Peering in the windows of the shops along the streets, Callie finds nothing that brings her to want to go into one of the stores. She’s been in most of them before while living with Charlie and had nothing to do. None of them seemed to have anything new in to look at.

After an hour of window shopping she sits down on one of the benches along the street. She’s wearing khaki Capri’s and a white tank top with sun on it that’s been personified to have a smiling face; yellow sneakers on her feet. Blonde hair was kept down and curled under as usual, barely touching her shoulders. Erik was at work and would be for quite a while longer. The idea of just heading back to Cecily’s house was quite appealing at this point. What to do, what to do.

So bitter. Oh, so bitter. Lucifer missed the days where he'd been simply bored with nothing to do. He missed the days where he was actually in a good mood. Those seemed so very far away.

He hated life. He couldn't understand what kept bringing him back time and time again. Was it because he didn't believe in whatever God and he thought it'd be funny to keep him in this hell as long as he possibly could. News for whoever it was, Lucifer didn't think it was even the least bit funny. Nobody's life sucked this bad. Nobody's. And there was nobody who'd hold him and protect him from all the terrible things in the world.

There's no reason for him to be down here. Walks have become monotonous and depressing and just give him more reason to brood. Nonetheless he was sort of skulking down the sidewalks, hands in his jean-pockets. His jeans were dirty and wrinkled, just the same as his black sleeveless shirt.

A frown was on his lips, his green eyes downcast, dark brown locks obscuring his view. He was just short of passing Callie now.

Callie’s hazel eyes picked up on Lucifer’s form as nobody else around looked that depressed as they walked along the sidewalk. She frowned as well just seeing the way he walked. It was a signal to her that he wasn’t having a very good day, at least to her. She didn’t know that the rest of his life was also a mess as well.

”What’s wrong?” She asks out of the blue. Perhaps Cecily’s getting to her with the blunt comments and not caring if she should just leave well alone.

He looked up perhaps a tad guardedly. He had no reason to be angry at her, and really he wasn't. He was angry at the world for sucking so much. His frown deepened a little unintentionally.

He stopped walking.

"You mean besides everything? What're you doing out here all by yourself?" He didn't sound as bitter as he felt.

She gulped as he looked up at her. He didn’t seem to be in a very happy mood, but she didn’t leave. In fact she’s turned more on the bench so she could see him better.

”Why is everything wrong? And I’m not a child. I can be out here alone if I want to be.” She said the last part rather defiantly. It’s not like she needed someone watching her every second of every day.

”You want to sit down?” She scooted over some on the bench so he could sit if he wanted to.

"I... it's really complicated." He sort of bit the inside of his lip at her comment. He felt wounded like a kicked puppy but it didn't show. "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant..." stop sounding so pitiful, damn it! He swallowed, shook his head.

"I just meant it's... nevermind."

He put a hand on the arm of the bench.

"I don't know."

Eyebrows furrowed as she watched the man have a hard time trying to say anything at all. ”If you don’t want to talk about it that’s okay. I didn’t mean to bother you. You just looked so sad.” He was obviously distressed about something, but she wasn’t going to push it with him if he really didn’t want to talk about it.

"Did I? I'm sorry, I don't notice it any more." He leaned his weight into one hand, contemplating staying. He finally had someone to listen... why pass up such an oppertunity?

"I do but I don't. I do, but I don't know if you'd understand." Frown.

”Try me.” She said in response to him thinking she wouldn’t be able to understand as she patted the bench seat beside her asking him to sit down. Didn’t want to get his feet tired from standing for a while if it was a long story.

With a sigh he gently eased himself onto the bench beside her. Besides being so down he was also very, very tired.

"See, there's this demon..." frown. Already he sounded so stupid, but he shook his head and continued on, "his name's... damn it... Verkur. I had... I was just minding my own business when he decided to take me to a..." swallow, "the house of someone I haven't seen in a while. Someone very dear to me, but I just... I just went and screwed everything up." He tried not to cry.

"There's this.. he's sort of like an inner demon... Kaldun... well, he hurt him and I... I... now I can't..."

Poor Callie, this probably made no sense to her at all.

The more he spoke the more her eyes grew wide. This story seemed quite familiar for some reason. Erik had spoken of something similar, but she hadn’t gotten names when he’d told her the story. So she wasn’t going to say anything about it right now. The inner demon thing was kind of confusing though.

”Inner demon? Like in you?” That was kind of confusing, but she wasn’t saying it in a panicked tone, more in an inquisitive way to learn more about what’s going on.

"Yes, like in me. More like a spirit decided to come inhabit me." He looked down, closing his eyes, hair still hanging in his face. He bit his lip, still trying not to cry. Why did he have to be so sensitive?

”That’s not good. You can’t get it out or anything?” She looked thoroughly perplexed and just as upset as he looked down. It always upset her when she saw somebody else in distress.

”Maybe it’ll go away if it gets bored or something?”

"I don't think it's likely to get bored soon," he said hopelessly. Such a pessimist. He couldn't help it.

"But hey, don't feel bad for me, feel bad for Erik."

That caused a knot to form in her stomach. Eyes darted back and forth looking him over. No. It couldn’t be. Could it?

”Erik?” Maybe it was another Erik. ”What’s he look like?” However she had a bad feeling that he was talking about the Erik she knew.

He was shaky now. That meant she knew someone who went by that name. "Dark hair, blue eyes, pale.... you know him, don't you?" Please don't say yes. Please, say anything, but don't say yes. That would make him feel worse.

