9883/Coventry Murders: And also Demons

Coventry Murders: And also Demons
Date of Scene:	02 November 2019
Location:	Club Lux, Melville
Synopsis:	Jason and Zachary press for information about demons from Lucifer.
Cast of Characters:	Lucifer, Red Hood, Zachary Zatara
Tinyplot:	Coventry Murders

---

Lucifer has posed:
Earlier in the day, the nightclub Lux is not active; it's well before the general hours that the club would allow any customers inside. It's time for the staff to clean up, prepare for their big night (Saturday!). There's also some talent auditions going on, which means there is a little line outside of a variety of female dancers dressed in their audition clothing: meaning, they aren't wearing a lot, because this club has a reputation for preferring such things.

Lucifer has just pulled up in his Sting Ray corvette, hopping out, and has since flung his keys at an employee. Relaxing to one side as his car is handled, he stops to draw out what looks like a handmade cigarette, surveying the line of auditioning women, who all promptly straighten up, smile, and attempt to attract the boss's eye. That could mean a job.

Red Hood has posed:
Standing across the street from Lux, Jason's lips tug into a bit of a grin as he looks at the rercuitment line up out front of the club. "Well, at least our view will be good while we watch this place," Jason says with a glance to Zachary Zatara who he reached out to be his wingman on this little dive into the club. Figuratively speaking of course. As for outfit, Jason's using the same ruse as last time, zipping up his coat and putting shades over his domino mask, it looks dumb, but it got the job done especially in daylight hours.

"Anyhow, we're going to figure a way in there and see if Lucifer is around. If he is, then we'll want to know whatever you can tell us about him, like is he I dunno, magical, a demon, whatever, also we want to see if he really knows his stuff, or just blowing smoke up our asses, he says he can banish the demons so, anything you can ask him about that which'll tell you if he's for real or just read a bunch of Harry Potter books would be great as for the rest..."

That'll have to wait, as Lucifer pulls up to the club and along with him the easiest way inside, "C'mon that's him," he says to Zach before making his way across the street, calling out, "Lucifer," once he reaches the curb.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
"I wouldn't mind seeing this place at night," Age is an issue, but magicians find a way. Zachary wears nothing to conceal his Zatara features or go against their typical flair for style, dressed impeccably in a burgundy paisley vest and tie. He flashes a little smile at one of the showgirls and maybe a wink. "When we're not on the job, perhaps?"

Abruptly, his eyes go alert and scan the dormant nightclub, and he notes, well before Lucifer's corvette shows up, "He's here," His nose wrinkles, and he pushes forward. "Definitely not a muggle. What the..."

Then the car pulls into the lot, and Zach follows the more experienced hero's lead, for the moment.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer finished lighting his cigarette with a shiny, engraved silver lighter. He'd made it disappear - some kind of very quick sleight of hand seems likely, or a mild magic trick: hard to tell, though no magic was actually used, it was just dexterity. He draws in a deep breath from the cigarette, eyes flowing over the women with a warm smile for them, before his name is called. There's no pause: he turns right away to answer to Lucifer, and orients on Jason as he crosses the street.

Lucifer's mood is welcoming, pleasant, as if greeting an old friend. There's no shred of annoyance or anything negative. "Hello, Red," Lucifer greets him, smile genuine. His gaze moves laterally to Zachary, sending that same smile to Red's buddy. "Have you brought clues to our mystery?" Lucifer asks Red, even though his gaze lingers on Zachary with a high intensity. His cigarette has a slightly strange odor, a possibly familiar odor that clings to an active ritual circle. Or maybe that's his cologne.

"Or here to audition?" That's a question aimed at Zachary in his fashionable paisley attire, and isn't mocking. That's a real question.

