Owner	Pose
Sinister	One thing can be said of the last few days. For time off, it's been surreal. Eventful in meetings, at least. But this can mostly be attributed squarely onto Sinister's shoulders, as it's likely just been pleasantly buzzed with happy vibes from a successful do-gooder event or Lucifer. After all, there's been money to roll in, play with, divvy up, sort out, arrange and deposit to the right places. And shelters to surprise with their winning good fortune. Which does mean there's been kittehs and pups and kittehs and more kittehs and... There's a flock of ravens on the back of the couch and they're watching TV. well, three of them are. One is staring out the window, another is looking down at itself and the fact that it has a waistcoat on and another is eating liquor soaked maraschino cherries from a jar. One last is pacing back and forth, restless infront of the fire -- it's quite quiet considering the feathered fiasco, though, which probably tells its own story.
Lucifer	Lucifer is coming back from a day of shopping, which is what one does after they dropped a whole lot of money for charity events, right? There was also a couple of deliveries earlier, which he's got the boxes levitating next to him as he hauls everything off the elevator and into the apartment. It's all sat down for Lucifer to likely deal with in a moment cause even as he's leaving it behind to step further in and look for Sinister he finds a murder of ravens - does the term apply to ravens or just crows? - sitting on and around the couch. "Either someone has been befriending you all behind my back, or someone's brain is a bit scattered at the moment and this was the best possible solution for separating brain space to figure things out." It's likely a bit scary how much Lucifer has come to learn about Sinister and the doctor's quirks. A turn on his heel and he moves to grab the big box first, going through the motions of opening it up. "So, which of you is going to squawk at me first?"
Sinister	They can also be a Parliament. Which given Luci's knack for diciphering the mind of Nathaniel Essex, is likely the case at the moment. Many thoughts make democratic deliberation? Or they're all just birdbrains. "You know me so well," the raven by the fire says in a perfect simulacrum of Nathaniel's tone, with an added touch of droll. He struts his way over to where the devil's unpacking and with a flutter, wings up to the shoulder to peer down and observe. "It's been a thoroughly challenging couple of days for my thought processes. And I'm still trying to decide just how utterly insane that writer that came to the event was. His mind tingled, like crack cocaine mixed with LSD." A beak rests on the top of the nearest ear and nibbles at hair.
Lucifer	Lucifer chuckles and shakes his head some just before the beak rests and nibbles at hair behind his ear. "That writer...likely wasn't who he said he was. But he didn't cause a scene so nothing was done about it." For now. None the less, Lucifer pulls a cat tree box from the shipping box and sets it on the floor. "As for challenging days, I can only suspect that a part of that also comes from the interesting company of both Logan and Emma from that same night. An odd coupling if I must say so myself." Box gets opened, and the pieces are pulled out. It's not going to be too big of a tree. Just what any growing kitten needs. "Nevermore is hopefully going to love this. I also got her some treats and toys, an auto feeder and water fountain thing." He offers all this and motions towards the other bags close by. "So. Care to lay these thoughts upon me? Anything I can help try and sort out?"
Sinister	Well. Cat tree. Stuff. "So you really did adopt one of the kittens. And she is called Nevermore? of course she is, silly bird, she's as black as a raven's wing..." The raven inches closer, leans against the side of the head he's peched beside and watches, not being remotely helpful with the assembly and disassembly of new goods. A breath is taken, stopped and let out. He attempts this again, with the same result. Feathers whirr. "Honestly, I don't know where to begin. Emma is one of the teachers at the school and Logan wanted to help hunt down any other cockroaches that were lurking. He brought her in to assist, but I think I'm better at explaining things. Thus, why they both attended the charity do, which is all to the good of the cause." Pausing, he watches the rest of him a bit as one of the ones watching TV laughs, another groans and the one eating cherries starts warbling the liquor'd juice down. "I also don't know how I feel about the cockroach situation."
Lucifer	"Your mind palace turned raven brood is having a decent time of it it seems." Lucifer side comments along the way while beginning to pull pieces out and assemble the tree. The instructions are open but he's apparently going to 'wing it' and see what happens. "How did Logan hear about the cockroaches to begin with?" Asking this question first before he reaches a hand to stroke at the wing feathers of his shoulder companion. "Why do you feel any certain way about the voidling situation. It's not like you pointed a finger at the world and yelled 'devour' to some ethereal creature..."
Sinister	"Exactly! I should just let it alone and leave it to someone else to fix. Right?" Leaning into the fondles, the raven gives a soft little chirrup and fluffs at the attention. Then there's a beak click and again, hair is nibbled, briely. "Logan caught me investigating my paranoid feelings in the deep woods of the north part of the state. He acutely observed I was acting odd. Then ended up on a date with his ladyfriend after a different scout around, so I felt..." the raven pauses, gives a soft 'huh' "...obliged I suppose, to inform him I wasn't wrong."
