Cheers

Chapter 5: Dance Cards

Lucifer had been watching for a long while now. Partially out of concern for the fact that Ferya was back in this realm so soon after her last experience, though he had mainly been curious to see what the witch was going to do with her. During his observation, he had realized just how much they had been holding Ferya back, an oversight that he was going to have to rectify.

And then, they had zeroed in on the human as if he had been a beacon.

 Just like every other kin in the bar seemed to. Just like Lucifer himself. He didn't often find the naive, sweet and innocent thing excessively attractive, despite his human reputation for being a corruptor of the meek. But there was just enough roughness to the man's edges, despite his genuine smiles and honest attempts to be so... good... along with that something else.

 Not to mention the man's unassuming but steadying presence and its effect on bringing smiles to Samantha and Ferya. It was like watching a damned light show with the brilliance of emotion that the three of them were giving off.

He had almost growled at his General as she flirted and teased the man who was holding his own decently enough that Urdu seemed thoroughly amused in continuing. He didn't know who she was enjoying tormenting more, though she didn't continue when he allowed himself to become visible and approached the bar.

The cowboy smelled delicious, his raised heartbeat and body temperature making the smell of him drift through the air enticingly as Lucifer ordered himself a whiskey. He watched the man struggle to process the effects of piquing the interest of so many kin, it was almost enough to cause Lucifer to feel bad for the poor sap. Urdu's powers had barely released the human when Lucifer had taken over though he dimmed his own allure to a reasonable level, watching the confusion settle into a simmering arousal and adorable half-certainty. Lucifer found his apology for Urdu's flirtation brushed off with that same simple and amused confusion from the human.

"I just... well, I'm  just trying to do right by everyone involved." The cowboy grinned and took a sip of his beer. "I meant no offence."

"No offence was taken, believe me." Lucifer glanced towards the table as he felt Baltha and Torix arrive, both looking passably like humans, before looking back to the cowboy, grinning when their eyes met. "I overheard your name, Daryl... mine's Lucian."

The man put down his beer, wiping his hand on his pants and offering it to Lucifer, giving him a half grin, "well it's a pleasure to meet you, and you're friends. I... I'm not one to intrude, but are they alright?"

As they shook hands, Lucifer glanced towards the booth where the cowboy nodded, understanding his meaning. "Ferya has had a rather tough life. We're trying to introduce her to the world, I suppose. And Samantha is similar, but different. They're both fine now, but those that love them do get overprotective."

"I get that." The man looked away from the group, shrugging and taking another drink of his beer. "Sometimes you need to prove to yourself that you're capable of something."

The cowboy was surprisingly deep beneath the veneer of simple country charm, though he flashed Lucifer a brilliant grin after a few moments of introspection. "Tell me, Daryl, you're here alone. What brings you here to New Orleans? To this bar?"

Another lopsided grin of amusement and the cowboy broke their eye contact to look at the wall thoughtfully. " Circuit, and I was out with a friend and promptly forgotten when he found more enticing company. There were some others, but it appears as if they have all since abandoned me."

"I can't imagine any company more enticing than yours, Daryl." Lucifer chuckled softly, keeping his tone light.

As expected, there was an embarrassed and self depreciatory smile on Daryl's face after that. He chuckled softly before rolling his shoulders in a shrug.

"What do you mean by circuit?" Lucifer prompted, releasing the man from the discomfort that was nearly making him squirm.

"I'm a bull fighter." Daryl shrugged one shoulder, glancing to Lucifer, "how about you?"

"I don't fight bulls." Lucifer teased, flashing the man a grin that brought out another intoxicating laugh, "here on business, but Ferya and Samantha invited us all out."

"You have quite the array of friends." The cowboy glanced towards the booth, where the older vampire, had arrived with another peculiar human.

Lucifer watched the group introduce itself with varying levels of comfort as each kin tried to come to some conclusion of where they were in the hierarchy of such a strange amalgamation of individuals. With a smirk he turned away, flickering his eyes down to the cowboy's beer, noticing it near empty.

 The man wasn't sober, but it seemed to be merely a comfortable level of intoxication. "They are characters, but having people who challenge you and your preconceptions helps you grow. Let me buy you another drink."

"Daryl likes whiskey, Luke." Samantha was there suddenly, grinning widely to him. She was a little bit more intoxicated than the cowboy and giving him a very decidedly pointed look.

"Naw." Daryl offered a shake of his head, putting his beer down, "I've already imposed myself too much, you two are here to spend time with your friends. I should be going anyways."

Sam whirled on the cowboy, her eyes widening in something close to sadness. "No, Mr. Daryl, we wanted you to help us dance more later. Please stay."

The human was intuitive enough to glance at the table with a fair bit of trepidation, though the moment he looked back to the Witch, his resolve started crumbling. Lucifer had to give him credit, he did try valiantly to resist her for a moment. "I'll stay, but go spend time with your friends, Miss Samantha. When you want a dance, just let me know."

Lucifer quirked a brow at Samantha's pointed look, the witch giving him a sly smile that was as adorable as it was telling. "See, Luke. His dance card is open. What kind of whiskey do you like, Mr. Daryl?"

"I'm a bit of a novice to the whole thing. I just know I like the taste of it when I get it on my tongue." Daryl grinned and finished his beer, still looking half sold on the idea of staying, though it may have been politeness that was keeping him from accepting or denying the witch. He seemed caught between not wanting to be in the way and not wanting to upset Samantha.

"Oh me too! But I tried it and I didn't like it very much, it doesn't taste as good as Pina Coladas or Daiquiris." Samantha smiled brilliantly between them, before looking hopefully to Lucifer. She was trying to be covert, but not succeeding exceptionally well. 

It was fortunate that their intentions were entirely aligned at the moment. Whatever reason the Witch had picked to want Lucifer to entertain the cowboy, he wasn't going to object.

"Do me a favour Daryl." Lucifer smirked to the human when he got the man's attention, "as you can tell, that group is full of couples, and I do not belong to said category. Keep me company here until they decide to dance and in return I'll teach you a little bit about whiskey. My treat."