Charlie's Angels - Aftershocks - Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Part Two

Day Seven - Pentagram City, early evening:

Alastor stopped in the alley next to the dumpster, a short distance from the elevators, and feigned throwing something away as he braced against the wall for support. Just a moment to rest and rebuild his strength. He couldn't go in looking fatigued.

"Alastor?" Rosie's voice came from behind him.

Alastor stood up straight, brushing himself off. "Rosie. So good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." Rosie moved close and whispered. "Are you sure you should be here?"

One eye twitched, accompanied by a soft static hiss. "Whatever do you mean?"

Walking with him to the trio of elevators, Rosie said, "I dropped by that hotel of yours the other day, but Charlie said you were indisposed."

Alastor paused. "Did you?" He quickly recovered. "I'm sorry to have missed you."

Rosie and Alastor entered the third elevator. Rosie waited for the doors to shut before speaking again. Softly. "When last I was there, that girl was practically turning Hell upside down to help you."

Alastor's eyebrows rose.

"And at no small expense of her own," Rosie added. "Charlie went much further for you than I would expect from a mere friend."

Alastor looked at her, eyes narrowing a little. "What are you saying?"

"Just that unless Princess Morningstar is really just that caring a person, this last week may have burned through the bulk of any capital you had with her," Rosie cautioned. "Might be time to start accruing more."

Alastor considered. "Thank you, Rosie, for the advice."

The elevator stopped moving and the doors parted. They emerged into the hallway and turned towards the meeting room with its small flight of stairs. Through the glass canopy, the red sky had taken the crimson hue of evening. From the assembly that they could see through the open doors, they were nearly the last ones to arrive. Alastor's grin tightened as he saw all three of the Vees were in attendance.

As Alastor entered, Vox tensed, deliberately paying him no attention. Valentino, on the other hand, could not help himself. "Alastor!" he schmoozed in a honeyed tone. "Glad you could make it. How are you feeling?"

"About what?" Alastor asked.

Valentino's smile immediately soured. He leaned over, glaring, thumping the table with a fist. "What do you mean, about what? I poisoned your sorry ass!"

Alastor raised his eyebrows in a feigned expression of surprise. "You did? When?"

The Radio Demon took his seat.

Valentino leaned back, slouching in his seat. "Smile while you can. This meeting is not going to go well for you."

Carmilla stared coolly at Valentino from the opposite end of the table. Then looked to Alastor. "Welcome." She proceeded to say, "Missi Zella will be along shortly and then we can all find out why the Vees called for this meeting." The dinosaur demon was the only one still to arrive.

From his place next to Carmilla Carmine, Zestial drank from a conjured cup of tea while assessing each of the other Overlords at the table. Alastor felt Zestial's eyes linger on him.

Alastor turned his smile to the ancient Overlord. "Zestial, good to see you."

Zestial nodded. "Likewise." His genial tone betrayed nothing.

Alastor found himself second guessing if that was the right move. He shouldn't have been doing that, second guessing himself. When in a den of vipers, the best thing to do was convince them you were a viper yourself. Fortunately, he was one. It's just that his fangs and poison were not quite as up to par as he needed to exude they were.

The floor-shaking footsteps trumpeted the arrival of the last of the Overlords. "Sorry I'm late," Missi Zella announced. "Trouble at the Klub." She took her seat.

Carmilla nodded to her. "Welcome, Zeezi." She looked to the Vees. "Vox, you have the floor."

Vox stood, adjusting his lapels. "Fellow Overlords, we come to you today bearing grave news. My colleagues and I have discovered a threat that endangers all of us."

Alastor co*cked his head, smiling enigmatically.

Carmilla raised a single eyebrow.

Zeezi pfft'ed.

Vox frowned. "An Overlord is only as powerful as the number of Contracts he or she holds. And there is somebody in Pentagram City who possesses the power to destroy Contracts and shatter the chains we hold. And she has been doing so."

Alastor ahhed silently. So this was the Vees' new play. Inconvenient, to say the least.

Zeezi's brow furrowed. Other Overlords whispered.

Carmilla stared calmly. "And who is this threat?"

Vox answered, "The angel named Emily. And she might not be the only angel who can do so."

Carmilla's eyes narrowed. "And do you have proof of this?"

Valentino leaned forwards. "Yes! She destroyed the Contract of one of my employees, Angel Dust. Who is still very much alive and holed up in that Hazbin Hotel that the angel hangs out at."

Vox added, "Unfortunately, all video footage of the action was destroyed when Alastor paid a clean-up visit."

A radio crackle cut the room as Alastor's eyes narrowed at the accusation.

"But we do have footage of that same angel making an earlier attempt," Vox added as his face was replaced by the scene shot by a security camera.

The entire room watched as Emily opened a portal beneath Angel Dust's feet, only for Valentino to summon the spider demon's chain with such alacrity that Angel Dust was left hanging above the parlor of the Hazbin Hotel by his neck. There were several gasps from the table as the Overlords watched the angel do the impossible and grab onto the chain, attempting to pull it apart.

Vox cut the video, the scene replaced by his glower. "She failed that time, but clearly learned how to refine her technique."

Velvette jumped in. "Alastor here has been harboring this angel, knowing the threat she -- and likely other angels -- pose. And he paid a visit afterwards where he attacked Valentino and destroyed what was left of the studio where the angel did the deed."

All heads turned to Alastor.

Carmilla Carmine asked calmly, "Alastor, is this true?"

Alastor weighed his options. His head was swimming, but not so badly that he could not see the obvious ends of either response.

He answered, "Yes."

"Care to explain?" Carmilla asked, giving him the chance.

Alastor shrugged. "Explain what? Emily can forcibly break the chain of a Deal. You don't think that's someone worth keeping under observation while she's in Hell?"

He added, "Sadly, Valentino had already destroyed any footage they had before I arrived. I would have liked to analyze the successful procedure myself. It may have exploitable weaknesses."

Valentino jumped to protest, but Alastor held up a hand. "Oh, I'm not saying you did so on purpose. And certainly not to keep that information to yourself. I'm just saying you're a clumsy oaf who destroyed his own studio in a desperate effort to hurt an angel."

Vox grabbed Valentino before he could lunge across the table. "Val!" His voice warped dangerously, electricity crackling about his flatscreen head. Then changed to a genial and persuasive tone. "Why don't you bring in our guest star?"

Valentino growled a moment, then smiled too much and turned, exiting the room.

Zestial turned to Alastor. "Might we assume thou intends to direct this angel as a weapon of thine own?"

"Naturally. Why? Did you have a target? A Contract you wish to give up so she can show us all her ability?" Alastor grinned extra broadly. "Or perhaps there is somebody else here with a Contract you have a vested interest in seeing destroyed?"

Zestial's eyes narrowed. He laughed vaporously.

Carmilla stunned them both by offering, "I have one."

Alastor's eyes widened. He did not expect any takers. In fact, that ploy counted on everyone's mutual unwillingness to part with even an iota of their power.

Carmilla continued, "The Extermination six and a half months ago wiped out sixteen percent of the population of our city. I lost a lot of Contracts that day. The Extermination three weeks ago -- in which, if I remember Vox's announcement correctly, Alastor played the hero -- cost me no Contracts."

Carmilla Carmine smiled just a little at Vox's barely checked rage and the nearly imperceptible tremble in Alastor's grin. "And given the lack of Exterminations in the future promises the same, I think I can spare one. I believe it would be worth it to see this miracle for ourselves."

"Alastor, can you arrange that?"

Alastor's brow furrowed. He fought to maintain his facade. "I have access to the angel, but only limited influence over her. And she has only had the one success. Still, I will see if I can arrange for her to provide a demonstration for our next meeting if you provide the subject." He was missing something. Something big.

Velvette erupted, "Seriously? This angel is going around destroying Deals, and instead of shutting her down, you want a demonstration? Do none of you f*ckers get that she's a danger to all of us? Alastor here even f*cking admitted she can do it!"

Carmilla glared daggers at Velvette, her voice calm and sharp. "The only Overlords at this table who have enabled a serious threat are the three of you."

Alastor looked to Rosie. Then at Carmilla Carmine. Trying to assess. Yes, after the last meeting, it would make sense for there to be tension between the head of the table and, quite frankly, the ass end of it. He would still expect Carmilla to keep formalities. Which, granted, she had.

Alastor felt asking would be a mistake, an admission that he has been unable to keep abreast of things; but proceeding without information he needed would be a graver one. So he asked.

Alastor co*cked his head. "Mrs. Carmine, what exactly have they done this time?"

Carmilla looked at Alastor in mild surprise. "You don't know?"

f*ck. "As I explained, I have had an angel to keep an eye on."

Carmilla's eyes narrowed in a way that told him that was the wrong answer, and he just tipped his hand more than he liked. But she didn't call him on it. Instead, she answered.

"Apparently while you were paying Valentino a visit, the Vees dumped an absolutely staggering amount of angelic weapons into the city."

Zeezi snorted. "Bit rich of you complaining about them selling angelic weapons when you run an empire by selling angelic weapons."

Carmilla retorted, "It would be hypocritical of me... if that's what they did. But the Vees didn't sell those angelic weapons. They drove multiple box trucks full of them into a mob they started and then lost control of."

Zeezi stood partially up. "WHAT?"

Vox's voice warped ominously. "Now hold on!"

Alastor said, "I see I wasn't the only one unaware of this." It was hard to keep his smile. How much had happened that he had been unaware of? "Thank you, Carmilla."

Carmilla spoke with icy calm. "No. Vox. There are angelic weapons cropping up all over the city. In places and hands I would never have sold them to. Those weapons will end far more Contracts than one angel. And are a direct threat to everyone, including Overlords."

Even as he struggled, Alastor could see the entire meeting going pear-shaped for the Vees in a dizzying fashion. It was an enjoyable enough sight that he almost missed the Overlord across from him speak up.

"Heaven poses more of a threat to us than one angel. Or the foolishness of the Vees."

Alastor turned towards him, confused again by this new turn.

Carmilla seemed surprised too. "What do you mean?"

Before she could get an answer, the doors opened again. Valentino had returned, and brought with him a guest. A man in a golden-stained lab coat and a plague doctor's mask.

Vox stood. "Allow me to introduce Victor. He has a proposal for us that I think we should all listen to."

Carmilla glowered. "This is unacceptable. This is not a public location."

Victor spoke. "My apologies for any irregularity. But these are irregular times."

"Carmilla?" Zestial's voice softened her expression.

"Yes, Zestial?"

"I wish to hear what this one has to say."

Carmilla sighed. "All right then. Victor, you have the floor."

