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[ 005 | Video/Action ]

[Jo looks panicked when she addresses the network, though it's that very forcibly restrained sort of panic that she's known for displaying in stressful situations. She learned a long time ago that fear is not necessarily a bad thing; it keeps you sharp, and sometimes it's smart to be scared -- like now. So long as you don't let it get the better of you, fear can be used to your advantage. She's not expecting any opportunities to weaponize it during this particular event, but it has given her the presence of mind to wrestle back control from her mirror long enough to put out a warning.]

I probably don't have a lot of time, but if you see me, turn in the other direction immediately. Get behind closed doors, line the door and any windows with salt, throw holy water at me, whatever you have to do. I'm fighting her as hard as I can, but I can't keep her back forever. Whatever you do, avoid--

[She stops suddenly, any and all trace of panic or distress ebbing away as though they'd never been there in the first place. Instead, she smiles, slow and menacing while at the same time just a little too cheerful and self-satisfied.]

Awfully rude, isn't she? Don't pay attention to her. I promise, I'm more fun than she'll ever be.

[[OOC: Replies will come from lightgunhustler and stayedhome! This post will be serving as a catch-all for Jo for the event. Whether video or action, please specify if you'd like regular or mirror Jo! For action, she is available to be encountered anywhere in the mansion or grounds on anytime between now and the end of the event, just let me know when and where you want to run into her if you do.]]

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[When it comes to Jo's announcement, there's little question of what she's getting at. Her Mirror is a demon, and while that's not what Castiel would have expected, he's not about to ignore her warning.

Demons may not be much of a match for him, but they are dangerous and he's never been one to underestimate that kind of thing.

This is the exact kind of situation where his powers could be of use. Castiel hasn't seen much of Jo lately due to everything that's happened between her and Dean, but this has nothing to do with that. Jo is still a friend, and she needs his help right now.

First he has to figure out out Jo's location, but outright asking the Mirror won't work, so he'll need to have a conversation with her by phone and see if he can get some kind of clue through that.]

I think that would depend on your definition of fun.

I'm guessing it's a lot broader than yours is, handsome.

[Castiel. The name pops up unbidden, thanks to her Real's memories, and she takes a moment to roll her eyes. Of course the Winchesters' feathered friend would swoop in the moment he caught a whiff of a demon.]

My kind throws much better parties than yours.

[It's only a guess, but he imagines this Mirror is referring to the kind of "party" that involves a lot of death and mayhem. Demons don't tend to stray too far from that pattern, and the predictability at least makes her simple enough to deal with.

He doesn't like hearing words like that from Jo, or seeing her face contort into the sort of expressions that the demon prefers, but all he can do is try to stop her as soon as he can.]

And do you plan on throwing a party like that here? [He eyes her warily, still looking for some kind of clue as to where in the mansion she's communicating from.]

I haven't decided yet. The boss doesn't seem to be around.

[And if he was, he probably wouldn't like it. The question is, will getting to play her way be worth the scolding she'll get when Sam finds out?

Well. Usually, yes.

Besides, it's not as if he's against a little mayhem, he just prefers their actions to be organized. Deliberate. That gets a little dull from time to time.

The camera shifts slightly, and a glimpse over her shoulder may just give Castiel enough to place her in one of the tea rooms.]

Anyways, I'm not talking genocide. I do have some restraint.

[But not much.]

[Maybe not genocide, but that's not what Castiel had expected in the first place. If the demon hurts anyone, that's going to be on Jo's conscience and it's going to add another count to someone's death toll. He can't stand for either of those things.

While Castiel does take note of the tea room, it doesn't exactly narrow it down. The mansion is full of them, though he can at least make an educated guess that she's on the fifth floor.

If he starts zapping around to different tea rooms in search of her, though, it's going to be suspicious, and so instead he walks, making his way to the closest stairwell.]

And who's the boss? [There are too many possibilities. Lucifer, Azazel, Crowley...]

You don't know?

[That seems to amuse her more than surprise, and she smiles knowingly at him, pleased with being given the opportunity to tell -- though the fact that he's moving hasn't escaped her. She can only assume he's looking for her, but she's not afraid of any angel.

As if he would let one of them lay a hand on her.]

Lucifer's chosen. The Boy King.

[Afraid or not, Castiel will be coming for her. He can't smite her, of course -- she's not really a demon to begin with, despite the black eyes. She's a Mirror in demon's clothing, which isn't much of a threat at all when it comes down to it.

