[It's probably naive for Horatio to expect good coffee in Hell, but he's not been downstairs long enough to give up on the dream. Each morning, on his way into work, he's been working his way through the coffee shops of hell, searching for the perfect espresso.
Today is no exception, and he's in the process of tipping excessive amounts of sugar into a cup of particularly evil looking brown sludge, when he hears the coffee shop door open behind him.
He glances over, and his expression immediately turns chilly as he recognizes Lucifer.]
Good morning, Sir.
[Not said as if he actually wants you to have a good morning.]
[He was just coming out to one of the local coffee shops to sit in the corner and chill drinks and count how long it took for a fight between baristas and customers took to break out. He just came out for a good time and he feels totally attacked.
Okay, not really, but he does turn his attention toward that familiar voice. He had bickered with it long enough after all until it had hung up in a rush after suggesting a meeting.
It hadn't been worth thinking about since, really. But the animosity in the greeting means that at least one of them has been thinking about it.
[Horatio tips a final sachet of salt into his coffee, takes a swig, and grimaces. He wasn't expecting it to be good though, and his standards are pretty low at the best of times, so he takes another swig, grimaces again, then turns towards Lucifer.]
I should apologize. We never managed to meet in person.
[He got into a fist fight with his friends instead, and in a way it's good that he was so delayed. His anger is less sharp now.]
[Watching Horatio sip his salty coffee is like watching a victim in the game "why are you hitting yourself", except...he's actually hitting himself over and over. It's kind of fascinating to watch.
So he moves over and takes a seat across from him, and with a subtle snap of his fingers, turns that coffee into literal mud. It's just an experiment at this point.]
I was waylaid by a colleague at the reform branch.
[One colleague, and one friend, neither of whom wanted him getting his feet lobbed off by the morning star.
Horatio doesn't notice the snap of the fingers, but he does notice, as a man who drinks a lot of coffee, that when he lifts his cup to take another sip, there is no warm roasted scent rising from the brew.
And that makes him look down at it. And that makes him place the mug down on the shop table and glance sourly back up at Lucifer.]
Got a friend coming over. Good chance of us getting drunk and taking up space on the floor. Be a doll and don't terrorise us. I need someone who talks back for a night.
Why? Because as charming as you are, I need to spend some time with others once in awhile. One of those ways I like to relax. There might also be some complaining that goes on about you and his angelic boyfriend. It's what we do.
I haven't made any sort of deal with Crowley. I want to know some about him before I do anything, and you tend to know more about the underbelly of demonkind. He may have some angel feathers or demon bits I could use. He one of those that can be trusted?
I wasn't asking about....[Sigh. But since you brought it up anyway, he's not exactly sure how much he likes the idea of being John's drunken sleepover topic. Especially compared with someone else's angelic boyfriend.]
Crowley is a business demon. He'll be trustworthy only so long as it benefits him to be. [Which is a generously honest answer.]
Michael will be here waiting for Lucifer when he comes back home. Specifically he'll be sitting on the couch and paying minimal attention to the demon talk show that's on the television - they've gone past the typical amount of ripping apart and throwing chairs and also trying to eat other, and have proceeded to set roughly half of the stage on fire, which is almost entertaining to watch - but his mind is elsewhere. Specifically he's tuned in to a thread of consciousness that's tied to his brother. It's a tenuous sort of connection, just there so that he can observe and listen.
It's not an unfamiliar practice for him, but it's not one that he's done with Lucifer in quite a long time. He hasn't needed to, not when he and Lucifer were trapped in the Cage together and it was impossible to not be aware of his every move. Sometimes the space to breathe and stretch his wings is a welcome thing, other times the relatively vast space between them seems like it's too empty, and things are too quiet. This isn't about that, however, this is about the conversation that Lucifer had with a certain icy human before abruptly disappearing to meet her at the Hive. A cramped, dark space full of demons. Precisely the sort of place that Michael more or less refuses to step into, and one that he knows Lucifer can't be at all comfortable in.
There's no commentary, just the occasional flicker of emotion - when she reaches out to touch him, it's an undeniable flare of jealousy - but Michael is waiting. He thinks that he's gotten a fairly decent idea of the scope of this situation, but there are still a few things he can, and will, say.
