It was clear who had actually practiced swordsmanship, but Alastor couldn't hold back proud little chuckles at effectively dodging swings. Lucifer was precise where Adam had been sloppy, very professionally and neatly falling into the stage play of it all.
That suited Alastor just fine - after all, a real sword fight rarely looked so good or felt so fun. Not the way a dramatized choreography felt.
"Now what part of me seems like he wouldn't enjoy a hearty laugh and clever wit? That perfectly suits my taste!"
"Should I deny myself the enjoyment of new art? No, no no, that won't do!"
The performance deserved a shift in scenery - Alastor feigned receiving a blow, dramatically gasping and leaping back into his room again, dismissing his mic stand and brandishing his fireplace's fire iron. It made a much more satisfying 'whoosh' sound when it swung, after all.
"I have a strong admiration for the likes of Chaplin and Atkinson alike! Just because most entertainment has become meaningless drivel doesn't mean there's not the occasional diamond in the rough."
Hm! Point taken. He even frowned thoughtfully and nodded. Most movies were kind of crap, and you had to look deep for something good. He just figured the walking period piece that was Alastor wasn't all too keen on modern media what with his beef with ol' Flat Face.
He whipped out the iron and Lucifer's eyes lit up. He met that whoosh and clashed with renewed gusto.
"Well of course you've got to tell me your current favorites now, you understand!"
Ahh, much better - the fire iron wasn't part of his Being, so this felt much more like a prop. Alastor backed up as they exchanged 'blows', clanging metal on metal, and he kicked aside ducks in his path so he didn't break his ankles on them.
"I quite enjoyed reading Flowers for Algernon. I did end up begrudgingly sucked into Pan's Labyrinth despite my avoidance of Vox's vapid consumerist productions... and by Charlie's emphatic insistence I watched and admittedly enjoyed What We Do In The Shadows," he listed off, focusing on dramatic dodges and backwards hops, landing steady in the mud as if it were just as solid as stone. "Many of the last few decades' worth of musicals, however, are horribly lacking."
Flowers for Algernon rang a bell, but Pan's Labyrinth... didn't! Sounded like a fantasy. He should look into it. He knew of What We Do In the Shadows, though! That sounded right up her alley.
"...And now you've reminded me that Cats exists! Thanks! That's gonna rot in my brain for a while-"
Clash, clash- whoa... he did NOT need to sink in muck! He lifted off and took to the air. Perhaps now Alastor didn't have to spar with someone so short. Eye to eye!
Ugh! If he admits he hasn't seen it yet, that will open an invitation. Is it better to get dragged into an invitation or play coy?
Alastor bent over backwards to avoid a swing before leaping to the side - instead of sinking into the water, his boots landed on something just below the surface. An alligator, of course! Or rather, a taxidermied gator, though the shadows make it bob and hiss like the real thing.
Well now you've done it, Al! Despite the gasp and the avoidance of what he thought was a very alive alligator, he was focused on this- this piece of news!!
"Wow! I'm shocked! I think you'd enjoy it. I own a recording of a production from the human world, if you'd like to borrow it~?"
Oh, you know what? Offering to loan it so he can watch on his own time, without having to socialize? He might actually watch it, then - especially given it's a proper production and not a studio film.
"Very well! Leave it there, on my writing desk, and I'll get to it eventually," he 'sighed', as if so put-upon! He hooked the iron into the scaly neck of the gator - the thing lunged out of the water, both pitch black and glowing with green magic stitching as it snapped its jaws dramatically at the other duelist.
This time, this time, you get to enjoy it at your own pa-
Whoa! He fluttered back, nearly missing saying goodbye to his dueling arm! He wanted to call foul play for using a familiar, a buddy, or whatever this could be called, but he hadn't had this level of fun in years!
"If your buddy's hungry, I'd be happy to do lunch!" Cane twirled, and a rather large rubber duck manifested in those jaws. Chompy-chomps came with a jolly squeak!
