THE SOUND OF a shot glass hitting the shiny bar counter had developed from an unfamiliar thud to a nagging, repetitive one that was echoing inside Izzy's head as if to question what the hell she was doing — surely, getting wasted with the sun still up wasn't smart, especially for someone so incapable to hold her liquor — but every time, the sound was drowned out by Mazikeen's tempting, dark laughter in contrast to Izzy's own sweet giggles, and she remembered exactly why she was there. Knocking back shots with the alleged demon by one side, while the other was reserved to Dr. Linda Martin, with whom Izzy was beyond glad to become friends as well. Although only the better part of an hour had passed with the three women taking up a fair amount of space by the bar, they were already developing a sense of comfort with one another and that was almost making Isadora forget the reason she was there instead of working a case.
She wasn't quite sure if it was the two drinks she had had — yes, only two but it was enough to make the tall woman's head buzz — or if she had overreacted during her first arrival, but somehow the loud music no longer throbbed in the back of her mind and the swarm of people didn't make her uneasy. Maybe this was what Lucifer had had in mind when creating this scene — to lull even the most unwilling people into a sense of comfort with the hypnotizing neon lights and a tightly knit community, which, despite all the evident differences, was quite similar underneath everything.
"You don't do this a lot", Mazikeen observed in amusement, watching from aside how the redhead swallowed another bitter drink, grimacing in response to the addicting burn before turning to the dark-haired woman with narrowed eyes and a cocked eyebrow.
"Day-drink at the Devil's club while in the company of said Devil's right-hand demon? Oh, and the guy's therapist? You don't say", she couldn't hold back the twinge of sass, a completely unfiltered trait that increased steadily with the amount of alcohol in her system. However, as she proceeded to twirl the toothpick from one of Linda's drinks, her shoulders lifted in a melancholic shrug, "I'm just worried I screwed everything up, y'know? I was just making my first arrest and everything was almost perfect, but then just like that, I'm... being the worst version of myself", she proceeded to ramble away, and the confidence faded with a deep sigh that heavily slipped from between her lips.
Maze stared at her for a while, not quite used to helping out humans and giving advice — if she did, it was always the same one, and that was to kick ass. In this situation, it probably wouldn't help though, so she simply glanced towards Linda, who didn't hesitate to land a comforting hand on Izzy's shoulder and offer a radiating smile in an attempt to lift her spirits.
"No doubt you've already heard this from others, but no one's perfect, Izzy. All the detectives in that department have made mistakes, one way or another. Just think about Lucifer", the blonde snorted, clearly affected by the couple of drinks as well, "I can't tell you anything specific, but I mean, if he is the Devil, then you can guess whether or not he always plays by the rules. Yet, he's still there. And you will be too, trust me. And as for that guilt you feel...", she continued while signaling for the bartender she was growing rather cozy with, and in an instant, the man was carrying new glasses for the three women.
Nodding in gratitude, Izzy didn't hesitate to grab one, but she was stopped by Maze's slender fingers gently resting atop hers, and it earned a surprised look from the cop. Turning to the woman, Isadora expected Mazikeen to say something, but instead, she found her staring back with a calculating gaze, taking deep inhales to breathe in the deputy's intoxicating scent. After directing the leather-clad demon a quick smile, Izzy took a generous gulp of her drink and shrugged once again.
"Chloe probably hates me too", she grumbled under her breath, and at this, Maze finally erupted into laughter, her head tilting back and eyes crinkling as her hands clapped together.
"Decker?", she snorted, "who cares! She's boring. You, on the other hand...", her eyebrows lifting as she tilted her head to the side and eyed Izzy curiously, the predatory gaze relentless as her perfectly painted lips sipped on her drink.
"Okay, I'm uncomfortable so I'm just gonna go to the bathroom", Linda quickly excused herself from the women's company, leaving the deputy and the demon staring at one another with the evident tension lingering in the air, though neither made a move and merely settled for measuring the situation in silence. Izzy had no doubts that Mazikeen had slept with plenty of people — the mischief in her eyes was enough to tell that she had already considered doing the same with Isadora, and in all honesty, it was making the latter slightly nervous. She was no stranger to sex either, but to be fair, it had been a long time since she had had time or interest in any kind of relations.
