[ Chilton had been foolish to believe he didn't mean anything to the devil -- that Lucifer would forget him as soon as his defiance was quelled. Raina knew better. She argued it. And here was the proof. ]
A King might be a pivotal piece, the piece all others move to protect, but on its own, it can only move a single space at a time. Frederick would never suit such a stifling existence. His are the hands on all of the pieces, moving them into place and controlling the board. If I am to be anyone's queen, it would be his.
[ Raina smiled faintly, lost for a moment in some reverie. His praise and comparison to Eve had been a comparison she, herself, had made in regards to her person time and time again. Even Chilton had referred to her as Eve in reference to his Adam. Lucifer saw and appreciated Raina's worth, but it also must have meant he saw the types of things she was capable of -- and while she might not have been able to defeat him, defeating him wasn't necessarily the goal. Saving Chilton, even at the risk of her own life, gave her strength and bravery -- it gave her purpose and meaning. ]
Flattering though it is to be compared to the very first woman -- god's most precious creation -- what I always sought to be was something far more divine. My grandmother always used to tell me that one day I would be an angel. And it took meeting Frederick for me to realize her words have come true.
There is a purity in our love, and it won't be tainted. No matter the ways you seek to bring us harm, no matter how much of your power or how many of your followers you turn against me -- you won't be able to stop me from being his angel. I will protect him with everything. I will protect him until my final breath. And even were I to die, my protection would still remain. You would lose him forever. If you cause me harm, you will unleash the monster he houses inside. And I can assure you, Lucifer, my angelic protection is nothing compared to what lurks deep within of Frederick Chilton.
A queen? An angel? You are nothing, Raina, if I don't say that you are. A heathen abomination, a false idol. No amount of love will purify you, or Chilton, because as much as you are of Eve, you carry her sin inside you, like everything else. Love. Love God. Only He will forgive you.
[ He had seemed entertained at first, but at the mention of divinity his expression had turned immediately frosty. As an archangel he was charged with destroying false idols, and it was a task he took to with bloodlust and reverie. The sheer gall for Raina, a creature as tainted and not even human as her, to claim to be an angel fills him with an unshakable, frothing rage, and cracks of it show on the surface. His teeth flash as he speaks, his eyes are bright with flecks of restrained grace snapping like lightning storms across the thin desert sky.
And then at once it snaps shut, closes down, and he's still and cool again. ]
It's killing you. To know that there's that monster inside of him and not be able to expose it. If I kill you, I expose his. If I kill him, I expose yours.
[ He licked his lips. ] Win win situation. Now here's a better one. [ He raised his hand, pointing it at the screen. ] You save Chilton, the only way you can, and sign his contract yourself.
If love means risk, means giving anything, then give it. Sacrifice Chilton's queen, and I'll treat him as my equal from now on, a player and not a piece.
It's that, Raina darling, or Hell on Earth for you both. No peace. No rest. No freedom. No coming and going as you please and the constant taint of death staining your kisses. I am the King of the Pit, Raina; I can make every breath a torture of agony, so that the pleasure even goes out of your lovemaking. You will hate to look at each other, knowing the sacrifice it took to stay together.
Come to me, and I'll never darken his doorway again. He doesn't even have to know.
[ Raina fell silent. She didn't like where this was headed and she didn't even bother to hide the trepidation on her face. Her eyes veered off to the side. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than Chilton's freedom but at the same time, Raina didn't want to belong to anyone either.
This was all Chilton's fault. Chilton invited this monstrosity into their lives, and now one of them was going to have to pay the price for it. And one of them meant both of them.
Her lips set together, and she looked back toward him with furrowed brows. ]
I am not nothing without your blessing. If I was, you wouldn't be trying so hard to get me under your thumb. You know what I'm capable of -- you see it, don't you? Frederick and I -- the strength in our alliance. How can it kill me to not see Frederick's monster when I am the one who created it? All of his kisses, all of his caresses, his fond words, his love -- I've nurtured a most spectacular being. Even if my death is the catalyst to bring it to the surface, he will be incredible and bring you to ruin.
[ The fire of defiance still burned within her and would until she had nothing left to fight for. However, she couldn't ignore the nonchalant threat of killing Chilton. She couldn't. ]
You will never own me, Lucifer. Even if I'm bound to you by a signature, even if that is the sacrifice I choose to make for Frederick's sake -- you can take the queen out of play, but that doesn't mean it switches sides.
