<div class="floatleft">(https://s019.radikal.ru/i620/1611/95/da0a97f5a50f.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>Monday 29th April 2019 -- Midday<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Perth, Australia -- Lux Carpark ---><strong>Lux Main Floor</strong>(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/59/d0/5059d0c7eeeaeeed855cf819301623be.jpg)<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong><strong>This Tuxedo</strong>(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f2/cf/83/f2cf831d29b18792b6d8fd5230fc9a25.jpg)<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Koriand'r / Closed<br/><strong>Warnings:</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>Well, this was certainly curious. He had not intended to imply that his history was particularly woeful or sad, or that his origins were really worthy of any degree of sympathy; he'd merely meant that the circumstances of his creation were probably far beyond the capability of most Mortal minds to actually come close to being able to comprehend. It wasn't a matter of intelligence, it was a matter of scope, it was a matter of the way in which Mortal minds tended to operate; very linear, very temporal, and by necessity confined to their understanding of the laws of physics. But perhaps this was more than simply a reflection of what she believed his life to be like. Over his aeons of life, he'd learned that mortals as a whole were exceptionally good at coming to their own conclusions. If you dangled the occasional snippet of information before them, they'd devour it greedily and feed it into their preconceived notions of what was and what ought to be, bending and twisting it until it fit. They developed a pattern in their minds, and did their best - subconsciously - to fit it into their chosen narrative. And oftentimes, their chosen narrative was in some way beneficial to them, or otherwise confirmed their own biases.<br/><br/>A narcissist would convince themselves that the evidence favoured them, and that they were completely in the right. A desperate, lonely individual might convince themselves that the object of their affections returned their pining desire. A paranoid, suspicious individual might immediately take any new information to mean that they were being deceived or tricked in order to justify their own isolation and uncertainty, and a stranger in a strange land? A visitor from a far off place, presumably exploring a new world on her own, an alien world with alien customs and people and experiences? No matter how adventurous they were, no matter how content they were in their own lives and their own skins...they were going to desire companionship. Friendship. Kinship. So perhaps her sudden hesitation, her tender attempt at almost...comfort...and her assurance that she would not attempt to pry was less about him...and more about her. Subconscious projection, using what scant few details he had gathered to assume that she had a similar experience to him. He highly doubted she had, but he didn't really feel the need to correct her; why would he? Why should he go out of his way to correct her apparently not entirely accurate assumptions?<br/><br/>He didn't particularly feel like explaining the circumstances of his creation simply because the effort would be rather tedious and boring, and if believing that it was somehow difficult or traumatic for him meant that she would allow him to evade further questioning on the matter? He owed her no explanations of himself or his nature, and he owed her no satisfaction for the burning questions in her soul. She would learn who and what he was eventually, of course, but he was in no particular rush. He needed to maintain some degree of mystery, after all, and with his rapid loss of his former powers, he had to also make certain to keep who knew his true nature to a minimum, at least until he could establish himself properly and develop a reputation that would stop people from messing with him. Sometimes, a powerful reputation was just as effective - if not more so - than actual power itself. A reputation meant that people were more likely to go out of their way to stay on your good side, and any time a demonstration of power was avoided meant that it was easier on you...and of course, as every great Warrior Culture throughout the universe has learned...sometimes, it's best not to fight, and simply allow your reputation to precede you.<br/><br/>After all, every time you fight, there is the chance - however small - that something unexpected might occur and for the common perception to become that you lost. And once destroyed...well, a reputation of invincibility only worked as long as you were undefeated. Once you were beaten - or once you were believed to have been beaten - that reputation crumbled. He needed to be careful how he built that reputation up and what that reputation was, and he couldn't do that if every Johnny Come Lately wanted to pick a random fight with him because he was a big name with a small rep. Ah well. It was a challenge, and he didn't get challenges very often, so...well, perhaps it would prove to be interesting, at least, right? For now, however, he had more pressing things to consider; for one thing, the sound drawing very obviously closer. He tilted his head when she mentioned it, paused, then nodded. Ah yes. A military helicopter. Humans might be primitive, but they did have a knack for coming up with creative solutions to problems. On all the planets he'd visited, very, very few of them had ever considered something that exploited the laws of physics as brazenly as the helicopter.<br/><br/>Alas, now was not the time to show her the wonders of human creativity. He wasn't particularly worried about being shot at, but it would take up a great deal of the rest of his day, and with how many meddlers there were on Earth, it might attract more attention than the trouble was worth. He watched as the young woman tapped away on her bracelet and sent the ship streaking into the sky - exceptionally fast, too, which was a good sign; it probably meant that it had moved too quickly for any observing military officers to get a clear line of sight, and even if they did, it would distract from what was happening on the ground - before turning his back and gesturing for her to follow after him. They were currently round the back, in the staff carpark of his establishment, and whilst he would have ideally wished to take her around the front to present the full glory of Lux - this particular location was actually the first one he opened when he arrived in this universe - but for the moment, the back door would have to do.