I will return and correct a couple of mistakes that I missed...
Aside from that...Plot, plot, plot and Lucifer being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Lucifer leaned against the metal wall - her arms crossed in front of her chest. The rattling of the elevator sent shivers through her spine as she looked at the door. It might have been not the best decision to take the elevator in the first place, but her legs refused to work properly, so taking the stairs wasn't an option right now. She had taken some health pills to reduce the effects of the poison but they only helped so much. She let out a shaky breath as her head tilted back and her gaze met the milky white light at the ceiling.
It was fine. The elevator was well-lit and moving. If it stopped, there was still a hatch at the bottom where she could escape this tiny metal box.
Everything was fine.
Except that it wasn't.
Her nerves were frayed through the poison still rampaging through her body. Her legs hurt. She had to forgo the bandages around her chest to help her breathe more properly, but it still felt like something was painfully restricting her lungs. Her left hand was bandaged to hide the bite mark and the burns. Just to make sure, she had applied an anti-septic. The stench of it was still unpleasant but better safe than sorry.
She deserved it.
Every burning injury, every unpleasant sting in her chest. She deserved it every little bit of it.
After the doors opened, she quickly left the elevator – or as quickly as she could. Running was out of the question at the moment. She just wanted to get this over with, so she could retire for the day. She rolled her shoulders as she walked and tried to mentally steel herself.
Her mental exercise in self-restraint was rewarded by almost running headfirst into someone. Barely suppressing the curse that threatened to come over her lips, she stepped back and wanted to apologize.
"Oh, hello there."
Lucifer closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Of all people that she met on this floor, the doctor was one of the top three that she didn't want to meet.
"Greetings, Dr. Paylor." She retorted with a short nod. "I apologize, I didn't…"
"Ah, don't fret about something like that." He smiled. Like always. An impenetrable smiling mask that felt genuine but probably was not. "I heard that you had an exciting day. Congratulations on your promotion, by the way."
"Word travels fast."
"Well, I just had a talk with Johann- ah, apologies, the director and he already informed me that he awaits you." The edges of his mouth turned further upward and for a moment he looked sympathetic. As if he tried to tell her that he didn't envy her for having the dubious honor of meeting the director right now. Just to underline the sentiment he whispered a barely audible 'good luck' as he nodded at her and walked down the hallway.
There was a dull sound that drew her attention to the ground. A disk, big enough to fill her palm adorned with a crude drawing of the doctor and the words 'super-secret'. She lifted an eyebrow as she picked it up and already wanted to call out for the man.
Who was already gone.
"…He's quite quick on his feet." Lucifer thought and then chuckled as she looked back to the disk in her hand. That thing was so obviously bait that it was downright hilarious. It only got better as she imagined how he had to run out of her sight in that multi-layered clothes of his.
Despite the disk being bait, and maybe a lure to an obvious trap, she couldn't resist to bite and indulge him to give his try at intrigue a chance. It almost had the endearment of watching a young child trying to walk. Clumsy, trying to keep balance, failing a couple of times but getting up again and try to do better.
The smile fell from her lips. She would be lying if she wasn't grasping at straws right now and hadn't had the chance – the time – to advance her own plans. It wasn't like she was indulging an amateur just because she thought of it as a cute attempt to get her attention. She didn't really have many options left.
And now, she knew that the doctor was involved in this mess somehow, too. Experience had taught her that there were always more sides to the matter but to keep it easy she focused on the issue of Lindow – or whoever sponsored him – against the director and vice versa. It was hard to imagine Lindow doing this whole thing on his own without someone as a backup. And if she was the backup then…
She was torn between praising him for holding out for so long or grabbing him by his collar and scream at him about what the hell he was thinking. Not that she was in another position. She recruited Sakuya and Alisa to her cause but if she should fall – which was very likely – then they couldn't replace her. They had no experience doing such things and the director would eat them for breakfast.
"But no pressure…" Lucifer whispered and sighed as she slipped the disk into her jacket pocket.
She exhaled again, schooling her expression, and entered the room.
Like always, she saluted. Looking at the person at the desk that was the cause of her predicament right now. The chain around her neck and hands if she wanted to get metaphorical.
