entranceway | [ 009 | Video | Dated 11/25, Post-Event ]

[When the feed opens, Jo looks a little worn around the edges. She's pretty sure that look is going around at the moment -- the event had been a hard one for a lot of people, enough so that she'd almost considered not issuing this invitation at all, but she and Tohru had discussed it and decided together that sticking with the original plan was probably for the best. Events came and went all the time in Wonderland, and deciding not to deviate was probably the best medicine for any ills this one had caused. Still, there was a little more weighing her down than just that. She hadn't seen or heard anything from or about her mother in days, and considering they hadn't been on the best terms lately, it had her stomach in knots.

She clears her throat a little before putting on her best face, offering the feed a tired but genuine smile.]

I know this probably feels a little bit last-minute. Ned and Tohru and I have been talking about it for awhile, and I'd planned to say something earlier, but things came up.

[The event, mostly. She's pretty sure she doesn't have to elaborate on that.]

I've heard people talking a little about Thanksgiving, and awhile back, I talked to Ned about hosting it for everyone, like some of us helped Dean do last year. We'd talked then about wanting to make it a tradition, do it every year, even for people who don't normally celebrate it, and I wanna hold to that. The bar is huge and has room for everyone -- I'd like to do it there again. I know some people here have family or friends they'd like to do their own gatherings with, and we don't want to interfere with that, so--

[She pauses, the mention of family making her smile flicker just the tiniest bit before she reinforces it.]

What I'd like to do is host it tomorrow, the day before Thanksgiving. Some people have family here, either biological or otherwise, but not everyone does. I know not everyone gets along, but for one day, it would be nice to be able to put everything aside and check our problems at the door. Remember that we're all in the same boat, just for a little while.

So-- no matter who you are, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving back home or not, everyone is welcome. Food will be on at about three PM, and while we've got some stuff mapped out, we're glad to accept any help that anyone else wants to offer. Everyone is free to contribute and come to spend as much or as little time with everyone as they'd like.

[Weapons will be checked at the door, just in case, but otherwise the open-door policy stands.]

There's no telling how long any of us are stuck here. Some of us have been here a long while, others are new, but whether we like it or not, we're a community. It would be good to focus on the upsides of that and remember the good parts about being in Wonderland, instead of letting the bad weigh us down.

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[As one of those few people who had been here during the last Thanksgiving, Castiel had been expecting this announcement. It does take time for him to decide whether or not he wants to attend, although chances are he'd have no choice in the matter when it came down to it.

But the event had been hard on people, Castiel included. Given that he harmed a few people and even killed someone, all against his own will, it's tempting to avoid everyone for the next week at least. But he imagines that his absence would be noted and so it doesn't seem like the most well-thought-out idea.

Last Thanksgiving, Castiel hadn't been ready to accept the community that Jo's speaking about now. He and Dean had gotten into an argument after the fact, as the idea of anyone wanting to stay here in Wonderland had been foreign to him. Now, he's more accepting of the concept, though his ultimate plan is still to go home.

Not that he's made much progress there.

He decides to return the broadcast with a call, not in the mood for showing his face after the last event.]

I doubt I would be of much help, but if you do have need for me, you know how to find me. [Pause.] Regardless, I'll be there at three PM.

[She makes a mental note of his choice not to provide a visual -- they hadn't crossed paths during the event, but she knew him well enough to know that it must have been particularly bad for him. She wouldn't have blamed if he did decide to withdraw and keep to himself, but the fact that he was responding to her at all meant something.]

Just your company.

[That's all she needs, Cas.]

But I'm glad you're coming. I know it's probably not easy, but-- you'd be missed.

[There are a few people that Castiel would rather not see after certain things that happened during the event, but there are also apologies he needs to make. But there's still that urge to hide away from it all instead of facing it head-on.

Granted, Dean has been avoiding him, he can already tell, and Castiel can't say he even understands the reasoning. Except that they had a difficult encounter and he'd unintentionally hurt him.

He doesn't ask if he'll be there. Jo has her own issues with Dean that they shouldn't touch on right now.

He'd be missed, she says, and the strangest thing is that he knows she isn't lying.] ... I know. It puts it all into perspective when you realize that we've been here for two of these holidays now. [And Jo even longer than him.]

Two so far, and who knows how many more.

