After the planned booze-up with some not-so-bad guys—yes, that's how I'm referring to two demons now... correction: a powerful demon aristocrat and a fallen angel—I didn't even feel much dissonance. Both Lucy and Freddy turned out to be quite... reasonable. To be honest, after our reconciliation, I felt really guilty about my outburst, about how badly I behaved with Frederick's wife and son... No, Seviathan is still a little shit, of course, but what were we like at his age? Exactly. Anyway, I invited myself over (I was politely invited) to their place in the guise of Baal. Firstly, I needed to apologize to Bethesda—I still felt guilty about that flash of anger. And as for their little brat, we'll just catch him briefly, something like "sorry, kid, crossed the line," because he himself was also to blame, which Frederick admitted, who swore to me that he knows about the problem and he and his wife are already working on solving it.
Listening to Freddy's stories about his attempts to find common ground with his son, Lucifer and I sometimes exchanged sad, understanding glances. I only managed to be a father in the Garden of Eden, and even then, not for long. Lucy even less so—his quarrels with Lilith began long before the birth of the little Morningstar, and the long-awaited child only brought back a fragile semblance of unity for a few short years.
After Eve, it was as if I'd forgotten how to love, forgotten how it's even done. I'm sure it's some deep mental crap, like post-traumatic stress disorder or something, which isn't surprising—my first wife told me to fuck off and left me for another man (Lucifer, the fucking irony), and then she talked that "other man" into turning my second wife into a fucking monster... Literally. Now that Lute and I... let's say, found each other, I'm even a little scared to seriously try starting a family again... What if it all goes to shit again?
Okay, I'm starting to slip back into gloominess. Introspection isn't always bad, of course, but I shouldn't whine to myself either, otherwise my restless valkyrie will try to smack me again as a preventative measure... And in BDSM, you know, I'm used to imagining myself as the "dominant" side, so Lute would just crush me with experience in that department. Heh...
Right, now for the pressing matters... After a booze-up, as is our custom, it's time to deal with important issues. Even before meeting the Lord of Hell, the thought occurred to me that his daughter might well have... let's call it "flaked" on the promised trip to Heaven. So I need to fly to her and remind her that her motley crew of louts will have to behave themselves. And also inform her that three more sinners will be going along with the hotel guests... Yes, Carmilla and her daughters are going to Heaven. Albeit temporarily for now. After this, I'll deal with that sinner teacher, the one whose chance at redemption isn't zero, and based on the results of that experiment, I'll decide on a specific date for sending the Carmine family to Heaven.
In general, there was still little optimism in this regard, but... what if it works? The local God, may the full moon shine brightly on him, didn't bother with any explanations regarding the redemption of sinners. He just set up the mechanism and fucked off into the sunset, leaving a bunch of questions behind. And now we, the poor "servants of Light," have to rack our brains to understand how this crap even works! And there are no instructions, NO access to the redemption and soul distribution mechanism itself! No, seriously, even SERA herself, the head of the Seraphim, for fuck's sake, doesn't know! I have a strong feeling that God is just cruelly trolling his kids, like: "live, enjoy, and when problems start—just pray, 'cause you have no other options, losers." The result of all this will be the creation of our own superstructure for distributing sinners according to their "level of sinfulness," the best of whom (relatively, of course) will go to Hell for re-education, and the worst—straight to the Abyss for eternal torment. Yes, it's cruel, but it's effective, and I don't give a fuck about bastards like Hitler or Chikatilo; let them boil in the Abyss forever. While I felt genuinely sorry for those who "strayed," since I myself was once on their dark side, I definitely won't pity the complete bastards, because, again, I've been on their side too and I understand they can't be fixed. Fuck 'em, that's all.
As I approached the hotel through the streets, bathed in the red light of the giant pentagram in the sky stretching over the entire city, it was as if some sixth sense pricked me. Hell knows how to explain it, but I think everyone's had this: you're going somewhere on your business, already approaching your destination, when suddenly "wham!"—and you feel in your gut that some unpleasant surprises are waiting for you there. There's often no magic in this; it's just that based on a multitude of data, received visually and otherwise, your brain manages to detect some minor "inaccuracies," something that differs from the usual rhythm of the place. However, even if your brain managed to note these discrepancies for itself, you yourself might still not understand anything.
