13600/Today's Topic : Love for Dummies

Today's Topic : Love for Dummies
Date of Scene:	07 July 2021
Location:	Lucifer's Penthouse, Melville
Synopsis:	More quality time spent with the Lord of Hell and his Geneticist.
Cast of Characters:	Lucifer, Sinister

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Lucifer has posed:
So where does a Devil go when they've upset one of their loves to the point that most all basis of contact that isn't physical or verbal is cut off from them? To the bookstore of course! Lucifer is currently lounging in bed, dressed in only a pair of silken crimson boxers. A glass of whiskey sits on the nightstand where there is also a pile of books. Like, a whole stack of books. Ranging from 'Advanced IT for Dummies', 'Digital Literacy for Dummies', 'Robotics for Dummies' and a couple other '...for Dummies' editions. The Devil, himself, is currently reading 'Genetics for Dummies' and he looks to be about...a fourth through the book already? Old school. He really is. Especially when he's around certain company. Company that has been more open minded to the technological advances of this world than he seems to be. The world has changed over the last several millenia and still Lucifer seems to be stuck in some past he hasn't quite forced himself out of. Listening but not truly understanding the ways that certain worlds work. Worlds that he should take better care of considering the company he keeps. So he reads, and he drinks, and reads some more. Though there is no telling if he's already read the stack of books and this is the last, or vice versa.

Sinister has posed:
It'll be a tickle in the back of the mind at first, like someone's reading behind his own eyeballs. Then a more solid awareness that that sensation that is distinctly -other- has returned. The knowledge that you could think and he'd hear, has returned.

In addition, there's a smell of exceptionally fine coffee that wafts into the bedroom from without; the kind you go to turkey to get, or some very expensive and well hidden hole in the wall. There's something else too; the smell of the sea, lingering just a little under that fresh scent.

Lucifer has posed:
<<Did you bring me any coffee?>> It's the first thing he can think to think as the aroma of such a fine concoction tickles his nose. Of course he felt everything else first, the opening of the mind, the distinct tickle like someone was reading along with him quite literally. Course coffee isn't the only thing Lucifer notes in the air wafting from wherever Sinister is or isn't. He's just commenting on the one thing that ought be shared.

"I wonder just how similar my genetics would be from my supposed 'brothers'...if we technically weren't formed from the copulation of two beings. Just simply...thought into existence...does that mean we're NOT actually related? Or is it that we're all faternal twins.." He offers as he turns a page and takes a sip of whiskey.

Sinister has posed:
<<I did,>> The reply is mild, but has a veerrrrrry slightly sheepish tone.

Clipped heels in the corridor herald the appearance of Sinister in the dooray to the bedroom, which is rather more of an open plan loft affair in this penthouse and leaves plenty of sight-line to the laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge bed itself its backdrop of windows. Light. There's a lot of light in the penthouse, when the shades aren't up/screens darkened. Sinister has one of those take-out trays in hand, along with a rather large gift bag in reds and blacks in the other arm. Crepe paper has exploded out of the top of it, sparkling silver.
    "Absolutely no genetic similarity aside from key markers that indicate your nature, even on the genome and halmarks along the chain. I would expect all of you have the Expiry-date gene inactive. Everything else that lives, does not. And as noted, your telomeres do not degrade, which is the /biggest/ clue as to your nature." Sinister murmurs this, then lifts coffee first, then the gift bag. "Which would you like..." he spots the books "...first? Well, hello there. What on earth is all this?"

Lucifer has posed:
There IS a lot of light in the penthouse when the curtains are drawn up and the natural light is let in. It saves on electricity, however, and Lucifer is fond of that. Not that money is any issue for him, principal of the matter. Lower your carbon footprint. Or...something such as. His dark blues shift over to the doorway as Sinister fills it and a soft smile settles upon his lips as he shifts to sit up a bit more. Marking his place in the book he currently holds, he shifts to set it on top of the pile. A tilt of head looking to the tray and the gift bag that the man holds before his gaze shifts to red(?) eyes of his lover.

"Ah. I would suspect we would all have to have the expiry date genome inactive otherwise you'd have dying angels all over the place. Telomeres. The repetitive end-marking of a DNA strand that protects it from damage..." See! He's learned something. Maybe. To the question that is presented, which he would like first, he motions a gesture of inviting Sinister further in. "I'm actually ever so curious as to what is in that gift bag...and this..." He motions to the books on the nightstand. "Is my attempt at learning and further understanding your world...in so much as so I can better appreciate it. So I can further appreciate you. Not that I don't...appreciate..you...I.." He fumbles. Hard. And then sighs. "...I thought it'd be a nice gesture. To understand. Pull myself a bit more out of my...old school ways."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister's eyes are red, yes. And they blink owlishly at the tumble of words, looking at the floor for a moment and back up, under eyebrows. "I'm proud of you," Nathaniel notes, but does also observe the 'for dummies' all over the place with a soft chuckle. "It's definitely a start," trying not to chuckle more, he brings the coffee over, rests the tray atop the topmost dummies (genetics as it got put down last) and settles on the edge of the bed.