[She knows they can't count on being here for any definite amount of time, but they have to face the facts: some people have been here a lot longer than either of them has, and that means it's a possibility that they'll be here at least as long.]

Everything will be okay. Really. I'd like to think that most people can set whatever else is going on aside, even if it's just for an afternoon.

[Optimistic, maybe, but that's her hope.]

[It's extremely optimistic, knowing what Castiel knows about the wide variety of people who are trapped here with them. He's surprised that Jo would even hope for such a thing.

He would prefer to be more realistic.]

If there's anyone who comes and doesn't set their baggage aside, I can always forcibly remove them.

[Castiel may not be any good at cooking, but he's more than willing to be the bouncer for this event.]

[She smiles to herself, unseen.]

I was hoping that would be the case. I know it's too much to hope for that people could manage it on their own, but this is definitely one of those cases where it's good to have an angel for a friend.

[It's not something she likes to abuse, but it is useful every now and then.]

So you'll be on security detail?

[Castiel long ago accepted that part of the reason that he's liked as a friend is because of the perks that come along with it. Sam and Dean don't hesitate to make use of that, and it's not something he can hold against them when they're usually asking because they need help with stopping some new evil force.

As for Jo, she doesn't abuse it, and he's the one who offered, so he doesn't mind.]

I will be. [He's not much for cooking or eating, for that matter, but this much he can manage.]

If anyone starts to make trouble, I should notice, but if I happen not to, just bring it to my attention and I'll handle it.

[There are definitely perks, but all the perks in the world wouldn't make a difference if Jo didn't like Cas for who he was. She hopes there's never any doubt in that respect, but if there ever is, she'll be first in line to remind him.]

I'll keep it in mind. Thanks. I'll let you go for now, but I'll see you there? And-- if you need to talk about anything...

[The event had obviously been rough for him.]

I'm around. You can always talk to me if you need to.

[It's an offer that Jo has extended to him before. She understands that Castiel is not much for trying to pick apart his feelings, and yet she still repeats herself, as if hoping that one day he will take her up on it.

The Thanksgiving feast would hardly be the right setting for it.]

There isn't much to say. [And he could end it there, but nonetheless, he elaborates slightly. He feels that he owes it to Jo.] This place enjoys either stripping me of my powers or rendering me unable to control them. It's... frustrating.

[It's more than that, it's harmful, but no doubt Jo can imagine what could happen if any angel's powers were out of control.]

[It's a very human thing, she realizes, seeking out someone to talk or to vent to, and maybe Castiel will never take her up on it-- but she'll always keep offering. That's what friends do. They makes sure the people they care about know how they feel. They're there for the people who need them. Even if Cas doesn't need her the way she's needed to lean on him in the past, she still wants him to know.]

I can only imagine what that feels like.

[She doesn't have any powers to lose, but she can only assume that it's like misplacing some huge part of yourself.]

Being human isn't so bad, in the long run, but if you're not used to it... probably feels incomplete.

[It does feel as if a part of him has been ripped away whenever he's without his Grace, even if it's only repressed as opposed to completely gone.

But that's not even as bad as it can get.]

I would rather have no use of my powers than have no control over them. [He's too powerful for that kind of thing to be abused, and he'd harmed a number of people without ever meaning to. Even Dean...]

It's for the best that we didn't encounter each other during the event. [That's all he'll say.]

I didn't realize--

[No, she'd been too busy running from her own demons, so to speak, and trying desperately to stick to her anchor once she'd found it. It had helped, some, but she hadn't considered how the event might have effected someone who had more than just regrets to get the better of them. Losing control of power when you had as much as Castiel... that was deadly.]

Yeah... it probably was. [Pause.] I'm glad it's over. For all our sakes.

[Not everyone had been as lucky as Jo, to have avoided him, but Castiel has no words to confess to the things he did. Even if he hadn't meant for any of it, he's still carrying the guilt around with him. It's not rational, he can acknowledge that much, but it doesn't help the feeling go away.

It's only a matter of time before another event puts them through the wringer, but he doesn't need to pull down Jo's mood when she's trying to do something nice for everyone.]

I'll see you tomorrow.

[And with that abrupt send-off, he ends the call.]

[ 009 | Video | Dated 11/25, Post-Event ]

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