Today was the day!
Lucifer had more than earned his right to celebrate after the experiences he had been through recently. First: The Exterminations were ordered, his wife left him, his daughter was distant. Then Adam fucking Fell, bringing with him Corruption from a long-forgotten enemy. Adam alone would have been a bad enough fate, but to bring with him an extra danger- that was just Lucifer's luck. But now? Now he had the upper hand for the First time since the pearly gates closed in his face, he had the fucking upper hand. Rochele had given him the answer to his most pressing problem, and he would be able to defend Hell on the front line for the first time in his fucking life.
The Arcs weren't home. Heaven couldn't do shit.
Lucifer was currently the highest-ranking angel between the two, and he was no longer an angel. (Oh, how sweet that irony tasted. It might even be more delicious than whatever Adam was preparing for dinner. Though if those pancakes were any indication of what Adam could do with food, it would be a close call.)
He looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his bowtie, fixing his golden hair. He had to look flawless for Charlie and her friends tonight. This was a day of celebration, a day he had finally fucking earned. He was going to show his daughter a brighter future for her beloved Hell. He was going to be the dad she deserved. He grabbed either side of his bathroom sink, looking at himself straight on. "I've got this."
His reflection blinked, before shaking his head. "Or maybe I should have waited because I'm still not back to full power." It was his own voice speaking, but he knew the words were coming from the sneaky little shit that had weaseled his way into the mirror while Lucifer was distracted.
"Get out of there, fuck face." The Devil's expression went flat.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is clearly just your conscience talking." His reflection gave him a shit eating grin.
"That's the best you could think of? My conscience?"
"True, I suppose you don't have a fucking conscience since you're literally the Devil. That's on me."
"You know you're not allowed in my fucking room."
"I'm not in your room. I'm in the mirror. Hey wait stop-" Adam tried to protest as Lucifer snapped and a curtain appeared, dropping over the mirror in question. "You know, you really shouldn't be using your powers so lackadaisically" Adam' voice was coming from somewhere different now, but at least it was now Adam's voice and no longer Lucifer's. That reflection thing he could do was a fucking nightmare.
"Maybe I wouldn't be using my powers if you weren't using yours to be a little shit." Lucifer could see Adam, though not well as he was now in the reflection of the faucet.
"I have to practice."
"You don't have to practice in my fucking room."
"Once again: I am not in your room, technically speaking. I am in the reflection of your room which is its own, unique realm, and therefore doesn't count."
"Don't debate with the Devil, asshole," Lucifer picked a washcloth off the counter and draped it over the faucet. "You will lose." He turned to leave the bathroom, as all the reflective surfaces were going to be like a playground for Adam. He figured the First Man would grow bored eventually if Lucifer wasn't around to bother. He grabbed his cane from the wall, his hat was resting on top, he flipped it up onto his head.
"You really should rethink this dinner thing until you're like... one hundred percent better." There was Adam's voice again, but it was coming from above him. Lucifer hesitated... there was no goddamn way that Adam was hiding there. He slowly pulled his hat off of his head and he could see Adam faintly in the golden ring of the snake. Oh fuck no.
"Get out of there." Lucifer opened the door to his room, walking out into the hallway, hat still in hand. He started to shake the hat rather violently. He knew from their little escapade in Rochele's office that Adam did not need a full-sized reflection in order to pull himself from the mirror. Lucifer wanted him out of the snake. (It was made from the pieces of one of his shattered halos and the idea of Adam being inside, it left him feeling uneasy. The Archangels had two Halos; both had shattered when Lucifer was cast from Heaven's doorstep. One halo had mutated into his horns, fused into his skull. The other halo he had crafted into the serpent that circumvented his very fashionable hat.)
"That's really not doing anything to me, you know that right?" Adam didn't sound at all frustrated or even really annoyed by the Devil's attempts at removing him. Lucifer sighed. So much for going easy on the magic. He focused his magic into his hand as he flicked his fingers against the snake where Adam was peeking out. There was a flash of light and Adam flew out of the snake so fast he hit the opposing wall hard enough for his wings to pop out. "Ow! I thought you were taking it easy on the magic!"
"I told you to get out."
"Chill the fuck out. I was gonna." Adam picked himself up, brushing off his robes, and folding his wings back before retracting them into his back.
"I don't believe you."
"Why not? When have I ever lied to you?" Adam scoffed and Lucifer simply raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't give me that look. I barely lie to you. I am pretty open and honest about what a sack of shit you are. AND I told you about the Arcs."
"After several months." Lucifer reminded him. It was true that Adam had divulged quite the secret and even if redemption was possible, he had probably burned that golden bridge to the ground with his treachery. But that still didn't make him a trusted source. And in all fairness, that wasn't entirely Adam's fault. Being Corrupted made him an unreliable narrator. Things Adam genuinely believed to be true could have simply been fabrications of his mind. Though, when it came to the Archangels, all Lucifer had to do was look at Sera's expression to know that was true. "It's a dinner party Adam, not a fucking battle royale. I don't necessarily have to be at my top game to host a bunch of low-grade Sinners and my darling baby girl." Alastor would pose the biggest annoyance, but Lucifer assumed the Radio demon wasn't stupid enough to try something in front of Charlie. And if he was: Lucifer was still stronger. (Plus, he had a shit ton of holy water to just dump on the fucker. All he needed was a reason.)
"I still think it would be better to wait."
"Why the fuck do you even care?"
"Um, duh?" Adam looked annoyed by the question. He brought his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. "You literally own my soul right now. We made a deal. If you get fucked over I'm royally screwed." It figured Adam's reasoning was born from a desire to save his own skin.
"You're being paranoid." Lucifer waved the concern away with ease. Paranoia was a common symptom of Corruption. Adam didn't realize how big of a fucking deal that call was. Charlie had been begging him to put an end to the Exterminations since they started. And now, they were over. He deserved a right to celebrate. "I have so much security, that even if something went wrong- which it won't- the house has its own safety protocols. And also, you forget about my security intern." Lucifer knocked on the door with Lysander's name on it. (Of course, it was written on a note card and held up with tape, which didn't look incredibly professional, but getting official name plates had been on Lucifer's to-do list.) There was no answer. He knocked again. "Lysander, I have need of you."
"He's not in there, dumbass." Adam looked unamused.
"How would you know?"
"I've already seen him today. He and Syn are downstairs in the-" Adam cut himself off. "I'll get him." And with that he vanished again. Lucifer blinked for a moment before noticing how shiny and polished the floor looked.
"Did you polish the floors just so you could use that stupid fucking power of yours?"
