[ he can. he thinks. his body is sore, and he's cold and he's tired, but he's not incapacitated yet. he will be, though, if they wait too long— so he takes his hands from dean's shirt and stands after answering, wincing at the uncomfortable sensation of plunging his feet back into the murky water. ]
[ they're going to get wet, aren't they? but it's probably the better option, so he digs them out and sets them aside. first, before the boots go on, he steals a pair of dean's boxers and slides them up his hips. they're wet, and cold, and uncomfortable. but they'll dry out with enough walking around, and at least it affords him some protection. then he pulls the boots on, lacing them clumsily. his grace will restore itself in a number of days, but if he cuts his foot and gets an infection, he'll be useless until it's strong enough to heal him.
No. It's incredibly uncomfortable to walk barefoot.
[ he's too used to not having to worry about things like this.
but he'll make do. they'll pack up their things and go, moving precariously through the rubble. it was easier to travel the city in this state of disrepair when he was twice the height of any building, and even easier when he could fly. now his wings are too heavy and his body too weak to be of any use to him— humanoid creatures, under normal circumstances, aren't really meant to take to the sky.
it's almost an hour of scrounging around the ruined market district, cas working off of his foggy memory, to find that he stashed his things beneath one of the stalls, in a vendor's woven basket. he must have realized what was going to happen, and that it would be safer to leave his things behind voluntarily than to lose them while addle-minded.
he tucks his blade in his sleeve, cool metal warming against his skin, and his medallion in his pocket.
the sliver lining is that in picking through the market district for his things, they manage to find some food. not much of it— tikal's people were sustained mostly on a diet of meats, fresh and preserved, with very little produce to speak of. but there is some, and castiel saves what fruits and vegetables he finds that aren't ruined. he even manages to find a little jar of honey, sealed fast against the dirty water. he tucks it in dean's bag with all the rest. ]
[ Getting Cas' feet covered is a plus; means they don't have to worry about him slicing his foot open while he's vulnerable. Dean's boots are steel toe, they'll keep his little tootsies safe.
It's a relief to find the angels things - he'd worried they'd be lost, but evidently, Cas was still of sound mind when he'd stashed them away, for which Dean is very thankful. ]
I gotta be honest, I dunno where to go. We kinda lost our house and...everything else.
[ he leans into dean's body, or maybe it's just that he's struggling to stand straight. dean's warm, either way. ]
Are you—
[ it's not a full question. are you okay? is a stupid question, and he doesn't know why he would think it's a good idea to ask it. he glances from dean with a small, recriminating frown on his face. then he looks up— up toward the walls of sheer cliff surrounding the city. it's quite a sight. he still wonders at the salt, burst up from the ground. at what it means.
the market is closer to the center of the city. so they have quite a walk back. ]
[ he'll take that as it's given— he inclines his head in acknowledgement, resting his cheek against his shoulder for a moment, the movement involuntary but necessary. he's tired, and he would like if they could find somewhere to rest here in the city, but even if there is someplace safe, they don't have the time to go searching for it. the walls are a visible target, at the very least. and he knows which direction coba is in.
castiel opens his eyes, lifts his head, and points. ]
Alright. Just lean on me, Cas. I'm not gonna let you fall.
[ He hopes. But he's spent a long time in Purgatory running around and killing shit, so he's in good shape, and he's strong. He'll carry Cas if he has to. ]
[ it's slow going, the state that cas is in. but dean doesn't have to carry him. it's a small stroke of luck that sees a rope and pulley system has been put in place at the edge of the city, probably during the past day while he was gone, in place of the hastily built ladders that had stretched the height of the cliffs. it's manned by a group of several natives from the coterie who stuck around, presumably to make sure everyone was successfully evacuated, and that those who chose to stay behind and work on the reconstruction have an easy way in and out of the city.
it means that castiel doesn't have to scale the wall rung over rung, and soon enough he's stepping gratefully onto solid ground, the air fresh and free of that heavy, cloying scent. ]
[ it’s a breath of fresh air, and when they finally get to the top, he wheezes in relief, taking gulps of fresh air as he grips for Cas’ hand, absently threading their fingers. ]
[ his eyes fall to dean's hand after he's caught his breath, bent forward by a degree, head tilted when his gaze returns to his face. but he says nothing; some days he doesn't understand dean at all. what he's thinking. what he wants.
but now's not the time to be getting into that. ]
We should see if the food we found is still edible.
[ It isn’t too hard, babycakes. He told Cas he wanted him, wanted him to stay, they’ve been sleeping together, they’re best friends, and now Dean is holding his hand. wOnDeR wHy… ]
Yeah, probably. I’m starving. What all did you shove in here? Time for a picnic on the green.
[ yeah, well, cas is emotionally challenged. he doesn't even know how he feels about the whole thing. ]
I have no idea.
