Well...at least I have time to write now, I guess.

My poor attempts at jokes aside, I hope everybody stays healthy and safe.

For those interested, I have read here and there that some writers post "character" songs or what inspired writers for certain scenes. I listen to a lot of music in my free time and I don't have a particular genre I like or outright hate but I thought I give some sample of that overly long playlist of mine:

"Dear God" - by Lawless feat. Sydney Wayser

"Saints" - by Echoes

"Everybody wants to rule the world" - covered by Lorde

"City of the Dead" - by Eurielle

"Become the Beast" - by Karliene - a song she shares with someone else

"Something wicked this way comes" - by Raydia, composed by Diana Haunts & James Warburton

"We are the Night" - by Raydia, composed by Diana Haunts & James Warburton

"Here I Am" (feat. brooke) - produced by Tommee Profitt

"Mad World" - by unsecret (feat. REMMI)

"Walk through the fire" - by Zayde Wolf (feat. Ruelle) - this one is also on the list with another character

"Too far gone" - by Hidden Citizens feat Svrcina

"Breathe" - by Fleurie

"The Wolves" - by Cyrus Reynolds feat. Keeley Bumford

"Flesh and Bones" - by Black Math

Hopefully, the selection suits your taste (it's mostly Rock/Epic/Whatever you call it - I'm not so big on the genre departement). The order actually makes sense - in a strange way.

The noise was something she was used to. The voices in her head were rarely quiet, constantly whispering in the background like a static. It was a mass of words that mixed with laughter, hisses, chuckling and growling. Sometimes they were good-natured and sometimes they turned sinister for no reason at all.

It felt more than a couple of years since she gained this mental affliction. At the start, it just had been some flickering in the corner of her eyes or a tiny whisper that could be easily ignored. As she collected bodies, years and enemies, it had grown worse. People that she knew often joked that it was the punishment for committing sacrilege.

For all intents and purposes, they were right.

But maybe she had been mad before since this sickness had been self-inflicted from the very start. She knew what she was getting into. She knew that it would get worse - one day at a time. She also knew that she would never search for a cure for it – only temporary release.

A decision that she felt now more than anything. The voices grew worse, interrupting her train of thought and started to taunt her. She felt the constant drumming and scratching against the inside of her skull through the night. Even when she hated to admit to this weakness, she knew her mind was craving for the adrenalin.

For the moment of vivid colors and utter silence.

Lucifer shuddered a little and she stopped in the middle of the staircase.

She rolled her shoulders and tried to steady herself. For a moment, she played with the thought to turn on her heel and return to her room. Nobody would fault her if she took a day off.

"One day won't be enough." She thought.

The young woman let out a sigh. The side of her head hit the metal of the wall. The cool surface felt good against her skin.

"…Just a moment. A moment is enough."

To get her thoughts in order. It was just the mounting frustration with everything and everyone that made everything worse. The massive red bracelet around her right wrist felt heavier than usual.

"…sold our soul for this! What a farce!" Something hissed against her left ear and she left out a light, exhausted chuckle.

"For that, I would have needed a soul to give in the first place." She argued. "Kind of…lost that long ago."

At least, that was what people told her. According to them, she didn't have a heart or a soul and thus, it was for a just cause to put a bullet in her brain. Unfortunately for them, she wouldn't stand still and let herself get shot. The corners of her lips twitched up to a smile.

Then the smile died as something in her vision caught her attention. Lucifer slightly straightened her posture but was careful not to make too much noise when her bodyweight shifted on the metal ground. She waited and watched. It didn't repeat itself, but she could feel that there was something there – just around the corner. Maybe it was her paranoia acting up again, but her experience told her to be careful and assess the situation first.

Which meant trying to focus her senses and hoping something might turn up. She couldn't see anything, there was just a little feeling that told her that something or someone was there. Her hearing was impaired through the sudden excited whispers filling her mind.

She inhaled.

The smell of rust and metal penetrated her nose. She frowned as she picked up a trace that was indeed somewhat out of place in this dreary, abandoned dimly lit staircase: something flowery sweet. She threw a glance over her shoulder to the illuminated number on the wall behind her.

