14837/The Man in the Mirror

The Man in the Mirror
Date of Scene:	23 March 2023
Location:	Lucifer's Penthouse, Melville
Synopsis:	A bloody mary moment proved to be all in the mind. And a shattered mirror brings how many years bad luck?
Cast of Characters:	Sinister, Lucifer

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Sinister has posed:
Last night ended with very little in the way of destruction and a small dent in the petty cash -- of all the ways it could have gone, it went just about perfectly. Afterwards, Sinister cleaned. It was odd, but he seemed to get therapeutic value from sweeping the floor and polishing the counters in Lux. He certainly seemed quite content when he returned to the Penthouse.

Now, it's the wee, wee hours of the night and everything is dark. Very little sound transmits through the penthouse, save for the small ticks of the building itself and the distant sound of traffic that never sleeps.

But the bed is cold.

There's a very slight sound of running water from the bathroom, trickling soft as silk, down the drain and should any investigation occur, Sin can be found staring at the mirror in the unlit washroom, at the dim glow of his gaze reflected in the polished surface. He looks grim-lipped as he leans foward, hair in a dye-straight cascade and playing chicken with his reflection.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer doesn't sleep. He does often rest however. Yet even the want to rest becomes listless when the bed does not have it's usual company within it. Laying in silence doesn't do the Devil any wonders either as that's usually when all the thoughts come spiraling around in his head. He can put on a face at any time, but deep within the mind of the Devil something stirs.

Something dark and menacing that he tries to keep at bay.

Still, ears prick at some point when he hears the sound of running water. It's enough to actually stir him out of bed because focusing on anything other than himself is a welcome reprieve. Regardless if it's out of one issue and into another. Finding Sinister staring down his own reflection, he leans against the door frame, eyes a dim glow of red in the otherwise shadow-dark of the room. "Everything alright?"

Sinister has posed:
"I don't know," Nathaniel's reply is quiet, his focus intense. "I felt restless and came to get some of the lavender oil and ... " ended up staring at the mirror, by the gesture. "Something is very strange," he looks over his shoulder at Lucifer as he says that.

And the man in the mirror looks Lucifer dead in the eye, before following suit a second later, staggered from Sinister himself.

"Did I wake you?" no, you've been gone from the bed long enough for it to go cold, monsieur. Lost time?

And that niggling darkness is reflected right back at the devil.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer raises a brow at the Man in the Mirror - and not in the cool Michael Jackson song from way back when. This is a bit more... creepy. Though the reflection seems to fix itself a moment later and then he shakes his head some.

"Bed got cold. You didn't come back for a while. Then I heard the water rushing so I came to check on you." Offering this before he motions to the mirror. "The mirror you just stared at me. Like directly at me. I don't think it's your reflection at all... and I don't think I like the idea of that either..."

Sinister has posed:
"I... wait, what?" Blinking, Sinister looks truly rather surprised that he'd been gone so long, looking back at the mirror as the reflection does likewise, THIS time perfectly matched, except that the glow in the eyes looks malignant and is brighter than that which is coming from his own gaze. "Not my reflection..." the lips move in the mirror, a quarter second /after/ his own do and his back stiffens, leaning away.

The reflection though, leans -forward-.

And then the glass shatters into a million tiny pieces and for a second or two, each single one of them reflects Essex looking back, each seeking to either look at him or at Lucifer, before they come clattering down.

Lucifer has posed:
It only takes a milisecond for Lucifer to reach and grab Sinister, pulling him away from the mirror that shatters, turning into a million pieces of reflective Sinister(s) before they all clatter on the floor. He scowls for a moment and then claps his hands twice so that the lights in the house come on.

"What in the nine levels of my domain is going on? How did that just happen?" He then goes to grab a broom, but then second guesses himself and walks back towards the bathroom. Without thinking, he extends a hand to create hellfire flames which will attempt to burn the glass so hot it will melt and then evaporate to nothingness.

