2 - The new world

Horknath tried to hide his fluster behind his long hair, not really daring to look at Carleen. "I... uhm", he stuttered, not knowing what to say. "We can dance, if you want", he finally blurted out. "I'm not good - but you said you like to." And since she was a 'goddess', and very intimidating in her beauty, he could understand why his people didn't dare to get too close to her. Maybe he was being blasphemous - but it was like being close to the sun itself.

Eileen was a little breathless herself - back in Spain, the dances were way less wild and physically engaging. She smiled when she noticed Sam's signing. "I can't say I can really mind the noise", she observed with a grin. "But I feel a little tired. We can sit down, if you want."

Carleen looked at Horknath, surprised by his offer, but her face soon lit up with a smile. "Oh, I'd love to! She got up, and offered her hands to him. "Don't worry- it's not about dancing properly, but about having fun!" She had been dying to ask Horknath for a dance, but hadn't dared to do so because, well. He was a god. And he might allow her to flirt with him, but there were boundaries she couldn't cross.

Sam chuckled at Eileen's answer, but he remained thoughtful for a bit. "Actually- The noise really bothers me. Would you mind it if we went a little higher up?" He showed her a small cliff on top of the plaza, from which they could get a good view at the party.

Horknath gulped, but in the end accepted her hands - ending up engulfing them with his larger one as he got up from his seat. As they made their way closer to the fire, many of the people around were whispering in wonder and awe in seeing two gods about to dance together - moreso because Horknath, a god notoriously reserved, was going to dance together with a woman.

Eileen smiled. "Alright, sure. You can guide me", she added, waiting for Sam to show her the way to the cliff. It was definitely showing on her just how much she had already adapted to that place - she wasn't even the slightest bit reluctanct in following a relatively unknown man in a place far from her brothers. She felt like she could trust him.

Carleen smiled to Horknath, hopefully reassuring him a bit. But indeed, they did gather attention towards themselves - so much that even Raphael missed the sight of Eileen leaving with Sam!
Carleen gently guided Horknath into dancing with her, and they were soon joined by a lot of people, hopefully slowly driving the attention away from them. The more, the merrier.

Sam then guided Eileen all the way to the top of that small cliff, and smiled at her when they sat down. He looked down for a bit, and smiled some more. "So. How did you like your first party in El Dorado?"

(cuties)

Dean was taking a pause from his wild dancing in that moment - mostly because he really wanted to stay out of the way and needed a moment to process that holy shit, Carleen had managed to get Lord Horknath to dance! That was probably going to be carved down somewhere. He rested his back next to a wall, intent into getting back some air. He noticed a figure close to him and nodded towards it, grinning. "Are there any parties like these, back where you come from?", he asked, recognizing the most handsome of the foreigners - Castiel - all clad in the priest robe he had given to him.

"It's really..." Eileen hesitated. "... lively. We do have celebrations, where I come from, but they're much more subdued." She was of course thinking about the great masses held for Christmas and Easter, where everyone was donning their best and heavier clothes. They were darker festivities, even though Christmas held a certain joy tied to her childhood memories. "Here, you are so much more joyful and less restrained in showing it. I like it." Plus, she could feel the vibrations of the percussions resonating deep within her - something that had never happened with music, back where she came from.

Castiel had spent a lot of time gazing at Dean dancing, shame creeping on his own face. His almost-bared body, gold paint and jewels both on and in his skin shone under the fire's light, making for one hell of a mesmerizing show. Oh, Hell it had been, for Castiel. He had always felt that the Lord had imposed this impossible burden on him to test his faith; making him into one of those men that could never love or cherish a woman and her body. That forbidden desire had not been so much of a problem before he met Dean. The man was gorgeous, his smiles were warm like sunshine, and his body looked like a temptation crafted by the Devil himself. He almost whimpered when during his dance, Dean turned abruptly at some point, giving him just a fleeting sight of what that loincloth was barely covering.
When Dean walked close to him, Castiel hid his face behind his umpteenth glass of alcohol, chastising himself for even giving in to the temptation of admiring him earlier. When he heard Dean's voice, however, he almost dropped his glass, realizing that he was conversing with him.
Castiel cleared his throat awkwardly. "I- wouldn't really know. I don't attend any parties since I've joined the Church," he mumbled a little awkwardly.

