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Lucifer ([info]1st_lord) wrote in [info]chaosunraveled,
@ 2009-08-23 21:47:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:finished thread, lucifer, rating: pg-13, rufus, setting: the tower within niflheim

In the land of the blind...
Who: Rufus and Lucifer
When: Evening, the night after this and right after this. (Forward dated to about the 28th)
Where: The tower in Niflheim.
Ratings: PG-13
Warnings: Language
Summary: Rufus makes a deal with Lucifer that will allow him to see the world.

After finishing his brief conversation with Rufus, Lucifer sat in his room, idly tapping his fingers against the desk, a small smile on his face. Rufus had not, in his message, stated what his decision about their deal had been, but Lucifer found it doubtful that the man would have arranged a meeting in person to decline. The fact that he was on his way to the tower at this moment said enough.

At the expected knock on the door, he stood and moved to answer. His ever-changing appearance presently settled on steely grey eyes peeking out from a mop of somewhat unkempt black hair, and he greeted his visitor with a pleasant smile and a polite gesture into the room.

"Please, come in."

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 02:46 am UTC (link)
Winding up the stairs to the tower, Rufus ran over his decision. Again.

It was long established that one did not make deals with the devil and come out the better for it— in fact, that was one of the few bits of superstition Rufus had allowed himself to appreciate even before coming to Niflheim. The difference, here, now, was that "the devil" no longer referred to Rufus. Well, not to the same degree.

This isn't about satisfying my ego.

There was that old detachment settling into his skin, into his bones. His weapon: cold objectivity.

I will adapt, but I will not stray from I what. Don't let him unbalance you. Don't get cocky.

The heavy door rose out of the stairs before him, and he knocked twice, firmly. At the invitation, he opened the door and stepped in.

He absorbed the room with a swift but efficient sweep of his eyes. Lucifer was alone, it seemed. The room itself was a wonder of the macabre, but the young President restricted his curiosity to the other "man" in the room, not letting his thoughts drift to the way the hair rose on his arms when he glanced at the fleshy-looking wallpaper, or the hand-shaped bulge in the wall it covered. Eyes locked on Lucifer, Rufus smiled, friendly, frigid.

"Evening," he offered.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 03:02 am UTC (link)
"Evening," Lucifer returned, peering back at him with equal intensity. His entire expression deceptively pleasant, though not lacking a level of obvious hardness appropriate to such negotiations as they were here to discuss. He gestured toward a chair nearby the desk where he had been sitting earlier. It was made of iron and heavy in its design, though the seat sported a rather comfortable-looking cushion.

"Please have a seat." Once he had made the offer he returned to the chair he had been sitting in previously.

"And perhaps now you would answer my question. Have you made a decision?"

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 04:03 am UTC (link)
Steps in an intimately familiar dance.

Rufus nodded and found his way to his seat, waiting for Lucifer to join him at the desk before settling into the monstrous iron chair in one smooth motion. He crossed his legs, laced his fingers loosely in his lap, and watched the being across from him with casual interest.

"Almost," he said easily, ignoring the implied reproach. Quickly, precisely, he laid out the details of their deal so far: the Peng eye for two uses in exchange for Rufus' infiltration of Asgard and retrieval of a single feather from an angel. Rufus would not be harmed by the use or possession of the eye, and it would do exactly as Lucifer promised: inducing a trance-like state, in which Rufus could and would view vast expanses of the world which bore Niflheim and Asgard. Each "use" of the eye would last as long as Rufus' inherent ability could sustain it.

"I want to know more about my payment, first," he finished, leaning back. "For instance, if I was to return from Asgard without a feather. You say you would 'come up with something more suited to my abilities.'" Regarding Lucifer through heavy-lidded eyes, he asked, "Why don't you simply do that from the beginning, and ensure the success of whatever you ask me to do?"

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 04:25 am UTC (link)
Lucifer watched Rufus intently, but not oppressively, as he carefully laid out the question. If Rufus was paying close attention, he might catch a vague hint of amusement playing in Lucifer's eyes. Why, indeed?

