A Small-Town Bar On The Mainland, Wednesday Evening

[my_own_advocate]

The box had been found, the bounty had been grabbed, all was well.

Well. Except that Lucifer had whined for about ten minutes that Maze should really take Octavia out for a drink because they had 'so much in common', ugh.

But whatever. Maze would take any opportunity to drink on Lucifer's tab.

Besides, she could totally tell he was stalking her, which was hilarious and weird. Him bringing his buddies with him? Even weirder. "So Lucifer wasn't kidding when he said you were into knives," she said to Octavia as she stalked up to the bar.

[[ for those here ]]

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[1000yearstoolate]

Since Seivarden wasn't in the mood to get stabbed or beaten up, and didn't trust Maze not to do that, she too a seat at the opposite end, placing her glass of whisky in front of her. Not without throwing a glance in Maze's direction though.

She smiled a little as she sipped her drink.

[my_own_advocate]

"I think they're bonding already," Lucifer said, nursing his martini. "Excellent."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke made no attempt at all to pretend he wasn't watching Maze and Octavia. He was also happily picturing Maze and Octavia doing much more than simply getting drinks together, which anyone observant enough could probably guess by the shape of his mouth as he watched them.

"I know Tavi's probably happy to meet another proper shark."

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden snorted, amused, mostly bu Duke's expression. She took another sip from her drink.

"So how do you and Maze know each other?" she asked Lucifer.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer knew that look on your face, Duke. And he wholeheartedly approved.

"She was a demon birthed by Lilith, the world's first human woman, and served me loyally in hell," Lucifer said. "Then I came here and brought her with me because she is probably the best demon I've got. A couple of years ago she decided to strike out on her own, and that was that."

Near their table, someone bearded and bald cleared his throat especially loudly. Lucifer ignored him.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke spared the person only the briefest glance, his attention still firmly fixed on Octavia and Maze. "That when she decided to try her hand at bounty hunting?"

[1000yearstoolate]

Ignoring the person nearby, Seivarden said with a grin: "Duke, stop staring."

She didn't mean he should, of course, but it was getting amusing.

[my_own_advocate]

"Apparently 'hunting humans' is the closest thing she could find to her old job," Lucifer said merrily. "And please, let him keep staring, it's entertain--"

"Hey, assholes," snapped the bald guy. "Didn't I see you at the docks last night?"

[betterthanaplan]

You might think that would get Duke to stop staring. You’d be wrong.

“Nope,” he said, and took a sip of his drink, without even looking over. “Never been to the docks in my life.”

This tactic only ever really worked to piss people off. Which was entirely the point. Duke had gotten quite far in life by being deliberately obnoxious.

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden turned her head and instinctively gave the stranger one of her more condescending Radchaai looks.

"Aatr's tits. There are good and bad things about places like this."

[my_own_advocate]

"Do you think you're funny?" the bald guy snapped.

"Oh, I think he's hilarious," Lucifer confirmed, half-turning in his seat with a shit-eating grin the size of Mars. "Can I help you grumpy-looking gentlemen? Because I'm afraid that if you're looking for the Rogaine-salesman, you're at the wrong table."

The bald guy leaned over. He was clearly trying to look intimidating, which was also hilarious. "Give us back what you stole," he snarled.

[betterthanaplan]

"Thanks, Lucifer," Duke said cheerfully. He finally looked over at the bald guy. "We've got no idea what you're talking about. Now, do you mind? My girlfriend is bonding with that incredibly hot woman over there, and you are ruining my fantasies."

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden decided to just ignore him and said, after emptying her glass:

"Anyone else need another drink?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia wasn't entirely sure what the point of this was, but she also didn't exactly mind spending a little more time around Maze, so... Here she was. With some mild unease about the mainland aspect of things, now that she didn't have yesterday's adrenaline to distract her, but, anyway.

It didn't show.

"I actually prefer a sword," she rasped. "But a blade's a blade, and knives work better over here."

[knivesforbaby]

"Fair," Maze said, nodding thoughtfully, like she was sincerely considering this analysis. "I usually prefer knives in general, but so many humans around here get touchy when they can tell you're bringing weapons."

Beat.

"It's kind of sad."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shrugged as she looked up at the specials board - as if she somehow wasn't going to go for a nce comofrting brandy, or some kind of derivative thereof. Or a basic beer.

"Most people around here aren't used to always being prepared for a fight. Weirds them out when someone is."

Even in Fandom, you could get some looks by walking down the street on an average day with a sword strapped to your back, after all.

[knivesforbaby]

"I know. That's the tragic part. They're all just so totally unprepared," Maze said, sighing. "I have friends. In LA." Beat. "Human ones. I worry sometimes. What if someone shows up trying to kill one of them and I'm not there? Who's going to stab whoever tries that crap?"

[okteiviakom]

"Couldn't teach them to defend themselves?"

Octavia wasn't going to even question whether it was likely anyone would come after them, no.

[knivesforbaby]

"I tried," Maze sighed. "But then it turned out Linda was preggers with an angel baby, so."

[okteiviakom]

Mildly confused frown, incoming. "I thought angels weren't even supposed to be able to do that," Octavia admitted. "Or is that somehow just Lucifer?"

[knivesforbaby]

"Apparently angels have some weird shit going on where they become whatever they feel like or whatever," Maze said, waving it vaguely. "Lucifer feels like a good guy, he gets his wings back, Amenadiel feels like shit, he turns himself into a human. So much drama."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia blinked. Look, they'd talked about Lucifer's 'devil face' - and she wasn't going to go poking at that subject again anytime soon - but the wings were new.

She was going to skip past that, though, into her second thought.

"Kinda sounds like that means he thinks being human is a punishment."

[knivesforbaby]

Maze snorted. "Yeah, most of the angels I've met are real dicks about you people. Think being on Earth is beneath them."

[okteiviakom]

"Right." Octavia was doing a pretty good job of not bristling at 'you people'. Different context, or just a different person.

Her head tilted, just a fraction. "What about you?"

[knivesforbaby]

"I like Hell," Maze said, shrugging. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but torturing humans is fun and I'm good at it."

She brought up her glass. "But these past few years I figured out how to do my own thing down here. It's growing on me."