The touch of the tail at his ear had Alastor hesitate. His ear flicked a little at the touch, but it... wasn't unpleasant. Hmm. It brought to mind many previous curious hands, though... some that were rough and got bitten for it, and others that were gentle when he shouldn't have allowed that sort of gentleness from them.
...
Hmm. File that away for another day. He stood heading towards the kitchen and leaving Lucifer to his swaddled prison. "Cream or sugar at all, dear boy?"
He was about to say a little of both, but he remembered that he'd had boatloads of snacks and soft drinks before falling asleep during the movie night. Maybe... maybe something more like a dessert would just have him back in his nightmare.
"Just a little cream to smooth it out. ...Thank you."
With a snap of his fingers in acknowledgement, Alastor disappeared into the kitchen to prepare that for them. He only needed as much time as it took the kettle to heat - he preferred his pour-overs, after all, sufficiently simple and not time-consuming.
That, and he always had a stash of very lovely coffee he splurged what resources he did have to get. Some lovely low-acid blend and a bit of cream in the green mug for Lucifer. That is, the green mug with a barista deer on it with the words "Star-Bucks" underneath, matching his own "Oh, Deer!" red mug.
He'll walk back with the mugs and sit back on the sofa. "Here you are."
"If you did, I sure didn't notice. You make a good cup of coffee, Bambi. The kind that doesn't need much, if at all, to really get you going."
Another drink.
"I've had... convenience store coffees, gas station types, to swing to the other side of the spectrum. Colored me curious, though the clerks at the front counter about died of shock, wondering what a Morningstar was doing at a 7666. But those are coffees that need all the milk in the world to muddle the taste of an old burner, of sediment that's been sitting at the bottom of the pot for the day and the day before. Of course, I've also had indie shop coffees that try too hard, and aren't worth the price. It's all about hitting a happy medium and pushing forward what you know about your beans."
On that, Alastor can certainly agree. There's no rush to answer, letting the bitter and nutty notes sing on his palate and appreciating the moment, first.
"Grinding your own beans and doing a simple pour-over is a convenient and rather easy way to go about it, I find. Getting beans sourced from anywhere on Earth is far too expensive, but I have found a rather nice family business that grows coffee in Wrath - rare they ever deliver to Pride, but I've made a Deal to get some of their beans set aside for me," he mused.
"Must be much less claustrophobic in other Rings, I wager."
"It is," he answered simply. "And you wouldn't believe the number of petitions I get to lift the restriction."
With a sigh, he leaned back against the cushions. "I practically have a box for them all to go in. It's... it's just not that simple. Nothing about any of this is simple, cut and dry."
Finally, he managed to get an arm free, and relieved his tail. He'd tucked the duck to sit on his shoulder and remain vigilant.
"But I try to explain why, and it's forgotten in two generations. It just becomes a lesson in futility."
"Meant to keep the Exorcists from going further down, isn't it? Though I can't imagine that old treaty will still be holding up at this point, hmm?"
He chuckles. Nothing is ever simple, or straightforward. That's always been the case.
"Though I imagine the hellborn wouldn't be terribly keen on a disruption of their spaces with Sinners starting to expand and fight for territory there, either."
He nodded. It kept the Exorcists to one Ring, and helped his pardon of all hellborn be upheld. ...Fat lot of good that did, when not only was poor Dazzle killed, but Charlie was moments away from death at the hands of Adam.
"I'm waiting for word from Heaven involving that treaty, though by all accounts, I doubt Sera would want to see this face again if she could help it. I wish I could join those discussions, but..."
He felt cold again. Would they all turn away and remind him of old times? He'd be a ghost again, or humiliated throughout all over again.
He drank more of the coffee. Let it warm him. "It's going to be up to Charlie. If anyone knows what needs to be said and discussed, it's going to be my daughter. As for the Rings, it... well."
He looked up. "You've seen the turf wars. You know the V's, and the other Overlords better than me. They'd love nothing more than to take what they could of all of Hell. And I know Mammon more than anyone- He would drown in so much energy, and-..."
