005 ♟ action/text

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[If you're travelling between the second and tenth floors of the mansion, you might find a great big lumbering mastiff has taken over the staircase today, ready to knock you over if you're not careful. Cooper enthusiastically thunders up and down the stairs with a frog toy clutched in his mouth, following his owner around, who's busy carrying armloads of stuff downstairs. It's an exciting day! Things are happening! Stuff is being moved!

His owner is Adam, and Adam is moving boxes, lots and lots of boxes. Unofficially, it's moving day. Goodbye, tenth floor. It's been real.

Adam leaves behind the furniture in his room, but otherwise everything else he wants to take ends up in packing boxes that he pulls from the closet. He hadn't announced he was changing rooms, or even really planned on it, but it's a long time in coming, something he should have done the moment he found out Michael had a room nearby. Locking himself up like Rapunzel in her tower had done him good for a while, but not anymore.]</sub>

Are you excited? This is a lot closer to the front door, isn't it?

<sub>[When he brings down Cooper's dog bed and sets it the middle of the floor, Cooper jumps on it, wagging his tail. Then he barks. Must be a "yes."

Slowly, the rest of the floor starts to fill with unopened boxes. He'd changed the room to make it look like an exact duplicate of his old one, and the sound of classic rock drifts past the door as he props it open with a chair to keep working. Cooper helps the move along by chasing the odd item down the stairs, like a soccer ball or his favorite frisbee, getting in the way as much as he possibly can, reminding Adam that he's not the only one who needs a change.

It's not so much a birthday present to himself as a marker. A milestone. He's made it a year, and he's still here.]</sub>



| blocked to any and all angels, and the Winchesters... and Becky |

<sub>[Adam's come a long way since last October. Castiel had described his soul as meat stripped down to the bone once, but that it had the potential to heal if given enough time. Maybe it has a little. In some ways, maybe it hasn't. Adam knows for sure that before, he wouldn't have even bothered to let people know about something like this; he wouldn't have told anybody, because he hadn't had anybody to tell.

Now he does. The people he's managed to befriend might be the surest sign of his progress. He has people now who'd come looking for him.]</sub>

FYI: I moved. Don't bother checking the old place if you have to track me down.

I'll message you with the new room number if you need it.

Comments

[Text]

[lightgunhustler]

I need it.
Seems like a sudden change.

text;

[halfwinchester]

Yeah, you were on the short list. Second floor, same number.

<sub>[Answering that is the easy part. Adam hadn't made that drastic of a move; from the outside, it may look to most people like an unremarkable decision, just a change of venue, but the root of it goes deeper than that. Adam's always been better at hiding his issues than dealing with them.

Jo already knows a little about what's been nagging him at him lately, but only a little. He'd thought things had been bad when he'd talked to her on Monday, and then they'd gotten worse in the angel sense of the word.]</sub>

After Michael thought it'd be fun to pay me a visit it was time to get lost, not be in the middle of the hen house anymore. A fresh start. Like New Year's.

text;

[lightgunhustler]

I'd figured. If I wasn't on the list, you and I would be having some words.

[She knows there was next to no chance of him leaving her off of it, anyway. Who else would feed him on the regular?]

I can get behind that.
I've thought about making one a few times, too, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it.
I'm glad you're getting yourself some space. You need it.

action forever;

[whele]

[Walking the lion seems to be a thing that needs to be done, William finding that after a walk the small thing is prone to actually sleeping and not trying to eat his toes each night. No-one had claimed him, and so William has done just that. The sight of the lion cub in a small harness complete with leash will be a regular occurrence in the future, though who is taking whom for a walk will always be up for debate.

The principate is already down to the second floor, briefly wondering why he got stuck with ten flights of stairs every day, knowing that one day he'll get to the top without needing a few minutes break to catch his breath. Internal grumbles are put on hold though when he spots what appears to be Adam's retreating figure, complete with box in arms. What was going on there?

Giving the leash a slight tug, William tries to direct the cub towards the hallway, peering down it at the moving room carnage that's taking place.]

Need a hand?

and what beautiful action it is. :'D

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Adam recognizes William right off the bat, of course--the man is a little older, perhaps, but normal looking, human. Those little things stand out to Adam just as much as the really eccentric-looking people around here. And he won't be forgetting that William knows a little about angels anytime soon. People who know what that breed of monster is like without needing to be told is rare, even when it comes to other worlds.

But then there's the matter of the lion. Why is there a lion cub on a leash?

