14661/Lux, the sublime light: After Hours or off night?

Lux, the sublime light: After Hours or off night?
Date of Scene:	09 January 2023
Location:	Club Lux, Melville
Synopsis:	Lux really is a haven. And Asgardian ale works on Archangels. Inventory night can be so interesting.
Cast of Characters:	Sinister, Lucifer, Phantasm (Drago)

---

Sinister has posed:
Lux.

Those of Humanity that have the inclination to keep track, or the ability to trace such things might note that an incarnation of 'lux' has been recurrent throughout history. Here. There. The other there. Always a haven for all of human kind, mystical, celestial and infernal to hang out. The modern incarnation is less about the 'others' and more about the people, who are now /in droves/. It must be hard to keep track of them all.

And tonight being a Monday in the aftermath of new year and the FEstivus for the restuvus, it is quite quiet. It's not that the parties have partied out, but rather that sometimes, the Host and his various cohorts, need a break. Humanity is exhausting and apparently, there's accounts to be done. And stocks to be reordered.

And occasionally, like tonight, stocks to be sampled. New orders, new inventory and new rare and unusual treats for the sublime palate of the otherwordly.

"How... did you get Asgardian mead? Did you special order it, or did someone lose a bet?" That droll but quiet english tone carries in the quiet of inventorizing. "And do we get to actually try any of it, or is this the special reserve?" Nathaniel looks on over the organized chaos that is checking all the liquor stocks and unusuals with a baffled eye. "Also, I'm sure that this makes sense in your fabulous mind Lucifer, but it looks a lot like randomly shoving everything everywhere to the uninitiated."

Lucifer has posed:
"I do tend to thrive in my own organized chaos...but this surely isn't news for you..." The Devil speaks as he grabs a crate of assorted gin and sets it with some other crates of general shelf liquor to be placed behind the bar at some point. "We can try the Asgardian Ale, but I will not divulge the secrets of my acquisition of such. Blame it on the fairies." He smirks. "Or maybe gremlins...do they have gremlins in Asgard?" He asks this as if it's a serious inquiry and then shrugs his shoulders. Though that also suggests it being questioned on if they have fairies in Asgard, but that's also neither here nor there.

"It is also the special reserve, along with the Bloodwyne, the Chateau du Pont, and...whatever is in that third crate which sort of...appeared. Tonight. I've no idea what it is or how it got here..." Which...also adds into the theory of random organized chaos.

Nick Drago has posed:
The promise of a haven lends itself to be tested once in awhile. Nick had briefly tested it around Christmas time. And being there weren't any armed nutcases blowing out walls to shoot at him, the club passed its first test.

To be honest, the free drinks and pleasant greeting prior didn't hurt his perception of the place either. So, the musician finds himself once again coming back to the club. The shirt this time switched over to a cool blue which is very much reminiscent of the attire he wears when he used to play piano at The Blue Lady. Not bad considering the possibility of him going home so far has been nothing but promises.

Nick makes his way over to the bar, not even once looking over to the dance floor. Even though his back may be better healed than it was last time he was here, he's got little motivation to be pushing his luck with mimicking the movements being displayed over there.

Sinister has posed:
Well, even on inventory night, there's dancers. One MUST have some eye-candy, but they're paid to gyrate and serve carnal temptation with nubile flesh and body glitter.

The two individuals doing the stock taking do appear to be relatively oblivious to the dancing though, if it must be known. "Randomly appearing crates. How very... you. Mind you, this could be a deal that's being fullfilled anonymously from the many, many over the..." And then Sinister pauses, his head tilting just so, as if listening to the whispers of ghosts in the eaves. He turns just a little on his casual barstool lean, to regard the door a moment before Nick enters. There's an eerily unblinking gaze sent that way, perhaps seeing a lot of things overlapping given his perceptions skew toward a field of powers that put him in the realms of the 'Serious Psychic Phenomenons' -- he then turns back to the Devil with a sniff and a smile. "I don't think I'd have you any other way, but it is mind bogglingly curious. And yet it all gets organized in the end." A pause.

