They were lucky that the rooms were numbered in tally marks and that Cas and Dean could both read them. There was a proper door on it, that used a latch and confused both of them, but they made it inside and were impressed.

"Where's the nest?" Dean asked.

Two small windows (which were just openings in the stone) let a little bit of light dribble inside, enough for Cas to light the candle which sat on a small, wooden table. Its warm glow was welcome within the cold, silent walls.

"This is the nest," said Cas.

He was pointing at a proper bed that sat against the wall. It was low to the ground and just barely wide enough for two people to lie down. A blanket was spread on top and a pair of pillows rested cozily.

"This?!"

Dean walked to the bed and picked up the pillows.

"Shit, they could have at least made it up nicer, right?"

He began to tousle the covers around, all the while Cas just stood there holding the egg.

"We um," the beta began, "We are supposed to lay down with our heads there, and we put the blanket over us."

"That sounds uncomfortable. How d'you know about that?"

"The first fairy and her mate had a bed like this. They liked it."

"Huh."

Dean sucked his teeth and stared down at the bed. He put the pillows back where they had originally sat, then looked to Cas and smiled.

"Did you see where we wash up?" he asked.

"No. I'll ask."

Dean wouldn't let Cas leave the room alone so he joined him as they returned to the front desk. After inquiring, they learned that a room at the end of the hallway was for bathroom needs.

"I'll send Jo to help you out, since you can't read an' all," the innkeeper said.

He called for his attendant, who was a young, blonde woman wearing clothes that were designed for flexibility rather than fashion. She clearly spent her days toiling away at the inn.

"Yeah, Bobby?"

"Show this couple the washroom."

"Oh, sure. Okay."

Jo gave a slight nod before turning to Cas and Dean. She told them to follow her back upstairs, which they did, and then she led them to the room at the end of the hallway.

It would have smelled worse if the ventilation wasn't as efficient. There were so many windows that the outer walls looked like a jail cell. They could see ribbons of the city through each slotted opening, though it was mostly just the fire of the lampposts flickering.

"This is water for washing," Jo said, directing their attention to a large basin that sat upon a table. She pointed to a few urns next to it. "Those have fresh spring water. You can drink that or do anything else, just don't contaminate it."

"Spring water?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, there's a spring in the middle of the city." Jo smiled. "You should check it out in the morning."

"Sounds cool," said Dean.

"And this here," Jo continued, pointing to the last and largest bowl of water, "Is more water that you can wash up in. Don't drink it."

"Okay."

"Any more questions?" asked Jo.

"I guess it's obvious what that's for, right?" he said, pointing to the opposing wall.

There was a long, boxlike bench from corner to corner that had four large holes on the top. You could easily sit on them.

"Hah, yeah," Jo laughed. "You can put any waste water down there, too. I like to take some water into my own bowl and use a towel to clean up."

"Smart," Dean agreed.

"Any more questions?"

"Yes, actually," said Cas. He smiled sheepishly. "Where exactly do the holes carry the waste water?"

Jo raised an eyebrow.

"The pipes. They go downstairs and then through the city."

"Really?"

Cas couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at Dean, who was equally as impressed and astonished. Jo gave them a wary smirk.

"Then where does the waste go?" Cas asked further.

"Uh, place outside the city. I don't know. Do you need anything else?"

The couple exchanged positive glances.

"We're good," said Dean. "Thanks for your time."

"Of course. If you need me, I'll be in my room. Good night."

"Night."

"Thank you."

As soon as Jo left, Dean dropped his pants and sat down on the bench toilet to relieve himself.

"That's good," he grunted. "Way better than squatting in the woods, huh?"

Cas shrugged. He only took a piss and then got some water for Dean to clean up with. They both washed and then went back to their room.

"This is the craziest thing," Dean said upon returning.

Cas disrobed and sat on the bed.

"What, their sorts of nesting?"

"No."

Dean took all of his clothes off, too. He was feeling nice and clean.

"I mean this whole place—paying for a room, crapping into a tube…different, huh?"

"It's a very arranged hospitality, I'd say."

Cas took the blankets down, trying to straighten up the mess Dean had left, and cuddled into bed.

"Try it."

Dean let out a sigh and joined Cas in bed. The hay-stuffed mattress was strange and the wool-filled pillows felt even stranger. He copied Cas and did his best to get comfortable while also following proper bed etiquette.

"It's weird," Dean said after a bit of tossing and turning. "How's the egg do with it?"

Cas had it in his arms with the fairy dress keeping it warm.

"Well, I think."

Dean turned on his side to face Cas. He leaned forward and gave him a kiss, which they held for a few nice moments.

"Try to sleep, Dean. We've been so busy…"

"What's tomorrow?"

Cas closed his eyes.

"We'll explore the city. Spend our money…it's not worth much anywhere else, is it?"

"I dunno. If the town the pack's in is anything like Lawrence, maybe we should hang onto it."

"We have more gold."

"But does the town have a banker?"

Cas hummed.

"Good point. We'll figure it out in the morning."

"Night, Cas."

"Sleep well, my love."

The morning started with a bang. It became suddenly obvious to Cas and Dean that there were many people staying at the inn along with them. Right as the sun was coming out, everyone else rose, too, and were making a great noise about it. Most of it came from downstairs.

"Urgh," Dean groaned.

He had managed to get comfortable in the bed and had Cas in his arms. He pulled him closer in response to the sounds of people around them.

"Aah," Cas gasped, "What is that…"

"People."

More sleep certainly wouldn't happen, so the couple gave up and decided to start their day.

