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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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The brief discussion on Chuck’s whereabouts, followed by what felt like awkward silence, resulting in Castiel’s head resting against the window. The vibrations were at times annoying, though when he didn’t rest his head against the window it rolled occasionally to the side, or drooped forward. It was impossible to keep his head up, the effort was irritating, though he managed to eventually lean back and during a period where his head managed to be stable, his eyes at settled on Lark. For a bit Castiel stared, though the staring gradually faded, with eyes slowly finding it harder and harder to stay open.
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Sleeping was still a strange phenomenon for Castiel, as was traveling, which caused a strange mixture for a dream that didn’t make a lot of sense. There was a moment, however, where the vibrations were just enough to dredge up the memories of his last visit to Chuck’s. Considering the concerns he had on the return, it probably was no surprise that Raphael played a part in his dream, and the trembling of the moving truck in his mind played a reminder of the shuddering walls of the Prophets house.
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There was a light thud, though the manner in which Castiel jerked his head up made it seem as a sudden shock, his hand raised a little too defensively, followed by a confused glance around. The hand dropped, allowing the other to reach over and rub his side from the ache of the sudden movement, and stiffness that had followed his nap. Eyes shut, fingers rubbing at Castiel’s face before staring across at Lark.
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With a squint, Cas looked outside the window, blinking at the image of Raphael with his hand poised in readiness to snap his fingers, that coy smile across his lips. A few blinks and the image faded to the back of his mind, allowing Castiel a chance to take in a small breath. Taking the moment gave him a chance to collect his thoughts, <b>"I think I am hungry."</b> He didn’t sound entirely sure, and in some ways it seemed random, though he found himself, during his moment of thinking, considering the plate of banana Lark had cut up the night before and the image seemed hard to shake. At first Castiel merely drank more, offering an illusion to his body that it was being sedated with something, however there was only so long that worked before the hunger actually won over that. Not that Castiel was intentionally drinking instead of eating, it just seemed to help originally, and the food had not seemed at all appealing to him.

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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION  </div></div></div>
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It had been hours since they had left the behavioural health center in Rapid City, and dusk was settling over them in a mix of colour that Lark had been told she couldn't fully appreciate, unable to see red hues as she was. That didn't make it any less nice to look at for her, though, which she found herself doing now and then as they drove along steadily since the winding two-way highway had little other traffic for her to pay attention to. Lark had moved off the major highway about half and hour ago; she didn't like freeways in the first place, and once five o'clock hit traffic had started building up to a frustrating level, so she chanced the backroads and found them thankfully clear of congestion. It gave her some time to relax. The only other noise in the truck the soft rumble of the engine and the gentle whir of the air condition as it flowed through the little filters. Lark had closed the vents on her side an hour ago, not because the air made her cold, but because the gentle brush of air across her skin had been making her even more tired than she already felt. The last thing they needed was Lark falling asleep a the wheel and driving them into a ditch, or something equally as terrible. Big help she'd have been to Castiel then. <p>

Lark passed a glance towards the angel sleeping in her passenger seat, grateful at least that he'd been resting for the better part of the drive. If he was stuck healing at a human pace, sleep was probably the best thing for him right now, and that was one upside to being force to travel by car -- there wasn't much else for Castiel to do. Except stare at her, apparently; she'd felt his eyes on her for what seemed like ages until he'd finally succumbed to sleep. She didn't know what he was thinking about when he did that; maybe he just had nothing better to look at, and was bored with the scenery? On the other hand, Lark knew he had to have questions. She had been preparing herself for that, after all. She wondered if he was ever going to ask her, or if he was trying to read her mind even without his powers. <p>

The brunette refocused on the road, shifting a bit to stretch her spine while driving; being in the same position for the past -- Lark checked the clock -- five hours was making her muscles stiffen up. And Lord, but she was tired. The night before at the hospital hadn't exactly been restful, and since then Lark felt as though thousands had days had passed instead of a couple hours. She supposed that was an after-effect of remembering who she was. Is. Was? Lark winced slightly as she saw a set of railroad tracks ont he road ahead just a bit too late to slow down veyr much before she drove across them; the resulting bump jostled her in her seat a bit, and Castiel jerked awake. He looked like he was expecting an attack of some kind, when Lark glanced at him. She turned back to the road as he gained his bearings. "I think I am hungry," he said eventually.<p>

Lark kept her eyes on the road. That was worrying to her. Yesterday she had encouraged him to eat without understanding that angels don't need to; they don't feel hunger. They shouldn't, anyways. But she knew better now, and the fact that he was in need of nourishment -- if he was indeed interpreting what his body was telling him correctly -- meant that he was still far from healed. The sleeping alone should have told her that, but she had convinced herself it was the work of the painkillers she'd had him take before they left the hospital. Lark worked not to let her concern show, however, and busied herself with watching the road for a sign telling her where the nearest town was. "I'll find some place for us to eat soon," she responded. After a moment of hesitation, she added. "We may have to find somewhere to stay for the night, as well. I'm a little tired. I'm sorry." She hated having to say that. Tired. That was such a stupid reason to have to postpone their journey to Chuck's, and it annoyed her to have to admit that she would probably pass out if she tried to drive straight through the night. The words screamed weakness to her. She shoved the thoughts aside. Instead, she spared another brief glance towards the slightly rumpled angel, trying to determine his condition and if he needed more painkillers or not.

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Any OOC comments can go here, or just leave blank
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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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After speaking, Castiel merely stared down at his hands; it was hard to tell how he felt, especially with the aches in his side whenever he moved and the general uncertainty on the signals he was receiving… People had decades to get used to their body’s requests and limitations, Cas had what? Between now and finding Gabriel, however long that would be. <i><b>"I'll find some place for us to eat soon."</b></i> What if he wasn’t hungry, the questioned readied itself to slip from the tip of the man’s tongue, yet it seemed like a needless stress and so instead Castiel merely turned his attention out the window. Driving was indeed a very slow way of travelling.
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<i><b>"We may have to find somewhere to stay for the night, as well. I'm a little tired. I'm sorry."</b></i> Turning to face her once more, Castiel wondered why she was apologizing, after all, growing tired would be expected, Lark was human now, well, basically they both were, without their powers there was little left beside the human bodies they had. The idea that they were driving to Chucks to discuss how to find Gabriel and then heading off to confront the Seraph and try to free the archangel from said Seraph and then what? They weren’t exactly Michael and Raphael off to have a serious talk with an underling; they were basically running up to a nuclear bomb and attempting hit its armed keypad with sticks till it turned off.
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<b>"I will call Bobby when we stop, maybe he can get hold of Dean and Sam, meet us at Chucks or… something,"</b> He offered, avoiding getting on the subject of her needing sleep, maybe she thought he’d be upset at having to stop…? Resting his head back again, Castiel watched her briefly, his right hand resting idly over the bruised left ribs as he thought. <b>"Don’t you think it strange that you happened to be at the same facility as I was taken too?"</b> The was barely a pause, just long enough to turn his head away briefly enough to stare out the window at a sound and then back at her, studying the woman’s features to try to gleam how she felt about it all. <b>"Maybe it means something… could it mean something?"</b> Or maybe he was looking too deeply into it, but one moment he felt all alone, then he felt like suddenly everything was slowly coming together, then of course he felt all alone again, and now he happens into Maion? Castiel wasn’t sure if any of this meant anything, but he was still trying to figure out why God had brought him back in the first place. Anything could be a clue, however anything could also be easily misinterpreted just because Cas was looking for answers where there may just not be any.

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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION  </div></div></div>
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It was much different now that it was before, to hear angels talking in her head. While Castiel had been asleep and the truck at been quiet, almost unconsciously Lark had found herself listening in to them, even though at the moment their chatter was just a quiet feed of sound in the back of her head. She moved over the voice of each carefully, turning it over and over. Whereas before, she had believed the voices to be products of her own imagination, now she knew better; Lark knew she was hearing her brothers and sisters in Heaven. It made her both very happy and sad; happy, because she loved her brethren, and in two thousand years she had almost always been able to hear them like this and had never felt alone as a result. It made her think that maybe she wasn't entirely lost as she thought. And yet it made her sad, because although she could hear them, she could no longer converse with them as she had before -- she could not longer see them, and even if she could, they wouldn't welcome her in Heaven anymore. The idea made her feel very...lonely. Lark decided not to put too much thought into it, however. In a way, she had chosen this path herself, even though it hadn't been her wish to fall from Heaven. So she instead focused on the bit of peace it gave her to hear her siblings' voices and their feelings, and muse over them as she drove. <p>

Of course there was one voice that was absent in particular, but in that regard Lark was lucky. She glanced again at Castiel, looking between him and the road habitually. Of course, he was speaking English rather than the Enochian Lark heard in her head, but that didn't take away from how pleased she was on some level to see and hear him despite the situation at hand. As he turned his gaze towards the window, Lark caught sight of a sign just before they passed it, telling them that they would find some amenities -- a gas station and restaurant, and hopefully a motel -- within the next ten miles or so. "I will call Bobby when we stop, maybe he can get hold of Dean and Sam, meet us at Chucks or… something," Lark mulled over the names he gave her, blinking at the road in confusion. She didn't know who Bobby could possibly be, of course, but Dean and Sam were vaguely familiar monickers. Lark wondered briefly where she knew the names from, only for them to finally click -- sometimes, when her brothers were being...nice, they would called Sam and Dean Winchester by their given names rather than "Lucifer's Vessel" and "Righteous Man". She spent some time mulling over their names, wondering what the humans were like. Castiel clearly liked them and trusted them, which was enough for her. Still, the way the angels talked about them from time to time left her with a fairly jumbled impression. <p>

Lark was in the middle of studying her gas metre when Castiel spoke again, surprising Lark somewhat. She had half expected him to go asleep again. "Don’t you think it strange that you happened to be at the same facility as I was taken too?" he asked her. Lark's hands smoothed over the steering wheel gently as she turned this question around in her head, wondering what might prompt Castiel to ask her such a question. He continued after a moment. "Maybe it means something… could it mean something?" Lark studied the road infront of her for a long moment, not turning to look at the angel as she thought about his questions; not so much how to answer them, but what had prompted their asking. Perhaps all this had shaken Castiel's faith, even a little, in God? Or perhaps he just wanted some kind of reassurance from her. It was maybe a warranted reaction, considering all the angel had been through up to now. He had rebelled against the Host, after all. That wasn't typical angel behaviour. And since doing so, who knew what sort of things he'd gone through; Lark only knew the smallest bits of information from the angels she overheard. And now this; the loss of his powers and the taking of Gabriel, who he seemed to have grown close to. <p>

As a human, without her memories of Heaven, Lark hadn't been very religious...her family, in general, had not been. But Maion. As Maion, she was eternally steadfast. Eternally faithful. Lark didn't know exactly if she could reassure Castiel or not, but she could be honest at least. She cast a look to him, finally, hoping he could see her own certainty. "Of course it means something," she responded, with confidence. "You were meant to end up in that hospital, just as I was meant to find you there." Lark nodded, half to herself, alternatively glancing at the road and at Castiel. She studied the trees that flanked either side of their little one-lane highway. "I don't have to tell you that there's no such thing as coincidence. God knew that we could help each other." She nodded, because in this she was certain. In God, she always had faith, even though she didn't understand her Father at times (most of the time). But she knew that she had found Castiel because that was God's will. And she was glad for that.








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There was a pause, maybe a hesitance in what to say, maybe just needing to think over the words in which to use to explain what the fallen angel felt, or more deeply assess how she actually felt. Castiel watched those humans’ expressions showing through the once emotionless mask. Since coming to Earth initially, back when everything first started to change, Castiel had been warned against the show of emotions, so far as being demoted in responsibilities in favor of Uriel. They were forbidden passageways said to lead to doubt, to confusion and disobedience. Turns out they had not been wrong in their concerns, Castiel wondered what it was like to have lived two decades without the restraints they all found so familiar.
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<i><b>"Of course it means something."</b></i> Lark turned her eyes towards him, naturally Castiel had no sense of concern for her not watching the road, so it didn’t bother him if she kept eye contact long or not. There was a comfort from her tone of voice, the assurance in both that and Lark’s eyes felt strangely soothing, even if Castiel wasn’t sure how he personally felt at that point. <i><b>"You were meant to end up in that hospital, just as I was meant to find you there."</b></i> It would have been nice to skip out on the getting beaten and tossed around part, if all that had just been to meet her. Though it had been the angels choice to get involved with Gabriel and Sariel’s fight, he knew it was suicidal going in, at least he survived, that in itself was probably a miracle.
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<i><b>"I don't have to tell you that there's no such thing as coincidence. God knew that we could help each other."</b></i> There was a point Castiel remembered being so unshakeable in his love and faith towards God, his Father had seemed so impossibly great in so many ways. Belief however had been hard to live by, however, when so many questions were ignored, and so many of them were dying, yet where was he? This all powerful Father that held undying love for Castiel and his siblings, for this world and its people, why let all this pain and suffering continue when it was in his power to stop it?