"We have a visitor. Well, I'd hasten to say -you- have a visitor. I doubt he's particularly mindful of myself." The 'yet' goes unspoken.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer looks everything over and then gives a nod of his head. "It could very well be. Honestly I should have had a better filing system but...when needs must...and it's not like modern systems existed back when I first started..." He waves a hand. "Contract writing." Then he raises a brow as Sinister seems to get himself distracted a bit before following the man's gaze up and over to the top bar. A little smirk as he 'feels' the presence in the room and then looks back to Sinister directly. "Seems we do..."

He shifts to take one step, then another, before he's gone from the dance floor and approaching Nick from behind the bar. Glass in hand, cleaning it with a rag like most bartenders do. "Well hello there. Welcome to Lux. What can I get started for you?"

Nick Drago has posed:
Hmm. For a Monday night that's not extremely close to the holidays, Nick does have to admit there's still a bit of a turn out for the club. As he finds a seat at the bar, there's that feeling of being looked at again. His head turns, glancing for anything obvious but of the possible directions he could have look, he chose poorly.

Spotting no one, he turns to the voice inquring to what he wants, "Guinness please."

Nick pauses as the man asking comes to view, the brain filtering over the voice to match it to him. "Oh hey." Nick gives a small smile to the club owner. "How are you doing?"

Sinister has posed:
There's less teleporting involved in Sinister's approach. The Host can do that trick, he has to use a more conventional, or an infinitely more bizarre method of transportation. It probably wouldn't sit well to have a robo-tentacular wormhole materialize, so feet it is. He slips off the stool and approaches with his hands loosely in his pockets, giving Lucifer the time to do his thing, before slipping onto the stool two down from Nick... giving the man space.

Only once there, does the ritual of tapping a couple of cigarettes out transpire; long elegant cigarellos from a silver case this time, but with no lighter of course. "Two times is practically making a thing of it, I'd wager," is observed as he proffers the prepared smokes toward the 'bartender' for approval. "You, dear boy, have distracted him from sorting through the bottles. I approve."

Lucifer has posed:
"It's nice to actually have people coming in that could be presumed to be regulars..." Lucifer offers this as he sets a pints worth of that dark lager in front of the man. "First drink of the night is always on the house. You can start a tab or pay by the drink should you order another." He offers his usual spiel before glancing over towards Sin and the proffered cigarillos.

"I would hardly call his presence a distraction... merely... a pause. That work will get done sooner or later... and at this point... later." He smirks, snaps his fingers to produce a flame for the two cigarillos to be lit and then promptly takes one to inhale a deep breath of. "So, my pseudo-regular. What brings you about tonight? You were here on Yule were you not?"

Nick Drago has posed:
Getting a sense of another sitting down nearby, pale eyes glance over to Sinister. Recognizing him as well, his posture seems to relax a little. Not fully loose as there seems to be a mild stiffness to his back. "The bottles?" Nick repeats curiously. The thunk of the glass before him ends up breaking the thrall of curiosity. As far as the bottles are concerned at least.

Nick glances back over to Lucifer as he makes mention of regulars. "Well, it is a nice club. I would be surprised if you didn't have many regulars here. And thank you. As for me, I'm more of a pay by the drink type. Never know one might have to leave in a hurry." He glances down to the drink, "Would hate to stiff people."

Nick looks over to Sinister as Lucifer responds to his comments, watching as the fire is produced from Lucifer's fingers to light the cigarettes. So open with the abilities. No worries to who sees. It should be a warning but, in a way it's somewhat assuring.

Nick blinks as the conversation is redirected to him. The address towards him giving him enough time to gather his wits. Sort of. "...yeah. I was. Needed to break the routine up a little. I heard about Lux but I never been so, thought, why not?"

