A Whole New World

Nothing. An endless see of white that filled this endless space. Time didn’t move normally in this space; he’d be able to spend an eternity here and only a small lifetime would pass in his universe. The emptiness and freedom from his father’s game made him content. Even if there was nothing to entertain him. Occasionally, he’d pass across a few structures or constructs that would be falling through the void temporarily. But it would only be there for a few moments before it fell and became nothing. Normal. But, one day he came across something that was out of the norm. Something that should not exist.

A door just floating there. It wasn’t falling through or being swallowed by the empty. It was sustained existence within the void. Lucifer was lost as to what to do, the first of the fallen just floated there staring at it for the first few days after finding it. What should he do? Leave it and go about on his adventure through the nothing? Should he open it and find out what was on the other side? What power could create this object and maintain it in this place? Could this be another one of his father’s attempts to manipulate him?

Well, curiosity got the better of the fallen angel. Lucifer found himself moving closer and closer to the door. Hand reaching out and taking the knob, the door opened and suddenly he was pulled through by an unknown force. He didn’t resist, there wasn’t a point in it whatever was pulling him through this portal was too powerful. To resist this force could risk injury and he wasn’t sure his abilities would be about to heal him wherever he ended up. So, he was just going to enjoy the ride and be as cautious as he could.

He was dropped into a strange world. Lucifer’s eyes darted as he came down to land on solid ground. Wings outstretched at first and when he realized he wasn’t in any immediate danger they folded against his back. “Well, what do we have here?” Lucifer glanced around the section of the bazaar he had come to be in. A flash of red and he felt that surge rush through, old instincts whenever he was around other people. Well who could blame him for learning of the woman and men in this world and getting a few drinks before returning to the void?

Sera’s favorite thing about being a nephilim in Hub? Easy answer: flying. Here, there was nothing to stop her from taking flight and zipping from place to place within the city, from one end to the other, district to district, checking in on friends and discovering whole new places and people. She loved to fly, to spread her wings and bring herself to somewhere new, somewhere else.

Flying around Hub was one of the ways Sera spent her free time; it was fun, she knew her way around fairly well already, and it wasn’t as though she couldn’t be contacted by her parents if they wanted or needed her back home.

When you were zipping around the city, wings spread wide and joy racing across your skin, there weren’t a whole lot of things that might cause you to stop, but a door opening up at the edge of a district and a winged man stepping through it was definitely one of those things. With a whisper of feathers, Sera landed, appearing just a little ways away from the now wingless man, blue eyes bright with curiosity. “Hi.” The word was bright, not necessarily happy, and not really energetic, but it held a sort of excitement. The kind of excitement that someone seeing another like them felt. “You have wings.” It wasn’t a question, it was half cautious and half thrilled.

Tag: Jay

This wasn’t earth. Lucifer couldn’t exactly put his finger on what this place was, but it was familiar like he had been here before. But Lucifer was sure that he had not set foot in a place like this, maybe it was just something lost far back in his memory. Something he might have helped create and had long forgotten? Whatever the case was, the place was fascinating. From what he could see there was a mix of different worlds being mashed together. A smile staying on his face as he continued trying to learn and figure out exactly where he had ended up.

Suddenly he was put on edge. The sound of wings, not your normal bird, something he was all too familiar with. Who was it? Amenadiel? Gabriel? Raphael? Metatron? Which one of his brothers had come to try and make an attempt on his life today? He took a breath and turned to face the one who had landed. He was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. A young woman he did not recognize. “Hello dear.” He flashed a smile to the other, charming and welcoming as usual. She wasn’t carrying a weapon and seemed more cautious than threatening.

“As do you.” His wings reappearing and stretching out after she mentioned them. Pure white and almost emitting an almost gentle light. She was something like him, but it was different. There were different universes, other pastures and different versions of angels and himself in creation. It was only a little surprising for him but it didn’t wipe the smile from his face. Lucifer stepped closer looking into those blue orbs of the seraphim before him. “It is a pleasure to meet another angel.” Well, that wasn’t exactly the truth, but that was only because most angels wanted to kill him.

“I’m Lucifer Morningstar.” He bowed his head as he gave his name then locked eyes with her again. “And what is your name? Would you like to grab a drink with me?” He wasn’t having any luck catching any sign of a bar and he was missing martini’s

Nope, this was definitely not earth. Hub had some very, very earth-like qualities, gravity, for instance, and plenty of the natural laws, but while the majority of the people who wandered around the city were humanoid, not all of them were. Sera herself knew that, somewhere around here, there was a tiny little tree person running around who only spoke the same three words to mean everything he could ever say. She, unlike some people, understood him, but she was fairly certain that was an trait of being a cosmic being, not a personal talent.