Meanwhile, ooh-hoo-hoo~ a classic of a VHS tape would find up on that writing desk. Take good care of it!
"Come now, you must admit he makes quite a splash!" Alastor guffawed in amusement, stepping on the gator's head and pulling the offending squeaky duck out of its mouth. With a flick of his wrist, the plastic swelled and popped like a balloon - revealing an egg inside.
"Have at thee!" He teased, tossing the egg at Lucifer before unhooking the iron and swinging again, the gator crawling onto the mud towards Lucifer to help Alastor match 'blades'.
The egg trick was pretty neat, earned a joyful giggle. The egg tossed was caught, clutched in his hand, and a dove sprung free. Can't have a circus without the magician, after all!
He only had moments to catch the swung iron, catching it with his cane. He pressed with as much force as he could manage in mid-air, wings frantically beating against the grounded force of the advancing alligator.
"And me without a steed of my own... You're gatorkeeping!!"
"I have a steed, you have wings - this seems appropriately dramatic to me!"
The gator surged again, letting Alastor make a leap and swing towards Lucifer, knowing the seraphim would be able to effortlessly dodge even if he swung with earnest - after all, he wasn't aiming to strike, but to make quite a satisfying, arm-tingling clang against the cane.
Hey, he had a point. But you just can't help a nasty little pun!
The shock ran down his arm and an eye twitched from the feeling. Still he pressed on, tongue touching to the corner of his mouth.
"Nice swing! Whoof, I'll be feeling that tomorr-!"
But that push was enough to involve the weeping willows growing through the makeshift bayou, draped limbs getting caught up in his wings. The first instant was the brief panic of getting stuck that distracted him from his opponent, and the other was realizing how stuck he was, momentary panic as he couldn't get himself free.
Now, Alastor had seen PLENTY of people getting tangled in something in the midst of a fight, thus breaking the tension in the most comedic way possible already.
The fact that it was the King of Hell, the great Deceiver and defiler of Mankind himself, Lucifer Morningstar that got tangled in the simple branches of a willow and some Spanish moss?
Oh, Alastor is going to seize from laughing. He has to stab the fire iron into the taxidermied gator to brace his hands on his knees, laughing himself almost sick and renewing that laughter every time he thinks he's overcome it just by glancing up and seeing Lucifer still tangled in the tree.
Excuse him, he just-- can't muster words or look you in the eye, not yet--
And so he dangled, stuck fully, gently swinging from the branches of at least two neighboring willow trees. The riotous laughter of Alastor echoed through the bayou, and all Lucifer could do is glare at first.
Yeah. Laugh it up.
Laugh it up before he shifts and burns the branches!! ...But... would that start a fire in here? Would that be a fire he could contain?
Would Charlie be angry if he'd burned down a chunk of the Hotel...?
"Yeahp. Mhm. Aaaalright. Get it out of your system." But he did not shift. Instead he puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms, looking more like a surly child in a carrier sling.
He's going to pop a stitch if he keeps laughing like this - Alastor clutches at his chest, willing himself to gradually calm. Oh, hoh hoh, that is going to be a treasured memory.
He's still clutching his chest as he summons his mic again, walking off of the stuffed gator and underneath the trapped angel. He's almost breathless when he finally speaks, "Truly, you are the master class of the anti-climax. Why, I haven't had a good gut-busting laugh in ages! I'm falling apart at the seams, hahah!"
Not just metaphorically, but details. With a tap of his mic stand, tentacles emerged from the swampy mud and wrapped around Lucifer, detangling him from the trees and bringing him back down to earth.
It's not HIS fault your room's so... so swampy!! ...But deep down, he had to admit: It was nice to make someone laugh, even if it was at his own expense. He remembered all of the things he'd-
Thoughts scattered- the tendrils rose from the muck and seized him. His next thought was nothing involving possibly being seized and harmed, trapped... no, it was a strong regret as the slime etched its way across his clothing, the cold of it touching bare skin, and how slippery it all was. They held him like an embrace.
