Underworld. The neighborhood of Silence, the Mansion of Silence. A day before 1947.
A distant flight, full of stars and the strange.....
A heavy and sharp spear, piercing the chest and resonating with a pain that is palpable even now...
The Flame. The Flame that devours everything it reaches, the Flame that....
The disappointed look of his Seraphim, the one who might even have loved him...
The condemning look of the First of Men, supported by the one who understood him best...
The oceans of crimson staring straight into his soul, demanding...
William opened his eyes.
The familiar black ceiling of marble-like material met his gaze. A soft golden light came on, just below, a white rectangle in the middle of the black ceiling, in a small recess, where small points for lights that were now off. William's gaze lazily traveled over the six bulbs, three on each side, in the center of the black part of the ceiling, evenly spaced across it...
A minute, maybe two, and William's head slowly turned to the right, squashing through the gray pillowcase of the softest pillow that was now more annoying than helpful. Pulling back the voluminous gray blanket, rising slightly on the gray, soft mattress, William glanced at the rectangular gray nightstand, just below the bed itself, with a recess for books in it.
"4:32"
"Only two hours without sleep... A new record...", an irritated thought ran through his mind as the naked William finally rose from under the covers, moving a little closer to the edge of the large twin bed, where he dangled his bare gray feet onto the gray carpet covering the entire bed and just beyond his nightstand.
William's feet walked across the delicate surface of the carpet, briefly enjoying the pleasant tickling sensations until he found and put on his favorite pink bunny slippers. Casting a glance at the small wall shelf behind the nightstand, just behind the bed, William turned on the lamp with his hand, passing his eyes over some books... Something from London books... William was in no mood for lazy reading and idleness.
Standing up from the bed, which he immediately began to make, William gestured for a white and black robe from the small gray couch just beyond the bed, the waistband of which he immediately tied.
William's gaze fell on the open curtains, revealing a view of the dark snowy mountains overhanging the coniferous forest. It was snowing, almost invisible because of the darkness, but William's eyes could pick out every crystal. A gesture of his hand and a gray velvet curtain completely curtained the window, replacing the wall, and William's eyes fell on the beige table that was by the window... empty.
"I definitely remember that... yesterday I put the last labs here... or was it in the main room?", William slowly massaged the bridge of his nose, slowly rambling towards the exit of the room. The black door, with a beige and gold 'V' pattern in uneven lines as if applied in a rush of paint, swung open and his foot stepped onto a similar gray carpet.
Descending to the first floor, its "main hall" or living room, depending on one's desire, William walked slowly, focusing on each black step, toward the kitchen.
The pleasant light-dark wooden floor gave off a quiet creak that pleased the long ear, and on the "flat" stove there was already a pan where onions and carrots were frying, and next to it was a pot where something was boiling. William had long ago had a small enchantment that prepared menus on a schedule, with dishes chosen at random, intending to surprise William... within reason. Just dishes that he wouldn't mind eating for breakfast.
"This way, at least some illusion is created...", William thought, looking at the steaming pan where onions and carrots were frying and something was already simmering in the pot... Oh, there's going to be meat gravy! William nodded approvingly, patting the past William on the shoulder, and sat down at the black marble table in a small dark chair, where the Pentagram City news papers, his Replicants' reports, and the summaries of his notes, compiled by Weave him yesterday, were already there.
The room was filled with the pleasant odor of cooked meat, and next to his right hand was a cup holder with a cup, into which was poured the hot liquid of some new brand of black tea. With a flick of a switch on the two beige-brown lamps that illuminated the entire table and a little more of the delicate gold, William pushed the rest of the waste paper a little farther away, taking the "weave-treated" newspapers with some squeamishness. You never know what the Sinners will come up with when they decide to 'joke' in some way....
Illuminated from the left by the light of the 'stars, in a full wall whose curtains immediately slid open as he sat down, William's eyes ran over the news...
"Murders, ways to kill... Drugs, sex, sex companies, commercials with some sex actors... Guns... New Overlord... Camryla...", William tried with little interest to... pick out something among the tons of alphabetic garbage mistakenly called 'newspaper'.
Blue eyes, lazily running over the lines of text, occasionally squinted at the marble lockers, the cells of which were highlighted by black monolithic slabs. Vegetables-fruits were being cut, meat was being prepared with a clatter for future roasting, and flowers obtained from Earth stores were being watered with a small watering can. William's eyes returned to the last headline.
"Carmila Carmine... Rising Sinner, tightly occupied in a weapons niche that has been gaining more and more influence in recent years... some sort of code of honor? More like work norms than something that will survive in the local realities...", white-blue eyes darted over a small article, on the third page, that sanctified the infestation somewhere on the opposite end of the city from the Silence...
In the text, as if even lazily, was... not a drawing or even a photo, just a sketch. William could give credit to the artist that even saving on photos, and color and quality photos in Hell were very expensive for Sinners, they were able to add shadows, volume and just tried to convey the approximate figure of Carmila herself...
