His heels clicked against the floor of his room rapidly, muttering to himself. His tail flicked through the air, latching on to anything it could grab and accidentally tripping him. Rubber ducks squeaked as he kept stepping on them, and he nearly tripped on one before Alastor abandoned folding clothes for grabbing him and righting him.
"Lucifer, calm down ," he said pointedly. "Wearing lines into your nice floors is not going to help your predicament."
"I-I can't Alastor!" He exclaimed, pulling at the edges of his ears in panic. It had been a while several millennia since then but he lost count after the ninth since he been in Heaven, and he didn't know if—
Alastor grabbing his wrists brought him back to reality. The deer typically didn't usually do physical touch, so he was startled a little bit. Alastor's eyes were wide and glowing, staring him down.
"I can't stop panicking!" Lucifer exclaimed, starting to shake in his nervousness. "I Fell, Alastor! How am I gonna get back up to Heaven? How am I sure that they're not going to just make fun of this again and cast me back? How am I—"
"It's going to be fine, dear," Alastor said, pulling the King into a comforting hug. " You're going to be fine."
Lucifer nuzzled his arm, wrapping his hands around his legs. "....will you come with me….?" He whispered.
Alastor's body tensed a little at the words, and Lucifer nearly broke out of the grip just to make his friend comfortable. "I….will, dear."
Lucifer smiled softly. "....I still need to get two more people to accompany us to Heaven."
"Hmmm….why not take our latest Hotel staff member and Sinner?" Alastor said. "Mimic and Henka."
"Why?" Lucifer asked, pulling out from their embrace and choosing to sit near his suitcase, which was almost done being packed. He took out almost all of the clothes, shuffling through them wordlessly before focusing on Alastor—or at least as much as he could.
"They're new; this would be an opportunity to prove themselves to the Hotel." Alastor said simply, grabbing a stray rubber duck and squeezing it, placing it on Lucifer's nightstand.
"By that logic I would have to bring everyone to Heaven with me," Lucifer said, raising an eyebrow and summoning an extra rubber duck that wore a red-and-black hat. Alastor bent down a little bit and Lucifer placed it on his antlers. The deer rose up and patted him on the head, resuming cleaning up random rubber ducks from his bed and the floor that had been summoned in his panicked state.
"True, but we need at least one representative of the Sinners wanting to be redeemed and one from the staff. Obviously, the staff representative would be me…." The deer trailed off a bit, flicking his ear back before standing it straight up. "Mimic would be another representative of the staff, and Henka would be the one representing the Sinners. It would also give Mimic a chance to prove herself, as there is no way she could compare to a fallen exorcist , of all things. I do so wish I could be there for the moment, but I will have to leave soon. I have that thing to do….and also watching the Hotel…."
"But I've got the plan featuring Valentino handled," Lucifer said. "We'll take care of him just before the Extermination, and I'm sure I can find someone else to watch the Hotel while we're gone."
Lucifer absentmindedly stuffed the rest of the space of the suitcase with rubber ducks. He pushed himself off, holding a hand out to Alastor to help his friend up. He made to leave, but Alastor grabbed his upper right forearm.
"How are you going to get back up to Heaven if you fell?"
Lucifer hesitated, eyes flicking between Alastor and outside. "I….I don't know…." He said turning away slightly. "Well, let's go get our residents!" He walked out of the room, plastering a false smile across his pale face.
"....THE HECK IS WITH THAT WALL?" Husker yelled. The cat was laying on one of the couches, looking extremely roughed-up and tired, with bags underneath his eyes.
"NOOO!" Niffty's sudden scream caught him off guard, making his tail stick straight out in a mockery of a scared cat's tail. "MY WINDOWS!" She exclaimed.
His daughter and her not-girlfriend bodyguard were on one of the couches. Vasilisa was in front of her in a protective stance, while Charlie's horns were slightly longer and her teeth were sharper. Lucifer felt a small pang of protectiveness flare up and his horns appeared.
A silhouette slithered into view, revealing a snake Sinner who had a black-and-yellow snake's tail instead of legs, along with a cobra's hood and extra eyes, with a silver top and goggles.
"I am sssorry for the messs, I wass testing my machine…." The Sinner explained.
"Holy chip! Pentious, I missed you!" Lady Bomb suddenly shot out from behind the couch, wrapping the snake in a hug. "Everyone, this is my friend Sir Pentious!"
"Wow!" Lucifer exclaimed, sauntering over to him. He squashed his more demonic features, hoping he didn't seem too excited or "scary". "I've heard of you! Well, I mean, of course I've heard of you, I'm the King of Hell but I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF! Anyways, ignore my rambling. Would you mind watching over this Hotel for a bit while a couple of us are gone, including me?" He asked. The hesitation in Sir Pentious' light pink eyes was clear, and Lucifer added, "I'll pay you."
