Noise. Lights. Alcohol. Demons. Just like old times. Leo pushed through the chattering crowd with an apple cider in one hand and some weird fizzing blue drink in the other. He found Harvey in a booth with a woman who had red slitted eyes and dark scales on her skin. Passing the weird drink to Harvey, he tried to listen in to their conversation over the thrumming bass that threatened to vibrate the floorboards until he bounced out of the building altogether.
'So, I'm just hanging back on my fights to let my buddy here catch up.' Harvey turned to Leo and smiled. He took scarcely a sip from the blue drink before it turned purple. 'It'd be really cool if the two of us could get on the same level and move through the rest of the ranks at the same time!'
Leo realised that was exactly what he and Tiam were doing. Lately it looked like that was going to fall apart. He wasn't even sure if Raphael was planning on sticking around much longer. What did he do wrong? Surely it couldn't just be that they didn't like Harvey.
'Cute,' hissed the demon woman. Leo had already forgotten her name, so he just did his best to keep quiet and smile. She was actually quite kind, despite the fact that she was a demon. She'd already shouted them several drinks and cleared a reserved booth for them. Did all demons still have that bit of good angel in them from before their fall at the beginning of time?
'You were such a lone wolf until now, Harvey boy,' the demon hissed. 'What about this man changed your ways?'
As Harvey gave her the story of their meeting and their time together in Heaven, Leo browsed the crowd and sipped his drink. All sorts of strange folk partied around them, most of them looking like they weren't just here to dance and drink a little. Leo hadn't witnessed this much bumping and grinding since he'd sharpened his own knife in a forging class on Earth. Amongst the cloud of pure hormones, a strange glance of silver hair appeared for a mere second. Whoever it was stood out, and seemed to be on a very different mission to the rest of these people. He tried to follow the figure, craning his neck out of the booth, but lost sight in the same second he'd seen them.
'Are you alright, little Leo?' The demon leaned onto the table. 'See someone you like?'
'Uh, what!?' Leo's shirt suddenly felt clammy and hot.
'Oh no, Kasi.' Harvey patted Leo's shoulder with a solid thud. 'Leo here is determined to get his wife back from Hell. He's been exclusive for a long time.' He took another drink, and the now red liquid brightened to orange. 'Honestly, I'm a little jealous of your dedication and morality. Not many people I know would go to the lengths you have for Hazel, let alone me.'
Kasi apparated a suspiciously lumpy drink in her hand and swirled it as her eyes did laps of Leo. He suddenly wanted to hide under the table. She took a large gulp of her drink, chewed, and then said, 'well, you've sold me.' She smiled at Harvey, who grinned back. 'I'll accept your request.'
'Thank you, you won't regret it.' Harvey turned to Leo. He finished his drink which had made it all the way through the rainbow and back to blue. 'How would you like to get stronger?'
Leo put together that this was the new sponsorship Harvey had mentioned earlier that day. He was so interested in this balancing power, he'd even dreamed about using it in his sleep. Both Harvey and Kasi stood, moving away from the booth.
'Shall we?' Harvey asked.
'You know where to go. Daghkin is already waiting for you.' Kasi strode across the room, flicking one last call over her shoulder. 'I'll come check on the progress.'
Suddenly, Leo wasn't quite so sure this was about the sponsorship. Unless Harvey had lined up a bunch of his sponsors for Leo. That made more sense. They wove through the crowds until Harvey let Leo into a back door. Beyond lay stairs lit by green flames. It was a little creepy, but also cool.
'So, am I getting more sponsors?' Leo asked. He stepped beyond despite the unusual situation.
'Kind of. Kasi and her friends have developed a really cool way to get strong fast, and I've just convinced her to use it on you.'
'I see.' Leo's legs locked up for a second, but he pushed himself before the motion drew attention. 'Personally, I like the idea of gradually getting stronger over instant power.'
'Oh, you're just too good of a guy,' Harvey said with a laugh. 'Don't worry, it's been used on me already. This method is how I look different from how you last saw me.' That reassured Leo just a little more, but the people here could have chosen less creepy lighting. Something echoed behind them, like a little click. Maybe Kasi was already following through the door.
They descended into a cold metal room full of glass containers and bubbling tubes. It felt like a pimped-up version of the lab back on the entry level, but didn't have the same amount of dread inducing silence. Instead, a large slug-like being bulged through a nearby door and slid to meet them. It had pointed teeth that took up almost half its face, and beady eyes regarding Leo with no emotions to speak of.
'Daghkin,' Harvey stepped forward with arms open wide. He wasn't going to hug it, was he?
'Good to see you, Harvey. I see you have held your end of the deal,' the beast gurgled.
'Deal?' Leo cursed himself for following Harvey, for not doing anything when he could have easily run. It was now or possibly never. He spun on his heel, but his body struck the floor. It was like he lost control of himself as soon as he thought of running. The drinks, of course.
'Don't worry, buddy.' Harvey stepped into Leo's doubling vision. 'When this is over, you'll be a whole new being. We can still climb the tower together, but you won't quite be Leo anymore.'