<BR><BR>Despite these thoughts, Castiel smiled at Lark, it was nice to be in the company of a sibling, especially now, it would be nice to have a chance for all of them to just be together, as if none of this upset was going on around them. Gabriel could pester everyone with introductions to his canine, dubbed ‘Dean’, offering out drinks and complaining for everyone to relax. Lark and Anna would probably get on well, with Anna having been a fallen till last year, they had similarities, personalities more tuned to the human world they had a chance to ‘grow up’ in. Meanwhile, Nathanal and himself could be sitting awkwardly to the side, enjoying the company, yet not entirely sure what to do with themselves, and Elijah attempting to fit in despite everyone’s hesitations on letting him.
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An air of a chuckle whispered from Castiel’s lips at the thought, it seemed so unrealistic, however the tightening in his chest as he had smiled just seemed to bother the aches greatly and distract his thoughts. <b>"There is much I don’t understand… I am glad you are here though."</b> There was a pause as Castiel stared ahead, looking out the windshield and then rolling his head to the side once more to stare at her. <b>"Were you happy?"</b>

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Lark shifted in her seat, turned on the bright headlights to illuminate their path more clearly as she drove; no other traffic was in sight, either behind her or in front. As she did so, she chanced a glanced towards the sky; almost black now, and littered with stars. She was happy in some respects that Castiel was talking to her; it helped keep her awake at least, much more than staring at the same stretch of pavement did, hour after hour. The brunette tilted her head and studied the view out the windshield, wondering if she had said anything remotely reassuring to the angel beside her; she knew she wasn't the best when it came to words. She mulled over some other things she could have said that may restore Castiel's faith to some extent, at least, but was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a small chuckle from Castiel. She sound surprised her maybe more than it should have, and she blinked over at him, raising her brows. "There is much I don’t understand… I am glad you are here though," he told her. She refocused on the road for a second, pleased both by his words and the fact that his mood seemed to be improving a little. She tapped her thumbs slowly against the steering wheel, feeling a small smile pulling at her mouth despite her fatigue. Since remembering who she was -- is? -- Lark had been a little bothered by the fact that she really didn't have the power to help Castiel as well as she wanted to. She had wished that someone else, someone who could be of more help to the angel, had been in her place. Even now, she had her doubts about to what extent she could possibly be useful to the angel. But she was a little calmed by the fact that Castiel did seem to want her there. <p>

"Well," she started, wondering how to respond to that. Lark wasn't the best at expressing her feelings. "I'm glad you're glad," the brunette said finally, and truthfully. She added a small nod, as if to reinforce the words. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised, however, by Castiel's words -- not that she doubted him, but really, Lark didn't think she'd been of much use thus far. They were stuck moving at a human pace, and now they were going to have to stop for the night so that Lark could rest even a little bit, instead of persevering through the night. And who knew what was happening between Sariel and Gabriel in the meantime -- who knew, even, if they were still on Earth? They could have already returned to heaven. Logically, Lark knew she would hear something if that was the case, but still, the thought that the situation could change at any moment sat at the forefront of her mind. <p>

"Were you happy?" Castiel asked her after a moment. Lark gave the road ahead of her a startled look. She wondered what had prompted a question like that. Happy? "You mean, living as a human?" she mused aloud, mulling over the question, more briefly that with his last. It was strange to think about, because now that she knew she was Maion, all her human memories were seen in light of being an Angel of the Lord, and whereas her memories of being a human child had before always been her first ones, now that was far from the case. Now there were thousands of years worth of memories sitting in her head, all of them taking place long before Don Augustine ever had a child to call daughter. She wondered, had she been happy? Completely unaware as she had been of anything other than being a human? <p>

Lark gripped the wheel a little more tightly than before. "Sometimes I was," she answered slowly. "Sometimes I wasn't." she paused, trying to find the right words. "It's a strange experience." she pushed her hair behind her ear, and after a moment, absently turned on the heat in the car. It was rapidly cooling now that the sun had set. "I had a father, a human one. Looking at these things now, they all seem very...curious." That was the truth, certainly. It was odd, thinking that the Holy Father wasn't her only father. In that respect she could only call herself lucky, because Don had been...well. She missed him even now, in a different -- but similar -- way to how she loved and missed God. It was confusing. Lark only knew one thing for certain, in all of this. "But I'm glad to have my memories of Heaven again." Being human wasn't an absolutely terrible experience, it was even a good one at times. But most people born human were meant to be human. Lark was not. Lark was meant to be Maion. She was Maion, except...lesser. And even though she did love human beings, understanding who she was now, Lark felt only a huge sadness at the thought that she may never recover her Grace. Just because someone may like dogs, for example, didn't mean you wanted to be a dog. It was frustrating, and depressing, and a little maddening to be fallen like this. <p>

She lifted a hand from the wheel to rub her eyes briefly, feeling the truck run over another set of railroad tracks. Lark had to stifle a yawn, adding as an afterthought, "Even though I can't pray to Heaven or God anymore." That would be like using a megaphone and shouting to the heavens, literally, "come find me and kill me"! Lark had never prayed as a human, but as Maion, she'd prayed more often; it was somewhat the same as communicating more intimately with her siblings when she was far from them for whatever reason. Even though it was a one-way line of communication. A thought occurred to her then, and she passed another, more considering glance at Castiel. She almost smiled again. "Maybe I can just pray to you, Castiel." she looked back at the road, assumed a lighter tone. She hoped to keep the angel in good spirits, and she was tired, so perhaps a little more relaxed than she would be if completely awake and alert. "Dear Angel of Thursday, please get better soon, and then bless my truck and my good driving..."



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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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<i><b>"You mean, living as a human?"</b></i> Although that was a correct interpretation of his question, Castiel merely held his stare. <i><b>"Sometimes I was."</b></i> She said, thoughtfully, considering her memories carefully it would seem. <i><b>"Sometimes I wasn't."</b></i> That sounded rather similar to how Castiel felt about being an angel, at this point, sometimes it was like being blessed, other times it just felt like all too much and nothing seemed worth it. With the amount of layer’s Castiel had on, the cool air hadn’t yet really bothered him, especially with one hand having nestled itself under the overcoat and rested firmly against his side. Not that it helped, but for some reason it just <i>felt</i> better placing a hand over it.
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<i><b>"It's a strange experience."</b></i> Watching the hand fiddle with the truck’s buttons, Castiel then returned his eyes to the woman, his head still leaning back against the headrest. <i><b>"I had a father, a human one. Looking at these things now, they all seem very...curious."</b></i> A human Father, Castiel’s brows furrowed slightly, eyes in thought at that, not seeming bothered, just trying to imagine the concept. After all, God was the only Father Castiel knew, and the creator had been a very absent father figure at the best of times. <i><b>"But I'm glad to have my memories of Heaven again."</b></i> Was she truly happy to remember all that? Castiel looked once more from her face to peer outside the window. The shock of tracks once more justled the aching body and caused Castiel grit his teeth, he really, really, <i>really</i> was not liking this method of transport. Eyes slipped to Lark, who was appearing to hide an intake of deep breath behind a hand.
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<i><b>"Even though I can't pray to Heaven or God anymore."</b></i> Even though Castiel had not prayed to Heaven in a long while, he did still find himself praying to their Father, even if it felt like the guy never seemed to be listening. If God had been, then his replies had been silent, and it was difficult to tell if indeed God played a hand in something, or if it had merely been fate.
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<i><b>"Maybe I can just pray to you, Castiel."</b></i> Curious and tired eyes lingered on Lark, his features expressing clearly the oddity he felt that sentiment came across as. <i><b>"Dear Angel of Thursday, please get better soon, and then bless my truck and my good driving..."</b></i> The pray caused Castiel to smile just enough that once more the edges of his lips curved, shaking his head ever so slightly as he informed her in a lightly serious tone. <b>"I do not think a mere blessing would suffice as far as your truck goes,"</b> Even Dean’s car felt less bumpy in the brief periods Castiel had been inside, though it was a mode of transportation and he would deal with it if that meant getting to the prophet sooner then walking would. <b>"Would you go back to your humans after we are done? Did you ever have a canine? Gabriel has one of them, he seems very fond of it."</b> He meant to say ‘human family’, only, being a little tired made the phrasing came out a slight odd to what he intended. The adding of Gabriel’s pet was not entirely an afterthought, the mention of human families reminded Castiel of the odd affection their elder brother had towards the animal, Castiel wondered what would happen to it if Gabriel could not be returned soon.

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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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A small set of lights on the right hand side of the road grabbed Lark's attention; the longer she drove, the more she could make out an aged gas station coming up. There was only one dusty car in the lot, but the glowing blue open sign she could already make out in the gas station's little convenience store window. Lark passed an assessing glance towards her gas meter; and though it told her she still had a quarter tank left before she'd need a refill, it wouldn't be the first time if the thing was a little optimistic in its estimation. "I do not think a mere blessing would suffice as far as your truck goes," Castiel told her in a mock-serious tone, which prompted Lark to release a tired, but amused huff as she neared the ancient gas station. She was pleased to see Castiel doing something other than stewing in his own misfortune; not that it wasn't warranted, of course, since he had been cut off from the host and rendered al but powerless by Sariel, and the fact that they had no idea of Gabriel's condition also had to weigh him down. Still, letting those negative feelings claim you was almost as debilitating in some sense as the physical injuries Castiel had obtained, and so Lark was glad the weight seemed lifted just a little, however briefly the reprieve may last. <p>

Other than the station itself, Lark noticed as they got closer, there was literally nothing. Two pumps -- old fashioned ones -- and a shack of a house that had been converted into something approaching a makeshift convenience store. Lark slowed the truck down as it came up beside them, and mostly out of habit turned on the signal; there was no one else on the road to alert to her turn, but it gave her hands something to do. Castiel spoke again. "Would you go back to your humans after we are done? Did you ever have a canine? Gabriel has one of them, he seems very fond of it." Lark had to run that one over in her head again as she pulled in to the quiet station and stopped next to a pump. "Gabriel has a dog," she mused, trying to imagine the Messenger of God owning a pet. It was difficult to picture. Then again, she barely knew Gabriel -- knew of him, of course, but Gabriel had always been far above her and most of her brothers and sisters. She found herself wondering over what kind of dog it was. She reminded herself of Castiel's previous question as she turned off the ignition, and sat for a moment, taking the time to really look over at Castiel in a way she hadn't been able to while driving. The first thing she noticed was the hand under his coat, where his ribs would be. "I don't have --humans," she said, taking inventory of the angel's somewhat slumped position. "There is one, but she gets on just as well without me. No dogs either...just strays now and then." Lark carefully skipped over the question of what she'd do after they were done, largely because she herself didn't know, and instead focused on pushing open the door. "Wait here," she said, before the brunette climbed out of the driver's seat and stuck the gas nozzle into the truck's fuel door, filling it it up. Once that was done, Lark replaced the nozzle on the pump and walked around the truck, moving inside to pay -- an older, grimy-looking man sat half snoozing behind the counter, with a shotgun laid across his lap. Obviously he had some theft problems. Lark didn't head tot he counter immediately, but spotted a fridge in the corner of the little "store" and headed over, fishing out two cold bottles of water. When she scanned the meagre shelves for something the injured angel would be able to snack on, she found instead a lot of junk food, and expired jerky. None of which the thought would be very helpful to him. Lark ended up picking up a little bag of trail mix that looked passable, and was both surprised and pleased to find some first aid supplies that might be useful; bandages, icepacks, antibiotic lotions. Lark took a couple of each, and then pointedly dropped her purchases on the countertop with a notable thump so that the fellow behind the counter started awake. <p>

The man woke with a snort and almost started to take aim with the shotgun before he got a good look at the woman staring steadily back at him from the other side of the counter. Lark thought he looked genuinely surprised she wasn't a robber of some kind. The man blinked at her, "Oh," he mumbled, before turning his attention to her purchases and ringing them up on his dusty register. Lark paid in credit; she had a feeling this whole trip was going to be bad for her budget, but that was only a passing thought and not one of much import. Once she paid, she headed back out to the truck -- but instead of getting in on the driver's side, she opened Castiel's door and picked up her dropped cell phone off the floor, slipping it into her pocket before she peered up at him. "How are you feeling?" she asked, as she fished one of the water bottles she'd purchased from the little white shopping bag and held it out to him. "Best to be honest," she added, raising her brows lightly. The brunette looked pointedly to where Castiel's hand disappeared under the trenchcoat. She mentally went over the supplies she'd purchased, dismissing the idea of giving Castiel more painkillers; it'd been five hours or so, but still she didn't want to accidentally overdose him.

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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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<i><b>"Gabriel has a dog,"</b></i> This statement had Castiel complete attention, he still didn’t understand the point in having the animal around. Though Gabriel appeared very fond of it, and thinking about that made Castiel concerned in regards to the creature’s ability to survive without Gabriel around. Could they feed themselves without help still, considering God gave all creatures the ability to fend for themselves Castiel figured it to be a yes, however ‘Dean’ was locked up in an apartment… could it open the door and go get food? Maybe there was a method Gabriel had set up to keep the canine fed and occupied for when the archangel was away causing trouble. Then again, Gabriel could tend to it no matter where he was with merely a thought, so anything was possible, really.
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The car pulled to a stop and keys were turned to put the vehicle to sleep, the sudden stillness a relief as if Castiel had been tensing without realizing it. Sapphire eyes peered curiously about the station, studying the area inquisitively, ignoring Lark’s eyes that had settled upon him. <i><b>"I don't have --humans,"</b></i> The renegade soldier turned his face back towards Lark, trying to show he was listening even though Castiel had a vague frown from the physical discomfort.<P>

<i><b>"There is one, but she gets on just as well without me. No dogs either...just strays now and then."</b></i> People were known to take in lost or injured animals, the Winchesters weren’t the type to do so but Castiel had siblings that dealt with that regularly. What drew more interested had been a remark on ‘the one’ that Lark mentioned, he wondered what connections this human had to the fallen sibling. <i><b>"Wait here,"</b></i> Any further questions would be put on hold it seemed, as Castiel watched Lark slide out of the car and walk about to to start fiddling with… whatever she was doing. The smell in this gas station was not so pleasant, it was strong and for some reason the vessel seemed to not be tolerating it so well.
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Although his sibling was nearby, Castiel felt the need to keep a constant eye on her, even if using reflections to watch the female. Not that he figured someone would appear and harm Lark, that was always a caution of course to be considered, however it had felt unpleasant spending all night alone and he did not wish a repeat of being alone. Sure she wasn’t far off, but keeping Lark in view just confirmed that fact, and made him feel strangely better – since he couldn’t sense her as Castiel usually would. No wonder people felt so alone at times, not sensing each other was indeed a very isolating sensation.
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When Lark walked into the building, Castiel sat up a little straighter, rubbing at his side after the movement, attempting to keep a clear view of her through the windows. Whatever she was doing was hard to see, even as Cas squinted and attempted to get better views with the odd shift of position, but unless he actually got out of the truck and went inside he wasn’t likely to get a clearer sight. As an angel one could just be beside her in a flash to come to any aid, in Castiel’s current state anything could happen before he even managed to get near, this concern bothered him greatly. When Lark began to walk back towards the truck, Castiel sank a little into his seat, the slouching putting some strain on his side. Though he barely reacted to it outside of the gentle hold, he was just glad she’d come back.
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Watching as Lark opened his door, Castiel wondered if he was supposed to get out, though she bent down to pick up the earlier dropped phone and pocketed it. Then, after that was done, gave Castiel a rather pointed look. <i><b>"How are you feeling?"</b></i> Came the question, one Castiel was ready to brush aside as Lark shifted about her bag of goods for a bottle of water, <i><b>"Best to be honest,"</b></i> Looking at her, then down at the bottle, Castiel moved the hand which had been nursing his side and took the bottle.
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<b>"I find the jolts of your vehicle unpleasant."</b> It was true, however there was little need to extend that comment as far as Castiel figured. Staring cautiously back at the man she had brought the items from, as if still assessing whether the guy was trust worthy or not. <b>"Deep breaths are also… uncomfortable."</b> Though he’d been told already to be careful about that, as well as coughing and too much strain, the area needed to heal and further stress could cause more damage. <b>"I will be fine, those that held me captive had said so."</b> Explained Castiel in regardless to what the doctors had said, though didn’t consider that they were expecting him to have been taking plenty of rest, not running around trying to rescue an archangel the next day.