A ghastly, pale hand popped out of the floor, and flipped him the middle finger before vanishing again. At least Adam was doing his job as a maid, however, it appeared as if his motivations were selfish. That was fine. It just motivated Lucifer to cover his mansion in carpet. Adam couldn't pop out of a fucking shag rug. Would it look terrible? Maybe. But he was the Devil, he could find a way to carpet his entire house and still make it look classy and speak.
"Sorry, Boss Man!" There was a flurry of footsteps and Lysander skidded into view at the bottom of the winding, marble staircase. "I was just doing rounds or whatever it is that security is supposed to do."
"Yeah... that's a really convincing alibi." Not that Lucifer cared all that much about Lysander's whereabouts. He can't have been far since Adam had only left a few minutes ago. He looked the intern up and down, squinting a bit as he noticed the unusual footwear. "Are you wearing bowling shoes?" Lysander looked at his own feet before looking up at his boss with a blank expression.
"No."
"Mmhm." Lucifer didn't have the energy to question this any further. Lysander was here now, that's what mattered. "I need you to be on high alert tonight. I'm having a special dinner with my beloved daughter and a few of her patrons from her hotel."
"I, uh... I can't do that, mate."
"The fuck do you mean you can't do that?" Lucifer's eyes narrowed at the intern. Lysander had never turned him down before, at least, not outright. "It's literally your job." He clapped his hands together, pointing them both at the Hellborn.
"I'm off tonight. It's my dad's birthday. You approved it like a month ago." Lysander reached into his pocket pulling out a note with Lucifer's signature. The Devil snatched the paper, and sure enough, it gave permission for Lysander to be off starting at noon and not returning for two days. Lucifer gave an annoyed sigh. Fine. He didn't need some Hellborn trainee. He was perfectly capable of protecting his own house.
"Never mind then, you go enjoy your time off with your dad."
"I got him a new gun." Lysander pulled out his phone and showed Lucifer a picture of a rather ornate looking sniper rifle that looked similar to the one Lysander always used, however, rather than being made of ice, with angelic steel components on the interior, this gun was pure angelic steel. It was one of Carmilla's, that much was obvious. Lysander swiped the photo and there was a picture of him with a translucent, bluish gray Sinner. Lucifer could see traces of the skeleton under the almost liquid looking skin. "That's him, you think it'll match his aesthetic? I went with steel gray and gold rather than cobalt and dandelion, and I have been second guessing my choices since I started."
"That's not the dad I talked to." Lucifer looked at the photo, then back at Lysander who could not have looked any less like the man in the picture. (Not that Sinners could reproduce. Nor could Lucifer remember the details of his discussion with Lysander's father in regards to his position. Angelic ale was incredibly potent, and Lucifer needed to stop agreeing to meetings when he was plastered.) "That's a Sinner."
"Yeah. No. That's my other dad."
"Right. Your other dad." Lucifer didn't really know if the Sinners and Hellborns typically got into long-term relationships due to the immortality difference. But that was neither here nor there. "Well tell him happy birthday for me." Well, that was slightly annoying. He was going to have Lysander shadow Charlie's evil bellhop all night. But now he had to rethink that idea.
"Yeah, I will!" Lysander gave him a thumbs up. "I mean, you could let Adam do security-"
"No." Lucifer cut him off.
"Yeah, I figured he would be cooking or whatever. But my reflection suggested it this morning so I figured I would bring it up."
"Your reflection suggested it?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, when I was brushing my teeth."
"And you didn't find that... weird?"
"Listen, boss, you're great and all. I love working here, but like, one time I woke up and walked into the kitchen and I was almost mauled by a giant duck that you made in the dead of night and set loose in the mansion. I just figured you made talking mirrors or some shit. It's none of my business how you spend your time. I just run security."
"For the record, talking reflections should be seen as a security risk in the future. That's Adam, by the way. He can move around in reflections. If you see anything fucky going on with a mirror involved, assume it's Adam and just cover it up." Lucifer still didn't know the extent of those stupid powers, and nor did he want to.
"Oh shit, that explains some stuff." Lysander put his hands on his hips. "Ah well, good luck with your party thing! I gotta finish..." he looked at his shoes, "packing." Lucifer wasn't really sure how to interpret his tone, but he had more to worry about.
"Your dismissed."
"Thanks boss!" And with that, Lysander hurried away. We'll, that only left Syn and Adam as his mansion staff. Quackers would be quarantined to the kitchen, Adam would be able to keep him in check. Syn... Syn would be another problem entirely. Maybe she should just stay in her room. Though Charlie wouldn't like that. His daughter had already developed quite the affinity for his floating calendar app.
"Syn!" He called to her and immediately she came zooming around the corner, smacking right into Lucifer's face.
"Master!"
"There you are." He pulled her off of him, getting a good look at the googly eyes that she had apparently kept after Adam had decided to decorate her like she was some sort of toy. "I have an important job for you. So, perhaps, we should get those eyes off of you."
"But then how will people know which way I am facing?"
"I just assume you are always facing forward."
"Master do you not like my makeover?"
"Do you like it?"
"Yes! Very much!" Well. That settled it. He couldn't bring himself to tell Syn to get rid of the eyes if she liked them. He would just have to hope the Sinners would be too in awe of his splendorous mansion to notice.
"Okay then, back to your task at hand. I am having a very fancy dinner tonight. I want you to be absolutely sure that none of Charlie's friends wander off. I have a lot of important, dangerous stuff around here. You don't want anyone to get hurt, do you?" It would be Syn's first big event (unless he counted the theme park. However, considering Sin had difficulty talking to the employees, Lucifer chose to call that a practice run.)
"A big mission from Master! I will do my very best! And I will be sure to give Adam a raise for being so cool!"
"You always do your best, but... um... what's this about Adam getting a raise?" Lucifer was on board for the first half of the sentence, but then Syn went off on a little tangent that he felt he needed to follow up on.
"My reflection told me this morning that I should give Adam a raise because of how cool and amazing he is!"
"..." If Lucifer had rolled his eyes any harder, they might have rolled out of his head. "Of course it did." He took a deep breath. "Syn, honey, if your reflection starts talking: That's just Adam. He can talk through reflections."
"Oh, how fun!"
"You mean: Oh, how annoying." Lucifer corrected. Speaking of which... where had Adam vanished to now? "Syn, do locate Adam for me if you will!"
"Locating: Adam." Syn's colors started to pulse gently as she scanned the house in search of the Sinner in question. (Really the only Sinner to grace the mansion halls since Lilith had left.) "Adam cannot be located on the premises." Of course he fucking couldn't.
