Those Pesky First Impressions! {Popsicle & Open!}

[castiel]

San Francisco was just crawling with demons. Castiel could sense them - he would have known they were there even if the newspapers and various television reports hadn't been frequently commenting on the many disappearances...and even deaths...that seemed to be plaguing the city. But Sam and Dean were halfway across the country following up on potential lead on Lucifer, and Castiel couldn't very well pull them away from that for a case like this - so he'd decided to handle it on his own. Granted, a group of demons (or whatever they were; he couldn't sure beyond a doubt that they were demons - but creatures with some sort of dark essence, surely) terrorizing a city wasn't typically an issue that the angel would get involved in.

But lately, Castiel had been feeling a bit...restless. Things had been strangely quiet of late; Lucifer hadn't shown his face even once, the Winchesters were keeping busy, and he was, of course, completely cut off from Heaven. He wasn't certain what this strange, unpleasant feeling was - though he thought he might have once heard Dean describe it as "bored out of my freakin' mind, here" or something of that nature - but he didn't like it, whatever it was. He needed to feel useful. He needed to do something, to stretch his not-so-metaphorical wings - fallen angel or not.

The trouble was, he was having some difficulty actually locating the demons here. The city had an undeniable sort of tension hanging in the air, reassuring him that there was something unnatural present...but whatever it was, it wasn't showing its face. And Castiel, for his part, was left looking very out of place - a stiff, awkward, serious looking man wandering around San Francisco in a trenchcoat. He was blissfully oblivious to any stares he attracted, however, continuing to wander down the street with a sort of cautious determination. Though admittedly, even Castiel's concentration wasn't perfect. Now and again he couldn't help but be distracted by the various little...curiosities the city had to offer. Like the trolleys full of excitable tourists that passed by now and again, or the little stands on the sidewalk corners that offered various souvenirs for purchase...

One girl had even called him over and asked if he'd like to buy a hat. Cas could only stare at her uncertainly, trying to work out a response that would be deemed appropriate. "...How much would I be required to pay for one." he settled on asking finally. The girl's smile faltered slightly at his words, but she recited the price: ten dollars. The angel considered this for a moment, then reached into the deep pockets of his trademark trenchcoat and felt around for his wallet. Pulling it out, he opened it to find that it was empty...save for the fake FBI ID Dean had made for him several months ago. He frowned. This would not pass as currency.... Shifting slightly on the spot, Castiel allowed his gaze to wander over to a nearby telephone pole...with a very noticeable flyer pinned to it.

MONSTER TRUCK RALLY, the heading read.

...Monsters. Would they really be so foolish as to advertise their meetings so openly? He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to decipher what this might mean...and that was when the girl followed his gaze.

"Oh. Yeah. You into the whole monster truck thing?" she asked him casually.

Castiel's gaze darted back toward her. "What do you know of this event?" he inquired at once, perhaps a little more sharply than he meant to. Unsurprisingly, the girl looked slightly alarmed by this sudden interrogation.

"Um...."

Why was she hesitating? Did she doubt his authority? Remembering what he held in his hand, Castiel looked down at the wallet - and then promptly held it out for her to see (albeit upside down). "I am a federal agent, as proven by my...completely authentic identification card. Now, tell me what sort of monsters are rallying and why." But far from convincing the girl to confide in him, his words only made her take a step back.

"Yeah, um...I'm just here to sell hats, so..." And now she was backing away! What sort of evasive trick was this? Taking a steadying breath, Castiel tried again.

"I just...want to know...about the monsters...please."

But the girl was already walking away from him, abandoning her stand, even! Unamused, Castiel began to trail after her. "Wait. Why are you leaving?" The girl quickened her pace, so Castiel did as well, only trying to make sure she didn't get too far away when she started...shouting....

"POLICE! SOMEONE! HELP!"

...Wait, what?!

[Agent Popsicle]

...what a horrible prank being played on her....the intelligence played up her `stupid` factor and made it so she HAD to look into a monster truck rally because of `possessed trucks`. As though she was really THAT stupid....oh well...she had to keep it up otherwise they might see her as a very dangerous individual. That was something she didn't want from her comrades....however being feared by enemies was just fine. THEN maybe if she was lucky they'd get so scared they'd stop doing terrible things thus preventing more crimes. OH HOW THE COSMIC SCOREBOARD WOULD BE PLEASED WITH HER METHODS! .....or........so she hoped. Instead of wearing her usual skirt, she wore a pair of shorts with her outfit to make it look like she was taking this mission seriously and thus the intelligence department were `successful trolls` in their minds.

However she just had very basic equipment and at most a pair of super soakers strapped to her legs. Not even bothering to bring her neutralizer gun because she `forgot it`. Also Known As: This mission is a joke so I don't have to take it very seriously today. Strolling along with her heels clacking after every step, she held onto a blueberry slurpee and sipped away at it. The sounds of engines were roaring up a storm and it reminded her of a rather unsavory scenario she wasn't going to let herself think about today. Wishing she could just make it snow....she blinked a couple of times at an upcoming commotion. What in the world was going on?