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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION  </div></div></div>
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Lark scoffed softly as she sat the plastic bag on the pavement, the only other sound besides the two of them coming from a rather vast symphony of crickets occupying the overgrown bushes surrounding the small gas station. "All right, you don't like the truck," Lark gave a small pat to the dashboard as if to soothe its hurt feelings, but really it was kind of a crappy truck. She was rather impressed with its lack of rust, honestly. But the ride was far from smooth, Lark could agree with that. "It's the best we have at the moment, so try to bear with it." The brunette saw Castiel's eyes trail to the decrepit building behind her, and reflexively she glanced back, squinting a bit. As far as she could tell the shot gun wielding fellow was still behind his counter, but he was still awake, and, if she had to guess, watching them. She ignored the stranger for the time being; he wasn't an immediate problem after all. What was a problem was that Castiel seemed to be in some amount of pain, and she had to fix that. Lark pulled out the ice packs; they were filled with jelly, both about the size of her palm, and squish-able despite being ice cold to the touch. "Deep breaths are also… uncomfortable," Castiel conceded after a pause. Lark pushed the hair out of her eyes and looked up at him, studying his torso and remembering the mess of bruises it had been. "That's because your ribs are damaged...bruised, maybe cracked." Lark explained somewhat absently. "I will be fine, those that held me captive had said so." Lark glanced up at him, raising her brows. By "those that held me captive" she assumed he meant the doctors at the hospital, but she didn't expect that the doctors had factored breaking out of the hospital and going on a wild goose chase after an archangel in to their diagnosis. "It takes some time for humans to heal from that sort of thing. So until you've regained your strength," she phrased delicately, "We'll have to go about this the human way." She reached around the back of Castiel's seat for a moment and dug into the duffel, locating Castiel's hospital shirt which she had stuck in there and carefully folding the ice packs into it to dull the intensity of the cold a bit. It helped a little. <p>

Lark stepped up onto the ledge of the truck with this makeshift cold compress in hand. She lifted the small wrapped package so that Castiel could see it. "This is going to feel cold," she warned. "But it'll numb the pain a bit. I was going to wrap you up, which would help more, but," Lark passed another brief glance to the building/convenience store, somewhat annoyed to see the shop owner had moved and was peering out his window somewhat suspiciously. That's just what they needed, some gun-happy truck driver who thought they were acting too oddly and decided to take the law into his own hands. "I don't think we have time." They probably weren't the most unnoticeable pair the guy had ever seen; Castiel did look like he'd been heavily abused. Wait. What if he thought she was kidnapping Castiel? That wouldn't be good. Lark shook her head of those thoughts, and focused. "It's cold," she warned again, not entirely certain the blue-eyed angel was prepared for the feeling of ice on his vessel's skin, but nonetheless Lark leaned in and carefully pressed the wrapped cold packs against Castiel's chest, primarily where his hands had been before he'd taken the bottle. <p>

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<i><b>"All right, you don't like the truck,"</b></i> Curious eyes stared at the odd stroking of Lark’s hand against the interior of the truck. This behavior was one shared by Dean, though one Castiel was beyond understanding even more then the concept of keeping a vanity pet around that served no particular purpose. Though to be honest, Castiel wasn’t entirely sure he felt any real sense of like or dislike towards the actually mode of transportation outside of the basic fact he preferred flying, what angel didn’t? <i><b>"It's the best we have at the moment, so try to bear with it."</b></i> Of course, the soldier didn’t want his fallen sister to think he was complaining about it, he was only replying honestly to the fact that the vibrations were not the most pleasant for his aching vessel. Distracting wandering eyes, Lark shuffled through the bag once more, doing so as he spoke and then withdrawing some peculiar looking items.
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<i><b>"That's because your ribs are damaged...bruised, maybe cracked."</b></i> It did not feel so bad that he felt it impossible to deal with, it hurt and sometimes it hurt a lot more then other times, but usually if he was still enough and positioned adequately … then it hurt a lot less, especially with small breaths. The human body was a really complicated thing to work with when Castiel was helpless in improving its basic limits. <i><b>"It takes some time for humans to heal from that sort of thing. So until you've regained your strength,"</b></i> Lark began to explain, causing the slightest slump in shoulders to vaguely be noted as he listened reluctantly. <i><b>"We'll have to go about this the human way."</b></i> That was … worryingly cryptic, at least as far as Castiel was concerned, causing him to stare intently and a little uneasy as she leaned to reach behind his seat. A concerned look settled on the shirt he had earlier been forced to wear, not at all appearing glad to see it again, though that soon turned to confusion as Lark wrapped the unwanted item about the other thing she had pulled from the bag.
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<i><b>"This is going to feel cold,"</b></i> Looking from Lark down to what she held, and then giving a rather uncertain furrow of his brown as lines creased the edges of his eyes, trying to figure out what the point of it was. <i><b>"But it'll numb the pain a bit. I was going to wrap you up, which would help more, but,"</b></i> So she was using something cold to numb the pain, but was going to wrap him up, didn’t that indicate making him warm? With Lark turning her attention once more towards the man in the store, Castiel could not help but notice the manner in which she studied him, and in turn found himself taking in the human with an air of dislike, not that he had any real reason for it. The sense of distrust or edging on caution that Lark had towards the guy in some of her brief glances was enough to make the human a target of discontent.
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<i><b>"I don't think we have time."</b></i> With that her eyes turned away from the human, though Castiel’s remained focused on him for a moment longer. <i><b>"It's cold,"</b></i> Maybe that man had said something while Lark had been in there purchasing the things she needed, or maybe he was inappropriate with her in some other way, discreet enough that Castiel had been unable to see whatever it was. The look the man had did not help impress Castiel at all, if anything it just confirmed the mild conspiracy theories. Those stern eyes ignored Lark until the moment she pressed the ice pack against his chest, causing Castiel’s head to drop down to stare at her hand, though the motion looked more as if the muscles in his neck gave out then merely a steady downward stare. A scabbed right hand squeezing slightly made the water bottle it held crackle briefly under the strain of the pressure, though the frowning gaze went from the hand to the fallen angel’s face, briefly, then staring back at her hand.
<P>
<b>"Yes, yes that is much better now, thank you."</b> He lied pointedly, though if Castiel was attempting to be sarcastic or actually trying to blatantly lie, it was hard to tell. His left hand remained in a light fist on his knee, where it had spent most of the time during this drive resting, while the other hand placed down the bottle on his lap and then examined the wrapped up ice pack in Lark’s hold. Making no effort to take it, Castiel merely gently prodded what was not obscured by Lark’s own hand with his fingers. <b>"Humans create an area of discomfort to hide the previous discomfort which they had found … discomforting?"</b> Though thinking about how Dean and Sam often handle certain situations, Castiel couldn’t help but look up, leaning his head against the back rest and turning it towards Lark. <b>"That mentality does explain a lot."</b>

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THE ROAD IS LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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Lark wasn't sure if she was expecting Castiel to flinch or not; she had warned him that it would be cold, but he did seem distracted eyeing up the little building behind her. Lark tried to quiet her own sense of paranoia about the man with the shot gun; he was just a random bystander, that was it, and he would pose no problems to them as long as they didn’t give him reason to be suspicious, so she worked to keep her attention on the task at hand rather than some random civilian. The way the angel's head swung downwards and his hand fisted around the water bottle till it crackled told Lark that no, he hadn't given much attention to her warnings it seemed; and she was sure that the freezing cold being applied to his bruised skin was not the most pleasant of sensations; yet it was a necessary one. Lark took efforts not to be amused by this response and continued to press the cold compress to Castiel's ribs gently, feeling the cold seep into her skin in response as she did so. "Yes, yes that is much better now, thank you," Castiel told her; Lark tilted her head and wondered if he was being sarcastic or if he was just really horribly trying to lie to her. She continued to try not to be amused, but she did raise her brows and give him a funny look; if he was trying to lie to her he was being terribly unconvincing about it. Lark adjusted the ice pack carefully over his dress shirt as Castiel put down his water and started prodding at the jelly pack. "I did say it was cold," she reminded him mildly. <p>

"Humans create an area of discomfort to hide the previous discomfort which they had found … discomforting?" Lark considered this deduction, conceding that yes, that was a little bit of what they did. Or at least, what they did when there was no hospital around for proper treatment. She met his eyes as Castiel leaned his head back against the seat. "That mentality does explain a lot." Lark wasn't sure what Castiel was thinking of when he said that, but she kept the ice pack pressed there, doing her best to ignore how cold it made her hands. Cold enough to hurt, almost, which was a strange sensation in itself -- Lark found herself thinking again about how fragile human bodies were. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts before they started depressing her. ”I know its uncomfortable,” she conceded easily. ”With humans, things usually get worse before they get better.” She adjusted the pack again, moving it a little further down his ribcage so that she could get the whole area. It was about then she hear a door swing open, and a voice ask, ”Everythin’ alright over there, young lady?” Lark’s head turned briefly at the sound of the voice, almost exasperated to find the fellow from the convenience store standing in the threshold of his doorway, especially when she saw he was still carrying that stupid shot gun. The brunette sighed shortly and made to press Castiel’s hands to the icepack in lieu of hers. ”Hold that there,” she instructed, some level of irritation in her tone as she straightened from leaning onto the truck’s side and instead turned to regard the stranger. She walked a few steps from the truck, but didn’t get any closer. <p>

”We’re fine,” Lark responded, trying for an amiable tone but not sure she got there. The man peered at her with suspicion in his eyes; Lark struggled against the urge to just get in the truck and go now; she didn’t want him to call the police to report their odd behaviour, after all. That would be problematic. ”Seems your friend over there isn’t doing so well,” the man motioned towards the truck and Castiel with his gun. That annoyed Lark. She struggled not to let it show, but rather focused on trying to convince the fellow that she wasn't kidnapping Castiel or doing anything...weird and unlawful with him. ”Yes, well,” Lark said slowly. ”My brother got hurt in a, ah, a…rugby game. Very dangerous sport,” Lark scratched her head and nodded, while inwardly wincing. Rugby game? Really? The brunette inwardly grimaced at her exhausted brain’s inability to be more creative. ”Brutal, even.” she nodded to herself absently. The man squinted at her, then Castiel, which made Lark's frown deepen. <p>

"Rugby, huh." The man let the barrel of his gun sit in the dirt. Lark nodded. "I'm taking him to the emergency room," Lark added for good measure, turning halfways to shut Castiel's passenger door. "So we'd best be on our way." The brunette gave a passing nod in the stranger's direction before she walked to her side of the truck and got in. She saw the stranger go back inside his store and shut the door as she pulled away from the gas station, and wondered whether he was suspicious enough to call the police. Still, she didn't speak until they had turned back onto the road and were well out of sight of the gas station, at which point she glanced towards Castiel again. "You can take that off your ribs now," she explained, referring to the cold compress.
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LOOKY! I IS PRETTY NOW~
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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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<i><b>"I know its uncomfortable."</b></i> The fallen angel admitted without pause, <i><b>"With humans, things usually get worse before they get better."</b></i> At those words Castiel appeared a little unsure, looking down at the cold compress as it was moved and attempted to keep as stoic an expression as possible. Just as Castiel began to part his lips and say thank you, not just for now but for everything since they’d united again back at the facility, that human spoke out. Lifting steady eyes towards the man, Castiel watched him carefully, noting the gun and the posture and <i>displeasure</i> in Lark towards him. <i><b>"Hold that there."</b></i> irritant words were not a good sign, and as Lark stepped away Castiel felt every urge grab at his at weapon, the heavenly blade which had been with him since the angels creation. Though, there was a first time for everything it would appear and his blade seemed to share such sentiments, though even if he hadn’t lost it during the fight with Sariel then the medical facility would have surely taken it away after sorting through his items.
<p>

It was just another thing that was missing, another habit denied, another part of what he was gone, and that thought annoyed Castiel all the more when the human spoke and seemed to aim his weapon towards the truck bound man. Maybe there was something in here that Castiel could use, something that could be thrown or used in some manner to be somehow threatening towards the man who had the nerve to carry a weapon while speaking with Castiel’s heavenly sibling, even if she had been exiled, she still deserved <i>respect</i>.
<p>

Castiel happened to be looking over his shoulder, carefully so not to strain his side, looking for something and half wondering if he’d manage to get close enough to the human to subdue him with a belt, when the door closed with a sudden thud. Annoyed blue eyes peered towards the retreating man as Lark hopped back into the truck, Castiel frowned, though it eased as he looked over to Lark. From then they drove a bit in silence, not too long, just long enough to have the previous man and his building, out of sight for period before Lark spoke up. During that times Castiel had continued to keep the cold pack against his side, even as the chill bit into his fingers and the he was no longer which hurt more, his fingers or the ribs.
<p>
<i><b>"You can take that off your ribs now."</b></i> A strangely stiff hand moved said pack away and Castiel felt a soft sigh breath out after, though seemed a little uncertain what he was supposed to do with what he held. The left hand took hold of it instead, allowing Castiel a chance to examine the cold digits of his right, turning the hand over and then facing the palm back as they struggled to warm up enough to properly flex out. <b>"He was unpleasant."</b> The statement seemed rather delayed, and a little distracted as Castiel placed the tips of his fingers against his vessel’s lower lip merely to feel the difference in temperature between them. <b>"Why did you not just disarm him?"</b> After all, as keen as Castiel had been to help, he also knew <i>Maion</i> was a warrior, not some helpless youth untainted by war. Maybe she had her reasons, be it tactical or something else, he didn’t want to come across anything but curious as he looked at her expectantly.

