<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e0/7c/4e/e07c4e90da99e7dc68010d39f7c1feff.jpg)</div><strong>Character Name:</strong><strong>Lucifer Morningstar</strong>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=304004.msg14845965#msg14845965)<br/><strong>Date/Time:</strong>Wednesday 1st May 2019 -- Early Evening<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Perth, Australia --<strong>Lux Main Floor</strong>(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/59/d0/5059d0c7eeeaeeed855cf819301623be.jpg) ---> House Of Mystery<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong><strong>This</strong>(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8f/b7/9d/8fb79dff0a558991848386f1585774ce.jpg) Snazzy<strong>Number</strong>(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/74/88/717488e99cde03a5ee9f7b5a260fadc2.jpg)<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Koriand'r / John Constantine / Zatanna Closed<br/><strong>Warnings:</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>Lucifer sat on his small raised dais at his piano on the main floor of his club, taking a small break from his playing. His eyes flowed around the room, taking in the small collection of guests who had arrived for the customary performance prior to the opening of the nightclub to the public, all of whom were taking small amounts of food and drink before the more wild, raucous party got itself into full swing later that night. See, "Lux" was a bit of an odd duck when it came to chains. He had his smaller restaurants and his winebars and his clubs, of course, but this particular site - the one in Perth - held a special place in his heart. He'd had to leave his original Lux in his universe when he'd tracked his power drain to this one, and perhaps more out of nostalgia than he'd like to admit, he'd decided to start one here, too. And this establishment - modelled after the original Lux in an alternate Perth - was the first of that chain in this new universe. It was the one he tended to pay more attention to and spend more time at, and it was the only one to get a fairly regular performance from him. it was odd because...it was a blend of styles.<br/><br/>The venue was gorgeous - he wouldn't have it any other way, of course - and from about four in the afternoon to seven in the evening, it was a quiet, pleasant place to get a good drink and enjoy a luxurious ambience. But from 8? Well, 8 onwards, the seedier, more...base and primal side of his general tastes tended to make themselves known. At 8, his staff dimmed the lights, changed the drinks in the cabinets, set up the strobe lights and music, and by nine, well...they were ready to open to the public and party until dawn. Drinks, dancing, shows of spectacle and excess, hired entertainers and dancing girls and guest musicians alike all came to make themselves known at Lux, and whilst Perth was nowhere near as wild as his LA or Vegas venues...it was surprising just how much the people of Perth enjoyed cutting loose every so often. If you were a regular in decent enough standing, then you were allowed in - in small numbers - in that quiet hour before the fun started to have a quiet drink and be certain to get in before anybody else. it was a status symbol, partly, but part of the draw was that Lucifer himself often liked to put on minor shows for his more VIP Clientele before the club went into full swing.<br/><br/>Out of all of the inventions of humankind, Lucifer found that he resonated with the piano the most. He was not so scornful of humankind that he would never say that they achieved anything noteworthy, because that was simply not true. As horrific as humans could be, they were also capable of great beauty and ingenuity, too, and the piano was a perfect example of that. The instrument was haunting and versatile at the same time, able to pull on the heartstrings with a sad, slow piece, or get the blood pumping with a rousing symphony of fire and fury. You could echo across the rafters with the keening notes of betrayal and haunting sorrow one minute, before whipping everybody into a furious fervour the next as you played something that made people want to stand and dance and move and have fun. Music was one of the most powerful things in the universe that anybody could learn to do, and he made it a point to learn as much as he could. Piano wasn't his only instrument, of course - he'd gone through several instrumental phases in his life to alleviate his more bored moodswings - but it was by far his favourite. As such, it was the one he was best at, and people tended to like hearing him play.<br/><br/>Not that he really cared. He would have played for the hell of it if there weren't people there, but if they were willing to pay the premium and spend money on drinks just to hear him play for an hour...well. He wasn't about to deny them their excesses. That was kind of what he was all about, wasn't it? Self determination, a freedom from predestiny, bodily autonomy, etc etc. And on the plus side, it seemed that Princess Koriand'r - who was currently wandering the main floor, meandering between groups of people and attempting to socialise, much to the delight of the young men and the consternation of the young women - seemed to appreciate the instrument, too. As he wound down from one song and took a small break, he could see her eyes turn to look at him approvingly, before leaving the group she was talking to at that moment - who seemed intrigued by her obviously alien appearance and extremely interested in her voluptuous, barely-clothed body; this Earth was far more used to aliens than his own, it seemed - to make her way over to him. She perched on the seat beside him (which he had expected, hence why it was there in the first place) and leaned over once more as he began to touch the ivories on his gorgeous, sleek black grand piano, (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51m0Q5Lg6hL._SX425_.jpg) launching into another slow, steady traditional piece.