strangetrip | [EP] A little fuss

Some time ago, Corbie had found a calendar and counted back from the spring equinox. And then ahead from the winter solstice. And settled on a date. And then she’d done it again the next day. And again the next, until she was finally satisfied that she’d correctly translated between calendar systems and definitely had the correct date. Caroline had caught her at it and pried it out of her that Corbie had been trying to figure out when her birthday was and, wheels turning behind her eyes, Caroline had left it there. And Corbie had forgotten all about it.

Which was how she could be surprised now as she was shunted into the cafe that Caroline had bullied cake out of Pike and had possibly bullied other people around the inn to come eat it.

Okay, that wasn’t fair. It was a kind gesture, since Corbie hadn’t told anybody. Hadn’t intended on telling anybody. Growing up, her birthday was only so big a deal. She and Gran hadn’t had very much money for presents or treats, though Gran had tried when Corbie was small; they were both always more concerned with having enough to get by. Birthdays were for rich kids. Or at least bourgeois kids. And then there was just the part where… well, what was the point? They were here. It made doing anything special for anybody kind of hard. If anybody cared enough.

… Okay, she was being entirely unfair, because here were two people who had cared enough and had tried for her and it was incredibly sweet.

Unexpected tears in her eyes, Corbie laughed and flitted to the café door, calling out to anybody in earshot. “Come help me eat cake!”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"There's a couple of people flying around pretty regular if you watch the sky," Corbie offered in place of trying to find a response to that.

Dean filed that away. A couple of Wicked Witches of the West - check. This day just kept getting better and better.

"So I'm gonna guess they can't fly out of here either."

Corbie shook her head. "Nope. Far as we can tell, everybody eventually finds themselves turning back here."

That information was a double edged sword. On the one hand, it sucked that there wasn't a way out flying but it also made Dean feel good that the magical people here were just as screwed.

"Makes you wonder who or what's on the other side."

At least this Purgatory didn't have Levianthans and vampires trying to kill you... that he knew of.

Corbie shrugged. "I dunno. Not much sure I care, either. I care more about the fact we all got here somehow and no door goes only one way. But we ain't found those doors yet."

Dean arched an eyebrow, "if you know who did it, you can figure out a weakness and take them down." Or that was how Dean handled shit anyway. "What happens if you find a way out but it's only to another prison by the same whoever?"

"No clue who or what did this, either," Corbie admitted. That she would have thought Sam would have told him. "They ain't made any effort to introduce themselves, and we ain't been able to find them."

"Didn't think you had." Dean said with a shrug. "Just sayin' that I'm more concerned with who's behind it instead of finding a way out." It had been his first question when he'd arrived after the where the hell am I part.

"Might could be no one. Or at least, not anymore." Sometimes magic lingered, left echoes of itself. It didn't matter that the caster was long gone. The ghosts here made Corbie think that way, anyway, since the place had memories, and the memories would not be banished.

"Like the Inn was on automatic pilot." It was a comment more than a question. It was a theory that worked, but Dean was still convinced there was a caretaker that knew what the hell was going on, even if it was autopilot.

"Or it was, and it's malfunctioning," Corbie said, eyes brightening some at the budding idea. "Like an engine that's running down."

"We just got caught up in a mechanical screw up." That sounds like his life. "And it's trying to spit us back out with the rooms that go to other places."

"Seen it happen before. People waking up magic engines that don't work right no more." Nothing good had happened as a result, but at least the Summerdown engine had only managed to kill some sheep before it had been destroyed. "This ain't dissimilar."

"And did they ever get fixed or are we basically screwed?" Dean was going to guess the last part.

"They got put down," Corbie answered, remembering the unholy noise the Automaton of Corybant made when it got hit by lightning. "Like mad dogs."

"I'd be okay with that happening here." He paused a beat, "unless that meant we were screwed and couldn't get out of here." Because Dean would go bat shit crazy if all he had was the Inn until he died.

As would all of them. But that wasn't a question Corbie could answer. And anyway, this was all speculation. "Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Probably will." Dean agreed, then nodded his head toward the door. "I should probably go and let you get back to celebrating. Thanks for the cake."

Corbie nodded. "You're welcome. Good to meet you properly."

[EP] A little fuss - OTA

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