kore_logs | the moments that keep us moving

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the moments that keep us moving

Who: Sam and Dean Winchester
What: Winchester Bro Talk Time!
When: Morning of day 110 (before earthquake!)
Where: Their humble abode.

Sam wakes up relatively early, and feeling better than he has in days. He's still a little weak, and he can feel something inside him that's always there, something wrong and out of place. It's easier to ignore, though, and that counts.

He's had some time to think over everything he's learned recently - about Cape Kore, food shortages, family disputes - and now that he's in a good frame of mind to actually dig at his brother about some things, well that's the first thing he's going to do.

And so, once he's out of bed and dressed, he's looking for Dean. An errant wish for coffee brushes through his mind as he enters the living room, looking around. He gets the feeling something like that isn't exactly part of the supplies around here, and that's a damn shame.

His longing for coffee is interrupted when he hears footsteps in the hallway, turning around to see his brother enter the room. "Hey." Sam sits down as he greets Dean, a hand going up to run through his hair. "You got a few? Figured we could sit down and talk, since I'm more coherent now." He gives Dean a slightly sheepish smile. He doesn't remember much about the first night he stayed there, but he's sure it couldn't have been fun taking care of him.

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Dean freezes when Sam says he wants to talk, but it's only for a few seconds before he forces that way and tries to act normal, casual. There's just so much he could want to talk about; plenty of it could be normal, sure, but then there's Meg and then there's Cas, and then there's what happened with Ellen and who knows what else. There's also the thing where Dean went to Alfie to ask him for his help without really running it past Sam first.

"Sure." He somehow manages to sound nonchalant, smiling easy as he wanders into the kitchen. He pokes around in the cupboards until he finds some tea and starts making it. Yeah, yeah, it's better than freaking nothing. He's half gotten used to the taste. Blech.

"What's up? You really feeling better?"

Sam follows him, leaning against the doorjamb to watch his brother before speaking. He doesn't really know where to start, honestly, and he's relieved Dean asks something he can actually answer.

"As good as I can, with this whole trial stuff going through my veins." Left unsaid is the fact he maybe reached out to Raphael for a little help with that. It had been...weird. Definitely weird. He'll fess up eventually, but right now isn't about him. "Got to talking to a few people around here. Gonna hazard a guess here, but we're about as stuck as we can be in this place, right?"

Dean just opens his mouth and tilts his head because no, he doesn't really have a better answer than that right now. That's really bugging him, and maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he had hunts to distract him. Instead he just gets to sit here with random scraps of information, trying to piece things together but not having the resources to figure anything out for real.

"Wherever we are, whatever this machine is that's holding us here? It's strong enough to hold archangels. Lucifer included."

So yeah, they're fucked. He glances over at Sam, and then shakes his head, then leans back against the counter.

"I've figured some stuff out, but it's just... luck." He thinks of Balthazar, then, talking about luck and trickery being their way out of here.

It's still hard to accept there's no way out, especially since they always manage to find a way out, or around something. It's usually pure dumb luck on their part half the time, and it's not without its share of scraps and bruises, but they still do it every time.

This might be the one time they're beaten.

Sighing, he crosses his arms and shakes his head. "Hard to believe something is strong enough to keep archangels locked down. Other than God, but I'm not getting that kind of vibe from this place." And he shoots Dean a look, his eyes slightly narrowed as he studies his brother. "Got a lot of mixed reactions when people found out we were related. Some good, some iffy. Heard you helped rebuild the diner."

What! Dean straightens up, frowning. He totally hasn't harassed anyone since he backed off of Raphael and Gabriel. Well, and Alec... But that's forgivable. He doesn't even consider Ned as part of the list because he doesn't mean any of that; that's just funny.

"Yeah, I led a team, and we patched it back up, got it running again. It was knocked down after most people woke up here; there was an earthquake."

Now he sort of frowns, sort of pouts over at Sam.

"What'd you hear that was iffy?"

Sam's expression relaxes a tiny bit, with just a hint of amused there in his eyes.

"Not too much. Met that Alec kid who looks just like you circa high school. He doesn't seem like your biggest fan from what I can tell."

Understatement. Alec seemed a little rough around the edges, but then Dean had his moments like that, too. Ned, on the other hand....well, Sam will keep what he said quiet for now. He didn't feel up for being too gossipy right then.

"Talked to Ellen and Jo. Heard you guys have been having some issues."

