Owner	Pose
Sinister	It's been a merry sort of day. The Fourth of July usually is, even in Sunnydale. Probably a few big ticket items for upcoming summer ritual events and the like and otherwise a lot of people happy for fireworks yet to come. So it's rather late. The sound of bangs and pops out over various lawns, parks and probably school grounds are going off hither and thither, making a nightmare for sensitive ears... but that's all far and away from the Magic shop, mostly. But suffice it to say, dark arrived, the night has fallen, the cover of shadows is a thing that can be said to be present and lots of actual people are actually elsewhere, enjoying beers and booms. If the front door is open, that goes 'Dingaling'. If it's not there's a knock on the back door. Looking up at the explosion of a skyrocket far over the football stadium, Nicholas Wessex pulls the blanket closer over himself and sighs. "I swear, I tried six different faces today and they will not go away. Maybe there's such a thing as a mystical tuning fork, but this is getting ridiculous."
Lucifer	Due to it being a holiday and most people are either at home or out somewhere else getting drunk and watching the sky fill up with random colors, Lucifer closed the club early. There was also a trip to the Magic Box in store, and while that wouldn't give true cause for him to need to close Lux - he believe in any excuse will do. "Look, I know some of what I have been saying sounds ridiculous, but I do think we need to be a bit stern with them. You've got wings in a way that no other but angels should have them... they probably don't appreciate it." Lucifer offers in a low voice as they manage to get inside the Magic Box. Then a thoughtful look passes over his face as he considers. "I wonder if my special order has arrived yet..."
Giles	Giles is not one of those people out enjoying the booms and pops, or beers and food, of a typical fourth of July gathering. Nope, he's here, at the Magic Box. Reading through a book, which really should not surprise anyone at all. The front door is not open at present, it being well past business hours. But the knock is heard, and Giles blinks several times as he looks up from the book. He flips it closed and stands up from the table in the back section of the store, the employee area with its workout mats. Momentarily caught in a stretch once he's fully upright, only once it's released him from its stretchy goodness grip, does Giles move to the back door. He walks to the back door and pulls it open, just in time to catch that complaint. Perhaps an understandable complaint, but still! "Six different faces?" Giles sounds curious and a little mystified. "And yes, there is such a thing as a mystical tuning fork. Sort of." His eyes shift to Lucifer and he shakes his head. "Not yet. I checked the shipping this afternoon, though. Your order should arrive either tomorrow or the next day, at the very latest."
Mercy Thompson	With it being the Fourth of July, Mercy had her shop closed. No one was interested in having their car service on a holiday, even though it would mean it would be ready before the next business day. And so, she's had a day to herself. She wears her usual tan steel-toed boots, a pair of cut-off blue jean shorts that go to mid-thigh, and a blue t-shirt with a faded rainbow on it. The fireworks have caused her to make an addition to her choice of wardrobe -- a pair of earbuds tucked in her ears, and a music player that's tucked into one of the pockets of her shorts. It doesn't solve the problem, but it helps. She makes her way towards the back door of the Magic Box, but voices give her a reason to pause. She carries a plastic rectangular box. The box has a cake in it, but there's nothing particularly fancy about it. It's just a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting on it. Her nose wiggles a little bit, and she lifts her free hand to lightly tug the earbud from one of her ears. "I'm not interrupting some sort of after hours meeting, am I?" she asks softly, approaching a bit further and looking between the fellows already waiting at the outside of the door.
Sinister	"I kn'... I... oh...." Nicholas began that sentence replying to Lucifer, but turns to the door at the comment from Giles following the monosyllabics with another one "...ah..." and finally "...is there really?" The blanket at his back heaves slightly from beneath and he tugs the two ends where he's holding it at his chest level, looking distinctly annoyed at the undulation. "May we come in, Rupert?" Now normally, he would wait as is polite and proper, but he turns sideways and inchwalks past Giles, just so that he can get out of sight of the street. He doesn't enter any further than that, setting to a considerable amount of readjusting and irritated tugging, until he just gives up, grumbles something profane and /entirely/ english beneath his breath and tosses the cloth aside in a fabric puddle. "Not really, Mercy, just..." he glances at Lucifer then. "We have a problem, I'm afraid," he says in a calm tone, as a pair of glossy black wings, fringed in red as if dipped in flames irritatedly flick themselves free of confinement. They even raise and mantle a little bit, feathers fluffing out, before a very annoyed look shot back from Nicholas, calms them down again. They're large, comparable in size and styling to Lucifer's snowy whites. There is also a tattoo that seems to glow, partially visible on the left side of Nicholas' neck, disappearing down below his T-shirt collar; a keen observation though, will note it's visible in the 'magic spectrum' not so much if you don't have such awareness. That's a ruined T-shirt though, given rather large slits had to be cut in the back of it. The language on the tattoo though, looks middle eastern, perhaps, from the cursive. A dead language, for sure.
Lucifer	Lucifer follows the sort of crabwalk that Nicholas does to get past Rupert and into the store, but he does also get in only just and stands next to Nicholas. Watching as the man fights with that blanket, which he understands why he wore it - sort of - but also not really because it's not like he'd be the only winged person walking the streets. Then there's that cursing, mixed with building frustration and finally the blanket is relinquished - much to the wings happiness it would seem. Lucifer takes a moment to shift behind Nicholas and begins brushing soothing fingers against the feathers themselves. This, along with that stern glance from Nicholas, should further help quell the sort of irritation they seem to be showing off. "I would hardly call it an actual problem, my love... more like a frustration." Did he just? Yep. It's going to be a thing to get used to if they really, truly are in any sort of relationship. Once he's done soothing the wing feathers, he'll move back to Nicholas' side, and then gives Giles his attention for a moment. "Ah, alright then. It's no real rush, but thank you for that information." A pause. "I do hope you are doing well." Then a glance to Mercy. "Well hello there."
