damned_institute | Day 65: Arts & Crafts Room (Fourth Shift)

Worse for the wear wasn't so bad in the grand scheme of things, and so Castiel dubbed that acceptable. Of course, all three of the other people in his group last night had been heading into that danger for the sake of those who were sick rather than themselves, so the fact that they were injured at all was a shame. Still, apologies wouldn't do much good at this point.

"Lingormr won't be picked for that sort of treatment again, if I understand the way it works correctly," he said after a pause. He was still uncertain about what the man had told him about his so-called magic. If only he had all his senses about him, he could settle that question for certain.

That was the least of his concerns at the moment, though. Kratos was getting to the meat of things, and Castiel wasn't about to let the chance pass him by. "My plan is to remove whatever is inside me," he said after a brief pause. "But I'll need some assistance. Would you be willing to help?" He wasn't sure how he'd decided on Kratos as the best person for the job. Perhaps because they were both soldiers and had been in situations like this before. Maybe because from what he could tell, the man knew his way around a sword. Either way, he didn't think it was the wrong choice.

"I believe that's how it works, yes," Kratos said with a nod. He'd never been picked again for Special Counseling, and it had been over a month, which, given the turnover rate in patients, was like the equivalent of several lifetimes at Landel's.

It still wasn't much consolation, though. There were surely other patients out there with power comparable to Lingormr who had yet to be selected, and with them, more scars to be gained...

...but that was hardly the most pressing issue on the table at the moment. Kratos's marker froze on the paper as he slowly digested just what Castiel was asking him to do. It sounded straightforward in his mind, and he really had no doubt in his ability, but all the same, the last time someone had asked for his sword's assistance in this manner, it had resulted in a tragedy from which he had still to recover nearly twenty years later.

Castiel wasn't asking to be killed, though. That was the key difference that he needed to keep straight in his mind.

"I'm honored to deserve your confidence," he finally replied, turning to face Castiel. "I'll help. I should be able to do something about the aftermath as well." His magic was weak, but cuts were the easiest things for him to deal with. Provided he didn't make a mess of the initial operation, he'd be able to prevent Castiel from bleeding to death.

It wasn't a request that he made lightly, and Castiel wouldn't blame Kratos if he turned him down. It wasn't something that anyone should agree to unless completely certain, after all. For that reason, he remained still and silent as Kratos thought it over, not wanting to influence his decision in any way.

When the swordsman agreed, Castiel couldn't deny that he felt some relief. He didn't know who else he would have asked if Kratos had refused, except for accepting help from whoever had replied to him on the bulletin, which seemed tenuous.

And the fact that Kratos might be able to help with the healing process somehow was even better news. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I wasn't certain how much you knew about human anatomy, but the job can be somewhat sloppy provided there are enough healing forces around." At this point he had Rapunzel, Kratos, and that strange Enochian-speaking person who claimed he was Gabriel. Which was a whole other problem, but he'd deal with it tonight.

"Someone else had volunteered their help, but it was over the bulletin and I'd rather leave this to someone I know." Someone he knew and trusted to a certain degree, although that was already implied by him asking in the first place.

Loki had a vague plan of working on some more calculations as the nurse led him to the crafts room, nattering on about how he ought to make a nice card for his poor brother - that scraped at his temper rather nastily. A ballpoint pen in the side was the least of what he wanted to give to Thor, and there was no room for construction paper in that desire.

He spotted Kratos and Castiel upon entering, however. Kratos, he would have preferred to avoid. Castiel, he did want to speak with.

However, want to or not, he did need to at least ape feeling sorry whether he actually was or not. It was important to build more alliances, the way the game was progressing.

The two men were deep in conversation, so Loki approached slowly, waiting to see if they would object his joining them.

It was certainly true that he lacked the detailed knowledge of a doctor, but basic anatomy was one of the things Kratos had picked up during his tenure as a knight of Tethe'alla, and four thousand years had been ample time to improve on that foundation. He was starting to regret giving Eugene his two scalpels last night, though: they had probably been lost when the other man dropped them, unless they miraculously turned up in his box later. Still, even with his sword, he could be precise. "I see. I'd prefer to avoid relying heavily on a healer, but who knows what will happen. I take it you've already asked Rapunzel as well.

"I suppose the only question I have left, Castiel, is where you intend to do this..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lingormr slowly walking toward the two of them. He wasn't exactly someone Kratos wanted to talk to at the moment (the feeling was probably mutual), but he was a knight, and knights had manners--most of the time. Lingormr was probably looking to just speak briefly with Castiel anyway.

Kratos bowed his head briefly, and then twisted in his seat to look over his shoulder at Lingormr. "Good afternoon."

