This was Hell or at least Lucy's version of Hell. Lucy walked into Lux to see women swinging from poles and people dancing close on each other to the music. Uncomfortable was a word that barely covered how Lucy was feeling, and she wanted to just find Lucifer and go. However, the bouncer had insisted that she wait here. He'd at least seemed nice as he told Lucy that it would only take a few minutes for someone to come for her. A hand on her shoulder made Lucy flinch and duck away. Maze gave her a curious look followed by a smirk as she led Lucy to an elevator.
"A little jumpy, aren't you?" Maze mocked as Lucy stepped inside.
"How's your leg feeling?" Lucy snapped back.
Maze glared at her before laughing and said cheerfully, "You could be fun if you took that stick out of your ass."
"I'd say that you could be a responsible adult, but I foresee no real conditions that would lead to that happening," Lucy replied with a fake smile.
"Ha! Who wants to be responsible?! That sounds like more torture than Hell. Oh. We're here," Maze called out as the elevator doors opened.
Lucy followed Maze from the elevator to see a bar lined with booze. She narrowed her eyes at Lucifer who came out of a room in a bathrobe. He smirked at her irritation before walking towards her. Lucy took a step back to create some space and thought that she saw his eyes flicker red again, but soon he was back to that annoying over-confidence.
"Thank you, Maze. Could you keep an eye on the party downstairs while we talk?" Lucifer said.
"Just one thing," Maze said gesturing for Lucifer to follow her.
Lucifer held up his pointer finger to Lucy and said, "One moment, please."
Lucy nodded as Lucifer went to talk to Maze privately. She looked around the room with curiosity. It seemed like a nice loft. There was a beautiful view, but the thing that interested Lucy the most was the piano. With a quick glance toward where Lucifer and Maze had disappeared, Lucy quietly walked to the piano. She couldn't resist lightly tapping one of the key and smiled.
"You like the piano?" Lucifer asked, and Lucy jumped slightly. He moved quieter than a cat. "Do you play?"
"Yes, or at least I used to."
"Do you want to play right now?"
Lucy stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights and mumbled, "I haven't played in a long time."
"But do you want to?" Lucifer asked again, more playfully.
Lucy moved to the piano and took a seat. Carefully thinking over what she would play, she decided on an old favorite of hers, one she could play without glancing at the sheet music. At first her fingers moved clumsily across the keys, but soon they seemed to find their way as Lucy was swept up by the music. The bittersweet melody echoed through the loft. As she finished, she looked up to see Lucifer eyeing her with amusement.
"It takes a foolhardily brave person to play 'Hallelujah' in front of the devil," Lucifer said with a smirk.
"It's a beautiful song," Lucy replied defensively as Lucifer sat beside her.
"Fine, but how about something a little more upbeat?"
"Fine," Lucy snapped back and smirked. If he wanted upbeat, she could give him that. Smiling as her hands danced along the keys, she looked over to see Lucifer looking very confused.
"I've never heard this piece before. What's it called?"
"It's more of a theme than a piece. The Mario Brothers," Lucy replied smugly.
"Well, it's rather simple. Do you like these Mario brothers?"
"I'd say that they're super," Lucy said with a straight face as Lucifer gave her a curious look. "Those are the only ones that I can play without checking the sheet music."
"A true musician doesn't need sheet music," Lucifer scoffed.
"Well, I'm not a true musician then. I'm better at fixing things."
"What kind of things?"
"Electronics, cars, those kinds of things. I also create things in my spare time."
"What kinds of things? Any kinky things?" Lucifer asked playfully, and Lucy rolled her eyes.
"No, devices to make life easier I guess."
"Are you afraid that I'll steal your big ideas?" Lucifer asked with amusement.
"No, they're just a way for me to make money."
"So, you do want the money then?" Lucifer asked and got up to dig through his drawer.
"No," Lucy said and stood up from the bench. "I'm just asking that you keep me in mind if you have any electronics that break or need help setting things up."