Giles	Giles can't help a smile as he sees Mercy coming up behind the other two at the back door. "Mercy," he greets. His attention goes back to Wessex and he nods. "Yes, there really is. But, as I said, of a sort." He blinks at the question and immediately takes a step back from the door to clear the way. "Of course you may. Come in, ccome in." Distracted, briefly, from the explanation of mystical tuning forks. "Technically, every person who uses magic is a sort of tuning fork. There are also spells. What seems to be the problem?" He's eyeing the blanket that had undulated. And then blinks at the reveal. "How...? How did you end up with wings?" Giles pauses and consider the wings. "If it wasn't for the color, I'd wonder if you somehow got Lucifer's wings." He steps closer to Nicolas, very much crowding his space, and peers at that partially visible tattoo. "Have you always had this?" He looks to the wings again, and can't help a chuckle. "They seem to have a mind of their own, don't they?" He's eyeing that tattoo though, curiously. Like a mystery just /waiting/ to be solved.
Mercy Thompson	Tilting her head a touch to one side, Mercy studies the pair of men, and then she shifts her weight in order to step forward and through the back door. Into the shop. Her nose gives a slight twitch when Nicolas divests himself of the blanket, and one of her eyebrows quirks up slightly. "Ooh... that's... umm... a smidge of a problem," she says softly, looking over the revealed wings. Mercy takes a moment, looking him over a bit closer. She can sense the magic in the tattoo, and she moves a little bit in order to be able to see it. "Who tattoo'd you?" Mercy asks, her tone quiet. There's a glance towards Lucifer, then back to Nathaniel. "Oh, uhm... hi. I brought cake, if anyone is interested," she says, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Her attention turns to Giles, and she gives him a warm smile, her eyes brightening and showing a sparkle to them. "Rupert," she says, her smile easily returning.
Sinister	Sinister puts both his hands on his face, fingers covering his eyes and groans into his palms. This becomes a low exhale of breath as Lucifer strokes the feathers and sooths them. Forgive him, for a short while he is very, very still, indeed. He turns eyes onto Lucifer, "...thank you, love." From there, a deep breath is taken and a glance up at the ceiling, perhaps for guidance, as if his script might somehow be written there. "This is both a long and very very short story. You know that thing where you said to be careful about messing around with things magical, because sometimes things can go sideways when you do? Well, I didn't exactly, but I did, because Lucifer and now..." he indicates his back. "And no, not precisely a problem, except that I didn't have wings before and there are several people who are quite familiar with me -not- having them. So... Lucifer thinks we need to be stern with them," gesturing to the archangel "...I've been trying, but they just don't want to disappear like his do. I'm not an angel and these... were born of celestial power. I'm wondering if there's /any/ kind of attunement doohicky that can help me... I don't know... have a chat. Because they /listen/ to him..." waving a hand at Lucifer again "...and they mostly obey me. But I can't make them go 'poof'." Pause "Yet." Without even thinking about it, he reaches out to take Lucifer's hand in his own. Yep, definitely a thing. At the observations on his neck though, he looks frustrated again and points a single finger up at the sky. "Far as I can tell, it was Him. And no, I didn't. I can't even see it. Which is I have to say, like adding insult to injury."
Lucifer	"It's all temporary, really. Nicholas is just being stubborn, about as stubborn as his wings are being. And I have only done a small bit in calming them down because they're his wings and they need to obey him." Lucifer gestures to Nicholas then before giving a small shrug of his shoulders. He's not going to give his opinion on the man trying to find some sort of magical answer for an issue that's technically divine in nature. It may work, it may not, and Lucifer has his suspicions which he's not divulging. "I might have cake if there's enough to spare, but you didn't expect our arrival so if there's not enough then I can surely pass." He smiles then before lifting a finger and pointing. "I know the shop is technically closed, but would you mind at all - Giles - if I took a look at some things?" He figured he would ask before he goes all willy-nilly pokey-pokey around things. Also, does the Devil seem a tad on edge, and guard, and maybe a little on this side of irritated? That's a possibility.
Giles	Once both men, and Mercy, have stepped into the back room, Giles closes and locks the door. His eyes go back to the tattoo. "It looks like ancient Aramaeic, I think." Cake. Cake. Giles blinks and looks away from the tattoo. "Did someone say cake?" Very clearly he is interested in cake! He pays little to no mind to the displays of affection or the exchange of 'loves' on the part of the other two men. He'd seen such during the last pair of times he'd seen them, afterall. "Um..." This to an attunement doohicky. "Maybe? Maybe not, if it's divine and not magic. It could be both, or the same. It's hard to tell until I decipher what that tattoo says." Giles turns away and heads for the front of the shop, only to pause. Tea first. He gets water in the kettle, then gets it going. Three cups down, each with a tea bag. Sugar and milk and lemon wedges out and sat on the little round table here in the back. By that point, the water has boiled. The water is poured into the cups and the kettle placed back onto its stand. The first cup given out goes to Mercy, of course. Then the other two to the two men at the same time. He doesn't prepare one for himself, as there's already one sitting on the table. "Right then. Make yourselves at home, I need to consult a book." And off he goes, moving toward the front of the shop, to the right, and up those stairs to the restricted section. He waves a hand, that technically can't be seen at present. But his voice is heard just fine. "Go ahead, Lucifer. There's nothing that can harm you here." Pause. "I think."
Mercy Thompson	The tattoo is studied for a lingering moment more. Then she shifts her weight, stepping back a little bit in order to bring her gaze back to his face. Her head tilts a touch to one side as she considers things. "So... not to point out a bit of the obvious, but... if you made Him," and she pauses here, to lift a hand and point towards the heavens, "angry enough to brand you, have you tried asking Him for forgiveness or guidance where the wings are concerned?" It's a fair question, all things considered. Probably already thought of and attempted, but it never hurts to ask just to be sure and there are likely stranger ideas. Her attention turns to Lucifer, and she tilts her head to one side before giving a small nod. "There's plenty for four people, to be honest," she says. Her gaze turns to Lucifer, studying him for a moment. She does pick up on something from him, but... she doesn't offer a comment on it. Prodding the Devil is perhaps not the best idea. A bit of a grin quirks at the corners of her lips as she looks to Giles, and she gives a nod. "Mmhmm, I said cake. Because I brought cake," she says, lifting up the plastic container towards him. She steps forward to set it on the table rather than continuing to keep it in hand. When he brings her the first mug of tea, her cheeks flushed and she ducks her chin, lifting her hands and accepting it. "Thank you," she says softly, looking to him through her lashes.
