3288/Ice Palace: In Summer

Ice Palace: In Summer
Date of Scene:	08 September 2020
Location:	Ice Palace
Synopsis:	Nessa gives Lucifer a summary of what happened to the palace.
Cast of Characters:	Nessa Donovan, Lucifer

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Nessa Donovan has posed:
While traffic has been re-routed and people are kept back from the nearby vicinity of the remnants of the ice palace, Nessa's keeping a close eye on things. At the mouth of an alley nearby, she leans against a wall, watching. It's not totally destroyed, but it's been brought down. It's much like watching some bits of an ice sculpture melt, uneven, ice thinned but still standing in places, ironically a bit of a skeletal structure in what's left. Authorities had checked it out, but from everything they and everyone else has seen, it's just a block of melting ice in the middle of the Bronx.

Things are tricky though, and Nessa wants to be sure, at least for a little while, that this part of things is taken care of. She can deal with Kaylee's possession later, but this? This she can watch over. She checks her phone briefly before shoving it into her pocket with a gloved hand.

Lucifer has posed:
"I," Lucifer begins as he strolls over towards Nessa, "Am really looking forward to the story about what all happened here," he says. He's upbeat, interested: as if he indeed HAD been looking forward to the culmination of the plot to one of his favorite shows! What twists befell the characters?! Who is dating who? It's entertaining to Lucifer, but not in a mean way: he's interested. It's /something/.

Lucifer got in... somehow. He's good at coaxing people to things, including thinking that he belongs somewhere. So, he's just there, in his nice suit, picking through the ice fearlessly, and looking around him with more of a tourist vibe than one of an investigator. Intent and curious, but as if it were a hobby.

"The soul got... removed? Escaped? Destroyed?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Not exactly where we'd like it to be, but it's not in the palace anymore," Nessa notes, though there's a tone of amusement at watching Lucifer avoiding the water from melting ice. "He's currently possessing one of the former students... Kaylee, the one Tristan was looking for. We got her out and she's okay, but Vega's definitely in there. Trying to figure out what to do with that, but for now at least the situation is contained. No ice skeletons just wandering around."

She doesn't seem particularly pleased about the current resting place of the soul, but she does seem pleased when she looks towards the palace. "I used /it/ as a battery. That's a bit of a role reversal, but it worked. This all has been extremely complicated but I'm stronger for it. I brought it down. Just have to get rid of a necromancer's soul and it's all over, no big deal."

Lucifer has posed:
"Ah! All right then. A simple exorcism, and it's over, send his soul into the great beyond - hell or otherwise: wherever it ends up," Lucifer says, with a simple nod, as if all that were left were to take a shower to wash off the last of the dust. Clearly things are done with. At least from his general perspective.

"Is Kaylee all right, or spitting green soup all of your walls?" Lucifer wonders, with a slight frown in the edge of that. He doesn't seem to be much of a fan of possession, it even brought his smiley quality down. He crosses some of the ice, then bends, and shows her what he found with a laugh. Part of her Spirit Board, the letter 'Q' came loose!

"Think you could move the palace back to where it was, out of the street? Or just going to let it go?" Lucifer smirks a little. "Sorry not sorry, easy joke."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa glances over to Lucifer. "Simple exorcism? You're talking to the Ice Queen here, not Father Christmas. You realize I have no idea how to do something like that, right? She's alright, though. She was really drained but... she's in SHIELD custody, I guess they're keeping her sedated so Vega can't do anything. So it's a holding pattern until we figure out how to proceed with soul extraction." She takes a peek at the letter, smiling a tiny bit. "Good call on that, by the way. You were an important part in all of this, I hope you know. Still are."

He's given a bit of an eye-roll at the Frozen joke, but she still seems to at least be in positive spirits. "I'd move it somewhere less obtrusive if it wasn't out of magic. It's sort of just a pile of ice now. I suppose I could form it all up into a ball or a pillar or something to make it easier for cars..." She shrugs. "Temporary ice skating rink?"

That would be appropirate given that's what she was doing when the ice palace first appeared.

