flameandpassion | 61 [Text]

[Rei watches him, listening, but she's shaking her head before he's finished speaking.]

None of the angels know you're going? And I'm guessing you didn't tell Dean, either.

[So it's just her.]

Cas, that's suicide. You said she would kill you the first opportunity she had -- and there isn't a better opportunity than this. You still haven't recovered from your last fight with her. And once you release the souls, you won't be as powerful -- you think that she's going to just let you go? Do you really think she's going to listen to you when you say you want a truce?

[She slides her hands into her pockets with a scowl.]

I'm not going to let you walk into your execution.

I didn't. He'd want to come with me.

[Which wasn't about to happen, just as Rei wasn't going to go with him either, if he had any say in it. And injured or not he was still an angel and he could evade her if he needed to.]

There will always be an opportunity. I can't defeat her; if she decides to kill me, then she will, with or without the souls and whether or not I'm fully recovered. None of that makes any difference. It's a calculated risk and a strategic decision.

[He's being realistic, not suicidal, as far as he's concerned. There's just a high risk of dying involved.]

Your presence will not help.

[Great. So the only person who knew that Castiel was about to walk into a bonafide angelic trap was Rei. Who was also the only person in Adstringendum, that she knew of, that could trap an angel long enough to not die.

It was stupid not to have her go, as an insurance policy. The other angels wouldn't think anything was off -- none of them knew that Rei could control holy fire except perhaps Lucifer and even he didn't know what she could do with it. Having her not go wasn't calculated or strategic, it was dumb.

And even if she couldn't be the one to go, why not Gabriel or Anna or any other angel that could actually assist Castiel? And not telling Dean didn't sit well with her, either.

She closes her eyes for a moment, to count to ten -- because losing her temper on Castiel wasn't going to help. But the more she counts to herself, the more frustrated she becomes, until she finally snaps:]

Nothing about this mess is calculated or strategic, Cas! It's stupid. This entire plan is stupid. There's no way that Raphael will just let you walk away when she has a shot to kill you -- you said that yourself. There are some things worth dying for and this isn't it.

You know how badly it hurt when Anna died. Do you really want to throw your life away when there's a way out and give other people the same pain?

[Now he's getting frustrated, back to his previous bad mood once more. The situation unnerves him, and he feels trapped and he's afraid, but it makes sense to him. This is his best chance; if he does what Raphael wants, gives in, lays low, and generally does nothing to draw negative attention to himself then he might get away with the archangel being present in the city without any further harm.

If not, and she decides to kill him, it's no different than what would happen as soon as he left the safety of the wards anyway. He already feels terribly claustrophobic after only a little less than a week of being confined to one building.

True, Rei could protect him long enough to get away if they had to, but then what? They would be right back to where they were before, only Rei would have an even bigger target on her than she already did. Everything lead back in a loop. There was no way out but to risk that Raphael would do as she'd claimed, and lay down her sword as a show of good faith.]

It isn't stupid, Rei. I know what I'm doing. What do you expect me to do; stay here forever?

[He feels vague offense at her words, though he isn't sure exactly which aspect is causing it. He's not trying to get himself killed, and he knew what was worth dying for and what wasn't. He'd laid down his life knowingly twice for it.]

There is no way out other than this. And if she kills me, I'll simply come back, again. Eventually, she will get bored, at the least.

[If it would prevent him from dying, then the answer is ultimately yes -- but Rei holds her tongue, because if she were in Castiel's position, she would have made it two days before sneaking out to handle things her way. She looks like she wants to argue, but she can't, which only makes her more frustrated and annoyed.

It isn't his fault. It's the entire situation. There is no way out without something terrible happening to someone and the angels are so volatile and unpredictable that even Rei has difficulty tracking their timelines. The Animus want no part of it, either -- Rei's vision of Castiel's safety had been changed as soon as Raphael arrived and she had had no time to tell him.

She felt just as trapped and scared as he did, but for entirely different reasons.

Rei curses underneath her breath and crosses her arms over her chest.]

I'm tired of watching my friends die when I could do something about it.

[It's an abrupt confession -- and she closes her eyes, frustrated, to try and get a grip and focus.]

[Castiel watches her intently, able to see thoughts and emotions on her face but unable to identify any of them, despite that he was making an attempt. He does, however, understand the cursing and crossing of arms.