"I guesss." Sir Pentious said, shrugging.
"If you want, you can take them out for a night in town! After all, the new Extermination's in three months, and they deserve to have some fun before—"
Lucifer was cut off by a sudden ringing in his ears and he swayed in place, placing a hand on his head and the collar of his jacket. His vision blurred as pressure was applied to his body, forcing him down. He was vaguely aware of the burning sensation on his arms, legs, and neck as bright white chains materialized, shackling him to the floor with the weight of something far stronger than him.
He felt a hand touch his shoulder as blurry golden drops fell from him, giving the fuzzy red floor a splash of color. The ringing dimmed as the chains suddenly lifted towards the center of the room, where holy energy intensified as the heavenly portal opened.
Lucifer's red eyes went wide as the chains started pulling him through. He saw blurry figures follow after him through the portal into Heaven.
The ringing and burning sensation faded, but the pressure on his neck, legs, and arms were still there. His hearing faded back in as the loud sounds of his hyperventilating filtered back in. He blinked his eyes three times, taking in his surroundings.
Heaven still hadn't changed since Eden.
The sky was a pale soft blue with fluffy pink clouds, and they were standing on a pale gold pathway, with the large golden gates at the end of the path. There were pale pink railings along the pathway, protecting them from falling .
Lucifer choked a little on the tight hold, but he managed to muster up enough energy to speak. "L-let's go to the gates…."
Alastor walked up next to him, linking his arm through Lucifer's and leading him to the gates. His heart pounded furiously and he resisted the urge to simply fall over and sleep. Lucifer snapped his fingers weakly, plastering a cool expression on his face before they were at the gates.
The first thing he noticed was the new angel sitting behind the stone pedestal. Normally at least when he was up here St. Peter would've been there, but apparently he wasn't this time. The angel had a unique appearance—on one side, pale gray skin that was similar to Henka's and on the other, pale blue. She had one green and one blue eye, again similar to Henka. She wore a checkered blue, green, and yellow dress, with swirly blue-purple hair.
She gazed past him, looking at someone probably Henka, what was the whole point? Were they siblings or something? behind him. With a flash of recognition, her vision finally focused on him.
" Hiya! Welcome to Heaven! Can I get your name, please?" She asked sweetly.
"Ah, um, uh—" Lucifer began. "Maybe, Lucifer….? Morningstar….?"
The angel frog-blinked and they gasped. "Ohhh….the Angelic Council Leaders are not here yet, but I'll be your guide to there! My name is Ryn and it's nice to meet you!"
Lucifer shook her hand a little too forcefully, hoping his smile didn't look too bad. He thought he heard a little " Ryn…is that you….? " from Henka, but he dismissed it as him hearing things.
"Ryn, we can take it from here. Greetings, Lucifer," a familiar voice boomed from above. Lucifer looked up to see his old friend Adam, and a different angel that he hadn't seen before. "Greetings, Lucifer's companions. I am Adam, and my charge here is Lute. It is a gift for the four of you to be here." He snapped his fingers and a bright flash and surge of angelic power flooded his vision and Lucifer was startled to see the sudden change.
All three Sinners had been turned into angels, all with their own unique features. Henka's eyes were gone, and the sclera was turned into white, with one tinted a light blue-gray. Her hair was no longer messy, now combed into two floppy buns with two green strands on the side. Her skin was paler, and the splotches were slightly lightened. Her black dress was now white with blue shapes on it, replacing the before-blood splatters.
Mimic's color scheme was completely flipped; her dress was blue and her cloak-thing was now white. She had white hair with gold accents now, a lot like Adam's new companion Lute. Her birch branches were now swirly, still birch, and they looked less "scary". Her mask was completely gone, instead her hair was covering her face.
Alastor looked more deer-like, with pale pink hair with white highlights, a pale red sleeveless top that slanted down to reveal part of his fluffy, lightened chest, and white shorts with pink stripes. His once-black-and-red hooves were now white-and-blue; he also had light silver gloves. His antlers had shrunk, now partially covered by his hair.
All three Sinners each had one thing in common: their halo. It was a band of glowing golden light, completely encircling their heads with a floating 'X' in the middle of it.
Alastor's now-blue eyes caught Lucifer's eyes and the King, having been caught staring, quickly coughed, covering his mouth with a hand and hoping that he wasn't bright gold.
"I haven't seen this form in a long time," Alastor hummed. "Should I be worried that Heaven has made me look lighter and feel….exposed?" The Sinner shrank down, covering his chest with his pale arms.
Lucifer patted him on the back, laughing. Alastor chuckled lightly before looking back at him with a sudden surprised look.
"What?" Lucifer asked. His heart suddenly started beating faster, hopefully he didn't look too panicked. Alastor gestured over to the gates, which, probably as a new addition, had a mirror attached to either side.
Lucifer was shocked by what he saw.
