[@Neko Sensei]

[h3][color=#2dbdfc]Lucifer of Phoenix[/color][/h3]
[color=#2dbdfc]Dark Lord's Castle[/color]

Lucifer did not become aware of his master's presence until one of his dogs started licking his face. He tried to push it off, but it's partner started joining in and Lucifer didn't want to use both his hands in case he accidentally impaled one of the poor beasts on his hidden blade. So he just kind of sat there and took it, silently praying they would stop.
Lucifer had never been a fan of dogs. He never really trusted them, since he didn't know what they were thinking. Any creature that could switch from playful to chewing your throat out at the drop of a hat was not something he cared to spend much time with. But Alastor insisted on keeping these two mutts around. It was an issue he had kept schtum about, since the Dark Lord would inevitably side with the hounds. And because he wasn't asserting dominance over the beasts, they saw him as a plaything. Oh, sure, they never actually [i]hurt[/i] him, not yet anyway. But every time one of those two big bloody brutes bounded into the room, Lucifer felt his heart stop. Lance had a three-headed puppy as well. Must be a dark magic thing.

The unwanted face-washing didn't last too long, however, and the hounds retreated behind the legs of their master. Lucifer crawled to his feet as he tried to wipe the drool off his face, trying and failing to hide both disgust and shame. 

[color=#2dbdfc]"My apologies, sir"[/color] Lucifer began, attempting to mollify without seeming sycophantic. [color=#2dbdfc]"I got slightly lost..."[/color]

The boy took the Lord's hand, unable to look him in the eye. He felt suitable chastised for his error and didn't want to cause things to worsen. Even if he wasn't saying anything, he could feel Alastor's disapproval.

[color=#2dbdfc]"My pride, sir, dropped alongside my body temperature."[/color] It was said jovially, but he was only half-joking [color=#2dbdfc]"For a moment there, I genuinely expected to be sleeping on the floor tonight. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."[/color]

It would be best, he thought, if he was to explain exactly why he was there in the first place. The last thing he wanted was for the Dark Lord to think he was a traitor and when one is discovered lying just outside the lord of the castle's study - well, intentions are easily misconstrued.

[color=#2dbdfc]"I was trying to clear my head, sir. One of the Badlanders sent me a rather... disturbing message. And it got me thinking - how are we meant to win this war without causing nothing but destruction and desolation? We get very little support from the average commoner and it seems the only hold we have is coercion and money. No-one wants to join us because they think our cause is just. All our men are either violent, mercantile or just plain crazy. And maybe that's the reason that we haven't been making as many waves as we should. So I thought, if we reach out to the people who already don't like King Lionfury, show the commoners that we aren't as bad as Trance's propaganda makes us out to be, maybe we can get that much needed support and be able to push into Trance proper."[/color]

At this, he shrugged unhappily and muttered[color=#2dbdfc] "But then again, you've probably already got plans. I don't mean to impose, I just thought it might be something to consider.[/color]