The first thing that caught William's eye, were the long and shapely legs in... heels? High heels in what must have been black stockings. Probably a dark or black cape-blouse, with pointed ends as hemlines with circular cut-outs between each other, "Gray" or white gloves on dainty palms... A strange hairdo gathered in black ribbons in the form of horns? The sketch didn't have a full hair style, just a cute face with a dark line through it in the eye area. Those earrings were either in her hair or in her ears.....
"I think Zestial once mentioned his expansion or increased contacts with the Mafia...", William remembered, mentally saving himself a reminder for a future conversation with Spider.
William was only annoyed that there was nothing else in the article besides the activities of this "Carmine", and digging through the data of the Crawlers and the Queen was too long and tedious for a passing interest.
"We should do a Replicant on the information part...", William made a new mental note, for better memorization even wrote it down in his notebook, which he always carried in his jacket, or in a spatial pocket.
At the sound of the kitchen cabinet doors opening, the sound of boiling water and roasting meat, William crumpled up the newspaper, which immediately burned in the blue flames, and began to double-check his past calculations on the Mist....
The data for Project Light, which William had been working on for six years now, still trying to find a cure for the souls affected by Kara... were just lying around. William's eyes darted between the data for Project Mist and Project Light.
"Туман"-"Свет"-"Туман"-"Свет"…
"...I'll send it to the Reverend Mother, she'll be able to think of something or sketch it out as part of me... and then I'll work on it." he nodded his decision sharply, gesturing for the waste paper to take flight, which immediately disappeared in white and blue lines.
He didn't have fifty hours in a day to do three things at once and stay productive by systematically completing the tasks at hand.
He had already figured out that the Song had somehow affected a certain part of his soul, or somehow changed it as a whole, making it... different? Different, different, though not so noticeably, from the "norm" for the human soul.
Breakfast, fried meat with ketchup, steamed vegetables and spaghetti with gravy, was already on the table, leaving a few more servings. William gestured to the documentation that would form the basis of the future "Reserve", reading it while he ate.
Small 'holes' on the black ceiling, almost identical to the bedroom, lit up, small bulbs illuminating the entire room as the glass of the kitchen window darkened slightly, adjusting the 'morning' light.
The doors of the upper nightstands opened and closed, obeying William's fleeting urge for morning waffles. Ingredients lay on the tables by the dark wood, illuminated by the gentle light, ready for cooking when William was done with the waste paper...
Eating and reading, or rather re-reading, all that the tired William had written... a couple hours ago...
"Did I go to bed at twelve or one o'clock in the morning...?", William thought for a moment, finishing the rest of his portion of spaghetti while a faucet and a sponge with detergent washed the dishes of meat and vegetables.
Even so, the food was eaten, the papers finished and approved, the dishes washed, the waffles baked, taking another two hours, and then....
William found himself in an armchair.
His favorite "new" living room-main room. To the left are two sofas, and behind William's "center" one, a fireplace.
Dark wood is the floor. Falling snow, visible from the windows....
William was bored.
No, he had projects, he had tasks, but....
Even in Paradise, William took breaks from work, just to keep from going crazy.
For the past weeks, months, maybe even years, William had been working. Except for the day of the Extermination, when he could have a word with Adam, Lute, or any of the Shield Sisters who rarely flew in for the Commander... except for dealing with Charlie, with avoiding her death at the hands of her parents....
William had nothing to do.
Talk to someone? Outside the 'window', outside the walls of his Mansion - degenerates, perverts, maniacs, psychopaths and just plain souls that only a similarly Doomed could confide in.
The other Overlords? The same Sinners, only stronger, more powerful and brazen. Alastor, Zestial? The former is a cannibal maniac-psychopath-sociopath that eats deer corpses, playing style and politeness while he broadcasts on his radio, including the screams of his victims' souls, and the latter is a sadistic conservative opportunist that will cheat, abandon or betray him if William stops playing the gentleman. Not that William wants to give up his country's culture or his family's latest legacy, but even so...
The other Overlords were still too small pawns to make any kind of treaty with them, and without that, William didn't care about the others. As long as those don't mess with him, he doesn't touch or meddle in their affairs.
"Maybe find that Sinner on the airship and question him about the death, name and stuff?", a seemingly stupid idea came to William's mind. Previously, he would have immediately discarded the idea, simply because of disgust, but now, when one didn't feel like doing simple research, development...
When you want to stretch your legs! When you want to put your skills into practice!
But William didn't know what to do.
"What if we go to Earth?" - another suggestion thought. William could walk around the forests, London, maybe some other places.....
To see people... To watch them and their suffering...
"No, definitely not today," William shook his head sharply. He would definitely go to Earth, definitely do a service in a church, maybe even try something with other people...
"Or maybe try to get other angels?", William straightened up sharply, seriously contemplating this idiotic idea. A moment and William loses interest, falling back against the back of the chair, wrinkling his surcoat and cloak. William had long ago, until half an hour ago, changed into Silence's 'casual' suit, just to keep his hands and mind occupied.
"Stupidity. If the angels find out that there is a Sinner who can penetrate the Earth without special rituals or artifacts...", William shook his head, rubbing his chin, looking up at the ceiling windows. The trusty cane lay a moment away from his left hand that hung across the armrest. One tug and the cane would be in his hand....