Sinister has posed:
Well, that's going to leave a small stain. Evaporated glass might require some jiff lemon kitchen and bathroom scrub to get it out! Nathaniel heaves a breath as he's pulled into the devil's auspice and only cautiously leans around to peer at the wall of heat for a moment, at the ashy remains of what was their mirror. "I wish I knew. That was twilight zone creepiness, right there..." he frowns, gives a shudder and finds THE brightest spot in the now lit penthouse to stand in and drag Lucifer with him. "Have you ever encountered something like that happening before?"

If anyone might have, it would be Lucifer, right? Heck, some of his demons of the more malicious and psychological kind might specialize in such deception..

Lucifer has posed:
"I've seen it in movies. Does that count? That was some Bloody Mary type weirdness. I thought it was just an old wive's tale..." Lucifer then looks at the ground and frowns. "And I destroyed the evidence...course I have a penache for such but...I probably shouldn't have done that."

There's a look back to Sinister then. "You're really frightened aren't you? I suppose we could find another mirror and see if it does it again. Are you feeling alright otherwise?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister would never usually admit such at thing, but: "Yes. Extremely, irrevocably unnerved," Sin says this with a nod, eyes a little rounder than they usually are, snorting softly at the panache for destruction so admitted. "If it's alright by you, not tonight? I ... have a horrible feeling something abominable would happen if we tried."

Then he blinks, giving a shiver and discovering he has goosebumps rising that have absolutely nothing to do with the cold. "Oh, good grief, this is stuff and nonsense. I do not get shaken by such things as this!" Except that it seems not to be the case, doesn't it?

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer gives a nod of his head to the first bit offered by Sinister but the outburst the man gives a moment later has him raising a brow. "Look, there's no sense in getting yourself all worked up, love. You just had a major mental rework...some things were likely bound to get weird in the crossfire. We'll figure it out. Tomorrow." He offers this and then looks around. "Shall we go lay in bed or are you too jilted to rest? Maybe a cup of tea and a treat?" Something that will help take the mind off whatever just happened.

Sinister has posed:
Sinister looks down at the floor, at the stains that will linger. "We should clean that, you know..." he says in a soft tone, then huffs, putting his arms tightly folded over his chest. "I think lying down in the light would be good," he begins slowly to frown though, looking at the images, then tilting his head left, then right raven-like, to get better angles. He looks up, the frown seeming baffled. He stares a good few moments, then unfolding an arm tentatively, the other still hugging his chest, he waves it in the air as if 'wiping' the slate clean.

A mirror materializes, then sucks itself into the position it had held before. Only THIS time, there's no reflection at all! "Luci..." licking lips, he stares at where his image ought to be. "I think I'd just like to apologize. I /might/ just have fooled both of us. My subconscious is playing jimmy havoc with me at the moment."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer blinks and then nods. "Right. Little bit of spit shine might do the floor good anyway..." He, unfortunately, cannot simply whisk things away like a stain on the floor. That will take a bit of elbow grease.

There's a turning to go get cleaning supplies but then he catches Sinister re-making the mirror and finding no reflection. That last bit spoken has him raising an eyebrow. "Well tell your subconscious to stop or I'll dreamwalk into it again and put it in it's rightful place myself." This said and then he walks off to the kitchen. To get cleaning stuff.

Sinister has posed:
"Believe me, I've been trying..." Sinister mutters, casting his hand the other way and removing the mirror again, for the real one was shattered. But the demonstration was apt enough and he turns away from it, looking the way the devil went and sheepishly at the floor once again. He toes it with a slipper, making it squeak against the ground, waiting for Lucifer to return with the jiff, cracking knuckles as he waits.

"I normally only ever do that consciously. It's probably a very good thing I don't get fevered dreams all that often, I might make the neighborhood go bananas."