Oh boy.....she really didn't expect anything urgent or bad to happen on this mission! Picking up her stride, she decided to answer the call of `POLICE`, `SOMEONE`, and `HELP!` all at the same time. Staring toward the man, she gave a quick glance toward the woman who was FLIPPIN TEH FLIPPER BISCUITS OUT and then back to the man looking very calm. Pulling the slurpee away from her lips, she spoke in a rather chill tone with an undertone of authority, "Hello, I'm Agent Popsicle...did someone do something illegal? I have the authority to...um...apprehend criminals and bring them to justice with complete permission from the law." Pausing for a moment to take a sip of BLUEBERRY SLUSHY DELICIOUSNESS, she glanced around and....casually said, "I'm also here to find extremely dangerous vehicles....they um...are supposed to be masquerading as...." AND SO SHE USED ONE HAND TO DO A QUOTE FINGERS MOTION! "monster trucks" doing the quote unquote fingers with one hand for good measure, she continued on with her derpy word vomit.... "...unless this was another joke on me by the intelligence department....they...um...do that sometimes...."

Taking another sip of colored AND flavored slush ice, she adjusted her sapphire lenses to keep her freaky light blue translucent optics concealed before slightly tipping her fedora a bit down. OH RIGHT! Calmly, she took out her M.C.T badge and clipped it right onto her vest. At least being about six feet tall helped make her look a bit older than seventeen....kiiiinda helped. This fellow supposedly causing trouble didn't seem like a criminal so hopefully clearing this up would be really quick.

[castiel]

The moment he became aware of some...other presence, Castiel shifted his gaze a spotted a...well, a girl, who...while having some distinct human-esque qualities was quite evidently not human. Or not like any human he'd ever seen, at least, judging from her almost icy hair and skin color. This immediately made the angel suspicious - what was she? Some sort of supernatural creature? Not a demon; he sensed no darkness from her, but...then what? His somber pondering was very abruptly cut off when the girl proceeded to speak to them - as civil and casual as could be, as if the entire situation was completely normal. She was even introducing herself.

...Agent Popsicle? ....What a strange name...what was a 'Popsicle'?

As the woman he'd been following came to a stop, seeming relieved at this newcomer's presence, Castiel also paused. He frowned thoughtfully at this 'Agent Popsicle', with her strange hair and calm demeanor and...blue...drink of some sort that she was carrying. So if she was to be believed, she had some sort of influence with the law. He made a mental note not to show her his not-so-authentic badge, and nodded to her briefly. "...Hello. I am Castiel." he introduced himself in turn, maintaining his usual, emotionless-yet-somber tone. He supposed that, for now, he could leave out the whole angel bit. Though Castiel himself didn't see any real reason to hide what he was, Sam and Dean seemed to think that broadcasting that sort of information to the public was a little...much.

He blinked, increasingly alert when she mentioned something about monster trucks. "You've been sent to apprehend them as well?" Castiel inquired seriously, as if they were talking about dangerous criminals as opposed to...oversized vehicles. Perhaps Agent Popsicle would have the information he needed - no need to bother that hysterical woman any longer. Though...speaking of, it would probably be wise to explain things at this point, because she looked ready to start hurling accusations about him at this new arrival. "Um. I would prefer if you did not arrest me," he informed Agent Popsicle as he turned back to her quickly. "That woman seemed to possess some sort of knowledge about these...monster trucks...and I was merely asking her to confide in me. She interpreted this as me wanting to...harm her, I suppose, and became hysterical."

Aaaand that was the deadpan angelic recap of the day! Castiel had been content to leave it at that, unwilling to spend too much time pondering why humans acted the way they did, but Popsicle's last comment made him do a sort of double-take. He paused. Considered what she'd just said. And then furrowed his brow in confusion. ".....why would the people you work for wish to play a joke on you?" Monster trucks were no laughing matter, after all!

[Agent Popsicle]

Quietly and as unobnoxiously as possible...though unobnoxious wasn't even really a word, she sipped away on the blue berry flavored slush drink in her grasp. All while listening to him explain himself and that he too was here to look into the `dreaded` monster trucks. He reminded him a lot of her higher up when helping the police....except a whole lot of the sarcasm was missing....all of it. When he asked about why people she worked for would actually play a joke on her. MAN OH MAN HE HAD NO IDEA OF HOW EASILY ENTERTAINED THE WHOLE LOT WAS WITH HER ANTICS! Remaining completely calm, she pulled the straw away from her lips and looked to the woman offering a slight smile and gently fanned her hand silently saying `shoo shoo, nothing to see here, miss`. "I believe I understand the situation perfectly now, miss. Um...you may go about selling your merchandise without a concern or care in the world, please."