I read an interesting study once in my past life, where they took animals that could blend in with their surroundings, put them in a suitable enclosure, and then brought people up to it and asked what they felt, looking at the seemingly empty enclosure. Many said they felt an inexplicable anxiety. Or that they felt like someone was watching them. Even though they couldn't see anything with their eyes, their subconscious had already managed to pick up the predator, hidden among the foliage. The brain was sounding the alarm, but the conscious mind couldn't understand what, exactly, was wrong.
I couldn't say that the same thing was happening to me right now. It seemed like just a hotel, nothing unusual, but my gut stubbornly assured me that problems were waiting for me there. Not dangerous, but not the most pleasant either... Alright, we angels are tough folk. If anything—I'll haul ass... or kick ass... depending on the problem and the situation, yes.
Alright, to hell with it. I exhale and resolutely open the hotel door, then step inside.
The atmosphere was... tense. Charlie, the princess of Hell, was standing at the reception desk, talking worriedly with two visitors. I recognized the girls immediately—Octavia, who looked anxious but held herself with her usual dignity, and next to her stood Loona...
Well, there's the surprise... They found me... No idea how, but they found me. My sixth sense didn't fail me. Neither of them are sinners, which means they could only get into Pentagram City with Lucifer's permission, which he most likely gave at Stolas's request...? And, obviously, they didn't come here to check in, but for my ass. But how did they guess I'd be arriving today? Did Lucifer blab? No, that's absurd, he barely knows Stolas, let alone his daughter... And he wouldn't have had time!
Okay, standing in the doorway won't solve the problem. Let's try to find out how much the young demonesses know first... I take a few steps forward, and Charlie finally notices me:
"A... Baal? How did you..." Her eyes widened in surprise; the princess of Hell clearly hadn't expected to see me here.
But she didn't get to finish. Octavia and Loona turned simultaneously at her exclamation, and at that moment, their eyes met mine. Recognition. Shock. Disbelief. Octavia's face paled drastically; she opened her mouth slightly, as if trying to say something but unable to find the words. Loona, on the other hand, instantly snarled, the fur on her neck standing on end, and pure, undisguised fury flashed in her eyes.
"YOU?!" the hellhound growled, her voice low and threatening.
At that very moment, the oppressive silence was shattered by a loud, inappropriate sound:
Slurp!
Crunch!
All eyes instinctively darted towards the sofas by the fireplace. There, lounging in the armchairs like seasoned theater critics, sat Angel Dust, devouring a bright pink cocktail with obviously exaggerated gusto and tossing popcorn into his mouth; Husk, grimly sipping cheap whiskey straight from the bottle; and Sir Pentious, apparently playing with his balls... Yes, I deliberately phrased that thought exactly that way, bwahahaha!
Angel, catching everyone's attention, theatrically arched an eyebrow and slowly licked his straw.
"What?" he drawled in his signature sultry voice. "I just got a nose for drama, sweethearts. You go right ahead, we're just, y'know, background. Don't mind us. You stopped right at the good part!"
"Shut up, you idiots! Red does not make you go faster! It's unscientific!" Sir Pentious hissed at his Egg Boiz, who, ignoring the surrounding drama, had started a real brawl over a bucket of red paint.
What added to the surrealism of the scene was that half the eggs were already painted black, blue, and purple... It seems the esteemed eggs had been reading the books I recently brought from the human world... Wait. They can read?!?
I sigh internally. A fucking circus. As always, though, why am I surprised? Ignoring the uninvited spectators, I turned back to the tense girls and the bewildered Charlie. I needed to take control of the situation before Loona completely lost her composure and decided to test the durability of my carcass with her claws (she wouldn't succeed, but no one wants her to ruin her manicure, right?).
