Day 55: Courtyard [2nd Shift]

[sheepwood]

After what seemed like an eternity of being amused, irritable, bored, in pain, in excruciating pain, and any combination of those, Guybrush was met by the same soldier who had led him to the cafeteria. He wasn't offered a trip to the Sun Room to check the bulletin board, but didn't push for it anyway. That would have been more walking, and moving

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[poorexample]

In the end, it was best that someone had approached to interrupt him. Loathe as Castiel was to remove his eyes from the pair, the familiar voice was enough to distract him. He glanced over at the girl, knowing both her name and the fact that she was not what she appeared to be. He still had little idea of what a digital monster was, but this was one person he'd shared his secret with. Thus far he hadn't been given any reason to regret it. He couldn't say that he trusted her; he still barely knew her. But her company was in no way a bad thing.

However, she'd asked a question and now he would have to explain himself. There was no easy way to do such a thing, and he ended up letting out a sigh without even realizing he was doing so. "You could say that," he responded with a brief nod. Luckily, the fact that Renamon was already aware of what he was would make this somewhat easier.

"As I am an angel, that female is a demon. More than that, in the time and place I come from, she is attempting to unleash an incredibly powerful and dangerous force. No, she's already done so." It was odd to have to speak as if there were worlds other than Earth, but a few people he'd met in this place had led him to believe that that might be true. It was best if he watched his phrasing. "The one she's conversing with is... a friend of mine." There was much more to the story than that, but it was a start and probably as much as Renamon needed to hear.

[yin_yang_fox]

An internal dispute, then, from his homeworld. The Digimon discretely glanced over to the pair again, memorizing her features. A demon, was it? The term was a loose one, and not at all negative in some. However, from Castiel's explanation, it seemed demons from his world were completely destructive--and more, seemed more similar to things familiar to her than she would like. It wasn't a rule of hers to judge others based on another's word, but it would be something to keep in mind. Even if the demoness was limited here, she could be a threat for others. And that it was Castiel's friend she was conversing with was not something ignored. That fact harbored nothing good.

Renamon glanced back at the angel. "Does your friend know what she is, and what she's done?" Two very different things, it was true, and allowed different outlooks on the same individual. If the other did not... And now she was sure that she had had dealings with him, but his name escaped her.... If the man didn't know, he needed to be informed. The man could make a choice after that, but an intelligent choice could not be made without all of the information present.

[poorexample]

Surprisingly, Renamon hit right on the mark. Then again, from their first conversation it had become clear that they thought similarly, so maybe it wasn't such a shock that she homed in on the very thing that was bothering him. He shook his head before turning to watch the pair again. Ruby had seemingly calmed down after their altercation earlier and appeared to be playing nice with Dean. She was trying to pull him in, and Castiel could only hope that he wouldn't fall for it as readily as Sam had.

"He should know both things, but he does not due to an issue of time. He's from far before my own point in time, which means that he's susceptible to her." While it was definitely problematic that Ruby had gotten to speak with Dean first, Castiel didn't think that that made the issue completely unsolvable. There were ways to prove that a demon was a demon, after all, and Dean knew those methods. If Castiel explained, then Dean could makes those tests for himself.

However, dragging Renamon into his own affairs had not been his intention. He was going to keep an eye on the two, but he did not need to expend all of his attention on watching them. He half-turned toward her. "I apologize. I did not mean to burden you with my own problems. Was there something you needed?" It was possible she'd merely approached out of curiosity, but he thought it was only right to see if there was more to her visit.

[yin_yang_fox]

Different times. This, as well, was understood to the full extent. There was at least three from the angel's world, and all from different times, from what she was gathering. In that kind of scenario, most had settled to explaining the basics of the differences, but it seemed this group had not settled on that. If there was a disturbance, such as the demoness, it made more sense that that would be delayed--however, it also made the need for it more complete. She frowned slightly, then looked up when Castiel spoke again.

"It wasn't a burden. It's a serious situation, if what you say is true. Your friend should know the details as soon as possible." But that, perhaps, was none of her business. If the angel didn't want to speak more on it, it was not her place to continue the subject. She shifted her arms to cross over her chest in habit. "No, nothing was needed. You were just a familiar face." However.... "I'd like to ask, though. Did anything strange happen to you last night?"

