Day 60: Patient Library (Third Shift)

[poorexample]

After handling two conversations that had been difficult for completely different reasons, Castiel had to admit that he felt weary. It was not a sensation that was new to him; between Izaya showing far too much interest in his kind and Ruby simply being who she was, some peace and quiet was what he craved

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[poorexample]

Daemon. It was far too similar to "demon" for his tastes, and Castiel almost flinched in response. It wouldn't have affected him so much if he hadn't just had a very unpleasant conversation with Ruby. It made him wary to track this Daemon down, but he realized that some humans named their children foolish things without realizing the meaning behind it. Either way, he nodded in thanks.

Kratos made a good point. Why had the barrier extended so far? Why had access to the town even been possible? Gabriel may have been able to push further through the sheer power of his Grace alone, but Castiel hadn't felt any resistance when they'd traveled. Strange.

"I don't have a good answer," he admitted. "Maybe he had only a limited control on its range." Castiel still didn't know what sort of magic had made that barrier possible in the first place, but whatever it was had to be extremely potent.

"Did you encounter anything strange yourself, last night?" Castiel went on to ask. He realized that Kratos' experience could hardly compare to his own, but that didn't mean that nothing of interest had happened to the man.

[spandexorgtfo]

No good answer: the universal response to almost any question regarding the mechanics of this place. To be honest, it was frustrating to always conclude that he was only speculating, or that there was the possibility of something. Kratos preferred his facts to be as they were: facts, unassailable and concrete. But, it was no fault of Castiel's that he lacked a definite answer; it was just the nature of this place to restrict information.

"Perhaps the strangest was the inordinate amount of monsters I encountered that seemed more intent than usual on disemboweling me," he replied dryly, his expression betraying just a hint of his frustration. "I didn't see as many others being similarly assailed, so I assumed it was because of the return of my usual level of power."

He shrugged. "They were annoying, so I survived the night unscathed, but persistent enough to frustrate my progress."

[poorexample]

Despite the fact that Castiel had spent at least some amount of times in the halls, he hadn't been attacked himself. Kratos' theory was that the creatures had been drawn to his power, but if that was the case then Castiel should have been swarmed. He didn't know what manner of strength Kratos had, but he could easily conclude that it didn't compare to his own.

In fact, maybe his Grace had actually managed to repel the creatures. In that case, at least he had managed to keep the two females patients with him safe by his very presence.

That was all assumption, though, and more than that, it was a moot point now that the night had ended and they had been reduced to their previous states. Either way, it seemed clear that Kratos hadn't encountered much of interest.

"I'm glad I was able to provide something of use, then," he said as he pulled the journal back and shut it.

[spandexorgtfo]

To be honest, he was unsure as to how the monsters had managed to track him down specifically, but it was possible, always possible that the mana had been simply leaking out and coloring that sixth sense through which that sort of thing could be noted. He had far more power than any human should or could ever rightly have; in the twin worlds, it would not have been as noticeable since his surroundings would have swallowed the excess up, even in the declining world. Here, though, it might have been pooling invisibly at his feet for all he knew, rolling off of him in waves as he walked down the halls, and yet he would not have cared because he had power--

Kratos tore his thoughts away from something that was no longer there. "Indeed," he said mildly. "It would have been unfortunate to have remained in the dark." Almost like salt in an open wound.

He might have said more, but at that point, the nurses were coming by to collect them for the next shift, and so he scooped up the remnants of his half-eaten lunch along with the book and nodded to Castiel before departing. "Thank you again."