16212/Of Devils and Family Ties

Of Devils and Family Ties
Date of Scene:	21 April 2024
Location:	Club Lux, Melville
Synopsis:	While getting Lux ready for opening, a friend of Nick's comes to figure out some truths - and leaves perhaps a little more enlightened.
Cast of Characters:	Lucifer, Phantasm (Drago), Hellequin, Sinister

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Lucifer has posed:
It's early in the afternoon - likely around one or two - and so the club isn't open to the general public just yet, but that doesn't mean there isn't something going on. The bars are being restocked, kitchen setting up for the evening, cages are being sanitized (again), and generally just rounds of cleaning, stocking and other prep work for the evening ahead.

Lucifer is downstairs, for some reason, likely helping with inventory in case he needs to add something to the weekly order that was missed the last night or two. Since this is before club hours, he's actually dressed down for the occassion. Hair slicked back, red tee shirt, black jeans and tennis shoes is the choice of clothing for the time being and he is currently behind the downstairs bar stocking glasses, bottles of alcohol and stashing away things that may not be suitable to the general public.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
When Nick is not booked for something, appearing at some high end event, or trying to follow the dress code of an establishment, Nick is always dressed down. But that's not to say it's TOO far from his concert attire. Certainly stage attire is also chosen for comfort but those tend to involve higher end brands. But right now, Nick is content to be wearing Goodwill's finest.

Nick is downstairs as well. Not quite helping with inventory but more sitting tiredly and having a glass of water.

Is he hungover? Hardly. He was very good yesterday. Helping out at a shelter! And yet- there's a look upon his face, like he's trying to find the right words to say something...

He looks over towards Lucifer. "Do you ever, try to say very little but that ends up snowballing into more than you planned?"

Hellequin has posed:
And maybe the snowball is currently making its way to the door.

So, this is the famous ill-repute Club Lux. Well, ill-repute in his book anyways, seems to think the tall man as he passes the door to the downstairs level of the Club. For the occasion, Henri has taken a respectable amount of time to wear a comfy casual attire.

There is no appreciation in his eyes as he looks around, but maybe a hint of curiosity. His gaze finally stops over the bar, where the man in a red tee shirt meets the description he was given of the owner.

Stopping at the door, Henri sighs, then states in his low voice, "Good afternoon. I am Henri de Fontainebleau. I was directed here by a young man at the door - or was it a woman? - anyway, I come to see Monsieur Morninstar."

That said, remaining by the door until he is invited to come in, Henri resumes his inspection of the large room. That is when he noticed Nick, saluting him with a clear, "Bonjour, monsieur Drago." If he wanted to add something, or comment, he sure proves that he can hold his tongue.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer blinks and glances over to the rockstar after Nick speaks and then gives a soft chuckle. "Likely more times than I can count on my fingers and toes. Especially when I was doing side work with the police. Oh there were times I would just spill my guts to my detective friend..." He admits this and then picks up a glass and a towel. "You never ask a question without a reason. What happened?"

No. Not 'care to explain?' not 'Something on your mind?', the Devil goes right into 'Spill it, Nick'. Though his head gives a slight tilt and then a brow raises. It doesn't look like anyone is wearing ear pieces, but that doesn't mean they all can't communicate. The staff consists of -his- demons after all. So there was a warning given that someone was here to see him, and when the man approaches the bar - greeting Nick even! Lucifer's gaze grows a bit curiouser and curiouser.

"Ah. Hello. We're not exactly open for business just yet, but if you're a friend of Nick's... you're welcome to stay..." The Devil offers and then extends a hand. "Lucifer Morningstar." At least introducing himself so Nick doesn't have to do so.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
To the question, Nick provides the answer "I ran into a friend I haven't seen in a long while and while we were catching up someone else commented about an one of the exploding wall events I was sort of involved in and that led to questions which led to more questions and the family situation kind of came up and they might be coming here at some point."

No. That is not a typo. He really did say all that in one breath.

Isn't it AMAZING the lung capacity of musicians?

Taking a deep breath, Nick gives a slight relieved smile. Confession IS good for the soul.