The smile Lucifer gave was returned easily. There were few angels in Hub, and Sera had explored nearly all of the city (it was always changing, so there was always somewhere new to find) but other than her father, uncle (she hadn’t met him yet because he already didn’t like her), and another whom she hadn’t had the chance to actually meet yet, she hadn’t met any others.

Until now. And he didn’t look at her with hatred or disgust or a desire to murder her, so that was good! He called her ‘dear’ instead and treated her like she was, well, an actual angel. Or at least another person. Both were good signs. He seemed…nice, and nice was good, especially from an angel. Maybe wherever he was from, they didn’t hate nephilim. That would be incredible…

When he showed his wings again and mentioned hers, she manifested her own with a laugh to show off the long, inky-dark feathers she had inherited from her father, “I do.” She stretched her wings, the feathers fanning out, light glistening off of them, showing that while they were very dark, they weren’t all exactly black, either. There were blue and greens, deep and dark, but colors nonetheless, mingled into the black and charcoal. “Well… Sort of.” She shrugged, but didn’t elaborate because, well, why jinx someone being nice to her by bringing it up? But she didn’t feel right letting him think she was an actual angel, either. That was lying, even if by omission.

Lucifer Morningstar.

Aka the Devil.

Aka the enemy of her parents.

Well, crap. Crappity crap crap. This was… Well, this was just crappy. The first angel that she’d gotten to meet other than her dad, and he’d been nice and he was the dang Devil! The smile faltered, and Sera blinked before she took a step back, her wings curling around her slightly, protectively, as though she expected him to attack her. “I…” What could she say here? She didn’t want to be rude, but… “I’m Sera… But I don’t think that would be a good idea, Mister Morningstar.”

Maybe her parents wouldn’t hear about him. Maybe he wasn’t the Lucifer from their world (he didn’t seem like the person they had always described), but she couldn’t exactly just assume, either. “I’m pretty sure my dad wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea, you know?”

Lucifer frowned. What reaction should he have expected? All angels knew his name even if he did not theirs. Lucifer Morningstar, first of the Fallen, the Betrayer, The Serpent. So many titles followed by the name but it all brought out the same feelings. Hatred and fear. Her wings moved closer to her body and Lucifer’s own just lowered and slumped in a sad manner. That smile left his face, he just stared for the first few seconds waiting for what usually came next when meeting another angel, a flaming sword and insults thrown his way. New world same old problems.

“Most angels wouldn’t be honestly.” His hands stuffed deeper into his pockets. He had no intention of killing the younger woman if she didn’t draw on him. “So, who is your father? Amenadiel? Raphael? Gabriel?” Lucifer stopped and tapped his chin. “If it is Gabriel Rapheal that probably makes you a Nephilim. Poor woman whoever slept with Gabriel… truly has my pity.” His curiosity was only meant to distract from the tension that suddenly rose. “The peacock idiot pitches for the other team though.” His wings twitched slightly as he continues to think about it. “Oh, well it doesn’t matter.”

A hand was waved to dismiss his question. “It was truly nice meeting you Sera. My first time in this world and I’m greeted by such beautiful blue eyes.” No insults or defense about who he was or his past. Just a slight sadness in the devil’s eyes. “I’m sorry for ruining your evening. If you could just point me to the nearest bar, I will leave you be and won’t bother you.” Poor guy was going to be lost all night long if she wasn’t willing to help him. If he could get to a place where people were drinking or having fun he would be set.

From all the stories that Dean had told her growing up, all of the experiences her fathers had shared, this angel, with beautiful white wings and a charming smile and such sad eyes did not match the descriptions she had been given. Instead of evil and malicious, this Lucifer seemed… Lonely.

He had been nice to her from the beginning, without knowing her name. He still didn’t know who she was, who her parents were. She had an angel blade, of course, she was a hunter, and she was a Winchester, if only by adoption, but she had no intention of using it unless someone or something attacked her. Especially not if she were just talking to someone, even if they were named Lucifer and were an angel, fallen or otherwise. Her wings, curled around her in defense, twitched and lowered, the long flight feathers dragging along the ground when he mentioned Gabriel. “Gabriel doesn’t want anything to do with me. He’s here, he’s my uncle, but I haven’t met him.” It was rejection that weighed her wings down; Sera knew that most angels would sooner kill her than have a conversation with her, she knew that, but to be simply avoided was maybe even more hurtful.

