For beees

[lotsoflaughs]

It's a reasonably warm and sunny day and Gabriel is sitting on a park bench, leaning back against it with his arms folded over his chest and legs stretched out in front of him, a backpack sitting on the ground by the bench. He's watching the kids playing in the playground area when he gets distracted by Castiel's arrival. He turns his head to look at him before squinting. Okay, there's sure something going on. "Hey. This is a bit of a time hop for you, isn't it?"

And maybe a bit more than that, he isn't entirely sure. "You seem to be about a century off from when you're supposed to be."

Comments

[lotsoflaughs]

"More to keep the world safe from them. Although some do get used if it's more useful to have them available to help with things. Like P. L. Traver's bag." Not that Gabriel really expects Castiel to know who she was. "Okay, the cookie jar that has a never-ending supply of cookies isn't actually useful, but it is fun."

That may be where he can actually get to it, rather than in a heavily warded building.

[beees]

Castiel has no idea who P. L. Travers is. But. A cookie jar that never runs out of cookies? In Gabriel's hands? "You have access to a cookie jar with a never-ending supply of cookies, and it's still at the warehouse?"

[lotsoflaughs]

"No, it's at the house. The Warehouse is heavily warded. Nothing supernatural can get in. Just as well, really; considering that stuff sometimes reacts badly when a couple of humans get pissed off in the wrong aisle. An enraged archangel? Place would go nuclear."

[beees]

Castiel nods. "Perhaps it is for the best that the warehouse is warded, then." He smiles a little, "It also removes any temptation that may strike for you to take any other dessert producing objects home."

[lotsoflaughs]

"Hey, a century ago, I would have been saving a couple of Claudia's coworkers from themselves," he objects. "Benefiting myself in the process, obviously. We keep the jar where the kiddo can't reach it, for the record."

[beees]

"Are you sure you would have helped them, or would you have thought they were getting precisely what they deserved?" Castiel raises his eyebrows. "It's probably a wise idea to keep the cookie jar out of reach. Has the boy inherited your sweet tooth?"

[lotsoflaughs]

"Probably both," he says in a more or less innocent tone. Immediately followed by, "He's a kid. There are very few children not into anything made of sugar."

[beees]

"I suppose that's probably true." Castiel concedes. "I'm afraid I don't have much experience with children."

[lotsoflaughs]

"Enh, more experience doesn't keep the you of this time from the occasional 'I don't understand. Why is this funny?' due to lacking an eight-year-old's sense of humor," Gabriel says, glancing back at the playground to see what said eight-year-old was currently up to.

[beees]

"I'm sure you have a much better understanding of a child's sense of humour than I would." There's a just a hint of a smile as Castiel follows Gabriel's glance. "What's his name?"

[lotsoflaughs]

Gabriel snorts. "Becoming forgetful in your old age? His name's Joshua. Named after Claudia's older brother. Although he's only heard of his uncle. Something to do with her wanting to wait around a century for kids."

[beees]

Castiel nods. "I trust that Claudia's over a century old, has some connection to the warehouse, or her position as its caretaker?"

[lotsoflaughs]

"It's the whole Caretaker thing. When she joined the Warehouse, the Caretaker at the time looked like she was in her fifties and had a grandson in a nursing home. That made an impression." Content that his son wasn't getting into trouble, Gabriel goes back to focusing more on Castiel.

[beees]

"I can imagine that would make an impression." Especially on a human. "What happened to the last Caretaker?"

[lotsoflaughs]

"She retired. Actually retired, not had something horrible happen. Her connection to the Warehouse was severed when Claudia decided she was ready to take over." Gabriel raises an eyebrow slightly at Castiel. "I think that's probably enough about Claudia's job for now. Given who she very well may have in tow if she decides to pop up, it's time to move on."

"Spefically we had a very long talk after your Godsiel phase that eventually led to my wanting to know where the stuff Balthazar stole went. Needing an angel who was confirmed to be dead also ended up coming to mind at some point after." Gabriel isn't normally in the habit of finding ways to rez his younger siblings, but he had work for little brother.

[beees]

Castiel's eyebrows knit together in confusion as Gabriel mentions that Claudia might show up with someone in tow. As he moves on to bring up his stint as God, he frowns, taking an interest in the ground. That definitely wasn't one of his finer moments, and he regrets killing Balthazar about as much as all the deaths of the other siblings and humans he's responsible for combined.

He looks up, though, as soon as Gabriel says that they needed a dead angel. "Did you find a way to bring Balthazar back?"

[lotsoflaughs]

"Yeah and he's already had the awkward painful conversation when he felt up to dealing with you and I'm sure he'd like to skip repeating it." Just to nip that one in the bud a tad.

[beees]

"No, I can't say I fault him for that." Castiel will behave himself and steer clear.

[lotsoflaughs]

Good. While Balthazar has come to terms with the proper Castiel, no need to make him go through it with another.

Anyway. "It's not practical for me to go everywhere with Claudia--ignoring that I can't get in the Warehouse--which is why I needed him. Crowley noticed her, so I wanted someone no one would be looking for. He'd been given instructions to keep an eye on her from a distance--along with the warning that the Winchesters taught her that rock salt fired from a shotgun trick."

[beees]

"I suppose that makes sense." Castiel isn't surprised that Crowley's aware of the Warehouse, and he'd be even less surprised if the demon hadn't been trying to take advantage of it. "How does Balthazar feel about this assignment?"

[lotsoflaughs]

Actually, Claudia only got noticed because of her habit of spending time around Gabriel. They've been careful to try to keep Crowley from getting too much info about her actual job.

"Once he was done being glad to be alive again and sorting through his baggage you mean?" Gabriel asks drily. "He managed to keep complaining to a minimum. It really helps that I don't expect him to be 'on duty', so to speak 24/7. When she's actually with me, what he's gonna do that an archangel can't? And since we cant get in the Warehouse, not much point in him hanging around outside."

[beees]

It's probably for the best that Crowley doesn't know about Claudia's job. Hopefully he doesn't know about Joshua either.

Castiel looks away briefly. Killing Balthazar was certainly a low point, and having it pointed out that there as baggage associated with that dredges up old guilt. "Well. I'm glad it sounds like he's doing reasonably well, under the circumstances."

[lotsoflaughs]

Crowley's aware that if he tries anything with any of Gabriel's family that he would cease to exist. His penchant for survival is still alive and well.

"Yep, he is. I know better than to try to make him be all work, all the time--and wouldn't ask it in the first place--so he has plenty of time to go do whatever."

[beees]

"Well, you have a bit of a history of enjoying plenty of recreational time yourself. It would be a bit hypocritical of you not to allow Balthazar the same freedoms now and again."

[lotsoflaughs]

"Yep. Not gonna ask him to do something I won't." Although given he's an archangel, it's less 'ask', more 'tell'.