Victor stated, "I come with a Final Solution to the Angel Problem."

Alastor heard a soft voice, one usually completely quiet in these proceedings.

Clara whispered to her sister. "Well there's a phrase with no red flags."

Victor produced a vial of shining golden blood. "I have developed an enhanced, weaponized strain of the plague that will only harm angels. And by harm, I do mean kill within a day of being contracted."

The room fell dead silent. Save for a slight buzzing, like fluorescent lighting or a swarm of fleas.

"With the appropriate facilities," Victor continued, "I can have a pneumonic version ready for deployment within a matter of days."

Odette whispered back, "No f*cking way."

Victor promised, "After that, all we have to do is infect the next angel to pay us a visit, and end the threat of Heaven once and for all."

Longer silence. Broken by Zestial.

Zestial asked, "Art thou mad?"

Carmilla was quick to second. "We just threw off the Exterminations, and you want to show Heaven we are a real threat to all of them?" She glared at the Vees. "Are you trying to get Hell wiped out?"

Vox replied civilly, "Not if we wipe them out first."

Zeezi laughed. "Wait, the plague. Like, the Black Plague. Sure, that was a big deal in the fourteenth century. But that sh*t's curable now!"

"I assure you," Victor said, "The greatly augmented version I will provide to be released on Heaven will not be easily remedied."

Zeezi scoffed, "And will it even matter if they can't? Won't angels just, y'know, come back?"

Victor tumbled the vial in his hand. "That, I admit, I am unsure of. I would need more time with a test subject..." The plague doctor steepled his fingers. "But I must say I rather like the possibility that they will come back. Imagine, if you can, Heaven as an eternal quarantine zone, with all of its angels re-infecting each other and dying. Over and over. Until the end of time."

Clara hissed, "Mom?" She said nothing more, but her expression conveyed her horror and loathing better than any words.

Carmilla held up a hand. "There is no way we are even entertaining this. We would be dooming all of us to even consider it."

Alastor stated, "We are already considering it. All we have left is to reject it."

Velvette spat, "I say we put it to a vote. Let the majority decide."

Carmilla glowered, but could not fail to hear the voices now murmuring around the table, agreeing. It was the proper way, or else why have this table at all.

"Fine," Carmilla Carmine said. "May I assume you and your colleagues all vote for this damnable insanity?"

Vox smiled. "That would be correct."

Valentino huffed, "Finally."

Carmilla stated, "Well, I vote no. In the strongest possible terms."

Beside her, Zestial agreed. "As do I."

Alastor added, "I also vote no."

The Overlord across from him spoke up. "I vote yes." He stood. "In the very same breath that they offered a path to Heaven, the angels demonstrated that they no longer had need of the Exterminations to obliterate us."

He made a motion to the screen behind Carmilla, which flared with a burst of ghostly blue flame and began to show a vision of Pentagram City as it was a week ago. And the beam of light from Heaven that leveled the Heaven Embassy in the center of the city.

"Even if they are playing peaceful now, it would be foolish to trust they will continue to do so. We must strike while we have an opportunity, for we may never have one again."

He sat down, leaving the image of the strike of holy light upon the city flickering frozen on the screen.

Carmilla stared at him.

"And I vote no." Rosie said, nodding at the screen. "If anything, my friends, isn't that a reason not to provoke them?"

Rosie looked across the table. "Lucifer's daughter has opened an avenue of diplomacy for the first time in history. Perhaps we should be voting about helping her pursue that instead?"

Valentino hissed, "Little miss Morningstar and her sh*tty hotel are the center of Hell's problems, not the solution to them!"

Carmilla sighed. "Four to four. Missi Zella? Yours is the deciding vote."

There was silence. Zeezi looked at everyone. At Victor. At the vial of tainted angelic blood he held. At the image on the screen.

Carmilla asked again softly, "Zeezi?"

Zeezi frowned, fretting. "I... don't know. I abstain."

Carmilla let out a long breath and proceeded in a professional manner, hiding her shaking from all but those seated closest to her.

"The vote is deadlocked. Vox, you may bring this matter back to the table at the next meeting. But for now, we do nothing. Meeting adjourned."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Crymini's ears twitched at a knock from the front door. She put aside the bottle of vodka and pulled herself off the couch, shuffling to the door. She opened it. "Who are you and whatcha want?"

The demon standing outside thrust a clipboard at her. "Sign please." Crymini shrugged and did so.

The demon pulled the dolly out from under the stack of packages and left with it.

Crymini looked them over. Velvette's was written lavishly across most of them. Crymini remembered vaguely that the spider demon ordered a bunch of clothes. Swimsuits and crap. Low priority delivery since, at the time, the hot tub was days away from being a reality. She started carrying the packages in one at a time. Apparently, low priority meant the delivery guy didn't have to take the ten seconds to wheel them inside before leaving with the dolly. One of the packages, in theory, included some new clothes for her. Which meant she would be perfectly justified in opening all of them and taking anything she liked, right?

Not that she minded borrowing Cherri Bomb's shirts, but it would be nice to have clothes of her own again.

The bottom box was the largest. It wasn't heavy, but it was awkward to try to lift. She struggled with it, fumbling a bit, before putting it back down and considering another approach.

I bet in Heaven, large boxes have handles. It would be mandatory or some sh*t.

Crymini looked up as the black and malachite limo pulled through the open gate and growled up the drive, circling Dazzle to park next to the marquee. Curious, she walked over to the driver's door and looked in. The windows were tinted. Everything inside was shadowed. But she was fairly certain there was nobody inside.

Well, if the hotel can be a cat, the von Eldritch limo can be alive. Why not?

She moved back as the teeth that formed the center of the limo opened up and Niffty jumped out. She was dressed in her normal outfit, carrying a bag. From inside the limo, she could hear Seviathan's voice. "...well, whenever you can. Just don't miss your chance. Clock is ticking."

A horrid smell from inside slammed into Crymini's nose, making her retch.

Seviathan emerged, pocketing his cell phone. "Okay, let's get her out." He turned and tapped on the side of the limo. Crymini moved to see as a wet, sucking sound began. Within the interior, the front third of the limo was caged off by a growth of boney spines that were being drawn back into the mass of the vehicle like noodles sucked through a straw. Seviathan reached in and grabbed the end of a set of chains, pulling on them. Drawing out the one-armed angel.

Her hair was a filthy mess. Her eyes were red and sunken. Heavy manacles were locked to her ankles and wrist, with a matching heavy collar around her neck and band around her waist. The chains that ran between them allowed extremely limited movement. Her armor had been sliced into tatters, revealing more of her albino skin than was decent. She was absolutely the source of most of the smell.

To Crymini, she looked broken. Even moreso than when the puppy demon last saw her. And she was dead then.

"What the f*ck did you do to her?!" Crymini shouted, forgetting the whole fallen-mass-murderer Exorcist thing in the face of what she was seeing.

Seviathan frowned. "Kept father from doing worse. Now, let's get..."

The front doors of the Hazbin Hotel slammed shut and locked.

Crymini spun. "Really, Keekee?!" She moved to the doors and crouched down, pulling out her lockpicks while grumbling an impressive string of curses.

Day Seven - Pentagram City, early evening:

Alastor stepped out of the elevator and stopped. Looking out the alleyway entrance, he could see the Vees limo parked on the other side of the street. Valentino was arguing with Vox about something. Velvette was sitting in the limo, visible through the open door, texting on her phone.

Alastor's eyes narrowed.

Valentino turned and sauntered off while Vox glared at him before getting into his waiting ride. A moment later, Valentino's personal limo drove past, heading towards the upper pentagram. The Vees limo pulled out and made a clumsy u-turn, heading in the opposite direction, towards the Vees tower.

They didn't arrive together, Alastor realized. And they are not leaving together. Even more useful, from the look of things, the doctor wasn't with Velvette and Vox.

Tapping his microphone cane on the ground with each step, Alastor walked into the street. He turned and stood to face the next oncoming vehicle. The driver of the demonic, 40's-Bentley styled sedan didn't even slow. But that didn't matter as the road was swallowed by a glowing pit and massive black tentacles took hold of the vehicle, holding it for Alastor to approach.

The mummy demon inside was shaking by the time he tapped his microphone on the window. "M-m-mister Radio Demon, s-s-sir! Please... I d-didn't see you!"

"Fortunately for you," Alastor said with a crackling smile. "I am in need of a ride. A limo just passed, heading toward the upper pentagram. If you catch us up to it without letting them notice, you'll get to keep your remaining organs. Do we have an understanding?"

Alastor grinned sharply at the driver's frantic nod. A moment later, the sedan's wheels were back on the ground, the tentacles sinking back into the Other while the pit closed. Alastor slipped into the back seat, closing the door, his grin now a smiling grimace. That took a lot out of him. Far more than he found acceptable.

The vehicle began to move, speeding up to catch its prey.

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Seviathan fell into a chair in the parlor, handing off the end of Lute's chains to Niffty.

"Gimme the key too." Niffty made grabby motions.

Seviathan co*cked his head, fishing out the key. "Why?"

Niffty told him, "To take her chains off. I'm gonna give her a bath."

Seviathan’s brow furrowed. "You armed?"

Niffty produced the angelic dagger Charlie gave her and showed it off before slipping it away. "Yep!"

Lute had said nothing. She had just trudged in whatever direction Seviathan had pulled her, occasionally stumbling a little, as if completely disassociated from what was happening. But Crymini saw the disheveled and broken angel tense at the sight of that dagger.

Crymini volunteered, "I'll stand guard."

"Okay!" Niffty started leading Lute toward the back.

Lute mumbled, "You're seriously going to give me a bath?"

Crymini snarked, "She does this." She tried to keep her distance, since holding her breath wasn't an option. "How long since you had one?"

Lute mumbled softly.

"What did she say?" Niffty asked.

Crymini cringed internally. "Heaven." The puppy demon knew all too well what going a week without a bath felt like.

"This will make you feel a lot better... or at least less wretched. Trust me."

"I'm your prisoner," Lute responded in a dead voice. "Why do you care?"

"Cuz you're stinky," Niffty answered.

"Of course." Lute looked like she expected no more than that. "I wouldn't want to be unappetizing."

Niffty added, "And you must feel really icky. Nobody likes feeling icky."

The fallen angel narrowed her eyes.

Crymini realized where they were headed. "You're going to use the hot tub? We'll have to clean it again. Why not one of the rooms?"

"Hot tub room doesn't have a lock."

Crymini scowled. "Good point."

The front door had fought being unlocked. Crymini didn't want to try to do a chore while fighting both the hotel room door and the bathroom door. Crymini looked up to see Keekee sulking and glowering on the balcony banister.

