Describe me in three words. I can only publish, not respond.

I Swear This Is An RP Blog: A Musical 

Featuring such hits as

And the ever classic

Starring everyone’s favourite 

"Watch this!" 

With a proud grin she laid her hands on opposite sides of the bowl, and the water inside slowly began to freeze over.

"I can do it now!"

"Well done, darling," he said proudly.

It seemed like only yesterday she’d been growing in her first scraggly flight feathers and now look at her.

"You’ve been practising, haven’t you?"

She beamed under his praise. 

"Yeah! I thought it would never work!" She huffed an exhausted, but well-pleased sigh, "Feels like I practiced forever. Mama kept asking where her bowls always disappeared to."

It was always a joke between them. Rae knew Ally was trying to hard to get it right. It was the one thing she wanted most, because it was the one thing that only she could do. The boys weren’t cryokinetic; she was the only one who got that trait.

It was the one thing she shared with her papa that the boys didn’t have.

"It’s definitely paid off. See what you can do when you keep trying?"

Lucifer was proud of all his children, of course, but there were moments like this where he could see how determined and relentless they could be if they really wanted something and it made him even prouder.

"Look, you’ve frozen the water solid. Not just a little surface layer of ice. I know how difficult that is. You’ve done really well."

Ally tapped at the ice in the bowl, eyes going even wider at the realization that she really had frozen it solid. She couldn’t help a little squeal of excitement, turning suddenly and hugging Luce.

"Thank you for teaching me, papa!"

She lived for these moments, far more than even she realized. Yes, she was always pleased when Mama was proud of her, but it was different when it was Papa. She worked hard to earn his praise. She loved how she felt when he was proud of her.

He hugged her back with a grin.

"It’s my pleasure," he replied.

Ally didn’t always realise it, but she was a quick learner in so many things. Probably because she was so tenacious about mastering any skill Lucifer could think to teach. Even when she found it difficult, Lucifer would see her practising - day and night if she had to - until she cracked it.

He loved showing her new things, too, if for no other reason than having moments like this, where she finally cracked it. He loved seeing her happy and excited about her own achievements - but he loved seeing all his children happy about their skills.

She held on for what felt like a long time before looking back to the bowl again. Part of her had expected the ice to melt the moment she looked away, regardless of how irrational that way.

"What kind of practical application is there for something like this?" She wondered, "What do you think, papa?"

Sure, she could freeze a bowl of water. But she wanted to find a way to use that skill, so it was more than just a fancy parlor trick.

"Hmm…I’m sure you’ll figure uses out on your own as you need them. But I’ve never had my coffee be too hot to drink. And you could have a lot of fun in winter with this, as long as you’re careful about it."

He thought for a while.

"If you ever need ice urgently to keep down a swelling, I think you’re set for that, too."

He wanted to stay away from some of the more obvious, combat-related applications. He never wanted the children to worry about the threat of attack, and he knew they were smart enough to figure it out if they wound up under attack. The main thing they had taught the children was how to find them quickly in case of an emergency.

"Never having too-hot coffee," She giggled, "That’s important."

She liked to tease about the coffee sometimes, but in truth she probably drank just as much of it as her parents.

"You’re right though, about the swelling. I’ll need to work on freezing ice in a bag or something; bit harder to use as an ice pack in a bowl like this."

"It’s of the utmost importance," he said, faux-serious…before breaking into a little smile and wink.

"Bags are a bit trickier - they move around more - but I’m sure you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”

He was confident she would, too.

Ally laughed harder at the seriousness of his coffee talk. 

"A bag of ice is less effective for knees and elbows, too," She commented, "It would be a solid block when you need something a little more flexible. I’ll have to give it some thought."

She wasn’t sure what the optimal solution would be, but she was sure that she’d find it with her papa’s help.

"Maybe we can work on it together?"

"Perhaps if you used a tougher plastic bag, and only half-froze the contents? There would still be room for it to move around tricky areas but still be cold…that’s just a first thought, though."

He wondered if there’d ever be a day his children didn’t want or need his help. He really hoped not - he enjoyed little moments like this. He’d never even thought about using his cooler tenancies in more productive ways - not until Ally had bought it up. This was hardly the first time that their questions had forced him to think in new and interesting ways.

"I’d love to help you find a better solution."

"That’s a good idea. Then it would be kinda like those blue ice bags I’ve seen." 

Ally’s eyes lit up at his words, at the prospect of tackling this project with his help. It’d been awhile since she’d taken on a job that they could really work one-on-one with.

"I wonder if maybe there’s a way to freeze the water but still keep it fragile enough that it would break easily? That might be a good solution too."

"Maybe if it was just partially frozen, then broken up by hand, and partly frozen again? It would be more like slush than one slab of ice…"

He was really looking forward to working with her in earnest over this. It had been too long, really.

"That’s a good idea! It would be much more flexible, the slush. That might even be beter than the typical bags of ice cubes. You could wrap it around the injury, getting it perfectly where you need it…"

It felt like it had been a really long time since she and her papa had a project they could work on together. The last time involved flying lessons, and those weren’t strictly one-on-one. She was looking forward to being able to work on something that was just for her and him.

"It might. I think we need to test this out, don’t you?"

He loved watching her face light up like this. That she knew she could follow her curiosity anywhere and she never even doubted she’d be supported. Lucifer would sooner go back to the cage than allow a flicker of that doubt to exist. He needed his children to know that they could always count on their parents to support them. It was hardly as if the rest of the world would go out of it’s way to.

"Yeah, we should test it. Best way to find out, right?"

Ally was already off in search of plastic bags, eager to test their theory and see how it worked. She knew that if it didn’t work, they would just re-evaluate and alter things until it did. They would keep trying. They wouldn’t stop until they’d succeeded.

Lucifer, similarly helpfully, was rooting around in a cupboard. Ideally he wanted some of those freezer bags that he was sure were still around here somewhere…aha!

"Found the bags!" he said, waving the box.

Ally grinned as Papa waved the box like a banner, then continued digging around until she came up with a couple of bags. Taking them and a roll of paper towels to the table (one did not experiment without being prepared for potential messes, after all), she grabbed a bowl and filled it with water before returning to the table again.

"Alright, I think that’s everything we need."

"It looks like it. Now, this is your show. How do you want to do this?" he asked.

It’d be good for Ally to take charge for a bit, over something where she could take her time, and get it right without any problematic mess ups. The worst that could happen here is the counters getting a little wet and cold - nothing the kitchen couldn’t handle.

Once everything was gathered before her, Ally eyed the items critically. Deciding where to begin was an important step, after all, and she wanted to do it right.

"Let’s do this," She put the plastic bags together and put the freezer bag inside them, "Should make it less messy that way." 

The next step would be the tricky one, harder to do on her own. Holding open the bags, she gestured to the bowl of water and looked to her papa.

"Can you pour the water in here?"

"Of course," he smiled, dutifully pouring the water in with care.

He went slowly - even if they had planned for spillages, it would be nice not to have too much to clear up. Eventually, the bowl was empty, and the bag was around half-full - giving plenty of room for the water to expand when it froze.

"What next?"

Ally watched carefully as the water was poured, and once it was finished she prepared for the next step.

"Well, you said partially freeze it, then break it and partially refreeze it, right? So the first freeze is the next step. Shouldn’t be too hard to only do a partial job. That was how I kept failing in the first place; only managing to freeze part of it. So this should be easy enough."

With that she laid her hands on the sides of the bag and focused.

He watched carefully as the water froze, slowly spreading from her hands across. Once there was a small but vaguely consistent amount of ice in the bag, he stopped her, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

"This is good to start with, I think. Are you happy with it?"

She nodded at his words, agreeing that the water was frozen where it needed to be.

"Yes, I think it’s good. Do you want to try breaking it?"

He nodded, taking the bag in both hands and carefully applying pressure until the fragile ice snapped. He continued doing it until there were smaller lumps, but it wasn’t quite the slush he had envisaged.

"Hmm…what do you think?" he asked, gesturing at the broken pieces moving around in the small amount of water.

Ally eyed it critically, frowning slightly as she considered what to do next.

"It’s almost an ice water at this point…" She commented."Maybe it needs to be less frozen next time? Maybe then when it’s broken it could be turned into a better slush?"

"Maybe. Maybe we should stop it earlier on, break it and start freezing it again. Build it up little by little."

He considered it for a second, holding the partly frozen bag up to his arm. It gave slightly around his flesh.

"It’s not a bad first attempt, though."

She poked at the bag a little, prodding it a little and attempting to maneuver it around his arm.

"It’s still better than a solid block of ice, so we’ve at least made some progress. I think you’re right though; we should try working slower and building up to it next time.”

He slowly moved the bag from him arm, placing it safely on the counter.

"Okay," he agreed, taking the empty bowl and refilling it from the tap. "Ready for attempt two?"

"Ready!" Ally chirped, watching as he brought the bowl back. She set up a couple of new bags, ready for him to pour the water again.

"Alright, let’s try again."

He took the bowl and poured the contents into the latest bag, this time a little less carefully, causing some of the water to splash back onto his hands. Lucifer froze the little droplets solid, and brushed them off into the bag.

"There. I’ve already started it for you," he joked. The little beads of ice were nothing compared to the water in the bag.

Ally giggled as she watched him work, then laid her hands on the bag again and began to freeze the water inside. This time she stopped the process earlier, then looked to her Papa again.

"What do you think?"

"I think we should try breaking this up and see where it gets us," Lucifer smiled.

He couldn’t see any reason for it not to work, the ice was much thinner and fragile this time, by the look of it.

"I agree." She nodded. "Can you break it?"

She felt like it should work. They had worked out why it hadn’t worked last time, and what to do about it, so this time there should’ve been no reason for it to fail.

"Of course," he nodded.

With a careful grasp - the condensation had made the bag a little slippery - he applied gentle pressure, snapping the ice, then readjusting to do the same to another area, until the ice there was fairly evenly broken up into the smallest pieces he could manage. The bag was still more water than ice.

"Time for the next step? Little bit more frozen, but only slightly."