<strong>"What you hear is a human vehicle known as a 'Helicopter.' To be fair to the humans, it is a rather fascinating piece of machinery, but given that this one is likely crewed by military, perhaps it is best that we do not use it as a case study."</strong><br/><br/>He stepped off of the concrete of the parking lot, waving a dismissive hand towards the boundary. There was an ever so slight shimmer, and his illusion and barrier disappeared into thin air, as if nothing ever happened. He had to smile to himself as she offered him a view of her ship; whilst the ship itself was likely fascinating, and he would certainly like to explore more of her cultures specific technology if only to sate his own curiosity, it was cute that she thought he needed one. He'd pretty much visited all of the planets over their billions of years of life - hell, he'd been the one to make the Sol star itself, in his own indirect way within his home universe - but the offer was still appreciated. He allowed himself a wry chuckle as he glanced back at her.<strong>"And what would such a privilege cost me, I wonder?"</strong>He mused out loud as they reached the rear of the smooth-stone building that housed his club.<strong>"I shall have to make certain that your preparation is as...<em>thorough</em> as I can make it."</strong>He lifted an eyebrow.<br/><br/>Did she not hear herself when she talked, or was this deliberate? He had to imagine that even she understood the concept of euphemisms. And if not...well, he would have great fun teaching them to her. Whilst he was tempted to make a more...obvious advance on her, he simply settled for placing an arm around her waist, his hand on her swaying hip to guide her towards the building, falling easily into the role of an escorting gentleman, drawing a beautiful woman closer for a casual sign of intimacy. He turned his head and said, with a chuckling murmur,<strong>"Though what precisely I'm to be preparing you <em>for</em> is up for discussion."</strong>He chuckled again, before leading her to the back door, pausing to pull it open and gesture her inside.<strong>"On Earth, it is considered polite to hold the door open for the person behind you, especially if they are a guest,"</strong>He said by way of explanation, before following her inside.<br/><br/>They came out in a small corridor, a staff-used busy hallway meant for the ferrying of supplies, food, the discreet redistribution of staff and the like, and he slipped past her to lead her down the wider corridor beside the kitchen. Thankfully, it appeared that his staff had managed to clear up the majority of the mess that had been caused by her arrival, though there was still the occasional cluster of broken glass and fallen debris dotted here and there. He tutted softly.<strong>"If I had known that I would be entertaining so soon, I would have been more insistent on clearing up the mess. You'll have to forgive us, of course. Your landing caused quite the stir. To answer your earlier question...yes and no. This is one of my homes, and within the confines of those walls I do indeed live alone. But this wider building is one of many businesses and venues I own, and many of the staff are given accommodations on the upper floors to accommodate the sometimes odd working hours."</strong>And they were nice rooms, too. Of course, he did charge them a little bit of rent, but he didn't pay them any less than any other similar job would, and the rents were really rather low for the quality of the apartments they had. He might be the devil, but he at least looked after the people working for him.<br/><br/>Speaking of, he could hear the bustle in nearby rooms, but nobody seemed to come out to investigate the sounds of him walking past. Perhaps they were simply too preoccupied with clearing up the mess that her ship had caused upon landing. He flicked his fingers idly as they passed a toppled bookshelf, and - as if gripped by invisible hands - it heaved itself up, gathering the discarded books back onto the shelf as if by magic. He hummed softly and tunelessly under his breath as he moved past it without looking, coming eventually to the large double doors leading from the staff section of the building to the club proper. Without ceremony or preamble - he was above such strutting, pompous peacocking - he simply opened the door and strode forth - making sure to hold it for her as she followed behind him - onto the main floor of his club. (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/59/d0/5059d0c7eeeaeeed855cf819301623be.jpg) It was at that moment rather brightly lit with a host of dull orange and yellow lights, illuminating the tasteful but expensive furnishings, the plush couches and sturdy mahogany tables. The stage on one side of the club currently stood unoccupied, though preparations for that nights show were obviously underway.<br/><br/>His piano sat on its dias in the centre of the room, and on the far side of the room he could see the telltale shapes and colours of several staff members running to and fro in a panic. He considered making his way over there, then decided against it; if it required his attention, they would tell him. His staff were good at that. He turned to regard the Tamaranian, and suppressed a small smirk as he saw members of his staff poking their heads out of their respective rooms to gawk at her as they finally noticed the visitor. Upon meeting Lucifers eyes, however, they quickly ducked back into their respective jobs. To be fair, that was how he'd felt at first, too.<strong>"Welcome to Lux, my dear,"</strong>He said, stretching his arms out wide and effecting a bow.<strong>"One of the many clubs and restaurants that I happen to own. Please, allow me to show you some Earthling hospitality. I assume that your species requires food of some kind, no?"</strong><br/><br/>He glanced around with a wry smirk.<strong>"It looks rather busy, but I'm certain we can find ourselves a table somewhere, if you'd care to join me, miss...?"</strong>He paused, as if just realising something.<strong>"Ah, of course. I never caught your name. Forgive my manners, my dear; I'm Lucifer Morningstar, and it's a pleasure to meet you."</strong>He turned his head such that she could only see one sparkling eye. Of course, he didn't need to eat food, but that didn't mean he didn't like it. Of all the things Mortals had created, they had gotten very good at turning a daily chore into something far more enjoyable. Honestly, he was proud of them, and he enjoyed partaking in his head chef's - Marko - cooking as often as possible. Just because he didn't have to eat, didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy it anyway, no? And who didn't enjoy a good, well cooked steak? What kind of monster did you think he was?