Echoes of Mercy (Astrid)

[ASTRID NIGHT]

It greatly saddened Astrid to see Gwen cry, but she was unsure of how to respond in the proper way. Emotion was still new to her, but she knew that she wanted to help if she could find a way. Astrid tried to catch her gaze and once she did held it, she wanted her to know that she understood, and that she wasn't going to turn her away. They were both stuck in unfortunate situations because of the choices they had made, the least she could do was be completely understanding.

"I can't tell you what the outcome will be, but from what I have learned here on Earth, it's important to keep those you love close to you. I have not been able to have any sort of closeness with anyone since heaven, and it's something I miss everyday. Maybe someday you can tell him"

Astrid offered a smile, hoping that maybe just by giving her someone to talk to she had possibly helped the situation. Astrid opened her arms in an offering for another hug, hoping her sister would take it. She wanted to show her affection for her sibling somehow, and this seemed to be the only way she knew how at the moment.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen rushed into Astrid's arm, holding her tightly in a sisterly embrace. She tried drying up her tears, crying softly before finally shaking her head. "I've tried to keep him close to protect him. But I wonder if I might bring him to danger because...of the man I used to love. He is intent on finding me and killing anyone who stands in his way."

James had gotten worse over the years. He was tainted because his dealings with the demons and slowly he was growing more insane with power and the knowledge that he was eventually going to die. More hunters were being killed and Gwen was terrified for anyone who was unlucky enough to come into contact with him.

She wasn't even sure how she was able to avoid him for so long. James was not only eliminating hunters, but he was hunting after her to either kill her once in for all or try to bring her to his side. Gwen didn't know if he'd try killing everyone she was close to just to force her into submission.

"I'm afraid, sister. Afraid of everything it seems." Gwen was terrified of heartbreak, terrified of losing Dean, terrified of dying. It was a rush of fear that kept her on her toes and most of the time led her to be overly cautious and more times than not she forced Dean to forgo some of his more reckless plans.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

This time Astrid was ready, opening her arms to Gwen as she seemed to collapse into them. She wrapped her arms around her and grasped her tightly. There were always situations that came up like this it seemed. There was always someone out there who it felt like you had to keep safe. Astrid felt fear and sadness radiating off of Gwen and it made her angry and protective and she wanted to help in any way that she could.

“Why is he killing off the hunters?”

That struck her as odd. Hunters kept things safe, and kept a balance between what was good in the world and what was bad and it was important that the balance not be broken. If hunters were being killed off it was only a matter of time before things went from bad to worse and they needed to try and avoid that at all costs.

“I want to help you, Gwen. I feel as if I could be of service and I could help you. I could fight him with you, at least if you needed me there. As for the Winchester boy, have you ever thought that maybe it’s worth the risk to him?”

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen felt her mood darken for a moment before shaking the thoughts away and trying to remain as calm as possible. The tears dried up as she pulled away from the hug so she could get ahold of herself. Emotions were tricky sometimes.

"I...He grew obsessed with having power because he feared dying. He made a pact with a crossroad's demon and ever since then he has made it his mission to kill hunters and work for the demons. The way he justifies it is that he's bringing everyone down with him." Gwen had to keep most of the disgust out of her voice. The skewed logic he had was truly appalling. It almost made her sick to her stomach.

Gwen blinked in surprise, watching her sister with wide, curious eyes. "Y-you would do that?" She shook her head. "I would welcome your help, if we got into trouble but I wouldn't want to burden you." Her cheeks flushed at the mentioning of Dean again. "I...he told me he wanted me to rely on him. But I don't want him to get hurt."

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid frowned at what Gwen had just told her. There were often cases of hums and even angel’s teaming up with demons, but it was a dangerous path to walk down. This ex, James, had obviously fallen down a dirty and reckless path that had eventually corrupted him. It saddened her that Gwen had to be a part of this and she even more firmly wanted to be able to help Gwen if she ever needed it.

“Of course I would help you, Gwen. We are family, you are my sister and I know that I could be of some use.”

Astrid kept her hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly before continuing with a small smile forming as the corners of her lips turned up. If Gwen wanted her around at times she would gladly go. She found herself enjoying the company and she wanted to continue to be on good terms with someone from heaven who had gone through some of the same things that she had. Astrid wanted a friend.

“you would not be a burden to me. I would enjoy being of service when you needed me and I would also enjoy the company. It’s not something I come across often and you have been nothing but kind to me. I would be honored.”

[GWEN MORGAN]

"I would be very happy for your company," Gwen's eyes softened as relief was evident on her face. It had been awhile since she had anyone to travel with and perhaps she could hunt with her sister. "I have been alone myself with no contact with our other siblings. I would be overjoyed if you'd travel with me." She tried to keep most of her emotions on the backburner.

As much as he loved human emotion and portraying her feelings, she still remembered how awkward and sometimes uncomfortable it was for angels to be exposed to it. Castiel had been confused by her overt feelings of unease and now Astrid, though able to understand and accept them better, probably felt the same.

"How long have you been on Earth, Astrid?" Gwen questioned, curious. She felt her head cock to the side, blinking and waiting for an answer. Usually the longer an angel was on earth the easier it was for them to comprehend things and the more knowledge they had.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid offered another smile, very pleased that her sister had not turned down her offer. It would be nice to have someone around that she could trust. Someone that had come from the same place and how had believe in the same things. It was very much a comfort to her. At the mention of her time on Earth Astrid frowned a bit. It felt like she had been on Earth for a very long time, when in reality it had not been all that long.

"It was shortly after the Devil's Gate was opened. When i questioned my superiors, it ws very much about the course of action that they wanted to take. I have not been on this Earth for very long"

Astrid paused for a second before continuing.