”Yes I do. I think he’s talked about you before.” She wasn’t positive though. Callie couldn’t remember the name of the man he’d spoke of at that moment. The information seemed to have escaped her from the sudden shock of sitting right next to him.

"Shit!" He near immediately buried his face in his hands, offering a low whine. "Is he all right?" Erik's heart might belong to Callie now, but he had no idea of that. Erik still had Lucifer's heart.

She jumped a bit as he cursed. This upset him for some reason that she knew him. ”Yeah he’s alright. A friend healed him.” She a bit more on edge at the moment from the sudden outburst.

He bit the inside of his lip until it bled. "S-sorry... I... mm, I didn't mean to bother you." Finally a tear trickled down his cheek. "I... should go. I'm sorry." Just thinking about him made Lucifer want to gut himself for being such a horrible person.

”No you’re not bothering me.” Brows were furrowed to the point of not being able to furrow any further. ”Don’t cry.” She reached out and wiped the tear from his cheek. Even though she cried a lot herself she hated seeing other people cry.

”Don’t go. Erik might like to see you or something. Have you seen him in a while?”

He didn't look up. He wanted to go but he didn't. He wanted to stay here and talk with Callie. She almost understood.

"No,... never. I can't... I've caused enough damage as it is... a couple of nights ago." He shook his head. "He won't want to see me."

Think of the name. What is it? She thought for a moment really hard back to when she was with Erik and he was telling her of his past and what had happened.

”Is your name….Lucifer?” She had a hand on his shoulder now trying to comfort him.

"Yeah, Lucifer." Why should it matter, though? Why should anything matter anymore?

"Why...?"

(so short, sorry.)

She looked at him for a moment before speaking. ”I was just curious. Erik said you two knew each other well.” This had to be an awkward situation. ”I’m Callie by the way.” She said holding her hand out if he wanted to shake it.

"Oh, mm.." he looked up at her now, managing to blink back new tears. "I see."

"Nice... to meet you." he shook the offered hand however weakly with his own near skeletal one.

"How do you know Erik?"

”He takes care of me. We live in the same house right now with a friend. He’s very nice.” She’s grinning from ear to ear now.

How very vague. And just what Lucifer didn't want to hear. He turned his gaze away a little, forcing a smile. It didn't look forced even if his eyes were slightly reddened from the tears.

"He takes care of you? That must be nice." His tone wasn't bitter. It was actually sort of light.

Lucifer wasn't stupid, you know. He already knew what that meant.

And he just wanted to be alone right now.

She nods. ”You want to go see him? He’s just across the street and a few stores down. See that flower shop right there? He works there now.” She’s pointing down at which store he was currently in.

”I bet he’d be glad to see you. I think he was worried if you were okay or not.” She wasn’t completely sure as not every single detail was registering what Erik had told her about what had happened.

He swallowed. "I don't know. I haven't... I shouldn't, Callie. I don't know if I could deal with it." Not right now. Not after grieving about beating him so badly and it being all his fault. Not after Callie had just explained things to him.

Lucifer's fragile heart could only take so much... but how do you break a heart that was never whole to begin with?

"I just think I should go."

”No don’t go. Please?” He seemed so upset and even more miserable after talking to him. ”I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to.” Dang it. Why’d she have to go and upset him like that? She hadn’t meant to. This was all quite puzzling to her.

Perhaps if she knew what Erik meant to him she might've undertstood his situation. But he didn't understand why she would want him to stay. He was just a miserable, pathetic teen. She had Erik, so what more could she possibly need?

"It's not your fault. It's... I... I've probably ruined your evening, haven't I?" There was a touch of humor in that pretty accented voice of his.

She smiled as he tried to make some humor out of the awkward situation. ”Not at all. I was actually quite bored before I saw you looking all upset.” Crossing her legs she looks up at the sky for a moment. ”So where have you been since…well since the last time you saw Erik. When I found him he had tried to jump off a cliff.” She had a bad taste for idle chit chat conversations sometimes.

"Places. I'm afraid it's all just one messy blur of memories wildly clashed together." Many of the things he recalled he didn't want to talk about in public anyway. Even if Callie seemed safe enough to talk to he was never sure.

His forced smile flickered. Erik never did like life, did he? Lucifer never gave a shit about anything either. It was selfish.

"I can't say I blame him." Not to be depressing or anything.

She shook her head. ”Don’t talk like that. Nothing’s so bad as to take your own life.” If she was trying to prove a point she would have added ‘trust me I’ve been through it all’, but that never occurred to her to say it as she didn’t like to think about what she’s been through.

"Nothing? There seems to be a whole lot of nothing in my life right now if nothing's so bad as to take my life." Faint and weak smile, not forced.

"Attempts are futile anyway. A wasted effort." He has scars to prove it, too. He looked ar hwe for a long silent moment.

She frowned again as he replied. ”Erik’s shown me his scars from the times he’s tried. I’m glad he didn’t succeed. And I’m glad you didn’t either.” Callie didn’t like anyone to die or take their own life.

Lucifer was glad he didn't succeed too. He also had enough of a heart to be glad he was happy with Callie. Or... at least she seemed happy to be with him. He only shrugged.

"But you've only just met me. How do you know I'm not just a waste of flesh?" It's his twisted version of a joke. Sort of.

”Nobody’s a waste of flesh. Everybody has a purpose otherwise you wouldn’t have been born.” She’s smiling by the end of her sentence. ”Besides. Can’t be all bad if Erik knows you.”

A soft chuckle. "I don't know. Some people don't have a purpose even if they are born." A shrug. Lucifer wished they could get off the subject of Erik, but... A nod.

"But a lot has changed."