His blush were now bright gold, and his eyes had white sclera with blue pupils. His ears were still there, but his horns had disappeared along with his hat. His clothes were now white robes with blue stripes on the edges, with light pink apple-shapes lining them; his wings were now white-and-light gold. His tail was gone, and so were his shoes, and hanging above his head was the same halo all of the others wore, but it was bright white with the 'X' floating above it, completely surrounding his head in a mockery of his former halo. He knows that he should be happy, but the only thing that he felt was sorrow.
He remembered this form, but he hadn't seen it since his Fall, and seeing it again now made him experience it all over again, how it felt to be chained the floor, helpless, listening to them berate Lilith and him and the white-hot pain as the shackles came to pull him down, and the tearing of his wings as he Fell, the calculating looks as their screams echoed through the portal, and how helpless he felt as he watched them fade from his view.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and the slight ringing in his ears faded as he met Alastor's worried eyes.
"Lucifer, you look…." he trailed off, blinking a bit before responding, ".... different ."
Said fallen angel didn't respond to the deer, simply hunching over a bit and crossing his arms over his stomach. Despite that he, at least over several hundred centuries ago, had started the Hotel just to get back up here, he couldn't help but feel sad at the place that had once been his home.
" Well….it is my pleasure to say unto thee….Welcome to Heaven~! " Ryn sang. " Where the virtuous reside 24/7, oh yeah! " She gestured around, displaying the scenery of Heaven. " Please keep your brimstone off the floor! " She reached down and cleaned off some brimstone that had appeared there, along with brushing aside some angelic-looking rubber ducks. "Here people are happy that they died 'cause here they got no worries, no burglaries or strife! It's the perfect afterlife~ " She sang, dancing along with the dancing Winners near her. " Welcome to Heaven, yeah, where everyone is amazing~! "
" Gosh, I'm so pleased to show some outsiders around! " Lute squealed, dragging Lucifer along. "When you see our realm, you'll never wanna go back down! "
"Of course, this is just temporary, w e're sorry you can't stay~! " Adam sang.
" 'Cause every single day in Heaven is a happy day! Welcome to Heaven~! " Ryn and Lute both sang.
Alastor squeezed his shoulder before returning it to his side. When the angels finished singing, Ryn moved back to go talk to somebody [probably Henka] , and Lute and Adam continued acting as regular tour guides. Lucifer looked out in the crowd, looking at some of the Winners.
There was a light pink moth that looked similar to Valentino who was talking with another angel. The Winner had pale blue skin with glowing pale-pink eyes, two fluffy antennae with a pink bow atop them, and a light pink dress with fluff at the end of the sleeves and the bottom of the dress, with fluffy pale pink-and-orange wings.
Lucifer, although depression was suddenly clawing at him, managed a small smile and he waved at her, and she waved at him back. The Winner the moth was talking to looked a lot like an owl, with long brown hair that reached midway down their bicep, with one part covering their light purple eyes, a lot like Vasi's….perhaps this Winner knew her? They had light brown-and-orange wings, with a fluffy brown skirt and a white shirt with light orange stripes on the sleeves, and black lines like feathers on the front of their shirt, with a light gray halo similar to the Exorcists'. They also had soft, round talons for feet, just like his darling daughter's right leg.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Mimic making a run for it. He motioned to follow her before a bright flash of light invaded his vision and Mimic appeared next to him.
Although Lucifer held his head up high and tried to listen to what Adam and Lute were saying, he couldn't help but feel that all eyes were on him, whispering about how he shouldn't be here and that he should've stayed gone.
~~~~~~~~~
Sera was sitting in one of Heaven's stalls with Emily, who was busy nursing her own glass of water. Her blue-eyed gaze followed the group of four Sinners—yes, Lucifer counted as one—and she nearly spit out her drink at their appearances.
"Holy Heaven, did they actually ascend ?" Sera asked. "Am I just seeing things, Emily?"
"Better question, how did Lucifer even get up here?" Emily stated.
"Well, since I'm the High Seraphim of Heaven, I got control over his chains that link him to Hell for the length of his visit. I'm gonna go make sure he behaves like a good boy and doesn't do anything bad, lest we cast him out again." Sera stated, getting up to confront her brother.
Emily grabbed the edge of her sleeve, pulling her down. "Wait, Sera, we don't want to start a fight in front of all of the angels here, remember? We gotta keep the Exterminations on the down low. " She whispered.
"Well it's better than waiting! As much as I love Heaven, it's so boring waiting around for the Extermination! "
Emily's eyes widened and she pulled her down towards her. "Sera, what was Adam's one rule?"
"Right, no one can know—"
In a flash of bright light, a portal opened beneath them and they both were sucked in, appearing in Adam's office. Said angel was standing in front of the large window, hands held neatly behind his back.
"You should listen to your sister, Sera." He said.
