[it definitely wouldn't hurt, at least -- and maybe he could learn a thing or two from whoever, like how to hide what he's becoming. he really never considered himself a vain man, but]
[his first thought is that she's going to suggest Lilith, for all that she's one of the magical heavy hitters around here and for all of Natalia's constant disapproval of her. his second is that it has to be one of them, not someone who's constantly at the epicenter of all the bullshit, and in that case -- well, he has no idea who she's going to suggest]
[Aiden huffs out a breath of a laugh, the sound entirely without humor -- yeah, he can see why she said Natalia wouldn't like it, now]
[truth be told, he's not sure how he feels about Wanda, either. they've never spoken more than maybe a 'hi' in the hallway, but some of the shit Talia's told him is downright worrying. he's not sure he can trust her to keep her shit together, with or without Hell's influence. he's not sure she won't be a liability, at some point]
... what about that kid who made all the minions? Kaplan?
[Natasha nods, because none of this is really in her wheel house. At this point, it's familiar enough that she can say something like that and not feel like she's losing her mind.
But it's still ridiculous half-nonsense.]
He'd be an option. I'm not really sure how much their abilities overlap, but they're definitely in the same vein.
[funny, though, how Natalia seems to think more highly of Billy than Wanda, now that he thinks about it]
[either way, though, he shrugs] That's two names, at least. [two more than he had, when he started. he'll have to see about approaching one or the other of them]
[In a weird way. Natasha shrugs a little. She won't push too strongly for Wanda, but she doesn't believe that her counterpart's misgivings should extend to another universe.]
It's a start. They might have other suggestions. You figure all of the wizards and witches around here have a network?
[that was one of his selling points to Fitz, trying to get him to give him the names of the people who were working on this, too -- that he was good at gathering a crowd and then using them to get shit done. he has no idea when that happened. he was always sort of a lone wolf, back home, wasn't he? but then again, he had Jordi and Clara and Ray. maybe he's better at this shit than he wants to give himself credit for]
[either way, excuse him a minute while he rubs at his forehead, frustrated with the situation, whether or not he's in charge of it. when he drops his hand, he shakes his head]
'nother thing that's bothering me is where Barbas's legion, at this point.
[are they on their way here, to free him? does he need to raise more than just a magic expert, more than just a handful of people?]
It's seemed like something for the backburner as long as they didn't have reports of an army on the way and Barbas is in captivity. But Mammon is out there, to say nothing of other potential players.]
Think it's too much to hope that they're a snake without a head?
It might buy us some time, not having Barbas around to give orders, but. [he shakes his head. but he doesn't think it's going to stop anything. if anything, they'll be coming for him]
I would've expected him to throw us under the bus, but Lucifer?
[it bothers him that Mammon betrayed Lucifer in working with Barbas. he would have thought he had more loyalty to him than that. he supposes that's his own fault, though -- he kind of superimposed his and Ray's relationship on Mammon and Lucifer. he should have known better]
[because yes, as far as he's aware that is Mammon's sin]
[either way]
Either way, Lucifer seems kinda shitty at taking care of the people that move against him. [so much different than Lucky and the Club, back home. if someone backstabbed Quinn, they'd be at the bottom of Lake Michigan so quick it'd make your head spin]
[yeah, he's well aware of that fact. it's why every plan he's considered as a long-term solution to take Barbas out has involved depowering him, somehow, first. he hasn't made much headway into that, though. apparently Hell Lords don't leave books on how to steal their power just laying around]
Doesn't mean he couldn't take out Barbas's army, though. [no army, no rescue. no rescue, no problem. it's not as neat as finding a way to kill him, but] Or the fucking cultists.
Take out enough of the underlings, and the leader usually comes running.
[not that he's particularly expecting that to work as intended here, but -- well, if Lucifer just nuked every cultist cell he came across, they'd run out of cannon fodder, eventually. he wouldn't even have to do much, just show his true self, like he does sometimes, and their brains would probably melt. god knows looking at Lucifer like that makes his head feel like it's going to explode]
They seem a little like a snake in search of a head, if you follow me.
[Barbas stepped into the role, but he didn't seem to enjoy it, and he wasn't the leader they actually wanted.]
If they had their way, they'd have Asmodeus, but since they can't... they'll try to force Lucifer to play by their rules or they'll find someone else to work with.
And no matter how many times they're destroyed or pushed back, they always show up again.
Usually kidnapping a few people to announce themselves.
[Aiden still thinks they must have a leader type, somewhere. someone's got to be telling them when to start kidnapping people again, right?]
[though -- and he can't help but huff out a breath of a laugh at the idea] Think they've got a daily planner, somewhere? Kidnapping Tuesday, in bright red letters, circled and underlined?
[is there a schedule? do they take votes beforehand, one cultist carrying around a homemade ballot box made from an old carboard box?]
[you'll have to forgive him, Natasha. he's getting a little slaphappy, if only because he's fucking tired and nothing serious is getting them anywhere, anyway]
Hopefully, something'll stand out to me, if I think about it long enough.
[some way to make sure Barbas stays gone, permanently, this time. some way to make sure Fitz remains a non-threat. some way to stop the Veiled Order or the maybe coming Legions. hopefully]
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[it definitely wouldn't hurt, at least -- and maybe he could learn a thing or two from whoever, like how to hide what he's becoming. he really never considered himself a vain man, but]
Gonna guess you don't have anyone you'd suggest?
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[Loki's been gone a little while now. Strange a lot longer.]
There is someone who comes to mind, but I'm not sure Talia would approve.
