Lucifer opened his eyes, blinking away the imprint of the harsh glow his true form had spilled over the mortal he had taken for his vessel. For a few moments, all he could do was stand there, getting used to the controls of this new body. He cleared his throat tentatively, finding it dry and scraping a little as he swallowed, and watched with curiosity and amazement as his hands shook with the leftover adrenaline his vessel had still coursing through his veins. He was still in here, the mortal, desperately trying to hang on to himself in the depth of his simple mind, and Lucifer was astounded this body had the power to hold him without spontaneously combusting. Humans were stronger than he had initially thought, physically and mentally, although nothing compared to the power Lucifer held himself.
As his new eyes focused, Lucifer was able to forget about the mortal scrabbling at the edges of his mind and study the room. It was a simple, primitive room, with stones stuck together with clay for walls, a small fireplace found in the far wall, a wooden door held together and functional with iron nails and hinges, and a thatched roof hanging over his head, held together with tufty string and poles of wood. The furniture inside the room was as simple as the architecture. A sheepskin rug, a few rough-looking tables and chairs, shelves nailed to the walls precariously. On the tables there lay a sharpened knife, some gathered kindling for a fire in a basket by the fireplace, pots containing berries and some kind of meat on the shelves, and a very tattered leather-bound book sitting neglected on one of the chairs. By the look of it, the small, torn book hadn't been used very much and was more like a treasure to these mortals. Lucifer didn't suspect his vessel could read without him possessing him. They had chosen the most inconspicuous vessels for their trip down to earth, but now Lucifer thought of it, maybe that hadn't been the best of ideas, judging by the look of this place. He wasn't used to the simplicity of anything, so intricate and wonderful were the halls in heaven. He grimaced a little at the dust under his worn-looking boots, but decided to ignore the poor surroundings and maybe choose a more wealthy vessel next time.
Suddenly, someone clattered into the door, and Lucifer jumped backwards, almost slipping on the rug he stepped back onto. Standing in the doorway, a little hunched, as if he didn't know how to hold himself properly, was a young man, his hazel eyes wide and younger-looking than the rest of him. He wore trousers which looked too big for him, the ends of them muddy from trailing on the ground, and a baggy beige shirt, the sleeves far too long. His tawny hair fell down his back in a poorly-braided ponytail, and the skin which was visible was mottled with dirt. Despite this, he had a wide grin spread across his face.
"This is amazing!" Gabriel breathed, and Lucifer smiled too, the expression involuntary.
"I told you it'd be worth it, didn't I, little brother?" He said, his human voice surprising him, and he swallowed again to try to get rid of the dry sensation in his throat. Then he looked around the somewhat bare room again and frowned, "Although, we could have taken more... suitable vessels."
"They are both devout men," Gabriel shrugged, the gesture a little stiff, and dusted off his hands to try to rid them of dirt, "And I thought you were going for inconspicuous so we wouldn't be caught."
"That is true." Lucifer nodded. There was a pause while Gabriel studied him, and he could sense the confusion and wonderment about their human forms from his little brother. He smiled again, "Come, we did not come here only to marvel at our vessels." He started towards the door, and Gabriel stepped back obediently to let him through. Lucifer almost flinched at the small and seemingly polite gesture. Maybe one day Gabriel would loose some of the timidness their father had stricken into him, into all the young angels up in heaven, but perhaps not for a while yet, Lucifer reminded himself as he let slip a quick sad look for a moment. Turning away from him and walking down the narrow corridor towards the wooden door leading outside, he let his thoughts leave his brother and his father and the rules back home and back to the matter at hand, back to why he had come here. Back to finding Lilith.
For a second he was immobilised, his hand on the latch of the door. He had planned for a while to come down from heaven to visit the human he had been watching over for some time now, but now it was actually happening, and he had Gabriel watching his back, clueless about the real reason they were here, nervousness started to send him a not-entirely-unpleasant fluttering sensation in his chest. He didn't know if it was out of anticipation of finding and meeting Lilith, or of the childish glee at disobeying his father, or maybe even the thought at teaching Gabriel to live a little more freely, but he was suddenly more eager to get out of this house and breathe in the fresh air of Earth as a human. Well, as an angel possessing a human, but that was as close as he was willing to get to actual human form.
