I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife

[heydemon]

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[specialmindset]

Hell was no fun any more. Granted, Lazar supposed Hell had never supposed to be fun to begin with, but it had been fun for him. He was a demon, created by Lucifer, made for the purpose of tormenting souls. He considered himself quite good at it.

Now there was a new ruler. Now there was Aleister, King of Hell, and he seemed set on killing the fun. He was too human, in Lazar's opinion. Looking to create order where there should be chaos. It had the stench of humanity all over it.

Lazar was ambitious. He'd have always had aspirations. He had had aspirations for years, which was why he had so many pieces in place. Which was why he had been juicing up, steadily growing in power. Aleister's ascension was not why he wanted to take over, yet it had certainly motivated him further.

Especially because Aleister, for all his faults, was undeniably shrewd. Lazar knew he was wondering how a demon like him could have become as strong as he was now. He didn't want him poking around. Not him, not his pet hunters and not anyone else associated with that fat spider in his web.

There was no out-scheming Aleister. But he could defeat him outright, if he grew powerful enough. He needed more.

And so he ended up outside Raphael's cell, pushing the door open and stepping back. "Come out. I won't ask twice." He didn't like being kept waiting.

"Someone has been very naughty." Not Raphael, obviously. Lazar just liked keeping him on edge.

[tvtroper]

When the cell door moved, terror shot through Raphael and paralysed him at first. It wasn't that long since he had last been drained of grace, he knew he was low and he knew that Lazar was going to be angry. Fortunately for his survival skills, his fear forced his body to move and he scrambled out of the cell.

Why was he in trouble? What did he do now? He tilted his head to the side and looked up at Lazar with wide, terrified eyes.

Leaving his corner was never easy, he'd rather hide there all day but hiding was always worse than just facing the music.

[specialmindset]

"Aw, don't look at me like that, my boy. You've been good, haven't you?" Lazar ran his fingers through Raphael's messy curls, making a mental note to have someone deal with them soon. Untangle them a little, at least. Whatever, it worked right now. "You're always good for me, aren't you?"

These days he certainly was. Lazar always felt that smug sense of pride looking down at Raphael. The archangel. Entirely reduced to something pathetic that lived on his whims. "Someone's making a mess out of Hell. Or cleaning it up, I should say. Much worse. And he's sniffing around me. I've never been fond of mutts."

There was no need to talk this much to Raphael, yet there was also no harm in it. Like talking to a pet, really. He was simply getting his thoughts out. "Do you know of the demon Aleister? Used to be King of the Crossroads. Weasely."

[specialmindset]

Lazar walked into the room and immediately opened the door, kicking the bars for good measure. "Out you come, my boy. I've got some questions to ask you."

Which, yes, meant that he'd have to cut the thread to free his mouth. Some days allowing Raphael to actually talk was important, made it well worth the effort. "I'm not in the mood for patience today. This time, I'm afraid, you really have been naughty. Haven't you?"

[tvtroper]

Raphael stared at Lazar and shook his head adamantly, whining behind the stitches, eyes wide with terror. What did he do? He got him all the grace he needed, he hadn't done anything bad and he stayed in his cell. Even when Lazar left the door wide open, he stayed. He hadn't tried to escape in a long, long time.

Not since it cost him so dearly last time.

He half crawled, half stumbled out of his cell, landing on his knees as he looked up at his master. What did he do? He didn't want to be punished.

[specialmindset]

Lazar crouched down, lifting the archangel blade to slowly cut through the threads. One hand in Raphael's hair, he kept him still. His eyes were on the archangel's grotesque looking lips as he opened them up, speaking as he did so. "Naughty, naughty, naughty. And we know what happens to naughty boys around here, don't we?"

He patted the side of Raphael's face with the blade once the threads were all cut and then he let go of him, raising his eyebrows. "Are you going to play innocent? You're no cherub, despite the curls. I won't buy it."

[tvtroper]

"You know, Paris is nice and all but I can't help but think that towers is still as ugly then as it is now." Raphael mused from the bench he sat on, watching the revealing of the shitty landmark before him. He had been there that day to see it because he always loved seeing what weird, strange things humans could make. And this one was weird, strange and oddly iconic now.

"I bet you've never been outside America."

Sam was sitting next to him on the bench and Raphael knew they had to talk about the important things. He just didn't want to.

[heydemon]

"I haven't. Been to South America, that's as far as it's gotten. When we went, Matty refused to speak Spanish." It had been awkward. "I got an initiation. There was a lot of chicken blood."

