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[usedtopray]

Although Claire had, grudgingly, given up the Grigori sword when she'd first arrived, and even though she had eventually stopped sulking about it and even quit looking for ways to bring it up in conversation, she had never stopped thinking about the weapon. For while she did understand why Castiel had taken it from her, and while it was true she hadn't needed it to date, in her mind the sword was still very much hers. It had felt that way since the moment she'd stabbed the original owner with it and the feeling that she was missing something, a piece of her, had never quite gone away after it had been placed out of her reach.

Chewing absently on her lower lip, she cast a quick look around the room. She'd asked Adam for somewhere that she and Castiel could practice without any interruptions. Somewhere that they couldn't break anything or would draw any unwanted attention. The kid had more than delivered on her request, she had to admit.

The building was on the edge of town, near a rock quarry. On the outside, it looked just as abandoned and run down as any old factory might. On the inside, however, it was absolutely pristine, with no signs of anything industrial whatsoever. The floor was padded, as were the walls. It almost resembled a gymnasium of sorts, but far more sparse. The potential to add more areas, though - a corner with a punching bag, and maybe some targets for knife throwing practice - well, Claire could almost picture it.

With a shake of her head, she returned to attention to the here and now. The idea was a fun one to consider but not now. No, right now, they had to prepare for whatever was brewing on the horizon, which meant she needed to take this seriously and really focus on learning how to use her sword without cutting off her own foot or something.

That is, if Castiel ever showed up. It wasn't like him to be late. Claire glanced at her watch then sighed. Ok, so maybe he wasn't late. Maybe she was a little early. By almost an hour. In her defense, she really was anxious to get started.

"Right," she muttered as she began pulling her hair up into a ponytail, "well, might as well stretch out a bit while I wait. Nobody likes pulled muscles."

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[usedtopray]

In the few seconds that followed Adam's toying with reality, nothing seemed to really happen. Yes, the non-humans present could feel reality shift slightly but there wasn't anything tangible. No proof he'd done anything.

Ten seconds later, however, was another story entirely.

It hit Claire like a ton of bricks. One minute she was fine and the next, she felt herself falling backward as though the memories had literally hit her in the face. They hadn't, of course, but her mind was not capable of keeping her muscles working so she could stay upright while simultaneously trying to absorb years worth of knowledge.

Then it was over. Claire laid perfectly still for a few more moments, simply focusing on her breathing. Once she was sure she could manage that much, she reopened her eyes. Finally, she sat back up.

"Okay," she breathed out, "first off." She looked at Adam. "Next time, less trying to melt my brain at once, please. I get time is of the essence but seriously." Then she looked to her father and Castiel. "And I'll share with the class just as soon as I can get my brain to stop throbbing. Promise."

Because seriously. Ow.