[ he looks dubiously at dean's duffle, and then he sits, hard, in the grass. they should lay out dean's clothes for them to dry, while they're at it. perhaps rest here at the edge for a while. it's probably safer here, where there are more people, than anywhere else at the moment. (besides the cities, of course.) he rifles through until he finds where the collection of food items fell, and then delicately digs them out and sets them on the grass. there are a few strong-smelling bell peppers; a spiny, red dragon fruit; a bumpy-skinned avocado; and a few pads of prickly pear. it's all a little bruised, but it should be fine, right?
[ Dean flops beside him, laying back as he kicks his shoes off with a groan, stretching out as his back snap crackles and pops. Oof. ]
I dunno. Lemme smell.
[ He leans over to sniff, then makes a face. ]
Not normally. But it doesn't smell bad. Just...strong. But they might be good roasted..
[ He gropes with a free hand for the bag, digging his hand in, because he knows there's a zippo on there. It'll be sheer fucking dumb luck if it works. ]
Uh, yeah -- it's just a bell pepper. But, yeah - all of this can be eaten raw, I think.
[ one day, he'll cook for you :( ]
You can have it. I've been able to eat more than you have. I'll eat the fruit thing. Eat that avocado, it has a lot of nutrients and good fats. Help keep you energized.
[ they both need their energy. he isn't going to argue past that, though— he picks up one of the other peppers and bites into it like an apple. it's not like cutting it up would make any difference.
[ he likes red meat, he knows that much— the pepper is okay. it has a strong, pungent taste, and it's obvious that dean is right about it being better roasted. the flesh is stiff, and a bit hard to chew, and cooking it would break it down enough to be more palatable in that sense at the very least.
but he eats it all anyway, and then moves on to the avocado, which he peels with his fingers and eats the same way he ate the bell pepper, sucking green stains from his fingers when he's done. he wipes them clean on the grass before retrieving the honey from dean's coat pocket. ]
I'm sure there are animals in the forest, but I think the majority have been transformed by the incense.
[ which means basically everything would put up a fight, and also not taste particularly good. normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but right now, he's a liability. he's not sure he can get back on his feet.
he eats another of the peppers, and then turns his attention toward the honey. after he's popped the cork from the little glass bottle, he slips a finger into the opening and then sucks the honey from his finger. he can't help but be a little captivated by the taste of something sweet. his body is starved for glucose, anyway. he licks his lips. ]
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[ he can. he thinks. his body is sore, and he's cold and he's tired, but he's not incapacitated yet. he will be, though, if they wait too long— so he takes his hands from dean's shirt and stands after answering, wincing at the uncomfortable sensation of plunging his feet back into the murky water. ]
Let's go.
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[ If Cas wants something on his feet. But they're going to get wet, so it's really up to him. ]
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he'd rather not have to deal with all that. ]
All right.
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I know wet stuff sucks, but it’ll keep your feet protected. I don’t imagine Jimmy has many callouses.
[ he Rests a hand on Cas’ shoulder while he ties the shoes, then helps him stand once he’s done. ]
Okay. Let’s go get your blade and medallion.
[ wherever the fuck it ended up. ]
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[ he's too used to not having to worry about things like this.
but he'll make do. they'll pack up their things and go, moving precariously through the rubble. it was easier to travel the city in this state of disrepair when he was twice the height of any building, and even easier when he could fly. now his wings are too heavy and his body too weak to be of any use to him— humanoid creatures, under normal circumstances, aren't really meant to take to the sky.
it's almost an hour of scrounging around the ruined market district, cas working off of his foggy memory, to find that he stashed his things beneath one of the stalls, in a vendor's woven basket. he must have realized what was going to happen, and that it would be safer to leave his things behind voluntarily than to lose them while addle-minded.
he tucks his blade in his sleeve, cool metal warming against his skin, and his medallion in his pocket.
the sliver lining is that in picking through the market district for his things, they manage to find some food. not much of it— tikal's people were sustained mostly on a diet of meats, fresh and preserved, with very little produce to speak of. but there is some, and castiel saves what fruits and vegetables he finds that aren't ruined. he even manages to find a little jar of honey, sealed fast against the dirty water. he tucks it in dean's bag with all the rest. ]
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[ Getting Cas' feet covered is a plus; means they don't have to worry about him slicing his foot open while he's vulnerable. Dean's boots are steel toe, they'll keep his little tootsies safe.
It's a relief to find the angels things - he'd worried they'd be lost, but evidently, Cas was still of sound mind when he'd stashed them away, for which Dean is very thankful. ]
I gotta be honest, I dunno where to go. We kinda lost our house and...everything else.
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[ but he sounds tired when he says this, swaying on his feet again; he brings a hand up and wipes his brow. ]
We need to get out of this place. The incense here is too thick.
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[ He hefts the duffle bag on his shoulder, sliding closer to Cas and easing an arm around his waist. ]
You still okay?
