The Low Hanging Fruit [for ontheair/thelittleapple]

[thisducks]

continuation from this bakerstreet meme

[ And Alastor lands on the thing that Lucifer has wanted to do, again and again. It feeds into his beliefs, the endless shadows and demons that speak whispers into his thoughts, the plague of Humanity's evils that his fellow angels had cursed him to always know.

But then his daughter had held out her hand, telling him her lofty dream, golden and bright, and asked him to believe in it. All he wants is to support her, to make the only thing he ever made that he could be proud of shine as brightly as she can. It just... doesn't stop the reality of his life. ]

Leaving would hurt her more. Being here brings my name to the hotel. [ For all that he's certain he doesn't quite live up to said name, he does as well as he can. More so, it's not really the truth.

He's scared they'll come for her. With Adam's attempt on Charlie's life, the Accord he set with Heaven is broken- the Hellborn are no longer safe.

Nothing, not even himself, will stop him from defending her. She is worth everything to him. More than anything. ]

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[thisducks]

[ Whips out his cell phone - or he'll forget to set the alarm all together - and dismissing his cane, goes about setting an alarm for- well fifteen minutes should be fine! Just breakfast, after all! ]

And done! I'll meet you in the kitchen at eight. [ Maybe he can even sneak in a little power nap in those hours! Maybe. All too likely, that entire conversation with Alastor will reply again and again, over analyzed and turned into a weapon against himself. ]

Go get some sleep, please? [ He has to give her a little tug down to kiss her forehead, like he would when she was a toddler. ] Good night.

[thelittleapple]

[The kiss to her forehead makes her expression soften all the way, and she gives him a return kiss on the cheek before letting him head to his room. For sleep. Right, Dad? Right?

Charlie doesn't sleep, she has too much to do.

She waits the requisite hour and then goes looking for Alastor, and has a very confusing conversation with him where he seems to be picking his words excessively carefully. He's even more evasive than he usually is, and that's saying something. But she manages to pin him down to agreeing to partake in the exercises by appealing to his need to outdo her Dad (if they're going to have this stupid rivalry, she'll use it to her advantage).

Then it's prep time!

By the time eight rolls around, she has a big box full of props and instructions, and she's looking a little wild eyed from exhaustion. But she's in the kitchen as promised, checking her watch every few seconds.

He's going to come, right? Ha... silly, of course he'll come, he wouldn't stand her up. Would he?]

[thisducks]

[ Heh, sleep, sure! ...Heh... no. Not in the slightest. Instead, he at least manages a shower and clean clothing, but time alone in his room does nothing good for his head. The alarm does prove useful though! He absolutely won't stand up his baby girl!

(In the mean while, Vaggie is less than happy because she darn well knows Charlie didn't sleep, and even though she knows why, when Charlie is in one of these obsessed modes, even her coaxing doesn't get through.)

So eight on the dot, he comes in through the door out into the kitchen, looking just fine and dandy so long as no one looks too close beneath his eyes. ]

Goooood morning, Charlie!

[ It's a front - it's always a front - but it's easier to be this than reality. ]

[thelittleapple]

[Charlie is a bit less put together. Her ponytail has some sticking out strands, her clothes are a bit rumpled, and she shares the same dark shadows under her eyes as her father.

But she also shares his wide smile.]

Dad!

[Hopefully she only sounds welcoming and not relieved, she doesn't want him to know she was concerned he wouldn't come.]

I thought we could go out for breakfast! I know it's been a... liiiiittle while for you... and there's a lot of great new places nearby."

[thisducks]

You- you want to go out for breakfast?

[ That completely throws him off his game, his face falling before he manages to catch it, looking uncertain about the idea. ]

I... don't know if that's a good idea... [ It always proves to be awkward to go out among the masses - people expect things of him, they start falling over one another to introduce themselves and bow and scrape, he has to act a certain way...

Nevermind that it makes him uncomfortable over all after years of not being around, well, anyone. ]

i am SO sorry for the wait on this, i hope you're okay continuing <3

[thelittleapple]

[She reaches out to try and clasp his hands with her own, her smile turning from a manic sleep deprived mess to something gentler and more encouraging.]

