oasisnetwork | 02: Ground Rules (Backdated to the 19th)

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02: Ground Rules (Backdated to the 19th)

[[ooc: Backdated to shortly after this mess with Newt gets resolved and they're back inside the Gates.]

All ya'll talking shit about how we all gotta work together 'cause we're stuck here together best listen the hell up. You want to work together? FINE. First you gotta to is tell the rest of us what hell you can do. No more fucking surprises like some seven foot leopard man!

The only way to pool our goddamn resources are if we know what the fuck they are! And if you can do shit like that, then it's a goddamn resource!

I don't care where the hell you picked to hole your asses up, but if you're gonna talk to me and everyone else about how we should kum-by-fucking-ya, then you best be offering up your skills so we can take full advantage of them.

And don't make runs outside the walls alone no more without telling someone where the hell you're gonna be so we know to keep an eye on you! Hell, I don't even go hunting without telling Glenn I'll be out! You got people to rely on so rely on them!

Fucking hell, people!

[Daryl's angry because he cares. And he hates that he cares.]

[[ooc: open to action if anyone wants to be near him while he's making this rant]]

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Hey.

[ Deat shot the word back angrily, glowering sharply at the sudden turn again in the conversation. Cas was the one who always wanted to talk about things, so of course, the second it's about him, the conversation seemed to have every right to move how he chose it to. Which was altogether not fair, because it seemed as soon as Dean was roped into talking about things he didn't want to talk about, Cas swerved the momentum away and turned it onto something else. In this case it was bees, but Dean didn't care - it could've been about anything and he would've been just as pissed.

Moving the rest of the way over, Dean makes a grab for Cas' coat, giving him a significant tug or two to focus his attention back on him and drag it away from the bees. They were talking about this now. Right now. And not only when Cas wanted to. ]

We're talking first, then you can hang with the bees. Got it? I'm not letting this one go just because you want it to.

[ It's so evasive. Dean, of course, is on top of him, not giving up on getting Cas to fess up, and well somebody has to. It isn't like anyone else is going to pull that weight, or even notice when he's dodging responsibility.

Still, for a second Cas keeps trying to look at the bee, before Dean gives him a second shake to get his attention down again. He stares, clearly unsettled, but not trying to pull away. ]

I... I understand.

[ That expression like he sure did want to run like hell. ]

Dean, I... I didn't want to endanger your relationship with these people. They may not be your people, but they're human, some of them. If they're afraid of me, and they have every reason to be...

My relationship? Cas, what relationship?

[ Dean slowly lets Cas go, but he doesn't give him back his space, taking up all his room if only to make a point that he isn't going anywhere. And even then, there's no way he's letting Cas make that decision on his own - he doesn't get to push him away when he's mostly sane, not if there's an ounce of his own personal say in it.

Especially when Dean can't help but see a lack of relationships wherever he goes. It's not like he knows how to make friends, how to play well with others, and it's all he can do to play nice for at least a little while. Cas isn't the only one who destroys everything he touches and Dean knows for a fact that he shouldn't be around others. Not just because he doesn't even know how to play nice, but because he can't keep people safe when they're too damn close. He tried that for awhile, failed miserably at it, and let it all go. And after that, there's only one thing and he knows and it's-- ]

You're family, Cas. It doesn't matter who they are or what they think of you- you come first. And don't you tell me that I should care more about them because that doesn't have anything to do with you. Right now it's you and me, that's all I know. You got it?

Why?

[ He spat the word out very suddenly. It was a shattered sounding word, like it was cutting right into his heart to get it out. He looked at Dean with a sort of hurt desperation. ]

After everything I did to you? Lying, going behind your back, the way I condemned Sam without even knowing him--the people I killed; the angels. I let loose a scourge that was one small gesture away from enslaving humanity as a food source. I'm a terrible angel, Dean. If I can't even protect humanity from myself, what right do I have to try and protect you?

I don't deserve your compassion.

