Morning Star

Duality: Part 3

Lucifer
An undignified, high-pitched whine escaped Lucifer as he took in the cave mouth which earned him a pointed look from Lumiel. It hadn't taken long for the brunette to secure accurate directions to where Bath Kol resided; a fact that didn't please Lucifer to any extent. But as long as his dear friend was with him the prince would endure. With whining involved, of course.
"Do we really have to go into this dank, bat-infested cave system just to find Gabriel? We could send a messenger asking them to visit the two of us for a meeting, so we don't have to venture down here."
"Lucifer."
The angel shuddered a bit as he heard the tone in Lumiel's voice, but he decided to reply to the smaller male anyways. "...Yes?"
"Stop your whining, or I'll leave you alone with Bath Kol and her prophecies."
"Oh, of course, threaten me. Why not tell me you're going to leave my puppy in a room with Metatron. As that would have the same effect as what you just threatened me with."
"Everyone knows you don't have a puppy; and if you did, I would pity them, having to stare at your ugly mug anytime you're in the same room with them. Which would be quite often. So please, shut up, as your whining is giving me a headache and I'm really not in the mood for any more of it.
Lucifer opened his mouth to growl out a retort but he quickly shut it when he saw the look on Lumiel's face, lavender eyes daring him to continue the argument that had been bouncing between the two of them for a while now. Which Lucifer decided to make a smart decision and drop the argument, something that Lumiel obviously approved of; as he smiled and hefted a lantern to expose what lay within the cave mouth.
Dual streams fed into small trenches that ran on either side of the path leading into the cave, which explained the constant background noise of running water. That didn't really sit well with Lucifer, who couldn't swim. But he would have to stomach his fear of the water if he were to endure this visit.
Lumiel let out a soft sigh as he turned to Lucifer, eyes soft as he spoke, "We should get going. As I don't want to be trekking through these caves into the afternoon or night."
"Fine. But if I fall into the water and drown, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of my life cycles as a ghost."
The brunette snorted softly as he waved a hand forward to help encourage Lucifer into following him into the cave, a bit of a sarcastic tone in his voice as he replied to the other seraph.
"You couldn't haunt someone if your life depended on it."
-----

The prince seraph let out a soft, irritated huff as he looked around the den of sorts; in reality, it looked more like several silk caravans had crashed in the middle of a pond. While Lumiel wasn't exactly affected by the silk monstrosity that was Bath Kol's den.
It seemed the seeress herself wasn't available at the moment, though her horde of servants and colleagues were swarming around the cave. And the one they were seeking, Gabriel, was available; a relief to Lumiel and Lucifer alike.
The twins that formed either half of Gabriel were sitting on a pile of velvety pillows with multi-colored eyes flitting between the angels already there and the new arrivals. The male was rather calm and collected as he beckoned Lucifer and Lumiel forward, his silver right gleaming just as his sister's identical left one flashed. The two of them would have to watch their step around Gabriel, as they could be rather... difficult.
Lumiel waved his friend forward as he kept his head respectfully bowed; Gabriel ranked much higher in the angelic hierarchy than he did. Though no one could outrank the prince, Lucifer. Which is what the secretary was relying upon to get the two of them good graces with Gabriel.

