"I appreciate that." He's not stupid. He knows that Gabriel is more powerful than he is, especially now. If Gabriel wanted something to happen to Castiel, he'd already be dead. Gabriel pulls his punches and much as Castiel wants to understand why, he wants Gabriel to stick around more and he knows that asking will chase him off as a best case scenario.

"Had I known who you were, it's highly unlikely that I would have tried at all."