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Mais là!—a Cajun/Creole expression of exasperation or surprise meaning “Oh well!”, “Really?”, and my personal favorite “Come on now!”
Somewhere in the hotel, present day
Lucifer crouched down beside his daughter, his white top hat askew from where she'd tugged at it moments before. Rinnie stood there in all her toddler glory, clutching a slipper—one of Charlie’s fluffy ones—that was almost comically large in her tiny hands.
"Okay, sweetie," Lucifer whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. "Remember what we practiced."
Rinnie nodded with the solemnity of a soldier about to leap right into combat. Her little fawn ears—the ones she'd inherited from Alastor—twitched forward and alert. They were the softest things Lucifer had ever touched, covered in brown, downy fur. They never failed to make his heart melt. Rinnie’s fluffy tail poked out from beneath her little dress, wagging back and forth. The red circles on her cheeks, though—those were all Lucifer. Little spots of crimson that flushed deeper when she was excited.
“We gotta be real quiet.” Lucifer whispered.
"Quiet," Rinnie whispered back. "Like mice."
"Exactly like mice," Lucifer agreed. "Tiny, sneaky mice."
Ronnie giggled, then immediately slapped both hands over her mouth. Her eyes went wide. They both listened. Somewhere down the hall, a door creaked. Somewhere else, something that might have been a demon screaming. The hotel was never truly quiet.
Lucifer stood, offering Rinnie his hand. "Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Let's go find Maman."
They crept down the hallway together, Lucifer's long legs forcing him to take exaggerated, slow steps to match Rinnie's toddler pace. She waddled more than walked, really, the slipper dragging against the carpet. Every few steps she'd look up at him with those big eyes—and it was so precious that Lucifer would almost feel bad for what was about to happen.
The plan was simple: catch the Radio Demon unawares. Then Rinnie would strike with the slipper. And then—
Well, that was where Lucifer's plan diverged slightly from what he'd told his daughter.
But Lucifer was the King of Hell did. Why should he play by the rules? What rules? The idea had come to him out of the blue: let Rinnie do the deed, then lock her in the room with Alastor. Let Alastor deal with a confused, betrayed toddler who would no doubt use every ounce of her considerable cuteness to escape punishment.
They reached the door to Alastor's study. Lucifer could hear the faint an old jazz record playing. Oh, Alastor was definitely in there. Probably seated in his favorite chair sipping black and bitter coffee and pretending he wasn't fond of anyone in the hotel.
Lucifer leaned down to Rinnie's level. "Okay, here's what we do," he whispered. "I open the door very quietly. You sneak in—remember, super quiet—and then when you're close enough, you whack him with the slipper."
"Whack," Rinnie repeated, nodding. "Whack Maman."
"Exactly. Whack Maman." Lucifer nodded, trying very hard not to laugh. “And then Daddy will help you escape. Daddy promises."
Rinnie didn’t see the way he hid his fingers behind his back and crossed them. Rinnie's tail wagged even harder. She clutched the slipper to her chest like it was sacred.
Lucifer reached for the doorknob, turned it very slowly,, and pushed the door open just enough for a small toddler to slip through.
The Radio Demon himself sat at his desk, back to the door, engrossed in a book. His ears—so like Rinnie's—were angled forward in concentration. Lucifer watched as Rinnie began her approach. She was surprisingly quiet when she wanted to be. Her little feet padded against the carpet, barely making a sound. The slipper was held aloft, ready to strike.
Closer. Closer. Closer…
Lucifer slipped into the room behind her, positioning himself by the door. This was going to be good.
Rinnie was within striking distance now. Alastor still hadn't noticed. She raised the slipper high. Then with all the force her tiny body could muster, she brought it down on Alastor's leg…
THWACK!
Alastor's reaction was immediate. His ears shot straight up. His head turned a full one hundred eighty degrees, eyes black and wide. A burst of static suddenly filled the room. Then Rinnie, twice as victorious as she was small, spun around and went straight for the door.
"Daddy! Run! Daddy run!" She cried.
Lucifer smiled. Stepped back through the door and pulled it shut with a little wave.
The lock clicked into place.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Rinnie stared at the closed door. Then at Alastor. Then at the door again. Her lower lip began to wobble.
"Daddy?" she called. "Daddy, open?"
From the other side of the door, Lucifer's muffled laugh could be heard as clear as day.