Castiel didn't see how they could get around relying on a healer at least somewhat, seeing how Kratos would be rooting around in his stomach and that wasn't something that human bodies dealt with well from what he understood. If it really had been a surgeon handling it, that would have been one thing, but they were working with what was available to them.

When Rapunzel was mentioned, Castiel nodded. He was shocked that the girl would offer her services so readily when they had only met the once, but he was in no position to question such things. The issue with a possible Gabriel impostor was the true wild card in this situation, but it wasn't something that Castiel was going to be able to avoid.

As for the question about where it would happen, he had an answer, but he was cut off by Lingormr's sudden appearance. Castiel assumed he was here to offer an apology. He'd already done that over the bulletin board, but there was something to be said for doing it in person.

Castiel couldn't deny that it was an awkward situation, especially as he remembered the way Lingormr had crushed his hand into his wounded shoulder. "Speak your piece," he said after a pause.

Loki gave Kratos a respectful bow. "Afternoon. There isn't much good to it. My deepest apologies, Kratos. Though I will say, you fought quite well."

Loki's eyebrow twitched slightly at Castiel's tone and the abruptness of the words. So much for that indeed.

He probably shouldn't be surprised that he got along better with the women in this place. That's how it had been in Asgard as well. It would have been nice if things had been different, though.

Nothing for it. Best to apologize and quickly move on since he was so obviously unwelcome, whatever tentative friendship there might have been replaced by such abrupt coldness. "I simply wish to apologize once more, Castiel. Had I been in control of myself at all, I would not have done any of those things."

He bowed his head briefly. It was tempting to offer help again, but Castiel had already made it quite plain that he wasn't interested, so that was a bit pathetic even as an act of contrition. He cleared his throat, a bit of awkwardness in it for effect that wasn't entirely feigned. "And I... ah... hope things work out with your... 'brother.' That seems to be a gambit they're fond of using here."

Loki bowed again and turned to go.

Edited 2012-08-06 04:42 (UTC)

No, there wasn't much good in it, but it had all been a formality anyway. "You as well," Kratos said, raising an eyebrow. He'd already seen Lingormr's apology on the board, and that had been good enough for him; there was no need to demand more out of the man when it wasn't really he who deserved a greater degree of sincerity.

(Besides, he certainly wasn't about to apologize for slamming him into a wall.)

No, this moment was meant more for Castiel, so Kratos looked away give them a modicum of privacy, even though Lingormr was already turning to leave himself.

As expected, an apology was offered, and Castiel had to agree that it wasn't completely necessary. He'd asked his questions over the bulletin, and while he hadn't been that convinced by the answers, it hadn't seemed worth dwelling on in spite of everything else. Either way, he nodded to Lingormr, a slight sign that he accepted his words, and--

He would have thought that would be the end of it and he could get back to planning things with Kratos, but Lingormr had a parting sentiment that forcibly grabbed Castiel's attention.

His brother? The only supposed brother he'd dealt with recently was that bulletin board encounter, and no one should have known about that, seeing how the majority of the conversation had taken place in Enochian, a language only truly understood by angels or those with a very vested interest in them.

"Wait," he said, his voice coming out sharp as a whip as he called Lingormr back, "how do you know about that?" Castiel's expression was pinched with suspicion and confusion now. Kratos wasn't going to have any idea what this was all about, but Castiel didn't mind the man being present for it and he could always explain at a later time. This couldn't wait.

Loki stopped, visibly flinching at the tone. Apparently he'd said the wrong thing. Castiel was a curious creature indeed, never quite reacting the way Loki expected. Perhaps he was a bit too different from both mortals and Aesir. Well, the bridge had already been thoroughly burned beforehand as far as Loki could tell, so this likely wouldn't make it worse.

He'd play along, because he did want to know why such a simple comment would make Castiel go so sharp.

Loki turned back toward the man and returned, letting his confusion and concern show in his expression. "It's on the bulletin board, isn't it," he said, giving Castiel a wry, sheepish smile. "I tend to read everything there since there isn't anything else about to read. I assumed if it was too personal people wouldn't be writing about it in public..." He frowned, swallowing nervously. "I'm terribly sorry, though. I didn't realize I was intruding. Though I suppose I should have thought, since you're already a bit angry with me."

No, he didn't have any idea what this was about. Kratos glanced quickly from Lingormr to Castiel and swiftly decided that now was the time to fade into the background, although he could still hear everything that was being said. Something about a "brother" and Lingormr reading things he wasn't supposed to...

Well, it wasn't any of his business. For the time being, he turned back to his sketch, picking up the marker again and adding a few new terrain features.

