returnjourneylogs | Learning the Peregrine

Passengers: Alex Mercer and You.
Location: Around the Peregrine.
Date: Feb 7th
Summary: Alex is learning the layout still, with a few special stops. At least two places require a warden to help.
Warnings: Language? Possible body horror discussion depending on how things go.

Alex was limited in where he could go, and what he could do. He hated it, thanks. But he'd agreed to be here--if these beings really could return him from death, to his world... Then he could clean up the messes still; he didn't trust the military to do so. Not after they'd tried to nuke Manhattan to 'fix things'.

S.I.R.E
Alex hated that this required a warden. But he was curious, and maybe wanted to do some thinking out loud. Which meant he needed to find a warden who was willing to activate this thing, and then give him some privacy. (At least the illusion of privacy would help.) Was it so wrong that he wanted familiar surroundings?

Athletics Department
He'd at least learned, that while this area required a warden's supervision, to time his use of it to when one of them was using it. Seriously though, this was getting old. Not that he'd expected much freedom, but this absolutely sucked. He wasn't even planning on causing any trouble. Just using the free-standing punching bag. Getting used to being 'limited' to a human-based form and body again.

Resource Library
At least THIS place didn't require a warden's permission. Alex still would've preferred actual books, but the variety was impressive at least. Right now he was browsing to see whatever seemed interesting.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lucifer finally, finally manages to tear his eyes away from the looping memory of Miss Lopez, in order to give Alex an appraising sort of look. But it's no matter. He's said he's an open book, and he is.

"I'd been living in Los Angeles for about five years. I'd left Hell - another act of rebellion on my part - and was running a nightclub. One night, a young lady of my acquaintance was gunned down outside my club. I couldn't let her killer go unpunished, so I... consulted. And then I kept consulting."

His look now is almost nostalgic. Like he's conjuring up fond memories - but in his head. Their surroundings remain the same, of course.

"What kind of cases did you consult on?" Alex is genuinely curious. He has appreciated so far that Lucifer, whether really the devil or not, has dealt fairly and honestly. The man seems reasonable, and Alex can work with reasonable.

Of course, he'd also given him some things to think about, which Alex wasn't too happy about. But that could be dealt with later. Alone.

"Murders," he says easily. He waves his hand vaguely at the image of Miss Lopez, who now appears to be talking about something to do with gunpowder residue.

"I helped solve dozens of them over the next few years. Miss Lopez was part of the team. I said tit for tat. You showed me your sister, and now I'm showing you mine. Not literally, of course, Miss Lopez is human. But she's done a far better job of it than most of my actual sisters."

"Most people get that whole quote about blood being thicker than water wrong. It's about the blood you spill with others that makes you family, rather than the water you were born from." Alex commented. Part of the whole point of basic and training together was to make a cohesive unit, regardless of where or what you were born into. Pulled from all the memories and minds he had of military and Blackwatch ops.

So...Alex got it.

"What was your favorite case she helped with?"

Aw, Alex is mansplaining the Bible to the actual Devil! Lucifer will simply smile and nod his agreement.

“My favorite case with Miss Lopez would almost certainly have to be the time we went to Las Vegas together, to investigate the disappearance of my ex-wife. There was murder, gambling, glitz and glamor, and even a musical number. I believe Miss Lopez kept her showgirl costume.”

Yes, he’s deliberately playing up the absurd elements of the story, but they are all true!

He hadn't intended to do that, but he wasn't sure where the saying had come from. He'd heard it was from old Roman times or something. In any case, Lucifer had gotten the point--that Alex understood.

"Well now I gotta hear details. That sounds exciting." Alex replied with amusement. "Why a musical number?"

"Because it was Vegas," Lucifer says. Self-evident! "It's not a trip to Vegas without a show. And we had to flush out the killer, so it wasn't all fun and games."

"Surprised you're not giving me the whole 'what stays in Vegas' line." Alex murmured. "So what happened to your ex?"

"I think that goes without saying," Lucifer says easily. "And Candy was fine, actually. The killer killed someone he thought was Candy, but it wasn't. She was clever enough to go into hiding and she helped us find the man behind it. So far as I know, she's still in Vegas, doing quite well for herself."

Alex blinked, then chuckled. "You have an ex-wife named Candy. Not sure why I'm surprised by that, honestly."

Lucifer smiles. This story is easy for him to tell, especially in this environment. It's easy to fall into his comfort zone - it's a performance, telling this story, and he's animated, pleased with himself because he knows he's successfully charming his listener. It's entertaining, and he enjoys entertaining.

"It's a long and complicated story, but we got married as part of a deal. I helped her, she helped me, the marriage lasted a week and we went our separate ways - until her disappearing act, of course."

"Must've been some deal." Alex murmured. "Here I was thinking maybe it was some kind of mid-life crisis thing."

"I'm pretty sure, as an immortal being, I can't have a midlife crisis," Lucifer points out. "But I'm sure a lot of the people I knew thought that's what it was. There's always a method to my madness, however."

He clears his throat, and tells the SIRE to end the program. If he's reluctant to end the scene around them, he doesn't show it. He looks cheerful enough.

"So. Did that satisfy your curiosity?"

"It was tit for tat." Alex murmured in agreement, before crossing his arms and giving the other a speculative look. Not a bad look either, more assessing and curious.

Lucifer just raises his eyebrows. "You can look at me like that all you want, but I can't read your mind any more than you can read mine. So if you've got more questions, might as well ask them."

He's stepping out of the SIRE, though - it's a little boring when it's not actually running a memory.

"Nah. Although I'll ask later if I feel like it." Alex said, shaking his head and moving to follow. Then he turned his head to the side, and spoke a bit awkwardly. "I...appreciate your timing. And amenability." He was an inmate, no way was he going to say thank you. But he did appreciate that he'd gotten some semblance of privacy and a chance to think in familiar surroundings.

"You're welcome," Lucifer says simply. It's not mocking, or snarky, or anything like that. Just a simple acknowledgment. He gets it.

"You can drop me a line anytime you want to talk," he adds, still serious. "I'll always ask you for something in return, but I'll also always be honest with you."

"That's fair." Alex nods in agreement. He won't necessarily like it, but he gets it. He operates on enlightened-self-interest himself, so who is he to blame someone else for wanting to get something too?

A shrug, before Alex prepares to head somewhere to think. Maybe the observatory.

Learning the Peregrine

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