Lucifer watched her carefully as though observing a new type of creature. He finally said, "Okay. That will work, and in return you won't say anything about my business."
"You've got yourself a deal," Lucy agreed and held out her hand.
Lucifer shook her hand with an amused look and asked, "And how will I title your checks? Mystery girl?"
"Lucy Allen is fine."
Lucifer smiled wider at her name and laughed. "Is that why you wouldn't give me your name? Because it's similar to mine?"
"It's cute how you think everything's about you," Lucy replied in a deadpan tone, even though she knew he was at last half-right.
"Oh, Lucy, everything is about me."
Lucy raised an eyebrow and pulled out her number that she had written on a napkin. It was to a disposable, so Lucy wasn't worried about giving him her number. If he got too annoying, she would just trash it at the first opportunity.
He took the number and seemed to think of something. He admitted, "There was a light that went out today. Could you take a look at it?"
"Oh, sure," Lucy replied cheerfully. A chance to make some money was always welcome.
"Maze will take you to it. I was just going to toss it, but this might be more 'eco-friendly,'" Lucifer said before walking into the room.
Maze soon walked out and said, "Follow me, Lucy."
Lucy rolled her eyes but followed. Maze took her downstairs to where one of the spot lights was sitting on a bin. Opening it to peer inside, Lucy found a couple wires that got damaged, but everything else looked fine. Lucy excused herself to go buy more wires and made it to a nearby store right before it closed. Thanking the manager, she walked back to Lux and began the repairs. Maze watched her work with a look of entertainment while occasionally throwing flirtatious glances to the other employees.
After about ten minutes of work, Lucy leaned back on the wall, pleased with her work. Luck plugged in the power cord to test it. The light turned on and brightened the room until Lucy unplugged it again. A laugh caught her attention, and she turned to see Lucifer in a suit walking toward her.
"You really fixed it," Lucifer said with amusement.
"Uh, yeah. That's kind of what I do," Lucy replied as Maze looked over her work with confusion.
"Here. For tonight," Lucifer handed her a hundred-dollar bill, and Lucy began to protest. "Take it. Consider it your signing on bonus."
"Uh, okay," Lucy said hesitantly, and Lucifer gave her a smile. "So… good night, I guess."
"You're not going to stay?" Lucifer asked disbelievingly. "You should stay and see the benefits of your work. And get a good look at the girls… or guys. They're rather enticing as well. Or you could play a song. Maybe someone here will like your Mario brothers song. We might have a book with sheet music somewhere although I can't guarantee the quality of the songs."
"The only thing I want to 'get a good look at' is the inside of my eyelids," Lucy replied, and Lucifer looked like he couldn't handle that level of disregard. "And I'm too tired to play right now."
"I've seen elderly people with more spunk," Lucifer replied haughtily.
Lucy rolled her eyes and waved goodbye. Footsteps behind her made her look back; for the devil, he had weirdly effective puppy eyes. With a sigh Lucy turned around and asked, "One song as long as someone can find the sheet music."
Lucifer immediately ordered one of the staff to find the booklet while he took Lucy by the arm and led her to the piano. He chatted with some of the partiers as Lucy tried to maintain a sense of calm. What would these people think of her music? They seemed somewhat excited by Lucy's presence. She took a deep breath as the staff member brought her a barely used booklet.
The songs were older ones, but those were typically the ones Lucy loved to play on the piano. She flipped through the pages as people stopped by to chat to Lucifer. He laid the charm on rather thick for Lucy's liking, but who was she to judge? She stopped as a song caught her eye. She believed that this group might appreciate it, but if they didn't, she didn't really care. This would probably be the last time she played here anyway.
The room went quiet as Lucy set up the book on the piano. It took a few second after she started playing for Lucifer to catch on to the song. He started to sing as Lucy played "California Dreaming" on the piano. For a few moments she was reminded of when she and her brother would do the same thing. A small, bittersweet smile crept onto her face as she once again lost herself in the music.