"I am very capable of doing my job without you here all the time," Chloe said as Lucifer walked up at the previous day's crime scene. She had arrived a few minutes earlier to make sure nothing was missed during the investigation.
"Yes, but as we both know I have proven myself an invaluable resource to have around," Lucifer answered.
"That's debatable," she replied and continued to look around the scene. Instead of following her around and generally getting in the way, Lucifer stood off a few feet and stared off into the distance.
"Hey, did you hear what I said?" she asked. Upon noticing that he was distracted she slyly asked, "How was your date?"
"It wasn't a date," he protested. "My dates usually end with a bit more satisfaction for all involved."
"She turned you down!" Chloe exclaimed in surprise, a big grin on her face. "Your mojo didn't work on her either. That's gotta hurt."
"I did not get turned down. I was told that meeting me at Lux after hours was unacceptable. That is definitely not turned down," Lucifer explained. "My "mojo" is working just fine."
"I take it she doesn't like Lux? Not into all that sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll?" she asked.
"I wouldn't go that far detective, although I do recall hearing the words stifling cesspool on occasion. Oriel prefers to see the moonlight and play with starlight and shadows when evening arrives as opposed to engaging with random humans," he said shaking his head in disbelief. As he was talking his mind went back again to the look of unease that crossed Oriel's face the night before.
"Random humans; nice. In other words, she's not a player, like you," Chloe said and then pressed on, "How long have you two known each other?"
"1,159 years, but who's counting," Lucifer said with a smile.
"I'm serious," she retorted with raised eyebrows. She had expected to hear five years at most, not over one thousand.
"As am I detective; feel free to ask Oriel yourself if you choose not to believe me," Lucifer told her seriously.
"You called. I'm here, and it better be good," Oriel said as she emerged from the shadows outside of Lux when she saw Lucifer pulling up in his Corvette. Chloe was close behind in her car and quickly got out, curious to see their interaction close up.
"Wait here for a bit," Lucifer told her as he exited his vehicle. His words received a distinct look of irritation and impatience from Oriel causing him to ask, "Would you rather wait inside?"
"Is this my punishment for not coming back to see you last night, Lucifer?" Oriel asked directly.
"Not at all," he answered slyly. "I have other things in mind for you."
"Take too long and I'm leaving," she said as he walked inside. Oriel then turned to Chloe who stood nearby and asked, "You don't happen to know what this is about, do you?"
"No, I didn't even see him call you," Chloe answered and tried to figure out when Lucifer could have called Oriel. He had been standing a little ways off, but was near enough that she would've seen and possibly even heard the call. She then remembered her earlier conversations with Lucifer and decided to try to get some answers. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Oriel replied curious to hear what the detective was going to ask.
"I know this is none of my business, but why do you put up with him?" Chloe asked. "He may be good-looking but there are tons of guys out there who wouldn't screw around and then use the excuse of being the devil to get away with it."
"First of all, it's not an excuse, he is the devil. I'm sure he told you that; he tells everyone," Oriel said as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. With her hair brushed away, the street lights were able to hit her eyes more, causing them to sparkle unnaturally and almost glow. "As for our relationship, connection, whatever you want to call it, I don't expect anyone to understand it. Sometimes, I still don't fully get it. And you're right; it is none of your business."
"You actually believe he is the devil?" Chloe questioned deliberately ignoring Oriel's verbal barb and odd gleaming eyes.
"Of course; he doesn't lie," Oriel said with an unwavering gaze. "It's the only thing he probably won't do."
"Then why – if he is the devil – do you do whatever it is the two of you do?" Chloe pressed.
"Nothing in life is black and white, Chloe, surely you know that," Oriel replied as she idly played with the shadows against the building. Chloe watched the dark areas change shape but chalked it up to a trick of the light and blurry vision. "That holds true for a person's motivation for doing something, as well as the concept of good and evil."
At that moment Lucifer emerged from Lux preventing Chloe from asking Oriel more, including how long the pair had known each other. "Good, you're still here. Get in," he said to Oriel and gestured to the passenger seat of the Corvette.
"Where are we going?" Oriel asked as they drove down the street.
"Somewhere that I hope is acceptable to your discerning tastes," Lucifer replied with a tinge of sarcasm.
"My tastes generally run to things that don't have a price tag attached; a concept very difficult for you to grasp. Don't take it personally, you know I find the whole city oppressive not just Lux," she told him honestly. "Your police friend is interesting. She doesn't believe you are the devil himself."
"I know. I don't understand it," he said.
"What did you expect? This isn't the middle ages," Oriel told him. "I'm not sure what humans really believe anymore."
"They tell me there's a perfect view of the mountain from the patio. I do realize it's not a cave but it may meet your standards," Lucifer told Oriel as they pulled into a private driveway and got out of the car.
Oriel eyed him warily as he opened the door to the villa and moved aside allowing her to enter first. Lucifer was putting a whole lot of effort into catering to her preferences especially given that she flatly turned him down the previous night. She knew him well enough to realize he was up to something or wanted something at the very least.
"You're worried about meeting my standards? That doesn't happen often – if ever," she replied and looked around. The table in the dining room was immaculately set for two. A bottle of wine was chilling in a bucket of ice and plates held a perfect presentation of roasted and glazed pheasant, Oriel's favorite. "And there's food here, too! What are you up to?"
"Nothing. Now sit," he said as he pulled out a chair for her and then poured two glasses of wine. "It's been a while since we actually had a nice dinner together."
"You're always otherwise occupied," Oriel said with a wink as she sipped from the glass.
