9130/A Policy of Truth

A Policy of Truth
Date of Scene:	16 December 2021
Location:	Lux - Penthouse
Synopsis:	Amanda and Lucifer socialize at Lucifer's penthouse. Some discussion of therapy, angels, and holidays occurs.
Cast of Characters:	Lucifer, Amanda Sefton

---

Lucifer has posed:
"Sorceress; come in, come in," Lucifer is saying, as he swings open the door and a warm, broad smile fills his features. He's dressed more simply -- all in black, with a button-up top that has an odd raven-feather purple sheen to the fabric, and an overly open throat. He is using a towel to smoothly brush back over his hair. His hair is black today, not blonde, which is a bit unusual due to being inconsistent with the past year or so. It doesn't appear dyed, but natural.

Lucifer wings the towel in a toss to the bathroom, and gestures her to come in, stepping aside. "There's a mix of Greek food in the kitchen I brought up, in case you were hungry. I'd say it was stolen from one of the employee parties below if I hadn't been the one to have bought it for them in the first place."

Lucifer had mentioned there were a few magical things he wanted to talk about, but he's being pleasant before going into those.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda smiles as she enters. As it happens, she's almost his mirror opposite, tonight -- which might have been purposeful just for the, uh, deviltry of it. Likely a way of making a statement on the street outside of Lux for her own amusment. Her hair, of course, is always blonde. But her clothing is in shades of cream and white, from her wool trousers to her cashmere sweater to the wrap she wears in lieu of a heavier coat. (Warming spells are a thing.)

Her blue eyes twinkle as he lets her in. "Sounds wonderful," she replies, removing her well-heeled boots and setting them and her wrap aside as she comes further into the room. She takes her time wandering toward the kitchen, mainly because it's her first time here and she's curious. Eventually, though, she finds her way there, and to the food.

Lucifer has posed:
There are some wards set up, but probably not as many as could have been expected. Most of it seems to be with the idea in mind that if Lucifer isn't home -- he doesn't really care. There's a vault area with a feast of magic around it, but the place as a whole seems to expect that if Lucifer is home, only light signals are necessary, not any actual forceful walls.

"Yes, seems to have been a hit. It's as if that chef made a deal with the devil, the food is so excellent," Lucifer prattles, with a flare of eyes and chuckle, joining her in the kitchen area. The place is a mirror of what Lux is below, and doesn't necessarily feel 'personal' in particular. More that it suits an expectation of what a decadent mob boss WOULD have. There's a strong number of features meant to intimidate, such as weapons on the wall, statues that lean aggressive.

"This is the first time you've been here, isn't it?" Lucifer realizes, and tilts his head. "This apartment is mostly used for vices. I suppose I deserve to be judged on it, but, ah, well."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda laughs lightly at the revelation about the apartment. "I shouldn't be surprised," she admits. "So tell me, Lucifer, where *do* you call home?" Now, she's just curious. She moves further into the kitchen, chuckling briefly at the joke about dealing with the devil.

The decor is interesting, to be sure. Amanda does find the motif a little 'predictable' insofar as it's got that aggressive feel to it. Not a decor she'd choose, herself, but he's seen her Library, where old world cozy meets Roma flare.

Lucifer has posed:
"As much as I'd /like/ to say it's on earth, it really is not," Lucifer sighs, relaxing on one of the weird stools by the long kitchen counter. "It's my personal spires in Hell. That's where I am most myself. Which is disheartening but realistic." Lucifer slants a dismayed little half-smile. "but do keep in mind I lived there /before/ Hell itself. The neighborhood grew up around me." A snicker follows at his joke.

"But no, I'm tied to that place. As much freedom as I'd like to say I have... there's that shackle."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda smiles wryly at that. "We all have that somewhere," she tells him. She steps aside to let him fetch the plates, rather than being entirely presumptive about it. "Do you like it there? Perhaps not the new neighborhood, but the place, anyway?" It seems oddly important, to be comfortable in the place one calls home.

"I'm sorry," she says then, shaking her head. "I'm prying. Bad habit, I suppose." She's always been prone to asking those sorts of questions, however.

Lucifer has posed:
"Mmmh," Lucifer answers, seeming to really soak in her question, instead of just giving a quick sassy answer. "I like some aspects of it. But imagine being in a place that constantly pushes every single piece of what you are constantly into your face. The pieces you don't like grow and feed off of the recognition of them. It's a place where... yes, I am truly myself, but perhaps that's not what I /want/ all the time." Lucifer senses she's after plates, and just invites her to do what she will with a hand movement. He's open to the presumption, and feels no need to host.

