Day 51: Lunch

[sanguinario]

Edward was glad to wake up to a period of respite. While he had been conscious during breakfast, he'd requested to remain in his room for extra "sleep", which had consisted waiting until the room was vacated to ingest the vial of Venom's blood. The vampire had lost his chance last night, but that might have been for the better; this way he wasn't

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[poorexample]

There was a certain irony in the fact that Sam and Dean refused to believe that he was an angel when at least one of them had trusted the word of a demon at one point or another. It wasn't that Castiel could necessarily hold a grudge, however. This whole situation was too odd and disorienting for anyone to believe more than they had to. As an angel, he was used to accepting things on faith, but even he had lately learned to tread more carefully. Caution was required when you no longer had the powers of the divine on your side.

He had spent the second "shift," as the nurse had called it, sitting in the room with the sunlight. Staring up through the glass toward the clouds, he had struggled to form some sort of plan. But with each passing minute, he only became more impatient. Whether he had been taken back in time or not was still unclear, but regardless of when he was, there was a point where he needed to be, where the world was on the brink of the Apocalypse and there were people who he refused to let down.

But it occurred to him that if this Dean was from the past, there was still a chance that the one he knew had in fact said yes to Michael.

And so he had been forced back to a place where he could be of no help at all, where his powers were gone and he could not even ensure that the two brothers did not let go of that one thing he'd rebelled to keep: free will. It did seem like the sort of terrible trick that Michael would play on him, and perhaps that explained the fake name, as well: his marking on all of this. It was so arrogant, so confident, that Castiel was almost banking on it at this point.

Worst of all was that he had no way of knowing how to get his powers back (if he could at all-that could very well have been self-caused, he knew) and out of this place. He had not realized how crippled he would feel with all of his powers gone; the possibility of losing it all had never even occurred to him.

And yet he hardly felt human. He was stuck in some in-between state where he didn't get the benefits of either side.

Not that sulking or moping would get him anywhere. That was a quality he despised, and so the offer from a nurse to move elsewhere was appreciated, strangely enough. Even the illusion of movement was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

As he entered the cafeteria, his first course of action was to search out the Winchesters again (they had been cut off far too quickly earlier), and yet he saw neither. Castiel started to turn back toward the entrance, fully prepared to linger near the door until one of them came through, but that was when he caught a whiff of the current meal that was being served.

His stomach twisted painfully. He was hungry. Famine had nothing to do with it this time, however; this hunger was not nearly as intense as that time, but it was still insistent. Especially since hamburgers happened to be on the menu. Castiel fought back a strange build-up of saliva in his mouth as a nurse caught the look in his eye and led him to the food line.

By the time he got through, he had about six of the hamburgers piled on a plate (as much as he'd been able to fit without compromising the structural integrity), which he held carefully in both hands as he made another scan of the room for Sam or Dean. With still no sign of them, Castiel sat himself down in an empty seat and watched the door while he took his first bite of the succulent cow meat.

It was... delicious.

[For his bro.]

[affictitious]

Though Gabriel had only been alive less than twenty-four hours (for the second time), he'd learned some things.

1. He was not enjoying this whole pseudo-human thing.
2. Sam Winchester was still a dick.
3. He had no idea, time-wise, where he was.
4. The probability of him finding out who the hell had brought him back to life was quickly dropping to zero.

And that was about it. Despite being an absolute master at hiding masking his deep, inner torment, it was getting harder to keep a smile on a face and a wordless holy hymn singing in his heart. The last thing an archangel liked was being controlled - simply because, since Lucifer's Fall, they hadn't been. It was just an absent Father, two sides, and no authority figure to shake a very large and prominent finger at them as He sent down some good ol' fashioned vengence. Now it was crazy guy versus a random collection of humans (and, apparently, demi-gods), that same crazy guy being the proverbial authority figure, and...

Okay, he was giving up on that metaphor. It wasn't going anywhere.

The point was: he was ready to go now. Anytime, you know. And whether or not he felt more comfortable possessing the body of some poor bastard, being chained to his vessel was kind of, you know, taking away his free will.

Which he liked. It kind of coincided with the whole appreciation of humanity. Not to mention how they'd showed him how above his brothers they could be; that point had been especially nailed in with his own blade.

