The pawn shop owner was clearly trying to stiff her on the jewelry, but Lucy really needed money at the moment. She had just gotten a patent on one of her inventions and was waiting for the payoff. Careful not to make anything too advanced, Lucy would create new inventions and sell them to the highest bidder. This gave her the money she needed to buy the jewelry and not have to try to make money in every new world she came across. Her supplies were low now though.

A week staying in a nice motel in Los Angeles had drained most of her funds. If it wasn't for the possibility of meeting that angel dude again, Lucy would just find a place in the desert to sleep and lie low until they could leave. Taking Caan out of the hotel was too dangerous at the moment. His lack of energy had Lucy worried, and she wasn't sure that he would be able to flee if the situation arose.

The shop owner cleared his throat and looked at Lucy expectantly. They both knew that this was a bad deal for Lucy, but she really needed the money. He seemed to know that he had already won the argument. Lucy had already known when she bought the jewelry that she wouldn't be getting the full price back, but she hadn't expected to lose this much.

"Fine," Lucy said irritably, but the man didn't seem to care. Lucy watched with seething hatred as he almost skipped to the register.

He cheerfully rang her up at the counter and gave her the money. "Have a nice day," he said smugly as Lucy started to leave the store.

Lucy briefly considered torching the store before she left for a new world. It wasn't as though the cops would be able to find her once she got through the breach, but as she pushed open the door to leave, she glanced at the other unhappy employees. They didn't deserve that. They seemed to hate their boss more than she did. There would be a comeuppance for the jerk, but Lucy would have to plan it more carefully.

She smiled and replied before closing the door, "You too!"

The man looked at her in surprise as Lucy walked off with a smirk on her face. It would feel good to let off some steam. The past few days had been a nervous nightmare for Lucy, and she kept imagining that woman or angel would find where she was. Luckily it seemed that they either couldn't find her or didn't care enough to try. The second option was what Lucy was hoping for as it meant that she wouldn't have to worry much.

A tea shop on the corner caught her eye. A nice cup of tea would really hit the spot right now, but she didn't really have the funds to do so. She needed to have extra just in case Caan needed any new parts. Lucy sighed wistfully at the shop before turning the corner, almost running into a man.

"Oh, sorry," Lucy apologized before her blood ran cold.

"Oh, no problem," the man replied. The "angel" from the beach stared at her with warm brown eyes peering at her curiously. He smiled and tilted his head at her before asking, "Have we met before?"

"Uh… no," Lucy lied awkwardly and walked past him. "Have a good day, sir."

With a wave Lucy walked quickly through a crowd with the intention of at least slowing him down. She doubted that he'd gotten a good look, but she didn't want to stick around for the woman to show up.

"You're from the beach, aren't you?" he said from right beside her. He was wearing a catlike grin and easily keeping up with her.

Lucy silently cursed his long legs but said sternly, "No idea what you're talking about. Got places to be and things to do, so please excuse me."

"Liar," the man hissed irritably and still followed her. "But I have a proposition for you. A job."

Lucy stopped abruptly almost causing the man to run into her. He straightened his jacket and smiled again, but Lucy saw a flash of red in his eyes.

"So… what is it you desire most in this world?" he asked silkily.

Lucy almost felt like she was in a trance before she broke eye contact and began walking away again. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't do anything to her with all these people around, so she started thinking of a way to lose him.

"Right now I desire some peace and quiet," Lucy said abruptly, and the man let out a bark of laughter.

He kept in step with her and said cheerily, "Oh, you're one of the more… complex ones, aren't you? Rather distrustful as well."

Lucy said nothing and kept walking. She could see police officers in the distance and relaxed a little.

"Well, I'll cut right to the chase then. You know about my… peculiarity, and I would like to pay or exchange a favor for your silence," the man said causing Lucy to stop and judge him silently. "Well, you see, my Father is kind of… big of celestial secrets. So, if you know what you want, we can talk. My club is just right up the street there."

"Lucifer!" a woman's voice called out, and Lucy felt dread. Sure enough, the woman from before walked up to them and glared at Lucy. "Oh, you. I remember you. Are you going to be a problem? Because I would just love to solve you."

Lucy registered the threat but was unsure of what she really meant. Her voice sounded sultry, but the look in her eyes seemed to be aggressive.

"Mazikeen! Play nice. For now," Lucifer ordered. "Oh, I didn't catch your name, Miss?"

"That's because I didn't give it," Lucy replied evenly and met Maze's glare with one of her own. "You don't have to give me anything. I just would like some peace and quiet to do my work, and then leave."

"Leave?" Lucifer asked bewilderedly. "Why would anyone want to leave this place? It's wonderful."

"It's noisy, loud, and filled with people," Lucy said irritably. "So, thanks for the offer, but as I said… things to do."

She turned to walk away when Maze grabbed her hand and pinned her to the wall. Lucy felt Maze's body press up against hers.

Maze whispered in her ear, "Someone's not listening… naughty people get punished."

Lucy could hear Lucifer begin to protest, but she hooked her leg around Maze's and elbowed Maze in the throat with her free arm. Maze was caught by surprise and fell to the ground. At first, fury rose in Maze's eyes, but it was soon replaced by excitement.

"Maze, not now," Lucifer ordered. "I apologize for her behavior. She's had a… hellish upbringing. Please, come to the club tonight. No pressure."

Lucifer handed Lucy a card. "Lux" was printed on the card, and Lucy looked at Lucifer curiously. He gave her a smile and continued, "That will get you inside tonight. Free of charge. I would like to make sure that there aren't any hard feelings, and I'm sure that even you have something that you desire whether you want to admit it or not. I'll see you later."

Lucifer gestured for Maze to follow him with an easy confidence that both infuriated and intrigued Lucy. Maze glared at Lucy before following Lucifer down the street. Watching as they disappeared into a crowd of people, Lucy breathed a sigh of relief before she quickly took off in a different direction. She would wait a few hours before she went to Lux. Who knows. Perhaps she could get a job from him to make some quick cash before her invention paid off.

She didn't want to just take money from him. That seemed infinitely more sketchy and likely to bite her in the ass later, but she doubted that he would be know enough about human technology to be able to fix it. And it was more likely that he'd be willing to pay someone to fix it for him. Lucy smiled and walked back to the tea shop.

A cup of tea wouldn't be too much of an expenditure at the moment. As she waited in line, she contemplated going back to the motel to wait, but she was in Los Angeles. Why not take in some of the local sights while she was stuck here? And it wasn't like Caan was going to talk much anyway. He was still moping in the closet. D'Artagnan was with him, which caused Lucy to have some anxiety about the meeting at Lux. She didn't have either of her protectors with her at the moment, but she would be fine. After all, she had managed to hold her own against Maze. Even Lucifer had looked surprised.

Lucy smiled at the cashier as she gave her order and waited for her tea. It was a nice day outside, and there was some kind of art exhibit going on nearby. She briefly wondered if they would have any religious portraits. Lucifer's name still gave her chills, but he hadn't seemed to be as bad as people said. Maybe a little too carefree but he had at least seemed reasonable.

The barista called out her name, and Lucy grabbed her tea before taking a seat far from a window. She would do some exploring and swing by Lux to offer him her services. A deal with the devil sounded dangerous, but at this point it may well be worth it.