Sinister has posed:
"Well, Lux is a haven, quite literally. You get the one warning and if you continue to muck about and make a mess, you get summarily ejected. And honestly, you don't want to see him when he's miffed off. He gets rather spectacular, in all the ways that the word used to be used..." Sinister inclines his head with grace at the lighting of the cigarette and ferries his own to lips, drawing deep and with hollowed cheeks. Oddly, the exhale produces no smoke at all, as if it were simply absorbed. That probably can't be good for a body, right?

"I don't believe we've actually had a formal pleasure of introduction although I might have been entirely focused on something at the time and missed it," he notes, gesturing with a roll of his wrist to himself. "Doctor Nathaniel Essex," by way of himself. "I suspect you have heard of He of Infamy," with a small half-smile toward Lucifer.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer smiles. "I get what you mean by that. On the pay by the drink.. but if you come around often enough... some tabs can be forgiven. Or closed on a different night..." Saying this much and letting Sinister get introductions in as he actually moves down to serve another couple around the edge of the bar. When he comes back, he grins. "As explained, this is a safe space. With all the things in the world I figured a place for those a bit fallen from grace would be...beneficial. Just... don't start it. Don't bring it here. Or I will end it, and that comes in whatever way I see fit." Which is just his fanciful way of bringing home the warning that Sinister had already given.

"Ah yes. Though I believe the first time we met was at the house stuck between worlds, and then you came here on yule... and now you're back... so you're either rife with curiosity on many levels... or a genuine curiosity has befallen you." He pauses, mostly for affect. "Or both. It's usually both."

Nick Drago has posed:
Hearing Sinister's assumption to the lack of name exchanges causes for Nick chuckle, giving a nod., "I wouldn't be surprised if we never made formal introductions. With the exception of last month I think there were other- well, pressing matters to deal with anytime we met. If you did have my name before I'm guessing it would have been because Buffy yelled it at some point."

He leans over carefully, offering a hand to Nathaniel first, being that he started with the introductions first. "Michael Drago." He offers back, taking the cue from Sinister to use a real name. "Although, I usually go by Nick."

He looks over to Lucifer, offering a hand to him as well. "And yes I have heard the name." He thinks to the interaction he observed last time, "A couple actually. I'm assuming Lucifer is your preferred one."

He looks back to the beer, taking a moment to take a sip of it between a lull in the conversation before setting it back down.

When the house is brought up, Nick glances up, "Yes, I do tend to be curious at times...And there have been times where I just keep running into the same people. Other times..." Nick pauses, not sure how to describe it or if he even should. What is the best way of saying it feels like you're being steered at times? "...well, curiousity is in my nature."

Sinister has posed:
"Aaah, yes. Miss Summers. I had more interaction with her cohorts than I ever did with her. She... is definitely what one would call a star-crossed hero. A shame really, that could've been quite interesting..." The hand is shaken, his own firm and smooth, as of repeated washing, as one would expect of a doctor. No limp noodle of a grip, for sure. "A pleasure Nick. We have met in some very peculiar places... although I don't suspect you actually recognize me from the dream of past lives and shadow men, all that well. I did have to wonder why one would travel into the deeps of the astral plane, without having any actual means of protecting oneselves, but I'm glad I had a use there."

Again, the cigarette is drawn of, no smoke escaping at all. "Serendipity is a strange phenomenon; at what point does one have to consider that coincidence and happenstance have become predestination, I wonder? Chaos theory has a lot to say about the infinity of possibilities -- perhaps you're destined to explore them all, awake or in dreams?"

He smiles to Nick, a half-shadow of a full expression, but otherwise the grey eyes glitter a moment, then look away, with a flash of coal red in their depths, oh-so-briefly. "Lucifer's probably the safest. Although I've heard a variety shot in his direction, which do get colourful at times."

Lucifer has posed:
On the contrast to how Sinister is inhaling the cigarette, Lucifer takes his own drag and allows smoke to pool from his nose as if he were a dragon. He allows the conversation between Nick and Sin to continue without any real input from him for the moment because - well - he hasn't really had much of an interaction with anyone. Save for the few times he's met Giles so that he could procure more...interesting and unusual magic ingredients. Attention drawn by a few others at the bar for a moment longer before he finally returns his attention to the two who likely occupy more of his mind space anyway.