As soon as Adam turns and sees them, his gaze travels from William to the companion he has with him. He frowns in consideration at what is... yeah, a lion.]</sub>

I got it, no big deal.

<sub>[The the odd choice of pet distracts Adam from the question. He shifts the box under his arm, then rips his stare from the cub.

He and William have only talked on the phone--he hadn't been sure when or if they'd ever meet, but here they are. After his birthday, he's especially pissed off with angels and really doesn't need another reminder of them, but William had helped him out last time, not made things worse. That's also rare.]</sub>

I remember you from way back when. You're the guy I talked angels with. Nice lion.

blah sorry i'm late

[whele]

[Someone was definitely moving apartments then, William briefly wondering if that was actually a thing people could do on a whim, or if they had to sign some ridiculous Wonderland tennancy agreement. He doesn't make a move to help though, if Adam says he's got it then that's fine, and William knows how peculiar people can be when it comes to handling their belongings. Doesn't mean he can't hang around and talk, it's not too often he even comes out of his room all things considered. Only every so often to walk the lion and that's about it. Walking out of his room has become something akin to walking through a warzone, knowing the sound of his door opening would alert the two archangels that are on either side like some terrible good/bad shoulder angel parody.]

I'm that guy, yes. William, nice to cross paths with you in person. It would probably have taken longer if I didn't have to take this little one for a walk every day. He was abandoned on my floor so I took him in. My toes haven't been the same since.

[William gives the lion cub a small smile, watching as the lion lays down to study the large mastiff with keen interest. It's a look that promises a lot of playtime if the large dog is up for it. The principate knows it'll be an idea to keep a hold on the leash, though in all fairness if Zadkiel decided to go for the dog, he'd probably have his arm torn out of it's socket.] Did the stairs finally get to you?

[Action]

[luckynumberthree]

[ Simon had been headed up to the fourth floor to check in on Jo at the bar when he's nearly bowled over by an overenthusiastic mastiff, but manages to catch himself on the railing and backs up to steady himself as he eyes the huge dog. ]

Holy shit, please do not eat me.

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Cooper is a one-dog wrecking ball composed of muscle and flapping wrinkles when he gets moving too fast. Mastiffs don't seem to come pre-installed with very effective breaks, so Adam can understand anyone being nervous when one is bounding downstairs at them and doesn't seem like it can stop. Himself, he's used to it. Stairs provide a little better traction for Cooper, though, and he doesn't quite crash into Simon's legs; paws scrabbling, he manages to slow and half his downward descent. Sort of.

His hindquarters keep sliding past his front half until his back legs find purchase two steps below his front. This doesn't dampen his spirits. He flaps the frog toy in his mouth at Simon, chuffing like a happy steam engine.

On the other hand, Adam is just starting down the stairs. He has to look around the box in his arms to see what's going on.]</sub>

Don't worry, he only eats frog legs.

_{[Unless Simon happens to have a chocolate bar or some other snack stashed in his pockets. Then all bets are off.]}

[luckynumberthree]

I pity the frog population of Wonderland. Lets hope none of them are actually princes.

[ Simon gives the huge dog another moment of wary observation before relaxing slightly and reaching out to pet his head, since despite his size he seems rather pleased about everything in general. Then he glances up at Adam and his armful of boxes with a skeptical look. ]

You need any help? What are you doing, moving out?

text »

[resent]

[ despite how friendly he'd been on his birthday, cora doesn't particularly take his attitude as a personal attack. some people are happy to celebrate them, some people aren't. she fits into the latter category, and she supposes adam does, too. ]

[ she doesn't even know where his old room is. she doesn't particularly care, either. ]

Old room suddenly too small for Coop?

text;

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[For the most part, he doesn't mind this thing he has with Cora. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy is in effect and when she doesn't ask what's festering under the surface, he doesn't need to tell her he's homesick and hating the monsters who keep on rubbing it in his face.

It's over now. He can try and crawl his way back to some kind of equilibrium again.]</sub>

Something like that. The neighbours were crap and I needed a change of pace.

_{[Nobody's getting back in the saddle for him, he has to do it somehow.]}

text »

[rues]

[ aw, how sweet. a few months ago, she wouldn't have given a shit which room was his, nor would he have cared to tell her, but things are weirdly different now. it's still a work-in-progress as far as friendships go, but hey. baby steps. ]

already trying to invite me back to your place huh milligan
we haven't even gone on our first date

[ plus there's that whole part where she's technically spoken for, but chris is complicated. she's been here long enough now she's starting to wonder if she should start to move on. he wouldn't want her to keep holding out for someone who's never coming, right? not that she has any intentions of making a move on adam. haha, yeah, that's a good joke. ]

text;

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[You just want to visit to see his dog, Clarisse, admit it.