She watched as he broke the ice,then prepared to freeze it again, this time careful to do it even less than the last time. Once it had begun to harden, she paused and looked to Papa again.

"What do you think?"

He crunched the ice in his hands until it was down to the smallest fragments again.

"It’s certainly getting there. Maybe a little more?"

Ally repeated the process, then looked back again. It looked like it really would work that time. Watching it break under her Papa’s hands, she felt confident about this attempt.

"I think this time it’ll be good."

Crushing it a little more, it felt malleable, yet solid. Definitely more crushed ice than their previous attempt.

"I think so, too. Do you want to try it out?"

Ally poked the bag a little, testing how frozen it seemed.

"Do you think it’s frozen enough?

"I think so…"

He scrutinised it carefully, following his daughter’s lead in poking it with his fingertips.

"Maybe it could be a little more frozen," he conceded, though it was clear he wasn’t completely sure about it.

Ally could tell he wasn’t sure. She wasn’t really sure how to take that. It wasn’t often that he seemed hesitant about such things.

"Maybe I should freeze it a little more, then?"

She tried to sound confident, but she wasn’t really sure if she was choosing the right move.

Lucifer froze for a moment. If he decided yes, and it overfroze, the failure would be on him. But then, what would be the worst that would happen? So some water in a bag gets a little more solid than they planned - they’d just have to try again. No one would get hurt by it.

Coming to his conclusion, he agreed. “Yes, a little more should be perfect.”

It was still difficult sometimes to remember that his decisions didn’t always have terrible consequences.

Ally smiled when he seemed more sure of himself, and nodded as she prepared to freeze the water a bit more.

She focused solely on the water, trying to get it just right. If she did happen to freeze it too much, they’d have to start over, but it wouldn’t be too big of a deal. This was all trial and error anyway.

When she finished, she looked up again.

"This feels better; what do you think?"

He smiled back, echoing the sentiment. He waited as she froze the water, watching how much care and attention she focused into the action. He was proud how she’d treated the entire project, taking responsibility for it from its inception.

"Looks better to me. Give it a try?"

Ally poked the ice in the bag, considering it. 

"Can you break it?"

They were much closer now then they were before. She could feel it. Something about it just felt better this time.

Lucifer nodded, taking the bag off her.

He crushed it a little with his bare hands, before thinking that to get it truly crushed, he was going to need a bit more impact. Securing the bag, he hit it deftly on to the kitchen counter, keeping careful to not be so rough it burst or spilled. Once he was satisfied, he offered it back to Ally.

"That’s as broken as I think it will get."

Ally watched as he worked, then carefully took the bag when he held it out. She poked the broken pieces, shifting them around before withdrawing her hand and laying the bag atop her palm.

"This is good. Much better than the last attempt." She moved it around on her hand. "Do you think it works?"

"I think that's a success," he agreed with a proud smile.

A little time consuming in an emergency, perhaps, but it looked like it would work easily as well as any frozen bag of vegetables...wait...

He was half tempted to pour some peas into a bag and freeze it himself to work out how much quicker that would be...but that would really cheapen the success. Besides, not everyone gets injured in an environment where vegetables are close to hand. He just couldn't believe he'd overlooked that possibility completely...

"Watch this!" 

With a proud grin she laid her hands on opposite sides of the bowl, and the water inside slowly began to freeze over.

"I can do it now!"

"Well done, darling," he said proudly.

It seemed like only yesterday she’d been growing in her first scraggly flight feathers and now look at her.

"You’ve been practising, haven’t you?"

She beamed under his praise. 

"Yeah! I thought it would never work!" She huffed an exhausted, but well-pleased sigh, "Feels like I practiced forever. Mama kept asking where her bowls always disappeared to."

It was always a joke between them. Rae knew Ally was trying to hard to get it right. It was the one thing she wanted most, because it was the one thing that only she could do. The boys weren’t cryokinetic; she was the only one who got that trait.

It was the one thing she shared with her papa that the boys didn’t have.

"It’s definitely paid off. See what you can do when you keep trying?"

Lucifer was proud of all his children, of course, but there were moments like this where he could see how determined and relentless they could be if they really wanted something and it made him even prouder.

"Look, you’ve frozen the water solid. Not just a little surface layer of ice. I know how difficult that is. You’ve done really well."

Ally tapped at the ice in the bowl, eyes going even wider at the realization that she really had frozen it solid. She couldn’t help a little squeal of excitement, turning suddenly and hugging Luce.

"Thank you for teaching me, papa!"

She lived for these moments, far more than even she realized. Yes, she was always pleased when Mama was proud of her, but it was different when it was Papa. She worked hard to earn his praise. She loved how she felt when he was proud of her.

He hugged her back with a grin.

"It’s my pleasure," he replied.

Ally didn’t always realise it, but she was a quick learner in so many things. Probably because she was so tenacious about mastering any skill Lucifer could think to teach. Even when she found it difficult, Lucifer would see her practising - day and night if she had to - until she cracked it.

He loved showing her new things, too, if for no other reason than having moments like this, where she finally cracked it. He loved seeing her happy and excited about her own achievements - but he loved seeing all his children happy about their skills.

She held on for what felt like a long time before looking back to the bowl again. Part of her had expected the ice to melt the moment she looked away, regardless of how irrational that way.

"What kind of practical application is there for something like this?" She wondered, "What do you think, papa?"

Sure, she could freeze a bowl of water. But she wanted to find a way to use that skill, so it was more than just a fancy parlor trick.

"Hmm…I’m sure you’ll figure uses out on your own as you need them. But I’ve never had my coffee be too hot to drink. And you could have a lot of fun in winter with this, as long as you’re careful about it."

He thought for a while.

"If you ever need ice urgently to keep down a swelling, I think you’re set for that, too."

He wanted to stay away from some of the more obvious, combat-related applications. He never wanted the children to worry about the threat of attack, and he knew they were smart enough to figure it out if they wound up under attack. The main thing they had taught the children was how to find them quickly in case of an emergency.

"Never having too-hot coffee," She giggled, "That’s important."

She liked to tease about the coffee sometimes, but in truth she probably drank just as much of it as her parents.

"You’re right though, about the swelling. I’ll need to work on freezing ice in a bag or something; bit harder to use as an ice pack in a bowl like this."

"It’s of the utmost importance," he said, faux-serious…before breaking into a little smile and wink.

"Bags are a bit trickier - they move around more - but I’m sure you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”

He was confident she would, too.

Ally laughed harder at the seriousness of his coffee talk. 

"A bag of ice is less effective for knees and elbows, too," She commented, "It would be a solid block when you need something a little more flexible. I’ll have to give it some thought."

She wasn’t sure what the optimal solution would be, but she was sure that she’d find it with her papa’s help.

"Maybe we can work on it together?"

"Perhaps if you used a tougher plastic bag, and only half-froze the contents? There would still be room for it to move around tricky areas but still be cold…that’s just a first thought, though."

He wondered if there’d ever be a day his children didn’t want or need his help. He really hoped not - he enjoyed little moments like this. He’d never even thought about using his cooler tenancies in more productive ways - not until Ally had bought it up. This was hardly the first time that their questions had forced him to think in new and interesting ways.

"I’d love to help you find a better solution."

"That’s a good idea. Then it would be kinda like those blue ice bags I’ve seen." 

Ally’s eyes lit up at his words, at the prospect of tackling this project with his help. It’d been awhile since she’d taken on a job that they could really work one-on-one with.

"I wonder if maybe there’s a way to freeze the water but still keep it fragile enough that it would break easily? That might be a good solution too."

"Maybe if it was just partially frozen, then broken up by hand, and partly frozen again? It would be more like slush than one slab of ice…"

He was really looking forward to working with her in earnest over this. It had been too long, really.

"That’s a good idea! It would be much more flexible, the slush. That might even be beter than the typical bags of ice cubes. You could wrap it around the injury, getting it perfectly where you need it…"

It felt like it had been a really long time since she and her papa had a project they could work on together. The last time involved flying lessons, and those weren’t strictly one-on-one. She was looking forward to being able to work on something that was just for her and him.

"It might. I think we need to test this out, don’t you?"

He loved watching her face light up like this. That she knew she could follow her curiosity anywhere and she never even doubted she’d be supported. Lucifer would sooner go back to the cage than allow a flicker of that doubt to exist. He needed his children to know that they could always count on their parents to support them. It was hardly as if the rest of the world would go out of it’s way to.

"Yeah, we should test it. Best way to find out, right?"

Ally was already off in search of plastic bags, eager to test their theory and see how it worked. She knew that if it didn’t work, they would just re-evaluate and alter things until it did. They would keep trying. They wouldn’t stop until they’d succeeded.

Lucifer, similarly helpfully, was rooting around in a cupboard. Ideally he wanted some of those freezer bags that he was sure were still around here somewhere…aha!

"Found the bags!" he said, waving the box.

Ally grinned as Papa waved the box like a banner, then continued digging around until she came up with a couple of bags. Taking them and a roll of paper towels to the table (one did not experiment without being prepared for potential messes, after all), she grabbed a bowl and filled it with water before returning to the table again.

"Alright, I think that’s everything we need."

"It looks like it. Now, this is your show. How do you want to do this?" he asked.

It’d be good for Ally to take charge for a bit, over something where she could take her time, and get it right without any problematic mess ups. The worst that could happen here is the counters getting a little wet and cold - nothing the kitchen couldn’t handle.

Once everything was gathered before her, Ally eyed the items critically. Deciding where to begin was an important step, after all, and she wanted to do it right.

"Let’s do this," She put the plastic bags together and put the freezer bag inside them, "Should make it less messy that way." 

The next step would be the tricky one, harder to do on her own. Holding open the bags, she gestured to the bowl of water and looked to her papa.

"Can you pour the water in here?"

"Of course," he smiled, dutifully pouring the water in with care.

He went slowly - even if they had planned for spillages, it would be nice not to have too much to clear up. Eventually, the bowl was empty, and the bag was around half-full - giving plenty of room for the water to expand when it froze.

"What next?"

Ally watched carefully as the water was poured, and once it was finished she prepared for the next step.