They ate and talked about inconsequential things for some time before Lucifer got to his point and said, "What did you see last night?"
"Since when do you care about the view of the landscape?" Oriel replied good-naturedly, not understanding what exactly he was asking.
"That is not what I meant?" he answered seriously. "You asked if I was sure that my father wouldn't let this world be destroyed. You didn't just come up with that. You saw something."
"I'm not a prophet or a seer, you know that," she said quietly not wanting to revisit the conversation or the shadows in her mind.
"I also know that you can follow a situation for a bit and see probable outcomes even if they are unclear. Oriel, you saw something. I know you too well for you to disguise your feelings from me; the unease on your face was obvious. What was it?" he said pressing her for an answer.
"Just shadows, as usual. Nothing distinct," she began.
"Oriel!" Lucifer growled loudly beginning to lose his temper.
"If I knew something definite, I would tell you. You know that. It's darkness and shadows; there's unrest and thoughts of retribution. When? I don't know. Who? I can't tell you that either. I'm sorry, Lucifer, I can't tell you more because I just don't know," she said and got up from the table and walked to look out the large glass patio doors. "If you'd like, I'll lead you down the thread and you can see for yourself."
"That won't be necessary, last time it wasn't pleasant. If it does become clear, you will tell me," he said in a tone that was midway between a question and a command as he came up to stand behind her.
"Haven't I always," Oriel replied. "Unfortunately, by time it becomes clear to me it may be too late."
"Are you satisfied now?" Oriel asked as she propped herself up on her arm.
"Hardly," he replied eyes flashing from where he lay next to her.
She laughed, "Makes me wonder why I wasn't tossed aside centuries ago. Maybe I'm like walking heroin for a very rebellious angel."
"Possibly," he admitted and laughed when he heard the reference he had used on occasion. "Everyone has their vices, except for you; I don't think I'm your addiction."
"Once you pass one thousand years it's very hard to pass someone off as a casual fling," Oriel replied mischievously before becoming serious. "I've learned to compartmentalize to survive. It doesn't help that every time you're around I'm waiting to get immolated by a lightning bolt or turned into a pillar of salt."
"Not going to happen," Lucifer said surely. "My father has no gripe with you."
"And you know this because you sat down and had this great father-son conversation last week?" she asked with a smile.
"I'm pretty sure dad does not want to see me much less speak to me," he told her. "If there was a problem, I'm sure you would have been dealt with by now. It's been over a millennia."
"That's almost reassuring," she said and got out of the bed gathering the sheet around her.
Oriel walked across the room and out the patio doors. The villa they were at was secluded with a small expanse of lawn and trees surrounding it. She stood outside and gazed up at the full moon and starry night sky silently deciding she was quite happy with the choice of meeting spots. Lucifer watched her leave the bed and walk outdoors; he allowed her a minute or two to herself before following her.
"I take it the peri fae finds this acceptable?" Lucifer asked as he stood next to her totally naked.
"Peri fae? Covering a lot of bases with that combination. I think I like it better than demon, though," she replied quietly and then eyed him up and down. "Did you forget something?"
"No. You took the sheet," he answered in a teasing tone. "Unlike you, I can't craft fabric from shadows."
"It does come in handy," Oriel told him.
"Especially when the devil visits you in the middle of the night and you're not wearing a stitch," Lucifer said recalling their very first meeting. He then tugged and grabbed the sheet from her.
"I wasn't expecting company. Maybe you should have knocked," she admonished him. As the sheet fell away, a short gown that glistened with the color of the moonlight was revealed. With a sideways glance at him, Oriel walked back inside the villa and crawled back into bed leaving him standing there with a sheet in his hands.
"I decided to never knock again in that very moment," Lucifer said as he followed her back inside and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. After a very short inner debate, he decided to ask her something that had been on his mind. He knew he could trust Oriel; after all, she had bound herself to him and there were no secrets between them. "I've been told I'm changing," he said.
"From whom?" she asked and sat up.
"Maze and Amenadiel, for starters," he answered. "Aside from impressing upon me, and you, how I am shirking my God-given duties, they tell me I'm getting soft. I would like your opinion on the matter."
"Lucifer, I don't see you every day or even every month for that matter," she said honestly. "I don't keep tabs on your every move when I'm not around or even when I am."
"I know all that Oriel, but I want to know what you think," he replied.
"Of course, you're changing. Living among humans changes you," she said gently. "I don't think you fully understood that, until now. I would say that it gets worse, but your very nature might protect you from that. Only time will tell whether you've changed for the worse."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that last part," Lucifer said. "What do you mean?"
"Right now, I don't know but when I see it, I'll tell you," Oriel said thoughtfully. "It's also my opinion that your changing has nothing whatsoever to do with performing your job in hell. You might want to think about that."
As she was speaking, Oriel traced her fingers along the scars on his back where his wings once were. He quickly pulled away and turned towards her his eyes flaming red. Her bright blue-green ones welled up with tears as she said, "It still breaks my heart that you would choose to mutilate yourself to stay here. Your wings were beautiful. There had to be another way."
"Says the one who blurs her beautiful eyes when around humans," Lucifer answered somberly.
"Yes, but I didn't gouge them out," Oriel responded quietly and pulled him back down next to her on the bed. Her blue-green eyes met his fiery red ones as she said, "I hope you have another bottle of wine around here somewhere because this evening has gotten way too serious. I think I really would have preferred a good spanking."
"Not to worry," he said with a wink. "The night's still young."