Uncomfortable in his (vessel's) own skin for a moment, he rubbed two fingers over his heart.
If there was some universal lesson to be taken in what had been happening to him for the last few hours, consider him happy to throw up his arms and give up. It was beyond him, if there even was a point besides torture.

He watched the swing of his nurse's hips with a vague interest as he followed her to the cafeteria for a second time; upon entering, he wrinkled his nose. All of the sweet, wonderful smells of that breakfast - he could still taste the syrup - was replaced by sour meat and warm bread. Neither appealed to him particularly, and since his binge on french toast, he wasn't feeling hungry.

Not that he should at all, but. You know. He was attempting to adjust.

The smell wasn't the only thing he felt. Someone was watching the door, and that someone...

Was good at a thousand yard stare.

A smile crept back to Gabriel's lips.

So he'd been wrong. Castiel was at the institute, still dogging the Winchesters' steps. An interesting predicament, since - presumably - Sam wouldn't even recognize him. The chance of him knowing what was going on was slim to none, of course (after all, if an archangel didn't know...) but would still be more than he knew to see where in time his brother was. Or had come from.

"Why, if it isn't Castiel!" he greeted with as much exuberance as a tight family member would give to a sibling they hadn't seen in ages; upon taking his seat across from the fellow angel, his smile had transformed into a grin. "A fun place like this is the last place I'd expect to see you. Still stalking Bonnie and Clyde?"

[poorexample]

The taste of the hamburger wasn't something that he tired of, even after a few bites had already been taken. Castiel knew that it was all due to his vessel; even though Jimmy was no longer present, his physical cravings were clearly still intact, and now he was victim to them. Considering that he now needed to feed, however, this seemed to work in his favor. At least he had been provided with something that this body enjoyed.

In fact, he was so taken in by his meal that he did not notice someone approaching until a jarring voice struck him like a smack in the face. However, it was a voice that he knew, and it was a voice that was speaking his name. Castiel allowed the hamburger to slip from his hands as he stared up at none other than the messenger of God.

The previous messenger, at least. Gabriel had left Heaven long before Castiel could have even imagined doing the same. However, their reasons for deserting their home had been extremely different, and Castiel could not agree with the arch-angel's methods.

He'd trapped the Winchesters in mock versions of television programs before; who was to say that he couldn't make it a rehabilitation center this time? (It occurred to him that he still didn't know what sort of center this was, but that hardly seemed to matter in the current context.) It was hardly beyond Gabriel's ability to pull people through time, and so finally this all made sense.

His brother was speaking as if he wasn't behind this, but that could easily be some sort of act. And so Castiel stood from the table, his chair screeching out behind him, and set both hands on it as he fixed the other angel with a glare. "What sort of lesson are you attempting to teach this time, Gabriel?" he snarled. "I was under the impression that you wanted this war to happen. Why would you prevent me from getting back to stop them?"

It made no sense, but Gabriel didn't make sense. He never had, at least not to Castiel. The long period of time he'd spent on Earth had only added to that, but he wasn't going to stand for it this time. The Apocalypse was nigh, and while he knew that he literally had no way of fighting back, he was prepared to resort to negotiation if that was what it took.

[affictitious]

Oh goody, it was him. And to think the situation could have been so awkward if he'd been talking to the poor schmuck that was Castiel's meatsuit. It was hard to tell who was who anymore.

Another annoyance. Well. They were just piling up on him.

Clapping his hands together once, he laughed in the face of Castiel's anger. Either he was still stuck in the past - an interesting concept, considering angels shouldn't be so easily misplaced in time - or... well, there wasn't any chance that the news hadn't traveled the globe and above it. Archangel deaths? Pretty big goddamn deal. Even to an angel in the middle of rebelling. "I was waiting for that - just the sort of accusations I deserve! I'm just surprised Sam wasn't as adamant about them as you are, bro."

Actually, Sam had been rather complacent in comparison. He must have ruffled more than a few of his brother's feathers with that whole TV land gig. Too bad it'd been in vain, even though it'd been an amusing way to waste a couple of days.