"Well, you said partially freeze it, then break it and partially refreeze it, right? So the first freeze is the next step. Shouldn’t be too hard to only do a partial job. That was how I kept failing in the first place; only managing to freeze part of it. So this should be easy enough."

With that she laid her hands on the sides of the bag and focused.

He watched carefully as the water froze, slowly spreading from her hands across. Once there was a small but vaguely consistent amount of ice in the bag, he stopped her, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

"This is good to start with, I think. Are you happy with it?"

She nodded at his words, agreeing that the water was frozen where it needed to be.

"Yes, I think it’s good. Do you want to try breaking it?"

He nodded, taking the bag in both hands and carefully applying pressure until the fragile ice snapped. He continued doing it until there were smaller lumps, but it wasn’t quite the slush he had envisaged.

"Hmm…what do you think?" he asked, gesturing at the broken pieces moving around in the small amount of water.

Ally eyed it critically, frowning slightly as she considered what to do next.

"It’s almost an ice water at this point…" She commented."Maybe it needs to be less frozen next time? Maybe then when it’s broken it could be turned into a better slush?"

"Maybe. Maybe we should stop it earlier on, break it and start freezing it again. Build it up little by little."

He considered it for a second, holding the partly frozen bag up to his arm. It gave slightly around his flesh.

"It’s not a bad first attempt, though."

She poked at the bag a little, prodding it a little and attempting to maneuver it around his arm.

"It’s still better than a solid block of ice, so we’ve at least made some progress. I think you’re right though; we should try working slower and building up to it next time.”

He slowly moved the bag from him arm, placing it safely on the counter.

"Okay," he agreed, taking the empty bowl and refilling it from the tap. "Ready for attempt two?"

"Ready!" Ally chirped, watching as he brought the bowl back. She set up a couple of new bags, ready for him to pour the water again.

"Alright, let’s try again."

He took the bowl and poured the contents into the latest bag, this time a little less carefully, causing some of the water to splash back onto his hands. Lucifer froze the little droplets solid, and brushed them off into the bag.

"There. I’ve already started it for you," he joked. The little beads of ice were nothing compared to the water in the bag.

Ally giggled as she watched him work, then laid her hands on the bag again and began to freeze the water inside. This time she stopped the process earlier, then looked to her Papa again.

"What do you think?"

"I think we should try breaking this up and see where it gets us," Lucifer smiled.

He couldn’t see any reason for it not to work, the ice was much thinner and fragile this time, by the look of it.

"I agree." She nodded. "Can you break it?"

She felt like it should work. They had worked out why it hadn’t worked last time, and what to do about it, so this time there should’ve been no reason for it to fail.

"Of course," he nodded.

With a careful grasp - the condensation had made the bag a little slippery - he applied gentle pressure, snapping the ice, then readjusting to do the same to another area, until the ice there was fairly evenly broken up into the smallest pieces he could manage. The bag was still more water than ice.

"Time for the next step? Little bit more frozen, but only slightly."

She watched as he broke the ice,then prepared to freeze it again, this time careful to do it even less than the last time. Once it had begun to harden, she paused and looked to Papa again.

"What do you think?"

He crunched the ice in his hands until it was down to the smallest fragments again.

"It’s certainly getting there. Maybe a little more?"

Ally repeated the process, then looked back again. It looked like it really would work that time. Watching it break under her Papa’s hands, she felt confident about this attempt.

"I think this time it’ll be good."

Crushing it a little more, it felt malleable, yet solid. Definitely more crushed ice than their previous attempt.

"I think so, too. Do you want to try it out?"

Ally poked the bag a little, testing how frozen it seemed.

"Do you think it’s frozen enough?

"I think so…"

He scrutinised it carefully, following his daughter’s lead in poking it with his fingertips.

"Maybe it could be a little more frozen," he conceded, though it was clear he wasn’t completely sure about it.

Ally could tell he wasn’t sure. She wasn’t really sure how to take that. It wasn’t often that he seemed hesitant about such things.

"Maybe I should freeze it a little more, then?"

She tried to sound confident, but she wasn’t really sure if she was choosing the right move.

Lucifer froze for a moment. If he decided yes, and it overfroze, the failure would be on him. But then, what would be the worst that would happen? So some water in a bag gets a little more solid than they planned - they’d just have to try again. No one would get hurt by it.

Coming to his conclusion, he agreed. “Yes, a little more should be perfect.”

It was still difficult sometimes to remember that his decisions didn’t always have terrible consequences.

Ally smiled when he seemed more sure of himself, and nodded as she prepared to freeze the water a bit more.

She focused solely on the water, trying to get it just right. If she did happen to freeze it too much, they’d have to start over, but it wouldn’t be too big of a deal. This was all trial and error anyway.

When she finished, she looked up again.

"This feels better; what do you think?"

He smiled back, echoing the sentiment. He waited as she froze the water, watching how much care and attention she focused into the action. He was proud how she’d treated the entire project, taking responsibility for it from its inception.

"Looks better to me. Give it a try?"

Ally poked the ice in the bag, considering it. 

"Can you break it?"

They were much closer now then they were before. She could feel it. Something about it just felt better this time.

Lucifer nodded, taking the bag off her.

He crushed it a little with his bare hands, before thinking that to get it truly crushed, he was going to need a bit more impact. Securing the bag, he hit it deftly on to the kitchen counter, keeping careful to not be so rough it burst or spilled. Once he was satisfied, he offered it back to Ally.

"That's as broken as I think it will get."

"Watch this!" 

With a proud grin she laid her hands on opposite sides of the bowl, and the water inside slowly began to freeze over.

"I can do it now!"

"Well done, darling," he said proudly.

It seemed like only yesterday she’d been growing in her first scraggly flight feathers and now look at her.

"You’ve been practising, haven’t you?"

She beamed under his praise. 

"Yeah! I thought it would never work!" She huffed an exhausted, but well-pleased sigh, "Feels like I practiced forever. Mama kept asking where her bowls always disappeared to."

It was always a joke between them. Rae knew Ally was trying to hard to get it right. It was the one thing she wanted most, because it was the one thing that only she could do. The boys weren’t cryokinetic; she was the only one who got that trait.

It was the one thing she shared with her papa that the boys didn’t have.

"It’s definitely paid off. See what you can do when you keep trying?"

Lucifer was proud of all his children, of course, but there were moments like this where he could see how determined and relentless they could be if they really wanted something and it made him even prouder.

"Look, you’ve frozen the water solid. Not just a little surface layer of ice. I know how difficult that is. You’ve done really well."

Ally tapped at the ice in the bowl, eyes going even wider at the realization that she really had frozen it solid. She couldn’t help a little squeal of excitement, turning suddenly and hugging Luce.

"Thank you for teaching me, papa!"

She lived for these moments, far more than even she realized. Yes, she was always pleased when Mama was proud of her, but it was different when it was Papa. She worked hard to earn his praise. She loved how she felt when he was proud of her.

He hugged her back with a grin.

"It’s my pleasure," he replied.

Ally didn’t always realise it, but she was a quick learner in so many things. Probably because she was so tenacious about mastering any skill Lucifer could think to teach. Even when she found it difficult, Lucifer would see her practising - day and night if she had to - until she cracked it.

He loved showing her new things, too, if for no other reason than having moments like this, where she finally cracked it. He loved seeing her happy and excited about her own achievements - but he loved seeing all his children happy about their skills.

She held on for what felt like a long time before looking back to the bowl again. Part of her had expected the ice to melt the moment she looked away, regardless of how irrational that way.

"What kind of practical application is there for something like this?" She wondered, "What do you think, papa?"

Sure, she could freeze a bowl of water. But she wanted to find a way to use that skill, so it was more than just a fancy parlor trick.

"Hmm…I’m sure you’ll figure uses out on your own as you need them. But I’ve never had my coffee be too hot to drink. And you could have a lot of fun in winter with this, as long as you’re careful about it."

He thought for a while.

"If you ever need ice urgently to keep down a swelling, I think you’re set for that, too."

He wanted to stay away from some of the more obvious, combat-related applications. He never wanted the children to worry about the threat of attack, and he knew they were smart enough to figure it out if they wound up under attack. The main thing they had taught the children was how to find them quickly in case of an emergency.

"Never having too-hot coffee," She giggled, "That’s important."

She liked to tease about the coffee sometimes, but in truth she probably drank just as much of it as her parents.

"You’re right though, about the swelling. I’ll need to work on freezing ice in a bag or something; bit harder to use as an ice pack in a bowl like this."

"It’s of the utmost importance," he said, faux-serious…before breaking into a little smile and wink.

"Bags are a bit trickier - they move around more - but I’m sure you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”

He was confident she would, too.

Ally laughed harder at the seriousness of his coffee talk. 

"A bag of ice is less effective for knees and elbows, too," She commented, "It would be a solid block when you need something a little more flexible. I’ll have to give it some thought."

She wasn’t sure what the optimal solution would be, but she was sure that she’d find it with her papa’s help.

"Maybe we can work on it together?"

"Perhaps if you used a tougher plastic bag, and only half-froze the contents? There would still be room for it to move around tricky areas but still be cold…that’s just a first thought, though."

He wondered if there’d ever be a day his children didn’t want or need his help. He really hoped not - he enjoyed little moments like this. He’d never even thought about using his cooler tenancies in more productive ways - not until Ally had bought it up. This was hardly the first time that their questions had forced him to think in new and interesting ways.

"I’d love to help you find a better solution."

"That’s a good idea. Then it would be kinda like those blue ice bags I’ve seen." 

Ally’s eyes lit up at his words, at the prospect of tackling this project with his help. It’d been awhile since she’d taken on a job that they could really work one-on-one with.

"I wonder if maybe there’s a way to freeze the water but still keep it fragile enough that it would break easily? That might be a good solution too."

"Maybe if it was just partially frozen, then broken up by hand, and partly frozen again? It would be more like slush than one slab of ice…"

He was really looking forward to working with her in earnest over this. It had been too long, really.

