demonicmiracle | (duplicity) ic contact

( 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.

[That's a yes, then. He won't press for details, but he will offer a little advice.]

As long as you can both agree not to make a big deal of it, eventually you'll barely even think about whatever happened, even if it wasn't much fun.

[It's been true so far to his experience. The only encounter that's really stuck with him is with that other version of Aziraphale, and that's completely different than some unpleasant fuck with a friendly acquaintance.]

Death's sudden, too, most of the time. [He shrugs, fingers idly drumming against the table.] Sounds like you should do alright making friends, if you were allowed to have friends.

( there's a beat, a slight jolt in the conversation that makes her accidentally skip over his advice and then purposely skip over his next comment )

Allowed versus not crossing a line.

( one day perhaps she'd tell him that she almost did, that she'd stepped down instead. though that was absolutely rephrasing how it had gone )

Though a whilst I know it doesn't help it's perhaps relieving that being here isn't a punishment.

( she'd strongly considered it such, or a purpose but instead she was making her own purpose )

[He doesn't miss it, but he isn't sure what to attribute it to.]

Either way, friendship isn't exactly a new concept to you, is what I'm getting. And that's something you'll need, here, even if you do end up sleeping with them once or twice.

[People like Cullen, Diana, even Natasha when she was still around, they've been important in helping Crowley keep from entirely hating his time here.]

This isn't the Almighty's style. It's the wrong kind of cruel. For my money, it's just terrible fucking luck.

( she doesn't like that she'd thought it but she hadn't known what he'd been thinking in some time )

Well, you cant have done terribly for not being as familiar with it, not with the friends you mentioned.

( just going to gently sidestep that she might potentially sleep with some of them. she might have had sex already but she's still trying to avoid it )

Something that helps each of us.

[Crowley huffs out an amused breath, lifting a shoulder in a shrug.]

Well, I've gone soft, unfortunately. Not much to be done for it.

[Between Aziraphale and all the people he seems to have accidentally collected here, there's no real doubt about that.]

Think I have it easier than the angel, really. Part of being a demon's meant learning how to get people to trust me, and learning how to figure out what they want. Friendship isn't that different.

[It's just like, done in a nice way, instead of done to tempt them into something terrible.]

I think he'll be fine.

( a little defensive for him? even if crowley does know him better than she ever could she can't help but defend an angel, to believe in them )

As much as parts of being here are uncomfortable. ( no matter whether they'd been there months or just arrived. she wasn't going to question whether either had gotten in trouble, though they did have each other ) But I think he could make friends easily.

[Oh no. If anything was going to make him maybe actually like her, it's this. There's something terribly fond in his smile.]

Yeah? What makes you so sure of that?

[It's a gentle inquiry, mostly because he's curious what kind of opinion she has of Aziraphale.]

I'd assume you'd know exactly why.

( teasing slightly given that they were married but she'll actually answer the question )

The first time we spoke he was comforting, wanted to reassure me that it would be fine. He made a friend then.

( angel or not that manner of his would help him )

Most humans I've seen him interact with have been waitstaff.

[Not that it would mean he doesn't know how Aziraphale could be with other people, but that's his current excuse and he's sticking to it.

He decides not to say that Aziraphale is kind of rubbish at relating to humans on a one-on-one basis, that likely the reason he was so good with her is because he knew she was Something Else. Crowley doesn't judge him for these things, but another angel might, and anyway, it's not her business.]

M'glad he made a good first impression. There's... [He hesitates, unsure if he should say this or not. In the end, he shakes his head.] I'm glad he's got someone sort of familiar around, even if we're not all from the same place.

I am too.

( that he's not alone in an angelic sense, that she isn't either. even that aziraphale hadn't been alone generally, that he'd had crowley from the beginning )

And... you've made a better second impression.

( honestly, his initial moment of trying to help her still stuck out, something good but then it had gotten confusing and complicated talking about heaven and hell )

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