[ She drew in a breath, squared her shoulders, and tried to muster up her bravery. ]
So name your terms, Morningstar. What does signing Frederick's contract mean for me? And how am I to know you won't simply change your mind on a whim and decide to bring him harm?
Edited (I wanted to make it better. x)) 2015-07-15 21:02 (UTC)
[ Oh, it was a challenge, certainly. It was practically blackmail. But Lucifer had proved that his intentions didn't waver once he made a selection. Chilton and Raina were set squarely in his sights, and he wanted to nurture the dark seeds in both of them. He could do that in both without ever touching the other, and it didn't matter to him which.
It was a matter of pride to him. It was about proving himself right, and God's dismissal of him false, arrogant. He wanted to prove that everything that he had said about humanity was true, because then his being thrown from Heaven was an unjustifiable punishment--a mistake. To help any of them reach their full potential was a snub directly into the face of God, and if their souls became so twisted that in death they became demons, then all the better. His army was absent here, and he had to build from scratch what had taken millennia to achieve the first time. ]
Your mistake is thinking that we're on different sides. And that I'm afraid of anything. Confine me in four walls; no confinement will ever resemble the misery of my confinement in the Cage. Thrust me from public grace; I have fallen from the Heavenly Host, there is no greater shame. Try to kill me, watch as my power bends and breaks your mortal steel, and snaps your ropes.
Nothing frightens me, Raina. No one. You know that, deep down, even if your pride for Frederick rises above the rest like petals on water. I don't blame you; I appreciate good craftsmanship as much as the next parent. I know what it is to put such love into something, to nurture it and see it fly the nest, to watch it flourish and multiply. Who wouldn't feel pride at such a thing, and terror, any time its wandering takes it too close to danger? Who wouldn't fear it being away from your sight, even for a moment, in those first forming moments where a single spiteful action might deform it irretrievably, or stunt its growth?
I will never own you. I would have never taken Frederick from you either, Raina. I offered him everything that he wanted. Power, respect, protection for you, doe eyed whimsy from those who fascinate him, so that he can do what he wishes to them. An archangel at his beck and call; my assistance, my influence, my strength, and his eternal freedom. In short, Raina, I offered Frederick every miracle he desires, every need you can't fulfill, anything he asks for to further whatsoever goals he pleases, done without question or quarrel, and in return I asked for one thing only: that he came when I called, without hesitation and without resistance.
It was a good deal, and it's the one I offered him from the start. My stipulation only came when he resisted.
I'd have to insist on another stipulation of you, Raina, in return for leaving Frederick be; in return for accepting him as an equal. It's a big ask, and it isn't in our original contract. [ He tapped his chin. ] Let's see.
[ Not even Sam Winchester -- Raina wanted to counter when he said nothing frightened him. She wanted to fight and claw and not feel so hopeless. She wanted to threaten to kill his precious vessel; the only thing she had seen him react to -- apart from moments ago when Raina spoke her grandmother's words about being an angel.
But she narrowed her eyes after Lucifer made sure, albeit subtly, to point out the fact that there were things he could offer Chilton that she could not. ]
Frederick needs neither you nor I to flourish. A miracle given is not a miracle earned. You cannot deceive me into believing all of those gifts, all of your offerings came only at the price of simply responding to your call. You cannot deceive me into believing any deal with you comes without a hefty price and hidden agendas. Frederick may have been foolish enough to buy into your terms, but I am not.
[ The ONLY reason she considered was because her hand was being forced -- because if she didn't give in, she stood to lose the one and only thing in this world that made her happy. Ah. And there it was -- he was considering the terms. Tapping his chin in idle thought, he was deciding her very fate. A cold chill ran down her spine as she knew whatever he came up with now would be some form of cruel punishment. And so she tried to barter. ]
Bear in mind, I did as you asked without argument when it came to the Famine ring. Bear in mind, I accepted it with honor and gratitude and never once asked for a favor in return for the favor I extended.
Frederick is no fool, Raina. You belittle yourself and him to declare it so. He was very careful, very efficient, and you have to remember that he came to me, because he knows that I can give him something he wants. His terms were ironclad, and I was clear from the beginning: sin corrupts.
[ He left that for the moment, and tipped his head, peering at her. ] I didn't force it on you, Raina; I gave it to you, as a gift that you freely and willingly accepted. It had no repercussions, you bore no responsibility, and its power subsided precisely as I declared it would, when I said it would. That is the nature of my work; no hidden charges, no desire but to see flourish what I knew was inside you--inside Frederick, too.