"That’s a good idea! It would be much more flexible, the slush. That might even be beter than the typical bags of ice cubes. You could wrap it around the injury, getting it perfectly where you need it…"

It felt like it had been a really long time since she and her papa had a project they could work on together. The last time involved flying lessons, and those weren’t strictly one-on-one. She was looking forward to being able to work on something that was just for her and him.

"It might. I think we need to test this out, don’t you?"

He loved watching her face light up like this. That she knew she could follow her curiosity anywhere and she never even doubted she’d be supported. Lucifer would sooner go back to the cage than allow a flicker of that doubt to exist. He needed his children to know that they could always count on their parents to support them. It was hardly as if the rest of the world would go out of it’s way to.

"Yeah, we should test it. Best way to find out, right?"

Ally was already off in search of plastic bags, eager to test their theory and see how it worked. She knew that if it didn’t work, they would just re-evaluate and alter things until it did. They would keep trying. They wouldn’t stop until they’d succeeded.

Lucifer, similarly helpfully, was rooting around in a cupboard. Ideally he wanted some of those freezer bags that he was sure were still around here somewhere…aha!

"Found the bags!" he said, waving the box.

Ally grinned as Papa waved the box like a banner, then continued digging around until she came up with a couple of bags. Taking them and a roll of paper towels to the table (one did not experiment without being prepared for potential messes, after all), she grabbed a bowl and filled it with water before returning to the table again.

"Alright, I think that’s everything we need."

"It looks like it. Now, this is your show. How do you want to do this?" he asked.

It’d be good for Ally to take charge for a bit, over something where she could take her time, and get it right without any problematic mess ups. The worst that could happen here is the counters getting a little wet and cold - nothing the kitchen couldn’t handle.

Once everything was gathered before her, Ally eyed the items critically. Deciding where to begin was an important step, after all, and she wanted to do it right.

"Let’s do this," She put the plastic bags together and put the freezer bag inside them, "Should make it less messy that way." 

The next step would be the tricky one, harder to do on her own. Holding open the bags, she gestured to the bowl of water and looked to her papa.

"Can you pour the water in here?"

"Of course," he smiled, dutifully pouring the water in with care.

He went slowly - even if they had planned for spillages, it would be nice not to have too much to clear up. Eventually, the bowl was empty, and the bag was around half-full - giving plenty of room for the water to expand when it froze.

"What next?"

Ally watched carefully as the water was poured, and once it was finished she prepared for the next step.

"Well, you said partially freeze it, then break it and partially refreeze it, right? So the first freeze is the next step. Shouldn’t be too hard to only do a partial job. That was how I kept failing in the first place; only managing to freeze part of it. So this should be easy enough."

With that she laid her hands on the sides of the bag and focused.

He watched carefully as the water froze, slowly spreading from her hands across. Once there was a small but vaguely consistent amount of ice in the bag, he stopped her, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

"This is good to start with, I think. Are you happy with it?"

She nodded at his words, agreeing that the water was frozen where it needed to be.

"Yes, I think it’s good. Do you want to try breaking it?"

He nodded, taking the bag in both hands and carefully applying pressure until the fragile ice snapped. He continued doing it until there were smaller lumps, but it wasn’t quite the slush he had envisaged.

"Hmm…what do you think?" he asked, gesturing at the broken pieces moving around in the small amount of water.

Ally eyed it critically, frowning slightly as she considered what to do next.

"It’s almost an ice water at this point…" She commented."Maybe it needs to be less frozen next time? Maybe then when it’s broken it could be turned into a better slush?"

"Maybe. Maybe we should stop it earlier on, break it and start freezing it again. Build it up little by little."

He considered it for a second, holding the partly frozen bag up to his arm. It gave slightly around his flesh.

"It’s not a bad first attempt, though."

She poked at the bag a little, prodding it a little and attempting to maneuver it around his arm.

"It’s still better than a solid block of ice, so we’ve at least made some progress. I think you’re right though; we should try working slower and building up to it next time.”

He slowly moved the bag from him arm, placing it safely on the counter.

"Okay," he agreed, taking the empty bowl and refilling it from the tap. "Ready for attempt two?"

"Ready!" Ally chirped, watching as he brought the bowl back. She set up a couple of new bags, ready for him to pour the water again.

"Alright, let’s try again."

He took the bowl and poured the contents into the latest bag, this time a little less carefully, causing some of the water to splash back onto his hands. Lucifer froze the little droplets solid, and brushed them off into the bag.

"There. I’ve already started it for you," he joked. The little beads of ice were nothing compared to the water in the bag.

Ally giggled as she watched him work, then laid her hands on the bag again and began to freeze the water inside. This time she stopped the process earlier, then looked to her Papa again.

"What do you think?"

"I think we should try breaking this up and see where it gets us," Lucifer smiled.

He couldn’t see any reason for it not to work, the ice was much thinner and fragile this time, by the look of it.

"I agree." She nodded. "Can you break it?"

She felt like it should work. They had worked out why it hadn’t worked last time, and what to do about it, so this time there should’ve been no reason for it to fail.

"Of course," he nodded.

With a careful grasp - the condensation had made the bag a little slippery - he applied gentle pressure, snapping the ice, then readjusting to do the same to another area, until the ice there was fairly evenly broken up into the smallest pieces he could manage. The bag was still more water than ice.

"Time for the next step? Little bit more frozen, but only slightly."

She watched as he broke the ice,then prepared to freeze it again, this time careful to do it even less than the last time. Once it had begun to harden, she paused and looked to Papa again.

"What do you think?"

He crunched the ice in his hands until it was down to the smallest fragments again.

"It’s certainly getting there. Maybe a little more?"

Ally repeated the process, then looked back again. It looked like it really would work that time. Watching it break under her Papa’s hands, she felt confident about this attempt.

"I think this time it’ll be good."

Crushing it a little more, it felt malleable, yet solid. Definitely more crushed ice than their previous attempt.

"I think so, too. Do you want to try it out?"

Ally poked the bag a little, testing how frozen it seemed.

"Do you think it’s frozen enough?

"I think so…"

He scrutinised it carefully, following his daughter’s lead in poking it with his fingertips.

"Maybe it could be a little more frozen," he conceded, though it was clear he wasn’t completely sure about it.

Ally could tell he wasn’t sure. She wasn’t really sure how to take that. It wasn’t often that he seemed hesitant about such things.

"Maybe I should freeze it a little more, then?"

She tried to sound confident, but she wasn’t really sure if she was choosing the right move.

Lucifer froze for a moment. If he decided yes, and it overfroze, the failure would be on him. But then, what would be the worst that would happen? So some water in a bag gets a little more solid than they planned - they’d just have to try again. No one would get hurt by it.

Coming to his conclusion, he agreed. “Yes, a little more should be perfect.”

It was still difficult sometimes to remember that his decisions didn’t always have terrible consequences.

Ally smiled when he seemed more sure of himself, and nodded as she prepared to freeze the water a bit more.

She focused solely on the water, trying to get it just right. If she did happen to freeze it too much, they’d have to start over, but it wouldn’t be too big of a deal. This was all trial and error anyway.

When she finished, she looked up again.

"This feels better; what do you think?"

He smiled back, echoing the sentiment. He waited as she froze the water, watching how much care and attention she focused into the action. He was proud how she'd treated the entire project, taking responsibility for it from its inception.

"Looks better to me. Give it a try?"

"Watch this!" 

With a proud grin she laid her hands on opposite sides of the bowl, and the water inside slowly began to freeze over.

"I can do it now!"

"Well done, darling," he said proudly.

It seemed like only yesterday she’d been growing in her first scraggly flight feathers and now look at her.

"You’ve been practising, haven’t you?"

She beamed under his praise. 

"Yeah! I thought it would never work!" She huffed an exhausted, but well-pleased sigh, "Feels like I practiced forever. Mama kept asking where her bowls always disappeared to."

It was always a joke between them. Rae knew Ally was trying to hard to get it right. It was the one thing she wanted most, because it was the one thing that only she could do. The boys weren’t cryokinetic; she was the only one who got that trait.

It was the one thing she shared with her papa that the boys didn’t have.

"It’s definitely paid off. See what you can do when you keep trying?"

Lucifer was proud of all his children, of course, but there were moments like this where he could see how determined and relentless they could be if they really wanted something and it made him even prouder.

"Look, you’ve frozen the water solid. Not just a little surface layer of ice. I know how difficult that is. You’ve done really well."

Ally tapped at the ice in the bowl, eyes going even wider at the realization that she really had frozen it solid. She couldn’t help a little squeal of excitement, turning suddenly and hugging Luce.

"Thank you for teaching me, papa!"

She lived for these moments, far more than even she realized. Yes, she was always pleased when Mama was proud of her, but it was different when it was Papa. She worked hard to earn his praise. She loved how she felt when he was proud of her.

He hugged her back with a grin.

"It’s my pleasure," he replied.

Ally didn’t always realise it, but she was a quick learner in so many things. Probably because she was so tenacious about mastering any skill Lucifer could think to teach. Even when she found it difficult, Lucifer would see her practising - day and night if she had to - until she cracked it.

He loved showing her new things, too, if for no other reason than having moments like this, where she finally cracked it. He loved seeing her happy and excited about her own achievements - but he loved seeing all his children happy about their skills.

She held on for what felt like a long time before looking back to the bowl again. Part of her had expected the ice to melt the moment she looked away, regardless of how irrational that way.

"What kind of practical application is there for something like this?" She wondered, "What do you think, papa?"

Sure, she could freeze a bowl of water. But she wanted to find a way to use that skill, so it was more than just a fancy parlor trick.

"Hmm…I’m sure you’ll figure uses out on your own as you need them. But I’ve never had my coffee be too hot to drink. And you could have a lot of fun in winter with this, as long as you’re careful about it."

He thought for a while.

"If you ever need ice urgently to keep down a swelling, I think you’re set for that, too."

He wanted to stay away from some of the more obvious, combat-related applications. He never wanted the children to worry about the threat of attack, and he knew they were smart enough to figure it out if they wound up under attack. The main thing they had taught the children was how to find them quickly in case of an emergency.

"Never having too-hot coffee," She giggled, "That’s important."

She liked to tease about the coffee sometimes, but in truth she probably drank just as much of it as her parents.