"Not to say that up here is better. Particularly lately, with consistent attacks from holier-than-thou distant relatives. It's very frustrating. Either I'm in hell, or getting hammered by these entities that want to trap me down there."

Lucifer smirks a bit and shakes his head. "For a lark, I saw someone post up offering 'therapy' for supernaturals. I went to it, just to see. I like to vent, anyway, though it's always a pain... judging if a mortal can handle my truth. If it will break their reality. Which they by and large do not deserve."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda was born a child with swarthy skin, black hair, and a heritage that clearly screamed 'other' to the world around her. She appears now as a peaches-and-cream blonde no one in the Western world would think twice about, save that her face is slightly familiar in that vague way that American media has encouraged over the span of decades. It's possible she understands better than he knows. Her smile turns wry and empathetic all at once.

"So, could this therapist handle your truth?" It's easier to ask that question than it is to admit her own reluctance to return to places where her own sense of self is challenged in a similiar manner.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer lifts a hand and considers in a so-so waggle of wrist. "Some handle it well at the beginning and elect for insanity later. It can be very hard to tell initially. But he has been dealing with some related supernaturals, so I made the choice to allow him to see. I /dislike/ having to 'prove' who I am, but...."

Lucifer laughs a little, "Forcing everyone to 'just have faith' is not MY style at all either. Just, well. Careful what you ask for, with me, I'd say." Lucifer taps his chin slowly. "And it did immediately cause him to tell me about various things I could 'help' to fix... which is ... sort of exhausting. I'd rather not get involved unless it's /dire/, or I choose to." Lucifer does not like obligations.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda remembers her own brush with Lucifer's true nature. Brush*es*, really. She chuckles dryly. "Yeah. *That* doesn't surprise me. After all, the default in this city seems to be... if you have power, you're expected to be a hero. Or you end up a villain." She chuckles dryly. "Though, I suppose you've know that for centuries, now." After all, he's been tarred with that latter brush for eons.

"Doesn't really sound like an effective therapist, though. I thought they were supposed to listen and let the patient come to their own conclusions?" Not that she's been to therapy, mind. But that's been what she's been told about the best of them, anyway.

Lucifer has posed:
"Yes. But it is fair to expect a strong reaction to a celebrity client, I think. Some forgiveness there to give him a chance to recover his professional facade in the face of mind-bending truth," Lucifer winks. "I try to give everyone a minute to process. ...Or I'd be rather lonely, I think."

Lucifer extends a hand to aim a poke at her forearm. Perhaps a check to see if she jumps. Even if people are comfortable with him in the room, some still startle at actual contact. It's a mortal thing.

"I did talk a bit about my anger problems. Trying to find some alternatives for coping, rather than bottling and denial. It helps even to just talk at someone, I think." He does like to talk.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
He does. Amanda has learned this. She doesn't, however, jump when he touches her. Mainly because she's become accustomed to him. And he's not radiating aggressive energy that suggests his touch will burn... Perhaps not literally, but you never know.

"It does," she agrees, answering the comment he made, rather than the truth she knows about him. "So, that's not a bad thing." She moves to test some of the food, now, since it's just been sitting there. She's in no hurry to get down to business -- whatever reason it was he called her here initially. It's just as likely he'll decide to talk for another hour or two before they ever get to the real reason for the visit. She's okay with that.

"Have your... family(?) been ramping up their opposition again?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer looks at her food selection, and queries, as it occurs to him, "Oh --- is it cold?" Probably it's cold. He suddenly perks up, as if very charmed and pleased. He doesn't make her wonder why for long, he explains:

"I can freely be myself, that's /right/, in front of you. Hee." And with pleasure, he curves a hand over the food, with a blast of heat and light. It isn't flame, and it's not a spell. It's his presence at it's core. Yes, it is a bit of 'hell', but only in terms of that Lucifer IS hell. It's not evil, it's a primal source of heat. He does that and relaxes back.

"I do appreciate you here, you know. Demons is a differnt sort of company. That's being myself too, but... also a jailor. Different requirement from me."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda nods to that. She watches him warm the food and smiles. When it's warm and the light and heat has faded from his hands, she reaches for a plate. Neat trick. "I'm glad to come," she admits. He is by far the most interesting of the people she gets to spend time with. And not observationally speaking, particularly. He's just interesting. "You're never boring, Luci." She flashes a grin. "Challenging, yes. But not boring. And I don't mind a challenge."

Oh, she knows he towers above her in terms of power and experience. She knows he's dangerous and his position in the cosmos makes him all the moreso. She's not ignorant of the fact. But she does have patience about it.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer is honest about what he is, where is place is, and certainly has his big moments of pride -- but for the most part, he does try to play mortal, to blend with humans. There are those with far less power that have a lot more tendency to throw it in everyone's face. Lucifer's lends to being backward: the more someone knows him, the more they are exposed to.

