02 – A Hunch

Though Selina had many unanswered questions left bouncing around in her mind, she put them on the backburner. She was breathing air that didn't reek of melted flesh or unhygienic victims of torture. She could now breathe fresh, Earth air. She could feel the sun's rays and take note of all the colors of Earth instead of being stuck with nothing but black and red to look at through her cell.

I'm really hoping she drops me off somewhere that has a shower. I definitely could use one. If I go out in public like this, I'll attract attention. The point is for Dean Winchester to not know he's being watched.

The two demons' drive continued in silence. Lissa drove them into a big town, with constant running traffic from the sidewalks to the streets. It was no New York, but it was still fairly busy and buzzing. As they zipped by, Selina caught glimpses of faces, humans only. The only demonic face she saw currently was Lissa's.

Lissa pulled the car over close to the sidewalk. Selina looked out her window. They were stopped near a bar.

"Dean Winchester has been lying around in this town. Though we have no real eyes on him, save you right now, it's a good hunch he likes to frequent here," Lissa informed Selina.

"Really? Here?" Selina wrinkled her nose. "Couldn't be bothered to let me look presentable before walking in there? I'll look like a sore!"

"Or maybe you'll not get attention at all. Humans aren't the most observant creatures."

"It doesn't mean Dean won't be. If he hunts things like you and me..." It was a chilling reminder, that Dean Winchester was aware of the world he truly lived in. "He might question why I look like I just dug myself out of the ground. And besides, we're basing this on a hunch. This isn't confirmed."

"It will or it won't be. But it certainly won't be until you get your ass in there and start looking."

Huffing, Selina got out of the car. Already, humans were giving her strange glances. None stopped by to talk to her though or ask her questions. It seemed as they didn't want to be bothered.

"I'll be in touch," said Lissa. Acting almost human, putting on the car's turn signal before pulling out of her spot, the demon pulled back out onto the road and disappeared.

Selina glanced at the bar before her. Inside could be her assignment, or not at all. Lissa said he's in town. If he's not here, he might be elsewhere. If Dean Winchester wasn't in the bar, then where in the hell would he be in this town?

As a pair of humans left the bar, it allowed the overwhelming scent of food to slip into Selina's nose. Her stomach growled in automatic reaction, the loudest, she believed, was ever heard on this goddamn planet. Intrigued with the possibility of food, Selina stepped inside.

For the middle of the day, the local bar was pretty packed. Well, it must be five o'clock somewhere, right? She wouldn't mind taking perch at a booth, snatching some nourishment for herself while she observed.

Shit. Lissa never gave me money.

Selina coughed, feeling the cigarette smoke snake into her lungs. Great. It almost made the food scent unappealing. Almost.

Selina took herself a stool up at the bar. For...almost too long for her to remember, being locked away downstairs was her normal. Being tormented in her cell, or in a separate room where every other Hell resident could hear her screams, was her normal. This, being at a bar, eyes taking in all items on the menu laid out before her, was not.

She was hardly complaining.

Selina's nose wrinkled as the smoke scent grew stronger. Though she knew secondhand smoking wouldn't kill a demon (at least, she believed so), it was becoming a nuisance. She didn't want it filling her lungs, it made her mind navigate towards her memories of smelling burning flesh, whether it was hers or someone else's.

When Selina ordered her food and drink, she went back to marveling how well put together she was. She thought when coming topside her scars inflicted in Hell would appear on her skin here. The only scars she knew that still lingered were inner.

Dean, bring me on a goose chase, I want to enjoy what time I can out here. But don't screw things up for me, I don't want to get punished. Now, if only she could find the said subject of her stalking for the King.

Selina's order arrived as she searched. Not that she expected Dean to be at this bar of all places. She was making it a quick habit for herself to be constantly vigilant. If she screwed this up, it probably wouldn't be long before she'd be nabbed by fellow demons and brought back to Hell...or wherever she would go. And she bet that Lissa would be the one to nab her from the field.

Selina started on the food first, taking a huge bite out of the burger. The juices dripped, tempting her to almost lap them up like a dog. She'd felt starved for ages. It reminded her of...when she was human.

Selina forced her thoughts onto her food, refusing to think back to her early torture days. She had a job to do. She just needed to find her—

"Don't stuff yourself, otherwise you'll choke," a voice interrupted her concentration.

Almost proving the voice right, Selina nearly choked on her food. With some time, she got the bite down, chasing it down with her drink. Her face puckered, as she tasted the alcohol through the sweetness. She turned towards the voice, ready with a retort, but her mouth stopped short.

Selina wasn't the only demon in this bar. And the demon wasn't Lissa.

Shit. Is he an informant for the King? I haven't even been at this for a day! They don't trust me to do this by myself. Panic seized Selina's chest. She didn't want to flee, she hadn't finished her food yet. But the prospect of this demon being one of the King's...

"You can't honestly be scared by me, can you?" he chuckled. Selina saw past his true face, his demon face, to look at the meatsuit he was occupying.

If Selina had almost choked before, had she not swallowed her previous bite, she might've choked at the sight of him—his meatsuit rather. Boy, he was attractive. She wasn't sure where to start. Maybe it was his mussed hair, or those mischievous green eyes. Or maybe it was the way that that smirk on his face oozed confidence.

Selina was glad she wasn't oozing anything at the sight of him.

"No—just surprised." She winced at the high squeak of her voice.

"Fresh out?"

"Fresh out of what?"

"You can see my face, I can see yours. No need to play dumb."

"That obvious?"

"Well, you keep eyeing yourself up like you haven't seen a human body before. Humans do that if they're drunk off their ass or high out of their mind. You're clearly not human."

"Neither are you." He hasn't made a comment about my dirty appearance. As Selina ran her tongue over her teeth through her closed mouth, she felt a piece of food stuck in the gap between her two front teeth. Why in the hell am I caring about that right now? Be on guard! You don't know who he is, or his motive. "I would say I don't run into a lot of demons, but I just got liberated out of Hell, so..."

"As in, you got out yourself?"

"Nope, out on good behavior." Selina shrugged. "Weird, right?"

The man's brows furrowed. "Yeah. Not a lot get out. Fewer get out alive." His eyes looked around the bar. "Got a hot date?"

"I can't enjoy my freedom by myself at a bar? I gotta take in all the smells: secondhand smoke, desperation, alcohol, sex...all that good stuff."

"Yeah, that sums up a place like this for you." He ordered himself a bottle of beer. "You got a name?"

"Selina." Damn it, I should have used an alias. Dumbass. "You?"

The man scoffed. "You clearly don't know who I am, otherwise you would have ran out of this place the second you saw me."

"Huh?"

"The name's Dean Winchester."