His expression says all it needs to - he's heard their version of what happened at the bar, with Meg. He wants to hear what Dean's got to say.

He rolls his eyes at the mention of Alec, but okay, okay, he needs to learn how to interact with the guy. Whatever. Dean thinks he's been as much of a dick as that guy has been, so it balances out in the end. It almost seems like a non-issue to him -- when aren't there people that Dean could be less of a dick to? -- and then especially compared to Jo and Ellen and Meg and that whole freaking mess.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." He fiddles with the tea more, then pours out a cup for both of them, taking his time while he gets ready for what he has to say next. Actually, he spends half that time trying to think of how to get out of having to talk about this at all. He doesn't think that's going to work, though.

"She got Meg in a devil's trap, and that -- you know, that makes sense. Whatever. But she made the moonshine with holy water, and gave it to Meg, and Meg was choking in there. She hadn't done anything. She hasn't done anything since she got here, man. All I did was let her out of the trap and get her out of there."

What was Ellen going to do with her, anyway? Leave her there for a while? Something worse? Really, it's possible to look at what Dean did as a way of minimizing the chances of Ellen and Meg getting into some kind of murderous showdown.

Sam's careful to keep his expression neutral as he listens - though, really, he hasn't taken a side on this issue since he wasn't directly involved. He wanted to see what Dean had to say about it, and he sighs, a hand going up to run through his hair.

"Yeah, Ellen said as much. Why did Meg go there? Why not just give them space, keep it peaceful?" As he asks, he huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. "Nevermind. I forgot who we were talking about here." He doesn't think Meg would hurt Ellen or Jo here at all, but he knows she doesn't back down when there's a challenge.

"So, you let her out of the trap. Ellen said you hadn't been back down there to talk or anything. Kind of sounded things are still rocky there."

"Ellen said that she'd finished a batch of moonshine and that anyone who wanted some should come down and pick it up." He shrugs. "Meg and Ellen probably had a standing agreement about going into the bar, but she did also offer up the moonshine. Meg was stupid for going down there, and Ellen didn't have to brew that stuff with holy water. I hate to say it, but... Neither one of 'em's right here."

He eyes his brother carefully; he's not siding with Meg or Ellen in this fight, which is something that he wishes someone would acknowledge. He's trying to find the middle ground!

As for going back down there... Dean shrugs, looking down at the table.

"I got the feeling I wasn't welcome. I figure... she'll let me know if she wants me to come by."

Sam doesn't really know what to make of the situation - on one hand, he gets where Dean is coming from completely. It was better to get Meg out of there as quickly as possible to keep it from escalating further. On the other, it's Ellen. It's a mess, that's one thing he can be clear on.

"I dunno, I got the feeling she was kind of waiting on you to stop by or something." Maybe not soon, but sometime. Sans a demon, of course. Sam moves forward to grab that cup Dean made for him, for a second his mouth quirking up as he looked down into it. It's not really all that strange, to see Dean being so homey. He always had it in him, didn't he? It was harder to let it show when they were hopping from motel to motel all the damn time.

"I was just surprised to hear about it, I guess. Seeing Jo and Ellen back from the dead....we should be used to that kind of thing, right?" He sits down at the table, cup placed on the surface before he continues. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Or to this place, for that matter."

And here he gives his brother a scrutinizing look, wondering if he should ask straight up what the deal is with the living situation here. It doesn't just seem to be a 'roommates' kind of deal.

"How long have you been living here with Meg and Cas?"

That's honestly news to Dean. He was steering clear of her so as not to piss her off or anything, but he can keep that in mind, swing by sometime and check on her. Just... maybe wait until the dust settles a little more. He can't tell if it's been long enough or not. He nods, letting Sam know the message is received.

Dean does like being homey, and especially so with Sam here. This isn't a place where they should feel like they can get comfortable, but it's still a house, and it's their house, and he has Sam here after missing him for so long. He just wants Sam to stay and for him to let Dean take care of him, like he's been doing his whole life. Maybe he wasn't always the best, but he tried, and now he's getting older... That feels weird to say, but hey, he is. He wouldn't mind something more mellow.

He snorts his agreement; no, seeing people come back from the dead never gets old, or easy. It was like Jo said; both of them have to adjust. They have to know that Sam and Dean moved on.

"Um..." How did they move in together? It probably should be a bigger story than it really is. "Meg and Cas were already here when I showed up. Uh, I was here before that, but I don't remember. But yeah, I showed up here again, and Cas and Meg were already shacked up. I didn't..." He trails off, then lowers his voice a little. He isn't sure where Cas is.