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[ he leans into dean's body, or maybe it's just that he's struggling to stand straight. dean's warm, either way. ]
Are you—
[ it's not a full question. are you okay? is a stupid question, and he doesn't know why he would think it's a good idea to ask it. he glances from dean with a small, recriminating frown on his face. then he looks up— up toward the walls of sheer cliff surrounding the city. it's quite a sight. he still wonders at the salt, burst up from the ground. at what it means.
the market is closer to the center of the city. so they have quite a walk back. ]
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[ 'Okay', not so much. But with Cas by his side, pulled in tight and supporting him, it's better. A lot better. ]
We're okay now. We're gonna figure this out, and we're gonna find a place that's even better.
[ It's gonna take forever but they'll figure it out. They always do. ]
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castiel opens his eyes, lifts his head, and points. ]
That way.
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[ He hopes. But he's spent a long time in Purgatory running around and killing shit, so he's in good shape, and he's strong. He'll carry Cas if he has to. ]
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it means that castiel doesn't have to scale the wall rung over rung, and soon enough he's stepping gratefully onto solid ground, the air fresh and free of that heavy, cloying scent. ]
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[ it’s a breath of fresh air, and when they finally get to the top, he wheezes in relief, taking gulps of fresh air as he grips for Cas’ hand, absently threading their fingers. ]
God I feel like I can breathe again.
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but now's not the time to be getting into that. ]
We should see if the food we found is still edible.
i can’t help myself
[ It isn’t too hard, babycakes. He told Cas he wanted him, wanted him to stay, they’ve been sleeping together, they’re best friends, and now Dean is holding his hand. wOnDeR wHy… ]
Yeah, probably. I’m starving. What all did you shove in here? Time for a picnic on the green.
🤭
I have no idea.
[ he looks dubiously at dean's duffle, and then he sits, hard, in the grass. they should lay out dean's clothes for them to dry, while they're at it. perhaps rest here at the edge for a while. it's probably safer here, where there are more people, than anywhere else at the moment. (besides the cities, of course.) he rifles through until he finds where the collection of food items fell, and then delicately digs them out and sets them on the grass. there are a few strong-smelling bell peppers; a spiny, red dragon fruit; a bumpy-skinned avocado; and a few pads of prickly pear. it's all a little bruised, but it should be fine, right?
he picks up a bell pepper and sniffs it. ]
Is the scent meant to be so strong?
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Huh, well. Time to take a look.
[ Dean flops beside him, laying back as he kicks his shoes off with a groan, stretching out as his back snap crackles and pops. Oof. ]
I dunno. Lemme smell.
[ He leans over to sniff, then makes a face. ]
Not normally. But it doesn't smell bad. Just...strong. But they might be good roasted..
[ He gropes with a free hand for the bag, digging his hand in, because he knows there's a zippo on there. It'll be sheer fucking dumb luck if it works. ]
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[ he hands dean the pepper, though. he can have that. he'll take the other two? ]
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[ one day, he'll cook for you :( ]
You can have it. I've been able to eat more than you have. I'll eat the fruit thing. Eat that avocado, it has a lot of nutrients and good fats. Help keep you energized.
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[ they both need their energy. he isn't going to argue past that, though— he picks up one of the other peppers and bites into it like an apple. it's not like cutting it up would make any difference.
right. ]
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I will.
[ He'll nibble on the dragonfruit once he figures it out.]
Wish we'd found some jerky.
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[ he likes red meat, he knows that much— the pepper is okay. it has a strong, pungent taste, and it's obvious that dean is right about it being better roasted. the flesh is stiff, and a bit hard to chew, and cooking it would break it down enough to be more palatable in that sense at the very least.
but he eats it all anyway, and then moves on to the avocado, which he peels with his fingers and eats the same way he ate the bell pepper, sucking green stains from his fingers when he's done. he wipes them clean on the grass before retrieving the honey from dean's coat pocket. ]
I found this, too.
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[ Sweet and syrupy, what's not to like?
He just wishes he could get them some meat, but the jerky was all gross as hell. ]
Wonder if there's any deer nearby.
[ He's still got his gun, and it has a couple bullets left, but once he's out he's out, unless there's some magical way (a boon) he can get more. ]
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[ which means basically everything would put up a fight, and also not taste particularly good. normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but right now, he's a liability. he's not sure he can get back on his feet.
he eats another of the peppers, and then turns his attention toward the honey. after he's popped the cork from the little glass bottle, he slips a finger into the opening and then sucks the honey from his finger. he can't help but be a little captivated by the taste of something sweet. his body is starved for glucose, anyway. he licks his lips. ]
This is good.
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lol cas 'HURRY THE FUCK UP'
FUCK HIM!!!!!
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what the hell did i do to the second sentence of that second paragraph lmfao
lmfao
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