It's a strange thing to have Michael in his head after so long without him there, and there's a part of him that's itching to shove him out just from habit, from the tight control he's had on letting Michael this close for millennia. But it's a comforting weight in the back of his head too, a warm presence that he can feel from any distance.
Plus, pushing him out right now he knows would only spike Michael's curiosity further, so he simply chooses to ignore it. For the most part. There's an amused smirk when he feels his brother's jealousy flare up, because quite frankly, the asshole deserves it after his stunt with that blonde human girl. If he didn't have some sort of interest in this human, he might show his brother just how much more touching he could do, how quickly he could probably wrap her around his seductive finger, but then Michael would probably just pop up and melt her. He'd rather avoid that.
In fact, he's better behaved than he might have otherwise been. But he comes home after dropping her off at the gate of Little Eden, simply appears in the living room where he knows Michael is waiting for him.
Michael doesn't miss a beat at Lucifer's appearance. The fact that he's still sitting there, only marginally leaning back into the couch itself, and waits long enough for Lucifer to ask his question is all intentional, and though his expression is a study in stoicism, those emotions are still flickering through his eyes. His appraisal of his brother only lasts for a couple of seconds, it's all he needs, before a surge of his heated grace roughly pushes at Lucifer. Not to shove him away and back against a wall, which is far from uncommon, but instead to shove him forward.
Michael won't let him crash directly into the couch. His fingers lock around Lucifer's wrist - far from coincidental in his particular placement - and that inhumanly strong grip is enough to stop any remaining momentum. It's enough to hold Lucifer's weight and then some if he decides to test it that far. Michael's gaze doesn't falter and his expression only shifts slightly, despite the heat that's running so close to the surface. As hot as it is, it's controlled.
"I prefer the ones that don't involve you," he replies dryly.
Not that he cares about the ones on the television at all, obviously. They're just difficult to avoid when he spends a decent amount of time here, since it's impossible to turn the damned thing off for any significant length of time.
Of course Michael isn't going to sit there quietly, it's hardly his style, and Lucifer doesn't expect him to. There's a subtle flinch when he feels that gust of heat, because he knows it'll do something, he's just not sure which way Michael wants to drag him. That he winds up being pushed closer settles easily on him however.
Especially when Michael is there to break any possible fall. His eyes fall to his wrist and he knows exactly what his possessive big brother is thinking and he licks his lips just to keep his smile at bay.
"Then perhaps you should stay out of my head." THat's not the best lead, but it's a very simple solution that he knows Michael won't choose.
Lucifer might be trying to hide the smile, but Michael knows it's there. And just in case his point wasn't obvious enough, a sharp, intense burn flares out from his fingers and through Lucifer's flesh and bone, still locked solidly under Michael's hand. It's not the most intense pain he could cause, but then, it's not meant to be vicious. It's meant to make a point. There isn't actually any lingering coolness to his skin that's not his own, but if there was, this would have decisively melted it away.
"She was practically begging for you to go with her," he points out, smoothly ignoring Lucifer's suggestion. His eyes narrow abruptly. "She's smitten with you."
Michael doesn't have as much personal experience at dealing with humans as some, but he's observed them for a very long time and he's spent long enough in human vessels to have a perfectly reasonable amount of understanding of their habits. This one is open and easy to read, a fact that he also noticed when he met her himself.
[It's not that Elsa is praying to the devil. She doesn't really pray in general. He's told her to reach out to him with her thoughts if she needs him, so she's giving it a try.
Lucifer?
She thinks his name, then realizes how crazy this is. It can't actually work. But after spending days hiding away in Chloe's house, maybe she's actually going stir crazy.]
[His appearing the way he does scares her enough that she loses control of her powers completely. Ice blasts outward, coating the entire room in a thin sheen. She jumps at the same time it happens. The whole thing probably is very comical.]
Oh! That...actually worked.
