surprise!

[antiwhat]

characters: Ellever Brandt, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel
location: Chapel Rock #4
date/time: 2/01/20, some time after the ferry.
content: Castiel told Sam and Dean that they were welcome to live at #4. He failed to mention his other roommate.
warnings: None yet, will update accordingly.

It's been a hard eleven or so days for Ellever Brandt. She'd just started to feel more upbeat and on her feet when her lantern had, slowly, shifted its color to red, and her features had shifted along with it. Disassociation had followed as soon as cracks had appeared in her wrought-iron lantern's normally yellow glass, leading her to seek odd conversations with people and show them her black eyes and teeth — something that normally happens only when she uses her abilities. Since then, she's hidden away in the house, uncertain of exactly what she'd said and how people are feeling about her.

She'd gone out just briefly to see the people at the ferry. Long enough to meet a few new faces and mark down the song playing over the speakers. Now she sits at the ramshackle dining table that's seen better days, scrawling notes into her tablet, wearing her jean shorts and a sky-blue paisley blouse. Heating is a real plus in a place that doesn't have a lot else going for it.

And frankly, some people might not consider those differences a plus. There are Enochian sigils on some of the walls and windows of #4, and a rug just inside the door hides a Devil's Trap. The bedroom that Ellever's claimed as her own has a small knickknack collection scattered around it, odds and ends ranging from a set of bongos to a stuffed doll version of a spirit to a small pile of plastic spider rings. Other items in the house are few and far between.

She's completely unaware that she'll be getting some visitors, soon, and that they aren't really visitors so much as future roommates.

Comments

[cained]

( despite their turbulent reunion, cas offered both winchester brothers a place to crash (at least, dean thinks of it as crashing, because this is nothing more than a rest stop for him at the moment; he's not about to let himself start thinking in the long-term) and dean's not about to refuse a roof over his head, even if that roof happens to be in fucking purgatory 2: electric boogaloo.

the cabin itself ain't a lot to look at, but he's seen worse, so he can't complain. it's got four walls and a sturdy roof and he can only assume it's not cursed or haunted. that gives it a solid B in his book.

there is, however, one thing cas failed to mention...

dean spots ellever as they enter the main living area, though not until after he's checked under the rug with his boot (alright, maybe he'll give it a B+ for precautionary measures). he's surprised as much as he is casually checking her out, because that's just who he is as a person. )

Cas, you didn't tell me you lived with a — ( don't say hot chick don't say hot chick ) — a lady. ( nailed it. ) You been holding out on me, man. Congratulations. ( he says, without much enthusiasm. a tight-lipped smile graces his face as his chest tries to decipher what emotions are, his insides twisting like a goddamn rubik's cube. it's probably best if he just ignores it. he clears his throat. ) Just, uh, you know, Rule #1 — put a sock on the door if you're gonna — ( he makes a gesture with his hands that's widely acknowledged to mean sex and winks playfully at cas. ) — you know. Ain't no reason we gotta walk in on hanky panky.

[helled]

[ Sam is also of the same mind that while grateful Cas is offering a place to crash, this is gonna be a very temporary lodging situation. He's got no intentions on making this cabin or this village a permanent living space. Soon as he gets the lay of the land, he and Dean are going to figure out a way to get home. He's already scouting the space for a simple flat surface to work at, bring his tablet up to do some research, maybe see if there's a library in town, when he notices the young woman sitting at the dining table doing ... exactly what he would, honestly, writing notes into the tablet.

He doesn't say anything, and quite frankly, he really doesn't have to when Dean opens his mouth and starts to — oh, god.

Sam can feel himself cringe, the longer (Don't mention the sock, don't — yep) he goes on.

He coughs. ]

Hey, Dean?

[ He gestures, real aggressively, with his eyes, like she's right here, man! in case he needs an extra, you know, shut the fuck up, dude tossed his way. ]

Hi. [ This is directed to Ellever. ] Sorry about my brother. And — uh. Sorry to interrupt you.