Taking yet another sip of her slushy for a short moment, the peculiar agent certainly hoped that would work and turned her attention back to demodeadpan man! "Ah...um...well...they made me into the butt of their jokes so to speak. I'm not very bright...but I believe we may have an actual case here of some sort. It would be best if we...um...combine our efforts as a team." THIS. WAS. STUPID!!! Fact is though, a small part of her thought that there might be some serious business involving these monster trucks. Maybe it was that questionable nightmare she had....or maybe it was just her `stupid persona` having enough of an influence to actually ruin her train of logical thought. Offering her free hand out for a casual shake between two business professionals.

Despite her gloves, she was radiating a bit of an unnatural sort of chill, almost like she could at least retain the chill in a soft drink which would probably explain her slushy not being a puddle in her cup. "That...um...would be productive, right, Mr. Castiel?" Hopefully he would agree...but such a hope didn't seem like it would slam face first into the metaphorical wall of D'OH! this time. He seemed eager to solve the monster truck case which was more than likely a bunch of hoo ha derp dee dur, so it wouldn't or shouldn't be hard seeing how they were, in a sense, on common ground. At least she wouldn't feel like a complete and utter moron with a partner in crime of the day! That and it was very possible there was truly some sort of spooooooooky paranormal mystery to uncover!

[castiel]

As the agent dismissed the hysterical woman from before with calm, reassuring words, Castiel turned to stare somewhat apprehensively. Hopefully the woman would relax for long enough to take Agent Popsicle's words into account - which, eventually, she did. He watched blankly as she gave a slow nod and began inching away from the scene, though not before shooting Castiel a distrustful glare first. The angel gave a slight frown in return. Humans were very...paranoid. But he decided to keep that brief thought to himself lest Popsicle take offense to it; it was quite possible that she was a human as well - albeit an unusual one. At any rate, he was somewhat grateful for the fact that she hadn't made a big deal out of that little incident and had been quick to dismiss that ridiculous woman's hysteria.

Her explanation how how her coworkers poked fun at her, however, puzzled him. "That is very peculiar. I do not understand their sense of humor." Cas responded uncertainly. What would these people gain from wasting this agent's time so frequently? She claimed she wasn't very bright, but then what was she doing out in the field on her own? She must, he decided, at least be capable of taking care of herself - if not through brains, then through...some other unique ability she perhaps possessed. Which potentially made her a good ally to have in this situation. A few years ago, Castiel probably would have quickly dismissed her suggestion, claiming to work alone, if the Winchesters had taught him one thing...it was that having someone to rely on was never a bad thing. And besides, Agent Popsicle could very well know something about this monster truck situation that he did not. He'd never encountered a monster truck before in his life, after all.

"Very well." he agreed after a moment's thought, staring blankly at the hand she held out. Oh - yes, this was a custom humans practiced upon greeting each other. Quickly trying to cover up his hesitation, he reached out and shook hands with her briefly before stiffly allowing his arm to fall back at his side. ...Odd. He could have sworn she'd actually felt cold. It contradicted his knowledge that humans radiated warmth, and made him stop and stare for a moment...before blinking away his uncertainty. There would be time to figure that out later. "How much experience do you have fighting monsters?" Castiel asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't dragging someone into this who was completely inexperienced. "I myself have dealt with quite a few, but...I do not know what a 'monster truck' is, and I wasn't sure how to prepare..."

[Agent Popsicle]

Hmmmm...that woman really didn't seem to trust the male fellow looking into MONSTER TRUCKS....or at least that's what she gathered through the female's distrustful glare of distrustfulness. It baffled her juuuuuust a little with how he didn't understand their sense of humor. In a way, they were pranksters....or just plain ol' bullies. Not like she let it bother her too much, there was more to life than dwelling on her comrades mockery! Offering nothing more than a slight half shrug to his comment, it was like she quietly insinuated `Oh well, you know I don't get it either` is what she meant by such a gesture. Sipping away at her drink a bit, she wondered if maybe now would be a prime time to get this mission started. Maybe the one who dubbed herself `Agent Popsicle` should get started on this....yes that seemed like a very good idea.

For all she knew, vehicles were about to get possessed and used to harm people! THEY HAD TO GET GOING ON THAT FAST TRAIN TO SOLVING THIS CASE LIKE A TEAM! Mostly because he agreed to work with her, of course, but there was stopping her from rushing into action faster than Trisha would race down the highway for free doughnuts and coffee. Castiel wanted to know about her work experience. Well...she just so happened to be one of the top field Agents in terms of fighting and battle strategy through proven ability....so would the answer to that be a lot? Pondering on that one, he seemed to have faced monstrous creatures, but hadn't a clue about monster trucks. "I'm...um...usually one of the first people they send to deal with a....um....monster...problem...when my boss is busy that is."