So, there they were, one an overly confident Devil's advocate and the other an overthinking mess whose heartbeat was speeding up irrationally in Maze's company.
Although there was undoubtedly potential for it, Izzy didn't move in for a fiery kiss, but cleared her throat and looked back to her drink which she suddenly wanted to down entirely. "Maybe I need to make a deal with Lucifer", she breathed out shakily, referring back to her tough situation where she felt like she had utterly disappointed the LAPD and everyone in it, but the words had barely rolled off of her tongue when Mazikeen had already voiced her own opinion.
"Screw that! Make a deal with me", her sultry voice was irresistible as she leaned closer to Izzy invitingly. "You help me with those detective skills of yours, and I'll help you with... whatever it is you need", her eyes instinctively rolled around, but despite the bluntness and the careless vibe she tried to radiate with — and mostly, she succeeded too — Isadora had already learned that just like Lucifer, she wasn't evil. Wicked and dangerous for sure, but not evil, and that was possibly one of the reasons why Izzy ended up nodding in agreement while a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth.
"It's a deal. I wouldn't call them detective skills, but sure. What do you need help with?", she inquired while finishing her drink, and with an eyebrow quirking up, Mazikeen scanned the club only to spot one blonde, tall celestial being that always made her heart burn like poison had been spilled all over it.
"One divine bitch", a glare was brewing in Maze's eyes, only for the look to evidently soften when she turned to Izzy, "this is great, actually. Lucifer's got his own detective, well now so do I", she flashed a grin that threatened to melt Isadora's heart and soul.
Well, if she couldn't be the LAPD's deputy today, then she for sure liked the idea of being Mazikeen's detective.
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"I'M KINDA DRUNK", Izzy blurted out as she stared down at her wobbly feet, eyes blinking to push away the blurry edges making her head spin and a deep groan rising from the back of her throat while one hand rested against her forehead. The sight earned a chuckle from Maze, who adjusted the white leather jacket on her shoulders and shrugged in response.
"You're lightweight if anything. Don't worry, I'm good at breaking arms if anyone gets too close", she casually pointed out, and looking up from the carpeted floor, Izzy knitted her eyebrows together while proceeding to wonder if her slightly tipsy state was encouraging her to hallucinate and hear things, but once she reminded herself of the company she was in, she figured it made sense, more or less.
"So who's this mystery woman in Lucifer's life, huh?", Isadora asked curiously, and stopping on her heels for a second, Maze turned to the woman and wondered whether or not it was safe to share the secret — however, once she came to the conclusion that Izzy was intoxicated enough to hear every word but remember only a portion the next day, the demon licked her lips and elected to speak up. Even if she knew that Dora was yet another human who wouldn't understand the metaphors, but there was something different about her. Something special.
"His Mom. A colossal pain in the ass, but Lucifer doesn't see that she's... toxic, so it's my job to get rid of her", she explained, and it didn't take long for Izzy's eyes to widen as she continued to take unsteady steps behind Mazikeen.
"Oh", she breathed out, nodding, "naturally." Turning back to Isadora only to find her headed toward the nearby wall, Mazikeen sighed and strutted over to the taller woman to link arms with her, making it far easier to guide her in the right direction. Holding Izzy close to her, Maze continued their walk down the hallway, but the silence between them didn't last for long when the more clueless of the two had spoken up again. "So who's this guy we're meeting?", she questioned, silently praying that the answer wouldn't be a boyfriend or something. Thankfully she wasn't too drunk or else those thoughts would have been spoken out loud, but for now, the limits of her intoxication were drawn to stumbling around and being a little out of the conversation.
"Amenadiel. He's Lucifer's brother", was the curt and simple answer she got.
Snorting, Izzy waved her hands in the air for dramatic effect. "Oh, so he's an angel too?", she grinned, and although Maze knew very well Isadora didn't believe in what was, well, the truth, she didn't bother to explain more or alter the facts. So, in response to the cop's amused question, she nodded to confirm that they were, indeed, meeting up with an angel.
