15087/A Flight of Fancy

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A Flight of Fancy
Date of Scene: 14 May 2023
Location: Stonehenge - Wiltshire, England
Synopsis: Sinister and Lucifer go for a flight! And end up with a cat.
Cast of Characters: Lucifer, Sinister




Lucifer has posed:
Flying was going on. Over New York, above the busy bright lights of the city. Further to the outskirts of New York, passing into Rhode Island and further a brief stint over Conneticut - though there's likely nothing to really differ between the two and not much to see either way.

Wind currents were being particularly decent, letting them glide up and through a few pockets of hot air bursts before gliding their way to the next one. Ships of all sorts scatter along the ocean. Cruise lines, oil rigs, shipping containers - all coming to and from North America to the west or Europe to the east. At one point Lucifer has to likely help Nathaniel power around a storm that's dumping rain in the middle of the ocean - ah the lovely circle of life - but it doesn't take them too terribly long to reach a halfway point.

Eventually, a few hours later, they're flying into England - quite literally - and Lucifer knows the way to go in order to get to their destination. Stonehenge. Even from above, in the morning hours, it looks like it always has. Just a pile of stones in a strange formation with all sort of theories of how it got there and why it exists in the first place.
Sinister has posed:
Help? Well, helping is necessary when you're powering yourself with wings. If he had given up, Sinister probably would've simply gone right through the storm and not worried over being waterlogged, but that was not the purpose. Not the exercise. Not the -design- of this shared moment; and it is different, when powered only the wind, you have to feel the currents more extensively and the ocean is a tempestuous lady, is she not? To put exactly the right meaning on the word.

Oddly, over the gulf stream, Nathaniel became more pensive, watching as the coastline of the nation of his birth began to come clearly into sight. And then, subtle things, little half-smiles at the patchwork quilt look of the green and gold and roadways down below. The topology, the nature of it all down there is so very, very familiar. In the blood. In the bones.

And the Salisbury plains are also a very ancient and wholely unique looking place. Stonehenge is not the only earthworks there, but it's definitely the most starkly majestic, the others are hidden here and there, usually in someone or other's commons or in a farmer's field surrounded by pylon fencing. He banks, following Lucifer's flight path as best he can...
Lucifer has posed:
Lesson twelve. Hovering. Course Sinister could hover if he wanted to - sans wings - and maybe that might actually help a little bit in this manner. Cause Lucifer will have to continue to small-flap his wings in order to remain hovering where he is in the sky. He gestures. "Stonehenge. Home of many a wonder, and conspiracy theory. Did you know that there are some people who believe the Illuminati meet beneath her?" He chuckles at this and then shakes his head. "But this is what I wanted to show you. It's a very subtle thing, and it is likely missed until someone points it out. Look at the areas surrounding stonehenge. Perhaps find points where maybe nature never ever fully recovered, and likely never means to."

He waits for Nathaniel to look, to perhaps discover it on his own. Most people get caught up in the size of the stones and how it would be impossible to have moved them from Wales - where they naturally occur - all the way here. But those people were looking for big imprints of stone, the width of rock to prove that it was rolled. But who says they were rolled on their lonesome? Some twenty men per stone pushing them all the way here? Nonsense!

It wasn't only the Egyptians who employed the lever and pully system.
Sinister has posed:
Sinister's wings haven't the overwing to be able to hover easily. It takes him some effort, as a raven's wings are a bit broader and designed for multipurpose loftiness, not for speed, or range, or power even. Some of it involves staying in one spot, looping around, then going higher, dropping down and kind of circling things. And there's a couple of people down there, tourists taking photographs, who as of yet have not looked up. That would be fun when they do.

"Well, I never..." the response was worth it by the time he spots it, laughing at the sight, albeit soft. "They used scaffolds at least... likely leverage!" Shaking his head "Oops," down he goes again, wheels and returns to higher. "I should just redesign these, but that would seem to be wrong somehow." The opinion is given as he glides lower again, considering the view. "I always used to think of it like a great seasonal clock."
Lucifer has posed:
"People cannot comprehend the evolution of man. Boats, ships, as rough around the edges they likely were... they were still used. So the rocks were loaded, taken up river and then deposited where - yes - moved by leverage to get them here. And set up in such a way." Lucifer smiles. "Of course you'd figure it out, and that makes me happy. I think it's interesting. A little secret I keep guarded because no one else has made the connection until you."

