo unscrews the bottle quickly to take a drink, the burn causing her eyes to water briefly, but she exhales slowly without complaint.]

I don't want Dean to be next.

[It's quiet, as she rests her head against the tree with a soft 'thunk'. She'd never admit it to anyone else but Cas, because he gets it. It's completely selfish and totally childish and most everyone else in this world would tell her that's just how it is, but Castiel would understand why Dean needs to stay

[Offline]

[wingsandwill]

[He does sit down next to her, silent when she speaks. He has felt the same, in the past, for those that return to something worth returning to. It's better for them than here.

That doesn't make losing them any easier. And knowing your fate when you return, when it's something like death, makes it even worse. Even if the end result is Heaven.

Castiel knows hunters would always choose the struggle of life over the peace of Heaven. It's how they are.]

I don't either.

[Losing Dean would be terribly hard. It is entirely selfish, but then again, Castiel knows what will happen in their world. What Dean will go through. What Castiel himself will do and the problems he will cause to his closest friend. He doesn't want Dean to return to that, as much as he wants him to stay with them.]

[Offline]

[knifetotheface]

[She's silent, at that, before offering him the bottle.]

It's kinda twisted. You know? What this place does to you.

[Offline]

[wingsandwill]

[He takes it, but doesn't drink.]

This place does many things.

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[knifetotheface]

It's fucked up.

[She sounds tired, and she closes her eyes, trying to ignore the pounding headache that was settling.]

And -- I'm dead, Cas, and I wouldn't change it, you know? Dean's alive. That stupid whore would've dragged him straight back to Hell and I would've -- never forgiven myself if he had, but -- Jesus Christ.

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[wingsandwill]

[He doesn't quite understand the words of her rambling, but he understands the sentiment enough. They are all in precarious situations, in an unnatural place, faced with terrible futures.

He hands the bottle back to her without drinking.]

[Offline]

[knifetotheface]

[She doesn't move for a second or two before she takes it, opening her eyes, and taking another drink. She lets it rest in her mouth for a moment or two before swallowing.]

Our world sucks.