"Director, you wanted to talk to me?"
"I wanted to congratulate on a mission well-done." He started as he pushed a stack of paper away from him and folded his hands. The look in his eyes was hardened and empty as always but he looked more worn down than the last time she had seen him. Maybe it was the Aegis Project. She heard rumors that people became impatient because of the lack of progress and since Fenrir sponsored the whole affair, they probably increased the pressure on him.
"Supervisor Amamiya already gave you a rundown of your new duties?"
"No. The meeting is scheduled tomorrow." Lucifer answered. "Along with the review of the mission, but I know the gist of it."
"Aside from special privileges like accessing the database." He shot her a look. "Which I trust aren't to be abused. There is also a special task that every unit leader has to fulfill."
Lucifer was silent and watched him. He was tired. Tired people's facades were brittle at best.
"Do you know what happens when you lose or damage the bracelet of yours?" He pointed with the black pen in her direction. It didn't sound like a provocation or a threat but just a neutral question.
"Depends. If I was in contact with my God Arc while it was damaged? Then mutation." She answered without hesitation. She was tired and she felt how her body started to burn up from the poison. "In that case, I assume that God Eaters get executed."
"That's correct and it's the task of the unit leaders to handle such cases."
Nice to know but not surprising. Why was he calling her here? What was so important that it couldn't wait for another couple of hours.
"Was there one recently?" Lucifer inquired as she tried to pull together her last bits of patience she had with that man. Her fingers were already twitching to let her hands become the noose that he tried to strangle her with.
"Already eager to do your duty?" He retorted. The faintest of smiles crossed his lips and it was taunting her. Her eyes narrowed. "Are the Aragami boring you and you want to go back to things that you are familiar with?"
She almost let out a snort. This man was beyond pitiful in his attempts to rile her up – for whatever reason.
"Ah, they told you." She concluded. Someone of the little group that she came with was bound to talk and point the finger at her. Maybe they complained about the injustice of something like her getting a 'second chance'.
"They told me long ago. Before you were even a God Eater, in fact." He said as he tapped his pen against the desk. Despite the subject matter, he seemed to be quite relaxed but that could be the exhaustion talking. "But I decided to give you a chance."
A shadow crawled over his shoulder. Its long tongue was dragging over the desk as it moved.
"Don't disappoint me." It whispered with a mocking tone lancing its worse. "Because I made you. Be thankful. Pay me back with obedience, with body and soul because I was the one to let you live!"
Lucifer looked at the director and tried to not sneer at him. Oh, how great he was - trying to redeem the irredeemable. How deep his compassion for his fellow man and how grand he was in forcing a monster into obedience. There was blood on his hands, and he wore just the stony mask of a saint in front of everybody else.
"Hypocrite." The demon on the desk whispered.
He watched her. Maybe he tried to get her angry or weaken her defenses, but she would do nothing of that sort. Even with the nose right around her neck, she would stand proud and look into the face of her executioner without an ounce of regret. He might command her now, but she knew that she just had to do a step forward and plunge her combat knife into his throat.
The only reason why he wasn't choking at his own blood right now was that she needed to be certain about the extent of his actions. That aside, she didn't plan on killing him. Killing was easy. There was much more satisfaction in having them face punishment for their transgression.
"…Additionally, to your duties, I have decided that you are fit to take over the late unit leader's duties, too." The director then broke the tense silence. She quirked an eyebrow to show how "unexpected" that was.
"May I inquire what these duties are?"
"Hunting special, abnormal Aragami. Normally, your unit will deal with them but there are some who just shortly appear but then disappear from our radar." He let out a sigh as he leaned back. One hand reached to his left temple and rubbed it in small circles. "Dr. Paylor did excellent work on the last sensor model but some abnormal Aragami still manage to mask their signal in a couple of seconds. Since you lived your life outside the walls, tracking these abominations down shouldn't pose much of a problem without the help of our sensors."
"Aragami can mask their signal?" Lucifer asked out loud. It would make sense, but she expected that the radars couldn't keep up with these ever-evolving creatures. In other words, she thought that the signal frequency was different from what the radars could pick up. The implications that Aragami could do that deliberately spoke volumes about their growing intelligence.