Even an Angel can get tired of flying and hovering and so Lucifer takes care but eventually does land both his feet on the ground. People looking up to see a spectacle might just have to wait. A shimmy shake and his wings disappear and he's back to that blonde haired, green eyed muscular umph of a man. "I do actually wonder if there isn't something hidden inside the hill. But if there is, I've yet to find an entry point, and I feel digging would be cheating."
Sinister has posed:
Relief! Or at least not wheeling constantly, the blackwinged goes a little further -- he explodes into a murder and they all wheel and circle around, checking the sights below only to recollate themselves back into Nathaniel Essex thereafter, out of sight of the common masses. He managed to reform without the wings, even!

"Sadly, I doubt that there is, unless the entrance is hidden mystically in some way and the chamber foxed to sensors. The amount of ground penetrating radar that has been used across the plains is monumental." Nathaniel comments that, but with a smile. "Happy to oblige," the hat, invisible, is doffed to the Angel. "There is a chamber beneath silbury hill though, in Glastonbury. But it just seems to be sealed in."
Lucifer has posed:
"Ah well. I can still pretend something exists under there. A secret alien base, perhaps. Maybe it is the actual place for the Iluminati..." Lucifer says this much after Nathaniel realigns himself from the murder of ravens to his usual self sans wings. "Hmm... I wonder what we could find there then. I mean... just because it's sealed doesn't mean we can't get through." Oh there's a spark in Lucifer's eyes. "Pin that for later...I have a feeling we'll need to bunk here for the night. Maybe catch an early flight home on a commercial airline... Cause that took it out of even me."

However! Lucifer is surely not ready to wave the white flag just yet. "What shall we traverse to see now that we've come to Stonehenge? Visit the cathedral? Go reminisce at Old Sarum?" Apparently the Devil had done a bit of research - or just happens to know these few things exist.
Sinister has posed:
"MMmmmn," but then there's the admission of being a little flown out, from having done the transatlantic. "Oh thank the stars, I was worried we were going to be marathon men," Sinister breaths that out with a dramatic spread of palm to his chest, shaking his head. "I have a place in a little village called Winterslow. There's also an abandoned village with a heritage church in the middle of army territory, abandoned since the second world war. One of Britain's only actual ghost towns."

There's a pause, a thought or two circulating. "Do you remember Old Sarum in Roman times? I mean, was that one of the periods you popped out?" he asks. "I tend to think of you as an intriguing mix of ancient and youthful at the same time, like this is actually the only century that you've genuinely got out and about and seen the sights. I'm sure that's not completely true, but it's the impression."
Lucifer has posed:
"Little sight seeing here and there, but no... I never really did get to go out and about. I did as some of the things were written...but I also stayed in my lane for way too long. If I had known..." Lucifer seems to think on this a moment. "But then we may have never met, and all of this would have never happened. Say what you want about fate and such...but I think a part of our existences is...not really predetermined...but mapped out to a point. Each choice a crossroad...and that affects this dimensions way of processing time." He likely went full half circles on a few theories but that's Lucifer for you.

"Seeing your place in a little village would be nice I think... but also stopping by where Ancient Romans tried to conquer. Tried? Did? I know a little of the history. It's what birthed this area.. after the Romans and such." Lucifer then chuckles. "I'm talking in circles. Sorry. But also no, we're not marathoning this... that would be absurd even in my book."
Sinister has posed:
"Indeed. I have limits. They're quite high, but I was beginning to feel the burn at the end there and was running out of steam. Hence," he points up at the air. "I think I actually said 'oops' at one point, didn't I? Yes. I think I did..." anyhow, that's neither here nor there in the end. And the first is addressed last.

