asgardeventide | 003 ♖ [video]

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003 ♖ [video]

[The feed shows Castle laying on his bed, looking half-asleep or maybe just bored. He could probably be doing something productive, something that could benefit the war effort in some way, but would rather ask the population at large a question.]

Hey, Asgard - What's your favorite book?

[He's not doing research of any kind, just purely curious. But if anyone asks, this is somehow related to the Welcoming Committee. Don't worry, he'll make it work.]

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Badass car thing sounds like something I could get behind.

[She hesitates.]

... yeah. But I said I didn't really wanna depress you. Are you sure you want to know?

I'm alright with knowing if you're alright telling me.

[He doesn't want to cause her additional trauma, but he's curious.]

Telling you isn't a big deal for me. It's just how it is, yanno?

[Ellie gives a little sigh, trying to figure out where to begin, then flips on the video feed, flips on the "private" lock.]

So... I guess my world used to be a lot like this. But without magic, or this war, anything like that. I'm from Boston, right? Joel's from Texas.

Twenty years ago, there was some kind of outbreak. The military calls it CBI, the cordyceps brain infection. We just call it the 'ceps, or Infected. It's contagious. It doesn't kill you, but it grows all over the brain and drives people crazy. They start... attacking everyone they see. Biting them, infecting them, beating them to death.

Whenever I start talking about this people tell me it sounds a lot like a zombie apocalypse. I guess it is, but they're not dead. They're strong. And fast.

Anyway, I grew up in the Quarantine Zone in Boston. The military's in charge there. There are rations, curfews, weapon laws, the whole nine yards. But it's not like here. If they catch you out after dark, you're shot on sight. You only get rations if you work, and most of the time I guess they don't... have them.

There's shooting in the streets all the time. Not all the time, but sometimes it's skirmishes between the military and the Fireflies. Riley and I even got in on some of them.

The Fireflies are like... the military calls them terrorists. But I don't exactly know about that. They're the only other armed force in the QZ, and they want the military out of power. I -- I don't know who's right, but the Fireflies are the only ones still looking for a vaccine.

Outside the QZ's are way, way worse.

[Castle listens intently to Ellie as she speaks, his eyes wide with interest. He was definitely thinking zombie apocalypse, even before she mentioned it.]

You know, I've read a lot of zombie books, and I always think it'd be cool to fight zombies, but I'm sure it would absolutely suck to live through.

I'm sorry.

[Ellie chews her lip, obviously with more to tell him, but wondering if she should go on. Finally, she decides that she doesn't mind getting into it. He asked.]

I grew up in in this... military prep school. That's a fancy way of saying "orphanage". Riley and I... used to sneak out all the time. Break into the old mall. Pretend to play the video games. Have watergun fights. ... you know. Dumb teenager stuff.

[She ducks her head, watching her lap.]

I got bitten.

[No mention of what happened to Riley. None. That's a whole different story, one that he didn't ask her for.]

But for some reason, I didn't die. And that's the thing. Once you're bitten, you're done. It's your last stop.

So... when I didn't go crazy, I knew I couldn't go back to the academy. So I went to the Fireflies. Riley and I had met them before. Marlene -- that's their leader -- used to be good friends with my mom.

[Again, she's leaving a lot out.]

She was going to take me to some of their scientists, so they could try and make a vaccine from whatever happened to me, but she got hurt, so- she hired Joel and Tess to get me out of the city. Only the meetup didn't go all that well. The military found them before we did, and it... was a hell of night, and...

[Ellie makes a few sweeping gestures, like it's hard to convey. Her tone is casual, but the look in her eyes makes it clear that it was bad. Very bad. No further mention of Tess or Marlene.]

Long story short, for the last year, Joel and I have been taking the world's most exciting road trip.

[Castle nods, listening. He doesn't want to say much, wanting instead to just let her tell her story. There's nothing he can say, really.]

And now you're here.

... and now I'm here.

It's weird. You never realize what you've got until it's gone. Or what you never had until you have it.

[He feels even worse for her that Asgard is so much better than the place she came from.]

If I could take you back to New York with me I would.

[He meant it, even if it sounded rash. Maybe Ellie wouldn't even want to go.]

[Ellie's expression crumples into something childlike, near-tears for a split second before she schools it away, looks down. It's the last thing she ever expects. Plenty of people care about her, but only Joel and Riley have ever wanted to keep her, to give her a home.

He says it like it's a given. Like it's nothing. He has no way of knowing what that means to her, especially consider how little they truly know each other.]

... I've always wanted to see New York.

But I've got to see this through.

[She sounds tremulous, grateful.]

[And because he knows what it could mean to a girl like her, he can't say something like that lightly. In this instance, he's a father, telling a lost child that he wants her. To go back on it would be devastating.]

Maybe there will be a way, after we're done with the war.

Tell you what.

[She lifts her head with a smile, all bright cheekiness again. Her heart's still there in her eyes.]

If Joel can come too, I'll take you up on that.

Deal.

[It would be a good idea. Taking in Ellie would be a huge commitment, as much as he wanted to help her. Having another adult with her would be very helpful.]

I'll have to meet this Joel.

I've got to warn you, he's kinda...

[She bobs her head back and forth, searching for the word.]

He doesn't talk that much. He just kinda grunts a lot. Gives you weird looks.

Then again, maybe that's just how we were.

[Castle shrugs.]

Sounds like Kate when I first met her.

Actually, no, Kate talked to me, it was just mostly sarcasm.

Oh yeah?

Go on, tell me about it. What happened?

[He smiles a little as he thinks back to their first meeting.]

You have to understand I was a bit of a different guy back then. Not much, just less serious. Yes, even less serious than I am now.

Someone had committed a murder that was a copycat of one I had written in "Flowers For Your Grave", so I was called in for a consult. Kate was lead detective on the case. I think I was initially attracted to her because she seemed so unimpressed with me. [He laughs.] But there was something else about her too that drew me to her. I wanted to base a character on her. So.. I pulled some strings with the mayor and got to follow her around on cases. Turned out I was a pretty good amateur detective.

... so she thought you were an asshole because you were treating it like a book and not real life.

[Or so Ellie assumes. She grimaces, looking down at her hands, seeing how this might have played out. She'd probably be pissed too.]

No, I always treated murders like real life. Being at crime scenes is pretty serious although I do.. enjoy lightening the tension.

[Count on Castle to crack jokes at crime scenes.]

She was an asshole to me because she liked me, but didn't want me to know it because she thought it would feed my ego.

[It takes approximately two seconds for it to click in Ellie's mind, and a huge smile spreads across her face.]

I know exactly what you're talking about.

Oh, thanks.

[He gives her an eye roll, but it's playful at least.]

No! I mean Riley.

[She starts laughing anyway, though.]

Oh! [He laughs too.] I wasn't offended, by the way.

Okay, good.

[Still giggling, she rakes her hair back from her face.]

She'd probably take it as a compliment.

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003 ♖ [video]

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