Sera jumped theatrically, putting a hand to her chest. "You can't jump us like that! You could've given us a heart attack!"
Emily rolled her eyes. "First Man, sir, please forgive me, but what are the Sinners doing here?"
"I thought your sister arranged the meeting. You both failed to quell the demons' unrest and now Lucifer is involved. I would never have agreed to your 'yearly activities' if it thought it would bring trouble to Heaven. I hate killing my descendants, no matter how despicable, but keeping Heaven safe was the reason."
"Well, I did make the meeting, but it's a chance to knock some sense into him! Maybe get him to stop thinking about this 'redemption' idea willy-nilly!" Sera exclaimed. "I'm just one girl, what do you want from me?"
"I want you to do whatever you need to do before this problem gets out of hand. Are we clear? "
"Crystal."
~~~~~~~~~
Lucifer's companions returned to their room near the Angelic Court while he stayed outside, pacing restlessly. He still wasn't happy, despite that this could be the best chance he could have to pitch this redemption idea.
It might be the last time you get to see Heaven , a little voice in the back of his mind whispered.
Lucifer sank to his hooves, curling up against the wall and burying his face in his robes. They still smelled of the outdoors and apples, which only made his lingering dread more worse.
He decided to get up and continue "exploring" the "house" that he and his group were staying in. Lucifer searched, trying to avoid any reflections that he could see which would trigger bad memories.
He thought he heard voices upstairs, but he decided to dismiss it while he continued wallowing in self-deprecation.
The four Hotel representatives were seated in a low-lying balcony near the bottom, where he had clear view of all of the angels with their all-seeing gazes locked on him. He gulped in slight fear, remembering what had happened last time he was in this room….
Sera flew into the room, settling on a high balcony. She had been there last time he was here, too.Lucifer took a deep breath, shuffling his index cards nervously and glancing around the room again.
"Um, I just wanted to say thanks for the meeting, and for letting me back up here," Lucifer said, wanting to shrink into the seat. He frog-blinked for a moment, gathering his thoughts before clearing his throat.
"We are all gathered here today to determine whether or not a soul can be redeemed through the means of this ' Hotel for Hazbins '. Care to explain, Lucifer?"
"Uh, thank you Adam. Webster's dictionary defines redemption as—"
"Objection! Lame and unoriginal!" Sera yelled, banging her fist on the desk in front of her.
"Sustained. No further dictionary references please."
"Okey-dokey, uhhh …." He looked through his index cards before settling on one.
"Luci, just show some real evidence already! We're all getting older listening to you mumble." Sera rolled her eyes.
A small growl sounded next to him and he looked over at Alastor, who was glaring at the Seraphim with sharp blue eyes. "We actually have several patrons making progress!" The deer said proudly.
"Oh, yeah, who? Your mom?" Sera joked immaturely.
It would've been a little detail that could've been easily missed, but Lucifer saw Alastor's smile sharpen and his eyes narrow slightly. "Why, there's Lady Lady Bomb, film star Husker, just to name a few. Business sure is booming, am I right Lucifer?" Alastor asked, smile softening just a little bit.
"Oh right, an arsonist and an adult film star! They're totally worth being redeemed! Yeah, I definitely want Heaven to turn into a brighter version of Hell!" Sera sneered.
"Sera! Calm down before you make this worse!" Ryn called from the audience.
Sera glared at the Winner before looking back at Lucifer.
"Well if you know so much, what does it take to get into Heaven?" Lucifer asked. "Because—"
Sera snapped and yanked the chain attached to Lucifer's neck roughly, shoving him against the desk as he choked a little. "Well obviously, you need to be selfless, don't steal, and stick it to the person! "
"Are you kidding me? That's the worst list I've ever heard." Alastor commented, crossing his arms and looking up at the Seraphim with an angry expression. He helped Lucifer up, again glaring at the angel.
"Well, yeah, it got Adam here, right?" She looked up at him nervously.
"Sera, there were no men to stick it up to when I was alive, and Lilith doesn't count." Adam said plainly.
"Well, I bet they're both doing it right now!" Henka called suddenly.
Adam snapped his fingers and a white orb appeared in the middle of the court, slowly circling around towards the bottom and back up again.
Lucifer cleared his throat, pinning his friend with a faux determination.
"Your honor, may I present Exhibit A: a day out."
~~~~~~~~~
"Was this really the best place to bring everyone?" Kevin shouted over the yelling and off-key singing at the bar. "I thought we were supposed to be stopping this stuff! And Iochi doesn't look so good!"
Said Sinner was wrapped up in her favorite blanket, groaning and leaning against the bar counter.
"Woo! Isn't this place the best?" Lady Bomb cheered.
"Yeah like Kevin said, I thought tat tis' was supposed ta stop," Angel lamented folding his two pairs of arms. "Aren't ya all supposed ta be layin' offa tis' stuff? I think we should go someplace nice, like Cannibal Towne or somethin'."