"You know how Cas has been lately. I didn't want to upset him or anything, so I just moved in."

That sounds nice an innocent and almost not like he wasn't just making out with both of them in the woods recently. Okay, Meg was more of a one kiss thing, but still. He knows what Sam is asking; he doesn't want the boring details but the real reasons underneath. Dean doesn't offer any of that up right away, though. Maybe he can get by without having to go too in depth.

It's a little strange, to be settled in one location. Even back home, they left their 'batcave' to do the trials stuff, but here they're well and truly stuck. Sam's not sure how to handle it - on one hand, it's a little bit of a relief to be stuck and focused on one problem. On the other, being home would be preferable. Even with the traveling.

Sam's listening to the story, his eyes narrowing as he looks at Dean. It sounds innocuous enough, but there's something in the way his brother is telling this story....it doesn't add up.

"Kind of surprised to see you living with demon, actually." This is said casually as he leans back a little, arms folding over his chest. "Meg made it seem like there was more to it than a roommates thing. Then again, it could have been the demon just stirring up trouble. He just can't be sure until Dean tells him.

Of course she had to go and bring that up. He can't be sure if she went there went there, but she went there to some degree, enough to let on to Sam that they're not just... that they crossed the barrier of friendship and got naked together. Once. Once!

He rolls his eyes, and he's totally going to play up being annoyed. He is annoyed! It's legitimate.

"Okay, that was one time, and Raphael cursed me first." That's probably going to require more explanation, but he isn't very happy to give it for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that Dean hates who he was as a trickster.

"You missed the part where everyone got turned into something else, and little cupid Raphael thought it'd be freaking hilarious to make me go crazy for Meg."

Only after Dean made Raphael do what everyone told him to do... Anyway. It's not like he knows he isn't guilty of other things when it comes to Meg; he's suppressing that.

"I guess we've been closer than I thought I'd be with a demon, yeah." It's not easy for him to admit that, either.

"Look, I'm just -- I'm not taking sides in this." That's transgression enough; not immediately siding with Ellen against a demon? That's abandonment. He knows that.

He's a little surprised by this, truth be told. Sam just blinks at his brother for a second before listening to the rest of what he has to say.

Dean got busy with Meg. Curse or no curse, it's just so left field for Sam it's taking a little bit to sink in. Add that in to the whole Ellen trapping her in a devil's trap thing...it starts to make a little sense. Curse or no curse, Dean obviously has some kind of bond with Meg.

As weird as that is to accept.

Okay, seriously, it's gonna take him a while. "So, Raphael shot you with an arrow and you jumped into bed with Meg." There's a part of him that...okay, it's secretly justified. Sam's had his own shady past with demons, and Dean having his own makes him feel slightly better about it. Not that he's going to say that. "Can't say I'm sad I missed that. What were you changed into?"

Dean squirms, but yeah, that's how it happened.

"He hit me with an arrow for Meg. I was crazy for her. She didn't kick me out." And he made Cas suffer through the whole thing because Dean had been a gigantic tool for the whole entire thing, almost to the point where sleeping with (minus the revenge scheme) was actually the most normal thing he could've done under the circumstances.

And of course, Sam has to ask that. He wishes he could lie about it, but he's pretty sure the truth would come out almost immediately if he asks anyone involved.

"Trickster," he says, though he almost has to force the word out. "Got some good payback in on some dickbags. Raphael included. Which is why the arrow thing happened." He clears his throat. "It was a big mess, Sammy. This whole place has been one clusterfuck after another."

Imagining his brother as a Trickster is a little difficult, but there's a mental image anyway. It's there to push out the one of Dean going after some Meg time, because Sam doesn't want to know what that was like.

It's just one more thing they have in common now, honestly.

"Mess is a good way to sum it up." And he rubs his face with his hands, thinking back to his own (relatively short) time here. Already, he's hit up an archangel for a little help, talked to a few people about what's happened in this place, and he still can't wrap his mind around it. Probably because the mystery revolving around their kidnappers, it's bothering the hell out of him that he can't figure it out.

"Speaking of Raphael..." He clears his throat, wondering if he should be straight up with his encounter with the angel. "Got to talking to him a little bit the other day. Heard from Ellen that he's helped her out a little."

And he's going to leave it at that for now. A part of him wants to tell Dean that he's looking and feeling better because of the angel, but another part knows his brother probably wouldn't be too happy to hear about it happening behind his back. Which wasn't on purpose at all, but it just happened that way.

