Rebel Meeting (Open to all revolutionaries; off-limits to everyone else)

[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer drummed his fingers on the stairway bannister as he made his way down from his personal quarters to the room where, he hoped, the foremost revolutionaries were gathered. They'd have to find another, more formal official meeting place soon, but for now, this would have to do. He heard one of the servants announce him before he even opened

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[sssauntering]

Crowley had, on second thought, left the wine in favor of his sword. It was a good sword, given to him from a grateful Lord in exchange for a convenient annulment. The sword was perhaps not the most practical, but its intricate handle carving and beautiful design looked perfect tucked into the hilt at his side.

"My lord," he said, bowing his head respectfully. He'd made the mistake of familiarity earlier, and wasn't going to do it again. Lucifer was not of the same make as the powerful men he'd been able to sway through witty conversation and impeccable taste. If Crowley were going to survive this, he couldn't afford to fuck around.

[obsessedrebel]

"Good evening, Mr. Priest," said Lucifer, with perhaps a hint of a smirk, although his tone of voice was nothing less than perfectly formal. He couldn't help being amused by the change in the other man's demeanor -- and the presence of Crowley's sword. Even with his bizarre ideas about the appropriateness of alcohol at military functions, Crowley was a fast learner. Still, there was no reason to let the lesson go unenforced.

"I suppose you know what I'll be expecting of you in the weeks to come?" Lucifer asked sternly.

[sssauntering]

"I'll do what you ask," he replied, managing to keep the edge of fear out of his voice. Confidence is one thing he knew he could do.

But he didn't want to fight if he could avoid it. He was good at politics and battles of intellect and influence. He wasn't sure he'd be able to fight in a real war. And it wasn't pleasant to examine himself and realise that deep down, under all of the arrogance and fight, he was somewhat of a coward. But Crowley looked out for one person, and a bloody battle might put that very important person in danger.

He lowered his voice, speaking just to Lucifer. "But-- you said something about an emissary?"

He had secrets. If you had a sin, you told a priest. If you had the money, you'd tell a priest like Crowley, the sort who with a wink and a nod would explain that Anglachel would forgive you for little more than a generous donation to the church. But he wasn't going to speak of them quite yet-- he was loathe to part with his best bargaining chip so early in the game.

[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer nodded about the question about emissaries. "As much as I'd like to fight this battle on brute force alone, that probably won't be possible," he said. "We'll need to know their secrets, their strategies, their plans -- even if the Prince and his advisor are idiots, the fact is, not everyone who works for the monarchy is. One of them is scheming against us right now while we're scheming against them -- I want to know who and how

[sssauntering]

Crowley nodded, feeling the fear rise up in him again. He was definitely in over his head here. He was used to dealing with egos that could be easily stroked, or overconfident idiots who could be manipulated. Something about Lucifer terrified him, made Crowley feel like he could see right through him despite Crowley's best defenses.

He might not be the best spy. One or two players in the castle knew he had a tendency to spend time with the rebels and had certainly noticed him go missing along with the others. But he wasn't going to tell Lucifer that. He doubted he'd be understanding about it.

"I'm your man, then," he said instead, with a grin. "I know my way around, and I know how to fight dirty."

[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer deliberately remained silent for a beat or two longer than was necessary, wanting to see Crowley's reaction, his unblinking eyes never leaving the other man's face. The man seemed confident enough right now, but the speed at which he adjusted his attitude suggested otherwise. Lucifer was well aware he made people feel like he could see through them; it was a talent he'd spent years cultivating, although natural observance helped.

Lucifer was also rarely understanding about anything.

Reaching out to give the priest's shoulder a squeeze, the dark-haired man finally blinked, smirking a little and said, "Good. I knew I could count on you."

The smirk disappeared and he added, "I can count on you, can't I?" in a low, deadpan voice that made it abundantly clear 'No' was the very wrong answer.

[sssauntering]

Crowley's heart seemed to stop during the pause, but his expression didn't change. Showing fear was an easy way to make yourself a target, and Crowley had learned a long time ago to disguise weakness in front of people like this.

He smiled and when Lucifer squeezed his shoulder, a clever, confident smile, a sharing a secret smile, a the other guy will never know what hit him sort of smile.

And he never flinched. "Of course, my lord."

Because if you can't, I'm dead.

[obsessedrebel]

Apparently approving of Crowley's attitude, Lucifer nodded and his slight smirk returned. "I look forward to your reports, then," he said. "I'm sure they'll prove quite useful." Then he turned to address the group as a whole.