"I need to apologize to you. I keep having an expectation that is unfounded and I should know better. I isn't fair of me to have such assumptions, particularly not when I do very /much/ understand who and what you are. Please. Forgive me and my boorish manners?"

That said he proffers the gift bag, with a nod. Beneath silver crepe paper is a bottle. It's quite large and that's where he smell of the sea is coming from. It's encrusted in barnacles and a good amount of sediment from the ocean floor, by the looks of it. But there's the edge of a label visible. 'Glenfiddich 15 year malt- 1913. Specially bottled for the White Star Line. HMS Titanic.'

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer lets out a soft laugh as Sinister seems to chuckle more and more about the line of 'for dummies' books that are on the nightstand. "Honestly, I thought you would get a little chuckle out of that. I could, of course, be reading top studious papers and journals from leading members of all fields and be able to understand. But. The idea of starting from the for dummies level was an idea I just couldn't pass up." He offers this, and a smile, and then listens.

"I forgive you. Even though I do not think there is anything you need to be forgiven for. I think it might benefit me to know what expectations you were holding me against... and I never, in any way, meant to make it seem like I was keeping things from you - in the sense of my promise with Vlad. Nor did I mean to seem like I was...belittling any part of your techno-filled life. I am sorry if it seemed such."

The gift bag is taken and the paper is gently pulled, folded in a certain way, and tucked off to the side. The scent of the sea becomes stronger as he pulls that bottle out from the bag. "My word. Did you...did you dive to the ruins and pluck this from it's coffin just for me?" A pause. "Well for us. As I shall have to share this with you I think. If I even dare open it..."

Sinister has posed:
"Well, you were right. It's endearing in its way," Sinister chuckles more this time, because it feels less like he might be being unnecessarily churlish. He reaches for black hair and strokes it back, fussing it though it really doesn't need it so much as he just wants to perform the act and brushes his thumb lightly at the bestubbled jaw. "And truthfully, those books are good for comprehension, not just understanding. Some are actually quite good..." which is his own way of saying that he might have read one or two himself, in the past.

Then though, there's the juicy bit that he was apologizing for, forgiven though he appears to be. "I suppose I ought relate it in relation to myself: I am used to being the lord and master of my household, absolute. It's been a rather lonely one, so to speak and without home, but I always know what's going on in all my establishments and all of the subsidiaries that I consider part of my empire. I end up very flat footed when I'm caught unawares and part of my mind thinks I should not be having to suffer that injustice. But conversely, the goodly part of my mind that /knows/, points out that the nature of the deal, the sheer magnitude of your age, the importance of who you are to the entire of a cosmological balance of powerful entities and everything down to the fact that this is your home, your rules and your contractual... well, I suppose with Vlad's coffin I just never thought you'd keep that here. ALong with other things, I supposed you to be a little like me, squirrelling it in safe places and secure locations, all over the place. But you guard most what's right under your nose. So. I'm being young, you see. Young and arrogant."

He nods though. "I knew where they were. I recall the night vividly and when the ship broke apart and sundered on april the 13th, I knew which stores remained intact and which lost. It took me a while, but I did find that pantry off of the smoking rooms, on C deck."

Lucifer has posed:
The bit about the books is left aside for the moment. Lucifer believes that the books are just a side as Sinister explains his mindset and how things went a bit askew there after. He nods, and of course he understands, and after a moment he sets aside the bottle and shifts to stand.

"The original arrangement was to benefit both Vlad and myself. Should he be killed and I cannot make it to the Keep, we have a secondary route that he can be brought here. Where I keep a coffin and some dirt from his home and he can regenerate in a room safely. I would also be present so that when he awakens with the Thirst and the Rage, it is I he takes it out on as I can withstand being completely drained." He explains and then holds a hand out to Sinister. "The room where it is all to be kept is secret. There is no way into the room unless you are I or he - and now with his permission given - you as well. This was never done to hurt you, and in fact, was a pact and promise placed before you became an important piece to this whole puzzle and affair. I use these words as metaphors, of course. If you wish...I can show you...and you can attune yourself with the room so that you have access to it as well. Another benefit, in that now Vlad will have two sources, should the need ever arise and one of the other is perhaps not available." A pause. "I see your placement, and I apologize if it ever seemed I was pushing you aside, or setting you at any distance. It was never my intent. I love you both equally, you see? But it is also a balancing act that we three are all getting used to. Just...perhaps next time...don't pull a me and cut yourself off. Okay?"

