[ Blake learned a long time ago, that age old adage: if there's a will, there's a way. And from what he was seeing on Sam's face, there was plenty of will. Not to mention, more than a few people willing to unleash the beast.
A thin breath escapes John and shuffling can be heard as he paces around. ]
I'm on the fifth floor. Outside Crowley's room. Sam's safe, though. Got him and Will both calmed down, for the most part, but...
[Outside Crowley's room? That's not a place that Castiel generally wants to be. He's noticed that Blake and Crowley almost seem close, and he wonders if that's played a part in the tension between Blake and Dean.
But that's hardly his business. Sam's current situation is, though, and if Blake wants to discuss that then so be it.]
I'm available now, but I'd rather pick out a different meeting place.
[Crowley's been well behaved during his stay in Wonderland, even trustworthy. But Castiel's not going to fall for that so easily. Not when Sam is the one is the balance and he's craving something that Crowley has.]
[ (Hey now, don't assume too much. Maybe Blake was just passing Crowley's room and used it as a reference point. You don't know. |: But really, they're close. Too close, not that Blake figures that's anyone's business at all.)
Blake makes an affirmative noise. ]
Just tell me where.
[ He's not about to complain, and he was already on his way somewhere else, anyway. ]
[Castiel doesn't think he needs to give the number. At one point, Blake and Dean had been close enough that he's bound to know where his room was and remember that location even now. Seeing how Blake's already on the fifth floor, it seems like the most reasonable place for them to meet.
In the meantime, Castiel himself flies there. The room may have once been Dean's, but there's no real sign of it anymore. The only thing that remains from then is the dresser, which Castiel has used for his own storage. Other than that, there's a desk and a bed, but those pieces are generic, not those that had belonged to the previous Dean.
While waiting, Castiel approaches the closet and obtains some hamburgers, stocking them up to have on hand while he has his conversation with Blake.]
[ Blake's not far off, and despite his familiarity with the former Dean's room, he doesn't hold it with the same regard as he once did. It's not Winchester's anymore, and any real trace of him left is intangible, remaining mostly within those who still knew him and remembered him.
Blake opens the door and notes Castiel's pile of hamburgers that he guesses will only grow as they talk. ]
Hey... you okay?
[ That many hamburgers can't be good for anyone, angel or not. ]
[Castiel, meanwhile, hadn't been able to let the room go. He thought it better that he make some use of it than allowing a stranger to come and take over. It's overly sentimental for a creature that isn't supposed to feel, but humanity has had quite an effect on Castiel.
It tends to manifest in subtle ways, like this one.
When Blake enters the room, Castiel glances back at him and nods.] I'm fine. I think Sam is the greater concern here. How much do you know?
[Because Sam's situation is complicated, not the kind of thing that would normally be spread around, but Blake is someone Castiel feels he can trust, even if Dean may not believe that anymore.]
Enough to know he shouldn't be runnin' loose with demons around.
[ That being said, Blake hadn't let on that he knew as much when he'd talked to Sam. But he should know Blake knows, right? There wasn't much he and Dean didn't share, and at times that included family secrets, too. Beside that, it's Blake's job to know things. It's just not as easy with private people. ]
But I dunno if he oughta be alone, either. Any of us, for that matter...
[It's more than Castiel would have expected Blake to know, honestly. He and Dean had been close, but Dean has also always been one to keep things to himself whenever he can. Seeing how Sam hasn't been blood-addicted in years, he has to wonder how it came up.]
I'd been trying to check on him periodically, but... [There have been distractions. Speaking of which, Castiel takes another bite of his burger, to stem that craving for a little longer.]
Thank you for handling that situation. Now what did you want to know?
[ Between books and many, many late hours, there wasn't all that much that Blake didn't share with Dean, and while he's fairly certain there was more to learn from the elder Winchester — how could there not be? — he'd gotten a lot from listening to his best friend.
Now, as time passes, those memories are beginning to fade, but they don't often stray from his mind, especially in situations like this. ]
Need to know if there's somethin' goin' on, like I said. Is Dean just phonin' shit in, or what? You guys aren't exactly performin' as a cohesive group at the moment...
[ Sorry to say, bro. |: But Blake can't not ask. ]
[Castiel can hardly deny that things have been rocky with Sam and Dean as of late, but seeing how that's almost routine for them, he's remained confident that they'll sort it out.
Dean had been just as worried about Sam as he would be in any other situation, so the implication that he's only going through the motions ruffles Castiel's feathers slightly.]
I took it upon myself to restrain Sam, I was checking on him periodically. Dean and I were both also trying to keep the various demons here distracted so they didn't try to antagonize him.
[Could more have been done? Maybe. But it's not as if they didn't address the issue and help in all the ways they could.] Do you have any idea how he got loose in the first place?
[ That's right, let the angel get ruffled, because as far as Blake's concerned, that's only going to make Castiel that much more aware. Honestly, he's not asking anyone to run themselves ragged, and he doesn't expect to inspire much change in any of them, but he is relying upon these these three very experienced individuals to consider all the angles, up to and including something happening to one of their own. Unfortunately, he feels like they ought to expect it, considering what he knows of their backgrounds.