[ Family, really? Is he really family? How can that be true? He's so self deprecating at the moment that he doesn't believe he deserves that either. ]

All I've ever done is put you in more danger.

You think this has something to do with what you deserve? Cause the way I see it, none of us deserves shit. Not me, not Sam, not you. We've all fucked up, gotten things wrong, hurt people. Every one of us.

But we're still family.

[ The word holds a certain amount of triumph to Dean, like if he says it enough times that maybe Cas will be able to pick up on the significance behind it. Maybe he'll be able to see just how much it means to Dean and won't be so inclined to brush it aside and cling once again to his self deprecation. ]

The things you've screwed up- they don't take that away. Don't suddenly mean i'm gonna give up on you because hell, I tried that too and it didn't make anything better. The only way I see us getting through anything anymore is if you quit trying to put yourself on the outside.

[ The reiteration of family only makes Castiel pay a little more attention, raising his chin just a little so that he can meet his eyes. It's shy, and uncertain, and a little bit hopeful, but he can't help that deep and abiding truth beating at the inside of his skull anyway--he does deserve this. He's done such awful things. Why is Dean coming down on his side after everything?

Maybe he's a glutton for punishment too.

And he'd accept that if not for the 'You're family' thing. It's unendingly meaningful. What Dean wouldn't do for his family, and what Castiel hadn't tried to do for his. Family, to a Winchester, meant fighting right up to the bitter end for them. How long had he wanted to be a part of that, looking in from the outside? And now it was just being offered to him like this, meaningful and intent. ]

I'll stay inside the walls, [ He says, softly, but he means more than just the physical ones. ] I... I'll stay with you.

That was never up for debate.

[ Dean doesn't even need to weigh the words or stare Cas down as he says them, not when he means them wholly. It had never been a conversation in his eyes, as to whether or not Cas would be in exile for the rest of who knows how long. Because Cas was just never going to be given that option. Granted, it's undeniably true that Cas could leave without a moment's notice and while Dean knows that intrinsically, he also knows that if he has sway over one ounce of this, that he's going to use and abuse it to the best of his ability. Cas isn't going anywhere, not if he has a say in it - and if he does go? Then Dean is following.

Averting his gaze upwards to where Cas had been looking earlier, Dean squints through the canopy and tries to get a grip. There's a certain amount of terror that comes with the thought of losing Cas, of letting him walk away just like that, and so it takes him another moment to let it dwindle before he can move on adequately. It's a solid reminder of where Cas had gone and where he could go and just how strongly Dean holds on at the threat of loss.

He can't lose Cas. Not again. Not like he did last time. ]

How many of these guys are you bringin' back?

Edited 2016-02-24 21:46 (UTC)

[ Cas is grateful for that reassurance. Not up for debate. Well that settles that, then. It's a flaw with him, after all; he does what the Winchesters tell him to, more or less. Like for example they say "let's kill those Leviathan" and eventually, cajoling aside, that's what Castiel helps them to do.

So he can accept Dean being the one giving him orders, if only because he doesn't have anyone else to give them to him right now. He needs that safety net.

When Dean's attention goes up, Castiel looks back up as well. ]

A hive of bees is only successful because it's a family; a well oiled machine. Every member has its own job to do. If too many of the drones die, or there isn't enough nectar to collect, the bees can't make enough honey to survive the lean periods.

It's necessary that we take the entire nest. A family should stick together.

[ Dean doesn't quite get to the point where he lets himself smile at the commentary, but he eases up a bit, his shoulders relaxing as he watches the stupid bees in their stupid nest. It's only at that moment that he becomes aware of the fact that he's about to get stuck with them. Because while he doesn't get it - and likely never will - he can get behind the sentiment. Even if he figures it's at least somewhat forced by Cas in an attempt to be.. well, something more.

Doesn't mean he isn't okay with that in a silent kind of way.

His gaze slowly draws away from the nest, only to settle back onto Cas with eyebrows raised in tired question. ]

Is asking them to stay on your side of the room gonna be a little too much to ask?