His hand is offered then. "Ah, so you were on the Titanic when it sank? I bet you have plenty of stories to tell from such a moment in time. Perhaps they can be shared over a glass. For now, it can wait, as I've a place to show you yes?"

Sinister has posed:
Nathaniel listens to the nature of the deal, the ins and the outs of Lucifer's pact with Vlad and nods faintly a few times. "I don't need to know where it is. I really don't think I want to know, honestly. That's between you and he. Your thing. Not mine. It is likely safest if I remain outside of such a thing anyway, as if I have to for some reason I can likely curtail any disaster from the outside, if something goes wrong." he opens his mouth, shuts it again, presses lips thin and a little vexatiously then thinks better of anything else and says nothing further on the topic. He merely takes the hand that is offered for a squeeze.

"Darling, I did that, as were I not to have done it, you would have had a very blinding headache for a while. I felt it was safest... but I will endeavour not to." There is a nod though. "I was."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer waits a moment and then gives a nod of his head. "Alright. At your discretion." Then he squeezes that hand back and shifts to sit next to Sinister. "Something else is on your mind...what is it?" Nope, not getting away with that look, sir. Lucifer will not have it. He wants everything out in the open. Handled. Dealt with. Otherwise it's just not healthy.

"It hurt. Physically as well as emotionally. To be suddenly cut off from you. In truth, I think I'll take the headache over what I felt last night any time." He gently offers, leaning in to nuzzle against Nathaniel's neck for a moment, breathing in the scent of him.

Sinister has posed:
Sinister's face turns toward the devil's providing a little shield of his own person to shelter the pulse point there and his eyes close, shuttering a little firmer than simple repose. Shuttering against an emotion, or riding it, probably. "Honestly? I'm not sure what's wrong. I just feel ill at ease and somehow bereft and I do not really know why." He confesses, only to quiet again, reaching for Lucifer's thigh only to simply rest the hand there, in a not improper manner.
    "And it hurt me, too. It can be dangerous to allow the mind to bond. Once it does, to have that bond broken can be exceptionally stark. Suddenly alone." Again, there's words that never get said and he huffs a breath in exasperation, shaking his head oh-so-slightly.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer pulls back from his nuzzling as that point gets a bit sheltered and he lets his eyes drift to find Nathaniel's own. "Yet something is wrong, then..." It's a statement more than it is a question, and somehow that makes Lucifer feel a bit worse. It's no secret that Nathaniel is sheltering himself a bit at the moment and so Lucifer settles a bit back - but not enough to break the contact of Nathaniel's hand on his thigh.

"I can only imagine, since you were the one to shut it off so quickly." Words offered softly and then Lucifer looks to the tray that was brought in. Interested, now, in it's contents. Or perhaps - more accurately - distracting himself from some unknown elephant in the room.

Sinister has posed:
"I'm trying to put my finger on it, it's just being elusive," Nathaniel murmurs, as the devil settles back a bit, wary of the Elephant. He frowns, looking at the coffee and the whiskey and the books and the archangel, one after another. He frowns further, tilting his head and getting a very distant kind of look on his face, emotion draining away then changing tune -- vexation becomes insensibility, then veers off course, slithering through some pain that leaves features taut and then through a dark tunnel into surprise. Stunned surprise, at that, from the rounding of eyes.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer watches, acutely aware perhaps, and while he doesn't delve into the mindlink for this moment - as he figures that would be rude - the roll of emotions he sees confuses him. As surprise seems to fall upon Nathaniel's face, he shifts forward, testing, reaching one hand to cup the man's cheek a moment. "Such a ride it seems, in so short a time. Have you found it?" He asks this gently, because it seems it's been found, or just more confusion has left Nathaniel stunned. Thumb brushes cheek, strokes lips, just for that sensation of touch while patience becomes a virtue the Devil often does not have, but forces upon himself in this moment.

Sinister has posed:
Nathaniel closes his eyes, taking the touch as a gentling thing, for it is at the moment, softening the surprise but not making it go away entirely. He kisses the thumb as it touches lips, ooooooh so lightly. "Well, apparently, I'm a sentimental idiot," Sinster replies bluntly, "I think so. It isn't you, my dear, it's me." That elusive little nugget dropped, he holds up a hand, raises one finger to arrest anything further and looks down at his own torso.