Catching glimpse of Lucifer's change of expression, the smile fades as he turns his head. He didn't get advanced warning, so he has to wait a bit longer to see Henri show up. As he's greeted, Nick lifts up a hand to wave. "Good afternoon, Henri."

Nick looks over to Lucifer. "The friend." He clarifies.

Hellequin has posed:
There is a quick glance given at the extended hand, not exactly a hesitation, more like a quick assessment. The hand is finally shaken in return. "I cannot say if I am Nick's friend, " Henri states, "It is his to say so. But I do consider him as my friend." The hand is firmly held for a moment, then released.

"I am sorry to come unannounced, but I have engagements for the evening," Henri states as he steps forward to get a complete view of the room. "And Nick here can testify that I am not of the most social person."

Having stepped inside the room, the Frenchman turns around to face Lucifer. His eyes seem to try to read the man in front of him. There is no indication that the man is nervous or apprehensive, quite the contrary.

"I can come back later, if that is best for you. Or never, which ever you prefer," he then says, glancing at Nick, as if requiring his approval to stay.

Lucifer has posed:
"Well before you arrived, Nick indicated he had met up with an old friend who was likely going to show up here and now here you are. The serendipity of life is wonderful sometimes, is it not?" Lucifer offers this, and while his hand is being shaken and he's being assessed in a way, his chin sort of lifts upwards as if he's trying to pose himself in some sort of way.

"I mean, this is a club, people show up unannounced all the time..." The Devil tries to joke. "However, in this instance, you're welcomed to stay - I have no objection to that. Would you like a drink of some sort? I can mix you up practically anything." He offers this much more before looking to Nick proper. "And if you want to switch from water to something else, let me know. Yes, I know it's early. No, I don't really care." And he grins. His glance moving back to the other man, but he doesn't say much more in the moment.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick nods to the statement about Henri being the most sociable. "He warms up after awhile though." He responds, giving Henri SOME credit. "But first impressions are not always the best."

Nick looks over to Lucifer, giving a bit of an apologetic look as he's offered something a bit stronger. "Water is fine for now." Nick assures.

That may change depending on the outcome of the pending conversation though.

He looks over to Henri, "And I'm not in a rush to be anywhere, Henri. You coming by now is fine. Especially with the other engagement in mind."

Sinister has posed:
Late afternoon is not the kind of time one expects there to be company in a place such as Lux and it surely isn't the kind of time, on a Sunday of all days, when you expect there to be any kind of audience. The mind is shuttered, because going out on the town can otherwise be quite noisy to a Telepath, therefore, although it's hard to get the drop on him, that doesn't preclude being mildly surprised by returning to more faces than one expected to find.

Sinister is dressed to kill -- the suit is high end, impeccably tailored, his hair has practically been painted into reality, the whites are brilliant white, the darks have no specks and there's zero grime on his wing-tips. Blue tinted lennon-spectacles are worn today, to cool the world off and calm the mind, though they do precious little good when he's peering over the top of them. The dry cleaning and a good amount of new cargo crates are floating behind him, quite literally. As noted, he was not expecting a guest to be here.

"The shipment came in," the Englishman informs, though nobody is going to miss the 'thonk' of several tons of floating crates landing on the ground like they were ALWAYS there. "And I picked up the shirts."

Hellequin has posed:
"Calvados Napoleon, if you have any, thank you," Henri replies to Lucifer's offer of a drink.

Although there are ample seating possibilities in the room, the Frenchman remains standing, like someone who has no intention of overstaying his visit or cannot care less about comfort. Maybe both in his case.

"I will cut the hunt," Henri starts. "Thank you, Nick, and you can correct me if my memory fails. Yesterday, after many efforts in understanding something Nick tried to explain to me, it ended up with a, let say interesting, story. Which concluded not with torture, but with an invitation to come here in order to confirm the presence of an angel at this club."

The whole is said quite matter-of-factly, without any sarcasm about the possibility of angels roaming this world, as if it was totally cool and normal.

