Day 54: Lunch

[full_score]

All things considered, last shift had been pretty low key. After this morning's disaster, though, that was perfectly fine by Claude. Some fresh air and a chance to make sure Guy and Okita were all right weren't things to take for granted. It was also good to have a fairly normal, conversation with Guy that didn't slip off into awkward territory

Comments

[poorexample]

The previous shift had been surprisingly calming. Other than having to act as if Michael was a name that belonged to him and not someone far worse (it was painful to admit that about his brother, but it was still the truth), he'd spent his time on the recreational field wandering around the perimeter. While Castiel hadn't been able to forget the night that that spirit had haunted himself and Gabriel, the idea of getting out of the building by scaling the wall still had merit

[predictator]

Woe unto all, the esteemed Dr. Landel was disappointed.

Of more immediate importance was the fact that Izaya was not particularly keen on going back into the cafeteria after this morning's disaster. The havoc the gas had wreaked had all but subsided, and only a faint stinging in his eyes and an occasional sniffle and cough remained by the time the intercom clicked on to announce lunch and scold the patient populace (again) for being naughty. But even if the effects had cleared, it had still happened.

If someone started another riot with their lunch, he was going to skip enjoying the show and just get out of there. He'd decided that before setting foot in the cafeteria.

Izaya took a large helping of the 'fish and chips'. The food looked boring, bland, and generic, but he was hungry after barely eating at breakfast in favor of watching the unfolding disaster. Keeping a wary eye out for Shizuo, he headed towards a seat... only to spot one familiar face he wasn't avoiding: the man he'd met his first night there

[poorexample]

Right as Castiel was determining whether or not he should sample a bite of the fish, a voice sounded from the other side of the table. He glanced up, taking note of the young man who he'd run into during his first night in this place. They had both spent that time confused, searching for an exit and even finding one; the broken lock, the diseased dog, and then the sudden loss of language

[predictator]

Castiel recognized him, and Izaya couldn't quite decide if that was good or bad. On the one hand, it saved the trouble of reintroductions, but on the other, it meant he definitely remembered him from the night they'd met. Izaya didn't think he'd said or done anything that might have made him stand out, but he hadn't yet had the faintest idea of the situation he'd found himself in. Had he known then, he might have acted differently.

But that night was already passed, so it was far too late to change anything about it. Castiel was still in one piece, and that was an encouraging sign: maybe he could be of use.

Izaya took a moment to pick up his utensils from his tray after he'd settled. "I'm afraid not," he answered with a shake of his head. "I've actually stayed in most nights."

That he'd remained in his room at night several times was an unfortunate fact, though in truth he hadn't exactly meant to stay in. He chose not to voice that part, however; Castiel was free to draw his own conclusions

[poorexample]

The fact that Orihara had chosen to stay in his room for most of the nights lent credence to the theory that he really was more normal than most people here. The proper reaction to this sort of dangerous environment would be to hide, but that had never been an option for Castiel. Perhaps Orihara had decided to play it safe and wait until someone else found a way out for him

[predictator]

Oh, good; Castiel was willing to share. There wasn't much information there overall, but his willingness to share anything without being persuaded made things easier. The fact that he was stopped from going over the wall was useful enough in its own right, too.... to a certain extent.

"Vengeful spirit?" Izaya repeated, his tone flat. He gave a small laugh, his expression turning quickly to amusement. Interesting, interesting! "You mean like a ghost?"

Maybe that wasn't what Castiel had meant-there could be all sorts of things meant by 'vengeful spirits', ranging from ghosts to dullahans and beyond-but the idea of ghosts, of something lingering behind after a human had died, of an existence after death, was fascinating in and of itself. It was a topic of particular interest to Izaya, who had become convinced in the existence of the afterlife, and for right now, he wanted to know more. At the least, he wanted to know what the 'spirit' was like, and what Castiel meant by it

[poorexample]

The young man's reaction was difficult to judge. While he didn't seem skeptical, he also wasn't treating the subject as if it was something familiar, like the Winchesters would have. Instead, he was expressing a strange sort of interest -- though many humans were morbidly fascinated in things that frightened them, or things that they couldn't understand

[predictator]

Izaya started on his fish as the other man began explaining.