Sam gave her a sorry smile. "It doesn't seem like you come from a happy place. I hope you could stay as long as possible." His face lit up a little, and he went on, explaining, "This is just a party celebrating Horknath visiting us, but we have parties that last a whole week." He hesitated, for it was hard for him still to sign with Eileen, since his vocabulary was a little limited. "We celebrate the Sun and the Moon twice a year, for example. When the days are the longest, or the shortest."

Dean rested his back against the wall, close to Castiel now, a goblet full of alcohol in his hand. He had seemingly no idea of the effect he was having on the other man, though he had a clear idea of the effect the other man was having on him. He had never seen such a beautiful color in anyone's eyes before, and they were only complimented by his sharp features and soft-looking lips. And now that he was free from those heavy, dark robes he was donning the first time they had met, Dean could admire strong shoulders and arms that he wouldn't have expected from a priest.
If only he wasn't a foreigner, he could have been more straightforward, but...
He licked his lips and drank from his glass, trying to distract himself. "You don't hold parties or celebrations for your god?", he asked, genuinely curious. "He probably wants to know when you are happy and want to thank him."

Eileen smiled at Sam. "I don't know if I'll stay here forever, but I'm not planning to go back where I come from either", she confessed. "The Sun and the Moon, then. I am guessing they are very important to you, if you hold such long feasts. You celebrate them together, or once each?", she asked, tilting her head. She went back to simplify some signs whenever she felt that Sam was confused. He was quite good at picking up what she wanted to say, so she tended to forget that he wasn't used to speak like that.

Castiel scoffed. "Well- we do hold masses, and pray to God everyday. The people mostly go to the masses on Sunday - we hold several of them to thank the Lord. And then we have special holy days during the year: Easter. The ascension of Christ and Mary. All Saints Day. Christmas." He sighed. "When celebrations there are, they are performed between members of the same family."

Sam nodded at Eileen's questions. "The Sun and the Moon shaped the world," he explained with a smile. "But they also are spouses. We always celebrate them together - one more than the other according to the time of the year, but we are never to separate them." He seemed quite serious about it.

Dean hummed in aknowledgement. "I see. You people sound more private in your practices than we are", he observed. "I hope this is not too jarring for you. You can leave, if it makes you uneasy", he added helpfully, smiling at Castiel. He wasn't keen on judging.

Eileen let out a sound of understanding. "I see. Spouses, then?" She smiled softly. "Spouses that can never get separated. That sounds romantic", she sighed. "But, the sun is up during the day, while the moon is visible in the night. Wouldn't someone feel sad if they were away from their loved one like that, forever?"

Castiel hesitated. Granted, this was- odd. And different. He looked at the people dancing, and was reminded of his faith being questioned the moment he had seen those pagan gods. He took a shaky breath in. "I- I'll probably go. But do you think- I mean. Is there a chance I could talk to your- god, over there, one day?" Possibly not now. His head was spinning.

Sam smiled at Eileen. "I get your confusion. But you sometimes see the moon up during the day as well. The High priests say that the Sun only sleeps in the darkest hours of the night - and the Moon sleeps during the warmest hours of the day. We might not see them, but they're never apart."

"Whenever you wish. Lord Horknath has never refused anyone's visit since the day he arrived among us", Dean answered, tilting his head a little. "You don't look very well", he added after a little, frowning. "Did you drink too much? I can accompany you back to the house, if you want. Wouldn't want you to fall on your way there and get hurt or something."

Eileen smiled. "I see." She threw a look back at the dancing people, spotting two of their gods dancing together. "Did they ever come to see you? The Sun and the Moon, I mean."