Crymini followed into the hot tub room, leaning against the wall as Niffty started up the tub

Lute made no attempt to go anywhere. Not even when Niffty unlocked her manacles, belt and collar. The thick metal chains and restraints clattered loudly to the tiles.

Crymini watched as Niffty got the tub to a pleasant temperature. Then removed what was left of the fallen angel's armor. Soon, the albino, winged woman was standing naked at the edge of the tub. Throughout it all, she made no effort to struggle.

Niffty guided her into the tub, easing her down.

Lute stared at the warm water, bubbling from the jets. Then closed her eyes, just existing.

Crymini could not tell if she was waiting for just the right moment to pounce, or had completely checked out.

"Be right back with soap and shampoo." Niffty jumped up and rushed off even as Crymini jolted.

Crymini stared from the door Niffty just ran out of and back to the Exorcist angel sitting in the hot tub, unbound.

Lute briefly gave a side glance at the teenage puppy demon.

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, early evening:

Charlie looked around, hands on her hips. "It's a good start!"

The rebuilding had gone well. The foundation was laid, the supports and the frames for the walls and ceiling were up. Many of the exterior walls had their outer layer of drywall. Most of the roofing was done. They prioritized that after Cherri Bomb checked the weather forecast for the next week. Showers of acid rain were expected.

Emily danced across the floor to a slightly raised area at the back of the main hall. With a happy spin, she announced, "And this is where my desk will be! Where I can catch up on my work from Heaven and see anyone who comes in. With a chair that's just my size."

Sera nodded politely.

Emily looked up at her. "I'm sorry. I'm just not comfortable in the High Seraphim office in the Court. To me, that's your office and your chair."

Sera shook her head. "No, Emily. It is not. It is yours."

Emily's arms drooped. "I know that. But... it's still yours to me."

Vaggie looked up through the framework for the bell tower steeple. "I still can't believe we're going Clarence on this."

Charlie danced happily, "A bell that rings every time a sinner is redeemed is such a great idea!"

Cherri Bomb looked between the inner wall framework of one empty room space to another. "Everybody else is going to have to go before we christen this place," she said playfully to Sir Pentious. "I am not putting on a show for these c*nts."

"That would be awkward, yesssss," Sir Pentious admitted, blushing and rubbing the back of his head, his hood giving a little flap.

On the roof above, Husk passed another beer to Angel Dust. Molly was still making faces at her first one.

"Thanks buddy!" Angel Dust said, popping open the can and taking a swig. He looked at his sister and laughed as she braved another swallow. "If you want a good drink, you'll need to come by the bar. This is what we get for hitting up a corner convenience store."

Molly put aside the beer, sticking out her tongue. "I knew you guys were suffering down here, but this is too much."

She leaned forward, hooking a thumb at Angel Dust while asking Husk, "What's it been like having this freak as a friend?"

Husk exchanged looks with Angel Dust. "Oh, it's been a ride. You know, he once tried to take us to a BDSM club as part of a trust building exercise?"

Molly looked at her brother. "Oh I can see that."

"Heeeey, you were enjoying that massage," Angel Dust reminded Husk. "Well, until Niffty came out in that dominatrix outfit."

Husk took a swig of his own. "There are some forces that should not be toyed with."

Molly listened to Husk and her brother share a laugh. She smiled.

Husk admitted, "Was nice though. Wouldn't mind trying that again."

Molly's smile broadened playfully. "Okay, Husk, next time we're relaxing someplace that isn't slanted, I'm giving you a massage," she said, cracking her knuckles. "I've got professional skills."

Angel Dust stared at her. "Teach me."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening...

"Why?"

Lute sat in the warm water, the agitators sending jets of bubbles across her. It was pleasant, despite a slightly wrong scent to the water which she attributed to just being Hell water. It was absolutely the opposite of every experience she had had since falling.

It was almost Heaven.

The demon who looked like a grumpy puppy was staring at her. "Uh, because if it were me, I'd be starving! We've got food."

Lute closed her eyes. Then shifted, letting her whole head sink into the water. She felt sweat and long-dried blood begin to dissolve from her face.

Here. Drink this before father sees.

Because if it were me...

Nobody likes feeling icky.

She knew acts of kindness when she witnessed them. She knew that kindness existed in small forms even in Hell. She'd interrupted it enough to kill the demons involved. She'd seen acts of caring and compassion. Seen demons try to shield each other or help another demon escape.

She'd even seen mercy to demons in Hell from sources never meant to show it.

Go, now. Run.

Such things had always disgusted her. Like they were mockeries. She believed demons in Hell didn't deserve kindness.

It felt so different when she herself was the one being given kindness. Worse, she was desperate for even the smallest acts of compassion. Starving for mercy. Which felt wrong too. Like any demon, she shouldn't want what she didn't deserve. All she deserved was fire and death. Right?

Her mind returned to her earlier epiphany: Even I don't deserve this. Nobody deserves this.

But if she didn't deserve what the Elders Above had thrown her to, then these sinners didn't deserve what she had been doing to them. And that thought led to complete destruction.

The worst part was, she already knew that was true. She was the villain. She had seen her core.

Nobody should be forced to see themselves that truly. Nothing could break a soul worse than that.

Lute only came back up for air when she had to. She pushed her head up from the water with a gasp.

The puppy girl demon was gone. The monster who killed Adam was back. With soap and shampoo. The dichotomy was f*cking with her head.

"I should hold you under the water until you drown," she told Niffty as she allowed the tiny she-demon to lather her body with soap.

It felt good. She wanted to destroy this creature. There was an animal inside her banging against its cage and roaring for her to do so. But after seven days of torture, she needed this. So badly she found herself telling that animal to be quiet.

Niffty smiled at her. "But you won't."

Lute watched the little woman climb into the tub with her, dipping under the water and taking hold of one of her legs. Lute did not resist, but made no effort to make it easier. She found she didn't need to. The little thing was far stronger than she looked.

"How are you so sure?" Lute asked as Niffty stood back up, holding her leg with one hand while washing it with soap.

Niffty smiled a small, sweet smile. One that made her look impossibly innocent. "We trust each other in this hotel. Charlie says so."

Lute flinched. "But I'm evil."

Niffty giggled as she finished washing Lute's leg and focused on her foot. "Charlie helps all kinds of people here. Even evil ones. She says everyone has a rainbow inside them."

What's at the core of you?

"She's wrong," Lute said.

Niffty nodded. "I know. I've dug really deep."

A jolt of terror flashed through Lute, making her jerk back, sending Niffty face-first into the tub. Her chest heaved, her breathing rapid as she looked around, for a moment absolutely certain that those words had come from Victor. And he was about to start cutting again.

Lute clenched her eyes tight and mentally shouted down her terror. Victor was not here.

She knew Niffty had dug deep. She saw what the unholy gremlin did to Adam.

Niffty got out of the tub, dripping wet, her clothes plastered to her like a second skin.

"I still have to do your other leg and your special parts," Niffty told her. "And wash your hair. But I can teach you a lesson first."

Lute stared up at her. "What?"

Niffty smiled. "Charlie is the one that teaches the lessons. But she's not here. So I will."

Lute tensed in the tub, watching as Niffty pulled out the angelic dagger. Lute could almost see Adam's soulblood dripping from it.

Niffty sat down and set the dagger on the tiles between them. Then folded her hands in her lap.

Lute's eyes jumped from the one-eyed monster to the dagger that she used to kill Adam and back. "What is this?"

Niffty grinned broadly, her mouth full of sharp teeth. "Trust exercises!"

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, early evening:

Charlie, Vaggie and Emily sat together, planning the next stage of the rebuilding.

"What do you think," Vaggie suggested, "Do this again a week from now?"

Charlie pondered, "Should we really wait that long?"

"Well, on the one hand, this place will probably be covered in graffiti and used condoms by then." Her words elicited the expected ewww! from Emily. "But on the other, we probably don't want to try building in acid rain."

"Ooh, good point," Charlie agreed.

Emily added, "And it will take a little while to get some of the additional materials I think we need. Including the new bell." She looked at Vaggie. "I want some advice on that..."

Vaggie blinked. "From me? Charlie's the musical one." She shrugged. "But sure."

Charlie smiled at that. Her smile faltered as a thought passed her mind. "I should call Seviathan."

Vaggie raised an eyebrow, trying to hide a knee-jerk jolt of jealousy. "You want Seviathan to help build the Embassy?"

"No!" Charlie reacted like Vaggie had asked if she wanted a bite of sh*t sandwich with extra sauce, which made Vaggie even more annoyed at that flash of jealousy. Her heart should know better.

Charlie pulled out her phone and looked at it. "I don't want to talk to him. But I should check on Lute. He's supposed to let us know when his father is done talking to her about Doctor Victor, but I haven't heard from him in two days." She sighed. "A conversation shouldn't take this long. I mean, I know Mr. von Eldritch is really busy..." Charlie's voice trailed off.

Vaggie put a hand on her shoulder, agreeing. "You're right, hon. If you haven't heard by morning, we should definitely check on that."

Emily asked cautiously, "Are you really going to give Lute to Rosie?"

Charlie frowned. "I think it's the right thing to do. I've told Rosie that Lute probably wasn't in her right mind when she killed those two kids. But... no part of me really believes she wouldn't have if she was. And it doesn't change everything else she's done."

"What about mercy?" Emily asked.

Vaggie replied, "We tried that. I tried that, remember? Look, I know I forgave her. But when she keeps doing the same terrible things over and over..." Vaggie paused, taking a deep breath. "We can't just let her do that."

Charlie looked to Emily. "I promised Rosie. And I want to keep that promise. But..." She looked over toward Sera. "I'm really not comfortable. And I don't want to do what I believe is necessary but not right."

"I'm for just killing her," Vaggie said. "But I'm biased. Emily, you're the Ambassador. She's a fallen angel. You're the one who should be making this decision, not us. Definitely not me."

Emily fretted, wings flapping. "I... want to talk to the kids."

Charlie blinked.

Vaggie closed her eyes. "That's right. I have Lute's sword. She didn't kill them with an angelic weapon. They should be back by now."

Charlie groaned. "Why didn't I think about that before?" She looked to Emily. "We should all go. I need to talk to Rosie. Find out what she has planned." With a slight smile, Charlie hoped, "Knowing her, she probably has this figured out."

Vaggie supported that hope. "Charlie's right. This is Rosie we're talking about. It's not like we would be handing her over to a bloodthirsty mob."

Emily countered, "Golden. Snowcones."