"Simply put," he replied, with a vague emphatic gesture of his hand, "because what I want right now is a feather." He rested his hand back in his lap lightly, and paused a moment to let that simple bit of reasoning sink in. "And I don't think the task is beyond your abilities, particularly with the addition of the eye and the assistance in getting through Asgard's barrier. It's worth a try."

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 05:04 am UTC (link)
Rufus saw the amusement; the President of ShinRa didn't miss much, especially during a negotiation. He listened to the explanation silently, careful not to frown. Lucifer, he understood, was not operating by the dictates of logic. He didn't have to.

It was precisely what Rufus despised about this place: quite literally the only thing he could bring to the table was himself. There was no money, no toehold, no insider, no competition— nothing. If Rufus wanted what Lucifer had, he would take it on the devil's terms. The concessions he'd wrung out from the being so far were scraps, tossed to amuse, and if Rufus fulfilled a need because of them, so much the better. If not, well, Lucifer would find someone else to do it. What was the eye, to Lucifer? Rufus would be very surprised if the demon would miss it. But to Rufus, such an object was... invaluable.

One corner of his lips curled into a smirk that did not reach flat blue eyes. Do I amuse you? There was more to discuss, much more. The details of the mission. The details of the eye and its uses and usage. But Rufus merely sat, almost perfectly still but for the slow, steady rising of his chest, and considered: yes, or no?

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 05:16 am UTC (link)
Lucifer simply watched Rufus, his face betraying nothing as they both sat in silence. One could almost feel the wheels turning in Rufus' mind, and he didn't miss the little smirk that appeared on the man's face, though he couldn't be sure what, exactly, it meant. Regardless, there was nothing now for him to say; the only thing to do was to sit and wait for the other to decide his answer.

He briefly brushed a hand through his hair, which was already becoming brown, smoother, and slightly longer, and regarded Rufus with the slightest of smiles. So which is it, then? Yes, or no?

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 05:40 am UTC (link)
I am the only one with anything to lose. I'm sure I don't know all the details of what I'm getting into. I don't even have it in writing. Shall I break every one of the cardinal rules of deal-making here, today? Be the sucker who gets reeled in?

What other choice do I have? He could find another way. Find it where? Asgard? Hah.

It's not that the price is too steep. No. Rather, it is the very thing I'm asking for that I fear. But I'll only possess it temporarily; if it does harm me, I'll be rid of it soon enough, and then I can find another way. But will I have to drain myself first in order to give it back? Is that the catch...? What would Lucifer stand to gain from such a thing?

"I reserve the right to terminate the deal for any reason, at any time. Should I do so, you will take the eye back without draining the rest of my 'energy,' and I will not have to enter Asgard. If you insist upon some form of payment, we can review those "other options" you mentioned and agree upon one that is most appropriate."

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 06:10 am UTC (link)
Lucifer raised one eyebrow ever so slightly, not quite having anticipated the new stipulation. It wasn't unreasonable, however, nor did it affect anything much. There wouldn't be any noticeable effects aside from the ones he had already mentioned, and by the time Rufus would be able to notice the one he hadn't mentioned, it would be too late for him to simply pull the contract. In fact, Lucifer suspected he would be quite anxious to renew it; addiction was difficult to overcome.

And even if he did decide to cancel, it would be of little consequence to Lucifer. He could still find someone else to run his errands--someone who likely wouldn't be as skilled a negotiator.

"Agreed," he replied simply.

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 06:40 am UTC (link)
Easy. That was very, very easy. Rufus let the "victory" wash through him, mind working over it like a sieve. All he could determine for sure was that that hadn't been the catch.

But there was one. That, Rufus found he couldn't doubt.

Watching Lucifer's appearance change gradually against the fleshy backdrop, Rufus felt a twinge of nausea. It wasn't possible to iron the deal out any more than he had, wasn't possible to make it any more appetizing. He'd set up his safety nets and his escape routs. There was nothing to do now but jump, and pray.