Sinister	Well, here's a predicament. Maybe there is cosmic conspiracy going on, or perhaps you weren't thinking completely straight regarding this out of your frustration, Sinister. The wings though, do an odd thing about now. They deflate, during Mercy's words, then lift up and form a kind of shield around the man, which he responds to by pushing the primaries aside with a frown so he can look at her clearly. "I..." But then he realizes what just got said there and turns to face Lucifer with his face blank. "Oh dear. This is not going to be good."
Lucifer	Lucifer isn't going to say a thing to Giles. Instead, he'll let Giles research the tattoo. Why not? It gives the man something to do and he seems genuinely...interested? Perhaps even excited by it? The tea that's offered first gains a 'thank you' from Lucifer before he gives it one sugar and a lemon slice. A bit of a stir around and then he takes a sip. As Giles invites him to look around the shop, he smiles and nods, heading that way. Only something catches him before he gets too far. Preemptively, he sets his tea to the side before turning back around. "Pardon me? You're telling Nicholas to apologize to him?" He gestures upwards. He might even give the finger upwards. "To apologize for doing the same fucking thing he's been doing his entire damn life? No. You see, that.." He points to Sinister. "Is punishment to ME through Nicholas, because I let him take from me something that Sir Holier Than Everything deems precious to him. Because he's a JEALOUS and a WRATHFUL asshole." Yeah. Daddy issues. Lucifer has them. "There is no asking him for forgiveness for what either of us have done since we're not in the menial speck of any form or fashion *guilty* or *regretful* of what we have done. He preys on those who would feel such things, because forbid if anyone actually ENJOYS what they do, when they do it, and for whatever reason they do it for." He steps closer to Mercy then. "God is petty. He is but a CHILD when it comes to doing things that piss him off. So there is no NEED for asking for forgiveness. The wings will obey Nicholas in time. And the WINGS aren't the part that came from anyone being upset with anyone." He pauses, then says nothing more before eying Nicholas before turning and stalking off into the shop. He was irritated before. Now he's just fuming.
Giles	Giles makes no comment at all about the one upstairs nor about begging forgiveness. But his expression as he returns with a book in his hands is full of agreement with what Mercy had said. "You're welcome," he replies, belatedly, about the tea. Giles flips the book open as he walks toward Wessex. He pauses as he sees the wings form a shield, and he reaches up and taps the leading edge of one of them. "Get out of the way," he says firmly. "I need to see that tattoo to get a translation." The tattoo is a mystery. Of course he's interested in it, and definitely excited. The tirade from Lucifer earns a glance from Giles. And the man takes a moment to step up to him, and lift his right hand to rest it atop Lucifer's shoulder. He gives a light squeeze, his expression understanding. He also has daddy issues. Then he turns away and goes back to the good Doctor. He looks at the wings, fully expecting them to get out of his way.
Mercy Thompson	There's a glance towards Nicolas, and she tilts her head to one side at the reaction of the wings. Oh. That's... interesting. She isn't entirely sure what to make of that. Yet the fact that they do essentially form a shield around him is a bit telling for what's to come. And one of her eyebrows quirk up slightly at the words of pseudo-warning that are offered. It wouldn't be the first time that she's stepped her foot into something, so to speak, before realizing it. Then her gaze turns slowly towards Lucifer. And she listens. "No, I'm not -telling- him to do anything. I'm offering a suggestion. If he doesn't like it, he's more than welcome to not do it," she says, one of her eyebrows quirking up slightly. "It would seem to me that if He wanted to punish you that there would be far more effective means than that. One would think that He could, were He of a mind to, just pop the wings right back to you. And one would think that if He really wanted to be a smidge peevish, that He could take away the ability of making them invisible. Those would seem to be punishments to you. If you don't want to be open-minded about potential solutions, then that's up to you. But it seems to me that making a powerful being angry is generally a bad idea...," and this is where Mercy pauses as there is perhaps a realization that occurs in her brain at this point. "And... I'm going to stop there. I've likely over-spoken," Mercy says, her brow wrinkling and a frown coming briefly to her features. Then she gives a small shake of her head. "I'm sorry that what I've said has apparently upset you. It assuredly wasn't my intention," she says. She looks from Lucifer to Nicolas and back again, and then she gives a nod. "I'll go, since my ideas seem to be more irritating than useful," she adds. She looks to Giles and gives a small nod to him. "I'll message you later," she offers. Then she turns to start to head for the door.