With a smirk, Henri adds, "But of course, Nick keeps calling it an angel, while I suspect it is rather an archangel. People nowadays have lost most knowledge of the sacred."
Now, the newcomer in the room would not qualify as an angel, at least in Henri's mind, and his hand instinctively reaches for his waist. No matter the strange man who just entered the room, the Frenchman keeps his ground, and countenance.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods to Nick when the man says he will just stick with water, and likely he figures that may change as the afternoon passes into evening. At least there's been some calming down from the social squick from earlier days which means things have started to get done once again.

Enter Sinister.

When the man announces he's picked up a shipment that came in, and their shirts, Lucifer looks in the direction of the voice. "Wonderful! We'll have Scott unload the shipment...they can haul the crates into the backroom." Lucifer announces to the other man. "And thank you for picking up the dry cleaning." He tacks this on just because he can, stopping himself from saying anything that would be a joke but also a little derogatory to the man and lover who just walked in.

His attention is, very quickly, placed back on Henri as the man explains precisely why he is here. "Well. Archangel implies so much...and I almost think they would prefer I do not call myself such any longer. They prefer I keep the moniker of Devil, Satan, Beelzebub...or whatever else they can think of..." Who's they? Well, Lucifer may never actually say. It could be the other of the choir, it could be Dad, it could be the humans who despise him. Who knows!

"But, I can confirm, that Nick is absolutely correct. I do not just bear the name Lucifer Morningstar as a tribute. I am he. In the flesh. Because Hell got absolutely BORING and I figured Earth was the next best place to enjoy a little time away from there."

There's a final glance in Nick's direction, and an almost flash of pride on Lucifer's face. "You finally talked about it to someone that isn't us. I'm proud of you. Makes me feel like you've finally accepted the fact."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hearing Sinister's voice, Nick turns his head to see Sinister floating in some items only to be quickly set down. "Afternoon Nathaniel." Nick greets, looking over to Sinister.

Nothing is really said. Out loud that is. But Sinister is more or less caught up on the situation.

In short, Nick fucked up and after some failed attempts to avoid said topic, mentioned the family thing. Henri is here checking things out now.

And then Lucifer's looking at him saying that he's proud.

Blink blink.

What?

"Oh it's okay to bring that up with others?" Granted Satana does it a lot but it just generally felt like an attempt to establish status over someone.

Nick's form seems to visibly relax.

Sinister has posed:
"Afternoon Nick, dearling..." that to Lucifer it seems, Sin simply steps aside of the tonnage of alcohol and the dry cleaning, foisting the latter off on one of the demonic staff -- all so that he can casually stride on past, heels clipped and movements lazy. The spectacles are pushed up flush with the end of one pinky as further enlightenment fills in the missing puzzle pieces.

"Sir," as he has only fleetingly met Hellequin and never wearing this particular side of himself, Essex inclines his head, though not before he took note of the hand to where a sword should have been. That gesture alone brings out a colgate smile "...Theology is barely taught outside of the seminaries these days and religious studies overall, tend to be /purely/ scholastic. Crying shame, really..." he draws up to where the cluster hath formed and leans in to give the devil a peck on the cheek.

Hellequin has posed:
Unphased by Lucifer's declaration about his identity, Henri observes the scene quietly. For a split-second, he glances at the door, as if deciding between staying or leaving. Visibly opting to stay, he even walks closer to Nick, stopping a couple feet away from his friend, frowning lightly.

"Nick, you mentioned Saint Michel, not the Diable," he remonstrates the younger man.

Maybe this move was meant for him to put some distance between Lucifer and him.

"You see, monsieur Morninstar," Henri starts as he turns around to look at Lucifer, "I believe in the existence of the Devil, without whom virtue would have no value." He glances at Sinister, and can't but retort, "In my time, it was properly taught in church and everyone knew about it."

Turning his attention back at Lucifer, he adds, "Over the centuries, I have seen an impossible number of poor souls doing evil things in Satan's name. Those poor nuns at Loudun, lead by the miscreant Grandier. Others, burnt at the stake, accused to serve the Malin, like Jeanne. Salem, where they burnt the wrong ones." He pauses, probably thinking of many other examples, "So while I believe in the Devil, and know how many horrors were and are still inspired by him, I would politely request for you to prove what you claim."