"Lucifer is preferred, yes. Mostly because the other name was given by the one who shall not be named, and only one other person is really allowed to call me it." A pause and a grin. "Which some people have to learn that lesson the hard way...unfortunately." Like Kit, who tried to call him by a certain other name and Lucifer had given him a right what for. Regardless, he smiles and produces a glass of cognac for Sinister, placing it in front of the man without missing a beat. He also pours himself a whiskey and promptly takes a sip of it.

"Well be as curious as you like. There are many pieces in place to ensure that if you poke too much one way you will be promptly turned into another direction. Or misguided. Or fed false information...something along all those lines."

Nick Drago has posed:
Nick's grip is firm, but lacks the smoothness of the doctor's. There are areas upon the hands that betray constant use, namely upon the fingertips and the palm. The years of string and stick work can likely be to blame for that. "With the exception of the piano work at Thomas's club I think I worked with her the most in that group." Nick replies, "Well, until about a year ago. We, kind of lost touch." Yeah, her forgetting everyone she met for the past few years will do that after all.

As Lucifer confirms the name preference, Nick nods, lifting his glass. "Lucifer it is then." He accepts, pausing to take a sip. The glass sets down. "I think everyone's got at least one name they don't like being called by. Either it's the sound of the name itself or the memories tied to it."

Sinister has posed:
"Aaah, considerate as always," Sinister smiles warmer at the furbishing of Cognac and takes a measured sip of it with the air of a man appreciating. Maybe, he's even cataloguing the notes he can taste. It's set down though, the rim played with with a fingertip around and around, his grip otherwise loose in a cage atop the tumbler. "For me it was 'boy'," he informs, in a certain tone that says all manner of 'father' and all manner of 'disappointment' in the bay of it. There's a shake of the head. "Not that that is a name, but it might has well have been at times..."

Looking from his hand over the glass to Lucifer, he meets the Host's eyes, lingers a moment and slants a glance sidelong across his the plane of his cheek to Nick once again. "I have been tempted to go and examine that house that you and Lucifer investigated in truth. I've never quite managed to get psychometry to work reliably, but I feel that place might have had enough resonance to linger enough I could read it."

Lucifer has posed:
"I mean, I don't mind most of the names that have been made up to describe me. Lucifer is the best one that...fits...for the mortal world. But some of my favorites are Beelzebul, Satan, Belial... Serpent." Lucifer shrugs then. "Still. Samael is the name I do not answer to unless one person speaks it and he only speaks it in...certain extra situations..." Lifting the whiskey then, he swirls it around to release a few more compound flavor notes and takes another sip only after giving a side glance to Sin. "Should we crack open a bottle of the ale?"

Nick Drago has posed:
Nick glances back over to Sinister as he shares his. Considering that even without Lucifer's ranked list of names, he had a good sense which one was Lucifer's least favorite thanks to the reaction last visit. That left Nick currently as the only hold out on the topic.

Briefly. "For me... Mikey." The tone to which the name is said takes a drastic change to the rest of the sentence. Drawn out for longer than two syllables should reasonably be, as if the one speaking it was a wild man savoring the sound before leaping upon a perceived kill.

The beer is lifted once more,tilting back to allow a longer sip of the contents than before. Empty glass set down, he glances over to Sinister. "If you find anything about it, I'd be interested in what it is. I don't even know where the house is being I came and left there by a different means. What city was it?"

Sinister has posed:
"You know, I think that would be an absolutely capital idea," Sinister replies to the notion of ale. "I might even find it interesting--" with a chuckle, he finishes his cognac with an inhale to enrichen it and sets the glass aside, because it does seem like Asgardian Ale is something you ought not to have in a -glass-. His cigarello receives one last pull and the remains are handed by the butt to the Host.