<br/><br/>Beethovens Moonlight Sonata, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU) if you were wondering. A simple but deceptively beautiful piece. Cliche, perhaps, but he was a classical composer for a reason, and Lucifer was not above playing to the stereotype when he felt like it. He glanced at Koriand'r with a smile.<strong>"This piece was written by a very famous human composer. He lived perhaps...250 years ago, give or take, and he's still considered one of the greatest human artists of all time. Honestly, Princess, I cannot say that I disagree."</strong>He said it quietly, so as not to overpower his notes as he played. Honestly, he was happy to share this side of human culture with the Princess even if it wasn't really his to share. He'd met Beethoven briefly, way back when, though it had only been in passing. He had been surly, of course, as most artists were...but that just added to his gruff charm. But alas, now he was dead, and that memory and his music was all that remained. No matter. It was a good legacy. He imagined that Beethoven would be happy - or as close as the surly old bastard could get - to know that his work was still being appreciated all these centuries later.<br/><br/>He was looking forward to spending a more wild time with Koriand'r later that night - it was to be her first experience of a human nightclub, and he was intrigued to see how she reacted and how much attention she got for her rather aggressive affections and her obviously stunning beauty - but for now, the peace and slow tranquillity was rather nice, after the chaos that they'd been through over the last couple of days. It had been three days since she had crash landed outside his club, and he had to admit...boredom never seemed to be on the menu when the Princess was involved. He opened his mouth to say something else...then paused and canted his head to one side. He continued playing, but it was obvious that he was distracted. He felt a...presence, almost. No. No, not a presence. An energy of sorts, a slight<em>pull</em>away from where he was sitting at that moment. An ordinary Mortal wouldn't have had such a warning, but even as weakened as he was, his Cosmic Awareness at least indicated that something was off. The pull got stronger, and as it gathered strength, he began to realise what it was; it had been a while since he'd been summoned - it had been a while since anybody had dared even attempt it - but he would recognise that insistent pull, and that magical warping of reality around him anywhere.<br/><br/>Well. This evening had just gotten unexpectedly interesting. Whilst he had been looking forward to observing and interacting with the Princess in a more...charged, raw environment, he had to say that a sorcerer powerful enough to summon him with such insistence was rare and certainly not something that happened even once a century. He lifted his eyebrow as the magic grew stronger still, and he knew that whilst he could feel the pull...the actual spell had not been completed yet. He could possibly counter it, if he really wanted to, but it would be tricky given how intricate the spell was, and how late he had noticed its appearance. Besides...he kind of wanted to know who was brave enough to summon him...or if they were just stupid. That being said...he was not about to leave the Princess there on her own amongst strangers, in a strange city on a strange planet. He had seen enough of her mischief and antics over the last three days to know that he would either come back to a police raid, or a mass orgy. Both were interesting, but the first one was not good for business, and the second one...well, she was not having an orgy in his club without<em>him,</em>he'd say that much right now.<br/><br/>He focused his energy and extended his power and presence outwards. Given his raw power, it was likely that the spell was specifically targeting his energy signature rather than something personal like his True Name. So, perhaps he could use that to his advantage and draw a couple of things through with him. The obvious one was Koriand'r; he extended his power over her, too, making her a target of the spell by proxy...and, after a moments consideration, he extended it over his piano, too. He was having fun playing his piano, and regardless of being summoned or not, he was not about to allow anybody to interrupt him before<em>he</em>was ready to finish. Besides, it was a fun psychological tool to use; if you appeared preoccupied doing something else, they'd either underestimate you...or grow nervous that you didn't seem bothered by them at all. And if you were going to interrupt<em>Lucifer Morningstars</em>planned evening, then you had to be ready for some vindictive mindgames. He extended his aura over the piano, too, and glanced at Koriand'r.