[antiwhat]

[ When two strangers walk right into the house with all of the confidence of having a set of keys, Ellever looks up from her tablet with a "deer in headlights" look on her face. She freezes where she is, mind whirring to life. Has she forgotten a meeting? No. Has anyone told her they were coming over? No. And she definitely hasn't seen these two before.

It all comes down to a less hectic mental pace when one of them mentions Cas, but then, in short order, makes that implication (well, less of an implication and more of a bull in a china shop) and all of the warmth in her system goes right to her cheeks. ]

Oh. Uh. [ She gets up too quickly when the taller of the two addresses her directly. ] Hello. That's -- [ She takes a helpful gulp of air, suddenly feeling as though she's drowning in a hot water bath. ] That's okay! I was just making some spirit language notes.

[ She attempts a friendly smile and is mostly successful, even if her eyes tend to drift occaisionally down to her feet. ]

Castiel and I aren't a -- [ Ellever waves one hand erratically while her brain tries to come up with a word it doesn't use a lot. ] -- a thing. [ That's not it, is it? ] We're just roommates. Space was tight when we first got here. ...Castiel?

[ Still clinging to that smile, she looks behind them, hoping for an answer in the shape of her trenchcoat-wearing roommate. And also hoping that her face feels less hot very soon. ]

[freetobe]

[ Castiel has no issue letting Dean and Sam walk ahead to the indicated cabin. It doesn't occur to him to ask Ellever, or to warn er at least. His concept of personal space, personal property and 'home' still leaves a lot to be desired. Likewise, it never occurs to him to warn Dean or Sam.

Or Jo, for that matter.

Castiel isn't necessarily the most sensitive person around.

It's because of that, perhaps, that the angel just walks past Sam and Dean, carrying a satchel of spell components and a crate of holy oil. ]

I have no reason to put a sock or any other garment on the door.

[ He says it with the resigned air of someone who has giving up on 'getting it'. ]

Hello, Ellever.

[ That one he says over his shoulder as he moves past and into the living space to find good storage space for his supplies.

What?

Was anyone hoping for an explanation or introduction here? ]

[cained]

( dean shrugs at sam, shooting him an almost indignant look that says what? just calling 'em as i see 'em. but, fine, he'll shut up about — all that. maybe it was a little out of line. whatever.

he shoots what one might consider a charming grin at ellever, though to anyone who knows him there's an underlying edge of suspicion (and, perhaps, pettiness) to it. at any rate, he just gonna. quietly laugh off his previous comments. it's fine, right? they can all be friends. or something like it. to elle: )

Oh, sure. Yeah. That makes total sense. ( he says this like it does not, in fact, make total sense.

and then cas waltzes in and doesn't even get the sock thing, which of course he doesn't. it takes all dean's strength not to roll his eyes, or, god forbid, explain it to him. )

Cas. ( with a little more emphasis than before. he's clearly trying to get someone's attention and he sounds mildly irritated that he doesn't already have it. ) Do you mind? Introduction, maybe? ( not that he isn't perfectly capable of introducing himself, he'd just rather cas do it. this is cas' "roommate," after all. cas should do the honors. )

[helled]

It's okay, Dean. [ Sam shakes his head, dismissive to Castiel doing what Castiel does, knowing that this ... well, this isn't the same Cas they know from home. It's a little like having to start from the (near-)beginning of their friendship again, which ... isn't the worst thing in the world. Maybe it means they get a second chance at correcting some of the mistakes they'd made with him in the past. He watches Castiel briefly shuffle things aside to make room for the supplies he'd received, then turns back to his brother and their ... future roommate?

Yeah.

This is weird, even for him. ]

Ellever, was it? [ Sam clears his throat, steps forward and gestures to himself. ] I'm Sam, and this is my brother, Dean. We're — uh. Old friends of Castiel. [ Well, they would be if Castiel was like another five years older. ] Sort of, I guess. It's complicated.

