1343/What did I miss

What did I miss
Date of Scene:	08 July 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Ravenna Levesque, Lucifer

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Ravenna Levesque has posed:
It must have been a very good wine tasting that Ravenna just gave, because it's a good forty-five minutes after Jess leaves before she emerges from the wine cellar with her guests. They all have smiles on their faces, and Ravenna has that professional mask that most people mistake for a genuine smile. They slip her some cash that she hides in a hidden pocket in her dress before she gestures toward one of the tables and promises them a bottle of something they tasted. It only takes her a moment to get them settled before she returns to the bar.

Looking down the row of seats, she raises her brow just a touch before she leans on an empty space. "Did Jess have a work emergency again? She wasn't here all that long tonight." She reaches into her pocket and quickly counts the money out that she owes the house and hands it over.

Lucifer has posed:
The Lounge is completely empty. No one's even come inside, and there's a strange oppressive pressure to the place that has nothing to do with anything visible. To Ravenna's magical senses, though, the Bartender is clearly in a low, ugly mood, and the tension fairly sings from him as if gravity has shifted slightly.

"Jessica didn't approve of a choice I made," he says, his voice cold and distant. The bar smells of varnish and wax stripper, and he's putting the finishing touches on repairing a gouge in the wood and a discolored stretch of bar.

He looks at Ravenna, speculatively. "So what's with the rigor mortis?" he asks, forcing polite calm into his voice. He gestures at his face, as if drawing a mask, and flicks fingers at Ravenna. "You look like you were ready to bite someone's head off earlier."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
This is very strange, especially for this time of night, and the fact that Lucifer is in such a foul mood is a little off putting. When he mentions Jessica not approving of a choice, she knits her brows together. "What do you mean she didn't approve? Did you serve her the wrong drink?" Walking around the other end of the bar, she joins him behind it and gestures to the otherside. "Do I need to play bartender tonight so you can vent?" It seems strange that things would be tulmultimate already, but she figures he needs to calm himself before he continues his shift.

She makes no mention of whatever might be bothering her, for once using his own misdirection on him that he constantily uses on her. She even starts grabbing bottles to mix him an Old Fashioned.

Lucifer has posed:
"Ralph was here."

The Bartender lifts a brow at Ravenna, pointedly-- a quick shot at a sensitive subject to push her off-balance. Seems he isn't one to just let things slide, or let his own tricks get used against him.

Effective though they are.

He hops the bar easily and seats himself at a stool, resting his elbows on the lacquered bartop, and looks at Ravenna steadily.

"So it's pretty obvious you and I have the same problem today, so maybe we should take some turns here. You first," he tells her, catching the drink when it's slid his way.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"Who the fuck is..." It takes a second to remember the man she knows as Anthony is really named Ralph. Her face darkens and she sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "He didn't ask for me? What the hell did he want?" Her agitation shows as she continues mixing the drink and slowly pushes it over the bar to him. "Well where is he now? Surely he's waiting to give me another earful."

Than she pauses, lets her brain think that over and leans over the bar and quirks her brow. "Would the choice you made that pissed off Jess have to do with Ralph? What exactly happened?" She'd use his name, but she doesn't know it, still. Again she delfecting his question, focusing on his problems that are related to hers."

Lucifer has posed:
"He did ask for you, by name," the Bartender says, with Truth in his voice. Impossible to fake to someone with an ear for such things. "Let's see... he was running home barefoot forty-five minutes ago. No money for a cab or Uber, so... uhh... yeah, I'd guess he's probably back to the restaurant by now," he says, considering how far away Ravenna's former employment site was.

"He wanted to show up here. Humiliate me. Embarass you. I took some exception to that."

The Bartender focuses intense hazel eyes on her face. "Now, your turn," he says, in a tone that says 'no more dodges'. "What had your panties in a bunch earlier?"

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"You left him naked? That's.. different." Ravenna says thoguthfull before she narrows her brows again. "It would have taken a lot to embarrass me, but still." Leaning forward she shakes her head. "It would have taken a lot to do that, I know he would have tried, but... it's done I suppose." Frowning she reaches up to pull few hidden pins out of her hair to let it fall on her shoulders.

She is in no rush to talk about herself, that much is clear. She pours herself a quick drink, a glass of white wine and sips it before she tilts her head at him. "It was Ralph, the situation was putting me on edge, but now that it seems to be handled, than perhaps I can return to my nomal jovial self." It's honest, it sounds very honest.

Lucifer has posed:
"Well. After I stabbed him in the hand. And menaced him a little," the bartender remarks, sipping his old fashioned, voice dry with humor. "I'm a predator, Ravenna, and I don't much care for other predators skulking around my den. I would have happily left him alone until he came here and picked a fight with me. In particular. Arrogant sod," the Bartender mutters.