"Okay, bloodthirsty. But not a mob."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Ahead of her, Niffty dashed around the corner, soaking wet. Lute stumbled after her, crashing over the potted plant at the end of the hallway. Tumbling, ending in a crouching position, the angelic dagger still clasped in one fist. She lunged forward, trying to catch back up to the gremlin that murdered Adam and taunted her with the dagger.

The little she-demon was fast and skittery, and Lute's body was weak and not moving like it should. If it was, she would have killed her already.

Lute was vaguely aware of a shout from the puppy girl demon as she chased Niffty past her. She was closing on the one-eyed little woman. The animal inside was loose from its cage and raging for blood. And if it was the last thing she did before they ate her alive, she would have it.

She pushed forward as hard as she could and took a swing, but the blade merely clipped the small demon's hair. Her tormentor wasn't screaming, she was laughing. The sound amplified the storm in her head. She could hear the monster squealing stab stab stab blood! as she mutilated Adam.

Then the little she-demon made a fatal mistake. She ran into a tiny room, trapping herself. Lute jumped in after her. She had her.

Then she saw the other monster. The naked, pale one with horns and black wings and sunken, glowing eyes. A mockery of an angel. The impact of the vision was like falling into ice water from a great height.

Niffty ran out between her legs as Lute froze at the sight of herself in the mirrored back wall of the little room. But she only froze for a breath before spinning.

Niffty was standing just outside, smiling at her. The little woman gave her a cheery wave as the elevator doors slid, closing. Lute tried to lunge again, but hit the doors face-first.

Lute started hitting the button for the door to open. It didn't respond. Frantically, she started hitting random buttons. But the elevator didn't care. None of the buttons would light up. She pounded a fist into the panel in frustrated anguish.

She stumbled back, her wings hitting the handrailing and back mirror. She fell to her ass, dropping the dagger, and curled up, wrapping her arms about her knees even as one of them evaporated, her demonic aspect fading.

And sat there as the rage and madness collapsed and she realized what she had done.

She had failed. And it had cost her the bath. Food. The very little she had in this terrible place. She was given the kindness she needed so horribly and she threw it away.

She taunted me!

She was kind to me.

Lute's naked body trembled.

She killed Adam!

We were the villains.

Her teeth clenched. Her eyes squeeze tight. Tears leak out.

They'll never be kind to me again! Not now!

I can't just let her go!

Lute screamed, pouring all her hurt and rage and despair into a primal, anguished roar.

The cry broke, her voice cracking. She began to sob as the room shook slightly. Then looked up, tears in her eyes, reaching out with her one arm to brace against the wall as the elevator began to ascend.

Day Seven - Pentagram City Center, early evening:

Charlie watched as Emily and Vaggie flew up to the top of the bell tower steeple, Emily gushing about the plans for the bell and asking Vaggie's advice on all manner of details.

Sera moved up next to her. "Charlie," she began, startling Charlie by the use of her name. "I am sorry. For not having given your hotel a fair hearing."

Charlie swallowed. Oh. "Apology accepted," she replied with a smile. "Considering how things worked out, that's really easy to forgive. Especially with you here helping."

Sera looked at her, the quiet stretching. (Except it was not really quiet because Emily wasn't that far away.) Sera finally admitted, "I would not have been able to forgive such a personal transgression so easily. I can see what my sister sees in you."

Charlie's eyes glistened. "Awww, thank you!"

An awkward quiet fell between them as Charlie tried to figure out the best compliment to say in return. Or if that would really be appropriate. Maybe a question? Help Sera to open up more. It seemed like a good time.

Unfortunately, the question that came to mind most quickly wasn't one Charlie was comfortable asking. Not really. Although, frankly, if she didn't, it might drive her crazy.

"So..." Charlie asked almost timidly, "You and my father?"

Sera let out a breath that could have been a huff. Or a soft laugh. "Yes. It is a tale you would find most familiar, only with different names."

Charlie gave her a questioning look.

"Your father and I were the seraphim," Sera explained. "There were only us. We are not siblings, for that would require a common parent. I believe we were created by an even higher power. We were, in many ways, like Adam and Lilith."

"And like Adam and Lilith, we shared a relationship. True, theirs fell apart quite swiftly while ours lasted for much longer. But not unlike them, our relationship ended because your father's rebellious nature eventually made it unfeasible." She sighed. "Or perhaps it was my unwillingness to bend."

Charlie found herself looking at Sera in a new light. That explained a lot. Perhaps even Sera's tolerance of Adam, if she had internalized that parallel deeply enough.

Sera looked upwards, watching Emily badger Vaggie for suggestions on what bell tone would sound happiest to Hell's souls. "It was Lucifer's place to bring joy to Heaven, Charlie. Did he tell you that?"

Charlie blinked. "N-no, he didn't."

Sera nodded. "He was the joyful and creative one. Filled with wondrous ideas. Full of play. Heaven sorely missed him after the fall."

Charlie felt a dawning comprehension. "Emily? She doesn't have a mother and father, does she?" How could she if there were never any other seraphim? Charlie stared up, that story at the forefront of her head, and understood how Emily and Sera were sisters even before Sera confirmed it.

"She was created from me by the Elders Above," Sera said simply.

Charlie nodded, watching her partners with a new sense of wonder. If her father was Lilith in this Heavenly story, Emily was Eve.

"Thank you for telling me this," Charlie said.

Sera smiled. "I owed you an explanation. And I needed you to understand..."

Sera was cut off by a sudden burst of music, muffled and strange. For a moment, Charlie was certain the former High Seraphim was about to sing. But no, the music was coming from her own phone.

"Hold that thought," Charlie said with a smile as she fished out her phone and checked the caller. Seviathan.

Charlie winced inwardly but put on a bright tone, answering. "Seviathan?"

The voice on the other end was not his.

Day Seven - Hasbin Hotel, early evening:

Crymini cried out as demonic Lute ran past her, chasing Niffty with the smaller woman's dagger.

What the unholy f*ck is happening? How'd she get Niffty's dagger?

Crymini frantically looked for a surface to put down the tray of hot food she was holding. The bar worked. Once relieved of that, she ran after the two of them, catching up in time to see the elevator doors close on Lute, with Niffty standing just outside. Soaking wet, but unperturbed.

"Niffty, what happened!?"

"Trust exercise!" Niffty responded.

Crymini pulled up. "What?" Charlie had put them all through her trust falls nonsense the other day, and no part of that included angelic weaponry.

"Niffty, she was trying to kill you!" Crymini barked.

Niffty nodded. "Lesson isn't over yet."

Seviathan approached. "What's going on? The fallen angel's loose?"

Niffty looked up at him. "Nope, it's okay. Keekee's giving her a time out."

Seviathan's brow furrowed. "The cat?"

Crymini's ears perked, catching a scream from inside the elevator, muffled through both sets of doors.

Crymini huffed. "Well, at least she can't hurt anyone in there..." Her last word was spoken slowly as the elevator hummed and the floor number above the doors began to rise. "...Where's she going?"

Niffty blinked, staring up at the elevator. "Keekee? No. Bad kitty."

A terrible feeling flooded through Crymini. She moved forward, grabbing the cleft between the doors with her claws and trying to force them open. They wouldn't budge.

"Niffty, open these doors."

The puppy teen stepped back, bumping into Seviathan. "Thanks."

Niffty dashed forward, grabbing at one of the doors and shoving them open.

The elevator reached the top floor. Waited a moment. Then began freefall.

Crymini jumped down into the shaft, Seviathan's phone in hand. It was a deep drop. She'd done worse. She stared up, shouting, "KEEKEE!" And cringed as the elevator brakes were applied, the metal box skidding to a stop in a shower of sparks.

Crymini looked up, still cringing, as the elevator began to rise again.

"Okay..." She said, unsteadily, panting. "Keekee... you like me... right? You don't want to squash me. f*ck!"

Day Seven - Pentegram City center, early evening:

"CHARLIE!"

Charlie recognized the voice shouting through her phone. Crymini. Which meant she had (probably, maybe, well almost certainly) stolen Seviathan's phone. Which meant Seviathan was at the Hazbin Hotel.

All of which took a backseat to the panic in Crymini's voice, telling Charlie something was very wrong at the hotel.

"Charlie, I need you to come back! Right now!"

Charlie felt her own panic rising. "What's going on?" She waved frantically to get Emily's attention.

"I'm sorry! I f*cked up! I let Lute into the hotel. She tried to kill Niffty and now she's trapped in the elevator and..." Crymini's words were cut off by a scream from the girl, accompanied by a loud clattering and squeal of metal.

"Crymini!" Charlie shouted back into her phone. "Crymini, are you okay?! What happened?!?"

Emily landed next to her, followed by Vaggie, who had pulled forth her spear. "Did she say Lute?"

There was an agonizing quiet from the phone that felt far longer than the five seconds it actually lasted. Then Crymini's voice came from it again.

"Keekee just dropped the elevator three floors and is hauling it back up again. She's playing with Lute like...well, like a cat plays with a mouse."

"Keekee?" Charlie asked, stunned. The shouting from her phone had drawn the attention of everyone now, and they were closing around her.

"Charlie, your cat really, really doesn't like Lute. And I'm pretty sure my standing in the elevator shaft is the only thing keeping her from seeing if she would like Lute more as a puddle! Could you please, PLEASE get over here?!"

Emily was already conjuring a golden portal.

"Anthony," Molly asked, shocked. "What's going on? Who is Keekee?" Her brow furrowed. "Wait, the sweet kitty?"

Angel Dust turned to his sister. "Charlie's cat is the hotel. Somehow. A week ago, she started locking out guests she didn't like. Now apparently she's figured out she can control the elevator and is using it... well..." He thrust a hand towards Charlie and her phone. "...to do that."

He saw Vaggie and Husk already running through the portal. "I'll be right back." He chased after them.

"On our way," Charlie said pointlessly into the phone before hanging up and stepping through herself.

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, early evening:

Emily was about to step through, following Charlie, when she was stopped by Sera wrapping a wing about her.

"Emily, wait. Don't go." Sera's voice held a touch of desperation. "Please."

Emily turned and stared up at her sister, remembering with angelic clarity how Sera tried to get her to go back to Heaven the last time she knew there was danger in Hell. "It's Lute! I'm not letting Vaggie face her alone!"

"She's not alone!" Sera pleaded. "But you might be putting your friends in danger if you go now. Please, I'll explain. Just... stay with me."

"What? How?!" Emily looked between Sera and the gate. "Okay. But if I don't like the reason, I'm opening this right back up."