Sinister	The reaction to being touched along the leading edge might be quite surprising. Wessex makes a sound a helluvalot like "Ehhehehehhrrf," and the wing that was touched arches and lifts upward, the primaries getting well clear of further contact. Poor Nicholas' face looks flushed and his ears are red, but it had the desired effect. He manages a rather thick "Thank you," at the tea and leaves it well alone on the counter over there for now. But other things deserve a word. Looking over to the devil though, he wears a quiet defiance along with the flushed blushing "I must agree with Lucifer. It wasn't any of His business, what occured and as a result of it, I appear to have been marked, which I do not appreciate all that much." And the man with a thousand faces and a thousand forms can't get rid of his wings in any of them. Be a tree. Sure, but you'll be a tree with wings, my dear. It may have caused a stumbling block that he can't see over for Reasons <tm> Warily, he tolerates Giles up in the personal space of his neck region, reaching for the collar of the T-shirt to pull it down and expose the rest. It's a verticle word, from his left neck to just over his heart. And then, he seems to have one of those penny drop moments and stares blank faced into space whils Giles is close. Animation returns with a kind of folding into floppiness, his head lolling back to stare up again, with a professed "...I'm a damned idiot..." -- Moments pass by with Wessex wearing a look of surprising concentration, before the wings, from tip to base, shiver, become like a shadow of ashes and are sucked back into his person. A single red fringed downfeather floats down to rest on his shoe. Nicholas taps his head at the temple with his index finger and middle finger several times in slow percussive succession, smiling a little grimly, "I figured it out." But then, with Mercy seeking to leave, he chews on his cheek. "Nuh-uh. None of us are getting away with anything here. And that includes me in that statement. Mercy, I'm athiest, which is a contradiction in terms given who my partner is, but proof denies faith in so many things. That's a double insult, when dealing with... that." Hand waved upward. "I appreciate the thought, but you are quite correct. He does have a lot more direct methods of getting his point across." And here he looks at Lucifer at that, reaching a hand out and making the 'c'mere' grabby hands.
Lucifer	It's a whole lot of everything in Lucifer's mind and unfortunately Mercy's very genuine suggestion to Nicholas just happened to touch on All The Things(tm) that Lucifer has been dealing with lately. No, he doesn't mean Nicholas. He means all the things after Nicholas. Specifically the one who came after HIM because of what Nicholas had done. It pisses him off, and he's so very happy that the disturbance is now dealing with the maze that is Nicholas' mind. Not that ANYONE but he and Sinister know this. Still, he listens, and he grumps and then he sighs and lifts his hands as if surrendering. "My apologies, Mercy. You're right, in a sense. But also.. there are just things that have happened that...prove otherwise. He has a very sick and twisted sense of humor when it comes to me. He's already punished me as far as he can, so now he chooses to punish me through what happens to others. Especially those I'm close to." A pause. "I lashed out at you without thinking. I...apologize." And he's SINCERE. The Devil. Apologizing. Honestly. How bizzare. There's a want to return to his due course of going and looking over the shop but he very last minute sees not only the wings disappear after Nicholas finally seems to get an idea on how, but then...that hand. Damnit. One cannot resist the Grabby Hands(tm) of a lover. And so, Lucifer gives in to the call and shifts to be by his lover's side once more, leaning in to press his forehead against Nicholas' shoulder but also remain out of the way for whatever it is Giles is doing. If he's figured anything out yet.
Giles	Giles pauses where he is as Mercy about faces and goes back the way she'd come. "Mercy.. but.." He is torn, visibly torn, between the wings and the mystery of that tattoo, and Mercy leaving. He clearly doesn't want the woman to leave. He looks between them and turns to the more immediate problem of Wessex. For now. Giles steps close indeed, but he doesn't touch, just looks over the tattoo, and flips the pages of the book until he comes to one. "Ah. Here it is," he says, tapping some words with a translation next to them. "It's a name. Nathaniel. If I recall correctly, this specific arrangement is for the name of an angel." He frowns a little bit. "But the magic within the tattoo is odd. A blessing and a curse all at once. Something of divinity, I think." He steps back and turns away, flipping the book closed. He doesn't even get to see the wings retreat back into the aether from whence they came. "Figured what out?" He looks back to Wessex, only to see the wings gone, and a single red fringed down feather on the man's shoe. "What was the problem?" Giles walks over to the table and sets the book down, reaching for his cup of tea to have a drink of it. The tattoo is a puzzle still, and one he's thinking over. But tea is important. His eyes go back to Mercy. The cake has been all but forgotten in the moment.
Mercy Thompson	The woman-coyote pauses at hearing her name from the doctor, her steps stalling. She half turns, and she folds her arm across her midsection, one arm atop of the other. Not crossed. Not angry. "You can believe or not believe in whatever you choose. I'm not here to preach to anyone or to try to make anyone believe in any particular way," she says. She's seen what having faith can do, and her faith has been tested. "There might need to be a sort of 'agree to disagree' statement, somewhere here. Proof might deny faith, sometimes, but proof can prove faith as well." She doesn't explain, but she says it in a way that indicates that she knows it does. Her attention slips past the doctor then and over to Lucifer. She's not that far from the door, really. She could just duck out and be gone out into the night. She tilts her head a touch to one side, and then she lifts one of her shoulders in a slight shrug. "I'm not one to second guess His intentions or His motives, and certainly not one to question what it is that He's capable of. You have a different relationship with Him than what I have, which is to be expected," Mercy says, her brow furrowing slightly. Her tongue flicks out, damping her lips, and she gives a small nod but remains standing where she is. She can hear how honest and sincere he is. "Thank you, Lucifer. I accept your apology, and I forgive you," she says in a softer tone, sincere in turn. She shifts her weight slightly, keeping it on her right foot and turning her left foot so that the heel rests on her right foot. Her gaze turns to Giles, watching him for a lingering moment as he works on sussing out the mystery of the tattoo, and as he solves it. Her tea ended up somewhere in the course of everything, and it takes her a long moment before she steps over to retrieve it. But she doesn't go back to where she had been standing, quite. She tilts her head a touch to one side, looking over Giles and chewing briefly at her lower lip. And then she starts to head towards him, her chin ducked a bit.
Sinister	Sinister's right arm slides around Lucifer's waist when the devil rests his forehead there. A lot can be conveyed in proximity and the quality of a contact, as Mercy it seems, well knows. He watches her move toward Giles, getting a very faint smile, then turns to press a kiss to the region by Lucifer's ear, the contact secure but comfortable in its gentleness. "In essence, I figure out how to speak angelese, which I wasn't fluent in until about two seconds ago. I think now, I'll be able to run enough of a translation program to..." he pauses, looking at Lucifer here, out of the corner of his eye "...Enochian? First city?" And back to his original thought "...ahhh... anyway. To translate until they get the gist and learn my mind." Ahh, such a helpful prisoner, ranting for things imagined to go away in mind and gibbering the same in his mother tongue. Very helpful that was. The mystery of the tattoo though, has him frowning. "So... I can't see it but you all can. So... is it safe to suppose that anyone with mystical sight, will also be able to see it? And see the name painted on my skin clear as day?"