When he pushed open the door, letting a blast of cold air rush over him and Gabriel behind him, his eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the bright daylight before he could see properly, but when he could, Lucifer's eyes widened. It was so different looking at the Earth from the ground - everything seemed so much bigger and more detailed up close compared to a birds-eye view. He walked out of the door and onto the street, turning to see everything in sight, trying to take in as much of the Earth as he could. The cool air, the smell of woodsmoke, the crisp crunch of leaves and gravel underfoot, the warmth of the dappled sunlight through the trees. The sound and sight of people, of sheep, of rustling leaves. The green of the undergrowth, the brown of the fallen leaves, the bright, saturated blue of the sky and the fluffy whiteness of the clouds within it. It was beautiful, but perhaps much of its splendour came from the contrast to heaven. Everything was just so different.
"Whoa..." Lucifer heard Gabriel let out a sigh of wonder as he stepped away from the door too, almost crashing into a man walking hurriedly past and knocking whatever he was holding out of his hands. He apologised and stepped back again, hanging his head as the man shot him an angry look, readjusted his hold on his bag and scuttled off. A thought struck him, and Lucifer allowed himself a mischievous smirk before heading over to his brother again.
"Why the face? Remember, no one knows us here, or at least, who we really are, but that doesn't mean we have to let these apes push us around," He eyed the man who had almost collided with Gabriel, who was still running down the path, which seemed to be heading to a busier main road, "We are the archangels of The Lord, and right now, we can do whatever we want, brother mine." He gave Gabriel a confident look, and he smiled wider when his brother tried to return it, "Come."
They started down the road to the busier area of the village, Gabriel tagging along behind his brother, while Lucifer looked for the man who had rushed past. It didn't take long for him to catch back up to the man on the main road, even when the place was bustling with people. When Lucifer spotted him, he also spied what he was holding - a bag of fluffy white feathers, probably going to use as stuffing in furnishings for the richer inhabitants of the village. From what he could see, they looked pretty expensive and pretty rare - perhaps they were fresh dove feathers or some other kind of birds plumage, treated to give them their white, soft-looking quality. An idea started forming in his head, and he started smirking again.
Beckoning to Gabriel, he bent down a little to whisper something in his brother's ear. As he relayed his plan, he felt nervousness and anxiety wave off Gabriel, but just a little bit of mischievous glee had planted itself in his mind. Lucifer gave him a quick, sly wink and they both started jogging towards the man carrying the feathers, a little more gracefully than before, now they were both getting used to their human bodies. Lucifer came sauntering out in front of him, a large grin on his face. The man looked shocked and a little harassed as Lucifer appeared suddenly, as if he had robbed him of something. Perhaps he had, or at least, the human he was using as a vessel had.
"You...!" He started, but Lucifer raised his eyebrows and a hand.
"Excuse me, sir," Lucifer took down his hand again and drawled a little, confidence and friendly charm radiating from him as he beamed at the man, "Do you have a little time to talk about our Lord and saviour?"
For a second the man just looked confused and wary that maybe this was some kind of trick. Lucifer couldn't help but chuckled a bit, biting back a laugh, and opened his mouth as if to say something else, getting the mans attention again.
Then Gabriel poured the contents of the mans bag over his head.
Fluffy white down floated everywhere, getting lodged in the mans nose, ears and hair as he flailed in shock. He stumbled and choked a little, giving Lucifer and Gabriel a little time to scatter away before the man started yelling something incomprehensible, making a terrific scene as feathers cascaded around him, getting trampled into the muddy ground as they landed, and Lucifer thought a little guiltily about the loss, but didn't have much time to rethink his decision. People stopped to stare, and Lucifer had to push his way through a line of them, making room for Gabriel to rush past his shoulder.