[antiwhat]

[ Bafflement appears on Ellever's face, clear as day, when the shorter of the two strangers — Dean? — pipes up with what seems to be sarcasm over her explanation. Why would she be lying? Everything in her head comes screeching to a halt as she tries to work that out. She looks at Castiel as he finally comes in, but he walks right by after a greeting — no further enlightenment occurs. That's almost comforting, at this point. Normal behavior, from the angel. But Ellever isn't exactly well-seasoned at this whole social thing — she lived mostly alone in the warehouse — and she makes an indistinct, uncertain noise in the back of her throat for a moment before the taller one steps forward and introduces himself.

She manages a smile, even if the edges are still strained from her confusion. ]

Oh. Yeah, uh. I'm Ellever Brandt. I'm sorry you guys are here? [ On the one hand, they're dead. On the other hand, at least they came together, and now Castiel has friends from his Earth here. ...oh, wait. Is this a roommate situation? Of course he'd want them close. ] But hi. Welcome to Beacon, for what it's worth. Feel free to call me Elle, it's easier.

[ Her name is a source of unease, even after all forty-two years of having it. Some people in Beacon call her by her full name, and some don't. Some people have a cultural preference for using full names. But she at least attempts to put her own personal preference out there whenever she meets someone new. ]

That room over there — [ she nods at it ] — is mine, but uh, the others are open season. [ Ellever glances at Castiel. Now is the time for clarity. ] Do I have that right?

[freetobe]

Yes.

[ There's an empty cabinet in their living room. It now holds spell components and a dozen flasks of holy oil. Some wards, he thinks,just to be safe. Even if nothing is here that would be deterred - that he knows of, at least.

Castiel moves towards the kitchen. ]

Should I find myself in need of a resting place, I'll take the couch. It makes more sense for you humans to take the rooms.

[ He withdraws a knife from one of the drawers and moves back into the living room, idly cutting into his arm to draw blood, which in turn is then used to draw warding sigils on the cupboard.

This is a normal living situation. Once this is done, Castiel joins the others. With a small glow of grace that doesn't shed light, he heals the cut on his arm and cleans the knife. The Winchesters might notice, if they're paying attention, that the light of Castiel's lantern - that telltale white-blue swirl of grace - dims in response.

Castiel's eyes, however, are on Ellever. ]

They're good people, and good friends.

[ And then, to Dean and Sam - somewhere between reassurance and defense: ]

So is she.

[cained]

( despite the woman — elle, she said her name was — standing plainly in front of him, dean's attention is fully on cas, watching him with the sort of intensity a jealous lover might possess. not that they're anything close to being ... that and not that dean's jealous, exactly, but he has no idea who this ellever person is or anything about her other than she's been living with cas for however long they've been here. it doesn't sit quite right with him, even though elle seems like a perfectly reasonable person. (don't they always, at first?)

so he does notice the way cas' grace dims slightly inside the lantern. he doesn't bring it up, not now, but it's definitely going to be a conversation for later. in less polite company.

he finally glances over to sam, silently conferring with him about their new roommate. cas vouches for her, and dean trusts him, but — well, it really comes down to how sam feels about the whole thing. )

[helled]

[ Yeah.

For a moment, Sam watches the strange interaction occur before his eyes, notes how different Castiel was (is?) in comparison to the Castiel they're used to in their own time (familiar, a little more casual, a little less ... angel-like) and finally turns back to return Dean's glance with one of his own.

They've been through enough over the course of their lifetimes to have a kind of ... secret language, or secret understanding of what the other brother might mean through simple gestures or meaningful glances alone. Sam might even say Dean tends to know how Sam might react before Sam even ... well, reacts.

In this case, he takes a breath, which more or less means he's accepting of the situation, raises his eyebrows, and then turns back to Castiel — or, well, the back of him anyway. ]

Thanks for letting us stay. [ He starts, intentionally working to set this awkward moment aside, keep the conversation moving. He glances at Elle again. ] Both of you. This won't be a permanent arrangement or anything.