Her statement strikes him a bit, and he understands it; he'd seen so much death, not just at Adstringendum but elsewhere, of both friends and his own family. But he was jaded to it, after so long, and here especially it was something that had less impact. Knowing you'll come back after death made it still a terrifying, painful prospect, but with no permanency. So he could be a little less serious about it, at least when it came to his own life.]

Then don't watch.

[He doesn't meant for it to be so cold as it sounds, but it's simply how he's viewing the situation. If it happens, it's going to happen. And he didn't want Rei there anyway. He had another point to make, also.]

I could have done something about Anna, too. I respected when you told me not to do it.

[She stiffens suddenly -- and while her body language clearly indicated that she was upset before, it was nothing to how angry she appeared now. She is silent, for a long moment -- at least three or four minutes -- and for a moment, it appears that Rei is just going to walk away and leave it at that, until she takes a few steps forward, just enough to edge into his personal space, to snap:]

I don't always have a choice, Castiel!

[Premonitions happen -- sometimes they're useless, tiny glimpses of every day life -- but other times, they wake her up in the middle of the night with a flash of things to come.

In her own world, Rei had been tormented by visions of the Apocalypse -- the oncoming Silence that destroyed her friends before her eyes, leaving her to be devoured last, chasing after some impossible Messiah that refused to stay behind and help her.

In Adstringendum, she predicted Sasuke's murder, two weeks before it happened, but the Animus refused to let her pin down an exact time. And then, in the middle of the night, she suddenly saw who the murderer was -- but by that point, it had been far too late. Sasuke was already dead and it had already been broadcast to the network.

Even tracking the future seemed to be pointless -- because the Animus change the future constantly, leaving her with some shattered vision of Raphael holding a sword to Castiel's throat, aiming for the kill.

Turning off the network simply didn't work for Rei. It followed her.]

[But suddenly, Rei narrows her eyes, and she shakes her head furiously, her fingers clenching into fists, because he did not just go there with her.]

I stopped you because you were going to hurt other people and yourself to save Anna. No one else is going to die with what I can do -- so don't you dare compare what I can do with what you were going to do.

[He... Doesn't understand at all the reason for her sudden anger, though he does easily recognize the emotion for what it is. And when people got angry, where he used to just brush it off and ignore it he now got defensive or angry right back, especially when it was someone whose opinion he actually cared about.

He just watches steadily as she's silent, but when she steps into his space he bristles a bit, looking down at her otherwise impassively as she speaks. He knew she had premonitions--she'd told him as much--but he isn't making the connection here at all, so he isn't able to figure out why she's so up in arms. As far as he's concerned, he doesn't want her in the situation with Raphael at all, and if she stays out of it she won't have the problem of seeing something happen to him.

It is, after all, not like Castiel wants to just walk into his death either. He's very on edge, and her yelling doesn't help, especially as he can't tell why the hell she's doing it or predict what she might do next. All he can tell at the moment is that she's stepped up on him and is being aggressive and though he's not actually afraid of her, it makes him strangely uncomfortable and he isn't going to put up with it.]

Back off.

[He's totally cold and calm in voice, but his feathers were rustling, only barely audible but a distinctive sound that gives away that he's angry.

And he addresses nothing at all that she said, too unsure of what's going on and too focused on the strange feeling that's telling him carefulcarefuleveryoneisathreat.]

[The moment she hears the feathers, Rei shoots out a hand, aiming to grab his arm, to prevent him from taking off, but she stops herself just before her fingers touch his coat sleeve. Because he's furious and unnerved and scared, which isn't what Rei had expected of him.

It's then that it hits her.

He doesn't understand. Of course he wouldn't -- Rei hadn't explained anything. She had gotten angry at his callous comment and taken out her frustration on him, when he was facing down the barrel of a gun.

She drops her hand to her side, but she doesn't back away. Her eyes narrow slightly, but her voice isn't aggressive anymore.]

I follow the futures of everyone I care about in this city. Every. Single. Person. Most of the time, I don't see anything, but sometimes, I do. And I never have a choice of when I see it or what I see -- they just happen.

I watched Sasuke die before it happened. And what Raphael did to you woke me up in the middle of the night.

Not watching isn't an option for me.

[As Rei explains, Castiel begins to relax a bit, temper returning not quite back to even but certainly to a normal range. He understands, has a better grasp of the situation, and realizes why Rei reacted how she did; that settles the tense, unnerved feeling, and within a second or two he's pretty much calm again.]