Expression unchanging, he turned his head slightly. It was a simple motion that attracted no unusual attention, but brought his right eye to bear so he could get a better look. For a long time he couldn't bring himself to speak, and when he did his voice was quiet, level.

"We have a deal, then."

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 06:51 am UTC (link)
Again, Lucifer simply watched, waiting for Rufus' response, wondering if his next words would be an answer or another condition. When the words left Rufus' lips, Lucifer allowed his smile to grow just a bit.

"Excellent," he commented lightly. How utterly splendid, really, to have found someone who had actually been interesting to negotiate with, and in the end still get precisely what he wanted. How wonderful. Rufus could still back out, of course, but why would he? Lucifer had given him no reason to, and as he had commented at some time earlier in their negotiations, using the eye would be quite enjoyable, and provide Rufus exactly the surveying power he had asked for.

"I assume you'd like me to give you the eye now, then?"

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 07:05 am UTC (link)
Nervous. He was nervous. It took him a moment to identify the tightness in his chest, and yet another to lock it away behind cold rationality. Lucifer does not stand to gain from harming me.

But I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now? Or later? Only one way to find out. Inhaling sharply through his nose, he hoped vaguely that the thing would come with a bag, or a box, or some kind of container, as he had no interest in carrying around an eyeball. He glanced at the various scientific paraphernalia scattered about the room, wondering it the thing was among them.

"Yes," he said simply.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 07:22 am UTC (link)
Lucifer merely nodded, then closed his eyes briefly and muttered something incomprehensible. He opened his eyes again and a faint yellow glow appeared in his hand and grew brighter as Lucifer rose from his chair and took a step toward Rufus. Just above his hand, the immaterial glow seemed to form into the vague shape of an orb with a dark dot at its center.

Rufus would have only a brief moment to notice that image before Lucifer reached up and placed his glowing hand over Rufus' left eye, transferring the energy into it, mixing the powers from the eye of the Peng bird with Rufus' own eye. It wouldn't be a pleasant experience during the transition, but once it was done, Rufus' eye would look and feel exactly as it had, save for the times he was actively calling out the Peng eye.

[ooc: When he is using it, it'll look approximately like this.]

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 08:22 am UTC (link)
So it wasn't corporeal just yet...? Rufus watched carefully as Lucifer approached him with the faint glow in his hand, curious what, exactly, he was getting. It was only as the demon kept coming closer, past the point where a hand-to-hand exchange could easily be made, that he realized something was wrong. He rose from his chair in alarm just as Lucifer's hand dipped far enough into his blind spot that he lost sight of the yellow glow completely.

He snapped his head around, and Lucifer moved, flattening his hand over Rufus' blind left eye.

With a wordless cry he staggered away from Lucifer and the rest of the way out of the chair, hands flying to his face. Had Lucifer torn out his eye?!

"Shit... shit!"

Something happened. Vertigo, like the floor turned to water and he dropped under, utter silence except for the echo of his own voice cursing, the sound dulled, rounded into indistinct, hollow vowels. The pain vanished. Abruptly he was looking at the room— blurred, and spinning slightly, but the whole room, all at once, viewed from standing height. Too much information, too much visual input at one time... and yet he felt blind, constricted by the walls... and then he saw himself, lying curled on the floor beside the chair with his hands over his face, with Lucifer standing over him.

The floor dropped out of the world again. His vision turned black, and silence broke away into little noises, air and life and the throb of his heart. The pain returned, too, but lessened greatly from mindlessly agonizing to simply hot and piercing. He could feel his eye was still there, under his probing fingers. He couldn't bring himself to open them.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 08:35 am UTC (link)
Lucifer lowered his hand as the magic left it, as Rufus staggered away from him, watching with a mostly blank yet still slightly amused expression. He had been paying attention as he approached; Rufus had not expected the eye to be something that went in his head. Rather, he seemed to have expected an item, something he could hold or place in a pocket. Lucifer supposed he had never made that clear in any of the discussion, though likewise Rufus had never asked. One should expect that an eye will be an eye, Lucifer thought as Rufus collapsed to the ground.

