As I write this down [OPEN]

[ofthursday]

Who: Castiel, OPEN
What: Arriving in Tokyodisa~
When: July 20th, around noon
Where: The hotel lobby
Rating: Probably PG at most


Once the sky had gone dark once again Castiel had picked a random direction and re-entered the forest, unsure of where he was and which way to go... And then suddenly he was somewhere completely different. He looked around rapidly, confused, turning in place a few times; the room was completely unfamiliar and his first thought was that Metatron had transported him somewhere, but he was alone.

The room was quiet, clean and inviting but at the same time cold and impartial, and oddly he could see daylight through the window; it had been the middle of the night last he was aware. He took a minute or two to explore the room, all nerves on edge and just waiting for someone or something to appear and break the supposed tranquility, but it never came.

Once he'd figured out that he was truly alone and there was nothing overtly dangerous in the room, his next concern was whether he could get out; when he tried the door and it opened without issue it was something of a surprise, as he'd expected to be locked in. It was, at least, a welcome surprise that he wasn't. Stepping out into the hallway, he glanced back at the door to take note of which one it was, and the sight of his name on the door was also unexpected and slightly disconcerting. He obviously hadn't ended up there on accident, and he needed to figure out how and why he had, and he set off cautiously down the hall.

It became apparent quickly enough that he was in a hotel, and that set him a little more at ease, because at least hotels were something familiar to him. Still, it was surreal in a way--the entire day had been--and he wasn't quite processing everything yet, moving on autopilot, nothing having quite sunk in just yet. As Castiel wandered into the lobby his steps slowed, cautious and on edge once again while he looked for someone who might be able to tell him something about where he was.

Figuring that out was the first step to getting somewhere else.

Comments

[putuporshutup]

Meg wandered the halls of the hotel leisurely, half looking for an exit and half just exploring. She followed a hallway down towards what looked to be a lobby. Wherever she had just arrived, it was a vast improvement over being the king of hell's favorite chew toy for the past year.

She ran her hand absentmindedly over the fine silk upholstery of a side chair and tried to get a feel for the energy of the place. It felt like it was supposed to be Earth, but something was just... off. Weird, but whatever. She shrugged, and strode into the bright, airy lobby. It was bustling with people, but she immediately stopped in her tracks and zeroed in on a familiar presence - could it be?

There, milling around, looking even more adorably confused than ever, was her favorite fallen angel. An involuntary smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. "Clarence? That you?"

[ofthursday]

Finally, finally, he heard a voice that was familiar, but it was one completely unexpected. Castiel's attention shifted immediately, focusing on Meg, and he just stared at her for several seconds in surprise.

He knew she had died--not for a little while after it had happened, and he hadn't really had time to think much about it, but he knew--so seeing her once again was unexpected. It was entirely welcome, but still unexpected, and she looked different than when he had seen her.

What was going on?

He nodded though, at her question, immediately moving closer toward her and tilting his head to the side in complete confusion. Still, his expression was just a fraction lighter than it had been before.

He'd missed her.

[putuporshutup]

Meg was glad to see a familiar face - especially this one. She'd been at the mercy of the king for the past year, and even by her standards it had been particularly terrible. Her only escape had been a sliver of hope that her angel in shining armor might come rescue her, but she had heard whispers that he was stuck in purgatory, and she had feared the worst.

Then she found herself in this odd, inexplicable little world. A welcome escape, but one that she had taken with a grain of salt.

Until now.

All the curiosities and questions that had been churning in her mind since appearing in this odd place seemed to fade away - she honestly didn't really care where she was or why if he was here as well.

She walked over to Castiel and tilted her head to match the angle his was on, and just smiled.

[ofthursday]

It seemed completely impossible that, after everything that had happened, he could manage anything approaching a smile... But at hers the faintest hint of one tugs at the corner of his mouth. He's lost and mortal and his world had literally fallen down around him, but somehow Meg was here, which was a blessing he never would've thought to even ask for but was so incredibly welcome.

It took a moment before he broke eye contact to look down at his little notepad, writing out a quick and simple message.

Hello, Meg.

[putuporshutup]

Meg hadn't put her finger on it before, but something about this place felt like a clean slate all of the sudden. She was happy to see Cas. She felt something. And she wasn't even mad about it.

He handed her a notepad and her smile faltered a bit - what was this about?

Hello, Meg.

She looked back up at him, confused. "Hey, Clarence. What's with you passing notes?"

[ofthursday]

Castiel wasn't a particularly talkative person normally, not even when he was outside of a vessel, but speaking was pretty much his own method of communicating; he hadn't been created human, so he had never had reason to truly learn how to speak without words. Gestures, body language, facial expressions; he was still getting used to the very basics of them, and couldn't use them to express himself in the way that most could.

So he felt most comfortable with writing, which was how he answered her again.

My voice is gone. I don't know why.

[putuporshutup]

As Meg took the notepad from Cas, their fingers brushed ever so slightly. She gasped before even reading what had been written - he was without his grace. He was mortal.

"Cas... what happened to you?" she breathed, then caught a glimpse of what he had written down. "Oh. Oh. Jeez. Here." She handed back the notepad, but when he reached for it, she took his hand and squeezed it gently.

She hoped the expression on her face conveyed the concern she felt, but she was certainly out of practice with compassion.

[ofthursday]

His eyes flickered briefly at her gasp, realizing what she'd sensed a moment later at her question. How was he supposed to answer it? It was far too complicated to explain, and it really hadn't sunk in yet for him; he was still in something of a state of shock about the entire ordeal. It would all become real later, when he had to eat and sleep and he really had a chance to think about it, but at the moment it still seemed like it was happening to someone else.

