Corruption

— she hated seeing the way her family followed society blindly, the way her brother seemed to. she knew that those following the crowds had resulted in wars in the past. societal norms didn’t equal right. just ease. at least for those already holding the power. “ i wasn’t always. ” she shrugged. not until she’d met her parabatai. she had always followed her mother’s instruction as a child, and when she’d still known… she pulled herself from that train of thought, smirking as he spoke. “ what am i supposed to do when they make it so easy ? ” estela asked.

   she downed the rest of her own drink, rising from her seat and turning to follow him. “ no, but i wouldn’t put it past some to still somehow not figure it out. ” she replied, shrugging. she watched as his wings disappeared, knowing the ones she’d worn would have faded once she left the party, something astra had added to her spell since she knew the shadowhunter would likely be too drunk to come find her before she left. she looked around as she followed him upstairs. the place was nice, much different than the clutter of every plant imaginable that maiya had somehow managed to arrange in her home and still have space to host parties almost nightly. “ thank you. ” she slipped into the bathroom mostly just to undo the horns she’d fashioned her hair into, untangling the strands with her fingers. she leaned against the doorway when she emerged, a small smirk slipping across her lips as her eyes trailing along lucifer’s body.

“I  used  to  be  the  perfect  poster  child  to  my  own  father  when  I  was  a  lot  younger,  that  part  of  the  story  was  true.  I  was  proud  of  it  too,”  he  sighed  and  shook  his  head  how  naive  he  was  then.  There  was  a  lot  of  love  but  it  covered  the  flaws  he  didn’t  wish  to  see.  “Sometimes  it  just  takes  something  or  someone  to  take  the  rose  tinted  glasses  off,”  he  remembered  the  exact  moment.  His  father  ordered  them  to  deal  with  the  leviathans.  Which  were  an  extension  of  him.  Everyone  had  no  issue  with  that  and  it  did  not  sit  right  with  him.  Were  they  just  toys  to  be  thrown  away?  Leviathans  were  destructive  he  would  confess  but  they  were  still  a  creation  of  father  and  he  decided  to  wipe  them  out  and  start  again.  Then  came  Shiva’s  creations  and  he  wasn’t  too  sure  of  those  either  and  that  angered  him.  “Well  then  if  they  make  it  that  easy  then  that’s  on  them,”  he  chuckled.

As  she  leaned  on  the  door  way  he  had  already  gotten  his  suit  jacket  and  tie  off  but  still  his  his  tie  in  his  hands  and  an  idea  came  into  his  head.  “You  going  to  join  me  or  just  admiring  the  view?”  He  teased  her  as  he  walked  up  to  her  and  moved  his  hand  in  a  gesture  that  unfastened  her  top.  “Sorry  hand  slipped,”  he  chuckled  as  he  locked  lips  with  her  putting  his  hand  to  the  back  of  her  neck  his  other  hand  moving  on  to  her  hips  and  slid  across  the  top  of  her  skirt  to  find  the  zip.

“Snow  globes,  yes.  That  would  definitely  help…”  she  replied,  the  sarcasm  not  showing  in  her  voice  while  she  examined  her  surroundings  some  more.  After  finishing  her  monologue  about  this  entire  situation,  she  had  nothing  more  to  add.  Instead,  she  focussed  on  her  own  drink  and  waited  for  Lucifer  to  let  those  thoughts  run  through  that  brain  of  his,  maybe  he  would  refuse  to  answer,  maybe  not.  Whatever  it  was  now,  she  waited.  Gabriel  had  expected  a  little  outlash  eventually,  anger  or  anything.  But  Lucifer  seemed  calm  when  the  answer  finally  came.  A  scoff,  “Good  to  know,  I  didn’t  want  to  just  come  here  and  find  out  that  everyone  is  just  at  peace  with  it,”  a  shrug,  “What  I  want  you  to  do?  I  don’t  fucking  know.  Anything.  Why  do  you  think  it  matters  if  that  is  your  forte  or  not  —  you’re  the  first  rebel.  The  first  one  who  refused.  The  first  who  said  fuck  all  and  faced  the  consequences  with  a  proud  face.”  Maybe  that  would  ignite  some  more  fire  inside  him,  bring  the  rebel  back  he  once  knew.  “You  say  you  went  all  the  way  to  fight  the  father  of  all  existence  but  not  a  little  teenage  fae  queen?”  Another  scoff,  “Back  then  you  fell  alone.  What  would  that  look  like  now?  What  kind  of  consequences  could  we  possibly  face?  You’re  not  alone,  first  of,”  Gabriel  got  up  from  his  seat,  starting  to  get  annoyed  by  just  sitting  around  and  started  to  wander  around  the  place  while  letting  his  thoughts  out,  loud  and  clear  for  their  brother  to  hear,  “Second  —  You  were  not  afraid  then,  but  now  you  are?”  Moving  closer  to  their  brother  again,  looking  him  right  in  the  face,  voice  lower,  “I  might  have  not  been  on  your  side  back  then,  but  now  I  am.  I  am  not  letting  this  prank  or  whatever  it  is  just  happen.  You  led  a  rebellion  once,  and  I  hope  you  know  that  whatever  rebellion  is  out  there,  it  is  clear  that  there  is  one.  And  they  are  just  waiting  for  you  to  lead  it  again.”