Taking one last sip of the slushy we all thought was going to last forever and possibly meet someone's grandchild before walking over to the conveniently nearby trashcan for a moment to throw it away, she continued on after returning to his side. Offering a slight, polite smile, she decided to explain MONSTER TRUCKS: what they are....Castiel don't even.... details she knew about monster trucks. "Mr. Castiel, monster trucks are...um...well...extremely large vehicles meant for demolishing other vehicles of a smaller size thus entertaining spectators." Bringing her hand up so she could rest her chin upon that gloved palm of hers while crossing over her other arm to lightly grip her elbow, she frowned slightly and continued explaining... "....but...if my co-workers aren't using me as a joke...there's a chance some of these monster trucks will be possessed and turned into real variants of monsters. Which...um...I will have to do my best to stop..." The thought of having to stop HUGE machines of any kind was not a cluster of moving images she had any joy in mentally viewing.

It was violent and stirred some strange feelings that felt forgotten yet not all at the same time. Sure, the words coming out of her mouth may have seemed absolutely ridiculous, but she was serious. Assuming she wasn't being treated like a joke and that nightmare had any realistic meaning, there was going to be A LOT of trouble. At the point, she hoped for it just being a joke and nothing more....not a prank that becomes true. Letting out a soft sigh, she could feel her psychological state start to feel a little unglued over something like this and looked to the peculiar fellow. Behind those shades, she had a little bit of loss and concern trying to hide within her strange optics though she continued to remain absolutely calm.

[castiel]

From what she was telling him, it certainly seemed like she did have a good bit of experience with supernatural creatures - thankfully. This didn't come to much of a surprise to Castiel; he'd been quick to learn not to underestimate humankind the way so many of his fellow angels did. And if Agent Popsicle was the usually the first sent out to deal with the assorted creatures of the night...it followed logically that she had to be pretty good at dealing with them. And that she had to have a decent amount of knowledge about them as well. He nodded once in acceptance of her words. "I understand. You are a hunter as well as an agent of the law." he responded thoughtfully. Or at least that was how Castiel was interpreting it. In his world, you had the normal humans who did their jobs and remained blissfully ignorant to the truth around them - and then you had the hunters, people who knew about the supernatural world and chose to deal with it. It hadn't occurred to him yet that there might be a whole branch of the police force dedicated to keeping paranormal creatures in check.

The angel listened intently to Agent Popsicle's description of these 'monster trucks'. To his surprise, it turned out they weren't actually monsters...well. Yet. Humans just called them that. His brow furrowed slightly. How...misleading. He didn't even blink at the part about the destruction they caused being entertaining for humans, however. That was fairly typical. Humans, Castiel had learned, took pleasure in things that made loud noises and made great crashes...for whatever reason. Still, he decided that there was still something to be said for looking into this little event. Agent Popsicle had mentioned the possibility that these vehicles might literally become possessed. There were a variety of ways he could think of that this might happen. Witchcraft, sorcery, spirits who specialized in possessing machinery...the list went on and on.

And then there was the presence of the demons he'd sensed earlier to consider. If this 'monster truck rally' was a large event that drew many people to it, well...that sort of thing was just a magnet for demonically rooted chaos. "I have sensed the presence of something...dark in this city." he reported after a moment, looking slightly troubled. "And this monster truck rally seems as good a place as any to begin looking into it." To just about anyone else, Agent Popsicle's words probably would have sounded ridiculous...but, well, Cas just didn't know enough about human culture to find the idea of machines springing to life to be preposterous.

He turned and gazed down the street, settling his attention on another one of the signs advertising the monster truck rally. Without further hesitation, Castiel started off in the direction the arrow pointed...and then paused a moment. Slowly, he turned back to frown slightly at Agent Popsicle. He'd sensed a slight shift in her demeanor just now - or perhaps he was only imagining it - but still, it seemed prudent to ask.... "....Are you alright?"

[Agent Popsicle]

Giving him a slight nod to pointing out how she's part of the law as well as an individual who goes up against monsters. However...when this Castiel fellow mentioned that he sensed something dark in this city, she couldn't help but let a bit of worry swim around in the stream of her thoughts. What were they to do if something bad happened? Miss Bao Yu Chao had pointed out that they were getting some VERY questionable reports and readings from some of the other agents checking out other places including this one. Of course they were all assigned specifically to certain areas and she was sent here as a joke, mostly anyway. Though...how was he able to acquire such information? He looked so normal...or...was he?

Maybe he was a metahuman, mutant, or maybe even something else? ....or...maybe he was just an average joe who had developed a high sixth sense? There were so many possibilities! Agent Popsicle's thoughts kept swimming, swimming swimming as she pondered along at what in the world he could be. Then it hit her...that sick reminder of what could happen if this all wasn't a horrible joke. Monster trucks were HUGE and destructive pieces of machinery....so many people would be hurt and killed if someone or something was out to harm innocent people! OH NO! She let her composure crack a bit around a stranger!

Officer Waldgrave would be so displeased! Uhhhh oh well....enough people viewed her as an idiot to get away with `OOPS` moments. "Oh...um...well...this dark presence you mentioned...it's a concern to me. We shouldn't dwell on that too much though, Mr. Castiel, we should start looking for leads as soon as possible. Or...um...the dark forces could beat us to the vehicles inspired by dangerous creatures...may...well..um...act on something. I...really wouldn't know what they're up to..." Glancing off to the side, as mellow as she was on the outside, there was a bit of coldness in her gaze as she no longer smiled but looked extremely neutral over all of this.

