demonicmiracle | (duplicity) ic contact

We're screwed in one way or another.

Thanks. And I am mortal. Completely.

Essentially, yes. Sometimes it's easier than worrying about quota

You've still got a touch of it left, what you were, but I don't think it'd be enough to cause an issue

Hopefully, we won't have to find out.

Would you like a drink?

Sure

Mine, yours, or neutral ground? I know a few quiet spots that might suit you

( she really wants to say her place so that she can hide away but maybe that would end up being more awkward. or at least shine a light on it. how likely would she be to run into them again anyway? )

And what would they be?

( how concerned she should be? )

There's a rooftop bar about ten minutes from the housing in the Up, it's laid back and the weather's nice enough to enjoy it properly

I'll meet you outside it.

[He sends her the address for the bar that'll open up in the maps app automatically. He doesn't know if she's any good at technology, but considering Aziraphale...]

See you in about twenty.

[He figures that gives her time to do like... mortal things she might need to do. Find her wallet, brush her hair, he doesn't know.

He doesn't bother to drive; he's a little further away, but still arrives a few minutes early, so he just props himself against the wall to wait.]

( unlike when she'd met up with aziraphale this time she doesn't get lost on the way there, actually having walked past the address, though the map also helps.

it's easy enough to spot him when she arrives, dressed much more comfortably than when she'd first seen him )

Thank you for this.

( for what she hopes is kindness. between this and her conversation with aziraphale it will be interesting to actually get to know him )

[Crowley shrugs at the gratitude, gesturing her towards the door and following her inside. The lower levels of the building are a hotel, but there's an elevator that's marked as leading to the rooftop bar.]

It'd matter to him, I think. That we get along.

[He doesn't want to make it sound like Aziraphale requested he be nice, more that it's his own interpretation of the situation.]

( right, of course. she hadn't expected this to be a kindness about her but perhaps she hadn't expected it to be so bluntly put.

she lets him lead her up, a quiet examination of the rooftop, ordering herself a drink (whiskey, it's one of those days) before finally speaking to him again )

I'm curious why you thought of this place, why you thought I'd enjoy it.

( though maybe he's not wrong )

[Crowley decides on a glass of white wine, since he knows the list here is decent. Regardless of whether or this is a kindness about her, he still hands over his credit card to start a tab for both their drinks, then leads her to table near the edge of the rooftop.]

Dunno, s'an alright spot, isn't it? Fresh air, nice view. You didn't strike me as the type that'd be comfortable somewhere too posh, and a lot of the places I frequent are a bit dark and cozy, not really the mood I wanted to set.

Well, you weren't wrong.

( she's used to english pubs over anything else, though if she typically drinks it's something she does at home )

I'm just not used to being so aptly read.

What can I say? I've got a knack for angels.

[This is clearly a joke, judging by the way he grins, just a little cheeky.]

( despite it all somehow the joke relaxes her a little, the shake of her head a little fonder as if one of her angels had made a dumb joke )

A little at a time, I hope.

( go easy with her, at least in revealing how well you've read her.

she has a little of her drink, looking out to the city as she speaks again )

I asked Aziraphale how long he'd been here but he didn't really know. Do you?

[He's glad that went over well, and his smile softens just enough that he decides he better hide it behind a sip of wine.]

Uh... hold on. [It doesn't take him long to dig out his phone; first he checks his own arrival, muttering a quiet "huh, shit" as he does, then Aziraphale's.]

About eight months for me, half that for him.

I'd assumed you'd both been here together. It must have been difficult without him.

( four months wasn't much to them but four months without someone dear could be a lifetime )

[It's strange, looking back. It felt like so much longer than four months.]

Nah, they got me first. It was what it was, we spent a lot more time than four months apart, especially in the beginning.

[It was awful and he hated it and he constantly felt guilty for missing him, but he isn't about to get into that.]

That was a long time ago.

( but she won't press him, she just means to say that she gets it )

It's been a few days but I'm already finding that there's company I miss, people I'm used to being around.

[They'd spent some six years in each other's pockets, basically, playing nanny and gardener to the wrong child. The sudden absence of him had ached, especially when they'd been so close.]

It gets a bit easier, once you get into a routine. Have you met anyone decent? Present company notwithstanding.

After a few days?

( she was trying to be guarded but really nothing stopped what you felt. though she knows she's too much of an emotional mess for much )

Perhaps friends, though I suppose we'll see if I'm right.

I was talking friends, yeah. The first few days tend to be the busiest. Someone I met a couple hours after I showed up is still one of my best mates here.

[It was a complete coincidence that he ran into Cullen, but he's glad he did.]

Have managed to avoid sleeping with him, too. Always a nice little bonus in this place.

[He has, unfortunately, slept with some of his other friends.]

Then you're luckier.

( and if he does read a little deeper he might find that it's the only detail she's going to offer about what happened with her -- that one of the first people she met and had a friendlier conversation with ended up being the first person she slept with. and she really hopes that doesn't become any pattern )

What was it like getting used to this place? We were always encouraged to... keep a distance from mortals.

( she doubted that demons had the same rule, not when they were encouraged to cause chaos )

[Most of the time, he's fairly good at reading between the lines.]

It was like that, huh?

[It's an opened-ended question, one that she can answer with a simple yes or no if she doesn't want to discuss too much more with him. He's hardly going to hold it against her, if she isn't keen to open up to a demon.

As for her question, Crowley shrugs. It's a lazy gesture, one that hides a thread of discomfort.]

It's harder to keep a distance, here. Not just 'cause of the sex. [It's being trapped together, the LIES program often forcing them to interact. It's the fact it's difficult to trust native Duplicity citizens, so it feels better to rely on one another.] No one dies in the program, but they do leave. Can be hard, if you fuck up and get attached.

[Like he has, multiple times.]

( rather than say anything she'll give him a look that confirms it. at this point, it's less opening up to a demon and simply just really not wanting to talk about sex. she's never done any kind of casual conversation about it before and embarrassment doesn't help )

I've been... attached to mortals before, even before I became mortal -- friends. ( and someone far closer to her ) Friends weren't specifically frowned upon, just how we acted with them.

( as long as they didn't get too familiar or interfere it wasn't too bad )

But if people leave here... it would be sudden enough to be a shock.

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