"Is the meeting room free?" I asked Charlie calmly, walking closer. I needed to act fast, while the demonesses hadn't yet recovered from the initial shock and... from the absurdity of the situation with the eggs. It's not often you see a sight like that, even inside the Hazbin Hotel...
"Huh? Y-yes, of course, it's free," the princess nodded, a bit distractedly, pointing to one of the doors in the lobby.
"Let's go. We need to talk."
Loona was still glaring at me with unconcealed hostility, her fists clenched, but the owlet, getting a grip on herself, lightly touched her elbow and nudged her forward. The girls walked past me, trying not to look in my direction, and headed for the door Charlie had indicated. I followed them, feeling the curious and simultaneously indignant gazes of Angel and Husk on my back, as well as the squeaking of eggs and the hissing of the serpent.
Here it is, the same legendary "yammering" room where all the most emotional conversations in this place happen...
Judging by the girls' behavior, they already knew a hell of a lot and then some; Loona's growl clearly showed that. Technically, I wasn't exactly lying to them... more like, severely omitting things. But I understand the difference was small, if it existed at all. So, I hope we can at least part on some peaceful note today...
"I... I'll bring you some tea!" Charlie said nervously, clearly feeling extremely awkward, after which she hastily fled in an unknown direction. To ask Vaggie for advice, no doubt...
Alright. I sit down in one of the chairs at the table, gathering my thoughts... The meeting room door clicked shut quietly, cutting us off from curious (mostly spider) eyes and ears. Octavia and Loona sat in the chairs opposite, their postures tense, their backs straight. The girls silently looked at me, waiting for an explanation.
Well, as they say, you brewed this mess—you clean it up.
"Ahem, so... Long time no see?" ...Yeah, "gathered my thoughts"... What else am I supposed to say to them? "Hey girls, I'm Archangel Adam, chief organizer of the Exterminations, nice to meet you again"? A lousy start to a reconciliation, considering I'd been practically ignoring them all this time, internally praying they wouldn't remember anything from that night...
Loona snorted loudly, leaning back in her chair and pointedly crossing her arms over her chest. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, and her tail was tapping nervously, forcefully, against the leg of the chair, beating out an agitated rhythm.
"'Long time no see'?" she mimicked, not hiding the biting sarcasm. "Seriously? That's fucking it? No 'Hey girls, sorry I'm, y'know, the biggest asshole in all of Heaven and just bailed, leaving you blackout drunk God knows where'? You just ignored us this whole time, Baal. Or should we call you Adam now?" the hellhound spat the name out like a curse.
Octavia, in contrast, sat straight, but her aristocratic composure was clearly cracking. She clasped her fingers on her knees so tightly that her knuckles turned white, but she stubbornly kept her gaze down, studying the pattern on the carpet.
"We... we were worried," she added quietly but firmly, and clear, unadulterated hurt sounded in her voice. "We thought something had happened to you. And then... All this time... were you just... playing with us? Using us?"
They both fell silent, waiting for my answer. Loona stared with open defiance, her eyes flashing with anger. Octavia was looking somewhere at the floor, and her posture read more disappointment than anger... That made it feel especially shitty.
Fuck, it's actually a little hurtful to see this, but yeah, I'm my own worst enemy and I brought the situation to this point. But right now, when the entire universe was hanging by a thread, when Eve was gathering an army and preparing to attack, I just didn't want to drag them into it. I wanted them to sit tight in Hell, in relative safety, just forgetting that some demon named Baal ever existed... Didn't work out so well, clearly. I underestimated the persistence and worry of these girls—they tracked me down! Two young demonesses literally managed to uncover my carefully constructed identity! Have I mentioned I'm a shitty conspirator? Well, now I'm saying it officially.
"Well... let's take this one step at a time, okay?" I tried to make my voice sound calm and confident, although everything inside was tightening with an unpleasant premonition. "I wasn't 'playing' with you. And I wasn't using anyone. It's just... circumstances changed, and right now, it's not very safe to be around me, that's all..." I offered, knowing myself how shitty and unconvincing my excuses sounded...
