When I awoke there was already food at my bedside. My back was sore from the comfort of the bed, and the lack of windows in my room threw my internal clock off.
I sat on the carpeted floor to eat, as it was improper to eat in the same spot I slept. Afterwards I took ten minutes for my prayers to Michael, and then worked on my morning exercises. Though I was willing to let myself relax while I stayed here, it would do me no good to lose my physique entirely.
I heard a creak on the floor. How could a carpet creak? Was there good wood under this atrocious layer of fluff?
Tecie looked coldly at me, in the disconnected meaning, not literal. She handed me a card. "This was left at the door. Who knows you're here?"
I opened the card. Inside it read- 'Star Bridge Tea lounge- noon.' It was signed SB in an intricate script.
Tecie was looking over my shoulder. "You seem lost in thought. Who sent this? Moll? Did she track my address somehow?"
"I'm a slow reader." Was all I offered her. "I'm much more used to my own language."
"What, Enochian? That is what it is, right?"
"I guess so." I didn't know. It was the only language we spoke and read and lived in, so it didn't need a name.
"Well." Said Tecie, standing up and looking impassive. "I don't know where this 'Star Bridge' is. In addition, it's ten thirty right now and we still have to pretend-escort you out of Hell and set you up with a new identity. I'm not sure you're going to be able to meet this 'SB'."
We had that little time? "We better go right now then."
"Don't you want to, I don't know, Shower, or something?"
"We need to hurry. I can't miss this meeting." I wasn't even sure if it was going to be the Cancer or Moll that I met at this lounge. But either ways, it currently seemed a lot more important than everything else in the world.
Tecie seemed oddly fussed about letting me leave, but finally she obliged. She tried asking me some fairly personal questions at first regarding my night's sleep, any dreams I might have had, and how my breakfast was. It took a couple times of reminding her before she caught on how impolite she was being. I grew uneasy as well as her seemingly innocuous questioning persisted- surely, as Michael's contact in Hell, she could not mean me harm by them? But then why was she so curious about my sleep? Did she know about my nightmares?
I was anxious. This feeling was magnified as we weaved through the crowds. I was starting to feel like I could smell these demons, and all their demon-ness stung my nostrils and made my eyes water. By the time we reached the elevator and passed through a number of security checks, I almost wanted to actually head back home.
Right in front of the elevator, Tecie paused. "Here's where we break off."
"Just like that? Won't someone notice?"
"It's been arranged." We continued walking down the hall. "Hell has notoriously terrible security, among things. I'm just going to drop you off here- it's an informational group for new demons. You just follow along with it, and they'll hook you up with everything you need. ID cards, a temp job, legal documentation. You don't have any registration files, of course, but we're calling that 'administrative failure'. You're going to need a new name, by the way. Including a last name."
I did not enter the room. "New name? That is entirely terrible. Angels only change their names when they've fallen. I still hold my Grace."
"Well, looks like you're going to adapt. Hurry up and get in there. A quick hot tip if you're stuck on a last name- colors work well. That, or jobs."
She pushed at me with her hand and I went inside.
There were six demons there, and I guess they really did look new. A few of them were- fondling?- themselves in great confusion, running their hands across gills and horns and new sharp teeth. As is normal, they all turned to watch as I entered the room.
"Hello?" Said the woman who was likely running it. She sat legs crossed with her hair in a bun neat enough that it didn't even look like it was made of hair.
"I'm- I'm sorry. I'm late. I'm sorry that I'm late. There was a problem. None of my papers got through. Administration's error. I was told to come here."
"Certainly." She said. "What's your name?" She held her pen above her clipboard, ready to write.
I struggled. "Creed. Farmer-Soldier."
The pen tapped at her lips.
"I mean, that was a preface to my actual last name, which is not Farmer-Soldier, but has roots in those words. It is Far...dier. Fardier."
"Middle initial?"
"Lavender."
"Alright Creed, please take a seat. And welcome. You came in right towards the end of our meeting, I'm afraid. We've already covered a lot. Just having some general question and answer time now. You have any questions?"
"Uh- no." I figured it'd be a bad thing to let myself become too rememberable.