At the way that Mikey is spoken, there is a very slight but perceivable grimace of the lip, disdain for a certain sort of life-form perhaps. "My sympathies," pause, beat. "From what I understand, it's located on the borders if Haven and Sunnydale, in a delapidated district. I went there in the daylight to take a look at the resonance I could nevertheless feel. There are places that carry a certain echo. Even ordinary people can feel it and tend to avoid them; I've found that there's usually peculiar energies. Occasionally, they're even the kind I can measure."

Lucifer has posed:
"Wasn't it close to a little road where we'd been looking into maybe popping in some real estate or something..." Lucifer offers with a grin, finishing the cigarette and with a flash of hellfire it turns to naught but ash. He shrugs after a moment and seems to get that Look(tm) on his face. "We could always go back and poke at it some more..."

No one has rejected the idea of Asgardian Ale, and somehow the bottle he set aside for them has made it's way to below the bar right where he's standing. Fascinating that. Three glasses are produced, and he'll open the bottle and pour a swallow or two's worth into each glass. Nothing too much at first. See how it feels on the way down and after. One glass is placed in front of everyone and then grins. "Well. Bottoms up?"

Nick Drago has posed:
The offered sympathies gets a nod of acknowledgement, but there's no offer of details beyond that as he works to quash any accidental reflections upon the first few years in the kitchen.

So, the mention of where the odd house was located is focused upon. The general area causes for him to give a nod, "Ah. Probably near a ley line. Sunnydale's just full of them and Bludhaven's not far behind it." He pauses, "Dreams around there do lead to weird places."

Nick looks to the new glass set before him and glances back to Lucifer. He heard mention of ale just now but he didn't hear which type it was. "Thanks." As his hand sets upon the glass, a thought occurs to him. The motion to the lift the glass is halted as he instead, gives a small, wry smile.

Drinks with the Devil.

If Rod were alive he'd probably get a kick out of this.

Sinister has posed:
"Leylines," just the one word said with a kind of afternote of bemusement to it. Sinister tilts his head at nothing, glances fleetingly at Nick for no reason at all, then plucks the shotful up with a graceful flourish of wrist. "Cheers," and although he's swallowing, there's the thought, maybe just the feeling of laughter in the ears, although no laughter is audible. Maybe the imagination is playing tricks, but there is a thought .oO(Drunken pokings at psychoactive constructs. A party game for all the family. What could POSSIBLY go wrong.) Swallow. The laughter in memory lingers a few moments more.

"Well, now. That certainly has a wallop, now doesn't it?" Might be the understatement of the day, as the glass is quietly lowered, set down and just... stared at for a couple of moments. "Erm. Yes. Real estate is cheap around that area. Something to do with the wierd shitometer being stratospheric most of the time."

Lucifer has posed:
Drinks with the Devil will happen very often if one comes into Lux. Mostly because the Devil drinks and he drinks a lot, because it takes a lot. A LOT. Like a true effort for the Devil to actually feel the affects of alcohol. Or drugs. Or ... anything really. He has to have the mindset already in motion to feel anything and most of his drinking is done to explore the taste of the drink rather than it's potency.

None the less, he smirks, lifts his glass and nods. "Cheers." Before the entire shots worth is tilted back, held, and then there's a swallow. "Oh. Mmn... Well then..." If it's fit for a god king, then it's surely fit for Lucifer right? "Leylines. Dream walking. I think there could be a lot of..." He coughs. "Fun. If we went to explore that house again..." Another cough and he thumps his chest. "...Interesting."

Nick Drago has posed:
Moment of amused reflection passed. Nick resumes lifting up his glass. "I wouldn't mind having another look." Nick agrees, generally assuming if dream walking is being discussed that probably means he'll end up being involved somehow.

Because, how often is it not?

Not really overanalyzing the discussion going on, the musician sets about with his serving of the Surprise!ale. "Slainte." Titling his head back, he empties the small dose of liquid into his mouth. A brow lifts as the tongue registers the liquid on its way to the throat.