...what
His shoes touched ground, and Lucifer's face was an imprecise mingle of... things he possibly needed to spend a little time unpacking later. But right now, mostly, it was oddly... sporting of him to get him loose and back down.
In futility, he brushed off his now-filthy vest. "...Thank you. Well! We'll call that a draw, I think."
Despite his now mucked appearance, he still made a show of snapping his fingers and, with a merry little pop and a spray of colorful sparkles, the ducks began to self-destruct out of existence one by one.
"Oh, good, I wouldn't want my rare few live gators to choke on one of those wretched plastic lumps," Alastor chuckled - he'd thrown quite a pretty penny at some succubi to bring him baby gators from the mortal world, after all.
And in exchange for such an exquisite laugh and a memory that would have him howling for decades, Alastor oh so kindly offered a red handkerchief from his coat pocket to the king. "I suppose the Garden of Eden hadn't had much in the way of willows and moss?"
It was the principle of the thing, so he accepted the handkerchief, if anything, to clear the muck from his exposed skin. He'd just have to have his clothes professionally cleaned later.
"Oh, Hell no. The Creator wanted nothing that could potentially harm the First Humans. There was the softest moss, the gentlest trees and flowers. Truly, a paradise. Even I found myself reluctant to head back up to check in, as the myths all like to flap their gums about me being the naughtiest boy. You could say I was... distracted."
There was a cocky little grin and a chuckle, but it was very short-lived. He'd even taken pains to polish up the ring he still wore to its utmost shine. By all accounts he should have taken it off, but he just... didn't have the heart to. It'd make it so... final.
"Well! Either way, that was fun. We should do this again sometime. I left you that tape- let me know what you think. ...Whenever you get to it, of course, Mr. Hotelier."
Alastor's eyes did linger on the ring... well, far be it from his place to try and understand a feeling like romance and the loss thereof. It goes unremarked, but clearly not unnoticed.
Instead, he chuckled, whisking the stuffed gator away into the shadows, the bayou comfortably humid, dingy and muddy the way it was always meant to be. "It was a treat to see creativity of yours outside of making endless effigies of ducks, however much they are a point of pride for you," he snickered. At the very least, he wagered he probably didn't sound judgmental tone-wise saying that.
"And you are a fine duelist. -Hey! I'm plenty creative! I just never get the opportunity."
He whipped his sleeves down a couple of times, and only got a few dribbles of muck off. No, this was going to stain unless he moved quickly. Oof, and he was getting cold, too.
He turned and raised a finger of triumph. "And opportunities, I will always seize! Until the next spat, Alastor!"
"Perhaps by then you will learn not to underestimate the riverside! Ah hah hah!"
Alastor gave Lucifer a tap on the shoulder with his mic, amused.
"Do go tell dear Charlie you'll be decorating and customizing the rooms now. With far fewer ducks. Flex a little of that creativity now that you have time to use."
He appreciates that you used a fake gator rather than a real one.
The tap and the instruction had him puff his cheeks briefly. But, you know what, fine.
"I suppose I can lessen the duck numbers and improve their quality... but the rest? Ohh, the rest of the decor is going to be magnificent!"
He'll leave it at that and depart to check in on things elsewhere. He remembered someone mentioning Niffty baking and could possibly sneak a bit of raw cookie dough before the main event~
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sugaronthecream) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
divinetree2024-04-01 08:17 am
no subject
That suited Alastor just fine - after all, a real sword fight rarely looked so good or felt so fun. Not the way a dramatized choreography felt.
"Now what part of me seems like he wouldn't enjoy a hearty laugh and clever wit? That perfectly suits my taste!"
no subject
"Aha, perhaps I misspoke: A relatively modern comedy! I remember the days of old Charlie Chaplin, figured that was more your speed."
no subject
The performance deserved a shift in scenery - Alastor feigned receiving a blow, dramatically gasping and leaping back into his room again, dismissing his mic stand and brandishing his fireplace's fire iron. It made a much more satisfying 'whoosh' sound when it swung, after all.