Husker glanced around the bar, and then zeroing in on Sir Pentious and Niffty; the former was watching the bug sweep.
"Ms. Niffty, dear, what are you doing?" Sir Pentious asked her, following her movements.
"I'm sweeping! Look how icky it is in here!" She complained, three hands fastened on the handle and one spraying her surroundings.
"That's because we're not at the palace, dear," The snake explained patiently.
"It's a Hotel. And I knew it looked different!" She giggled, grabbing her broom and skittering away to go torture some Sinners clean something else. Husker watched her leave, making sure that she wasn't going to get in too much trouble before he looked over at his friend. Lady Bomb was sipping her drink, her red eye closed. Sir Pentious slithered up to her, holding a shaking mechanical hand slightly out.
"Lady Bomb, I would like to buy you a drink….!" He said, holding up some money and offering it to her. The cyclops looked at him, taking a long sip and responding.
"You may be my friend and past enemy, but you don't have to buy it for me; I can buy my own. Besides, I'm supposed to be laying off this stuff." She shook the glass slightly.
"How come you're drinking now though?" Angel questioned. Lady Bomb sent a glare in his direction.
"But I'm buying a drink because….I'm buying EVERYONE A DRINK!" He threw his hands up, drinking in the cheering of the crowd.
"Free drinks!" Someone yelled.
Husker rolled his golden eyes, glancing over to Angel who was scooting ever so subtly next to him. "Ya need some stuff fo' today? Val's really inta tat weird water stuff."
The cat sent his friend a fond look, but he declined the offer. "Thanks Angel, but like you said, I'm supposed to be laying off of this stuff."
The two smiled at each other before their moment was ruined by a half-drunk Lady Bomb. "Come on, Husker! Enough with the Val talk; he already ruined your day, don't make it worse!" She laughed, holding out a hand.
There were three of them in her hand, clearly in view. Husker's eyes widened as he looked at them. "Put that away, Lady Bomb!" He folded her hand and shoved it roughly into her pocket. "How do you even HAVE that stuff?" He hissed.
"It's fine, Husk. Just take one of them and you won't be worrying about anything ."
"Of course, here we go," Angel rolled his eyes, propping his head on one of his hands.
"Oh look! He sobered up enough to judge us." Lady Bomb sneered.
"I ain't the one ruinin' my progress fo' Heaven. If ya do want ta? Be my guest. I just…." He looked at Husker sadly, something hidden in his mismatched eyes. "I though ya was betta than tis'."
"Aw, thanks, Captain Buzzkill. Come on, Husker! Who needs this redemption shtick anyway?" Lady Bomb drawled sarcastically.
"Well, you clearly did, since you stayed even after the Vs forced you here," Husker blurted out pointedly. Iochi reached over and took away the things in Lady Bomb's pocket, throwing it into the garbage. The wrapped-up Sinner received an angry look from the one-eyed woman, but Iochi looked back at the bar.
"It's been a long night and I don't want to go too wild." Husker said, pouring out the rest of his drink in the trash and ordering a normal cup of water. A happy noise from Angel sounded beside him and Husker grinned, hugging the spider before letting go.
"Come on, witch! If you've really been working that hard, you deserve a little relaxation! How about some drinks, some stuff, you know!"
Husker contemplated for a moment before shaking his head. Angel whisked by, grabbing Lady Bomb's drink and throwing it away.
" How come everyone keeps taking away my drink? " She complained.
Angel ushered him, Lady Bomb, Kevin, Iochi, Luna, Charlie, Vasi, Chizuki, Tatsu, and Sir Pentious into a booth, moving away and then coming back with a screaming Niffty.
~~~~~~~~~
Lucifer looked at the orb with a slightly shocked look. On one hand, he was proud that Husker was refusing the toxicity of Lady Bomb's peer pressure, but he hadn't expected Sir Pentious to take them to a bar, of all places, and for Lady Bomb to have hidden stashes that they hadn't found yet.
"Heavenly people, what more do you need to see? Your so-called 'redeeming residents' have chosen a night of debauchery! Those aren't souls worthy of being in Heaven!"
"Um, objection!" Lucifer fumbled, scanning through his index cards frantically. "Haven't you ever had a drink after a hard day with friends?"
Sera's eyes narrowed and Lucifer swallowed nervously. Dang it, that was the wrong thing to say.
"It's freaking Heaven, Luci. We don't have hard days," she deadpanned. "You gonna sit there and pretend like this behavior is okay? Oh, right, you live in it . Got anything to say, Lucifer's hot boyfriend?" Sera stared straight at Alastor.
Normally, the Sinner would've been a bit standoffish, but he looked withdrawn and wanting to shrink into the nonexistent shadows. He sent a quick glance at Lucifer before announcing weakly, "I, uh, forgot to, ah, drink my….goldfish….?"