Lucifer is dressed in a fashionable dark blue suit, button-up shirt open at the throat with no tie. His appearance is a slightly forced extreme of handsome: it's a deliberate 'plastic surgery' style of good-looking, intentional perfection. Lucifer has something of an aura around him: it's generally just /easy/ to naturally like the overly handsome devil, to want to tell him things, or to find him difficult to look away from. The whole line of auditioning women is snared in it, and they are having variations of reactions - from coy smiles to posing and blowing kisses.

Red Hood has posed:
Turning to Zach catches the smile and a wink given to the showgirl and he shakes his head, "Oh god, you're going to be trouble aren't you?" he asks him sounding more amused than annoyed. "And sure, we'll talk after the job of coming back to actuallly enjoy ourselves." Admittedly Jason had been meaning to come back since his first visit.

Jason perks up when Zach gives the warning that Lucifer is here before the car rounds the turn, "Good to know," he adds about Luci not being a muggle, he suspected but it was good to have confirmation from someone in the know.

Then they're across the street and face to face with the man himself, "Lucifer," he greets with a slight nod. "We do have some clues," he gives a glance to the line of fawning women. "I really need to learn magic," he murmurs mostly to himself before gets back on track. "Maybe we can talk inside away from the fan club?"

He hadn't forgotten to introduce Zach, but since about the only fact he had about magic was names=power he didn't want to throw around any names but his own.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
Zachary is openly curious about this Lucifer figure. If he is disappointed in the man himself, it doesn't show. "Nah, I'm here for a different sort of business. I know how to put on a show," Another directed glance towards the leggy fawners. "but something tells me your clientele would be less interested in what I have to offer." And choosing an audience is just as pivotal as anything else when it comes to stagecraft, in Zach's mind.

He loves his name and gives it freely along with a hand. "Zachary Zatara."

Lucifer has posed:
"Lucifer Morningstar," Lucifer declares, introducing himself by full name to Zachary in return, with acceptance of hand. No magic, no weirdness, just a handshake, firm. There's no shame in what is, obviously, an eccentric stage name, either. His smile is saccharine. "I do not hire only female dancers, in fact."

His attention moves back to Jason's request. "There's more of them inside," Lucifer teases in answer to 'getting away' from the fan club. It won't be better in the audition area, potentially! "Private clues, then? You have my curiosity," Lucifer says, gesturing for the young men to follow him, and leads the way inside the club through the main entrance. There's a casting director there, who holds the door open for the trio, before going to collect the line of women outside.

Inside, a young lady is singing her heart out by the piano in her audition - 'Firework' - but Lucifer only glances over before leading them upstairs. He doesn't go into one of the private rooms, but does select an empty booth up on the upper floor level that can look over the activity below. With the song and music going on, it would be hard to hear them. He doesn't ask if it's fine, but he does lift an eyebrow to Jason, expectant.

Red Hood has posed:
"Heh," Jason says of it not being better inside. "We can chance it," he says following Lucifer into the club, "Private clues and private questions," he elaborates as they make their way inside straining to be heard over the young lady's Katy Perry cover.

When the upper level booth is reached, Jason eyes it a second before nodding and sitting across from Lucifer with enough room for Zach to share the bench on this side of the table.

"Zach, feel free to ask whatever you want while I run down what we've got clue wise," he says before launching into it. "The phones paid off, we were able to track them to an AA meeting in Coventry, happens at 7:30pm, and I think we found their leader, we've tracked the signal from a burner phone to another spot in Coventry, while we figure out how best to proceed."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
"Is that an alias, or a nom de super...?" Zachary asks. He doesn't explain that his dancing skills are only slightly superior to the typical white boys, or his medium of performance. That name likely speaks for itself. A moment later, he does elaborate on his initial question, "I like to know who I will be working with, is all."

Brows knitting together, the further they press into the club, and Zach gives a pointed glance and a confirmatory nod at Jason as Lucifer leads them. There are devils afoot, even here.