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THE ROAD IS LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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It felt like they were driving on a long road to nowhere; on either side of the one-land highway there was nothing but field, illuminated only by the moonlight pouring in and the long planes of corn disturbed by only the rare farm or house. Only some ways in the distance, if Lark squinted, could she see any sign of a town or city or anything of the like. It was somewhat beautiful to look at -- maybe picturesque. But it was also rather monotonous, and that was a terrible thing to have to sit and look at while trying not to fall asleep at the wheel. She almost would have preferred the traffic of the interstate to this, but then, that very traffic would have slowed them down significantly and the chances of getting pulled over were much more likely given that Lark was driving at -- she glanced briefly to the speedometer -- some ten miles faster than the speed limit dictated. "He was unpleasant," Castiel said; Lark glanced at him to see he'd switched the ice pack into his other hand. She assumed he was referring to the stranger at the gas station. The brunette thought back to the stupid fellow and his shot gun; she decided that nosey people were the most aggravating type. In any case, it didn't appear as though he'd been suspicious enough of them to call the police about it -- maybe, the brunette thought, her rugby excuse had been better than she thought. Or maybe he was just stupid. "Why did you not just disarm him?" the angel asked.<p>

She flickered her eyes briefly to a heard of cattle penned in along the side of the road as they passed, more for something different to look at than anything else. Maion would have disarmed that man of course, if not worse; Castiel would probably have done the same had he had the ability to do so. But Lark had lived amongst humans for two decades, and they were not at their full power, either one of them. She knew better. "His type are a dime a dozen," Lark commented mildly; her fingernails sliding over the leather of the steering wheel out of habit until they found the seam and fit gently along it. "And we're pressed for time. He saw your face, he saw mine; he saw the truck and the licence plate. We were already acting in a way that'd make him curious, but if I were to disarm him, he'd surely call the police and report us once he came to his senses. Then we would have police trying to chase us down, bring us in, charge me for assault. We have no time for any of that." She glanced at him, to the road, and back. Of course, if the stranger had proven to be any more of a threat she really would have had to do something about him; but she didn't totally want to. After all, though it may be greatly irritating for them to have someone so nosey, generally speaking, that man with his gas station in the middle of nowhere probably saw a lot of criminals come his way, and had his reasons for being wary. No that they were far away and evidently not being chased by squad cars, Lark could appreciate the man's caution a little bit. But only a little bit. He'd still been annoying as hell and waved that gun around towards the truck and Castiel. "As long as we're stuck using human means, we're stuck playing by human rules. To some extent, anyways." She added the last part as an afterthought; she was speeding, after all, and they had already sneaked out of a hospital. That could hardly be considered playing by humans rules. <p>

She was reminded of the cold pack. "Just drop that thing on the floor," Lark told him. The brunette remembered something then. "Ah." she reached over to where the little plastic bag sat on Castiel's side, just able to reach it while also keeping a careful eye on the road to be sure she didn't drive them into the ditch. Her fingers sorted blindly through its contents, feeling about, before they closed around a little bag and pulled it out. She tossed it in Castiel's lap before replacing both hands on the wheel. "A snack. Until we find a place to eat...but don't force yourself to eat it if you don't like it." Lark looked at the gas meter, glowing so that she could see it in the dark, and was reassured now that it sat on Full. However long it took them to find a place to sleep, she could get there without another stop, certainly.

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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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The reply did not come swiftly, if anything Castiel wondered if Lark had heard him, since she seemed preoccupied staring out the windows. When she did begin to explain, though not understanding a phrase or two exactly, he got the gist of it all easily enough. To be honest, as she explained things, Castiel stared down at his lap, fiddling idly with the ice cold pack that had been wrapped in his hospital gown and yet still managed to spread a chill now into his left hand. It made sense what she said, usually Castiel never cared for the concerns of human laws, he could appear and disappear at will and few humans had the knowledge to harm him. The idea that caution had to be taken even when defending themselves from senseless humans who waved loaded weapons about as if they were extensions of their own body. Sulking wasn’t going to help, however it <i>was</i> just another reminded of how helpless it seemed being stripped of ones natural abilities.
<P>

<i><b>"Just put that thing on the floor."</b></i> She had said, causing Cas to look up and over at her, then back at the cold compress. <i><b>"Ah."</b></i> He’d only just started reaching out to drop the icy item when Lark seemed to have remembered something, causing his stiff fingers to hesitate on releasing the thing. The fallen angel shuffled through her recently purchased items, her hand emerging with a packet of something and then tossing it to his lap. <i><b>"A snack. Until we find a place to eat… but don’t force yourself to eat it if you don’t like it."</b></i> Rigid fingers slowly released the ice pack, flexed a little as if to ease away the cold which had started to soak into his finger’s bones, and then picked up the packet to examine.
<P>

<b>"Thank you."</b> It was difficult to be in any way excited when it came to food, Castiel had no real knowledge on what he did or did not like, and most of that would be influenced by Jimmy’s desires anyway. All Cas did know was that there was a chance he was getting hungry, and it bothered him that he wasn’t even completely sure on that. However that aside, the soldier of God was still appreciative, opening the packet curiously, albeit a little sluggish after the unnecessary length of time he’d been holding the ice pack without being more considerate of shifting it about as it chilled his hands, instead having put up with the increasingly biting cold. Castiel held the packet out for Lark to grab some if she wished, <b>"I suppose it would be wise to limit the risk of human involvement while proceeding with our current undertaking."</b> Again Castiel sounded more as if he hadn’t earlier considered the ramifications of his earlier question towards disarming the station attendant. After all, as a soldier, someone aimed a weapon of any kind at you and it was fair game to use any force deemed necessary to subdue them. The idea that even attackers had certain rights that needed to be taken into consideration when confronting them would be beyond Castiel’s ability to grasp, especially since many in the general public still found it hard to fathom. Man breaks into home, man cuts open foot on unsafely placed knife or loose snacks found roaming freely bite them during their robbery and still that criminal could take the owner to court.
<P>
So really, there was little point in getting too detailed as to the reasons outside of ‘it’ll draw too much attention’, because any further questions delving into ‘why’ and it’ll risk throwing Castiel’s head in a spin. Good thing was that Castiel expected as much to a degree and merely relented to the fact that Lark had reasons to play it low key and without thinking too deeply it seemed to be a sensible tactical plan considering their situation. However just because it was <i>sensible</i> didn’t mean the irritated soldier in Castiel found it pleasing, instead he merely sighed slightly and attempted to get comfortable in his seat.

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Wasn't sure what else to say, figured we chat and I edit more in?<BR>Or wait for Remy, or you reply... whatever.</div><br>

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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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Coffee, Lark remembered abruptly, almost kicking herself. Why hadn't she purchased coffee at that little gas station? Soda? Caffeine in any form? In trying to figure out what would be most edible for Cas to digest, Lark had hardly been paying attention to what her brain was already trying to tell her -- she was exhausted, and sitting in a truck in the same position for the next...however long it would take to find a diner and a motel was not conducive to staying awake. While on her feet and moving around the station she had of course felt more awake, but now with the steady rumble of the engine, and the miles upon miles of farmland stretching across either side of the road, her brain had started telling her once more that no, she should not be driving, rather she should be going to sleep. Soon. Now. Should have grabbed a coffee, the brunette mentally chided. Then again, any sort of brewed drink from that cramped store probably would not have been of the finest quality or made under the most sterile of conditions. Perhaps she'd been doing her digestive system a favour. <p>

"I suppose it would be wise to limit the risk of human involvement while proceeding with our current undertaking," Castiel said, not sounding overly enthused by the concept. Lark couldn't blame him. It was probably enormously frustrating to him, having to all of the sudden play by human rules when such things were usually not even worth an angel's consideration. All things considered, she thought that Castiel was coping relatively well with the situation he found himself in, not there was much choice in the matter. Lark could name off the top of her head several of her siblings, whose voices where currently quiet murmurs at the back of her mind, who would not be coping as well. Comparatively. "Probably for the best," the brunette agreed, sparing a brief glance for the angel. The less humans the better, especially if Lark didn't want to end up convicted for something by the end of this rescue mission -- she certainly wouldn't let herself get arrested as long as they were still trying to free Gabriel, but as opposed to Castiel, Lark's position was not temporary. Castiel, she was certain, would heal or would be healed, and restored to his previous strength. On the other hand, she would still be human once this was over, and therefore still plenty susceptible to human rules. <p>

Lark's thoughts wandered to the future, for just a moment. What did she plan on doing once they had saved Gabriel? Go back to her human life, working late shifts at Penny's Diner and struggling towards a college degree? Those were such distant goals now, in the sense that Lark had no real drive to see them through anymore. They were human goals. Tiny, in the grand scheme. But then, she was human now. Did that mean she should limit herself to them? How could she? How could she sit idly by, now that she was awake to everything again, knowing that Lucifer was out of his cage, knowing that her brothers and sisters were divided? She could not. It wasn't fathomable. She could not stand aside and let her siblings fight alone. And yet, what help could she be in this human skin?<p>

Lark shook her head just a bit, to clear those thoughts which were obviously getting away form her. The brunette's mind was wandering all over the place it seemed thanks to the lack of caffeine. Lark spied the package of trail mix in Castiel's hand, sitting within her reach. She reached in and pulled out a peanut, popping it in her mouth as her eyes moved back towards the road, only to stiffen incredulously and slam on the brakes, her right arm swinging out almost automatically to brace against Castiel's chest so he didn't fly forward into the dashboard with the abrupt stop. Once the tires had screeched to a halt, Lark sat there with the truck idling, not really sure what to make of the sight illuminated by her headlights. A fully grown cow stood nearly dead center on the single-lane highway, effectively blocking the road so Lark could in no way manoeuvre around it without risking the truck rolling into one of the steep ditches on either side of the highway. <p>

"What---," Lark lifted her arm from Castiel and used it to put the truck in park. She stared blankly at the animal only some ten feet from the bumper of her truck, before working to open her door. The night air, cold and crisp, met her as she lifted herself out of her seat. Initially, she just leaned out of her open door, not sure what to make of this situation. "What are you doing there?" Lark asked aloud, as if expecting the animal to look up and answer. Of course it didn't, not did it seem particularly interested in moving at all whatsoever. Lark glanced up and down the highway; no cars. She got out of the truck entirely, trying to figure out what, exactly, to do with the fully-grown black and white obstacle that now blocked their path.

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MR COW SAYS, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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The force in which the truck stopped was so sudden that Castiel barely gave much thought as his left hand shot out to press against the dashboard. Another arm came across his chest, Lark attempting to aid him somehow as his body jerked forward and pressed firmly into the seat belt with a grunt.
<P>
<i><b>"What---,"</b></i> Blue eyes opened only slightly, enough to see Lark’s arm move away, focused on the hand as it went to fidget with some lever, trying hard to keep his stoic expression while taking small breaths. <i><b>"What are you doing there?"</b></i> If Lark thought it might reply to her question, Castiel didn’t really have the interest to ponder it, instead closing his eyes again. This form of travel was only growing less and less desirable with every jolt, bump and now a sudden stop, his aches were not diminishing. While tempted to say something to Lark, who stood outside her truck staring at the large creature looking confused, uncertain and to be honest, Castiel had no idea what he’d really say besides ‘ow’.
<P>
The last time he’d been on Earth these Cows were relatively common to be seen wandering around, usually there was a Sheppard with them however. A steady gaze about didn’t reveal anyone who should be looking out for the creature, though the idea of getting out and having a better look was not really tempting at all. Waiting instead to see if Lark had any idea on what she needed to do to convince the animal to move, Castiel merely watched the woman. The angel’s right hand rested firmly on his ribs, the left momentarily went to attempt to reach for the ice pack, though a soft pained grunt he stopped the effort and leaned back. The moment of Castiel being content in remaining in the car passed when Lark appeared willing to draw closer to the creature. At this, the angel fussed with his seatbelt, struggling to undo it and then taking a moment to fumble open the door. Slipping out into the cold that he ignored, the angel awkwardly stood for a moment, slow and careful in his attempts to straighten up without hurting his side even more.
<P>
<b>"What are you intending to do?"</b> Not that Castiel expected the thing to try to eat her, however there was an air of caution to his attempts of staying nearby that suggested he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of her being out here with this creature alone. After all, it might not eat her, but it was a large thing, and if startled or threatened might manage to injure a nearby person, even if unintentionally.



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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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Now matter how long Lark stood there staring at it, the cow remained. It was definitely not a hallucination on her part. Standing along the dotted line which divided the highway Lark glanced about, trying to figure out where this massive black and white animal might have come from. She spied ahead an aged white fence which lined the left side of the highway; part of that fence was rotted, and Lark supposed a particularly adventurous bovine might just wander right through, over the ditch -- which, as fate may have it, was much less steep there then it was where she stood -- and meandered onto the highway. That mystery solved, the brunette turned her gray eyes to the creature in question, and stepped away from her truck door and approach it. It looked, well, like a cow. Black and white, and very big -- very...solid-looking. It wasn't the type of thing Lark could just pick up and move to the side of the road, like a turtle or some such. It appeared to be chewing away, probably on some grass it had grazed on before making this foray onto the pavement. It's ears and tail twitched habitually is if flicking away invisible flies, and even when Lark got closer to it, it didn't even turn its head to look at her, clearly not at all bothered by the fact that her headlights were flooding it entirely in bright light and unimpressed by Lark's presence altogether. <p>

Lark was surprised to hear a door open; she glanced over her shoulder and saw Castiel slip out of the passenger side quite carefully. She gave him an odd look as she watched him straighten even more carefully, not entirely certain why he would bother getting out of the truck and irritating his injuries further. She knew the abrupt stop had to have hurt him, which she felt guilty and a little exasperated about; thing did not seem to be going their way. Was he that interested in the cow? When she looked at him closely, he seemed somewhat wary of it. "What are you intending to do?" he asked her. This was a valid question, one Lark herself was trying to find a good answer to as she turned back and tilted her head at the bovine. It was a little odd, seeing one up close; Lark had seen cows before obviously, but mostly from a distance, and usually while driving on county roads just like this and passing through rural areas. But she'd never been close enough to one to touch it before. She wasn't particularly wary of the thing, just a bit at a loss as to how to direct it. It was very big and heavy-looking and also appeared as if it had no intention whatsoever of doing anything but chewing on its grass. <p>

After a second, Lark moved even closer, near the head of the creature so it could see her in its periphery -- did cows have peripheral vision? -- and slowly, gently set a hand on the side of its neck. The thing didn't even twitch; it's chewing hardly skipped a beat. Lark wondered maybe if the thing was sleep-chewing. "Hey," she said to it. She pat its neck in a somewhat prodding manner, trying to see if it would budge if she pushed enough -- but not too much, because she did not want to tip the thing over. Then they would have a whole new set of problems. "Could you move maybe?" It didn't budge even when she used as much strength as she dared, and Lark continued to tilt her head and look baffled at this new obstacle as she walked to the other side of it, facing the truck and Cas, and tried nudging it from that side as if it would make a difference. Just as she pushed again, thinking maybe if she gave it a good smack the same way you would a horse it would get going, the thing canted its head suddenly, and released a long, loud 'moo'. "Hey," she said again, more insistently, walking around it again and, after a moment's deliberation, giving the walking leather purse a sharp swat to the rear flank. All she received in response was a sudden swing of the cow's head from side to side and a sharp swat to her side from the thing's tail. She folded her arms irritably. "I'll make you into a Happy Meal," she said somewhat threateningly, though not that much, because it was a cow and hardly sentient enough to respond to her threats. As she expected, her words had absolutely no effect on the animal. She tried another slap to it's flank, harder this time, and in response the farm animal moo-ed and canted its head more violently, then walked all of two steps forward. Wonderful.<p>

The brunette turned her eyes back to Castiel, wondering again why he'd chosen to get out when he was obviously not in good shape. But if he wanted to be out, he could be out, she wasn't about to lock him in the truck after all. Even if he was probably aggravating his wounds more. "I don't suppose you have any ideas how to move it?" Lark thought about trying to telekinetically move the thing, as telekinesis was, technically, an ability that most fallen shared. It was a power that Lark had never tried as a human before, though. She turned her eyes to the bovine and stared hard at it, trying to draw forth an ability that had come as naturally as breathing as an angel. But nothing was happening. Lark stood there, staring the hell out of the cow, growing less and less impressed with this situation by the moment. <p>

It was about that moment that the clouds above opened up above them, and rain came pouring down.