“Don’t  let  the  idyllic  landscape  fool  you  there  is  a  lot  going  on  under  the  surface.  Just  because  fights  aren’t  breaking  out  doesn’t  mean  there  are  not  schemes  being  set  in  motion.  Everyone  here  is  angry  one  way  or  another.  I  think  I  have  only  met  one  or  two  who  are  actually  content  in  staying  here.  Though  what  you  may  not  know  is  that  our  hosts  are  holding  our  secrets  as  blackmail.  So  most  are  playing  cautious.  Is  there  something  you  don’t  want  others  to  know?  That’s  what  they  are  holding  against  you,”  He  wasn’t  so  much  telling  her  this  for  his  sake  it  was  for  others.  So  what  if  it  was  found  out  that  he  rather  all  of  existence  just  disappeared  and  that  was  that.  He  let  Gabriel  have  their  say.  Keeping  his  face  dead  pan.  “I  didn’t  fall  alone.  Others  fell  with  me  and  that’s  how  I  started  my  rebellion  by  gaining  support.  I  was  just  the  first  to  be  cast  out.  That’s  what  I  have  been  doing  here.  I  have  not  been  doing  nothing.  Do  not  mistake  my  appearance  of  inaction  as  fear.  I  am  not  afraid.  Just  biding  my  time,”  now  his  temper  was  starting  to  rise  and  the  annoyance  was  building  in  his  voice.  

“Oh  now  you  join  me,”  he  couldn’t  help  but  scoff  and  a  scowl  came  across  his  face  until  it  soften  and  something  came  to  him.  “Actually  you  could  help  me,”  sure  Gabriel  was  not  Raziel  but  maybe  they  could  rally  the  shadowhunters  here  to  action.  The  inquisitor  couldn’t  be  too  content  in  his  situation  right  now.  Perhaps  that  could  be  useful  and  maybe  even  get  the  Reyes  family  on  board.  They  would  then  have  pretty  much  everyone  that  wants  to  be  involved.  “You  could  get  the  shadowhunters  on  board.  I  doubt  I  can  really  persuade  them,  but  I  think  you  could  incite  some  anger  and  passion  in  them.  Dagon  will  listen  to  what  I  say  and  War  is  beyond  pissed  so  I  think  she’s  happy  to  back  us.  Which  means  the  original  Vampire  should  follow  with  her.  Shiva  will  probably  join  as  well,”  there  were  those  out  there  with  connections  to  the  queen.  Which  gave  him  an  idea.  Why  not  pay  a  little  visit  to  one  of  her  entourage.  They  may  know  something  and  if  not,  they  may  be  able  to  send  a  message  that  they  are  far  from  happy.  “I  think  I’ll  go  pay  a  visit  to  her  bodyguard  perhaps  see  if  can  loosen  that  tongue,”  

“Wrong  perspective…  You’re  really  going  to  make  me  read  the  bible  now,  are  you?”  She  chuckled,  “on  the  lookout  for  you  in  the  biggest  worlds  best  seller.  You’re  mean,”  she  narrowed  her  eyes  at  him  playfully.  But  yeah,  she  would  find  a  library  and  hopefully  also  a  bible  in  there.  After  all,  everything  leads  back  to  it  anyway.  She  should  be  reading  it  at  some  point.  To  his  question  she  hummed  for  a  moment,  considering  her  answer  before  giving  it.  “It  wasn’t  always  boring,”  she  decided,  she  might  as  well  just  be  straight  forward  about  a  few  things.  Why  keep  her  shit  a  secret  all  the  time?  Maybe  it  was  also  his  ethereal  and  powerful  presence  that  had  her  crack  up  open.  Or  maybe  it  was  just  the  fact  that  she  was  sick  of  hiding  it  and  then,  instead  of  saying  it,  she  thought  about  it  for  hours.  This  time  she  might  try  a  different  approach.  “I  was  underwater  until  a  few  years  ago,  then  I  fell  in  love  with  a  mundane.  It  did  not  go  as  great  as  planned  when  I  left  to  be  with  him.  After  a  lot  of  chaos  we  broke  up  and  went  different  directions  —  Long  story  short,  basically.”  She  sighed,  needing  a  large  gulp  of  her  drink  after  that  short  confession.  A  shrug,  “I  don’t  know…  aren’t  we  all  flawed,  though?  You  would  think  they  would  learn  from  their  mistakes.  But  they  are  really  slow  learners,  it  takes  hundreds  of  years  for  things  to  change.  For  fucks  sake,  in  some  parts  of  the  world  girls  are  not  allowed  to  attend  school.”  Which  was  like  one  of  the  basic  things  she  learned  about  them.  She  kept  on  listening  to  him  giving  her  more  hints  about  himself,  if  her  ears  could  visibly  get  bigger  at  this  point,  they  would.  Listening  cautiously,  she  tapped  her  finger  on  her  chin  while  she  thought  about  his  words.  “Hmmmm….  Wait!”  She  almost  jumped  off  her  stool  at  this  time,  her  eyes  wide,  “you’re…  him?  You’re  actually  real?  The  devil?”  Why  it  was  a  questionable  matter  to  her,  she  didn’t  know.  She  also  never  thought  about  it  before.  The  bible  was  truly  something  mundane  to  her,  but  she  did  know  that  angels  were  real.  But  this  one?  Crazy.  “Hah.  Now  I  know  why  they  say  The  devil  made  me  do  it,”  she  grinned,  giving  him  a  quick  lookover.

