Sure. The gardens have been well staffed lately, taking a day off shouldn't be an issue.
[ he's bound to mess up and show his dorkiness at some point, don't worry. cas never holds on to looking cool for long once you see him outside of combat. ]
There was a time I could've read your entire life from your mind, but I'd consider it unethical.
You're an orphan. [ captain obvious here. ] Were you treated well there? Or were post-regurgitation calisthenics the norm?
Yeah that shit wouldn't be fun for either of us, promise
[Ellie pauses for a few seconds, just working out the obvious shit, then tacking the rest on. She's seen Castiel's notes on Dean's work so she's not as blindsided as she might have been.]
It sucked but not as bad as some other places. It was probably the safest place in the city and we got fed. That's more than the civvies could say most of the time
An offer of safety and food is nothing to pass on when both are in short supply. I'm glad you found a means to survive.
[ ah, yes. the man in her memory, the one soaked in grief and horror, that had shaken her to her core. cas doesn't want to pry, much as he's curious. whatever ellie wants to tell about longer story, she'll do in her own time, and he isn't in a hurry for it.
the image of that man is stuck in his mind, wrapped up in ellie's feelings of despair and terror, something broken and delicate, sharp edges that cut before you notice you've mishandled it. he must've been someone immensely important, trusted, for her to leave behind that promise of security. ]
[She'd been a child at the time, without much of a choice, and only upon looking back does she really see how sheltered she was, in comparison to what Dina and Riley grew up with. Ellie was fiercely capable, had been forced to be, but she's just one of thousands of kids.]
Joel. Joel Miller.
[She pauses, and then-]
No blood relation, we just relied on each other, for a long time
[ the first thought is, of course, 'father', but ellie adds on the last part. ah. 'Miller', like 'Smith', is a fairly common American surname, so that's fair enough. ]
I was once told 'family don't end in blood.'
[ castiel's guessing that's the kind of relationship here, despite the lack of blood. this joel miller is a sensitive topic for her, one cas knows she doesn't want to go into now, so he tries to steer away from it, relieve ellie from answering questions for now. ]
Fortunate. You've seen how my family regards me already.
[ his family being the entire host of heaven, up to and including the woman with the brain drill, and every other angel who tried to take them out along the way. ]
[Even if she doesn't know who said it. She supposes she can live with calling Dean smart, if it was him. But she appreciates Castiel steering through it, still giving her room to talk without pinning her down.]
Why do they hate you so much? You're not like, evil or anything Not that I know anything about angels
[ rip, bobby, you'll be missed. the word 'hate' is strong, and as much as cas wishes he could say he doesn't think any of them truly hate him any longer, well... that may not be exactly true. ]
I rebelled. For an angel to turn their back on their duty as the host of Heaven, abandon their brothers and sisters - it's the highest shame.
[ if she were here, he'd be giving her a fond but resigned smile. for a human, it would be that simple. angels just aren't built the same. ]
Blind loyalty and allegiance are exactly what angels were made for. We're soldiers, meant to operate like machines, programmable. Free will is a completely foreign concept to most.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ he's bound to mess up and show his dorkiness at some point, don't worry. cas never holds on to looking cool for long once you see him outside of combat. ]
There was a time I could've read your entire life from your mind, but I'd consider it unethical.
You're an orphan. [ captain obvious here. ] Were you treated well there? Or were post-regurgitation calisthenics the norm?
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[Ellie pauses for a few seconds, just working out the obvious shit, then tacking the rest on. She's seen Castiel's notes on Dean's work so she's not as blindsided as she might have been.]
It sucked but not as bad as some other places. It was probably the safest place in the city and we got fed. That's more than the civvies could say most of the time
I got out, though. It's related to the long story
And that guy you saw in my head
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[ ah, yes. the man in her memory, the one soaked in grief and horror, that had shaken her to her core. cas doesn't want to pry, much as he's curious. whatever ellie wants to tell about longer story, she'll do in her own time, and he isn't in a hurry for it.
the image of that man is stuck in his mind, wrapped up in ellie's feelings of despair and terror, something broken and delicate, sharp edges that cut before you notice you've mishandled it. he must've been someone immensely important, trusted, for her to leave behind that promise of security. ]
What was his name?
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[She'd been a child at the time, without much of a choice, and only upon looking back does she really see how sheltered she was, in comparison to what Dina and Riley grew up with. Ellie was fiercely capable, had been forced to be, but she's just one of thousands of kids.]
Joel. Joel Miller.
[She pauses, and then-]
No blood relation, we just
relied on each other, for a long time
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I was once told 'family don't end in blood.'
[ castiel's guessing that's the kind of relationship here, despite the lack of blood. this joel miller is a sensitive topic for her, one cas knows she doesn't want to go into now, so he tries to steer away from it, relieve ellie from answering questions for now. ]
Fortunate. You've seen how my family regards me already.
[ his family being the entire host of heaven, up to and including the woman with the brain drill, and every other angel who tried to take them out along the way. ]
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[Even if she doesn't know who said it. She supposes she can live with calling Dean smart, if it was him. But she appreciates Castiel steering through it, still giving her room to talk without pinning her down.]
Why do they hate you so much? You're not like, evil or anything
Not that I know anything about angels
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[ rip, bobby, you'll be missed. the word 'hate' is strong, and as much as cas wishes he could say he doesn't think any of them truly hate him any longer, well... that may not be exactly true. ]
I rebelled.
For an angel to turn their back on their duty as the host of Heaven, abandon their brothers and sisters - it's the highest shame.
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That's some bullshit though. You can't just
Be loyal without thinking, especially to assholes
[Torturing him qualifies as an asshole move, thanks.]
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Blind loyalty and allegiance are exactly what angels were made for.
We're soldiers, meant to operate like machines, programmable.
Free will is a completely foreign concept to most.
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Who wants a robotic yes-people around you all the time
But I mean, you ended up with free will, right?
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That's... debatable, but for the most part, yes.
What you saw in my dream, that was the method used to reprogram us.
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High up there
[Castiel's cries still stay with her. They would even without her memories of Joel.]
Glad you got out.
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I'm sorry you had to witness it.
[ cas can handle his own nightmares, but he wishes ellie didn't have to share those with him. ]
I'm grateful you were there to free me, this time.
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[She's meant it as a commentary on the bullshit he's been through, but realizes now that it sounds like something he might feel bad over.]
And getting to fight with you was beyond badass.