But because this is a weird WIP relationship that isn't entirely built on the back of Adam's terror and derision, and she's still one of the few people who know his bloodline comes with its fair share of baggage, he doesn't jump on the defensive like he would if a ghoul got in his face and started trying to be funny.]</sub>

I already know you're into sex on the beach, so I wouldn't bother.

_{[Don't think he's forgotten about your Freudian slip.]}

I pegged you as the sword notches in the bed post type, not the dating kind. What are you saying? You like to be wined and dined?

[action]

[no_eels]

[Bouncing balls going down the stairs aren't just a siren call for dogs, in the mansion.

Toothless has been wandering more and more, as of late, and exploring the mansion's limits and endless spaces. There don't seem to be a lot of the former, and there are just oodles of the latter, he's discovered. It makes for a very interesting run up and down corridors, as they just keep going. And going.

Right now, though, Toothless speeds into almost a flying run as he barrels down a hallway, toward the sound of the bouncing object. Luckily for dog and owner, he barrels into the soccer ball, rather than them, and pounces it like an over-sized cat, trilling loudly. Gotcha!]

[halfwinchester]

_{[Adam's seen Toothless move before, but his speed is still surprising. He feels a displacement of air, glimpses a dark blur go whizzing past, but before he can really get a good look at what Cooper drops his drool-coated toy to bark at, there's a dragon crouched over top of the ball, stopping it's progress.]}

Jesus Ch--

<sub>[And then Cooper dives into the action--literally. That's his ball!

Still barking, he takes off down the stairs and leaps onto one of Toothless' front legs with far less grace and coordination. Gotcha, soccer ball! And gotcha, dragon on soccer ball!]</sub>

text.

[formercheerio]

Do you need any help unpacking?

text;

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Coming from Quinn, he thinks she's just making a nice, polite offer that any normal person might make to another, but there's a big problem with that: Adam isn't fit for company right about now, he knows that as sure as anything.

And then he'd have to explain why he's decorating his new bachelor pad with symbols drawn in human blood, too. How to pass that off as something not serial killer related is a trial for another day, maybe when he's gotten more sleep and more coffee.]</sub>

Thanks but I don't own much. It's almost done.

_{[Or it will be. Eventually. Once he's done putting the angel warding up and finishing off a beer.]}

Appreciate the offer.

text;

[notthesecondworstfighter]

You okay?

[He's legitimately concerned, okay? Wash is aware of some of the shit Adam's dealt with, and vaguely aware of the existence of angels, etc. in Wonderland, so he feels like he should probably check in. Especially considering Adam helped him out on his return to this place. He's been trustworthy so far.]

I'm assuming something must have prompted this move. Considering where we are, I'm guessing it was something unfortunate.

text;

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[That's a question for the ages.

Is he okay? He's out of Hell, and that's about as okay as someone who's been down there can hope for. One year out after a few years in doesn't erase the damage that's been done, but it helps. After a few centuries in... Adam's just not sure. Nobody is, not even the angels. Nobody seems to be quite like him. He's a test case for what happens when you yank a battered soul out of the worst conditions imaginable and let it go free.

He can't imagine many people have had to talk to the monster that once possessed their body while he inhabits the body of their twenty-something father, either. Each and every time, it's a fresh hurt to add to the pile.

It's not just about the purely spiritual damage. If it were, Adam could maybe grit his teeth and bear it. The worst comes from within: grief, anger, loneliness, uncertainty.]</sub>

I'm not shot up full of holes.

_{[So maybe that'll answer Wash's question. The real answer is too long to fit in one line of text.]}

Good guess, but it's not something anyone can do anything about. I can handle it.

How's Apricot holding up? She over her separation anxiety yet? Never got a chance to ask with everything.

action. HELLO ADAM here to ruin your day

[ganking]

[ dean doesn't venture past the seventh floor too often, finding it more relaxing to go outside if he needs some peace and quite. today though, for whatever god must hate adam reason, he decides to trek up the stairs instead of down... and soon enough he's almost knocked over by a dog that should definitely not be that big.

luckily for dean, and unluckily for adam, he doesn't fall down the stairs and break his neck. not today. instead, there's some muttering and cursing -- stupid overgrown mutt -- before dean's back on track with going upstairs....

which is of course when he finds adam. and a whole damn load of boxes. huh. ]

Uh, Adam?

