paradisalogs | As I write this down [OPEN]

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As I write this down [OPEN]

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.

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Meg could take a hint. She couldn't help pushing, and most of the time she frankly didn't care if she was pushing someone out of their precious little comfort zone, but Castiel was an entirely different matter.

She nudged his leg with her foot under the table to get his attention back.

"Hey, forget it. I can tell you wouldn't want to talk about it even if you could."

Truthfully it stung a little, but she could respect privacy and had certainly learned to pick her battles by now.

He looked up at the nudge, glad for her dropping the subject for now; he knew he probably couldn't keep this secret forever, but it certainly didn't need to come out the first day.

He chose to change the subject, writing a brief note and passing it to her.

Are you alright?

Meg had seemed okay despite what she'd been through when he'd see her last, but he should still ask her, and he probably should have earlier. He still wasn't the best at this sensitivity thing.

Meg took the notebook from his hand and gave him a look when she saw that he had turned the tables. The concept of someone looking out for her was so far-fetched that her knee-jerk reaction was always to deflect his concern - he was really the only one who cared, and she wasn't even sure why. She glowered at him for a moment, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms... then sighed and rolled her eyes. What was wrong with her?

"I've been better, but to be fair I've also been a lot worse. This place gives me the creeps if I think about it for too long, but it's better than Crowley's idea of fun." She paused momentarily and swallowed, a wave of residual fear washing over her as she recalls a few of the more gruesome horrors of her past year downstairs. "I'm fine, now, I guess, but I've now had more polite conversations than I can count on one hand today and I'm sitting here talking about-" she wrinkled her nose "-feelings... so I guess I'd say I'm in somewhat of a state of shock. But... I'm glad you're here, if anything. Tell me something... why're you so sweet on me, Clarence?" She managed a small, but genuine smile.

Edited 2013-07-25 02:21 (UTC)

Castiel watched her, food forgotten for the moment, listening carefully when she finally began to talk. He could see that flash of fear in her eyes, both because he was better at recognizing such things in general and because, on some level, he was attuned very closely with her. He knew getting over something like what had happened to her wasn't easy or quick, but she seemed to be coping at the moment, which he was glad for. He hoped that the composure she was showing was more genuine from her than it was from him.

Even if he could've spoken he would've been silent for a time at her question, though he could certainly empathize with the feeling of being in shock. At least he wasn't alone in that either, and after a moment he began to write slowly, picking his words carefully.

I'm glad you're here as well.

Because you cared for me when no one else would.

He passed the notepad across the table to her and turned his attention to dissecting a sushi roll, providing himself a distraction so he didn't have to watch her reaction.

Meg took the notepad and read it, surprised to find an actual answer this time. She was genuinely touched that a seemingly very sane, if quite traumatized, Cas still remembered and appreciated that she had watched over him at the mental hospital. At the time, she had told herself that it was simply a smart strategic move, but deep down she knew it had always been about her fascination with him. Something about Cas got under her skin and warmed her from the inside out, whether she liked it or not. The whole thing had truthfully softened Meg, almost as though she'd regained just a sliver of her humanity. She felt her host body blushing a bit and didn't bother to stop it from happening.

When she looked up, he was nervously shifting the previous contents of a roll around his plate. Just then, the waitress came back and cleared the empty plates. Meg froze, realizing that surely neither of them had means of payment and that they were probably going to have to make a run for it, but it became apparent when she wished them good night that there would not be a bill.

When she was able to catch Cas' eye again, she smiled and nodded her head in the direction they had come from. "You want to head back and see what this place is about?"

Castiel glanced up when the waitress came to their table, briefly realizing the same thing as Meg, but fortunately they were in luck and didn't need to worry about paying. Castiel had money, but it was all American and probably wouldn't be particularly useful here.

