The Infernal Serpent

What does that mean? [His Greek isn’t as good as some of the other languages he has under his belt.]

[Considering how he’s spent the last year, Lucifer isn’t entirely wrong about that. He can admit it to a certain degree, but it does sting. Dorian drops his head as those words sink in, bringing a hand up to push his dark curls out of his face in a self-soothing gesture. His face falls slightly, as his thoughts go to one very specific, very recent source of trauma.] Because there’s no way to undo what’s been done. And that was [he was] —I lost everything.

I’ve lost plenty of people before but never— not like this.

[It’s not another deflection. It’s a real, deep-seated, and raw pain that surfaces now in his words and around the edges of his expression.]

Now? No. But you can’t deny that you act as it suits you depending on who you’re talking to, or the reaction you’re looking for. There is distance in that.