“God  no,  that’s  time  in  your  life  much  better  spent  doing  other  things,”  he  shook  his  head.  The  mundane’s  version  embellished  some  of  the  events  anyway.  He  had  read  it  a  few  times.  Look  to  see  if  there  were  any  changes  through  the  editions.  It  was  fascinating  how  one  book  has  so  many  different  interpretations  and  sects  of  Christianity.  From  Episcopalian  to    Roman  Catholic  to  Orthodox.  Judaism  and  Islam  both  different  religions  also  worshiped  them.  He  had  read  the  Torah  and  the  Quran  as  well  but  Christianity  has  spread  so  far  more  people  know  about  the  bible  rather  than  the  Torah  or  Quran...    Ah  a  bitter  love  story.  He  had  lived  a  long  time  and  he  never  afforded  himself  this  emotion  in  a  romantic  sense.  Hell  though  under  his  rule  was  a  far  more  chaotic  landscape  most  can  give  credit  to.  His  loyal  circle  were  indeed  loyal  but  outside  of  that  there  were  Demons  who  thought  they  could  do  the  job  better.  “I’m  sorry  to  hear  that,”  he  commented.  He  then  laughed  at  her  comment  and  nodded.  “Angels  don’t  like  to  think  so  but  yes  we  are  all  flawed.  There  is  a  lot  of  inequality  in  the  world  and  too  many  too  comfortable  in  their  privilege  to  do  anything  about  it,”  he  shrugged.  Inequality  however  kept  his  business  of  hell  booming.  Crossroad  demons  were  as  busy  as  ever.  Just  so  that  some  can  take  the  easy  way  out.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  moment  they  finally  click  who  he  actually  was.  Hw  always  enjoyed  those  moments  where  the  processes  of  the  mind  confrm  that  he  does  in  fact  exist.  “Well  I  could  be  a  construct  in  your  mind,  but  I  am  not  drunk  enough  to  talk  about  the  philosophies  of  what  is  real  and  what  isn’t.  Yes  I  exist,”  as  proof  he  allowed  his  eyes  to  glow  red.  He  would  have  gone  for  something  more  theatrical  but  he  didn’t  want  a  horde  of  Fae  soldiers  coming  in  ruining  the  mood.  Luci  chuckled  and  smirked,  “sometimes  that’s  true.”

❛  THEY  ARE  HERE  .  they  must  be  .  if  the  spell  managed  to  trap  people  like  us  , there  is  no  way  it  didn’t  trap  the  reapers .  ❜  besides ,  it  was  still  drawing  them  in  ,  wasn’t  it  ?  if  the  future horseman  escaped  the  first  waves  of  the  spell  ,  it  didn’t mean  that  they  would  not  arrive  soon  -  but  again  ,  they  could  not  ascend without  death’s  ring  .  ❛  everyone  has  a  motive  ,  lucifer  .  ❜  cosimo  corrected him  in  a  quiet  tone  .  ❛  even  the  desire for  chaos  is  a  motive ,  but  i  don’t  think  it’s  about  that  .  this  seems  planned  .  no  one  goes  to  such  lengths  to  wreak  a  little  havoc  .  ❜  there  was  too  much  at  stake  for  all  of  it  to  be  a  coincidence  .

To  be  fair  the  realm  was  big,  huge  even  and  the  wander  woods  did  have  a  reputation.  “And  it’s  still  trapping  people.  New  people  come  here  constantly,”  Lucifer  had  not  failed  to  see  the  new  additions  that  have  come  into  this  mess.  He  did  wonder  at  what  point  would  the  spell  stop  and  it’s  seemingly  random  nature  would  unveil  itself.  “What  ever  the  case  I  think  it’s  about  time  we  start  demanding  answers  from  our  hosts.  Blackmail  be  damned  I  want  to  know  what  the  whole  plan  is  and  if  this  recent  turn  of  events  was  planned  or  something  or  someone  else  is  messing  with  their  plans.  No  point  in  batting  theories  to  and  fro,”  problem  was  what  action?  Guess  he  should  make  a  proper  appearance  to  the  court  soon.  If  they  like  theatrics  why  not  put  a  show  on  of  his  own.  

“a  drink?  now  that  sounds  more  like  a  happy  reunion.”  following  him  inside,  gabriel  took  a  look  around  the  place. Letting  out  a  whistle. “not  too  shabby  –  but  not  good  enough  for  the  lord  of  darkness,”  she  teased,  trying  to  keep  a  fun  atmosphere  before  the  drama  would  begin. Because  the  drama  was  inevitable. Unfortunately. “oh  definitely. And  then  march  right  back  in,  bringing  souvenirs  for  the  whole  family!”  they  exclaimed  dramatically  cheerful. Listening  to  the  story  that  gabriel  had  already  been  told  before. Nothing  more  nor  less. So  no  dirty  details. At  least  not  for  gabriel. She  pouted. Either  it  had  really  nothing  to  do  with  lucifer  and  all  of  this  is  really  something  else,  or  lucifer  didn’t  trust  her  enough. Either  way,  not  something  gabriel  appreciated. “okay  but…”  leaning  forward,  eyes  locking  with  their  brother. “how  does  one  summon  the  devil  himself?  and  now  he  can’t  leave?”  fae  magic  could  do  quite  many  things  but  this  was  a  whole  disaster. “and  the  horsemen?  some  fae  queen  throws  a  tantrum  because  the  whole  world  doesn’t  surround  her  needs  and  now  here  are  the  most  powerful  creatures  bored  out  of  their  damn  minds  and  can’t  do  anything  but  watch  how  one  of  the  most  important  creatures  just…  dies?  i  can’t  believe  you  are  sitting  here  and  just  enjoying  drinks,  because  boo-hoo  —  you  can’t  do  absolutely  anything  about  it?”  gabriel  knew  she  overstepped  a  line  here  but  she  already  knew  that  this  conversation  wouldn’t  ultimately  end  good  and  the  drama  was  inevitable.

