hadriel | video;

[ The man who appears on screen is wearing white hospital clothes, despite attempts to get him into something a little more him. They're comfortable, he protests. Over this he's wearing a much loved and heavily dry-cleaned (thanks, Dean) beige colored coat, the combination of the two making him look like a businessman - or perhaps a P.I. - who's had a little bit of a mental breakdown. Which...it's not far off from the truth.

In any case, he's sitting in the dark, looking drawn and tired, like he's either been trying very hard not to sleep, or the sleep hasn't been very good. It's a combination of the two, actually. ]

Did you know that human minds are most susceptible to influence when you're dreaming? If you wanted to teach yourselves how to communicate telepathically, for instance, it would be far better to do it when you're sleeping, when your brain isn't fettered by the constant needs of your body. Itching. Twitching. Fidgeting. All its aches and grumbles and complaints. Emotions. Recollections. Listening to other people chatter incessantly. Television. Arousal. You get the idea. It's all very distracting.

[ Seriously. Who let Castiel talk? Like ever.]

And let me tell you, some of those thoughts take up a lot of your time.

I--where was I? Ah. That is to say, I haven't ever slept before. I've visited dreams, of course, but experiencing my own is something else entirely. Something I'd rather avoid, if it's at all possible. So-- [ Deep breath. ] --I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. Mnemonics, perhaps. The opposite of counting sheep. I'd drink coffee but I'm afraid I've discovered it has much the same effect on me as alcohol, which is to say I'd have to drink most of a plantation in order to have any kind of success.

Your assistance, please. I can't repay you, per se, but... Oh. [ He lifts his hands in front of him, and cups them together, and when he lifts them apart there is a little origami swan between his palms. ] I can do this.

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[ Talking about humans like you aren't human, hm? Yes, hello. Here is Cibo. ]

Lights on, for one thing. Helps the brain observe more detail in your surroundings. That'll keep it busy for a while. Except nothing to really cure the boredom when that hits. A long, thoughtful discussion, maybe? I just don't think there is an easy way to stimulate the human mind like you want with what is available to us.

[ There's a lot more science to it. Those are just the basics. ]

I see as well in the light as in the dark, but I suppose it's worth trying.

[ He raises his eyes away from the screen for a moment, and every light in the apartment comes on at once, shining brighter than perhaps they're meant to. Then, with a satisfied nod, he looks back down. ]

Your other suggestion--a long, thoughtful discussion? It would be enough to discuss things with the other people trapped here?

[ Well. She wasn't expecting that. Very neat trick there, mister. ]

Yes. At least I'd think so for a short time. Perhaps over whatever books there are in the library or something that is important to you?

To be fair, I don't need to sleep like they do. And I don't dream either. I've never tried to stave it off, though I've found my own ways to pass the time.

[ His specialty is lights. But mostly exploding them. ]

I didn't, until I challenged this place's god over the process. [ It's not true, but he's not about to discuss his catatonic coma just now. ]

What are you, that you don't sleep?

Augmented clone. Synthetic android. However you want to say it, I guess.

[ It's still odd having to explain that. Especially coming from a world where it's the absolute norm. ]

Name is Cibo.

Castiel. I've never met a... A synethetic android? Is that some kind of monster? [ A pause. Is monster the right word? He doesn't know what other word he could use; not one that would make sense to him, anyway. There aren't exactly an exhaustive list of possible categories for lifeforms in his mind. ]

No. I'm more of a- [ She catches it a little late there. No one's ever called her a monster before. She shakes her head to disagree. ]

A robot? [ Hopefully it helps him understand better. ] It's different though. The mechanical parts are made organically. It's why I look human; I'm made with that DNA.

[ A long pause. Wait. He knows this. ]

So you're a...roomba that's...made of people?

[ ...what even. ]

I'm... [ She can't- ] not sure what a roomba is. [ Can't even with Cas. ]

[ Okay. Hold on. We can figure this out. ]

I'm a person. [ Slowly. ] Who has... [ Right now roomba means robot, so... ] ...roomba insides.

[ Only 60% sure that'll make more sense to him. ]

So. Yes. [ Defeat. ] I guess.

Edited (small add, sorry) 2016-05-20 19:25 (UTC)

[ How is that even remotely different to what he said? But hang on, he's thinking hard, trying to make sense of this. ]

Wait--I think I understand now. It's like how I'm a human with angel insides. But still a person.

Right?

[ She's never had to explain it before, okay? She panicked. ]

Yes! Right!

[ Big smiles all around. ]

So you're an angel then?

[ The confusion continues. ]

What does that mean?

My brothers and sisters and I were among the first creatures brought into being by God. Not...not like the gods here. Capital G. The Creator of everything.

I am a being made of wavelengths of light and celestial intent. We were made to care for humanity.

[ That's one of the reasons. ]

You did better explaining that than I did. Sorry.

[ Honestly, to Cibo it sounds like he's talking about some programmer that created a code. Then gave to a few of his androids to give them purpose and let them loose into the world. Then again, A.I. are complicated and Cibo dislikes dealing with them. But Cas clearly doesn't understand technology to begin with. So there goes that theory. ]

How does that work... exactly? You just go around helping humans as you see them?

[ You guys are clearly missing in Cibo's world because gosh golly, is humanity fucked over there. ]

[ Well to be fair, he was programmed, he just doesn't actually know it. Which is good, because it would add a whole other layer of complicated to this already bizarre conversation. ]

Our Father made us to fight the Adversary, Lucifer, when he turned against Heaven. Caring for humanity meant fighting for it; means fighting for it. I'm more of a warrior than a...a guardian. A soldier.

Okay.

[ Let her break this down. ]

Angels are created by God. They act as weapons against Lucifer. In order to protect humans within Heaven?

[ It's not any less convincing that he's not some kind of A.I. who lost his way, but she feels that she can relate. She fights for humanity also. As critically endangered as they are in the City, she gave her life more than once already to save their dying breed. To find some way of bringing them back to the top of the evolutionary ladder. ]

To protect humans on Earth, and care over the souls of those who have died, and ascended to Heaven.

[ A pause. ] You're truly not familiar with any of this?

[ Getting there, though. ]

[ Welp. You lost her. ]

I think I had it up until whatever you just said.

I know humans call their consciousness a soul. We've learned how to record their brainwaves and replicate it in artificial intelligence programs to make them empathetic. But I've never known it to be a physical thing capable of moving between two places like... where ever Heaven and Earth are in relative space to each other.

I'm not sure I'd say it was a physical thing. It's... A soul.

I've never had to explain it before.

Don't worry. I think I understand the concept of it enough to work with the theory.

So. When humans on Earth die, their souls go to Heaven. Where angels protect them from Lucifer.

[ Not just repeating what he said. She's actually starting to get it. ]

What is Lucifer?

Lucifer is my elder brother.

[ And it's sort of right, so he'll take it. ]

[ Understanding a religion she never knew existed is a process. Thank you for bearing with her. ]

What, uh... What does he want them for?

He doesn't want the souls, precisely. He merely wants..to destroy humanity, to eliminate it.

[ Hadriel's Lucifer is going to get screwed by this badmouthing, isn't he? ]

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i'm dying

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