"The doctor thinks that some Aragami use certain frequencies to communicate with each other. Or sense danger when they notice something transmitting a signal on their frequency. At first, I thought that the theory hasn't enough evidence to be valid but the latest developments have convinced me that there might be some truth to that."
Something changed in his expression. It was subtle but she knew the look of someone trying to pry open an opponent with their gaze alone. It made her suspicious. She tilted her head to the left.
"Developments?"
"There are reports that New Types can transmit feelings and even memories per touch."
She felt how somethings inside her grew cold.
He knew.
Lucifer frowned but didn't look away from his inquisitive glare.
"That's…" She started and brushed with her bandaged finger of her chin. "Problematic."
"Dr. Oguruma told me that you touched her before she woke up." The director said and leaned forward in his seat; hands folded in front of him.
"That's true." She answered without hesitation. "I felt static when our hands touched. I thought that it was just my imagination playing tricks on me."
"And nothing else?" He still pressed the subject. Lucifer shrugged.
"Nothing else that's worth mentioning. I have to say that having the ability to peer into certain people's minds is quite unsettling. Especially if they have…mental problems." She almost bit her own tongue while speaking but it had to be pointed out. Swiftly, she added. "But with the loss of Mr. Amamiya, the 1st unit can't afford to lose another member, especially if I take over Lindow's duties."
He was silent for a couple of seconds. Probably weighing her words carefully and trying to find out if she knew about Doctor Oguruma or not.
"That is unfortunately true." He then decided to say with a sigh. "While we requested for reinforcements, I fear that they will arrive in a month at best."
Lucifer let out a hum as she thanked coincidence and the other Fenrir executives to give them a God Eater shortage right in the middle of egregious Aragami activity. At least, it was easy to convince him to let Alisa stay in her unit albeit this whole New Type ability thing being a potential danger for him.
"Well, at least my preference to wear gloves can come in handy – as long as the ability works only with direct skin contact," Lucifer said as she crossed her arms before her chest. "That aside, I am confident that I'm able to hunt these abnormal Aragami on my own if the need should arise."
The director nodded. "Good. Since we can't say when it happens, be ready to abandon a mission in favor of killing the other Aragami."
"Understood." Lucifer placed a hand on her heart and bowed slightly forward.
"Then you are dismissed."
With a short nod in his direction, she left the room. Her mind was reeling for a second as she tried to calm herself down. The director was on her case but that was only a matter of time anyways. She exhaled the breath that she was holding in and started to walk. Her lungs burnt, her muscles were sore, but she probably had to up her game right now or else she would lose. With the special mission, she would lose much of her precious time and she needed to prepare for that.
"An ally." The thought came quickly. "But who?"
The disk weighted heavily in her jacket pocket. She only hoped that its contents would reveal something useful.
Hunter inhaled and started to hum.
He loved the rain. The sound, the taste, how it washed away the smell, and drowned out the noise. Even if it soaked into his clothes and made them cling to his warm body, he couldn't bring himself to care. It felt refreshing, almost cleansing when it swept away the blood on his hands and let it seep into the ground beneath. So, he just stood there, face directed towards the sky, and closed his eyes. The palms of his hands turned upwards, catching the onslaught of droplets coming from above.
The little corner with the broken roof and the improvised roof gutter that they had fastened against the more sturdy parts of the roof made for a good improvised shower. To his left and right side, they had screwed some broken pieces of a tin roof together to give a person some privacy. To his feet, there was a hole where the floor and wall met. With some bendable plastic, they had fashioned an improvised pipe to act as a drain for the water flowing in.
It wasn't the best but how many out there in the ghetto could boast of having a shower. Granted, it only worked when it rained, and the water was cold as hell but he had learned to appreciate the small luxuries of life. He rubbed over his face, to get rid of all the crusted blood, sand, sweat, and dirt that he accumulated over the last couple of days.
At least, he could get rid of the stench a little bit which was a blessing in itself. Sneaking was goddamn hard if one reeked like he had bathed himself in shit. The element of surprise was gone the moment when the wind turned the wrong way. It was one of the reasons why they had water barrels reserved for some impromptu showering. The other was trying to get some basic hygiene and treatment around here. Water for boiling bandages, to wash their hands, to clean the worst off one's injuries before they disinfect and could stitch them. The small pieces of soap that they found at their last raid were reserved for only that.