"I always wondered why you never bothered to clean house yourself," Alastor chuckled a little. He already knew how Hellborn and Sins tended to work, thanks to cornering a few Goetia in some Deals... but hearing from Lucifer himself was interesting. What else could be learned, he wondered?
"Though if you simply didn't have the heart for it, that would make sense, hah hah. I think Charlie's warm little heart twists in pretzels if she has to raise her hand against someone."
"I can't say I've never bothered. There were eras where I... had to respond." He leaned his head back, closed his eyes.
"At the start, I sat back and Lily sang, inspired the Sinners that fell after her. The numbers would grow, and it quickly moved past the idea of potential camaraderie with others scorned by Heaven. Some Sinners thought they could run things better... made attempts on the Queen and myself to usurp the throne, which were quelled. Those were the days where I first turned a blade on Sinners. I made myself something of a tyrant, showing examples of what not to do, to never cross the Morningstars. I even did the whole 'heads on pikes' thing, as distasteful as I thought it was. But it worked... to a degree. That was when my first message from Sera came through. My first time speaking with her, in fact, since the day that I Fell."
He paused. The scowl formed, deepened.
"That's also when I learned Heaven had been watching us. They wondered if Hell would rise to conquer Heaven, what with all the grumbling. Heaven has an amazing inability to listen to anyone. I was covered in the blood of Sinners, so why should they listen to the devil? That's... that's when I was told that I 'no longer had Hell under control'. And hey... maybe she was right. As much as I disagreed, as much as I tried to challenge her, that year was when the first Purge occurred. 'For the greater good', she'd said."
He remembered that day. Her eyes hadn't even turned to him as she spoke with him. Perhaps it was the blood, but... he had grown weary of being spoken over, looked through.
Should he be telling anyone any of this? No... but he was so tired, he was so cold. He just couldn't bring himself to care.
"...Hmm." Alastor's eyes narrowed, quite specifically at the moment that Sera's 'judgment' had been passed. No, that timing didn't make sense. If Lucifer had just turned his blade and proven he would cut down those that tried to defy the Morningstars, why would Sera's solution to that then be... the Exorcisms? Mere moments after the angel that Heaven once knew as 'naive' and 'foolhardy' had proven that he could turn his blade against the Sinners and that he would not be cowed.
Something stunk.
Was Heaven more afraid then of a revolting Hell, seeing how Lucifer could actually use force to subjugate his peoples? With Lilith still inspiring a fiery fervor of discontent? Or was there something else at play?
"This Sera seems like a particularly Machiavellian sort, doesn't she?"
In response, he gave an exasperated sigh. "The Plan, the Plan, the Plan! Everything was all about the Plan! Can't deviate from the Plan! Earth should be like this, these concepts have been approved, this is what the Creator wants, the dust should not be wasted! We must do only what is required to fit with the Plan!"
He laughed, a thin sound as he lost his breath, and brought his other hand to his forehead.
"I don't even know what the Plan is! Only that I had to follow it! If it was a good Plan, everyone should know about it so that everyone can contribute and add their own flair, their own touches and make it... make it so much better..."
"That's the rub, isn't it? Perhaps Sera was unwilling to entrust others with The Plan, or perhaps there was no Plan to begin with. Just a need to cling to Order?" Hummmm. Interesting. "After all, isn't it interesting how she claimed you didn't have control of Hell and couldn't quash a rebellion mere moments after you did just such a thing?"
"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there was no Plan at all. Sera always did take her role seriously. Maybe the idea of some drawn-out Plan helped the angels feel that they were working toward some... I don't know, some grand goal?"
But the question does quiet him. Sera had said they were watching, so clearly, they had watched him actually handle the rebellion. But it did feel like they presumed he fought all the time, and needed the intervention.
...Except they'd know that if they were watching.
He blinked.
Sighed.