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[his first thought is that she's going to suggest Lilith, for all that she's one of the magical heavy hitters around here and for all of Natalia's constant disapproval of her. his second is that it has to be one of them, not someone who's constantly at the epicenter of all the bullshit, and in that case -- well, he has no idea who she's going to suggest]
[so, go ahead, Natalia. pitch it to him]
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[Something like that. It's complicated, and certainly not how they talked about it before Natasha's death.]
As I understand it she has access to some magical resources.
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[truth be told, he's not sure how he feels about Wanda, either. they've never spoken more than maybe a 'hi' in the hallway, but some of the shit Talia's told him is downright worrying. he's not sure he can trust her to keep her shit together, with or without Hell's influence. he's not sure she won't be a liability, at some point]
... what about that kid who made all the minions? Kaplan?
[see you one, raise you one?]
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[Natasha nods, because none of this is really in her wheel house. At this point, it's familiar enough that she can say something like that and not feel like she's losing her mind.
But it's still ridiculous half-nonsense.]
He'd be an option. I'm not really sure how much their abilities overlap, but they're definitely in the same vein.
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[funny, though, how Natalia seems to think more highly of Billy than Wanda, now that he thinks about it]
[either way, though, he shrugs] That's two names, at least. [two more than he had, when he started. he'll have to see about approaching one or the other of them]
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It's a start. They might have other suggestions. You figure all of the wizards and witches around here have a network?
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Me and Ray know most of the tech guys, around here.
[so, it stands to reason all the magical types might know each other, too]
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[She shrugs a little. But she knows there are more magical people here than she follows.
People do tend to gravitate to like.]
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[that was one of his selling points to Fitz, trying to get him to give him the names of the people who were working on this, too -- that he was good at gathering a crowd and then using them to get shit done. he has no idea when that happened. he was always sort of a lone wolf, back home, wasn't he? but then again, he had Jordi and Clara and Ray. maybe he's better at this shit than he wants to give himself credit for]
[either way, excuse him a minute while he rubs at his forehead, frustrated with the situation, whether or not he's in charge of it. when he drops his hand, he shakes his head]
'nother thing that's bothering me is where Barbas's legion, at this point.
[are they on their way here, to free him? does he need to raise more than just a magic expert, more than just a handful of people?]
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More than a time or two.
It's seemed like something for the backburner as long as they didn't have reports of an army on the way and Barbas is in captivity. But Mammon is out there, to say nothing of other potential players.]
Think it's too much to hope that they're a snake without a head?
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[he's silent for a moment, thoughtful]
It might buy us some time, not having Barbas around to give orders, but. [he shakes his head. but he doesn't think it's going to stop anything. if anything, they'll be coming for him]
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[Natasha echoes him meaningfully, then sighs.]
Hopefully that's the only thing we have to worry about. I'm getting twitchy about having Mammon still hanging over our heads.
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[he shakes his head]
I would've expected him to throw us under the bus, but Lucifer?
[it bothers him that Mammon betrayed Lucifer in working with Barbas. he would have thought he had more loyalty to him than that. he supposes that's his own fault, though -- he kind of superimposed his and Ray's relationship on Mammon and Lucifer. he should have known better]
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[But she suspects it was an offer. Mammon's sin is greed, isn't it? Something like that.
She shakes her head.]
It also makes you wonder how he's avoided repercussions, as far as I can see.
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[because yes, as far as he's aware that is Mammon's sin]
[either way]
Either way, Lucifer seems kinda shitty at taking care of the people that move against him. [so much different than Lucky and the Club, back home. if someone backstabbed Quinn, they'd be at the bottom of Lake Michigan so quick it'd make your head spin]
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[Assuming that's what he means by taking care of.
It's not necessarily what Natasha would mean.
But isn't not what she'd mean, either.]
You almost have to wonder if all this flip flopping isn't normal.
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[yeah, he's well aware of that fact. it's why every plan he's considered as a long-term solution to take Barbas out has involved depowering him, somehow, first. he hasn't made much headway into that, though. apparently Hell Lords don't leave books on how to steal their power just laying around]
Doesn't mean he couldn't take out Barbas's army, though. [no army, no rescue. no rescue, no problem. it's not as neat as finding a way to kill him, but] Or the fucking cultists.
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[In general, hard to truly eliminate that kind of threat. Even if you could, creating a vacuum always leads to someone filling it.]
Though in the case of the cultists, that gets a bit strange.
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[not that he's particularly expecting that to work as intended here, but -- well, if Lucifer just nuked every cultist cell he came across, they'd run out of cannon fodder, eventually. he wouldn't even have to do much, just show his true self, like he does sometimes, and their brains would probably melt. god knows looking at Lucifer like that makes his head feel like it's going to explode]
[but] But strange, how?
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[Barbas stepped into the role, but he didn't seem to enjoy it, and he wasn't the leader they actually wanted.]
If they had their way, they'd have Asmodeus, but since they can't... they'll try to force Lucifer to play by their rules or they'll find someone else to work with.
And no matter how many times they're destroyed or pushed back, they always show up again.
Usually kidnapping a few people to announce themselves.
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[though -- and he can't help but huff out a breath of a laugh at the idea] Think they've got a daily planner, somewhere? Kidnapping Tuesday, in bright red letters, circled and underlined?
[is there a schedule? do they take votes beforehand, one cultist carrying around a homemade ballot box made from an old carboard box?]
[you'll have to forgive him, Natasha. he's getting a little slaphappy, if only because he's fucking tired and nothing serious is getting them anywhere, anyway]
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It's also exhausting.]
Sometimes you have to wonder if the surprising part isn't that they're as successful as they are.
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[he pauses, blowing out a breath]
[anyway]
Hopefully, something'll stand out to me, if I think about it long enough.
[some way to make sure Barbas stays gone, permanently, this time. some way to make sure Fitz remains a non-threat. some way to stop the Veiled Order or the maybe coming Legions. hopefully]