“Sorry, sweetie! Daddy had no other choice! Say hi to your Maman for me!”
Betrayal. Pure, absolute betrayal.
Rinnie's ears drooped. She looked up at Alastor, who had turned fully in his chair now, watching her with an expression that was anything but easy to read.
"Maman," Rinnie said, her voice wobbling around every syllable. "Maman, I sorry."
Alastor's head tilted eerily. "A̵r̸e̵ you now?"
Rinnie nodded frantically. She dropped the slipper. And then, in a move that surprised even Alastor, she dropped to her knees. Her little hands pressed together in front of her, pleading. Her ears flattened against her head. Her tail curled between her legs.
"Please, Maman dézolé. I sorry! Daddy…Daddy said—I sorry. Please no be mad. Please!"
She bowed her head to make it extra convincing.
Alastor stood and went over to her. Rinnie peeked up at him through her lashes.
"Maman?"
"Ç̸̛̲̱o̴̙͕̯͝m̶͇̋ẹ̴̊̊͂ here, my d̷͇̯͈̿̊a̶̡̢̢̫̼̞̤͈̞̦͉̗͆̉̑̎̈́͛ͅr̷̈͒͑͑͂̉̐̒̓̓̚͝ͅl̷̢̛̤̼̝͖̻̣̪̹̺̹͖̻͑̊̈́̊̌̍̔͊͋̑̅ͅͅį̷̟̟͖̥̺̖̦̟̉͗̊͋̈́͋̍͒̊̕ͅͅņ̷̛͓͙̇̌́̏͊̓̔̈́g̴̡̡̠͉̙̞̝̘̬̦͂." Alastor’s smile sharpened.
Rinnie got to her feet and hugged his legs "I sorry, Maman! Bokou dézolé! No be mad. Please."
Alastor rested a hand on his daughter’s head, right between those soft little ears.
He sighed. "Mais la! I am not angry, mô petit pomme.”
Rinnie looked up. "You not?"
"I’m not." Alastor’s gaze shifted to the door. "But I believe someone else will be."
He raised a hand, claws flexing and glowing with an ominous green light. The shadows in the room began to twist and shift. The door rattled in its frame.
Outside, Lucifer heard the distinctive sound of Alastor's magic stirring, and for the first time, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.
"Uh oh."
The door exploded inward—or rather, it didn't explode at all. It simply ceased to exist as a barrier. Lucifer barely had time to step back before shadows wrapped around his ankles and yanked him forward like he stole something.
"Wait—
He was dragged across the threshold and came to a stop at Alastor's feet: flat on his back and staring up at his lovely husband’s less-than-pleased smile.
"Ȟ̷͖e̵̦͋l̸̩̕l̷̝͐o̴̳̚, darling," Alastor said sweetly.
Too sweetly.
Lucifer laughed nervously. "Uh h-hey there, baby.”
Alastor's grip on him tightened. "You dare to send a child to do your dirty work?”
"Come on, Al! It was funny!”
Alastor wasn’t laughing, though his eyes gleamed in a way that suggested he wasn't truly angry. But despite this, his shadows continued to wrap themselves around Lucifer's wrists, pinning them to the floor. That definitely didn’t awaken something in Lucifer. Blushing hotly, the king waggled his brow suggestively.
“What are you planning, Bambi?” He asked.
“Why, to take my revenge of course, darling!” Alastor replied. The Radio Demon let out a low, unearthly growl shot through with heavy interference. "Rinnie, sweetheart, why don't you go find your sister Charlie?" Alastor suggested, not looking away from Lucifer. "Tell her Daddy’s going to need help."
"Okay!" Rinnie ran to the door-less doorway. She paused. She ran back, grabbed the slipper, and pressed it into Lucifer's hand. "Here, Daddy. You try now."
And then she was off.
Luciter stared at the slipper. Then up at Alastor. He tossed the slipper aside and threw up his hands as Alastor’s main shadow grinned wide at him.
“Oh that’s a sexy smile,” Lucifer’s smirk fell, “but not a sexy-sexy smile! I yield! I yield!”
“Have you forgotten the rules, my dear?” Alastor's face was inches from his now. "I play to win. And I always win.
Alastor suddenly tripled in size, antlers branching out with a disturbing crack.
“Oh shit.” Lucifer said.
In the hallway, Rinnie's laughter rang out as she ran toward Charlie's room.
Operation slipper: Complete.