"He's in the mirrors, dicking around. Don't worry about it." It was final. Lucifer was covering every surface in his house in carpeting. Would it make bathing weird in a carpeted tub? Absolutely. But fuck it. He was magic. He could figure out where that asshole had wandered off to. "It's fine, Syn, I can find him." It was pointless to use Syn to locate Adam at this point. Lucifer was on his own. That was fine. He had been inside the mirror once, giving him a vague idea of how it worked. He went to the ornate banister that lined the stairway. It was a glistening, and most importantly, reflective gold. "Hey fuck-face, stop fucking about and come here or I am going to go in your room and start pouring water on everything you own." Adam had very little he cared about in the mansion; however, he was weirdly protective of his room.
"Wow, okay douchebag." It wasn't even a full minute before Adam's voice was heard. Lucifer could faintly see him in the gold. "I was just practicing using my badass new powers, no need to be such a whiney, little bitch about it."
"Hello Adam!"
"Hi Syn." Adam's tone was instantly less irritated as he greeted Lucifer's assistant. A hand pushed out of the thin, gilded railing, gripping the metal as Adam pulled himself free and back into the mansion proper. "I heard you were thinking about giving me a raise. I humbly accept."
"My reflection told me to do so!"
"She's not giving you a raise, dumbass. I told her about your little party trick." Lucifer had more important things on his plate today than humoring Adam. "And considering how much work you have to do for tonight that you are still not doing, I think a pay-cut is far more likely."
"Party trick? Fucking seriously?" Adam scoffed. "I think you mean: coolest Sinner power ever. Right Syn?"
"I have no idea what we are talking about."
"Just agree with me, Syn." Adam gave her a gentle nudge.
"I agree with Master! Always!"
"Traitor." Adam gave a little huff. Lucifer made a show of looking at his watch with disinterest.
"Don't you have something to be cooking?"
"You're still doing that dinner tonight? Even though Lysander has to go to his dad's birthday party?" The fact that Adam knew about the birthday was surprising, until he remembered that Adam could hear while he was flitting about in the mirror. He had probably just been eavesdropping. God, he was going to be more annoying than Vox when it came to trying to hide information. At least drones could be shot down. "That means you have no security."
"I'm my own security." Lucifer's pride made it impossible to back down at this point. He had already promised Charlie and he couldn't let her down, not ever again. Adam was just making a big fucking deal out of what basically equated to a fancy play date for his daughter. It was really just an excuse for Lucifer to see his daughter happy, proud of something he did. And after everything he had been going through, he fucking deserved it. Positive emotions helped keep Corruption at bay, so Adam's protests were probably a result of that black blood inside him trying to put a damper on Lucifer's path to recovery.
"You know how it would like... literally kill me to pay you a compliment?" Adam had his arms crossed, looking directly at the Devil. "I feel like it would kill you to ever admit that I'm right."
"The day that happens, I will personally get you that golden guitar." He knew Adam had been wanting one, as he was about as subtle as a punch to the face. Adam could always buy one himself, with his own money, however the First Man had been spending most of his paycheck on custom clothing, from what Lucifer could tell. (Though he did still default to wearing identical versions of his angelic robes. The reason as to why, was beyond the Devil's comprehension. But, perhaps, it made him feel closer to the paradise he lost. Or maybe it was the only thing that allowed for Adam's wings to go in and out comfortably. Who was to say?)
"I will have to make room for it in my room, since this is bound to be a disaster." Adam met Lucifer's gaze. "Tonight, you will dine on exquisite food, prepared by yours truly, hopefully the desert won't be too soured by the taste of your own words when you eat those afterward."
"So, you have started food prepping for tonight." Lucifer chose to ignore Adam's snide comment in favor on focusing on the positive part of his sentence. "Good. I was starting to worry."
"If Master is going to eat words, he will require them to be made without meat!"
"It's an expression, Syn." Lucifer held up a hand to quiet the little invention. "You keep an eye on Adam, make sure he actually gets his cooking done. I have many more important things that require my attention."
"Like your eleven o'clock meeting!"
"What? No. I thought we finally canceled that shit." There was no fucking way that Lucifer would be meeting with any Infernal Dignitaries when he was not operating at one hundred percent efficiency.
"They are very insistent."
"Tell them to come back later, then." Lucifer had been putting this meeting off for so long it was a little surprising that the Hellborns hadn't just given up or tried to corner him the few times he was out and about. "Charlie is going to be here for dinner, I can't be bogged down by meetings. Reschedule them."
"Yes Master!"
"And then keep an eye on Adam." Lucifer was glad that at least one of his employees was reliable. Sure, it was the one he had actually manufactured, but that didn't change the facts. Adam stuck his tongue out and Lucifer was amused by the fact that even that was split down the middle, half a deep, shadowy black, the other half an almost glowing white.
"I don't need a fucking babysitter."
"You literally do. Your first day here you covered my mansion walls in dicks." Lucifer smirked. "Now get to cooking. And make sure the dining hall and parlor are spotless for tonight. I want this dinner to go flawlessly."
"Then maybe you should have wai-"
"Hush, Adam, do you hear that? That's the sound of me not giving a fuck." Lucifer went so far as to reach up and pat Adam on the top of his head. This was a day for Lucifer to dwell in his own victory and Adam wasn't about to weigh him down with all his Corrupted negativity. For once, things were going to go his way.
"Don't fucking touch me, bitch." Adam swatted at Lucifer's hand. "I'm gonna go- but not because you told me to- it's because I have a roast in the oven that requires my immediate attention." At least he took his cooking seriously. That was probably the best he was going to get from the First Man.
"And I must inform the eleven o'clock that you are too busy for a meeting for the billionth time! They will not be pleased."
"If they yell at you, you have my permission to kick them out permanently." Lucifer assured her. There was no need for Syn to suffer at the hands of irate, pompous Dignitaries.
"Yes Master!" Syn flew into his cheek before zooming off down the hall. Adam had vanished, Lucifer assumed he had found a shiny bit of floor to fall into. Adam seemed to have forgone the concept of walking normally in favor of moving through the mirrors. It was truly an annoying fucking change, which was probably why Adam seemed to enjoy it so much. Eventually, Adam would get more of a mastery on his skills and Lucifer was starting to dread that day.
But that was a problem for the future. Right now, he had to make sure all the rooms that the guests would be seeing were up to his standards. (Despite his objections, Adam had actually done quite a bit of cleaning in his time under Lucifer's employment. He had done even more, it seemed, after discovering his powers. Though that was a double-edged sword as if Adam shined the floors till they glistened reflectively, then he would have free reign of that room. However, at least a majority of the main rooms were a great deal cleaner than they once were.) The Devil surveyed the results of Adam's work, checking for dust. Adam must have been up late into the night because many of the rooms were quite clean. Or maybe Syn had sensed Lucifer would want to throw a party and convinced Lysander to do some cleaning. As absurd as the thought was, it sounded a lot more likely than Adam buckling down and doing any genuinely useful labor.