"So- are there really torture chambers?" One of the demons asked.
The informational session lasted for a long time, after which I was held longer by the demon overseer. I hadn't entered with many questions regarding Hell, but I left with a number of miscellaneous answers.
Hell did, in fact, have torture chambers. But their proper name was 'research rooms'. It seemed every so often, after selling their soul, a human would fail to become a demon when they arrived in Hell. Usually they'd be killed immediately and reset back on Earth on the next cycle change, but a few were kept for research purposes, just in case, for up to nineteen years.
Cycles were discussed at great length too. All of the new demons had much difficulty understanding the concept of them. I had to feign this, though it was true I knew little about cycles myself- we did not experience them in Heaven, so my knowledge was through word-of-mouth only. The gist was that, for whatever mysterious reason, the Earth reset every nineteen years. Hell was unaffected, as were any demons on Earth at the time. But all the humans and the trees and the animals would just leap back in time to nineteen years prior. The dead would be revived. Babies would be un-born. And then life would continue on again for another nineteen years.
The only way to remove people was to bring them to Hell. Because there had been nine cycles so far- meaning one-hundred and seventy-one years- many humans had simply disappeared from Earth. Parents would go missing, neighborhoods would empty, and friends would lose contact. Some humans grew suspicious. But there was something hazy and odd about cycles, and no one seemed to have the drive to realize how many people had gone missing.
Most of the new demons grew uncomfortable at the thought that they had lived their life many times prior, each in a slightly different world. In addition, they learned that the cycling of Earth had created two different Earths, so to speak: the one caught in a cycle, and the one stuck in the present. Hell was in the present, that's how it avoided the effects of the cycle change. Heaven was on the same plane.
The primary travel between the past and the present were giant portals, like the two I had used on my way here. I had to wonder what Michael had been trying to do though, making me travel through past Earth to meet Tecie and then having to travel back to the present to arrive in Hell- wouldn't it have been easier for Tecie to just climb out of the Hellmouth and meet me in the present? He must have had a good reason though- all his reasons were intelligent and correct.
We were briefed on the soul trade too. I was fairly interested in the subject. I hated the idea of souls being swindled from their owners and forced into demon-hood. But the way it was explained made the whole process shockingly fair- something I took to be heavy propaganda. When a human sold their soul to a 'cubi' (a gender-neutral way to indicate succubi and incubi), their soul was marked for Hell. If they died before their contract was due (which was fairly lenient as long as it fell within the cycle), they were sent to Hell as a human. They were then killed immediately, and would reappear on Earth next cycle change with no memories of the event.
This happened fairly often, as it wasn't uncommon for people to commit suicide over stress of their impending collection, or else die in an accident. Many humans didn't die though, and once their contract was up, were collected by a hellhound. As soon as they died at the hellhound's jaws, their soul was transferred to their cubi, who would carry it to Hell and deposit it. And thus, a demon was born.
Wishes were part of the process of soul selling, and considered a very needed guarantee. There were very strict limits on it, of course- while many thought research had to be done on the limits of these wishes, no one wanted to risk the consequences. So wishes were kept simple- money in the bank, basic changes to personality or body, various materiel goods- it wasn't much, but it was enough for most people. The process of granting a wish was vague too. The cubi simply thought about it very hard, evidently, and it would come true. The power was said to come from the human's soul, but no one actually knew for sure.
Soul selling also explained the so called 'immortal' humans- they were those who had died before their contract was due, but were left in Hell during the changing of the cycle. This was very rare, and often the result of demonic error and absent-mindedness. The only way to get them out of Hell was to wait for the next cycle change, during which they'd reset to a normal human state if taken to Earth.
Everyone, myself sadly included, wanted to know why the world was like this. And the overseer demon could not answer us. As far as Hell could remember, which was roughly since the start of the cycles, the world had been like this. The reasons were never found, and in fact, the authorities had heavily forbid research on the subject.
I left very tired from the informational overload, but with enough sense of the time to rush. It was about eleven-thirty, and I was not sure how long it'd take to find the Star Bridge lounge.
Tecie caught up with me organically, walking in line about a foot behind me. Only after we had cleared the crowded halls did she talk with me.