Listening to Castiel describe the 'spirit' he'd encountered was so very different than those few times Izaya had heard the idea mentioned when meeting with various people who wanted to commit suicide. But Castiel was different than those humans, too; he didn't imagine that he wanted to die like they had-or if he was under that delusion, he had yet to say or do anything that might have revealed it. Instead, he was making attempts to escape the hospital. The want to escape was a sign of life, proof of the desire to live: if he'd wanted to die, there would have been no reason to return to the life he'd been living

[poorexample]

It wasn't something that Castiel would have described as scary, though he imagined it would have felt that way to most humans. Still, Orihara seemed more excited than anything. Was it because he still didn't understand the full extent of the danger he was in? Or did he have an interest in the occult that surpassed his own survival instinct

[predictator]

Oh, the 'attempt to kill' must have been where the 'vengeful' part would kick in. He would have liked to know the reasons the spirit would have had for it, what drove its behavior, but those weren't questions suited to asking Castiel. Anything about the spirit's motives from him would have been mere conjecture.

Besides, it seemed that Castiel had another topic in mind, and something he wanted. Lockpicking was a skill that Castiel knew Izaya possessed, so bringing it up like this... It was obvious the man was leading towards asking for help to that end, which provided Izaya with a business opportunity.

"And you want me to teach you?" he questioned, looking to cement the idea in Castiel's mind in case it hadn't already been made up. "I can do that, but you'll have to do something for me in return."

This could be the first transaction of many, or so he hoped. Money wouldn't be a commodity readily available here, but there were other methods of payment that could prove even more valuable.

[poorexample]

The moment that Castiel had considered asking Orihara about this, he had assumed that it would be a transaction rather than a favor given. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way, and so he didn't outwardly react to the implication that he'd have to pay the man back.

The question, then, was what to give him. Protection was the first option that he thought of, mainly because he recalled the first night and the way that Orihara had remained on the sidelines of the fight. More than that, the fact that the man had been staying in his room at nights seemed to indicate that he wasn't comfortable going out on his own.

And yet he was curious about spirits, which meant that he likely wanted to wander more than he had been thus far.

Still, the return payment was ultimately up to Orihara, and so Castiel nodded to indicate that he agreed with all that had been said thus far. "Is there something you had in mind, or would you prefer an offer?"

[predictator]

So far, so good. It seemed that Castiel was the reasonable type about this sort of thing, instead of one of those people who would sometimes come to him expecting to get something for nothing... Well, not that he ever truly accepted 'nothing' as payment, even in cases where a client left his office thinking his information had been 'free'. When it came to his hobbies and interests, he didn't always require cash up front.

"Information," Izaya stated, "if you learn something valuable enough. Or I thought you can simply owe me a return favor, help when I need it... But I'd also be interested in hearing what offer you might have in mind; I don't know your particular skills, after all."

He was drawn most to the idea of information-especially if, as Castiel said, he'd nearly discovered something interesting before-but he wasn't going to restrict himself to that alone. Having a pawn to call on later could be even more beneficial as long as he remained here.

[poorexample]

All things considered, information was a simple thing to ask for. It wasn't something that was going to compromise Castiel if he offered it, especially not to someone like Orihara who seem largely disconnected from the whole issue of the oncoming Apocalypse. At the moment that had all been stalled in lieu of getting out of here, but he still couldn't help but wonder how much the two events were connected

[predictator]

Between information and protection, information was the more valuable commodity to Izaya... depending on what it was. Izaya was confident he could protect himself-even if he had little problem leaving fighting up to people who didn't realize that. But if Castiel could be the start of a network here...

With that in mind, Izaya made his proposal, "As you said, finding out something that's truly worth sharing is not a guarantee... but if you do find anything at all behind locked doors, I'd be interested in hearing about it. That information, plus protection on any night I spend teaching you, would be adequate compensation."

He set down his fork on the tray, lacing his fingers together. He wanted to take full advantage of Castiel's hospitality, but he needed to limit himself for now; ask too much, and the man might turn elsewhere, leaving Izaya out of an opportunity. His resources were rather limited right now, so he'd rather alter the terms than have that happen.

"Does that sound reasonable?" he added, seeking agreement.

[poorexample]

Everything that Orihara said made good sense, and it was a strange relief to be able to speak with a human and reach a mutual understanding on a topic. He didn't know what that said about himself or about Orihara, but Castiel decided not to dwell on it

[predictator]

Izaya watched silently as the other man picked up his fish to take a bite, a faint smile on his face. Castiel had agreed to the proposed trade-fortunate, although it made Izaya wonder if he could have proposed something a little more in his own favor and still been accepted. Ah, too late for that... But then again, if Castiel felt he wasn't being taken advantage of, it made him more likely to do business with Izaya again in the future. There was nothing wrong with starting small and moving on to bigger and better things after 'trust' had been established