[ It's an angel thing, if Dean hasn't figured it out already. The hive is Heaven, and the bees are angels, and Castiel thinks that if he can make the hive thrive, protect all the little drones, then maybe he can fix Heaven too, fix his family, or perhaps at the very least learn enough about what bees do right to figure out what Heaven is doing so wrong.

In any case, he gives his head a slight shake. ] They won't be interested in you. So long as you treat them with respect, they'll leave you be.

[ He tips his head toward the tree. ] I'll need to climb up. If anything comes for you in the meantime...

[ Not like he needed to tell Dean to kill the zombies that tried to eat him. Not really. ]

[ Dean had figured it out to a certain extent. Not that he completely understood, but he was getting there. Enough so that he left it alone, figuring he'd allow Cas to have this one thing if it made him feel better about everything that had gone wrong. He might as well have some kind of comfort and if it was going to be bees then, well, he'd figure out a way to live with it. The guy was allowed to have something in life, and if it made him feel more connected to Heaven and his feathered brethren, then who was he to judge.

Except he might have judged a little because why did it have to be bees? ]

Respect. Great. I'll just have a heart to heart with the hive and it'll all be fine and dandy.

[ He still sounded halfway perturbed, but it wasn't that much more than posturing. Glancing around himself as he spoke, Dean went back to guard duty, giving Castiel whatever space he needed to get this over with so they could head back. Because as keen as Dean was to spark up a fight, he wasn't itching to go mano y zombie horde; he didn't feel like proving that one to himself. ]

Make it quick.

Good, [ He chirps. ] Wonderful.

[ And then he begins climbing the tree that the hive is attached to. He's remarkably spry for a radio advertising salesman, but he clambers easily up through the branches, trying to disturb them as little as possible.

When he gets up to the hive, Castiel pauses for a moment, adjusting his position on the branches. The bees aren't immediately aware of him as a threat, but they hum steadily none the less, as though having a conference in their tiny vibration-y way. Castiel is careful, slow, reaching out to place his hand on the hive.

Immediately, all the bees went to sleep, and the humming ceased. Satisfied, Castiel reached up, cutting the branch that the hive was attached to, before lightly jumping down the three stories or so to the ground, to land beside Dean. His foot crunches a branch as he lands, but that's almost all the noise he makes. ]

Was that quick enough?

[ Boy, Dean would wonder if that was sarcasm if it was anyone other than Cas. But it is and that wasn't sarcasm.

And so Dean commences casually watching Cas scamper up the tree. Though, he does keep an eye on the forest surround, glancing around every other second and listening for the creak of branches and shuffle of feet on soft dirt. Even if he isn't the best at listening, he still manages, straining to hear what he can over the sound of Cas' boots against the bark of the tree.

Squinting back up again, Dean gives a minute shake of his head as Cas quiets the hive before cutting it down. There was something about the gentleness with which he did it, the care behind his touch that was frustratingly unique. But even so, he grimaces even before Cas takes hold and moves to jump down, all but flinching as the angel crunches on a stubborn branch. ]

Good enough for me. They'll make it back without a problem?

They'll be fine, so long as we are.

[ Castiel peers into the brush like a dog on a scent; it's clear he's heard something that Dean hadn't. Carefully he lowers the hive to the ground, shrugging off his coat and bending down to wrap it carefully around the hive. Tying the arms together and gripping the tail of the coat makes it almost into a sling, allowing him to hold the bulky hive with just one hand, and freeing up the other.

He might need it. ]

Shall we go?

[ Might be a good idea. ]

[ The second Cas glances around, Dean follows suit, looking as if he can suddenly sense things simply because Cas can. But whatever's out there is too distant for him to make out, to see between the branches and so he concedes to the point - he'll have to follow Cas' lead on this one, wait for him to be the one to know first and foremost.

Waiting apprehensively as Cas situates the hive, Dean gives a nod of finality once it's all wrapped up. Or maybe it's just because Cas suddenly seems by far more interested in moving, which means they won't be alone for long. ]

Before something else makes us? Yeah, i'm thinkin' that's a good idea. You might wanna lead the way back, though- you're the one that got us here.

