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Alastor grew up with the concept of shared dreams being a sign of one's fated great love coming to pass, and even as a human he'd thought it was a complete load of booshwa. Never once, in his thirty plus years on Earth, had the inkling of anyone else sharing his dreamscape ever happened.
In fact, when he slept most of the time, he didn't dream at all. Dreams meant nightmares, and reliving the slings and stones aimed at him during his waking hours. So it had always been perfectly fine by him to not see a brand new face that he would meet one day. He went through life never experiencing the dramas and heartaches that came with the concept of soulmates, and was never lacking for the absence of it.
Until it happened, suddenly in the aftermath of the fallout with Vincent. Dear Vox was still throwing a temper tantrum somewhere in the Pentagram's rising new district, drawing attention to his efforts to take over entertainment and media with his new… whatever the moth was to him.
Their specifics didn't matter to Alastor of all people, who had dodged those near-miss bullets for a reason. Far be it from him to care that someone else was willing to fall for the token ally proposition, sinners were down here for exercising their free will in the 'wrong' ways after all!
Drama outside of his district of the Pentagram notwithstanding, being dropped into his secret pocket dimension as soon as he drifted off made Alastor think - briefly - that some fool in the ill-advised attack earlier had found some way to slip past his defenses and curse him.
But the atmosphere felt as it normally did, the wild space alive with crickets and other fainter sounds of natural life. Simply a rare dream, to cap a day where he had managed territory gains and not had to deal with his friend-turned-rival's misguided attempts to snoop into his personal matters.
"Perhaps a walk would not be amiss-"
"…Where am I?"
Back going ramrod straight as he froze, ears flagging, Alastor whipped his head around on his too-flexible neck, eyes darting to where an unfamiliar figure stood in the center of his personal pocket space.
To call the demon tall would be a very bold-faced lie. He was short, with blond hair and an imp-like tail twitching behind him much like an agitated cat's would. But instead of having the red skin tones that imps were known for, his skin was deathly pale, only set off by dark-tinted hands and legs (hooves featuring duck slippers) and apple-like cheek marks on the sides of his mouth.
Not recognizing the demon, Alastor turned around fully to face him and regarded him with narrowed eyes. "You are in my territory, how did you-"
"This isn't your territory," the demon interrupted him. "Well, not like you seem to be thinking it is. This is a dream."
Suspicion doubling, Alastor barely held himself from rushing forward and attacking. "There is no way that's true, I never dream!"
"Yeah, well, I'm right here in front of you as proof that you do." Despite being stared down by someone of the Radio Demon's caliber, the short demon seemed entirely unconcerned. "I don't really like this any more than you do, this isn't supposed to be a situation I ended up in."
"And what situation is that?" Alastor demanded, temper spiking. It couldn't possibly be the elephant in the room that he refused to acknowledge even in the darkest corner of his mind. There was no way that someone like him had finally been found by a-
"Didn't you ever hear of the concept of soulmates?" The demon sighed. "Honestly, I thought that was a big deal among humans…"
"Not everyone buys into the myth," Alastor shot back, all but bristling. "Who are you? I want to know who I have to go track down once I wake up!"
"Do you think I'm going to tell you now?" Maddeningly, the demon laughed, the sound bright and almost melodic. "No, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you the full truth…you can call me Lu. So, what's your name, Big Red?"
"Don't call me that. My name is Alastor." Despite a lingering desire to get his claws on the smaller demon and shut up that smart mouth, he had a smug desire to point out, "Perhaps you've heard of my rising reputation as the Radio Demon."
In a beat of silence, where Lu seemed to be studying him as if searching for some hint of recognition, Alastor waited for his expression to shift into fear. The satisfaction would be worth whatever annoyance came out of this situation.
To his frustration, it never came. "Never heard of you," Lu said blithely, entirely calm. "Is that supposed to be a big deal for you?"
"Why, you little-!"
"Yes, I actually am short, thanks for noticing!"
Just as Alastor finally gave into the urge to rush forward and try to get claws on that thin neck, Lu vanished in a glittery puff of red. Huh. Had that been all it took this whole time…? This really was a strange dream.