Nick swallows and is quiet for a moment. "...What brand of ale was that?"

Sinister has posed:
There is then.... a giggle. It's one of those giggles that happens when you've just had a moment of pure hysteria and are now fighting it for all your dignity can muster. It's covered therefore, with a cough, rather unlike Lucifer's. "Yes. Quite. Just that," Sinister taps the shotglass with one fingernail, making a tiny chime to signal that the round's just begun on this particular fight for sobriety. "I would just like to say at this juncture, that I am entirely in this for the experiment." Another ding of the glass and catching up to a question asked. "Brand..." pause "...do they actually have a brand? I mean... I suppose they must, Stormstout's best, or Ragni's little hammer, or somesuch thing. Although if I remember rightly from my cultural anthropology when they all showed up not that long ago, isn't it allegedly milked from some mystical giant goat?"

Lucifer has posed:
Those tinks on the glass signal Lucifer to pour each of them another round. Just a shots worth, perhaps a little more this time. "I suppose I could ask my source. Either way, this is ale from Asgard. I happen to have a few people who owe me favors, and part of their payment is the occasional...." He pauses. "Misplaced shipment... of this fine drink. Tho I usually just keep it on reserve, you can thank Nathaniel here for me breaking open a bottle for us. He wanted to try it." A pause. He lifts his glass. "For Science."

Nick Drago has posed:
The change in Sinister's speech pattern so soon is very much noted. The words, though confusing, also. Nick looks to the now empty glass. Uncertain brand, mystical giant goat?

And then Lucifer gives the final piece by mentioning Asgard.

Dammit. That's the stuff that made Bucky even buzzed.

Wait. How much did Bucky have of this before he got to that p-. No. Nick's not a super soldier. That's not a proper basis of comparison.

The mental gymnastics that goes on starts to stumble a bit as that first shot starts to makes its effects known.

Nick chuckles, "Never thought I'd try that one. IIiiiii don't think I'm going to be making it back to where I'm staying."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister's giggles return for reasons unknown. This time, they're just the helpless kind as he brings his free hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose with a grin that won't go away. "You have to say it right, Luci. For /SCIENCE!/" the second shot is lifted though. "It works rather quickly doesn't it?" grin. GO AWAY grin. Nope, that's not happening.

There's a deep breath, a kind of sobering but only in so far as strength of will is concerned. He clears his throat a couple of times. "I think that's a very valid response, to intoxicant that is designed to make the gods tipsy. I however, can still feel my legs." The second shot is downed. "Although it's questionable how long that is going to last."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer gives a laugh at the way Nathaniel emphasizes SCIENCE before he downs the second shot. A pause. A tilt of his head. "Okay. Wow. This is... this is dangerous..." He says this and then puts the top back on the bottle and stows it away. A look given to Nick as he proclaims he won't be making it back to where he's staying tonight. "That's alright..." A key is produced from somewhere beneath the bar and slid across. "Room Twenty Seven. Down the hall where it says hotel and on the left hand side. Sleep it off. No charge."

He then looks over to Nathaniel proper and cannot wipe the grin off his face. "I think...we should retire as well...perhaps to let the affects affect us in our penthouse instead of...down here..." Is that slurred speech from the Devil himself?

Lucifer has posed:
As Lucifer produces the key, Nick lets out a sigh of relief. No drunken staggers in the open. No wandering into trouble. The hand reaches over to the key and picks it up. "Thanks. You're a ssa-"

The other hand taps the bar as he right word "Ss- Sssa- Good guy. Twenn-tee sevin. Got it."

Moving to his feet from his seated position, he ends up leaning against the bar for a moment. Allowing for the drink to settle a bit. "havfunutoo."

Damn this is fast acting.

Pushing off from the bar, the musician manages to somewhat head directly to the hotel area. The wall helps him the rest of the way.

One thing is for certain. The buzz right now may be amazing, but that hangover in the morning is NOT going to be fun.