The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch period. Lucifer found himself being dragged once again by Ezra, this time towards the school gates.
"Uh, where are we going?" he asked, stumbling to keep up with her surprisingly brisk pace. "I'm pretty sure leaving school grounds during lunch is frowned upon."
Ezra didn't even glance back. "We need to talk somewhere private," she said. "And I'm hungry. Two birds, one stone."
Before Lucifer could protest further, they were out on the street. Ezra marched purposefully towards a nearby fast food joint, a gaudy establishment called "Bread Winners" that looked like it had been vomited up by a neon sign factory.
"Fancy," Lucifer muttered as they entered. The smell of grease and artificial cheese assaulted his nostrils. "You really know how to show a guy a good time, Ezra."
She ignored his sarcasm, instead marching up to the counter and ordering with military precision. "Two double sandwiches, large fries, and a strawberry milkshake. And whatever he's having," she added, jerking a thumb at Lucifer.
Lucifer blinked, momentarily thrown. "Uh... same, I guess? Minus the milkshake."
As they waited for their order, Lucifer couldn't help but study Ezra. Her face was set in its usual serious expression, but there was a glint in her eye that he hadn't seen before. Was she... excited?
"I didn't peg you for a fast food junkie," he said, trying to break the tension.
Ezra shrugged. "The Crimson Oath isn't big on culinary variety. When I'm on my own, I like to indulge a little."
Their number was called, and Ezra scooped up the tray with practiced ease. She led them to a booth in the far corner, well away from the handful of other customers.
As they settled in, Lucifer watched in fascination as Ezra unwrapped her first sandwich and took an enormous bite. For someone so petite, she could really put it away.
"So," Ezra said between bites, "start talking."
Lucifer sighed, picking at his fries. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything," Ezra said bluntly. "But let's start with how you ended up on Paradise. And don't give me any of that 'orphaned siblings' story. I know that's a cover."
Lucifer winced. He should have known she'd see through that flimsy backstory. "It's... complicated," he began.
Ezra fixed him with a look. "Try me."
Lucifer took a deep breath, preparing a lie laced with a bit of truth. "Okay. The truth is, I'm not entirely sure how I got here. My memories of... before... are fuzzy. I remember falling. A lot of pain. And then... nothing. I woke up here, in this body, with only fragments of who I used to be."
Ezra's eyes widened slightly. "You're not human," she said. It wasn't a question.
Lucifer shook his head. "No. I'm... something else. Something old. And powerful, I think, though I can't access most of that power anymore."
It was true he mostly couldn't, but his memory about himself was intact. No one had to know who he truly was, not even her.
"The feather," Ezra said softly. "It's yours, isn't it?"
Lucifer nodded. "Yes. It's a part of me. Or... who I used to be, at least."
Ezra leaned back, processing this information. "So you're what, some kind of fallen angel?"
She was clever, he'd give her that. Getting closer to figuring out the Devil. But he wasn't going to let that happen.
Lucifer couldn't help but laugh at that. "Something like that," he said. "Though I think 'fallen' might be putting it mildly."
He expected Ezra to recoil, to reach for her weapon. Instead, she just nodded thoughtfully. "That explains a lot," she said. "The power you displayed against the Rebis, your aura... it all fits."
Really?! That pitiful display? Lucifer blinked, thrown by her calm acceptance. "You're taking this remarkably well," he said cautiously.
Ezra shrugged, taking a sip of her milkshake. "I've been trained to deal with all sorts of supernatural entities. You're not even the weirdest thing I've encountered this month."
"Gee, thanks," Lucifer muttered.
"But," Ezra continued, her expression growing serious, "this does complicate things. If someone is targeting you specifically, using your own... essence, for lack of a better term... that's big. And potentially very dangerous."
Lucifer nodded grimly. "I know. But I have no idea who could be behind it. My memories of my past life, my... connections... they're all jumbled. It's like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle in the dark."
Ezra was quiet for a moment, absently stirring her milkshake. "We need to figure this out," she said finally. "Before anyone else gets hurt. And before whoever's after you decides to stop playing games and come at you directly."
Lucifer felt a warmth in his chest at her use of "we." It had been a long time – possibly forever – since he'd had someone on his side like this.
"Agreed," he said. "But how? I can't exactly go to the police and report a stolen angel feather."
Ezra's lips quirked in a small smile. "No, but we have other resources. The Crimson Oath has extensive records on supernatural activity. And I have... contacts... in various parts of Paradise."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Contacts, huh? Should I be jealous?"
Ezra rolled her eyes, but Lucifer could have sworn he saw a faint blush on her cheeks. "Don't be ridiculous. It's purely professional."
"Right," Lucifer drawled. "Well, sounds like we've got our work cut out for us. Detective Ezra and her faithful sidekick, the amnesiac fallen angel. We should get business cards made."
Ezra snorted, then quickly covered it with a cough. "You're impossible," she said, but there was no real heat in her words.
As they finished their meal and prepared to head back to school, Lucifer had quite a lot on his mind. A bit of curiosity, certainly – whoever was after him was clearly powerful. And in his current body that could barely manifest 1% of his true self, he was practically a sitting duck waiting to he slaughtered, if he didn't find a way to get stronger.
Ezra, on the other hand, although oblivious to the severity of the matter, was pretty reassuring. This got him wondering if she would be so keen on helping him if she knew the whole picture.
Still, since meeting Ezra after being tossed to earth, he felt like he might have found an anchor point. A way to be independent of that place, of those bastards on the board.
And as he watched Ezra gather their trash with meticulous care, he realized something else. He might have made a friend—a devil's advocate, one might call it.
"Hey, Ezra?" he said as they stepped back out onto the bustling street.
She looked at him questioningly.
"Thanks," Lucifer said simply. "For... you know. Not trying to exorcise me or anything."
Ezra's expression softened slightly. "Don't thank me yet," she said. "We still have a lot of work to do. And if you turn out to be evil after all, I reserve the right to stab you with my magic sword."
Lucifer grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
***