[ sam is...glad that his mind doesn't need to be read. not that he even knew cas could do that, but still. whether or not sam has much to hide (and, considering he doesn't care much if people go snooping around what is basically the inside of his mind that he puts up as the house in his horizon, that much is pretty obvious), it's the principle of the matter.

still, cas asks and sam has to pause and think about it. which may or may not say more than his actual answer does. that he has to think about it. that he's been here long enough and he's had it happen enough times. ]

Depends on what you wanna call 'suddenly'. I've had...three? Four? That showed up less than a month after they disappeared. More that took longer than a month.

[ they're old wounds now, though some hurt a little more than others. people he'll see when he heads back home, versus those who never will. it's hard not to think of mal, but even that has been nearly nine months ago.

sam takes a breath. shrugs. ] The Singularity's not exactly trustworthy, so it's something we all have to be prepared for.