Nothing warms a house like a houseful of guests!
Where: Nokoru's house, 333 Blanche Avenue
When: Backdated Monday, July 27, 8:00 PM onwards
Who: EVERYONE
What: A party!
Rating: C for Come On In!
( The Imonoyamas could never afford to be nearly as careless as they seemed. )
When: Backdated Monday, July 27, 8:00 PM onwards
Who: EVERYONE
What: A party!
Rating: C for Come On In!
( The Imonoyamas could never afford to be nearly as careless as they seemed. )
There were tables full of food and guests were already chatting happily.
Castiel stood off to one side. He wanted to make contact with people but he didn't know where to start. At least, with one exception, he had struggled to make a connection with any one. He noticed most of the others seemed to be holding drinks so he picked one up and held it, not drinking it.
After a moment he took a cake and watched people. A young boy was moving among the guests, bowing and greeting people. Castiel guessed he was the host. he waited patiently to thank him.
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He spotted one person who didn't exactly appear to be having fun: a man standing against the wall looking somewhere between grim and uneasy. As neither of these was something Nokoru wanted at his party, he began making his way discreetly in that direction. His specialty was women, of course, but he wanted the gentlemen in his home to be at ease, as well.
Politely excusing himself from another guest, he approached the man with a smile. "Good evening! I'm afraid you sneaked by me at the door." He offered his hand in the Western fashion. "Nokoru Imonoyama. I'm so glad you could join us, sir."
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"Castiel," he offered his name stiffly. "I am grateful for your invitation."
He paused, feeling compelled to explain. "I have been here for 8 days. I have not been able to form connections. Perhaps tonight will provide an opportunity."
He cast his eyes about the room. "Your offerings are very generous," he said.
Then he added, with a characteristic lack of tact, "Will your parents be joining us?"
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He took the question about his parents with no apparent loss of composure, only folding the fan again with a neat gesture and sighing in apparent regret. "I'm sorry to say they won't. The Rigichou and the Shachou are back in Tokyo, managing the family's affairs there. I'm here representing them."
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Castiel's eye caught the back of the fan. "I have already taken your hand," he said. "In your culture does that mean we are... friends?"
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"But you read Japanese!" he went on. "Sugoi desu ne.* Have you been to Japan, Castiel-san?"
[[*That's impressive.]]
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The boy was friendly and curious and Castiel found him relatively easy to talk to. He was aware children often lacked the scepticism of adults and were much less likely to attack or flee from him on learning of his origins.
"It is impressive, however, that one as young as you can take on such responsibility with such apparent success." This was not flattery, Castiel was incapable of that, merely a statement of what he considered fact.
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Castiel was again surprised at the boy's knowledge, though he did not show it. He did not wish to make an issue of it, however. He was sure the boy was aware of his own gifts.
The boy deserved an answer to his question and Castiel provided it.
"I am an angel of the Lord. It is His messages I deliver. I also work as a guardian though, at the moment, I am not under orders." The angel's jaw tightened and looked away at the last revelation.
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Fantastic!
Naturally it occurred to Nokoru that this man may just be trying to pull one over on him, or maybe even deluded. It wasn't as though reading Japanese was something only angels could do. An angel would know exactly how many distinct languages were in use on Earth - something even the world's foremost linguists couldn't say with certainty - but a man could also easily make up a convincing-sounding number. Castiel seemed sincere, but Nokoru had been fooled before by talented liars and he wasn't as skilled at reading men as women.
Well, whether he believed Castiel or not - and the jury was out, for now - his duty as a host was clear. Don't be rude"Oh! Well, I definitely didn't expect to be playing host to an angel when I sent out my invitation. I'm afraid I don't know the protocol." He'd been schooled in diplomacy when dealing with every sort of person from the custodial staff to any foreign head of state, but divine messengers hadn't been covered. Noticing the slight shift in Castiel's expression, he ( ... )
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Castiel found Nokoru's innocent-sounding question almost amusing though he could not say it did not sting a little.
"I am not on vacation," Castiel said, "unless you consider the oldest meaning of the word." He made himself look back at the boy, unwilling to burden a child with his concerns.
"Protocol?" This was a word he knew, for he knew all words, though he did not know all meanings. He gave the boy a blank look.
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"You are treating me very well, Nokoru" he assured the boy. "I have been greeted in many different ways and this is easily amongst the most pleasant.
You are kind. You do not need training to make people feel welcome. I have been observing you. Kindness is one of the things I most admire in humans. I find delight in it yet it is rarely visited upon me.
Thank you, Nokoru," he said sincerely. "It is an honour to meet you."
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