Charlie would be thrilled to see the condition of her childhood home. Especially if she kept to the bottom floor. Lucifer doubted she would want to drag all her patrons to her bedroom, so the odds were in his favor that she would stick to the parlor, foyer, and dining room. With Adam in the kitchen, he doubted any of the Sinners would go in there, and thus Quackers wouldn't be a problem.
This was going very well. Adam was going to feel really fucking stupid when this whole dinner went off flawlessly and he was stuck watching Lucifer laughing and bonding with his daughter.
The Devil eventually returned to his room. He needed another dose of the Holy Water. It sucked because his throat was already raw from the prior doses. Usually, he would heal up pretty much instantly, but Adam's bite had put his healing factor into overdrive as his body fought against the Corruption. The constant battle had completely drained his energy, leaving his magic unreliable. However, Corruption had never liked anything blessed. And Holy Water seemed to give Lucifer's natural healing the edge it needed to finally, truly get rid of the Corruption once and for all. Of course it was a process. As strong as Rochele was, she was still just a Seraphim. (And honestly, when it came to Heaven, everything was a fucking process. It was like they were allergic to a direct approach to anything.) But everything was gradually returning to normal.
Crisis averted!
Lucifer took a big gulp of the water and winced as he could feel the heat, like acid, moving all the way through his body. But the pain was followed by an increase in energy. He would just keep chugging if he could tolerate it without having the water burn a literal hole through him and thereby undoing all the good that drinking it was causing him in the first place.
He took another swig right as his phone rang.
Well fuck. Who could that be?
Lucifer was surprised by the call, causing him to almost choke on the water, coughing some of it back up, which was worse than when it had gone down as the flecks of water burned his skin through his clothes as the droplets flew out of his mouth. He tried his best to stop the coughing fit before he answered the call. He squinted at the name on the screen. Carmilla? The fuck did she want?
"H-Hello?" Lucifer finally managed to catch his breath as his curiosity won out and he answered Carmilla's call.
"Lucifer, I'm pleased that you answered." Carmilla was polite, as always. Lucifer had appreciated her help before Adam's arrival. The least he could do was take one phone call from her.
"Yeah, I know you and I had like... a weird interaction last time we were face-to-face and I feel like I owe you, maybe, a little... well at least enough to answer your phone call... this time." He had missed a few in the past thanks to all the chaos with Adam, though, they had spoken briefly.
"Well, Zestial and I have been talking about the whole Love After Death Incident, and I even spoke with Rosie on the matter-"
"The what now?" Lucifer blinked, feeling a little bit out of the loop as Carmilla was talking. Was that code for something?
"The Love After Death Incident." Carmilla repeated the words with a different inflection as if that would somehow magically mean something to the Devil. Lucifer's silence must have spoken volumes because he heard her sigh, heavily, on the other end of the phone. "Seriously? It's been all anyone has talked about for two days."
"I don't talk to people, Carmilla, people are terrible."
"Right. Well, there were a bunch of riots during this one episode of a soap opera on one of Vox's many superfluous networks."
"Was there like, a bad plot twist?"
"That's the thing, no one can really tell me what the riots were about. Most report that the channel stopped working for them, as well as some other VoxTek equipment- which isn't overtly shocking because we all know his stuff is made with the idea of planned obsolescence. But the people who did see the episode have reported what can only be described as: an obsession with the episode in question."
"You're calling me because Vox has shitty tech and obsessive fans? Damn. In other news, Hell is hot and Michaels a little bitch."
"You're not listening. I'm not even sure how you managed to miss this entire fiasco." Carmilla sounded annoyed. "Listen, Zestial and I have talked to our Sinners and we think this sounds like something that requires further investigation."
"You and Zestial had this talk?"
"Yes."
"Zestial who's constituents are the Sinners in the Doomsday District? That Zestial? The one who's Sinners thought that when I sneezed during a speech two hundred years ago that Hell was going to fall into the void and be consumed by a secret society of lizard people?"
"I think you're missing the point here."
"I don't think I'm missing much of anything." Lucifer didn't entirely dismiss Carmilla's concerns, but he also didn't really want to get into an in-depth discussion about the state of things while he had some recovering to do. "But what I will miss, is my golden opportunity to get everything ready for tonight. I am having a private event to celebrate something, kind of big. I'll tell you before I tell the presses because we're such good friends." Also, it would get Carmilla off of his ass for sure.
"Big, you say?" Carmilla was onto his plan to distract her, he could tell from her voice. But that didn't matter. Once the next words were out of his mouth, Carmilla would only think about what a fucking awesome King he was.
"Huge. Monumental, even." Lucifer was enjoying the buildup. He could almost feel his ego swell with the anticipation of Carmilla's excitement.
"And are you going to tell me...?"
"Keep your fucking socks on." Lucifer pretended to get annoyed with her prodding, but he was loving the slow building of anticipation. "I, your King, most powerful being in All of Heaven or Hell," that was technically true at the moment since the Arcs had apparently fucked off on a nice vacation. (Probably all expenses paid. Heaven would love to rub that sort of shit in Lucifer's face.) "Have officially ended our contract with Heaven and brought an end to the Exterminations." He waited, but there was only silence on the other end. "You may applaud now."
"You... what!?"
"I ended the Exterminations. I told Heaven that I was sick of their shit and I wasn't about to put up with it any longer, so, they should just fuck off for the rest of eternity. Plus, they did break our contract."
"And..." Carmilla's voice was cautious, not exactly the reaction Lucifer had been going for, "what... exactly... did Michael say to this... incredibly well thought out and beautifully eloquent speech?"
"That's the best part! Michael isn't there! None of the Arcs are home. It's just the Seraphim!"
"Well, anyone can tell Sera to fuck off, that's not much of an accomplishment." Carmilla's tone was lackluster at best, and at worst, downright annoyed. "I did it plenty of times when we both served under Gabriel. Of course, I didn't say: fuck, obviously. But it had the same energy-"
"Carmilla, are you seriously missing the most important part of the fucking big reveal? No more Exterminations? Ever?"
"I mean, until Michael gets back. How long has he been gone? Why would all four of the Archangels even be gone?"