He waited until the man began to calm and would have some chance of hearing his words before he made any attempt to speak.

"The pain will pass if it hasn't already. The eye that you had before is intact, as well. The other overlays it. It will look and behave exactly as it did before, except when you make use of the one I've just put in." He peered at the man on the floor curiously, wondering how many of the words he was speaking would be comprehended, even now. "And as promised, if you decide you no longer want it, I can remove it just as easily, and your original eye will remain exactly as it was."

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 08:58 am UTC (link)
Swallowing compulsively, muscles shuddering as awareness returned gradually and he forced himself to relax out of his protective curl, Rufus knew Lucifer was speaking, but couldn't make out what he said, not until the end. if you decide you no longer want it...

Tears sprang into his eyes as he forced them open, and his vision swung crazily before settling on a view of the floor. With his right eye all but against the rug he couldn't see Lucifer standing over him, though he sensed him, and Rufus corrected this swiftly, pushing up into a sitting position though his head swam and his eyes lost focus again. He waited for the nausea to pass, then clung to the cool metal arm of the chair and heaved himself back to his feet. His knees were dangerously weak, but he managed to stay upright.

Eying Lucifer with his mouth pulled into a close-lipped snarl, he snapped, "Anything else I should know?"

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-24 09:13 am UTC (link)
Lucifer returned the snarl with an expression that remained blank, impassive.

"Not that I can think of," he replied simply. And there wasn't anything. Beyond the shock of the way the eye was given to him, which Lucifer would admit to not having ever explained, and the parts he wasn't planning on saying, Rufus knew everything he might need to know. "I've explained the effects from here on out. I think you'll find they meet my description." He gave Rufus a mildly curious look, debating if he'd heard anything he'd said before, and decided to summarize it again.

"The pain you felt would only occur when the eye was being put in or taken out, and it doesn't harm your original eye. In fact, the eye doesn't effect you at all unless you're actively using it."

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-24 08:01 pm UTC (link)
Even as Lucifer spoke the pain ebbed away entirely, leaving no trace but in his memories and fears. The President's fingers twitched with the desire to reach up and inspect around and over his eye, as though he could confirm the truth of Lucifer's words so simply. It was still blind, so that much hadn't changed. Inhaling deeply, he smoothed the lines of his face into cool consideration. His legs had stabilized beneath him, so he stepped away from the arm of the chair, one hand moving to order his hair with a swipe. Matched blue eyes met Lucifer's impassive gaze.

"Speaking of which," he began, tone the epitome of calm and collected, "how do I use it?" Was it anything like materia? Rufus suspected it might be, if it also used mana... though the idea of having a materia sphere in his eye socket inspired the irrational urge to scratch and claw the thing out. It occurred to him he might be fighting that urge a good deal over the next few days.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-25 01:32 am UTC (link)
"Simply concentrate on it," Lucifer responded easily. "It will respond to your will. If you wish to use it, you will use it, if you don't, you won't." He gave Rufus a pleasant smile, glad to see that the initial reaction of pained, confused, and terrified seemed to have largely passed. He had known the pain of the transfer would go away shortly after it had begun, but the others... he had begun to wonder if he was going to have to remind Rufus that he'd said it would take some getting used to.

"And," he glanced briefly at the floor where Rufus had been curled up a moment before, then back to meet Rufus' gaze, "the first few times you use it, I rather suggest that you be sitting down. It shouldn't be a problem once you get used to it, but the initial experience of a different mode of perception can be dizzying." He'd commented on that before, but he decided he may as well reiterate the point. After all, it did him little good if his underling fell over while trying to use the thing and gave himself a concussion.

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-25 02:29 am UTC (link)
Concentrate, Lucifer said, it will respond to your will. Certainly sounded like materia, then. Great. Wonderful. He had materia lodged in his skull. Queasiness nudged at his senses, and Rufus took a slow, silent breath and gave the feeling a moment to ease. On the up-side, this meant his prior experience with materia could potentially help him control and operate the eye. Of course he'd never been very proficient with materia, since he'd never had much cause to use it. And that was assuming they did operate the same way.