"She always had it out for me the minute I opened my big mouth. As 'rubby' and interesting as it is to consider that Sera's actions bring it's own hypocrisy and problems, she kept a rather tight ship up there and still likely does. They all love her up there, for some reason... it'd take a lot to make the angels question, and if they do...?"
He whistled as he dove a hand from high to low, indicating a fall.
"I'd know, because they'd be right down here with me."
"Oh and how truly terrible that would be, wouldn't it? If Heaven lost its angels because they began to question things... if they were dropped here and became as much of a fallen as the Morningstars. What a court you could build," Alastor mused, the glow of his eyes a bit more intense than usual.
This was fun to speculate.
"Why, I think the old girl might be afraid of you and your competence. She had to try and break your spirit instead... using Adam himself as a tool to that end."
...Hmm... a court, huh? That could be rather interesting. Like Sera with the seraphim, how would he fare with a wide court of fallen angels, all looking to spit in the eye of Order and play around with all that free will?
Perhaps he needed to be less of a mess first. But damn does Bambi talk some fun speculations. And oh... oh, to make Sera regret everything she'd done was enough to stir the blood. Every nightmare grips his brain with every ounce of that derision and humiliation. If he could just turn that back somehow, some day...
"Haha... Far be it from me for her to use Adam in this regard. After everything they put me through, do you have any idea how good it was to finally be able to tenderize that smug bastard's face?"
"Trying to take advantage of your regrets, your worries, your guilt," Alastor practically purred, playing the part of devious advisor simply perfectly.
"And finally here you are, with the last laugh, and a nephilim daughter that has every possibility of uniting Hell after all of the centuries, the millennia of injustice. Why, Sera should live in complete fear. Look at what her ridiculous plotting has wrought, now."
How deeply did poor Lute seethe, missing an arm and humiliated herself along with the injured army, all only allowed to live because Hell wished it so? The thought warmed him.
Charlotte Morningstar, uniting Hell. Sera living in fear. Now that... perhaps that was enough to bring him a sweet dream in the next.
"Precisely why I should hope Sera would see sense and finally speak with me, alongside Charlie. We won. Hell will not suffer another Purge. Heaven violated my pardon. They are missing crucial legs to make any sort of negotiation, and I won't hesitate to remind them of this fact."
"Dear Charlie will want for peace and cooperation. And they would be extremely foolish not to work agreeably with her efforts," Alastor agreed, pausing to sip his coffee.
"But in the event that Heaven decides to be foolish yet again... I believe Hell can be rallied. The Sinners have their fearful and meek. But even the Overlords contemplate retaliation, the younger especially are eager to strike back at Heaven."
"...When this all started, you could hear Lily's voice for miles around. You could be face-down in muck, completely pummeled and demoralized, but one bar of her songs would have you ready to face anything that came next. I don't doubt that Heaven had much to fear from Hell's queen as well. Hell can be rallied... I've seen proof of this twice, in past and in present."
He rubbed his chin.
"As for the Overlords... some, perhaps. But what of the V's...? You would know of them far more than I."
"Mm. That might be complicated," Alastor admitted, rolling his eyes a bit. "Men really are so violent and obnoxious when scorned. Prideful and wretched. But it was the young lady in the Vees that attempted to rally the Overlords to fight back at the last meeting."
He respected Velvette for that, even if he had challenged her. But Vox... ugh.
Alastor laughed through his teeth. "Oh, how he'd seethe in bitter jealousy that you don't even know his name. No, his name is Vox. And that Valentino fellow wouldn't be welcomed here, given that he's currently the one holding Angel's contract."
A mess, indeed. "And where one Vee goes, so do all. Alas."
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sugaronthecream) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
divinetree2024-04-01 08:17 am
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...
Hmm. File that away for another day. He stood heading towards the kitchen and leaving Lucifer to his swaddled prison. "Cream or sugar at all, dear boy?"
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"Just a little cream to smooth it out. ...Thank you."