"...but I should find out. Erm...rather, we should find out. Let's go, um...please..." Turning toward the main attraction, she began to walk along slightly swaying her hands back and forth with every step she took. THERE WAS A MYSTERY TO SOLVE AND IT WAS A DANGEROUS ONE. This could very well be serious business and so she opted to treat it as such.

[castiel]

Mortals, people in general - whether they were human or...something a little more than human - were still so foreign to Castiel at times. They were unpredictable - and he was accustomed to predictability. Angels never strayed from what they were told, what they were supposed to do...or, well, most of them didn't. But here, everything was different. For example, this...Agent Popsicle, as troubled as she'd suddenly began to look, did not allow her emotions to stall her the way he might have expected some people to. No, she actually only seemed all the more determined to get the job done. This was something that Castiel could respect - she reminded him of Dean and Sam, a little. Only, well...there was something about her that he sensed he hadn't quite picked up on yet. She was so outwardly calm, yet so...he couldn't put his finger on the word a mortal would have used. 'Uncertain'? That...sounded close. Maybe.

Regardless, he dismissed his thoughts by refocusing on her words, acknowledging them with a brief nod. "You're right. We have no more time to waste." Castiel agreed, turning smoothly and following Agent Popsicle in the direction she'd started off in. There was something distinctly different about her now, he noticed, something cold and distant. He wondered whether or not he should let it concern him - at any rate, coldness didn't really bother him. In fact, compared to some angels he'd met, she was practically the friendliest person in the world.

He decided not to dwell on it for too long. There were many things that mortals did which Castiel did not understand, and now was not the time to begin questioning them. Besides - he knew very well by now what happened when he questioned things. It was how he'd gotten himself into this mess; practically a step away from being a fallen angel. Clenching his jaw a little more firmly, he banished these thoughts from his mind and walked on. Emotions. He needed to focus here, so it was best not to think about anything that would evoke them - or...whatever imitations of human emotions he'd been experiencing lately, anyway. Their mission here was the only thing he really should have been focusing his thoughts on; everything else was of little import. For the moment, at least.

Yet his thoughts kept straying back to this odd new ally he'd unexpectedly made. What was this called? ...Oh, yes, curiosity. A very unhealthy emotion. Still, this was technically mission-related - the more he knew about her, the better he'd know how to work with her. "May I ask you a question?" Castiel asked after a moment. Though he glanced at her briefly, all of his other senses were trained on the environment around him - ready to perceive any threat that might possibly cross their path. Angels had a way of dividing their attention efficiently, and Cas had gotten pretty good at it. He paused politely to allow Agent Popsicle a moment to consider, and then continued. "You are...different from most humans I've encountered before. Why?" Hopefully she wouldn't take offense to this - Castiel found he frequently needed to be careful when he interacted with others, lest he be considered rude - mortals had a different concept of tact than angels did. Still, he'd only asked because he genuinely did want to know. Was she human? Or something else? He'd never encountered someone like her before, which was...strange. Angels were supposed to know everything that went on down here, after all.




((BLAAAHH, finally got some muse back. Sorry this took forever!))

[Agent Popsicle]

Walking along, she glanced around and tried to spot any sign of demonic activity, witch craft, or any form of the occult. So far nothing which was strange....but...somehow not surprising. At least this wasn't a solo mission, that would have sucked since she can only do so much by herself. On top of that it looked like a somewhat clear day and that meant no rain to ice shenanigans! Trying to keep up with her mellow composure with each step, she blinked a couple of times in response to the man's words and let her translucent powder blue optics concealed by sapphire tinted lenses side glance in his general direction. What could he possibly want to know? "Hm?" Piping out that simple little sound, she gently offered a slight smile and continued her watchful stroll.

Those few moments came and went like the gentle breeze and soon the inquiry came to light and it was about why she didn't seem like other humans. Letting out a lighthearted chuckle, she couldn't help but be a bit amused by this question! "Well, um...Mr. Castiel, sir, that's because I'm not like normal humans...I am what...um...you may have heard being called a mutant or meta-human...something along those lines." Saying those words without any sense of real urgency let alone annoyance, just...completely calm...as if it wasn't of any concern to her. "Would you like to hear about my talents? It would best help us as a team if you...ummm....knew a little more about what I'm capable of...don't you think?" To avoid sounding like a snob or rude, she added a more positive pitch to her tone as to sound far more polite and friendly.

Kinda like `Let's play the get to know each other game! I'll gladly go first!`or something along those lines. Though...she stopped in her tracks by the sight of an odd little blur....what...what in the world was that all about? Oh well...she didn't want to raise any sort of alarm and kept quiet about it for now...it could have been nothing.... Bringing a hand up to her cheek for a moment, she gave it a light little scratch as though to be in thought for a moment. Hopefully it wasn't something bad...hopefully it was just her co-workers trying to pull a fast one on her....being a victim of pranks was much better than people being at risk.