Lucifer	"Mmn...suppose we do have our own language don't we?" Lucifer offers after feeling that kiss proffered by Nicholas. After a moment, he straightens himself, and then glances back to Mercy to give her a nod of his head. He's silent in the acceptance of her acknowledging his apology and offering her forgiveness. A weird sense that. Forgiveness from another. He's not entirely certain how he feels about it. A glance moves to Giles as the man continues to study the tattoo, to translate it, and offer that it is both a blessing and a curse. There's a tilt to his head but he says nothing still. It's not that he's stunned to silence or lost his ability to speak, but most of this is surrounding Nicholas and unless he needs to, he's not stepping foot into it again. Instead, he'll be there physically to support the man but not much more unless asked. Trinkets call to him but the moment of the Grabby Hands(tm) holds him steadfast at his lover's side.
Giles	Giles sips his tea, expression thoughtful as he puzzles through something. Or doesn't puzzle through something, as the case may be. He nods to Mercy as she approaches, and then to Wessex at the observations and question that follows. "I would hazard a guess that anyone who has any understanding of magic will be able to see it. Or anyone who can sense such things. And that... I could name half a dozen spells that could obscure it.. but I don't have the ability to hide it. You need someone far more capable in magic than I am." The knowledge is great, the practical applications not so much. Another sip and Giles finishes his tea, then moves for the tea pot. At least the remaining water within it is still warm. And so it gets flicked on for the few seconds it takes him to put another tea bag into his cup, and a lump of sugar. That done, the water is also done, and gets poured into the cup. "Do you know where the tattoo came from?" He looks to Wessex as he asks the question. Tea ready, he moves back toward the table, and Mercy.
Mercy Thompson	There are some rabbit holes that Mercy's brain isn't going to go hopping along down. The notion of what language angels and other celestials might speak when they're in their native city is one of them. She's going to leave that particular conundrum to those who need to know. The question about the tattoo has her lifting one of her shoulders in a bit of a shrug, a glance given towards the shifter-of-many-faces. "I'm not sure. I can just speak to what I can see of it," she says, her brow wrinkling slightly. She almost says more, but she doesn't. There probably aren't that many like her left in the world. There's a glance that's given to Lucifer as well, but she's quiet to him. Maybe giving her forgiveness will make a difference, and maybe it won't. Time will tell. Her gaze turns to Giles, and she stops as she reaches him a moment before he heads for the teapot in order to refresh his tea. She lifts her own to take a sip of it whilst she waits for him to return. And once he has, she eases in a little at his side, and she looks up at him through her lashes. Sheepishly, apologetically. "I'm sorry for almost leaving," she says quietly.
Sinister	Sinister claims his upper lip into his mouth, catching it in his teeth and slowly cleaning it of dead cells as he chews a while in thought. It shouldn't be that much of a thought but with it, he also squeezes his arm about Lucifer, meets the devil's gaze for a moment then nods. He gently releases, a kind of willingness to let trinkets be poked at, but with a warning of potential grabby hands to come. It all does depend on what happens here. "But you do see it," -- and here he shakes his head to both of them, Giles and Mercy, a kind of pause given before he raises his right hand to his eyes, rubs at them with fingers and thumb, holds his brow steady for a long exhale. "Right," hands drop to infront of himself, he claps them together then holds them there. "I can guess where the tattoo came from, but I don't know for absolute certain. Nevertheless, none of makes much sense at all, without knowledge. Knowledge is something I'm not keen on sharing so much of the time. I like you both though. I do, damn me." His clothing shifts, melts and changes, becomes black leather, living biosteel and he aquires considerably more muscle in a moment or two, along with losing all pigment to his skin. Ruby eyes, diamond in the forehead. The face IS pretty similar, if you re-humanized it, but. In this shape, the tattoo is completely visible, because there's nothing hiding it. It just sits right over the living steel, glowing there. "I just became a lot easier to track through the world, by the hand of whoever. My /name/ is Nathaniel and I am quite aah... put out that I made Lucifer lie on my behalf and that I did not think more of the pair of you. But things happened. And the hellhound and then I was stuck in being my little pocket surgeon."
Lucifer	Again, for a large part of this, Lucifer is going to stay quiet. He could be a loud mouth, center of attention, ruin everything type - and normally (or at least for a while in his past) he would have been. He's changed a bit since having been cast to Hell, and now even more so having taken up life among the mortal (and amortal or..however they're classified). So, there was a small conversation, a meeting of minds, in quite the literal sense and when Nathaniel sheds his human form and becomes his true self, Lucifer wraps one hand around the man and gives a simple squeeze. "Less that I lied and more that I went along with one of your faces. Your faces are truths, even if stretched, so my clean record remains as it is." That is, he doesn't lie. Almost is incapable of. And now that Nathaniel's truth is out, he watches the faces of Giles and Mercy. He had made a gamble on how they would react and is almost overly curious as to if he were right or not.
Giles	Giles doesn't seem to mind Mercy easing into his side. Quite the opposite, really, and he slips his arm around her once she's settled. "It's alright. You didn't." Didn't leave, that is. His blue eyes turn to Wessex and he nods. "I do see it, yes," he says. "It.. well. It glows, if I'm to be honest." He studies the doctor for a moment. "If you have a guess, it might give us a clue on how to get rid of it." And then there's shifting and melting and changing, oh my. Giles watches, and while he might be surprised that Wessex can change shapes, the fact of what he's seeing comes as no great surprise. "Ah. Well. That's interesting," he murmurs. "Nathaniel? Who is Nicolas Wessex, then?" He sounds rather more curious than put upon, and not greatly upset. Everyone has secrets, afterall. He glances to Lucifer and nods, once. "So Nicolas Wessex is... what? A part of Nathaniel?" Again, he doesn't seem upset or angry or even irritated. No, much like a cat, there's a great deal of curiousity there. And almost no judgement on his part.