"I'm genuinely rather glad to hear you say that. I can't really imagine me being predestined to be thrust in your path, though in its own right, it has a kind of karma to it. I'm sure a great many would agree that I deserve to burn in hell, for what I've done." He grins, at that. "Not quite how they'd have pictured it though..."

The distraction is dismissed, before he goes on to thinking too much about that. "Right. Do you feel up to teleporting us to the Cathedral grounds at least? It's central to Salisbury and we can catch an Uber from there. I feel we might have to grab a small amount of groceries if we're going to stay in my cottage."
Lucifer has posed:
"You made a choice to enter Lux, I made a choice to go out with you..In some other multiverse those things might not have happened. Or different choices at certain points were made." Lucifer smiles and then seems to think. "Oh teleporting takes nothing, so I could do that as much as I wanted. Technically I could teleport us right back to the penthouse or wherever...but I figured flying first class would be equally as fun."

He says this and then gives a nod, shifting to wrap an arm around Nathaniel. Waiting a pause for no one to really be looking in their direction before they poof from the onlook of Stonehenge and re-appear at the Cathedral in all it's glory. "You know...for whatever it is worth...I do like to give credit to those who built these cathedrals. Whatever is housed within means little to me, but the buildings themselves. Immaculate. Appreciated. If even a little bit." He smirks then.
Sinister has posed:
Where do they go, when they're not there and not here? That's been a thing Sinister has pondered over, since the first transit by Devil. If that moment could be frozen in time to appreciate it, would the end result be enough to send a person mad? H.P. Lovecraft, thy books were alluring in their pseudoscience and the musings of that which lies beneath and between!

Glancing around, the old Gothic brings a small smile to the doctor. "It's part of the making sense of the universe and a matter of pride. The big townships could afford a cathedral. It's what used to define a city, but there's so truly beautiful little churches also, and one or two exceptional shrines. And in the modern world, the original purpose as one of the only buildings made of stone was two fold. You'd get villages bringing their horses, cattle and livestock indoors along with the people, even when I first set foot into the greater world." With a faint and kind of nostalgic smile, Sin heads out, using his phone to call for an Uber and instructing it to meet in the town square, which isn't that far away.

Milk, some coffee beans, some breakfast staples, Twingings tea and whatever took their fancy in the offlicense at Marks and Spencer's grocery. There was also a cheeseplatter bought on a whim.

And that's that, off out of the city along the A30, to where the plain becomes downland, though still covered in turf and chalk beneath. Winterslow has a very small population, a post office, a little corner store and an all-purpose overpriced general goods shop, farmer mechanics and an a primary school. That's about it.

Nathaniel's cottage however, is thatched and made of stone, with an iron 'x' in the wall as a joist. It's rambled with roses and a herb garden around the back, but all of that's a bit.... overgrown.
Lucifer has posed:
"You're right. And I really admite gothic creations, some of the smaller churches as well with their charm, but gothic structure and design is where my heart stays." Lucifer quips with a chuckle and then they go about buying some things in the marketplace. Lucifer even picks up a bottle of wine and one of cognac - for their late night indulgences. Besides, the wine he picked will pair well with the cheese platter bought on a whim.

Then it's off to the countryside, which is a ride away from the city and opens to land as far as the eye can see. The little cottage that comes into view is quaint, and Lucifer looks it over a moment. "Seems some years have taken over it a bit... if this is your place, and we get more use out of it, I suspect we'll want to tidy it up a bit. Trim the grass, replant some things, maybe do a little T-L-C to the cottage itself. However, I say all that, but would also like to impart that I do love this little cottage from what I've seen. It's quaint. And I bet it's quiet..."
Sinister has posed:
"Very, very quiet, yes. It belonged to ohh... was it my aunt? My great aunt? I think it might have been my great aunt. Either way, this is actually Essex' property," Nathaniel confers, then walks about the edge of the rose bush moving several briar thorns away until he can reach beyond to another 'iron rivet' which apparently is false. Pulling it out and the key reveals itself, a bit cobwebbed but serviceable. "Fifteenth century building, was originally a shepherd's cothold, I believe."

