expunger | video

[Locked from Tom Riddle/Unhackable]

[Raphael, even from the first frame of the video, is clearly not a happy camper. There's too much tension around her mouth, her jaw gritted too tightly, like she's one annoyance away from punching somebody.]

Adstringendum, I have a question for you. [Deadly serious, even compared to normal.] What do you know about Tom Riddle?

[Locked to the angels/unhackable]

[Her demeanor changes further- tense, the annoyance erupting into obvious murderous anger that she doesn't even bother trying to hide.]

Hello, brothers. My first encounter with this event was on Sunday morning, when I was switched with Tom Riddle.

[The kids watching at home might notice a distinct lack of a chain around her neck, meaning a distinct lack of Castiel's Grace. She shifts her shoulders like an angry cat and continues.]

He has taken Castiel's Grace and, with it, made a declaration of war. He saw fit to inform me that any attempt to take back what is not his would serve as such. [Lip curling slightly.] He called it our only warning. Evidently the city needs to be freed of us.

I do not know much about him, only that he is extremely dangerous and twisted. His soul did not feel intact. I have full confidence that he will do something disgusting to it- weaponize it, most likely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Lucifer takes that personally, as he does so many things in their family. But he had promised Castiel to get it back. The idea that Castiel doesn't even care....

He can't understand why it bothers him. It should be a relief, shouldn't it? He can stop figuring out ways to return it. He can get back to work on more personal goals.

It doesn't occur to him that it hurts because this was his way of asking forgiveness. He hasn't even realized he needs to be forgiven. It takes him a moment to find his tongue again, to trip over the words and put his slightly hurt befuddlement aside.]

--She is at risk already.

[It isn't at all that he doesn't want it back--he's literally missing a part of himself, he's stuck in a body that isn't his, he's so much weaker than he should be--but he's prioritizing. He's weighing facts and logistics instead of emotions, and the facts are that if this truly does come to a fight, many could be hurt. People Castiel actually cares about, all in a fight over his grace.

It's only the threat that the same people and more will be harmed if they don't act that makes it worth the attempt.]

Not directly. Enough people are about to be, and I have no desire to add her to that list. I would have dealt with this myself if I were capable.

[It's a major blow to his pride to say, but this entire situation is, and he might as well admit it. If he could have sorted this out on his own, he would have done so.]

I know you would have. Any of us would have.

[Despite the way Lucifer does jump in at times, despite the way the angels rally around one another when there's an outside threat, they do all have their pride. They are all capable of dealing with things alone, most of the time.]

You should know by now that if things get out of hand, Rei will step in anyway.

[Some of the things he'd said to Tom had been lies, or calculated strategies, but one thing had been entirely true; the reason he hadn't agreed to Tom's terms was because he wouldn't put Gabriel and Lucifer at risk. Of course, that meant he had to get them involved another way, which he isn't entirely sure is better.

He nods slightly in understanding and acknowledgment.]

I know she will attempt to.

Then the safest thing for her is to keep her informed.

[He knows better than to push Castiel on this issue; if appealing to logic didn't work, nothing will except emotional manipulation, which won't work because it's Rei. Rei is more important to Castiel than his own life, or Lucifer's.]

[At that he nods once more. This he can do, at least; he knows it will be difficult to keep Rei uninvolved, but he's determined, for many reasons.

Directing the topic back onto the main issue...]

I need only a few more components to perform a locating ritual, should it be necessary.

Which components?

[The locating ritual will be faster, he figures, than trying to run door to door to find Tom.]

Paprika and magnesium, which likely will not be difficult to procure when actively sought out.

It will be done.

[Magnesium is harder. Let the humans go spice shopping.]

[He just nods slightly at that.]

...You have a better chance of finding it. But I could see if Xerxes has paprika... [Since Break is the only one he can think of who might have it, and who would be willing to give it over.]

Paprika is the more difficult of the two.

[Not entirely true, as magnesium would likely have to be extracted from something else, but he has yet to find or hear of paprika being in the city at all.]

I'll ask around.

...Harry Potter offered us his help. He has been able to find Tom in the past.

If the locating spell doesn't work or is imprecise, that may be of use. There is the potential that Tom's magic will prevent the ritual from working correctly.

We need to think up ways to anger him, then. Or make him 'happy'.

Playing with something he doesn't understand should be more than enough to please him.

[Maybe a little bitterly. He's looking at this objectively, but he does remember that it's his grace.]

One of us should stay with Harry. The sooner we know, the better.

For obvious reasons, I'm not the best one for this job.

[So pouty, Castiel. Don't worry, Raphael will make Tom eat his own eyes for this.]

I will stay with him. Whoever stays with Harry should have an immediate way of letting everyone involved know.

[The answer is obvious.]

All right. He knows one of us was going to visit him; let us know when you've settled in.

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