"The main hall's too far away." Her senses were better than the average human ever since she became a God Eater, but they weren't that good that she smelled some visitor from three floors below. Whatever it was, now it had her undivided attention.

Lucifer breathed in again.

The scent was still there, and it was unlikely that it was a God Eater. They didn't wear any perfume or cologne under normal circumstances. Their heightened senses made such strong-smelling luxury items hard to stand. That aside, nobody wanted to have their cover blown on a mission because someone wanted to smell like a flowery beacon for the Aragami to track down. There was a reason why some God Eaters called the smell of perfume on another God Eater a "funeral bouquet" under their breaths.

A God Eater that freshly returned from a mission smelled like sweat, earth, rain, mud and Aragami blood – depending on what and where they hunted. After a clean-up, they smelled like soap and antiseptics, and rarely, the soap was scented with herbs and flowers.

That smell penetrating her nostrils right now was definitely not a scented soap.

The woman lowered her stance slightly and her eyes narrowed. While keeping her body near the wall, she carefully set one foot in front of the other to minimize the sound that she was making. She caught a glimpse of a red fabric peeking out near the corner.

Quietly, she stalked closer while the smell got stronger.

A small girl stood there, back pressed against the wall, eyes closed and slightly shivering. The tension left Lucifer's body almost immediately.

"Eric's sister." She almost clicked her tongue. That was on the things that she didn't want to deal with today. For a second, she contemplated if she should just turn around and go back to her room. Then again, the unit had a meeting which she had to attend. She could always use the elevator. A slight shiver overcame her of the thought of a tiny moving space that could get stuck at any time and trapping her within.

"…I will take the sister…"

Lucifer spoke up "…You shouldn't be here, little one."

The girl's eyes snapped open, then she inhaled, and an almost unnatural high screech escaped her. At least, until the older woman quickly stifled it by pressing her gloved hand softly against her small mouth.

"Easy there, little one. There's no need to scream like that." She scolded her softly before she moved her hand away. The girl suckled in her breath and stared at her for a second before looking away quickly. "Did you get lost?" She pressed on.

The girl dared to look offended and crossed her small arms before her chest.

"I…I didn't get lost. Not at all. I know exactly where I'm going!"

"She got lost." The voices laughed in union with her thought.

"Now then, little one…If you aren't lost, may I ask you where you are planning to go?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Unfortunately, it is. Visitors aren't allowed on this floor if they haven't a special permit." That was the only reason why she actually couldn't let the child go her way unsupervised. Normally, she wouldn't much care but with the evidence she already had…

"…A girl lost her family…ended up mentally broken, manipulated with empty promises of vengeance…All it takes is just one wrong turn on the staircase…only one person in the wrong place." The shadows glared her from the walls as they hissed at her.

She couldn't leave that girl alone. God forbid, the little one came across someone like this fat bastard named Dr. Oguruma.

"Eric never…" The girl caught herself and cleared her throat. "I have…one."

Granted, the permit was a bluff, but the girl fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.

"There are two ways this is going to. Either you follow me to the main hall willingly or I will simply throw you over my shoulder and carry you there. Your choice, little one."

"You wouldn't…."

Lucifer smiled faintly to signal her that oh she would if the girl was stubborn enough. The girl gazed around quickly, probably trying to find a way out of this.

"Don't think about running, little one. I'm faster than you." She let out a soft, amused chuckle to sound less threatening than her words made her out to be. While she never intentionally harmed children, they used to run away at the very sight of her.

A shadow with wings perched on the small girl's head and looked at her with piercing, reptile eyes.

"A self-inflicted reputation, no less. How many of them grew up to imbed a knife into us?" It asked while reaching with an overly long limb down to caress the girl's face.

Lucifer grimaced as she felt the scar on her hip ache.

"A couple.", was her dry mental response.

The girl didn't move or speak for a second – completely unaware of the monstrous apparition on her head. She probably considered her options right now.

"…I probably scare her."

The setting wasn't the most comfortable to be in. The lights were dim, she wore dark colors, she didn't have a good, friendly reputation, her expression today didn't look that good either and she just appeared out of nowhere like some ghost.