Wrestling away the urge to bristle as Lucifer looked at the floor (I wouldn't have been down there if you'd given me a little warning) he murmured, "So you've said." A moment's thought, eyes still locked with Lucifer's, and then he stepped around the chair again and sat. He wasn't going to leave here without testing every possible corner of their deal. This eye had better work.

Struggling momentarily to evict the thought materia in my head, Rufus turned his thoughts to what he wanted. He wanted to see, wanted to use the eye...

Vertigo— and silence.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-25 02:54 am UTC (link)
Lucifer smirked vaguely as Rufus moved to sit down again.

You want to use it now, then? Go right ahead. Be my guest. I won't do anything to you, I promise.

He said not a word out loud, as it would only serve to distract the man if he was trying to focus, but gave an encouraging nod and returned to his own seat, his gaze never leaving Rufus. It was only a moment before Rufus' left eye shifted from its normal human blue color to a large black pupil embedded in a wash of bright yellow, its gaze resting on distances unknown. Lucifer smiled.

Good, good. You've figured out how to use it. And now the question is where will you look?

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-25 04:16 am UTC (link)
Dead silence. It was like swimming and flying all the same time: floating weightless and unfettered, the room spread out before him again, small and dark and frightening. He could see his body again, this time ensconced in a wrought-iron chair by the desk while Lucifer watched it closely, but re-trapping himself in his own skin wasn't nearly as exciting as the thought of going outside. Matter was no obstacle: in the next instant he was through the ceiling and hanging, giddy, above the mansion. The world unfurled around him, massive and colorful and fascinating.

He could see it all, too; could see for miles and miles and miles and miles. For a hundred yards in any direction— behind him, before him, to his left and right and above and below —he could see every inch, pick out every detail, all at once. So very much to see, so very much he would be able to see— exhilaration coursed through him. His vision tilted weirdly on its axis...

Abruptly he was curling forward in the chair in Lucifer's tower, limbs heavy and unwieldily and close, vision dark and small. There was a quiet noise at the edge of his awareness, filtering through the room as the rushing euphoria whirled and dwindled. A moment later Rufus realized he was laughing, a quiet, happy sound, and he cut it off immediately, surprise and humiliation sweeping the dregs of delight from his system, leaving him only very slightly out of breath.

"...It works," he said lamely, then closed his eyes and wanted to kick himself.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-25 04:49 am UTC (link)
Lucifer kept his gaze trained on Rufus as the man tested his powers and visually traveled to wherever he had gone, as his lips curled into a delighted little grin, as he began to laugh, and then as he stopped abruptly, coming back to consciousness and conscientiousness. An approving smile had settled on his face, though when Rufus spoke, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you doubt that it would?" he questioned, chuckling for a moment longer before quieting back to a small smile. "It is quite an enjoyable experience, isn't it?"

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[info]whosoldtheworld
2009-08-25 05:34 am UTC (link)
Rufus looked up at Lucifer and his lips tightened into a pale line.

"I doubted— doubt, that there is no catch." Straightening in the chair, Rufus broke into a smile. It was not necessarily friendly. "And can you blame me?" After a moment he stood, motions smooth and artful, and made his way toward the door. He slowed on his way, though, eyes turning inward as Lucifer's words recalled to him the extraordinary joy of seeing.

"I suppose," he said quietly, "that using such a tool could grow on me." Then he turned his back to the demon and crossed the remaining distance to the door.

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[info]1st_lord
2009-08-25 05:46 am UTC (link)
At the question, Lucifer offered a small shrug. No, he couldn't blame him. Rufus would have been entirely less amusing to have made a deal with were he not perceptive. There was a catch, of course, but Lucifer had no intention of letting on to that fact.

At Rufus' further words, he raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Perceptive, indeed, even he didn't realize he was being so. He continued to watch silently as Rufus exited the room, the door closing behind him, and only when he was certain the man would be out of earshot did he respond.

"Oh yes," he commented to the empty room, "I'm quite sure that it will."

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