Carefully, that single finger is sliced down his own torso, having become a dagger of living steel and he excises a small piece of his muscle, over his sternum, then digs just a little deeper and takes a slice of the bone and DNA-rich marrow in the midst of it, pulling it out with a second finger turned tweezer thin. He lifts his hand from Lucifer's thigh and places the slice on his palm as his muscle heals up and stares at it for a long moment, head tilting left and right, as if contemplating the shape of it. The hand closes, joined by its sibling and he squeezes them both togeher, concentrating at some internal working, eventually opening that palm to reveal a simple golden ring in the shape of a raven in flight. He presents it to Lucifer with a nod.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer watches, trying not to seem too delighted in watching Nathaniel maim himself as he slices into his own chest and pulls out bone. Bone that is then manipulated into a ring that forms a raven in flight and Lucifer blinks once before looking up and into Nathaniel's gaze. "My...that's lovely..." Reaching for the ring as Nathaniel presents it, looking it over a moment and then - perhaps - tries to decide which finger to place it on. "How does this make you a sentimental idiot though?"

Sinister has posed:
"It just does," Nathaniel replies, snort-chuckling at himself and shaking his head with a little soft sigh. "Wear it or do not wear it, the ring is given as a promise."

He stretches his legs then, placing both hands together to join the leg stretch with a spinal contortion. "And it contains a little of me and the very blueprint of myself in its very core."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer does wear it, on a finger where the ring fits. "Just an over all promise or something particular? It is made of you, yes, which makes it invaluable...and I shall forever cherish it." He offers while watching Nathaniel carefully. And as the man stretches, Lucifer pounces...

Sinister has posed:
Sinister smiles a quiet kind of smile. "Symbolism, I suppose. A promise overall, yes. From me, to you." Seems that's the lot that is going to be dragged out of him right now, even his thoughts are being slippery, though not closed. They dart about like silver fish in a deep dark ocean, glimpsed then wriggling off before they can be caught. "Good. I'm glad of... OOF!"

Pounced. Doooooooooooooooown iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii goooooooooooooooo~

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer ravishes Sinister for a good few minutes, and in ways that perhaps the cameras shouldn't shine on in that timing. Once the moment passes, and while perhaps not completely satisfied, Lucifer rolls off of his lover and onto his back. The bed is big, and so they're only taking up a small portion. He chuckles, for the sake of needing some way to get out all the mixed emotions going through him. Then, sitting up, he reaches for the coffee now cold and tilts his head. "Mmn... I wonder if this coffee is good warm or if I should perhaps heat it up a bit..."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister has the wide eyes again, but this time for a very different reason. He pats his personage down as he catches moments to catch up to himself and ends up fanning his face with one hand, lying at a quirky angle to the angel. "I've discovered it tastes excellent in one of two states and is quite palatable in the other states in between. That is piping hot or over ice. It... it might be a plan. The heating." He rolls onto his front, muffled in the bedsheets for a bit. "Mmm mm'mm MMM'm m'm mmm, mmm." Which luckily translates as <<I'm havin trouble getting up here.>> Shoulders arch as he pushes himself onto his elbows with some effort and flomps forward further onto the california king. "Where the hell did that one come from? Sudden..." he claps his hands together and laughs voicelessly.

Lucifer has posed:
"I don't know. I'm rather warm at the moment anyway. Perhaps over ice..." Lucifer muses and then he snaps a finger and a glass filled to the brim with ice floats into the room. He studies the glass for a moment and then manages to place a few cubes into the two cups on the tray. Then, he quickly grabs a single ice cube and shifts to drop it down the front of Sin's shirt, grasping hold of collar and bottom hem so the ice doesn't have much place to go. And nor does Sin.

Sinister has posed:
Sinister watches the ice float in, distributed between with lazy eyes knocked a bit for six. Therefore it's all kinds of a surprise to suddenly find yourself iced. He gasps, letting out a 'huhhhh-uh' sound as the frozen cube slithers down his recently mutilated sternum and ends up in the hollow just below it at the xiphoid process. He looks astonished, down at his shirt and back up, narrowing eyes.

**BOOF** Pillow collision upside the Devil's head, then another one from the back.

Lucifer has posed:
"Hey!" Comes the exclamation from Lucifer as he's hit upsisde the head and at the back with pillows. Thus relinquishing his hold on Sinister's shirt which will allow the ice cube to travel elsewhere, but the Devil is quick and uses the moment to banish the cube into Sinister's pants! Ha! Then, rolling, he grabs his own arsenal of pillows and brandishes them. "Right! Have at thee!"

Sinister has posed:
Cue: the wiggle and shake of someone with a very cold wet lump going where it has NO business being. Upside, he's got his energy back it seems, skittering down the bed with his leg going like he's a dog that got tickled in the right scratchy spot, until a mostly melted cube pings off the statue against the wall and skitters over the floor. "I cheat," he states as he rolls off the foot, crouching into a little hunkered position there, peeking over the edge as the pillows fly of their own accord. A flick of the wrist and a dome of slightly reddish glow forms over Sin, with a look of triumph on his face as he stands, arms folded, chin lifted. He twirls his fingers in the air and the other pillows join in, orbitting.

