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]

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.

[ofthursday]

Castiel gave another firm nod, remembering the conversation he and Meg had less than a day before she had died, and though that thought caused him to go a little more somber again just briefly this was also a second chance, all at once.

But it was all still a little surreal and though he could read her expression and what it meant, he shied away from actually acting on it just yet. He did, however, rest his forehead gently against hers for a moment in a gesture of affection, before straightening again like it had never happened.

[putuporshutup]

Meg never quite knew what to make of Castiel, but she supposed that was intrigued her so much. She could tell that at the moment, the small gesture of affection was a great effort for him, and appreciated it accordingly. She even felt her meatsuit blush a tiny bit.

She laced her fingers through his and resumed their silent stroll, lightly resting her head against his shoulder, letting him set the pace.

[ofthursday]

He set off again but it was pretty aimless, just enjoying the company and wandering through the city for a little while, until he began to feel drained. It was difficult to recognize but he realized he didn't know exactly how long it had been since he became mortal, and he hadn't eaten anything in a long time before that, because he was an angel.

Had been an angel.

He slowed to a stop again outside an outdoor sushi place, staring up at the menu quizzically for a moment and then glancing at Meg for her opinion.

[putuporshutup]

"You just about read my mind, Clarence. I can't pass up on fresh sushi in Japan, and you actually need to eat now. Come on," she tugged at his hand and walked towards an empty table on the patio.

Through a series of hand gestures and pointing at pictures on the menu, Meg managed to order a spread of different sushi as well as some teriyaki beef and rice in case the raw fish was a bit much for Cas' new palette.

It had been quite a while since Meg had indulged in a meal, or really done anything quite so nice. Present company certainly didn't hurt either. She sighed contentedly and leaned in, catching Castiel's far off gaze.

"I got us a little bit of everything so you can test out different flavors. Not a bad choice for your first meal as a human... but promise me we can get pizza next time? Can't put my finger on why, but I'm just dying for a slice."

[ofthursday]

Castiel let Meg take care of ordering, trying not to be frustrated that he could've ordered with no problem--he knew all languages--if only his voice had been functioning. There were worse things he could've lost, but this was still incredibly inconvenient.

He nodded a little at the comment about selection, but it was her mention of pizza that actually drew his attention, and he gave the faintest hint of a smile as he nodded once. He could agree to that.

He turned his focus to his water then, taking a sip; he'd had water before, but it was odd how much stronger the sensation of it was now, and even the flavor. Being human, truly human, was so much more intense than experiencing through his vessel.

[putuporshutup]

Meg watched Cas carefully. She never really cared about anything, but she was starting to - worry? Yeah. Probably that - about him. Being human wasn't the worst thing imaginable, but the adjustment was going to be rough. Couldn't this guy catch a break? She kept her ear to the ground pretty regularly and was always at least vaguely aware of big cosmic events, and he had certainly had a bad run of luck getting caught right in the middle of them.

At least she had gotten a little smile out of him. She had a feeling those were going to be few and far between for a while, but she liked the idea of sticking around to help with that.

A few moments later the waitress re-emerged with a large tray, and Meg smirked as she watched Cas seemingly marvel over the taste of water. If he thought that was good, he sure was in for a treat.