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

[courageous_wit]

This man was speaking to the right girl if he wanted information. "The common belief is that we're needed as an energy source," she told him. "The castle Cair Paradisa feeds on our emotions. Every month, it changes something about itself. Sometimes it shows us a place like this, or sometimes it only changes something small. And each change causes us to feel certain emotions."

[ofthursday]

That made sense as well, and similar things happened in his world on occasion, so it was easy to understand that explanation. He gave a small nod, before writing out the likely expected next question.

How do we leave?

[courageous_wit]

"Not willingly, I'm afraid." This was always the hardest part of talking to newcomers: relaying all the bad news. "People come and go, and there's never any warning. A few residents live out beyond the castle, but they're still in Nostos."

Hermione grimaced, realizing just how bad all that sounded. "I'm sorry. On the bright side, you can make the most brilliant friends here. Friends who will fight by your side no matter what."

[ofthursday]

That wasn't really a surprise to him, so he didn't take it too hard; he spent most of the last year getting dragged to other places and not being allowed to leave, and so far no one had caused him any harm here, so it was already ahead of what he was used to.

What she said at the end caught his attention, and while he was skeptical, it was an interesting thing to note.

How long have you been here?

[courageous_wit]

"Two years." Hermione offered him a sad smile, pushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear. "I'm sorry, I forgot: my name is Hermione Granger. I'm originally from England, in the year 1998."

[ofthursday]

Castiel. It is 2013.

He would've offered where he was last if he had any idea, but he didn't. It was interesting that they were from such different time periods, but not entirely surprisingly, especially since they were now in yet another completely different one.

[courageous_wit]

Castiel... That name was not a very common one, but Hermione recognized it instantly.

"You wouldn't happen to know Dean and Sam Winchester, would you?"

[ofthursday]

The question caught his attention instantly and he looked surprised for a moment, his next note scribbled much more quickly.

You know them?

[courageous_wit]

"In a way." This was going to be difficult to explain. "They've been to Paradisa before and I've been able to speak with them. And I've read about them."

Of course she meant more than just Chuck's books, even though she read those as well. But she would let Castiel infer from that what he would.

[ofthursday]

Crowley had explained to him about people coming and going from this place more than once, so that they'd been there before was a surprise but not a shock. He assumed, though, that she meant Chuck's books, and didn't inquire further on that subject.

How long ago were they here?

[courageous_wit]

"About a month or two." Hermione took her journal out for reference. Dean and Sam's entries were there for her reference. "Yes, it was two months ago when Dean arrived, and Sam arrived maybe a week later. People from your world don't usually stay here for very long." She shut her journal again and put it back in her purse.

[ofthursday]

He looked curiously at her journal, not having discovered his in his pocket yet; his trenchcoat was so big that it was easy not to notice something new in its pockets.

If Dean and Sam had been here so recently and were still gone now, they indeed must have left quickly. He wondered briefly if he might be as lucky.

I was told I was here before as well.

[courageous_wit]

"You were," Hermione confirmed. "And so was Jo, and Chuck... Chuck's books are still in our library, actually. I know this all sounds strange. Believe me, I do. I've been here before a few times myself, and it was so strange when people told me that."

Not to mention her name being on a grave, but that wasn't something she really wanted to mention.

[ofthursday]

Castiel knew and got along with Chuck well enough, but it was the mention of Jo that caught his attention. He had bonded with her quickly before the disastrous mission to Carthage, when he'd been separated from the main group and by the time he'd reached them again, Jo and her mother had died. He had regretted not being there to help them, and he'd liked Jo and her mother Ellen a great deal.

That Hermione had been here more than once is good to hear, in a way, because at least he's not alone in that confusion.

You don't remember it?

[courageous_wit]

"No, I don't. I've been here five, maybe six times and I don't remember any of them. I only know I've been here because of this." She took out her journal again and showed Castiel.

"Everyone has one of these. It's a magic journal that can take down everything we say or write." She opened it and showed him as her words began to appear. "It's not dangerous or anything like that. I know... I've come across an enchanted diary before. If you want to know about your previous stays, they would be here in the journal."

[ofthursday]

Castiel peered at the journal curiously, fascinated by both the mechanics of it and what she just said. If he can look back at what the previous 'him' wrote, he could learn a great deal.

Thank you. That is useful.

[courageous_wit]

"You're quite welcome, Castiel." She smiled at him. "If you can't find what you need in this journal, you're welcome to look through mine. I have an older version."

The more she spoke the more she felt like she would need to explain. "And if you need me," she added, "just write my name in your journal and I'll be able to speak with you privately. All right?"

[ofthursday]

He nodded, a little encouraged by the information, feeling just slightly more confident the more he learned. The last bit was interesting especially.

Will that work for anyone?

[courageous_wit]

"Anyone with a journal." She wrote his name down and though he would see no difference, no one else with an open journal would now be able to read their conversation. "It's the most we can do in terms of private conversations, aside from speaking face-to-face."

[ofthursday]

He nodded again, filing away that information for use in the future. It would be a lot easier for him to use the journal than many other forms of communicating, due to the loss of his voice; the journal would actually be even easier than speaking face to face at the moment.

Is there anything else of import about how these function?

[courageous_wit]

"Closing them is the only way to 'turn them off', so to speak. But they can open themselves whenever they like. Usually when it's most embarrassing for their owners." She pursed her lips, letting out a sigh of frustration remembering the times the journal did that to her.

"And you can't get rid of them or destroy them, and they're one of the few magical things we've noticed to work in the Dead Zone. Usually that's a place where no magic or technology is functioanl. There's a lot of information about that, though, so I'll let you read about it on your own time."

[ofthursday]

He would indeed look up information on the Dead Zone she mentioned once he got a little more settled in, though he focused on something she said earlier, curious.

How would it be embarrassing?

He didn't know anything about the voice feature, so he wasn't sure how the journal opening--even on its own--would be a problem.

[courageous_wit]

"I don't suppose it could embarrass you specifically," Hermione mused, "unless someone was with you who was doing something embarrassing. See, the journal can pick up spoken as well as written words. So if a person were to say something or make an embarrassing noise, that could be recorded on the journal for everyone to hear."

[ofthursday]

Oh, that made sense, and he took note of that. That was good to know, even if probably wouldn't affect him himself; Meg was here, and if they were together, who knows what she might say. He cares deeply for her but he doesn't necessarily want some of the things she might say to him transmitted to everyone.

With the information about the journals, he thinks he should ask more about the world itself.

Is it dangerous here?

[courageous_wit]

"Yes." No beating around the bush with this one. "People can get hurt... They can even die. During the last change, a woman we met was killed." She swallowed, eyes shutting as the image played back in her mind.

"Usually death has its own rules, but she wasn't a resident in the castle. I don't think..." Hermione pulled herself together. "We just have to be careful and fight together, if it comes to that."