"I have a strong admiration for the likes of Chaplin and Atkinson alike! Just because most entertainment has become meaningless drivel doesn't mean there's not the occasional diamond in the rough."
no subject
He whipped out the iron and Lucifer's eyes lit up. He met that whoosh and clashed with renewed gusto.
"Well of course you've got to tell me your current favorites now, you understand!"
no subject
"I quite enjoyed reading Flowers for Algernon. I did end up begrudgingly sucked into Pan's Labyrinth despite my avoidance of Vox's vapid consumerist productions... and by Charlie's emphatic insistence I watched and admittedly enjoyed What We Do In The Shadows," he listed off, focusing on dramatic dodges and backwards hops, landing steady in the mud as if it were just as solid as stone. "Many of the last few decades' worth of musicals, however, are horribly lacking."
no subject
"...And now you've reminded me that Cats exists! Thanks! That's gonna rot in my brain for a while-"
Clash, clash- whoa... he did NOT need to sink in muck! He lifted off and took to the air. Perhaps now Alastor didn't have to spar with someone so short. Eye to eye!
"Hold on, what about Sweeney Todd? Be honest!"
no subject
Alastor bent over backwards to avoid a swing before leaping to the side - instead of sinking into the water, his boots landed on something just below the surface. An alligator, of course! Or rather, a taxidermied gator, though the shadows make it bob and hiss like the real thing.
"Haven't seen it."
no subject
"Wow! I'm shocked! I think you'd enjoy it. I own a recording of a production from the human world, if you'd like to borrow it~?"
no subject
"Very well! Leave it there, on my writing desk, and I'll get to it eventually," he 'sighed', as if so put-upon! He hooked the iron into the scaly neck of the gator - the thing lunged out of the water, both pitch black and glowing with green magic stitching as it snapped its jaws dramatically at the other duelist.
no subject
Whoa! He fluttered back, nearly missing saying goodbye to his dueling arm! He wanted to call foul play for using a familiar, a buddy, or whatever this could be called, but he hadn't had this level of fun in years!
"If your buddy's hungry, I'd be happy to do lunch!" Cane twirled, and a rather large rubber duck manifested in those jaws. Chompy-chomps came with a jolly squeak!
Meanwhile, ooh-hoo-hoo~ a classic of a VHS tape would find up on that writing desk. Take good care of it!
no subject
"Have at thee!" He teased, tossing the egg at Lucifer before unhooking the iron and swinging again, the gator crawling onto the mud towards Lucifer to help Alastor match 'blades'.
no subject
He only had moments to catch the swung iron, catching it with his cane. He pressed with as much force as he could manage in mid-air, wings frantically beating against the grounded force of the advancing alligator.
"And me without a steed of my own... You're gatorkeeping!!"
no subject
The gator surged again, letting Alastor make a leap and swing towards Lucifer, knowing the seraphim would be able to effortlessly dodge even if he swung with earnest - after all, he wasn't aiming to strike, but to make quite a satisfying, arm-tingling clang against the cane.
Yahoo! Rolled a 1!
The shock ran down his arm and an eye twitched from the feeling. Still he pressed on, tongue touching to the corner of his mouth.
"Nice swing! Whoof, I'll be feeling that tomorr-!"
But that push was enough to involve the weeping willows growing through the makeshift bayou, draped limbs getting caught up in his wings. The first instant was the brief panic of getting stuck that distracted him from his opponent, and the other was realizing how stuck he was, momentary panic as he couldn't get himself free.
no subject
The fact that it was the King of Hell, the great Deceiver and defiler of Mankind himself, Lucifer Morningstar that got tangled in the simple branches of a willow and some Spanish moss?
