As Cas stepped out of the bomb shelter with Iris, his gaze wandered to the closest buildings nearby. Even though it felt like they had traveled far the evening before, it seemed like they hadn’t left the run-down part of the district yet. Everything manmade that he could see looked old and damaged. It obviously hadn’t been taken care of by maintenance workers for quite some time. The sight wasn’t very reassuring to him, since it meant they were probably still far from the capital, but at least it meant they had a decent chance of staying hidden from the rebels. He didn’t think the members of the Scourge would spend very much time in an area like this if they didn’t have to.

Turning away from the city’s edge, he followed Iris into the trees, walking carefully to keep from tripping on any roots or brambles. He was already sore enough as it was, so the last thing he needed was to fall and give himself more bruises. Fortunately, he didn’t have any trouble aside from the lingering ache from his preexisting injuries, and he made it to the river without stumbling. He knelt in the grass beside the water’s edge and rolled his sleeves back to keep them dry. Before he could dip his hands into the cool liquid, however, he paused at the sight of his own reflection.

It was slightly distorted by ripples, but he could still make out his face as clear as day. The Cas he saw staring back at him almost looked like a different person though. His hair was bedraggled, and his usually clean-shaven jawline was peppered with stubble. Across one cheek, a dark bruise had formed where Regis had punched him; and across the other, he could see a long, thin cut from the glass shard that had grazed him when the rebel leader had smashed his bottle. Smudges of old blood mixed with dirt painted his skin in random locations, starkly visible against the naturally light tone of his visage.

[color=#b97703][i]I look like a hot mess,[/i][/color] he cringed, understanding now why Iris had suggested he clean himself up. He cupped his hands together and dipped them into the river, bringing some of the water up to his face to scrub away the grime. At the same time, he listened to her explain that she couldn’t buy groceries because she didn’t have any money. The revelation was mildly surprising to him, since he’d thought she would have at least a few credits to get them by while they were on the run. However, he supposed she must have been in too big of a hurry to think about grabbing any spare change on their way out. It was an inconvenience, but he was sure they could manage even if they had to beg on the streets a little to secure a meal.

[color=#b97703]“We’ll figure it out,”[/color] he assured her, checking his reflection again to make sure he’d cleaned off as much blood and dirt as he could. Once he was satisfied with his work, he dried his face with the sleeve of his hoodie and turned toward her. The mention that pharmaceutical goods were usually stolen brought a frown to his lips. [color=#b97703]“No taxis and no pharmacies? You keep saying you don’t have some of these things, but I don’t get it,”[/color] he shook his head. [color=#b97703]“That just doesn’t make any sense. Maybe this area doesn’t have any, but what about the nicer parts of this district? If Tongsen doesn’t have any pharmacies, how does anyone buy medicine?”[/color]