He opens the door to reveal the inside is just as quaint as the outside. It's old fashioned, looking as if the furnishings haven't been changed since the advent of chrome appliances in the fifties. But it's clean. Neat. Cosy. Very cosy. The entire thing is five rooms -- a pantry, living/dining area, kitchen, a washroom and the bedroom at the back, overlooking the garden with enough room for a chest of draws, a nightstand and a queen sized bed, only. Tiny!

"I had it replumbed and the electrics done in the ninties. I didn't think about anything else. I think I listed it as heritage though, so I have a person that comes and cleans once a month."
Lucifer has posed:
"So they clean the inside but do nothing with the outside? Tsk tsk. That may very well have to change..." The two of them seems to have scatterings of foot holds everywhere which - in a pinch - will do very well. Especially these little outcoves that are also driving distance to the city. Though teleporting is also a thing of course.

The inside gets a bit of humming and hawing, some gawking at a piece here and there. "So modern guts, ancient trimmings... I like it. Really I do." He turns towards Sinister and simply smiles. "Too bad it's not near the water, I can only imagine how the sea would sound in a place like this..." Then a laugh. "We could herd our own sheep here... or cattle... or both. This could be quite the little side job spot if we wanted it to be."
Sinister has posed:
"Appearances. I wanted to make sure that this place people believed to be mostly abandoned, but under surveillance -- because it's heritage. So the garden didn't get much of a going over," Sinister watches as the devil takes stock, the quaint little nook and cranny granny house. "Wait until you see the kitchen..." he ambles that way to point out a thing that is not common place any more. Not since the advent of electricity anyway. "An argor," A range! for woodfire cooking! And of course, heating the place. Nathaniel leans against the wall, smiling at the sight of his partner in daily life exploratoring like an explorer.

"I suppose if you wanted to fit it out to your liking, you utterly could? I think the place has about five acres attached to it. Not much, it was just a shepherd's cothold, but enough for a hobby farm, I suppoes?"
Lucifer has posed:
"We don't have to have a hobby farm or anything. It was just an idea. Little pockets in all corners of the world or some such." Lucifer shrugs and then walks into the kitchen to find the little quaint surprise Nathaniel had.

"Oh lookit this... and I bet it would warm up these front rooms of the house nicely while being cooked over. How fascinating..." He smiles then. "I kinda want this as a project place, but if you'd rather not bother with it then I won't either... cause this is YOUR place first and foremost and I'm not doing anything to it you don't wish done."
Sinister has posed:
"What's mine is yours, what's yours is also yours, but I'm quite happy to visit it." Sin grins at this, because being erm... the queen? of Hell? Well, that's just a bit more than he ever wants to really be thinking about. But it's thought about and thus the 'no, no, no, no, no' in mind can be heard loud and clear. He laughs in the quiet air, it's not even possible to hear the road outside, or the A30 a couple of miles away. "Stone and thatch do wonders for keeping it quiet, but it does get cold in the winter. Hence why the argor never got taken out, I think it's more efficient."

Unfolding himself from the lean, Nathaniel heads into the pantry to flip the breaker, bringing fridge and lights to life. "Remember, until relatively recently, I was a solo artist. I didn't want people knowing where I was."
Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer lets out a chuckle. "Just imagine... people asking what we do for a living. Well we farm in England, cultivate wine in Germany, run a club in New York, and play by the seaside in...somewhere on the US's eastern shore..." Another laugh comes from him then. "We could also keep this place up in appearances but still maintain something within the shadows of it's glory. I think it'd be an interesting endeavor... course... livestock might need more tending than we can give. so maybe we'll start with farming..." He shrugs. "Something to look into anyway..."

