15183/All Disco with no Panic

All Disco with no Panic
Date of Scene:	05 June 2023
Location:	Fallen Angels, Inc - Bludhaven
Synopsis:	Lucifer meets Wade Shaw, Manager of Nick Drago, to book Nick for performances at Lux.
Cast of Characters:	Lucifer, Phantasm (Drago), Sinister

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Lucifer has posed:
Picture if you will a looming tower of real estate skyscraper in New York. Walking in, the place seems fairly normal. There's a receptionist/security desk if one needs directions on where to go, but a long board behind them does list out the occupants and where their offices are located. This place must be a melting pot of business types as all sorts are coming and going. Well dressed men and women to those who look like they could use maybe a bit of sprucing up. Listed on this board is Fallen Angel's, Inc. It's on the 6th floor. In office 66.

The devil is sometimes both wholly clever and also a knack for over used jokes.

Should one find themselves with business at Fallen Angel's, Inc walking into the office building is fairly low key as well. A receptionist sits in the corner. She's the definition of beauty in physical form. Long red hair, a blouse that doesn't quite cover the upper essentials paired with a skirt that very barely covers the lower ones as well. Striking eyes of emerald grin, lips painted as if with blood and she smells of midnights and secrets with a come hither look to boot.

It's when one takes a tinier closer look - if they dare - that some things just aren't quite...normal. Pictures hang on the walls but they depict things like the Fall of Man, Michael and Samael in Battle, The Fall of Lucifer. Amazing art works. Shame they aren't much appreciated out in the real world.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It is into this office that a blond haired, blue eyed man walks into. While the hair is nicely combed and the man has chosen to wear a suit, the manner in which he carries himself does not betray any form of nervousness. Although wearing a suit, Wade has skipped the crisp white of a dress shirt and has instead gone the way of the blue dress shirt. A black tie anchors it to the fitted outerwear's color scheme.

The man, known to those who know of him as Wade Shaw takes a moment to admire the artwork before he heads over to the reception desk.

"Good afternoon." He greets, giving a warm smile to the beauty managing the desk. "I'm here for an appointment with Mr. Morningstar. The name's Wade Shaw."

Lucifer has posed:
The beauty gives an alluring smile while picking up the phone on her desk and pressing a few button. "Luuuuciiii. You has a visitor. Man here says he got an appointment with you." Oh, oh the shrill nasal mixed with thick Boston. It's likely very obvious Lucifer definitely hired her for her looks.

After a moment, she hangs up the phone and then pushes a button which buzzes the door. "You can go in. Mister Morningstar is ready to see you."

The door leads to another room. Spacey. There's a piano on one end of the room - a lovely grand - by the maker Bosendorfer. Finished black and trimmed in red - so it's likely a custom piece. All the furniture in the room is black, the carpet is as well. It's like walking into a room full of embers and yet it's bright with the open concept windows to let all the natural light in.

And there sits Lucifer upon the leather black chair behind his desk - throned if one will - he wears his own black suit with red dress shirt, black tie, red handkerchief tucked into the left breast pocket. It fits him in an immaculate way that suits often don't fit unless specifically tailored.

The man screams money and drips luxury and light. And currently his attention is a bit to his left, addressing another who is in the room as they talk all things casual and life permitting. As lovers do.

Sinister has posed:
"Honestly, if you dropped a piece of charcoal in here, you'd never find the blasted thing..." the tone is intimate, but the words are a tease. Nathaniel is examining items in the office at a distance, in the manner of one who was called in to be a co-meet on a meeting but isn't naturally a fixture of said locale. Currently, it's whether housekeeping is attending to the black on black with the attention said black on black deserves. Any speck of dust shows up a mile off, but he -seems- to be quite pleased with his perusal. There was a moment that Wade was not privy to, of the wrinkling of nose at the nasal whine that came through the office phone and a sidelong glance that spoke absolute volumes.

Now though, with the entrance, he settles himself back. Leather dress-coat, impeccable lines and the posture of one used to a commanding high-backed chairs, there's a different kind of money here. If Lucifer is 'old monied' in style and presentation, there's a measure of 'new money' in Sinister. But between the two of them, the way they present, they could likely buy manhattan island.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The well dressed musician standing before her takes in a breath, willing himself not to react to the sounds emitting from the woman's voice box. The heat from the smile has cooled a bit but it's still present as he is buzzed in. "Thank you." He politely responds.

Stepping forward, the piano does seem to be the first thing the bassist takes note of. Considering the amount of equipment he ends up dealing with at the studio, it's more of a subconscious thing he does. A bit of quiet appreciation for the high end piece. But being that is not his particular purpose for being here, he reschools himself and continues his glance around.