"You’re right though, about the swelling. I’ll need to work on freezing ice in a bag or something; bit harder to use as an ice pack in a bowl like this."

"It’s of the utmost importance," he said, faux-serious…before breaking into a little smile and wink.

"Bags are a bit trickier - they move around more - but I’m sure you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”

He was confident she would, too.

Ally laughed harder at the seriousness of his coffee talk. 

"A bag of ice is less effective for knees and elbows, too," She commented, "It would be a solid block when you need something a little more flexible. I’ll have to give it some thought."

She wasn’t sure what the optimal solution would be, but she was sure that she’d find it with her papa’s help.

"Maybe we can work on it together?"

"Perhaps if you used a tougher plastic bag, and only half-froze the contents? There would still be room for it to move around tricky areas but still be cold…that’s just a first thought, though."

He wondered if there’d ever be a day his children didn’t want or need his help. He really hoped not - he enjoyed little moments like this. He’d never even thought about using his cooler tenancies in more productive ways - not until Ally had bought it up. This was hardly the first time that their questions had forced him to think in new and interesting ways.

"I’d love to help you find a better solution."

"That’s a good idea. Then it would be kinda like those blue ice bags I’ve seen." 

Ally’s eyes lit up at his words, at the prospect of tackling this project with his help. It’d been awhile since she’d taken on a job that they could really work one-on-one with.

"I wonder if maybe there’s a way to freeze the water but still keep it fragile enough that it would break easily? That might be a good solution too."

"Maybe if it was just partially frozen, then broken up by hand, and partly frozen again? It would be more like slush than one slab of ice…"

He was really looking forward to working with her in earnest over this. It had been too long, really.

"That’s a good idea! It would be much more flexible, the slush. That might even be beter than the typical bags of ice cubes. You could wrap it around the injury, getting it perfectly where you need it…"

It felt like it had been a really long time since she and her papa had a project they could work on together. The last time involved flying lessons, and those weren’t strictly one-on-one. She was looking forward to being able to work on something that was just for her and him.

"It might. I think we need to test this out, don’t you?"

He loved watching her face light up like this. That she knew she could follow her curiosity anywhere and she never even doubted she’d be supported. Lucifer would sooner go back to the cage than allow a flicker of that doubt to exist. He needed his children to know that they could always count on their parents to support them. It was hardly as if the rest of the world would go out of it’s way to.

"Yeah, we should test it. Best way to find out, right?"

Ally was already off in search of plastic bags, eager to test their theory and see how it worked. She knew that if it didn’t work, they would just re-evaluate and alter things until it did. They would keep trying. They wouldn’t stop until they’d succeeded.

Lucifer, similarly helpfully, was rooting around in a cupboard. Ideally he wanted some of those freezer bags that he was sure were still around here somewhere…aha!

"Found the bags!" he said, waving the box.

Ally grinned as Papa waved the box like a banner, then continued digging around until she came up with a couple of bags. Taking them and a roll of paper towels to the table (one did not experiment without being prepared for potential messes, after all), she grabbed a bowl and filled it with water before returning to the table again.

"Alright, I think that’s everything we need."

"It looks like it. Now, this is your show. How do you want to do this?" he asked.

It’d be good for Ally to take charge for a bit, over something where she could take her time, and get it right without any problematic mess ups. The worst that could happen here is the counters getting a little wet and cold - nothing the kitchen couldn’t handle.

Once everything was gathered before her, Ally eyed the items critically. Deciding where to begin was an important step, after all, and she wanted to do it right.

"Let’s do this," She put the plastic bags together and put the freezer bag inside them, "Should make it less messy that way." 

The next step would be the tricky one, harder to do on her own. Holding open the bags, she gestured to the bowl of water and looked to her papa.

"Can you pour the water in here?"

"Of course," he smiled, dutifully pouring the water in with care.

He went slowly - even if they had planned for spillages, it would be nice not to have too much to clear up. Eventually, the bowl was empty, and the bag was around half-full - giving plenty of room for the water to expand when it froze.

"What next?"

Ally watched carefully as the water was poured, and once it was finished she prepared for the next step.

"Well, you said partially freeze it, then break it and partially refreeze it, right? So the first freeze is the next step. Shouldn’t be too hard to only do a partial job. That was how I kept failing in the first place; only managing to freeze part of it. So this should be easy enough."

With that she laid her hands on the sides of the bag and focused.

He watched carefully as the water froze, slowly spreading from her hands across. Once there was a small but vaguely consistent amount of ice in the bag, he stopped her, gently laying his hand on her shoulder.

"This is good to start with, I think. Are you happy with it?"

She nodded at his words, agreeing that the water was frozen where it needed to be.

"Yes, I think it’s good. Do you want to try breaking it?"

He nodded, taking the bag in both hands and carefully applying pressure until the fragile ice snapped. He continued doing it until there were smaller lumps, but it wasn’t quite the slush he had envisaged.

"Hmm…what do you think?" he asked, gesturing at the broken pieces moving around in the small amount of water.

Ally eyed it critically, frowning slightly as she considered what to do next.

"It’s almost an ice water at this point…" She commented."Maybe it needs to be less frozen next time? Maybe then when it’s broken it could be turned into a better slush?"

"Maybe. Maybe we should stop it earlier on, break it and start freezing it again. Build it up little by little."

He considered it for a second, holding the partly frozen bag up to his arm. It gave slightly around his flesh.

"It’s not a bad first attempt, though."

She poked at the bag a little, prodding it a little and attempting to maneuver it around his arm.

"It’s still better than a solid block of ice, so we’ve at least made some progress. I think you’re right though; we should try working slower and building up to it next time.”

He slowly moved the bag from him arm, placing it safely on the counter.

"Okay," he agreed, taking the empty bowl and refilling it from the tap. "Ready for attempt two?"

"Ready!" Ally chirped, watching as he brought the bowl back. She set up a couple of new bags, ready for him to pour the water again.

"Alright, let’s try again."

He took the bowl and poured the contents into the latest bag, this time a little less carefully, causing some of the water to splash back onto his hands. Lucifer froze the little droplets solid, and brushed them off into the bag.

"There. I’ve already started it for you," he joked. The little beads of ice were nothing compared to the water in the bag.

Ally giggled as she watched him work, then laid her hands on the bag again and began to freeze the water inside. This time she stopped the process earlier, then looked to her Papa again.

"What do you think?"

"I think we should try breaking this up and see where it gets us," Lucifer smiled.

He couldn’t see any reason for it not to work, the ice was much thinner and fragile this time, by the look of it.

"I agree." She nodded. "Can you break it?"

She felt like it should work. They had worked out why it hadn’t worked last time, and what to do about it, so this time there should’ve been no reason for it to fail.

"Of course," he nodded.

With a careful grasp - the condensation had made the bag a little slippery - he applied gentle pressure, snapping the ice, then readjusting to do the same to another area, until the ice there was fairly evenly broken up into the smallest pieces he could manage. The bag was still more water than ice.

"Time for the next step? Little bit more frozen, but only slightly."

She watched as he broke the ice,then prepared to freeze it again, this time careful to do it even less than the last time. Once it had begun to harden, she paused and looked to Papa again.

"What do you think?"

He crunched the ice in his hands until it was down to the smallest fragments again.

"It’s certainly getting there. Maybe a little more?"

Ally repeated the process, then looked back again. It looked like it really would work that time. Watching it break under her Papa’s hands, she felt confident about this attempt.

"I think this time it’ll be good."

Crushing it a little more, it felt malleable, yet solid. Definitely more crushed ice than their previous attempt.

"I think so, too. Do you want to try it out?"

Ally poked the bag a little, testing how frozen it seemed.

"Do you think it’s frozen enough?

"I think so…"

He scrutinised it carefully, following his daughter’s lead in poking it with his fingertips.

"Maybe it could be a little more frozen," he conceded, though it was clear he wasn’t completely sure about it.

Ally could tell he wasn’t sure. She wasn’t really sure how to take that. It wasn’t often that he seemed hesitant about such things.

"Maybe I should freeze it a little more, then?"

She tried to sound confident, but she wasn’t really sure if she was choosing the right move.

Lucifer froze for a moment. If he decided yes, and it overfroze, the failure would be on him. But then, what would be the worst that would happen? So some water in a bag gets a little more solid than they planned - they'd just have to try again. No one would get hurt by it.

Coming to his conclusion, he agreed. "Yes, a little more should be perfect."

It was still difficult sometimes to remember that his decisions didn't always have terrible consequences.

I have a lot of patience except if you are in the kitchen blocking my coffee maker.

He saw the little movement at the window before she opened the door. He was actually quite heartened by the fact she was being cautious - if she was this wary about a knock on her door, she’d be no doubt keeping herself safe with other means, too. He wasn’t happy that she had to, but he couldn’t see the situation changing any time soon. Best to be safe in the meantime.

"Likewise," he offered with a small smile of his own. "It’s been a while hasn’t it? I meant to visit sooner, but…" He thought back on some of the more recent events in his life. "I suppose I’ve been a little busier than I thought."

He looked down at the little bundle of gifts in his hands. “These are for you,” he said awkwardly, not entirely sure how this was done. “A house-warming gift. It’s something mortals tend to do…”

Kellen shook her head as he explained his answer. 

"It’s no trouble, I know you have a lot going on right now."

She hadn’t actually realized just how much she’d missed him until he was standing on her doorstep. She was really glad he’d stopped by.

"Oh, thank you," Hey eyes widened when she looked at the items in his hands. She had a vague understanding of house-warming gifts, though she had no idea how the gifts themselves had anything to do with the temperature of the home. 

"Oh, that’s perfect!" She smiled, "I was just about to brew some coffee; would you like some?"

She knew he was unlikely to turn down the offer; he was the one who got her into the habit, after all.

"Coffee would be great, thank you," he answered.

He liked the affirmation that he’d got his little sister similarly appreciative of the great mortal beverage. He knew she’d liked it when staying with him and recovering, but he wasn’t sure if the habit would carry over into her own space. Evidently, it had.

"Where would you like me to put these?" He gestured down at the gifts he’d brought.