Well  happy  for  now  Gabriel  had  a  way  with  making  things  more  interesting  whether  that  be  to  his  benefit  or  detriment.  Which  it  was  going  to  be  remained  to  be  seen  but  for  now  he  would  enjoy  the  sibling  reunion  while  it  was  good.  Lucifer  chuckled  at  his  sibling’s  remark.  “Well  I  don’t  think  it  can  ever  compare  to  my  abode  in  hell,  but  it’s  kind  of  hard  to  pull  of  the  magma  effect  in  this  kind  setting,”  he  teased  back.  Well  he  could  with  his  reality  warping  skills  but  he  felt  that  would  be  a  little  overkill.  For  someone  that  loved  when  people  discovered  who  he  was  he  did  have  slightly  more  simple  tastes.  “Could  get  one  of  those  snow  globes,”  he  added.  As  his  sibling  started  talking  he  stayed  silent.  Once  he  was  done  he  took  a  drink.  “Not  doing  nothing.  Thought  I  am  rather  offended  by  your  lack  of  faith  in  me,”  he  said  coldly.  He  had  been  interacting  with  the  others,  getting  a  feel  for  those  that  who  viewpoints  align  with  his.  “But  I  will  admit  I  am  moving  at  a  snail’s  pace,”  he  had  much  more  in  his  court  now.  He  had  his  reasons  for  not  rushing  in,  but  he  wouldn’t  divulge  them  to  Gabe.  He  now  had  Asmodeus,  Lilith,  War,  and  Dagon  here.  Three  of  his  inner  circle,  a  horseman,  and  now  Gabriel  and  Shiva  were  also  here.  Cosimo  no  longer  content  just  sitting  back  and  enjoying  family  life  (at  least  that  was  the  vibe  he  was  getting  on  his  last  conversation).  Might  be  time  to  start  the  ball  rolling.  “As  for  how  they  summoned  me,  fuck  knows  been  trying  to  figure  that  out  since  I  got  here,  but  fae  magic  isn’t  really  my  forte,”  They  would  have  needed  quite  the  amount  of  energy.  “What  do  you  want  me  to  do?”  He  asked.  It  wasn’t  a  trick  question  it  was  just  something  to  see  what  Gabe  was  thinking  and  if  they  were  on  the  same  page.  Okay  so  maybe  a  bit  of  a  trick  question.

Nice?  her  life  sure  was  nice,  in  a  way. But  it  was  just  what  it  is,  nothing  more  to  that. Her  past  was  something  different,  things  weren’t  always  so  boring  and  easy  as  she  had  managed  to  live  the  last  two  years. “Hans,”  she  repeated,  trying  to  pronounce  a  name  so  foreign  to  her,  she  never  heard  it  before. But  she  would  learn  it  fast,  just  like  anything  else. In  no  time  she  would  be  able  to  pronounce  it  perfectly. A  little  guessing  game  could  sure  be  entertaining. But  it  did  have  a  few  problems,  none  that  couldn’t  be  solved  though. She  leaned  in,  lowering  her  voice. “how  am  i  supposed  to  guess  your  name  when  you  give  me  absolutely  no  hints?  i  am  at  a  little  disadvantage  here,”  she  pointed  out,  taking  a  sip  from  her  drink. “i’m  not  trying  to  avoid  the  conversation. It  is  what  it  is. Boring.”  she  said,  being  honest  about  her  current  situation. But  she  was  more  interested  in  the  life  of  the  man  opposite  of  her. Something  about  him  was  dangerous,  thrilling,  to  say  the  least. And  she  was  determined  to  find  out  what  it  was  that  called  out  to  her,  that  frightened  her,  but  at  the  same  time  that  feeling  caused  another,  it  sparked  curiosity  and  excited  her. “i  didn’t  read  the  bible. All  i  know  is  that  some  humans  are  obsessed  with  it  and  that  most  of  the  stories  are  true. It’s  interesting  to  see  how  humans  excuse  all  of  their  bad  behavior  by  referencing  to  the  bible.”  now,  which  one  of  all  the  creatures  and  people  introduced  was  he?

“Oh  but  I  gave  you  hints,  wrong  perspective  is  one  first  of  all,”  the  bible  makes  god  look  like  the  good  guys  at  least  in  the  new  testament.  Though  in  reality  he  was  more  like  old.  He  just  became  more  loving  because  he  realised  there  was  backlash.  “Fair  enough,”  he  shrugged  not  going  to  pry  any  further.  Her  boring  was  her  normal.  Just  like  his  boring  was  his  normal.  Then  then  he  could  see  the  appeal  of  his  life  when  all  you  did  was  the  typical  day  to  day  working  life  that  mundanes  lived.  “Though  how  does  a  siren  end  up  with  a  boring  life?”  He  asked.  The  sea  was  a  domain  he  was  not  familiar  with  there  were  mermaids  and  sirens  that  have  made  their  home  there.  Away  from  mundane  life.  “I  find  that  bit  fascinating  to  be  frankly  honest.  Take  what  bits  of  the  bible  that  suit  them  and  twist  it  into  some  warped  version  of  what  was  actually  said  to  suit  their  beliefs.  Mundanes  are  deeply  flawed  creatures,”  he  hated  them  one  point.  Now  he  just  pitied  them.  The  same  can  be  said  of  all  species  though.  Flaws  were  not  just  a  mundane  thing.  “Well  then  here  is  another  hint  they  tend  to  blame  that  bad  behaviour  on  their  part  as  temptations  on  my  part,”  okay  so  that  one  was  pretty  obvious  at  least  he  thought  so.  Then  again  he  could  have  gone  with  black  sheep  of  the  family,  cast  out  for  questioning  the  almighty.  Also  what  kind  of  boastful  title  was  that?  Daddy  dearest  was  anything  but  almighty.    

— dagon sighed, “ true. ” she just wanted to have her own affairs sorted before they went to war. such an  inconvenience. and for something that, had they asked her beforehand, there was always the chance she would have participated. and then she could make sure that her family remained safe. “ the originals as well, in case they’ve heard anything, ” she mused. “ the warlock is close with the queen, even if we can’t speak with her, perhaps her warlock friends would know more regarding her stance. ” she suggested. she shrugged, “ maybe we won’t, but some of the younger folks might be scared into things. ” she sighed, “ yes. although, as i think about it, with death gone, i doubt we can turn her, since she can’t exactly die. ” dagon mumbled. she nodded, “ shiva has offered as well. there’s also that dragon, although last i heard she’s refused to allow anyone but the newborn anywhere near her blood. ” she rambled. “ perhaps i can get some protection spells from someone, for her. i already have someone in mind for a vessel. ” 

