[017] Accidental Video

[to_rebel]

[[Anyone in or near Casa Winchester is free to action it up, too.]]

[The feed is accidental, if the head tilt that Castiel gives the camera is any indication. He looks it over, turns it over in his hands -- sorry about that bumpy video feed -- and then regards it with an expression of mild disgust.]

Useless. [He's not even sure how he managed to

Comments

[grace_optional]

[She answers only because she recognizes his voice. Sort of; in her head it has a different, more lyrical timbre, but the inflection is the same and so is the sense of tightly controlled, subdued frustration.]

[It wouldn't be fair, she thinks, after listening to him call into the silence, to watch the transmission and not at least explain to him about the tablets. The stuff Elena told her...well, she's not sure she buys some of it and she's not sure what to do about it if it's true, but she does know this particular angel is special, and not only because he sounds to be the only one of his kind in the city.]

[She clears her throat nervously, eyes downcast shyly.] Excuse me? Um. Sir? [Okay, that's stupid, but what is the polite term of address?]

It's a communication device. You're, um. Broadcasting. To everyone. Thought you should know.

[to_rebel]

[It's with a deliberate, slow motion that he brings the tablet to bear, frowning at the screen and the young woman pictured there. There's a pang of, perhaps, familiarity; Castiel doesn't ignore it so much as simply file it away for later thought.]

Communication device. [A frown.] How... simple.

[Does he know you, girl? And why does the sight of her bring with it unfathomable depths of unnamed... something?] You are?

[grace_optional]

[Oh, now what's she supposed to say; he obviously has no idea how the thing works, but it would be so rude to call attention to that.] It's a little different from what I'm used to, too.

[She risks a quick glance upward, looking away again immediately at the sight of his frown. If she feels any answering sense of recognition, it's chalked up to weeks of listening in--passively and involuntarily, though she still feels like an eavesdropper--on his exchanges with the other angels, and their exchanges concerning him.]

Oh! Sorry, I'm Anna. Milton. P-pleased to meet you.

[He doesn't look the way she pictured, but somehow the face and the unremarkable suit and coat seem to suit him exactly.]

[to_rebel]

[Castiel makes a sort of noncommittal hum as he looks over the tablet. If the human girl says it's different than what she's used to than there's really no hope for him. Unfortunately. It's so human.]

Anna Milton. [A flash of memory: she looks bedraggled, careworn, angry. Hidden power. Old eyes. Different.

It makes no sense.]

How have you come to be here?

[grace_optional]

[Apprehensive look. She didn't expect him to ask about her.]

I-I don't know. I was in my hospital room and a man came in, an orderly, but he had...[She swallows.] His face looked horrible. Like it was...decayed. Then his eyes turned all black. I shoved him out of my way and ran, and I wound up in this place.

[All true, essentially, though she left out the part about the dresser and the man's likely concussion. Anna's still not sure how she did that and she's not sure she really wants to know.]

[Timidly] What about you? How'd you get here?

[According to Elena, he's been here. They both have, but that just doesn't make any sense to her at all, so she's going to ignore it until something comes along that changes that.]

[to_rebel]

A demon. [And why would a demon be after this girl? Perhaps she was simply in the way, or saw something she should not have, but Castiel was not a believer in circumstance.]

That, I do not know. Yet. [Woe to the being who thought it could keep Castiel chained and confused.]

[grace_optional]

[Anna flinches at the word.] That's what I was afraid of...

[She bites her lip, wringing her hands nervously. She doesn't want to get anyone in trouble, herself included, but maybe she should just come clean about everything. He's an angel. Maybe he can figure out what's going on and what to do about it. And even if not, withholding information probably isn't a very good thing to do.]

[He wouldn't smite her where she stands for telling the truth...right?]

You...you're Castiel, aren't you? [With evident awe, as well as apprehension,] And you're an angel. The real thing. Right?

[to_rebel]

[How does she know that? (There's a part of him saying You know how, think it through, sift through memories that aren't quite there and you'll know.)

Sharply, as he casts his sense outward to find her.] Tell me how you know that.

[grace_optional]

[She blinks and shrinks away from the screen a little, suddenly not so sure honesty was the best policy after all.]

I h-heard. [Rapidly] I didn't mean to, but I can't stop it. It's been in my head all the time for weeks, except it stopped when I came here, [she swallows hard,] all except you.

I'm really sorry. But I think you're the only one here.

[to_rebel]

[He's silent for a moment, if only because he both knows that as truth and refutes that statement. There is silence and no answer to his calls, but...

(You're not alone here.)]

You hear the angels?

[grace_optional]

[Small voice] Yes. Since...since Dean Winchester was saved.

[to_rebel]

That is why the demon was after you, then.

[Orders would be helpful here. Once again, vainly, he reaches for Heaven.]

[grace_optional]

[She's not sure what to think now. On the one hand, proof positive that she's really not nuts. On the other hand, being chased by a demon and now scrutinized by a suspicious angel while the Apocalypse inches toward reality? All things considered, insane really might be preferable.]

But why--oh. [It takes her a moment. She's not used to thinking strategically. Not this Anna, not consciously, though the part of her that is knows it makes perfect sense.] I get it. I guess that'd be pretty useful, huh? They must be pretty good at making people tell what they know.

[No, she is not going to cry in front of a messenger of God, no matter how frightened she is. Instead she squares her shoulders and forces herself to look him in the eye, wide-eyed, pale and somber.]

That makes me a problem then, doesn't it? [At least she manages to keep her voice steady. Mostly.] Is there a way to...shut it off? [Other than the most obvious and final one she'd really rather avoid.] I don't want to put anyone in danger.

[to_rebel]

Yes, it does. [She was a problem. Her very existence threatened the sanctity of the Host but he faced a problem as well: he had no orders regarding her. He'd never even heard of this issue, and suddenly he was faced with it, with no direction and no idea of what to do next.]

There is: you die.

[But not by his hand just yet. Heaven might have other plans, beyond what he can see. She will be watched closely until such a time as he knows what he needs to do.]

[grace_optional]

[...that might have gone over better if he'd mentioned the 'no orders' or the 'not just yet' part.]

[Her face goes chalk-white, and she very nearly shuts off her tablet and runs. But a lot of good that'd do; if he wants to find her, she has no doubt he will do so. For all she knows he could snuff her out from wherever he is without even seeing her. Anyway, it would be incredibly selfish. She doesn't want to die, but the angels are fighting to save earth; that's far more important than her little life.]

[Besides, she's pretty sure it'd have to be better than what the demons would do to her.]

[After a couple of false starts, as she refuses to blink,] Okay. Then I should p-probably tell you first, th-there's this girl. A pretty dark-haired girl. Her name's Elena. She...she said...she thinks we've been here for a while. You and me and Sam and D-Dean. I don't remember any of it but she knew who I was right away so you might want to talk to her and--and maybe she could--help---

[She breaks off, half-choked, her eyes spilling

[to_rebel]

[... That would never occur to him. Ever.]

[There's something like respect that courses through him as she faces him without running; she's scared. He can see that clearly.]

I will speak with her. The information is useful.

[Given the odd encounters here, that may be quite useful.

His expression does not soften when he speaks next.] You will know no pain, not in death and not after.