Really an unreasonable amount of chicken blood, Sam felt. His grandmother had cared a lot about them learning their traditions. Perhaps he should have learned more from her when he had had the chance. Back then he couldn't wait to turn his back to magic. To all of this.

"I've always wanted to visit Europe..." He looked at the tower, shaking his head. "This is so weird. I know you are old, but it's different to know than to experience. Do you remember it all that well?"

[tvtroper]

"Yes, I remember the day I opened my eyes. It's weird but I don't forget. Sometimes, I think it would be nice to forget but it's like ... a box set of DVDs in my head. I can just go back a couple of seasons and find the episode. I have some favs, of course." He crossed his arms and watched the French people walk by, smiling and chatting. It felt so weird that anyone could be happy, given all he was going through, but he supposed not everyone had to care. "There's some great moments that stick out, you know? Those people who danced to death in France, that time during Napoleonic wars a French ship sank off the coast of Hartlepool England. The only survivor was the captain's pet monkey."

He almost laughed but there was a struggling there, to make the joy come through. He didn't feel it the same. It just felt wrong. "The Kettle War. That was a good one. The Dutch kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire. A whole battle and the only casualty? A kettle full of soup."

[specialmindset]

Sam was trying to keep track of the days but it proved to be difficult. Going by how hungry he was, they were feeding him irregularly and there was no natural light source. Raphael didn't need to eat. Lucky for him, because the food was bland and often disgusting. No surprise there, he didn't expect gourmet food from his captor. The best indicator he had for the passage of time was that his bruises had begun to be a slightly paler blue.

Raphael hardly ever made a sound when they were awake and he rebuffed him when they shared dreams. It was boring, more than anything. Sam prayed to Cas out of habit more than hope and he waited for whatever might happen next.

Then, finally, the demon with the red mark on his face came in again. Lazar. He stopped by the door and looked at Raphael, entirely ignoring Sam's presence. "Are you ready for your punishment, boy?"

"The hell he is," Sam answered in his stead, since he assumed Raphael would not show defiance.

[tvtroper]

Raphael looked at Sam with wide, terrified eyes. Why was Sam determined to make his life harder? He didn't want to stand up, he didn't want to escape and he had no desire to pick a fight. Sam wanted to get out of here, of course, he didn't get it yet. He would in time.

As much as he dreaded punishment, he left his corner with great reluctance and crawled in front of Lazar, nodding his head unhappily.

He was being punished for sleeping! It wasn't even his fault.

[specialmindset]

"Look at that pouty lip." Lazar caught that lip between two fingers, pulling at it a little. "Somebody doesn't think that he deserves to be punished, huh?" He looked into Raphael's eyes, looking for any sign of a spark. Nothing, which was both good and back. The archangel was still so very weak. He needed to find a way to replenish his grace faster.

"Can you bring out your wings for me today, boy?" He expected the answer would be an honest no, so he sighed. "Lie down on your back."

[heydemon]

As humans were more fragile, in some ways, it meant that Lazar had to get more creative. Unfortunately it turned out that at least where torture was concerned, Lazar was very creative.

It was nothing that Sam couldn't handle. He kept telling himself that. He had been in the cage with Lucifer for longer than any human should even be alive. He had been through worse and he had come out the other side. Not stronger, no. But still alive. Still breathing. Still feeling. Still remembering too and this treatment was excellent at dragging up past memories.

But he didn't break and he gave him nothing and he still managed to walk at least a few steps alone when he got back to the cell. And once he fell to his knees, he crawled the last few metres to be next to Raphael, to look him over. It felt silly to check an angel's breathing, yet he did just that, while placing a gentle hand on an unharmed part of Raphael's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Matty hated when he apologised these days. He said he hated it because Sam had nothing to apologise for, yet Sam thought that truly he must hate it because it never ended and it made nothing better. Apologies were no use. Sam knew that misery spread from him, infecting anyone he got close to. "I'm so sorry, Raphael..."

[tvtroper]

Raphael flinched at the touch and withdrew from Sam, his eyes still closed as he focused on getting through the pain and not giving in. His grace was healing him, sure, but it was healing him slowly. He whined lightly behind the stitches and pressed his face into the ground. His mouth still tasted like Lazar's boot and he hated it.

Sam's words were about usual. Kid always thought everything was his fault, it was who he was. And a spiteful, tiny part of Raphael felt like it was. He knew he was just being petty though, he made the choices, he provoked and he paid the price. Sam didn't do this to him.

Being aware of that spiteful part of him knocked him out of himself somewhat and he forced his eyes open, looking at Sam. He wasn't looking much better either. Damn, what did Lazar do to him?