Emily waved a hand and the golden portal closed and vanished. Revealing Cherri Bomb standing just behind where it had been, arms crossed beneath her breasts. She shifted her weight to one hip as she blew a bubble with her bubblegum.

The bubble popped. "What? Ya just had four people run off to deal with a cat. Someone needs to stay behind to keep an eye ya lot." She smirked, "You really think I'm letting Penty out of my sight so soon?"

Sir Pentious smiled happily, his hat tearing up just a little.

Cherri Bomb's eye narrowed. "Besides, now I'm curious about the Adventures of Ms. Genocide and the Cinnamon Roll. So let's hear it."

Emily gasped.

Sera winced and closed her eyes with a sigh.

Sir Pentious lifted a finger, "Uhhhh, Cherri dear. That was a little..."

Cherri Bomb shot back, "A little what? Think about the way ya died and tell me what that was a little of."

Sir Pentious cringed back but held up his index finger and thumb a small distance apart. "A little mean?"

Cherri Bomb pulled at her hair. "Uggh! Do ya really think one nice afternoon wipes away lifetimes of slaughter? Seriously, I don't get why y'all are willing t' just forgive her so easily!"

"Because sssshe's sorry." After a moment, Sir Pentious added, "And she wantssss to be better."

Molly supported him, adding, "And because she's already been punished for what she's done. You shouldn't just keep punishing someone until you feel better. That's not justice. That's vengeance."

Cherri Bomb was not about to accept that. "Easy for ya to say from up in Heaven with all your privilege and your not-being-slaughtered. Get that off a Heavenly motivational poster?"

"No," Molly told her. "I got that from Anthony."

Cherri Bomb's expression immediately softened. "Oh."

Molly continued, "Back when we were alive, and he'd come home venting about the lines father made him cross and how they were eating him up inside."

Cherri Bomb cringed. "f*ck. Now I'm sorry."

Molly moved up to Cherri Bomb. "Hey, I get it. Ti perdono."

After a moment of silence, Sera agreed, "Your hatred of me is justified. No number of afternoons will change that."

Cherri Bomb groused. "Yeah, it is. But... f*ck. I just need to blow some sh*t up. Hammering nails and cutting Heavenly wood ain't doin' it for me."

Emily blinked at that. "Cherri? Are you okay?"

"No. No, E, I'm not. But... okay, let's hear why the angels have to stick together."

Sera looked from Emily to Molly and Sir Pentious. "Because there is someone who has created a plague that can kill angels. Lucifer believes this individual will target Emily or myself. We cannot protect each other if we are apart."

Emily stared at her sister. Lucifer had told them about the plague -- enough that they left Crymini at the Hazbin Hotel -- but this was another level of threat altogether. There was a huge difference between someone having made something dangerous and someone running around looking for victims to use it on.

She opened a golden portal to Heaven. Her sister was right. If she had gone with Charlie, she would have left her sister and two of her friends trapped here. "Sir Pentious, Molly?"

Sir Pentious made no move towards it. "Is Cherri safe?"

Sera answered, "The plague only kills angels. Although Belphegor believes demons can become carriers."

Molly was already at the portal before Sera finished. "I'm sorry. My valor ends at the plague."

Cherri Bomb shook her head. "So demons are threatening all of Heaven? No, wait, just one demon is threatening all of Heaven. How the f*ck is that possible?"

"I do not know," Sera said. A truth which she then followed with a lie. "All beings who should even theoretically be capable of rising to be such a threat are accounted for."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

"Keekee, stop!"

Charlie shouted, standing at the edge of the elevator shaft. Niffty had her back pressed against one of the doors, holding them open.

Charlie looked down into the dark hole. "Crymini, hold on, I'm coming down..."

"Charlie, be careful!" Vaggie warned.

There was a scream from Crymini as the elevator dropped again, plunging several floors before screeching to a halt with the strained squeal and more sparks.

"KEEKEE! STOP!" Charlie yelled again, her tone more forceful and pleading this time.

The elevator sat motionless a moment longer before rising again.

Charlie felt two hands grab her. Angel Dust turned her to face him, his other two hands held wide. "Charlie, stop shouting at her! That's not the way to handle this."

"Then what do I do?" Charlie begged, her distress bubbling over. "How do I talk down a cat?"

"You've got to find her," Angel Dust told her. "Be calm. Be gentle. Don't give her a reason to fear you. It's clear that Keekee is associating Lute with Adam right now..."

"Fair," said Vaggie.

Seviathan watched, more amused than anything else. "Why? It's not like those two look alike."

Husk frowned. "They spent most of the battle together. She may have noticed."

Crymini's voice snarked up from the open elevator shaft, "Or they might have just f*cked before the battle. They were in a relationship, right?"

Angel Dust paused, raising an eyebrow. "Hold on, Charlie. This I have to hear."

"Hell made me a f*cking canine," Crymini barked. "Even after that lame-ass excuse for a shower and working all day, I can still smell Charlie and her angels all over each other. Do you have any f*cking idea how much of a trigger scent can be?"

Even with the situation, Charlie could not help but blush self-consciously.

"Lute reeked when she was brought here," Crymini shouted up. "If that f*cker Adam smelled like her when he leveled the old hotel, it's no wonder the cat's gone f*cking mental!"

Angel Dust frowned and recaptured Charlie's attention. "Look, Charlie, it's pretty damn clear your cat is suffering PTSD. I mean, I don't know much about psychology, much less pet psychology; but I read up on this stuff when I got Fat Nuggets. The change in behavior, the fear of things that she associates with being hurt, and now this aggression? It all fits."

Charlie stared at him. "So what do I do?"

"Keekee needs treatment, Charlie," Angel Dust told her. "There's medication that helps with this sh*t."

Vaggie frowned. "You want to Charlie to put her cat on drugs?"

"It's not like I'm suggesting she starts doing heroin!" Angel Dust snapped at Vaggie a little. "There shouldn't be a stigma against medication needed for mental heath!"

He turned back to Charlie. "You've got a contact now for this kind of thing, right?"

Charlie nodded, understanding. "Belphegor."

Angel Dust told Charlie, "Go to her and get what Keekee needs."

Crymini shouted up, "After you calm her down, okay?"

Day Seven - Streets of Pentagram City, evening:

The mummy demon pulled the vehicle over as Alastor watched Valentino's limo stop in the street ahead. The moth would have to be practically blind not to have noticed he was being followed. They were the only vehicles on this decrepit backstreet.

"N-n-now what?" the demon in the driver's seat asked.

"We wait," Alastor instructed. He watched as Victor got out of Valentino's limo, cursing inwardly.

Clearly, I need to be more particular in who I summon.

More damning was the fact he didn't send this old chum back to where he pulled him. And he could not remember if he just forgot to, or if the effort had failed. If Victor had been someplace that Alastor himself couldn't send him back to... the implications of that were bad indeed.

"Hey, I know that place," the mummy demon said as they watched Victor approach the wall on one side of the street, unlocking and opening a gate with a large, ornate V worked into the design. The building behind the wall looked unused. The large tanks along one wall suggested it was once a chemical enterprise.

"Oh?" Alastor's voice crackled with interest. "Do tell."

"Used to be where Velvette's folks made that Love Potion of hers. I knew a gal who used to work there. Lots of folks lost their jobs when the Vees moved the work to a bigger facility closer to home," the mummy told him. "Figure it's full of squatters and crackheads now."

Alastor's eyes narrowed. Not anymore, he suspected. He caught sight of a security camera that looked far newer than any of its surroundings.

Doctor Victor entered the property, closing and locking the gate behind him.

Well, I know where to find you now, Victor, old pal.

Valentino's limo began moving again, heading farther up the pentagram. Alastor's brow furrowed. There should be nothing for the Vees in that direction. Only the Doomsday District and...

"Keep following. And be sure we aren't seen."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, evening:

Husk reached down to take Crymini's hand, helping her up out of the elevator shaft.

"You okay?" he asked, looking her over.

Crymini brushed herself off. "Y-yeah, gramps. f*cking peachy."

Husk humphed. "I gotta say, kid..." he said, earning a sharp look from the teen. "...That was the most insanely brave thing I've seen. And I've seen a lot."

Crymini grumped, crossing her arms, her tail wagging just a little. Completely unsure what to do with the compliment. Which just made Husk smile infuriatingly.

Charlie beamed at her proudly, which just made it worse. Crymini huffed and walked off, headed to the bar, intent on reheating Lute's mystery loaf.

As Charlie watched her go, Vaggie stepped up next to her. "Crymini's going to do good here."

Charlie nodded. Then stepped forward, holding the Key. She stroked it gently. Until she could get Keekee the help she needed, the Key would remain with her in this form.

Charlie smiled down at Niffty, and the tiny woman moved, allowing the doors to close.

"Let me get this straight," Angel Dust asked with a tone of exasperation. "You let Lute into the hotel, took off her chains, and offered her a weapon?" He held out two of his arms while pinching the bridge of his nose. "For f*ck's sake Niff, if she'd stabbed you, that wouldn't have been evil; that would have just been karma."

"Well I'm proud of you Niffty," Charlie told her with a smile. "That... wasn't the way I would have done a trust lesson..." Really, really wasn't. "...But it's wonderful that you tried."

Niffty smiled happily. "Lesson isn't over."

Charlie chuckled hesitantly. "Well, let's just put it on hold for now."

Niffty nodnodnodded. "Okay."

Angel Dust shook his head, turning away and pulling out his cell phone. Soon, he was filling Cherri Bomb in on the events.

Charlie stroked the Key again, then held it up. She was guessing. She knew it had magic, but she'd only used the Key physically before. She focused on the Key, picturing what she wanted, and whispered to it, "Elevator, please."

She was welcomed with the hum of the elevator as it descended properly to the first floor. With a soft chime, the doors opened.

"Thank you, Keekee," Charlie said, kissing the Key and attempting to put it in her coat pocket... only to remember she was wearing her I'm doing fine! shirt, and her jacket was still back at the Embassy site. She slipped the Key into her slacks pocket instead.

"sh*t," Vaggie whispered, seeing Lute.

It took a moment for the naked, curled up angel inside to react.

Charlie jumped in front of Vaggie protectively as Lute frantically scrambled out of the elevator. But the woman wasn't attacking, just fleeing the deathbox.

Lute looked up, finding herself surrounded. Her eyes were wide, terrified. A look Vaggie had never imagined seeing on that face.

Niffty yanked Lute's attention. "Ready to finish your bath?"

"Wait, what?" Vaggie blurted.

Niffty nodded firmly. "I still need to wash her hair. Other parts too. Ooh, and her wings."

"I-I.... I still get a bath?" Lute asked, her tone strange.