“Well  you  could  go  for  Young  and  the  Phoenix.  I  heard  those  two  are  close  so  maybe  if  the  Phoenix  might  not  speak  to  you,  Young  might  be  able  to  speak  on  their  behalf  I  guess,”  it  was  worth  a  shot.  Information  gathering  and  sharing  was  a  good  move  and  he  could  get  them  on  their  side.  What  ever  side  that  was  he  couldn’t  quite  see  yet,  but  against  this  mysterious  entity  anyway.  “Lets  get  those  younger  folk  on  our  side  before  they  jump  on  anything  else,  he  suggested.  They  didn’t  need  to  get  scared  into  anything.  Of  course  it  did  escape  him  that  was  an  issue,  changing  into  a  vampire  needed  death  as  an  ingredient.  Quite  cruel  of  his  sister  to  make  it  that  way.  “That  unfortunately  make  sense,”  though  that  was  only  one  of  the  unfortunate  consequences.  The  natural  order  was  being  upset  more  and  more  as  those  that  should  die  don’t.    “Her  blood  makes  sense  after  all  she  did  create  them,”  one  of  her  many  rebellions  against  their  father.  He  was  happy  at  the  time  to  know  he  wasn’t  the  only  one  that  was  fed  up  with  Father’s  attitude  and  decided  to  act  back.  “Just  the  newborn?”  he  wondered  for  a  moment  what  was  behind  that.  He  could  get  the  answer  but  it  would  be  just  for  the  sake  of  mild  curiosity  the  answer  didn’t  matter  to  him.  “I  can  do  that,”  he  told  her  it  was  one  of  his  many  powers.  He  wasn’t  against  helping  the  vessel  out  even  if  they  have  never  really  spoken.  “That’s  good,  when  you  leave  I  can  put  an  anti-possession  sigil  on  her  as  well  incase  anyone  decides  to  try  that,”  though  he  imagine  most  demons  wouldn’t  he  couldn’t  discount  some  trying  just  to  piss  him  and  Dagon  off.  

//**

There wasn’t much that anyone could say to Asmodeus that would truly shock them, anymore; when one had lived for as long as she had, the chances of catching her by surprise plummeted. And still, as the archangel greeted her, rattled off several very big, very important pieces of information, and then extended the offer of a drink within the span of a minute, the demon prince had to take a moment to process and compartmentalise it all. The Seelie Realm and its queen, Death and the horsemen’s rings… This was far too much to deal with on a Wednesday, that was for certain, and the unearthly flora made a good load of sense now, if nothing else. “That’s about as close to a ‘hello, how have you been?’ as I’m going to get, isn’t it?” A far cry from the savagery that had exited her mouth earlier, the demon’s tone had softened considerably– though she still managed to keep an air of gruffness about her, muttering her next question under her breath. “… What the fuck have I been dragged into?”

A few careful steps took her off of the grass and back onto pavement, a hand haphazardly reaching out to grasp hold of Lucifer’s shoulder in order to steady herself as if she had done so a thousand times before. Perhaps she had, too, but for the life of her she couldn’t recall. Instead, she’d turned her attention back toward what all she’d just learned from the angel, freezing in place as her brain caught up to the realisation that he’d specifically uttered two words that she did not like hearing, ever. “You said ‘stuck here’,” Asmodeus deadpanned, a hint of dread already beginning to creep up her back, mingling with the heavy cloud of concern that had come to rest upon her shoulders. Exhaling heavily and slowly, the demon spoke again, finding themselves to be wishing that their meeting with the archangel could have been under more pleasant circumstances. “I would very much like for you to not mean that– along with most of what you’ve told me, really –but I’ve no doubt you do. So, that something strong. It had better be a very deep glass, Luce.”

Lucifer  shrugged  and  gave  an  exasperated  sigh.  “It  has  been  a  long  day,  week,  month,”  time  seemed  to  blur  here.  Potentially  with  the  lack  of  things  he  would  rather  do  and  more  things  he  should  do.  Looking  aimlessly  for  answers.    “This  place  although  cosier  is  not  as  fun  as  it  looks,”  he  hated  feeling  this  way.  Like  when  he  was  initially  trapped  in  hell.  Being  so  powerful  yet  utterly  helpless.  “I  am  glad  to  see  you  though.  How  are  things?  Or  rather  how  were  things  until  I  told  you  about  the  wonderful  predicament  you  have  found  yourself  in?”  He  asked.  He  did  care  about  Asmodeus.  She  was  a  great  asset  and  did  back  him  when  he  went  against  Father.  Even  though  it  did  cost  her  someone.  “Something  you’re  going  to  love,”  he  replied  in  a  sarcastic  singsong  voice.  His  features  then  quickly  darkened  to  emphasise  how  annoyed  he  was  about  it  all  too.

“Trust  me  I  would  very  much  like  this  to  be  one  of  Gabriel’s  jokes  too,  but  it  isn’t.  There  is  no  way  out.  We  are  so  called  guests  of  the  Queen.”  he  rolled  his  eyes.  This  little  detour  was  getting  more  and  more  annoying  as  each  day  passes.  His  hand  now  forced  while  he  was  happy  to  play  neutral  and  treat  it  as  some  kind  of  holiday  while  he  figured  how  to  get  out.  “I’m  sure  I  can  find  something,”  he  commented  as  he  turned  into  his  place.  A  townhouse  like  the  one  he  had  in  London.  He  opened  up  the  door  and  walked  in.  “Bourbon,  whisky  or  high  proof  rum?”  He  asked  as  he  nodded  towards  his  living  room  area.