Castiel nodded awkwardly. "I don't remember the way to that house," he admitted to Dean, while trying to get up - and failing miserably. Oh Lord. Why was gravity so strong all of a sudden? "I- think I'll try to speak to... Lord Horknath tomorrow," he mumbled, incapable of focusing on one thing at a time.

"A long time ago, before my ancestors even came here," Sam said with a smile. "Some say the Moon and the Sun regularly come to their temples when no one is looking. But they also visit the High Priests in dreams regularly." He shrugged. "We know they're here, since they watch over us and bless us."

Dean snorted. Oh, gods - Castiel had definitely drank too much. Luckily enough, even though he himself was kind of tipsy already, he had quick reflexes. "Hey, watch out", he laughed as the other man slid along the wall, failing to get up. He offered him his hand. "C'mon, let me help you. We'll be back at the house faster than you can say 'party'", he joked.

"It's very nice that you get reached out to by your deities so often", Eileen signed. "I wish our God would do the same." She looked around as she said that, as if she was afraid she could get punished. "I shouldn't say it, but even if He is supposed to love us like a father, He never answers to our prayers, and always seems so distant..." She chuckled, seeing Horknath almost trip on his feet while dancing with Carleen. "Yours are so real. Some of them are even dancing with you!"

Castiel stumbled up with Dean's help, and frowned slightly. "I'm fairly sure we won't be there when I've said 'party'," he countered, slightly confused, before he repeated, "Party", as if to test the theory.

Sam tilted his head. "Your god never visits? How do you know he keeps watching over you, then?" He was confused, indeed. Even though the gods didn't visit every single year, they had seen some who visited, even for a short amount of time. Such as when Balthazar came to claim Gabriel as his, for example.

Dean laughed - yeah, as said. He was tipsy too - and patted Castiel's shoulder, starting to lead him away from the feast and down the paved road that would take them to the houses close to the water. "You take everything so literally all the time or is it just the alcohol confusing you?", he asked with a grin. "Either way, you're funny."

"We are supposed to just have faith, and believe that He is watching us from above at all times." ... it did sound silly, said out loud like that. "The closest we've had to God coming to visit us was Him sending his son. But he was killed - well, he sacrificed himself, to cleanse us from our wrongdoings."

Castiel frowned some more. "No one finds me funny. Well. Aside from you, I suppose." He sighed, and tried to stay on his feet, sometimes leaning against Dean without really meaning to do so. "Guess that's another thing the Devil gave to you," he mumbled under his breath.

Sam looked... horrified. Probably as much as Dean had been when Castiel told him about their religion, if not more. "Hold on- how- what wrongs did you do that needed a god to die for them?!"

Dean snickered. "Aw, c'mon - I'm sure you are exaggerating! You're fun, and I'm positive at least some other people think that", he repeated. "Maybe just a little stiff, but my brother's a bit like you, so I don't really mind." He instinctively brought an arm around the other man and brought him closer to his body, trying to keep him up on his feet.

Eileen looked alarmed, taken by surprise by Sam's evident horror. "I'm- not speaking of just a handful of people, of course", she quickly explained. "It's about all of humanity's sins - stealing, swearing blasphemy, murdering, betrayal, cheating. Jesus died by the hands of people who didn't believe him to be the son of God - and who were afraid of the things he said. His death had been foretold many, many centuries before." Her brother would have probably explained it better... "I guess it's quite depressing as a story. I'm sorry", she apologized.

Castiel stumbled against Dean's torso, and instinctively closed an arm around his waist as well. He sighed almost immediately afterwards. "Lord, why arst thou testing me," he almost whined, since alcohol definitely wasn't helping him.

Sam frowned, confused yet again, but... he sort of get her point. In the end, he smiled at Eileen. "Don't worry. I- suppose it was a rightful sacrifice in the end, since it seemed to have ridden you of a lot of bad things," he said, genuinely naive about it.
Like hell it stopped any of those things Eileen just listed, half of which he didn't know the sign of.