The two well dressed men become the next point of interest. No. THE point of interest considering Wade's purpose here. And so, Old money, new money, and adopted into a mix of the two have gathered. The later trying to sus out any potential warning signs from the first two.

Now Wade could speak up, interrupting the conversation going on prior to his entrance but that would be rude. So, he waits.

Once he was sure he wasn't interrupting, he speaks up. "Good afternoon. I'm Wade Shaw. I am here regarding my client, Nick Drago."

Lucifer has posed:
"That's entirely the point. Coal will disappear into the carpet, as will a few other things that might tend to fall here and there from time to time... but I also like it looking immaculate and tidy." Lucifer speaks towards Nathaniel. "Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it from you and your fussy ways." He chides, gives a smile and blows a kiss before his attention turns to the other man in the room.

"Ah, Mister Shaw, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard good things of you from your client Mister Drago." He offers this as he stands and extends his hand out. "Lucifer Morningstar. But please, Lucifer is perfectly fine. Thank you for meeting with me and my collegue, Nathaniel Essex, here. I'm sure this will be a simple enough meeting as I think we're all of the mind to keep Mister Drago's best interests at heart. Please. Have a seat. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

Sinister has posed:
"If I were to capitulate to my obvious airs, I would have to say I like things to be ship shape and Bristol fashion. One habit from childhood I've never managed to, nor seen the point of shaking off. But you wouldn't have it any other way," Sinister stands, because it's what you do in certain situations and he -has- donned a human face for this. That would've been a bit more memorable than he'd have intended. "Or depending on your mores and norms, we do have a small selection of power drinks..." which could mean energy, or it could mean Krombucha, or it could mean hard liquor. New york Offices occasionally have it all, don't they?

"Indeed, we're quite taken with mister Drago. I could hasten to say I would like to hire him for a few things, not the least is an ad campaign, but this isn't my meeting, I'm merely consulting."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hearing the secondhand praise coming from Nick via Lucifer. There is a general feeling of -it's hard to describe. Not quite pride, not quite pleasure, but more knowing-contentment at that. It's not surprising that a good friend would say nice things, but it's good to get a reminder of it from time to time. Especially when things have gotten so pooched up the past year that made communication harder to do.

Wade takes the offered hand, "A pleasure as well, Mr. M-" He pauses correcting himself, "Pardon me. Lucifer. That Nick would give you the alternative contact number is endorsement enough."

Wade looks over to Sinister, offering a hand to him as well. "Mr. Essex." He greets.

When formalities are concluded, Wade does find a seat. "A water should be fine." He responds, turning away the temptation of alcohol. "As for formalities, I'm sure when it comes to friends of his, he wouldn't mind us referring to him as 'Nick'. Well, until any mention of paperwork is brought up of course. Then it's back to formality."

Wade sits back, glancing to the similarly heighted men. "So, what is it you would like to discuss about Nick?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods and presses a button on his phone. "Kendra, be a dear and bring a water, a cognac and a whiskey to the office." Which of course will then cause another assault on the ears with a, "Right away Mistah Mornin'Star!" To which even Lucifer has to shake his head once the intercomm clears. "Good looks, horrible voice, take the bitter with the better I suppose."

There's a grin then before things become sort of brass tacks. "Well. To the point. I own the Lux club downtown. Nick has been hinting around and somewhat expressing he'd like to begin performing again and it so happens that I like to hire musicians, bands...live entertainment as it were. So, this is why you're here. I'd like to hire Nick to perform at the club. We can start small, couple of performances, see how the crowd draws. Then perhaps re-visit to maybe have more frequent appearances. Of course, none that would interfere with any other projects he might have going on. Time is...fluid. And I am - in many ways - flexible."

Sinister has posed:
"/And/ this isn't Vegas..." Sinister adds. There's a moment where he looks as if he might say something regarding the godawful nasal whining, but the lips form to begin and hold their peace. Nope, not his place to say a word! He does however, shake his head a little bit and return his attention to Wade, settling back into the seat with his hands losely curled over the arms. He smiles to the man, glances sidelong to Lucifer and back.

"In addition, as I understand there has been a few hiccups along the way, with projects. I have been known to be a seed fund at times, which translates to being a producer. If there is need to source new backing for projects that left his clientelle hanging, I am not adverse as a resource. If necessary. I prefer hands off in such things, of course. I'm sure you'll have paperwork if it beocmes required."

He seems to be weighing things up now, an assessment of the face value of a friend that became a manager. They can often be very good, after all... but Stars inevitably can cause headaches and stress fractures.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Wade nods in confirmation to Nick wanting to perform again. "Yes, I'm aware of him wanting to get back into things." He doesn't go into detail about his involvement with getting Nick back into form. Making arrangements, looking into possible security options to protect his friend's butt should problems rear their head once more. Increasing security at the studio, hell, even going so far as a security consult to making sure his condo is as safe as possible should Nick feel safe enough to move back in.

