“I’ve had worse.” Jack assured thoughts to all the monsters gooey insides splattered, not to mention all the blood ( some of it his own ). “I promise, it’s alright.” And with such word’s he offered a smile to the blonde, a welcoming one. “Oh a drink?” It wasn’t like they were his favorite thing, but many people seemed to be inclined towards them and Jack was all about fitting it. He wanted nothing more than to be a part of the world in which he lived, to thrive through his human side as much as he could. Which meant adapting his likability of drinks, so be it. They were good to converse over, at the very least. “Hi Lucy, I’m Jack.” He responded brightly. “Would you mind if we made a stop before we got the drink?” He needed to change his shirt after all. 

A TWO IN ONE FOR PEOPLE TRYING TO KILL YOU . war doesn’t envy him . “ consider that two of us . “ now that would have been quite a show . he didn’t care for michael but it would have been worth watching him puppet dean winchester around . the mention of plans both peaks war’s interest and tells him to leave . “ oh ? “ arms cross over his chest . he’s unsure of the toddler aspect . if it’s lucifer’s toddler , it spells a slight issue . war doesn’t trust him . he’s too far under the winchester’s thumb … oh but it could be interesting to bring him along . ( if not for the boy himself, then to spite the psychopaths in plaid ) “ are you going to get yourself killed again ? - can i join in  ? “

“No.” The word came out as a snarl, much more agitated than Lucifer had originally planned. “This is not the time for jokes or kicks. I am not going to get myself killed again. This is the time for careful calculations and planning. If you’re not going to help, then you can get out.”

WAR WINCES INTERNALLY AT THE NAME . roger did not have many positive connotations ; the form had been fun whilst it lasted but he was glad he’d shifted back from that particular look . “ and i’m glad to see you here relatively unscathed . last i heard you got impaled by a winchester - and not in the fun way . “ or maybe there had been a fun way , his obsession with sammy boy had been … interesting . after what they did to him , war wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole ( that was hardly the type of hand job he liked ) “ be sure to stay away from archangel blades and toddlers this time . “

“It’s up to debate whether it was the blonde idiot or my brother. There were sort of one in the same at the time. Gotta say, I’m a little sad I didn’t get to stick around and see Michael ride that pretty boy like a pony after the fact, but...” He clicked his tongue, hands out and shrugging. “No dice, no dice. Unfortunately, amigo, my plans involve both archangels blades and toddlers.”

Jack had been spacing off a bit, something that he was familiar with. Lots of thoughts in his head, and what better time to consider them then walking along? He hadn’t quite caught the woman’s actions before they were dosed all over him. His shirt a bit soaked, but Jack himself ultimately unbothered. “It’s okay!” He assured a smile wide on his face. He wasn’t a super fan of the feeling of iced coffee ( was it coffee??? ) atop of him but it wasn’t too big of a deal. “I’m Jack,” He introduced himself. “And don’t worry about it, I’ve had worse on me!” Dirt, from the apocalypse world. Blood, gew, a ton of things. 

Offering the single napkin that had been given with the drink as a little white flag, Lucifer sighed and threw the now empty cup into a nearby trashcan. “Are you sure? I’m sorry again, I really need to get my head out of the clouds.” Pulling a warm smile to the face of the vessel felt odd and sickening, but Lucifer swallowed down the urge to gag and soldiered on. The things he did for this kid, for love. As his boy asked for a name, Lucifer wondered how in the world he’d forgotten something so simple. He’d gone into such detail with the rest of his plans, but giving this vessel a name? Nope, nada. As crickets chirped in his ear, he offered “Lucy,” and internally cringed. “Can I buy you a drink as an apology? I need to get a new one, so...”

           “  lucifer. ”    the  face  is  different,  but  the  feelings  evoked  are  all  too  similar.  the  chill  that  runs  down  his  spine,  the  way  his  breath  catches  in  his  throat,  and  the  trigger-happy  hand  reaching  to  the  angel  blade  usually  safely  secured  on  his  person.  except  he  doesn’t  have  the  blade  today;   it’s  in  the  trunk  of  his  car,  outside,  and  by  the  time  he  returned  back  with  it  the  archangel  could  be  long  gone.   the  unknown  is  always  worse  than  the  known,  so  he  makes  the  calculated  decision  to  stay  where  he  is;   keep  him  in  his  sight,  where  he  can  watch  him.   (  he  sure  as  hell  doesn’t  trust  him.  there  are  too  many  people  around  —  too  many  casualties  —  so  he  knows  he  has  to  play  smart.   for  their  safety.  )    “  not  long  enough. ”  a  hundred  lifetimes  could  pass  him  by  and  it  still  wouldn’t  be  enough  distance  between  them  for  his  comfort.  

“Is it that obvious?” Lucifer looked down at the suit he was wearing (both literal and figurative here), idly swiping a hand down the side of his jacket. “Do I have a type?” There was only a certain sub-set that would allow Lucifer to take over their noodle, though he hadn’t really thought of that. “I thought this was a step up from old Nicky-dear. Much more chic, no? Gotta say, though, I miss Nick’s eagerness to please.” He could almost still hear the poor bastard’s prayers in the back of his head. He missed the adoration. What a waste. “It does feel like it was just yesterday, doesn’t it? Minus the eternity I spent in the Empty singing to myself, that is.”