"...Or maybe just take a walk...", another thought-proposal was interrupted by a loud sound from the front door followed by a familiar shout.
"ZEPHYR! ARE YOU HOME?!" - The exclamation-definitely not a cry from the Princess of Hell herself, Charlie Morningstar or Magni, who had made her first appearance in his house today, having been away for the past week and a half. William's face crinkled.
Dressed in light dark jeans, slightly ripped because "it's fashionable" or whatever Lilith had invented, a thin beige sweater with dark reindeer prints covering her shoulders and upper chest, with her signature braid of golden hair, stood his friend and the only soul who didn't want to deceive him-murder, rape, divorce him.
"I'm here Charlie, no need to yell." - William muttered irritably, rising from his chair, catching the cane that had dived into it with his hand. Charlie, a little to the right and farther to the right of the "main hall," by the open front door, smiled broadly, waved happily, overjoyed even for herself.
" Zephyr!" - Charlie's new exclamation, two blinks and the Princess of Hell abruptly shortens the distance between them, hugging William tightly. William's shell was reinforced, stronger than before when he first got here, but...
"She's got a lot of strength," came the fleeting thought as William struggled to disentangle himself from Charlie's clutches, stroking and patting her on the back, grunting in greeting.
"Good morning to you too, Charlie." - William tried to convey his mood and intent, but he was ignored, so William only had to take a quick glance at the girl's figure, stroking her golden silk hair. - "What's the occasion this time?"
"What do you mean 'occasion'?" - Charlie pouted her lips at him in a hurt voice, lifting her head from his chest. - "Do I really need an excuse to visit my very best friend?" - Those ingratiating notes William remembered well from Raya, from another, similarly offensive girl....
"Do you need to be covered in front of your parents?" - William sighed as Charlie lowered her eyes in embarrassment, loosening her grip. - "Or did your mom punish you again?" - William asked mockingly, enjoying the slight reddening of her snow-white cheeks.
"...Almost, Daddy and I decided to eat out again at night..." - Charlie snapped back, fiddling with her fingers in embarrassment, averting her gaze. -" But that's not what this is about! "Charlie changed her tune, sharply clenching her hands into fists and bringing them to her chest, looking at William with big eyes and a wide smile. - "You promised you'd come next Christmas!" - William sighed.
" I said maybe, Charlie." - William said in a tired voice, not at all embarrassing the Princess, who only seemed to nod more vigorously.
"But you promised!" - Sighing again, William resorted to one of the few ways he could fight Charlie off. He gestured with his hand to call her to follow him, receiving a cute look of bewilderment in her eyes. Turning around, William went into the kitchen, weaving immediately starting to start a new batch of pancakes with the leftover batter. He didn't need to turn around to ....
"Are those pancakes?!" - Charlie immediately ran forward, leaning on his shoulders, peering out from behind them.
"With chocolate." - William nodded, pushing the chair back for Charlie, who slid it behind her, receiving a grateful nod.
William sat down on the opposite side of the table while Charlie... immediately moved closer, sitting to William's right, which with a single breath called for three newspapers from three different editions.
"What's this?" - said a slightly blushing Charlie. Always embarrassed when rash words came out of her mouth, for which she was scolded by Lilith. William paid no attention to the embarrassment.
"Hell's weekly newspapers, the first after the Extermination." - William nodded, setting down the cup holders that had been placed on them, and the cups were immediately filled with hot liquid...
"Can I have some coffee?" - The insolent troublemaker abruptly interrupted the sacred ritual. Charlie at least had the conscience to blush, head pressed into her shoulders in embarrassment, proudly accepting William's piercing gaze. - "...If I may."
William didn't say anything, just snapped his fingers, causing the top locker door to open abruptly, releasing a stack of coffee of some kind. A sharp tap, the door closing with a startled twitch of his shoulders and Charlie's words, "one spoonful of sugar and some milk," spoken in a quiet, embarrassed voice, and the coffee, along with William's divine tea, was ready.
"...Just read the newspaper headlines." - William covered his eyes, slowly sipping the hot tea. Not too much to burn his tongue, but enough to keep him warm on this winter morning. Charlie, on the other hand, nodded quickly and immediately burrowed into three newspapers at once, running her eyes over the headlines.
"Princess of Hell Can't Stop Slaying.", 'Lucifer's Daughter Tries to Stop Slayers?', 'Princess of Hell Delays Slaying?'? - Charlie read in a perplexed voice, raising her eyes to a grinning William. - "But it's...?" - Charlie lowered her gaze to the headlines again, transferring her gaze between them and William's mask.
"The activity of the Princess of Hell, what with already helping her future subjects at such a young age." - William nodded, sipping from his mug.
"But that's not true, is it?" - Charlie asked, not so much indignantly as pitifully.
"Even if we really didn't succeed in 'stopping' the Slayings, we somehow gave the Sinners a few moments that could have saved them." - William said in a neutral voice. Charlie only nodded thoughtfully, staring at the papers lost in thought. - "Consider it an investment for future reputation when you decide to move on to the grander endeavor of saving these souls." - Charlie's eyes widened and her face lit up with understanding.