Lucifer has posed:
"Just seems a shame to let it all just collapse into nothing, when you could erect a statue or, I don't know, a twist of silly slides for all the neighborhood children," Lucifer says, in a way that suggests he may not really understand what neighborhood children like or even really are. He's seen them in books.

"I have .... a trove of information on exorcism. You can read up on it if you choose. Depends on the nature of the creature the exact method: but you know you don't have a demon, so it won't be ripping the current soul to pieces. So I'd say you have time, if you keep the host sedated," Lucifer chatters. His tone suggests it's an area of some expertise, he's just giving the broad strokes. Much like a professional architect might give a brief bit of advice on a roof angle casually.

"What about an ice bridge over the street?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa quirks an eyebrow, but she does grin. "I don't think erecting a statue of me in a flowing dress would go over so well, but you might be right about a bridge. Something to help pedestrians cross and get stuff out of the way? You're pretty good at this creative ice use. Sure you don't want to be the ice mage?" She's tugging off one glove, though she's looking at him and not the ice.

"Could a contract demon trick or pull a necromancer's soul out of a host? ... just asking." Really, she's hoping the answer's no by the tone of her voice. Turning back towards the ice, she tugs off the other glove. "I'd love to look at what information you've got, though."

Lucifer has posed:
"If you think I am looking after the traffic out of kindness... I am not. Although I had to park a little far because of all this," Lucifer says regretfully, as if the main issue of the whole situation was how it impacted his ability to drive around.

"A contract demon?" Lucifer blinks at her, taking in what that might mean. "I mean, I /suppose/. Anyone could trick a soul out, if they were clever enough, or the soul was motivated enough. Demons are better at soul manipulation than most humans, generally, too." Lucifer weighs all of that. "But you're likely going to have to get into a contract with the demon to get it to do that for you in the first place."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Ah-ha! So Lucifer's true motivations have been unveiled. He doesn't like having to walk an extra block or two. I should have known." Nessa's got a wide grin on her face as she faces back to the street. Holding her hands out in front of her, the ice slowly starts to shift, from melting ice-castle to something more of a functional bridge. She's not being fancy with this one--no need for people to actually start calling her Ice Queen. As she works, she glances idly over at him.

"Or I could offer to make him a reading list of books on humans. No actual deal /and/ I have a piece of paper with instructions on how to literally summon him." She nods in his direction. "He's a bit of a stalker, though. Not a fan of someone who's half-fire elemental following me around."

Lucifer has posed:
"There are certain things everyone enjoys. An excellent parking spot close to the destination is one of them, those pleasures," Lucifer laughs softly. "Parking further away on purpose is like taking the stairs next to a functional escalator. Just /why/. Enjoy the good things in life."

Lucifer turns to stand behind her and to one side, observing as she begins to shape ice -- and for various agents to freak out. After all, ice magic has been very DANGEROUS lately with skeletons trying to murder people. "'Ice Queen' indeed," Lucifer chuckles dryly, as if reading her mind.

"Demons will do what is in their /nature/ to do. He'll probably attempt to make deals. Just be aware and you'll be fine," Lucifer shrugs. "Or make a deal that he can't use his fire around you." Lucifer smiles a little. "I didn't sense evil on him. I can respect a desire for a bit of freedom, but if he messes it up, do let me know. I can send him home."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa's look says it all. She's certainly amused. "Good things in life are hard to come by. I suppose I should appreciate two less blocks to walk in the sun." She idly glances at the sky with a face like she'd love to block out the sun. She waves with one hand towards the agents, just sort of a general 'don't panic' motion as she makes it very visible that she's forming a bridge to unblock traffic. Basic shapes so she can finely shape the rest after. "Agent May called me it and I didn't hate it. It's better than Ice Bunny, in any case. Or 'mage girl'. The Thing told me once it's better to choose your own name pretty obviously before the media just starts naming you. I mean, 'The Thing'? Pretty rough."

While she focuses a bit, she's still paying attention to him. "Trust me, when it comes to deals I'm being very careful now. He doesn't really seem to be malicious, just a little socially awkward and curious. I just don't want him being curious about /me/ from three feet behind me. Especially given he's sort of fire-oriented. If he's helpful and not rude, I'd be willing to go easy on him but right now he's still fairly in icicle-to-the-face territory."