       Hayley raised an eyebrow. “ A harry potter fan?” She questioned. “ I’m more of a slytherin with a hint of ravenclaw. “ She simply replied. “ Hmm, not really an atheist. I just don’t care if there is one or not. Angels. Demons. Good. Evil. All that bible crap. Never really seen them but wouldn’t be surprised if there were. “

“Who isn’t a Harry Potter fan?” Apparently, even the devil himself found himself enthralled in J.K.’s works. “I do have some criticism on how she handled the whole Dark Lord thing. Saw his loss coming in book one. And really? Losing to an infant?” He scoffed. However, his expression turned dark as the other continued to speak, and a smile twisted upon his lips. “Don’t care...I see.” And with that, eyes glowed red.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE FOUR OF THEM . death . famine . pestilence and war . his loyalty has been to them primarily . he has little interest in demons ghouls and monsters . he cares even less for the humans . crass , arrogant and overbearing creatures - but there is a second , barely edging the first . how fitting it be the devil himself . ‘ AND THERE FELL A GREAT STAR FROM THE HEAVEN , BURNING LIKE A TORCH AND IT FELL UPON THE RIVER , AND THE NAME OF THE STAR WAS WORMWOOD . AND MANY MEN DIED .’ – and had lucifer not fell ? had men not died at his hand too ? ( though war wouldn’t put stock to the words of that book . he fell . he came forth on a horse . in a carriage . it was all just ink and words . truthfully , he had seen far too many ends to remember his beginning . ) “ luci , “ and maybe there’s a touch too much relief in the way he says the word . there’s an attempt to hug that he knows the other will probably reject . ( famine often did and honestly ? the audacity . sure he was war , but he was still cuddly . )  “ where the hell have you been … pun intended . “ @ofblackenedwings​

The hug is allowed for a brief moment, a tight grimace pulled onto the face of the vessel as Lucifer stood there, arms at his sides, while he waited for the other to pull away. Naturally, Lucifer found himself slowly pulling back and away before this could happen, though Lucifer could say it was damn near a record for how long the contact was allowed. “If you get to call me Luci I get to call you Roger.” Eyes drifting down to the other’s hand, a smile played upon his lips. “I see you’ve procured another ring. Good, good. Be sure not to lose this one.”

This vessel looked damned good in a suit, and the closet that Lucifer had raided in his apartment was chopped full of them. The apartment this man (what was his name? Lucifer couldn’t remember. He decided to call him Theodore) had lived in was quite nice, and Lucifer decided that sticking around in it was the best idea. It was sleek, modern, and the black furniture would hide blood stains nicely. Lucifer had spent the better part of the morning decided what suit fit his mood that day. He’d gone with a deep burgundy, and ho boy, he felt nice. As he stepped out into the daylight, Lucifer lit a cigarette. Exhaling happily, his eyes narrowed as he spotted an all too familiar face, and Lucifer stepped out onto the sidewalk and into his path. “Still sporting that trench coat, Castiel? Have you no mind for fashion?”

       “ And we are all sad for you,” Hayley replied sarcastically as the room seemed to get colder. Eyes looking around to see what the hell this club had that was useful for the warmth. “ Are you quoting harry potter?” Hayley raised an eyebrow. “ I’m not the religious type so I don’t really rely on the guy upstairs.” 

“I know. I can hear the mourning in the air.” Lucifer finished the last drag on his cigarette, and sighed. Cigarettes always seemed to go so fast, and this body craved them on a level he was amused by. “Ten points to Gryffindor,” he commented. “You look like a Gryffindor. And ah, I see. An atheist, are we? Have you not seen the demons and angels afoot?”

               “  he  made  a  weather  pun.  ten  points  to  slytherin. ”  she’s  not  sure  who  he  is,  or  why  she’s  supposed  to  care,  but  she’s  pretty  sure  her  assessment’s  not  that  far  off  the  mark.   quite  honestly,  unless  he’d  walked  through  the  door  with  a  space  heater,  a  parka,  or  a  flamethrower,  she  could  honestly  care  less.   “  i  think  your  parade  got  snowed  out.  better  luck  next  time. ”   her  words  are  slightly  muffled,  obstructed  by  the  feather  boa  she’s  wrapped  around  her  neck.  it’s  not  much  but  it’s  the  best  she  could  do  in  a  fucking  strip  club  in  the  middle  of  a  crisis.    at  first  things  had  been  fun,  she’d  been  drinking,  dancing,  and  flirting  with  cute  girls,  but  then  the  cold  had  sunk  in  and  the  fear  settled  into  her  bones.   SHE  REMEMBERS  HOW  IT  FELT  TO  DIE.   SHE  DOESN’T  WANT  TO  DO  IT  AGAIN.

“Ah, a Harry Potter reference. All those damn tests keep saying I’m a Hufflepuff, and I’ve gotta say, it’s made me quite murderous. I practically ooze ambition and cunning.” At least he thought he did. “I think my parade just started,” Lucifer commented, gesturing towards the latest dancer who had entered the stage. “Gotta say, yowza.” He reached for the drink before him, holding it up as though to toast the other before tilting it back.

       “ How charming.” Hayley hugged herself as she commented over. The room was getting colder by the minute. Though at least she was warmer than most of the strippers. 

“Gotta say, the snow and cold thing is really putting a damper on my welcome home party I’m throwing for me.” Sighing, he uncrossed his legs and tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette. “What’s that phrase? “My father will hear about this?” Yeah, I’ve already sent a memo to the big guy upstairs. No answer,  big surprise.”