"So, I stabbed him. Gave him some demands. And told him to leave his wallet, phone, and clothing behind and walk home naked. It seemed poetic enough; he seemed to enjoy launching attacks against the vulnerable and the uncertain. Feeding a coward his own just desserts just had a certain symmetry that appeals to me."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
Ravenna is very quiet after she recieves this information. She mull sit over while she drinks the wine and finally she tilts her head at himand raise a brow. "How loud did he scream?" It's only a hint, a flash of somthing darker that is flashing through the eyes of the life mage. It fades quickly before she nods her head. "Arrogant sod isn't the words I would use, they're find to kind, too elegant for someone like him."

"So what part of that was most offensive to Ms Jones? I'm pretty sure it wasn'tthe violence." Ravenna says casually as she sets her wine glass down.

Lucifer has posed:
"The nudity, of all things. I stabbed him through the hand, demanded all but his lunch money-- castigated him, berated him. Dominated him in every meaningful way."

He lifts two fingers at Ravenna, pointing at her vaguely. "And she did not object at all to violence. But the vulnerability of nudity-- that is something that struck a deep nerve with her. She stormed out of here and gave him his shit-covered pants on the way out."

He makes a gesture over the table and an image of the altercation appears-- and Anthony /does/ scream beautifully, and sob, when he's stabbed.

"I can put that in a video format if you like," he says, slyly. "Maybe for your birthday we can put it in an animated picture frame on loop."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
Ravenna looks thoughtful at his words and tilts her head to the side. "Did you actually give any thought to why that might be? Or did you just fall into a brood about it with out wondering why, or if you had crossed a line?" She's still learning the quirks of her new boss, and this one one is.. interesting.

When the image is conjured for her she takes a step back and watches it. That darkness returns to her eyes and once the vision stops it fades and she shakes her head. "You cleaned it up nicely, I excpted there to be more of a mess." At the mention of her birthday she shakes her head. "Perhaps, but I feel as this will be enough to tide me over for now."

Lucifer has posed:
"Because someone, at some point, did something to her, almost assuredly," The Bartender tells Ravenna. "Something akin to that sort of humilaition."

He lifts a fingertip. "I told her that the humiliation is not being naked. Nudity is an internal construct. A shame of vulnerability. Greek warriors fought in the nude," he tells her. "It was not a point of shame to be undressed, unless a person /thinks/ it is shameful-- and for him, it was a question of being vulnerable. For the first time in his life, he was forced to confront his real vulnerability-- no clothes, no shoes, no money, no phone-- wholly dependent on the kindness or predations of his fellow humans. People he'd treaded upon his entire life. For the first time in his life, Anthoy must trust strangers to protect him."

"And that terrified him, and infuritated Jessica. I had hoped she would be able to rise above such reflexes." He sighs. "Hope springs eternal."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"Do you really think that will have an effect on him? Or perhaps your violence and the scar it will be left behind?" Though he isn't likely use a paring knife anytime soon. When he mulls over what Jessica was mad about she shrugs. "Scars run deep, and they never really heal. You don't rise above reflexes you do not realize exist. You never know when they're going to kick to life. It could be the humiliation of another reminding you of your own pain. It pulls you in deep, it thretens to reopen those scars and have them bleed anew. Having a stiff upper lip and pushing past it only makes it worse. Your logic is sound to you, and it may be sound to others, but to her, you're calling her pain invalid.

Lucifer has posed:
"No. He'll find someone else to prey on, once his wounds heal. He's the sort of bastard who will talk himself out of his humiliation," the Bartender says casually. "He'll hide it and justify it and in a few months, he'll be convinced through one way or another that it doesn't really matter at all, what happened. That's the human condition-- resilience at all costs, even if it calls for total cognitive dissonance."

"I didn't tell her her pain was invalid, Ravenna," he says, switching back to topics. "She asked me /why/ I did it. I told her. She didn't like my answer-- but then again, that wasn't really the right quesiton. She would have gladly let me break his arms, physically ruin him, demand all his wealth and power. But she couldn't stand someone being made vulnerable that way-- and she wanted me to be something other than who I am."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"He usually has a flavor of the month." Ravenna says flatly as she shakes her head, pitying his next conquest, the next woman to fall for his charms. Still that will likely not be her problem going forward. "For now, peace while he licks his wounds." She'll take it, maybe now she can actually have her phone on.

"You didn't need to say it with words, it appears your actions were enough. However I am not one to say how you should socialize with people, nor how you deal with your personal relationships, simply an observation I made." With that she returns to her wine glass.