Lucifer	Lucifer grabs hold of the Sin-Raven on his shoulder after letting him nibble on hair for a moment longer and then sets him on his other arm, crooked to be a perch so Lucifer can just look at him. "The way I see it. If you, directly, caused the issue... then you should worry about it and we should try to fix it. If you are not the direct cause, then why the fuck are you worrying about it?" He pauses. "This is a lesson in callousness. Which is something you need to learn or else you are going to be very busy worrying about everything that happens either directly or indirectly by you. And you can't do that. It would be fucking exhausting..." He then moves his arm so that Sin-Raven can hop back onto his shoulder while he goes back to putting a cat tree together. "But also, if not you, then who? Will these issues take care of themselves? Will they become bigger issues if not taken care of? Does it absolutely positively HAVE to be a thing that YOU fix? If the answer to any of those questions is Yes... then we'll need to figure out how to plug the hole. Otherwise, that's a whole lot of not my circus, not my monkeys that shouldn't be bothering you." Which makes him feel like he just repeated himself in a different form of words. "Also, how is a mutant like Logan going to help? Slice and dice the voidlings into...more voidlings?"
Sinister	THere's a brief awkward leg dangling as he's grabbed and moved and the raven's head dips down so it's squarely hunched between his shoulders as the speech rolls out. Toes shuffle on the arm positioning a couple of times and he watches them do this manoever, then when allowed back up to the shoulder, the same thing occurs, along with a tail-swish and hunkering. "Are you supposed to be helping, or stirring the pot there, my dear?" he asks, clicks beak and chuckles blackly. "The event that I created when we severed the Monster out of me, is what -triggered- the psychogenesis event. Huge trauma in the astral plane made it burst nasty into the penumbra and the realm of earth. They scattered. Some of them though, found fertile ground, which we dealt with in the cockroach fungus debarkle with the town gone psychotic. That's an event that will stick in their memory, cause more trauma..." Sin shrugs. "But it's not exactly like I did it. I didn't. It just happened as an unexpected side effect. I ... just know the history of Eastern north America and it has a /lot/ of places those little seeds of traumatic doings could take root." He watches the cat tree assemblage for a while longer. "There was a physical component, even with the fungus cockroaches. They imbed. But no saying if they're all going to be physical, or even if they're likely to grow and mutate and infest worse. But that's why there's Emma, the mind-hunter and Logan the tracker."
Lucifer	Lucifer finishes the cat tree. It wasn't that difficult and the tree is only three tiers high - which isn't too big by any means. With that done, he goes to grab the other items that he bought. Specifically the feeder and water fountain so he can begin to set those up. "So you caused it indirectly. And now you're feeling guilty because you know that something that happened to you, caused something else to occur. If I were to feel guilty about that type of shit...I'd be in a lot worse of a place than I am now. Think about it. I tempted Eve to eat the apple. Boom, Sin. I teased Jesus in the desert. Boom, people are led to believe I am inherently evil." He shrugs the non-raven shoulder. "I mean, do what you feel you need to do...but don't kill yourself over it. It's not worth it. You went all out on some little podunk town in the middle of nowhere and for why? So the people could remember but also move on with their happy little redneck lives?" He pauses, then chuckles. "Just doesn't seem worth the time, but maybe I'm becoming a little too callous in my old age."
Sinister	Sinister silently listens to all of that. Then silently digests it, feathers a'fluffed. Marachino Sin looks up from his tippling, as does window-gazing Sin. Waistcoat Sin is still staring at the object he's been forced to wear, like it has answers. The stooges watching TV are engrossed. Collectively, the ones whose attention were captured take wing and land upon various platforms of the finished cat tree, as does shoulder sin, so that they can all watch the assembly more intently. Various looks are exchanged by the bird brigade. At length: "Well, when you put it like that," the voice is flat, but that's all there is to that. "Now I'm in an even more confused place."
Lucifer	Lucifer frowns a little, and then watches as a few more of the ravens have come to check things out. "I didn't mean to confuse you more... I was really hoping to help." He offers this and then finishes filling up the fountain and moves to put it in a spot in the kitchen on the floor to plug in so it runs. Food bowl will go beside. "...Is there anything I can do to actually help? Or should I just shut up for now?"
Sinister	LOts of beaky heads turn to watch, tracking the every movement. There's a reason he misses very little when he's doing surveillance and a reason he's got a particular knack for hive mind mentality. "I honestly don't know. I think you did. But I also think you didn't, because now it's making me think along different lines and I'm having different conundrums. So at least they're not the -same- ones?" Sin sighs, hops down to the ground and waddles closer. As he does so, the raven expands, unfolds, expands again, seems to swirl and shift and becomes the man who is a monster in all his glory, wearing about-the-house smart casual. White T-shirt and jeans, sans waistcoat, bare footed. For the nonce, his finger and toenails are black. He leans on the counter, hipshod. "So, where do -you- draw the line for being helpful? What calls you out and makes you want to assist?"