They stopped running by an alleyway, sheltered from human eyes. Lucifer leant on the rough brick wall as he caught his breath and Gabriel put his hands on his knees, tucking his head into his chest and puffing into his too-big shirt. After a few moments wherein the two brothers just breathed heavily, regaining their balance, they both started laughing shakily.
"Having fun yet...?" Lucifer grinned, still panting a little, and Gabriel nodded, beaming widely as he straightened up again and leant against the opposite brick wall, facing Lucifer. For a few more seconds, the two panted in the alleyway, recovering further from their feather crusade. When they dared to slink out of the shadows again and back into the crowds of people heading this way and that, Lucifer started heading towards the outer reaches of the village, his mind suddenly dropping back to finding Lilith. The excited flutter in his chest returned at the thought, and his pace quickened a little.
"Hey, where're we going?" Gabriel asked cheerfully as he trotted after him again, obviously happy just to follow his big brother around now, all nervousness and anxiety gone from his tone as he looked around at every detail, taking it all in gladly. Lucifer glanced over his shoulder at him, wondering how he would react if he met Lilith and learnt that seeking her out had been Lucifer's plan all along.
"I'm, eh... Just checking something out. Something Michael once said about that human... Lilith," Lucifer shrugged casually as he sauntered on down the path, trying to make it clear it wasn't a serious topic, but he felt Gabriel frown at the name, and he sighed as his brother found recognition at the name. Here we go...
"Lilith? The Lilith?" Gabriel stopped in his tracks, and Lucifer turned to face him, stopping as well. He looked Gabriel up and down again for a while, not sure what to say, then sighed again with a little annoyance.
"Look," Lucifer gave him a stern, indignant look, "I just want to see her. You don't have to come if you don't want to, Gabriel."
Gabriel looked cheated, "Of course I want to come, but... Isn't she supposed to be..." He inhaled sharply, looking around him nervously as if people were hanging onto their every word, "...flawed?"
"We're all flawed, brother," Lucifer answered, with too much conviction in his voice than he had planned, and almost hit himself when he saw Gabriel flinch timidly, "Look," He said again, trying to sound more apologetic this time, his words chosen carefully, "We all have our different ways of looking at things. You're loyal to our father's word, and I understand that. Maybe it isn't your place to meet Lilith, but I want to at least get my own opinion on her. Okay?"
Gabriel looked sullen for another moment, like he was a child being told off for rash words, and Lucifer flinched inwardly as he reevaluated his words - he had seen that expression far too often around Gabriel. However, he was relieved when his brother nodded slowly.
"I'll... Go back into town. Check things out there, maybe," He shrugged a little, and a ghost of a smile returned to his lips, "I'll see you back there?"
"Yes," Lucifer smirked mischievously again, wondering how else they could make an impression back 'in town'. Gabriel scarpered off after his words, like Lucifer had given him a command. He watched his brother go with still a little sadness, but with more joy at the thought of him enjoying himself now, even after their small confrontation. He would make a fun-loving angel out of him yet.
After a few moments, his thoughts clicked back to Lilith, and he turned back to where he had been heading out of the village to the outer houses. People and horse-drawn carts passed him every now and then, and soon he came to a small ramshackle market by the side of the road, looking frayed and battered compared to the one inside the village. Poorer-looking people traded here, everyone looking wary and a little haunted. What kind of 'haven' was this Earth supposed to be? These people were not perfect as their father had explained them to be, not like the people lucky enough to live in the Garden - they were fighting for survival, clawing and thieving their way through life. Lucifer frowned and grimaced in distaste, looking down onto a man who had just nicked an apple from a stall without paying. The man looked up at him with tired, narrowed eyes. Everything about his being stabbed foreboding and intimidation at Lucifer, but he didn't back down or cower, as he suspected he was supposed to do when a look of evil surprise came across the man's grim face. He gave Lucifer a crooked grin with too many gaps in it and bit into the ripe green apple.