Lucifer wanted to know who her father was, and Serafina hesitated. Having a child with a human was more than just frown upon, it was a death sentence, and even if Castiel hadn’t known what he was doing at the time, even if he’d thought himself human, other angels would kill them both if they could. Sera, however, would never let that happen. She didn’t answer the question, instead letting Lucifer muse about who it might be. However, when he mentioned what she was, her wings flexed again, just slightly, “No, it doesn’t. I’m me, that’s all that matters.”

She tipped her head at his words, “Why do you think you ruined anything for me?” She gave him a small but sincere smile, “You’re the first angel I’ve actually met other than my father.” Her wings vanished as she let them return back into the ether, moving toward the lonely angel that she no longer thought was the one her parents had warned her about. “C’mon, I know a place that serves good food and you can have your drink, too.”

“Well, Gabriel was always a stuck-up wet dog.” He was still going by the assumption that this was his Gabriel. He caught himself and quickly stopped from mentioning anymore. She was more than likely not the same type of angel eh was familiar with. A lot of this world seemed strange and different already. /Not in Kansas anymore Dorothy./ He thought to himself watching the girls wings fade keeping his own out for the time being. Just in case he needed to make a quick getaway, hopefully he wouldn’t have anything to fear from this girl that would force him to run.

She smiled again and Lucifer looked surprised and a little shocked. Was she actually going to be kind to him? After learning who he was? She didn’t seem like she was trying to deceive him but there was that little part of him that didn’t quite trust this. Not completely. He almost wanted to use his powers on the poor girl to make sure this wasn’t some lie. But, he was going to take a chance on the younger angel and just believe that she was being sincere with him. “Usually when other angels learn who I am they get stabby.” He joked putting that charming little smile back on his face.

Lucifer offered his arm for the young woman to take. “Well then Sera, be my guide.” The wings folded tightly against his back to take up the least amount of space possible without having to be concealed. That sadness that once reflected in Lucifer’s eyes was fading but still there, it helped to have someone who would welcome his company or who he thought wanted to have him as a companion for a short while. “You are a very kind young woman. Angels should learn a thing or two from you.”

Though he was curious about his new surroundings Lucifer kept all his attention on Sera. “So, tell me more about this place? I’ve never been here before but it is oddly familiar.” Though he was going to keep his eyes from wandering around and taking in the scenery that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to ask question and sate that curiosity of his. There was still plenty he needed to know about this world and it seemed Sera was the unlucky one that would be helping him learn a little bit about this world.

“I’m… I don’t think I’ve ever heard him described quite like that.” It earned a giggle from her that she wasn’t quite quick enough to quash, the idea that Gabriel avoiding her was because he was a pompous jerk much better than because she was a horrible Nephilim.

Even after she put her wings back into the ether, Lucifer kept his out, big white wings that looked fierce and beautiful in equal parts. Without thinking, she reached for one before she caught herself and stopped; that would be crossing a line, she was fairly certain, but she smiled, “Are white wings common amongst angels? My father’s are black like the darkest night, and you’ve seen mine… I’ve never seen anyone else’s…”

Showing the devil with kindness? Sure. He hadn’t done anything, not a single thing, to make her be unkind to him. If he’d used his abilities on her, Lucifer would have found a young woman who wanted for very little: to make her parents proud of her, to be accepted for who she was… And little else. When he remarked on her lack of assault, she blinked at him, “You haven’t done anything to make me get stabby. And you don’t fit any of the stories my parents told me growing up, so I’m going with that you’re not the Lucifer from my world. And maybe in yours things are different.” She shrugged, “Besides, angels get stabby when they learn who I am, too.” She grew quiet a moment before confirming quietly, watchfully, “I’m a Nephilim; only half angel.”

Angels should learn a thing or two from her. Ha. “To do that they would have to listen. And to do that they would have to overlook my lineage. So… Pretty unlikely. But thank you. I try. My parents would be happy to hear you say I’m kind. Even though I’m pretty sure at least one of them wouldn’t approve of you keeping me company.” But she was her own person; she might not just trust this sad, kind version of the devil, but she would give him a chance, show him friendship and kindness and give him the benefit of the doubt.

The establishment she took him to was well known in the Hub, cheerful, welcoming, and clean. Unlike some of the places she might have taken him, this was a modern bar, something more akin to what her father would recognize than say, the Moon, but it was a good place anyway, with soft music that drifted through the place, giving it a warmth that some of the too-busy popular places lacked in the crowds. The bartender was obviously not human, resembling a rock more than a person, but he moved about easily and made drinks with a finesse that belied his stature and appearance. “This.. Is Hub. A city made up of hundreds of other places, a little bit of each place that’s connected to it can be found here,” she shrugged, “And people of every kind, from every place you can imagine, it’s probably here.” She grinned, “Cool, isn’t it?”