Lucifer has posed:
"Well if it's just your mind playing tricks, at least we aren't in any real danger." Lucifer begins as he returns with applicable cleaning supplies. Even if some of them don't seem to be the usual suspects for such. Though even as he leans down to begin cleaning the spots on the floor, he does have a moment of hesitation and glances up at Sinister. "We...aren't in any *real* danger. Right?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister shakes his head. "I don't think so. You know, it was the irrational fear that triggered me to think harder there. I don't usually get that sort of feeling -- only ever usually when I've had dreams in the past. The existential dread kind -- then I realized I was probably being somnambulent." He joins the Clean team, crouching down to add his own mettle to the scrubbing. Given the level of strength and finesse involved here, plus the standards that are higher than usual, it will be clean in no time.

After a minute or so of scrubbing, Nathaniel comments "...I did manage to hire the Juggernaut, by the by."

Lucifer has posed:
"Oh did you? Well that's good. And it's 250K from each of us yes?" Lucifer asks, not in any way upset, just making sure he had the facts correct. They continue to clean and just like that, spotless in no time. "Well, what do we do to put your mind back into place then? Should I actually have Nick come back over and we knock you out again so I can go dipping into your brain space? Maybe some of the yous in that mind mansion of yours aren't getting along and this is their retaliation?"

Sinister has posed:
Sinister looks very thoroughly at the flooring and tiles, making absolutely sure that the stains are gone. "Out, out damned spot..." murmured, he looks sidelong to Lucifer after and back to the floor, a glance intermittant to inspections. "Do you really want to go back into my mind? You know, you make a surprisingly good therapist, but it's strange to say that." He chuckles, then stretches purposefully, reaching all the way up, standing on tip toes and shaking himself out afterwards. "But yes. A quarter million from each of us," the agreement made, there's silence a measure just shy of awkward. "I honestly think my conscience is just having conniptions. I don't think it can deal with two hundred years of who I am."

Lucifer has posed:
"If it would help, then yes. I would do anything I have ever done, and all the things I can do, for you, if it helps you in the end. Which, is a weird thing for me to say and mean, but I have said it and I do mean it." Lucifer offers this, scrubbing at a few more spots before he deems the deed done. Standing, he floats supplies back to the kitchen because laziness is fun. "So. Laying down in the full light. This can be achieved... and maybe we'll discuss getting you a little cricket friend to help your conscience decide things..."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister is very quiet after that, at least until the sound of palm on chin and cheek can be heard. He rubs over his mouth and jaw, looking with lowered lashes at Lucifer at the statements made, only to step right up and into the jiff-and-cleaning-products scented aspect of the immortal celestial. The hug is firm, but gentled to the strength that they -can- possess when they want to. "I know you don't make statements... promises to me... unless you mean them. It's rather powerful, to have your love. I shall have arguments with myself over it, as a good portion of the slovenly wretch I was, has trouble believing that it can have such things. Because apparently, that part of me was a grandiose idiot of the highest order."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer returns the hug and adds a nuzzle into the man's neck. "Well, just don't argue yourself out of the relationship and it's fine..." This much more before he chuckles softly. "You are not an idiot, love. You were just...ignorant? Unknowing? Something like that..." Then he pauses. "Are you trying to stall laying down? Cause tea is still an option or...something..."

Sinister has posed:
"No, no. I just... was distracted by the physical presence I'm intimately familiar with," Sinister replies and laughs into the alcove of shoulder he finds himself in. "No talking out of it. Just reminding why I'm into it. And into it, I am. It's glorious to not be alone," in all aspects of such a thing and in all the ways. "Come," the bed is comfortable even just to lie on it and bask in the light, with closed eyes and warmth. "You know, tea is -always- an option."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer smiles and nuzzles him once more. "I see. Well that's fair enough. We will have tea soon. I think laying under light with eyes closed and warmth is our next affair." And he atttempts to guide Sinister towards the bedroom to do just that.

Sinister has posed:
And so concludes a weird little chapter, more of a footnote in the recent events that pollute the mind and make one wonder why on Earth they keep happening. Maybe, there shall be answers! Maybe, they will lead to more questions! But for now, all that there is leading to, is the bed.