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[Locked from Tom Riddle/Unhackable]

[Raphael, even from the first frame of the video, is clearly not a happy camper. There's too much tension around her mouth, her jaw gritted too tightly, like she's one annoyance away from punching somebody.]

Adstringendum, I have a question for you. [Deadly serious, even compared to normal.] What do you know about Tom Riddle?

[Locked to the angels/unhackable]

[Her demeanor changes further- tense, the annoyance erupting into obvious murderous anger that she doesn't even bother trying to hide.]

Hello, brothers. My first encounter with this event was on Sunday morning, when I was switched with Tom Riddle.

[The kids watching at home might notice a distinct lack of a chain around her neck, meaning a distinct lack of Castiel's Grace. She shifts her shoulders like an angry cat and continues.]

He has taken Castiel's Grace and, with it, made a declaration of war. He saw fit to inform me that any attempt to take back what is not his would serve as such. [Lip curling slightly.] He called it our only warning. Evidently the city needs to be freed of us.

I do not know much about him, only that he is extremely dangerous and twisted. His soul did not feel intact. I have full confidence that he will do something disgusting to it- weaponize it, most likely.

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Yes, obviously. But not until we have your Grace back. If he knows it's been damaged....

Guarding the wand is a waste of resources and simply puts a target on whoever does so.

Rei is a worthy foe, and besides, it's only a target if he knows who has it. And if he does figure it out, it will draw him out in the open to retrieve it.

[Bam, take that logic, nerd angel.]

I would be surprised if he were unable to figure out when it trades hands. And she is not to be used as a lure.

I will take it, if necessary.

[He counters your logic with ~*~emotion~*~ which is only valid when he uses it. Otherwise it's stupid. 8|]

Don't be stupid, Castiel. If you're going to be irrational I'll hide it somewhere else.

Don't speak to me that way.

[He barely even thinks anything of saying it and there's little tone behind it, more a reminder than a correction, but he's too pissed off at everyone and everything to bother wording it more neutrally.]

You suggested I carry it yourself just moments before.

[And it says something that all he gets is a curious eyebrow lift.]

And then you failed to prove capable of guarding it. The reason I suggested you is because you have Rei near you. What do you plan to do if Tom shows up and you're alone?

[It's a little amazing how far they've come. At Lucifer's comment, Castiel's expression darkens just slightly.]

I'm powerless, Lucifer, not useless.

[Magic or not, Tom would be making a mistake messing with him.]

I didn't say you were.

[He'd asked Castiel to mentor him, hadn't he? He wouldn't ask that of someone useless.]

But you are in danger. Don't make it worse by giving him access to your vessel, too.

[He calms a little at that, temper soothed just slightly.]

I will not put Rei at risk for this. If it weren't that he were threatening to use it as a weapon, I would suggest ignoring the entire ordeal.

[Because at this point he's half written off his grace anyway, and even if Tom mangling it causes him harm, he is becoming less and less sure about getting so many people involved. But the risk is even higher if they don't.]

[Lucifer takes that personally, as he does so many things in their family. But he had promised Castiel to get it back. The idea that Castiel doesn't even care....

He can't understand why it bothers him. It should be a relief, shouldn't it? He can stop figuring out ways to return it. He can get back to work on more personal goals.

It doesn't occur to him that it hurts because this was his way of asking forgiveness. He hasn't even realized he needs to be forgiven. It takes him a moment to find his tongue again, to trip over the words and put his slightly hurt befuddlement aside.]

--She is at risk already.

[It isn't at all that he doesn't want it back--he's literally missing a part of himself, he's stuck in a body that isn't his, he's so much weaker than he should be--but he's prioritizing. He's weighing facts and logistics instead of emotions, and the facts are that if this truly does come to a fight, many could be hurt. People Castiel actually cares about, all in a fight over his grace.

It's only the threat that the same people and more will be harmed if they don't act that makes it worth the attempt.]

Not directly. Enough people are about to be, and I have no desire to add her to that list. I would have dealt with this myself if I were capable.

[It's a major blow to his pride to say, but this entire situation is, and he might as well admit it. If he could have sorted this out on his own, he would have done so.]

I know you would have. Any of us would have.

[Despite the way Lucifer does jump in at times, despite the way the angels rally around one another when there's an outside threat, they do all have their pride. They are all capable of dealing with things alone, most of the time.]

You should know by now that if things get out of hand, Rei will step in anyway.

[Some of the things he'd said to Tom had been lies, or calculated strategies, but one thing had been entirely true; the reason he hadn't agreed to Tom's terms was because he wouldn't put Gabriel and Lucifer at risk. Of course, that meant he had to get them involved another way, which he isn't entirely sure is better.

He nods slightly in understanding and acknowledgment.]

I know she will attempt to.

Then the safest thing for her is to keep her informed.

[He knows better than to push Castiel on this issue; if appealing to logic didn't work, nothing will except emotional manipulation, which won't work because it's Rei. Rei is more important to Castiel than his own life, or Lucifer's.]

[At that he nods once more. This he can do, at least; he knows it will be difficult to keep Rei uninvolved, but he's determined, for many reasons.

Directing the topic back onto the main issue...]

I need only a few more components to perform a locating ritual, should it be necessary.

Which components?

[The locating ritual will be faster, he figures, than trying to run door to door to find Tom.]

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I am not handing it over until we come to a decision.

[Stop the presses, people, Raphael is looking for consensus. It's a Kwanzaa fucking miracle.]

[It IS. Lucifer pauses, blinks, then nods.]

It's useful bait. I think we should use it to draw him out in the open.

The real thing is not required. Castiel's suggestion has merit.

He should also consider the logical benefits of using Rei as a decoy. The little brat is powerful.

If nothing else, she can contain Tom if he becomes too dangerous for Castiel to handle.

Rei will not act as a decoy under any circumstances.

Castiel, do not let your emotions cloud your judgment.

[It's a very familiar refrain. She's said it to his superiors a thousand times before, and them a thousand times to him.]

If the brat insists on walking with adults, she may be treated as one.

[He's indeed heard it, so many times, over the ages. Intermittently at first, on rare occasions, a gentle reminder until it suddenly became needed constantly.

As always, now, he ignores it.]

I said no.

On your own head, then.

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