Wade nods as Lucifer mentions his club and the general idea of booking Nick for a few performances. Thoughts of the Blue Lady gig during the stalker incident comes to mind and honestly this feels like a few notes of the same thing.

Only this time it would be Nick's music and not laying low as a session musician. There's a general sense of anger within Wade. Not directed towards the ones in the room, but the general situation that has led to this type of conversation. But snapping here won't help matters at all.

Nick probably wants to get back to the way things were. Wade certainly does but-

Nick did give Lucifer the number and knowing Nick-

Essex's mention regarding the stalled film project does cause for Wade to glance over to him for a moment. The reminder of that aspect seems to have a bit of a good effect as the pent up anger melts away. "...While I can not directly disclose other bookings. I can state that whatever hiccups you are referencing, have since died away." It is likely best that they had that no discussing policy established because explaining how he and Nick managed to fix that crater of a mishap would be far too long. Either way, that producer's not only happy but doubled their investment to speed up the process.

Wade looks back over to Lucifer, "I believe Nick would love to do some live performances. But prior to giving a call on that matter, what is security like at the Lux?"

He has heard good things but, sometimes people exaggerate.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods his head. "Fair enough. Client privacy and all that, we can respect that. Nick's mentioned a few things but he's never gone into any real detail." Lucifer puts that out there to perhaps ease any tension Wade was feeling that the two of them knew about the mishap to begin with.

"Security at Lux is both loose and tight. I have a doorman, my bartenders are trained should issues arise and I can bring in a private security force if extra attention is needed." To what extent and existence this security force is will always be a thing Lucifer will not indulge. "I have not had an incident for quite a long time save for this one time when a friendly neighborhood spider thought it would be a good idea to chase his target INTO my club. I won't stand for such heroics. My club is, admittedly, a mixture of the villainous to the heroic, and they all find ways to maintain peace and distance when within Lux's walls."

Kendra comes in with drinks. Water to Wade, cognac to Nathaniel and whiskey to Lucifer. He gives her a -look- that keeps her silent as she comes, drops off, and goes.

"I figure, two performances on Friday nights. With a week between them. Maybe two depending on how everyone feels. Again, we'll see what kind of crowd he can draw and revisit the table after in order to give him something...stable? Stable but flexible? Something like that."

Sinister has posed:
"That /is/ good to hear," And thus Sinister will not pry an iota further -- he can sense the anger simmering beneath, guage this conversation as it's happening and that is probably why he makes a good consult. This seems to be relatively solid ground so far and so, he nods to Lucifer's suggestion. A small thing. A tacit 'on the right track' thing.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The manager nods to Lucifer's description of the club along with the outlining of the history. "So, would you say that people know better than to cause problems in your club? Do you have measures in place to prevent the bringing in of weapons?"

Wade nods to Sinister's assessment to the producer issues settled being good news. "Yes. Which will be a factor to Nick's availability of course."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer thinks on things for a moment. "You know. I really do despise gun violence. Despite what people may think of me...as often times my reputation proceeds me." He begins with this. "I do not allow gun, knives, or any other sort of weaponry in my club. I have a metal detector, very discreet one, and I think the reputation of the club is now to the point where no one has tried to sneak anything in recently. Course, I cannot account for non-earthly creatures but...very few of those actually visit. For some reason." He shrugs then.

"Should someone try. They fail miserably. Depending on the situation, they either leave quietly or the cops get called." Or, other things happen, but he won't mention that either. One of those don't ask don't tell sort of things.

Sinister has posed:
"There's also the fact that I take a very dim view of disruption in my environment. That isn't much of anything in the grand scheme of things... but..." Lifting a finger, Sinister goes where Lucifer did not and everything not immediately on the desk where Lucifer sits or where Wade himself is sat, lifts up from the floor, does a pirrhouette in space and lands back down again. That's all. "I am skilled enough that I can hold a capillary shut with just the power of my mind, performing open heart surgery with only a scalpel and thread and believe me, I have done so. I have very fine control over that particular gift, in the macro or the micro."

Darth Vader with an annoying Lieutennant springs to mind for the geek at least.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Despite the mention of supernatural creatures, the mention of metal detectors does seem to have some type of reassuring aspect to Wade. Considering what Agent Barnes said about Nick, the supernatural ones aren't the ones Wade has to worry about because apparently, when they're worried about shadowy organizations trying to murder his family and friends, the idiot is fighting VAMPIRES behind his back.

And then, shit on the desk starts moving. And judging from Mr. Essex's finger movements, he was responsible. Brows lifting, he looks back to the desk and then towards Sinister.