Sliding into the booth beside Jason, "I had a few questions, actually. This 'Mom' character...you're certain it's a demon? As I told Red's associates, I've heard of a few earthly sorcerers that could produce effects like this."

Lucifer has posed:
"Excellent detective work," Lucifer says, upbeat, possibly even excited. It's a low-key excitement, like a fun twist in a novel he's enjoying, though. "An AA meeting? A little on the nose here, picking up those that already have behavior problems," Lucifer observes as he seats himself across from the pair. He's since finished his cigarette, and puts the stub aside on a metal coaster. The scent of it lingers in Lucifer's breaths, but it isn't foul, nor does it smell like cigarettes at all. It's more like a woody scent mixed with slightly burned hair. "Did the meetings stop? I'd assume they are all possessed now," Lucifer says with a general handwave, as if assuming all the parking was going to be taken on Black Friday.

Zachary's question gets a teasing grin, "No; lord of hell, immortal, the whole thing," Lucifer winks at Zachary. All of his tone lends to it being a joke: most people read it as a way of playfully saying it's an alias.

"'Mom' character? Is that what they're calling her?" Lucifer asks, eyes sliding from one to the other, tracking what this means. "Until I meet her, I can't be certain, no; I suppose it could be a very clever warlock doing the summoning of spirits into the corpses. Speaking of demons, though," Lucifer says, with a snap of fingers, as if remembering: "I was not sure you'd come back, so I brought in a bounty hunter. She found a few of our possessed in the neighboring fraternity in Coventry, but those didn't lead to our elusive little leader."

Red Hood has posed:
While Constantine's smokes, and a boat load of stress, had made Jason pick up smoking Lucifer's had him holding off on reaching for the pack he carried inside his coat. He'd promised himself only one pack, so he had to make it last through the whole crisis, and didn't want his mingling with the strange woody dog hair scent of their host's.

"I... didn't check, they were scheduled for everyday this week, but you're right we need to confirm," Jason says jaw tightening, he'd missed something and people likely died as a result. He takes a breath and soldier's on, cocking his head at the mention of a bounty hunter, "Wouldn't happen to be a woman with a flaming sword who fought your date to the Maniax party a couple of nights ago."

He produces his phone and plays the video he downloaded from the Batcomputer, showing the white haired woman from the party fighting the dark haired woman with a burning sword. Both are in body suits, it's very educational. He points to the one with the sword, "That's her there."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
Zach looks like someone who's been left out of a joke but still wears that quizzical smile on his face. "If you are the master of hell," Big if there. "shouldn't this entity owe you a degree of servitude?" He will operate with the knowledge of this being a demon's work, until proven otherwise. Dark brows lifting, he continues, "Like those fine individuals over at the bar."

He leans forward to watch the video, and smirks, "Which one can bench-press mafia guards?" He remembered that little detail by Kate. "Can they -both-?"

Lucifer has posed:
"A sword of unliving necrosis, standard stalker demon issue," Lucifer corrects, when Jason describes it as flaming, and extends a hand to help tilt the video so that he can see it; he doesn't attempt to take Jason's device, though. "Yes, that's Noralzeen. I'll summon her if you like," Lucifer offers, tone entirely pleasant. He then lifts one hand towards Zachary as if to hold him off, amusement evident, "By that I mean call downstairs; she's by the bar, as you've so alertly observed." He flips two fingers down and aside, to indicate down at the bar area for Jason's benefit. There are a lot of auditioning women there, but there are a few women in black leather at one end; one of which could be a fit. "Black Cat -- the one with the white hair -- isn't a demon. Just a friend to whom I'm teaching some simple ritual magic. Both, though, are quite strong."

"You're welcome to smoke if you'd like," Lucifer encourages Jason perceptively, dark eyes seeking to find his. There's a strange pressure to it, as Lucifer's aura pulses in a way that Zachary may notice. Lucifer is coaxing: but it isn't a pressure to DO a thing: more like one that removes inhibitions. The devil's social cocktail is freeing.