It's not far from the hotel, and they sell really nice pancakes.

[It'll be good for him to get out more, right?]

And if it's too much, we can come back any time.

You're fine! ^^

[thisducks]

...pancakes?

[ The idea of breakfast with Charlie and pancakes works at his uncertainty, making him chew on his lower lip before he slumps forward as if in defeat. ]

Okay. I- let's do breakfast.

[ Even if he looks uncertain about the whole thing, he manages the smallest of smiles for her and her alone. ]

♥♥♥

[thelittleapple]

[It makes her heart ache a little that something as small as breakfast outside could make him sag like this, like it's a battle that he's already lost.]

We can even go incognito! You'd be amazed how many people won't recognise us.

[She's rarely recognised.]

Would that make it easier?

[thisducks]

I- No, it'll be okay. A chance to spend time with you is worth it.

[ This? This is everything Lucifer hasn't wanted her to see. What loneliness and depression and betrayal have done. When Lilith had been at his side, he had been able to bear the old wounds of the past that would never heal, sometimes even forget about them completely. Charlie had brought such a joy to his life that for a time, the wounds nearly felt like they disappeared.

Until- well. Until they both were left alone, and he knows he failed her. ]

Shall we? [ He offers his arm to her, bringing up a bigger smile to relieve her heart. ]

[thelittleapple]

[It breaks her heart a little to see just how nervous he is for something as simple as going out for breakfast-- how many years since he last actually walked among his people? Had he ever been comfortable among them?

Maybe that explains why he had been so reluctant to see Sinners could reform, because he's never allowed himself to spend time with them individually? She needs to help with this, she's sure that a few little trips will boost his confidence.

So she takes that arm, her smile still soft and knowing.]

Remember what we just talked about, Dad? Don't pretend... it's okay to be nervous.

[She wants to be there for the good and bad, not just be another burden on him to placate. A brief hesitation, and then a much softer question to try and understand a little better.]

What is it that you're nervous of?

[thisducks]

[ Not a single day had he ever been comfortable among- well, people, not since his Fall. All that came to Hell were horrible people who did horrible things, and the innocence and naive hope that had been his existence before had been destroyed. When Lilith had been at his side, she had enough confidence for them both and he could manage to be out with her among people, but that didn't mean comfortable.

Once she was gone, he'd been done.

And now here's Charlie ready to take him out on a daddy-daughter breakfast. ]

I- I don't really want to get into it... it's- complicated. [ He chews on the inside of his cheek, gesturing a little. ] To do with, you know. The past.

[thelittleapple]

[Her instinct is to push him to open up, but... this isn't one of her workshops for Sinners, and she's had a few harsh lessons in boundaries over the last few months. So instead she just squeezes the arm in hers tightly, affectionately.]

If you don't want to get into it, that's okay. But-- you know you can get into it any time, right? It doesn't matter how complicated it is, I'll listen.

[It's a relatively nice day out in Hell, the sky is clear and the temperature is only just on the wrong side of too-warm. The streets are relatively full of Sinners already of all shapes and sizes, and Charlie is already beaming and waving at them with her free hand.]

Good morning~! Hello there!

Get fucked, bitch!

Haha-- and a lovely rest of your day to you too!

[thisducks]

[ Even the oldest of the sinners that are around don't have the amount of time he's had to handle everything that's happened and a whole lot of avoidance in doing so. Opening up to Charlie even as much as he has? That's been incredibly difficult. But, hey, he's trying. For her.

It isn't just complicated as much as... painful. Down to his core painful. Things he hadn't been able to discuss with anyone beyond the one who had witnessed much of it herself.

But he walks at her side from the hotel and onto the street, which he slowly started to relax even as they came up sinners because nothing seemed to be happening-

And then someone calls his daughter a bitch.

Lucifer's head snaps in that direction, nostrils flaring. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL HER? It's written clear across his face, hand tightening on his cane.