The auburn-haired angel sat on one of the outlying pillows and gestured for Lucifer to do the same as he faced the twins. "Greetings, Gabriel. I hope that the two of us didn't come too unexpectedly in our visit to you."
Silver and magenta eyes narrowed as the female observed Lumiel and Lucifer, taking her time with one at a time. She was obviously more temperamental than the male, who was fair and delicate as the moon. Which showed in the clear disdain she had for Lumiel; Lucifer, on the other hand...
Lucifer seemed to catch her eye. But she didn't seem all too inclined to help the two of them; if they even needed help from Gabriel. As Lucifer just wanted out of this damn place.
"We are the sun."
"We are the moon."
"Together, we are Gabriel. What is it you need, prince and Lumiel?" The twins spoke in unison as Lucifer and Lumiel remained quiet, wondering together just what the hell they'd gotten themselves into. But they had come this far and neither really wanted to make the three-hour hike to the surface without getting at least something of an answer.
"I, Lucifer, require your assistance, Gabriel. As who knows more about dual personalities than you, my dear?" What could pass for a winning smile spread across the prince's cheeks and although it seemed to work on the male, the female just narrowed her eyes even further. Lumiel coughed discretely and allowed his skill in talking to others work it's magic on Gabriel.
"What this hardhead is trying to say is that he needs your help with something going on inside his mind," Lumiel's lavender eyes remained on the two halves of Gabriel as he ignored the glare the blonde seraph sent his way. "He came to me first because of hearing a voice aside his own within his inner thoughts. It also seems that this second voice is trying to take control of his normal thought process. We were wondering if you could help the two of us with this predicament of his, Gabriel."
The two halves of the whole contemplated over helping the prince with his problem. The female still didn't seem fazed by Lucifer's somewhat pleading look, nor Lumiel's small speech of sorts. But the male seemed to honestly be ready to take on the blonde seraph's problem. But before he could open his mouth to say anything, the female interjected with, "And just why should we help you, prince?"
Both Lucifer and Lumiel were taken aback by this question, as neither of them had come up with a good reason to back themselves if this were to arise. But Lumiel was rather good at improvising and that's exactly what he did.
"Well, seeing as Lucifer is the crowned prince, he needs to keep his image up, along with anything that has to do with his mental stability. He can't very well do that if he has something nasty butting into his normal thoughts. Along with that, what would Metatron and Sandalphon say if you denied the prince and his condition grew worse?"
This seemed to get through to the female, as she had drawn back and was now conversing quietly with her twin.
A few tense, quiet moments passed before Gabriel faced the two of them again and that made Lucifer perk up a bit. He just wanted to get a possible explanation and get the hell out of this place as soon as he could. All he needed was to get that answer to his question.
The male straightened and crossed his arms peacefully as he allowed a gentle smile to cross his lips. He was sensitive to the emotions and so he could sense Lucifer and Lumiel's hope. The two of them had come all this way only for it to turn out to be basically a fruitless endeavor, which is why Gabriel decided to break this to them as gently as he could; while still being a bit blunt with what he said.
"Well... The best thing we can think of to do is to get a psyche evaluation by Raphael. Despite the two of us being the dualities of Gabriel, we don't know what this could possibly be. So it would be best to go to Raphael. We are sorry if this didn't provide the answer you were seeking."
Lucifer slumped a bit as he tried to hide his disappointment; while Lumiel just nodded and forced a smile at the two halves of Gabriel. They hadn't gotten much of anything that could help them but in going to Raphael, they may get something yet. They just had to be patient while continuing their search.
The auburn-haired angel gave his best approximation of a cheerful grin and let out a soft sigh, swallowing his irritation down with the same action. He had to keep calm and diplomatic, despite his disappointment.
"Thank you for your time, Gabriel. We hope that we didn't waste any of it with our visit. We shall be off now. Thank you again, and we hope you have a fine evening."
Lumiel rose from the velvety pillow he'd been resting upon and gestured for Lucifer to do the same. And with a sullen huff, the prince did so, keeping his silver eyes off of Gabriel so as to keep his gloomy look hidden. But the female extended a hand out to him, a piece of metal gleaming in the middle of her palm. When the seraph took it, he saw that it was a silver ring studded with diamond and glimmering, red tinted topaz. He was confused as to why Gabriel gave him the piece of jewelry but he slipped it on anyways and looked to the twins for an explanation.
"This ring will allow you to contact either or both of us, or if we're fused, Gabriel. You just have to focus your celestial force into it to be able to make it work for you."
The seraph nodded and examined the band of silver resting on the third finger of his right hand, admiring the way it sparkled in the minimal lighting. It matched his silver and gold tunic rather well, and if he were being honest, he liked it quite a bit. So at least this visit hadn't been a complete waste in his eyes.
Lumiel bent down to retrieve their lantern and turned briefly to Lucifer to beckon him forward with a simple motion, lavender eyes focused on the tunnels ahead.
"Let's pay a visit to the Supreme Healer of Heaven, shall we?"