It seems that the Frenchman has heeded Nick's advice, to not come with his prejudiced preconceptions. What he should have reconsidered, though, was to come by daytime.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer glances to Nick and gives the man a smile. "Of course it's okay to discuss it with others. I mean, if it were a lie, it would bother me. To some degree. Like when Satana calls me Uncle. I'm not -really- her Uncle, and yet... it's become a whole thing. I promise you are in no way related to her. You are related, likely many lines away, to Sabrina Spellman. Which is...probably something to talk about at a later time." He smiles. "Either way. Please. If it comes up, don't be shy to admit it. It's your truth after all." And he touches his nose then.

Cheek is proffered to Nathaniel as the man comes to place a kiss upon it. "Mmn. Hello love." And he turns to return a kiss in kind, to Nathaniel's cheek. "May I introduce Henri de Fontainebleau. Henri, this is my husband, Doctor Nathaniel Essex." Offering introductions while he finally is handed a bottle of an amber liquid and he opens the bottle to pour the contents into a glass that is then set on the bar for Henri. "Calvados Napoleon. As requested."

There is a pause then as Lucifer tilts his head. "Toutes mes excuses, monsieur. Mais comment puis-je le prouver? Un peu de feu?" To which he holds out his hand to let a flame form there. Then makes a fist only to snap his fingers so make fire dance upon the tips. "Ah, mais alors je ne suis qu'un magicien, non? Comment vais-je vous le prouver alors? Peut-etre... oui... les ailes seront la reponse..."

Then he steps outside of the bar, in his one step, two step to where he shifts from behind to beside without seeming to move. He tilts his head left and right as if to ready himself before - in an instant - his wings pop out from behind him. They are gloriously white, two sets on either side, and they almost shimmer in a brilliance no mortal can explain. "Satisfait?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick looks over to Henri as he mentions not bringing up the Devil during their conversation. "I didn't lie either." He replies back, "An angel on vacation is here if you wanted to ask more questions. This club is also a neutral area. Would you have come as you are now, if I had simply said 'Go speak with Lucifer'?"

The go ahead to speak of the relationship gets a bit of a small smile. He still doesn't intend to walk around announcing it to everyone. But it's a bit nice to know he can be a bit more upfront with his closer friends.

Well, the ones he would trust with such knowledge.

When the conversation switches over to French, Nick tilts his head forward, trying to pick out some semblance of what was being said. It was much easier when he got time traveled back into France as the coin apparently had acted like a babelfish for him. But without the assistance, he's left to piece together using approximate comparisons to word segments he does know.

Ok this is hard. And a lot of guess work.

How will I prove it sir?, a bit of fire? Or maybe that's the work of a magician. How about. One moment...

Nick watches as Lucifer moves over to a clear area. Getting a general sense this is where the wings are going to pop out, he leans back a bit. All the better to both watch the wings appearance, and to determine his friend's reaction.

Satisfied?

Nick is CERTAIN that last word is Satisfied.

Sinister has posed:
That was in its own particular way, a lot to take in. Tiny things that can be the straw that broke the camel's back, or in this case entirely discombobulated the usually quite loquatious Doctor.

Quite a lot is simply flowing over him in this moment, the kiss planted upon his cheek in an extremely continental kind of greeting is nothing compared to the further introduction and all that is being spoken about.

Poor Nick, stuck doing French translation! He doesn't need the translation himself, but has to grip a hold of the bartop as the resplendence of the persistance of memory and Grace are put on full display for Hellequin. Holding of the breath goes without saying and without remark on his part, he is simply... still.

And processing the fact he just got introduced as the Husband.

Hellequin has posed:
As for a reaction from the Hellequin, there is nothing that might have been expected. The fire demonstration did not impress Henri, visibly. And Lucifer was right to guess that it would not be a sufficient proof. Now, the wings had some effects, as the Frenchman instinctively stepped back as they came to view. To a keen observer though, it would not be fear that they would denote on his face. The momentarily lowering of the corner of his lips might rather be perceived as some hint of disgust. Disgust to be in the presence of the Devil, of his minion and /husband/. Despite all these abominations, it takes no time for his facial expression to return to a very neutral one before he looks at Nick, "If I had been certain to meet him, no, I would not be here. I would be in church to pray for what is left of your soul." Maybe mentioning the possible necessity to kill Nick doesn't seem like the appropriate thing to say at the moment.