Charlie, damage control before he does some damage of his own! ]

[thelittleapple]

[Charlie honestly doesn't even notice being called a bitch. Sinners say a lot of things out and about, usually with many profanities, and often with some kind of crude offer or gesture. It's fine, she knows they're just surviving however they can, and underneath it they all have the potential to become better.

So she doesn't realise at first where the tension comes from, though she follows his line of sight and pretty quickly catches on, patting his arm soothingly.]

It's okay, really. I don't mind, and at least he replied! Which means he might look back on this later as a positive interaction and remember it, it's all about spreading those first little seeds.

[Said Sinner has also noticed himself being glared at and glares right back. Who do you think you are, tiny man? Then that glare turns to a sleezy sort of smile-- fine, glare at him, and he'll take your date!]

You really want a 'positive interaction'? I can show you all about how to spread some seed. Real positively.

[Oh. Disaster.

Charlie flushes a bit and shakes her head, pulling on her Dad's arm with a frantic sort of energy.]

Noooo. No, no... thanks for the, um, kind offer, but. No. Ahaha... We have to be going now.

[TUGGING THAT ARM. DO NOT ENGAGE.]

[thisducks]

Charlie, you can't seriously believe that everyone's going to have a good intention--

[ Charlie might as well be tugging at a building for all that it's moving her father, who has turned a lethal gaze on the sinner. He reaches up and tilts his hat slightly forward, snapping up his cane and catching it by the shaft. ]

What the fuck did you just say to my daughter?!

[ Oh that is a bit of fire at the edges of his mouth. How dare some lowly, foul sinner not only insult his baby girl but to say something that lewd to her?! They should be bowing at her feet! She is the Princess of Hell and they will RESPECT HER-! ]

[thelittleapple]

Dad!

[This is awful, and Charlie is changing tactics from trying to pull him away to instead getting in front of him, blocking his view of said Sinner.]

Please, you don't need to do this, it's really not a big deal, it happens all the time.

[Is her nervous babbling helping?]

Yeah, "Dad", why don't you chill the fuck out? Don't be such a fucking prude.

[Charlie whips her head around, her own eyes red for just a moment.]

You're not helping!

[And then back to her Dad again.]

Please just let it go, for me?

[thisducks]

[ This is why he had no desire to go among 'their' people, Charlie! Some souls deserved to be in their own wretched foulness, to pay for the horrible people they had been and continued to be! It's obvious he has no desire to let it go, that the streets would be cleaner without that foul creature on them-

but the look in Charlie's eyes, the plea in her voice, makes him reign back in his flare of temper and fatherly protectiveness. ]

...you're right. He isn't worth bothering over. [ His back straightens, cane neatly tapping to the ground as he forces back up a calm, almost detached expression, then nods to his daughter. ] ...Shall we continue?

[thelittleapple]

[She's almost pathetically relieved, feeling the tension drain out of her shoulders as he backs down. It's not that she doesn't appreciate being protected by him-- actually, if she were honest with herself, it's something she's missed. She's spent so long relying on mostly herself, that to have that safety net of a parent again is...

Well, even if it is nice, it's not the time or place for it. They don't need word to spread around that people are unsafe around her and her Dad, even if they're not yet behaving.]

Definitely! Continuing on is a great idea!

[Charlie's grin is too wide to overcompensate as she gestures onwards, and then starts walking again.]

[thisducks]

[ As Charlie and Lucifer walk away, seemingly with the King of Hell no longer interested in the lowly sinner who had said such foulness to his daughter, it probably comes as a relief to anyone who recognized or guessed who the shorty is. The asshole of a sinner himself doesn't seem to realize how close he came to his second death, a permanent one, and Lucifer can vaguely hear him acting like he'd 'won'.

As they go around the corner and out of sight of the man, he doesn't even need to look as he makes a pinching motion with two fingers. The sinner would get the singularly unique feeling as his junk painfully inverted itself into his body in a new and permanent outlook on his afterlife.

...The devil can be petty when he wishes. ]

I do hope these pancakes are as good as you claim them. [ Complete with an amused smirk, as if he's forgotten the nastiness of only a minute ago. What Charlie doesn't know won't hurt her. ]

[thelittleapple]

[There's an agonised yell from behind them as that Sinner becomes the unhappy recipient of some very unique genitals. Charlie half turns, but... shouting in Hell isn't uncommon and she's just got her Dad away from the situation, so she doesn't want to involve him any further.