Lucifer closed her eyes with a frown. "Of course, I am."

The woman then sighed and tried to gain some middle ground.

"Fine then. If you tell me what you are doing here, maybe I can help you."

"We don't have the time." A voice said to her right.

"We can't leave the little one alone.", argued the other to the left.

She wanted nothing less to shout at them to shut up for once, but she knew that it was futile. The girl buried her small hands into her dark skirt.

"I…" She bit her lip. "I was searching for something."

Lucifer crooked her head and waited patiently for her to continue. Instead, a piece of paper was shoved right into her face. It was a rather…rough drawing of a bluish rectangle with some symbols on it that she couldn't decipher and a circle on top. Lucifer frowned a little and turned to Hibari.

"I-It's a talisman that Eric gave to me, but I couldn't find it a-anywhere!"

Lucifer moved her head a little to look at the girl. She was blushing, not looking at her. Then she carefully took the piece of paper from her small hands.

"I can't say I have seen it, but I know someone we could ask for help." She responded carefully and offered her hand. The girl looked at her and then huffed.

"I can walk on my own."

Lucifer retreated her hand with a smile. "Ah, yes. I apologize." She motioned towards the stairway before her. "Your highness."

The girl glared at her, crossed her arms before her chest and walked down the stairs. Just as she turned away, Lucifer's shoulder sagged down slightly before she followed the girl down and carefully stirred her towards the main hall. Eric's little sister seemed to be uncertain at first and threw her a glare. Maybe she thought that she was tricked.

Lucifer lifted an eyebrow as she looked back at her. With a sigh, she walked to the counter. Hibari was there – as always. She never had seen the young woman taking a day off but that wasn't important right now.

"Good morning, Hibari."

Hibari greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, Lucifer."

She was one of the only people that said her name without a hint of mockery. It was refreshing between the nicknames and degrading name-calling that she had to endure on a daily basis.

"Your team members are already upstairs. Tsubaki will brief you on your mission."

"I see…but I have a favor to ask."

Hibari stopped typing and looked at her surprised. Lucifer motioned to Erina to come over and she didn't look quite certain about it. The older woman repeated the gesture to get her to move. Hibari immediately recognized her and it was probably mutual, seeing how uncomfortable the girl looked.

"I think you are already acquainted," Lucifer noted drily and then shook her head. "But just to make sure…That's Hibari. She knows more about the administrative side of the Branch than me. If you want something to be found in this building, she's your best bet."

The woman on the other side of the counter blinked two times before she put together what was going on her. She turned her gaze to Erina and gave her a gentle smile. "Did you lose something?"

Erina just quickly slapped the drawing on the desk and looked away.

"It's a …a talisman. I got it for my brother." The girl explained.

"Ah, I see!" Hibari exclaimed and she smiled. "It's an omamori."

Lucifer frowned. That word sounded foreign. "A what?"

"It's a wooden amulet that you keep in a small bag made out of fabric. I have heard they were quite common before the collapse." Hibari explained quickly before looking at the girl. "I ask around if someone has seen it."

"I will ask around, too. Maybe one of the other God Eaters has seen it." Lucifer added. "That will cover more ground."

The girl looked up at her, her mouth slightly agape. "You would?!"

"Why wouldn't I? It's a simple enough request." That aside, she could use it as an excuse to snoop around for a little bit. Nobody could criticize her for helping a small child looking for something like that.

"Because you…Eric…and…"

Lucifer understood some parts of the girl's mumbling, but she got the gist of it.

"You asked me for help to look for it. That's more than enough, little one." She smiled slightly. "Now, excuse me, I don't want to run late for the briefing."

"Of course. Good luck out there."

Lucifer gave them a handwave as she walked up the stairs to the side and spotted Kota hanging half-way over the railing. A shit-eating grin graced his features.

"Good morning! Already did your good deed for the day, huh?" His tone was teasing but not ill-intended. However, it was enough for her to glare at him and let out a growl. He lifted his hands up.

"E-easy there. It was just a joke." He laughed a little bit to take away the tension.