Then he looks to the auger itself. "Does this need wood? Do I need to go get some wood?" Unable to hold back some of the excitement in his voice.
Sinister has posed:
"Wood or coal. I think there's a small leanto of windfall for kindling and some logs? Just out there..." Sinister nods out the kitchen window and kind of to the side. "I'm afraid I ... don't really know. Does wood go off? Well, of course it does, but I suppose I mean to say I'm not sure how old, dry or useful it is?" Opening the back door, he steps outside into overgrowth of herbs, pushing aside a rather tall and unruly rosemary bush to peer around the small leanto with its support poles and retaining wall. "Oh, about a quart, I think... erm. And possily a hedgehog or two, but they'd be right underneath. You ever stocked one of these?"

That was called back, leaned around. "Oh. And we have a cat."
Lucifer has posed:
"Well with how this cottage is, I would wonder the same. If it's been rained on, then dried out, then rained on again. Might be killing a whole world of species in the wood if we use it..." Lucifer says this, following along close behind. A tilt of his head which then then given a shake as a no. "I've never stocked something like this no. About a quart of what?" Asking this as he pokes his head outside, right into the overgrowing rosemary. Then he perks a bit more. "Is it a black cat?"
Sinister has posed:
"Black and white, it looks like. They're called tuxedos, if I remember right? I'm afraid I know comparative anatomy, not so much etymology of descriptive terms. Come here..." inching along the edge of the wood stack, he comments. "Quarter of a ton, I think. Although, I think my eyeballs were playing tricks, this little stack is more like an eighth." About a quarter of the wood shed's area has nice neat little blocks and logs in it, stacked up. A FEW have already been split, but no more than a fire and a half's worth.

Inching on his haunches, there's sotto voce coaxing noises. "C'mon. Whose a good girl then... puss puss puss puss puss..." and then a mroowwwwwww, of a cat that's both wary and happy to see someone. Anyone! Quite young, quite small, with a white breast and mittens and a little splotch on her chin.
Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer's entire attention goes to the cat as it emerges. "Awww...who's a good kitty? Is it you? Are you killing all the mice and other creatures that would otherwise squat in the house?" He moves forward, slowly, and then kneels down and holds his hand out, hoping the cat will come give him a sniff.

"Well wood enough for a fire tonight is a good thing. When we come back, after we've dealt with other things closer to home...we can chop wood. Plant a couple fields. You know, I think even coming out here and doing that - even tho it's work - it would be an escape from our typical projects right now." A vacation, of sorts, and Lucifer seems to be all for it.
Sinister has posed:
This might be a thing. Go to a place, set it up, get it working like a thing of beauty, go save the world and do dangerous and devilish things. Come back and have fun trying to figure out how to milk a goat.

The yearling, mew-chirps, the whiskers showing their full spread as she lifts her head to scent, approaching rather cautiously but approaching nonetheless. And then? A headbutt against hands! Maybe the caretaker brings her kibble or something. "She needs a name, you know."
Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer smiles at the headbump that his hand gets and very gently he turns his hand over to scritch beneath the cat's chin. "Oh. Yes. We should name her..." He seems to think on it for a moment before shaking his head. "What do you think about the name Lexi?" Asking this while glancing over at Sinister. "She'll need some water and food unless she has some already... and half of me wants to take her home and bring her back when we visit. Such an adorable little thing..." Chin strokes turn to head and ear scritches.
Sinister has posed:
"Well... I wouldn't object? I don't have anything against pets, I just never really had the time for them..." Nathaniel observes, tilting his head in study of the so-dubbed 'Lexi'. She seems sweet enough, if a bit underfed. Lean, that would be the word. "Oh, that would mean you'd have to buy her treats, a bed and we'd have to get her looked at by a vet. Probably dewormed and vaccinated. I don't -think- she's local. Most people in britain put collars on their cats. She's probably semi-feral."
Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer glances back at the cat and gives a smile. "What do you say? Shall we take you home and get you all fixed up and then you can have a warm bed, plenty of food and milk, and all the treats your heart desires?" Then he seems to think on it. "We'll have to get a few things here if we're going to fly home tomorrow. Or maybe we can wait. Perhaps she won't disappear..." But the worlds a scary place for a cat on it's own out in the wilds! He just sighs and then straightens up again.
Sinister has posed:
"Well, we have breakfast things..." Sinister observes, nodding at the pantry. "But I can zip to the overpriced local gas station whilst you get her settled. I think I have some couch cushions and I'll bring back a cardboard box?"