Lucifer has posed:
"I sort of like 'Ice Bunny' there, Hogwarts. ...I think you'll have control over some of it, but not /all/ of it," chuckles Lucifer. "Critical stage now, if you do television interviews, to say the name you want, otherwise yes, you'll end up as something from a Disney movie, I /do/ fear. It's not too late to be Elsa," he teases. Lucifer just hangs out where he is, though he's taken his little silver flask out to enjoy while she's making ice shapes. He's very relaxed and casual about all of it, but that's just part of his deal: everything is interesting, but nothing is really a big deal either.

"At least that association isn't to a villain." Like being named, say, Lucifer? Not that that is what Lucifer actually means by it. "There's a villainous Ice Queen in, what, Narnia?" Lucifer offers. "Ice Witch, I think. Various versions."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Ice Bunny only has two real connotations: cute and fuzzy or sexy. I'm not gonna strut around in some playboy outfit with a pompom tail and make merchandise," Nessa notes, though she does eye Lucifer at the villain comment, smirking just slightly. "Luci, I hate to tell you this but you're one to talk about villainous assocations in names."

The bridge comes along nicely--an arch over the top of the road, not too steep, but sloping just enough so that there's space to walk across and also to drive under. It's mostly formed, she's just putting in details. Not fancy doesn't mean not detailed, though. "Ice Witch certainly sounds ominous. Starting to wonder if I'm destined for the dark side at this rate."

Lucifer has posed:
I can count on one hand the number of people that /dare/ call me 'Luci' to my face," Lucifer amusedly deadpans at her. It's likely he's making a joke, but sometimes that line is funny with him. True things lean joke, and the other way, as well, when he talks in that manner. The same tone used to mention his other job is to torture people for eternity -- likely just some way to describe has a government job. "Still better than some. Yell 'Satan' across a crowded room and we'll really be in business."

"Also, I like the connotations of Ice Bunny." He would.

"Personally I wouldn't encourage you to go to either extreme. Heroes end up tied to their obligations, their guilt about not doing /enough/, not saving that one extra person. And evil comes with a whole other set of problems, naturally. Stay in the middle, that's where you're able to move the most with how you feel." Neutrality.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa bats her eyelashes at him. "If you don't like it, you can ask me to stop and I will." There's a certain amount of amusement there as the bridge is finished. If it weren't ice, it almost looks like it was supposed to be there. Nicely matched to the architecture surrounding the area. Certainly done on purpose and way less intrusive than melting bits of a palace. "I'm sure I can come up with something to call you."

With that out of the way, she turns to fully face him. "No one would take me seriously if I was 'Ice Bunny'. Does an 'Ice Bunny' take down an ice palace and help stop an evil necromancer? Doesn't quite make me sound very impressive, just cute and nibbling everything." She moves to put her gloves back on, but then doesn't, just relaxing.

"I'm not a hero. I never planned on being one, I just sort of don't want the media running around and calling me Elsa. I got bullied as a kid, I don't need to be bullied my entire adult life too." She shakes her head. "Besides, I'm not a hero, I'm a helper. If you ever listened to any of Mr. Rogers advice, he always said if things were scary to look for the helpers, find the people who are helping. It's not about capes, just getting people out of trouble and making sure people are okay." She makes a face. "I don't know, if people ever want to call me evil, that's their own problem, Ice Queen or not."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer looks a little bit aghast at her, as if she were some cute, precious thing, like a rare flower. "Look at you, being so ...." Lucifer hunts for the word. "Optimistic." Lucifer moves to her to attempt a one armed bearhug, with feels like it could dip into a bully-style noogie at any moment, but he doesn't actually move to do anything like that.

His tone IS a little sarcastic, but he wears that all the time, so he doesn't mean much by it in particular, no actual barb. "Inspiring, perhaps. To those who are still able to be inspired. You're one of those sorts of heroes that is confused why everyone keeps expecting you to save the day, or ends up leading a team somehow," Lucifer chuckles at her.