Lucifer cleared her throat.

"Good morning." She returned the greeting. "You don't seem tired today."

She had learned that Kota just had two emotional settings in the morning: either imitating the rising sun or looking and acting like a shambling corpse.

"For once." Alisa huffed as she came up behind him and crossed her arms before her chest. Kota pulled a face.

"…Just because I stayed up late that one time." He complained and rolled his eyes. "By the way, I'm not the one looking tired her this time." He gestured towards Lucifer as he spoke. The girl frowned and looked at her. The worry was suddenly plain on her features.

"Are you alright?"

"…Aside from trying to backstab the director, the complicated situation, the babysitting and the apparitions that start to get annoying…I'm fine. Just peachy. Sleeping is for the dead anyway." Lucifer was surprised at her small internal voice sounding so bitter. She couldn't really complain about a situation that was of her own making.

What in the end came out of her mouth was a simple "All things considered, I'm fine."

Alisa's left eyebrow furrowed. "Really? Kota told me that you looked as if you had seen a ghost yesterday."

Lucifer glanced at the young man for a moment and he avoided looking directly at her.

"He caught me off-guard yesterday. I'm not used to that." It was a flimsy excuse, but it was the closest one to the truth.

"You are telling me that he…" Alisa pointed at Kota. "Has managed to catch you off-guard?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Kota complained.

"Kota, you can't sneak up on somebody or anything to save your life. There's a reason why Aragami go after you first!"

Alisa had a point. He wasn't very inconspicuous with his brightly colored clothes and flashy custom-made bullets. As someone who could only use a gun, he would do better with not drawing attention to himself by not being a flashy beacon of light. It would make her job easier at keeping him alive in the long run.

Lucifer exhaled and watched them bicker back and forth for a moment. She just closed her eyes and tried to get the pain spreading in her skull under control that started to grow worse again. She felt something burrowing into her shoulder and a flaming shadow hissing.

"Without care for the world." A glimmer in the corner of her eyes caught her attention and despite her better judgment, she turned her head. A warm sensation spread on the skin of her right hand, right below the fabric of her glove. For a moment, the air smelled of copper and iron.

Silver eyes stared back at her.

She forgot to breathe.

"Well, aren't they spirited?" Sakuya voice penetrated the sudden silence in her head. Quickly, her eyes searched for the source of this voice. The one that was real – at least, she believed that it was real. The medic was approaching her from the left, her high heels clicking against the ground with the usual rhythm.

"Good morning." Lucifer greeted her. Her voice cracked a little at the end but she cleared her throat again to cover it up.

The older woman didn't look any different than usual. Her skin wasn't paler and there weren't any dark rings under her eyes. Her hair was combed, and her clothes were in order. Still, something looked off about her appearance – or rather her face…her eyes. She looked absent, barely really paying attention to the spectacle in front of them.

"…Rough night?" Lucifer dared to inquire. It was a useless question, but a short conversation might give her something to focus on. The medic smiled. The smile didn't reach her eyes and looked strained.

"I could ask the same."

There was a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"There's just a lot on my mind." The younger woman admitted as she crossed her arms before her chest. Sakuya looked at her for a second before looking back at the two squabbling teenagers. Judging from Alisa's look, she was one step away from mentally strangling her teammate. Neither Sakuya nor Lucifer moved to dissolve the situation – whatever the matter of discussion was. As long as neither got physical, there was no need to.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Sakuya seemed to want to continue their conversation.

"Something's in the air."

Sakuya nodded slowly.

Lucifer caught the gaze of the Shinigami. As usual, he was far away from the group – only close enough to be in hearing distance and keep an eye on the situation.

She clicked her tongue, tilted her head to the side and whispered: "I didn't receive any notification about our future schedule. Are there less Aragami movements?"

That seemed hardly possible. There were always Aragami roaming around and it had gotten worse over the last couple of weeks. Then again, the unit needed a break.

"I don't know." Sakuya retorted with a sigh. "Tsubaki just told me about the briefing today."