Maybe there was something to the idea of a curse-
"So are you meant to be a walking red flag with that color palette, or is it because you wave yourself in front of others like a red flag in front of a bull?"
The voice sounding so close to his ear made Alastor jerk sharply, turning his head in time to see the little demon flouncing out of reach with - huh, what had been receding from his back?? A mystery to poke at later.
"Do you ever shut up? Because it sounds like you don't!"
"Oh, I do when I have a good reason. But this is pretty strange even for someone as old as me, so I'm going to keep chattering until I get a better read on you."
Tired of playing the foolish little games - even though he thought he could end them if he simply grew in size and caught Lu by surprise before he saw what was coming - Alastor gave up on the matter and folded his hands behind his back. "That's enough. Since neither of us knows why this is happening now, perhaps it's time to simply…talk."
"Tired of chasing me?" Lu grinned, briefly looking like his expression was a challenge, though he relaxed his face when a dark look was shot his way. "Alright, I'm joking. It's just…you interrupted me in a fit of inspiration, which I was riding until I passed out at my workspace. So, my brain is a little…" With one claw, he made a circular motion next to his head. "Cuckoo here, especially with things I don't immediately understand!"
Uncharitably, Alastor would have liked to point out that the man seemed to be cuckoo in general, though he refrained. Best not to insult one's…potential match so early on.
Disgusting. If only Mimzy could hear about this, she would never let him live it down!
"Finally found the one an' he's nuttier than a fruitcake? That's what ya get for bitchin' about soulmates for so many years, ya big palooka!"
"-hey, you good there? You look like you're zonin' out a little bit."
Having someone within his space again was…not entirely unpleasant, in this dreamscape. Even if touched, Alastor knew that it was occurring nowhere near his physical body, so it wasn't like he was having to completely guard his personal space as he did in every waking moment.
But Lu flitting in and out of his personal space like a hummingbird was rather distracting, especially while trying to fit the pieces of this half-formed puzzle together. "I would be fine if you would hold still for one moment. Are you this insanely active in the waking world?"
"Sometimes! It comes with the territory of being uh…what's the nice word for it they've used in the past few decades…ADHD! That one!"
Even Alastor's maman would have a field day with this one. Alastor never would have heard the end of it. "Then perhaps you can occupy yourself and leave me be."
"Hey, that's up to you," Lu shrugged, surprisingly unperturbed. "I can try to vanish. Don't think I'm really that deep asleep, so it shouldnt be difficult. Bye, see you later?"
The little annoyance vanished in a puff of glitter, leaving quiet in his wake. Pushing any base curiosity about the strange demon from his mind, Alastor let himself linger in the dreamscape for as long as it lasted. He woke up to chaos outside of his home, so it had been a worthwhile use of his rest time if nothing else.
There were no more intruders into Alastor's dreams for a number of years. In fact, he had almost forgotten the strange demon entirely by the time another unusual dreamscape took hold of him.
It was nowhere familiar to him, nothing he recognized from either life or death, and quite gaudy at that.
The darkened room had heavy, elaborate curtains hanging across the windows, blocking out any view of sights outside that might have given an indication of what this place was meant to be.
Another glance around indicated that it was a bedroom, featuring a massive four-poster bed with embroidered curtains drawn around it, embossed with what seemed to be a coat of arms. Inside came soft sounds, like a person crying, which was Alastor's first indication that there was someone else there.
"Hello?" He called out warily.
Loud sniffling and a yelp of surprise followed, then a muffled thump on the other side of the bed where he couldn't see.
"…What are you doing here?" The whininess of the voice wasn't what triggered his memory - it was the sight of the blond hair and rosy cheeks on that deathly pale face as Lu peeked over the edge of the bed.
"Lu? Oh, dear. Did I appear in your dream at a bad time?"
That was as mean as he wanted to get. For some reason, seeing the small demon scrambling to wipe tear tracks off of his face made something clench briefly in his chest. If not for being a sinner that couldn't die from mundane issues, now would be the time for assumptions about heart troubles!
