genessia | Dream A Little Dream...

Entry tags:

Dream A Little Dream...

Who: Chloe Decker
What: Arrival
When: Today
Where: The Dream Bay
Warnings:
Notes:

There are things in this world that shouldn't be possible. Things that would unravel the fabric of reality like a snag in a favourite sweater, so when Chloe Decker opened her eyes, she's pretty damn sure this is exactly what's happened. She'd seen Lucifer's face and--

And what?

Everything he'd said was true. He was actually The Devil, with capitals and everything. Yeah. She was going to just lay her for awhile and try to shake this grogginess, though she wasn't sure exactly what the cause was yet. A few deep breaths, maybe. Quiet reflection, compartmentalising, shoving her shock into a metaphorical basement. That was the best idea for now because this sure as hell isn't Los Angeles. It doesn't smell or feel right, nevermind where she is at the moment. Further investigation finds the pamphlet, the money, the phone, the necklace. Maybe it's the whole Devil thing but Chloe is oddly calm about waking up somewhere weird. Understatement of the century, maybe, but whatever. Someone has to deal with crazy in a responsible manner.

That falls to her like it always has.

So she gets up, gets out, listens to the hologram, pockets whatever she can, and immediately takes another moment to lean into the nearest solid object. It's as solid as anything else she'd touched. Her voice echoed as she snapped at herself.

"Get a grip, Decker."

She looked down at her pendant and grimaced before pulling out her phone and examining her instructions. She had her badge, her gun, her ID, but this place? This wasn't Heaven or Hell. This was some next level Narnia bullshit and she's pretty sure that's what Lopez would be saying about now, only Chloe was alone. She pulled her leather jacket around her a little tighter like it was her armor.

"Screw this," she murmured, firing off a text before striding out into the daylight of Genessia City.

It simply read:
LAPD. DECKER.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What? [He hadn't really been expecting that response, not after all the other refusals, even after she had just greeted him in the street. That response is not how things go between them.]

It works better if you drink it.

Am I going to need to make some sort of diorama? I mean.

[Both her eyebrows arch as she nudges at a sugar packet.]

There's three types of sugar over here and some hot chili pepper. I could go all arts and crafts on you.

[Okay. So that is what she meant. Turns out he didn't have to wait for Hell to freeze over after all.]

If you really wanted to do it on me you'd need something a little more suited for it than sugar.

I think that would fall under acts of public indecency.

[She realises that she hasn't moved her hand since he put his over hers and isn't sure she wants to do anything about it, so she doesn't. Technically, since they're in an alternate or...whatever universe, Hell has actually frozen over, not that she's going to mention it.]

Only if it happened in public.

[He knows a way for it not to.]

There's plenty of room for sharing.

Mm. Good point.

[She knows a way, too. Chloe finally moves her hand and it's to wash the rest of her whiskey back while she does some mental calculation. Then, she's fishing for some red bills before abandoning the table to have a quiet chat with the bartender. There are a few hand gestures and meaningful looks exchanged.

Yeah. That bottle is coming with them, now. By the time she finds her way back over to their table all the fine hairs at the back of her neck have risen and it takes her a hot mess of a second before she can find anything resembling a voice.]

Do you want to stay? [Because the other option is leaving and finding their way back to his place. There's no way she's going anywhere else.]

Edited 2019-01-07 23:08 (UTC)

[It takes him null point two seconds to answer. He knows what his options are, and he knows what he wants, and he's not stupid.]

No, I'm done.

[Or will be, once he downs the rest of his drink.]

I haven't moved anything to my new place yet, so we can either go by the old one on the way or come back tomorrow.

[It's just clothes. It won't take long.]

[She makes the softest sound in acknowledgement. There's a point where slow down will hit and she trying to get there but they have to get from Point A to Point C and that's the part she finds herself most impatient for. Being in public has never felt so confining or chafing.]

There'll be fewer things to do tomorrow if we stop by your old place.

[Some of the tension eases from her frame once that's decided, and she finds it helps her think better. Or focus. The shift in clarity and probably the alcohol keeps her where she needs to be. But it's still cold outside. It's been this cold next to never and her fingers reach to brush his the second they're outside. Her other arm is full of expensive whiskey. It makes her lips twitch a little bit as she laughs.]

I guess I took care of getting you an apartment warming present.

[He looks down at her, wearing his jacket, cradling a bottle of whiskey, and smiles the tiniest bit.] I suppose you did.

There's not much to move. It should only take the one trip.

Hmn.

[An eyebrow arches and she knows her lips are echoing his just a little. It's weird that he's keeping her grounded right now but somehow it's not so strange to be wearing his jacket. It, too, keeps her in the moment, focused on the next item, as she unconsciously moves with him. It's second nature now and she wonders when that started.

Her nose is cold again, like the icy touch of her pinkie as it finds his and curls.

One trip.]

[He glances down at her finger curled around his, then hesitates a moment before taking her whole hand in his. It's a new thing for him, but it's appropriate. It keeps her close.

When they get to his assigned housing, the one he's leaving, it takes him only a few minutes to finish gathering up the last of his belongings to head to his new place.

She's not missing much by not wanting to live in hers.]

This place didn't really feel like home.

[It's a new thing for her, too. These little things, the quiet reaching out, the absence of the need to push him away. She waits by the front door, her eyes scanning the assigned housing with a slight tug of disapproval.]

It's not Lux.

[Her fingers curl reflexively against the cuff of the jacket he put around her and she closes her eyes to swallow down her unease. It would pass. It would.]

How could it be?