"I don't fucking know! It's not like they would tell me if I asked. I don't think Heaven's on the best of terms with us, are they? Adam doesn't know a lot of details, or if he does, he's not telling me." Lucifer had briefly explained Adam's existence to Carmilla- leaving out the bit about the Corruption because, quite frankly, it was none of her goddamn business and he didn't want her to get all panicky since she had been in Heaven the first time they had gone up against the Corruption and might have some weird trauma about the whole thing. Carmilla had enough to worry about without the looming threat of Corruption burrowing its way into her mind. (And he really didn't need her noticing he wasn't up to his usual, amazing standards and starting to put two and two together).
"He's loyal to Heaven. I'm surprised he even told you that much." Carmilla didn't have the highest opinion of Adam, and it showed. But that was fair given his role in the Exterminations.
"Yeah, well, I didn't give him much of a choice." Lucifer spun it to sound like he had a lot more to do with Adam's confession than he actually did. Adam had become forthcoming with the information the moment Sera had tried to screw them both over with the Exterminations. (And in Adam's defense, he might not remember any details given his Corrupted state. But Carmilla didn't know about that. And things were going to stay that way.) "So, who the fuck cares about the how's and whys of it all? The point is that the Exterminations are over, and I'm fucking amazing. You're welcome." Again, he was greeted mostly by silence. "Wow, you are a tough crowd. I literally stop the Exterminations and I am getting not even a thank you."
"You stopped them until the Archangels return, which is an unknown amount of time. Maybe you stopped them for a thousand years, maybe you stopped them for six months. You have no way of knowing."
"Has anyone ever told you that your kind of a fucking buzzkill?" Lucifer had not gotten the reception he deserved. Charlie had been a much better listener. She understood how amazing Lucifer's actions truly were. "But that's fine. Suck all the joy out of the room. I'm still going to celebrate my victory with my daughter and her friends at dinner tonight at the mansion-"
"What time?"
"Time?" Lucifer blinked. "Like six, but that doesn't-"
"I'll be there."
"I didn't invite you."
"Don't worry, your majesty, I understood the implied invitation. I have some things I would like to discuss in person anyway."
"There was no invitation." Lucifer could force the issue, but having Carmilla around might be a good buffer between himself and the Radio Demon. While Lucifer knew he was going to be the strongest one at the party by far, having another, powerful ally at the table wouldn't be such a terrible idea. "You know what? Fine. But don't bring any of your doom-and-gloom bullshit up around my daughter or you'll be out on your ass before you can count to three." Lucifer didn't need Carmilla's piss-poor attitude to rain on his well-deserved (metaphorical) parade. (He could have a literal parade later.)
"I'll see you at six." Carmilla seemed satisfied with his response.
"At six then." Lucifer would need to tell Adam about the addition, probably. But Adam was making extra food anyways, so it shouldn't put him behind. Worst-case scenario, Lucifer could summon something, or call in Cain. "Bye Carmilla."
"Goodbye, your majesty." And with that, she ended the call.
Well, that had not gone as planned. He had distracted Carmilla, at least temporarily. However, she had been a bit of a black cloud, smothering all the excitement and joy out of an absolutely massive victory for not just the Devil, but all of Hell. The fact that she didn't see that seemed to suggest she was spending too much time with Zestial and his paranoid Doomsayers. Perhaps Charlie could teach Carmilla the etiquette for how to properly react to amazing news.
The rest of the day passed rather quickly (though Adam wasn't thrilled about the additional guest- fortunately, his opinion held no water in Lucifer's house.) Lucifer made sure his appearance was flawless when he finally threw the door open to see his darling daughter, her loving girlfriend, and her parade of Sinner friends. However, some heads were missing, and there was an unexpected substitute.
"Char-Char!" Lucifer would ask questions after the big hug. "How are you my little apple pie!? You look great!"
"Thanks! It's what I always wear." Charlie gestured to her red suit. "Dad, you've met almost everyone here."
"The Bellhop is missing." Could Lucifer be so lucky? Among all the Sinner's faces there was not a fake, manipulative smile in the bunch. "And you brought... the TV guy?" Lucifer had met Vox before, briefly, he knew his name, but he wouldn't give the party-crasher the respect of admitting that fact.
"Vox has agreed to try out redemption! Isn't that great!? Alastor and Niffty will be here later, he had to attend to some urgent business." Charlie was too fucking smart to believe Vox was here for any other reason than an invite to an exclusive party. And it seemed Lucifer would only be free of the Radio Demon's wretched personality temporarily. Might as well make the most of the time.
"Well, I didn't have the chef prepare any human meat for... obvious reasons." Lucifer wouldn't do that to Adam. And he knew Alastor could eat things other than what he craved. The Cannibals that survived solely on human meat had a distinct look to them. "So, he will just have to leave early if he wants some."
"We don't serve it at the Hotel either, so I think he'll be fine." Charlie looked a bit green at the suggestion.
"Damn princess, I knew you were a rich bitch but your house is fucking incredible!" One of the Sinners, the spider, spoke up. Lucifer knew his name... it was some sort of drug reference. Mary Jane? No... ah. Angel Dust. That should have been easy to remember given Lucifer was the only real angel here.
"I heard your recently single." The small Sinner that had once interrupted Lucifer's song battle with Alastor right before he inevitably crushed the Sinner in an epic musical victory- Mimzy- That was her name- adjusted her dress, fanning herself.
"Right. Well, we are here to celebrate!" Lucifer stepped away from her, gesturing to the other Sinners. "Come in! Come in!"
"Thank you for your hospitality, your majesty." Vox made a show of bowing in front of Lucifer as he entered. That fake smile could rival Alastor's for how annoyingly forced it was. Lucifer simply blinked at him.
"You're here because you manipulated my daughter into pitying you. You were not invited."
"Dad!" Charlie protested her father's flawless analysis of the situation. Vaggie snorted.
"I mean, he's not wrong. But just know, Charlie got the upper hand in the end."
"You got fucked!" Angel seemed to enjoy laughing at Vox's expense. This was good. Lucifer was making a good impression on Charlie's friends. If they adored him, his daughter would only love him more.
"Go easy on him, you know Val kicked him out." The bartender, Husk (who may or may not be a sphinx according to Lucifer's ongoing debate with Adam) sounded far from empathetic and more amused as he spoke.
"Not what happened." Vox's voice sounded strained but his smile didn't falter.
"So, is there gonna be booze at this thing? I mean, the mansion is sick and all that shit, but I wanna drink rich people alcohol that isn't from Husk's magic hat." The explosive Sinner that had joined Charlie's hotel at the reopening party, Lucifer couldn't recall her name for the life of him, put an arm around Husk, and another around Angel. "No shade to the magic hat, I fucking love that thing."
"Ah, drinks, of course! This is a celebration! Champagne seems fitting!" Lucifer clapped his hands and Syn came zooming into the foyer with an oversized tray of champagne glasses balanced on her head. Lucifer was pleased she hadn't spilled one, but he knew she had been practicing for this.
