The Devil's Nest, Friday Night

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer hadn't given in to this particular itch in a long time.

Had, in fact, succesfully staved it off on this island for months.

But after the past few weeks, that gleam of vacation, that filter that made everything look more pleasant and vivid because it was intended to be a temporary indulgence, it had slid right off of reality.

So he gave into it.

"When you were here... before," he sang, his fingers pressing down gently on the piano. "Couldn't look you in the eye..."

You're just like an angel. Your skin makes me cry. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, perhaps. Or letting the image of her tear-stained face as she cracked, I don't know! burn its way from his mind back into his eyes.

"You float like a feather in a beautiful wo-o-orld..."

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Comments

[betterthanaplan]

After just listening for a few measures, Duke signaled to Tiny, then came over to the piano and set a glass of the very best liquor the bar had in front of Lucifer without a word.

Then went back to the bar to keep drinking away his own woes.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer didn't pick the glass up off the piano until he was finished - of course.

He saluted Duke with it grimly, before gulping down half of it.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke saluted back, and took a rather smaller sip of his own drink.

He wouldn't go over and talk if it looked like Lucifer wanted to start up another song. Sometimes a man just wanted to drink and mope musically in peace, after all.

[my_own_advocate]

Ah, but Lucifer had to go and be a host to Jaskier at some point. Afterwards, he finally released that pent-up sigh and made his way to where Duke was sitting.

He sat down on the next stool over and motioned for Tiny to bring him another drink.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke waited for the next drink to arrive before speaking.

"Still can't call home, huh?"

[my_own_advocate]

"It's probably for the best," Lucifer said. "I do have a history of unnecessarily dramatic gestures where the detective is concerned, I'd rather spare myself the indignity."

[1000yearstoolate]

Duke had behaved terribly towards her on Ibiza, but Seivarden wasn't going to hold grudges. On the other hand, it didn't look like he had cheered up, and she didn't feel like listening to rude remarks, or, possibly worse, something emotional that where she'd probably say the wrong thing.

In the end she decided to walk up to the bar, order a drink, exchange a few words and escape as fas as possible.

[betterthanaplan]

Well, he wasn't simultaneously drunk and hungover, so that would probably help.

He nodded to her, sipping his drink, and waited to see what she'd say. He knew Lucifer had been pretty pissed at her this weekend and was pretty sure he'd heard about an argument between them this week on the radio.

[1000yearstoolate]

"Still no news?" she asked. That just required a simple answer, after all.

[betterthanaplan]

"I wouldn't be here if there were," Duke pointed out.

[ohvalleyofpenis]

Jaskier was just enthralled with the song, settling in to listen to the whole thing. Look, he'd been sticking to pop on the Spotify that Kathy had shown him. This was exciting and new!

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer stepped away from the piano after some time, and threw a glance around the club.

Oh. Jaskier.

He repressed a resigned sigh and took a moment to slap his host face back on, before descending the stage. "Has Tiny gotten your drink order yet?"

[ohvalleyofpenis]

"I was too distracted by the song to order," he admitted. "You have talent."

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, I know," Lucifer said brightly. "But thank you for recognizing it. Not everyone has a sense of taste." He lifted his chin towards Tiny. "What can he get you?"

[ohvalleyofpenis]

Jaskier scoffed over the philistines who could not appreciate the wonder of Radiohead. Or his current love, Ms. Britney Jean Spears.

"Dealer's choice. The world of drinks appears to be wide open here."

[betterthanaplan]

"Right." Duke offered Jaskier a small salute with his drink. "So . . . guess I should be a good 'teaching buddy' and check in and see how you're doing."

Hannibal had done that for Duke, and it had actually been pretty helpful! Hannibal hadn't also been dealing with a personal crisis at the time as far as Duke knew, but still. . . .

[ohvalleyofpenis]

"Oh!" Jaskier had nearly forgotten about getting his free food too. "I've found extra employment and purchased a cell phone."

He said 'cell phone' so delicately. It was adorable.

[betterthanaplan]

"That's good, that's very handy. Where you working?"

Duke had been listening to radio, but anything that wasn't "and Octavia showed up and is fine!" tended to go a bit in one ear and out the other.

[ohvalleyofpenis]

"'Dite's Decadent Delights," Jaskier said with aplomb.

[1000yearstoolate]

Oh, so someone other than the regulars had showed up tonight.

"You like the music?"

He - she assumed - could of course be interested for other reasons, but she did get the impression that it was the music.

[ohvalleyofpenis]

"I adore music in general," Jaskier said with an easy smile for a beautiful face. "I have not heard this song before, though."

[1000yearstoolate]

"Not from here?" Seivarden guessed, mostly from the clothes. "With here I mean Earth."

[ohvalleyofpenis]

"Most decidedly not from here," he agreed. "Are you not as well?"

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden wasn't sure that everything was back to normal between them, but she could at least pretend it was, which was why she picked up two drinks from Tiny and walked over to place one of them by the piano.

[my_own_advocate]

"Thank you," said Lucifer, who'd already moved on to another song by this point.