[It's not easy, nothing about being in this place is easy. Every new thing she learns just makes her muscles knot. Housing for newcomers, lots of it, the information, the strange drifting dissonance between realities atop knowing her own world had supernatural elements.

She was going to have to deal with it. But not now. Right now, Point B to Point C. Chloe could quite suppress the slight shudder that arrowed down her spine. Breathe in, breathe out. Point B to Point C.

Just like procedure.

Lucifer hated rules but her own were keeping her sane, for the moment.]

It is not Lux. [Though that's not the main reason it hadn't felt like home. It had been missing something. Something that his new place would have been missing, too. But perhaps not anymore. Only time will tell.]

That's it. Are you ready to go?

I was ready before we walked in.

[And she was even more ready now. All she wanted was to get out and it showed as she quickly stepped out as if the very walls were about to pull her in.]

Edited (uh ennnnn no, I wasn't ready for postinnnnng) 2019-01-08 05:42 (UTC)

[It's strange to him, to be carrying the bag of his items himself, but he has no other choice right now.]

Off we go then. That diorama's waiting.

[And here Chloe is, carrying a bottle of like 15-year-old whiskey. Talk about strange. Once again they're walking and all she can do is pay attention to things like how far away he is or exactly at what point she loses peripheral vision of him. Nagging little things she's never truly noticed before. It's oddly soothing, though. Like all the details filling into a clearer picture. Like a case. Like a puzzle still full of spaces in it.

Point B to Point C, the bite of cold air telling her when they're outside, the passing of light and shadow telling her distances between pathway lights. She can't quite find enough voice to make a crack back at him. It's only when they reach the door to his new apartment that she goes looking for the key absently. She pats down the jacket as she shakes herself out of the haze with a very soft, very non-verbal hum in his direction.]

It's in that one. [He points at the inside breast pocket, the only one he wouldn't reach into himself while she's wearing the jacket.

Once they're inside, he opens the nearest closet door and sticks his belongings inside. He can sort them out later.]

You brought the drink. I'll find us glasses.

[She sets the bottle down on the coffee table and works her boots off, leaving them next to the front door before taking a short tour of the apartment. It's a routine sweep, checking windows and doors, and looking for listening devices, of which she finds none.

There's a few seconds where she works on a small to-do list, which now reads whiskey decanter, glasses blankets and extra pillows. It's the small things that make a home, anyway.

She does keep an eye on Lucifer but it's entirely more relaxed than when they were out. This time, though, she allows herself to close her eyes as he moves and she settles into the couch. There's less of a need to knock a few fingers of whiskey back, now. She can enjoy it, let it help unwind her tightly wound body. When he finds glasses, she offers a small smile.]

The last thing I want to do is go out tomorrow but it just might be necessary.

[She empties her pockets, working her gun free along with her badge, both go on the low coffee table for want of storage. She's so used to putting it elsewhere that it feels odd just sitting there, chamber empty, safety on.

Chloe can't seem to find the energy to take off his jacket but she knows it ought to be stored neatly in the master bedroom's closet. Things to get to eventually.]

[Once he finds some glasses and turns to return to the living room, he pauses for a moment to look over at how comfortable she already is in his apartment, even though it's barely his. She'd been just as comfortable in his penthouse in Lux. When did that happen?

After a moment, he joins her on the couch and pours some whiskey for each of them.]

There's no ice yet. [That's fine for him, and they can make some tomorrow if she wants some for the future.]

What would you prefer to do tomorrow?

I'll live. [Chloe takes the glass, her expression thoughtful before she takes a sip. It's forever a drink to get used to but after the bar, she's fine with it. Unfortunately, she's still cold and shivering a little as she adjusts to the transition from outside to inside.]

You need a blanket for this couch and a few pillows, maybe. And I need something to wear besides what I have on. So, a little shopping. Not to mention groceries.

A blanket and pillows. [She's settling in well, it seems, planning for things he hadn't even thought about yet. Things he might not ever have thought of, if he were being honest, but if she wants them, they'll happen.]

Look who's domestic already.

It's winter, Lucifer with snow. [It's not really a protest at all.] I'm...practical and stupidly cold.

[Chloe nudges his knee with hers before taking a sip of whiskey.]

And as good as this whiskey is, it's definitely not a blanket.

[It's not the first time he's encountered snow or cold -- he's been all over the Earth, many times -- not having to deal with it had been a bonus to living in Los Angeles. Even so, he still seems to be dealing with it better than she is.]

There's a blanket on the bed. We could use that one.

[She's too California for this stupid weather and she knows it. It's also stupid that he deals with the cold better than she does. A glance to him reveals as much and she's still sitting with his jacket on.]

Now that's a good idea.

[Her smile is a little lopsided and she hides it with a sip of whiskey. It burns all the way down and settles into a warming buzz that makes her lean her head back for a moment.]

I suppose, eventually, I'll get used to this city. I mean, I'll have to if I get a job with Genessia City Police. Make some money, make this place into--

[She cuts herself with a curious furrowing of her brow.]

Is it okay if I stay, Lucifer? I know you need your space, so..

[She shrugs lightly. Chloe doesn't just want to...dump herself on him. He needs his freedom, after all, and she has to ask him.]

[Stay. Here. In his apartment. That's what she wants, and he -- he'd been asked, by Linda, what does he want most, and his answer was for Chloe to choose him. That's what she's doing right now, she's choosing him, and while it's not surprising (she'd done it before, and what other choices does she have here) it's also more than a little terrifying. No one had ever chosen him before; why is she doing it now?

But it's exactly what he wants, and that's what matters. If he needs space, they'll both know it.

He takes another sip before answering her.]

You can stay.

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