Once they reached the right door in the building for licensed therapists — only that Amenadiel wasn't one, but he had settled in nonetheless, even after his lies had been brought into daylight — Maze didn't hesitate to knock on the door so harshly it could have been considered almost punching. Meanwhile, Izzy hung onto her arm and hummed some rock song quietly, only to be startled when Mazikeen refused to take a no for an answer and ended up kicking the door down, her high heel effortlessly shattering it off of its hinges and causing it to slam down onto the floor. As the dust settled, the two women came face to face with a tall, dark and handsome man who forced his very best innocent smile — which, Maze obviously didn't buy.
As she continued to grill Amenadiel, Izzy wandered around the room only to receive a confused, longing stare from the sole man in the space, but she was too preoccupied to notice the judgment stirring in his dark eyes. From the lack of decoration and the remains of junk food and wine, her gaze eventually trailed to the messy floor, where she noticed a feather lying around — dead and dull in color, and it was spinning a great deal of confusion in her heart, as she couldn't figure out where it had come from. Amenadiel noticed the change in Izzy's attention, and in an instant, he was clearing his throat and standing up in order to sneakily insert his foot on the feather to avoid more focus on it.
"I'll talk to him", he reassured Maze, who was requesting the man's help with Lucifer and the so-called mystery woman in his life, and albeit surprised by the quick success, Mazikeen appeared satisfied of the outcome and started to back away. "It was, uh, nice to meet you... Izzy, right?", the angel continued, turning to face Isadora, who stared blankly at him for several seconds before realizing he was talking to her. Luckily, he was filling the silence with, "Lucifer mentioned you", allowing the woman a moment to put her thoughts back together and form an answer.
"Oh, yeah, you too, Am—A—Ame—I, um, I'm sorry. I need either a lot less or a lot more drinks to make that happen", she stammered, knowing that any attempts to say the guy's name would end with humiliation, so she didn't bother. Instead, she strode back over to Maze, who was nodding at her frenemy in approval and then linking her arm with Isadora once again — supposedly to help her walk, but the brief, fleeting mention of Amenadiel's sex life had undeniably driven her to a point where she felt the need to show off with the stunning cop in her company.
As the two left the room and headed back downstairs to the lobby, Izzy was puzzled, still thinking about how the answer to figuring out Lucifer and Mazikeen and everyone else involved was just dangling before her face, but she was unable to assemble the pieces. Perhaps, she'd be able to crack this personal case when she was less... wasted.
"You notice anything weird back there?", Maze broke the silence between them as they stood in the elevator leading them down, and only then snapping out of her haze and realizing the thick, hot air lingering above them and the quietness that could have very well been awkward, Izzy turned to the demon with a lifted eyebrow.
"I... don't think so", she shrugged, "I'm sorry, I know I wasn't very helpful, but I promise, I'm a good cop when I'm sober", her hands lifting in defeat, but luckily the chuckle that Maze used to fill the air in the elevator signified that she was anything but upset.
"Yeah, don't worry. Got to spend some more time with you, didn't I? And now...", Maze inhaled deeply, leaning close enough to Izzy to almost taste the hint of alcohol on her soft lips, her eyes glancing down but her self-control leaving it to just teasing instead of actual action. She could charm the pants off of Isadora when sober, too. "I owe you one", the brunette whispered huskily, forcing Izzy to gulp.
With that, the elevator doors parted and Maze was stepping out smoothly, her high heels clicking against the floor as her flawless form encouraged Izzy to follow right behind like a lovesick puppy — and later, she was going to scold herself for behaving so desperately and for having too many drinks, but for now, she settled for being the human that Maze had hooked, but to be fair, in return, she had also hooked Mazikeen — so maybe it wasn't such a bad role to play.
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ahh, look who finally updated. this was a pretty maze / izzy filled chapter but i regret nothing, they own my heart and i can't wait to write more of them (': hope you guys liked it! thank you for all your support, it really means a lot to me x