"Greetings friends of Charlie! I am here to bring you beverages with alcoholic content! Please drink to your hearts content and direct all vomiting to approved locations!"
"Syn!" Charlie's face lit up upon seeing her.
"Charlie!" Syn made a B-line toward Lucifer's daughter and the Devil had to swiftly grab the tray off of her before she crashed directly into Charlie, spilling all the drinks. Syn didn't seem to even notice as she started smacking her body into Charlie's cheek.
"This is my dad's virtual assistant that I was telling you about," Charlie explained to Vaggie who seemed rather on edge as from her perspective she was just watching Charlie get smacked in the face after almost having drinks thrown on her.
"Oh." Vaggie seemed to relax a bit and took two of the glasses from the tray in Lucifer's hands. "Thank you, your majesty." She handed one to Charlie, keeping the other for herself. "Well, hello, I'm Vaggie." She nodded to Syn. "Charlie's girlfriend."
"Hello Vaggie Charlie's girlfriend!"
"Just Vaggie is fine." Vaggie assured her. Lucifer sighed a bit.
"Just Vaggie!"
"She's still learning." The Devil had to interrupt, as he knew how Syn was with names considering that Adam was still: Adam Just Adam about thirty percent of the time; and if Vaggie didn't want to spend part of her life as Just Vaggie, Lucifer would need to intervene. (Plus, this gave him an awesome excuse to hear all the Sinner's names and pretend he knew them all along.) "So, introduce yourself with just your name."
"Vaggie." Vaggie gestured to herself.
"Vaggie!" Syn did a little flip in the air before gently bumping Vaggie's cheek.
"Now, if you don't mind, everyone else just tell her your names." Lucifer instructed.
"Angel."
"Cherri."
"Husk."
"Vox."
"You can call me Lucifer's future wi-" Mimzy started to talk but Charlie must have noticed the horrified expression on Lucifer's face because she cut her off.
"Mimzy! Her name is Mimzy."
"Hello friends of Charlie! I am here to be of service to you all while you are here at the mansion! If you require anything, do not hesitate to ask and I will do my best to assist! But please be aware I have no arms and therefore can never hug."
"That's so sad." Angel was pretending to hold back tears. Lucifer tried not to actively face-palm in front of his guests.
"What the fuck is she made out of?" Vox seemed less confused or amused like the rest of the Sinners, but rather, intrigued by Syn. Of course. Vox was the self-proclaimed technological genius of Hell.
"Love."
"None of your fucking business." Lucifer smiled up at him, his voice sweet. In truth, he couldn't really recreate Syn if he tried. Building her was one, depressed blur. Not that he would sit and talk shop with one of the Overlords.
"So long as you keep bringing booze, you're okay by me sweet-cheeks." Angel grabbed a drink from the tray in Lucifer's hand. Holding beverages was beneath him, so Lucifer gestured for Syn to return to his side, and he put the tray back on top of her, careful not to disturb the googly eyes of which she was so proud.
"Well let's leave some room for food, shall we?" Before Lucifer could usher everyone into the next room, there was a knock at the door. The took a deep breath, chanting a silent mantra of: Please don't be Alastor before throwing it open to see: "Oh! Carmilla! You made it!"
"Wait." Vox held up his arms, turning to look at the other Overlord as she stood in the doorway, hands clasped before her. "How the fuck did you get an invite!?"
"Carmilla!" Charlie's face lit up. "Good to see you! I had no idea you were going to be here!"
"Good to see you again." Vaggie nodded respectfully as Carmilla made her way inside. Vox looked annoyed by her presence, which was like an added bonus for Lucifer who hadn't expected Vox to begin with.
"I was invited." Carmilla glanced down at Lucifer who nodded to her. "Thank you, by the way." She took one of the glasses from on top of Syn.
"Hello there! I am Syn! If you need anything, please let me know!"
"Oh, the tray talks." Carmilla seemed surprised by Syn's outburst.
"I am under the tray!"
"Oh!" Carmilla leaned over to see the bright lights and googly eyes staring at her from beneath the drinks. "So, you are. Hello there."
"Hello!"
"Perfect timing! We were just about to sit for the first course," Lucifer gestured for the Sinners to follow him as he guided them toward the dining room. "You arrived not a moment too soon!"
"Excellent." Carmilla looked at Vox as she walked behind Lucifer. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. I didn't even see you at our last Overlord meeting. Just... Velvette."
"Oh!" Vox let out a nervous laugh, and coughed a little as it sounded as if Carmilla had taken him off his guard. "Yes! About that, we apologize for her behavior. I know I already messaged you about it, and sent you a gift card. But allow me to apologize in person. Just be aware that Velvette's actions were her own and do not reflect or represent the opinions of VoxTek." Lucifer had to struggle not to snort. Vox really had the scummy businessman act down to a science.
"You know where I live, Vox, was a personal apology too difficult to give earlier?" Carmilla raised an eyebrow.
"Things have been busy." Vox coughed again. He sounded so strange when he did, there was an electronic, tinny sort of sound with every little cough. "But you are an important ally to VoxTek and we value all your contributions."
"Come now! This isn't about politics." Lucifer had to interrupt to remind him why they were here to begin with. "It's a celebration. Raise your glasses and celebrate with me!" He had his own glass on the table, mixed with the holy water. "Say it with me!" He lifted it up in the air. "No more Exterminations!"
"NO MORE EXTERMINATIONS!" There was a chorus of voices and Lucifer took a gulp, trying to keep his face straight.
"That is so fucking awesome, your majesty. " Angel clearly understood what today was about.
"Way to go Kingy!" Cherri pumped her hand up in the air, sloshing her champagne around before swallowing the whole glass in one gulp.
"Handsome and a philanthropist!" Mitzy fanned herself. "Be still my beating heart!"
"This is pretty incredible, King Morningstar." Vaggie smiled at him. Before looking at Charlie. "I know this is a dream come true." She leaned in, pressing a kiss to Charlie's cheek. Lucifer's beloved daughter was on cloud nine, the joy on her face was more fulfilling than anything Lucifer had felt in Heaven.
"Daddy... thank you." Charlie's eyes were just shining.
"Of course." Now this... this was a celebration.
The table chatter was excited and filled with praise for the Devil as Charlie and her friends enjoyed meals cooked by Adam and catered to the table by Syn. Things were going absolutely perfectly. Charlie kept looking back at him, her smile making the room brighter every time he saw it. But of course, there was one guest who hadn't arrived yet. Meaning Lucifer's joy only lasted until he heard the doorbell ring.