"Yes, Zachary. If 'Mom' is the demoness that I think she is, she is very much under my purview, and will collect a punishment equal to the crimes." Lucifer settles back in his chair, as if he were talking about demoting someone at the office. There's a personal annoyance under it, though: there's something personal at stake, even if he's pretending it isn't a big deal.

Red Hood has posed:
Idly Jason takes out his pack of smokes and knocks one loose. Hey it had been a busy week he deserved a little break and the smoke seemed like just the thing. He pulls out his lighter and ignites one end before putting it and the pack away again.

"So, you're saying this, Noralzeen is an actual demon and this is sword of unliving necrosis is basically her side arm?" he asks and casts a look to Zachary for any info he might be able to give. Sure they were fighting demons and all of that, but Lucifer was so casual about it that it made him double take,.

"So what were she and Black Cat fighting about?" he asks, before nodding about 'Mom' and her punishment. "And dipped in holy water before she goes, remember, if there's time," he says still remembering what happened to Kimberly and wanting a little payback.

He takes a long drag of his smoke then as he moves onto one of his requests, "Before you said you knew 'Mom's' name, didn't get it then but now that Zach's here, figure now might be a good to time to, has to be some use to him."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
Zatara watches the video till it ends, though green eyes flick to Lucifer as the offer's made to Jason. Mostly, he is happy to be on the peripheral of that aura. "Hear that, Red. The devil teaches," He nudges and teases the slightly older man. "That means you can learn. We'll have a magician of you yet. How are your rates?"

At the look, he merely shrugs. He is somewhat limited in his knowledge of the occult, but there are some things you know by virtue of being exposed to such dangers. "She is a demon. A little excessive for mind-controlled zombies. No need to pull her away from the job," He glances at her direction. "Her weapon of choice could be handy, though."

He's curious about the name and shifts his gaze from Jason to Lucifer.

Lucifer has posed:
"Nora didn't like Black Cat associating with me. Misunderstanding; sometimes jealousy forms around me; I don't mind her joining us if you're curious, you can confirm that for yourself," Lucifer says dismissively. "Yes, a lovely baptism if you must," snorts the Devil at the Holy Water suggestion. He also rolled his eyes.

"Oh yes. I /was/ told a name by some of the demons she summoned at the gang party," Lucifer answers Jason smoothly, but then his attention ratchets onto Zachary with a sudden obvious interest. There's a LOT of intensity when Lucifer actually gives a shit, and he gives a shit suddenly. His eyes flare, and a heat boils into the back of his dark, wide eyes. His grin is very friendly but perhaps too much.

"You'd like to use her name to locate her? Hm. She might be aware of the attempt, and come for you," Lucifer comments thoughtfully. "I'm told that it is Gualichu. Which could certainly fit. Gualichu could have observed a soul returning to Gotham on that night, and come along.... and then opened a path for more. Gualichu does not have her own body, she would have to possess one. I /do/ think it is her, though there is a chance someone is using her name to hide behind. An interesting puzzle."

"I don't teach as a job. I do what I choose, when it's fun to do it," teases Lucifer.

Red Hood has posed:
There's a nod for the whole business with Nora and Black Cat and he moves on, "If you want to talk to Nora, Zach, be my guest, but I'm good."

There's a smirk at the idea of learning from Lucifer, "I think I'm good there too," he says, magic weirded him out. "Though I may come by with questions of my own sometime. Other business," he says with a glance to Zach, likely meaning personal business and not just their trip to check out the club.

Then it clicks.

"Son of a bitch..." he breathes, not aimed at anyone, okay maybe Bruce, it depends on what he learns next. "She followed a soul? Which soul? Also, last time, you said you may had something to do with her being here, what happened?"