(And my apologies for this post being incredibly lame >: !!!)

[castiel]

Mutant...meta-human...they were terms that Castiel had only heard vaguely referenced a few times before - he suspected most of them had been Dean rambling on about one of those...erm..'Comic Books' that were held in such high esteem by some humans. Her answer none the less prompted a slight frown from him. Not one that indicated he was angry - or disturbed in any way, really, just a small, thoughtful sort of frown. Mostly because it was rare that Castiel's expressions took on the form of anything other than a frown of some sort. After thinking it over, making sure that he thoroughly understood what she was telling him, the angel gave a solemn nod. "I see..." he murmured, quietly lifting his gaze to the partly clouded skies above. It was...curious. The world, as well was the human race itself, was so full of mysteries - some that even angels had yet to discover. He reminded himself that it was important to remember that one could not ever presume to know everything.

When Agent Popsicle spoke again, he blinked and tore his gaze away from the heavens, regarding her with a quiet, reserved sort of interest. She seemed to share his sentiment that they'd need to learn more about each other in order to prove efficient as a team. Castiel was somewhat glad that she'd offered to tell him what she was capable of; it would have felt like prying to have had to ask. "If you are willing to disclose that information, then yes - I agree that would be very beneficial." he told her, quirking his head slightly to one side. 'Talents' was the word she'd used. What might a meta-human be capable of? It seemed probable that she might have some sort of special ability, almost like a supernatural being's, and the thought intrigued him. Castiel knew of a few types of humans who had abilities far beyond most of their race's - witches, for one, though they were immortal, and shapeshifters (if they could even really be considered human) - but Agent Popsicle, he sensed, was entirely different from either of these.

"You will...have to forgive my curiosity, please. As I said, I have not met a meta-human before now..." he couldn't help but add, a bit apologetically. As a rule, angels mostly kept to themselves - they weren't meant to question things, and Castiel still couldn't help but feel that curiosity was very out of place within his range of emotions. He would just have to get used to-- his thoughts broke off abruptly as he paused, noticing that Agent Popsicle had stopped in her tracks. He turned to her questioningly, but her expression didn't seem particularly alarmed...just thoughtful. Still, he sensed something was distinctly off, and tensed slightly upon realizing it. Perhaps she'd sensed it too - or else she'd seen something that he had not. With out a word, the angel silently turned to gaze out across the street ahead of them, quiet and alert, almost as if he was scanning their surroundings for any sign of movement...

[Agent Popsicle]

Instead of explaining, the Agent who was usually the butt of jokes back at both the station and Chao Agency wondered if maybe now there was potential danger afoot and a live demo would be best. It wasn't long that after Castiel spoke that a demonic cry distorted the air. One may go ahead and call it a cat getting thrown into a tub for dreaded bath time, but it was all too familiar in her line of work. "It's not trouble at all, Mr. Castiel. Um..because...we can't learn if we don't ask questions." Keeping up with her polite demeanor, she then quickly decided to add on a bit more, "I create ice out of moisture, freeze water, it's...uh...simple as that. We'll have a demonstration. Come with me, please."

About to bolt across the road, the logical portion of her brain nagged and DEMANDED that she doesn't play dumb and LOOK before running. So she was like `oh...um...okay brain...you know what's best` and looked left, then right, then left one more time. The road was absolutely clear in that moment....so she bolted on across with that water jug strapped onto her back sloshing its contents about violently within. Kinda like it REALLY wanted to get the hell out but NOPE it was denied freedom for now! "Normally I don't j-walk...but..." ...and then she stood right across the alley seeing a demonic little imp with what appeared to be one of the drivers. ...or one of the hardcore monster truck fans.

"...o-oh dear....wh-why didn't I get holy water t-today.....?" Muttering those words beneath her breath, the master of ice Agent hadn't a clue if this would work out alright. That certainly didn't mean `don't try a damn thing` though now did it? Raising her hands up at a gradual pace, it seemed as though moisture in the air was starting to gather up and slowly go toward her target. Motioning those elegant digits as though she was holding something in the shape of an orb, the moisture shifted quickly into ice and a bubble around the little bastard from hell's head. If it wasn't such an evil little thing, it'd have been kinda cute as an astronaut wannabe! ...though it probably couldn't appreciate how it was blueberry bubblegum flavor....

Seeing how it was throwing a little spazz attack by furiously flailing like a child throwing a tantrum before clawing away at the bubble which was shifting to a pitch black hue with a white cross in the center. Why wasn't the person it was bothering scream or anything like that let alone panic? Fact was...the dude was in a trance of some sort....probably in the base stage of possession going on for him. Poor ol' sap!