He turned his attention back to Meg once they were free to go, and he nodded once in agreement and scooped up his notepad. They should figure out their rooms and try to get some more information if possible, and he stepped around the table to start leading the way back. He felt a little better, physically, after the food, and so seemed a bit brighter and more like himself even if he was still mentally very much in shock.

Meg noticed that Cas seemed to have a little more pep in his step as they walked back. He still seemed serious as ever, but he was moving with a bit more purpose and looking a tiny bit less like a lost puppy. Her mind turned to their destination, this mysterious hotel-that-was-really-an-evil-castle, from what she had heard so far, and wondered what lay in store.

"I guess we all get rooms, from what I can tell. Good thing for you, since you'll actually need to sleep at some point. I'll have to find other uses for mine..." she quipped.

Castiel was not at all looking forward to sleeping; he'd done it before, during the Apocalypse, but he'd been so completely dead tired and had napped more than actually slept. He'd also had far less horrible memories to come to the surface back, which he was sure was what would happen the moment he closed his eyes here.

But that wasn't an issue he was at all intent on discussion, and instead he cast her a sideways look for her last comment, making it clear he understood that innuendo but not necessarily his opinion on it.

Meg hardly noticed his ambiguous response, she was used to it and got a little thrill out of any kind of response from him anyway, so naturally she planned on doing it as often as possible. It was completely self indulgent and so very entertaining. He deserved it anyway for all the batshit crazy stuff he had said to her when she was angel-sitting, and now that he was himself again, she could actually push his buttons. Plus, she mused, especially now that he's human, he'll probably go for it eventually, She grinned to herself, but decided he'd probably gotten enough crap from her, for now.

"In all seriousness, I probably will keep the bed anyway. As long as I'm not on the run or being held captive, I might as well settle in with a cozy spot to lay low and watch movies when I'm not looking for trouble."

Hey, it might've been literally crazy at the time, but he really did still think she was a thorny beauty.

Her mention of having a place to just hang out because she wasn't in any danger or an otherwise pressing situation stood out to Castiel a moment, and he realized it was for two reasons. One, because those times were so incredibly rare, and two because he and Meg has spent so much of their time the same way.

It would be really odd to be able to just stay out of trouble and watch movies, or whatever else they might end up doing.

He went to reach for his notebook to ask her a question, and then thought of something. He hesitated a moment before just lifting his hands and trying sign language.

What floor is your room?

Meg raised an eyebrow. "Third floor, I think. What about yours?"

That she understood him was a relief, because this was so much easier than passing notes back and forth, and he lit up just a little as he held up seven fingers.

"Lucky number seven. Also lucky for you I got bored one day and learned sign language, but forgive me if I'm a little rusty. If I misconstrue anything you say you'll have to give me the benefit of the doubt," Meg said with a mischievous grin.

Castiel gave her a look, because he had a feeling she would be 'misconstruing' his sign language whenever was convenient, but in general this was a good thing.

Of course.

He somehow managed to be sarcastic even with just his gestures.

Meg couldn't help but laugh at the look he gave her. Too easy. She opened her mouth to reply, but thought better of it and figured it would be more fun to sign back and forth.

Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep up. Wouldn't want to cause any... miscommunications.

She, too, could inflect sarcasm into any means of communication. After all, Meg wouldn't have it any other way.

You definitely ought to get some rest though. Let's find our rooms together and call it a night, pretty sure without any cosmic threat on our asses we'll have plenty of time to chat later.

Edited 2013-07-26 02:38 (UTC)

There was no particular need to sign back at her words, and so he just nodded in agreement, growing a little more somber once again. He knew he did need to rest, but he wasn't at all looking forward to sleeping, and while on one hand he desperately wanted to be alone, on the other it was the last thing he desired. Being around others meant controlling and suppressing everything and hoping he didn't just snap, but as soon as he was alone again there would be nothing to stop his thoughts.

But that was something he would have to deal with eventually anyway, and Castiel took a calming breath and gave another nod, unnecessarily. They were almost back to the hotel, and everything still felt just as dream-like and unbelievable as it had when he'd first arrived.