Dean raised a brow at Castiel. "Are you alright?", he asked. "Did you stub your toe?" Why else would someone mumble and protest? "Try tor esist. Look, here we are, the house is just over there", he added, gesturing towards the side of the river. "Resist, alright?" He guided the other man to the entrance of the house. "Do you need me to come inside with you? If you feel too dizzy, I can help you get in bed." It was meant to be an innocent question. I swear.

Eileen threw him a hesitant smile, but didn't answer. She didn't talk for a while, feeling as if she had ruined the atmosphere a bit. She was taken by a sudden shiver, and raised her hands to rub them against her arms. The air had gotten chillier after the sunset, and away from the fire she could feel the wind a little better.

Castiel frowned, but finally seemed to register Dean's words, that sounded like a message from the Lord to his clouded mind. He finally tore himself away from the other man, and shook his head. "No, you're right. I have to- resist. Fight this." He cleared his throat. "Good night, Dean." He stumbled again, but finally walked towards the house where he was supposed to sleep.

Sam wrapped an arm around Eileen, gently rubbing her shoulder before he gestured for her to get up with the second one. He was smiling kindly, so the atmosphere didn't seem ruined to him. "You're cold. Do you want to go home?"

Dean blinked, not understanding why Castiel was suddenly so eager to get away from him. He tried not to feel a little hurt in his pride and decided to just shrug, letting him go. "Alright. Well - goodnight then, Cas", he said, not bothering to call him with his full name. "Remember, if you or your siblings need anything during the night, we live just across the street."

Eileen looked up at Sam as she got on her feet, feeling flustered by the sudden vicinity. No man aside from her brothers and father had ever touched her naked skin before - and this one very, very attractive man was currently holding her close to his (also very naked) body now! She managed to reign ehrself back in again and smiled lightly, nodding at him. "Yes, please. I'm starting to feel a little tired too", she admitted. "I don't think I'm ready for the week-long celebrations yet", she added joking.

Upon hearing Dean's last words, Castiel paused before he entered the house, and looked one last time at Dean. He smiled a little awkwardly and nodded. "Thank you. For everything." Finally, he got inside, to collapse on the nearest bed they had set.

Sam smiled at Eileen and nodded, finally guiding her towards the place where she would sleep for the night. He kept an arm around her however, and gently rubbed her chilled skin from time to time, with no ill intentions.
As soon as they were back to the plaza level however, Raphael rushed towards them as quickly as he could, looking mildly angry to see Sam touching his sister that way. After a few words barked at him, Sam finally let go of Eileen, and raised his hands to try and calm Raphael.

Dean nodded at him, throwing him a little grin and a thumbs up - before turning around to walk back to the plaza as well.

Eileen didn't really get what Raphael was - clearly - yelling, but she was quite sure it had to do with how Sam was holding her. She raised her hands towards him, trying to calm him down. "Raphael- it's alright, I was just cold, Sam was just trying to help me out while he showed me the way back to the place we're sleeping", she signed. "There is no need to be aggressive. He has done nothing inappropriate!"

Raphael sneered. "Not yet," he signed a little moodily. "I know you haven't been around many suitors but trust me, that man is definitely too friendly with you and is escorting you to an area where there is no one. Come, now - we'll get back to the house we've been given."

Sam was obviously struggling to keep up with Raphael's quick, nervous signing, so he turned to look at Eileen, a little confused.

Eileen looked almost offended now. "Whether you believe it or not, I'm not a child, Raphael", she signed back at him. "But these people, Sam included, have been nothing but hospitable and nice to us, and I have no reason not to trust them." She turned to face Sam, looking apologetic - and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry - my brother doesn't..." She hesitated. She didn't want to frame her brother as distrustful and suspicious - even if that was exactly what he was. "... he is very overprotective. He doesn't want a man to stay alone with me, not even to bring me home."