"Where can I catch something?" Dean wondered out loud as he dressed.

"The river runs through the city, so we can head there and fish."

"Where do we cook it?"

"We'll look around."

They came downstairs to get their cart, but stopped when they found the source of all the noise—the area around Bobby, the innkeeper, which had been empty the night before was now full of people. They were sitting at the other tables with cups, bowls and eating utensils, eating and talking loudly. Jo could be seen wandering between them all with large, flat plates.

"Uh, 'xcuse me, Bobby?"

Dean leaned over to front desk and got the innkeepers attention.

"Mmhm?"

"What's going on here?"

Bobby looked at Dean as if he had three heads.

"Breakfast. What's it look like?"

"People cooking somewhere in here? We were wondering about that, actually. Where can I catch a fish around here?"

Bobby laughed.

"Catch a fish? Good luck! You think the fishermen'll let you take their crop?"

Dean furrowed his brow. He looked at Cas momentarily, hoping to get some further explanation but the beta simply shrugged and touched their egg.

"I don't understand," said Dean. "How do you guys eat?"

"Damn. You really aren't from around here, are you?"

"No."

The older man took a deep breath, sighed, then stood from his chair. With his hands on the desk to support himself, he leaned closer to Dean and spoke in a low voice (Cas wondered if this was him being polite and avoiding unwanted attention).

"This ain't a farm," Bobby explained. "They're outside the city. Within these walls, folks pay for their food. If you work catching fish, you're on a team of fishermen and you get paid to do that, then you sell the fish to inns and taverns that cook 'em. Make sense?"

Dean frowned.

"We have to pay for food? We can't just catch it?"

"Not unless you want to go out of the city. Or, well, if you live here. Buy some property and you'll have space ta' cook. But just visiting? You'll have to buy it."

"Why can't I just fish?" Dean argued, flaring his nostrils. Life in the city was very different than being a hunter.

Bobby snorted.

"I told ya! The fishermen won't let that happen!"

"And who tells the fishermen what to do?"

"Was organized by the Lawrence Officials!"

"The who?"

"The Lawrence Officials! Used to be the king who put the groups together. He'd give his blessings to a worthy citizen who wanted to get folks together and start a group—fishermen, farmers, builders, what have ya…but now it's all the Officials."

Cas nudged into the conversation now.

"Um, Bobby…what...what happened to this king?"

"Killed by Azazel's crowd."

"Who?"

Bobby sighed.

"Azazel. Now I ain't here to give you a history lesson. If you want answers, go to the library. It's part of the castle. So do you wanna eat here or no?"

Dean made a small sound of protest. It was difficult to tell what Bobby thought about them.

"How much is it?"

"One grat per head."

"Sounds reasonable."

Dean gave the innkeeper two gratz, and the older man took them gratefully.

"You'd be surprised," he said with a sigh. "JO! Got two more over here."

"Okay! Just a second…"

"You fellas can take a seat if you'd like."

"Thanks," said Dean.

Cas grabbed his arm and they went to sit down. They watched what the other guests were doing—it was difficult to determine which people made up a group or if they were all just really friendly. Everyone was having a good time, though. There was plenty of laughing, drinking, and a few folks were smoking pipes. The clatter of cutlery and general noisiness of people filled the small room. Dean and Cas had overlooked the windows last night since they had shutters keeping them closed, but now they were open and letting the morning light pour in.

"Here you go!"

Jo came to their table with a big plate full of food. There were two plates and two cups.

"What is this?" asked Cas.

Jo giggled.

"It's breakfast!"

They watched as she set their meals down. Cas didn't know what to do—he had never had food a stranger prepared, and he had never seen food quite like that!

"Enjoy!"

She quickly turned away and disappeared into a room in the back, leaving the couple feeling more and more like outsiders.

"What is this?" Cas asked Dean.

On each plate was a couple slices of sausage, a handful of small, round fruits and a big slice of cheese. There was also a crumbly piece of bread.

"No idea."

Dean glanced over at the table next to theirs and saw three men eating with their hands. They drank voraciously and plopped piece after piece of food into their mouths. Cas picked up a slice of sausage and ate it carefully.

"It's meat," he said, puckering his lips, "But salty. Very salty."

"That's a good thing, right? Salt's good."

Dean took a bite of sausage, too, and seemed to enjoy it much better than Cas. He wasn't fond of the cheese though, but the bread and fruit were good. Cas agreed about the latter two.

"What do you think it's made out of?" Dean pondered, watching as Cas took the cheese from his plate and ate it.

"I don't know. I've never tasted such a thing! But it's good. We'll have to find out."

The drink wasn't water, either. There seemed to be no end to the new experiences, and this was only their first morning!

Cas took a sip and swallowed pensively. Dean slushed his around in his mouth.

"Is this a kind of dizzy-drink?" Cas asked.

"I don't think so…"

"It's not tea…right?"

They both had another sip and thought about it more. Jo reappeared with a big urn in her hand.

"More juice?"

"More what?" asked Dean.

"Juice!"

"What is that?"

The young woman laughed.

"Apple juice."

"What what?"

"Apple juice! It's…here, have some more."

She refilled the cups and they both drank.

"It's made from apples. Fruits, you know."

Jo said nothing more and walked away, going to refill the other guests' cups.

"Oh!" Cas gasped. "The red fruits! The hard, red fruits. Yes, exactly! I didn't know you could make a drink from them."

Dean smirked. He realized what Cas was talking about.

"I think we're gonna learn a lot of new things in Lawrence."