Though thinking back to the time stamps on the videos Babs had showed him, he was pretty sure he knew the answers.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
"As long as she's on a leash. We're -associating- with you right now, after all," Zachary would rather not be on the receiving end of that blade. That look, though? It's unnerving in a good way. Attention is good, even when it's bad. And of course, he has something to prove. So he meets Lucifer's intense eyes with a similar smile, and leans his elbows against the booth, thoughtful at the revelation.

"Gualichu," He utters the name once aloud, then several more times under his breath, likely stretching out the syllables. He would need a spelling later, but for now, he parses through the single word on his own. To say it backward, he must know it forward. "I will look into her." He says, supremely confident despite, or perhaps in testament to, his youth.

Soul-following means nothing to him, not in the context in which Jason asks on it. It could, however, be useful to know.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer gives Jason a long, thoughtful stare, still smiling. Jason may not have the bat sigil on him right now, but Lucifer saw it when they'd met, and when Jason came to ask him questions. His grin shows, as well as some thoughtfulness: as if Lucifer were actually being tactful. Maybe tact takes some effort from the devilish man. He relaxes in his booth seat, drums his fingers on the table. An audition below explodes into Evanescence's 'Bring me to Life'.

"I don't mind answering your questions," Lucifer says, but angles his head slightly, eyes somehow with endless depth. A window just ajar, a tiny bit. "I always encourage /asking/, /questioning/," Lucifer says, moving his fingers along the table as if he were playing an elegant piano accompaniment to the audition below them.

"But some answers aren't mine to give. That said: someone died that night," Lucifer answers, still truthful. "I played a part in reversing that. Doing so could have shown a path here, for Gaulichu."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason was speechless, even the audition down below's timeliness doesn't get remarked upon, he just sits there hands pressed to the table, head lowered and body tensed.

Slowly though Jason lifts his head to meet Lucifer's gaze, he didn't need to press about who, Batman had taught him to be a detective, and he had all the pieces he needed. "Did he choose or did you do it on your own?" he asks Lucifer, his voice cold and angry. "Just tell me that."

Zachary Zatara has posed:
Zachary knows how to read a room, and he knows there are times to say nothing. This seems like one of those times, especially since he has NO way of accounting for the sudden mood change from Jason. Something to ask about potentially, but he adds nothing but watches.

Lucifer has posed:
Fingers still drum, but Lucifer observes Jason's change in posture and answer. "He requested more time," Lucifer says, his smile still very genuine. The whole thing doesn't bother him. It's not a serious topic to Lucifer, which may, in fact, finally be something that could cause some real discomfort for his current audience.

"In case you are /wondering/, no, I don't do that a lot. But I'm interested to see what he does with it." Lucifer glances down towards the singer, and removes his phone from a pocket. He's just texting that he approved of that singer, really. It's a little dickish, the timing, but Lucifer is, in fact, often a dick.

Red Hood has posed:
"Of course he did," Jason breathes shaking his head. "Even death isn't going to stop Him," Jason says that capitization apparent in his speech but he's not talking about god. Another breath as he tries to clear his head. "Was there a deal? What did he pay for that time? Or what does he owe?"

Jason, looks over to Zach. "Since, I am sure it's obvious by now, we're talking about Batman," he explains. "All of this sounding legit to you? Like, what he's saying, it's possible?" asks the man who had himself come back to life rather spontaneously.

Zachary Zatara has posed:
It could be Jason's cold anger, or Lucifer's flippant attitude towards what is starting to sound like resurrection, but Zachary does indeed seem mildly uncomfortable. He shifts in his seat and turns his head to catch Jason's eyes while Lucifer's own is on his phone. He mouths: Who?

The answer comes rather helpfully from Jason, and Zach says, "I...up until this point, everything he says checks out," One thing is bothering the magician, though. "You're telling me you just decided that Batman didn't need to die? You're legitimately capable of doing that?"

To Jason, "The price is apparent, right? The Coventry murders."