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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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There was really no reply to his question, at least nothing verbal, body language alone had to do, and that suggested towards Lark being rather clueless on the matter. Standing about mid way between her and the truck, Castiel merely watched, hesitating getting any closer and deciding to wait and see what the fallen angel planned on doing. When Lark touched it, Castiel seemed to take a step forward without even realizing, watching carefully with a more alert gaze.
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<i><b>"Hey."</b></i> Again Lark decided to attempt communicating with it, and <i>again</i> Castiel wondered if she understood it did not understand, let alone speak English. Things had not appeared to be going well, things kept getting in their way, or appearing risky enough to be an issue if not handled carefully. Since meeting Sariel things had only continued to delay attempts of finding Gabriel, as if someone was going out of their way to make sure fate slowed them down. To be honest, Castiel had been so set on getting to the Prophet’s that he had offered little more consideration towards Lark’s own struggles once they had decided saving Gabriel was of highest priority. Watching as she pushed at the creature’s neck, Castiel was more focused on his inner thoughts of wondering just how well she really was dealing with all this. Let’s face it, the two of them had been through a lot before this drive even started, before even meeting at the facility.
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<i><b>"Could you move maybe?"</b></i> Her words were distant as Castiel recalled how small she had looked back when first entering his room. How confused and uncertain the very human looking young lady came across when addressing him for the first time in decades. Just about two weeks back from oblivion, from an empty scary nothing that God seemed to decide to wake Cas from. Questions had plagued him, as Lark herself had seemed to have questions, they had both doubted much of their individual situations, and then to find out she was Maion… It wasn’t until the bovine let out a distinct <i>moo</i> that Castiel had noticed Lark had moved about to the other side of the creature. <i><b>"Hey."</b></i> The cow seemed displeased by the abuse, and ignorant of the raising anger bubbling slowly beneath Lark’s dissolving tolerance. <i><b>"I'll make you into a Happy Meal."</b></i> Another slap was given after the threat, and Castiel’s face lowered slightly, still watching Lark though wondering if she was letting this situation get to her more then it should. After all, Castiel was towards figuring that the animal would not have intentionally decided to interrupt their journey…
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Eyes turned towards Castiel and the angel lifted his face so not to give away the fact he was a little confused by her attempts. Admittedly, the angel was also a little worried she may be annoyed enough to turn that annoyance towards him as well. <i><b>"I don't suppose you have any ideas how to move it?"</b></i> Taking a few steps forward, Castiel ended up beside Lark, eyeing her as the fallen seemed to stare rather intently at the cow, as if attempting to mind control the creature off the road… or blow it up by speeding up every single molecule in its body. Neither of which would be possible it seemed, so Castiel took in a small breath, looked towards the cow, and considered their options.

The rain fell suddenly, causing surprised blue eyes to raise, staring up at the clouds with a slight spark of confusion, as if someone up there was attempting to break Lark, and they were apparently succeeding. The soft breath he’d taken in was released gradually, attention returning to Lark who definitely looked deflated. A comforting hand was placed gently on her shoulder, there was nothing Castiel felt he could really say, and he was hardly one to cheer her up with carefully chosen words considering his blunt tendencies so the thought didn’t even occur for him to try. The healing cuts, scabs and faint bruising didn’t affect the gentle firmness of his assuring hold, before dropping the arm by his side and looking across at the bovine.
<BR><BR>
<b>"I will do what I can."</b> The angel said, as if assuring her of the fact with a strange calmness that may resemble that of the calm before a battle. With slightly straightened posture, as best as he could manage without hurting himself, Castiel moved forward, stepping before the cow with a determined look. Moving within arms reach of the creature, Castiel stared over it, meeting the lazy gaze with his own resolute blue stare. Gabriel had shown affection towards his canine, and ‘Dean’ had responded positively to it, though there was no way Castiel was up for getting licked in the fact… nor would he make kissing gestures towards the creature. Instead, Castiel cleared his throat a little, reaching out his right hand and resting it carefully on the creature’s forehead. <b>"If you are a good and just bovine, you would understand her frustration and forgive her."</b> There was a pause, though Castiel hardly expected a response and merely studied the animal closely, thinking of the past times he’d watched man herding these creatures. A soft chewing noise from the beast edged its way into the silence as Castiel carefully considered a strategy for this situation.
<BR><BR>
Another pet of the forehead was offered, though Castiel seemed rather hesitant on what he was doing, as if still entirely unsure on what the point of the creature was, let alone the point of it being in the middle of a road. There was a soft noise from the animal’s throat, which occurred as Castiel pulled his arm away to further study the creature. As he attempted to round about the cow, it’s head turned to follow the angel’s movements, Castiel paused and looked rather distracted with recalling something. Again his hand reached out and petted the cow, this time closer to it’s rear, though looking as if testing something more then being affectionate. Little effort was given as Castiel pressed his hand into the back of the cow, a light tap and soft push, as some of the Sheppard’s of old used to do when without their canes. <b>"Sheppard’s make this appear so simple."</b> he thought aloud, just as the creature offered a soft grunt and shuffled forward, though if disturbed by the rain or because of Castiel’s prodding, they’d probably never know. A soft clop of the animal’s feet as it padded along the road, only partially guided by the light push of the angel’s palm at its back, giving an ear flick at Lark as it gradually moved along the side of the truck.
<BR><BR>
Castiel hesitated beside his sibling, offering the slightest smile as he watched it waddle along, then looked at Lark <b>"Angel of travel, still hold some sway it appears."</b> He referred to the task of his as guide and protector of those who were on journeys or moving grate distances, technically, they did fit that category.


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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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Lark sighed, long and slow, her ears flooded with the sound of raindrops splattering over pavement and on the metal frame of the truck behind her. The cold felt like it was seeping into her along with the raindrops that happened to hit her dark jacket, absorbing into the fabric and through her skin -- and as it did, Lark could feel the remnants of whatever frustration had been building up inside her drain away. The brunette just stood there blinking at the cow, and tried to push past how tired she felt. It wasn't working as well as it had before. Lark really did not like the idea of letting things get to her to this degree, but. It had been a long day -- a long couple of days, and fatigue was making it harder than usual to tamp down on emotions Lark would otherwise easily have set aside. The brunette didn't like dwelling on her own hardships, but waking up to two thousand years' worth of memories had been a little jarring to say the least, and then this business with Gabriel being held against his will, and also knowing now -- and she'd tried hard not to think about it when they had so may other things presently to deal with -- that Lucifer had been released from his cage and understanding very well the implications of that, all of it felt like it was buzzing about her brain, just waiting to be acknowledged and worried over. The brunette dipped her chin towards her chest and blinked at her shoes on the wet pavement, reminding herself firmly that she couldn't dwell on these things now. There was a time and place for working through all those anxieties, but it wasn't this instant.<p>

Lark only really noticed that Castiel had moved to stand next to her when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Surprised, she looked up at him; the headlights brightly illuminated both of them as well as the cow, and Lark studied his face, vaguely conscious of the fact that they were both getting drenched in the meantime and would probably catch colds if they stayed standing around in this weather long enough. But for the moment she just studied her heavenly sibling, feeling the weight of his hand on her shoulder. He was here with her, she reminded herself. That was reassuring in and of itself. She wasn't in this alone, just as Castiel wasn't either. "I will do what I can," Castiel said as his touch dropped away. Lark nodded, and watched him move head towards their living roadblock -- he moved stiffly, which concerned her; her thoughts moved briefly to the gauze in the truck. She knew that wrapping his ribs for him would probably improve the angel's situation significantly; now that they weren't stuck with that nosy gas station owner eyeing them up, perhaps it'd be best if she fixed that up before they continued on the road any further. She had noticed how difficult the drive had been for him thus far, with all its bumps and sharp stops. Wrapping him up would surely help with that. <p>

Castiel's voice dragged her back out of her thoughts. Lark couldn't hear him as clearly as when he was next to her given the rainfall, but she could still make out his words. "If you are a good and just bovine, you would understand her frustration and forgive her," he was saying to the cow. She could hardly be crossed out as the only one trying to communicate with the creature it seemed, even though they both knew -- or, Lark assumed Castiel knew -- the cow could neither understand them nor answer them. As it turned out, the cow seemed more taken with her brown-haired companion than with Lark herself, which was really not that insulting to her. Castiel did have those big blue eyes, after all. Instead she just watched thoughtfully, taking the time to find her own calm again -- and it was indeed calming to watch Castiel study closely the creature in front of him like he was figuring out a puzzle, with all his prodding and pressing. The longer she stood watching, head canted to the side a bit, the more the tight knot in her stomach Lark had barely acknowledged since leaving the hospital seemed to ease. "Sheppard’s make this appear so simple," the angel said, though Lark thought he was doing a fine job, as evinced moments later by the fact that the cow finally responded to Castiel's taps and prods by moving its huge weight forwards. Lark observed quietly as he guided the creature past, hmmm-ing quietly in response to the ear-flick it made towards her. Yes, definitely liked Castiel better. <p>

The cow was slowly tottering along, down the road, past her black truck idling on the pavement, and the blue-eyed angel ended up back at her side. "Angel of travel, still hold some sway it appears," he commented, with a tiny smile. Lark smiled back, hoping he could see that she appreciated his efforts. "Of course," she responded, pushing damp hair out of her eyes. "I'm lucky to have you along with me, then, aren't I? I picked the right angel to pray to." Lark's smile widened for a second, not really teasing, but more just allowing herself for the first time since really finding Castiel again after so long to appreciate his presence. The brunette was genuinely glad that it was this angel that she had found, out of all her brothers and sisters. She nodded, mostly to herself, as she looked again to the cow who was walking slowly but steadily farther from them down the road, and as such disappearing from her sight just as gradually. She removed her hands from her jacket pockets where her fingers had been warming up, and nodded back to the truck. "Let's get back in," she suggested, carefully making her way around the grill of the truck and towards Castiel's passenger side. "While we're stopped, I can wrap up your ribs for you -- bandage them," she clarified as an afterthought. She slowly swung open the door and shuffled through her convenience store bag before pulling out a roll of gauze. "It should help ease the pain in your ribs quite a bit." Lark glanced back at Castiel, and canted her head gently in a gesture meant to tell him to get in, though she stood diligently beside the truck door's opening and meant to be on standby in case it proved difficult for the angel to climb into the truck's cab on his own.






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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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At least it won a smile as Lark responded, <i><b>"Of course."</b></i> The idea rain could be an issue to their health hadn’t crossed Castiel’s mind in the slightest, all that mattered had been sorting out the dilemma that had stressed Lark, and halted their journey. <i><b>"I'm lucky to have you along with me, then, aren't I? I picked the right angel to pray to."</b></i> Not that Castiel <i>felt</i> like an angel, he still smiled, trying not to think of how he regretted he didn’t have the abilities which would have made their journey much easier. <i><b>"Let's get back in."</b></i> The drops falling on Castiel’s overcoat soaked into the beige fabric, though he barely gave it any consideration.
<p>
Following her with slight hesitation, Castiel wondered why Lark had gone over to the side of the truck he was supposed to sit in, mild concerned that she’d want him to drive instead. Sure, he managed to remove the cow from their path, somehow, but driving? <i><b>"While we're stopped, I can wrap up your ribs for you -- bandage them."</b></i> Fingers scratched lightly at the slowly soaking mope of hair gradually flattening down by the weight of the water. To tend to the one injury Castiel had been given tiny pills to swallow, a freezing pack to hold and now she wanted to wrap – or bandage which sounded a lot better, his ribs.
<p>
<i><b>"It should help ease the pain in your ribs quite a bit."</b></i> If that made the drive easier then Castiel was all for it, though he had no idea what that actually involved and merely stood there a moment. At her gesture, Castiel lingered a moment longer, then slowly got back into the car, still aching more then he had originally due to the sudden stopping earlier. As Castiel settled inside, he stared a little uncertain by the cool feel of the damp clothes, which was more noticeable the longer they were exposed to the chill of the air.