Mercy Thompson	One of her eyebrows quirks up as she looks towards the doctor, her nose giving a faint twitch. "Yes... I do see it," she says softly, sounding a bit confused. She looks to Giles briefly, then back to Wessex, studying and watching him whilst he speaks. And the other eyebrow quirks up as his physical self shifts and changes. That's... unexpected. And interesting. She's met things that wear other faces before, so she's not startled at the revelation. Though similar, his changing of self isn't like that of the fae. "Umm... well... maybe? I mean... not necessarily. Like if I step outside, then I wouldn't know you're in here by the mark," Mercy says softly. She'd know by the freshness of his scent left behind near the door, but that's different. Her tongue flicks out, briefly damping her lips, and she gives a small nod to him. "I'll try to remember Nathaniel instead," she says, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "First impressions don't always give a person all of the information that they might be looking for," she says softly. There are likely questions that tumble around in that brain of Mercy's, but none of them see fit to spitting themselves out just yet. It's a curious thing. What is a Nathaniel that a Nicolas isn't? Or what is a Nathaniel that a Nicolas was used to hide behind? Once Giles slips his arm around her, she shifts a little to nestle in that touch closer, resting her head on the front of his shoulder. Then she gives a little nod. She had stayed. And she had gone to him once the decision had settled in her head to stay. Shifting her tea slightly, she then slips an arm around Giles in turn, leaning just a bit more against him.
Sinister	Sinister touches the hand at his side, squeezes there and then for reasons he's not entirely clear on, questions get asked, but they seem to be indirect. This is puzzling and he looks at Lucifer with eyebrows raised for the answers that he probably could give. Lets see where THIS goes. SOme do get answered though "Nicholas Wessex is me. A twenty four year old me as a graduate at Oxford medical school. He's older these days, as young seems to be less the fashion for surgeons," he muses, frowning a little, looking to Mercy. "No, they do not. First impressions are sometimes hard to redefine, though. They have a marked psychological impact that I'm highly aware of. Those make them -extremely- important to establishing... well, relations." He gestures at his tea and at Lucifers, floating them both forth. "Still telekinetic obviously, but add polyform molecular shapeshifter to the list." He sips his tea, sighs satisfied. "And formerly human."
Lucifer	Lucifer blinks once, and then again, as Giles nods to him and then seems to be asking him about Wessex rather than Nathaniel himself. Could be that lines were crossed, mixed, whatever but no matter. Then Sinister answers a little of himself, and Lucifer gives a nod of supported approval. "Yes but even formerly human you were not Nicholas Wessex... you were Nathaniel Essex. Are Nathaniel Essex. At least, that is what I have been going by this entire time." He watches as his tea is brought to him, a smile given, and he plucks it out of the air to take a slow sip of it. "Do correct me if I am wrong, of course." A smirk given to Nathaniel then. Though his attention does turn back to Giles after a moment. "You mentioned that there is a sort of magic out there that could possibly hide the tattoo on his skin. Would it hide it from most beings both magic and possibly divine in nature? Is it something that would have to be done over and over again as it may fade over time, or perhaps we could find something that is a one and done deal?" He asks and then he considers something, perhaps musing a bit over some earlier words given by Mercy. He will not, however, and never at all in fact, let it be known that perhaps just in some miniscule fraction of a way that she - perhaps - was right in some regard in her earlier religious pitch.
Giles	Giles gently squeezes Mercy, but majority of his attention remains on Nathaniel, with a touch of it also on Lucifer. He nods thoughtfully about Nicholas Wessex being Nathaniel, but doesn't comment. Though he still seems curious, the answer satisfies much of at least that part of his curiousity. "Polyform molecular shapeshifter. Poly, meaning many. Many forms. Molecular. Meaning you can change things to the smallest molecule, yes?" He pauses a moment. "Formerly human?" There is, again, no judgement. Merely curiousity. The question of Lucifer had probably come because of him stating Nathaniel's faces are truths, even if stretched. He nods about the magic. "There are many spells that can do such things. The problem is finding someone strong enough to cast the spell so that it would hide the tattoo from most beings. I could cast it, but it would hide it only from humans and very low level magic users. And it wouldn't hide it from divine beings at all. They are much, much stronger than I am." Giles considers the applications. "I know of spells both ways. One and done as well as having to be renewed. Most low level spells need to be recast periodically to retain their strongest effects, especially if cast by someone like me."
Mercy Thompson	"Mmhmm, they can be. It's why they say it's important to make a good first impression. Once it's set, it's hard to change it," Mercy says, a thoughtful tone to her voice. She lifts her cup of tea, taking a sip from it. "So... Nicholas Wessex is the original you? I'm sorry, that doesn't sound right or polite. It's a different sort of thing," she says, ducking her chin a little bit. She's used to fae who have glamours to make them look human and when they drop the glamour then they're... whatever they are underneath. It varies, depending on the fae. "It makes sense that the telekinetic part would still be there. The shapeshifter part is interesting," she adds, giving a small nod, her nose giving a faint twitch. Her attention shifts to Lucifer, studying him and listening, and the she lifts her cup of tea to take a sip of it, considering his words. Since she doesn't know anything about hiding tattoos of the magical nature, she doesn't have anything to offer on that particular subject. And so she's quiet as it's brought up. She looks up at Giles when he gives her that squeeze, and she relaxes a bit more against him. Sometimes, it doesn't take a lot to put her at ease. She lifts her mug to take a sip of tea, then chews a bit at her lower lip. "So you would ideally kind of want to find a divine sort of caster...?" she asks.