Niffty nodded. "Yep!" The tiny woman smiled, then danced past her to look in the elevator. She found nothing, but that was okay. The lesson wasn't over. Just on hold. Charlie said so.

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, evening:

Emily sat next to her older (and much taller) sister on the edge of the roof. Molly and Sir Pentious were back in Heaven, safe and sound.

Cherri Bomb was leaning against the wall below them. Giving them a private moment while keeping her eye on them.

"So, what, we just wait for him to attack us?" Emily looked around.

"No." Sera sighed. "Yes. Lucifer and his 'friend' are looking for this demon. But he could be anywhere in Pride. Even in another circle, another city. So their best chance is still for him to attack us."

Emily looked up at her.

"Emily, I know you are eager to get back to... your partners." Sera couldn't help but love how Emily brightened at her use of that word. "So if you open a portal for me back to Belphegor's estate, you are free too." Sera added, "We just need to be sure no angel is in Pride without an angel with them who can send an orb to Lucifer."

Emily nodded. "So Molly and Sir Pentious should stay in Heaven until this demon is caught. And if you're up here, you need to be with me."

"Yes. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"You're my sister, not an inconvenience!"

Sera smiled softly at that and wrapped her wings about Emily.

Emily enjoyed that for a moment. "I should send you home though. Charlie and Vaggie might need me."

"I understand. Hopefully, Lucifer and his 'friend' are able to find the demon swiftly without us."

Emily frowned a little. "I don't like how you say friend. Who are they?"

Sera told her, "His name is Frederick von Eldritch. I believe you have met his son, Seviathan."

Emily shuddered from a chill, leaning into Sera's wings for warmth. "Oh. 'Friend'."

Sera looked out at the sinners' city in the waning red light of the ruddy sky, listening to the distant gunshots and screams.

"Adultery?" Emily finally asked, still leaning against her.

Sera sighed. "I had been without that sort of companionship for centuries. And she is a succubus. I am only so strong."

Emily sat up abruptly, her jaw dropping. "A what?!"

Sera gave Emily such a look.

Emily held up her hands, giggling. "I'm not judging!" The younger seraphim laughed. "I'd have to be the Biggest Hypocrite in All Creation."

Wiping a tear, Emily told her sister, "Actually, that makes me happy to hear. It means there's someone down here for you..."

Sera interrupted, "She's not. She is in Heaven." Before Emily could think she had been hiding a redemption from her, she was quick to add, "On a vacation."

Emily stared, then whispered to herself, "And I told Vaggie no angel would do that."

"Adam arranged it, I believe."

Emily felt the cosmos stop. "Adam? Kill-all-demons-for-fun Adam wanted a demon in Heaven?! Okay, a succubus so... that... wait, what do you mean, you believe?"

Sera sighed again. "From the way Adam spoke of it, he wasn't happy about it. And I never approved it. So I assume it was authorized, or even arranged completely, by one of the Elders Above."

Sera looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. "That is not a boat you rock, Emily. And honestly, after spending time with her, I didn't want to."

Emily reached out and took one of her sister's hands. "I'm in love, so... I get that."

They sat a while longer.

"There is something I should tell you about her," Sera said. "But it can wait a little while."

Emily asked immediately, "What is it?"

"I lied when I said all who could manage this level of threat are accounted for," Sera admitted. "With Adam dead and myself fallen, she is not accounted for. Technically. But I know she is not responsible for this."

Emily sing-songs, "Oooookay. I know you're not going to risk a threat to all the angels in Heaven just to keep a secret, so if you're that sure..."

Sera rustled her feathers and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm that sure. Your curiosity will have to wait, little sister. I promise an answer when the current crisis had passed. But for now, we need to stay focused on the immediate danger."

Emily stuck out her tongue. "Fiiiiine. But I'm getting the details on my stuffy, uptight sister's secret demonic romance sooner or later."

"You're incorrigible."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, evening:

Vaggie watched through the glass wall, standing just outside the hot tub room, as Niffty eased Lute back into the tub.

"We are going to have to clean that thing really well before any of us can use it," Angel Dust commented as Crymini passed them, carrying a tray of again-reheated food.

Vaggie watched as Crymini entered the room and set the food down near the edge of the tub, within Lute's reach. She could hear them talk briefly, Lute displaying absolute shock at being given food.

"What are we going to do with her, Charlie?" Vaggie asked, wrapping her arms around herself. Having Lute this close was setting off constant warning bells in her head. But seeing her like this? It was like she was barely Lute at all. The body was the same, but...

"I don't know," Charlie answered her, echoing her own feelings. "But seeing her like this?"

Vaggie looked away, remembering her first hours trapped in Hell. After the woman in that room took her eye and her wings. A flash of hatred gave way to memories of despair. She remembered how utterly lost she was. When Charlie had found her, she was laying against a dumpster, consigned to her fate. Expecting a demon to come along and...

"I still hate her, Charlie. And part of me wants to run in there with my spear and end her before she can hurt anyone else," Vaggie admitted. Especially you. "But I don't know if I can give her to the cannibals. Even if it is to Rosie."

Vaggie saw Seviathan approaching in the reflection on the windowed wall.

Charlie did too, and immediately turned, intercepting him with a stern "Nope!" Vaggie watched her lead him away to where he could not see Lute bathing.

She looked back, and felt a moment of panic when she saw Lute alone in the hot tub room. She drew her spear, taking a step towards the open door, only to collide with Niffty, knocking her down.

"I'm sorry!" Vaggie said, promptly stowing her spear and offering a hand to Niffty. But the little woman jumped to her feet.

"What do you use to clean your feathers?" Niffty asked.

Vaggie paused. Then looked into the hot tub room at Lute. "Tell you what. I'll grab a bottle of what I use from our room if you go back in there and... make sure she's okay. Sound good, Niffty?"

"Sounds good!" Niffty scurried back in. She could hear the woman telling Lute, and saw the startled reaction to the mention of her name.

Okay, I can do this, she told herself. I'm being kind to Lute.

She started toward the stairs, having trouble believing she was actually doing this. But knowing it was what she should do. What Charlie would do without hesitation. She smiled a little.

Charlie, what have you done to me?

Day Seven - Streets of Heaven, evening:

There was a terrible feeling all around him that Sir Pentious had not felt in Heaven since he arrived; but he was all too familiar with it, as it permeated the atmosphere of Hell: tension. It polluted the air like a dangerous smoke.

The angels moving about the streets did not seem as carefree as they did before. Most of them stuck to small groups, occasionally pairs. But he had only seen one angel flying about alone since they left the Courthouse.

"Missss Molly?" he asked. The spider angel had stopped in the street, staring all around her with a lost expression. "What is wrong?"

"All of it," she replied. "Heaven feels so different knowing there's someone in Hell trying to kill everyone here. Someone who can."

"I know the feeling." Sir Pentious winced even as he said it.

Molly turned to him, her eyes wet. "Oh goodness. I'm so sorry. This is just awful, and we did this to you for ages!"

Sir Pentious offered a smile that felt thin and forced. But his words were genuine enough to make up for them. "Not you, Miss Molly. Not all of Heaven. Only a few." He added thankfully, "And that is over."

Molly looked away. Her eyes fell on a recently printed poster hung on the window of the ice cream shop. The Exorcist on it looked particularly demonic. Easily achieved with the design of their uniforms. Above the image were the words:

How can HEAVEN be EVIL?

She looked away, back to the angelic snake.

Sir Pentious scratched the back of his head in thought, his hat looking askance. "Maybe I could tell my fellow ssssscientists. We have many accomplished doctors." He shrugged. "I don't think they could do much without a sssssample of the new plague, but at least they could prepare?"

"No!" Molly drew back, clearly having not meant to sound so sharp. "We can't tell anybody. If we do, word will get out and... and I don't want to think how angels will respond. It's already bad enough!"

Sir Pentious nodded, understanding. "You are right, I sssssuppose."

The two angels, snake and spider, moved down the street together until they approached the roundabout ahead. In the center of the roundabout was a triangular platform with two very large angelic statues facing two of the three streets. The third laid shattered.

There was a gathering there, and the two angels could hear chanting:

"Burn them! Burn them! Burn them!"

Molly whined. "Oh I don't like that."

Other angels in the area were giving the group a wide berth.

Molly immediately moved forward, Sir Pentious following close behind. But Molly stopped as they drew near, recognizing the uncomfortably empty space between the statues of Michael and Gabriel. "They pulled down Sera's statue."

He looked through the small crowd of angels, all women, obscuring the source of flickering flames. He didn't see any of the apparatus he would expect for toppling Heavenly statuary.

"Burn them! Burn them!" the chant continued.

"They don't seem to have any ropes," Sir Pentious offered. "Maybe that was done earlier?"

Molly began to respond when a voice cut through the chant.

"Traitorous scum!"

Another voice responded, "We're not traitors! We were wrong! Obviously. Can't you see that?"

Sir Pentious continued forward, pushing into the crowd. "Sssssorrry, ladies." Some stopped to stare at him, but most were focused ahead. He broke into the front to see a dark-skinned angel with a black halo, wearing a simple white dress, standing next to a burning barrel, facing off with an Exorcist.

"All I see is a worthless, troublemaking c*nt and a bunch of cowards," the Exorcist insisted. There were three more behind her.

Sir Pentious glanced down at the fire. The barrel was full of Exorcist uniforms.

The angel in white shook her head. "What's wrong with you? Do you want to fall?"

The leading Exorcist stepped forward, shouting her down. "We did what was necessary! We obeyed!"

The Exorcist's hand went to her sword, not drawing it but making a point that it was there. "We drew a line at the Embassy while you craven cowards hid in the Court's garden and prayed the Throne would forget you."

Sir Pentious felt Molly reach his side.

"Are you really going to draw a weapon on an angel?" Molly asked, staring at the Exorcist. "In Heaven?"

"Please. Ssssstop this!" Sir Pentious moved between the shouting angels. "Hassssn't there been enough fighting? This isn't going to change what the Throne doessss next."

Those words seem to shake both the Exorcist and the angel in white.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" the Exorcist said, her voice dropping and her hand falling away from her blade. "You're Their new favorite."

"I'm what?" Sir Pentious asked, confused.

"It's not?" the angel in white almost whimpered. "There's no hope then?"

Sir Pentious stammered. "I-I didn't mean that. Just, I don't think sssshouting at each other is going to help."

"Or this," he admitted, looking down at the fire, waving a hand towards it. He lifted that hand to his chest dramatically, looking at the dark-skinned angel in white. "Real change, yessss. But not just a sssshow."

