We're No Heroes

Chapter Four - A Brief Meeting

        (Cas was seated across the table from the somewhat filthy wreck of feathers and unkempt hair that had introduced itself as Tully earlier) — keep for future use (props to you tully)

Cas woke up with the foreseen crick in his neck and a mouth that felt like it had been stuffed with cotton and sponges in his sleep. While the sticky bread had filled his stomach, it left him with sugary phlegm running down his throat and the generally miserable experience that accompanies one who eats leftover birthday cake for every meal. After gathering the wits he wish he had when he had first entered the house, he flopped off the couch unceremoniously and groaned through a mouthful of blanket at the recommencement of his constant battle with gravity.

Lifting himself off the ground and yawning, he set his bleary eyes on a familiar blob of bright red, draping himself on a wooden chair and staring at him.

At the sight of Cas's awakening, Tully perked up and grinned, nearly knocking over the mug set before him with his massive wings.

"Heya, Cas! Good morning! Did you sleep well?" he asked, with the air of an excited puppy.

Cas plodded over to a wooden chair with a seat woven of wicker and dropped into his place heavily. He rubbed his eyes and tried to take in his surroundings.

The table that Tully was now leaning against in his chair had been pushed into the center of the room. Once-beautiful marbled counters lined one wall and part of another, with handles that shines like gold on the cabinets beneath. An enormous hearth, edged with marble and gold with embers still popping softly, took up an entire wall to the right of the entrance to the room. Sunlight streamed through large windows parallel to the hearth that allowed one of the house's inhabitants to gaze into the lush green forest that surrounded them.

"Whoa," he whispered to himself.

"Uhh...hello? Buddy? You there?"

Broken from his amazed and exhausted stupor, he focused on the hand waving at him.

Tully returned his hand to its place, absently fiddling with the handle of his plain, pastel yellow mug. Turning in his seat to gesture with his other hand at the pot sitting on the counter filled with some thick, muddy drink. "I made coffee, if you want it. I know Charlie hates it, but I didn't know how you felt about it so I made some."
He set an odd-looking round cup with pink, purple and blue stripes in front of the smaller boy, filling it with the steaming liquid.

While Cas shared Charlie's resentment of the bitter drink, he also thought it would be terribly rude to refuse. That, of course, and the fact that it was a six-and-a-half foot tall Avian with the build of a rugby player offering it. Tully seemed nice, but he had only known him for about ten minutes, not counting the time he spent unconscious. For all he knew, Tully could pick his teeth with the ribs of his victims.

Cas rubbed his eyes once more in a vain attempt to clear the sleep from them before giving up and clasping the cup to his chest. He leaned over the cup as his eyes slowly fluttered shut again, relishing in the warmth and smell of the drink.

He opened his eyes and suddenly realized that Tully was still staring at him curiously.

"Oh, um...sorry. Good morning."

"'Bout five minutes late for the 'good morning', but still appreciated," he replied with a sideways smile.

"Sorry..." Cas mumbled again. Tully looked downward at his mug. Desperately fumbling for a topic to fill the awkward silence, he glanced around the airy room.

"How did you guys end up here, by the way? It seems like a bad idea in theory, but you have a pretty nice setup," he offered.

"Oh! Yeah! I forgot, we don't know anything about each other. Um...well, it's kind of a long story, but I found my way here a while ago after I was kicked out," he spoke, tracing the edge of the mug. "In all honesty, I don't know why Charlie's here. She just kind of, uh. Broke in one day?"