Sinister	"An alias. All my faces are aliases except this one," Sinister gives a shrug because well, this face being the true face. Could pick anything, picked this? Reverts to this, rather. "Formerly human, yes. I had a little assistance initially becoming immortal and capable of healing myself. From there, I improved on my genetic code quite considerably and polyform molecular shapeshifting left me like this. Psionics had some interesting side-effects, but mostly normal in appearance at least." He taps the side of his head though. "All people I have met, studied, or parts of me, from parts of my life. I've been around a while and that's what brings me to showing you this, at this juncture and the fact of that..." he points at the tattoo. "I do a lot of work behind scenes and arguably some of it's not good, but some of it is. It will be a challenge. With this. So. If it's possible..." he looks at Lucifer a moment, then to Giles, but with a click and point at Mercy. Girl got it there. "If you have a copy of the spells of the more potent variety and a list of the ingredients? We may have to source some of the more complicated items, but... could the Morningstar work them?" He seems to distract himself then, "...aside. That's an aside. An important aside, but still. The stone. You remember? My company came across it, but also came across knock offs. Actually, I came across the knock-offs first, out of india and asia and ended up tracking the apophis stone to Cairo. What I told you is true. I originally came to this shop to find out what the hell I had in my hands and didn't tell the whole story, because had I said the whole of it, that would have been rather more panic inducing than just the one. It's global. I find that I may have to apply my connections to gathering them, but I have to say, I do not know if I feel comfortable with handling them all. I frankly had no idea how I was going to broach that, it was a stumper." More expounding occurs. "Somewhere in the midst of all this, I discovered something rather disturbing about my physical state. Which you are correct over, Rupert. I detected degradation in my cell structure, the immortality wearing off and admittedly had a bit of a panic regarding that and split myself into lunacy attempting to find a splice for it. Which I did, using immortal DNA." He gestures at Lucifer. "Unfortunately, when we introduced it into my own genetic code, it had slightly unprecidented side effects. THose." He points at the lack of wings at his back. "And this." Tattoo. "I don't think it's coincidental. I have a feeling it's spite. And I can't afford it." And last, as affirmation "Yes. Doctor Nathaniel Essex. With some rather unimaginative alias naming, but otherwise it's hard to keep them all straight, some days." And to Giles and Mercy. "Also known as Sinister. There are quite a number of individuals around the world that call my name a curseword. Some... no much of it is deserved. I am however, no enemy of yours, good friends. I like you." Pause "I'll even help you, if you need it."
Lucifer	That's a lot of talking, but it was a lot of things that needed to be explained. Lucifer stays quiet for the whole of it, and at the end of it all he really has nothing to add. A quiet sip of his tea taken before he sets it aside once more and then noses into Nathaniel gently, pressing a kiss to the man's cheek. There might be something thought, but it's for certain minds only. Though, finally, he does offer "I couldn't have explained it better myself. As for the spell or spells...the Morningstar can certainly try..."
Giles	Giles shakes his head at Mercy's initial question. That wasn't how he'd understood it. "Nathanial Essex is the ... you're right. Original doesn't seem quite right. Core? No. The heart." With one arm yet around Mercy, he sips his tea and then sets the cup on the table. "With the level of shifting you say you're capable of, being able to heal yourself seems a bit redundant. You could just shapeshift any wounds closed, right?" He glances to Mercy, and nods at what she says. A divine sort of caster would be ideal. "I don't," he says to Essex. "Have a copy of the spells. But I can get copies for you." There is a pause and blink. "The Morningstar?" He glances at Lucifer, then back to Nathaniel. That's.. a rather odd thing to call Lucifer. The Morningstar? "I have no idea if.." He glances at Lucifer, and back to Nathaniel again. "The ... the Morningstar can work them.." Truly at a loss, is Giles. The stone. "The stone needs to be destroyed. As do any copies. That's the best end for all of them, as far as the world is concerned, unless you want is to all end up in the underworld." He looks thoughtful at the mention of splicing of immortal DNA into the doctor's own. "I have a feeling you need to figure out where it came from and handle it from that end, rather than simply masking it. If you mask it without dealing with the whys and hows, things could get.. complicated. Especially if the wrong person or being sees it and you." Giles shakes his head a little bit. "I haven't ever heard of a Sinister. My pardon." There is that, at least? "Well. The feeling is mutual. I, at least, like you as well. It's going to take getting used to calling you Nathaniel rather than Nicholas. Unless you'd prefer Nicholas?" His eyes are drawn back to Lucifer. "How proficient are you with spellcasting? Some of these spells are quite dangerous."
Mercy Thompson	There's a blink when Nathaniel makes that click of sound and points at her, and then she blinks again. "Ah, well... I don't do...," Mercy begins, pausing but briefly to rearrange a thought or three since saying she doesn't do magic is a bit more telling than she wants to be just yet, "anything that would bring me in contact with divine casters. Other than Lucifer, that is. But I might be able to help find ingredients, depending on what they are," she says. Then she tilts her head a touch. "Do the fake apophis stones have any magic to them?" she asks, curious. Her gaze tracks towards Lucifer, then back to Nathaniel, slowly. The genetics aspect of what was done is followed but likely only because it doesn't get to science-y. Things might have just become degrees more complicated, but Mercy isn't about to ask after the science of it. "Well... it might be spite. Or it might be something else. Probably not coincidence, though," she says softly, her brow wrinkling a little bit. Then she gives a small shake of her head. "I haven't ever heard of a Sinister either. I have no reason to curse you, and you've been nothing but a friend to me and those I care about. Which makes you a friend in return," she adds, giving a small nod. "Shapeshifting doesn't all work that way. I mean... his might, because it's molecular. Mine doesn't," she says. Then she slowly turns her gaze towards Sinister and then towards Lucifer before her attention turns back to Giles. And she gives him a bit of a squeeze. Then she gives a small nod. "Masking the tattoo is an okay temporary measure, but it won't really work long term. I think," she says.
