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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[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer raised both eyebrows quizzically at Maladict but said nothing. His expression was completely calm and his silence wasn't out of fear -- if Lucifer was at all bothered by the concept of vampires, he hid it well, and he had a sabre of his own -- so much as it was out of an almost juvenile desire to look tough and nonchalant the desire not to look like a crazy control freak who cared where people stood.

"Does anyone know how many we lost in the first battle? And how many of theirs were lost? Injured?" Lucifer said, addressing the whole room. He looked around, trying to survey the expressions on their faces. "I'm not under any delusions that this will be an easy war and you shouldn't be, either. There will be bloodshed. There will be tears. But when the dust settles and we emerge victorious -- and mark my words, we will emerge victorious -- it will have been worth the blood and the pain and the struggling, and we will have a kingdom of prosperity and equal opportunity for all that we fought to make our own. It will be worth this."

For the first time that night, Lucifer's words were infused with any emotion at all passion.

[thisones_noone]

"Four of our own," Belial answered, sliding closer to Lucifer. "More of theirs."

[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer nodded and seemed pleased with that information. "Names?" he wanted to know. "Do we have any names?"

[thisones_noone]

"John Doe, Joe Smith, Jamison Parker and Billy Gun," Belial answered smoothly. "One is not sure what the names of the others were."

[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer could connect a face to only one of the names, but didn't say so out loud. "Brave men," he said with as much solemnity as he could possibly manage -- which was quite a bit for someone who was typically solemn anyhow.

"Belial?"

[thisones_noone]

"Yes, Milord?" Belial asked, sliding close enough to invade Lucifer's Personal Space and to rest a hand on his chest.

[obsessedrebel]

Lucifer grabbed her hand by the wrist and thrust it away from his body, twisting just a little as he did so. "Don't. Touch me. Like that," he hissed.

When he'd regained his composure, he told her, "I want you to find out how many healers we have and how good they are. If they're not trained, I want you to get them training. And I want to know if there any immediate weak links in the opposition's forces, if you know what I mean. Anyone who can be bribed or blackmailed into doing our bidding, anyone who can be kidnapped easily and used as ransom, anything."

[thisones_noone]

Belial smiled a smile that seemed to say 'you just made me even more attracted to you.' "I can do that, Milord," it said, giving a bit of a bow that involved taking its hat off its head and to her chest.

[obsessedrebel]

"I'll be awaiting your report -- which, for the record, should not in any way involve a physical demonstration of sexual assault."