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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION</div></div></div>
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Lark watched the angel carefully seat himself, the roll of bandages tucked closely to her chest so that the rain would touch them as little as possible. As she had at the gas station, Lark stepped up on the truck's ledge and leant over the open passenger door, evaluating the position of the angel in his seat and wondering how best to go about bandaging his ribs. She knew how to, of course, but usually she wasn't bandaging up other people's ribs in the small, limited space of her Ford's aged cab. The longer she kept the door open, the more rain got into the car. She wasn't sure just how susceptible the angel was in his condition to things like catching a cold or pneumonia by prolonged exposure to the elements, but as he was healing like a human, and sleeping like a human, and even hungry like one, she figured it would probably be best to err on the side of caution. As such, Lark gently set the bandages on the dashboard before she reached down to the side of the passenger seat and pulled up on the bar there. "I'm moving your seat back," she told the blue-eyed angel, just so he would not be entirely lost as to what was going on. She kept holding up the lever and slid Castiel's seat backwards as far as it would go. It bumped into the back seat softly, enough to tell Lark it couldn't move any further, and which point she straightened up a bit, judging the amount of space the move had given her between the dash and Cas' feet. It was manageable; hopefully the injured angel wouldn't choose this moment to start having personal space issues like a human despite the other mortal issues plaguing him currently. "I'm coming in," the brunette said calmly before ducking her head and pulling herself into the small space she'd created between Castiel's seat and the dash of the truck, managing to kneel there. After doing so, she reached behind her carefully and eased the door shut. It was a relief to be out of the way of the rain, but Lark was still pretty cold and damp, the tips of her hair curling and frizzing thanks to the added moisture, and Castiel didn't look much better. As such, she reached for the car's heating system and turned it on, then flicked the switches to turn on also the heated seating as well. That done, Lark turned back to Castiel as she situated herself to kneel a bit more practically on the floor of the truck. It was a bit of a tight fit; Lark could feel the angel's knees bumping against her ribs, but she didn't bother herself too much over it. <p>

Again, she paused to take in the situation, and what needed to be done next. Her eyes eventually fell to Castiel's tie and dress shirt under the dampened trenchcoat. Taking all those layers off in the rather unforgivingly small space of her truck was not really plausible, and would probably end up just causing Castiel more pain considering the amount of contortion he'd have to do to get his arms out of the sleeves of his coat and shirt. Such being the case, the damp brunette cast aside that option and figured the second best approach would work instead. Without really thinking much of it, Lark reached out and undid the angel's tie, letting the ends hang down before carefully tugging the dress shirt out from where it had been tucked in. As Castiel had demonstrated in the hospital he wasn't apparently concerned over the concept of being in a state of undress when the situation called for it, Lark figured she didn't need to be concerned over whether he was uncomfortable or not -- even though she still carried out the task of undoing his shirt carefully and calmly just as she had when she'd done it up in the first place several hours ago in South Dakota. It didn't cross her mind to let Castiel undo his shirt for himself until she was halfway through, at which point she paused and blinked. "Oh," she said out loud without really meaning to, but managed to keep the I am an idiot thought that followed to herself. She glanced up at the angel, then after a moment's consideration continued with her task anyways. Asking now if the angel wanted to take over would be silly, even though at the same time she didn't want him to think that she was trying to be controlling of him somehow or something similar. Then again, if Castiel had objected to her handling of him she thought he would tell her as much, and he'd done nothing but sit and look at her. She figured that if he wanted he could practice doing up the buttons of his shirt once they were done. Either way, the shift was undone now, and Lark leaned back to relocate the roll of bandages. The brunette undid the roll and leant forwards again. setting the bandages on Castiel's lap and then pushing open his shirt so that she could access his ribs and torso more easily. She tried not to frown over the dark bruising which did not seem to have faded that much since last time she'd seen it. Lark reminded herself to be as gentle as she could. "Lean forward?" she directed, coupling the words with a vague motion of her hand towards herself. Once he was properly positioned, she leaned forwards, also, meeting him halfway with the end of the bandage in one hand. With some careful manoeuvring, she slipped her hands past the open layers of trenchcoat and shirt and circled his torso with her arms, slowly but snugly wrapping the bandage about. "If it feels too tight..." she trailed off, wondering if Castiel knew what 'too tight' would feel like. The brunette started over. "If it feels too painful, tell me." The wrapping itself could be a bit uncomfortable to experience, but the end result would like help Castiel to be much less sore. She tried to keep her touch light on the damaged areas of the angel's vessel, but it seemed like there were bruises and cuts everywhere, and the wrapping itself would be useless unless it was fairly snug -- though not tight. So, trying to be both gentle and thorough, Lark continued to wrap the bandage about the angel's ribcage, starting at the armpits and working her way towards the navel.


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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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Inside the truck at least got Castiel out of the rain, though Lark still stood outside and the angel wondered what exactly the idea in mind was. As Lark leaned in, Castiel attempted to lean back, which wasn’t entirely effective considering he just pressed back into the seat. <i><b>"I'm moving your seat back,"</b></i> Blue eyes stared rather blankly, turning his head as the seat moved to watch the repositioning. <i><b>"I'm coming in,"</b></i> There was the slightest frown, not in displeasure at the idea but the confusion as to what exactly this plan was and what exactly the fallen had in mind. As Lark entered the vehicle, Castiel found it hard to offer her much more room then what was already available.
<P>

A strange hum after Lark fiddled with some controls took Castiel’s attention, the angel staring at the vents where warm air started blowing out. Humans may not be the most powerful creatures on the planet, however God did bestow them with some of the most innovative abilities when it came to creating things. Ignoring the manner in which she was positioning herself, Castiel reached for the hot air, tapping the vent with a finger and then allowing the air to blow into the his palms with a curiously watchful gaze.
<P>

While Castiel distracted himself with the heater, Lark had reached for the blue tie about the angel’s neck, causing eyes to peer down and watch as the fallen angel undid it. While not removing the strip of fabric entirely, Lark allowed the two ends to hang on either side the line of buttons, which were next to gain her attention. Cold fingers undid each button, the chill of their tips feeling peculiar against his skin when contact was briefly made.
<P>

<i><b>"Oh,"</b></i> Blue eyes peered up from watching the fingers as they worked and stared at Lark, who appeared to hesitate for some reason, Castiel wondered if it was in regards to her concern of possibly hurting him? Or maybe for another reason, he wasn’t sure but the angel was distracted once again with moving his fingers in front of the heating vent. Lark’s fingers were back at unbuttoning the shirt, soon enough done with that and unrolling a wrapped up strip of fabric. Not entirely sure what he was supposed to be doing, Castiel just tried to keep his arms out of the way. With his face aimed downwards, having been watching the hands at work, Castiel’s eyes alone peered up and ahead at Lark’s face, once more watching her.
<P>

<i><b>"Lean forward?"</b></i> Lips thinned a little, confused eyes squinted slightly, though did as she asked, not entirely sure what exactly was planned still. Castiel had never been the most ‘outwardly’ affectionate sibling, it felt strange having someone so close, though Lark’s proximity didn’t disturb him, it was just … unusual. More so when she wrapped her arms about his torso, cold fingers creeping to the back between skin and fabric, tugging along the bandage. <i><b>"If it feels too tight..."</b></i> Castiel decided to stare rather intently at the illuminated road before them, a dull sound from behide the truck barely getting his attention a moment later as Lark spoke. <i><b>"If it feels too painful, tell me."</b></i> It was hard to turn his head enough to get a clear view through the back window, it occurred to Castiel the cow was probably still not far behind them.
<P>
Admittedly, it was hard to ignore the movements of her hands guiding the bandage around and around, at times it felt uncomfortable, at other times it slightly tickled, causing a tension in his stomach, as well as the occasional grimace during the actual wrapping. The angel fidgeted, knocking his cheek against the side of Lark’s head as he fussed while leaning forward, which caused Castiel to pause with a grunt. <b>"Sorry."</b> It was hurting leaning forward, if anything leaning back had been more comfortable. <b>"I thought Joshua already gave us something to help with this."</b> <i>This</i> being the pain his vessel was in, all Castiel could think in that moment had been that maybe it was a good thing Jimmy’s mind wasn’t conscious. At least the human didn’t feel the pain Sariel had put his body through, that would make Castiel all the more guilty.


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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION</div></div></div>
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The air vents on the dashboard of the truck ended up blowing against Lark's back while she worked to fix Castiel up properly; leaving that side of her warm and yet the rest of her body still chilled and damp and generally not comfortable even a little between the two extremes. Castiel on the other hand seemed to have fixed his attention somewhat on the warmth blowing out of the truck's little vents, and as she worked the bandage carefully about his chest his attention appeared to alternate between that and watching what she was doing -- it wasn't like there was much else for him to preoccupy himself with, and even if there was, there was not enough space between the two of them. Lark was reminded of this fact when she felt Castiel's chin bump against her head while he was adjusting his position. "Sorry." Lark hummed in a brief acknowledgement of his words but was more concentrated on changing the bandage from her left and to her right around behind Castiel's back without slackening the bandage from the way she had place it. Lark tried to be as unobtrusive as possible while she bandages Castiel's ribs, but given the mechanics of the task itself she had little choice but to repeatedly wrap her arms about his torso to lead the bandage around. "I thought Joshua already gave us something to help with this," the angel spoke up; Lark felt the words almost as much as heard them, the sensation distracting her a second from what he was actually saying before her brain caught up with her. <p>

"He did," Lark agreed, almost bumping her chin against the angels' shoulder as she leant in again. Her knees were beginning to get sore from kneeling on the hard truck floor, but it was a discomfort easily put aside. She focused almost all her concentration on doing an adequate job with wrapping the angel's chest. "But you can only take those twice a day. Or else you'll overdose and die," she tacked the last part on half as an after-thought, half because she didn't want Castiel trying to take the whole bottle of pills when she wasn't looking to relieve his pain, or something. That would end terribly. The brunette figured Castiel was probably getting uncomfortable being forced to sit up as he was, and she was only halfway done at this point. Lark wondered if talking would distract him or just make the whole thing more painful for him. She decided to give it a shot as she carefully pulled the bandage over Castiel's left ribcage, smoothing it down very gently as she went. "Where has Gabriel been all this time?" Lark asked the injured angel. As she could sit back for the moment while she led the bandage around Castiel's front, she looked up at his face briefly, studying it for any signs of growing pain besides the discomfort associated with having them wrapped. Then inevitably she had to pull the bandage around his back again, which led her to lean in for the umpteenth time, sliding her arms around his torso with care not to agitate the numerous bruises and cuts. "How did you find him?" It had been so long, after all, since the archangel had descended from Heaven. She found on some level the very concept of them having to rescue him hard to wrap her head around; an archangel was the strongest of Heaven's forces. Whatever might have captured him in the first place, they were certainly going to have a difficult time taking him back.



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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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<i><b>"He did,"</b></i> Then it was confusing as to why Lark was going through all this other random techniques, especially as they all seemed so much more uncomfortable to do then swallowing a few little pills. <i><b>"But you can only take those twice a day. Or else you'll overdose and die,"</b></i> At this a frown formed, causing Castiel to eye Lark a little inquisitively, though this involved staring mostly at her ear considering their positions. The idea of dying from so simple a little thing, that appeared so harmless and insignificant, it was almost beyond him, unreal even. How did taking something that could kill a person help in any way?
<BR><BR>

<i><b>"Where has Gabriel been all this time?"</b></i> The question was fair enough, and to be honest Castiel wanted to tell her without hesitation, though somehow it felt wrong to talk about it without Gabriel’s permission. After all, their elder brother had made every effort to stay in hiding, what if the archangel didn’t want others to know of his stint as Loki? Lark leaned back, enough that Castiel could finally get a brief glance at her face, though he looked uncertain on how to reply.
<BR><BR>
<i><b>"How did you find him?"</b></i> Well, technically Gabriel had found the Winchester’s, and from there the boys and Castiel figured out who the Trickster really was by the third encounter. There had been a term Gabriel continued to use often, one that was just on the tip of Castiel’s tongue and yet the angel struggled to form the words. All that really stood out was the sharp stabbing ache, when the words did come, they were spoken in a manner that suggested Castiel had been having trouble recalling them at first.

<BR><BR>
<b>"Witness protection."</b> He declared with a slightly tensed jaw and unease breath in, although making it a little awkward for Lark, he couldn’t help but lean back a bit, straightening his spine to ease the pressure that felt as if it was building it. <b>"He called it that, he had an apartment, even a job as a janitor. It was most peculiar I am told; we met when he attempted to separate me from the Winchester’s in one of his realities while forcing them to consider accepting their fate as the chosen vessels."</b> Carefully Castiel leaned forward to allow her to continue with the wrapping more effectively, <b>"It was not the most pleasant of reunions, admittedly I did wish to hit him, a little."</b> There was a brief pause, <b>"Maybe a lot, we parted on … less then pleasant terms months ago. There is a human, Tamara, she aided me in relocating him the other week,"</b> There was a brief pause, then a seemingly random question hesitantly was asked. <b>"Do you know of a ‘Sastre Quicksilver’ ?"</b>


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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION </div></div></div>
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Castiel's seat was finally starting to heat up; Lark could feel the warmth spreading through her fingers as she pulled the bandage taught about his back. "Witness protection," was Castiel's response to her inquiries about their elder brother; the term sounded a little strange on his lips, another alien phrase Castiel probably was unfamiliar with. Obviously it was not the choice of words Castiel would have used, rather one that had come from someone else. Lark considered the implications of using such terminology as he continued, and she slid closer again to reach around his back for the umpteenth time. The angel leant back a little, and Lark's hands were somewhat trapped between him and the seat, but she didn't immediately say anything -- he'd been doing well so far, and she understood that sitting up for such a long period of time would be straining for him. Truly, if they didn't have an archangel to help, she would have made him go to another hospital -- preferably one where she could convince the doctors neither of them were crazy. "He called it that, he had an apartment, even a job as a janitor. It was most peculiar I am told; we met when he attempted to separate me from the Winchester’s in one of his realities while forcing them to consider accepting their fate as the chosen vessels." The blue-eyed angel sat up properly again, resuming his previous position and effectively freeing the fallen's hands though she was slow to continue wrapping. Lark had some difficulty trying to process that information; a janitor? He'd been living as a human, then? It was the very last thing Lark would have ever pictured an archangel doing, but maybe that was the point. Clearly, if he'd used the term witness protection he certainly hadn't wanted to be found by the Host. But the part about the Winchesters confused her; though she grasped the basics from overhearing the angels talk about the Winchester brothers, why would Gabriel be looking to force them to accept their roles? Did that make him in support of the apocalypse? There had to be more to it than that, or else why would Castiel be so set on rescuing him from being returned to Heaven and 're-educated'? "It was not the most pleasant of reunions, admittedly I did wish to hit him, a little." The brunette considered this, figuring that indeed something had changed. "Maybe a lot, we parted on … less then pleasant terms months ago." Lark nodded to show she was following along, nearly done wrapping up the angel. nonetheless was relieved the angel hadn't actually done so -- she didn't know Gabriel well, but she did know that any archangel could smite another angel with merely a thought.
<p>

"There is a human, Tamara, she aided me in relocating him the other week," the angel added. "Do you know of a ‘Sastre Quicksilver’ ?" Lark repeated the name in her head, trying to figure out if she had ever heard that name before. It wasn't very generic, and it certainly wasn't ringing any bells for her. "No, never heard of him," she replied slowly. Lark pulled the bandage another time around Castiel's back. She held the material there with one flat palm and leant back briefly to stretch up and flick on the little passenger light, not sure why it hadn't occurred to her before to do so. She must be far more tired than she thought, to forget something which should have been so obvious; Lark winced slightly as the light came on, blinking away black spots which had appeared in her line of vision. "Should I? Who is he? And Gabriel -- has he changed his mind about the brothers?" She pushed her damp her purposefully over on shoulder so it wouldn't get in the way as much, and then retook the bandage in both hands, noting that she was nearly finished. Lark smoothed the bandage down one final time, the end of it wrapped just below his ribcage, and tacked the bandage into place with the two little metal latches that had come with the package. "There, done," she added, looking up and leaning back finally; her back ached a small bit from the cramped position. "You can sit back now." She pulled Castiel's dress shirt closed, but didn't try to do up the buttons herself, rather, she studied her work for a moment, almost paranoid that it was going to unravel if she took her eyes off of it for even a second. "Do you need help with the buttons?" she asked finally, tilting her head and combing through the tangled wet mass of hair pulled over her shoulder.



