Hazbin Hotel: Lucifer and Alastor's Sitting Room

The Bringer of Carnage some called him. Some even believed him to be the embodiment of death itself. Yet for all his lofty titles, powers, and infamy, he couldn't bring himself to simply knock on a door. He and Lucifer had a history, a complicated past. He'd driven the man to the brink and he'd almost jumped. He'd made him sink so low that he contemplated total surrender and to a sinner no less. But the weight hanging over both of them was almost unpalpable. Eve had only served to remind him that unless they were united, they would both certainly fall. "You know simply staring at a door isn't going to guarantee it will open" And then there was Alastor. If anyone could keep Lucifer from coming back to the darkness of his own mind it was The Radio Demon. "I need to talk to him Alastor. He needs to know that what I'm doing…it's real, not just some hoax." Alastor's shadow loomed over them, horns growing wide as he summed up the self-proclaimed "Lord of Darkness".

Caine knew the sounds of the dark. How it filled the room, caused the walls to strain under the pressure. He knew it's brush against his skin, its tender inviting caress as it bade him away from the light "Alastor, I thought you better. Attacking while a man's back is turned…" He touched the top of his cane, prepared to pull it if he had to. "If you think I mean harm you're mistaken, but I can harm if forced to" Alastor retracted his shadow form, though the dials in his eyes remained "I'm watching you Caine…always watching" he said it in his creepy radio voice as if to scare him and drive his point home. Caine saw through Alastor's parlor tricks and petty threats. He was not some fresh sinner wandering around the streets. "Don't think because I seek to change myself that any of my power has reduced. In fac, lately…it's only intensified" as a show of force, he clenched his fingers and Alastor's shadow form reappeared on the wall, starting to writhe in pain. Its wails filled the hallways, screeches that would shatter glass. Alastor turned around to see this and then faced Caine once more "Fine you've made your point!" He let it go on a bit longer before unclenching his fingers. Alastor's shadow retreated to him like a wounded puppy "I'll see if he's willing to receive"

The overlord dissolved into darkness. Caine could hear raised voices from the other side of the door shortly after. Clearly The King did not want to see him, but as always Alastor could be very persuasive. An excellent tool. Finally, the door opened, Alastor standing there regal as ever "He'll see you now…" he put on his most pleasant voice as he stood aside for Caine to enter their sitting room. Lucifer was facing the fireplace, a very full glass of some kind of dark liquor in his hand. "What do you want?" He didn't even look at him, just stayed looking into the fire. That was an excellent question and not one Caine had any ready answer to "I suppose I'm here to try and make some kind of amends. As much as we can given our history" That much was true. If either of them was going to move on, they would have to come to some kind of truce. Not just for their sake, but the sake of everyone around them.

Lucifer just laughed "Amends…alright we can make amends. First you make amends for what you did, let's start there" he turned, and Caine could see in his eyes was pure unfiltered murderous rage. This was not going to be easy "You make amends for tearing through pentagram city, for toppling it on its head and turning everyone in Hell against me. Let's see you make amends for bringing me to my knees, for practically having to BEG!" the glass in his hand shattered and began to turn into his full demon form. "You want to make amends!? Well, here's your amends!" he threw a blast of his magic at Caine's feet, the overlord not even flinching. When he looked down, there was a short sword, just big enough to run him through "Fall on that and we'll be even…" He looked back up, between Lucifer and Alastor. Alastor was as unreadable as ever save for some twitching in his eyebrows. Curiosity perhaps?

Caine put his foot under the hilt of the small sword and tossed it straight up, catching it in his hand. He studied it as one would if they had made it themselves. "All these long years I wondered what would happen if we met again. Never thought you'd tell me to kill myself" he threw the sword into the floor where it disappeared in a flurry of Lucifer's magic. "Then again, I never thought we'd be meeting like this" He wasn't about to back down now. He was trying to take steps on his own, without Emily's hand. He was trying to put the effort in, why couldn't anyone see that. "I did what I had to do back then Lucifer and I won't apologize for it. We all serve our masters when we have to…I'm sure your radio demon can tell you something about that" Alastor's eyes went to dials and his horns started to stretch out "What did you say?"