[poorexample]

"A serious situation" was a concise and accurate way of describing it, though Castiel only nodded in response to those words. It was true that he needed to get to Dean as soon as possible, but that wasn't always a simple matter. It would have been helpful if he'd still had his ability of flight during the day, as more often than not Dean would end up speaking with someone else before Castiel got the opportunity to find him. There had to be a better method, especially since he could not rely on that bulletin board. Speaking to Gabriel was one thing, as they could use Enochian, but he doubted that Dean knew any language but English.

For now, all the pair was doing was talking, though Castiel grew more and more apprehensive the more that he noted Dean's relatively relaxed expression. He remembered very clearly how Dean had behaved around Ruby in the proper timeline, and it had never been like that.

The sudden question from Renamon was enough to pull his thoughts away from that once more, however, especially since he had just been thinking about his power and how he could have benefited from it even during the daytime hours. "If a return of an ability counts as strange, then yes. Did the same thing happen to you?" Why would it have affected him and Renamon, but not Gabriel? And just what had been going on with Gabriel in the first place? His brother hadn't been clear on the bulletin, but he never was.

[yin_yang_fox]

A return of an ability. The same as Sasuke, then. Renamon idly ran through a list of traits. On a personal level, she knew close to nothing about the pair, and the little that she did know, there was not enough to wager an analysis. There was no pattern seen. Was it something random, then? Or something more bland than traits in common. For example--the numbers on each tag. Were there a list of possibilities, and their captors had merely checked them off according to number? She wondered.

Renamon tilted her head in thought. "In a way. The group I was with all had strange effects last night. Another had a power returned to him, one could sense certain danger, a third lost all recent memory, and yet another had constant misfortune. As for myself, I lacked the ability to feel pain." This had already been tested when she awoke. That ability was gone. "Other things have happened at night, so it's logical to think of this as somewhat the same." Though... The basis for it was more shrouded. "Possibly to throw us off last night, or in the case of positive attributes, to give up a false security."

[poorexample]

Her whole group had been affected? Castiel hadn't been expecting that, and his face actually betrayed his surprise for a moment. As far as he had been able to tell, Orihara hadn't been suffering from any strange effects, nor had Dean. Gabriel, on the other hand -- it was possible that his odd behavior was actually a result of something that had been done to them the night before.

However, if that was the case, did that mean that the effect had only been temporary and that his flight would not return to him this coming night? Castiel didn't even want to consider the possibility, but he knew that he had to. If that was the case, then he really should have made better use of the ability the night before. But how could he have known?

"Are you of the belief that those effects were only in place for last night, then?" he asked. "The only other person I encountered last night who was acting strangely decided to threaten me for seemingly no reason. I'm not certain what his motives were, but it seems to have cleared up this morning." He didn't know if that information would help her, but intel was the thing that Renamon seemed to be most interested in.

[yin_yang_fox]

To threaten for no reason. It was possible that the patient was just temperamentally fickle, but if she did assume it was from the same affects... The theory was a mangling of the senses, so.... Enlarged rage? Higher emotions? A heightened paranoia? Something like that, perhaps. She couldn't know, and she frowned slightly. It was logically to line that up with the others, and with it added, the theory still held the same.

However, she thought about her answer to his question. "I'm of the mind that that is the case," she said slowly. "But there is no way to be certain until tonight. The more important thing, I believe," she continued, staring at Castiel. "Is motivation, and more, the affects. Why did they do that? And-- What was it that they wanted to achieve with it?" Her eyes slanted to the side in thoughts. "It's enough to write it off as a whim of chance, but I wouldn't be so quick to doubt the reasons that aren't known." The Digimon frowned again. "What did they gain from those differences?"

[poorexample]

While it was definitely true that they wouldn't be certain until night came once more, Castiel found that he held Renamon's opinion in high regard. Some of that was due to the fact that they seemed to think along similar lines, but the main reason was that she had been in this place for so long and had given him so much information during their first conversation. She had to understand how this place worked by now, and while the change in management meant that her experience might not be quite as useful anymore, Castiel still put some stock in it.