They lacked other disinfectant and – more important – they lacked medicine. If injuries got infected, someone caught and illness or something like that, they had nothing to go against it. Hell, they needed food too. While nobody complained about the small rationing portions, going on with too little wouldn't do anything good for their body either. They would manage for now with the occasional blundering and salvaging in the more dangerous parts of the sector, but Vic was right in saying that they needed safe and steady supply lines.
He groaned as he racked through his hair with both hands.
"…I really hope you are breaking your little head over something right now and not…"
Hunter shook his head but didn't turn around.
"No, I'm not, Sayuri. And let's be honest, you would enjoy the show." He turned his head to see where she was.
Sayuri was sitting on one of the wooden crates that they had placed against the wall to block out the wind whistling through the leaky wall. She had her legs crossed. She leaned forward to place her right elbow on her knee and placed her chin on the palm of her right hand. A smile spread over her full, alluring lips. She licked over them before she answered him.
"Of course, I would. I am a woman of the finer arts of seduction. I think it's just fair that I sometimes get to watch a show too, instead of providing one."
"You know that some people might call that creepy."
"That's why I made myself known beforehand. It's only half the fun with one part unaware."
"That makes it so much better." That snarky remark made her roll her eyes at him. He was unbothered that he was basically naked in front of her. Working together over the years beat the shame out of them quite efficiently. He had been there when she used her skill of seduction to charm her people into bed more time than he could count. They scared him how easily she played with her partners, made them defenseless with sweet words and soft touches, made them yearn for her…
Those who had the honor to share a bed with her were positively on could nine hours after she was through with them. He knew because he had been one of them. However, once was enough to never share a bed with her again. Because he had seen her kill people with the same gentle administrations. It was that moment had been the point where he understood why she was above his station – what separated him from a candidate.
"I would have been one too if it hadn't been for Sam…" The thought still tasted bitter on his tongue. His muscles tensed in response. "Whatever, he's probably dead now anyway."
"…Now…Now…No need to get all defensive, Hunter." She said with a gentle expression. "I just wanted to ask how you are doing."
She wasn't interested in his wellbeing but how his work was going. With a sigh, he exited the makeshift shower and fetched a piece of fabric from one of the crates to dry himself off.
"Not good, to be honest. There are rumors but nobody saw them." He paused to pull out some clothes from the inside the crate and sniffed at them before putting them on. "And what we know indicates that they are stupid as shit."
"How so?"
He pulled a shirt over his head before he answered.
"If the rumors are true…They tried to sell people to Fenrir."
A soft whistle escaped her. "Well, that's pretty…"
"Fucking stupid." He supplied. "You have seen them. They weren't the run-of-the-mill mercenaries. Their equipment was good, they were trained and experienced…That…That isn't even a rookie mistake to make."
Sayuri rubbed her chin, her glance directed to the dusty ground.
"There's always the chance that Fenrir tried to slander them. They are sometimes fickle like that when they don't want to pay." She pointed out.
"Yeah but…" Hunter pointed up before he continued. "There are three people. One didn't survive. The other went missing after receiving basic treatment and the last one…was recruited by Fenrir."
The woman looked at him, no, stared at him as if she wanted to dissect him. "How credible is the source?"
"One who walks in and out of the inner circle of the city. So, there might seem to be some truth to that."
Then she sighed. "Unfortunately, the inner circle is still off-limits for us. I guess…that talking to that informant would be too dangerous?"
Hunter nodded and crossed his arms before his chest. "Yeah. Not worth our time with the little information we have. If we can get the location of the mercenaries…" He trailed off and then shook his head. "If Fenrir had their hands in this, they are probably already dead. We can't get in the inner circle and one of them's dead."
"And one disappeared." Sayuri continued and hummed. "Hunting down a ghost is a waste of time and energy. Maybe Lady luck will bless us with them falling right into our lap…but I wouldn't count on it."
Hunter looked at her in silence. She was right. They couldn't waste their time on someone who might or might not exist.
