Later that evening, Chloe showed Oriel to her room and left her without posing any further questions. Oriel slipped off her shoes and reclined on the bed. She laid there and tried to sleep in order to put off going to Lux as long as possible. Sleep, however, did not come; bits of conversation with Lucifer, particularly the part about his getting shot, kept replaying in her mind.
It was close to 3 am when Oriel finally appeared in Lucifer's private chambers at Lux and she was surprised by the utter silence that pervaded the area. Knowing Lucifer as she did, Oriel had clothed herself in a long gown of shadows in case one of his pretty faces happened to be wandering around; at the least, she would look as if she belonged there.
Although the large room was mostly dark, her inhuman eyes allowed her to be able to see quite clearly. As Oriel looked around the in the darkness and quietly perused the bookshelves she called upon the binding she had with Lucifer to see where he was. The binding that Amenadiel brought up so often and was so curious about was simple at best. Oriel had not sworn an eternal alliance to Lucifer – that was too extreme of a deal to make with the devil; rather, she had provided him a way to be assured of her existence, and conversely her of his. Lucifer had agreed to the unorthodox agreement, and had even suggested it to a certain extent, given the state he had found her in upon their first meeting.
Through the binding, it was as if an infinitesimal piece of each's essence resided in the other. Oriel and Lucifer could find each other at any time no matter where the other was – all it took was a bit of concentration and unearthly power. It was the means they used to contact each other over the centuries. In all that time, neither had ever abused the binding for spying or stalking the other. Oriel knew that Lucifer was in Hell, a place she could not go to; she also had no desire to see how he occupied himself there. For his part, Lucifer was mostly content with their earthly meetings; despite his intense curiosity and devilish power the realm where Oriel resided was barred to him.
Oriel touched on the bit of his potent presence inside her being and used it and her innate abilities to lead her mind to his physical being. Immediately Oriel knew Lucifer was asleep, surprisingly alone. She moved around the room as silent as possible not wanting to wake him while simultaneously hoping that whatever was watching him would show up.
"It's about time. I was waiting for you," Lucifer said a bit petulantly as he walked into the room wearing only black silk boxers. She hadn't counted on the slight touch of her power rousing him from sleep. Though he had been shot and bled, all of his immortal powers had not disappeared.
Oriel turned and let her eyes linger on him before putting a finger to her lips to silence him from saying any more. Her eyes glowed as she peered curiously into a darkened corner and used all her powers to sense if something was there. Lucifer walked towards her also looking in the same direction. Despite not sensing anything, Oriel crafted a circle of witch fire around where she stood.
"Oriel, the carpet! It's one-of-a-kind," Lucifer protested in a loud whisper concerned about the Persian rug that now had an arc of an otherworldly fire burning bluish-white over a corner.
"Stop worrying about your carpet and get inside the circle, Mister Imightbemortal," she whispered back. "This is for your benefit, not mine."
He stepped in close behind her and put an arm around her waist. "Mmmm; I almost forgot how cool shadows are to the touch."
"There's been an unknown entity watching you and you're thinking about shadows?" Oriel asked in a hushed tone. Even with all her senses on high alert, she could find nothing in the room or anywhere in Lux. Whatever he had felt there earlier was gone.
"To be honest, I wasn't exactly thinking about shadows," he whispered and bent to kiss the back of her neck.
"This is serious," she replied not in the mood for his teasing. "You're not at 100%."
"Would you care to test your theory out?" Lucifer asked her with a raise of his eyebrows. As he spoke, Oriel slowly turned around in his arms. "You might be surprised. Besides, I can tell as well as you that there is nothing here at this very moment."
"I guess I forgot to mention earlier that I'm pissed at you?" she asked him slowly. Even in bare feet, she was quite tall and barely had to tilt her head slightly to look up at him.
"Pissed at me?" he repeated quizzically.
"Yes, pissed. Angry. Miffed. Upset. Riled," Oriel stated angrily and pulled away. As she stepped back from him the circle died down leaving the carpet untouched by flame. "Need I continue?"
"No. I did hear and understand you the first time, Oriel," Lucifer answered as he looked at her truly confused by her words. "However, I don't understand why you're upset."
"You got shot – granted, it was at your own request – and very carefully and craftily kept it from me," she explained. "Covering that up took some effort on your part; that is why I am upset."
"I was just as surprised as you to find out I could get hurt," he replied and stalked off towards the bar. Standing behind the dimly lit counter, he grabbed a glass and a bottle of Glenmorangie Signet and poured as she watched silently.
"Surprised or exhilarated?" she challenged and followed him over to the bar which she illuminated further with witchfire. "I'm quite sure I know the answer but I would like to hear it from you." He drank down the Scotch in one swallow and poured another.
"It does add a bit of excitement to what could be a rather mundane existence," he admitted. She shook her head as his words gave her with the affirmation of what she had been thinking, and what she had told Chloe earlier.
"At least some things, like your brazen impulsiveness, never change," she told him and grabbed the glass before he could take it. She took a sip and kept her hand wrapped around the tumbler as he looked on irritably. "Since you may be somewhat, or all, mortal now, you should acquaint yourself with the word cirrhosis; it doesn't seem pleasant. However, if you insist on keeping this habit of yours, I would suggest getting some Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve whiskey into your collection; might as well make potential mortal health issues worth it."
"Yes, I covered it up. How was I to tell you – who has the deepest desire for me to stay alive – that I almost got myself killed?" he asked her seriously and pulled another glass from under the bar and poured a drink for himself. "I knew it would upset and possibly anger you."
"Guess what, Lucifer – I'm upset and definitely angry, even more than I would've been otherwise, so I think your plan backfired," Oriel shot back angrily and finished the drink.
"I am … sorry," Lucifer said with hesitation.