"If I help them, they'll..." - With each word, there was more realization in her voice, and her smile grew bigger.
"Will be more willing to listen to your ideas and try your suggested methods." - William nodded, setting his cup on the cup holder. Charlie, on the other hand, hadn't even touched her coffee. - "Just a couple of Constructs spreading the right news, a couple of throw-ins and mind influences and..."
"Thank you!" - Charlie exclaimed, immediately hugging William. Tight.
"It's okay, Charlie..." - William muttered painfully, contemplating a 'shadowy tug' toward the room... Charlie's relief almost immediately released William's poor shell, exhaling more freely.
Charlie happily sipped a quarter of her coffee, immediately burrowing deeper into one of the papers. William began spreading a new batch of pancakes on two plates. Charlie mumbled a quiet "thank you," picking up the first pancake and eating it.
"...So what were you going to say earlier? About 'covering up from your parents'...?" - William asked quietly, picking up his first pancake, noticing that Charlie had already eaten half of it. The Princess of Hell herself for not wiping the small crumbs on her lips, only looked away in embarrassment.
"...You see..." - Charlie began a seemingly simple and short dialog. Just to talk and discuss all the right topics, but if it's Charlie....
First, they finished their pancakes and finished their hot drinks. The time on the clock, when William fleetingly glanced back at them, was "5:67." When Charlie decided to have a "quick talk about something else..."
Two and a half hours like a blink of an eye, and William again learned a lot of... not unnecessary, more like strange and actually unnecessary information.
That's why William would want to know what color Lilith's underwear was as a fact, told by Charlie when they were discussing clothes. More accurately, Charlie complained, looking for support for her opinion while William gave his own, incredibly important Fallen Archangel opinion that even clothes are created by the Incarnation.
Then, as they moved to the living room, with more hot drinks, even including this coffee, they continued talking... Or rather, William wanted to know the details about "punished again" and "covered up from his parents", for....
Again, why would William want to know or listen to Charlie's guesses about who is the very loudest of her parents when they are "alone"? No, William still wants to try to joke with Lilith like that, but...
"Okay personal issues, but why would Charlie start sharing such personal stuff?", William thought as he listened to Charlie complain about the nighttime noise in her house.
And so it went on, they 'bounced' from topic to topic...topic to topic....
...It was "7:25" on the clock when William finally managed to extricate himself from the discussions. It wasn't that they were unpleasant, it was just that constantly talking "about nothing"... not for William, at least not in this mood.
Having gotten a couple facts into his mind about the style and style of Charlie's mother's closet, and the fact that Charlie and Lilith had bathed together as late as Charlie's own eightieth birthday, which was very late, judging by the red cheeks, and the confused look....
Of course, Charlie clarified that she was just doing it to cheer up her mother when she was "droopy and tired and I just felt sorry for her!" as Charlie gibbered rapidly, swallowing her words, explaining her "crime"....
"With each new 'rapprochement' with Charlie, the amount of information for which my soul could be imprisoned forever in Cocytus, telling my daughter about my vacation to the farm keeps growing...", William thought long and hard as Charlie ran to the bathroom, where she blushingly excused herself, leaving William alone with himself. William only hoped that the white balloon pointing her way would be enough to keep the Princess of Hell and heir to the Nine Circles from getting lost...
"8:10" on the clock, and William was already tired of socializing for... Honestly, he himself had already forgotten the reason for Charlie's arrival, after a couple weeks since their 'adventure' and the Slaying.
"Should I tell her about the possible abolition of the Slaying or not?", William pondered peacefully, leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.
"...Ah...uh...uh..." - William's thoughts were interrupted by a timid voice from the far corridor. William lazily turned his head in the direction of the voice, opening one eye. On the mask, however, a single holo-eye simply lit up.
" ...And this one here... this one here ma-" - The previously energetic and active Charlie had lost her fervor in a flash, apparently having lost it somewhere in the house. William sighed tiredly.
"Just tell me what you think, and as long as it's within personal boundaries, I'll answer anything." - William reminded her of their long-standing agreement. Just the fleetingly thrown 'rules' of behavior when they first started their 'relationship'. Charlie only nodded meekly, moving closer and looking at his face as if apprehensively.
" Do you remember... I mean, when I first asked you out, that first time we met in person, when my mom invited my first pen pal..." - A wide embarrassed smile, the awkwardness in her eyes and posture making William tense up a little.
"Did Lilith or Lucifer really tell their favorite daughter something?", William thought with a little trepidation. He certainly wouldn't mind initiating Charlie into the 'nuances' of his nature and the Fall, but he wasn't sure how she would react... Though she hadn't shown any signs of knowing et... before.
"Can you please take off your mask!" - Charlie said sharply, in one breath, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. William's eyes widened and his breathing returned to normal.
"..."-Charlie stood with her head down, like a child about to receive a spanking, confessing to some trifle-
"And for such a trifle all this circus?", William thought with a little disappointment, silently bringing his hands to his white mask, which immediately disappeared in white and blue threads....
