Be it ever so humble..

[roadhouse_mama]

Who : Ellen Harvelle and others (open to anyone who'd like to come through)
What : Celebrating the Roadhouse (version II)
When : The evening of March 20th
Rating : pg-ish, probably some language
Status : Ongoing

Comments

[to_rebel]

It did not take Castiel long to find the new Roadhouse; in fact, it took him longer to walk across the Marketplace than it did to find where Ellen had set up her bar. It had only been a couple days since he'd returned, but if there was one thing that trumped rest, it was restlessness. As did the promise of spending time with people he liked and trusted.

His hand was still wrapped, if healing well. (Slower than he was used to, but well enough. The bandaging could be removed, most likely, but it was something of a two-handed job.) If nothing else, the wrapping reminded him not to really use the hand.

He pushed the door open and let himself in, taking in the interior before letting his gaze settle on Ellen. Granted, he had never seen the first Roadhouse, but this second one seemed fitting somehow. He nodded toward her in greeting and made his way to the bar.

[roadhouse_mama]

And speaking of good friends.. Ellen came out from behind the bar to greet the first arrival with a smile. His hand was still wrapped, but he was looking better than he had since his return. "Hey Cas. Good to see you up and about."

Before the angel could protest and before the bar filled with people, she wrapped Castiel up in a powerful embrace. “You’re looking good.” Ellen pulled back and grasped his shoulder with a grin. She didn’t want to embarrass him too much. “Come on, let me get you a drink.”

[to_rebel]

That was unexpected. Castiel stilled, tensed out of sheer surprise, and didn't exactly return the hug. That was somewhat of a first. It wasn't... bad. Not at all, and he appreciated the gesture.

"I am... up, yes." Looking good, he wasn't quite sure about. At least the bruises had faded. He couldn't quite muster a half-smile at the offer of the drink, but he did nod. "I'll take a drink."

[roadhouse_mama]

Ellen moved back towards the bar and poured a pair of shots, sliding one across to him. She didn't begrudge his somewhat stilted reaction; it was commonplace among most hunters she knew, even the non-angelic variety. A relieved hug was either welcome, or they didn’t know what to do with it.

“Up is always a fair start, Cas. So what do you think?” she asked, gesturing vaguely around the place before leaning back and resting her elbows against the bar.

[to_rebel]

Castiel took a seat at the bar, actually preferring to sit for the time being. He was healing, yes, but he was still weary enough that sitting held some appeal. He took the shot, resting his fingers just below the rim, and once again looked around at her behest.

"It suits," was all he said. And it did: it was small. Comfortable. Mostly just comfortable.

[roadhouse_mama]

There was a little smile at that. "It does. Not quite like the old place, but it's pretty close. And you and the boys are welcome here whenever you like. There's a little place above the bar too, so it's not like I'm far."

She couldn't miss the weariness in his eyes, it wasn't an experience that anyone could shake off easily. "You let me know if you need anything, Cas," she said. The offer was clearly open ended enough to mean another drink, or anything else at all that sprang to his mind.

[to_rebel]

"I never saw the old place," he murmured as he once again looked around. It did suit her, and her lifestyle. Nothing fancy, utilitarian, and sturdy. He liked it. His gaze flicked upward at the mention of a place above the bar and he nodded. He did like to know where 'his' people were living; it helped him maintain peace of mind. (He probably shouldn't tell them that he kept track of their comings and goings as much as he could.)

He knocked back the shot at her offer and set the glass down with a quiet thunk on the bar. "I will remember that." He knew full well what she was saying but, as much as he liked Ellen, he found himself unwilling to speak. He barely had the wherewithal to speak much to Dean, of all people. It wasn't that he did not appreciate the thought; he would rather not burden Ellen with more knowledge than necessary

[roadhouse_mama]

It wasn’t as if she expected him to take her up on it, but the offer had been made and unlike with the Winchesters or Bobby, she wouldn’t press the issue. Getting Cas to talk when he wasn’t in the mood was near impossible, so for the moment she let it drop.

That got him an amused snort. The shot glasses were refilled first, and then a clean bar towel was spread on the bar between them. Ellen removed a small medical kit from behind the bar; just like the old days, she kept the place well supplied for any emergency. A small, but very sharp pair of silver scissors made quick work of the bandages. Before Castiel could pull his hand back, she lifted it gently and examined the healing with a critical eye.

“I’d give it another few days before you try anything too drastic with it,” she advised. While she didn’t know that much about angelic healing capabilities, the terrible breaks in his hand had mended with surprising speed. It didn’t take much on her part to estimate that only a few days more would leave the hand completely healed.

[to_rebel]

"Noted," he said, already thinking along the same lines. His hand was still sore, still healing, and he absolutely did not want to re-injure himself. He'd fully expected Ellen to examine the hand, and so did not protest when she caught it.

As quickly as Ellen thought it was healing, it was almost excruciatingly slow for Castiel. Gingerly, he pulled his hand from Ellen's grasp and flexed it slowly. Definitely still very sore. He couldn't help the mild disgust that flashed across his features before he settled his hand on his thigh. It shouldn't be taking days for it to heal. When he'd broken his wrist fighting the Sam clone, it had taken minutes.

"Thank you," he said mildly as he reached for the now-full shot glass.

[roadhouse_mama]

"Stop bein so impatient, Cas. It'll heal."

Ellen tossed back her own glass and gave him a smile of mingled affection and exasperation. "Honestly, I can't tell who's a worse patient, you or Dean. Both of you tryin to take on the whole world by yourselves most days."

[to_rebel]

"Yes, it will." He frowned. "Slowly." Far more slowly than he was used to. He downed the shot instead of actually answering her. He couldn't actually deny that, not without sounding like he was trying too hard.

Instead, he turned his attention to the rest of the bar as he set the shot glass down. Better to just take in his surroundings than argue a moot point.

[roadhouse_mama]

They could have argued the point further, but there was little sense in it. Instead Ellen simply lingered near the bar, refilling his glass when he needed it. Sometimes, it was nice to just sit and enjoy the quiet of a friend's presence.