[ she continues to grip his chin, but the strength of her hold lessens considerably. after all, it's not every day that a knight piece has the king in their hands. ]

[ the stroke of her ego does help by a mile, too. ]

[ he does have a point, though. he's useful. castiel is a name that evokes such a range of emotions, from those of his own kind — anger and pity — to those whom he now serves. tossing a fallen angel to the side would be of poor choice. abaddon knows she can easily make an example out of him, a warning to his brothers and sisters that they may have been able to defeat her brothers and sisters, but they'll never defeat her (despite the fact that they very well have the ability to do so, but her determination will keep her going). but considering the nature of his relationships with other certain pieces, abaddon's willing to make an exception and forego the knee-jerk reaction of sending out a warning — and an invitation for a two-front war. ]

And your hunters won't follow the footsteps of your beloved brethren? [ she tilts her head just a little, surveying his face, looking for a tell. ] Leave Little Red to the Big, Bad Wolf?

[ castiel can talk himself up, but abaddon hasn't seen the way in which he interacts with the hunters. do they value him as much as he'd like her to believe? she's starting to think so, but hearing him say it would be the icing on the cake for her evening. ]