[ With his magical homing pigeon powers, you mean? Can do. He doesn't say another word to Dean, just steps ahead and begins to lead the way back through the brush. Castiel doesn't rush too far ahead, keeping a pace that Dean can follow. It's hardly the first time that they've taken to the forest together, after all, they know their pace better than anyone.

They're nearing the treeline when whatever is following them comes into audible range, and it's disturbing other things out there in the forest as it comes.

The first one emerges very suddenly, going in for Dean's shoulder from behind, hissing and growling its hungry approach. ]

[ Look here, bucko. Its not like Dean has magic powers of direction, and certainly not when he isn't in the Impala. There's only so much he can do and he burnt enough of his brain power trying to woo Cas back into their tiny fray. Which makes him just that much more eager to get a move on.

Except for the heady growl behind him, the roaming of footsteps and the crunch of the forest floor. ]

Goddammit.

[ Dean doesn't altogether whirl but he moves enough to aim a blow back with his elbow. It's only good enough to make the creature stumble back a few paces, letting out an almighty, and albeit annoying, groan. All Dean can do is grumble himself, turning to rip through the thing's neck with Cas' blade. It's not so much that he has to kill one of these things, but it just means more are likely on the way and Dean, as much as he likes this, just isn't in the mood. ]

[ It's always better to leave most of the fighting to Dean, to be honest, no matter how they find themselves. Cas dislikes engaging with anything, has been this way since he'd lost his memories, a throw over from being a healer after having so much blood on his hands. Besides, Dean is just better at it, and has been since Castiel first knew him.

He steps back instead, drawing the next one out into the open and keeping its attention on him, the hive of bees dangling carefully from his left hand. If he so much as bumped or jogged them, they'd wake up, and they wouldn't be very happy about it.

He's apologize for dragging Dean into this, but not until after. ]

[ There's something abysmal about this. Hopeless, maybe. Like the endless stream is going to continue to be just that: endless. But that doesn't exactly stop Dean from retaliation, throwing the body of the undead with the gnashing teeth up against the nearest tree, wishing he had something stronger to blow its brains out. But all he has is the damn blade, leaning back out of the way before he can plunge it through this one's flailing frame. ]

Cas, go!

[ He wants to say something about getting the stupid bees to safety but the first thing he can think of is that he should be capable of doing this on his own. Letting Cas know that he's here to protect him as much as he can. ]

[ He wasn't going to just go and abandon Dean in a clearing full of monsters, much as he'd like to in this moment. Dean had come and stood up for him, and while he might be a coward in many ways, he liked to think that he'd improved since those first few seconds in Purgatory. He wasn't going to leave Dean alone.

Not again.

Turned out to not be a bad decision, since as he turned around a creature was emerging out of the woods toward him, and Castiel would have been caught out by it alone if he'd exited the clearing that way. It went for him, but he grabbed the creature by the throat and held it out of range while it scrabbled and flailed for him to no avail. ]

[ As much as Dean didn't want to be left by himself to deal with this - somehow preferred the act of fighting with someone at his back - he didn't want Cas tangled up in something he couldn't stand. And Dean? Dean found this whole thing disturbing as much as he found it pure in nature. Fighting to survive, fighting on instinct, fighting just because he could was more of a part of him than he knew how to acknowledge. Because while he was fully aware that he felt that way, he couldn't express it in anything other than the actions that poured to freedom, struggling their way to the surface with every undead he took down.

Dean about growled when Cas didn't make a break for it, but he couldn't be bothered for long, instead focusing his attention on another that crept out from the bushes, gnashing teeth. He swung a fist, ducking out of the way and slamming the undead up against a tree, away from its prying hands.

All he could manage to do was shoot a look towards Cas, carefully taking in his actions and trying to refrain from shouting again to get the hell out of here. ]

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02: Ground Rules (Backdated to the 19th)

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