kore_logs | [Open] No one can blame you for walking away

Who: Castiel and OPEN
Where: The tunnels
When: Day 121
What: Moving on
Notes: If you want something specific with Cas, just let me know!

Castiel sets out with Meg, Sam and Dean, sticking close to them at first, especially once he realizes that his powers aren't working. He's not sure if it has to do with the fact that they've been failing or if the tunnels are doing it, but it doesn't matter right now. What matters is that he sees his friends to freedom.

He rests with them most of the time, but sometimes he scouts ahead or lets himself fall behind them, always keeping an ear out for a yell. Along the way, he comes across some of the others and he's always relieved to see that they're all doing this together. Perhaps as a group, they can deal with whatever is on the other side of this.

There's a tenseness in the unknown that looms over them. He's unsure of how long these tunnels will go on or if they'll split off or dead end and while it's the closest they have to a way out, it's also an easy way to wipe them out.

He walks on, flashlight held high.

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This isn't Meja's first foray into an unknown tunnel, but, oddly, that's not a comforting thought for her. Especially given the fact that, right now, she feels practically mortal again. It's not unpleasant, at first, but it makes her even more disconnected from Yggdrasil than before, and the longer she walks in the tunnel the more of a headache she gets.

Many hundreds of years ago, the idea of bringing a flashlight would have occurred to her readily. Now, she maneuvers in the dark instead. At least the dwarves on Svartalfaheimr have prepared her for something.

She squints when the beam of a flashlight comes from behind her, and pauses to see if it's a face she recognizes. She doesn't, but that's never stopped her from talking to someone before. He does look familiar, at least.

"Watch your step there," she calls helpfully, pointing to a large rock between them that's near-hidden in the dirt of the tunnel floor.

Castiel pauses, light shining down at the ground as he carefully steps over the rocky terrain.

"Thank you."

He shines the flashlight down the tunnel in front of them, squinting at the little beam and the fact that it shows him next to nothing.

"Are you traveling down here alone?"

"Off and on."

Meja shrugs her shoulders lightly. She's carrying a bag full of medical supplies that was too much extra for Martha to deal with. Traveling alone means that she can concentrate on listening to the tunnel. And that, in turn, has made it plain to her that the tunnel is anything but stable. She's thankful that it's holding, for the moment.

"I'm keeping an eye on everyone else, for the most part."

Castiel smiles at that. "I am, too."

There's another rumble and the smile leaves his face as a few pebbles fall on his shoulders.

"I'm not sure how long these tunnels will hold up."

The Valkyrie glances down the tunnel at the rumble, back toward the Cape, and frowns. Being practically mortal again would be all right in any other situation, but at the moment it's simply irritating... and worrying. She could be doing a lot more.

"Not long, I don't think, nei. But it does seem to be holding for the moment. Hopefully it's clear on the other side, too." She looks back at her current company. "I'm Meja, by the way."

"My name is Castiel." He follows her eyes, looking for something in the darkness and finding nothing but motionless rocks.

"I wonder if there even is another side."

"We'll find out."

They can't exactly go back, now. Meja's agitated about the safety of those around her, but she knows that whatever is at the end of the tunnel is inevitable. Especially if abilities are being weakened.

"But it's nice to meet you, Castiel, even if the circumstances are a little..."

She smiles wryly, shrugging and continuing to walk down the tunnel. What can they do? The Cape has been a series of rather unavoidable events, and she hasn't even been there as long as some people.

Castiel falls into step next to her, much the same worry playing on his mind. There are people to protect and not just his friends and family. He'd like to keep everyone safe, though Crowley much less than any of the others.

He nods. "It's good to have allies while we're being kept by an unseen enemy. I think all of us would like to go back to where we were taken from."

"Mm," Meja agrees. "I'm certain we all have things to get back to."

For her, it's the looming thought of the Bifrost being in hands other than Asgard's. Whatever had brought them here, whether by man or machine, had snatched her away at a delicate moment.

"And it's best to work together, considering... the odd qualities of this tunnel."

He raises an eyebrow. There's only one thing his mind can supply that makes this tunnel strange.

"Are you missing something of yourself, too?"

What is she? He can't see anything beyond what's right in front of him right now.

Meja isn't one to hide what she is — unless it's suicidal, of course — and nods, making note of that too that he tags on. It's comforting to know that she isn't the only one feeling more vulnerable than usual, if that's the case with Castiel. At least her weapons will, hopefully, work just fine, if the group encounters anything problematic.

"Everything I am has been... I'm not certain how to describe it. I'm a Valkyrie," she explains. "But I was once human. And walking down this tunnel, I feel, well... human again."

Except even weaker than that, because the last time she'd been human she'd at least had the blessing of a god to back her up.

"I have abilities I can't access, either. Something about this cave seems to be stripping us down." He just hopes that they'll have their powers back when they meet whatever is on the other side of this.

"The humans seem to be unaffected."

"All of them?" Meja wonders, curious. As much as she tries not to say things like them, the fact remains that Meja is no longer human. She doesn't carry on as if she never was, like some of the older Valkyrie do, but there are very large differences between her existence as a mortal and her existence now. "I wonder if that's intentional, or a side effect of... whatever was causing the chaos back there. I wasn't impeded before I went into the tunnel."

"I was, but I knew the source of that. This sudden cut-off appears to be something else. I don't feel human, but I can feel the lack of power here. I may as well be rendered human."

At first he'd worried that this was simply the next step that his damage had taken, but the more he sees of other non-humans, the more he's sure that this is something else on top of his damaged grace.

"I... should be an angel."

Meja smiles slightly, unable to help it. She's only spoken to one other confirmed angel, Balthazar, but he'd implied the presence of many others. It seems odd, to her, to bottle so many powerful beings up like this. Sooner or later, it's going to backfire. The gods back home, not to mention the Norn, could testify.

"There are quite a few of you here, aren't there?"

"Yes, it's--yes." He's unsettled by just how many of them are here. There is a lot of power, but also a lot of strong emotion. It doesn't make for a comfortable situation.

It's bittersweet that his fallen brothers are here, but he suspects that they would all get along better if he wasn't here.

She raises an eyebrow slightly when he backpedals. Meja doesn't like to pry, exactly, but she's curious by nature.

"No one here enjoys the containment, that I'm aware of, but I know it's more difficult for those who aren't human. The Cape cuts off my connection to the world around me with its strange little bubble. And now this. It's hard to get used to."

[Open] No one can blame you for walking away

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