A  wide  grin  on  her  face,  Gabriel  kind  of  hoped  that  Liana’s  body  would  do  most  of  the  mind  soothing  business  for  any  siblings  having  difficulties  with  them.  Lucifer  did  not  seem  all  too  angry.  Relief.  “What  do  you  mean?  I  missed  you!”  She  yelled  after  him,  following  him  inside.  “Is  this  how  you  greet  me?  Where  is  my  hug?  Do  you  know  how  long  it  has  been?”  Gabriel  teased,  ignoring  yet  another  comment  from  Liana  about  having  sexy  siblings.  First  Shiva,  now  this?  Incredible.  “I’m  okay…  you  know,  considering  that  I  am  stuck  in  this  seelie  realm.”  A  shrug,  “What  about  you?  I  hear  you  have  been  here  for  way  longer  than  me.  Care  to  let  me  in  on  all  the  dirty  deets?”

Lucifer  chuckled  at  his  sibling’s  reaction  he  was  fairly  amused  to  say  the  least.  “I  thought  you  might  want  to  get  out  of  the  cold  first  and  a  drink,”  he  told  them.  “If  you  want  a  hug  I  can  give  you  one,”  he  commented  as  he  poured  a  drink  out  in  two  glasses  and  held  one  out  to  Gabe.  “Too  long  but  you  could  have  sneaked  out  to  see  me,”  he  teased.  He  knew  Dad  would  keep  his  eyes  on  the  youngest.  Raphael  at  the  time  tended  to  stay  out  of  things  and  Michael.  Well  Michael  was  no  fun.  Ever.  “Yes  this  hellhole  I  can’t  even  get  any  credit  for,”  he  sighed.  “Seems  like  months  but  been  here  long  enough,”  the  idyllic  hell  at  least  afforded  him  to  see  family.  Some  that  he  wouldn’t  normally  get  a  chance  in  seeing.  “Well  the  short  story  is  someone  is  playing  with  fire  by  killing  death  and  stolen  the  horsemen’s  rings,”  which  he  failed  to  understand.  He  was  out  and  he  had  not  been  approached  by  anyone  regarding  this.  “The  shadowhunters  are  in  a  bit  of  a  scramble  since  their  capital  city  has  been  attacked  and  a  clave  member  killed,”  he  shrugged  at  the  last  part  those  were  inconsequential  to  him  in  the  bigger  scale  of  things.  The  rings  were  what  worried  him  the  most.  “So  you  came  at  a  fun  time,”  he  added  taking  a  drink  of  his  own  glass.

COSIMO  NEVER  CARED  MUCH  ABOUT  POLITICS  ,  not  that  anyone would  be  surprised about  that  if  they  heard  just  how  many  times  he  went  against  heaven  itself  .  he  would  not  deny  that  he  was  a  selfish  person  either -  the  only  thing  that  truly  mattered was  the  safety of  his  family ,  but  lucifer was  right  .  it  forced  their  hands  ,  because no  one  was  safe  until  they  fixed  this  .  ❛  we  got  through that  before  .  a  new  reaper  has  probably  risen  …  they  just  can’t  take  the  throne  without the  ring  .  ❜  and  they  did  not  even  know  if  layla  hid  it  ,  lost  it  or  had  it  taken  from  her  before she  was  killed .  ❛  but  who  profits  from  this  ?  ❜  who  if  not  even  the  devil  himself could  see  a  purpose  in  these  actions ?

“Only  if  the  spell  allows  said  reaper  to  pass  into  this  realm.  Not  seen  one  since  I  got  here,”  this  was  something  a  little  beyond  his  scope  of  knowledge  the  horsemen  and  him  had  an  arrangement  and  he  did  control  them  but  they  could  also  decide  not  to  follow  his  orders.  Death  was  certainly  not  under  his  control.  Death  followed  the  natural  order  and  was  clean  up  for  the  other  three.  A  horrible  job  and  haunting  job.  “Someone  who  thinks  they  can  get  the  better  of  us  and  take  power  or  someone  who  just  likes  sheer  chaos.  Not  everyone  has  to  have  a  motivation  and  some  just  live  for  causing  as  much  havoc  they  can,”  would  fit  an  unseelie  or  a  demon  to  be  fair  one  acting  on  their  own.  However  it  could  just  as  much  be  any  species.  It  was  just  that  they  were  known  for  it.

— dagon nodded. she’d always held a certain distrust for seelies, although she’d grown used to catalina and her family. it had taken her a while to trust that elsa wasn’t trying to manipulate her, but it hadn’t taken long after for her to fall for the seelie, though. elsa had been fond of small tricks, but had also been a pacifist. she shook herself from the thoughts as she felt her expression falling more. “ they couldn’t have waited until… later ? ” she grumbled. she still only had so much time before luna would fade, but this was no longer a good time to be taking someone else as a vessel. “ there must be someone who does know something. ” she added, realising she’d gotten sidetracked in her own head. “ they must be around somewhere… ” she sighed. “ scare tactics ? get everyone on edge enough that they start putting their plans into action sooner instead of taking our time like we have been. and pitting us all against each other, because this is going to add to the distrust between species. but bringing someone back… that could be a part of it. ” dagon nodded. she shrugged, “ i’d finally gotten her on board with turning… but i’m worried about it, now. i don’t want to add another baby vampire to the mix, especially with the lack of beings she could feed from… but i’ve had her for too long. i don’t want to leave her as a mundane, either. ” she sighed. “ she’s surprisingly not as scared as i thought she’d be, though. ” dagon was assuming that was mostly to do with the mundane trusting her to protect her. she hoped she’d be able to live up to that trust.