"Sadly? Not my work. Not so sadly, actually. Crazy houses are cliché, and I don't do cliché." Groundhog Day didn't count. That was a classic, and he'd just improved it. "By the way? As you clearly remember, we've got brothers still on the rampage. I'd appreciate keeping my name on the down low, you know? Before I help you keep silent about it. Duct tape worked last time, and I hate reusing old material."

[poorexample]

As always, Gabriel found everything funny. Castiel couldn't see what was amusing about this, but he still picked up some interesting information from his brother's words. Most importantly was that the arch-angel had already come across Sam and had probably confused him even more than he had during the earlier meal.

Talk of the Winchesters would have to wait until later, however. Gabriel was insisting that he wasn't behind this, but Castiel wasn't quite so trusting. After all, his brother seemed to know that this was a mental institution, when Castiel had not yet received any information of that sort. It was possible that Gabriel knew more than he should for a reason.

The threat to keep him quiet was more or less ignored, and Castiel remained standing as he gave a look around the room out of habit. Speaking of rampaging brothers, that was what they needed to discuss now. "If this is not your doing, then whose is it? I have no recollection of how I came here, but I suspect Michael is behind it, as a ploy to keep me from Sam and Dean. They're present here, but they're not of the right time."

Which Gabriel had already figured out, he imagined, but talking through it helped Castiel to organize his thoughts as well. He had done it with the Winchesters enough times, though Gabriel wasn't a very good replacement. Castiel still wasn't convinced about Gabriel not being behind it all, but one thing that did seem off was that this brother was usually the first one to admit that he was the mastermind of whatever unfortunate situation came up. He had certainly been proud of himself back in "TV Land."

[affictitious]

Oh, that was rich. Castiel couldn't just... let him enjoy making fun of him without bringing up his sore spot. The grin slowly dripped away from the archangel's face as he set his hands back down on the table; family matters tended to drive away his sense of humor pretty damn fast. As suspicious as he was of his family, Gabriel sincerely doubted either Michael or Lucifer would have done something like this... and they were the only ones powerful enough to take two angels and toss them into an insane asylum.

Except for himself. Before the psuedo-human thing (which Lucifer and Michael couldn't do. He knew that. It wasn't a guessing game there. It was fact.)

Or Dad. (He still wasn't considering that option.)

"As cute as it is that you expect me to know everything, I don't have any answers for you." And chances were that even if he did, he probably wouldn't be having a big sharing and caring session with Castiel. Straight answers didn't come free... even if he kind of needed them too.

Gabriel took a moment to recollect his humor, reaching across the table as his brother stood around like an ass to snatch one of the assembled hamburgers and take a bite. Not sweet, but not bad.

Maybe straight answers weren't such a bad idea... coming from the other side.

"You haven't died lately, have you?" he asked, between bites of a burger (even though the words were garbled by the food still in his mouth). "Just curious."

[poorexample]

No answers? Then Castiel didn't see much of a reason to talk with Gabriel any further. On the other hand, there weren't many open chairs left (and if he left, his brother would undoubtedly follow him), and more than that, at this point the arch-angel was the only one who actually knew him for who and what he was. He knew far more than the Winchesters even did (from his time, that is), and the two of them had a solid chance of working through how this had happened to them and how to get out of it.

But if even Gabriel, one of the most powerful beings in existence, had been tethered and brought here, then their chances of breaking out of this place seemed dismal. Castiel was accustomed to analyzing the situation and facing the facts, and right now their situation seemed to be particularly bleak.

Gabriel was eating, which meant he was just as weakened. They were God's warriors (or had been, at one point) and now they were useless in the face of the Apocalypse.

Slowly, Castiel eased himself back into his seat and grabbed the hamburger he'd been eating before. He took a bite in tandem with Gabriel, trying not to consider the ridiculousness of their situation too deeply. But when his brother asked a question of his own, he just about choked.

Why was he asking that? Did Gabriel honestly believe that this was where the divine went when they ceased to exist? Pausing, he gave a small shake of his head. "I'm not sure." That blow could have easily been strong enough to take him out for good, but this hardly seemed like the afterlife. It couldn't be. Not if Sam and Dean were here.