His 'gloves' disappeared, a kind of protective suit designed to 'protect' him from the influence of Hell... Yes... William took a clean breath, blinking and letting his eyes adjust to the morning light that was beaming down from above.
Without saying anything, making poor Charlie even more nervous, William... grinned softly, which caught the attention of the excited girl....
"Whoa..." - Charlie's eyes widened, coming a little closer. - "...Is that... t-you? I-I mean, I don't-I mean..." - abruptly, Charlie became agitated, being immediately interrupted by William's laughter.
"Yes, Charlie, that's my face." - William nodded, looking into Charlie's eyes, also "admiring" himself.
The same gray skin, scarred with sharp "scars" in the form of distortions or dark blue lines, pulsing and "disappearing" on his body. The same black as tar hair, diluted by the same "disturbances", the same "scars-cracks" on his face and neck, like a cracked statue... Thankfully, at least "his" long ears were in place, with a semblance of "those" eyes... dark blue iris, dark, so far, pupil and "smoke-energy", which can be taken for a glow....
"So... beautiful..." - whispered Charlie, examining his face almost up close, almost climbing William himself. - "Those eyes..."
"The eyes of the Archangel who fell from Heaven..." - William added to her thoughts, knowing the power of the eyes of creatures like him, and their effect on souls.
"Almost like Daddy's..." - whispered Charlie, which... fell under the influence of William's eyes, starting to... 'relax'. - "So beautiful... beautiful..." - Was giving away everything that was on Charlie's mind. William only sighed.
Charlie's palm almost rested on William's cheek, who covered his eyes for two moments, causing Charlie to jerk herself away sharply, a wide 'trademark-awkward' smile on her face.
" P-I'm sorry, I didn't..." - Hiding her hands sharply behind her back, straightening up, Charlie laughed awkwardly. - "I mean...!" - Charlie's words were interrupted by William's heavy sigh.
"I just want it that way. Some kind of shield from all the horrors around here." - William answered the unasked question and leaned back in his chair, returning to the "friendly" tone of the conversation.
Charlie sighed loudly and nodded, returning to her seat, the part of the couch closest to William, immediately picking up the coffee that had gone cold.
"...So what should I cover you from?" - William decided to go in head-on, setting the tone for the conversation. Charlie jerked as if she'd been electrocuted, her eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and panic. - "Did your mom and dad..." - William's suggestion was immediately interrupted.
"Actually, we have family friends coming over for Christmas... The Von Eldritch family, 'the same ones' I told you about in the letters and... anyway..." - With another heavy sigh from William, Charlie gets to the point. He genuinely enjoys talking to Charlie, but sometimes....
So, sometimes gibbering, sometimes stammering, sometimes angry and enraged, Charlie told William about "friends of the Morning Star family", the family of demonic aristocracy - "Von Eldritch", from which comes her "former best friend, maybe boyfriend, but definitely ex" Seviathan and "stupid, arrogant and just plain arrogant bitch" Helsa....
Also, Lucifer himself insisted on William's visit, so Lilith and Charlie decided to "save" the simple Sinner from meeting the biggest hater of the Doomed. Each in their own way.
And then there's that "Eldritch" family, coming for Christmas, which means William will have to meet some very real demons....
The meeting with the Morningstars in the afternoon, towards evening, that is in a couple of hours, and William had only one thought while he listened to the "encouragement" and "reassurance" from Charlie about the future meeting with her father...
"I want pizza... we'll have to make some sometime."
* * *
William never made the pizza. Harsh reality dictated its own terms, demanding immediate attention. Reality had chosen Charlie as its avatar, like the one that had treaded on his clothing choices.
For some reason and from somewhere in Charlie's head, a strange thought popped into her head, as if William was going to meet her parents for the first time, as if he hadn't seen Lilith before, and Charlie herself didn't even suspect that Lucifer might be watching them... Maybe it wasn't true, but the general mood of his friend was like that.
"With Charlie I will give up not even thinking about such "little things" of life...", William thought then, when Charlie, who had tasted his ability to change his clothes 'on the fly', from which about half an hour was spent on 'dressing'....
A small and simple artifact was created in the form of a small enchanted journal that depicts the clothing on the user, which can be embodied with Aether... such "clothing" is more of a fitting, perhaps even a perfect fitting, but no more.
Charlie was delighted, and William was able to get away with only a couple of three looks at the clothes... all in the name of staying in his "official" Silence outfit, which is what William usually wears. And then, Charlie began "initiating" William into the "gang"... I mean, giving him lessons in Hell's etiquette....
And so, after about four hours, two of which were devoted to Charlie's stories about etiquette, rules and just manners of behavior in the... demonic aristocracy? William, strangely enough, had known this sort of thing since Earth, since he'd had to visit "important people" who needed special treatment to get them to give grants to the university.
Even so, walking through the beautiful scenery of the Morning Dawn Mansion grounds, along with Charlie herself, whose dress, according to the girl herself, would be "made" by her father, she couldn't stop nervously, swallowing some words slightly, trying to cram a month's worth of study into those two hours.