Oh, Alastor is going to seize from laughing. He has to stab the fire iron into the taxidermied gator to brace his hands on his knees, laughing himself almost sick and renewing that laughter every time he thinks he's overcome it just by glancing up and seeing Lucifer still tangled in the tree.
Excuse him, he just-- can't muster words or look you in the eye, not yet--
no subject
Yeah. Laugh it up.
Laugh it up before he shifts and burns the branches!! ...But... would that start a fire in here? Would that be a fire he could contain?
Would Charlie be angry if he'd burned down a chunk of the Hotel...?
"Yeahp. Mhm. Aaaalright. Get it out of your system." But he did not shift. Instead he puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms, looking more like a surly child in a carrier sling.
no subject
He's still clutching his chest as he summons his mic again, walking off of the stuffed gator and underneath the trapped angel. He's almost breathless when he finally speaks, "Truly, you are the master class of the anti-climax. Why, I haven't had a good gut-busting laugh in ages! I'm falling apart at the seams, hahah!"
Not just metaphorically, but details. With a tap of his mic stand, tentacles emerged from the swampy mud and wrapped around Lucifer, detangling him from the trees and bringing him back down to earth.
no subject
Thoughts scattered- the tendrils rose from the muck and seized him. His next thought was nothing involving possibly being seized and harmed, trapped... no, it was a strong regret as the slime etched its way across his clothing, the cold of it touching bare skin, and how slippery it all was. They held him like an embrace.
...what
His shoes touched ground, and Lucifer's face was an imprecise mingle of... things he possibly needed to spend a little time unpacking later. But right now, mostly, it was oddly... sporting of him to get him loose and back down.
In futility, he brushed off his now-filthy vest. "...Thank you. Well! We'll call that a draw, I think."
Despite his now mucked appearance, he still made a show of snapping his fingers and, with a merry little pop and a spray of colorful sparkles, the ducks began to self-destruct out of existence one by one.
no subject
And in exchange for such an exquisite laugh and a memory that would have him howling for decades, Alastor oh so kindly offered a red handkerchief from his coat pocket to the king. "I suppose the Garden of Eden hadn't had much in the way of willows and moss?"
no subject
"Oh, Hell no. The Creator wanted nothing that could potentially harm the First Humans. There was the softest moss, the gentlest trees and flowers. Truly, a paradise. Even I found myself reluctant to head back up to check in, as the myths all like to flap their gums about me being the naughtiest boy. You could say I was... distracted."
There was a cocky little grin and a chuckle, but it was very short-lived. He'd even taken pains to polish up the ring he still wore to its utmost shine. By all accounts he should have taken it off, but he just... didn't have the heart to. It'd make it so... final.
"Well! Either way, that was fun. We should do this again sometime. I left you that tape- let me know what you think. ...Whenever you get to it, of course, Mr. Hotelier."
no subject
Instead, he chuckled, whisking the stuffed gator away into the shadows, the bayou comfortably humid, dingy and muddy the way it was always meant to be. "It was a treat to see creativity of yours outside of making endless effigies of ducks, however much they are a point of pride for you," he snickered. At the very least, he wagered he probably didn't sound judgmental tone-wise saying that.
no subject
He whipped his sleeves down a couple of times, and only got a few dribbles of muck off. No, this was going to stain unless he moved quickly. Oof, and he was getting cold, too.
He turned and raised a finger of triumph. "And opportunities, I will always seize! Until the next spat, Alastor!"
no subject
Alastor gave Lucifer a tap on the shoulder with his mic, amused.
"Do go tell dear Charlie you'll be decorating and customizing the rooms now. With far fewer ducks. Flex a little of that creativity now that you have time to use."
no subject
The tap and the instruction had him puff his cheeks briefly. But, you know what, fine.
"I suppose I can lessen the duck numbers and improve their quality... but the rest? Ohh, the rest of the decor is going to be magnificent!"
He'll leave it at that and depart to check in on things elsewhere. He remembered someone mentioning Niffty baking and could possibly sneak a bit of raw cookie dough before the main event~