In fact, Renamon quickly moved on to dissecting why it was that such things had happened to them. It was a large range of effects -- regained powers, whatever had been going on with Gabriel, a lack of pain, and so forth. Could all of them truly adhere to one pattern?

"It would be easier to find an answer to that question if it had been narrowed down to one effect. With all of them of taken into consideration, it's hard to imagine we can find an answer other than disorientation." That was mainly what the institute seemed to do: put them through things that put them off-balance, hindering their progress.

[yin_yang_fox]

He was correct entirely. She nodded grimly, pondering if there was any tie other than that that drove the attributes together. None came to mind, which allowed the other thought to move more to the surface. "If it wasn't a whim, and disorientation was the only visible aim, then the question remains as such. While we were disorientated, and moving differently than we perhaps would have, what was happening that we did not take note of?"

Simply; what had those running the institute been doing while the patients adjusted to their trials and tasks? A major upheaval was a bit doubtful. The effects, while disorientating were far from absolutely alarming. With patience, most could be overcome. Something minor, then. A shift or something being brought it.

The man on the intercom. He hadn't been seen in the way of proclaiming himself as his underlings had. Would he remain in his office like Landel, hiding out of sight? When had he arrived? How much time really passed in the period being night and morning?

Ah, but she was shifting backwards now. She would do better to only question what she had the possibility of gaining answers to.

[poorexample]

While disorientation could be meant simply to slow them down in whatever their tasks were -- or as a test to see how well they could function under unexpected conditions -- it was not completely out of hand to go with Renamon's train of thought and assume that it had been meant as a distraction.

There was no solid proof of that, but it was clear that Renamon was hoping to gather her thoughts and looking to him for assistance in that attempt. For that reason, he was willing to accept her theory for the moment.

"It's possible that they were simply working on the finishing touches to their takeover, such as handling the disposal of the old staff and briefing the soldiers on their duties and how to handle us." It was true that the soldiers had already seemed composed the day before, but they had been working alongside the nurses then. Now they were more or less handling this on their own, and doing so very professionally. That sort of thing didn't come naturally unless you were bred into such a role.

"That's only assuming that that was the true purpose of what they did to us, however," he reminded her. They could get carried away with all kinds of speculation, but in the end it was only that.

[yin_yang_fox]

It was a simple answer, and for that, Renamon distrusted it. It was not as if she rejected what made the most sense, but she had adapted to the sense of this place. Which meant, in no uncertain terms, that what made the most sense was normally not the case. Though, even then she could be wrong. As she had stated early on, she followed theories to be justified or proven wrong. Both outcomes had meaning--the former gaining understanding, and the latter cutting down an option they would have wasted time on, and narrowing the field of options.

However, this field stretched far too wide.

One side of her mouth edged up in partially amused acknowledgment; she inclined her head in deference. "You're correct," she stated. "But all options should be considered until the correct solution is found. In the end, it could be that last night was meaningless, and this discussion fruitless." To keep all options open was what the Digimon strove for. It was the only way to the correct solution, if there was one. If one's mind could not see the possibilities, how would the truth be allowed? A digression. "Thank you, however, for discussing it with me."

[poorexample]

Having it pointed out in no uncertain terms that this entire discussion could have been a waste of time brought different reactions out of Castiel. He was extremely practical and blunt himself, so he appreciated how straight-forward Renamon was. On the other hand, he'd been stuck in this place for far too long already. If he didn't start making some real progress soon, then he was concerned that he would become desperate.

He was normally a very patient being, but when the Apocalypse was nigh his priorities shifted somewhat.

When Renamon gave her thanks, Castiel quickly nodded. "It was no trouble at all." Even if they had not accomplished much, he had once again learned something from this non-human. He was open to the idea of keeping up with her as the days dragged on.

But it appeared their conversation was now over, as the intercom system near the door suddenly went off with a repeated order that they would now be having their lunchtime meal.

"I imagine we'll speak again soon," he said with another nod to Renamon, after which he sent Ruby and Dean one last look and then took his leave to meet up with one of the soldiers.