"Here, I’ll take them to the kitchen," She said, reaching out for them. "Since you’ve brought coffee, we’ll have some of it instead of what I had in the cupboard."

She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door and moving toward the kitchen.

"So have you settled into your new house?"

He handed them over and followed her inside.

"I assume Rae told you about the house?" he wondered idly. It didn’t really surprise him, but he didn’t quite expect it to be the first thing he would be asked about.

"We’re about settled, I think. It’s still all new and exciting, knowing that it’s ours. That neither of us will be leaving to go home because we’re already there,” he grinned. “That still amazes me sometimes.”

Kellen nodded as she stepped into the kitchen. 

"She mentioned it. Not a lot of details, but I could tell she was really excited about it."

Asking about the house had been a spur of the moment decision. She wasn’t really sure what to do to get the conversation started, so that had been what came to mind.

She worked on preparing the coffee in silence, and once it was ready to brew she turned to Lucifer again.

"It’s really good to see you," She commented, "It gets pretty quiet around here. I guess one thing I’ve not gotten used to yet is being alone all the time."

The mention that Rae had been excited about it made him smile. He knew she had to have been, to know she’d been so enthusiastic about their new home that others could tell made him ridiculously happy for such a small thing.

He watched Kellen go through the motions of preparing the coffee quietly. It was pretty soothing watching someone do something that had obviously become so everyday that they could do it almost without thinking. For Kellen especially, it reassured him that’s she had adjusted to a graceless existence reasonably well.

"I suppose I was lucky. Once out of-" he stumbled a little there; he hated mentioning the cage at the best of times, "- well, out - it seemed l was always surrounded by people. And even when the novelty wore off for them, I had Rae. Even when I was left alone, I wasn’t lonely."

He made a little promise to himself to visit his little sister more often. He didn’t like the thought of her feeling alone. He knew from experience - despite the brave face he put on it - how horrible it could feel to be alone.

Kellen nodded at his words. 

"I’m used to not being around a lot of people, but there’s always been at least one or two around. Even in Heaven, when it was just Gadreel and me, and then when I got out and I met Rae and Benny, and a hunter named Lee… this is the first time I’ve ever spent a night in a house alone, knowing that there was actually no one nearby.”

She tried to shrug it off, make it not seem like such a big deal, but she knew he would see through that. It did bother her, but she’d done nothing to change her situation, so maybe that was on her.

She turned back to the cupboard as she spoke, pulling out a couple of mugs to set out alongside the sugar. She kept her back turned, another measure to not appear so affected by the loneliness.

Heaven…it still caused a little tightness in his grace when he thought of the place he could once call home. He was glad that Kellen had managed to find people before she was in his care, though. For an angel that knew little of the world, she had been quite lucky. Not all of their brethren had managed the same. She spoke as though it was no longer an option for her now, though - the company of other people.

"You are always welcome at our house, if you ever want to visit," he offered. "I can’t remember if I gave you my telephone number - or even if you have a phone of your own, come to think of it. I could write it down for you now if you wanted."

Thinking of Heaven, it bought back something he’d been mulling over for a while.

"One of the last times we spoke," he started slowly, "you mentioned that it had been a while. I’m assuming you were talking about back before the Fall? I’m sorry, I don’t…I don’t remember you specifically. I thought back then that I’d have an eternity with you all…I never thought that what happened would ever come to be, back then…everything is so different with hindsight."

"I do actually have a phone now," She nodded, moving to the fridge to pull out a carton of milk. "I got it when I moved in here. I don’t think I have your number, though. It would be good to have."

Kellen’s eyes widened when Lucifer mentioned her words from before. She hadn’t actually expected him to ask about it, hadn’t even thought of his reaction when she said it. But now here she was. He had asked, and she wouldn’t lie to him.

"It’s okay," She murmured, "If you don’t remember me. It was a long time ago, and I was still just a fledgling."

She turned to get the coffee then, pulling the pot out and setting it on a hot plate beside the rest of the gathered supplies. She thought over her words as she retrieved a spoon and gestured for Lucifer to help himself.

"You know I was locked away with Gadreel for defending him, right?" She swallowed thickly, forcing the words out. Finally she forced herself to stop fidgeting and meet her brother’s eyes. "That wasn’t the only reason. Gadreel… wasn’t the only angel I tried to defend."

He manifested a scrap of paper - his number already written on it - into his shirt pocket. He wasn’t so cruel as to perform showy displays of grace in front of Kellen, but he didn’t know if there was any paper or pens in the house. He’d give it to her a little later.

"I regret it though," he said in answer to her assurances. "If I had known what was going to happen, I would have cherished my time in Heaven - my time with everyone - a lot more."

He busied himself pouring and preparing his coffee at Kellen’s gesture while listening intently to Kellen’s words. At the mention of another angel, his curiosity was piqued.

"Who else?" he asked quietly.

It wasn’t as though he honestly thought many other angels would have disobeyed their father, not after he had provided such a good example of why that was a bad idea. But what else could he believe? He had always thought that no one had stood up for him, but perhaps…someone had, for all the good it had done.

Kellen watched quietly as he prepared his coffee, preparing her own one step behind him. 

"I wish things had been different," She said, "I don’t regret my choices, and I would do it all again, but… I regret the separation. I wish that it could’ve been handled differently. By Father, by Michael… even by Thaddeus."

Kellen didn’t know how much her brother knew of just what happened in Heaven’s dungeon, or if he even knew who Thaddeus was. But she knew he would understand the sentiment.

"After what happened to Gadreel, I doubt anyone else would’ve even thought to cause trouble. I’m pretty sure there were only three of us who thought things could be different."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"The other angel… was you."

"I wouldn’t have taken back my own actions either."

Even now, with the knowledge that not all humans were as repugnant as they’d first appeared…well, there were always exceptions that proved the rule, weren’t there? And those exceptions were seeming increasingly scarce these days, in any case.

"But you really spoke up. For me. I know that can’t have been easy for you.”

He would have thanked her, but somehow that felt like a huge injustice to her. Perhaps she did do it for his sake, which would have been nice, but in no way necessary or even helpful - it hadn’t seemed to change the result. But he hoped she had stood up for the ideal of it’s own sake - that their father demanding compliant obedience and nothing else from his children was wrong.

"I just wish we could have found a way to remain a family, despite our differences," he said wistfully.

"I think that taking back our choices would seem that we thought we were wrong. But even after everything, I don’t think that. I just… I don’t know, I doubt anything would’ve changed no matter who spoke up. Still, I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. It wasn’t right.”

With their cups of coffee ready, Kellen led Lucifer to a little table by the kitchen window.

"There are a lot of things about it that don’t make sense to me, even now. If the angels were supposed to be so perfect, so obedient, then why did Father feel the need to create a dungeon? Why have prison guards and torturers? Who did he think would fill the empty spaces he was creating?"

She shivered involuntarily at her own mention of torture. Her fingers tightened on her coffee cup in an attempt to hide it, but the topic brought flashes of memory to the forefront of her mind. She tried to shake it off and continue with her questions.

"I heard that you once told Michael that Father made you the way you were, so he knew you would rebel and he would… send you away," She couldn’t bring herself to use the words ‘cast out’, "Do you really believe that? Do you think it’s possible?"

He nodded gently, agreeing. At his lowest moments in the cage, he’d wrestled with it so long and often himself. At the worst, in the abject nothingness, he had tried to repent. But nothing changed. Back then, he’d realised the only thing he could have done to make any of his suffering worth it was to stand by his conviction. It was all he had left back than, even stripped of freedom and power.

"I know Father had the power to never make any of this happen. I know he wrote of a way for me to escape the cage and remain free. He, at the very least, foresaw that, if not outright forced it to come to pass. I can’t see what other conclusion I can come to. Either this was all his plan from the beginning, or else he saw what would happen and did nothing about it."

"It seems the same with Heaven’s dungeon. He either saw they would be necessary or…"

He stopped. Down this path lead to the thought: what if his actions were not his own? His thoughts?

"What’s worse? To be punished for doing exactly what you were made to do, with no choice in the matter? Or to be punished for exercising your right to chose?"

To know his actions were inevitable from the beginning, and that his choices were merely an illusion, or to know that his disobedience was seen as a flaw so deep he deserved - quite literally - such a hellish punishment?

"I think it would be worse to be punished for something you had no choice in. To know that you were punished for something that Father knew would happen, when he couldn’t handled it differently, I think that’s worse. At least the alternative suggests we were capable of choosing for ourselves."

She drummed her fingers against her cup, watching the coffee inside dance from the movement.

"To know that our choices were seen as so wrong that they had no recourse but to lock us away… somehow, that feels like the better option. At least we still have a way to think for ourselves, to see things we thought were wrong and chose to fight against them."

This certainly wasn’t the conversation she’d expected to be having. She knew it was painful for her, but she hoped she wasn’t causing her brother the same pain. Still, now that they were this far, she couldn’t stop.

"I would never wish for the punishments to be repeated, to be locked away, to be tortured for so long… but given the choice, I would prefer to be punished for being able to think for myself."

"You’re right. I hope that at the very least my choices are my own, but…"

He had his doubts about this, as much as it pained it.

"Even after all he’s put us through…I still love him. Mortals wouldn’t. I’ve seen them - it’s hard, but they leave, they reject the parents that treat them badly. And I can’t help but think that if I don’t get a choice in that, despite all the very good reasons we would have for feeling otherwise…what else can’t we choose for ourselves?"

He sighed. He had thought he’d be coming to keep his little sister company and catching up on her news. Not delving headlong into their miserable family history.

He took a long sip of his coffee, suddenly remembering it was there, as he thought his next words through.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bought any of this up."

His words made her wonder about a lot of things. If they’d not had a choice of their actions in Heaven, how far did that extend? Was their father still controlling things even now?

"I still love him too," She murmured, "I feel like I don’t know how not to, you know? But if all this was part of his design, then…” She didn’t want to finish that thought. It made things sound even worse than they already were.