...The guests are greeted by the servants, helping them to settle in and prepare for the "meeting" with the family, at which the first word is taken by the Heads of the families, that is, Lucifer and Frederick, as the heads of their families will start the meeting, while their wives, Lilith and Bethesda, will "complete" them with their words... whatever that means. The children, on the other hand, could only give a word, an opinion, or just any kind of "position" if they were asked about it directly or indirectly, and there were a dozen more exceptions....
It was enough for William to listen to Charlie for a little less than half an hour to go back to his "fifties", when he was "young and hot", memorized and worried about such trifles...
William himself should not, in fact, be at this meeting of the "cream of Hell" at all. Officially, he is a Sinner, which in Goetia is considered... just above such influential and famous demons as Imps, Hounds and other creatures of the Circles that occupy the role of servants, pets and just slaves. Sinners were considered, but only those who were "worthy" or at least proved their... "power, authority and influence".
Sinners were not so much animals or plebeians as... Degenerates that constantly try to grow their power at the expense of the souls of other Sinners or demons. Either way, it wasn't getting any better.
Only Lucifer's direct invitation allows William to attend at all, otherwise even Lilith's word wouldn't have helped. She is simply the "Queen of Hell", she stands at the top of this pyramid of power and influence, forced to reckon with the major powers of this "world", and Lucifer...
William, and every "inhabitant" of Hell was enough to look around to know and internalize one truth... "Lucifer is the King and God in his domain", he is simply above all petty things like "aristocracy", he can naturally do what he wants, and no one will say a word to him.
Even now, going to his "officially first meeting" with Lucifer, William could feel his power. Charlie, the Von Eldritch family itself, perhaps even Lilith herself might not have felt or perceived the feeling, but William... perhaps with the other 'magicians' could 'see'...
Lucifer's power.
Power, Word, Force, whatever, but it was there, in every particle of this place. If one knew where, how and where to look, one interesting thing could be noticed... A certain plasticity to this place, the grounds of the Morning Dawn Mansion, where one interesting detail stood out.
The animals that are found in this place are never the first to show aggression towards other souls.
A seemingly insignificant detail that could be written off as training, but Adam and Eve could easily recognize it.
It was a change in reality, exactly the same as it had been in Eden.
That was one of the reasons why most of Adam and Eve's descendants stayed in that place, where they died. They thought they were in the "Promised Paradise" and were ... deceived. If the same Eve and Adam are to be believed.
"An amazing place where the laws of physics and magic are obeyed by one god... A god who doesn't care about the souls inhabiting his 'paradise', except for the two souls closest to him...", William thought as he and Charlie stood in the hallway of their Mansion.
"...You should only, and only after, being addressed by Uncle Frederick, but you don't call him uncle, only 'Mr. Von Eldritch', 'Mr. Von Eldritch', 'Sir' and..." - Charlie had been gesticulating and making "last and exactly-needed adjustments" to his costume for the third hour.
The same black cloak, the same dark-blue vest decorated with white patterns, a white-gray shirt with a long collar with an enchanted sapphire holding his "scarf", a dark cylinder, white gloves worn just for "solemnity" and his cane, on the "diamond" of which a simple weave for shining was immediately put on....
Meanwhile, Charlie just kept going.
"...My father is easy to talk to, he's a nice guy, you just have to talk right, and never mention his height, that's the most important thing...!" - William's attention returned to the room where Charlie was talking about Lucifer, more specifically, how one "should and shouldn't" behave in his presence.
"Don't mention bad things about ducks. Don't make jokes about his height. Don't make jokes about his style of dress. Don't try to 'hit on' his wife or daughter in any way." - An excerpt from Charlie's entire lecture.
William put his hand around Charlie's palm as she hurriedly adjusted the apron scarf secured by the blue sapphire, catching her worried look. Her hand trembled slightly, more from nerves than from fear. Charlie was overthinking again, focusing on the bad.
" It'll be alright, Charlie." - William nodded, squeezing the girl's palm approvingly with his own, nodding toward the double doors leading to the room where Lilith should be. - "Let's try not to think of any bad options this time, imagining that everything will go well." - In his words, William tried to put some of the Song, some of the Song that had already calmed Charlie once.
It had worked. Princess Ada, exhaled sharply, covering her eyes, relaxing her shoulders. Opening her eyes, Charlie smiled at William, nodding, receiving the same nod from William, turning towards the door, behind which both of her parents should already be waiting.
"...Well... Let's get started!" - Charlie took in a breath of air, as if diving into the depths of the sea, and for a moment she squeezed her eyes shut, opening the door behind which they were waiting....
Waiting for Lilith, in a purple-colored living room already familiar to William, with a small piano and a couch, on the edge of which just then Lilith greeted them with a slight smile, occasionally glancing at the door to the left of the front doors. Lucifer was nowhere to be seen, which didn't add to the confidence of either Charlie or... Lilith?
"Good evening, Mother, I..." - Charlie began at a slightly faster rate of speech, immediately stopped by a gesture from her mother.