Lucifer felt something in her gut twist. First, Lindow was officially declared to be K.I.A, then their usual schedule was interrupted by a sudden briefing that normally came up when something went horrible wrong on the frontlines or announced changes. Since she didn't see God Eaters running around in a hurry. It couldn't be anything too bad.

Lucifer bit her thumb slightly. That meant some internal change in the unit or a new Aragami that was her target today.

"How odd." She remarked and Sakuya nodded in agreement again.

The first possibility made more sense, considering the context. Lindow was declared dead and thus, the position of the unit leader was free. Sakuya was just the stand-in and was never promoted to unit leader after the incident. Surely, the director was aware of Lindow's close connection to her.

"Was there a transfer lately?" Lucifer asked. "Or rumors about one?"

"No. After Alisa we hadn't even an application for…" Sakuya stopped herself and her expression grew pensive. She lowered her voice as she continued: "You think it's about a new God Eater?"

"Perhaps."

A replacement. That made sense. She couldn't come up with a list of people who could take the position before they were interrupted by Tsubaki's call of attention. Quickly Alisa and Kota ceased their bickering and saluted. Sakuya and Lucifer did the same. Only Soma in the background didn't make any attempts to come closer or change his posture.

Tsubaki took a quick glance at the clipboard in her hands before she inhaled and gave out the orders.

"A Sariel was spotted in the vicinity of the Sunken Grind. You are tasked to eliminate it immediately."

That sounded easy enough. A new Aragami was spotted. Maybe her worries were just that.

"Lucifer." Tsubaki called her and Lucifer straightened. "After this mission, you will be promoted. Congratulations, you will be the new unit leader."

Time seemed to freeze.

Lucifer's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. The words didn't come as her brain tried to process meaning and all their implications in a millisecond in her head. Sakuya said something but it sounded distant and distorted.

Lindow was officially considered dead and buried. Sakuya couldn't hide that she was crumbling under the emotional stress. This situation had created the perfect excuse for placing a new puppet at the helm of the team in an attempt to get them under control again.

Her.

She wanted to laugh at the sheer audacity this man had.

"What a disgustingly sly move."

Her fingernails dug into her palms. Her hands were shaking.

A hand touched her shoulder - rotten through, the flesh falling off and a foul odor to match.

"From this day on, you will lead them.", spoke a raspy voice before it started crackling at her misery. She could feel the stares that wanted to crush her and heard how the voices joined the laughter. She could feel its cold breath that smelled like rot and decay. She closed her eyes. Trying to keep her breath even, trying to stop the trembling. Then she felt something burning on her lip. The smell of copper filling her nostrils, the taste of iron filling her mouth.

The others were looking at her.

"Like vultures waiting for you to make a mistake. To show weakness. Don't trust them."

"Do you have any objections?" The older woman in white, Tsubaki, asked her.

Her lips curled up in a smile. "It's nothing."

It sounded mechanical. Just something she had to repeat over and over without any meaning or truth to it. Nothing she could say that would be acknowledged by the director. All of them probably expected her to show gratitude and humility at being granted this opportunity.

To be grateful for being next in line with his puppets.

With that, the focus would be on her again. The one who snatched Lindow's place away just because she was the favorite, the special one, the New Type and personally sponsored by the man who just killed him off. They would probably whisper and ridicule her all the same behind her back.

Undesiring. Weak. Fraud.

And this man probably expected her to grovel before him, to thank him for saving her 'life'.

"I just didn't expect to be granted such an honor." The words came quickly over her tongue.

Her muscles tensed. She had done this before. She had played this part before. She could do it again. Just like always, give a smile, be polite, be grateful for the noose that was handed to her. It was all just a part of the job. To bow her head, to disgrace herself and do the bidding of others.

"This isn't different, isn't it? Just the same old play."

The corpse to her side nodded. She could hear the cracking of bones and tearing of flesh.

"Just the same." It answered. "Just pick up the mask and do it again. Let me help you."

A strange cold sensation spread in her chest. She felt like something inside her snapped back into place. Or was it out of place? She didn't know. The trembling stopped. Her rapid heartbeat slowed down until she couldn't feel it. However, a last spark of defiance reared its ugly head.