"Are you saying that because you actually are or because that's what you think you should say?" she questioned. When it came to Lucifer, Oriel always kept who she was dealing with foremost in her mind. His self-centered view of things generally meant that the need to apologize rarely entered his mind.
"Both," he told her with a wicked smile and poured more of the Scotch into her glass. As her anger passed and as Lucifer watched a small smile starting to form on her lips he continued, "Since you're here, why don't you stay?"
"No," Oriel answered unequivocally, "and you know precisely why I won't."
"Oriel you are safe here," Lucifer told her. "Maze is sworn to protect me."
"Yes, you," she replied meeting his dark eyes with her light ones. "Me, she would prefer dead and would not have a problem helping me on my way."
"She would not dare try to harm you in any way," he said with absolute certainty.
"Maybe not before, but now that Mazikeen knows you're not completely yourself, I'm not willing to take that chance," Oriel stated her eyes flashing brightly. "I would hate to end her existence after she has served you so long."
"The well-hidden predator emerges. It's been a while since I've seen that in you," he chuckled and looked at Oriel appreciatively. "Are you sure you won't stay?"
Oriel let her eyes remain on him for some time as she considered it. After some thought, she emptied her glass with one swallow and leaned over the bar to kiss him deeply.
"Goodnight, Lucifer," she said before disappearing.
"Bloody hell," he muttered as the witch light disappeared as Oriel vanished. He drained the Scotch from his glass, set the tumbler down and went back to bed.
Once she returned to the detective's home, Oriel found she still couldn't sleep despite being exhausted. As soon as she heard Chloe awake and moving about, she gave up on the idea and emerged from the bedroom.
"Have you decided when you're going to go to Lux?" Chloe asked Oriel early the next morning.
"I was there last night," Oriel told the detective. "It was quiet; nothing unseemly lurking about."
"You were there?" Chloe asked incredulous. "I didn't hear you leave … or return for that matter."
"Are you a ninja like my doll? She does that when she's not being a ballerina," Trixie asked Oriel as she grabbed her book bag.
"I prefer being a ninja all the time," Oriel laughed with a wink at her. She then turned to Chloe and said, "I went there about three or so; I stayed for a while, neither saw nor felt anything and then came back here."
"Three? In the morning?" Chloe questioned and watched Trixie go out the door and get onto the school bus.
Oriel nodded, "Seemed like as good a time as any, especially when you can't sleep."
"How did you get there? Call an Uber?" Chloe probed thinking that Oriel was not telling her the whole story.
"What's an Uber?" Oriel asked seriously.
"You don't know Uber? Lucifer said you don't have a cell phone, so I guess you wouldn't know that either," Chloe said while Oriel nodded in agreement. Chloe then continued her questioning, "How did you get to Lux and back then?"
"Same way I get everywhere; I took myself," Oriel stated honestly.
"Wait … I get it; if he's the devil, you're the angel?" Chloe exclaimed thinking she had figured out their delusions.
"I'm not an angel; for starters, I don't have wings," Oriel laughed.
"Well, Lucifer doesn't have horns or a tail. He said that's all in the stories, so maybe it's the same for angel wings," Chloe told her eager to see where this conversation would lead.
"No, in this case the stories got it right," Oriel assured her. "Angels really do have wings."
"You've seen them?" Chloe asked with disbelief. The more she spoke with Oriel, the more she was beginning to believe that she was as strange as Lucifer.
"Yes," Oriel answered matter-of-factly, "As you would imagine they're beyond beautiful. Awe inspiring, actually."
"O-o-kay. You're not an angel – no wings. So, you're a demon?" Chloe postulated.
"It's not that clear cut; some demons do have wings; impressive ones, too," Oriel explained thoughtfully. "In any case, I'm not a demon – even though Lucifer does like to call me that when I don't do what he wants. The stories that say my kind are demons stem from human misunderstanding and fear."
"Your kind? What are you?" Chloe asked interested to find out what exactly Oriel thought she was.
"I'm what has been called fae or aos sí. In English, you would probably be more familiar with the term fair folk," Oriel replied.
"Fae? A fairy?" Chloe inquired, now sure that Lucifer and Oriel were not quite right.
"Close enough. I like the way aos sí sounds though. Chloe, forget Disney; Tinkerbell isn't even close to truth. Celestially speaking, there are angels, there are demons, and then us," Oriel answered simultaneously annoyed and amused. She almost understood why Lucifer asked to be shot to prove his identity; almost.
"Angels, demons and fairies?" Chloe repeated in a tone that one would use with a small child.
Oriel nodded and began speaking, "It goes like this: Lucifer revolted; those that followed him were tossed into Hell right along with him as demons and the gates to Heaven were shut. Those who remained with God kept their angel status in Heaven. Those who did not choose a side became fae. Seen as not good enough for heaven and not bad enough for hell they were exiled to earth, soulless, never able to reach either place again."
"And this happened about 1300 years ago?" Chloe asked as she remembered what Oriel had said about her age the previous day.
"No, the revolt and exile took place eons ago. I wasn't there," Oriel answered guessing Chloe's train of thought by her question.
"But you're one of them? That's a little odd, don't you think?" Chloe pressed hoping that Oriel would stumble in an answer.
"Genetics is a tricky thing; toss in a little immortality somewhere along the way and look what happens later," Oriel stated and gestured with her hand motioning from her head to her feet.
"Who told you that you are — aos sí?" Chloe questioned slowly. "Your parents?"
"I was abandoned at birth," Oriel replied simply and with an easy smile as she watched Chloe's expression. "As I told you before, whether or not you believe does not change what I am."
"You and Lucifer are quite a pair," Chloe told Oriel and then gathered her things. Chloe had many things to discuss with Lucifer when she saw him that day.