Maybe he had made something of a scene, but that didn't matter much to Castiel. As Lingormr explained, Castiel's frown only deepened, because what he was saying made no sense. It was true, of course, that it would be foolish to discuss something private on that board, but there was a reason that he had switched to Enochian so quickly -- and that was both to test the one claiming to be Gabriel and to keep the conversation private.

"That was written in Enochian," he said after a pause, trying to gather his wits and work out how this was possible. It was a language that could be studied, of course, but Lingormr hadn't even acknowledged that the exchange had been written in a sort of code. Something felt off about this entire thing.

"Is there some reason that you know the angelic language?" It was something that he could ask in a straight-forward way, seeing how both Lingormr and Kratos knew the truth of what he was. But even so, that didn't explain any of this. He couldn't imagine that even the most well-read scholars would know Enochian in the era that Lingormr was claiming to be from.

Loki slowly walked back, then sat on one of the chairs, just at the very edge of it, notebook held flat on his knees. He gave the impression of complete wariness, as if he expected an attack for knowing something he shouldn't.

"I don't understand," he said, allowing more confusion to creep into his tone. "I haven't heard of... Enochian. Your writing didn't look at all different when I read it. Are you mocking me?" The question was one of bewilderment rather than anger. He shook his head. "I know nothing of the angels of the Christian god, outside of what you've told me and the bits from the missionaries that I ran across in my travels. You know that."

The confusion was quite genuine. Loki hadn't been aware of such a language, hadn't in truth noticed anything at all different in the writing on the board. Though the real question was why would that be?

Oh! The all tongue. He knew that it meant mortals could understand him, but he'd never realized the implication, that all languages effectively looked the same. Tricky indeed. He could hardly just out and admit that, since it would require saying he was Aesir and that was something in his best interest to keep under wraps.

Loki's eyes widened slightly. "Oh... Oh!" He said, frowning. "Ever have I been able to read any language I came across, and speak them, and understand them, without study or practice. I... have never really understood why, or beem able to turn up a good explanation in my research. It has always been that way, so I did not question it more ferociously. But could it be possible that I would understand your angelic language in the same way I do Latin? That seems far too strange."

Edited 2012-08-07 18:28 (UTC)

It soon became clear that Lingormr was just as confused about this as Castiel was, which was strange to say the least. While he couldn't always read people as easily here, he was fairly certain that the man wasn't simply playing dumb. It would have been idiotic to try that now, when he'd already given himself away.

Which meant that Lingormr had somehow read the Enochian without realizing that he was doing so in the first place. It didn't take long for the man to also come to that conclusion and try to cover himself with another explanation, but Castiel wasn't going to accept that excuse so readily.

"It does seem strange," he admitted. "I suppose that's something I'll have to keep in mind for the future." Castiel felt it was far more likely that Lingormr had some ability or sense that allowed him to understand even those languages that he hadn't studied. Humans weren't born with gifts like that, after all, which meant he was right to suspect he was something else entirely.

It wasn't the sort of information he was bound to get out of Lingormr now, but this was one more reason to treat him warily. Castiel made sure to keep it civil, though, nodding to the man. "Thank you for explaining and making me aware of that." Regardless of the reason, it was true that he could no longer rely on Enochian to communicate privately.

"Strange indeed," Loki agreed. He leaned back in the chair, to look at the ceiling, tapping a distracted little rhythm on the cover of his notebook. "The rest of my... so-called family," here there was a definite spasm of pain and anger that interrupted his expression for a brief flash, "were never terribly interested in scholarly pursuits, so I know not if they similarly could have read my books had they bothered to try." He snorted humorlessly. "Perhaps it is something that comes with being a magician. Or perhaps I am truly more monstrous than even that."

Loki closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with one hand for a moment. "I have had enough unpleasant surprises to fill many lifetimes. I don't really want another one."

He sighed. "I am sorry. It seems I've cocked this up all over again. But truly, it all looks the same to me when I see it written down. I suppose if you spoke it aloud, it'd sound the same as well."

The mention of a family grabbed Castiel's interest for obvious reasons. Was it really possible that Lingormr had stumbled across this skill without realizing it? And if that was the case, then what did that mean about his ancestors? There were times when creatures or deities forgot their own background, or were cast off without memories to live as humans, unaware of their capabilities. It had happened to Anna, even.

The word "monstrous" made it clear that Lingormr had considered that train of thought in some capacity before now, and while Castiel might have wanted to look into it more under other circumstances, the fact of the matter was that Kratos had been sitting there for a while now and they still had a conversation to finish.

"So I would assume," he said in Enochian, if only to test that theory. When Lingormr didn't react strangely to it, he switched back to English. "Maybe we'll get to the bottom of it at some point. But for now, there's something I need to discuss with Kratos regarding my... current state." That would probably make it clear that this was not something he wanted spread around.