"Oh." The degree to which Dean is completely unimpressed is impressive. He has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He hasn't really gone into a lot of detail with a lot of people about what happened out in the woods, how Raphael and Gabriel really got Dean back for the trickster thing (though to be fair it was mostly Dean's inability to apologize that got them so angry). All it really did was cement his opinion that Raphael's a dick.

"Well, that's awesome. 'Cause archangels are real cuddly and all. What'd he have to say to you?"

Oh, good, this will be a fun conversation, he can already tell. Sam rests his elbows on the table top, folding his arms as he looks at his brother. No sense in easing him into it, then.

"He offered to help me out. With my - " And he pauses, then a hand comes up to gesture at himself. "This. This thing going on with the tablets. Pretty weird overall, but he helped. Not sure what he did, so I'm not a hundred percent yet. It's better than what I was."

And wasn't quite the dick Sam always assumed he was. Probably because Sam, in a way, is doing 'God's work', or something like that. That's the impression he got from the angel.

"Whoa, whoa. He offered to help?" Dean's a thousand times more suspicious now, straightening up, squaring his shoulders. Why would Raphael give a crap about how Sam feels, especially after what Dean did? And all those conversations Dean had lately about how he screwed up his ability to ask Raphael to help Sam, Raphael just goes and does it all on his own.

"Just like that? Out of the kindness of his assholey archangel heart?" Dean blinks and waves his hand again, not really sure how to communicate all his disbelief.

"And he doesn't want anything back?"

"Not so far." Which doesn't mean Sam isn't expecting something to pop up. Being in debt to an angel is a tiny bit nerve wracking, but for the moment Sam knows there isn't much he can do about it. "I think it's less about doing a kindness. More like giving relief to someone doing, uh, God's work."

Which sounds kind of silly, when he says it out loud, but that's the feeling he got from the encounter. Raphael seemed willing to set aside any issue he has with Sam (or anyone in his family) for the greater good.

"He knew right away something had changed inside me, and I thought if anyone could help, why not an archangel?"

One who isn't Gabriel, anyway. He would have probably turned Sam into a pony or something along those lines. A cured pony, but a pony nonetheless.

"Yeah, right. Makes sense." Makes a lot of sense, which is why Dean and Balthazar, Dean and Castiel, and Dean and Alfie all talked about the possibility of going to Raphael but ruled it out because he and Dean probably shouldn't be in the same room as each other. It's weird to him that he'd go and help Sam when there's so much animosity between the two of them, like if he was the one coughing up trial goop then he really doubts Raphael would have cared.

It's stupid to feel like this over a reminder that he and Sam aren't really such a... Of course they're a unit, of course people treat them or look at them differently. Why is this shaking him up?

"I asked Alfie to have a look at you, but I guess... you're good now." There's Cas too, but Cas isn't really up to snuff as far as angel juice goes.

Sam, unaware of the issues his brother has had with Raphael, just looks a tiny bit confused before his expression clears. He knew Dean would be asking around about helping him out, but he thought they'd talk about it first.

"You talked to Samandriel?" For a hot second, he looks bothered, but then does he really have the right to get irritated? Probably not. He relaxes a bit, looking more tired than anything. "Yeah, I'm good now. What did he say when he asked him?"

He's curious to see what the angel would have to say.

Dean hadn't thought about checking it with Sam first. Sam's sick. He needs help. It's Dean's job to figure that out, not bother him with all the steps in the middle. Besides, Alfie's good. Unlike Raphael. He can't help that bitter thought.

"He said he'd come by and have a look, but he wasn't sure what he could do. Cas, um, can't, on his own, but I figured... their powers combined..."

Sam would become Captain Planet. Or at least able to walk around again.

He really should be used to it by now, Dean barreling forward to fix things on his own. Sam is grateful for every single thing his brother has ever done for him, but there's still that part inside that rears up, the kid brother who's like 'But I can do it', even when he knows they are better working together than going solo.

Picking up his tea, Sam takes a drink from it before nodding. "Having a look wouldn't hurt. Kind of kept the questions with Raphael to a minimum, he isn't much of a talker."

Semi true. He's actually pretty intimidating, that's the bulk of it. Samandriel isn't, though Sam doesn't underestimate his power just because he's taken the vessel of some kid from Wiener Hut.

"We'll get with him soon, see what he can tell us."

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the moments that keep us moving

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