Lucifer	Lucifer is about to just give an answer, but then he stops himself. He actually thinks o that last question for a moment while pouring food into the top of the auto-feeder. "There are plenty of ways I could answer that. A lot of it has to do with what's in it for me. For most people and things, that's the line. Am I going to benefit from it in any way? A favor for later? Instant gratification?" Lid closes and he goes to set the feeder next to the water fountain. "Then there's you. You're an exception to all the rules I may have ever made or will ever make for such things. This is because I love you, and would do anything to ensure your happiness, safety, and well being." He then walks over to Nathaniel and wraps arms around the man to bring him in close, hold him gently. "But that's what works for me. It could be different for you. What makes you draw the line and where. I can only guide you, dear heart. I cannot make the choices for you. And no matter the choice you make, I will be here to support it and to help you with setting the goals needed to bring that choice to fruition." Turning his head then to kiss into the man's neck and then he just stays there. Mostly to bask, but also to just exist with Sin for a moment.
Sinister	Watching still, listening closer, Sin's expression shows why amusement through most of what was said by the devil there and yes, it is a little bit surprising, but also not. But when is Lucifer ever prone to fooling himself? Why never! Add a little whimsy into things and the ability to genuinely form a bond and friendship, also adds into rationale. This has been witnessed! But with the declaration of love, a wild and novel experience for a being that's been hated a lot of his existence, it softens the countenance and there's no hesitation in the return of closeness, of arms and assurances. There's a squeeze from the doctor and the light scratch of fingernails in affection through clothing. "I love you too. I think in a way, I always have..." at least in his heart of hearts. He turns his face toward the kiss, rests cheek against ear and hair, inhales the scents and the moment. "I think what I want to do, is provide as much intelligence as I can, but let most of it get handled by people with a heroic urge. Logically, it could make situations worse in ways unforseen to some and rather vivid to me. Trauma is a catalyst for change, but it's not always good. It makes monsters as well as stronger people and negative effect stress makes natural mutations more adverse. In good conscience to my great plan, I think... I should help fix it. I think."
Lucifer	"And there we come to the compromise. It took us a minute, but we got there. Which is likely where you needed to end up to begin with. Too much one way or the other was likely bugging you. Deciding that there could be some happy medium. Involved, but not directly. Help, but let the heroes shine... it's likely the best decision for you." Lucifer says this, still holding, breathing in the scent of his lover before nuzzling into him a bit. Only after all of this does he finally step back. "Now that that's settled. Would you like to gather the rest of your murder so you can meet Nevermore?"
Sinister	There is going to be a kitten. "Sometimes, it takes a completely alternate perspective to jolt the recognition into comprehension. Thank you, my dearest." And before this nuzzle goes completely separate, Sinister gives a kiss to the cheek, inhaling deep and closing his eyes as the mob of black birds take wing, one by one, to divebomb his back and be absorbed. The trio on the couch are the last to arrive, seemingly reluctantly. "So now, we have two ad-locum cats? And a snake."
Lucifer	Lucifer blinks. "A snake?" Asking this as he side eyes Nathaniel while moving to the bedroom so he can retrieve the cat. "Oh. Did you adopt that boa constrictor you had wrapped around you?" Asking this from a distance and then he comes back with a cat in his arms. Not quite a kitten, but still a younger feline. He sets her on the kitchen counter. "Nathaniel Essex, I present to you, Nevermore. Nevermore, this is Nathaniel." As if the cat can understand him...."And yes. The cat at the other house, this cat, and a snake."
Sinister	Do cats have a language? Some might argue yes. "Yes, the albino burmese python. She was pretty and calm -- she can sit in my lab when I'm doing long hours and stare at me. Besides she's oddly comforting." Having had the Serpent himself up his sleeve, draped on his shoulder, coiled and tongueflickering at his neck, there's a certain vibe. "Her name is Eliza--" and there's the young cat. People always want the kittens, or feel sorry for the elderly, don't they? He looks at the cat. The cat might look at him. "How is she settling in?"
Lucifer	The cat, likely about a year or so in age, tilts her head at Nathaniel. She mrrs, chitters, and slowly approaches him, sniffing the air about him a moment. "She seems to be settling in just fine, but I was getting tired of her drinking out of whatever she could find, or having to stop and feed her wet food all the time..." Lucifer chimes this in and then smirks. "I hope she and the snake get along well...or do you plan on keeping the snake in your lab?" Either way is fine, he's more asking out of curiousity than anything else.
Sinister	"Mostly in the lab," Sin replies, gazing at the feline and holding his hand out to her, so she can sniff at his fingers, inspect and such. "But I will bring her out from time to time, no doubt. I imagine they won't much care about each other, but you never can tell with animals." He tilts his head to the side, returns the mrrrrrt sound. There is a snort of laughter though, "How many days of being a new cat parent did it take for you to decide enough was enough and get organized?"
Lucifer	Lucifer smirks. "...It was a few days, thank you very much..." Saying this much to that last question before giving a shrug. "Long enough for the tree to arrive and all that." The cat sniffs fingers, rubs her head against them, and then promptly flops over and begins to clean a paw. "Well...I say this is the end of a very decent albeit somewhat stressful day. At least things got figured out." A wink. "What say we let Nevermore explore a bit and curl up on the couch drinking and watching shitty television dramas?" And can a Sinister refuse such?! The devil thinks not!