[castiel]

The air seemed to shift in a way that the civilians around them barely appeared to notice - but Castiel noticed alright. The whole thing was enough to ruffle his feathers...or it would have been, if his wings were...corporeal. Whatever. The point was, the dull demonic taint he had sensed earlier was now growing considerably stronger, and his eyes narrowed slightly in disgust. So. Those creatures were nearby after all. Despite the slight prickle of hostility he felt at the thought of hellspawn wreaking havoc nearby, there wasn't much change in his expression - in fact, outwardly Castiel looked as stoic as usual as he registered all of this. Funnily enough, the only change in his demeanor was provoked not from the fact that there seemed to be a demon nearby, but from Agent Popsicle's description of her abilities. Cas turned to her....and blinked twice. And for him, showing even that amount of surprise was akin to screaming "OMIGAWD NO WAY!"

She...had some sort of control over the element of water? Or ice, more precisely. Before today, Castiel would have said that a human possessing that sort of ability was impossible. Still, she wouldn't be hearing any complaints from him - no doubt this was going to be both interesting and useful with demons around. Intent on seeing this demonstration, the angel nodded once and swiftly followed his companion across the road after briefly checking for cars. Agent Popsicle seemed a bit regretful about having to 'j-walk', and he wondered about her hesitation for a moment before remembering. This was probably one of those human laws, meant to maintain order and safety. Probably best to obey them, but this was after all...something of an emergency. The thought didn't trouble him for long anyway - his attention was quickly grabbed by the strange but undoubtedly demonic critter located only a little ways away.

"Demon..." he muttered disdainfully. It was unlike the demons he was used to - but it radiated hellish energy none the less, and seemed to have an irritatingly mischievous nature. Agent Popsicle seemed a bit troubled by its presence, though not particularly surprised. He supposed it wasn't much of a stretch to imagine that she'd dealt with demons before, especially once she'd mentioned holy water. Admittedly it would have been fairly useful in a situation like this, but there were other ways these creatures could be dealt with. Though...he wasn't too sure how to deal with one of these imps. Popsicle, however, had abilities that would most likely prove effective against this thing since it did seem to be a living, breathing creature and not...well, a black cloud of demonic smoke. "Will you be able to...?" he began to ask whether or not she'd feel confident engaging it in combat when she proceeded with the very demonstration she'd just spoken of.

An icy bubble of sorts had formed around the demon's head, which proved to be...an effective distraction indeed from the mayhem it'd no doubt been causing. What Castiel found especially interesting, however, was the unusual hue the bubble seemed to be turning. It seemed that Agent Popsicle had a few tricks up her sleeve beyond just her elemental abilities. Feeling somewhat assured that the creature wasn't going to break free from that any time soon, the angel turned his attention to the civilian nearby. Given the situation, the man was oddly calm. ...Almost catatonic, actually, though he slowly seemed to becoming more and more aware of his surroundings - yet still completely unconcerned by them. It only took Cas a moment to recognize the effects of demonic possession, and by then the newly possessed man had angrily focused his gaze on the woman responsible for encasing the demonic imp in ice. Before it could decide how to react, however, Castiel quickly strolled forward. Placing both hands on either side of the man's head, he ignored the demon's sudden snarl of realization and rage, concentrating unblinkingly until...

There was a flash of white, purifying light, and the man toppled over onto the ground. Out cold for the moment, it seemed, but...demon-free if all had gone well. He stared blankly down at the human for a moment - before remembering to glance over his shoulder to make sure Agent Popsicle was fairing alright as well.

[Agent Popsicle]

Feeling absolutely rude for not being too responsive to this Castiel fellow once she got to work. There were probably so many more and that meant her brain had to actually take the help and put her concerns of hurting others by letting her ice powers get out of control. After all, she had all of her equipment to make her powers far more controlled. Those gloves, belts around her wrists and the ones around her ankles made it so everything would heavily require concentration, however those limits dropped each time she took them off bit by bit. The main one she felt was far too risky to remove just so happened to be that thick belt around her neck which was more like a collar. Almost felt like it was blocking out some horrible traumatic experience which shouldn't repeat itself in any shape or form. Despite her concentration on reinforcing the ice around the little imp's head, she did keep in mind that it seemed like Mr. I HARDLY EXPRESS MYSELF knew what they had to deal with.

A little...too...quickly too...as if he could sense AND understand it without much analysis. While constantly reinforcing the thick little bubble of ice, the Agent moved her hands up and narrowed those translucent optics beneath sapphire tinted shades. Lifting the little creature up, she swiftly slammed it down and the cracks within the ice beginning to melt began to reform. This was just eating up her concentration and energy like a glutton, but she had to keep up with this. Until...she noticed the bright light. With a slight smile across her lips, the ice manipulating alien in a human appearance didn't give it so much as a second thought and swiftly motioned her hands toward it since such a technique reminded her of a fellow Agent on their team who appeared to have a similar skill set. It seemed to work in helping the man snap back to his normal self which was DEFINITELY a good thing.