"'Not very safe'?!" Loona snorted again, her voice breaking into a growl. "Are you fucking kidding me?! We live in Hell! I'm a fucking assassin for hire! We almost got killed at that stupid trial! And you, Archangel Adam, the fucking asshole who runs the yearly goddamn Exterminations here, are talking to us about safety?!" The hellhound abruptly shot up from her chair, planting her knuckles on the polished table and leaning forward, her fangs flashing threateningly. "You're just a coward! A common coward! You decided to just bail and ignore us! Thought we'd just give up and forget, huh?!"
Octavia flinched at Loona's furious outburst but didn't even try to stop her. She finally raised her large, sad eyes, full of pain and misunderstanding, to me.
"It's not just about safety, Adam," her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but it seemed to carry even more weight because of it. "You... you just disappeared. Just like that. After that night. We... I... felt like a complete idiot. We embarrassed ourselves in front of you, and you just threw us out, like unwanted trash, into some creepy hotel and vanished. Do you have any idea how that felt? And then you just... stopped answering. As if we never even existed in your life," she looked down again, clenching her small fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. "You could have at least... just said something. Explained. I'm not talking about revealing who you really are, but at least telling us to stay out of it. But you chose to just ignore us. As if we were... nothing."
Fuck. I was literally being told off like a misbehaving brat... And the worst part was, they were right. Completely right. I really did act like an asshole, and yes, I've now learned that ignoring hyperactive, offended teenagers is not the best idea. Won't happen again. Big A has learned this lesson.
"I... I didn't think about it in that light," I sighed heavily, running a hand over my face. "I'm sorry I didn't answer. And for that night, too..." I say, quietly freaking out at myself. A war with Eve is just around the corner, possibly the end of the world, casualties are almost guaranteed, and I'm sitting here justifying myself to two teenage demonesses because I genuinely didn't want to hurt their feelings... Fuck me. Why didn't Adam's ability to not give a fuck get passed down to me along with his memory and power?! Life would be so much easier.
Loona rolled her eyes theatrically, flopping back into her chair with a loud thud. Her posture was still hostile, but the tension in her shoulders had eased a bit.
"'Sorry I didn't answer,'" she grumbled, mimicking my tone. "Well, isn't that just fucking great. Of course you 'didn't think about it in that light.' Did you even fucking think about us after that? Or were we just... a moment's entertainment for you? Amusing little demons you could screw with and then just ditch to go back to your fucking Heaven?"
Octavia exhaled noisily, as if trying to release the accumulated tension. She looked at me more directly now, her gaze serious and demanding, not at all childish.
"Loona's right," her voice trembled slightly at first, but quickly steadied. "I can understand why you didn't want us to know who you are. Probably," she frowned slightly, choosing her words. "But I don't understand why. Why all of this? Why did you help me back then? Why did you save my father at the trial? You... Adam... you... you hate us demons, don't you? You're supposed to hate us. So why did you do all that?"
"I don't hate you, what nonsense is this?" I raise an eyebrow in surprise, trying to look directly into Octavia's eyes so she can see my sincerity. "I helped you only because I wanted to help. What normal person..." I paused for a second, "...demon or angel, enjoys watching a crying, upset girl? I understand it's probably strange for you to hear that Heaven, as it turns out, doesn't hate all demons outright, but it's true. Blaming you just for being born in Hell is complete bullshit, so I just did what I thought was right at the moment. And at the trial, too. Your father didn't deserve to die."
Loona hmphed skeptically, but her tense posture relaxed a little more. She still kept her arms crossed, but at least she no longer looked like a predator ready to pounce, and her tail lay almost motionless on the floor.
Octavia, hearing my answer, froze for a moment. She slowly raised her gaze to me, and the ice in her eyes seemed to begin to thaw a little, giving way to deep bewilderment.
"But... if you really think that," her voice became firm again, and she looked me straight in the eye, "then why did you treat us like that? Why did you just run away? Why didn't you answer? You say you're 'normal,' that you don't hate us, but you acted..." she paused, searching for the right word, "...you just abandoned us. After everything. We deserve an honest explanation, at least."