"…But to my knowledge, the position is already taken." Lucifer continued and glanced over her shoulder. Sakuya looked taken aback by this announcement. She probably didn't know about this either. "And I would like to discuss this promotion in detail with the director after the mission."

Kota frowned, as well as Alisa while the Shinigami stared holes into her back. It was a promotion, after all. A reward for her hard work. She should just bow her head to and gracefully accept.

Unjustified.

Tsubaki watched her with a neutral well-schooled expression. She neither showed surprise nor confusion or any other hint what she thought of her request. After a short moment of silence, she answered.

"I will relay the message."

"Thank you, Tsubaki. Then if that's everything, I would like to prepare."

"L-Lucy…Is…?" Kota tried to call out for her but she ignored it.

"Sakuya, I would like to have a word with you before we leave."

The medic gave her a nod and followed her. She led her down the staircase towards the God Arc vault and just shy before reaching the last flight of stairs, she stopped. Carefully, she glanced around to make sure that there weren't any surveillance cameras around. Sakuya waited for her to speak up.

"…You didn't know about the promotion?"

The older woman frowned. "No, I didn't."

Lucifer let out a sigh and covered her eyes.

Deep breaths.

"I should have anticipated that." The signs were all over the place, but she hadn't connected the dots. She was too caught up with everything else with making sure that Alisa won't turn into a wild card again. Too caught up to subtle convince the director not to get rid of her.

"How do you feel about the promotion?" Sakuya watched her carefully.

"Depends if we are talking from a personal or a logical standpoint."

"Your personal thoughts, if you don't mind."

"I would rather have you as the leader." Lucifer admitted. "From a logical standpoint, I'm not trusting this promotion. It's feels too…convenient. Aside from the fact that the benefits might not even out the risks."

"The risks?"

"The limited time, a lot of work and dealing with the fallout that Lindow has left behind. I'm not willing to really burden myself with this if there are other things left to do."

"You could turn it down." She pointed out.

"Do you really think, he would let me? And even if he lets me, who will take the position then? He deems you as not fit or ready to take Lindow's place and the seat of the unit leader has to be taken by someone."

Sakuya looked lost in thought for a moment. Then she spoke up.

"You worry about the people that he considered for this position."

Lucifer almost smirked. He could tell why Lindow had an attachment to her and asked Lucifer to watch over them. The medic was quick to catch on, but she had too many emotions that she didn't handle well. This might lead her to disaster if left unchecked.

"I'm already his pet, so it isn't quite that surprising picking me." She said.

Although she doubted that. The director didn't know her long enough to be absolutely certain that she would do his every beck and call – especially after what happened with Alisa. She dared to voice her opinion, dared to think and convince him that keeping a liability was the better choice. Perhaps that was why she was handed the noose. A leader position meant he had her in his palms. She would answer to him, not Tsubaki. Every decision could pull the string around her throat tighter or he would kick the stool from under her.

"…Death, either way." A voice sighed into her ear and she shuddered.

"I will probably not be able to do this alone. I'm not here long enough to know all the procedures that I have to do and…."

Sakuya's expression softened. "Don't worry. I will help you out with that."

"…perfect…"

"Thank you."

At least, she could keep Sakuya close and their meetings wouldn't be that suspicious anymore. That aside, she could exert more influence to keep Alisa in the group, maybe picking suitable pawns to add to their unit later on. Not to mention the access to data that she would gain through the promotion.

"…At what price?" She felt something under her chin. Cold, dead fingers. She closed her eyes, not willing to watch what her mind could conjure in front of her. Still, she saw a spark of silver eyes. "How far are you willing to disgrace yourself to get what you want?"

Another shudder took over her body. The stench of rot pierced her nose.

"How far…?" The voice was cut off as she felt something on her shoulder.

"Are you feeling well enough today for this mission?" The medic asked. Her touch was gentle but felt alien. Uncomfortable.

Revolting.

Lucifer rolled her shoulders.

"Just a lot of thoughts going through my mind at once." She said with a sigh. "I can deal with it."

She had to.

So it's three o'clock in the morning. Stay safe and healthy, people and have a good night.