"I saw him," Her voice was quiet, as though the words were less damaging that way, "A few weeks ago. I’d heard rumors that he was on Earth, that he’d taken a vessel. So I went looking for him. We talked for about three minutes; I don’t think he even realized who I was. He wanted nothing to do with me. He told me I shouldn’t have come."

She shook her head at his apology.

"It’s okay. I think we needed to talk about it at some point. And who else could we have this discussion with? I doubt there are many who see things the way we do, even now."

"He really has abandoned us, hasn’t he?"

That thought hurt in a way he didn’t think he could hurt anymore. After all this, he had hoped that maybe if he could see their Father again, try and explain…but no, apparently, he wanted nothing to do with his children anymore. He hadn’t even realised he had clung to that hope until now.

"I suppose we don’t have anyone else who could even begin to understand."

He ran through his brothers and sisters in his head, but he couldn’t think of a single one who would see eye to eye with them on this. Perhaps they existed, but he would be lucky to find them, these days.

"I’m fortunate to have found you, in all honesty. I thought I was the only one, out of all our siblings, to feel like this. I thought that perhaps I was broken.”

"You’re not broken, Brother. At least, not unless I am too."

She couldn’t help a mirthless chuckle then, a bitter smile twisting her lips as she picked up her coffee cup.

"Of course, I’m sure there are those who think I am broken. Standing up for not one, but two of my brothers when everyone else thought they were wrong, fighting against a system that no one else saw a problem with except you… they probably thought we were both broken.”

She paused then, changing tracks a bit.

"It’s interesting, that we would end up meeting again after all these years. I was the only one in Heaven punished for thinking the way you do, and I was supposed to be locked away forever. Then I got out because of Metatron, but I was hurt in the Fall and lost a lot of my memories."

She took a drink of her coffee before continuing.

I stumbled upon Gadreel when in a bar while running from some of our brothers. I still didn’t remember anything; I didn’t even remember who — or what — I was. But talking to Gadreel helped me begin to put the pieces back together, and the first thing I remembered was you. And then I met Rae, who just happens to be in a relationship with you? And then those demons dropped me on your doorstep. What are the odds?”

He wanted to reassure her they weren’t broken - if more for her sake than his own - but some part of himself choked on what would have been hollow words. He was glad when she moved the subject onto other things. Until he realised just how odd their meeting was.

In his experience, this level of coincidence didn’t usually mean good things, and given the previous subject…

"It’s as if we were meant to meet again."

Whether by their Father or by some other force, something seemed highly invested in them getting the chance to talk. The only question was why? Were their conversations so important that they needed to happen this badly? Who or what would have such a vested interest in allowing them to talk so freely to each other about the old days? Or maybe it was something they were yet to do?

"I certainly hope it’s just a coincidence. Meeting against the odds like this. Otherwise…well, it raises a few more questions about our own autonomy."

He remembered back when that didn’t feel such a bad thing. When he was following his Father’s plan for the apocalypse, it had seemed simple. Follow the instructions and you stay free. But now…no book or guidelines to follow; he was truly free for the first time. If even that was just a clever illusion…

Hearing him say what she’d been thinking made her almost feel worse. Was it possible? Could their meeting, their renewed familial ties have been orchestrated by someone else?

"I really hope we’re wrong about that," She murmured, "Who would do such a thing? Who would have a reason to?"

Not their Father. He had made it quite clear that he didn’t care what they did anymore, that he wanted nothing to do with their lives. So why would he care to put them in a position where they could talk?

"It seems almost… surreal. It’s one thing to think Father knew about our actions in Heaven, maybe even made us to react the way we did. But to think that someone is pulling the strings even now? It’s… almost frightening. If even this supposed free will is an illusion, what are we left with?"

"I hope so, too. But even if it were true - that all our choices aren’t our own - what can we do? How could we even tell for certain?"

Lucifer agitatedly drummed his fingers against the cup he was holding, completely subconsciously.

"Perhaps it’s best to put it out of mind for now. It’s not as though knowing or not knowing for certain would make any difference. If we didn’t have free will, we’d be unable to do anything about it even if we were aware of it."

And right now, just the thought that even now, that the words coming out of his mouth weren’t his own…that deeply disturbed him.

"You’re right, we should probably not focus on it. It might be better not to know." 

The idea that even their current conversation, the discovery that maybe the freedom they thought they had was created by someone else was not settling well. But he was right; what could they hope to do about it? Perhaps it would be better not to know.

As she considered her next words, she noticed his fingers moving against his cup. Gently she reached out and laid her hands over his, hoping to soothe him a little. He’d done so much for her, this was the least she could do. And it was in that moment that a sudden thought stuck her, and she couldn’t help a little smile.

"So, Brother… there are rumors going around that you’re getting married. Is that true?"

His hands stilled their motion at the contact, and Lucifer frowned at the cup as though it was it’s fault he’d started it in the first place. Then he heard Kellen’s question, and his eyes snapped back up to her.

"Rumours?"

The question itself phased him with its suddenness, but then he was struck with a question of his own.

"How much time do you get to gossip at work?"

He smiled, though, the topic being a much happier one than before.

"Well, it’s not marriage exactly, but…” he toyed with the ring on his finger slightly. It had taken him so little time to get used to the ring; it had fit him so perfectly, like it belonged there. “…we’re ready to make a life together. To spend forever together. So yes, semantics aside, it is.”

"Well…" Kellen gave him a sheepish grin, "It’s not so much gossip as it is being observant. You’re moving in together, you’re wearing a ring… and then there’s the shopping."

She said the last bit casually, like it was a normal thing. But she knew his curiosity would be piqued.

"There’s a lot to notice, if you’re in the right place at the right time."

He supposed put like that, it would be pretty obvious to all but the most dense observer. However…

"The shopping?"

He frowned slightly, trying to recall anything Kellen could be referring to, but coming up blank.

Kellen gave him a look. It was entirely possible that he had no idea what she was talking about. It wasn’t like him to pry or snoop, and she had no doubt that Rae was meticulous about putting things away.

"You’ve not noticed any new clothes around the house?"

"I’m afraid I haven’t," he said slowly, wondering where this was going.

Had there been new clothes and he just hadn’t noticed them? Or had they been intentionally kept out of his way to reveal later? He wondered if he should stop Kellen; maybe she’d disclose something by accident that Rae was trying to keep secret…but his curiosity was a little too strong for him to actually act on that thought.

"Hm," Kellen frowned thoughtfully, "Well, I won’t tell you too much more, but I can saw that you should definitely talk to Rae about it. I don’t think it’s too much of a secret, and it’s definitely something you’ll want to know about."

She didn’t want to reveal too much. Not because it was a secret, but because it would mean more coming from Rae. Still, she couldn’t help pushing it a little, getting his curiosity up. It would be worth it in the end.

It seemed he didn’t need to say anything…but also that he wouldn’t be finding out anything more from Kellen. And now he really was curious. What was Rae up to?

"As much as I’m curious, that’s probably wise."

He smiled. He guessed he had something to look forward to when he got home. In the meantime, altogether too much focus had been on him…

"Besides, I didn’t come here to talk about me. How are you? Anything interesting happen?"

"Anything interesting..?" She thought about the question for a moment. There really wasn’t much that had happened, living alone. It was quiet, uneventful for the most part. To some people that might’ve been a good thing, but to Kellen..?

"There’s a stray cat that’s been coming around," She offered, "I’ve been thinking of bringing it into the house and taking care of it."

She knew it wasn’t much, but it was literally the only excitement in her quiet life.

It was such a stark contrast from his own busy life that he redoubled his promise to visit more often. He hated to think she could be cooped up and lonely. It wasn’t as though he were especially popular himself, but he could always rely on Rae. Who did his little sister have?

"Why not? I’m sure the stray would love a warm home and food, and mortals do say having animals around is good for you."

He didn’t know how much stock he put in human sayings, but the presence of any living thing would likely do Kellen a lot of good.

Kellen nodded. She’d heard that mortals believed that, but more than believing that herself, she believed it because her brother said it.

"She’s such a fluffy little thing," She smiled, "I don’t know if someone around here feeds her, or if she finds field mice and such, but she doesn’t look to be too bad off. But it would be nice to have another being here, even if it’s one that doesn’t hold up it’s end of a conversation."

She already sounded fond of the creature. Lucifer was sure it would be a good thing for his sister to take it in.

"As long as she’s not already got a home, I think you should take her in."

Of course, he’d still visit more often, but it would put his mind at ease if she had some form of companion.

"I see her around all the time, so if she does have a home, she doesn’t seem to like staying there. And given how far it is to the next house, I’d be surprised if she just came from home everyday to play in the field across from my house."

Nevertheless, she knew her brother was right. She would check and make sure the cat didn’t already have a home before taking her in.

"You know, speaking of other homes…" She hesitated a moment, not sure exactly what she was trying to say and how to make it make sense. "After I Fell, I found a little cottage where I first woke up. It had been abandoned for years. One day Benny and I went inside and decided to clean it up. I’ve not been back in months, but I don’t even know where it is. And without my grace, I can’t even find it very easily."

She wasn’t sure why she even brought it up, why it seemed important now. 

"It was in that cottage that… that they came after me. Our brothers. It was the last time. I guess now I’m probably harder to find, without my grace."

He listened with interest as Kellen spoke of the cottage, trying to gauge how she felt about it. As she fell silent, he supposed the best way to find out was to be direct.

"What do you want to do about it?" he asked calmly.

If it was the place where she was found, she probably wouldn’t want to return, but then, why bring it up? It obviously held some kind of significance for her.

"Whatever you want, if I can help, I will."

Even Kellen wasn’t sure what she wanted out of the conversation at first, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she became of it’s importance. And suddenly she knew why.

"Until Rae found me, I didn’t really belong anywhere. I didn’t have a reason to stay in one place. But even while I was, in essence, a drifter, I always went back to that little cottage. I never even went inside for the longest time, but the area around it was so… it was peaceful. It felt like home."

Maybe it was because that forest, that cottage, was the first safe haven she’d ever had. Even her brothers finding her there couldn’t ruin that.

"I… I want to find it, but I don’t even know where to begin to look. The only thing I know for sure is that it wasn’t here, wasn’t in this country. It was somewhere else. But I think that, to find it, I need to get my grace back. That would be the easiest. Then I could just go there myself."