"Alright," I sighed again, realizing they wouldn't just let it go. And, since the entire leadership of Hell is already in the know, I think they have the right to know at least part of the truth... Again, I felt sorry for the girls, and information about Eve might actually help them... Or it might harm them. But since all the Sins know, as well as some of the Goetia, why not explain the reason for my strange behavior to them too? It's obvious the demonesses were very worried, including about me. Hell, the fact that they somehow, fuck, tracked me to the Hazbin Hotel means they were worried a lot. And they deserved to know the truth. At least part of it. "Something... very serious is going to happen soon. Something that will force Heaven and Hell to temporarily join forces. As you can understand, this danger is no joke, and I, as the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Armies... am a rather... prominent and dangerous figure. In every sense. I always attract unwanted attention, including the attention of those behind this threat. I thought that by distancing myself, I could protect you."
Loona hmphed, but this time without her previous anger. Her gaze slid to the side, and her tail only twitched lazily once or twice and fell still.
"Yeah, 'big danger,'" she grumbled. "Whatever you say..."
Octavia, however, frowned noticeably. "You said... 'a dangerous figure,'" she murmured. "So... that's why you disappeared? You decided it was dangerous for us to be around you?" she looked down again, fiddling with the edge of her elegant gloves. "You... you couldn't just say so? Text? Anything?" Her voice trembled again. "We thought... we thought we did something wrong. That... that we annoyed you so much at the club with our behavior that you just..." she blushed deeply, apparently remembering their less-than-dignified state that night, "...just threw us out and tried to forget us like a bad dream."
Loona hmphed in agreement, almost no longer angry, but rather... sympathetic to her friend.
"That was pretty fucked up, dude," she added, much calmer, having dropped the aggression. "We really thought something had happened to you. Or that it was us... well, that we'd completely ruined everything with our behavior."
"Don't you think we're going in circles?" I asked, feeling the tension gradually easing, and simultaneously using my 'sensors' (what an OP ability!) to locate Charlie and create an illusion of a steaming cup of tea in front of her, as a hint. "I've told you enough for you to understand my motivation. Yes, I fucked up the communication; I regret not thinking about your feelings beforehand and making you worry. But I didn't and don't have any 'cunning-evil-plan' to use or humiliate you. I really was trying to protect you, even if I chose a less-than-ideal way to do it."
Loona sighed heavily, finally relaxing her shoulders completely and leaning back in her chair. She tiredly rubbed the bridge of her nose, looking at the ceiling.
"Fine, fuck it, 'commander-in-chief,'" she grumbled, though her voice held neither malice nor sarcasm anymore, just accumulated fatigue and some relief. "Just... yeah. You're right. We're going in circles. But next time, just, fuck, send a short message like: 'Girls, 's all good, just the world's ending soon, sit tight, don't sweat it.' That would've been... really easier. For everyone."
Octavia nodded slowly. She also looked morally exhausted, but the former resentment seemed to have finally faded, replaced by slight embarrassment and obvious relief that her worst fears hadn't been confirmed.
"We... we understand," she said quietly, raising a slightly guilty look to me. "Sorry... and we... we're sorry about that night, too. We must have been... awful," she blushed deeply again. "I'm glad you're not... that you're not angry with us. And that you're okay. That's the main thing."
At that very moment, the door creaked open quietly, and Charlie's head poked through the gap. She looked anxiously first at me, then at the noticeably calmer girls, as if trying to assess the situation.
"Um... I... I brought tea!" The princess smiled nervously but broadly, squeezing inside sideways with a large tray on which three cups of fragrant liquid were steaming.
Loona let out a quiet chuckle, more like a satisfied snort. Octavia smiled gratefully and genuinely at Charlie, accepting the offered cup. The tension that had recently hung in the room finally dissipated, giving way to awkwardness.
"Thanks, Charlie. Very... timely," I remarked, looking at the princess of Hell with a warm smile.
Yeah. Well, since the main complaints have resolved themselves, I can relax a little. Not the most pleasant conversation of my life, but what can you do? My own fault. The main thing is that contact seems to have been re-established. And that's not bad.