"Really?" Runa asked, a little surprised. "Interesting." She filed that information away absently.

Cas let the comfortable silence stretch for a few moments before he spoke again.

"I have noticed that over the past few days you are less comfortable with me than you seemed before."

Runa blinked and looked at him.

"The guys trust you," she said finally. "Dean loves you. And you've had plenty of opportunities to smite me. And a couple of them would have been justified." She was quiet. "You could have and didn't."

"No, I have not." Cas was quiet for a few moments. "There is no reason to."

"I guess that's what I don't understand," Runa said. "Anyone else would have, but you didn't. I guess I just keep waiting for it."

"I have found that my perspective has changed on certain subjects," Cas said quietly. "If I had met you shortly after I pulled Dean from Hell, yes, I would have smote you. But now I see no reason to."

Runa was quiet for a moment.

"I can't promise to relax," she said. "Not with so many angels around. But I'll try." She looked at him. "But I can promise that Dean is all yours. I don't poach."

Cas looked at her for a few moments, eyes bright, even in the darkness outside.

"He is fond of you," he said quietly. "You need not move away from him completely." But it would take a bit before Cas even really thought about Dean with anyone else.

"Oh I'll still be friends with him," Runa said. "Just not friends with benefits." She grinned a bit. "I won't try to move in on your man, no worries."

Cas nodded, content with that answer. If the issue arose again, he would think about it, but for now he was content to have Dean to himself.

"Like I said, I don't poach," Runa said. She sighed and leaned back a bit, watching the stars. "So do you have any idea what it is we're hunting now? There's no lore that I know of that talks about anything that eats chupacabras, but the lore doesn't go back too incredibly far, either. You probably have a longer memory."

"I am uncertain," Cas said with a little shrug. "I have never heard of something eating chupacabras. They are largely able to fend for themselves against attackers."

"And that's exactly what has us stumped," Runa said, nodding. "Even in our line of work, this is weird."

"Very." Castiel shrugged. He was confident they'd figure it out.

Eventually.

Runa lapsed into silence again for a little while.

"So is it nice up there?" she finally asked softly, still watching the stars.

Cas was quiet for a moment. "Right now? No. Not with the war. But normally, it is... It can be peaceful. It is as varied as human are." He shrugged a bit.

"I'll take your word for it, then," Runa said. She figured she'd never get to see it, so she may as well ask about it. "I hope things get a bit easier up there soon for you."

"Hopefully," Cas agreed, frowning. "Things are not going well for my followers and I. If Crowley involves himself in the mix as well..." He trailed off ominously.

"I've been keeping an eye on any omens that pop up," Runa said. "I can take care of just about anything that comes through a Hellgate, short of the Knights. Nobody tangles with the Knights." She paused, not sure what he knew about them. "They're... kind of the demonic equivalent of the Archangels."

"Of a kind," Castiel agreed. It was an apt enough description, although he'd place his bets on an Archangel winning that fight.

"Yeah, so I'm keeping an eye out," Runa said. "I'll see what I can do to throw a wrench into Crowley's plans, at least delay him long enough for this war to be resolved."

"That would be much appreciated," Cas said, inclining his head a bit to her.

"No problem," Runa said. "I figure I may as well help you guys take your turf back, even if I'll never see it myself."

Cas nodded. "I would much rather not let Raphael win," he said. "I doubt you would like it if he did. He is... keen on restarting the Apocalypse."

"And it's in our best interest not to let him," Runa agreed. "I doubt Crowley would just take that lying down, either."