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That, and he always had a stash of very lovely coffee he splurged what resources he did have to get. Some lovely low-acid blend and a bit of cream in the green mug for Lucifer. That is, the green mug with a barista deer on it with the words "Star-Bucks" underneath, matching his own "Oh, Deer!" red mug.
He'll walk back with the mugs and sit back on the sofa. "Here you are."
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Comfy. It was like a hug.
The bundle was missing a blond head when Alastor returned, as Lucifer had wiggled his way into sinking further into the makeshift tent of fleece.
The tail emerged and felt around a bit before accepting the offered mug.
"Thank you again." Then a blanket flap lifted as his head emerged.
Paused.
Snorted in amusement at the text on the cup.
"No name on my cup...? Am I already such a regular?" He tipped it to his lips and drank.
...Hoooogh that's the shit. Where'd he get his coffee?
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"...Besides myself, of course. Though I hadn't, this time."
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Another drink.
"I've had... convenience store coffees, gas station types, to swing to the other side of the spectrum. Colored me curious, though the clerks at the front counter about died of shock, wondering what a Morningstar was doing at a 7666. But those are coffees that need all the milk in the world to muddle the taste of an old burner, of sediment that's been sitting at the bottom of the pot for the day and the day before. Of course, I've also had indie shop coffees that try too hard, and aren't worth the price. It's all about hitting a happy medium and pushing forward what you know about your beans."
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"Grinding your own beans and doing a simple pour-over is a convenient and rather easy way to go about it, I find. Getting beans sourced from anywhere on Earth is far too expensive, but I have found a rather nice family business that grows coffee in Wrath - rare they ever deliver to Pride, but I've made a Deal to get some of their beans set aside for me," he mused.
"Must be much less claustrophobic in other Rings, I wager."
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With a sigh, he leaned back against the cushions. "I practically have a box for them all to go in. It's... it's just not that simple. Nothing about any of this is simple, cut and dry."
Finally, he managed to get an arm free, and relieved his tail. He'd tucked the duck to sit on his shoulder and remain vigilant.
"But I try to explain why, and it's forgotten in two generations. It just becomes a lesson in futility."
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He chuckles. Nothing is ever simple, or straightforward. That's always been the case.
"Though I imagine the hellborn wouldn't be terribly keen on a disruption of their spaces with Sinners starting to expand and fight for territory there, either."
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"I'm waiting for word from Heaven involving that treaty, though by all accounts, I doubt Sera would want to see this face again if she could help it. I wish I could join those discussions, but..."
He felt cold again. Would they all turn away and remind him of old times? He'd be a ghost again, or humiliated throughout all over again.
He drank more of the coffee. Let it warm him. "It's going to be up to Charlie. If anyone knows what needs to be said and discussed, it's going to be my daughter. As for the Rings, it... well."
He looked up. "You've seen the turf wars. You know the V's, and the other Overlords better than me. They'd love nothing more than to take what they could of all of Hell. And I know Mammon more than anyone- He would drown in so much energy, and-..."
Lucifer stilled. No. He was saying too much.
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"Though if you simply didn't have the heart for it, that would make sense, hah hah. I think Charlie's warm little heart twists in pretzels if she has to raise her hand against someone."
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"At the start, I sat back and Lily sang, inspired the Sinners that fell after her. The numbers would grow, and it quickly moved past the idea of potential camaraderie with others scorned by Heaven. Some Sinners thought they could run things better... made attempts on the Queen and myself to usurp the throne, which were quelled. Those were the days where I first turned a blade on Sinners. I made myself something of a tyrant, showing examples of what not to do, to never cross the Morningstars. I even did the whole 'heads on pikes' thing, as distasteful as I thought it was. But it worked... to a degree. That was when my first message from Sera came through. My first time speaking with her, in fact, since the day that I Fell."
He paused. The scowl formed, deepened.