"Not now, Dear." - Lilith said in an even, "businesslike" voice, furtively looking behind Charlie's back, quickly running her eyes over William and his choice of clothes. - "First we wait for your father, awaiting the arrival of the Eldritch family," speaking not so much to Charlie as to William who nodded, Lilith lowered her palm. A palm strangely thin, uncharacteristic of such a beautiful woman and more like a demon's.
And rightly so. Above the long sleeves of the black as Darkness gloves, reaching almost to the floor, were Lilith's long "claw-fingers," clad in a tight-fitting dress, matching the color of the gloves, cutting off her bust and most of her breasts, dangerously large....
The long purple horns swept back looked somewhat faded against this choice of dress. The makeup, which seemed to be unnecessary for such a beautiful creature, filigree complemented and completed the beautiful picture of the First Woman.
William had to spend about five seconds directing all streams of consciousness to clear the... "heresy" of the mind.
William could only nod as Charlie spoke excitedly to her mother, sitting down next to her. With her gestures, her voice and her look, Lilith clearly showed William that the "official welcome" had begun, meaning that there would be no more familiarity.
Now, he was a Sinner, a mere dog, mistakenly and jokingly in the presence of the Rulers of Hell. By the rules of behavior, and simple "etiquette", he could not speak without permission, direct address, or the permission of the master of the house.
"It's like being back in my youth, when our lecturer decided to become God in the audience..." William thought irritably, leaning with both hands on his cane, standing next to the sofa, looking through the door where Lilith had been looking earlier, talking to Charlie.
He didn't care about "the injustice of treating my friend so unfairly and...!" or Lilith's stubborn replies, but was trying to find Lucifer, who seemed to have vanished into the house. Past visits to the Mansion, William had clearly been able to track the Devil's whereabouts in his workshop, but here....
"...What do you say, Zephyr?" - Charlie turned to him enthusiastically, clarifying his opinion about the future meeting with Lucifer. The girl understood his position perfectly well, trying to leave "loopholes" to interfere in William's conversation, for which he was grateful.
Lilith also understood it, glancing slightly unhappily at her daughter, now looking expectantly at William with some strange interest in her eyes.
"...Lord Lucifer is often late for events like this?" - William clarified quietly, which felt louder in the silence of the room. William didn't have a watch, but he clearly remembered that right now they, William and the Morningstar family, should be finishing the last preparations for the reception, and the head of the household was still gone.
" ...My husband has a...somewhat unorthodox approach to hosting 'unusual' gatherings. Which, unfortunately, this one is." - Lilith sighed, nodding. William was familiar with that manner. It was the way Lut sighed when she shared her stress about Adam's antics.
"He may be late, but it's sure to be fun!" - Charlie put in a little languidly, trying to defend her father's behavior or justify it.
"You've already been told how to behave in the presence of the King and the Von Eldritch family, haven't you?" - Lilith turned to him, ignoring Charlie's words, whose voice was filled with... concern. The same as Charlie's, glancing around nervously.
When William realized this, he almost laughed. Could it really be between Lucifer and Lilith.....
The double doors to the "west" of the room swung open abruptly, banging loudly against the walls, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, who turned their heads sharply in the direction of the rumbling crashing doors, where the culprit stood, leaning proudly on his cane.
A wide grin, a satisfied look and energy in every movement accompanied Lucifer, head of the Morningstar family and Master of Hell.
"ZE-E-E-FIRE!" - Lucifer stretched out, spreading his arms out as if wanting to embra
Lucifer is next to William, clutching him tightly in his arms, to the stunned stares of the female members of the family.
"How glad I am that you've finally come to visit us!" - Lucifer shouted happily, almost genuinely, as he released William, whose cylinder was slightly off, to the floor.
"Good evening to you too, Lord Luci..." - William tried to regain his old attitude, casting quick glances at Lilith and Charlie, with wide-open eyes staring at them.
"Oh come on, what's like not being related!" - Lucifer waved his hand, throwing discreet glances at his wife and daughter, enjoying their reactions. - "Everyone's family here, and it's a family holiday, New Year's Eve!" - Lucifer sharply drew air into his chest, twirling his cane. A cane with a golden apple, which was encircled by a golden snake.
Stroking the golden tip of the dark wood cane, Lucifer turned to Lilith, whose eye was twitching faintly, and Charlie, who was staring at her father with rapt attention.
"You mean Zephyr...?!" - Charlie asked with a huff, raising her palms clenched into fists in fascination.
"So you're okay with a Sinner in our house?" - Lilith asked, trying to keep her voice formal, but a note of disbelief slipped into it.
"Of course, Zephyr is my friend!" - Lucifer nodded cheerfully, wrapping his arm around William's elbow and forcibly seating him next to Charlie, sitting down between his daughter and his wife. - "A friend of Charlie's is a friend of the family, especially one that supports my Char- char."
"Oh really...?" - Lilith arched an eyebrow, trying to look into Lucifer's eyes.