"No…no, it's just…okay, I can't lie for shit." Sighing heavily, the small demon pushed himself up off the floor and climbed back up onto the bed, curling his legs to his chest. "Kinda pathetic to be crying in a dream, huh?"
Alastor hummed in acknowledgment, not wanting to agree or disagree with that statement.
Seemingly taking the response as an agreement, Lu wilted on the spot. "If you wanna be done with this, you'll…have to see yourself out this time. It's my dream, so obviously unless I bother waking up, you're stuck with me."
"Doesn't it seem that I was even before this?" Alastor still didn't know what he thought of the idea of soulmates, let alone being pulled into moments like this where an easy escape wasn't feasible without effort.
He still didn't believe he needed anyone, not after the near-bullet that he'd dodged from the likes of Vox. But, there didn't seem to be a simple escape from the entire affair either. The universe was unfair in tying beings together, and God was sadistic for such a concept.
"Are you intending to tell me anything else about yourself, or am I meant to keep searching for answers?" Speaking again when Lu seemed unwilling to say much more, Alastor decided to cross the dreamscape and draw closer to the small demon.
Looking startled, Lu stared at him with wide eyes. "I…you wouldn't believe me even if I told you my full name. I don't want to scare you off."
"And why do you think I would be scared off?" That was quite curious. Likely someone with influence of some kind if the little demon was so concerned.
"…Trust me, if we ever get to meet, you'll understand instantly," Lu pointed out with a strangled sounding laugh. "It's complicated."
"As if I am not!" Despite himself and a desire to stay distant to the situation for observation purposes, Alastor felt offended. "Connections in Hell are a weakness. Anyone who expresses otherwise is a fool, or entangled so deeply in situations that they can't easily escape from them."
"Yeah, you're preaching to the fucking choir there…" Lu smiled, with a bitter edge to it. "Guessing you're speaking from experience, then?"
Even though he had opened himself up to this line of questioning, Alastor's spike of irritation was at the idea of Vox and how that situation had gone so sour. The other would-be Overlord had such potential, but then he'd had to go and ruin any good will between the two of them by thinking that he could gain something from Alastor that he wasn't willing to give.
"I will only tell you this convoluted nightmare if you want distracting from whatever had you crying." Such an offer was a kindness that he didn't easily offer to anyone.
Alastor was still not certain whether or not he wanted to humor this nascent connection should the two of them ever meet in reality. But, he also supposed that the potential was there whether or not either of them wanted it to be. They didn't have a choice, so they might as well find a way to get something out of it. Even if that just consisted of exchanging stories when sleep found them both together in shared dreamscapes.
"Yeah, please distract me from these stupid feelings…I'll listen to anything you have to say."
Accepting a quiet offer to get nearer to the other demon as the mattress was patted with a dark hand, Alastor sank down and cleared his throat. "There's this foolish sinner, you see. He has a television for a head - and before you ask, apparently he died by having one dropped on top of his head! It's as silly as you can probably imagine, and-"
"Wait…it's like his actual head?" Though the sound was weak, Lu gave a little giggle. "That's messed up! I thought some of the old sinner forms I saw way back in the past were weird!"
A clue. This demon seemed to be old. Tucking the thought away for later perusal, Alastor huffed out a soft breath of laughter. "I'll ask you about some of those later, but for now back to the story…"
He hadn't expected to put the demon out - to double sleep? - with his voice, but such was the end result. Lu had seemed to need the relaxing comfort, and while Alastor wanted to judge the other demon for a personality that seemed ill suited for life in Hell…seeing that face relaxed and peaceful looking like that, he couldn't bring himself to think any ill thoughts.
It was not softening, not without really knowing the other demon, and he wouldn't fall into the same trap that Vincent had tried to walk him into. Not again.
But maybe he could live with this kind of quiet connection, without demanding expectations. Perhaps they had been destined to meet for a reason, even if they were fated to continue meeting only in dreams for the time being.
"It would be nice if you learned how to knock, Lu." Not even having to look up from his reading, Alastor knew that the diminutive demon was there.
The soft huff that followed his words was proof that he'd been right. "Yeah, well, we aren't close enough to the trees over there for me to be doing that. You knew I was here regardless."