IN THE BEST WAY.

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Don't worry, Dean, the dog is a sweetheart. And this carnivorous, floppy-eared pony had immediately known Adam's Mirror hadn't been his owner, hence the reign of terror Dean had heard through the phone not long ago. You wouldn't think it was the same dog for how at ease the mastiff is now; he races around full-circle with his toy in his mouth, coming back toward Adam's apartment, but doesn't do more than look Dean over, panting from the exertion of all the running around he's been doing.

He does whine a little at the presence of a stranger, which alerts Adam when he exists with yet another box under his arm.

Dean isn't Michael--or worse yet, Lucifer--but he still isn't who Adam would expect (or want) to see outside of his door. He puts in effort to control his expression. No need to advertise that the family visits happening these last couple of days stay with him like a stench he needs industrial soup to wash off. Instead, he's as casual as he can be under the circumstances.

For Adam and his pro poker face, that's pretty casual.]</sub>

That's my name, yeah. Gee, I'm a popular guy lately.

[Action]

[onlyhomemade]

[Gabriel will be minding his own business when he decides to take the stairs down to the bar. It's part way through that he meets with the Mastiff, who seems to stop dead in it's happy romping as if it's surprised to see someone else on the steps. At least it doesn't appear to realize who or what he is just yet, no threatening displays or growling in his general direction, which is a welcome change. In fact the thing seems to make up it's mind and come tromping right up to him to inspect him closer, having a sniff about his feet.]

Are you done checking me out yet pooch? I'd like to go to the bar please.

[He'll get a nose at his backside for good measure and lightly pushes away it's head as he turns swiftly to point his ass-end in another direction.]

At least buy me dinner first.

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Had Gabriel behaved like Lilith and tried to get his hands all over the dog right off the bat, it'd be a surefire way to make Cooper wary, but when new people are calm, he's calm, too. The dog doesn't have the same capacity to be afraid of angels as his owner, or the experience to back it up. For the time being, Gabriel is just another unusual smell in a sea of smells.

Adam is a different story.

Once he catches up to Cooper, one look at who the mastiff is interrogating is all he needs to know that this meeting is not happening. He's glad for the box he's carrying in his arms; he has an excuse to keep an eye on where he's putting his feet on the steps and doesn't have to look the archangel in the face. Adam had made the mistake of opening his mouth to the other Michael and kindling the angel's curiosity, or however much of it Michael is capable of. He won't make that mistake again.

He whistles one sharp note to call Cooper back to him, continuing downward on the other side of the stairs.

If this archangel doesn't know and doesn't care who he is, then he's just a nobody with a dog, no big deal, nothing to see here.]</sub>

action;

[alayne]

[ it is a good thing alayne does not travel with her piglet today or the mastiff would surely have chased it around. instead, she is on her own - wearing heavy silks, golden in color. the wardrobe still seems to insist on dressing her as a southorn girl, as sansa loved to dress when she was young and foolish.

alayne hates it but says nothing. a bastard girl cannot complain of silks. ]

Adam.

[ she doesn't bow, not quite. she remembers he is not used to it. instead she dips her head in a graceful yet humble manner. she meets them at the tenth floor and looks around at the boxes ]

I hope the day has found you well.

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[She may hate the way she dresses, but to the eye of somebody ignorant of the connotations, she's one of the most uptown dressers in the whole mansion, seeming fit to belong there along with the glitz and glamor of their residence. More than a little impressive, given that she looks younger than Adam himself.

Both boys spot her--the one on two legs, and the one on four--but just the one scampers up to her, panting around the frog toy in his mouth thanks to his exertions. He lifts his head back like he's showing his beloved frog friend off to her. The other merely parks a hand on his hip and smiles a little in greeting.]</sub>

Hey. Been a while.

<sub>[Bela is one of those women who looks like a model when she's dressed to kill, and Alayne has the same prettiness for someone her age. Too elegant to be stuck in a place where any second you could end up dying of tuberculosis on a wagon ride to Denny's.

Adam looks at the boxes, too. A part of the reason for moving is to put some distance between himself and Michael; he has half a mind to tell her that if she's still living up here, she'd be better off hightailing it along with him.]</sub>

... This one hasn't treated me too bad so far. _{[He's had worse. And recently.]} Sorry, looks like we won't be floormates anymore. But what are you up to? Holding up all right?