Maybe after this, his concern will be that much more implicit in scenarios like this one. ]
Might wanna ask him, 'cause I got no clue. He took off like a bat outta hell the second he got a chance.
[A bat out of Hell. It's a strange phrase, something that's never made much sense to Castiel because there are no bats in Hell, not that he's ever seen.
But like many human phrases, it's not necessarily supposed to make sense.
Castiel takes a seat on the bed, one that he never actually sleeps in, and crosses his arms over his chest.]
I'll make sure to ask him, then. [He glances over then, his expression a little tight.] Was there anything else?
No, I— [ Ffff. He's decidedly less angry after this exchange, at least. ] No, that's it. Thanks, Cas.
[ What else can he do, really? This is the best line of defense when it comes to the Winchesters, because he certainly doesn't have the sway he once had. Blake offers and nod and pat's the angel's shoulder on her way past, off to wherever he goes when he's as busy as he is. ]
audio;
A thin breath escapes John and shuffling can be heard as he paces around. ]
I'm on the fifth floor. Outside Crowley's room. Sam's safe, though. Got him and Will both calmed down, for the most part, but...
[ There's more. There's always more. ]
When're you available?
audio;
But that's hardly his business. Sam's current situation is, though, and if Blake wants to discuss that then so be it.]
I'm available now, but I'd rather pick out a different meeting place.
[Crowley's been well behaved during his stay in Wonderland, even trustworthy. But Castiel's not going to fall for that so easily. Not when Sam is the one is the balance and he's craving something that Crowley has.]
Re: audio;
Blake makes an affirmative noise. ]
Just tell me where.
[ He's not about to complain, and he was already on his way somewhere else, anyway. ]
audio;
[Castiel doesn't think he needs to give the number. At one point, Blake and Dean had been close enough that he's bound to know where his room was and remember that location even now. Seeing how Blake's already on the fifth floor, it seems like the most reasonable place for them to meet.
In the meantime, Castiel himself flies there. The room may have once been Dean's, but there's no real sign of it anymore. The only thing that remains from then is the dresser, which Castiel has used for his own storage. Other than that, there's a desk and a bed, but those pieces are generic, not those that had belonged to the previous Dean.
While waiting, Castiel approaches the closet and obtains some hamburgers, stocking them up to have on hand while he has his conversation with Blake.]
action;
Blake opens the door and notes Castiel's pile of hamburgers that he guesses will only grow as they talk. ]
Hey... you okay?
[ That many hamburgers can't be good for anyone, angel or not. ]
action;
It tends to manifest in subtle ways, like this one.
When Blake enters the room, Castiel glances back at him and nods.] I'm fine. I think Sam is the greater concern here. How much do you know?
[Because Sam's situation is complicated, not the kind of thing that would normally be spread around, but Blake is someone Castiel feels he can trust, even if Dean may not believe that anymore.]
action;
[ That being said, Blake hadn't let on that he knew as much when he'd talked to Sam. But he should know Blake knows, right? There wasn't much he and Dean didn't share, and at times that included family secrets, too. Beside that, it's Blake's job to know things. It's just not as easy with private people. ]
But I dunno if he oughta be alone, either. Any of us, for that matter...
action;
I'd been trying to check on him periodically, but... [There have been distractions. Speaking of which, Castiel takes another bite of his burger, to stem that craving for a little longer.]
Thank you for handling that situation. Now what did you want to know?
action;
Now, as time passes, those memories are beginning to fade, but they don't often stray from his mind, especially in situations like this. ]
Need to know if there's somethin' goin' on, like I said. Is Dean just phonin' shit in, or what? You guys aren't exactly performin' as a cohesive group at the moment...
[ Sorry to say, bro. |: But Blake can't not ask. ]
action;
[Castiel can hardly deny that things have been rocky with Sam and Dean as of late, but seeing how that's almost routine for them, he's remained confident that they'll sort it out.
Dean had been just as worried about Sam as he would be in any other situation, so the implication that he's only going through the motions ruffles Castiel's feathers slightly.]
I took it upon myself to restrain Sam, I was checking on him periodically. Dean and I were both also trying to keep the various demons here distracted so they didn't try to antagonize him.
[Could more have been done? Maybe. But it's not as if they didn't address the issue and help in all the ways they could.] Do you have any idea how he got loose in the first place?
action;
Maybe after this, his concern will be that much more implicit in scenarios like this one. ]
Might wanna ask him, 'cause I got no clue. He took off like a bat outta hell the second he got a chance.
action;
But like many human phrases, it's not necessarily supposed to make sense.
Castiel takes a seat on the bed, one that he never actually sleeps in, and crosses his arms over his chest.]
I'll make sure to ask him, then. [He glances over then, his expression a little tight.] Was there anything else?
action;
[ What else can he do, really? This is the best line of defense when it comes to the Winchesters, because he certainly doesn't have the sway he once had. Blake offers and nod and pat's the angel's shoulder on her way past, off to wherever he goes when he's as busy as he is. ]
Take care.