The gesture of affection wasn't completely new to him but it was unusual, as he rarely received more than a pat on the shoulder from anyone. Still, it was comforting, and he just gave a small shake of his head at her question instead of an actual answer and curled his fingers just slightly around hers.

[putuporshutup]

Meg understood immediately. Long story. She had been human once, but she couldn't fathom dealing with all of that nonsense again. It would be catastrophic. She just nodded, and grinned at him to try to ease the gravity of the moment.

"You know, you're cuter when you're shutting up anyway."

[ofthursday]

Meg earned a flat look for that comment, but it distracted him from his somber thoughts for long enough to gently pull his hands from hers and write her another note.

How long have you been here?

[putuporshutup]

Meg peered down at the notepad as Cas scrawled a question, then looked up to meet his expectant gaze.

"Just an hour or so maybe, I'm not sure. What about you?" She answered.

[ofthursday]

The same.

That they had arrived seemingly together was noteworthy, and fortunate.

Have you located your room?

[putuporshutup]

As shocked as Meg was that Cas was currently mortal, she didn't feel anything less for him. If anything, she felt immediately protective, as she had, deep down, when she had watched over him the previous year.

She read along as he wrote his answer, and was completely taken aback by the fact that they'd arrived almost simultaneously. She'd always believed in destiny - that was the point of everything she had lived for for most of her existence. And that part of her couldn't ignore the fact that, once again, she had crossed paths with this fallen soldier of heaven. Her counterpart.

"I passed by a door with my name on it on the third floor, but I didn't bother to go inside. I kind of just wanted to get out of here." Meg lowered her voice. "Don't get me wrong, it's better than hell... but this place makes me uneasy."

[ofthursday]

Castiel, of course, held a very complicated view of destiny after all this time. He had very little faith in anything anymore, especially with everything he had learned just recently about Heaven.

Still, it meant something to him that they had met once more, especially in another world and when Meg was gone in theirs.

Have you gone outside?

He didn't really like this place either, even if the hotel itself seemed peaceful enough; that peace was suspicious itself, really, considering their lives.

[putuporshutup]

"Not yet. Just walked around and had some... interesting... conversations. But I was headed that way, if you want to join."

Meg nods her head towards the door and raises an eyebrow.

[ofthursday]

Castiel nods as well, slipping his notebook into his pocket and clearly ready to go. He wants to see where they are, and he's already been inside long enough.

[putuporshutup]

Meg was already missing their usual banter, but there was something to be said for the strong, silent type. She turned and slipped her left arm through his right, giving him a small, encouraging smile.

[ofthursday]

He allowed her to link their arms, and briefly pressed his shoulder against hers in solidarity as they stepped outside. Everything was written in Japanese, which was no surprise considering they were supposed to be in Tokyo, and the daylight confirmed the light he'd seen through his window when he first arrived. Time of day changing when ending up in another world was nothing strange, but it was still just another layer of everything that had happened.

And he was beginning to feel an odd sensation that he thought might be hunger.

[putuporshutup]

Meg felt him press into her and couldn't help biting her lip slightly at the memory of their steamy encounter. She enjoyed the warmth of the steady contact as they walked silently for a while, just taking in the sights of the bustling streets. Tokyo was somewhere she'd actually never been before, and all the different sights and sounds and smells caught her attention. Meg never needed to eat, but the hell if she was going to pass up on fresh sushi while she was in Japan.

She sensed that Cas just wanted to walk for a while, so she waited a considerable amount of time (for Meg, at least) before saying anything.

She gently squeezed his arm, as if to remind him that she was still there. "I'll make this easy and just ask you simple questions," she said. "Just nod yes or no. Are you... you? Mentally, I mean. Last time I saw you, you were a bit of a hot mess."

[ofthursday]

Castiel spent the time as they walked quietly looking around, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, trying to collect himself. He still wasn't really processing what had happened--everything was still surreal--but the calming effect of exploring with Meg was holding off the inevitable realization of the situation.

He looked over at Meg at her question, and his steps slowed a little and then game to a stop. He felt this was probably something he should answer very clearly, and he did so by meeting her eyes seriously and giving a firm nod. He was very much himself.

[putuporshutup]

Meg stopped short when Cas did, and nodded back, a smile creeping over her lips. "No more crazytown, huh? How's your memory?" She looked down and smoothed her free hand over the cuff of his trenchcoat.

[ofthursday]

That question gave Castiel much more pause than the previous one, and his eyes flickered and his gaze dropped off to the ground, then to the distance, watching people wander up and down the sidewalks. His memory was a far more complicated question, even if she couldn't know why and surely wasn't asking about it, and after a moment he pulled his arm free gently to write a question.

In what respect?

[putuporshutup]

Meg gave him her best come-on-you-know-what-I'm-talking-about look, but humored him - always so stubbornly literal.

"In respect to me, dummy. You didn't think I actually cared about anything else, I'm sure." She punctuated the joke with a gentle elbow nudge.

[ofthursday]

That lightened his mood just slightly, and his next answer was quicker.

I remember everything.

[putuporshutup]

Meg smiled. She didn't want to push too far since he'd clearly been through quite an ordeal, but she got the sense he was enjoying himself and that a little flirtation wouldn't be unwelcome.

"Everything, huh?" She asked, with a come-hither face that she'd bet even an angel couldn't say no to.