She'd have gone back if she'd been on her own-- tried to help, mediate, and promote the hotel to anyone having issues who could use this low moment as a turning point for the future.]

Pancakes, right! They're super amazing, and they even have a choose your own topping station~!

[This can still be salvaged as a good trip out. No problem.]

Sooooo... Dad, did you sleep well last night? I know you went to bed super late because of that thing with Alastor.

[thisducks]

[ He still hates people. Sorry, sweetie, but sinners don't exactly do the best at promoting themselves to be anything but horrible people who deserved everything terrible they got.

Taking a deep breath, he pushes out the anger from his chest and glances up towards his daughter. ]

I... slept? [ That is about the most he can say on that. It might have only been for an hour, give or take, but it's more than he gets most nights! ] How about you? You were up late yourself.

[thelittleapple]

Oh, well, I didn't actually go to bed, but that's okay! I just had so many ideas for things you and Alastor could try, and I needed to put together the box of props, and write out all the notes, and then my sparkly pens ran out of ink and I had to go and buy some more because this book that I read said that colour coding can be so important for information retention.

[Her words are getting faster and faster with both sleepless anxious energy, and genuine enthusiasm for what could be her biggest success story yet. Her Dad and Alastor getting along... just imagine! They could become friends, and then maybe even Alastor would see how wonderful it was to improve one aspect of his life so he'd realise that improving in other ways could also be within his reach and then he'd be REDEEMED!]

[thisducks]

[ Like father, like daughter, ey? Lucifer can't help the fatherly frown at Charlie for her admitting she hadn't slept, even though he is hardly any better. ]

Charlie, you shouldn't be sacrificing sleep over something like this. We're not going anywhere in a hurry. There has to be a better way to handle, er, 'making friends' that doesn't involve having to write things out like this...

[ There is no way Alastor could be redeemed, and that Lucifer's certain about. In Heaven's exacting standards, or at least Judgment's, no matter the good the sinner could (and didn't) do, there's no way his ledger could be wiped clean. The others? He can see it. A path, even if a difficult one.

He hopes the asshole gets to spend some time today as a cute litle deer. ]

Let's... brainstorm over that while we have breakfast, mmm?

[thelittleapple]

[Charlie knows there's nobody too far gone that they can't be saved, and her Dad is clearly the key to proving that with Alastor. Somehow. Imagine what that would do for the hotel, to prove even an Overlord could find redemption?

She's definitely back on the Enthusiasm Train as she tugs her poor father down the street to Seven Rings Doughnuts and Pancakes.]

Definitely! Vaggie helps me brainstorm all the time, but new perspectives are key for finding solutions.

[She beams all over her face at the Sinner behind the counter, who just looks a bit dazed at the onslaught of PURE SUNSHINE. The staff are starting to stare at Lucifer, however, starting to recognise him.]

So, what do you want, Dad? It's on me! I really like their blueberry and suffering stack. But Vaggie swears by maple syrup scream.

[thisducks]

[ Sometimes, Lucifer wonders if he should sit down and have a talk with Charlie about the fact that some people might not like the idea of Heaven, never mind that Judgment likely would never send them through. However, given everything that's happened in recently months, he wants to believe that she might start to get the idea herself after having seen what Heaven's like.

He... wants to believe that.

He's starting to doubt it.

Damn it all, they're all staring at him.

Lucifer pulls his back straighter and the quiet, almost haughty mask to avoid letting his uncomfortableness show through. He raises a brow at Charlie at 'it's on me', given where her money comes from, but decides not to say anything and instead studies the menu. In one sense, Charlie is bang on the money as this place appeals to his endless sweet tooth. His fingertip taps on the top of his cane, ignoring the whispering and uncertainty of the staff. ]

Mmm... the chaos chocolate stack, I think. [ Chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream? His inner self is all but dancing at the idea. ] Why don't I find us a seat, dear?