He shrank uncharacteristically into the shadows, appearing on the ground underneath and running out of a door. Murmurs echoed around the courtroom at his leaving.
"Someone go make sure he doesn't go destroy Heaven." Adam announced, and the same moth Winner from before followed him outside.
"What? Ugh! Please, they'll make good promises! Please, Sera!" He looked at her with wide eyes, hoping that the tears brimming weren't too evident.
"I don't know," Adam sighed.
"Please can we give him a chance?" Lute asked. "He deserves it, Adam."
The First Man glanced at his companion before waving his hand and making the orb appear again.
~~~~~~~~~~
"This is my round twelve, mothertruckers! Heels are coming off!" Lady Bomb grinned, placing more drinks on the table again. Before Husker would've snatched a glass or two, but he resisted the urge. Iochi groaned loudly, but continued doodling with Kevin and Chizuki, occasionally making horrified looks at the skulls that Chizuki kept scribbling on his paper; Tatsu was giggling at the faces that she was making.
"Lady Bomb, maybe you should be laying off that? You need to listen to Dad," Charlie said. "Doesn't seem healthy to be drinking so many glasses of this."
"Yeah, you gotta listen to the King," Vasi said, tightening her grip on the staff. She wore a faux fur coat that was covering up her tight bodysuit. When she had been asked about it earlier when they were leaving, she had bristled and said it was to cover up the holes in the back of her uniform for her wings….if they did come back. It wouldn't fare well for anybody if her past was discovered by people who didn't really know her.
"It's ssso wonderful to have multiple friendsss!" Sir Pentious gushed, pressing two hands to his cheeks and making a cute face.
Niffty tried wiggling out of his hands for more drinks, but he stopped her. "You're done for tonight, remember, tiny?" Husker said softly.
"No! Gimme gimme gimme!" She whined.
"Oh, come on, Husker! She can handle a little more!" Lady Bomb cheered, pumping her fists in the air.
"She's like ten feet under and—oh chip, where'd she go?" He looked around frantically for the little bug. He pushed people out of his way, ignoring the growls and snorts and 'wolf whistles' coming his way while he searched for the little bug. He finally spotted her sauntering over to a table, grabbing glasses and shoving them into bags, ignoring the other Sinners' growls.
"Dirty, dirty, dirty! Make it CLEAN!" Niffty chanted, wiggling her bag and moving onto other tables.
"Dang it, Niffty! Sorry, fellas, here, this next one's on me," He winked at them, setting a fat stack of money on the table before looking for the bug. "Niffty? Chip!"
The bug was digging through a supplies closet, singing to herself.
"Chlorine! Bleach!"
Husker was positioned above her, reaching for her when Lady Bomb startled him.
"Husker, the frick are you doing? You're supposed to be relaxing, not playing nanny!"
"She's not used to this scene, Lady Bomb. Not like I was….I-I just don't want her to end up in the streets like I used to."
"Pffft, whatever nerd , just be a wussy and catch up when you're done." She huffed, sauntering out with a swish of her dress.
Husker looked after his friend sadly before looking back at Niffty. He picked her up quickly. "Niffty, STOP! You can't take that—Gosh, Niff, why are you being such a MESS?"
Niffty sniffled. "I'm….a mess?" She started wailing, tears fountaining comically out of her eyes. She wailed for a few minutes before Husker snuggled her against his chest, purring in hopes to calm her down.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh, you're not a mess. Hey, wanna play with the spidey?"
"Yeah…." Niffty trailed off.
Husker placed Niffty on Angel's head, who giggled and started messing with his hair plume. The spider was initially startled, grabbing at the evasive bug.
"Ta frick is tis'?" He growled.
"She's messed up, just go with it."
"Fine…." Angel huffed, crossing his arms. He blew on his hair, inciting a giggle from the Sinner on his head.
Sir Pentious was chatting with Lady Bomb, and he only caught the tail end of the conversation. "....with me?"
"I'm sorry, why would we do that?" Lady Bomb snorted.
"I'm doing it with everyone here!" Sir Pentious exclaimed.
There was laughing, but no one made a move and Sir Pentious remained in his place, body relaxing minutely with a sigh of relief.
"You know, we can do this every day, if that fricking manager wasn't always in our business the entire time! You don't have to spend all of your off-hours 'working on yourself'."
"Lady Bomb, ya one ta talk. All ya've done is sit around and participate sometimes. The Hotel's not a problem in ya lives, it's—"
"Valentino." Husker interrupted.
Angel's attention snapped to him. "Exactly," he gestured to him. "So why don't ya—"
"No, Angel, look, it's Valentino ." He said, pointing.
The moth was lounging on a couch, with three female demons next to him, fawning over him.
It made him sick.
"...can you? I can…." The moth muttered.