"Oh!" Charlie perked up. "That must be Alastor!" This was the only time when Charlie's happiness resulted in Lucifer misery.
"It must be!" Lucifer tried to fake enthusiasm. He saw Vox roll his eyes. For once, Lucifer felt as if he was a kindred spirit with the Television Demon. It seemed as if they shared a similar distaste for Charlie's second in command. Perhaps, Lucifer had been too harsh and judgmental on Vox. The Devil got up, alongside his daughter and together they walked to the door with Syn zooming behind them with some drinks balanced precariously on the tray on top of her. If one spilled on Alastor, Lucifer would be fine with that. Lucifer opened up the door, trying to force a smile. "Oh...You made it."
"Alastor! Niffty! I hope everything is okay!" Charlie beamed as she saw him.
"Fine, Charlie my dear!"
"We had to deal with the roach problem." Niffty was grinning from ear-to-ear looking more akin to a goblin than any type of demon.
"Your majesty," Alastor gave a flourished bow to Lucifer who's face remained stoic, "Thank you so very much for the invitation!"
"The invitation came from Charlie." Lucifer's tone was not rude, but lacked any real enthusiasm. "Syn, offer our guests a drink."
"Okay." It was odd. Syn must have sensed her Master's distaste for the Sinner in question because all the bubbly excitement was stripped from her voice. She flew forward. Niffty grabbed both glasses off the little tray and threw back her head dumping them both in her mouth. Alastor looked amused by the action.
"Well, since you're late, we started without you." Lucifer spoke rather pointedly, making sure Alastor knew he was only here through Charlie's good graces. "So, we might as well head back to the dining hall."
"Of course! Don't let me put a damper on our celebration!"
"You already were late." Lucifer muttered under his breath, but of course, this was really more of a benefit to the overall atmosphere of his party. Still, Charlie nudged him.
"Dad."
"Sorry, crabapple." He would be nice, for Charlie's sake. He couldn't let Alastor get the upper hand on him and ruin his wonderful celebration. This wasn't about Lucifer's dislike of the Radio Demon. It was about the Devil basking in his daughter's joy and accepting well-deserved compliments from her Sinner friends. Lucifer could see the physical shift in Vox's mood the moment Alastor entered the room.
"Vox old chum! Why. You don't look well rested at all!"
"Actually. I had a phenomenal night's sleep, but thank you for your concern!" Vox smiled, but Lucifer could see him cringe as Alastor took the seat directly beside him. Lucifer didn't need to be up-to-date on his Overlord gossip to be able to sense the raw loathing between the two.
"Alastor." Carmilla cleared her throat, nodding to the new arrivals. "Niffty."
"Carmilla! Why, what a pleasant surprise!"
"Look at all this food!" Niffty ignored pleasantries in favor of shoving her face with Adam's cooking that was still laid out on the table.
"Good to see you both." Carmilla smiled politely, giving Lucifer a look that he couldn't read. "I wondered if you were coming."
"Ah yes! I do apologize for my tardiness, but I had some last-minute work that came up."
"It's fine. Really." Lucifer focused on the food in front of him. He wanted to say more, but he really didn't want to upset Charlie. "We were just celebrating the end of the Exterminations."
"Truly a feat indeed!"
"Quite." Carmilla seemed less enthusiastic than Alastor, which was annoying.
"That is going to change a lot." Vox even seemed to acknowledge Lucifer's incredible accomplishment with more positivity in his tone than Carmilla. "Politically speaking..."
"I suppose that angelic security system your company keeps boasting about on all those billboards is just useless garbage now, not that it wasn't before."
"You don't know shit about my company's products." Vox coughed again and Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him as the Sinner with the Television head reached and grabbed a glass of champagne on the table, drinking from it to stifle the coughing. "It's a little more advanced than what you're used to." Vox rubbed at the side of his screen. "Does anyone hear that?"
"Hear what?" Charlie blinked.
"It sounded like static... just... soft..." Vox started to explain but noticed the uncertain looks from the others at the table. "Oh. Um. Never mind. It's gone now."
"Dad, I think you stopping the Exterminations is incredible! Now all we have to do is focus on the Hotel and proving that redemption is a real possibility! Then Hell will be so much happier!" Charlie turned her attention to her father. "I am just so excited!"
"And look, you have so many weary Sinners lined up for change!" Alastor looked directly at Vox who glared at him.
"I dunno if I'd describe myself as weary more like... done with Hell's bullshit." Angel interjected. "If there's a chance I can get the fuck outta here, I gotta at least try."
"I'm just here for Angie." Cherri replied through a mouthful of food. "But some of the activities aren't the worst, ya know?" She looked toward Charlie who smiled, clearly taking her words as a compliment.
"If anyone can make a change in Hell, it's you." Vaggie added her hand resting over Charlie's.
"It's just nice not to have the Exterminations hovering over me like some sort of horrible ticking Doomsday clock!" Charlie beamed, all the positive energy. For once, there was an air of optimism at a dinner in Hell. It made Lucifer feel... nice.
"We should blow up the clock." Cherri's eye lit up as the idea hit her.
"YESSSSSSS!" Niffty practically jumped on the table, only to be lifted by the back of her dress and returned to her seat by Alastor.
"Yeah, that could be fun." Angel nodded. "I do love a good bit of wanton destruction. Helps with stress and hangovers."
"Hangovers? I haven't heard that one before." Husk sounded amused more than anything else. If the alcohol had gotten to him, he wasn't showing it as much as some of the other Sinners.
"Oh come onnnnn you know you wanna fuck over that stupid countdown clock." Angel leaned in his seat to wrap an arm around Husk, pulling him into what almost looked like a headlock.
"Seriously no one hears that?" Vox seemed distracted from the planned acts of vandalism and was looking around him as if trying to find something.
"Vox? Are you okay?" Charlie was the only one who looked genuinely concerned at the table. As Vox started to cough again, Lucifer found suspicion starting to bite at the edge of his thoughts.
"I'm fine. I just-"
"Charlie, my dear, of course he isn't okay! After getting kicked out we are forcing him to be at a big social event. You know how Vox is about his image." Alastor's smile was almost antagonistic as his eyes scanned the room from Charlie to Vox beside him.
"That's not what fucking happened, you goddamn bastard!" Vox was getting clearly irritated, his screen almost seemed to glitch as he emphasized the words. Alastor didn't bat an eye.
"Now, now, Vox. You need to watch that temper, my good man. We are on the same side."
"Do NOT condescend to me, you fucking asshole!" Vox's screen and voice became a little more distorted.
"Alastor." Charlie spoke out.
"Apologies, Princess, I was simply trying to be empathetic and understanding." Alastor's excuse was shit, and judging from Charlie's expression, she was well aware of that fact.