"Do you want to surrender now, or shall I boff you around until I get you where I want you?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer laughs a little, and then sits in the middle of his bed, pillows of his own in hand, but also the other pillows that are at Sinister's calling surround and orbit him. "We both cheat. So it's fair. Which all things are. In both love and war. Or so I heard once upon a time." He considers. "Or did I read that? Ah well. Tomato, tomahto." Then he smirks, and gives a tilt of his head, eyeing the orbiting pillows, and then looks to the oh-so-smug Sinister. "Well now. That all depends." A pause. "Where do you want me?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister grins. It's a very wicked grin. It's a sinister grin. A Sinister grin! You know the one, where people fear the next terrible moment that is to come. Then it kind of fades on his face, his chin lifting and proud and he straightens, the pillows all float back to their proper place on the bed and he levitates, drifting over the mattress until he's hovering above Lucifer, looking down. He gestures lightly with a flick of his right wrist and unseen force draws Lucifer down upon the bed by his ankle, whilst his left hand flicks and pressure puts the devil flat on his back.

Only then does he descend, coming to rest on the bed beside the archangel on his side, turning in the air before settling with his head against his lover's shoulder, on Lucifer's left. His own left arm stretches over, curls in and holds close, his face tucking in to press his crown to Lucifer's jaw, just... laying there. "Here. This is where I want you," very softly said. "I'm irrascible at the moment, it seems. Hold me...." and then in a quieter tone, almost pleading. "Please?"

Lucifer has posed:
Oh that grin. It's a Sinister grin. A grin that is grinned Sinister-ly. Though the Devil loves it, and so he watches as the man stands proud for a moment before pillows go back to their places. When that tug pulls him onto his back he chuffs out a soft laugh before feeling himself held in place. Interesting.

Then Sinister is above him and comes to rest at his side, arm stretched over and curled, crown against Lucifer's jaw. He blinks, turning his head just so to kiss the crown against him and shifts enough so that his arms can wrap with a gentle strength around Sinister's form. "I've got you love. Right here. Promise." And he simply holds. As requested.

Sinister has posed:
"Thank you."

Oddly, this goes on for about an hour, maybe even two. They're going to need more ice at the end. It becomes something very stilled and terribly close; Nathaniel shifted in all kinds of tiny ways, until he fit against his lover in almost perfect repose, gazing at his throat, adam's apple, occasionally at his profile, all without speaking a word. There was petting, but not frisky. Sweet touches, as Luci's thumb had brushed at the beginning of all this. Some moments of eyes closed, inhaling and exhaling the scent of the other, absorbing the warmth of the other's body in contact all whilst well... Sin's mostly clothed at any rate, even if the devil is not. All the more heat to lizard off of.

And once the ice is all melted. "If you concentrate on the ring, you can find me. No matter where I am. Wherever I am."

Lucifer has posed:
And in that time, aside from the little tiny shifts here and there until they fit together perfectly, Lucifer doesn't speak either. He simply holds, for as long as Nathaniel needs to be held. He'd stay here, just like this, for as long as was necessary. Hours, days, weeks...years. It didn't matter. So long as his lover was satisfied. The ice melting is a side thing. They can get more, and he can drink the water this ice makes. No matter. So when Sinister speaks, of the ring, Lucifer takes a breath and nods.

"So I've a heart to you with which you can find or call me, and now you've a ring to me where I can find you. A lovely exchange, I think." He whispers the words since they're so close, but still he doesn't move nor relinquish his hold.

Sinister has posed:
"Yes," is murmured back, Sinister resting his eyes now, against the dark of hiar and turn of ear and neck. Little tickles from eyelashes occur when he moves his gaze beneath his lids. "It will even work, I think, if I have died and am... elsewhere. Because it's made of me and I made it alive. If not, well, it'll definitely work in this universe, distance is irrelevant." He pats his chest. "I found a better place for your gift. Very hard to get it away from me, where it's held."

More silence, with a hand on the bare chest he rests gainst, he rubs gently there. "I'm tired of destroying the things I love. So very tired. I need you to help me break that habit."

Lucifer has posed:
"Well. Hopefully that test will be a long time coming." Lucifer offers while giving a soft hum sound to the tickle of eyelashes and such. "But for it to work on this plane of existence is good...for the just so happenstance you yourself are miles away from me." This said, he takes a breath, and looks to the ceiling. "A better place for my gift? Is it somewhere literally inside you?" Asking that, and hoping it doesn't come off as cheeky or sarcastic, as he's legitimately asking.

That hand on bare chest is met with Lucifer's far hand coming over to rest atop it and gently curl around. "I'm here to help you with whatever you need. Especially habit breaking, my love."