"That's because your thoughts are very loud." Knowing that the turn of phrase would drive the little man wild, he glanced up in time to see that face flush with - hm, that was an odd color. Another clue for the mental file.
"…Do you pass a lot of time like that in here when you know you're stuck?" Lu was giving him an odd look, though that was nothing new coming from the other demon by now.
"When I think you are being difficult and not showing yourself, yes." This was not their first 'meeting' in the past few months, though the extent of the dreamscape on Alastor's part had remained fixed. It seemed to be an oddity to their collective moods, moreso Lu's own melancholy than anything from his end.
But he was trying to be kind and not comment on that now, not after the first time had gained such a sorrowful reaction. Seeing the little demon tear up while up close and personal in a conversation was terrible, twisting in his chest like a knife.
He hated it.
"…It was just a bad day," Lu mumbled, retreating to the corner of the little glade he'd been given. Pillows and blankets were scattered around the space, forming what the blond called a nest.
Avian traits that he kept hidden, perhaps?
Used to these moods now, Alastor took it in stride. "Particularly bad, or is it just more of the norm for you?"
Lu didn't answer immediately, taking time to get comfortable in his spot. "More of the usual."
"Do you want a distraction?" Dog-earing the page he was on, Alastor closed the book and set it aside. "Or is it something you actually want to talk about this time?"
"Hah, still trying to get answers." Shaking his head and curling his legs up, Lu held onto one of his ankles as if this was a gesture to comfort himself. "It's not important…I'd rather hear more about what's been happening with you lately."
For whatever reason, Lu had learned the trick to getting answers out of Alastor that he wouldn't easily give up to anyone else, much less someone he only knew from dreams. The key was his ego, and expressing interest in what he chose to do with his power.
"Hmm. I suppose I have time to talk about the territory wars. The fools seem to think that just because I haven't broadcasted any new screams lately that I will let their foolishness slide!"
Animated at the reminder of the thrill that had come from reminding those stupid enough to come against him and his interests, Alastor leaned forward and launched into a retelling of events that included shadows - his poppets less corporeal in dream form, but no less eager to follow their master's bidding.
The silhouettes were gruesome, but Alastor was pleased to see that something hidden behind Lu's eyes seemed to light up. He didn't seem the type to be overly enamored by violence, but perhaps there were hints of it even in such a soft seeming demon… if he had survived for such a long time, surely he'd had to learn.
Good things always came to an end, and it was a truth that Alastor had learned in life long before Hell. As the years turned to decades, the shared dreams became few and far between. Brief meetings between himself and the strange little demon, who gave him no more indication of who he really was or where he could be found.
There weren't even enough hints to put together, no matter how hard he pressed. It was maddening not being able to find the information he wanted, no matter how many connections to call on or chains to yank that could lead to answers.
So, despite not wanting to, he gave up on the issue. The afterlife went on, and there were bigger fish to fry than supposed soulmates (that he still thought were a load of hogwash).
Eventually his chain had been yanked after a seven year disappearance, dragging him into the hotel project with the Princess of Hell and her ill-tempered paramour. Despite not believing any of what the ray of sunshine was spouting about redemption and betterment being plausible, let alone possible for most souls trapped down in this pit of the damned, he had no choice but to play along with their asinine games and goals.
At least it was entertaining watching the struggle up close and personal! Dear Niffty so enjoyed the new cleaning tasks and settled in, while Husk remained sullen - which, good. The cat had had it good for a while now, and deserved a bit of extra work. Such experiences built character in a seasoned drunkard!
Even the minor annoyance of the snake that supposedly considered himself a nemesis was a novelty that quickly was pushed aside. Amusement even of this variety only entertained someone like Alastor for so long, especially knowing that there was no easy way out of his leash holder's desire to oversee the hotel proceedings. He was bored quite quickly, until a new arrival promised more entertainment value.
Their dear princess, poor thing, had daddy issues miles wide. Alastor overheard plenty about the girl's woes as she lamented to her paramour, and the knowledge that the erstwhile King of Hell would be making a visit to his daughter's project brought forth both distaste and curiosity.