Lucifer  couldn’t  help  but  scoff,  “I  get  the  feeling  what  ever  they  wanted  they  wanted  sooner  rather  than  later,”  destruction  of  the  accords?  Ruling  over  the  shadow  world?  Their  own  apocalypse?  All  potential  options  among  others.  Perhaps  they  were  just  doing  this  for  the  sake  of  Chaos.  Problem  with  Chaos  was  it  was  unpredictable.  Fun,  but  difficult  to  control.  “Someone  will,  but  that  could  be  someone  in  plain  sight  or  someone  in  the  shadows,”  he  wondered  if  the  queen  might  have  some  answers.  “The  queen  is  a  good  start  at  least  if  it’s  a  dead  end  it  may  gain  someone’s  attention  we  are  looking  for  them,”  would  they  go  against  them  or  try  to  bury  in  further.  “I  don’t  think  may  are  willing  to  act  so  hastily  thankfully  but  the  distrust  might  be  a  part  of  it,”  though  nobody  was  willing  to  point  fingers  yet.  Seems  like  thankfully  people  that  had  been  pulled  in  so  far  were  not  quick  to  come  to  a  judgement.  “I  take  it  you’re  asking  the  original?  Feeding  from  me  or  yourself  is  going  to  be  an  issue  more  so  because  we  are  more  powerful.  Though  I  heard  the  original  Phoenix  is  offering  to  help  vampires  while  the  original  makes  his  blood  bank.”  He  knew  Dagon  was  close  with  War  and  the  original  vampire  was  War's  lover.  So  it  made  sense,  she  probably  trusted  him.  He’d  only  really  talked  to  Young  and  the  new-born.  He  was  aware  off  the  other  two  but  not  come  across  them  naturally  yet.  “That’s  good,  doesn’t  help  when  you  have  another  voice  to  calm  down,”  thankfully  Hans  was  gone  at  least  from  what  he  could  tell.

Glad to hear approval, she slid onto a stool near to him, more than thankful for some entertainment. She was just about to ask her ridiculously attractive company about his name when he was faster, shooting the questions first. “Hmmm… Okay. Actually I was just having a regular little life, working in a bar in the mundane world in Staten Island and hanging out with friends sometimes,” she shrugged. “Nothing too interesting about me, to be honest. But Im sure you do have a lot more to tell. So far, you didn’t even tell me your name!” Extending her hand towards the man, she didn’t even know the species of — her experience with downworlders, other than her own kind was very limited, actually. “I’m Lavinia by the way.”

There  was  nothing  wrong  with  living  a  mundane  life.  Some  did.  He  didn’t  have  the  patience  to  hold  up  a  job  but  he  was  also  a  little  too  busy  running  things  in  hell.  Some  demons  liked  to  go  undercover  as  their  vessel  and  he  encouraged  it.  It  was  the  best  way  to  keep  with  the  times.  “Sounds  nice,”  he  hummed.  Certainly  less  stressful  than  his  life  anyway.  Ah  the  name  of  course.  He  was  a  little  too  used  to  most  knowing  who  he  was.  As  she  had  lived  a  mundane  lifestyle  maybe  revealing  himself  fully  may  be  a  bit  of  a  shock  to  her.  “We’ll  go  with  my  Vessel’s  name  for  now.  Hans,  but  if  you  can  guess  who  I  actually  am  then  by  all  means  call  me  by  that  name,”  a  fun  game  to  make  things  a  little  more  interesting.  “That’s  just  you  on  the  surface  though.  I  am  sure  there  is  much  more  to  your  life  than  just  serving  drinks  but  I  am  not  going  to  force  you  to  talk  about  it  if  you  don’t  want  to.  My  life  is  interesting  to  say  the  least.  It’s  also  been  told  countless  times  from  the  wrong  perspective.  Know  at  least  the  basics  of  the  bible  you’ll  know  my  story,”  well,  part  of  it.  Much  has  happened  since  he  was  cast  out.  

— she smiled, nodding. she giggled at his reply, “ there are always a few who are different. ” for the shadowhunters, it was her parabatai, she’d always thought. and then the ones she’d met from the mexico city institute seemed less stuck up. she grinned, “ either way, they’re more fun than the shadowhunters i grew up with, ” she grinned. at times, vanilla could be dependable. but it grew boring quite quickly, and she liked to have some variety. part of why she didn’t think she wanted a relationship. perhaps eventually, but she wasn’t good about sticking to one thing, and she knew herself well enough to know she’d either lose interest or panic. maybe something more open… she shook herself from her thoughts, nodding, “ no point staying if you’re bored. ” she giggled, “ i have a few friends who like to make bets that are rather… easy to manipulate them into losing. ” 

   even if the ball hadn’t been winding down, she was never really tied to staying at any event if she had a better offer. “ lead the way, ” el hummed. she smirked, “ i’d sort of assumed. ” she nodded, “ estela rosário. it’s a pleasure to meet you. ” 

Though  some  will  follow  society  blindly.  Societal  conventions  were  not  always  the  right  way.  Horrible  events  happened  by  doing  so.  Sometimes  society  acts  for  the  better  and  others  for  the  worse.  It  was  easy  enough  to  follow  though  and  it  was  sometimes  hard  to  question  when  everyone  seemed  to  be  following.  Lucifer  was  a  questioner  and  it  seemed  Estela  was  too.  “It’s  good  to  be  different,”  he  didn’t  always  thinks  so.  In  fact  when  he  was  still  part  of  his  Father’s  army  he  wished  he  didn’t  feel  so  different.  Now  because  of  that  so  much  has  evolved  from  it.  Not  many  can  say  they  have  done  what  he  did.  “I  have  no  doubts  of  that,”  he  chuckled.  Things  were  never  black  and  white.  “That’s  very  true,”  he  agreed.  There  wasn’t,  though  it  has  been  a  while  since  he  has  skipped  out  from  someone.  He  chuckled  as  she  mentioned  about  manipulating  her  friends  into  losing.  “Naughty  girl,”  he  smirked.  “I  better  keep  my  eye  on  you  should  I  accept  any  bets  from  you,”  he  raised  his  brow  in  an  amused  fashion.    