Sinister has posed:
"There's something very ironic about -you- saying that, I'm sure." Sinister can't help that little quip, lifting his head up just enough to look the devil in the eye, up close. He smiles a sinister little smile then lays back down upon that shoulder again. "It's in my heart," he replies, legitimately replying to the legitimate asking. "I fused it to the ventral walls between the chambers. I can never lose it." Pausing, he muses on an explanation, then finally props himself up, shifting just enough to lean on his elbow and look down at his Samael.

"Have you ever found yourself trying to self-sabbotage and realizing what you're doing?"

Lucifer has posed:
"Perhaps. In some ways. Very ironic. In other ways...well...probably also a bit selfish of me." Lucifer offers and then shifts just so to fit them both together again as Sinister lays back down on his shoulder. "So now you've two hearts. Even if one doesn't function like one. Shall I start calling you Doctor Who?" A little smirk on his face as he says that before watching Sinister then sit up a bit, and shifts to lean on his elbow. That last question causing a furrowing of brow.

"Yes. Several times. And even upon realizing it, I've sometimes kept going....It's a bitch of a thing. Is that your issue? Do you feel like you've been sabbotaging yourself?"

Sinister has posed:
"I little bit," Sinister replies, snorting the doctor who comment. "And if I'm a timelord, I'm David Tennant. I get the mad eyes." He looks sidelong. "Or maybe I'm the Master. Seems far more accurate, I think." But back onto the topic, he extricates his thumb from being cupped, just so that he can cross it over Lucifer's. "Alright, a lot. I didn't even realize my psyche was having a crack at breaking me until well... earlier. These things have a tendancy to hit me, when I'm clear of mind enough to see right through them. Hence the ring given as a promise. I want you to have it, but also it shuts up some of the portion that keeps remembering me destroying my home, all my research, all my property, all my research, the last time my heart was broken. And then my life, to an extent." He wrinkles his nose faintly. "Gad, I was dramatic."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer takes a moment to shift them both, with the power of his mind. Well, he's shifting a lot of things, just so they can sit up a bit more and with comfort. Even if Sinister is settled on his elbow, Lucifer is going to then move to pull the man back against him just so. "Nathaniel Essex. Your home is here..." And he shifts the hands on his chest just enough so they are over his heart, which is beating. "So until you destroy this...you will not destroy your home. And you share property with me which isn't easily destructible and if I have to I will make copy after copy after copy of your research and hide them in all corners of the world so you never lose it all again." He smirks. "Dramatics are sometimes needed. We will just ensure that things survive should the dramatics take hold again."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister glances up and around, peeking at the subtle shiftings going on, then flitting attention back to dark eyes. "That's sweet. And ever so slightly creepy," pause "...I like it." He twists himself where he's propped, comes nose to nose, licks the tip of it and eases back once again. "Seriously though. I literally burned everything to the ground. It was one of those bonfire of the vanities moments. Life got easier for a while afterwards, then interesting by turns. And more turns. And yet more turns. You know, there's a lot of individuals out there in the big blue yonder, that have absolutely no idea what they're doing, even when they're messing around with timelines, thier own psyches and a whole gamut of efforts from the vulgar to the profound. Half the time I never have to be dramatic any more, I think I do it these days out of a sense of the Prestige."

Lucifer has posed:
"What's so creepy about it?" Lucifer asks, though he chuckles and turns his head to kiss Sin's own. Listening as the man speaks on about how he burned everything to the ground, and how people are out beyond walls. "That does not surprise me in the slightest. And I would think that one such as yourself deserves to do dramatics. Not only for the Prestige, but just because sometimes dramatics can be fun." He chuckles then before taking a breath. "Mmn, so... what shall we do with the rest of our evening? Just stay in and talking as we've been doing?"

Sinister has posed:
"Well, we /could/ do that..." Sinister muses, indulges in a very long kiss thereafter, before allowing his costume of choice to be made manifest as he lies with the devil. His hand around Lucifer's squeezes and elements of himself bleed out and over the archangel and don armani, low-slung waistcoat, chique attire made out of his own being and **ZZZZZZZZzzzap** there they are, pressed up against the wall of the foyer to the Hellfire club in NYC. He looks up slowly, around at the decor and back at Lucifer.

"They've let there standards drop -far- too low, I think. Shall we take a drink and a little look around? Emma did note, I was invited to join this establishment a few times, over the years. I always felt it as somehow pretentious."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer blinks, blinks, and blinks a final time. That kiss is returned, surely, but he can feel that sort of bleed from Sinister to himself to don him in an outfit fit for...well...him. He looks himself over just a bit after the kiss breaks and then looks around the club they've been taken to. "Ah. I've heard things about this place..." He steps forward, twitches his nose. "It's a bit...blase...don't you think?" Looking over to Sinister after a moment.