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel parlor, evening:

Scattered drops of water were falling from the sky. They pattered and hissed against the windows. One of the demons around her said the rain was acid.

Lute sat at the foot of the couch, wrapped in a blanket she was offered by the winged feline of the demons, Husk.

"We'll get you some proper clothes," Charlie promised. "In the meantime, you can wear my shirt." She started to take it off, only for Vaggie to stop her.

With a sigh, Vaggie told the Daughter of Lucifer, "She's more my size, Charlie."

Lute tensed. "I'd rather be naked."

"Fine by me," Vaggie replied tersely.

"No, not fine," Charlie insisted.

I was hungry and they fed me, thirsty and they gave me drink, filthy and they bathed me. Now I'm naked and they're trying to clothe me. They're f*cking demons! Why are they like this!?

It would be detrimental enough to the tatters of her worldview if it was just demons. But these demons?

Vaggie took off her shirt, leaving her in her dark, lace bra. "This was a gift, so I'll want it back."

Lute looked away, unwilling to meet that woman's eyes. But reluctantly extended her arm to take the offered shirt. She felt it dropped across her hand and pulled it close before using her hand to re-drape the blanket over herself.

"Thank you, Vaggie," Charlie said. Lute felt like it was being said for her.

Lute forced the words out. "Thank you."

Vaggie looked down at her. "I don't need gratitude from you. Just don't ruin it."

"Vaaaaggie!" Charlie whined.

"You self-righteous c*nt..." Lute stood up, clutching the blanket around her, the shirt on the floor. "What happened to I forgive you?"

Charlie immediately interposed herself between Lute and Vaggie.

Vaggie sniped back, "Do you even want forgiveness? Would you even know what to do with it?"

Charlie looked between them with a face full of worry.

Vaggie laughed harshly, "And seriously, you calling anyone self-righteous!?"

"Vaaaaaaggie," Charlie whined.

Lute glared hatefully. But she felt she was breaking inside. This was all wrong, she was all wrong, and she knew it too well now to take comfort in righteous loathing.

"Yes!" she shouted back. "Yes, I want forgiveness! Happy now? Or do I need to suffer more first?"

Vaggie was staring at her, the shock on her face giving way to a mix of anger and distrust. Lute knew she'd earned both. But it was too painful to just accept that. Not from her.

"Don't you dare play the victim!" Vaggie snapped. "Not after what you did to me!"

Lute dropped the blanket, running her hand through her hair as she began to laugh. A mad, broken laugh.

"You want to compare trauma?" Lute's laugh had no merriment. Nothing but pure pain. "You lost an eye, bitch! I was mind-f*cked by an abomination, my soul was flensed by the Elders Above, and I was tortured to death by f*cking PESTILENCE!"

Vaggie stopped, her remaining eye going wide, her anger dropping away. "Wait. What?"

"Who?" Husk asked.

"Who did you think he was?" Lute continued to laugh, turning away. "He even had the audacity to joke that he's never ridden a horse."

Her nerves were jangled beyond reason. She was coming apart and it was hard to care. She was doomed and damned. Evil and petty and her ability to deny it had been torn away and stomped on in front of her. She was weak and wretched and in the care of the very specific demons she had spent months loathing. And even Vaggie... Vaggie!!! wasn't treating her like complete sh*t.

And they were all so f*cking stupid.

She flinched away as someone touched her. Still laughing. Crying too. So much that it hurt. So much she had to drop to her knees because her legs weren't strong enough and it was hard to breathe. She held her head and tried to stop, but it just kept coming, no matter how much it hurt.

The room was silent except for her laughter. And then more laughter, laughing with her. Matching her.

Her voice finally broke as she looked up to see the gremlin laughing too. That was jarring enough that her own laughter stopped. The manic energy flushed, leaving numbness.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's..." Been how long? Days, surely. Weeks? "It's been Hell."

She felt someone drape the blanket around her. Guide her back to a chair. Belatedly, she realized it was Charlie.

Angel Dust bit his tongue until Lute was calm again before practically begging everyone to console him that she was simply insane. "Wait, wait, wait. For real? Is that what we're dealing with now? A Horseman of the f*ckin' Apocalypse!?"

"No." The voice came from the corner of the parlor, where the 'soulless' abomination -- or so Adam said they were -- had been watching. The one who gave her water between his father's interrogations. "He's not. That's the whole point. Victor's power is from the Other."

"Come again?" Angel Dust asked.

Seviathan stepped out of the shadows. "I can't believe you just said that without innuendo." With a wink and a co*cked finger, he added, "Looking good there, Lute."

Lute noted how that earned him glares from Charlie and Vaggie. It rolled off her. If that was about her being naked, she took that sort of thing from Adam as a compliment. If it was about her breakdown... well, he was an abomination. That made sense.

It earned her a dark look from the gremlin, but she was too numb to care.

"I've read those prophecies. The Horsem*n never included Pestilence," Seviathan explained. "But sometime in the 1800's, somebody took a lot of creative license and replaced one of the prophesied Horsem*n with one they found more iconic. The idea caught the public interest and spread." He grinned. "You could say Pestilence the Horseman went viral."

Lute stared at him. Blasphemous rubbish.

Seviathan's smile dropped. "So much so that there are churches in the Living World that teach that fabrication as truth." He paused, drinking in the look she was giving him. "From your expression, I guessing yours was one of them."

Lute scowled.

Vaggie could not help but snipe, "I'm betting her church taught a lot of wrong things."

Lute bit back on saying something nasty. She had been wrong about too much to die on this hill.

Seviathan concluded, "And that is the sort of belief in false prophecy that opens the door for the Powers Below."

"The who?" Angel Dust asked.

"To do what?" Husk asked simultaneously.

"Well, if you believe my father, to create Their own piece on the board of the Final Game," Seviathan said, clearly dubious. "More likely, just to have a pawn in Hell. Victor is just some doctor sinner who fit the criteria. So They shoved him full of power and made Their own Horseman."

Lute picked up the shirt, looking at the words on the front. I'm doing fine! What a lie. She put it on anyway.

Seviathan snapped his fingers, making a shucks expression. Lute glanced over to see Charlie looking absolutely done with him. That brought a small smile to her face.

From the bar, Husk cursed. "This is some Cult of Roo level sh*t."

"Do I even want to know?" Vaggie asked.

Husk gave a growling sigh. "Roughly a century ago, some imps on one of the lower RIngs discovered an ancient tablet with a drawing and the name Roo. And they brought it up here."

The feline demon raised his hands in clear disgust. "Before you know it, demons had come up with this bullsh*t about Roo being the Root of All Evil and all weird eyes in Hell being from her and all sorts of other crap. None of it with any basis in reality. Some demons actually started worshiping Roo. Making sacrifices to her. For a while, you couldn't go anywhere without seeing their made-up symbol."

"You still find it in the Doomsday District," Crymini added.

Angel Dust rubbed his forehead. "Yeah. Val loved when I worked that into a routine."

Redirecting the tangent, Husk asked Seviathan, "So what you're saying is that's the sort of stuff the Powers in the Other make real to get a foothold here? Victor is working for Them?"

A thin frown crossed Angel Dust's face.

Seviathan chuckled. "That seems to be what They want. But no, he's not. You can thank your father for that, hellkitten."

Charlie looked at him with confusion. "Why?"

Hellkitten? Vaggie mouthed to her, getting a flustered shushing response from Lucifer's daughter.

"At least according to father, he rejects being Their puppet," the abomination told them. "The Powers Below don't really get Free Will."

Suddenly, the winged feline demon was crouching in front of her.

"Lute, I have a question," Husk said, the very words making her flinch back, hearing echoes of Frederick.

Answer the question and the nightmares stop.

"W-what?" Lute asked, dismayed by the sudden fragility in her own voice.

"I know that f*cker tortured you," Husk said. "But did he ever give you a clue as to why?"

"What?" Lute felt a flush of anger. Because he was a sad*stic, psychopathic sh*tstain! An abomination-juiced demonic horror who f*cking liked hurting an angel! What the f*ck kind of question is that?

The calming voice of the demon in front of her was the opposite of her screaming internal animal. "I mean, did he seem to hate angels? Or to hate you specifically? Or was there some other goal? Any time he let his masquerade slip?"

The demon's tone cut through the initial maelstrom of emotions, gentle and reasonable. Like a rescue rope tossed into the water, they helped her climb to stable ground.

"No, none of those," Lute finally said, after searching her mind. Trauma had muddled the angelic clarity of her memories, but not enough that she failed to find what she thought he was seeking. She offered it up like he offered her a blanket.

"He talked about finding the 'core' of me," she told Husk. "He talked about being the subject of other people's stories. He hated what other people made him out to be."

Lute looked into Husk's strange, demonic eyes and found herself honestly hoping, "Does that help you?"

Husk smiled and nodded. "Yes. It does."

"Husk?" Charlie asked.

Husk stood. "This f*cker killed Leonard to cover his tracks. The guy's up to something and we have no idea what. But I'm getting a read on his motivation now. That's usually a big step to stopping someone."

Day Seven - Streets of Pentagram City, evening:

It had begun to sprinkle. Not enough to need the windshield wipers, but the driver turned them on anyway.

Alastor watched as the limo two blocks ahead of them continued to skirt the least dangerous border of the Doomsday District until it reached the uppermost main road. It turned, heading along the upward arc. In a second, it was out of sight, hidden by apartment buildings.

"We're running out of city," the mummy demon noted.

"Stop here," Alastor instructed with a crackle of radio static.

"Whatever you say, sir," the driver said, pulling to the curb and stopping.

Alastor opened his door. "Thank you for the ride, chum. I'll take it the rest of the way on foot. I know where he's going now."

The mummy dared grumble, "Really? I wasn't certain that guy did. There's nothing left up that way. Just some tenements, a few crappy stores and that hotel."

There was a brief radio tuning whine.

Alastor fished a wad of cash from his pocket and tossed it to the driver. The mummy stared at it in shock.

"For the lift," Alastor told him with a smile and another crackle. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

He stepped away from the car and began walking up the sidewalk, swinging his microphone cane. Keeping to the sheltered side to avoid the falling acid.

His smile slipped just a little as the previous interaction began to bother him. Not for what he did. Generosity was not a virtue he often played at, but nobody was going to believe a sinner saying the Radio Demon paid for a ride. Normally, he would ensure the mummy's silence through intimidation. But he didn't want to expend even that small amount of power before dealing with the Overlord who dared make him weak.

No, what bothered him was that the act of generosity felt good in a way one never had before. In the way it was supposed to feel good for other people.

Alastor smiled, but he was frowning on the inside. He was not other people.