Indeed, there was absolutely no reaction from Loki when Castiel switched languages. He rose to his feet. "I hadn't realized I was intruding so badly. My apologies."

He hesitated, then added, "Soma has asked me to... see to her problem tonight." He made no effort to hide his concern as he said that. "She'll be making a run to the medical wing to get the last few necessary supplies whilst I finish preparations. I can ask if she would be willing to pick up a few extra things if there is a need on your part."

It was good to hear that Soma, at least, was taking all of this seriously. It sounded as if she was leaving her fate in Lingormr's hands. If it all went well, then Castiel would at least know that the man was trustworthy in some way. It was something to keep in mind.

When the offer was made, he shook his head. "I'm planning to take care of this problem tonight as well, so I shouldn't need anything." He wasn't going to go into any further details, but Kratos would know exactly what he was talking about.

"It might be advisable for her to gather supplies for other patients, though," he added, thinking of his conversation with Aigis. If certain patients weren't going to take this seriously, then the rest of them might have to make up the work for them.

Edited 2012-08-08 20:27 (UTC)

Loki nodded. "Best of luck to you, then. Both of you." He bowed, then walked away.

Well, that certainly could have gone more poorly, though it could have gone far better as well, he thought. It was a shame; he'd found he rather liked Castiel, for all that the angel was odd. That was what made him interesting, though.

A shame indeed.

With Lingormr handled, Castiel could finally return his attention to Kratos. The man had waited patiently while he sorted that out, and while Castiel could have explained, he imagined the nature of the conversation had been clear enough just from listening.

He glanced over at what Kratos was drawing before he spoke up again. "As I was saying before, I was planning to have this all take place in my room." He doubted that Kobayashi would be around, but he could double-check that this evening. "Though Rapunzel might need us to meet her at her room instead. We'll have to play that by ear, as they say."

In the end, it depended on how long things took with "Gabriel," and Castiel realized that he should probably mention that as well. "In regards to that conversation... someone else will be coming to meet me as well tonight, and may also end up offering his help." The fact that some manner of family drama was involved would probably become evident tonight, and he didn't need to get into the details now.

Kratos put the finishing touches on the sector sketch just as Lingormr and Castiel were finishing up. He gave a curt nod to Lingormr as the other man departed before turning back to Castiel.

"I see." He made a note to check the bulletin board before heading back to his room for dinner. Castiel would probably do the same, but it wouldn't do any harm to have two sets of eyes looking for any last notes from Rapunzel. "Do you two need to speak privately first? I can delay my arrival."

This potential third helper was probably the "brother" that Lingormr had mentioned, in which case, there were probably a few things they wanted to discuss that Kratos had no business hearing. He couldn't be totally sure, though, and Castiel didn't seem to want to say anything more.

The question Kratos asked was a fair one, and Castiel took a moment to think it over. On one hand, it was probably better to have a few moments alone with whoever the stranger was, but it might also be a situation where it would be advisable to have a third party present. He had no idea who this mysterious person was, and while they seemed benevolent enough, there was a small possibility that it was all a trap of some sort. Seeing how he'd given out his room number, that was an even larger risk.

"There's no need to delay too much," he said eventually, "but you can take your time on your way over." That seemed like a fair compromise, and that way Kratos would show up in time provided that something went wrong. Not that Castiel didn't believe in his own ability to defend himself, but he was sick and injured at the moment. This wasn't as simple as it had once been.

After a slight pause, Castiel cleared his throat and spoke up again. "And Kratos, thank you for your willingness to help. I realize it's no small favor I'm asking for." He hoped that the man knew that if something did go wrong, the fault would not be his. But he could make that clear tonight as well.

"Very well." It was good to know that he wasn't required immediately. Kratos didn't want to waste time, but he also needed to be sure that all of his equipment was thoroughly cleaned before attempting the operation. It didn't matter as much when he was simply slicing through monsters, but with someone's life seemingly hanging in the balance, he didn't want to take any chances.

As Castiel thanked him again, Kratos smiled tightly, looking away to cap the marker he'd used. "What you've asked of me is not beyond my ability. Refusing would be...I have no reason to reject your request." He couldn't quite get the word "friend" out, but he'd said as much, even if he hadn't expressed it outright.

By this time, the nurses were already coming around to escort them all back to their rooms for dinner. "Anyway, I'll see you later tonight." His sketch from earlier was neatly folded into fours and then tucked away under an arm as he gave Castiel a rough pat on the shoulder. "Take care."

Day 65: Arts & Crafts Room (Fourth Shift)

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