Devil, an acquired taste? Or maybe just some time to get used to it. Time.

"Excellent. We can challenge and lightly confound each other. A good arrangement," Lucifer grins. "And a willingness to overlook huge downsides and flaws." Does he mean himself? Maybe. Or he's teasing.

"I haven't decided if I will stay here for the moment, or drop 'home'. Let these angry angels tire themselves out up here for a while without bothering /me/. But I'd hate them to think they drove me off." Pride issue there....

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"No one's perfect," Amanda winks, generally teasing. Her head cants though as she considers his dilemma about leaving.

"I've felt the influx of energy," she admits. "It's altering the city. Especially this close to Solstice." Last Winter Solistice, she was chasing monsters through Tribeca. This year... the darkness has been scarcer.

Lucifer has posed:
"Nope, and 'perfect' is horribly dull, stagnant, and doesn't evolve. Sad, really, perfection," decides Lucifer. He distractedly looks to the food, evidently deciding to have some. Which will probably involve attempting to put a fork to /her/ plate, unless she waves him off. Sometimes boundaries are whatever. But it's never accidental, not really, this sort of thing. Lucifer's too socially aware to fumble. So he means to play.

"Yes. I was considering vacationing to Los Angeles. But if you'd miss me terribly, visits could still happen."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda flashes a grin at that. "I haven't been to LA in ages. Perhaps I should drop in on you there." She snirks then. "If I don't end up spending yuletide in Asgard."

She arches a brow as he spears food on her plate and, considering that, she reaches for a little more than she might otherwise have. Gesturing then to a seat at a table -- since she doesn't know if he's the casual, eat on the couch in the living room, at least not in this dark place -- she slides into a chair to be more comfortable.

Her dark expression as cleared as quickly as it came. She doesn't really mind helping Brunnhilde get her sword back. The woman is interesting -- if perpetually drunk. And it's allowed her to become better acquainted with Strange and... his paramour. That's a strange pairing, but, then...the pun works.

Lucifer has posed:
"Asgard... on purpose?" Lucifer asks. It isn't sarcastic at all, it is an open question - to determine whether she wants to spend it in Asgard or if it's more a job related thing. "I don't care for Asgard in particular, myself. Humans are a lot more interesting. Far more potential. Asgardians have their issues, obviously, but... eh. It feels almost like the difference between enjoying your /own/ pets and someone else's pets. I have less patience for when they jump up."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda laughs at that. "I'm still helping Brunnhilde track down her sword. The current plan is to use some sort of artifact to make the woman who stole it feel like the wicked stepmother in Snow White so she comes chasing after it and we can open negotiations. So, no. Asgard for Yule is not actually my vacation destination."

She chuckles softly. "Most of my yules are spent with my brother or on a beach somewhere, depending on where in the world I am. So, LA would fit right in."

Lucifer has posed:
"Technically I do not care even a little bit about this holiday," Lucifer clarifies, in a blunt honest tone. "Usually I find it really pretty obnoxious - 'praise him, praise that', urgh.... but I /do/ appreciate the explosion of capitalism, greed, and families barely tolerating each other. The pressure cooker of all of what it entails. But, well -- I would not say I /celebrate/. So. A beach it is."

Lucifer mock 'lays back' agains the counter some, still on his stool, as if he were soaking up some rays of sun.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda smirks. "The only 'praise hims' I see are from the Judeo-Christian traditions. Yule, originally, was all about the hunt, blood sacrifices, and brokering deals. I'd think you'd enjoy that." Though she does have to concede that's not how this modern world sees it.

She pops some of the food into her mouth and swallows before she speaks again. "But, yes. Beach it is." The joy of portalling is that she can, in fact, enjoy both coasts if she chooses. Or coasts abroad, if she really wants.

Lucifer has posed:
"Oh, of course. I was referring to the giant Christmas Tree situation here in the city and the terrible caroling, and music piped into all of the stores. Not to bash the other traditions. I do enjoy certain other things. I was just complaining about the loud majority," Lucifer laughs. He waves it away, though. "But then, I do find every religion lacking in some way. Even Satanism." Of which he would be something of a patron and focus.

"Great. When can we go? Do you need an hour to prepare?" Lucifer deadpans.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Again, Amanda laughs. "I'm a sorceress. I can go anytime and still manage to pop back to the house for things I've forgotten in a moment." And why not? Pepper does, often enough, thanks to Tony. "I just need to remain available enough to Brunnhilde, and things will be fine."

She loves New York. She loves her friends and family here. But, she's happy for a break, it seems. And LA must might fit that bill.