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CLARK CAN HOOK YOU UP WITH SOME 1% SKIM I BET, THE GOOD STUFF XD
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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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<i><b>"No, never heard of him."</b></i> Looking for someone you didn’t know with limited ability to rely on outside help was far harder then Castiel realized. Knowing people really did limit the workload on figuring out things, it was hard at times to grasp just how much he had come to rely on siblings to aid with his efficiency in helping out. Eyes squinted at the light as it turned on, looking away from the brightness as Lark continued to speak. <i><b>"Should I? Who is he? And Gabriel -- has he changed his mind about the brothers?"</b></i> Honestly Castiel only knew the name because of Tam’s request if he had any method of locating the guy, she didn’t mention that Sastre hadn’t been the guys true name and so even if the human had been born on a Thursday, Castiel wouldn’t have recognized the name. For the moment replying was put off as discomfort caused Castiel to close his eyes in an attempt to ignore the twinges of pain as she finished up.
<p>
<i><b>"There, done."</b></i> Admittedly he didn’t really move, just sat there at her declaration and felt rather stiff till she continued, <i><b>"You can sit back now."</b></i> At that he leaned back, letting out a slow sigh of discomfort that he attempted though failed at silencing. A light tug of his shirt and Castiel opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of the truck as his head leaned back. <i><b>"Do you need help with the buttons?"</b></i> Blue eyes closed, though fluidly reopened as his face rolled a little to the side and eyes looked across at her. Glancing down his shirt, Castiel stared at the buttons, then moved his fingers to draw the sides together as he began to speak.
<p>
<b>"Tamara asked for my help in locating him,"</b> Castiel replied to her first question about whether Lark should know Sastre or not, <b>"Gabriel reconsidered his stance the other week… we encounter War, he helped the Winchester’s defeat the horseman in order to help me, our brother considered my actions in assisting the human’s as reckless and suicidal… He got involved to protect me, both from my own actions and that of the Winchester’s, and they are punishing Gabriel for it."</b> ‘They’ obviously a reference to Heaven and the fact Sariel had been sent to deal with the archangel; if this upsetting thought was distracting, or Castiel was still a little clumsy with dressing, or maybe he just hadn’t noticed the fact his buttons weren’t being aligned properly. The fact Castiel had started in the middle to begin doing up the shirt didn’t help.


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<div style="margin-top: 2px; width: 360px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 8px; line-height: 6pt; text-align: justify; text-transform: uppercase;">she writes the spoken word again releases pools of untrapped blood to camouflage what's understood wrapped up in a golden throne she undresses overloads walks quietly to a distant place honest lies in washed out grace</div>

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Each day grew them closer and closer to the final battle, and even though she had tried her hardest to keep her ground and try and keep her family from falling apart over this, she was failing. People were still dying, people were still suffering, and everyone she spoke to told her the same thing. Castiel had betrayed them. Castiel was the enemy now. Castiel was a fool. Castiel this, Castiel that. Sam and Dean this. Sam and Dean that. Remembrance couldn't stand it anymore. She'd trying to talk to him before he'd fallen into this foolishness, and she'd tried to help him from getting killed over and over. It was like everything she said fell on deaf ears. She didn't want him hurt and all he was now was hurt. He'd even pulled Lark into the middle of it, as helpless as she was. But he was so incredibly devoted to stopping it all. Her heart pained for him.

She wasn't entirely sure what it was like to feel so completely devoted to something so wrong. She just knew he was cut off from Heaven and he was walking to his death, dragging Lark along with him if it came down to that. She swallowed hard, searching the world over for him and finally finding his spirit, moving along a highway in a truck with Lark. Fresh out of a hospital. He couldn't even stop his revolution to let his vessel heal. It seemed almost childish, perhaps even crazy if she thought of it enough. She took another breath, disappearing from her spot in Central Park of New York City and reappearing rather suddenly in the middle of the truck, in between Lark and Castiel.

<b>"You must stop this crusade, brother."</b> She said, not even thinking about the fact that she had just popped into the truck out of thin air and that was probably startling to Lark. <b>"Look at you, you are becoming human. You stand no chance against our brothers and sisters. You keep pushing and pushing and you are losing, Castiel. I don't want you to die too."</b> She said, looking at him very sternly. <b>"And pulling Lark into the midst of it all as well? I thought better of you."</b> She said, before looking down at her knees and taking a breath, attempting to keep her temper in check.
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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION  </div></div></div>
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Originally, Lark just leant back and supervised as Castiel slowly worked his way through the buttons; it didn't really occur to her that he was unwittingly butting the wrong button in the wrong slot until he was partway through. Lark cocked her head, blinking at the interesting work the angel had done to his vessel's clothing as he spoke. "Gabriel reconsidered his stance the other week… we encounter War, he helped the Winchester’s defeat the horseman in order to help me, our brother considered my actions in assisting the human’s as reckless and suicidal… He got involved to protect me, both from my own actions and that of the Winchester’s, and they are punishing Gabriel for it." The fallen worked quickly through this information, struggling to understand what it all meant for them now -- Gabriel was on Castiel's side, that much seemed clear, which meant it was likely safe to assume the archangel was no longer adamant about forcing the Winchester boys to behave as fate bid them to and accept Michael and Lucifer in order to bring about the final fight. Just as well -- Lark really wasn't in a hurry to ever see Michael again if at all possible, and Lucifer, well. That could only end catastrophically. <p>

But on the other hand, Castiel had mentioned "War"; the horsemen were about. That was just as worrying. Clearly Castiel and Gabriel as well as the Winchesters had survived the encounter with War, but that was only one of four of them, and not even the most worrying of the brothers. Lark's hand, where it had ended up sitting on the cubby box in between the passenger and driver's seats, clenched a little. It seemed like the situation had grown much more worrisome than she'd thought, even with overhearing bits of information from the Host. But as taking too much time to stress over it at the moment would not help them now -- wouldn't help ever, really -- the brunette sought to distract herself by reaching out and pausing Castiel's hands as they worked at the buttons. "The buttons have to line up with the right hole," she explained carefully, undoing the ones that weren't rightly aligned and then lining up the bottom button of the shirt and putting it through the correct hole. "If you start at the bottom and work your way up, you should be fine." she left the rest, waiting to see if he would pick up the task again, absently reaching up to rub one of her eyes and sigh. Thanks to the truck's heating system she didn't feel frozen anymore, just uncomfortably damp. After a moment, she dipped her head slightly to study Castiel's expression more closely. After a moment of deliberation, she added, "If you're blaming yourself for Gabriel's situation, don't." Lark moved her hands to the edge of Castiel's seat more for balance and to take some of the stress off her back, as it was getting a little uncomfortable continuing to kneel like this. She was just considering getting out and heading over to her side to continue their drive when Remembrance appeared out of thin air in the driver's seat. <p>

"You must stop this crusade, brother," Remembrance said the instant she appeared, effectively startling the hell out of the fallen angel, who reflexively grabbed Castiel's knee. "Jesus--," Lark cursed reflexively, stiff, before realizing she recognized the blue-haired woman currently set on chewing out the injured blue-eyed angel. It was the first time Lark had seen her sister as a human and knowing that it was her sister; in a way, it made all those seemingly random past visits more clear in her mind. Had Remembrance been checking in on her while she led a human life, oblivious to her angelic origins? Why hadn't the angel told her that she was fallen? Then her mind turned to the last time she had seen Remy, not very long before this whole thing had started, and how Lark had been set on denying the realness of the voices she heard, or the existence of the supernatural in the first place. She felt regret over that, but it was overwhelmed by surprise in this moment. "Remembrance," she said, her voice reflecting both her recognition and her surprise at seeing the angel again so abruptly. But Remembrance seemed to have some kind of lecture ready, and wanted to get it all out. If she was thrown off or surprised to find them in their current position -- Castiel struggling to close the buttons on his shirt and Lark supervising while kneeling between his knees -- the woman didn't show it. Rather, she continued to speak in condemning tones. "Look at you, you are becoming human. You stand no chance against our brothers and sisters. You keep pushing and pushing and you are losing, Castiel. I don't want you to die too." Lark glanced at Castiel, then frowned back at Remembrance, not pleased with the blue-haired woman's words or tone especially considering the fact that Castiel was already fairly worn out -- this added scolding wouldn't help things at all. "And pulling Lark into the midst of it all as well? I thought better of you." <p>

The fallen's frown deepened even as some of the tension that had made her stiff at the angel's initial arrival eased out of her. Lark didn't like what Remembrance was trying to insinuate, that she was pulled into this mess against her will. That was not the case whatsoever, and she certainly didn't want Castiel or Remembrance to get such an idea in their heads. "I'm here because I want to be," she interjected sternly. Since she was addressing Castiel for the most part Lark held back from speaking for him, but she did add somewhat firmly, "If you wanted to increase our chances of living, you could start by healing him."
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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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<i><b>"Where to start?"</b></i> The human wondered, leaving Cas to consider if she was asking him or not, because if she was, he had very little idea. There was a reason Gabriel had not been found in these past few thousand years.
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The tedious work of doing up the buttons was almost half way to finished when Lark interrupted the work, nudging aside his hands. <i><b>"The buttons have to line up with the right hole."</b></i> With that, she began undoing them, causing Castiel to stare across at her, not that he was going to complain, especially as at least Lark started redoing them herself. <i><b>"If you start at the bottom and work your way up, you should be fine."</b></i> Hesitantly Castiel returned to the attempt of doing the buttons, in truth, there was perhaps a lack of interest in making it all perfect. <i><b>"If you're blaming yourself for Gabriel's situation, don't."</b></i> Barely getting another button done before a sudden voice starting irritably addressing Castiel from beside them in the driver’s seat. Clearly the sudden surprise was an unexpected shock because even Castiel flinched, turning his head quickly, jerking his knees against Lark, who turn grabbed hold of said knees, and his body half twisting before the sudden movement caused him to lean back against the seat with a grimace of pain and silent sigh.
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<i><b>"You must stop this crusade, brother."</b></i> Remy had said agitatedly, with Lark adding in <i><b>"Jesus--."</b></i> before merely staring at the blue haired angel. <i><b>"Remembrance."</b></i> The name barely seemed to be taken in, in fact, the newly arrived angel seemed so absorbed in her rant that nothing, not even the peculiar positioning of her two depowered siblings, seemed to register. Admittedly, Castiel found him concerned on what would cause Remembrance to have gotten so upset that she’d react like this.
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<i><b>"Look at you, you are becoming human. You stand no chance against our brothers and sisters. You keep pushing and pushing and you are losing, Castiel. I don't want you to die too."</b></i> With that the often sweet sibling cast disturbingly stern eyes, it wasn’t like Castiel <i>intended</i> to get caught between an archangel and a seraph having it all out, he just wanted to help Gabriel. The fact he survived wasn’t exactly losing if you included the fact that either could have punched him to oblivion with barely a notice. The soldier’s jaw tightened, lips turned faintly to a frown and eyes betraying the upset Remy’s words caused even as he attempted to keep a neutral expression.
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<i><b>"And pulling Lark into the midst of it all as well? I thought better of you."</b></i> At this, <i>this of all unfair things</i>, Castiel’s frown deepend, the angel’s face turning away from Remy and staring out the window a moment in order to quell the upset that statement brought with it. After all, he had <i>tried</i> to convince her not to be part of this, Castiel had not wanted to blindly drag their Maion back into things now that she had a new life. However it was Lark’s choice, her free will to do as she felt right and wasn’t that what Castiel was fighting for?
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<i><b>"I'm here because I want to be."</b></i> Blue eyes turned to Lark as she began to to speak, sounding just as strict and irritated as his other female companion.
<i><b>"If you wanted to increase our chances of living, you could start by healing him."</b></i> The suggestion was considerate, and in any other situation Castiel was sure Remy wouldn’t have hesitated, only right now, without needing to even look at the other, he knew it wouldn’t happen. The last thing Remembrance would want is to appear to be <i>encouraging</i> Castiel on, she’d know healed that he’d feel empowered to put all his energy on the task he set himself. In some ways, she would likely hope that her brother would be deterred by the injuries and forced to see sense. Quietly Castiel’s left hand inched towards his left knee, letting fingers touch Lark’s hand gingerly.
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<b>"You shouldn’t be here,"</b> At this, Castiel turned his attention towards Remembrance, sad that she felt so hurt by his actions, yet determined his sister understand that things were more defined now then when they had spoken after the Winchester’s had met with the Prophet Chuck. <b>"They might misunderstand your intentions and think you are too close to us, especially with Lark, it isn’t safe for you either, Remembrance."</b> Warned her brother in soft, stoic undertones, still trying to keep his voice level, even if her words, and more importantly her accusations, had hurt.