[affictitious]

The archangel leaned back in his chair with that answer, considering it. Even if his little brother was definitely considered a short bus angel, it was kind of hard to imagine not knowing one was dead. It was kind of... a big deal, the Grace exploding and all. That was the only way you could off an angel. Then again, he wasn't exactly stalking his every brother's move (not this brother, at least), so maybe he'd taken the Anna route and ripped his Grace out.

Again, it was hard to tell. Everyone looked human, felt human to him.

"I dunno how you eat this slop," he said finally, dropping the burger onto the table, half-eaten. Sure, he was kind of digging the free food bit, but he could have just as easily made his own and be eating what he was craving. Which was a three layer German chocolate cake, thanks to that Donna kid. "Look, I know you're easily confused with just about everything human, but dying is kind of explicit. It's not a maybe acitivity. How do you not know?"

Of course, he didn't care one way or another. Nope. That was a lie; family was family. It was more about seeking answers to his own mysterious revival. Offing one angel and bringing 'em back was news enough. Two? Kind of unheard of.

Totally unheard of, in fact.

And now that he thought of it, Castiel had mentioned something else interesting. Sam might've mentioned his brother, but if one of them was misplaced in time... "And hey, you saw Dean. How's the kid doing? Not about to have Michael ride him, right? I imagine it's a little too early for that."

[poorexample]

When Gabriel dropped the half-eaten (if that) burger as if it was a piece of trash, Castiel couldn't help frowning. While he had four others (not counting the one that he'd just finished), it seemed like a waste to do that. He didn't know if his hunger was going to require him to go and get another one to replace the one his brother had mutilated, but he was certain that time would tell.

He methodically picked up the second off of his plate and took a bite, taking in Gabriel's words with a sour expression on his face. He could sense the mockery in his brother's tone, but he knew better than to get provoked by it. This was simply how Gabriel was, and playing into it was exactly what he wanted. So Castiel would keep this simple and to the point, which was his preferred method for any conversation.

"I've died before," he said harshly. "I know what it feels like." His vessel's form had literally exploded under the pressure, and he had gotten some sense of that sensation before completely losing consciousness. Reviving from that was easily one of the most disorienting things he'd ever experienced, other than awakening in this place. Hence why he was still uncertain of if he'd died the moment he'd activated that sigil.

"Prior to arriving here, I had been in the middle of fight that was drastically uneven, and I took a risk that may have resulted in my death. However, I could have also been captured and brought here by one of our brothers." Both options seemed possible, though he was leaning more toward the latter. Maybe he and Gabriel didn't agree on that, but that was no reason for Castiel to budge from his position.

Unfortunately, Gabriel then chose to bring up Dean, and Castiel almost tensed at the name. The Dean he had seen this morning was not the same as the Dean he had spent so much of his time watching over. He frowned and gave a shake of his head. "Not the one here, no. He's from even before his descent to Hell. However, in my own time, he was dangerously close to saying yes." Which Castiel was sure Gabriel would be thrilled to hear. He sent his brother a glare for good measure.

[affictitious]

Twice. Twice. That was totally unfair. That was like... buying the one million, two thousand and three hundred forty-seventh kid the new pair of jeans and making them hand-me-ups. Of course, it might have been fair in the vein that Gabriel was a lot better at not dying than his gruffer brother, but... seriously. Who the hell was going around and just. Reviving angels? If he hadn't been offed by one of his own brothers, he might have gone with the belief that maybe Lucifer or Michael was doing it. Just to fuck with The Host, maybe. Maybe to bring more soldiers to each respective side. Even being as close to them as he used to be, it was hard to know what exactly they were planning. Being away for a few generations tended to do that.

You know? He didn't care, either. This was him, all far-removed and everything. And loving it.

Err. Far removed after the whole... interfering with Lucifer trying to kill his ex-girlfriend thing.

Besides, thrifty didn't exactly describe Michael, who Gabriel could see doing this more than Lucifer. He was a gunning-to-the-punch kind of archangel. He probably didn't have a plan outside of making Dean say yes. He'd think he wouldn't need one, since Dean was going to say yes. At least everyone seemed to be sure of that.

"I really doubt it was either of them," he rocked his chair back and forth, wobbling on one leg, "Like. Really. You're overestimating your importance in this whole Apocalypse thing, kid. You're just a bump in the road."