Husker's eyes widened and he reached for Angel, trying to usher him out, taking care to—
"Hey, where's Niffty?"
The bug had gotten off of Angel's head, and upon closer inspection, he saw that she was racing towards Valentino.
"It's a hot bad boy…." Niffty smirked widely, eye narrowing in pleasure.
Husker pushed through the crowd yet again, apologizing this time for his barging into conversations. He reached for Niffty and accidentally tripped, falling onto the platform in front of Valentino.
"Oh my, is that you, Husker? What are you doing here, baby? You didn't get enough stuff today?"
"Ahahaha, funny." Husker said sarcastically.
"Who's this chiquita? You bringing me fresh meat?" He gestured towards Niffty, who lunged for his outstretched finger, nearly biting it.
The moth yelped, pulling away from her. " Oi! "
"I just want a taste ." Niffty sneered.
"That's a little weird, but I'm sure there's something for that!" Valentino said, eye twitching nervously.
"Oh, just frick off, Val." Husker said, turning away.
" Excuse me?" Valentino stalked up behind him, placing cold hands on his shoulders.
"I said frick off! Does your hearing need to be fixed? I may have to put up with you in the studio, but you're not gonna be messing with any of my friends!"
Valentino growled, removing his hand from Husker's shoulder to breathe out some red smoke into the cat's face, summoning his chain and pulling him close to his face.
"Did you forget who you're talking to? I own you, witch ." He snarled.
Husker pulled on the chain roughly, still glaring at him with sharp gold eyes. "Yeah you do, in the studio . And you can do anything you want to me there, just like our deal says. But out here, I get to do what I want. So, once again, frick. Off. "
Valentino smacked him in the side of his face, sending him falling to the ground. Husker coughed, wiping away blood from his nose.
"Enjoy the rest of the night, Husker , because I'm going to enjoy making you pay for it tomorrow ." Valentino snarled, stomping on his tail before walking away.
" Frick . I hate him." Angel growled, helping up the cat.
"It was worth it," he snapped.
Angel wrapped an arm around him, helping him walk away.
"Way ta go, Husk."
Unbeknownst to Husker, Niffty had skittled away from them and she climbed up Valentino, ripping off part of his fur before running back to them. "For my collection!" She giggled, waving at the moth in a creepy way. She ran up to Chizuki, who giggled and flashed a creepy smile at him and they both followed after the group.
~~~~~~~~~
Lucifer watched the orb with a small smile on his face. "See! He did everything that you said! He stood up to Baldentino—"
" Valentino ," Mimic corrected.
"Sorry, Valentino , he stopped Niffty from stealing, and, uhhh….he took the ire of Valentino instead of Niffty! See?!"
"Well, then, why isn't he here then?" Sera sneered. "If he was so great and selfless and stuff?"
"Yeah, why isn't he here?" Lute asked. She looked to the angel next to her, who squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Although at first glance they appeared like an angel, but he knew a former resident of Hell when he saw one.
The courtroom members were speaking again, and a small twinge of anxiety and rage kindled in him. They weren't speaking about him, they were….
"Wait…. none of you know what gets someone into Heaven?" Lucifer asked, eyes widening in realization. He looked up at Adam, Lute, and Kiyran, who were looking down at the Angelic Court.
"This questioning stops now. We know when a soul arrives, we know when they pass divine judgement; it's our job to ensure that these souls are safe." Adam explained abruptly.
Lucifer watched the three for a moment before he realized that Lute was looking through a list of some sort.
".... but he was right, Adam! " She sang. " He showed us a soul could improve. He saw the light, Adam~ Checked all the boxes that you said would prove a person deserves a second chance! Now we turn our backs, no second glance~? " Lute turned her back, looking at the other angels with a sad look. The orb flashed with previous moments in the bar.
She flew up to look at Adam. " It's not as simple as you think, not everything is spelled in ink! "
Lucifer, finally having enough of this, butted into the song. " It's not fair, Adam~ "
The First Man looked down at him with a bored yet sorrowful expression, and Lute turned her attention back to him.
He heard hoofsteps and Alastor appeared next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. " Careful, Luci, keep a cool head— "
" No! " He shrugged his friend's hand off, continuing to glare defiantly at Adam. " Don't care, Adam! They're your descendants, and just because someone is dead doesn't mean they can't resolve to change their ways, turn the page and escape infernal BLAZE! " He moved his hands up suddenly, using his golden magic to make flames.
" Luci, I'm sure you wish it could be so, but there's a lot that YOU DON'T KNOW~! " Adam sang, looking down at him with a sad look.
" What are we even talking about, some psycho who messed up already! " Emily burst in, slamming her hands on the edge of her balcony. " He blew his shot like the silver spoon's in his mouth, this discussion is senseless and petty~ " The two Seraphim sprang up from their seats, flying around the courtroom, finally landing on the orb. Wow, you can actually STAND on that?