He can't exorcise her, but he can at least help Jo regain her control. Castiel doubts she's going to run or end the call, as demons are too prideful for that most of the time. It's the arrogance that gets them every time.

Of course, Castiel's fallen prey to that himself.

What the Mirror says gives him pause for just a moment. He knows the term, of course, and who that title was supposed to belong to.]

... Sam. [So that answers the question of what Sam's Mirror is like. It's not as if both Dean and Sam's Mirrors could be harmless, no, that would have been far too simple.] Where is he?

[Arrogance is certainly the name of the game here. If there's one thing to be said about demons, real or otherwise, it's that most of them are predictable. Jo's mirror is no different.]

I don't know. Not here.

[Something she seems to be rather put-out about.]

Last time we came to this side, he loved it here. I've yet to see him surface this time around.

[It's worrying, but she won't say it out loud. Even demons have their loyalties.]

[That's the thing about demons like Meg and Crowley. They're different, they've broken from the mold. They've done it in two ways that are like night and day, yes, but that's still what's makes them stand out from the rest.

Castiel's guessing that this demon version of Jo is going to be much more generic. He continues to moves from tea room to tea room, tedious as it is, because he needs to find her.

So he'll keep her talking.]

Could it be he got bored of you? [Or he's planning something in secret. Castiel's going to need to track down Sam as soon as he's done dealing with Jo.]

No.

[The answer is almost immediate, vehement. Either she's absolutely sold on the fact that such a thing would be impossible, or she's really defensive -- but whatever the case, he's come close to hitting a nerve.]

If he's not here, then he has a reason.

[Or his Real has managed to avoid getting attacked, unlike her own.]

It's not like any of us came over by choice this time.

[Oh, so she's loyal, then. Not that she'd exactly made that a secret, but Castiel still files the information away. Is Dean aware of all this? If not, Castiel's going to need to fill him in, as the Mirrors of two people he's close to (though with Jo, things have been tumultuous lately) are dangerous.

If Sam has avoided the roots, then all the better. Castiel wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. Sam's a good hunter, maybe better than Dean on his good days.]

No... though I doubt a demon would mind having control of someone else's body.

[It's said pointedly, but mainly he's just trying to stall for time. It might not work with most people, but demons tend to fall for bait fairly easily.]

I can't say the chance to come over to this side of the mirrors isn't appreciated.

[Things are stifling on the other side, as far as she's concerned. She's not particularly fond of the Queen of Hearts, either, though she and Sam have talked at length about following orders and playing nice. For now. As it stands, they don't have much of a choice, but he's assured her that won't always be the case.]

This side is a lot more hospitable, nosy reals and all.

[He's right. Bait works. Like so many other demons, she loves to hear herself talk.]

[None of the Mirrors actually seem to enjoy the place that they're so often imprisoned, and that makes Castiel wonder what makes it so different from this side. He's heard it's smaller, but as far as he's concerned, this side is also very limited.

Hospitable is not the word he would have expected her to choose, though. He realizes that as a general rule, the Reals are more compassionate than their counterparts, but he doesn't think that's a solid rule either.]

How so? Have others here offered you kindness?

[All he's seen so far is paranoia and wariness from most people, which is understandable given the circumstances. But really, no one should be playing nice with a demon.]

Not kindness, no, but they're a lot more fun than most of the folks on our side.

[Considering what your typical black-eyed demon tends to consider 'fun,' that means nothing good.]

There's more to do here. It's still a cage, but a slightly larger cage -- with nicer amenities.

[And the Queen isn't breathing down their necks on this side.]

[Castiel knows exactly what she means by fun in this case. The Reals are more entertaining to toy with, possibly because they're more developed beings with a life and a set of memories, not to mention that plenty of them have heroic streaks.

Oddly enough, the demon does understand that no matter where they go, they're still caged. Castiel eyes her for a few long seconds, not much liking the fact that they would agree on anything.]

There are definitely plenty of...

[And then he opens the next door on his search, finally finding her in one of the tea rooms. He lingers in the doorway, shoulders squared.]

Rooms to hide in.

[She lowers Jo's phone, tucking it into her back pocket as she turns to face him. She studies him for a moment before giving a fluid shrug, turning her hands up.]

So you got me, angelface. Point for you. So what now, huh?

[She drops her chin slightly, smiling coyly. Got a plan, Feathers?]

I don't think an exorcism exactly applies to this situation, and you can't lay a hand on me without hurting your friend, here, either. That wouldn't be very righteous of you, would it?

[Angelface isn't the most creative name he's been called by a demon. Castiel would rate it about a four out of ten, if he was asked.