The Frenchman remains silent for a moment, "They do all kinds of things with their technology nowadays," he finally replies, denoting some remnant of skepticism.

Maybe to prove that he is not afraid of the Devil, he then walks casually to the bar to grab the offered drink. "Even if you are the Malin, I am not afraid of you." Like all good Christians, he most likely has a strong belief that God is protecting him. How typical. Besides, he is quite certain that he could not be killed permanently. "You will not have my soul." Beat. "Oh, and it is my most genuine and eternal pleasure to obliterate all of your evil followers." On that, Henri gulps down the exquisite Calvados. "Grand cru."

Lucifer has posed:
What will likely be much to Nathaniel's chagrin, the wings sink back into his form nearly as quickly as they had appeared. His focus, for the moment, is on Henri. On the things that Henri says, and there's a slow breath that is taken in.

"For centuries...even eons perhaps...man has done unspeakable things in the name of God. War being one of them... over all the different faiths and factions that man has created for a being that would turn his back on them in a heartbeat if they utter one word against him." He says this, not with anger, but pointedly at least. "And I am not going to lie and say that man has not done the same in my name, but I will say that I never once asked anyone to do such. They praise my name in ways that I never wanted ... but I also cannot lie and say I do not enjoy it ... sin is a wonderful thing, after all, at least to me." And then he looks from Henri, to Nick, and back again.

"I don't want your soul. It's actually a strong misconception that I deal in souls. I -have- made contracts for souls, if that is what the person is ready and willing to give me, but that is all on the person making the deal. But it is always on them. What they want to give for what they want from me. I'd do a deal for a doughnut if that's all the person had to offer." Not to say they would get much of anything in return - but the point still stands.

"And you don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not a bad person. And think about it. The God you follow has a plan right? A path for everything. He sent His son to die for all you Christians to be able to find peace in Heaven right? What role did I play? Serpent to tempt Eve to eat the apple? Otherwise there would have been no sin to forgive. Tempted Christ in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. Otherwise, he could have simply turned his eyes to the Heaven and told his Father to fuck off. I played my part because I had to. Turns out, not the greatest path I ever chose to follow....but here we are. You've got your sins forgiven and I'm having a Hell of a time enjoying the pleasures of Earth. You're fucking welcome." Then he crosses arms and just stares at Henri, perhaps waiting for the straw to break THAT camel's back.

Except, for a moment, eyes shift to Nick. They're full of worry and apologies, but harden again as they shift once more to the stranger in his home.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The wings are indeed impressive, but the reaction Nick saw upon Henri's face ends up tapping out some of the enjoyment. As Henri speaks to Nick, he ends up seeing a transformation of sorts as well. Eyes widening for a moment, brows lifting and sides of the lips taking a downward turn. While the past conversation the pair had may have had some unclear moments. The message in Nick's expression is pretty clear.

Hurt.

Sinister has posed:
"Ohh, there it is. I was waiting for something of that ilk," Sinister murmurs, rather quietly. The keen observer, even when briefly discombobulated and girded against the manifestation of wings. The nuances of bodylanguage that tell their own story. He fleetingly looks at his right hand, raises it, then shows the back of it with index and middle finger raised to the Frenchman and with a thin-lipped beam of a smile, without the teeth this time.

The gesture is fairly casual though, as he lowers the hand and releases the grasp on the bar, in order to go and hunt a drink down.

Not that drinks easily get away, it's not MUCH of a hunt, but there we go.

"Meanwhile, in most of the western world, the only persistence of faith is the common garden variety, or the zealotry of the evangelical. Asked what there is to have faith -in- a lot won't have an answer. Irregardless -- Nick's decended of that blood, but all of them are related, so he was inevitably going to be connected to Lucifer. He didn't -stop- being an archangel just because he fell -- and you cannot purge sin or punish it, without having a concept of what sin actually is in the first place."