"I suspect that you cleared the other branches?" Sayuri suddenly asked and he nodded.
"I took the trash out as usual."
"…The new blood?"
"Borderline useless but we have to work with what we get." He retorted with a sigh. "They all act tough, but they can't even hold a knife right."
"Can some of them sing?"
Hunter leaned with his hip against the crate to his side and thought about it. It was a roundabout way to ask if he had anyone suitable for her unit. She was picky – or at least, pickier than him in any regard – and sometimes used strange lingo to convey it. Candidates were all a little bit…crazy. That came with the training and he would be talking like to if Sam hadn't stolen his spot in their ranks.
"The boss kinda spoke strange too but at least not in terms of birds or some shit like that."
He rubbed his neck and let out a long-suffering sigh as he tried to stack a fitting reply together.
"One has a broken wing, so I don't know if she's good enough right now." He then answered. "If you have time to care enough, they might just fly again."
Sayuri looked satisfied at his answer.
"Oh, I have time for a little injured bird, especially if they are in the possession of a cat."
He didn't know and didn't want to know why she likened him to a cat. It could be worse.
"Yeah, yeah. Birds don't make for good cats." He said with a click of his tongue. Silence descended between them. She was still watching. She should be leaving by now. His tasks were done. He reported his findings to her, and she would tell Vic. Then they would plan their next move.
But she stayed.
And watched him.
Something was off.
His body grew tense. Quickly, his eyes looked for a suitable diversion and an escape route. He wouldn't fight her. Not today. She was assessing him. His movements, his expressions…everything for a reason that he didn't know. Had Vic convinced her to get rid of him before his side of the group acted out and revolted?
No, he wasn't that stupid or desperate. If he died or disappeared, the others would know and revolt against him either way.
Sayuri moved closer, then her hand reached out. He was careful not to make a quick movement but observed what she was doing. Her hand reached out for him, her fingers slipped under his chin. He expected to see her ready to strike but she looked…conflicted?
"Why?" The thought made him pause. Something was wrong. Something was seriously wrong when Sayuri's expressions looked genuine.
"Hinata." She addressed him and her voice sounded soft and caring. "I know this whole situation is frustrating but please be patient. Be patient with Victor."
She tried to broker peace then. It made sense. Sayuri was always the neutral one, never acted, or tried to climb up the ladder. His muscles relaxed a tad. At least, she wasn't here to kill him. Gently, he pushed her hand away.
"Patient for how long? Even if I back off, the others won't. Worse, they will see me as weak if I don't speak up and just let it slide. Then they won't listen."
"A little longer. Give what you can." She said. "This isn't what she wants."
Everything inside of him grew cold and a shiver crawled over his body as if he just had stepped back into the spray of cold rainwater. He stepped back, away from the tall woman in front of him who watched, observed, analyzed his movements silently like a hawk.
"Whatever, I have a job to do." He turned away from her. "I still have a list of names to work off."
"Will you chase that ghost?" She questioned and it disturbed him how downright amused she sounded. Just an inch away from laughing.
"Just…" He had to choose his words carefully now. "To be safe. I want to tie up some loose ends. Leaving this half-finished might get us in trouble later on." He retorted, pulling his hood over his head.
"Hinata." She called out for him. "That's not…"
"Don't." He hissed. "You don't know what she wants."
This time, Sayuri laughed. He turned his head slightly and shivered. She was smiling but her eyes burnt with something sinister. For a moment, he feared that she would charge at him and kill him right then and there.
Instead, she spoke again.
"Neither do you."
The doctor was alone in that research lab of his. He always was. No assistants, no other God Eaters,…
No witnesses.
As always, he greeted her with a smile as he noticed her presence as soon as the door closed behind her. Normally, he would be too focused on his work to even acknowledge that someone visited him for the first couple of minutes. There he was, however, smiling and greeting her as if he expected her to appear in front of him.
The disk was bait. Plain and simple.
A bait that left a bitter and rotten taste in her mouth. It wasn't like she had trusted him, but she had respected him. Now she called her perception of him into question. She called a couple of things in question. Perhaps – one voice whispered – she should calm down, but she couldn't. The poison clung to her lungs like a stubborn decease, the director tried to back her in a corner and now this…this…revelation that offered her insight but no answers on how to proceed.