<br/><br/><strong>"Alas, Princess-"</strong>He'd taken to calling her by her title rather than her name as a nickname of sorts. Honestly, he wasn't convinced that she knew the more...mature...connotations of such a nickname just yet, which just made it funnier. Or perhaps she did...and she just let him call her by that name anyway. Either way, it was fun, and he enjoyed calling beautiful women by possibly-flirtatious nicknames.<strong>"-it seems to be that our plans for the evening have changed. It appears that somebody wishes to speak with me. Please, take my arm."</strong>His playing trailed off slowly as he raised his voice to address the club as a whole. The magic gathered strength, warping reality around him in a way he knew all too well. It was almost like what happened when he used his Wings to teleport, but more...forceful. More inelegant, like a hammer compared to a scalpel.<strong>"My apologies, my friends. Urgent business has just arisen, so I must take my leave. I do so hope that you can forgive me, and enjoy your evening at Lux. The first round is on the house."</strong>He struck up a new chord on his piano - the opening notes to a very well known song that he personally loved - but he didn't get a chance to hear their reactions to said news, however, as there was suddenly a blinding (for Mortals anyway) flash of light, and he felt the world lurch beneath him.<br/><br/>It was like the universe was folded in half for a moment, two points forcefully slammed together and a hole ripped between them, and he, Koriand'r and the piano were sucked through before everything snapped back to normal. He grit his teeth a little; it was delicate and intricate magic and a well written spell, but...it was still rather rough in its execution. Pragmatic rather than pretty, and more akin to a gorilla shaking a tree to dislodge the fruit than a monkey scurrying up to selectively pick from the bunch. Either way, it was done now. The light cleared and the smoke that rolled from the inside of the Summoning Circle - wards against Demons? Cute. Useless, but cute - dissipated inside the vast room he found himself in. He glanced around absently, almost disinterested, as he took in the vast waves of magical energy rolling in from every direction. This was a place that was both there and not there, the lair of an obviously powerful and capable sorcerer. Which meant either they knew exactly who he was and they had some brass balls on them...or they had no idea who they had just summoned. He wasn't certain which one would be more amusing. Of course, for everything else he was, Lucifer did have a little bit of a love of the dramatic, so as the smoke and light cleared, he began to hum to himself as he continued to stroke the keys of his piano, tickling a slow, quiet melody from it that echoed across the room, a continuation of the notes he had begun to play back in Lux.<br/><br/>Perhaps it was cliche, or even a little ironic, but he liked the sound of the distinct notes of Stairway To Heaven echoing from his piano (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIAMXocEk4E) as he took in the scene from the corner of his eyes. Two humans - a male and female - wielding no small amount of magical power were staring at him and Koriand'r. He glanced towards the Princess with a calming look, and a sly smile which indicated that...they weren't in any danger. Even if these two meant them harm - which he doubted, since they could have just nuked them from afar if that was their intention - he didn't like their odds against the pair of them. He didn't look up at the pair, but as he spoke, it was clear that he was addressing them.<strong>"You could have just sent me an email, if it was really so urgent. Was the spell really necessary?"</strong>He affected a weary sigh.<strong>"Though I have to say...it has been a rather long time since I was summoned by <em>anybody.</em> So...granted, you have my curiosity."</strong>He said, his voice pitched low with absent disinterest...though in all honesty, these two did intrigue him. Humans rarely dabbled in the mystic arts at all, let alone got any good at them. Just who were these two?<br/><br/>He found that he was curious, despite himself.<strong>"So what can I do for <em>you?</em> What are your deepest desires?"</strong>He lifted his gaze to meet the males eyes.<strong>"Let me guess..."</strong>He canted his head just a little.<strong>"You want a pony this Christmas, don't you? Wrong department, I'm afraid, but I'll pass the message along."</strong>He allowed himself a small, detached smile as he finished the first verse of<em>Stairway.</em>The man was...interesting. Ratty, dishevelled but handsome in his own rough and tumble way, obviously a bit of a rakish rogue...not the sort of man that you would say no to if he were to flirt, if you happened to be looking for a rough, dirty bit of guilty pleasure, but he wasn't the type that Lucifer would ever call for a second time...if only because his sheets were expensive, and he didn't want to throw away more than one set if he could help it. But behind the dirt beard and the greaser hair...there was power there, and cunning. A dangerous human, to be sure, and the female was no different. She was more outwardly well-groomed and attractive than the male, but she was more than a pretty face. The male had guile, he could see it in his eyes, but the woman had raw power and talent on her side. A formidable pair, to be sure. Not formidable enough, and he doubted that they knew just who they'd summoned to their inner sanctum...but he'd play this game a little longer. It might not have been the distraction he'd been planning...but it was<em>a</em>distraction,<em>non?</em>