[ He wasn't going to accept that as his owing her a favor. No way. He had bewstowed the ring upon her, like a benediction, and she should be grateful for it. ]
I gave life to my demons, Raina. I nurtured them, and gave them strength and power. Where God turned his back on them for their independence, I gave them purpose. [ He watched her in the video feed intently. ] Such strength and power is what I offer you; a mark that will make you faster, stronger, capable of protecting your beloved Chilton from almost anything. A mark that is magic as old as humankind itself. I made it. And you will wear it. That's my price.
[ It still angered her, and his words only served as a reminder that Chilton had gone behind her back to meet with Lucifer. He WAS a fool. And she accepted and loved that about him as much as she hated. Chilton was a man driven by ego and narcissism. And his pride encased him like a protective barrier, shielding out any words of caution and anything that questioned his capabilities. Chilton was not a man who accepted loss and defeat. He always believed himself to be in control. ]
What a great and benevolent entity you are.
[ She snapped, her words venom. Raina wasn't smitten by his charming words and flattery at the moment. She had no love in her heart for Lucifer -- only anger, resentment, bitterness, and terror. He went too far in trying to claim Chilton for himself. And it was only her devotion to Chilton that led her to this point. It could have only been love for someone other than herself that would lead her to even entertain the notion of sacrificing her signature to the devil -- letting Lucifer brand her with a mark. ]
Never in my life have I wanted to become a demon. You say that you nurtured your demons and gave them gifts as though you're offering me an opportunity and not an ultimatum. I have an attraction to the dangerous and powerful. Call it a fatal flaw if you will. But from our very first conversation, I made it clear I did not want a deal with you. I would do the things you asked of me simply because I wanted to and not out of any obligation. The gift of the Famine ring proved just that, didn't it? What we created together? That was beautiful.
Your mark would brand me in a way no man has ever branded me, and I don't take lightly to that. If I were to sign, Frederick becomes off-limits to you and your underlings. From Abduxel to Crane. If any harm were to befall him, the deal would be off. I will accept no wiggle room, no freedoms where you can sneak in and bring him harm. I will not sign a contract which doesn't absolutely, one hundred percent guarantee the man that I love, the man that I'm sacrificing for, will not come under harm.
Things change. For example, one moment Frederick is ready and willing to take what I have to offer - after months of effort, I might add - and then with but one whisper from you...
[ A dismissive wave of his hand--dismissive, but as he spoke his eyes narrowed, his tone took on a very slight edge. ] And I am very respectful of that ability. That talent. But did you really think that you - that either of you could turn around and screw me and nothing would happen?
If you sign, you'll have the chance to make amendments to the contract yourself, as Frederick may, if he signs instead.
As for Crane, he's a contract holder, no different to what I offer you. Not an underling. Underling implies I'm responsible for what he does, just as it would imply the same about Frederick. He could squander his power on wealth and riches, on bringing you pleasure and happiness--it wouldn't matter to me. Squabble among yourselves, your infighting is no responsibility of mine, nor can I - or will I - stop it. Nor will I intervene if his efforts get him killed. Darling Raina, it just isn't my problem, do you understand?
Now think about my offer. Discuss it with the ocean of your eye. I'll hear back from one of you soon.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
video;
A King might be a pivotal piece, the piece all others move to protect, but on its own, it can only move a single space at a time. Frederick would never suit such a stifling existence. His are the hands on all of the pieces, moving them into place and controlling the board. If I am to be anyone's queen, it would be his.
[ Raina smiled faintly, lost for a moment in some reverie. His praise and comparison to Eve had been a comparison she, herself, had made in regards to her person time and time again. Even Chilton had referred to her as Eve in reference to his Adam. Lucifer saw and appreciated Raina's worth, but it also must have meant he saw the types of things she was capable of -- and while she might not have been able to defeat him, defeating him wasn't necessarily the goal. Saving Chilton, even at the risk of her own life, gave her strength and bravery -- it gave her purpose and meaning. ]
Flattering though it is to be compared to the very first woman -- god's most precious creation -- what I always sought to be was something far more divine. My grandmother always used to tell me that one day I would be an angel. And it took meeting Frederick for me to realize her words have come true.