Well then.

If Nick's not safe there, he's not going to be safe anywhere.

Wade looks over to Lucifer. "...Is that two Fridays with a performance on each with a week between?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods. "Yes. In example a performance this friday, then the next week off, then the Friday after that he'd play again. Course, I'm not looking to set him up that soon. Unless he's willing." The devil shrugs and takes a sip of his whiskey. Then, because it's his office, he pulls a silver case from his inner pocket and pulls out a cigarette, lighting it with a snap of his fingers. He floats this over to Nathaniel and then lights another one before offering the case to Wade.

In the interim, his other hand is writing something down on a post-it note, and once his hand is free, he'll peel the post-it and slides it across the desk. "I was thinking something along the lines of this. In compensation. And of course drink and food would be on the house for the night as well. Soft or hard drinks - as preferred." The number on the post-it is a sum of $20K.

Sinister has posed:
Cigarette duly appropriated, Sinister sits back and just smiles to a deal well negotiated, though one could argue all the semantics of that. He glances at where the smoke lifts and true to his word on precision work, the brownian motion has it all going away from the potential non-smoker in their midst.

"I'm very fond of Nick and he has a fine voice on him. Also, there's been some entertaining moments when he has been around, which always brightens things up. He is a very /good/ chap, overall. I like the notion of giving an opportunity the full legs it deserves... don't you?" This to Lucifer.

There's a pause. "Post-it negotiations are still open."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Nick has- a way of growing on people. And when it comes to music, he goes all out." Wade admits, before nodding to Lucifer's comment about not starting immediately. "It'd be better to wait at least a week. Even in the best of years I usually schedule time off the first week of June." Nick may have been closer to Rod but even Wade knows damn well not to book Nick near his birthday week. He's probably already locked himself away with that book of his and a six pack for the weekend. Which, come to think of it, he'll have to give him a call after this meeting to check up on him.

Wade leans over to look to the post-it. "Is this per performance?" He asks.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer takes a drag off his cigarette before replacing the case back in his pocket. He looks towards Nathaniel and gives a nod. "Indeed I do like such a notion." Before his attention is back on Wade. At that last question he gives a little tilt of his head and a single shoulder lifts in a shrug. "Sure. A solid investment either way, I feel." Nick had, before, sort of frowned on Lucifer just giving him money for whatever reason. Now, should negotiations go through, Nick doesn't have any way of telling him no. Which just makes Lucifer inwardly chuckle.

Sinister has posed:
"Excellent," clapping his hands in a single, but rather loud noise, Sinister looks to Lucifer with a fatuous smile. "I might have convinced the Hellfire club to purchase NYC real estate on my behalf. I feel that's an accomplishment in headache reducing lack of paperwork, but Sebastian Shaw is going to hate me even more, as a result. All to a nevermind though, I have them over a barrel..." And with that doozie, he finishes off his cigarette and his cognac. But not, likely as anything, his conversation with his significant other!

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Lucifer agrees to the $20K per performance aspect, Wade studies the number for a moment. It is considerably less than a few years ago for certain but the necessary cancellations did hurt the bottom line. They're not being able to provide the actual reasons for the cancellations didn't help either. The demand isn't as high as it was before so raising the prices to slow the demand is no longer necessary. So, priorities have changed. Most notably making sure that Nick's next performance doesn't end up being his last.

But still he wouldn't be much of a manager if..

Wade reaches over, taking the post it note and pulling out his own pen. Crossing out the number and putting in a new one before sliding it back over. It's not too far from what Lucifer had written. "This is still considerably discounted compared to what he was making." Wade explains, "If you weren't friends, I'd have asked for more."

Lucifer has posed:
"Ah. I must be a bit rusty in my opening offers." Lucifer says as he pulls back the note and looks. A nod of his head given and then he sets the note down. "Even that's a discount eh? I must really be off my game. I actually had a higher price in mind and - for some reason - convinced myself it was too high and you might have balked. So. I'll simply tell you my original thought. I want to book him or fifty thousand. Per performance. He brings in more people and business goes up, I'm surely open to compensate him a bit more." Lucifer speaks this outloud and then lets his lips curl into a grin. "You and I both know he's worth that much if not more. I've seen his work, in more ways than one, so I'm very comfortable with that amount."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Wade gives the slightest of smiles as Lucifer mentioned a concern of scaring away Nick with a higher quote. "Well, Mr. Morningstar." He starts, drifting to the formalities as they start to drift closer and closer to paperwork territory. "Fortunately, I am not Mr. Drago. So that means I will not shy away from people wanting to pay my client MORE money once I've confirmed the venue in question is a safe one. This current offer of fifty thousand per performance is acceptable. So now it's just a matter of the paperwork."