"That's also when I learned Heaven had been watching us. They wondered if Hell would rise to conquer Heaven, what with all the grumbling. Heaven has an amazing inability to listen to anyone. I was covered in the blood of Sinners, so why should they listen to the devil? That's... that's when I was told that I 'no longer had Hell under control'. And hey... maybe she was right. As much as I disagreed, as much as I tried to challenge her, that year was when the first Purge occurred. 'For the greater good', she'd said."
He remembered that day. Her eyes hadn't even turned to him as she spoke with him. Perhaps it was the blood, but... he had grown weary of being spoken over, looked through.
Should he be telling anyone any of this? No... but he was so tired, he was so cold. He just couldn't bring himself to care.
Because this, too, would just be forgotten later.
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Something stunk.
Was Heaven more afraid then of a revolting Hell, seeing how Lucifer could actually use force to subjugate his peoples? With Lilith still inspiring a fiery fervor of discontent? Or was there something else at play?
"This Sera seems like a particularly Machiavellian sort, doesn't she?"
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He laughed, a thin sound as he lost his breath, and brought his other hand to his forehead.
"I don't even know what the Plan is! Only that I had to follow it! If it was a good Plan, everyone should know about it so that everyone can contribute and add their own flair, their own touches and make it... make it so much better..."
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But the question does quiet him. Sera had said they were watching, so clearly, they had watched him actually handle the rebellion. But it did feel like they presumed he fought all the time, and needed the intervention.
...Except they'd know that if they were watching.
He blinked.
Sighed.
"She always had it out for me the minute I opened my big mouth. As 'rubby' and interesting as it is to consider that Sera's actions bring it's own hypocrisy and problems, she kept a rather tight ship up there and still likely does. They all love her up there, for some reason... it'd take a lot to make the angels question, and if they do...?"
He whistled as he dove a hand from high to low, indicating a fall.
"I'd know, because they'd be right down here with me."
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This was fun to speculate.
"Why, I think the old girl might be afraid of you and your competence. She had to try and break your spirit instead... using Adam himself as a tool to that end."
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Perhaps he needed to be less of a mess first. But damn does Bambi talk some fun speculations. And oh... oh, to make Sera regret everything she'd done was enough to stir the blood. Every nightmare grips his brain with every ounce of that derision and humiliation. If he could just turn that back somehow, some day...
"Haha... Far be it from me for her to use Adam in this regard. After everything they put me through, do you have any idea how good it was to finally be able to tenderize that smug bastard's face?"
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"And finally here you are, with the last laugh, and a nephilim daughter that has every possibility of uniting Hell after all of the centuries, the millennia of injustice. Why, Sera should live in complete fear. Look at what her ridiculous plotting has wrought, now."
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Charlotte Morningstar, uniting Hell. Sera living in fear. Now that... perhaps that was enough to bring him a sweet dream in the next.
"Precisely why I should hope Sera would see sense and finally speak with me, alongside Charlie. We won. Hell will not suffer another Purge. Heaven violated my pardon. They are missing crucial legs to make any sort of negotiation, and I won't hesitate to remind them of this fact."
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"But in the event that Heaven decides to be foolish yet again... I believe Hell can be rallied. The Sinners have their fearful and meek. But even the Overlords contemplate retaliation, the younger especially are eager to strike back at Heaven."
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"...When this all started, you could hear Lily's voice for miles around. You could be face-down in muck, completely pummeled and demoralized, but one bar of her songs would have you ready to face anything that came next. I don't doubt that Heaven had much to fear from Hell's queen as well. Hell can be rallied... I've seen proof of this twice, in past and in present."
He rubbed his chin.
"As for the Overlords... some, perhaps. But what of the V's...? You would know of them far more than I."
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He respected Velvette for that, even if he had challenged her. But Vox... ugh.
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"Vickers fellow might come in handy for media coverage, maybe. ...Well. I'll file it away, nevertheless. For now, I'm enjoying the relative quiet."
A pause.
"One's own mind aside." He finished the mug. Looked at it. He really should get his own mugs from home here.
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A mess, indeed. "And where one Vee goes, so do all. Alas."
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