She was frustrated, sick, tired and she felt the disgust squirming inside her as she recalled each scene that she had seen on the screen.
Quietly, she stepped towards him and then offered him the disk.
"Ah, I knew I lost it somewhere." He sounded excited which was a sentiment that she didn't share. "I hope that you didn't watch it." The smile on his lips was mischievous and almost playful.
A sentiment that she didn't, couldn't share.
Her expression didn't change, not offering a faint smile or a polite answer. Through half-lidded eyes, she looked down at him in his chair that was surrounded by multiple displays. Normally, she would be curious at what he was studying day in and day out in this little lab of his, but things had changed.
His expression was frozen in place even in the tense silence that filled the room. She decided to break it as he didn't move or gave any attempts to explain himself.
"Why?" It was the summary of everything that was on her mind right now. Why now of all things? Why giving her this? Why did he do it? Why her - out of all people here?
"I fear that I don't understand." His smile was apologetic as he answered her.
A chuckle erupted out of her. It was cold and hurt her throat. To the point that she almost tasted blood gain. Her patience was gone, and she had the urge to just grab him by the throat and throw him against the nearest wall or desk.
"Why dragging me into the mess of your own making?" She inquired with a smile. His smile on the other hand vanished.
"…I don't intend to…" A weak, polite lie. It was his full intention.
"Perhaps, you didn't intend it at the start. Don't play this sort of game with me, doctor. Not if your actions clearly betray the intentions that you have now." She added a playful, sweet tone to her voice with the full intent to unnerve him and make him slip up. Silently, she moved around him and slowly out of his field of vision. Behind him, on a desk, she spotted a picture in the back with three people smiling at the camera.
The doctor, the director and…
"Aisha seemed like a kind woman. A pity, really." Lucifer said as she took the frame in her hands. It had collected dust and was abandoned in the corner of the room.
"Yes, she was and yes, it is." He said. He was looking straight ahead and not at her. Was that his attempt to seem strong and determined? Maybe it would be better if she didn't see the subtle tremble of his hands that he hid in his long sleeves.
"I assume you backed out of the project because you thought that it is unethical to use an unborn child as a test subject." She continued as she walked behind him.
"That is correct." He retorted and pushed his glasses up. The other pairs that hung with a chain around his neck clicked together as he moved. Her eyes watched his hands. Something inside her head expected him to produce a weapon from his long sleeves.
"And still…you didn't warn them. You just let it happen. Did you want them to fail?" Her tone turned icy. She recalled Aisha, the heavily pregnant woman, withering in pain but still putting on a brave face. The oracle cell corruption had painted dark and glowing golden lines across the body. It must have hurt but there was this serene smile gracing her face as her hand moved over her abdomen. She looked like a loving mother – even though it was her decision to infect her unborn child with the Bias-Factor.
"You will bring them hope." The words resounded in her mind. What a cruel task to bestow onto a child that wasn't even born but if it gave the child a fighting chance in this world, Lucifer found it hard to criticize her. She never experienced the love of a parent, but she could see the logic in the decision.
"No." That word came with a lot more force. A hint of anger in his usual light and rambling voice. She looked up from the picture. He was looking at her. He took a deep breath, but she was faster.
"You could have told them…What the talisman was. What would happen to Aisha if she didn't have it. But you didn't." She pointed out. He knew what would happen. He knew it and he just sent a talisman and wished her a safe delivery while carefully omitting the detail that the talisman contained the technology of protecting its wearer from the Oracle Cells.
The picture of carnage, of corpses and fleshy tendrils that enveloped the room flared up in her mind. The blood painted the walls. A lonely arm was still twitching in the background. Seven people had been in that room. Five died, torn to pieces in a matter of seconds. They didn't have time to scream. The shocked gasps still rattled in her mind.
As was the scream of a man that echoed a minute after that through the room. Like as if someone's soul was torn to shreds. She knew the sound of it. The last pitiful gasp of a mind that became stuck and torn between denial, horror, and reality to the point that it just broke.
