Chapter Text
“Well, well, well. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? What? Seventy or so years? That’s a long time to be gone. How was your self-exile?”
The limelight glinted off his glass, sparkling in the dim glow of the room. Lucifer took a small sip of his fine wine, raising an eyebrow. His claws tapped the wooden table impatiently, awaiting an immediate answer.
A waiter walked by, presenting another glass of wine. Lucifer plucked it from the tray and slid it down the table.
His guest narrowed her eyes, ignoring the glass of liquor skidding across the table. The single tip of her talon stopped it from toppling over the edge. The blood-red drink sloshed dangerously and threatened to spill but she did not let it. She pulled it back and straightened her posture.
“It’s been...enlightening.” Her voice was accented heavily and spread through the air like silk and honey. “Not exactly the highlight of my afterlife, that’s for sure.”
Lucifer placed his glass on a plate and folded his arms over the table, leaning over. His face split into a large grin.
“So, I take it you still haven’t gotten over the incident?” He questioned chastely.
Her ever-deepening scowl went down a bit further into a snarl, revealing her pearly white fangs.
“I would hardly call it an ‘incident’. It was far more personal than that.” The room suddenly became suffocatingly hot, her fiery eyes nearly glowing as the single lamp hanging from the ceiling swayed limply.
“Come now, you mustn’t take the actions of one single demon so heavily. After all, it’s what the power craving overlords do. They eliminate anyone standing in their way. You should know, you are one.”
“Was one. I’ve given up the endless fight for dominance in a life that no longer demands meaning a long time ago.” She picked up the wine and rolled it between her forefinger and thumb, blinking slowly as if in deep thought.
“Perhaps that is why they continuously fight? There’s no meaning to life anymore so they contain their boredom through what they do best...” Lucifer commented, tilting his head and watching his guest with ever-growing interest. “Destruction.”
“I don’t destroy for the hell of it.” She snorted in distaste. “In fact, I would prefer not too. I’m a politician, not a tyrant.”
“But you are a murderer.”
She stopped twirling her glass, her razor-sharp talons cracking the fragile glass. Spiderwebs cracked against its surface and wine leaked out of the edges.
“I am.” She replied coolly although her posture was now stiff. The surge in the room was almost tangible Lucifer could run his fingers through it. It seems even after seventy years of isolation, his guest was still a fireball. Which wasn’t a surprise. She’d always been emotional. She continued, “But what of it? It’s why I’m here, yes, but I haven’t slaughtered anyone in years.”
“That may be true but despite your noble words you still can destroy. I’ve seen what you can do. Why leave such immense power to rot in the deepest recesses of your soul? So many demons would sell their souls again to have the power you possess.”
“Perhaps it’s not as grand as you think it to be!” She snapped, the walls trembling. “I was defeated. My powers did nothing to aid me.”
“We both know it wasn’t because you were too weak. Your opponent probably would’ve lost in a battle of prowess.” Lucifer chuckled, leaning back into his chair. “No, no. It was because of how he played the game. It was a game of the heart, dear Countess, and he won.”
“Obviously!” The glass snapped. Tables and chairs around them were suddenly overturned, flown into the walls and reduced to mere splinters. Her eyes clouded with darkness and her wings, hidden prior, unfurled with rage.
Lucifer did not move, even as she snorted out a plume of flame. He quenched the ember in his hair and pulled one elbow over the back of the chair, clearly amused.
Countess, his guest, was seething with rage. A forked tail twitched behind her so he patiently waited for her emotions to die down. If there was one thing he had learned about Countess is that you could rile her up but you had to let her calm herself before continuing with anything. Or else you might find yourself surrounded by piles of ash and warping portals. Even after all this time, she hadn’t quite figured out how to control what truly made her dangerous.
“Are you done?”
She huffed but promptly sat in her seat, her wings folding behind her and disappearing. “I suppose so.”
“So, I suppose after that show, I should cut to the chase. You’ve been gone for nearly a century. Why come back now?”
Countess didn’t respond, just licked her ruby red lips and glanced away.
“You know where he is?” He asked, more of a statement than a question.
“Of course.”
Lucifer’s eyes narrowed, a hint of hostility peaking in the atmosphere. “That’s where my daughter is.”
“I have no quarrel with the lovely Princess. Only with who she now harbors.” Countess waved her clawed hand in the air, a gesture of dismissal.
“If she gets harmed because you two can’t behave--”
“No harm will come to dear Charlotte. I promise you.”
Lucifer took a sip of his wine, settling down again. “She prefers to go by Charlie now.”
“How quaint.”
“Yes…”
Countess picked at the shattered glass on the table absentmindedly, a hand now resting on her cheek. Her nose wrinkled. “How has Hell been treating your family? When I last saw you, Charole--Charlie was in a bit of a rebellious phase.”
“Yes, she’s moved on from that now. She’s now convinced that demons can be redeemed. She’s created a hotel just for that purpose. A foolish endeavor but I support my daughter no matter what.”
“An interesting thought.”
“Family support?”
Countess scowled. “No, redemption. It’s a noble goal. I’ve never once considered it. Do you think it’s possible?”
“I’d rather not say.” Lucifer chuckled at Countess’s displeased expression. “Where’s the fun in telling? You should just watch where it goes and see if it works out. I have an inkling of hope held out for her and her ridiculous schemes but perhaps that’s just the parent in me.”
“Is it...nice?”
“Pardon?”
“Having a family?”
Lucifer hummed softly. “It is nice. Lilith is charming and Charlie is adorable. Somehow, it brings me great joy. Aside from watching idiots suffer because of the stupid choices they’ve made. What gets me going, though, is when they come in and think Hell didn’t exist. It does! They’re standing in it!” He chortled at his joke, Countess was usurped. She merely crossed her arms and she rolled her eyes. “I thought you two had it going for a while there. It’s a shame he did what he did. You and A--”
The room shook once more as Countess’s temper returned.
“Don’t you dare say his name around me! Whatever affection he flaunted towards me was a sham to gain my trust!” She cleared her throat, the buzz in the room dying out. “It’s of no consequence, though. I intend to settle the matter soon.”
“Oh, my. An all-out war between two extremely powerful beings? This oughta be fun. Oh! Tell me when you two plan to duke it out. I want to see the devastation.”
“We won’t be fighting. No, I want to settle this in a way that doesn’t involve making a crater out of Hell. I have a different idea.”
“Hmm, you ever tried making a deal? He loves those.”
“No…” Countess furrowed her brows, a dark shadow falling upon her features. “I want him to suffer the way I did for seventy years. I want him to know what it feels like to have your heart ripped in two. I want him to feel like everything is hopeless and that despite the tears he sheds, it will never be enough to fill the void that used to be his heart. He will know true pain once I am finished with him.”
“Ooh, fun!”
Countess stood up from the table, grabbing her black trench coat hanging on the chair. “I better be off. It’s quite a way to travel.”
“Of course. It was nice to finally see you again. I guess it’s customary to wish you luck but I won’t.” Lucifer stood and straightened his bow tie, tipping his wine glass toward Countess as a goodbye. “Farewell, dragoness.”
“Goodbye, Lucifer,” Countess heaved the doors to the pub open, stepping out onto the burgundy streets of Hell. The stench of rotting flesh and ash coated the streets, a smell she did not miss. She flicked her tail and touched a small rodent demon leaning against the pub’s exterior. “Come now, Rudy. We have an old friend to see.”
Her heels clicked against the asphalt as the sky darkened, thunder rumbling from afar.