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<div style="margin-top: 2px; width: 360px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 8px; line-height: 6pt; text-align: justify; text-transform: uppercase;">she writes the spoken word again releases pools of untrapped blood to camouflage what's understood wrapped up in a golden throne she undresses overloads walks quietly to a distant place honest lies in washed out grace</div>

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She had honestly not looked at them - really looked at them, more bent on spilling out her thoughts as quickly as she could and speaking her peace, hoping to get rid of the upset feelings that she'd been harboring for a while now. When she finally stopped, looking over towards them as Lark spoke back, insisting she was there because she wanted to be there, Remy only stared for a few moments at how they were sitting, before quickly averting her eyes and covered one side of her face like a shield. Certainly they weren't. They were brother and sister, for god's sake! No, this had to be some sort of humorous misunderstanding, like the ones in movies. It wasn't what it looked like, it wasn't what it looked like. Still, she couldn't help but ask.<br><br>

<b>"What exactly are you two doing like that?!"</b> She asked, still not looking at them. They both seemed calm enough about it, but Lark's insistence on Remy healing Castiel did bother her. She swallowed and calmed herself, looking back to them with a smile and straightening up. <b>"I just don't want anyone hurt. And even if you win and stop Lucifer and Michael, then what? You will be hunted down, both of you. I don't see it ending well for anyone."</b> She said, rubbing her hands together and listening to the sounds around them for a few moments, before finally turning back to Lark and Castiel. <b>"He is right though, my being here is bad enough - healing him would only put me on their list of people to find. I can't, Lark. He's human now, he'll heal at the proper rate. If anything, perhaps that will slow you two fools down and perhaps save you."</b><br><br>

It wasn't that she didn't want to heal him. She did. She wanted to help them in anyway she could, but she couldn't turn on everyone else like that. She'd taken her stand a long time ago and she'd stood by it to the best of her ability. She wasn't about to change everything now. She let out a sigh, leaning back against the seat she'd popped into. <b>"I can't help you and you know that. But that doesn't mean I want to see you both dead. Or worse..."</b><br><br>
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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION  </div></div></div>
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On one level it was greatly disheartening, to see this sibling and for the first time in twenty-something years actually recognize her as a sister, and to realize that Remembrance had been generous enough with her time to check in on Lark now and then, only for that same sibling to be here firmly disapproving of what they were seeking to accomplish. It felt like they were moving apart before they had even gotten close again. This was a different sort of frustration, a conscious sense that even while the three of them sat there in the same truck, there was a distance threatening to appear between she and her sister over this issue -- one that hadn't existed even when Lark had been an unsuspecting human, not really. She didn't want that to happen, even though some part of her knew that with some siblings it would just be inevitable, what with falling and then trying to assist Castiel on what was, yes, probably a suicide mission. It was this sense that a wedge might be driven into place even as they spoke, along with the barely-there pressure of Castiel's hand on hers, took some of the edge from her tone and her temper. "You shouldn't be here," Castiel was saying to Remy. "They might misunderstand your intentions and think you are too close to us, especially with Lark, it isn’t safe for you either, Remembrance." That further eased her initial sharpness towards the blue-haired angel. The knowledge that even her being here, taking the chance to speak to them right now, was dangerous for her. Easily misinterpreted by the Host. <p>

Lark was studying her sister closely, considering her, when Remy blinked at the two of them as if seeing them for the first time. She titled her head ever so slightly, brow furrowing in confusion when the angel abruptly turned away and shielded her eyes like Lark had just started stripping and dancing. Lark was bewildered at this behaviour, even when Remembrance exclaimed, "What exactly are you two doing like that?!" Lark looked back at Castiel, then down at herself, trying to re-evaluate the situation as Remy was apparently seeing it. What it would look like to a random-passerby if they were to come upon the two in this position. But Castiel didn't really seem to know how to be modest or embarrassed about personal space, and the brunette had been rather preoccupied with trying to alleviate some of Castiel's pain. She returned perplexed eyes to Remembrance, and despite the seriousness of the situation, found herself somewhat bemused by the way Remy was still refusing to look at them. It was kind of funny to think of Remembrance as having her mind go to the gutter instantly. After a moment, the blue-haired woman seemed to regian her composure, and she turned back to them. "I just don't want anyone hurt. And even if you win and stop Lucifer and Michael, then what? You will be hunted down, both of you. I don't see it ending well for anyone."<p>

Lark had trouble wrapping her head around this. Of course she couldn't speak for Castiel, but Lark had known for a long time, ever since Raguel had reached in and carved out her Grace, that she'd probably end up dead if she continued on this path. Being hunted down...she was expecting that to happen. At some point. Preferably after the apocalypse was averted, but she had no control over that. In other words, for Lark it was never a question of 'if I die', not since finding Castiel again. It was 'when I die'. It was impossible to expect no one to be hurt in all this -- they were angels, and they were feuding. It would be lucky if all the continents were still intact when all was said and done. And really, what was her life if it meant the continued existence of billions of human lives, God's most beloved creation? Nothing at all. "He is right though, my being here is bad enough - healing him would only put me on their list of people to find. I can't, Lark. He's human now, he'll heal at the proper rate. If anything, perhaps that will slow you two fools down and perhaps save you." Lark objected to the use of the word human, because that was irritating and had a ring of finality to it -- like there wasn't a drop of angel left in Castiel, and she did not believe that. Lark didn't say any of that, however, because she knew it would only make her feel more frustrated, and it would probably only make Remembrance more frustrated as a result. The little light Lark had turned on cast strange shadows about the cab; the rain continued to pound down upon the truck's hard exterior. "I can't help you and you know that. But that doesn't mean I want to see you both dead. Or worse..."<p>

"You won't help," Lark revised, not angrily. Quietly. She understood that Remembrance was in a difficult position, she did. Lark wasn't even sure, despite her previous words, that she wanted Remembrance to involve herself further with them, because Lark certainly didn't want her sister punished for it. The sharpness which had surfaced with Remy's first disappointed words had almost abated, and was instead replaced with some kind of acceptance of Remy's feelings. "I can't speak for Castiel. But I don't want to be saved, Remy. It...makes me happy, that you care enough to want that." Lark looked between Remembrance and Castiel and back. "But I know the consequences, and I'm prepared for them. This is what I choose."

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And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown </div></div></div>
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After speaking it seemed only then that Remy paid any attention to Castiel and Lark, and the reaction confused Castiel all the more. The blue haired angel turned away her gaze, averted her eyes and shielded her face with a suddenness that caused Castiel to tilt his head.
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<i><b>"What exactly are you two doing like that?!"</b></i> The exclamation seemed unnecessarily shocked, his eyes glanced over at Lark, then back to Remembrance. What did she mean ‘like that’? Castiel stared once more down at the sibling between his knees; eyes squinting slightly in thought, more resembling a puzzled frown, then hesitantly turned his face yet again to Remembrance. <i><b>"I just don't want anyone hurt. And even if you win and stop Lucifer and Michael, then what? You will be hunted down, both of you. I don't see it ending well for anyone."</b></i> This was a given, heck, it had already happened as far as Castiel went, so what was the point in clinging to something he’d already lost? The only reason he was here was either to be punished or reborn to continue a fight he was most definitely outnumbered for.
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<i><b>"He is right though, my being here is bad enough - healing him would only put me on their list of people to find. I can't, Lark. He's human now; he'll heal at the proper rate. If anything, perhaps that will slow you two fools down and perhaps save you."</b></i> The slightest frown was all that suggested Castiel found the comment less then pleasing. Being classed as human wasn’t the biggest issue he had with the comment, even if it came across as derogatory term more often then not. The main issue had to be called a fool for doing what they felt needed to be done. <i><b>"I can't help you and you know that. But that doesn't mean I want to see you both dead. Or worse... ."</b></i> Blue eyes stared firmly at the windshield, soothing his irritation by distractedly watching the trails of water where the droplets pooled and formed tiny river ways down the glass.
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<i><b>"You won't help."</b></i> The fallen corrected their sibling, Castiel merely continued to stare at the window. <i><b>"I can't speak for Castiel. But I don't want to be saved, Remy. It...makes me happy, that you care enough to want that."</b></i> Dropping his gaze to stare at Lark, Castiel gave little hint to his thoughts aside the lack of the soldier suggesting otherwise and disagreeing. Admittedly, at this point, Castiel was long since feeling isolated from his siblings since before they even dragged him back with claims of being ‘emotional’, and too attached to his charges. Sure, having siblings like Gabriel, Lark and the others turn around and support Castiel’s ideals meant so much … finding out others were not interested in helping him just reinforced the sensation of loss and separation. <i><b>"But I know the consequences, and I'm prepared for them. This is what I choose."</b></i> Looking back over at the angel in the driver’s seat, Castiel offered an agreeing nod, it was simple, brief, but completely clear as to what he felt.
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<b>"Agreed."</b> It was only said because Castiel felt a little awkward sitting there, wondering if they might be waiting on his input as well. To be honest, Castiel was still distracted with Remembrance’s first statement of what they were doing sitting as they were, why had it caused a reaction? Remy had always been a little more open minded compared to many of the brethren who had spent time on Earth, sometimes she came across more as Anna did now days. Though as curious as Cas could be, he didn’t always word his questions well, or had great timing, or always understood the answer, but at least he often tried. With Lark having carried on the topic away from Remy’s initial question, Cas felt asking what she meant was going to be too delayed and currently off topic, instead he’d ask Lark after when they were alone again.

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<div style="margin-top: 2px; width: 360px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 8px; line-height: 6pt; text-align: justify; text-transform: uppercase;">she writes the spoken word again releases pools of untrapped blood to camouflage what's understood wrapped up in a golden throne she undresses overloads walks quietly to a distant place honest lies in washed out grace</div>

<table><td><div style="width: 175px; height: 260px; padding: 5px; background-color: #F7EEEE; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; line-height: 91%; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 15px; border: 1px solid #dedede; overflow: auto;">They weren't listening to her. No one ever listened to her anymore. It was like all she did was bear her heart and soul out to people, give them the best advice, put them on the right paths and what did they do? Forget all about how she helped them, how much she cared and how much she just wanted them to be happy. She stared at Lark as she spoke, rejecting the idea of being safe and staying out of all the insanity, how she was there because she wanted to be there. She looked at her fallen sister with an almost pained look, thinking of the days they had sat across from each other in that little podunk town, talking happily and having a smile. That was all she wanted was for them all to do those sorts of things again.<br><br>

But it seemed obvious that she wasn't going to get what she wanted this way, or any way. She looked towards Castiel in some hope of him coming to his senses and calling it off, the whole stupid thing, but he only agreed with Lark, who sat there defiantly as if she were rebelling against her mother or something equally as safe. Remy bit the tip of her tongue, taking in a deep breath and smiling at both of them. <b>"Then I won't keep you any longer. I'm sorry."</b> She said, patting Castiel on the leg, rather discreetly healing his wounds so that perhaps he wouldn't be killed right away at least. She gave Lark a nod, the soft look on her face the complete opposite of what exactly was going on in her mind at the moment. She was the best at the fake smile.<br><br>

<b>"Be careful, please. I want to see both of you alive when all this is over."</b> With a flutter of wings, she vanished from the truck.
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THE ROAD LINED WITH TRIBULATION  </div></div></div>
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It occurred to Lark abruptly that she hadn't been in the presence of two siblings at the same time in over two decades. If was a thought which popped into her head without warning, and had to be just as abruptly quieted, because under the circumstances it was nothing to really be happy about -- Remembrance was upset with them, disappointed, probably angry to some extent. Also, Remembrance probably wasn't going to stick around much longer if she kept looking so upset over things, so opening herself up to any positive feelings was not advised. This knowledge didn't stop a very irritating voice at the back of her head from taking comfort in the presence of both Castiel and Remembrance in this little space with her even if it was just for the moment. Still, the bigger part of her stayed focused, and determined. Her feelings were out there now, as honest as she could express in English at the least. She waited for Remy's response, or Castiel's own opinion on the matter, while at the same time trying to work out how the blue-haired angel would respond to her statements. It ended up being Castiel who spoke first, catching her attention with a nod. Her attention moved from her sister to him as he spoke merely a simple, "Agreed." She studied him for a second, understanding clearly that she and he were on the same page in this respect. And while in a number of regards it was a sad thing -- knowing how inevitable it was that death would probably find him before all this was over -- there was also a reminder that she and he weren't alone. Not entirely, anyways. It was a tiny speck of warmth in a future that was otherwise barren and without much promise. <p>

When Lark looked back to Remy, there was a strange play of emotions going on across the woman's face, but whatever feelings were there they were too fleeting and moved too quickly for Lark to really identify any of them. A smile won out over the blue-haired woman's face; Lark wasn't sure what to make of that. Out of the possible responses she'd been expecting from the angel, smiling like that wasn't part of the list. "Then I won't keep you any longer. I'm sorry." Lark frowned; she didn't particularly want to see Remembrance go, especially so abruptly. Something about her sudden change in behaviour was off, but the brunette was distracted from that thought when the angel leaned in and placed a hand on Castiel's knee. Almost reflexively Lark leaned back; still easily within reaching distance of both of them, but not wanting to make Castiel feel crowded or claustrophobic as might be the case when he had so little breathing space. Lark wasn't quite certain what Remembrance was doing in that moment -- if she was just trying to be some kind of reassuring or forgiving or what -- until the brunette thought she saw a small bit of colour return to the beaten angel's face. Was she healing him?<p>

Remy was smiling again, but Lark could only stare back at her, not really understanding. "Be careful, please. I want to see both of you alive when all this is over." Was she letting go so easily? Certainly, that's what they had asked for, but she hadn't expected Remembrance to give in like that. Almost without argument. It wasn't like her. Or was it? She couldn't say she knew Remy like she had before, and maybe she, too, like so many other angels was changing as time dragged on. This thought did not make Lark feel better, not at all. But before Lark could put voice to any of these things, the blue-haired woman was gone, and it was just she and Castiel in the truck again. The rain continued to pour down upon their vehicle; Lark pushed her mass of less damp hair over one shoulder again, and slowly drew her eyes away from the space that Remy had occupied only moment before to look at Castiel. Her initial glance was assessing. "Did she --?" Lark reached out, gingerly peeling back the still-undone bit of Castiel's shirt and tilting her head slowly. He still had bruises. But when she studied his face, he looked a little better. What had she done, healed him half-ways? Not that he was complaining really -- they had to take what they could get. But the question nagged at her. Why such an abrupt change of heart from their blue-haired sister? She sighed, figuring she could add it to the growing list of things to mull and worry over when she laid down to sleep. "That went, ah, smoothly," she commented, unable to keep the puzzlement entirely out of her voice. She tilted her head and kept examining the injured angel for signs of improvement, wondering just how much of Castiel's pain Remy might have taken away.











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