"We should get you a haircut, some new clothes, and find your workplace for tomorrow's shift."
"I have to get to the Star Bridge."
"You're still recognizable to anyone who saw you yesterday. It's not good to let that risk stand."
"I'll be fine. I just have to hurry to the Star Bridge."
Tecie seemed unsatisfied. "Aye, captain. It's near here. In the west-north sector."
I guess she did know the place after all- it was still a walk, but she didn't seem to be guessing her way through in the slightest. By the time we arrived in the dingy little place at the top of a clock tower, it was twelve-twenty.
She waited outside the door with me. "You know who you're looking for, I take it?"
"Yes."
"I still have to stick around. I'm your bodyguard as well as your ticket home."
"Sit far away from me."
"Rude." She scoffed. She seemed to be upset with me today, contrasting greatly to the optimism she had shown yesterday. Had it been something I had done?
The Star Bridge Tea Lounge was a small and square room below a clock face. The walls and floor were uncovered wood, and in some places you could see the insulation between cracks in the wall. There were a couple people already in here, drinking or else reading a book or playing some sort of game with tokens and cards.
It was Moll who was waiting for me by the window. There was a chair directly across from her, and I sat down before greeting her.
"Moll Manly."
"Ni...chael, is it?"
"Correct." I did not mind her using my name, oddly enough.
Moll had an odd sort of body shape, one I deemed to be relatively unnatural- her stomach sort of ballooned with a precise curve, but her gut and lower chest were more of less flat. Her whole body lacked anything for curves, and her shoulders were much broader than her hips. Her legs, meanwhile, were short and heavy. I liked how she looked, like a mix of Cassiel's strength with Victory's feminine softness. She also looked like she could carry many heavy objects at once.
"I gave birth two weeks ago." She said. Her face was absolutely covered in freckles that were almost black on her dark brown skin.
I guess I had been staring at her for too long. "I'm sorry to hear that." I said without thinking. After a few moments I recalled what giving birth was, and I corrected myself accordingly. "Congratulations."
"I've been feeling like that too." She said with a mouth that couldn't settle on a smile or a frown. "Why did you have Stacy arrange a meeting with me? What is it that you want?"
"You, of course."
She scrunched up her nose. "You birds, all the same."
"Did I say it wrong?" I did not understand. I simply wanted to talk to her. She looked so welcome among all these demons- had my language been unclear?
"Oh, no, your point was very clear- you just have poor speaking skills. I've seen it before, unfortunately." She sighed. "You wanted to speak to me first though, yes? You think I look homely, or familiar, yes?"
"Yes." I urged. "Very much so."
"Leave me alone after this then. Every angel that's had the pleasure of meeting me has told me the same things, over and over again. What is wrong with you creatures? Why can't you leave me alone?"
She was visibly quite angry about it. "I don't have any ill-intent towards you."
"No, you don't. In fact, you only have the kindest of feelings." She took a sip of tea. "If Stacy hadn't instructed me to stay with you as long as you wanted, I would get up and leave right about now."
"Why does he get to boss you around like that?"
"We all owe debt to Stacy. Or most of us, at least." She finished her cup and banged it on the table hard enough that I feared breakage. "You will too, before long. So tell me, Nichael, do you have any questions for me? Or are you more a gawker?"
My mouth had fallen slightly open, and feeling stupid, I shut it tightly. "Nothing much."
"I love leading these things. Alright. What non-confidential information can you share on why you came to this lovely city?"
"Work." I shrugged. "Heavenly."
"Figures. You have any hobbies? Pets? Friends?"
"No. No. Two."
"What an exhilarating date this is shaping up to be." I did not enjoy her sarcasm, but it seemed to be an enchanting trait for her to have. I had to remind myself to keep steady though- she was the Aries of Hell.
One of the military generals. Among angels, it was of the highest honor to kill any of the demon generals. You'd even earn the right to wear their badges on your armor. Yltzaphael had the most until he died. Three Aquarius', one Sagittarius, three Scorpios and five Aries.
To even achieve this rank, Moll must have killed a number of angels. At least ten was our guess- sometimes we'd look at the corpses of demons and examine their kill counts, which were usually tattooed onto the skin of the right shoulder. The higher ups had many more than ten, usually. But it was a good estimate for the minimum.