She's right about one thing: an exorcism wouldn't do any good. But it's clear that the Mirror didn't pay that much attention to the network. Otherwise she might have seen the service that he'd been offering.

Without saying a word about how righteous he is or isn't, Castiel makes use of his wings. One second he's there, the next he's not -- but only because he warps around to stand directly behind Jo, reaching around her to slap his palm against her forehead.

He makes quick work of it, picking out the Mirror's presence, which is so very distinguishable from Jo's, to disable it.

He isn't sure how ready Jo will be to be in charge again, so he's ready to catch her if she loses her balance.]

[She'd been too lax, too used to people from this side of the mirrors hesitating to take action -- that had been her experience up until now, what she'd faced during the chess game, even when her opponents knew what had to be done to progress. His taking the initiative catches her by surprise, and she struggles to wrench herself free and lurch forward, but it's too late, and the damage has been done.

She falls to her knees, catching herself with her hands rather than collapsing to the ground entirely. The real Jo is there, ready to take back control, breathing heavily as she steadies herself. Slowly, cautiously, she sits back on her heels and looks up at Castiel, lips pressed into a thin, tired line. Clearly, it's been a rough day.]

... thank you. She really likes the sound of her own voice, doesn't she?

[Castiel fails to actually grab for Jo before her knees hit the ground, but all in all it isn't that bad of a fall. He takes a step back as she shifts into a sitting position, and while it's odd to look down at her like this, all he does is offer a hand to help her up.

At least Jo is back to normal. That's the important thing.]

Most demons do. Though that Mirror is really only a poor imitation of one.

[Which doesn't mean that it can be underestimated, of course. Castiel's relieved that he'd been able to track Jo down, because there's no telling what might have happened otherwise.]

Do you think you'll be able to maintain control from here? [Otherwise, Castiel's going to have to do his best to keep an eye out for her until this all blows over.]

[She takes the offered hand gladly, accepting his help in hoisting herself up and getting back on her feet. She winces a little in the process, her head throbbing relentlessly, but she supposes it makes sense. Considering she'd been going three rounds with her Mirror inside of her skull, a headache is a pretty mild side-effect. She'll take it.]

I haven't really talked to enough demons at length to be able to make a fair comparison, but yeah, she seems pretty cookie-cutter to me. Needlessly violent, talks too much. I'd have doused myself in holy water if I thought it would do any good.

[Maybe it would, but like hell her Mirror was going to let her get close enough to any holy water to make it happen.]

I should be able to, I think. She'll be out for awhile, right? That gives me time to take precautions and make sure she doesn't get at anyone else if she does shove me out of the way again.

[Jo makes a good point. Sometimes Castiel forgets that not every hunter is like the Winchesters, dealing with demons left and right. Still, at this point Jo must have interacted plenty with both Meg and Crowley, which gives her a good spread of what demons can be like.

His guess is that holy water wouldn't do a thing, but it's something he can keep in mind for next time, if it comes to that point.]

It should be a few hours. Be vigilant, keep her suppressed, and you may get longer than that. [He nods slowly, and in a way he's relieved that he won't need to shadow Jo quite so closely. They've barely spoken since he healed Tom's face, and there's reason for that.

It's not that Castiel's decided to shun her or pick Dean over her. It isn't his place to take sides or to judge the situation, and Dean is slowly making amends himself. It's just... awkward, and Castiel avoids awkward as much as he can.]

[It's awkward for the both of them, to be honest. She and Dean are well on the mend, back to talking regularly if not quite as chummy as they had been during her first few months in Wonderland, but there's progress. Things may even go back to what passes as normal for them someday, but for now, she's content to let the wound heal slowly, naturally. It seems to be what's best for both of them.

As for their friends on the sidelines, like Cas? Well. She hasn't figured out how to approach that just yet, let alone fix it.]

... thank you.

[She's uncertain about accidentally saying too little or maybe too much, but she can at least thank him.]

I shouldn't keep you. I'm guessing there are other people out there who need your help, too. More than I do.

[It doesn't seem like Jo is any more interested in extending this into a conversation now that her Mirror has been dealt with, and she's right: there are others out there who might need his help.

They're going to need to speak about this at some point, but not when there are Mirrors running amok.]

Call me if your Mirror rears its head again.

[Because things may not be quite right between them, but Castiel is able to prioritize. Jo's safety comes before any tension that might exist because of her falling out with Dean.

With a firm nods, he takes off with a flutter of wings.]

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