So saying, he lifts off under cover of totally-not-expected and flits off to do just that. He isn't gone long and even brought a kid's bouncy ball toy, which is solemnly handed over to Lucifer when he returns, with wet and dry food and catlitter. And indeed, a couple of cardboard boxes. As temporary occupancy.
Lucifer has posed:
There are some things that a Devil cannot hide. Lucifer's love for animals is one of those things. Those calls to adopt an animal somewhere? Yep. Donating to shelters so they don't have to euthanize animals what don't need it. Absolutely. He has money in zoos, aquariums, all sorts of habitats for different endangered species.

And now. He has a cat.

A cat which he scoops up and cuddles while bringing her inside. "Lexi. I like that name. Do you like that name?" Asking this even as he sets her down once inside and the doors are closed.

When Nathaniel returns, he sets up a little space for her close-ish to the heater stove thingie so she's warm when it's chilly. Half the wet food gets served to her, the other half stored for the morning. Water in a bowl for now as milk will be a special treat also.
Sinister has posed:
And all of this, Nathaniel watches with a fondness. Donations to aquariums and zoos is something that they share, but he can't honestly say he's cared overmuch for animal shelters of domestic pets. That might change, though -- there might even be a charity set up, soon. "Care to see about changing the bedsheets, because I think the last time that happened was probably last year some time. There should be new ones in the linen closet, which is the cupboard thing in the bathroom that houses the boiler. And..." he sighs here, but chuckles with it "...there IS a tv. It's in the cabinet that looks like a curiosity cupboard. I wanted to make sure I was connected if I ever bolted here. I think there's internet too, but nothing else."
Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer glances up and over. "Change linens, pull TV out, check for internet, put a movie on and manage dinner. Got it." All of which, Lucifer begins doing. The sheets are pulled from the bed and tossed into a basket of some wicker-crafted thing and then puts new linens on the bed. The pillows are fluffed a bit (and their casings changed as well) before he goes to the closet type space and pulls out the television.

"Oh! Chickens! We'll need to raise chickens so we can have fresh eggs!" He calls this out from the bedroom while making sure everything is in a sort of proper place. "Also, what do we want for dinner? Did we buy dinner stuff or just breakfast stuff?" This is all NEW and EXCITING. Lucifer's in rare form gawking and glowing over such things.
Sinister has posed:
"Erm, well, I bought fish and chips..." Nathaniel replies, with a gesture at the kitchen and a doublewrapped package in newspaper, which was kind of hidden. "But I meant... ahh," but he's being so damned enthusiastic, does Sin have any urge to say 'I meant we could do that together'? Nah. And then of course, there's the novelty of it all. "I'll show you how to stock an auger up, with the kindling tray beneath the wood grille. Nanny used to show me once upon a time..." And he'd get a bisquit or a crumpet out of it and never would he tell that he climbed in to get the soot out of the back.

"Chickens. Well, their droppings will be good for the herb garden, you could make this into rather a cottage industry, you know, my love. You are -utterly- fascinating when you're hyper engaged--" he pats the little two-seater couch in terrible English Household floral print fabric, brandishes a wooden chip fork and proffers the choice of "I got haddock, but I also got battered savaloy and a couple of pineapple fritters..."
Lucifer has posed:
Nathaniel could have mentioned he wanted to do it together, and that would have Lucifer slow down a bit in a sort of sheepish way. It wasn't voiced so Lucifer didn't know. He does hear that there are fish and chips, which has him coming back out towards the kitchen. "Ah. I believe I'll take whichever you prefer the least." Then he smirks. "I assume there is also malt vinegar and lemon?"

A seat is promptly taken. "Pineapple fritters as well. Didn't you go all out and fancy..." A chuckle then before they sit and share a meal. Then likely a movie. Contemplating eyelids will come at some point, but not before most the night is shared between the lovers in their quaint English cottage.