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, evening:

Angel Dust shook his head, trying to clear it of the turmoil the whole conversation inflicted. He stared at Seviathan. "Okay, I've got a question: what exactly is the Other?" The spider demon demanded, "And don't give me any of that Things-We-Ain't-Meant-to-Know, Lovecraftian bullsh*t. I want a real answer."

Seviathan grinned. "That is a real answer."

Angel Dust stared, nonplussed. "Try again."

Husk cautioned, "You sure you want to know this?"

Angel Dust blinked. "You know what this mysterious Other is?"

Husk said, "Enough to not want to know any more."

Charlie motioned for her high school ex-boyfriend to answer. "Go on, Seviathan. Explain to him like you once did to me."

"You're no fun anymore, Charliesauce," Seviathan grumped. "Fine. The Other isn't a different place, it's a different space. The local Other is as much a part of Hell as anything else. Demons use it constantly without even realizing it. I've watched you."

Seviathan walked up to Angel Dust and grabbed one of his tommy guns.

Angel Dust shouted, "Hey!"

"Oh, hey, really nice! Always liked the original 21's. And an angelic muzzle?" Seviathan whistled, impressed, as he tossed the gun back to Angel Dust.

"Uh, thanks." Angel Dust stowed it. "What was the point of that?"

"I took it because I knew you had it. I gave it back. You put it away." Seviathan smiled broadly. "So where is it now?"

Angel Dust answered flatly, "Away."

Seviathan challenged, "Away where?" He watched Angel Dust's expression crumble as the spider demon suddenly realized he lacked an answer.

"Your tommy guns, the puppy girl's lockpicks, Vaggie's spear..." Seviathan leaned back against the television. "You folks pull things in and out of the Other all the time. It comes so naturally to you that you don't even realize you're doing it."

Vaggie produced her spear. "Why... why have I never questioned this?"

Seviathan's visage darkened until he was but a shadow, his eyes and teeth glowing ominously. "Because the Other doesn't like to be questioned. That way lies maaaaaadnessss." He wiggled his fingers.

Seviathan's voice dropped to a deathly severe tone, his appearance slipping back even as the shadows of the room bled around him. "I'm serious. Don't think about it too much. Storing your weapons in the Other is one thing, but never store your thoughts there. It is an unhealthy place for your mind."

The lights ebbed and the room's reality reasserted itself.

Vaggie looked slightly shaken. "Right. But I could do this in Heaven. So then the 'local' Other reaches all the way to Heaven?"

Seviathan said, "According to my father, the only place so high the Other cannot reach it is the Throne. Not that my father should know."

"And it goes deep. Far, far deeper than the bottom Ring of Hell. There are Powers that rule down there that are nothing like this reality can contain. Father is but a shadow of what he would have been before being vomited up."

For a moment, the von Eldritch seemed willing to leave it at that. But Charlie encouraged him to continue.

Seviathan nodded and frowned. "Take my father's beliefs with the proverbial grain of salt. He came from the Other. Banished to Hell, like Lucifer from Heaven. But he was a lesser Power there and I swear his grasp of the Other and the Powers Below is riddled with cultish nonsense."

"So he was roughly Their version of, what, a seraphim?" Vaggie ventured. The response she got was a shrug.

"Also, unlike what my father would tell you, the Other is not all darkness and evil," Seviathan insisted. "There's beauty to the impossible things that come from the deep Other. Azathoth's Tears. The Auroras of the Neverrains. But they are literally impossible beauties. We cannot even perceive them as they truly aren't."

Angel Dust scowled skeptically, "Riiight." He looked to Husk. "This ring right to you? Or is he messing with us? And how do you know about this stuff?"

"Sounds pretty close. Different coat of paint, but what's underneath is the same." Husk leaned forward on the bar. "I was Alastor's slave for decades, and a lot of his power deals with the Other. Where do you think those tentacles rise from?"

"Tentacles are fun!" Niffty announced excitedly.

Everyone but Seviathan and Lute stared her, all but Angel Dust with expressions of mild horror.

While they were distracted, Lute briefly slipped out the angelic dagger, just confirming she still had it. Then shifted it away.

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, evening:

Sera smiled. "Thank you for staying with me."

Emily nodded, leaning against her again. "I liked this."

She spread her wings and took to the air. "Belphegor's Estate? Same hallway as last time?"

Sera nodded. "That will do, yes."

A nearby bang briefly drew their attention. A beat-up jalopy was turning down the street, passing by the Embassy site, belching smoke.

Emily opened the golden portal to Sloth.

Cherri Bomb watched the jalopy pull near, alarm sirens blaring in her head as she saw the driver's window rolling down several inches.

"Watch out!" Cherri Bomb yelled upwards as she crouched to jump, a bomb already lit in her hands.

Emily dismissed the portal, flying upwards and back to gain cover from the roof. Her sister froze.

"Sera!" Emily cried out.

The demon driving the car tossed a wadded up wrapper out the window and drove on. The jalopy backfired again as it sped up.

Cherri Bomb relaxed, spitting on her fingers and putting out the fuse on her bomb.

"Sorry! False alarm!" she called up to the angels before walking over to the tossed litter.

Emily swooped to hug her sister tight.

"I am sorry," Sera said, hugging her back. "I did not fully realize there might be danger until it was over."

Emily hugged tighter. "I froze my first time too."

As she neared, Cherri Bomb saw the writing on the discarded wrapper. "Hold up!" She picked up the wrapper and pulled it open.

Cafe Magne. Bring the angels.

She turned, walking back towards Sera and Emily. "Before we all go home, ya c*nts wanna detour into an obvious trap?"

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, late evening:

Charlie was the first to shake off Niffty's... Niffty-ness. She distracted everyone by asking about dinner but then noted that Emily could be back at any time. A trip to Sloth to get medicine for Keekee was her next priority.

"What about me?" Lute asked.

Charlie put on a smile. "You'll get dinner too. All... guests... do." She gave a nervous look to Vaggie. "Even temporary ones."

Charlie could tell Vaggie felt deeply uncomfortable with Lute in the hotel, much less in the same room. And she couldn't blame her. Lute betrayed and assaulted her, permanently disfigured her, and abandoned her to what they both expected was a fate worse than death. Nothing Lute had gone through, nothing about Lute's current condition, changed that.

But Charlie suspected those things were making it hard for Vaggie not to blame herself for feelings she had every right to. Making her beat herself up over those feelings in a way that would do Emily proud.

Well, not proud. Proud was totally the wrong word.

Charlie felt the presence of the Key in her pocket. Her first partner was not the only one Lute being here was unhealthy for.

"Thank you," Lute managed again. "For more food. I will take it." Her eyes flickered over to Vaggie briefly as she added, "With gratitude."

Vaggie looked away. Charlie's heart reached out to her.

Seviathan walked over to Crymini, who was laying on the floor with her earbuds in, listening to music at a volume that could not be good for canine ears.

He leaned over her. "May I have my phone back?"

Crymini stared up at him with false innocence and made What? I can't hear you. motions while making no effort to take out her earbuds or turn off her music.

Seviathan leaned over further, reaching down to pull the earbuds from the puppy teen's ears.

Crymini lurched upwards, paws going into Seviathan's inside breast pocket and pulling out a bottle of glowing potion.

She growled, holding it up as he jerked back. "So what is this?"

Angel Dust jumped from his chair.

Husk growled, glaring.

Charlie sighed. "Crymini, give him his phone, and his whatever, back please." Definitely needed to do that lesson about not stealing.

Angel Dust shook his head. "Don't."

Vaggie's spear was out. "What is it?"

Angel Dust glowered. "It's a Love Potion."

Charlie felt the world sharpen. Her gaze locked on Seviathan as her eyes turned red, irises glowing with golden light. "Why do you have that?"

Lute stared at her, tensing, but Charlie didn't notice.

Seviathan backed away, hands rising defensively. "It's not what you think," he promised. "It's for Niffty."

Husk was on him before Charlie fully rose from her seat. The winged feline grabbed Seviathan, spinning and slamming his back into the bar hard enough to rattle all the bottles. "You were going to use that on Niffty!?" Husk's demonic aspect flared. His wasn't the only one.

Charlie growled, tail lashing.

Seviathan yelped and protested quickly. "No! No, of course not. It's a gift!"

Crymini was rolling onto her feet when Niffty grabbed the Love Potion from her with a happy shriek. "It's perfect!"

Charlie stared at Niffty, then back at Seviathan. "What?"

Husk let go of Seviathan as Niffty ran between them.

Angel Dust echoed her what? and added, "You want that, Niff? Why?"

"It's for her!" Niffty announced, pointing at Lute. "So she can find love with her bad boy!"

Vaggie groaned. "Please tell me this isn't more Lutino sh*t."

Angel Dust stared. He clawed at the air in frustration. "Seriously, Niff? You try to teach her trust and then want to drug her?"

"And you were part of this?" Charlie said, growling, her demonic aspect fading. "I can't believe you!"

Niffty ran back across the room to where Lute was sitting, staring at all of this. "Here! This will help you find love!"

Husk slapped his forehead.

Angel Dust turned to the fallen angel. "Don't. It's fake, it won't last... and do you really want to risk Vaggie being the person you're looking at when it kicks in?"

"Hey!" Vaggie shouted, rocked by the unexpected shot. But at Angel Dust's look, acquiesced. "f*ck you, Angel. But fair."

Lute dropped the glowing potion with a look of revulsion. "I'd rather be eaten by cannibals."

Vaggie growled. "Charlie, can I please just skewer her a little."

"No, Vaggie," Charlie sighed. "Niffty..."

Niffty picked up the bottle and offered it again. "If you change your mind. Just be sure to do it before he gets here."

Stunned silence. Broken by Angel Dust.

"Valentino's coming here?!"

Niffy nodded. "Yep. Sevie called him!"

Charlie spun once again on Seviathan, but before she could yell, there was a knock at the door.

Charlie's Angels - Aftershocks - Chapter 7 - Kkat (Kkat_FoE) (2024)

Chapter Text

Day Seven - Pentagram City, early evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Day Seven - Pentagram City, early evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, early evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening...

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, early evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Day Seven - Pentagram City Center, early evening:

Day Seven - Hasbin Hotel, early evening:

Day Seven - Pentegram City center, early evening:

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, early evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, early evening:

Day Seven - Streets of Pentagram City, evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, evening:

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, evening:

Day Seven - Streets of Heaven, evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel parlor, evening:

Day Seven - Streets of Pentagram City, evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, evening:

Day Seven - Pentagram City center, evening:

Day Seven - Hazbin Hotel, late evening: