Personal Hero was written on September 17, 2016. It is a story detailing agent Lucifer Anghelscu's journey from the Fallout world to the House of Mystery, detailing snippets and moments in between. It gives insight as to the kind of people he looks up to and who Lucifer considers his own "personal heroes." It can be found here.
Characters[]
- Clare
- Corrin
- Elizabeth Comstock
- Lucifer Anghelscu
- Piper Wright
- Sabrina Spellman
- Zatanna Zatara
Story Details[]
Snippets and memories of times shared with special people. Lucifer thinks on the people who have imparted life lessons, whom he feels particularly close to.
Transcript[]
Piper
"Why do you write?"
Piper paused from her scribbling, looking up in confusion. Lucifer leaned on the crude shovel he had been using, taking a break as all around them in the ruins, the people of Mercy had been laid to their final rest. He had been working himself to exhaustion and it was cathartic in its own way- Work till you drop, no time to sleep and remember. The fire and the faces would eventually fade but here and now, associating these cadavers with the memories he had built was too painful.
So Lucifer dug till he dropped. Piper contemplated for a moment her answer before she spoke.
"There was a saying I read somewhere. How a man isn't dead, while his names still spoken. This wasn't an important townstead. There were no famous people. No vault folk who wandered through, no battles. No major trade. Just people trying to eke out a living. Through my works, people will always remember them and what they represented. That even here in our world now, there can be a measure of peace. No raiders, no violence. Just a sanctuary that will be immortalized and remembered through my pen."
Lucifer panted quietly as he leaned on his shovel, staring at the reporter. From her eyes radiating quiet strength to the fullness of her lips turned up in a sad smile. He blinked away tears and said quietly.
"And will people remember?"
Piper nodded slowly. "For as long as their name is spoken."
Elizabeth
"Lucifer, catch!"
Without looking, one hand swung up and snatched the apple tossed his way. Elizabeth pouted and adjusted her basket. "You know, you could at least act as though it was difficult." Lucifer chuckled in turn, breathing in deep the air of the Avalon Nexus. No cases this time, no dangers they had to investigate. Christmas was coming- Who'd have thought they had it here? And he had been dragged forth from his books with Elizabeth to shop with her as everywhere he saw the signs. An alien chorus in harmonic pleasing to the ear sang a rendition of 'Here comes Santa Claus'. A snowball fight down the street with local children brought a faint smile to his face and a moment later, he glanced to the side as he saw Elizabeth smiling.
"What?"
"Aren't you glad I brought you out of the house?" He snorted in reply and they stared for a time around them. In a place far from home and yet, achingly familiar. Home...His smile vanished as he turned pensive and Elizabeth placed her basket next to her and snapped her fingers. Lucifer turned and she raised her hands to adjust his collar. A moment later, she spoke.
"You know....Its Christmas. You know why its so popular?"
Lucifer shrugged, not sure where she was going with it. Taking her time, Elizabeth said quietly before looking up into his eyes. "Its one of the purest expressions of faith at its core. You try your best to be good and if you are, you get rewarded. And even if there are no gifts, the memories you make with people help you remember. The world doesn't have to be as dark as you see it, or as cruel and cold. When it does, you set up stores for the winter. You build up fires and it keeps you warm throughout the year...Until it happens again."
He studied her features, thought back to how she nursed him till he had broken out of his funk. How deep in remorse and guilt he had survived the destruction of his world he had been, though she had remained by his side. The wind blew and people moved around them, but they had all become background in comparison to her. Yes....The world wasn't completely cold and cruel. Sometimes, god sent angels.
Elizabeth was living proof.
Sabrina
She screamed and fell back onto the mat. A moment later, Sabrina opened her eye a crack to see Lucifer standing above her and she shivered. She'd worked with him once and the impression he made on her was deep, but she'd forgotten the intensity he brought in person. Always dressed in black, always wearing that hat and that stare. It made for a disconcerting, creepy image- More so when she was working on perfecting her shielding spell with him.
But he always stopped short of actually touching her, which was nice enough she supposed. Morrigan would have been a harsher taskmistress and she snagged his arm as he pulled her up effortlessly.
"Alright, how do you do it?"
He cocked his head to the side. He didn't speak much she noticed and she rolled her eyes and wriggled a hand. "That- I mean, I'm sure I brought up that shield spell properly!"
"You did. That was not your problem."
She blinked and a tinge of frustration filled her, her fist clenched as she glared. By the side, Salem opened an eye to lazily regard the two....The Witch and the Hunter before the latter moved like a snake and suddenly did something. All Sabrina knew was that she was suddenly on the floor, pinned by an immensely stronger man and a feeling of panic nearly had her thrash before she froze. Turning beet red, she listened to Lucifers assessment as he whispered in her ear.
"For all their power, magicians and wizards and witches are only human. Find their button, they make mistakes- It builds up in their mind and in the line of study most find themselves in, that's bad. All I did was play on your fear." He let her go gently and helped to bring her up, before removing his hat and brushing it off. More normally as he slid out of the persona he used for the spar, he added kindly.
"But otherwise, they seemed strong enough. I'm no mage, but I'd recommend Meditation and perhaps talking with experienced folks how to turn your fear into a lever. You'll go far Miss Sabrina." Returning the hat, he smiled and adjusted it at a more upturned angle.
"Of that, I have no doubt."
He turned to leave and Sabrina stared after him. Salem yowled in amusement.
"Fear?' My, the meanings changed since my day."
"Shut up Salem."
Clare
Lucifer stared out at the rain, seated against the wall of the cave. He made no move, he said no word. He was a motionless statue in comparison to the chaos out in the storm that had struck outside and just in time. The water would wash away both their path as well as their magical signature. That much was good.
It was what was happening behind him that he couldn't and wouldn't dare stare at. Not till he calmed himself enough to return.
This was a Reich-5 dimension. An outpost of that horrific might-have-been future that sought now to conquer other dimensions. In their scouting, they ran into a patrol. They took them out....Just not fast enough to prevent a signal being out. Now the enemy was alerted and worst of all, he was trapped in this cave with a delectable, tempting scent wafting-.
"Lucifer."
He turned his head and Clare stared back trustingly. A man could get lost in eyes like hers and Lucifer was only human. He felt immense guilt seeing her stare like that, at seeing her look at him like he wasn't...Like he wasn't a monster. But then again, she was part Yoma which came with problems of its own. He supposed that gave them a shared experience of a sort and he blinked as she cocked her head and gestured him closer.
He did and tried not to think about the bandage around her thigh they had treated ten minutes ago, before he left to the cave entrance and he swallowed. Clare was a person of few words, he'd learned to glean what she wanted from her body language mostly. Right now, beneath the cameo-blanket she shifted and it did things to the swell of her curves that had him slapping himself mentally. This was not the time, this was not the place. He didn't need anything like this and he didn't deserve it. Plain and simple, he had outlived his life in a career where it consumed those like him.
So he was absolutely stunned, as she reached out her hand and gripped the back of his head to press foreheads as she closed her eyes and spoke simply, words he didn't know he needed to hear.
"I trust you."
His breath caught in his throat and she opened her eyes slowly, showing no fear as she drew him closer.
They stayed that way the rest of the night and for the first time in a while, the self-loathing vanished if only for a night.
Corrin
"Why aren't you downstairs?"
Lucifer paused, hesitated and turned slightly to regard the intruder. He still favored priest uniforms, adding beneath that a layer of armor. Over this, came the coat-spelled by friends in the M.E.U. and WAND and finally, the broad-brimmed black hat that had heralded his presence on so many, many worlds. On the bed, a bag would be halfway full with his personal items.
In contrast, the imperialistic beauty would be waiting with all the gravity of a queen. Corrin had dressed for the occasion, her dress a departure from her usual armor. Unlike the local fashions which had been layered, she had opted for a more daring, figure-exposing dress that was sure to cause eyes to turn if Lucifer's face was any indication. Her hair was tied back in a specialized bun, glittering with a jeweled chopstick to keep it in place and it exposed her ears to cute effect. She blushed slightly, but raised her chin as she crossed her arms and spoke dangerously, her tone Lucifer had heard but once before she eviscerated a Skaven before his eyes.
"You're leaving?"
"....Yes."
"In the midst of the ball thrown for your part in helping our world." She said flatly.
For helping me.
Lucifer shrugged once, before looking away. A tired set to his jaw beyond mere age which Corrin found somewhat sorrowful as he spoke.
"I was doing my job."
"I would not leave someone such as you without reward. Is there nothing I can give you?"
Lucifer shook his head.
"Nothing that comes to mind. I don't need money and am content where I am."
No, you're not. Corrin thought mutinously as she glared at him. You could tell a lot about a person from the style they used. Lucifer was skilled, immensely so- It was clear he had earned it from long experience and much practice. But it was honed like an over-sharpened knife, to the point of brittleness. He moved like a death-seeker and seemed to be looking for an end. It frustrated her, seeing that hurt. Did he not know what it meant? Did he think others might not know pain and loss? He would leave and perhaps what she did now would have no effect. But as a friend and as a princess, she could not and would not let him leave without a fight.
And certainly not without a memory to set against the horrors of the Skaven underground.
She marched forward and Lucifer noted clinically she'd 'lost' her dress slippers, her bare feet peeking out beneath her dress as she raised her chin.
"Dance with me."
She was a sight to behold. Imperialistic, proud and with the bearing of the dragon whose form she adopted. Her eyes were challenging and just the littlest bit vulnerable and he realized he was staring. Judging from the slight redness of Corrin's face?
She knew too.
.....What the Hell.
The music struck up and ever after, Lucifer would retain the memory of that night after he left.
Zatanna
"You're far more at home with women I've noticed. Charmer."
Lucifer snorted, looking up from cleaning out his revolver, each piece laid out neatly on his desk as he looked at Zatanna. "Whats your point?" The magician smiled mischievously and shrugged in a slow manner as she teased.
"I'm just saying if you like, we know a few spells that could bring you on the team for good."
"Ha. Ha." Lucifer deadpanned before he said quietly.
"That isn't why I'm comfortable around them." Zatanna blinked quizzically. Lucifer continued as he looked at his revolver in pieces.
"....All my life, some of the strongest people I've known have been women. From my home on through my experiences, they've always been the pinnacle of strength and wisdom on my travels. They taught me things I've taken to heart and tried to integrate into my own life. From how to best remember friends, to the meaning of faith. To learning the value of a quiet mind as well as the power that comes in an admission of trust in another."
He smiled faintly, in reminiscence.
"As well as the gesture that comes in an action born from pure motivation, for the reward of a smile. I don't get along so much as adore them. If anything I wish I could be that strong sometimes. Being gentle is not a weakness...Showing emotion is not a sin. Love makes you strong and becoming a better person through the memory of their examples...Well, I've always been grateful for that."
Zatanna looked at him oddly and Lucifer noticed.
"What?"
"You're a very odd man Lucifer."
"So I've been told." He said with a faint smile. Zatanna quirked an eyebrow before asking cautiously.
"You don't suppose they talk to you for another reason too, do you?"
"Like what?" Zatanna gave him a look, convinced he was having one at her expense but saw nothing but guileless innocence in his eyes.
"....Never mind, its not important."
He smiled in return and went back to work as Zatanna left and once out of his room, shook her head slowly.
"He'll learn eventually."
One way or another.
[FIN]
Trivia[]
- This story is a rare case of midquel that takes place within multiple stories and events, such as The Lightbringer Chronicles and Avalon Interlude, among others.