There is a purity in our love, and it won't be tainted. No matter the ways you seek to bring us harm, no matter how much of your power or how many of your followers you turn against me -- you won't be able to stop me from being his angel. I will protect him with everything. I will protect him until my final breath. And even were I to die, my protection would still remain. You would lose him forever. If you cause me harm, you will unleash the monster he houses inside. And I can assure you, Lucifer, my angelic protection is nothing compared to what lurks deep within of Frederick Chilton.
video;
[ He had seemed entertained at first, but at the mention of divinity his expression had turned immediately frosty. As an archangel he was charged with destroying false idols, and it was a task he took to with bloodlust and reverie. The sheer gall for Raina, a creature as tainted and not even human as her, to claim to be an angel fills him with an unshakable, frothing rage, and cracks of it show on the surface. His teeth flash as he speaks, his eyes are bright with flecks of restrained grace snapping like lightning storms across the thin desert sky.
And then at once it snaps shut, closes down, and he's still and cool again. ]
It's killing you. To know that there's that monster inside of him and not be able to expose it. If I kill you, I expose his. If I kill him, I expose yours.
[ He licked his lips. ] Win win situation. Now here's a better one. [ He raised his hand, pointing it at the screen. ] You save Chilton, the only way you can, and sign his contract yourself.
If love means risk, means giving anything, then give it. Sacrifice Chilton's queen, and I'll treat him as my equal from now on, a player and not a piece.
It's that, Raina darling, or Hell on Earth for you both. No peace. No rest. No freedom. No coming and going as you please and the constant taint of death staining your kisses. I am the King of the Pit, Raina; I can make every breath a torture of agony, so that the pleasure even goes out of your lovemaking. You will hate to look at each other, knowing the sacrifice it took to stay together.
Come to me, and I'll never darken his doorway again. He doesn't even have to know.
video;
This was all Chilton's fault. Chilton invited this monstrosity into their lives, and now one of them was going to have to pay the price for it. And one of them meant both of them.
Her lips set together, and she looked back toward him with furrowed brows. ]
I am not nothing without your blessing. If I was, you wouldn't be trying so hard to get me under your thumb. You know what I'm capable of -- you see it, don't you? Frederick and I -- the strength in our alliance. How can it kill me to not see Frederick's monster when I am the one who created it? All of his kisses, all of his caresses, his fond words, his love -- I've nurtured a most spectacular being. Even if my death is the catalyst to bring it to the surface, he will be incredible and bring you to ruin.
[ The fire of defiance still burned within her and would until she had nothing left to fight for. However, she couldn't ignore the nonchalant threat of killing Chilton. She couldn't. ]
You will never own me, Lucifer. Even if I'm bound to you by a signature, even if that is the sacrifice I choose to make for Frederick's sake -- you can take the queen out of play, but that doesn't mean it switches sides.
[ She drew in a breath, squared her shoulders, and tried to muster up her bravery. ]
So name your terms, Morningstar. What does signing Frederick's contract mean for me? And how am I to know you won't simply change your mind on a whim and decide to bring him harm?
video;
It was a matter of pride to him. It was about proving himself right, and God's dismissal of him false, arrogant. He wanted to prove that everything that he had said about humanity was true, because then his being thrown from Heaven was an unjustifiable punishment--a mistake. To help any of them reach their full potential was a snub directly into the face of God, and if their souls became so twisted that in death they became demons, then all the better. His army was absent here, and he had to build from scratch what had taken millennia to achieve the first time. ]
Your mistake is thinking that we're on different sides. And that I'm afraid of anything. Confine me in four walls; no confinement will ever resemble the misery of my confinement in the Cage. Thrust me from public grace; I have fallen from the Heavenly Host, there is no greater shame. Try to kill me, watch as my power bends and breaks your mortal steel, and snaps your ropes.
Nothing frightens me, Raina. No one. You know that, deep down, even if your pride for Frederick rises above the rest like petals on water. I don't blame you; I appreciate good craftsmanship as much as the next parent. I know what it is to put such love into something, to nurture it and see it fly the nest, to watch it flourish and multiply. Who wouldn't feel pride at such a thing, and terror, any time its wandering takes it too close to danger? Who wouldn't fear it being away from your sight, even for a moment, in those first forming moments where a single spiteful action might deform it irretrievably, or stunt its growth?
I will never own you. I would have never taken Frederick from you either, Raina. I offered him everything that he wanted. Power, respect, protection for you, doe eyed whimsy from those who fascinate him, so that he can do what he wishes to them. An archangel at his beck and call; my assistance, my influence, my strength, and his eternal freedom. In short, Raina, I offered Frederick every miracle he desires, every need you can't fulfill, anything he asks for to further whatsoever goals he pleases, done without question or quarrel, and in return I asked for one thing only: that he came when I called, without hesitation and without resistance.