However...for some reason the man who had been purified seemed to have improved from getting all angry and somewhat psychotic, no doubt about that one...but something wasn't right. Problem was, he seemed to be in a bit of pain, giving off a slight unnatural twitch as if some small little remnant of demonic energy managed to survive the purification process. "Good work, but um, Mr. Castiel, one more try, if you will...something seems amiss..." Even their own Agent who used holy properties couldn't get things on the first go all the time. Which struck the blue haired girl as a little odd but oh well! She had to keep and maintain her focus since the ice was starting to crack once again, almost to the point where this little pest could get out! Carefully, she moved her hands around in a more oval shape which caused the ice to shift and move almost like liquid around the thing's body.

This time, encasing it completely while letting out muffled screeches. "Oh...um...I would appreciate it if you did something similar to this demonic little creature when possible....if you don't mind, that is..." Keeping her composure calm as could be, she really wasn't the one who wanted to deliver the final blow on this horrible little thing. Mostly because she was very much so against killing. SURE! Squishing it to death was very possible, but really...she would rather not. Plus, he did have an impressive and useful ability, it'd be a shame not to work together!

Offering up a slight smile, it almost seemed a little nervous...asking a favor of someone she hadn't known for no more than a handful of minuted felt a little rude to say the least, but she wasn't prideful. Asking for help was probably one of her best options here and she could just dust it off with how she's probably just quite incompetent at times then be honest about her speed bump in dealing with creatures of any kind. Not killing was definitely a down fall that had come back to bite her numerous times...yet she just couldn't do it...murder to her was so terribly wrong...even if the victim actually deserved it. Little did the ice manipulator know that there were more demonic imps lurking in the shadows a bit ways from here, closer to where the drivers were hanging out before the monster truck rally. A sports bar not very far from their current location. Go figure that one!

[castiel]

All things considered, Castiel supposed the fact that his exorcism hadn't completely rid the man of demonic energy shouldn't have been all that surprising. After all, he'd been cut off from heaven from some time now - it might be safe to say that he was getting a little rusty. It troubled him more than he liked to admit, but he tried not to show it more than he could help as he turned to gaze back down at the man on the ground. "Er, oh yes...of course..." The angel knelt to the ground and pressed a palm to the man's head again, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was being considerably more careful this time; the exorcism process could be a bit...intense, and he didn't want to put this man through two full rounds of it if he could avoid it. The light that Castiel's hand emitted this time was significantly less drastic; a gentle glow of illumination rather than a blinding flash of white light. He paused then and dropped his hand, waiting to see whether it had worked.

Thankfully whatever dark energy had remained clinging to this man seemed to have been eliminated this time - he seemed considerably more restful and at ease than he had a moment ago. Unfortunately when he finally drifted back into consciousness, the man probably wouldn't be quite so calm. And Castiel wasn't exactly skilled at explaining this sort of thing in a tactful, easy to take in way. Hopefully Agent Popsicle was a bit better at dealing with people in this way - or perhaps, he thought, she might be able to call someone in who'd be able to get the man back on his feet when he came to.

But that would have to wait for later - now, it seemed, his new-found ally was asking for his assistance in dealing with the demonic little imp she'd managed to capture. Rising to his feet again, he looked from her to the creature she'd caught in the ice bubble and hesitated for a moment. She'd done a more than satisfactory job at keeping the imp under control so far...and if he were to guess, he'd say that she had the power to eliminate it easily if she'd wanted to. So what was holding her back? He didn't think it was that she was afraid of it; she hadn't panicked or displayed any sign of fearfulness up to this point as far as he'd seen. But Castiel shrugged. If she preferred it this way, then so be it - there had to be some reason that made sense, even if he didn't know what it was.

He took several steps closer to where the ice had encased the creature, and then raised a hand. It was a good thing, Castiel realized now, that it was frozen - it looked like it might have been...an unpleasantly quick little thing. Firmly, he allowed the purifying light to radiate from his hand again, at its original intensity this time. There was a muffled yowl of rage as the light encased the imp...and then, a moment later, the demonic little creature slumped in its icy encasing. Castiel clenched his jaw, his expression hard. While he had indeed been learning to empathize with humans of late...there was still very little mercy in the angel's heart when it came to hellish creatures such as these. But now he had a moment to catch his breath, and he turned to Agent Popsicle again to regard her curiously. "Did you not...believe your abilities could have killed the demon-scum?" He asked after a moment, genuinely puzzled. "I am sure they would have been more than efficient...but...it is of little import now..."

He still wondered, but he would not press her. If she didn't wish to tell him, it was her business. Castiel tilted his head slightly and looked up, as if listening. Strange...the demonic presence that had drawn his attention to this place originally had not entirely faded...and he had to wonder what else could be wrong. Before addressing that, however, he motioned to the man on the ground again. "Do you know of anyone who would be able to give him medical assistance? It is possible that the demonic possession damaged his body in some way...or even if it hasn't, he still may need to be calmed down when he wakes up.." he finished doubtfully.