“Gladly,”  he  smirked  as  he  down  his  drink  and  got  up.  He  walked  just  past  her  and  waited  for  her  to  follow  suit.  “I  wasn’t  being  subtle  to  be  fair,”  he  shrugged.  It  did  not  take  long  for  them  to  reach  Lucifer’s  place.  He  stayed  in  the  village  and  in  one  of  the  townhouses.  Before  he  walked  down  the  bath  he  unsummoned  his  wings.  They  were  a  hassle  in  his  home.  He  walked  down  the  path  and  opened  the  door  using  his  powers.  The  interiors  were  mostly  painted  white  with  pine  fixtures.  The  style  was  very  minimalist  and  modern  in  nature.  “The  bedroom  is  upstairs  as  is  the  bathroom  if  you  want  to  freshen  up,”  he  told  her  as  he  made  his  way  upstairs.  As  he  got  into  the  bedroom  he  started  taking  his  formal  clothes  off  and  nodded  towards  the  bathroom  for  Estela  should  she  wish  to  freshen  up.  Before  or  after  didn’t  matter.  

She had been clear, so very painfully clear in her instructions, to the point of taking oddly satisfying pleasure in the parting of limbs from those bodies that had foolishly decided to defy her wishes. It had mainly been hunters that actively sought to bother her, the odd witch or warlock, even some less than prepared mundanes, Asmodeus creating fleetingly interesting games out of her summoners’ survival until the next morning, and it had always been within the Earthly realm. So one could imagine her surprise when she placed one foot onto the pavement of a back-alley lane in San Francisco, only to have the next fall atop soft, green and otherworldly grass, next to a bed of flowers.

How many times did she have to say it? Vaguely disoriented by the instantaneous, and involuntary, jump from one realm to the next (how long had it been since she’d last done it of her own accord?), the demon prince couldn’t help the rather beastly snarl that left her lips, gaze flicking back and forth in a half-hearted attempt to gather herself and determine who had brought her here, where it was that she had ended up, and why. Rare was it that Asmodeus, Prince of Hell and General of its armies, could be forced to appear anywhere she did not want to be– certainly not by just anyone, either. "… Powerful magic.” The demon seemingly muttered her thoughts into the aether, before (finally) registering a presence behind her and turning to direct a stony, pointed stare their way. And though it was so very tempting, she reluctantly forewent her initial, reactionary urge to make balloon animals with the person’s insides, instead straightening her clothes and opting for a slightly more humane greeting: “Am I to assume that you are the reason I’ve been ‘invited’ here?”

Lucifer  had  taken  to  late  night  walks  and  he  was  heading  back  from  Anastasia  and  Cosimo’s  place  back  to  his.  Everything  about  this  was  concerning  him  and  he  would  very  much  like  one  of  his  other  Princes  here  to  help  aide  him.  However  the  spell  was  random  and  who  knew  when  the  next  intake  wpuld  be  and  who  would  appear.  Michael  the  dickhead  may  appear  and  rather  go  against  him.  He  had  more  to  protect  this  time  but  at  least  he  had  more  who  were  willing  to  help  him  too.  At  least  here  Father  couldn’t  give  them  holy  retribution  as  punishment.  Shiva  was  here  as  well  now  as  well  which  was  good  for  him  as  well  both  of  them  were  never  the  biggest  fans  of  father  and  she  was  open  about  it  as  well.  They  all  suffered  for  it.

All  of  a  sudden  someone  appeared  in  front  of  him  making  him  stop  in  his  tracks  and  he  could  hear  the  snarl.  A  smirk  appeared  on  his  features  as  he  recognised  that  kind  of  anger.  Well  he  was  going  to  get  his  wish  after  all  but  then  that  did  mean  one  less  person  looking  after  hell  and  his  armies.  If  Asmodeus  looked  after  it  properly  he  would  have  god  underlings  that  can  take  over.  “I’ll  be  truthful  I  did  hope  for  another  demon  prince  to  join  me  being  stuck  here,”  he  teased.  “But  it  wasn’t  me  that  brought  you  here.  It’s  the  seelie  realm  and  the  queen  seems  to  want  to  play  prison  warden.  To  be  fair  it’s  cosier  than  hell,”  he  smirked.  

His  features  then  darkened.  “That  was  until  someone  killed  the  current  Death  and  took  the  rings  of  the  horsemen,”  he  informed  them.  “Though  I  think  we  are  going  to  need.something  strong  to  accompany  that  conversation.  My  place  is  not  to  far  from  here,”  he  told  her.  He  was  happy  to  see  his  general.  Though  he  wouldn’t  be  too  upset  if  it  wasn’t  the  other  way  round  considering  they  like  him  were  trapped  too  and  in  an  almighty  mess.  

She didn’t know what to do with herself here, right upon her arrival someone was murdered, and she supposed that it was just not the right time for a big entrance on her part. Instead she found herself more times than she would like to admit at the bar. Sentimental and missing jer job? Not so much – rather, she was here to enjoy being the one getting drinks served to for a change. A few already down, she started to wonder how it should happen for her to meet people here — like when she was the one behind the bar, it seemed to be much easier. Any approach towards anyone seemed rather awkward – and she was anything but shy, just not used to that situation. Drinking alone with no one to play – or talk to, was also awkward. Just that moment, her thoughts got interrupted by someone nearby, apparently paying for a drink for her. Turning his full attention to the man, a smile grew at his offer. “I’ll take the same, for a change,” she said, “thank you. Why don’t we enjoy them together, now that you’re already paying the least I can do is entertain you for a while?” Lavinia offered, hoping he would agree and not just wait for some other company to join him, so she would end up alone all over again.

It did seem to make her day and he remembered when he had just arrived here but he had people he knew. Not everyone was so lucky in their arrival to the place. It also did not help with the current events that were going on. Most were fearful, cautious, angry or plain depressed. He was just frustrated. “Feel free,” he smirked. Sirens were interesting creatures he had to admit. Vicious and alluring. A dangerous yet fun combination. He took a sip of his own drink and placed it down. “So tell me a little about yourself,” he suggested. “What was your life like you before being dragged here?” he asked. Happy to speak about something other than current events. Not like anyone else had a clue anyway. He will however love to teach who ever killed death what that would mean for them. Though for now he just needed a distraction.