Then he nods at the /rest/ of the palace. All that ice. It's more than a bridge of snow and things, anyway. "Then again, they still need the snow plows big time, so, small deeds," He teases.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa laughs, falling into the bearhug with a grin. "Don't start attributing positive qualities to me, they might stick and then I'll end up in big trouble." She makes a face at him. "I'm just helping people, alright? Not a big deal. No cape. If you see me wearing a cape, it's a cold day in hell." She does, however, look to survey what's left of the ice.

"Yeah, yeah, I brought the thing down and that's impressive enough. I didn't know I could /do/ that. Just means I've got more to practice now that I know more. An ever evolving cycle of never quite being good enough but surprising myself with how far I've come."

Lucifer has posed:
"All that does is encourage me to buy you a proper cape. Perhaps halloween?" Lucifer says temptingly, with a flare of his eyes and an over-wide grin. Intense suddenly, but also just Lucifer's style of play. He's just in-your-face about a lot of things like this, which, as she gets used to him, probably have less actual impact. He's just eccentric.

"How exactly were you not good enough? I wasn't here, you still have to regale me on that point. Results seem to speak for themselves. You should be proud," Lucifer says, temptingly, and releases her, beginning to stroll onto her new bridge.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"So long as the cape doesn't come with a matching 'ice bunny' outfit, maybe, but somehow I don't think you want hell to freeze over," Nessa quips. The jokes are certainly there, and she's taking the intensity in stride. "You run a club, I /bet/ Halloween is a big holiday."

She lets out a slow breath though. "I mean, if I was better, maybe I could have stopped this faster. Maybe I could have gotten there before Kaylee ended up a host to some asshole." She does, however, follow him over to the newly created bridge. "Maybe I'm a little proud, but I'm the only one who's really gonna understand or appreciate the accomplishment."

Lucifer has posed:
"I don't much like talking about Hell," Lucifer says, teasingly, but /tired/. "Do you want to talk about the specials on the menu on YOUR day off?" he chuckles at her, evading the topic. Which may bring up a question of how crazy he actually IS?

"Well, when Kaylee's freed, I think she'd appreciate it. What about the other kid, with the squirrel fetish?" Lucifer asks, bluntly. Lucifer probably shouldn't be around children.

"Don't you have a new sidekick?" Lucifer teases. Then snaps his fingers at her. "He can wear the cape. There you have it. Ice Queen and Squirrel." He's upbeat, helping, only a little bit making fun. Just LITTLE.

"You're young, anyway. Room to still become an Ice Maleficent Queen."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"You know, despite cooking all the time, I still do love food. I might not cook you the special of the day, but it doesn't mean I won't tell you that I still make the best breakfast." Nessa does grin at him. "Lux certainly isn't Hell, though. It's actually nice there." She's certainly amused, though she practically dies of laughter a moment later.

It takes her a minute to actually get her wits about her again, and she shakes her head at him a bit while she's still grinning. "Squirrel fetish," she mutters before looking at him squarely. "Tristan's probably more powerful than I am, as far as I know. I'd be /his/ sidekick. He's more of a hero anyway. I wish I was half that brave when I was his age."

At the mention of her being young, Nessa shakes her head. "Young enough that I've got 'my whole life ahead of me', but old enough to know it's not an easy journey. Plenty of time to have it all go sour."

Lucifer has posed:
"Mmm, sour. There's the pessimism I knew was in there," Lucifer chuckles at her, stopping at the highest point of the bridge and leaning against the ice rail she'd made. He's entirely fearless - and trusting of her handiwork, that he won't plummet, by the look of it. He does, though, pause and brush his hands off, with a wink and mention of, "Little cold." No kidding.

"So you think you've peaked with this palace? I don't think so." Lucifer shrugs a little. He does think that: he doesn't lie, as a policy. He gives her a quick half-smile, and shrug.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa doesn't seem to concerned about the ice breaking. She trusts her own handiwork, but she also notes that he does as well. "Little cold is sort of my motto, if you hadn't noticed by now." She does admire the bridge for a moment, studying the details. There is sort of a sense of pride in it.

"I don't know what I'm capable of, honestly. Wasn't certain of what I was doing there, but it gave me an idea that my ceiling wasn't as low as maybe I thought it was. But it's nice to know you believe in me for some strange reason."