She knew it would be nearly impossible for someone else to find it based only on what she could remember, and with no identifying markers. Doing it herself seemed the best option, but that would also be impossible until she got her grace back.

"All we need to do is get your grace back, and then you can visit your cottage again. Simple enough."

In theory, at least. First they needed to find the demon responsible, and somehow manage to get it to give up it’s ill-gotten prize. At least it hadn’t been a true deal, as Kellen had gained nothing from it. So it was unlikely they would need to cross the so-called King of Hell. That would make things simpler - if they’d had to have gone through Crowley, it could have made things far more difficult.

"Of course, we need to find the one who did this in the first place. I know you don’t know a name, but are there any details you do remember? It could help narrow it down."

"You make it sound so easy," She sighed, "I wish it were."

She tried to remember anything, even the tiniest detail that could help. But there was nothing. 

"I don’t… I don’t know. I didn’t even know where we were. He came out of nowhere; one minute I was at the ranch in Texas, and the next I wasn’t. It was a… a warehouse, I think? It was dark. There was something else, something… burning?"

She couldn’t put her finger on what was burning, but suddenly it felt like a big deal. Important. If only she could remember!

Lucifer gave a little grimace. “I know it’s oversimplifying things, but I honestly think we can do this.”

Hmm, a warehouse wasn’t the most helpful lead - there were dozens around in every small town that had once seen industry, all over the world. But burning…that could be a different story.

"Any smell or colour from the burning? Anything at all you can remember?"

Kellen wanted to agree, to believe they could do it, but it just seemed unlikely. She had practically nothing.

"Something about the burning…" She murmured, dropping her head into her hands and closing her eyes. "It was everywhere, all around me… why me? Why did he..?"

She was talking more to herself than to Lucifer.

"It was hot. Of course it was hot. The flames were so close, I couldn’t move. But he could move. Why could he..?"

Suddenly her hands fell to the table, and she met Lucifer’s gaze with wide eyes. Of course. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Holy Fire."

Holy fire…of course. He wondered where the demon had gotten holy oil from. By all accounts, it was rare to find, but obviously not rare enough to dissuade determined demons. It also struck him that they were prepared for an angel, for the entire event. It fed into his idea that Kellen had been left as a warning - this level of planning had to have some kind of purpose.

He slowly laid his hand on her shoulder, telegraphing his movements so she wouldn’t be startled by the comforting gesture.

"The demon obviously thought about this in advance," he said slowly.

Of course, this just led to the question: what demon felt so strongly about threatening a couple of powerful angels that this whole set up was necessary? They obviously didn't feel confident in a head-on attack, hence the vagueness of the threat and use of holy fire, thus they weren't completely reckless.

Perhaps the clue was in Kellen's stolen grace. Perhaps without, they weren't particularly powerful, but had enough knowledge to spring the trap. The endgame could involve the actual power of Kellen's grace. For what? Going after - what was to them - a couple of more powerful angels? But if that were the case, forewarning him by sending a threat seemed sloppy and haphazard. It would have made more sense to kill Kellen while she was vulnerable.

But of course, all of this was speculation. He was reluctant to even share his theories with Kellen, given the small amount of information they had to go on.

All he could know for certain is that a demon stole Kellen's grace, that the demon in question had access to holy oil and that Kellen had been dropped off, graceless and vulnerable, on his doorstep. Everything else was just a theory, at this point.

"I hate to ask, but...was there anything else?"

"Watch this!" 

With a proud grin she laid her hands on opposite sides of the bowl, and the water inside slowly began to freeze over.

"I can do it now!"

"Well done, darling," he said proudly.

It seemed like only yesterday she’d been growing in her first scraggly flight feathers and now look at her.

"You’ve been practising, haven’t you?"

She beamed under his praise. 

"Yeah! I thought it would never work!" She huffed an exhausted, but well-pleased sigh, "Feels like I practiced forever. Mama kept asking where her bowls always disappeared to."

It was always a joke between them. Rae knew Ally was trying to hard to get it right. It was the one thing she wanted most, because it was the one thing that only she could do. The boys weren’t cryokinetic; she was the only one who got that trait.

It was the one thing she shared with her papa that the boys didn’t have.

"It’s definitely paid off. See what you can do when you keep trying?"

Lucifer was proud of all his children, of course, but there were moments like this where he could see how determined and relentless they could be if they really wanted something and it made him even prouder.

"Look, you’ve frozen the water solid. Not just a little surface layer of ice. I know how difficult that is. You’ve done really well."

Ally tapped at the ice in the bowl, eyes going even wider at the realization that she really had frozen it solid. She couldn’t help a little squeal of excitement, turning suddenly and hugging Luce.

"Thank you for teaching me, papa!"

She lived for these moments, far more than even she realized. Yes, she was always pleased when Mama was proud of her, but it was different when it was Papa. She worked hard to earn his praise. She loved how she felt when he was proud of her.

He hugged her back with a grin.

"It’s my pleasure," he replied.

Ally didn’t always realise it, but she was a quick learner in so many things. Probably because she was so tenacious about mastering any skill Lucifer could think to teach. Even when she found it difficult, Lucifer would see her practising - day and night if she had to - until she cracked it.

He loved showing her new things, too, if for no other reason than having moments like this, where she finally cracked it. He loved seeing her happy and excited about her own achievements - but he loved seeing all his children happy about their skills.

She held on for what felt like a long time before looking back to the bowl again. Part of her had expected the ice to melt the moment she looked away, regardless of how irrational that way.

"What kind of practical application is there for something like this?" She wondered, "What do you think, papa?"

Sure, she could freeze a bowl of water. But she wanted to find a way to use that skill, so it was more than just a fancy parlor trick.

"Hmm…I’m sure you’ll figure uses out on your own as you need them. But I’ve never had my coffee be too hot to drink. And you could have a lot of fun in winter with this, as long as you’re careful about it."

He thought for a while.

"If you ever need ice urgently to keep down a swelling, I think you’re set for that, too."

He wanted to stay away from some of the more obvious, combat-related applications. He never wanted the children to worry about the threat of attack, and he knew they were smart enough to figure it out if they wound up under attack. The main thing they had taught the children was how to find them quickly in case of an emergency.

"Never having too-hot coffee," She giggled, "That’s important."

She liked to tease about the coffee sometimes, but in truth she probably drank just as much of it as her parents.

"You’re right though, about the swelling. I’ll need to work on freezing ice in a bag or something; bit harder to use as an ice pack in a bowl like this."

"It’s of the utmost importance," he said, faux-serious…before breaking into a little smile and wink.

"Bags are a bit trickier - they move around more - but I’m sure you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.”

He was confident she would, too.

Ally laughed harder at the seriousness of his coffee talk. 

"A bag of ice is less effective for knees and elbows, too," She commented, "It would be a solid block when you need something a little more flexible. I’ll have to give it some thought."

She wasn’t sure what the optimal solution would be, but she was sure that she’d find it with her papa’s help.

"Maybe we can work on it together?"

"Perhaps if you used a tougher plastic bag, and only half-froze the contents? There would still be room for it to move around tricky areas but still be cold…that’s just a first thought, though."

He wondered if there’d ever be a day his children didn’t want or need his help. He really hoped not - he enjoyed little moments like this. He’d never even thought about using his cooler tenancies in more productive ways - not until Ally had bought it up. This was hardly the first time that their questions had forced him to think in new and interesting ways.

"I’d love to help you find a better solution."

"That’s a good idea. Then it would be kinda like those blue ice bags I’ve seen." 

Ally’s eyes lit up at his words, at the prospect of tackling this project with his help. It’d been awhile since she’d taken on a job that they could really work one-on-one with.

"I wonder if maybe there’s a way to freeze the water but still keep it fragile enough that it would break easily? That might be a good solution too."

"Maybe if it was just partially frozen, then broken up by hand, and partly frozen again? It would be more like slush than one slab of ice…"

He was really looking forward to working with her in earnest over this. It had been too long, really.

"That’s a good idea! It would be much more flexible, the slush. That might even be beter than the typical bags of ice cubes. You could wrap it around the injury, getting it perfectly where you need it…"

It felt like it had been a really long time since she and her papa had a project they could work on together. The last time involved flying lessons, and those weren’t strictly one-on-one. She was looking forward to being able to work on something that was just for her and him.

"It might. I think we need to test this out, don’t you?"

He loved watching her face light up like this. That she knew she could follow her curiosity anywhere and she never even doubted she’d be supported. Lucifer would sooner go back to the cage than allow a flicker of that doubt to exist. He needed his children to know that they could always count on their parents to support them. It was hardly as if the rest of the world would go out of it’s way to.

"Yeah, we should test it. Best way to find out, right?"

Ally was already off in search of plastic bags, eager to test their theory and see how it worked. She knew that if it didn’t work, they would just re-evaluate and alter things until it did. They would keep trying. They wouldn’t stop until they’d succeeded.

Lucifer, similarly helpfully, was rooting around in a cupboard. Ideally he wanted some of those freezer bags that he was sure were still around here somewhere…aha!

"Found the bags!" he said, waving the box.

Ally grinned as Papa waved the box like a banner, then continued digging around until she came up with a couple of bags. Taking them and a roll of paper towels to the table (one did not experiment without being prepared for potential messes, after all), she grabbed a bowl and filled it with water before returning to the table again.

"Alright, I think that’s everything we need."

"It looks like it. Now, this is your show. How do you want to do this?" he asked.

It’d be good for Ally to take charge for a bit, over something where she could take her time, and get it right without any problematic mess ups. The worst that could happen here is the counters getting a little wet and cold - nothing the kitchen couldn’t handle.

Once everything was gathered before her, Ally eyed the items critically. Deciding where to begin was an important step, after all, and she wanted to do it right.

"Let’s do this," She put the plastic bags together and put the freezer bag inside them, "Should make it less messy that way." 

The next step would be the tricky one, harder to do on her own. Holding open the bags, she gestured to the bowl of water and looked to her papa.

"Can you pour the water in here?"