Sinister	"I call him the Morningstar, because he is?" Nathaniel waves a hand though. "You can call me either name, until one fiddles its way to becoming easy on the brain. It's refreshing to be unknown. Relatively. By the by, if you need things smuggled out of countries?" he gestures at himself and Lucifer. "We're your men. As to your question..." he glances at the cash register or rather just beside it and a ring of electricity manifests in the middle of the air and a small silvery mechanical tentacle dips down and puts a glass jar on the surface of the counter. The ring and tentacle vanish, the former first, the latter with a zzzzt of ozone. "You tell me. I think so. But they're not as powerful as the original. Replicas rarely are, I suppose." He holds a finger up though. "Mechanical injury is a matter of trivial shapeshifting. Force injury requires regeneration, replacing damaged tissue and molecular material. I can get bulletproof and fireproof, immune to electrical damage and a variety of other things, but that does require preparation. Sudden attacks can hurt. Quite a lot." He dismisses it as trivial though. With a look at Lucifer, he returns the kiss to the cheek her received with one of his own and looks the devil in the profile. "Can you handle strong magic? And well, if you give us a head start on ingredients we can at least begin gathering those."
Lucifer	"It all depends on ones definition of magic I would suppose. I do have some skill, and it all really boils down to chanting with the correct ingredients and the right amount of belief. Of sorts." No, that's not everything it involves and Lucifer knows it. Anyone who would want to expand upon what he says should first know that Lucifer knows - however - explaining it all would be...a huge waste of air. Anyone can do magic, but not everyone should. Something like that. It can also be a natural born ability, or something learned...it all means something in the end. "I believe I can handle strong magic. I think it's worth a shot. What's the worst that can happen?" Probably not the best question to ask, but it IS Lucifer and he's notorious for asking such things right before everything goes to Hell in a handbasket. Literally. Or figuratively depending on who's driving he supposes. A smirk is given to Sinister and he nuzzles into the man for a moment before he holds up a finger and points. "I'm going to go look at the shiny stuff now." Turning and beginning to walk that way unless a certain someone decides to nix that idea.
Giles	Giles nods his agreement with Mercy. "Yes. You have been nothing but a friend and have helped me on more than one occasion. I count you as a friend." He nods again, this time in acknowledgement of Mercy's words. "The molecular part is what I was referring to. I know not all shape shifting works that way." To Sinister, he nods once. "I suppose so." He smiles. "And I don't need anything smuggled out at this point. Nor in. None of these spells require anything over the top, I think. Speaking of.." Giles squeezes Mercy once more and slips away from her. He moves out to the front again, and up those stairs, muttering quietly to himself. Mutterings that consist mainly of which book has which spell he's thinking of. "Probably best to destroy any replicas anyway, to be on the safe side. I know I want to find a way to destroy the original." He can be heard pausing and one can imagine a nod occuring. "Sudden attacks do have a tendency to hurt," he agrees. And at this point, he goes quiet to look for the spells that need to be copied down.
Mercy Thompson	There's a nod that Mercy gives to Nathaniel at his comment about names, and a smile that touches at the corners of her lips. "One or the other will work its way to fitting, I'm sure," she says, a thoughtful tone to her voice. "I'll keep that in mind, though I haven't needed anything smuggled into or out of the country yet. Although there are times whe I would wish that the postal service moves things faster from point a to point b," she comments, quirking a smile. Her gaze turns towards the ring and tentacle that appear, and she blinks once, then a second time as the glass jar appears. "Oh, now that's just terribly funky," she says quietly. "So a different sort of shapeshifting than what mine is. I don't get to heal when I swap back and forth. That's pretty neat," she says with a nod. She glances towards Lucifer, then Sinister, then back again, and she tilts her head a touch to one side. Though she suspects that he's not saying everything there is to say about magic, she doesn't comment about it. She doesn't know enough about magic in order to do so. Her attention slips over to Giles, and she smiles at him as he agrees with her. She turns her head just a little bit, enough that her breath falls across the side of his neck, and then she shifts a bit to no longer lean on him, to let him slip away. And she lifts her tea to take a sip of it. "I'll have to remember the ingredients that I've gathered the next time I'm over. The fireworks were... distracting," Mercy says, wrinkling her nose slightly.
Sinister	Sinister follows Giles with his eyes as the man heads up onto the upper platform, murmuring a quiet "He'll be up there a while," and smiles mostly with his eyes as Lucifer goes to poke at shinies. He had distracted the immortal from that task not that long ago with the power of the Grabby hands, so it's only fair. "Just no slug candles, alright?" he calls over, looking at the jar and the stone with a pause of a kind of... empathy with Mercy. "I did too. Regarding the postal service. So I got creative. I may have to help you out at the shop sometime with a mechanical delivery service." He muses, twirling a finger in the air beside the coyote-woman and another electrical circle opens and a nice new spanner drops out. "It's handy." Pause, beat. "I'll leave you to your cake. When he's done up there, just... think my name loudly and we'll arrange a collect call." He bows his head slightly then, backs off toward the front doors and murmurs "...Lucifer, we interrupted fourth of july cake. I'll be on the roof watching the show. Come poke me when you've slaked your need for shinies, hmm?" Heels touch the glass of the door and he melts through it like mist, smiles from the other side and lifts up to sit atop the magic shop and watch rockets explode. At least until Lucifer fetches him.
Lucifer	Lucifer raises a brow and glances back at Nathaniel, but says NOTHING in regards to the 'no slug candles' comment. Do not tell the Lord of Hell that he should not or cannot buy something. You will end up with SO MANY! None the less, he goes to look around at the stock of the shop for a moment, but he's not really intent on buying anything at the moment. He just likes looking at all the pretty things. Perhaps making a mental checklist on what to get the next time the shop is actually open for business. They did interrupt Fourth of July cake. Perhaps that is something that Lucifer takes into consideration as well. It is none too long after Sinister takes his leave that Lucifer steps into Mercy's line of sight. "Thank you for having us." He offers this, simply, formally bows and then pops out of sight. He'll reappear somewhere. Likely behind Sinister, not to collect him, but to enjoy the view as well.