"What now?" I asked.
"You're asking me?" She raised an eyebrow. "We might as well get this over with. Your place, or mine." She sighed rather sadly, putting no effort into sounding like she was asking a question. She got up and waved to the shop-keeper. "Paid for."
I followed her out into the hall, curious on what she was alluding to. Her place had been decided, I guessed, since I did not know where mine was. But I also did not know what was going to happen at her place. Was our conversation really over?
Tecie must have got up a moment after we did. I heard her following us as Moll led me down the stairs and to a room on a lower level. Was this where she lived? Her choice in tea lounge must have been based on proximity.
It was mostly dark in her room. The shutters were drawn over her window, and a dying lamp made everything look sort of yellow.
She pressed me against the door. I stopped breathing for a moment- was this an assassination attempt? Her head was alarmingly near mine, and I desperately tried to dodge it. Then she put her lips to mine- a kiss- and I shoved her away with enough force that she stumbled.
"Don't do that." I scolded. Chastity was a virtue. I was probably going to get another nightmare from Michael tonight because of this. I was just hoping he'd let me off easy since it hadn't been fully consensual.
"You're the one who wanted it."
I didn't understand that part, really, and I guess I had made another mistake in my speaking.
"No kissing then?" She had a bad habit of sighing every time she spoke, but it did add a sort of dreamy quality to her voice.
"None at all." I was glad we were finally communicating clearly.
She moved over to her bed and began to undress. "This..." She didn't finish the thought.
"Are you taking a bath?"
She looked confused. "You want to do this in the shower then?"
"I enjoy baths, and bathing." I did not understand what the 'this' was that she was referencing though.
"Ok. Follow me then." She finished removing her clothes. I wondered idly if I should too now, or if it made more sense to take them off in the bathroom.
Her bathroom was very disappointing and small. There was just a toilet, sink, and shower. Not even a bathtub, which I would have accepted (though not been willing to share with her, as it would have been too small to comfortably fit the both of us).
She started the shower without a word. The hot water had yet to come on. I wasn't sure the both of us could fit in the shower either, not without touching, and I really didn't want to touch her.
"You're not very invested in this whole thing, are you? You don't seem very excited."
"It's a very small shower. I'm not sure how comfortable it'll be."
"Hey, you're the one who chose it over the bed. I'm not one to judge. Shouldn't you at least strip by now?"
I did so with some reluctance. The hot water still hadn't arrived, and it was cold in her white tile room. Moll looked at me sadly.
I was looking at her too. At this angle, I could barely see the lines on her right shoulder.
"You're not even slightly aroused." Moll said.
"I hope never to be." It seemed like such a sudden fact to bring up, how much suspicion I had aroused in my stay at Hell. Speaking of, I wasn't sure how to ask her to spin around so I could take a good look at her shoulder without arousing her to my intentions.
"Wait- hold up." I could feel hot air coming from the shower, but she placed a cold hand against my chest and stopped me from entering. "You do realize I'm talking about sex, right? The reason for our meeting was sex. You asked Stacy to arrange this for you. Sex, that is, with me. Sexually. God, I hope that got through to you."
"Oh." I hadn't realized it, of course. I felt pretty dense about the whole situation- thinking back, there were a few signs that I may have been misinterpreting her words. Something else caught my eye though. "Hey, you only have two kills!"
"What?" She blinked, shocked. "What. Yeah. I do."
"That's very few for an Aries!" I was ecstatic, and forgot all about how close I had been to accidentally having sex with a demon.
"It is. Rather unfortunately, I got to this rank through some very alternative means- ones that were mostly beyond my will. Anyways, if you're not going to fuck me, get out. I've fulfilled my end of the contract with Stacy. Leave me alone."
I didn't really want to, but she shoved me out the door all the same.
(A/N:
Sorry about the BLOCK PARAGRAPHS of exposition here. As mentioned, this is technically a sequel, so all of that is supposed to be review. same with a lot of the characters we run into, but since nichael is meeting them for the first time too there's less of an issue. it's a weird world, but you get used to it.)