There's a pause then, considering. "Monsieur De Fontainebleu, did they teach comparative theology in the days when you were piously listening to the patriarch? Or was it the monocular perspective of French catholicism? Because comparatively, the older scriptures than the bible, mention the same deity, but -do- plaster the Adversary as a title onto a different entity. And Shaitan is borrowed anyway, from Islam, not Christianity. But I digress..."

He nods to his hand and the gesture that was made as he pulls out cointreu and finds an orange slice. Ice, cointreu and that little zest, with a dash of lemonade in a glass. "That was for looking at me like I was le merde du chien." Sniff.

Hellequin has posed:
Henri listens attentively at the Devil's tirade. Yes, one can listen and discard automatically what is heard. The Devil is the great tempter and liar, one should never believe a word from him, it is to put your soul in jeopardy. For Henri, everyone knows that and those that don't, end up at the stake. Well, used to, anyway.

Amazingly enough, playing with the empty glass in his hand, there is a hint of a smile appearing on the Frenchman's face as he replies to Lucifer. "Then it is all good, as you say here." The empty glass is put on the bar, with a nice thud. "Because my task is not to fight you, actually. My focus is on those who act against God, miscreants, sinners, all those who defy and disobey God by using evil means to kill, maim or spread deadly pestilence with sortilege. That you do, or not, lead them on the sinner's path, is not part of my duty to control or judge. Mine is to eradicate the pests."

Then looking at Sinister, not just merely glancing at him, he adds, "You will excuse me for being a simple, poor soul myself with the limited education available to me. I did not ask to be what I am now. I did not choose my role." At that, a strange expression suddenly appears on the Frenchman's face, like someone who just realized something. "Bougre, just like Lucifer, maybe even less, did I have a say in what I was made into."

With that troubling revelation of a slight common ground with the Devil of all, Henri steps towards the door. "Talking of my duty, sunset is coming. Some may take vacations, I cannot."

Lucifer has posed:
If Lucifer had only the ability to know that Henri was also banking on the fact that he is the great tempter and liar. Tempter, maybe, he cannot help that about himself. But he has proven - time and time again - that he cannot actually lie. At all. Ever. The truth always comes from his lips.

There is another breath taken before Lucifer looks to the others in direct presence and around at the staff he has among the bars and kitchen. "Keep in mind that this place, as Nick even stated, is a neutral zone. Any idea to irradicate anything or anyone here is met with great disadvantage. If my words are going to be so cheap to you that you toss them aside without even a thought then I am afraid - Monsieur de Fontainebleau - that your welcome here has expired. Kindly depart the premesis. Should you wish to explore a change of heart and actually listen to the words of one who lived and survived to tell the tales - you may be welcome back."

It is here that he then looks over to Nathaniel, and then to Nick, then back. "I need to change to get ready for this evening. Excuse me, Mister Drago." And to that point he turns, making his way to step once, twice, and then disappear from view entirely. To where - perhaps only Nathaniel will know. But he is surely not going to stay around to be placed in the hangman's noose and be offended in his own establishment and home.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick is quiet for a few moments, listening to Sinister call Henri out on his statements as well as explain the the basic concept of what the fuck UNCLES are. It helps a little but Nick still looks Henri's way with a disappointed look.

"Goodbye, Henri."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister's eyes trail the departing Hellequin as the man makes his way toward the exit. By day one way, by night another? That's fairy tale and no mistake. But it also brings about a frown, listening to all that was said and the way that it was said -- psychology, thou art a calculating mistress. And pride is a sin for a reason, too. Even if one can be justifiably proud of something.

"I have a feeling that though French is the language for Romance and art, there are those born to her bosom that don't know how to pick their words well, because... I suspect they've never really had to." He murmurs, even as Lucifer's temp-banning the man and the disappointment rings to finely tuned ears.

There's a cluck of the tongue, a reach over to give Nick's shoulder a squeeze as he takes cointreu in the other hand and shoots back the orange.

Lips are smacked and a sigh follows. "Next time, he should lead with the realization and not end with it."