“Well, stick around me long enough and you’ll learn that angels don’t really need provocation or reason to get stabby. They just start stabbing.” The white wing her hand went for stretched out. It was a bit intimate and personal and normally he might have protested. But Lucifer wanted to leave a good impression and if he was being honest, he was incredibly proud and vain. If she liked his wings and wanted to admire them then his ego would be stroked in all the right ways. So, he was not going to pull away or knock her hand away.

Lucifer couldn’t fight a soft laugh. She wasn’t wrong about angels not listening it was just amusing to hear someone else finally say it outloud. “Well, if it helps, I’ll be here to listen and I wouldn’t mind tossing around a few angels to make them listen as well.” He gave the Nephilim a wink as they continued on to wherever they were going. He had put aside any thoughts that this might have been a trap or a lie and was thoroughly enjoying the company of the young woman. It was a rare thing for him and he was not going to waste it.

“As for your earlier question about wings,” He scratched his chin. “White is very uncommon. As far as I have seen only my brothers and I have had them. But, the wings are said to reflect ones inner self. Black is uncommon though and I’ve only seen one other angel with them before.” Lucifer glanced around the bar and he felt at home now. The music wasn’t perfect but it was soft on his ears and he could appreciate it, maybe he would preform for them if he was in a good enough mood. Might have to create a piano.

Sera started to explain what this Hub was, a patchwork like reality from many creations. It explained why he had no familiarity with it, why he didn’t recognize a damn thing. It still didn’t help his confusion and only raised more questions. It shouldn’t exist, Lucifer wouldn’t say that outloud or condemn this place just because what shouldn’t be was. He was going to be spending quite a lot of time here from now on though. Perhaps in this existence he could find himself a home where he wasn’t persecuted. “Very cool indeed. I can honestly say in my long life time I’ve not quite seen anything like it. It is rather fascinating!”

A grin spread over the devil’s face when he looked back at the young woman. “Why don’t I buy us the first round of drinks? Hm? Least I can do for how helpful, kind, and sweet you’ve been to this old raggedy devil.”

His comment made Sera’s happy smile falter just a touch. “Oh, I know they don’t need a reason.” She ducked her head slightly, eyes staring at her shoes; she knew only too well that just existing made angels want to stab her plenty. She reached for his wing without really considering what else it might mean. She wasn’t one to push boundaries or make offenses, not on purpose, and she really wasn’t the sort to initiate contact more intimate than would be appropriate, but she’d never touched another angel’s wings. It wasn’t something she’d ever asked her father about, and he had never reached for hers… But Lucifer’s wings were beautiful and so different than hers and her father’s, if only in color.

When his wing stretched toward her hand, Sera’s hesitation died. Her touch was light and gentle, just a single stroke along the soft, downy feathers. A single touch that brought a smile to her lips as she complimented him quietly, “So soft.”

He laughed and Sera smiled at him for it. It hadn’t been a cruel or mocking laugh, nothing like she would have thought the devil should sound like, not really… He was nice, maybe a little self absorbed, but there was something sad about him. He seemed…lonely. Not the sort of lonely like he’d been alone, but the sort of lonely that a room full of people couldn’t even cure. Isolated. She understood that; she’d been born in Hub in order to isolate her, for her own safety, she knew and understood, but that didn’t make it any less difficult. “Thank you. I mean, you’re an angel, so I appreciate that you’ll listen.”

There was no guile in her destination; she knew a place where they could sit, he could have his drink and she could have something without alcohol in it, and they could talk without being conspicuous or out of place. In Hub, two angels talking in a tavern was far from unusual. In this place there were gods that weren’t like their own that could be found here or there; an angel or two was far from the most shocking sights here. It was weird. White being uncommon was a little bit of a surprise, but not a real shocker. What was more surprising was the whole thing about the color of their wings reflecting on their inner self. What did her oil slick coloring say about her, then? The thread of thought quieted the Nephilim, making her gaze grow just a touch distant even as she lead her new...friend? Through the streets of Hub toward the little club-like bar.

Everyone wanted to know more about Hub when they first arrived. It was natural, but be curious about this strange new place. To Serafina, it was home, more so than her home universe had ever been, but for others, it was new and unknown. So she did her best to explain what the city really was to Lucifer, but it was difficult. “As far as I know, it’s a natural phenomenon, too.” His offer to buy her drink earned another smile, “Sure. But you’re about as far from raggedy as it gets.”

@jayjay