Second Unused Utility Belt | Video

[hellofist]

[Today, Cass is dressed like a normal person. She's sitting in the cafeteria with a mug of tea, perched in a chair with her knees drawn up to her chest and her oversized sweater pulled over them so she's just a blob of blue fabric with arms. Even the hood is up. With her chin on her knees and her eyes on the tea, she speaks to the comm quietly.]

Had all the words. Could make them, if I wanted. Could write. Talked normal. Was normal.

Couldn't see bodies talking. Didn't need. [Her fist comes up to rub at her temple.] Makes headaches, now.

Does that... happen a lot? Was confusing. Was not fun.

Comments

[ Spam ] fine but I can't be held responsible for what happens to his ego

[surfaceshine]

[She'll find that it's incredibly difficult to find a topic for which Dean does not have an anecdote involving Sam. He's easy and confident on the surface, even cocky, but he doesn't always match his own mood.

The smirk is genuine, though.]

Not that kinda drink. It's a joke about what happens when you drink too much alcohol - no one really turns green, but you kinda feel like it when you're worshiping at the porcelain throne.

[Okay, he is not going to talk about vomiting anymore with the new cute chick.] What gives you headaches, sweetheart?

[ Spam ] can it actually GET bigger?

[hellofist]

[Dean, Cass has decided, needs many more hugs than he is currently getting. If his body keeps talking about sad but trying to cover it, she might just take it upon herself to fix his lack of hugs.]

Oh. Never had... those drinks. Only eighteen. I- ... Porcelain throne?

[And then he calls her sweetheart and she blushes.]

Ah- Here, I see bodies talk. Read them. The body language. There, it was gone. Could talk normal, didn't need reading.

Now it's... all ripped out, put back in. Hurts.

[ Spam ] ...it's Dean.

[surfaceshine]

[At which point he will be very confused and kind of grateful. Secretly. Only not so much.

He's about to make some kind of comment about being eighteen never stopping any eighteen-year-old he's ever known from drinking if they want to, but then his eyebrows pull together vaguely and his smile slips some. He knows, of course, about the fallout from breaches, he's been through a couple himself; he's still weeding out his own memories of the same thing she's talking about. Doesn't mean he has to like it just because he accepts it by now.]

You taken something? Eaten, all that? [He'll deal with the rest of that in a moment once his protective urges are satisfied.]

[ Spam ] ngl I was expecting a that's what she said there

[hellofist]

[There are no secrets from Cassandra Cain, Dean. Sorry.

At the mention of food, she sighs. She should have been hungry, she almost always is, but lately? Not so much. She taps her tea again.]

Tea. Didn't take anything.

[She doesn't feel pain often. When she does, she tends to just let it stay, to remind herself to be careful. Right now, the only lesson it's teaching her is that breaches suck and talking like a normal person is more trouble than it's worth.]

[ Spam ] "it's Dean" is the cheap way of saying "that's what she said"

[surfaceshine]

[The sigh and the answer only make him frown a bit more, an expression that oddly lives mostly in the lines and muscles around his eyes than anywhere near his mouth. He straightens a bit and glances back towards the line.]

That's no good - you like pancakes? [These three things are Dean's answers to about 98% of ailments: take something, eat something, sleep it off. He's already pushing to stand, leaving his coffee mug there because he's coming back.]

[ Spam ] and thus, that's what Dean said became a thing

[hellofist]

[She's still not used to it, people taking care of her. It doesn't matter who or why, whenever bodies start saying I care to her, she gets attached. Chin resting on her knees, she smiles at Dean.]

Yes. Like all food. Pancakes... extra good. You get some too. Eat together.

[She's kind of a pig, Dean. Prepare yourself.]

[ Spam ] ohlawd

[surfaceshine]

[Well then, Cass, get used to it, because Dean is the cockiest, mouthiest, jerkiest mother hen you'll ever meet, and most of it comes through actions. He blinks, and then grins at what she says, honestly pleased.]

Thattagirl. I'll be right back.

[He's not, particularly, prepared. The two plates he brings back says as much, putting the four-stack down in front of Cass and keeping the eight for himself. He also grabbed some syrup.]

Hope you're not one of those fruity chicks - all they had was syrup. Let's see if this puts a dent in that headache, huh?

[ Spam ] you are welcome

[hellofist]

[When he comes back, she's unfolded and pushed the hood off, shoved the sleeves of her sweater up so they won't get syrup on them. She wasn't really at all hungry before, but now there's going to be pancakes.

... And then it's a small plate of pancakes. And Dean is talking about fruit.]

Fruit on... pancakes? Why? [She looks genuinely disgusted by that idea.] Pancakes for syrup. Not fruit.

[That said, Cass cuts at her pancakes with her fork and stuffs a large portion into her mouth. What are table manners?]

[ Spam ]

[surfaceshine]

[If nothing else, Dean is pleased to see she's emerged from the sweaterball by the time he gets back, and he offers her another grin for the effort - and then her reaction seals the deal, and he laughs.]

Thank god, someone else with some sense. Gilding the lily and all that shit. [He's distracted for a moment by cutting his own pancakes and shoveling the too-big bite in before looking over and...

She's doing the same damn thing. He almost chokes, because apparently it's hard to laugh, grin, and chew at the same time.]

[ Spam ]

[hellofist]

[With her mouth packed full of food, she tries to talk to him anyway.]

Gilding lily?

[No one's ever told her it's actually better to eat slowly, chew your food, don't eat like it's the last meal you'll ever get. Now, with syrup on her chin, she takes a swig of her tea and swallows, then just dives right back in. Turns out, she was much more hungry than she thought she was.

In no time, her plate is empty and Cass is craning her neck to look back towards where the food comes from, wondering how many trays of pancakes she can carry without dropping them.]

[ Spam ] I cannot believe I dropped this /o\ although I will wrap it up soon, this is important

[surfaceshine]

[A few judicious swigs of coffee later and Dean has survived the ordeal, without spitting his bite of pancakes back out.]

Yeah, it means doing something that doesn't need to be done because it's already perfect. Adding something that doesn't need added.

[He's waving his fork around while he's talking, and then trying this eating thing again; yeah, the person to tell her to eat slowly? Is not going to be Dean Winchester.

And then she beats him done and she's looking for more, and he thinks he might be a little bit in love.]

More?

[ Spam ] it's okay don't worry <3

[hellofist]

Oh.

[She guesses that makes sense. Lilies are pretty okay, for flowers.

And then she sees him looking at her with love because of eating and she grins widely.]

Yes. Many plates. Never enough pancakes.

[ Spam ]

[surfaceshine]

[Dean is helpless to do anything but grin back because really, come on now. And there's no small amount of pleasure in him for the vast improvement this Cass is to the sweater-ball girl he first plonked down next to.]

Alright - I'll run and grab s'more, maybe some orange juice or somethin', and when I come back I'll walk you through breaches. Sound like a plan?

[He's already standing up again.]

[ Spam ]

[hellofist]

[Instead of letting him go alone, Cass stands up along with him.]

Will help. Can carry more, that way.

[ Spam ]

[surfaceshine]

[Pleasantly surprised, Dean just grins at her.]

I like the way you think. Besides, they're aware of me - maybe you can fool 'em into giving us more.

[And he'll lead the way back to the line.]

[ Spam ]

[hellofist]

[She smiles back at him. It's funny, how pancakes and a nice person can make your day suck a lot less. And then he mentions how she thinks and she taps her head.]

Shouldn't, brain's funny. Works wrong. But, good at pouting, looking sad. Can get extra easy.