"And what about you, Gwen? How long have you been living here on Earth with the humans. I know what you have told me of the story, but not much about the timeline"

She was curious to know, she wondered how much her sister had seen and what she had been around for so far as she lived with thei father's creations. It would be helpful to learn from her if she had been here long enough to be knowledgeable about the things that Astrid didn't quite have down yet.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen let her mind wander, thoroughly thinking the question through. She had been on Earth for a very long time, especially counting both instances. The first had been lovely for a while and then turned sour; this time there was an urgency to save humanity from the end.

"I first came down many years ago. I stayed on the Earth for about five years with James until I thought he had died and I implored our siblings to take me back." She sighed. "I spent another year hunting demons and earning back their respect and trust before they let me come back to Heaven. It was a very long and hard road but I have learned very much. Emotions come almost as natural to me as the desire to save humanity."

Gwen hugged her arms, smiling almost sadly. "This time I have been down the same amount of time as you, since the Devil's Gate was opened."

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid nodded her head at her sister, Gwen would be able to help her out, she had been here longer and Astrid was excited to spend time with her and learn about her life and the things that she had been doing with her time on Earth.

"Do you live somewhere? Or are you a traveler?"

Astrid wondered what the next course of action would be. They couldn't stay here in this place forever, and she was antsy to get a move on with a companion this time around. The urge to hunt was an itch that she felt needed to be scratched

"Where do we go from here?"

Astrid found herself wondering out loud. She was unsure of where she should go next and she wanted Gwen's opinion. Perhaps they could come to a compromise and travel and hunt together for awhile, though she realized she really didn't have any clue as to what Gwen's usual habits were and that was information that was going to be important if they wanted to keep in touch and stick together with all of this.

[GWEN MORGAN]

The question surprised her but Gwen smiled and nodded. "I am a traveler. There aren't many places to settle down especially with the hunt being so important. I don't think I've stayed anywhere longer than a couple of days." Gwen flushed a bit at one memory. One time it had been a week but that was special circumstances...and with the Winchesters along with Shiloh.

Gwen shook those thoughts away and smiled at the thought of having company again. It had been rather long since she had traveled with anyone so it was a relief.

"Anywhere." She nodded after pondering. She smiled thoughtfully. "We should research and look for the nearest disturbance. There must be somewhere close that needs our help." Double the hunter-power would make missions and things easier. It would be a relief to have someone watching her back and not having to fear that something was coming behind her while she was covering her front.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

"I agree, that sounds like a good idea"

Astrid was a bit unsure of where to go from here, she had never traveled with someone before and she was eager to please Gwen and to prove herself to be a fair companion. The fact that they were both angel's who still obtained at least a bit of power was also going to be helpful and together they could be virtually unstoppable. Unless someone were to discover any weaknesses that is. Though Astrid had fallen, there were still a lot of strengths she possessed that would be helpful.

"I think we can be of great assistance to each other. I also miss my family very much and am happy to be of service to you"

Astrid was smiling now, a full on smile that seemed to stretch across her entire face and she was really happy. It was a feeling she was not accustomed to, her time on Earth had not been filled with moments like this and she found it relieving to know that there was emotions that existed beyond loneliness.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen's smile was soft, gentle. She had missed knowing the warmth of companionship strong and true like it was with her siblings. "Family. I have missed having my family." Gwen held out her arms for another hug, almost hesitant because she was still unsure of how her sibling would take it, but needing the human gesture to reassure her.

"I am glad to have you with me, sister." Thoughts started tumbling into her head one after the other as she realized they would need to prepare and be on the move very soon. "Do you have equipment for hunts?" Another question she wanted to ask was...did her sister eat and drink like normal humans...like she herself did? It wasn't a pertinent question but Gwen wished to know. She mulled over asking about it or not before finally saying, "Do you partake in human food and drink?" It couldn't hurt to ask.

[ASTRID NIGHT]

Astrid stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Gwen again, she was unused to affection but it was something that she found she wanted to become accustomed too. It felt good to have someone expressing any sort of affections towards her and she found herself wanting to return the gesture. When they pulled back she listened to Gwen as her a question.

"I have equipment, at least when it comes to demons and most other monsters. The only thing I don't have." she hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. "I don't have a blade to defend myself against other angels."

Astrid felt so ashamed admitting this. She shouldn't have to defend herself against the other angels, if she hadn't fallen this wouldn't be an issue, but if she were to be found by the other angel's there could be trouble and as of right now she had no means to defend herself and that was scary. She could be dragged back to Heaven's prison and she would be powerless to stop it. She was so ashamed. Astrid ducked her head and pushed her hair back out of her face ignoring the stinging in her eyes before continuing.

"Food is something I require, it is also something I quite enjoy. It seems to be one of the perks of being a human that I enjoy."

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen perked up, beaming in pride. She could provide at least that for her sister despite Astrid being able to take care of herself in other ways and most importantly against demons. “I have a blade like that. It isn’t as effective as I would like but it will keep them off our backs.” It was back in the trunk of her motorcycle. Though she couldn’t carry as much as the hunters with actual cars on their side, Gwen could get most of the other resources she needed at stores or even from local hunters in an area. Her hunting instincts picked up no matter where she went or when she was there.

“You don’t have to feel shame around me, Astrid.” Her voice was gentle realizing how badly it affected her sibling. “I feel the same way about leaving but we had no choice. We want to save humanity.” It was a just cause and one that couldn’t be ignored. “We’re doing the right thing.” Sometimes…sometimes Gwen hesitated when saying things like that and wondered if she really was following the right path but there was no turning back now and lots of work to do in the meantime.

“Are you hungry right now? There is a diner back there we can eat at before heading out. It’d probably be smart to figure out the plan in detail before doing it.” On the fly sort of missions were edgy and could be fun but were dangerous and if they felt disoriented that would hinder them even more so.