"I knew that I felt something familiar with him." The smile on her lips faltered for a moment. There was always the feeling of familiarity with him and now she got her confirmation. It didn't give her any pleasure or relief. The prey was still rotten to the core and that didn't change.
He could use her, he could try to kill her, god, he could blackmail and torture all he wanted as long as it was someone who was involved in that mess and could try to fight for themselves. He used a broken child for his dirty work and neglected and emotionally abused his own flesh and blood. If he couldn't care for the boy himself, why didn't he try to give him at least an environment of people who did?
Because of his heritage? That was the director's fault?
"I'm a monster." Lucifer could hear the Shinigami's voice in her head. She never heard him say that but she could hear the implication in his words.
Lucifer straightened her posture as she spoke again, "…But you still watched for years, Stargazer."
He watched the son of his friend deteriorate into a death seeker. Because he was a 'stargazer' who only watched the stars passing by. This excuse made her blood run hot and made her grit her teeth.
"Hypocrite." The shadow bellowed at her feet and she clenched her hands to fist. She wasn't any different when it came to seeing people being beaten to death on the streets. The acknowledgment of her own limitations was a bitter pill to swallow but she had to and was now used to it. She could watch a person being stabbed and bleed out without even a twitch on her expression.
She had to be loyal to her people, and her people only. The collateral damage wasn't of any concern, but she made an exception to children and their untapped potential.
The doctor stood up and crossed his arms behind his back. "Nothing I will say will justify the failures of my past. They will come off just as weak excuses." His smile was noticeably bitter now, but she couldn't bring herself to trust it. Not after what she had just learned.
Lucifer let out a shaky sigh and tried to collect and restrain herself. Personal emotions had no place here.
"It never does." She shook her head as she spoke. He reached for the picture frame in her hand and she handed it back to him.
"Tell me…what do you gain from me knowing your past sins?" Lucifer was still trying to see the picture of how and why this would make any sense.
"I have heard about your rivalry between you and Soma. I wanted to make you understand his side of the story and it wouldn't shine the most favorable light if I left a lot of details out of it. I had the futile hope that both of you might become friends or – at worst – respect each other."
Lucifer chuckled. "I do respect the Shinigami, doctor, but he's acting like a brat because people let him act that way. Because they think of him as a monster. He isn't. He's but one of many children without a childhood and forced to give his life up for the glory of a world that no longer exists."
The doctor gave her a pensive expression and then carefully said, "You speak out of experience."
"Me?" She asked with a furrowed eyebrow. Then shook her head. "No, I just have seen many of his kind. And let's be honest here, I doubt that you only showed me that disk to mentally self-flagellate yourself."
He let out a short laugh. There was no humor in it. It sounded exhausted.
For once, she wished that she talked to the Shinigami, Kota, or Gina, the sniper of the 2nd unit. They all were refreshingly straight to the point and didn't make any secrets about their wants and intentions. Dancing around the issue was entertaining if her nerves weren't so close to snapping.
"Truth to be told, I wanted to talk with you and hear some of your thoughts. I have heard that you will take over Lindow's duties." He said as he placed the frame back. "That means we are going to work together." There was a chippy, friendliness suddenly underlying his tone and she wasn't quite sure if she liked this sudden change. Then he turned to her with a smile on his face.
"Lucifer, tell me, what do you think of the Aegis Project?"
Lucifer stared at him for a couple of seconds. Then she let out a suffering sigh.
"Can I ask for something to drink? I have the feeling that this will…take a little."
"Oh, of course." He offered her a gracious smile. "Is tea alright?"
"Yes, please." She answered and watched him. The moment he turned around, she pulled a health pill from her trouser pocket and tried to swallow it. It took a couple of seconds before she was able to force it down and not cough it up again.
She hoped it would be enough.
Hey, Hunter is back...and Sayuri. Btw. songs that inspired Sayuri's character are "Bonfires" (by Blue Foundation) and "Witch" (by Karliene). For Hunter, it was, "Heroes" (feat. Mike Mains), "I'm dangerous" and "I will rule" (by the Everlove). He shares the latter with Victor. Another song he shares with Vic is "Enemy" (feat. Beacon Light & Sam Tinnesz). There are many more but that would be spoiler territory.
Lg