Let's Make a Deal

Consequences of Choices

   "So with Vox, how are we doing this one?"

   The Hotel residents were back in Envy again, working away at the Apartment Complex and Lucifer had informed his daughter that they were going to stay behind today. Though it did unnerve him, sending Lilith down there unsupervised for such an important project, for so long unlike yesterday. Vaggie had said she was going to be texting him constant updates and he knew Seviathan would be watching them for Leviathan. He had to have confidence that even if he wasn't there, that they'd be able to handle themselves and more importantly, that Alastor was right. Lilith's public view mattered to her, especially when in another ring.

   He couldn't hover all the time and he really did need to pay a visit to Vox to get that video recording of the extermination.

   Lucifer had taken them to the streets in front of Vee Tower and currently the two of them were tucked away in an alley, watching the building closely for any sign of activity. Other than the occasional person that entered or exited, the place itself was rather quiet. For Hell, anyway. Any time there wasn't crazy murder and war like scenes going on, Lucifer considered that quiet. Sinners will always be sinners, after all.

   Alastor hummed from beside him and shifted a bit, staring at the tower. "Vox is rather simple minded. We might have to fight him, but he'll yield with a bit of pushing. Any information we have on him, we can use against him too."

   "Uh-huh. I hear you. But still, do I go in swinging right away or do we attempt talking first?"

   "Hm." A brief glance toward him before the demon turned back to the tower. "Talking doesn't tend to be your strong suit, but it would be more ideal." Rude, but it's not as if he's wrong about that. It was the entire reason he had asked Alastor for his help after all.

   "Well, it can only go up right? I mean, it's not like he'll actually beat me in a fight. It would just be easier if he would cooperate." Lucifer pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and turned to face Alastor beside him. Immediately, the moment his eyes focused on the demon, he noticed something was wrong. There was a tension to Alastor's body and noticeably his hand on the cane had tightened to the point he thought it would snap. It wasn't the situation, Alastor wasn't worried at all about Vox just how to get him to help. Something else was going on. "Alastor?"

   "I'm fine."

   He is not fine, not with how hard it clearly took to choke that sentence out. As steady as it fell from his clenched jaw, and as sure as it might have sounded, Lucifer could read right through it. Could easily see the tension that gripped at Alastor and the control he was clearly trying to fight with. His gaze flicked along the Radio Demon's body quickly and he took a step toward him. "Is it Lilith?" He watches the way the other's face pinches and knows immediately he's right. Another step forward is taken. "Alastor, you cannot fight a soul contract."

   That ever present smile tightens and Lucifer can actually see his teeth grind against each other. "I am not leaving you alone with Vox."

   "You don't get a choice." Lucifer reached his hands out and grabbed the front of that pinstripe coat, twisting Alastor around and pressing him up against the wall of the alley. "You refused to let me break the contract despite the multiple offers I gave, now this is the price you pay for that." If they had just dealt with this when he offered to, they wouldn't be in this position. But they are, and now it has to play out. "You can't fight it, trying to will rip your fucking soul to shreds. Even as strong as you are, you're bound to the same rules as everyone else."

   Alastor wasn't looking directly at him, still glaring in the direction of Vee Tower, but he could still see the resentment that crossed his face at Lucifer's words. It doesn't matter, he wasn't wrong. If they had just dealt with this, the way he wanted to, it wouldn't be a problem. But now it was, and whatever the consequences be damned to, they'd have to deal with them too. "And what happens, Lucifer, when she wants to know where we went yesterday? When she wants to know what you talked about with Leviathan?"