milliways_bar | (no subject)

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[OOM: We can't afford for me to do the right thing.]

It's been a long time since he'd last really 'powered up,' as Ruby teases him by calling it. Sam can feel the effects twisting through him. Everything seems brighter, sharper, clearer; he feels clearer, stronger, ready for anything.

He can't sit still, and he sure as hell can't go back to the motel room until it wears off a little - Dean'll notice something's wrong in a hot second, and Sam doesn't want to lie to him unless he has to.

He pushes through the door to Milliways instead. Maybe he can walk it off there, at least a little bit.

[OOC note: Sam is currently riding a paranormal high due to the effects of ingesting demon blood. If your character would be able to detect that sort of taint, feel free to have them do so! Just don't expect him necesssarily to admit it.]

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"I know what it sounds like."

He leans across the table toward her, as if trying to convince her of his earnestness by sheer proximity.

"But it's true, Ava. I swear it is."

Oh it is weird when he gets closer to her. All that energy.

It's just not very him.

Nevertheless, Ava doesn't back down. She shakes her head.

"Killing demons ... you must be great."

He's not prepared for the swift thrill of embarrassed pride that rushes through him. Sam ducks his head, unable to stop the small, sheepish smile.

"... thanks."

A beat.

"I've still got a long way to go, though."

She snorts faintly.

"How much farther is there? Do you know how hard it is to destroy a demon in the first place?" Beat. "I mean, obviously you do, just."

Of course, if Sam wants to personally kill one of the allegedly most ancient and terrible demons known to humanity (she's going with the Lilith myths that don't involve vampires made of salt), then ... fine, fair.

Long way to go.

"Mostly just practice, I think. As much as I can get."

That, and Ruby's little 'power-ups.'

"There's not much time."

Ava frowns.

"How much time is there?"

(And how does he know?)

"Thirty-two seals' worth."

He looks grim at the thought, and starts drumming his fingers on the table again.

Rap-rappa-rap.

"Sixty-six, and Lucifer's free. She's broken over half of them already, in less than six months."

"... Oh, great."

Something about the tapping annoys her, irrationally. But she shuts it out to do that math: All other things being equal, that gives their world like five months tops before it's Lucifer time.

"Well ... look," she says, "if you ever want convenient punching bags ..."

Ava trails off.

"I want to help. Is what I'm trying to say."

Sam blinks.

"Punching bags?"

A beat.

"I'm not sure I follow -- wait. Wait. Do you mean--?"

He cuts himself off there, and stares at her.

"When you say 'help,' how do you mean?"

"Well you said you can destroy demons now."

She indicates herself with her index finger.

"And I pretty much have a built-in direct line."

Ava shrugs. This plan already sounds dumb to her. "I know it's not, you know, anything you can't do yourself, there're probably demons all over the place out there, but ..."

"... but you're saying you can bring them here," he breathes.

"So I don't have to hunt them down out there to practice, along with doing the job, too."

His eyes are still wide, filled with wonder -- and something that looks like hope.

"Seriously? You mean it?"

What can she say?

She's got a weakness for puppy eyes.

"Yeah," she says slowly, and nods.

"Yeah, totally-- whenever you want."

Some part of him tries to point out that this is probably a bad idea --

This is how she tried to kill you, you idiot!

-- but right now he can't bring himself to care. He's way too revved up over the possibilities.

Besides, he can stop her if she's not really out to help, right? Right.

Sam flashes a quick, bright grin at her.

"How about now?"

Ava suspects he could stop her pretty easily, if what he's said is true.

Still, nothing like seeing for yourself.

"Sure," she says, first blinking and then returning the smile.

"We'll have to-- I mean the woods are usually a pretty safe bet, though I have summoned in my room and I've never gotten a noise complaint."

"Woods are probably a better bet," Sam tells her.

"This can get kind of messy, and you probably don't want to have to explain why you've got a hole burned through your floor."

"This just gets better and better," she says with a grin.

Ava slides out of her seat and stretches. "Okay! Woods it is."

He bounces to his feet in a single swift motion, and stands there practically vibrating with excess energy.

"Lead the way."

Ava's never thrilled to hear somebody ask her to give them her back even colloquially.

Right now, it is especially creepy.

But she leads them out the back door and buttons her jacket against the chill, picking her way across the grass towards the start of the tree line.

"There's a trail near here that people don't seem to use all that much," she says.

"Where are you ... ha."

She ducks a branch, gets a few yards down the trail, and glances back for Sam.

He can probably figure it out himself, but still ... he's so damn tall.

There's not a lot of light, but the moon's bright enough, at least at first. As he ducks into the trees after Ava, it gets a lot darker.

Oddly, he doesn't seem to have as much trouble seeing as he might expect. Still, he digs in his pocket for a penlight, just to be on the safe side.

Satisfied that he's there, and not about to like, break her neck or whatever people do when they're behind you, she starts down the trail again.

The woods are mostly quiet and mostly still, but Ava can hear your typical Forbidden Forest noises: twigs cracking off in the distance, leaves rustling. Weird unidentifiable sounds that might be monsters.

"Okay," she says, coming to a halt. The trail's widened out some, into a very small clearing. The moon is visible through a break in the trees.

"This should be fine."

"Okay."

It's bright enough in the clearing that he doesn't need even the tiny flashlight any longer. Sam clicks it off and puts it away with absent, habitual motions while he looks around.

"Want me to do the circle?"

Ava blinks.

"Well, I figured I'd grab one from our world, so we don't really need to do anything."

He turns to look at her.

"You mean you just plan to ... hold on to it?"

"Until you kill it," she replies, pleasant but slightly confused.

"Yeah."

"I'm ... not sure that's a good idea."