Alright.

[It was a comment of understanding, nothing more, but his voice has returned to it's normal tone.]

You don't need to see it in person, then.

[In other words, he was still just as set on her not coming with him. And he's quiet a moment, before giving a bit more a reply to what she'd said.]

To have visions in such a way must be unsettling.

[She looks cross, for a moment, before it melts into a slight huff of air, the irritation gone in a flash. Instead, Rei just looks tired.]

I've had them since I was young. My grandfather tells me that they're a gift -- I hated them, for a long time. I didn't really like being a freak. Kids and idiots are cruel.

[She shrugs.]

But they were a sign. My powers and abilities -- I was meant for a greater purpose. And I found it.

[She then meets Castiel with a stubborn stony expression.]

Which is why I'm going to use them on you.

[These types of gifts were rare in Castiel's world, especially compared to what one would expect with everything else in it, but there were indeed psychics and other clairvoyant types around. He was familiar enough with the idea, and angels of course had their own similar ability, more controlled but often less accurate.]

It's a useful talent, should you be given enough time to act on it.

[Though, again, free will and choices one made could throw off a prophecy or vision, just as had been proven by Raphael's arrival, and if Castiel had felt up for arguing any more he might've made a comment about the destiny thing. Especially at her last comment.]

It wasn't particularly accurate last time.

[Which was kind of a rude way to put it, but hey.]

[... the flattest expression ever.]

The vision changed as soon as she arrived. It was more than accurate -- and besides, I didn't know I was looking for another threat. I figured 'Lucifer' was the worst thing that could happen.

[She didn't know that your family life was really and utterly beyond hope. 8( She huffs softly to herself.]

... besides, the Animus don't like me seeing too far ahead. I'm never wrong, back home.

[... the tiniest liptwitch.]

I play the lottery a lot.

There's always another threat.

[It's said tiredly, but honestly. It seemed every time something was over, another problem returned in it's place.

He gives her an odd look, trying to figure out if she was joking or not, before responding.]

Dean would find that very useful.

Tell me about it. One enemy leaves and another four pop up.

[She's long since gotten rid of any idealization of a normal life in Adstringendum.

But she grins a little, sliding her hands into her pockets.]

It's a nice trick. I don't do it a lot -- it's not really fair to the people who actually want to win the lottery. I stick to 'I can tell you what number you're thinking of' whenever people want me to prove it, usually.

There is, at least, little worse in our world that could arrive. Eve would be the only major remaining threat.

[He's sure Dean wouldn't at all care about the fairness to the other people, and is slightly amused by the idea of what the hunter would do with such an ability.

Though, now he's interested in the technicalities at her comment.]

That's more in the realm of mindreading than precognition, however.

[Rei shrugs.]

I track decisions and pathways of people to see. It's just like predicting the winning lottery numbers or saying when you'll meet someone. Thinking of a number is the same kind of thing.

[She grins.]

If you don't believe me, test me.

[That made sense, he supposed, even if it was still slightly different as far as he understood. The future was a different thing than someone's mind.

At her last comment, he raises his eyebrows slightly, and gives her a look.]

Whether or not it's directly mind reading, it would likely be best if you avoided doing such a thing. You might lose your eyes.

[Angels got a bit burny when you weren't dealing direction with their vessels, after all. And even aside from that, Castiel was overly sensitive about people messing with his head in any way.]

[...she stares for a moment, because did she just -- hear him properly?]

Excuse me?

[He doesn't seem fazed, and explains.]

Looking upon an angel--physically, mentally, psychically, or otherwise--usually results in the individual's eyes burning out.

However, vessels that are a match for the angel may not have this issue.

[...]

That would've been nice to know before I poked around to see whether or not Lucifer was going to kill anyone, Cas.

[And another look, at that.]

Though I am capable of mind reading, Rei, I don't.

[Instead of being defense, Rei actually looks moderately sheepish.]

...I don't look unless I have to.

[Violating Lucifer's privacy is totally worth making sure her friends don't die.]

[Oh, he doesn't care about that.]

Spy on Lucifer as much as you would like to.

I simply meant that I can't warn you of something before you do it if you don't inform me.

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[offline] TAKE TWO. (fuu) 1/2

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