" There's no question to be posed, he's unholy, CASE CLOSED! Did you forget that HELL IS FOREVER? "
" You only live once, we'll see you in two months! Gotta say I can't wait to come down and EXTERMINATE YOU! " His sister sang.
" Wait! " Lute called.
" Chip. " Sera muttered under her breath.
" What are you saying? Let me get this straight, you go down there and kill those poor souls? " Lute asked, turning towards the orb with tearing-up eyes.
" You didn't know? " Lucifer asked hesitantly.
" Whoops! " Sera called.
" Guess the cat's out of the BAG! " Emily giggled.
" What's the big deal? " Sera shrugged.
" Kiyran and Adam, please tell me that you didn't know~ "
" I thought since I'm the First Man, it was my load to shoulder! " Adam said, lifting off the platform.
" No…. " Lute began.
" You have to listen, it was such a hard decision!" Kiyran and Adam sang.
" I wanted to save you the anguish it takes to do what was required~ " Kiyran said, the fire reflecting in her eyes.
" To think that I ever admired you! " Lute sang angrily, sending a mournful look at Kiyran while glaring at Adam. " I don't need your condescension, I'm not a child to protect! Was talk of virtue just pretension, was I too naive to expect you to heed the morals you're purveying? " Lute growled.
" That's what the heck that I've been saying! " Lucifer exclaimed. He spread his wings, lifting both of them onto the orb. Huh, so it really was solid .
" If Hell is forever then Heaven must be a lie! " They both yelled.
" Lute! " Kiyran called.
" If angels can do whatever and remain in the sky, the rules are shades of gray when you don't do as you say. You make the wretched suffer just to kill them again! "
Lucifer let go of Lute, looking over at Alastor who was standing just near the door like he was going to bolt again. " I will never trust in angels, " He smiled fondly at him.
Alastor opened his mouth but was quickly interrupted by Sera and Emily, who had appeared near him with a flash of angelic magic.
" By HIM? " Sera sang.
" Ha! He should too! "
" We should go! " Alastor exclaimed, reaching towards him.
" No! Don't you see, we've come so close. Look at them talking; they're soon to make a decision! "
" Don't you act all high and mighty, did you ever think that your little PARTNER might be a LIAR? " Emily mocked.
" Don't, Sera please! " Alastor exclaimed.
" Awww, what's the fuss? " Sera grinned, waving a hand dismissively at the orb, revealing….
" Why hide the fact that you were IN HEAVEN WITH US~? "
The orb displayed Alastor, who was set against the background of Heaven, sitting near Charlie, Chizuki and Tatsu, with someone faint he couldn't quite recognize in the background.
Lucifer gasped, staring at the orb in shock before sinking to the ground. White chains appeared on each of his limbs, burning away the angelic disguise to reveal his demonic form.
The horrified gasps of the Angelic Court echoed through the room as his vision blurred and focused over and over. He was vaguely aware of the rest of his companions rushing over to him, but he barely heard anything they said over the ringing in his ears.
"This court….no evidence…." Adam said faintly in the background.
"OH YES! SUCK IT YOU DEMONS! HAHAHA! You better save the date, runts, 'cause we're targeting your Hotel first ." Sera snapped her fingers, letting go of the chains as wind suddenly erupted behind him, sucking him into the portal.
"No PLEASE! I CAN'T—" Lucifer yelled, feeling tears brimming in his eyes. "SERA DON'T MAKE ME GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN!" He reached for his sister, hazy memories of his Fall flashing behind his eyes as he fell.
"LUCIFER DON'T GIVE UP ON THIS! I PROMISE I'LL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!" Lute called before the portal shut.
~~~~~~~~~
Lute looked at the place where the angels [demons?] had once stood before. Kiyran placed a hand on her shoulder and she instinctively reached for it.
"That was uncalled for, Sera." Adam said.
"Yeah, but the look on their faces! Hahaha….s-sorry." She said, spreading her three pairs of wings and flying away with her sister.
Lute looked over at Adam, eyes still wide. "Extermination….of human souls? Your descendants? Demon or not, there is no reason to be doing this!" She waved her hand at the bottom of the court.
"They were uprising , Lute! We're supposed to protect Heaven, especially in our positions! You have to remain happy to keep Heaven safe–"
"How can I continue being happy when I know we are bringing misery to thousands of innocent people!"
"Heaven needs us, Lute. Everyone looks to us, and we can't doubt ourselves or worry about the fate of demons when we have our own souls to protect. Please, if you start to question, you could get put on trial, and you don't want to end up down there. I couldn't bear to see you suffer that fate, and neither could Kiyran. So please, let me worry about this."
"What did Lucifer mean by 'Sera, don't let me go through this again'?"
"I'm sorry, but it's something you'll understand later."
Lute looked around the Court sadly before she followed him out the room.