Lucifer has posed:
"You're doing this human thing of hearing without listening," Lucifer observes with amusement, and reacts zero amount to Jason saying it's Batman that they're talking about. Mostly since Lucifer knew: he was there. "There wasn't a deal. So suspicious, Red. I said I'm interested in seeing what he does in his onslaught of justice: and that's it. He's entirely free to either hang himself further, or not." Lucifer finished with his phone, and puts it away into his pocket. For some reason Lucifer's mood has shifted: it's moved from upbeat happiness, into a huffy sort of grumpy place. Like a man on vacation getting calls about stupid things from work.

"So you see, the demon leaking here is partially due to me, but it wasn't in 'trade'," Lucifer amends. "One of many reasons why tossing souls back here isn't as simple as it should be."

"I don't have power over everyone that dies, no. Just the ones that burn." Lucifer sighs. "I'm on /vacation/, though, so enough about that." Because the fate of tortured souls is work related. "If you'd rather believe something else, fine, you're welcome to think what you like." That freedom thing, once again. "Regardless, I think we can combine efforts and punish Gaulichu."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason was ready to agree with Zachary at first the theory fit but it didn't fit Batman as much as Jason wanted to hate him and often ascribed the worst motives to him he didn't believe that Batman would choose to put his life over others.

He begins to shake his head when Lucifer confirms it, and Jason breathes a sigh of relief, before looking at Lucifer."So, what you sent him back for entertainment value? Even with the dangers involved?" Yes, he was getting dangerously close to a Bruce 'what were you thinking' lecture here but he didn't care.

He does answer Zach though, "Looks like not, but still a cost if not the price."

He doesn't catch it at first, he's too busy batting away the stuff about vacations and whatever, and focusing on the task in front of them. "Yes, we can join forces against the demon, Mom, Gau whatever we want to call her," he reaches into his pocket to produce a burner phone and slide it to Lucifer. "You can reach me by the number in the contacts. I have some ideas on how we might trap..."

"Wait, burn? You mean in Hell? Batman was going to Hell?"

Zachary Zatara has posed:
"This sort of thing doesn't happen without a price," Zachary comments, leaning back into the booth and watching the Devil. "Whether intentional or no."

He must decide that the combating Gaulichu is a worthier effort than asking more questions or stepping out entirely, because he slides his card to Lucifer, a gesture more personable than a burner phone. It has his number and a few other points of contact. "I'm willing to take you at your word," Zach's run into plenty fakes in his time, but the power radiating from the fallen angel spoke for itself, and he wasn't too stubborn to defy reason intentionally.

"That's if your fancy club ever needs entertainment besides singers and dancers. Performance magic can be just as astounding as the real thing," He advertises himself, with a shameless grin, before turning towards Jason. He winces, having caught the implication himself. "Wherever he was going, he's here now. That's what matters. We can still fix the demons he let out."

Lucifer has posed:
"I'm really not interested in launching into a theological explanation on what determines if a soul goes to hell, nor do I decide that /anyway/; I rejected him. ... /moving on/," Lucifer says. Did they just find a spot where Lucifer's 'method acting' can't cover? Or maybe something else? He's accepting the phone, and has already opened it to look at the contacts, but also to see if there's games, maybe. Hard to tell, Lucifer's entertaining himself, it appears.

"So, yes, your trap, then," Lucifer prompts, trying to direct to the topic he finds more interesting. "I'll help as needed, but if you have it handled yourselves, that's fine with me. So long as you don't have a big stakeout planned, I find those hopelessly dull, unless I have a beautiful partner. But should you have any demons beholden to 'Mom', I can handle those, though I'd rather confront 'Mom' herself. Just let me know." Fleets of demons, the usual. But Mom has him ticked off. There's anger under Lucifer's smooth demeanor.

Lucifer accepts the card from Zachary and flashes a smile, fishing a 'Lux' card and trading it for the one Zachary gave him. It does indeed have 'Lucifer Morningstar' on it.