@the-hellish-triad @curiosity-virtue @manywingedangel @machine-id-v1
Backstage, Lucifer lays on the ground on his back, panting. Hell sits above him, tenderly fixing his broken ribs and putting everything back where it should be. Its shockingly sweet despite what just occurred.
Blood still stained the wood, but it strangely started.. disappearing? Almost like it was evaporating into the wood.
Gabriel stumbles backstage. Breath heavy and fast, eyes wide and tearing up.
His wings and limbs shaking subtly. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. He can't stop crying.
It holds Curiosity in its arms. The emanation of Hell Itself stands before them and V1 idly rolls the barrel of its revolver, the sound clicking.
"HE IS . O.K. LO-//OK ."
It does not cover the virtues vision, and it does not look at the seraphim.
"THIS IS WHA-//AT HELL IS LIKE . YOU HAVE TO GET USED TO IT . YOU HA-//A/AVE TO FACE IT HEAD ON ."
You will not survive this place if you do not get used to this. This was Hell's form of love.
Could you imagine its hate ?
Could you imagine its malice ?
"YOU HAVE TO ."
Hell only glances up at the three, while Lucifer jumps, head whipping back to look at them. Hes still panting, out of breath from what he just endured.
“Wh-huh? What are you t-talking about?” Lucifer is delirious from blood loss, its clear in his voice. His eyes are wide, but not from Hell, from the reactions of his loved ones.
He didnt think they would ever come this far down. Would ever come to his performances. Would ever care enough to see him succeed.
But they did..
Lucifer didnt understand what he felt. What he was supposed to feel.
Gabriel took a step forward, but his legs were too shaky, hurt too much... His legs hurt. So he feel down onto his knees.
"Lucifier..." He said quietly, voice breaking as it struggles to return to him. Everything hurts. His chest hurts, his head hurts, his legs hurt..
Everything. Hurts.
He's supposed to be stronger than this.
“Gabriel I-“
Lucifer didnt know what to say. How was he supposed to even begin explaining his and Hells relationship? Let alone the whole performance!
“I-I never thought you would stop by I-.. You were never meant to see this..”
Gabriel grabs onto a chair to help himself stand back up before stumbling closer to Lucifier.
"don't die-- please for any bit of the father that remains-- don't die-"
He clings to Lucifier's arm.
*Metallic screeching. A door slamming open. An immediate zip around a bend-- there it is. But now its lights, its eye... are a sunset peach. The movements are robotic. There is no voice, only desperation and fear.*
*This is something-- someone-- else.*
[ACTIVE PROTOCOL: REPAIR]
*It brings over a glass bottle, carefully filled to the brim with blood, and... tries to place the bottle in the hands of the collapsed angel.*
"[DIRECTIVE: REFUEL]"
*The voice is mechanical. Reverberating. What one would expect from a V-model. It seems... worried, with its wings twitching violently as it tries whatever it can to help. But, being a machine that's fueled by blood, it... doesn't know what could help. Aside from, of course, more blood.*
*Looks like it's at least moderately terrified of the beast that also holds the angel.*
[*Curiosity just stares]
[*They have no idea what to think]
[*They have no idea what they were expecting]
[*The little nebula swirls in their glass something akin to a little storm, stars and particles flying about in erratic directions and velocities]
[*Their feathers are completely fluffed out, stuck between horror, alarm, and another slap in the face from reality]
[*Maybe this is really what their life is now, what their burning desire to search has lead them to]
[*Not that they'd expected anything else]
[*...]
...oh
[*...]
[*At least Hell's honest]
[*At least it didn't hide behind a false utopia as Heaven did]
[*At least it didn't try to deceive them as Heaven did]
...
[*...]
[*...Hey buddy where'd your halo go]
[*...BUDDY?!]
[*HEY. HEY. BUD. DON'T YOU NEED THAT]
Lucifer was.. overwhelmed. Not by the pain or the wounds, which Hell now began to treat with some bandages it got from only God knows where. He was overwhelmed by how many came to care for him, their worry. Lucifer only ever got that from Hell, and maybe the occasional husk that came across him post-torture session, walking around with open woulds across his body.
Being in Hell so long must have made him forget that pain isnt seen as a beautiful act of love to others.
…oops
“Hey, Im fine! Gabriel, please, Im okay!” Lucifer focuses on Gabriel first, clearly the least okay out of everyone. “Everything in this play was consensual, I even came up with most of it! Im fine, I promise.” Lucifer wasnt lying, but did give a few half truths. Yes, he did come up with a good portion of the play, but the whole “ripping out his heart” thing was Hells idea.
@manywingedangel
Thankfully, very slowly, Gabriel is slowly regaining his grip on reality. Calming slowly.
"....it...it was? It was all scripted? So... You're okay- like really?".
He asked as if he himself really wasn't sure.
Lucifer nods, a worried smile on his face.
“Yes, everything was planned. Im completely fine.” He nods, not even realizing Hell treating his wounds.
Lucifer then looks over at Curiosity, realizing just how many people are here.
“L-look, I didnt think you would all show up and.. see me like this. Im terribly sorry.. I didnt mean to worry any of you or possibly put you all in danger.” He speaks, tone full of regret.
(It suddenly burst backstage, its stance disoriented and somewhat animalistic. It had taken it a while to realise the show was already over and now it was aching for blood it had wasted. And self-restraint wasn’t going to help this time.)
(It stares hungrily at all the people backstage. So many sources of fuel. Where would it start?)
[*Curiosity's completely silent]
[*There's almost no response from them, nothing indicating anything they're seeing is making its way into their head]
[*They stay completely still, just staring at Lucifer from V1's hold]
[*...]
[*They don't know what to think]
[*Normally they'd be asking questions, trying to understand, try to dig deeper and find what information they can]
[*...]
[*They damn near fling themselves out of their V1's grip at the sudden entrance of the other V1]
[*Panicked, they begin to power up, ready to fire a beam of light directly at it]
[*They frantically try to power themselves down, as to not incinerate everyone in a meter radius]
*... It makes sure Lucifer has the blood bottle, and then... tries to hold the virtue. Like a fucking sandwich.*
*... What the fuck*
(It starts moving forward. Slowly.)
(It manages to utter a feeble word as it wobbles forward)
[BLOOD.]
Lucifer jumps at V1s sudden voice, looking between too many people all at once. The angel sticks out one of his arms, still bleeding from the various wounds, and gestures for V1 to come closer and focuses back on Curiosity.
“Curiosity? A-are you.. is everything alright?” The angel is fairly light headed from the blood loss, it doesnt help that hes sitting up straight, but the others are more important to him right now.
(Following the trace of blood leading to Lucifer, it continues walking, picking up the pace now that it’s identified a target.)
[BLOOD.]
(It repeats louder this time.)
"[BLOOD ?]"
*It perks up at this, pausing to study this other machine.*
[SCANNING...]
{Well it's obviously hungry, right? Just... I don't know, feed it something? Don't you have another blood bottle?}
*Its wings flick, and it gradually procures one other bottle of blood... before offering it to the blue machine quietly.*
"[DIRECTIVE: REFUEL]"
