73 [Video]

[flameandpassion]

[Rei is sitting on the floor, her knees to her chest. Her back is pressed against an invisible wall -- a chamber, of sorts, made out of energy. She is perfectly still, breathing slow and even, her eyes fixated on whatever is in front of her.

The feed continues this way for five minutes, then ten -- and still, Rei does not move, save for her fingers moving in tiny intricate designs upon her legs. She doesn't even blink. Her expression is completely blank and neutral, devoid of emotion.

Finally, the priestess speaks, and her tone is perfectly even. She does not look at the camera.]

I know what you did. I saw it. You can hide as long as you want, but I'll find out. I'm not going to stop looking until I know the truth. He deserves more dignity than what you gave him.

[She is silent for a moment or two more before she inhales deeply.]

I need to speak to Sam and Dean Winchester. And Raven. In person.

[Another pause.]

...I'm fine now.

[Four hours of solid meditation works wonder for the anger of hellfire.]

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[checkoutpandora.livejournal.com]

[ONE HOUR LATER.

There is Gabriel, standing outside... Okay, not standing, more like pacing like an annoyed tiger.

...Okay, so he might have been out there the whole hour. Something's wrong. Big time.]

[flameandpassion]

[It takes some hedging, but Rei slips outside, looking...exhausted.

When she speaks, her tone is extraordinarily small. And lost.]

Gabriel.

[Please stop pacing before you make her tweak.]

[checkoutpandora.livejournal.com]

[He stops. Rei... Doesn't talk like that. Ever. He swallows and gives her a small nod.] Rei. What happened?

[flameandpassion]

[For a moment, Rei looks as if she doesn't want to answer. But she steels her resolve and clenches her teeth together. You are a soldier, Hino. Suck it up and deal with it.

But the resolve soon left as she began to talk.]

I had a vision. Of him. He slammed into a wall -- hard -- and he --

[Rei forces herself to suck in a breath.]

I tried to find him, but Jinx found me first, and I -- I lost it because she wouldn't leave me alone and then I just -- I just had this feeling, I knew -- I was too late, but I -- tried.

[She falls silent before swallowing, continuining quietly -- almost pathetically.]

I tried.

[checkoutpandora.livejournal.com]

Castiel's dead? [His voice is so quiet, it's almost unnatural, considering how normally loud-mouthed he is. He meant to ask about Jinx mid-way through the conversation, but got waylaid by that undeniable fact.

Castiel's dead.

[flameandpassion]

...I would know if he wasn't.

[He would have contacted her. He would have demanded why the ever loving hell she had decided to go against Lucifer -- no, he wouldn't have even let her leave the house.

But more importantly, their lines of Fate were intertwined -- Rei was caught in his future. And by seeing that vision -- Rei knew, as soon as her stomach fell, that the angel was no longer alive.

Her eyes are full of tears, but she doesn't let them fall. This was her fault, after all -- and she lost the right to cry about it when she trapped Lucifer in holy fire.]

[checkoutpandora.livejournal.com]

[Gabriel, however, only sees it as his own fault. He tilts his chin up and swallows, turning away from her, because he is not going to watch her cry over what he did.] I shouldn't've let you trap me. This wouldn't have happened if I'd just went with my gut.

[flameandpassion]

Don't.

[ -- ah, there's the harsh snappiness that she was missing.]

[checkoutpandora.livejournal.com]

[He whirls.] Don't what? Castiel would've taken the fall for this if I hadn't beaten him to it, and in the end? He still ended up dead. Don't try to sell me I didn't start this.

[flameandpassion]

And none of this would've happened if I hadn't trapped Lucifer in the first place! None of you would be in danger if I had used anything else to get away! And no one should've taken the fall for me to begin with!

[For a small girl, Rei has quite the presence, and she scowls up at Gabriel, fists clenched.]

Cas' death isn't anyone's fault but mine.

[checkoutpandora.livejournal.com]

[Gabriel growls.] You fucked up- I'm not even gonna debate that one. That kind of power was only supposed to be used when Lucifer was uncontrollable and not because he hurt your damn feelings. But I was dumb enough to think you could handle it and you couldn't. You weren't ready. Bad judgment call on my part- whatever. The damage is done, Rei. So whoever's fault it is? It doesn't amount to a hill of cashews now.

[flameandpassion]

I didn't attack him because he hurt my feelings. I attacked him because he turned my chair into three dozen knives. And if you don't believe me, you can ask Castiel when he comes back, because he's the one who made sure I didn't die from it!

[The last sentence is practically shouted -- a shrill escalation of frustration before Rei takes a deep breath. To calm down. To focus. She had meditated for hours to beat back the rage that had flooded her being -- do not let it go all to waste now --

But nope. Too late. Her tone is trembling as she forces herself to continue, but it somehow manages to maintain every ounce of fierceness that she started with.]

You're the one who told me to not back down on this. You told me that I needed to keep my ground because I couldn't afford to send the message to the rest of this city that Lucifer is someone to be feared and I am trying -- [She sucks in a deep, rattling breath.] -- I am trying to act like I haven't just gotten one of my best friends killed, I am trying to fight down the urge to tear apart this entire city to find the coward who did it so I don't start another war, and I am trying to be the person that this entire stupid place needs me to be, but I -- am -- only -- human.

[The last word is a strangled hiss, and she turns away to run her fingers through the ends of her hair, fingers trembling, furious.]

[painhumbles.livejournal.com]

[You know, hearing this story from five different sources really screws up a guy's standing on it.

And yet, Gabriel's tone softens when he steps forward.]

So you made him feel helpless. You made him feel just like you do right now. You may have went too far over a line with it when you knew you had other options that could have hurt him, but whatever you did, you actually scared the crap out of the devil. Whatever comes next? That much is gonna be remembered.

[Gabriel walks past her.] Lucifer didn't kill him. I'd know if he did. I'd be the first to know.

[flameandpassion]

[She's silent, for a long moment, and doesn't move to follow him.]

... then another one of your siblings did.

[It's said quietly, and Rei's eyes are fixated on the ground.

Nothing else makes sense. No one else would be sent into a fit of rage to kill Castiel, of all people -- and while Rei's intuition is screaming a specific name at her, she is steadily ignoring it.

No more impulsiveness. Not after the cost of her actions.

They can figure it out for themselves. She will be there when Castiel asks her to be, when he comes back.]