Fathers, especially of the terrible variety, were at risk of being at the business end of Alastor's teeth in full demon form, even if this particular mark was even beyond his own ability to deal with.
And yet, the absent monarch that had been in hiding for so long - his entire time in Hell, in fact! - surely had to live up to some level of his terrible reputation. Perhaps there was an opportunity to endear himself to the monarch and potentially leverage a way out of his annoying predicament if he played his cards right.
The king's arrival was swift after dear Charlie's pronouncement and a mad scramble to prepare the space within the span of an hour. The panic was quite fun to witness, with Alastor offering little in the way of assistance.
Just because he was trapped here didn't mean he had to fully commit to whatever nonsense unfolded underneath this roof!
As the king's presence became known and the others stood by with bated breath to witness a reunion between an absent father and his estranged daughter, something else immediately struck Alastor.
…The knowledge that, not only was the King of Hell much shorter than he imagined, but the man was…also the demon from his dreams.
Lu. Lucifer. The little bastard had been slick for that one!
Simmering in anger and confusion, he reacted in a way that was quite unbecoming of him. Escalating the snarky reaction to his greeting (and the fact that he had been ignored, initially), he let himself get caught up in their glorified pissing match and fought for some kind of reaction to his presence. Recognition. Anything would do.
It wasn't forthcoming during his tour with Charlie, the little king and the ill-tempered guard. Nor did it happen while he ended up caught up in the reasons for Mimzy's arrival and desire for him to handle her problems for her once again.
At least he had a modicum of fun decimating and devouring the loan sharks that had been on her tail. With the king and the princess coming to an understanding in the aftermath, Alastor fully expected the small monarch to disappear back to his solitude.
What he didn't expect was for the demon to meet his eyes and make a barely-subtle motion with a jerk of his head, quick enough to make his silly hat flop its brim.
Refusing to draw attention to the matter, Alastor waited for the king to disappear in a swirl of magic, setting himself up for disappointment as he melded into shadow soon after and retreated upstairs to the balcony that seemed to have caught the king's attention.
And found him waiting there, leaning back against the less-than-stellar railing.
"You rang, sire?" He snarked, unable to help the comment from coming out.
"…Yeah," Lucifer grimaced, having jumped a bit at his voice. "Yeah, I uh…do you remember me saying you wouldn't believe me if I told you who I was years ago…?"
"Yes, and I can see that you weren't kidding." Though his temper was flaring again, Alastor tried to hold it back. "Did you have to insist on leading me on a fruitless wild goose chase for all these years?"
"No, I-! I just didn't trust that you wouldn't bolt if you thought that you had a connection to me like that." Deflating a bit, Lucifer wrapped his arms around himself, a defensive gesture that was quickly taken note of. "Not like many sane demons would want to have a connection to me-"
"Then they are weaklings and fools." Interrupting what was a familiar sort of spiral by now from their previous meetings, Alastor moved forward and crossed the balcony to stand beside the king. "Though I am still uncertain as to how I feel about that connection hardly matters. It is there, and I don't intend to let go of a thing such as that so easily. Why, I was beginning to plot how to endear myself to you before your arrival and our realization of our connection!"
The soft huff of laughter would have been easy to miss if Alastor hadn't heard it before. Only a few times, but instead of making him bristle, he felt a brief sense of fondness.
"You're…probably out of your depth, huh?" Lucifer gave him a side glance, as if he were trying to read his expression.
"As if I would admit to that," Alastor sniffed. "It doesn't matter as much as learning what makes you tick now that I know who you are. You are not going to be rid of someone like me so easily, Lucifer."
"Yeah, okay. I think I can handle that and keep you to that, Bambi."
"You had better."
Life around this ridiculous place had certainly become far more entertaining and promising in one fell swoop. Alastor knew he would have to navigate this carefully, avoid calling too much attention to their connection, but he found himself caring about the possibility of discovery and having this hanging over his head less.
They easily fell back into old conversation patterns like their time apart had been minimal.
It was nice in a way Alastor wasn't likely to put into words any time soon, if ever.