Of course, if it was God doing it, then he'd eat his words. He'd eat his shoe, even, 'cause there wasn't a chance in Hell that he'd revive some grunt soldier when he wouldn't even prevent the first fight back in the day. With all the rebel runts and whatnot running around, killing each other and helping Lucifer generally be a gigantic bowl of dicks, why interfere now?

He wasn't buying what that thought was peddling.

Which was why he was hopping on a new one. Because Castiel's description of Dean's time was so pinpointy, he had reason to believe that maybe Castiel still had his uses. Trying to intimidate an archangel with his little glare, however, wasn't one of them. "Go figure. So they're not gonna roll with this little angel show. Tough luck."

[poorexample]

As much as Castiel felt the need to argue back against Gabriel about who was behind this, in the end he knew better. Arguing for the sake of arguing would get them nowhere, even if it did seem to be something that human siblings were prone to do, if Sam and Dean were a faithful example. In the end, neither of them were human and they didn't need to behave as such. Gabriel was far better at it than he was, but his sense of superiority still set him apart. Not like Anna. She'd been...

"You may be right, but if not them, then who? Who else could possess this amount of power?" Castiel had been willing to accept that he'd depowered himself with that sigil, but Gabriel? An archangel could not be crippled so easily. It made perfect sense to him that another archangel would be the only one capable of such a feat, which meant one of those two. Raphael, perhaps, but he had not been making himself known for some time now. Trapped still?

In the end, Gabriel should have felt fortunate that Dean had let him go that day in the warehouse. Castiel would not necessarily have been so kind.

The only other option was the absent Father, but he had not spoken of that since before Dean had gotten it into his head to give in, and Castiel did not want to think too hard on that whole subject in any case. He knew that it was God who had brought him back the first time. It had more or less been confirmed by the fear in Zachariah's eyes, and really, who else was there? But here there were more unknowns, and he had already been abandoned. It wouldn't make sense... He refused to believe--

Gabriel spoke up again, and Castiel found himself grateful for the distraction. "I attempted to get through to them, but as expected, it went badly." Which did not mean that he was going to adopt his brother's methods and suddenly run the other direction. He would keep working at the Winchesters, forcing them to see what was right before their eyes. It was either that or work with Gabriel, and he couldn't see himself managing that for too long.

[affictitious]

Gabriel was quite sure they knew exactly who had that kind of power - and then some - and while he quite had his reasons for shying away from the idea, he was surprised Castiel wasn't already to coming to the conclusion. The Great God Search had apparently fallen flat on its ass; if that assumption was true, he wouldn't be surprised in the least. So that meant the Big G was still just as good at pissing on His first children as he always had. His only answer to the inquiry was a shrug of his shoulders. He'd said he didn't have answers, and that was the truth.

So maybe he shouldn't expect everyone to just believe everything that came out of his mouth. Didn't mean everything was a lie.

Though as thrilling as his current conversation was, Gabriel couldn't help but be distracted by a voice rising over the murmur of the crowd. And in its center -

"You've got to be kidding me." If it wasn't the giant from last night, looking as just as unshaven and... great. He'd found his language again. It was hard to decide whether he was more annoying when he was understandable or not. Optimists. Just what a growing asylum needed.

He turned his head away, rolling his eyes. "Well, if that doesn't put you in the mood for trying again and failing, nothin' will. But go ahead and try. It won't help your case any. Crazy house, Castiel. Remember." He dropped his chair to the floor with a crack of plastic against tile. "Leave me out of it."

[poorexample]

That wasn't much of a response, but Castiel got the sense that instead of keeping information from him, his brother was simply ignorant. For once they seemed to be on the same level, both in terms of their powers and their knowledge. It was strange, but he would have preferred that there was the normal imbalance. At least that would have meant that one of them would have had the answers.

The fact that Gabriel was just as limited as he was deeply unsettled him, though he did his best to push that thought aside. Dwelling on how dire their situation was wouldn't do a thing to fix it.