"Why don't you just shut your fucking mouth!?" Vox's head jerked away from facing Alastor to scan the room. He got to his feet. Slamming both hands on the table. "Seriously!? does no one fucking hear that!?" The screen that composed his face flickered, a corner of it froze, becoming pixilated. Lucifer got to his feet as well.
"Everyone, why don't you head to the parlor before dessert?" He smiled, but he had locked eyes with Vox whose expression could only be described as: wild. His eyes were darting around the room, his hands still flush against the table.
"Dad, I am so sorry. He was supposed to be on his best behavior." Poor, sweet Charlie. She was somehow taking the actions of the Sinner onto herself. It was touching, but also unnecessary. Lucifer knew, for a fact, that his daughter would not have allowed Vox into her childhood home if she had even an inkling that he might behave any way other than his typical, slimy, overly professional behavior that he used to con Sinners into sacrificing their immortal souls. This was not her fault. And, as Lucifer felt concern in worming its way into his mind, he wondered if this behavior was not entirely on Vox either.
"It's fine, Honeycrisp." Lucifer kept his tone light and airy. "But I think I need to have a professional conversation with Vox."
"Dad please don't-"
"No one is getting hurt. But I think its best you all leave us for the moment. Carmilla if you don't mind making sure everyone leaves." Lucifer did not want an audience for this next part. Especially not Carmilla who was looking at Vox with an unreadable expression. He had a feeling her mind was going the same place.
"We should let your dad handle this." Vaggie took Charlie by the hand, as the other Sinners all got to their feet.
"You caused quite the scene, Vox. So improper." Alastor clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if in disappointment. "You should be ashamed of yourself, ruining our King's grand party like that."
"Oooo," Niffty's eyes got wide as she put both her hands to her cheeks, whispering to herself. "A BOGO."
"OUT!" Lucifer held up his hand and the company did leave. All except Vox. (He hated having to use such a tone around Charlie but he was growing increasingly unsettled by Vox's behavior.) Lucifer took a deep breath, he summoned up an apple, putting his magic into it the way he had done for Adam when he first arrived. He hated to use more magic, he was already feeling fatigued. But... There was no way. There was just no fucking way. "Vox, I need you to eat the apple."
"Get that thing out of my fucking face!" Vox stepped away from him still looking around, though he seemed a bit more at ease than he had moments before. He hunched over, starting to cough again.
"Vox, I need you to eat this. I think you might be sick."
"It's a fucking cold and that apple a day bullshit was created by farmers to push their products onto the wider market."
"Eat it."
"I'm not sick."
"I'm not playing."
"I don't want your shitty fucking apple." Vox's aversion to the apple was almost evidence enough in itself, as Vox had not turned down any of the other food at the party and, unlike Adam, he did not have some sort of long-lived vendetta against the fruit in question. "I told you, I'm fi-"
"Victor Oxton, eat the apple or I will shove it down your fucking throat." Lucifer allowed his demonic nature to peak through the angelic facade. His eyes turned blood red, horns pushing out of his skull as his voice deepened, taking on a commanding tone. Vox froze, looking at him. Lucifer rarely broke out a Sinner's real name (though he knew them all) but this was becoming a matter of safety.
"Fine." Vox took the apple from him, taking a bite. Then another. Lucifer hurried to the kitchen, poking his head in and grabbing a trashcan.
"You." He called to Adam as Quackers turned to give the Devil a rather nasty look. "You. Here. Now."
"But the souffle is almost-" Adam started to protest.
"NOW." Lucifer repeated himself and pulled his head back through before Quackers made a scene. He brought the trashcan over to Vox who looked at him in confusion. "This is for you."
"Why would I need a-" Vox was cut off as he suddenly hunched over the trashcan vomiting violently. Corruption. Lucifer could smell it, even from where he was standing, a foot away from Vox.
"The fuck do you want, asshole." the swinging door to the kitchen was flung open as Adam walked out, covered in flour. The moment he stepped out, Lucifer saw Vox visibly tense, peering up over the edge of the trashcan, watching Adam like a hawk. "If my fucking food is ruined because you interrupted me, I'm gonna lose my shit."
"Did you Corrupt Vox?" Lucifer gestured at the Overlord, still hunched over the trash can. Adam blinked.
"Oof. Been there. You got appled too, huh" The First Man gave a half-shrug as he looked Vox up and down. "I'll be honest: I have no idea who the fuck that is."
"None?" Lucifer pressed a little more.
"None." Adam did sound like he was telling the truth, and he did not often leave the mansion. There wasn't a lot of opportunity for Vox to have come into contact with the Sinner in question and there was no way in Hell that Vox would have access to Adam in the mansion.
"What about you?" Lucifer looked back at Vox. "You recognize him at all?" Vox didn't answer immediately, but rather went back to puking in the trash. If Lucifer had to guess, Vox had not been Corrupted quite as long as Adam had been. The Corruption didn't seem nearly as progressed, given Vox was able to maintain a relatively normal temperament for long enough to fool Charlie. (And also he wasn't actively trying to bite anyone.) Then again, it was difficult to judge fully since Vox was also just a terrible person to start with.
"He's the leader of the Exorcists, what sort of a fucking question is that?" Vox finally managed to speak, catching his breath. His arms were draped over the top of the trashcan, his chest was heaving. "What the fuck was in that apple?"
"You don't ask the questions. I do." Lucifer's tail flicked. "Have you had contact with Adam? This is serious."
"No." Vox's reply was quick. Too quick.
"I'm going to ask you again." Lucifer was not big, at least, not in this form, but with Vox sitting, hunched over, he was able to tower over him. "And I want you to be honest with me:" Fire escaped between his teeth as he leaned down. "Did you, or did you not have contact with Adam?"
"Lucifer!" Carmilla's voice interrupted. Lucifer whirled around, his eyes still blazing. Clearly his request for privacy was being ignored.
"Get out!"
"You need to come outside this instant. It's..." Carmilla looked out of breath. "It's an emergency." Lucifer felt his blood run cold. What sort of fucking emergency could have popped up? He swallowed, even just making the apple had left him feeling drained- he wasn't sure he was ready for more. What sort of goddamn horrible timing was this? Vox's freakout was supposed to be the worst thing to happen to him today.
"HA!" Adam clapped his hands together so loudly Lucifer almost jumped. "I fucking told you this was going to be a disaster."
A/N: LOOK WHO POSTED ON TIME FOR ONCE IN HER LIFE! :3 Sorry to leave y'all on such a cliffhanger but next weeks is Gonna be a HUGE chapter. Plot wise. I HOPE YOUR READY!