"Thanks a lot, Dad!" - Lilith threw herself into Charlie's arms, to the laughter of her father, who with a snap of his fingers embodied on Charlie the bard dress she had worn at the last Slaying. Black gloves, same makeup, the only thing missing was a small dark crown.
Lilith stroked the bridge of her nose, glancing out the window and into the wall.
The atmosphere of officiousness and solemnity had been brutally killed, and he now had an 'official' authorization, and therefore...
"Don't you have to prepare the hall and table for the arrival of guests at Christmas? " William remarked cautiously, catching a moment of silence between Lucifer, who was creating small goats with his miracles, playing with Charlie, who was awkwardly trying to fight back.
"...Oh, of course we've got it all worked out." - Lucifer replied after a moment, nodding. The little goats immediately disappeared under Charlie's sigh of relief, while Lucifer jumped up from the couch, walking forward a little, artistically turning around and theatrically pointing his cane at William. - "After all, it is YOU who will be finalizing the preparations! Along with Charlie." - Lucifer immediately grasped the golden apple with both hands, striking it with his cane.
This time, Lucifer decided to wear a black shirt, with a dark apron tucked into his slightly modified red and white striped vest, giving a novelty to his new black pants, tapered to the bottom, flowing into his white knee-high shoes with a gold toe. The high collar and red epaulettes, complemented by gold galloons, lending a solemnity to the image.
"Really!" - Charlie exclaimed happily, rising from the couch.
"What?" - Lilith said monotonously, trying to burn her husband with a glare. He didn't raise an eyebrow.
"Why should noble souls hump when there's free labor!" - Lucifer smirked, shaking his head contentedly. William covered his eyes, holding back a heavy sigh.
"Is that what you call helping your daughter?" - Lilith smirked, to Charlie's laughter. Lucifer felt as if he'd been struck. He clutched his chest, bending slightly as if in a fit of pain.
William clenched his palms, threw his head back toward the ceiling, and exhaled slowly. Slowly. Exhaled...
"Damn, it's like I'm in a room with three Adams... Adam erected and cultivated World-level Dickishness and Assholishness, passing it on to all those who fell...", William thought, looking around at these... THESE.
"Though... Charlie's not as annoying, and that's because of his naivety and slight arrogance. At least she didn't take after her parents somewhere... And thank GOD!", William thought painfully as he tiredly rubbed his face-mask with the palm of his hand.
Meanwhile, the family "squabble" continued.
"...But you do admit to making a mere filth, Zephyr... No offense!" - poked Lucifer in William's direction, to which the latter simply waved his hand," "Setting the table for the Eldritches is just...!" - Lucifer said inspiringly, growing more and more enthusiastic with each word.
"...A most foolish idea, dear husband." - Lilith answered with her eyes closed. She was still sitting on the couch, her posture perfectly straight, her palms on her feet. - "What example will we show them? What will we tell them?" - Lilith spoke slowly, opening her eyes slightly, where a small flash flashed through them.
" That Charlie has a new friend who is recognized by the King and Queen of Hell himself!" - Lucifer raised his hands up in joy, looking at William sitting on the couch. Charlie, who was sitting next to him, nodded in agreement, smiling broadly, like a girl holding a favorite toy in a store.
"...Luci/Lucifer." - Two heavy sighs sounded simultaneously, causing Lucifer to laugh and Charlie to chuckle softly.
"You see, you two have so much in common!" - Lucifer smiled broadly, stroking his chin majestically as Charlie looked from William to her mother in fascination.
"Really...!" - Charlie said shocked, slightly overacting, amusing Lucifer even more.
Lilith and William just looked at each other. They saw the Understanding, saw each other's shared pain. Each had seen a piece of the other's past, ajar the very soul of the other. They nodded to each other and....
"Dear husband, we need to finish our business." - Raising her voice, Lilith said, rising from the couch and literally taking all of Lucifer under her elbow as if he were a bag. The Devil and King of Hell just laughed.
"We really should get down to business, Charlie, especially if we want to make a proper impression." - Similarly to the Queen, William similarly got up from the couch and... In the same way, he took Charlie under his elbow, lifting her from her seat. All Charlie had to do was squeak in embarrassment, adjusting the hem of her dress.
Lilith and William went off in different directions, to the laughter of Lucifer waving slowly at Charlie.
"See you later, Honey!" - Lilith and William grew increasingly distant, forcing Lucifer to raise his voice. - "Don't tear down all the rooms in there!" - Lucifer almost shouted.
"Okay, Dad!" - Charlie shouted back, making herself comfortable. - "By the way..." - Charlie turned to William, who was already carrying her, turning her head slightly toward his back. - "...What do we even have to do? I mean, mom said exactly what we need to do..."
"Our job is to finish decorating the living room, where the families will be meeting, and the dining room in tone with the holiday." - William replied with a steady stride, holding Princess Ada tightly, looking at his back.
"At least turn it around, it's so boring." - Charlie puffed out her cheeks, wiggling her legs, revealing her snow-white pantaloons to the front of the hall.
"I'll flog you." - William threatened, adding irritation to his voice.
Charlie was silent immediately, settling more comfortably in William's strong arms.