Lucifer has posed:
"Observation noted," the Bartender tells Ravenna. "We'll see if she comes back around. Some people can. Some people can't. The world will spin on, at least for a while longer," he says, humorlessly.

"Oh. We have a new resident in the hotel," he tells her. "She calls herself Satana and she's rented a room for the next year. Be very careful around that one," he advises her. "I made it fairly clear that she's not to prey on employees or customers, but she's also the daughter of a fairly powerful demon. I wouldn't particularly trust her not to chew you up and spit you out."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"And you will continue to exist as if it has no effect on you." Ravenna replies in a dry tone, but she gives him a look suggesting that she's going to drop the subject. Besides he's bringing up a new piece of information that she's going to have to remember anyway. Again her phone comes out and she types out a quick note before it slips back into her pocket.

"Is that really how everyone sees me?" She asks as she polishes off her wine and rinces out the glass. "Someone inxperienced, who cannot handle herself. Someone needing protection?" Her defenses quickly start building themselves back up, it's almost visable the way she pulls back into herself, resuming the cool professional persona that she uses in Lux. "Observation noted."

Lucifer has posed:
"You're twenty-seven years old and struggling to deal with a predatory former employer. Satana was born the scion of a Lord of Hell and might someday rule the entire roost of the infernal plains. She's killed literally thousands of mortals. Maybe more. Don't get your knickers in a twist over the wise giving a word to the wise," he tells Ravenna, lifting a brow.

"If I really thought you were incompetent, I wouldn't even let you two meet. Consider it a token of my belief in you that I'm arming you to level the playing field."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"Yes, because that problem is not one that can be properly solved by magic." Well unless she kills him, which despite her feelings toward him didn't seem to be very high on her list. "Perhaps it is best that is the general idea of what I am." Still he is right, not that she likes that he's right, nor is she going to verbally say it outloud either, but her face reflect her thoughts.

"Thank you for the foresight, I will keep it in mind should I cross her path. Is there anything specific a Sicon of hell likes to drink? Or is that coming in on the next shipment?"

Lucifer has posed:
"Screams of the Damned," The Bartender says, dryly. "It's a bubbling carbolic acid that's distilled from the cries of the dead and damned confined to a particular level of Hell. Don't drink it," he advises her.

"Well. Drink it if you like, you're a grownup," he amends. "But maybe have poison control on the line."

He holds her view, making sure she's watching, and 'twists' the nature of Lux subtly. The bar wavers and shimmers, and the well drinks are abruptly joined with a strange and bewildering array of potions and decanters. "They're all labelled, but this is the 'exotic' stock. Don't give it to any humans unless they ask for it by name," he tells her. "Most everything in here will drive you insane, kill you, or make you wish you'd taken the ghost pepper chili challenge at a minimum."

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
Ravenna looks around as she watches Lux shifts around them again, and looks at all of the bottles and lables around them. "Yeah, I can't say that Screams of the Damned is my vintage." She's drank some strange things in the past, but there is a line that everyone draws with themselves. These drinks appear to be that line for the Sommelier.

"I really don't feel like being the cause of someone's insanity. I'm sure they have their own pricepoints in the system?" She says, using that work tone as she always does. "How many more secrets are there to stumble over here?"

Lucifer has posed:
"Literally the entirety of your lifetime," The Bartender says, smiling at Ravenna. "Someday you might find all of them. This is a very old place and it's been built atop itself over and over again. Like... Chicago's tunnels. Who knows what lurks below?" He asks, in a bantering tone.

"Anyway. Special stock." He takes a few minutes to show her how to manipualte the bar to access the goods. "Why don't you take off the rest of the night?" he tells Ravenna. "You had a good run today. The wine tasting went well. I'll cover you," he tells her, waving her out.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"Good to know where the special stock is." When he mentions the tunnels she smirks. "Well I'm not one for spelunking, so I'm sure it will take some time. Though knowing what I'm learning so far, I have a feeling that I don't want to know what lurks." Especially after seeing the room full of the exotic drinks.

"You'll cover me? Are you really sure you're up to the job?" Still Ravenna thinks about it and shakes her head. "What am I going to do with myself on a night like this. I'll lock myself in the cellar and keep working. There isn't any sense on wasting an evening on idleness."

Lucifer has posed:
"Suit yourself, but you're salaried-- I don't have to pay you overtime," The Bartender says, insincerely. He raps a knuckle on the bartop. "I suppose I'll take care of some other business then, if you've got things buttoned down here. Thanks for being a friendly shoulder, Ravenna," he tells her, flashing that easy smile again. "It's appreciated. See you later?" he inquires, before sliding off the stool and ambling towards the office doors marked 'Private'.