Sinister has posed:
Sinister takes a step from Lucifer's side, just to admire his handiwork. He looks over, around up, down, extends a single finger and traces from the back of collar all the way down the back of the waistcoat and to the well turned pair of cheeks in those slacks, which he gives a pat to. "Nice work, even if I say so myself. You look -good- in me," he bobs his eyebrows up and down, smiles his wicked smile again and looks at the concierge. The young man on duty looks up, blanches, hits a bell and runs off into the back rooms, which seems to please Nathaniel immensely.

"Blase and apparently a little bit chickenshit, on the surface of things. I wonder if they're going to fetch management. Now THAT would be interesing, I had a hand in the making of their current boss." His wicked smile turns sly, looking at Lucifer with his head cocked just so. "There's also something I've been pondering lately, regarding mutants... given what we have uncovered ourselves in our privacy. There are quite a number of them that sport wings. Some seem to have... similar gifts to your delicious self, you know. I wonder if some of your brethren had a hand."
    Some shouting can be heard from a back room.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer smirks as Sinister admires his handiwork and then gives a little chuckle. "I do look good in you. It...suits me." A waggle of brow then before his attention is given to the concierge and as the man blanches and runs - Lucifer tilts his head. "Huh. Interesting."

Then there's Nathaniel's comment on them being a bit chickenshit. "I mean, did they not expect me to walk into a place called Hellfire? Of course, I never really thought about it before, but...well...the name is slightly drawing. Even if the decor is...minimalistic." He offers and then listens to what Nathaniel offers about mutants and how they have similar powers as to him and perhaps some of his brethren had a hand in that. "It's possible. I'm sure my brethren have found all sorts of ways to get around the rules and regulations set for them. Castiel is a prime example of such." He offers and then his ears perk as he hears shouting. "Wonder what that's all about."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister can't help chuckle-huffing a few times, as in attempting to stiffle it and failing somewhat. "Nope, I'm good," he clears his throat, schools his features, checks the time on a grandfather clock. "We've been here about a minute... I'd guess someone is doing some explaining." Looking the Devil in the eye, he tilts his head. "The original one in london had a darker feel. Geneva was delicious in its own ivory tower kind of glory. I popped in, I popped out. It was usually about the deals you have to make," he inclines a hand toward Lucifer "in order to become the New World Order. There's a measure of serendipity involved here, that Hellfire finally gets a look in."

And that's when a man walks from the back room, gazing out. Tall, imposing with a face that one would call 'striking' rather than strictly handsome, he fixes on Lucifer and lofts one eyebrow VERY well, on Sinister and narrows his gaze a little. "Nathaniel."
"Sebastian."
"Are you here for anything in particular?"
"Ohhhh, you know me, nephew." A smile from Sin, as 'Sebastian' grimaces at that familiarity. "I'm just here to go to the back rooms with my illustrious guest. I'm sure you know him from reputation, hmm? Lucifer Morningstar."
There might just be a fraction of hesitation in the tall and imposing fellow. Just a hint of wondering. "Fine. Just make sure you leave in good graces, hmm?"

Lucifer has posed:
"Precisely *what* do they need to be explaining? I mean, I am who I am, but not a lot of people know it. To most I'm just the guy that owns Lux. And surely they can't be *that* intimidated..." Then again, Lucifer could be surprised. He wonders if Sinister is giggling at the pun he himself made a moment ago, that causes him to smirk a little bit. "Mmn, serendipity indeed...well..." His eyes shift around a bit more, and he's desperate to take a step further inside and get a Real Good Look at anyone who might already be lounging...

Then there's a man, striking, and Lucifer gives pause. Letting the conversation go for the moment until he gets that look from 'Sebastian' and his own brow raises. Likely some of his hackles too. "Is there an issue taken in how we might behave?"

Sinister has posed:
Sebastian looks to Lucifer, guaging him with piercing blue eyes. "Not you," he replies "I don't know you, yet. But he..." he looks at Sinister. "Has a habit of being /interesting/." That said, he eyes Sinister significantly and nods to the concierge, who provides keycards with a rather heavy swallow as the large man leaves to whatever room he came from.

Sinister sighs happily as the cards are provided, looking altogether smug. "Stil got it. I do love getting under Shaw's skin. He's a clever one, so much fun to toy with." He explains in a sotto-voce tone and leads on like he knows the way, which apparently he does.

There's a key swipecard that the passes are necessary for and a mirror that opens up to an elevator. It only goes down. He leads on in, presses the bottom button and tucks his hands in the small of his back smiling at Lucifer. "Second floor, hardware, children's wear, lady's lingerie. Oh, good morning mister Morningstar... going down?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer tilts his head as Sebastian talks about how Nathaniel tends to be 'interesting'. After a moments pause, he tilts his head and glances over to Nathaniel himself - since the other man has tottled off. "He didn't stay so he could define 'interesting'..." Shoulders shrugging then as he chuckles while Nathaniel talks about loving to get under Sebastian's skin. Well Shaw's skin. Sebastian Shaw? Hmm.

