( 03 ) video ♧ a long year and everyone around me is disappearing

[became]

[ neal generally doesn't do afraid and disheveled. he does arrogant, smirky, charming, smug, oddly adorable, and occasionally on special occasions and bank holidays pissed off and/or heartbroken. however, those are all normally done with every hair still in place.

this neal is considerably more ruffled, literally and in spirit. black smoke'll do that to a guy. ]

Can anyone explain exactly what the hell is going on?

[ messy hair and mild profanity: this is a red letter day for mr. smooth. (this is why you take your network device when you get lost exploring, neal.) ]

And once you're done with that, I-- [ he breaks off, stares down at his hands, then inhales and lifts his head, a forced smile stuck in place. ] Just the explanation will do, actually.

Comments

[darkholme]

[ buh. what. neal. ]

Are you alright?

[became]

[ RAVEN, NEAL HAS NEVER BEEN GLADDER TO SEE YOU and he's not normally un-glad. ]

What? Yeah. I'm-- I'm fine. Confused, but fine.

video;

[adlered]

[ this is a horrible way to meet you, neal, but bonjour nonetheless. ]

Supposedly demons. [ a beat. ] Confirmed demons, actually. I haven't seen one barring the original one everyone saw.

[ another beat. ]

Have you been running from one? Or are you always this put together?

[darkholme]

[s-so worried. ]

Tell me what happened? Is it something to do with all this demon talk?

video;

[became]

[ look at it this way, irene: fear brings the real man closer into focus than his usual charm allows, and there's plenty of time for that later. this is a freebie into his psyche. ]

... Demons. [ said in a tone dry enough to denude the ocean right down to the dirt on the bottom. ] Now, why didn't I think of that?

[ he looks up at that, then down at his ruffled appearance and a flash of annoyance crosses his face at the lack of his usual presentable persona. ]

Sorry, I was apparently lost while demons are on the loose. It takes a lot out of you.

video;

[askedtobe]

Watch out for the black smoke. [ Peter's not sure how okay he is with those words coming out of his mouth. ]

[became]

I got lost.

[ the disgruntled tone of voice-- not to mention the look on his face says it all, really. ]

And I get back to... smoke monsters. I'm living in a spaceship with smoke monsters.

[ a blue girl and a guy who can control metal and a vampire grad student-- those are weird, but neal barely raised an eyebrow at them. this, however, is shaking his zen. ]

video;

[became]

I caught that part-- because of how the smoke is demons.

[ stop this ride, neal wants off. ] Out of curiosity, did that advice hurt as much to give as it did to get?

video;

[askedtobe]

Yeah, it did. Maybe even more so on my side. [ So much cringing. ] I'm not exactly used to this whole demon thing.

video;

[adlered]

[ freebies are hardly fun though. however, she'll take it. because she knows the power of knowing someone's psyche. ]

Probably because it's quite honestly one of the more far-fetched lies anyone could tell. [ said oh so sweetly, except not really because irene finds it impossible to be entirely sweet in this conversation. ] The black smoke makes it a little less sensical as well.

[ it takes all her self-control not to smirk, and even then one fights it's way to the surface. ]

So you actually look better than this normally. I suppose the entirety of the Tranquility should be thankful for that, shouldn't they? [ a beat. ] How long?

video;

[became]

Then my sympathy, because it was pretty bad on this end, too. [ he runs a hand through his hair and sighs, then offers peter a pained smile. ] The only demons back home are in stories or sermons. The idea of them being real is taking some getting used to.

video;

[became]

[ don't remind him, god. stupid, stupid demons. neal talked to everyone onboard and nobody likes you, demons. so maybe you should just leave. ]

Oh, I've heard worse. [ he says it absently, but the sharp focus is slowly snapping back on as irene needles him. ] Yeah, since when are demons made of smoke, anyway? I was thinking... horns and a tail. Maybe a little brimstone, but not a literal cloud.

[ aaaaaaaaaaaaand now his attention is ZOOMED IN, because that smirk is eerily familiar. ]

See, I think I pull off disheveled just fine, but I'll take your subtle hints to brush my hair and put on a new suit under consideration. [ he raises an eyebrow. ] Was I lost, you mean?

audio forever;

[rebelled]

You've been attacked?

BUT CASTIEL BABY WE WANNA SEE YO' PRETTY FACE also same

[became]

What? No-- no, I'm fine. Didn't even come face to face with anything. I just saw... something while I was lost, and I get back and everyone's saying it was demons.

[ which is p much just what a demon would say, so gj neal. ]

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THIS FACE

[rebelled]

Correct. The are demons currently aboard this ship.

[Huff. This problem needs to be over with already.]

They are being dealt with.

YOU'RE WRONG, I *CAN* HANDLE ALL THE JELLY THAT YOU HAVE, I CAAAAAAAN

[became]

You're... dealing with demons. How, exactly?

...you do seem to manage with Bomer :|a

[rebelled]

Personally, by killing them. Others are trapping and exorcising them.

give it to me baby (uh huh, uh huh)

[became]

Exorcisms. [ CAN YOU HEAR HIM RAISING HIS EYEBROWS, CAS. CAN YOU. ]

I'll give it to you all night long

[rebelled]

Correct. It provides the highest possibility of saving the host.

/flutters my eyelashes, heaves my bosoms, etc

[became]

All right, and you're doing it... how? Blood of a goat, ancient Greek ritual... what.

oh baby oh baby

[rebelled]

It isn't witchcraft. It's Latin.

i know this is sudden, BUT WHEN YOU KNOW YOU KNOW. marry me and move to space?

[became]

Sorry to offend, I'm just-- honestly, I'm still stuck on demons and stalled out in third, metaphorically speaking.

But Latin, huh? Like... [ he scans his memory, and then rattles off quickly-- ] Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

That kind of Latin?

I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK =D

[rebelled]

[Oh, hey. Neal. That actually impressed him, which is why he sounds a little happier now. Not that it's really noticeable coming from him.]

That kind of Latin. However, there's a very specific chant that needs to be used.

/plans a big wedding

[became]

[ neal will just infer 'now i love you, you're my favorite person aboard!' from that slight change in the intensity of castiel's furrowed brow. ]

If you can teach me it and you need an extra hand, learning the chant won't be a problem.

text.

[wiretap]

you've been quiet.

[ Welcome back, Neal. Have a joke you can't actually appreciate. (Her best material's always wasted on other people.) ]