Caine wasn't one to be intimidated by the likes of any overlord. He stood his ground "I'm sure you're both acquainted with a woman named Roo…. though I think Lucifer and I both know her by another name" That caused both of them to return to their normal forms, Lucifer's eyes turning to fear, Alastor only portraying that emotion by a worrying crease in his brow "She is the source of my powers. The reason I started that whole war in the first place. She forced me to do so…. after freeing me from the clutches of the Pharao's Eye. It wasn't my choice, a choice that had been made for me but that I'll be forever grateful for…." He looked away from them and had to close his eyes to center himself. This was wrong. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be talking to Lucifer, not yet. He had other places to be. "I interrupted your evening, I apologize" he turned in a flourish of his cloak and made to leave.

"She wanted the book, didn't she?" Lucifer finally spoke after processing what he'd just been told "She wants to destroy me" Caine's hand was on the door, he wanted to leave, but maybe Lucifer could see that this wasn't all his fault "Yes and Lilith. She wants to destroy everything you've made here, everything Charlie's made here. She feels she's owed that much." Seeing that it was starting to sink in for Lucifer, he decided it was time to leave "Look, you might not like me, and I might not like you, but make no mistake I would stand against her alongside any of you if it came to that. I'm not just going to let anyone, or anything, bring harm to this place after you've welcomed me in. Charlie may be sickeningly sweet and unbearably naïve, but I'm not going to let harm come to her. She's been unfailingly kind throughout all this, and Emily certainly seems to like her enough. Eve may be my mother, but anything she was ended a long time ago." He couldn't even remember the time she'd been a mother. Or that Adam had been anything to him at all. "Goodnight" he left before anymore could be said, before either of them could lose their tempers again. Why was it so hard to do these things without Emily?

Lucifer and Alastor said nothing after he left, Lucifer's magic making the glass reappear with alcohol in it and Alastor conjuring a drink for himself. "You see what I mean now don't you? He's definitely in love with that angel" Lucifer lowered himself into his chair. Yeah, he could see that. "He is…. but he's in love with this place too." He put his hand over his eyes and slid it down his face as he let out a groan "Charlie was right wasn't she Al?" The Radio Demon just shrugged "I still think him failing will be quite entertaining" he closed his eyes as he sipped his drink "But yes, Charlotte is correct. He is redeemable. Just don't ever tell anyone else I said that." Lucifer took a long drink as he rested his elbow on the arm of his chair, his cheek against his fist "I don't have the heart to tell him that Heaven will never allow him to be with her" Alastor opened one eye, his drink forgotten "Oh?" Lucifer looked over to him "The rules of the seraphim. No attachments. They're forbidden from having relationships" Alastor's grin returned "That's interesting…." Lucifer rolled his eyes "Al…don't."

Alastor put his hand against his chest as though hurt "Whatever do you mean? You think I'd use that information for my own gain?" Lucifer narrowed his eyes "I know you'd use that information for your own gain" he huffed "Apple pie I'm crushed…you think I'd stoop so low" then he grinned again "How about a bet?" Lucifer went back to his drink "I'm listening" Alastor conjured a calendar next to himself "It's 6 more months till the next exorcism. Plenty of time for a couple to fall in love. If they do, you win…. if they don't…I win" Lucifer looked at the calendar where a circle appeared around the exorcism date with a cupid and hearts. "If I win…. then you have to do something for me" He looked at Alastor with a knowing glance "Though I'm sure that's what you were going to ask from me anyway." Alastor snapped away the calendar, holding out his hand with a green ominous glow "Luci, you know me all too well" Lucifer's demon form appeared once more and they shook as a powerful glow surrounded them.