[heydemon]

Sam flinched when Raphael looked at him. Perhaps it was his imagination that made him feel the judgement coming from them. All his sins and failures plain to see, measured and found wanting. He looked away and knew he was a coward for doing so. He had sat there and watched Raphael get punished. He had invaded his dreams and acted due to them. He had to face the consequences.

Pressing his lips together, he bit back another apology. They were no use to anyone and they had started to ring hollow to his ears long ago.

"I have some water." He gestured to the wall where he had the last food tray they'd brought him. "I can clean your wounds."

to the damn King of Hell

[ditchable]

i neeeedto talk to youu

[sellerofsins]

Ooh, drunk texting <3

what are you wearing?

[ditchable]

not drunk

damnphone

clothess

[sellerofsins]

"You've been rattling your bars louder than usual from what I hear. Wanting my attention. I find that interesting, given that you didn't care until now." Lucifer was acting up, apparently. He had no idea, he didn't honestly care and he would have ignored it happily but ... Sam was missing and suddenly, Lucifer was yelling louder and trying to get people's attention? Red flags all around.

Was Sam in hell? Where and with who? It made no sense.

[lazyfer]

"Your attention? Who'd want that?" Lucifer decided that wasn't worth getting up, so he stayed seated on the bottom of his cage, leaning back on his hands with his outstretched legs crossed in front of him. But his eyes were on Aleister. "I want the attention of whoever is in charge of Hell. Can't be you, seeing how you're doing piss-all to keep my place in order."

He tilted his head. "I want to register some complaints with the current management."

[sellerofsins]

"If you want to register a complain, you -- well, frankly, you can just go fuck yourself. I don't really care what you like or dislike. Or what you think of Hell. It's not yours anymore, darling. Out with the old, in with the new." And he didn't need to stand here and care what Lucifer said. He could go back to Bobby and tell him Lucifer was loud, he didn't have to have specifics.

"Make this visit worth my time or I'm going." He gestured to the door and then threw his arms out. "Why so angry? Wallowing in your own uselessness or anything more important?"

[lazyfer]

It wasn't an easy exercise, seeing how he was in a cage designed to keep him out at all costs. However, Sam Tenaz had been made into his perfect vessel and it was a little like being pulled by a magnet. Lucifer had to essentially put himself into a trance and then he managed to have a small part of his self follow that magnetic pull.

He ended up floating over the water. Early days. Shortly after creation. He could tell by the smell in the air. The feeling of it all. New, brand new. What was Sam doing with a dream like that?

He realised there were a few ways to go about it. Lucifer, being Lucifer, decided to go with the path of destruction. He manifested on a beach, picked up a stone and hauled it at Sam, flying above him with those blue-tinted wings that weren't his. Sam was screaming as he came crashing down into the sea.

Lucifer figured that might draw out the guardian angel.

[tvtroper]

It was nice and peaceful here, before the earth was spoilt with hatred, pollution, angry angels and shitty Costa Coffees. He let Sam sit on the beach in the soft, mild sun with the water moving gently up and down towards him. He and Sam needed something easy - something without stress.

Apparently that wasn't going to happen today. Sam cried out in fear and Raphael had no choice. He wanted to spread his wings, he knew he could in his dreams but there was almost a phantom pain that made him afraid to even try.

Instead, he manipulated the dream, changed the setting so Lucifer when smashing into a sudden skyscrapper instead of a lovely open sea. New York, baby. A nightmare for travel.

Raphael appeared by Sam and held out his hand. "Come on! Let's go!" He took hold of him and started to run. "Stop thinking about him, he'll go away! It's just a dream."

[lazyfer]

Most of his essence was well and truly stuck in a cage. Yet some of Lucifer's essence had escaped into Sam Tenaz last night. After the boy had expelled him, he felt drawn back toward the cage, to his self. Still, he was stubborn. He held out. And he found his way into his throne room, where enough of him was imbued into everything that made up this place that he managed to manifest.

Not quite, of course, only just. He was the Morningstar, he was an angel once. Born of fire and it was fire that showed his outline now, standing before the throne of Hell. Looking right at the so called King.

"Ugh. You look awful up there."

[sellerofsins]

There was no denying that it sent him right into battle stations. He got out of the throne immediately and wished he had something at hand. He had blades he could use but this wasn't Lucifer. It was like a weird ghost Lucifer that he had no idea how to get rid of. He was getting stronger. He needed to do something and fast.

"How are you doing this?!"

Fuck. He was so glad he was alone in here, he did not need his subjects to see the second coming.