Elevator with keycard only access. That's interesting. There's a look back to see if there's anyone lounging around and then he smirks as they step into the elevator itself. Nathaniel chooses the floor and then seems to take some sort of stance. Ah. Yes. Elevator steward. "Mmn...I might be...if certain cards are played just right." He slips over, behind Nathaniel, looking at them both through the mirror. "Some of that Sinful Delicacy..."

Sinister has posed:
"He rarely does," Sin murmurs, shaking his head a little. "Unless you get him really riled, or on a roll. The man can absorb energy. Any energy and use it for whatever purpose he desires, in his physical form. He looks very good for his age, I think. Not -nearly- as good as I do and nothing comes close to your slinky self." It's a high speed elevator. They stand reflected off into eternity beside one another, in the imperfect, as it curves to one side as mirrors ever do. It's still a funky vision.

And then DING! Bottom floor. The waft of opium from the opening of the doors is like a hit from the Dragon's breath itself. Drugs are nice, even if they don't have quite the buzz they might on someone normal. Vast quantities of them are still exciting. The basement of the Hellfire club is one part brothel, one part crack den, one part business locale and one part dungeon. There really are all sorts down here and some even have actual business to discuss. "They never keep the interesting parts above stairs. But politicians have such juicy vices."

Lucifer has posed:
"Well then I shall now strive to get him riled, or on a roll... perhaps even both. Mmn... should be...ha. Interesting." Lucifer laughs at himself before shaking his head some. "Mmn, we do look damn good for our ages... and I look even better now that I'm wearing this very sleek suit of you." Ah, the defiance of mirrors, they never want to actually capture the good of the image. Ah well.

Oh but that is a delicious smell. Opium. None of it will do Lucifer any good to partake in, but he loves what it does to others, and what he can do to them while they ride that high. He inhales deeply and lets the breath out slowly while walking with Sinister, letting the man lead the way. "Why do I have a strong sensation that we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto..." Asking with a chuckle as they walk. "Mmhm...secrets that lead them to a very particular point once they've kicked the bucket. For such a god-fearing country, they sure don't know how to pick their leaders."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister has found many a deal in an opium den, until they became considerably harder to find. Then it became something that only the dark elite could successfully hide, with corruption and bribery, a thing the Hellfire club has in spades. There's definately a cop or two in here, some still in uniform. Most of their uniform at least. The ballgags, dog masks, and bondage harnessess do not compose standard uniforms. Through a few rooms, there's a dark hued lounge where there are books aplenty on the walls, drugs LITERALLY in candy bowls and one or two attendants in dapper attire that serve as drink servers or gofers. Sinister veers for one of these; they're three sided with one open face, so that the view outside can be seen at leisure. "Nixon had to have landed in your ballcourt. J. Edgar Hoover, too...." he muses this, settling on a modern leather couch and plucking up a cigar, offering one to Lucifer with it. "I sometimes used to come into these places just to listen. Hence me causing trouble -- drugged and stimulated minds are so easy to twist. But once in a while, someone had something worthwhile to discuss." He crosses his legs, looking at his mate with a hint of white in the core of red.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer is not seemingly surprised by anyting he's seeing, down to the cops in most of their gear aside from what covers their faces. He's getting a surge of feeling just from being around all of this, and he drinks it in with one more lungful of air. "Ah. Yes. Greed. Lust. Pride. Mmmn....some of the lesser sins too. But still so...delectable..." You have brought the Devil to his own kind of candy shop, and he doesn't mean the pieces that are in those bowls. As they seem to stop in a room, he follows to sit aside his mate and seems to think on names offered. "Oh yes, absolutely. I probably shouldn't name drop, but in reality who really cares?" A cigar is taken and looked at for a moment. "If I didn't know any better I'd of thought you were going to take me into some sort of special room you have here and...well..." He doesn't say it aloud, but he thinks it, all the things that one Nathaniel Essex could do to a Devil while he's affixed to a metal slab.

Sinister has posed:
"Maybe later. I thought we could relax together in a different setting." And there's the truth of it. It rings true too, to the man that has a keen sense of honesty (even if it's couched in desire) Nathaniel Essex smiles, lighting his cigar after cutting the end, with a long taper, proffered to Lucifer, even if the devil has no need of it. "A strange kind of date night. Merry unbirthday, Samael." And here he will contendedly puff a silver-grey cloud. "Do they have a book for Reconcilliation for Dummies?" leaning over, he gives a kiss that promises some intent to come.

But for now, cigars, sin and Sin. And comfortable company.