In a way, the distraction was helpful, as he'd been at a loss for what else to say. He watched the patient - who looked as if he would easily tower over even Sam - pick himself up onto the table and give a speech. It was the sort of dogged determination that he had seen in Dean more than once. Dean was the sort of person who wanted to do things his way regardless of how impractical it was, and he would fight for that ideal until the very end. It was something Castiel had actually come to admire--

But then Gabriel spoke up again and quickly reminded him that none of that mattered here. Dean didn't know him from the next human, and was probably thoroughly convinced that he was a mental patient, if that was truly what this hospital was meant for. Angels didn't go insane as a general rule, but... Well, then there was Lucifer.

"I never intended to ask for your help," he said, tone cutting as he glanced down at his meal and grabbed for his third burger. He was starting to feel a slight discomfort in his abdomen, but the craving persisted.

[affictitious]

"You're not getting me here," he started, but was distracted again - the hospital team wasn't wasting any time, surrounding the unshaven giant with a few giants of their own. Oh, no; the kid had actually made a beeline for them. Lunch and a show? He wouldn't miss this for the world!

Which was why he laughed when the blond's plan didn't exactly go like he'd probably drawn it out. Now, that was one thing he did like about humans; even in hopeless situations, they tried. Maybe he'd had good intentions, though you couldn't exactly trust anyone's words around here. But... execution got a 5. Was he really moronic enough to think he'd go through all the guards alone? Brawn was his, sure, but brawn didn't solve many problems on its own.

It also showed exactly why there weren't any wild riots going on. As much as he didn't like to recognize it, the crazy doctor had a good scheme going. Low power, if any at all, distributed sparingly through the populace and just enough freedom to keep some sort of dashed hopes up. Though he wasn't believing the doctor was all behind it himself, he sure was taking advantage of it.

With that nice melee in the background, Gabriel picked back up on his original thought. "I'm not planning on helping you, believe me. I'm staying incognito. Brush off the threat all you want, but I'm quite willing to go the extra mile to make it happen." Pause. "How many of those are you plannin' on eatin'?"

[poorexample]

The rebelling patient continued to act as Dean would; his next move was to suddenly go barreling toward some of the staff members, clearly looking for a fight. Dean would have done the same, would have fought tooth and nail until he was forced into unconsciousness, either by blunt force to the head or some sort of drug. Here they seemed to prefer the latter method, as it gave them the illusion of being a help rather than a threat.

It was all easy enough to understand in those terms. Castiel had been controlled by a superior force before. He had not necessarily been high in the rankings back in Heaven, but he had at least had a place. Now he was wayward, and he knew it, but he had yet to feel regret. Sometimes he thought he felt the starting of it, and he'd obviously felt the sharp knife of betrayal when Dean Winchester had turned around and spit in his face even after all he'd sacrificed, but--

He was getting distracted. That Dean was not a part of this now. All he had was a pair of brothers who knew nothing about him, some very limited powers, and an unhelpful older brother. Who was currently making that abundantly clear.

Glancing up from his food, Castiel watched the archangel unblinkingly, keeping a tight hold on his current burger. "So you intend to hide under your fake name again. They won't know the difference and you can continue to be a neutral party. Is that your plan?" That was fine by him. He had never once thought to seek out Gabriel during his time on Earth, and he wasn't planning to now. Gabriel was the one who had come to sit with him, not the other way around.

At the question, he did actually blink, peering down at the burger before returning his gaze to Gabriel. "Why do you ask?"

[affictitious]

Hiding was such a technical term. It wasn't really hiding. It was... strategic information withholding. Now that anyone would believe an archangel was walking the hallways, but he could really go without being known as that one guy with the crazy brother... despite already being that one guy with the crazy brother.

And, if it hadn't been Lucifer who revived him, which he was quite sure it wasn't, not being on the radar again would be good for his life insurance.

"Neutral party. Sure, I'll go with that." Castiel made it sound so well-thought out and cowardly. The first? Maybe. Second... ehhhh. He'll get back to you on that. To answer that question in part, he shrugged. "I already spent my time helping them. S'not my fault if they haven't gotten to that point yet." Technically wasn't neutral anymore, but no one seemed to remember, which was one part annoying and one part grating on his nerves.

Time is fickle. Or something.

As for the burgers... well, assuming he wasn't the only angel feeling more than a little trapped (he didn't want to say human considering he hadn't met a human in his life who could carry out an entire conversation without blinking), overeating was a real (and sad) possibility. But being so unhelpful as he was, all Gabriel said was, "Just curious."