It was a good deal, and it's the one I offered him from the start. My stipulation only came when he resisted.
I'd have to insist on another stipulation of you, Raina, in return for leaving Frederick be; in return for accepting him as an equal. It's a big ask, and it isn't in our original contract. [ He tapped his chin. ] Let's see.
video;
But she narrowed her eyes after Lucifer made sure, albeit subtly, to point out the fact that there were things he could offer Chilton that she could not. ]
Frederick needs neither you nor I to flourish. A miracle given is not a miracle earned. You cannot deceive me into believing all of those gifts, all of your offerings came only at the price of simply responding to your call. You cannot deceive me into believing any deal with you comes without a hefty price and hidden agendas. Frederick may have been foolish enough to buy into your terms, but I am not.
[ The ONLY reason she considered was because her hand was being forced -- because if she didn't give in, she stood to lose the one and only thing in this world that made her happy. Ah. And there it was -- he was considering the terms. Tapping his chin in idle thought, he was deciding her very fate. A cold chill ran down her spine as she knew whatever he came up with now would be some form of cruel punishment. And so she tried to barter. ]
Bear in mind, I did as you asked without argument when it came to the Famine ring. Bear in mind, I accepted it with honor and gratitude and never once asked for a favor in return for the favor I extended.
video;
[ He left that for the moment, and tipped his head, peering at her. ] I didn't force it on you, Raina; I gave it to you, as a gift that you freely and willingly accepted. It had no repercussions, you bore no responsibility, and its power subsided precisely as I declared it would, when I said it would. That is the nature of my work; no hidden charges, no desire but to see flourish what I knew was inside you--inside Frederick, too.
[ He wasn't going to accept that as his owing her a favor. No way. He had bewstowed the ring upon her, like a benediction, and she should be grateful for it. ]
I gave life to my demons, Raina. I nurtured them, and gave them strength and power. Where God turned his back on them for their independence, I gave them purpose. [ He watched her in the video feed intently. ] Such strength and power is what I offer you; a mark that will make you faster, stronger, capable of protecting your beloved Chilton from almost anything. A mark that is magic as old as humankind itself. I made it. And you will wear it. That's my price.
video;
What a great and benevolent entity you are.
[ She snapped, her words venom. Raina wasn't smitten by his charming words and flattery at the moment. She had no love in her heart for Lucifer -- only anger, resentment, bitterness, and terror. He went too far in trying to claim Chilton for himself. And it was only her devotion to Chilton that led her to this point. It could have only been love for someone other than herself that would lead her to even entertain the notion of sacrificing her signature to the devil -- letting Lucifer brand her with a mark. ]
Never in my life have I wanted to become a demon. You say that you nurtured your demons and gave them gifts as though you're offering me an opportunity and not an ultimatum. I have an attraction to the dangerous and powerful. Call it a fatal flaw if you will. But from our very first conversation, I made it clear I did not want a deal with you. I would do the things you asked of me simply because I wanted to and not out of any obligation. The gift of the Famine ring proved just that, didn't it? What we created together? That was beautiful.
Your mark would brand me in a way no man has ever branded me, and I don't take lightly to that. If I were to sign, Frederick becomes off-limits to you and your underlings. From Abduxel to Crane. If any harm were to befall him, the deal would be off. I will accept no wiggle room, no freedoms where you can sneak in and bring him harm. I will not sign a contract which doesn't absolutely, one hundred percent guarantee the man that I love, the man that I'm sacrificing for, will not come under harm.
video;
[ A dismissive wave of his hand--dismissive, but as he spoke his eyes narrowed, his tone took on a very slight edge. ] And I am very respectful of that ability. That talent. But did you really think that you - that either of you could turn around and screw me and nothing would happen?
If you sign, you'll have the chance to make amendments to the contract yourself, as Frederick may, if he signs instead.
As for Crane, he's a contract holder, no different to what I offer you. Not an underling. Underling implies I'm responsible for what he does, just as it would imply the same about Frederick. He could squander his power on wealth and riches, on bringing you pleasure and happiness--it wouldn't matter to me. Squabble among yourselves, your infighting is no responsibility of mine, nor can I - or will I - stop it. Nor will I intervene if his efforts get him killed. Darling Raina, it just isn't my problem, do you understand?
Now think about my offer. Discuss it with the ocean of your eye. I'll hear back from one of you soon.