video;

[strangelic]

[ 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.

Comments

[torrefied]

... You're joking.

[strangelic]

Why would I joke about that?

[ Don't be weird, Mello.

Sure, cause he's the weird one. ]

[torrefied]

Some people have a strange sense of humor.

[strangelic]

Well... I won't deny I have a strange sense of humor, but I wouldn't lie about that. It wouldn't be appropriate.

[torrefied]

Lies can always be appropriate - under the right circumstances, for the right reasons.

[strangelic]

Not in these circumstances. You're all trapped here, and humans don't like to be confined in small spaces. It would be unkind to deceive you that you could leave.

[torrefied]

It would be unkind. But kindness isn't always appropriate.

[strangelic]

That's true. Sometimes you have to be direct with people for their own good.

[torrefied]

Sometimes it's not even about other people.

[And this is veering uncomfortably toward a direction Mello doesn't like, so he decides it's time for a subject change.]

Folding dimensions - is that an ability you picked up somewhere in particular? Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I believe your claim.

[strangelic]

It's an aspect of angelic magic.

[torrefied]

[Ooook then.]

And where did you learn angelic magic?

[strangelic]

From my brothers, the Seraphim--although to be fair, knowledge of a great deal of it is couched in my very being. I am an angel, after all.

[torrefied]

... You're not joking about that, either, are you.

[strangelic]

Why would I joke about that? I am what I am. I'm aware it makes humans uncomfortable, but--well, you all seem to have accepted the existence of these gods readily enough.

[torrefied]

Right. And if one strange thing is possible, there's no reason to expect others aren't as well.

[Things like shinigami and their killer notebooks, for instance.]

Which one are you?

[strangelic]

My name is Castiel.

[torrefied]

It's [weird? interesting?] nice to meet you, Castiel. I go by Mello, but I'm guessing you might already know that.

[strangelic]

It's nice to meet you too. I don't really know everyone here by name, or really, not all of Creation. That would be an awful lot of names to remember.

[torrefied]

Yeah, I can see how that might get a little overwhelming.

[Seven billion and counting of anything is hard to fit in anyone's head.]

So this is really your first time sleeping?

[strangelic]

It's less the sleeping that I dislike as the...the exhaustion. Losing consciousness--it feels like dying. I have no idea how you do it every night.

[torrefied]

To some extent, it's not voluntary. There are things you can do to prolong wakefulness, but at some point, the human body typically overrides the will to stay awake, one way or another.

[strangelic]

But you don't enjoy it?

[torrefied]

Not especially. [Especially not when there are dreams involved like the kind they've all been experiencing.] It's a necessary part of life, but I usually find there are other things I'd rather spend my time doing.

[strangelic]

Such as?

Wait. Is it drinking and scantily clad women?

[torrefied]

No.

[JEEZ. Mello just. Drags his hand down his face. It's a good thing this is audio only.]

While I'm sure a large portion of the world's male population would list those two things as their priorities, I'm not one of them.