[She chooses to focus on that instead of her ice or the complete lack of control she's just exhibited. Turning to face him, there's a sense of relief and awe settling in on her face. He may also notice that the horns that were growing in and giving her such trouble are jagged, icy stumps that are visible. They're growing slow enough now that the pain has stopped but she's still getting used to the change in her appearance.]
I didn't think you'd actually be able to hear or find me.
[Which makes it sound like she was just saying his name in her head for enjoyment rather than actual purpose.]
[His head cocks to the side, and there's a slight twitch of amusement to his lips at the way the room frosts around him-though it leaves him perfectly unharmed.]
Should I leave so you can call my name a few more times?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2016-11-23 02:05 am (UTC)Today is no exception, and he's in the process of tipping excessive amounts of sugar into a cup of particularly evil looking brown sludge, when he hears the coffee shop door open behind him.
He glances over, and his expression immediately turns chilly as he recognizes Lucifer.]
Good morning, Sir.
[Not said as if he actually wants you to have a good morning.]
no subject
Date: 2016-11-23 05:03 am (UTC)Okay, not really, but he does turn his attention toward that familiar voice. He had bickered with it long enough after all until it had hung up in a rush after suggesting a meeting.
It hadn't been worth thinking about since, really. But the animosity in the greeting means that at least one of them has been thinking about it.
How flattering.]
Same to you.
[All that sugar is now salt. Enjoy.]
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Date: 2016-11-27 07:33 pm (UTC)I should apologize. We never managed to meet in person.
[He got into a fist fight with his friends instead, and in a way it's good that he was so delayed. His anger is less sharp now.]
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Date: 2016-11-28 04:33 am (UTC)So he moves over and takes a seat across from him, and with a subtle snap of his fingers, turns that coffee into literal mud. It's just an experiment at this point.]
No, you ran quite fast from that.
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Date: 2016-11-29 02:21 am (UTC)[One colleague, and one friend, neither of whom wanted him getting his feet lobbed off by the morning star.
Horatio doesn't notice the snap of the fingers, but he does notice, as a man who drinks a lot of coffee, that when he lifts his cup to take another sip, there is no warm roasted scent rising from the brew.
And that makes him look down at it. And that makes him place the mug down on the shop table and glance sourly back up at Lucifer.]
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From:text;
Date: 2016-11-24 09:39 pm (UTC)So Beyonce's out.
How about אדיר?
text; just pretend I have graphics. Phone tags
Date: 2016-11-24 11:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-11-25 05:15 am (UTC)[Cosmically speaking, it's not that long.]
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Date: 2016-11-25 05:46 am (UTC)...It's not bad.
text; un: Hellblazer
Date: 2016-12-10 08:14 am (UTC)Also, how trustable is Crowley?
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Date: 2016-12-10 03:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-12-10 07:30 pm (UTC)I haven't made any sort of deal with Crowley. I want to know some about him before I do anything, and you tend to know more about the underbelly of demonkind. He may have some angel feathers or demon bits I could use. He one of those that can be trusted?
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Date: 2016-12-10 07:59 pm (UTC)Crowley is a business demon. He'll be trustworthy only so long as it benefits him to be. [Which is a generously honest answer.]
no subject
Date: 2016-12-10 08:19 pm (UTC)[Ninety percent of it will be more Gabriel and Lestrade, but John never knows where his mind or mouth will wander.]
So he's like every other demon then. Trying to see if I can get him to sell me any of those feathers he was stripping off that angel.
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From:action
Date: 2016-12-19 08:23 am (UTC)Michael will be here waiting for Lucifer when he comes back home. Specifically he'll be sitting on the couch and paying minimal attention to the demon talk show that's on the television - they've gone past the typical amount of ripping apart and throwing chairs and also trying to eat other, and have proceeded to set roughly half of the stage on fire, which is almost entertaining to watch - but his mind is elsewhere. Specifically he's tuned in to a thread of consciousness that's tied to his brother. It's a tenuous sort of connection, just there so that he can observe and listen.