Lucifer swung a fist at the man, catching him right on his jaw. He felt unexpected pain seer from his knuckles, but a moment after healed them over again, locking the procedure into his mind so he would be able to use it again without hesitance. The man, who had been send reeling backwards at the unexpected hit, shook his head and stumbled as he tried to regain his balance, growling in anger, and people stopped to stare, but Lucifer merely pressed two fingers to his forehead and the man slumped onto the trampled ground, unconscious. People gasped all around, thinking the man dead, and eyed Lucifer with wary fear. He sighed and looked down onto the man, taking the bitten apple from the thief's hand and reforming it so it was whole again. Then he stepped over the still form of the man and sauntered over to the apple stall, trying to ignore the silent, stunned gazes of the people around him, where he placed the shining green apple back on the rack. He looked up to say something to the stall-keeper, but as his mouth opened and he laid eyes on the human in the stall, his words were lost.
There, standing in front of him, was Lilith. He knew her face like he knew the back of his own hand (well, his vessels hand) even though he had never actually met her. He had been watching her from heaven, but, like everything else, she was so much better up close. Her pale skin, seeming almost white framed by the stark contrast of her jet black hair. Her sparkling emerald eyes, catching the light every time they moved, with the black pupil showing Lucifer her soul in all it's beauty. The flawed yet perfect soul of someone who had been cast out of the Garden with not so much as a second thought from his cruel father. It was unfair how much God loved these other humans, how much he loved his angels, especially Lucifer himself, and yet spared no such love for Lilith.
For a moment, Lucifer just took in her features and her mind in awe, feeling as shell-shocked as the bystanders who had witnessed his assault on the thief, still lying unconscious behind him. Lilith stared back at him, recognition and shock in her perfect, sparkling eyes.
"Stanley?" She asked, her voice sounding like birdsong, and Lucifer felt a smile play on his lips at his vessels name, "What in Gods name did you do?"
Lucifer felt another nervous flutter at his fathers name, another reminder at how forbidden this was. He looked back at the thief, a little guilt sparking in his mind as he was able to push his heavenly matters aside, "He stole from you." He said innocently.
"You... killed him? How did you..." Lilith looked shocked and harassed that Lucifer had seemingly killed one of her 'customers', and he immediately leapt in.
"He's not dead, Lilith," He said, saying the name with new meaning, and his smile threatened to return, but he bit his lip instead, trying to make his voice serious and reassuring, "He is merely unconscious. And I am not Stanley, if that answers your other... unfinished question."
"What?" Lilith looked confused, but relieved the man was not dead. Lucifer was puzzled at the lack of hate she felt towards this man - was she really just going to forgive him like that for stealing her stock right underneath her eyes?
"I am not Stanley," He repeated. He felt wary about revealing himself as an angel with so many eyes still trained on him. Looking over his shoulder, he nodded to the baskets of apples on the racks, "Why don't we go somewhere more private?"
"Why?" Lilith looked suddenly wary and defensive, and still very confused. Lucifer felt her puzzlement at his request and, more heartbreakingly, at the fact that he was talking to her, as an equal, maybe even as an admired being. People here treated her like someone beneath them, and yet they were the scum of the earth petty enough to steal from each other.
"Please, come," Lucifer insisted, "Here, I'll help you carry these back to your home, if you like. I'll explain everything once we're away from... Here," He looked over his shoulder again at the people walking by, recovered from shock as the man started to come to, groaning at the headache Lucifer had given him, but still eyeing Lucifer and Lilith questioningly, trying to hint at her that they needed to be somewhere else to talk. Lilith seemed to understand, and nodded, her guard still up, as she came around the side of the stall and picked up one of the apple baskets. Lucifer took the other one, wondering how she got them both here on her own in the first place. Of course, he knew exactly how she had them - because of that apple tree he had blessed her with.
That had been her first blessing.
Many thanks to all those who reviewed, favourited and followed. You lovely comments made our day!