The look on Cas' face gave away more than Meg was sure he intended - he looked positively terrified. She honestly wanted to console him, but her comfort zone for compassion was mostly limited to that of the lusty physical distraction from and avoidance of all problems category. She was going to have to branch out to be effective here, so she simply took his hand again as they walked and squeezed it, projecting as much reassurance as she could muster as they walked into the lobby.

The affection was still a surprise but not unwanted, and though he couldn't manage to return the gesture he didn't pull his hand away either. When they reached the elevator he pressed the button for three, so he could walk her to her room first.

Meg took advantage of the privacy of the elevator to level with him, especially since they were about to part ways and she wouldn't really have to deal with the aftermath.

"Don't look so surprised, Clarence. You know I've got a soft spot for you, and if you think I can't tell you're having a particularly rough time with all of this-" she made a hand gesture indicating their new surroundings and another indicating his now very human body "-you've got another thing coming. I get that you're not ok and you might not be for a while, but trying to make you feel better just about tops the list of things that make me feel better about this whole situation, so you're just going to have to deal with it, Mmkay?"

Edited 2013-07-26 03:34 (UTC)

He glanced up from where he'd been staring blankly at the baseboards of the elevator, looking over at her when she began to speak. It took a few moments for her words to really sink in, but even through everything going on he felt something warm settle into his chest.

Castiel curled his fingers around hers, a little stronger than before when they'd first left the hotel, and he pressed his forehead to hers again briefly. He couldn't speak, and a hand was occupied so signing or writing wasn't practical, but the gesture was a clear returning of her statement. He would be looking out for her as well, through everything she would have to deal with too; they were in this together.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, and Castiel waited for her to lead the way.

The bell announced their arrival on the third floor and Meg was unwillingly snapped back to reality, if you could call it that.

Rather than being on the receiving end of the usual exasperated stare she had expected, she was caught off guard and let herself get a little lost in the surprisingly tender moment.

When the doors slid open she bit her lip, fighting the urge to close the short distance between them with a kiss. Instead, she stepped backwards towards the opening, pulled on his hands gently and spoke softly. "Walk me down to my room? 325, I think."

He followed obligingly after her, into the hall, nodding at her words. It wasn't like he thought there was a lot of risk in leaving her to walk the rest of the way herself, but he didn't want to take the chance and didn't want to part with her just yet.

Plus, this way he would know where she was if he needed to come get her for any reason.

Meg led the way, looking at the names and numbers as she went. She walked slowly, not particularly in a hurry to say goodnight. Eventually, she came to her room. With her free hand, she opened the door cautiously and revealed a pretty typical looking hotel room that matched the subtle decor of the rest of the hotel. She turned back to Cas, leaning back against the door frame and squeezing his hand again.

"Well that was fun," she said with a genuine smile. "You know where to find me now, so don't be a stranger." She hesitated momentarily before standing on her tip toes, placing a hand on his chest, and planting a kiss on his cheek that lingered just slightly.

Castiel was similarly taking mental notes of the names, in case he ever needed to find these people in the future, and he looked over Meg's shoulder as she opened the door to her room. It looked much like his, as expected in a hotel, and he turned his attention back to her at her words.

He gave a small smile as she did, in agreement on her first statement; he couldn't really feel 'fun' at the moment through everything else going on, but he had enjoyed spending time with her, and not only that but doing so in a very normal, mundane way.

The kiss, though, was unexpected, and he was more than a little surprised. They'd kissed before, of course, but this was different; gentle and tender and it made his chest feel warm again. He was frozen for a moment, but then impulsively returned the gesture at her temple.

Meg stepped back and smiled. That whole catch-more-flies-with-honey thing might just have some merit after all, judging by the look on his face.

"Sweet dreams, Clarence. See ya around."

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ofthursday - 2013-07-28 01:05 (UTC) - Expand

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