It's not an unfamiliar practice for him, but it's not one that he's done with Lucifer in quite a long time. He hasn't needed to, not when he and Lucifer were trapped in the Cage together and it was impossible to not be aware of his every move. Sometimes the space to breathe and stretch his wings is a welcome thing, other times the relatively vast space between them seems like it's too empty, and things are too quiet. This isn't about that, however, this is about the conversation that Lucifer had with a certain icy human before abruptly disappearing to meet her at the Hive. A cramped, dark space full of demons. Precisely the sort of place that Michael more or less refuses to step into, and one that he knows Lucifer can't be at all comfortable in.
There's no commentary, just the occasional flicker of emotion - when she reaches out to touch him, it's an undeniable flare of jealousy - but Michael is waiting. He thinks that he's gotten a fairly decent idea of the scope of this situation, but there are still a few things he can, and will, say.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-19 03:19 pm (UTC)Plus, pushing him out right now he knows would only spike Michael's curiosity further, so he simply chooses to ignore it. For the most part. There's an amused smirk when he feels his brother's jealousy flare up, because quite frankly, the asshole deserves it after his stunt with that blonde human girl. If he didn't have some sort of interest in this human, he might show his brother just how much more touching he could do, how quickly he could probably wrap her around his seductive finger, but then Michael would probably just pop up and melt her. He'd rather avoid that.
In fact, he's better behaved than he might have otherwise been. But he comes home after dropping her off at the gate of Little Eden, simply appears in the living room where he knows Michael is waiting for him.
"Enjoying your soaps, Brother?"
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Date: 2016-12-19 08:28 pm (UTC)Michael won't let him crash directly into the couch. His fingers lock around Lucifer's wrist - far from coincidental in his particular placement - and that inhumanly strong grip is enough to stop any remaining momentum. It's enough to hold Lucifer's weight and then some if he decides to test it that far. Michael's gaze doesn't falter and his expression only shifts slightly, despite the heat that's running so close to the surface. As hot as it is, it's controlled.
"I prefer the ones that don't involve you," he replies dryly.
Not that he cares about the ones on the television at all, obviously. They're just difficult to avoid when he spends a decent amount of time here, since it's impossible to turn the damned thing off for any significant length of time.
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Date: 2016-12-19 08:48 pm (UTC)Especially when Michael is there to break any possible fall. His eyes fall to his wrist and he knows exactly what his possessive big brother is thinking and he licks his lips just to keep his smile at bay.
"Then perhaps you should stay out of my head." THat's not the best lead, but it's a very simple solution that he knows Michael won't choose.
no subject
Date: 2016-12-19 11:26 pm (UTC)"She was practically begging for you to go with her," he points out, smoothly ignoring Lucifer's suggestion. His eyes narrow abruptly. "She's smitten with you."
Michael doesn't have as much personal experience at dealing with humans as some, but he's observed them for a very long time and he's spent long enough in human vessels to have a perfectly reasonable amount of understanding of their habits. This one is open and easy to read, a fact that he also noticed when he met her himself.
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From:misguided prayer
Date: 2017-01-02 03:56 am (UTC)Lucifer?
She thinks his name, then realizes how crazy this is. It can't actually work. But after spending days hiding away in Chloe's house, maybe she's actually going stir crazy.]
misguided prayer
Date: 2017-01-02 04:21 am (UTC)If this was a sibling he could have a full conversation simply through prayers. With humans he's not quite sure that's a safe thing to do.
So a minute after she calls to him, he appears suddenly in the same room as her.]
Hello, Elsa.
no subject
Date: 2017-01-02 04:30 am (UTC)Oh! That...actually worked.
[She chooses to focus on that instead of her ice or the complete lack of control she's just exhibited. Turning to face him, there's a sense of relief and awe settling in on her face. He may also notice that the horns that were growing in and giving her such trouble are jagged, icy stumps that are visible. They're growing slow enough now that the pain has stopped but she's still getting used to the change in her appearance.]
I didn't think you'd actually be able to hear or find me.
[Which makes it sound like she was just saying his name in her head for enjoyment rather than actual purpose.]
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Date: 2017-01-03 02:22 am (UTC)Should I leave so you can call my name a few more times?
[He certainly won't judge.]
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From:womp womp it'sa prayer
Date: 2017-01-06 06:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-01-06 07:09 pm (UTC)This angel you called is not available.]