Aria couldn't believe it! Alastor had taken away her immortality! It boggled her mind as she tried to wrap her head around it!
Meanwhile, Alastor just sat there, one leg crossed with both gloved hands on his knee, watching her reaction with a very satisfied smirk just oozing with wicked enjoyment! She suspected if he didn't have so much class, he'd be eating popcorn while reveling in her unease. It really got under her skin as Aria struggled to make sense of all this, but the more she thought about it, the more agitated she became!
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second!" Aria exclaimed as she let go of her legs and put her hands on her head before she threw her arms up in consternation! "You have the ability to take away someone's immortality!? That doesn't make any sense! I know the laws in Hell are broken, but one demon shouldn't be able to take away the immortality of anyone, much less an angel! There's got to be something else you're not telling me!"
"I don't make the rules, my dear, I just take advantage of the situation as it presents itself!" Alastor answered matter-of-factly with a smile, waving a hand elegantly in dismissal as he gestured to her with an open palm. "You demanded in our deal that I have the ability to erase you from existence when the time comes, so I made sure you could be! I don't see why you're so upset about it, given you were the one to make it a crucial part of our little deal."
"That's not the point!" Aria exclaimed with a sigh of exasperation as she put a hand to her face. "Eternal laws aren't just the whims of God! From what I learned before coming here to Hell, the eternal laws are implemented through the very fabric of reality instilled by God Himself until the eternal elements themselves adhere to the law, binding it all together! However, somewhere within the very core of Hell's eternal structure lie one or more eternal elements that must've been so severely corrupted that you, a single demon, could take away my immortality! The questions that arise, then, are why are the elements becoming corrupted, how is it affecting everyone's immortality that it's being lost so easily, not to mention the problem with space here in Hell, and what do I need to do to fix it? That's the mission Jesus Christ has given me. That is what YOU are going to help me find out, but I can't do that if you won't tell me what you know about the eternal elements, possible sources of corruption, or how you took away my immortality!"
"All this talk of eternity, elements, and immortality does remind me of something!" Alastor mentioned in passing, a teasing grin growing on his face as his right hand played an invisible piano with a trill of suspenseful music!
"Then tell me! Please," Aria demanded, then begged, her nerves shot as she realized it had been a very long evening as her whole body seemed to sag with fatigue all of a sudden.
"I will give you the information you so desperately crave, but only on one condition!" Alastor declared, his smile a playful smirk as his red eyes glowed for a moment. "You must give up that obnoxious force field of yours unless I tell you you need it!"
"What!? No way!" Aria cried out, upset and agitated that The Radio Demon was demanding more deals from her as the long day began to wear on her patience. "No more deals! After what you pulled on me on this very floor only an hour ago, I'd be a fool to give it up!"
"Excuse me for being so bold, but I believe you're a fool to think it will protect you, my dear!" Alastor said with a smirk as he stood up from the couch, summoning his staff as the sound of the 1930's elevator music came back in full force. "Don't think I didn't spy you peeking under those long, dark eyelashes of yours in the elevator. You also have the tendency to groan at my puns, which gave you away quite handily, I might add!"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Aria asked grumpily, the fatigue really setting in as she began to get more testy as she folded her arms defensively.
"It means you heard me when I told Husker he was helping me a great deal by carrying you," Alastor explained shrewdly, his smile growing more sly the grumpier Aria got as the 1930's elevator music ended with a short piece of old, noir, detective music that gave the sense that Aria had been found out.
"I'm not giving it up, Alastor," Aria stated with gritted teeth, her breathing shallow as she fought to get her anger under control, but she really hated that Alastor had pointed out to her that he'd already outwitted her Intention Force Field. "It kept me safe from you, didn't it?"
"My dear, it wouldn't have saved you if you accidentally fell into a vat of acid!" Alastor declared with a cheeky grin, the invisible audience laughing all of a sudden as Alastor snapped his fingers, summoning a massive pile of paper over Aria, making Aria suddenly disappear from view under it! "I could do this all night, you know! I'm used to burning the midnight oil, given my background as a radio host, but from where I'm standing, your poor attitude and grumpy frown suggests you're at the end of your ability to think rationally!"
"Well, what do you expect!?" Aria said defensively, annoyed and angry as she tried to push the papers off of her, making her look like she was digging out of her own grave. "I've been forced to dance with you! I had to face off with your demonic alter-ego! I was assaulted by a giant, malevolent tentacle you summoned! I had to go through a terrifying deal with you! I got inexplicably ill due to having my immortality stripped away from me, and I've barely had a break from being around you! It's exhausting!"
"That's the idea," Alastor whispered sinisterly in her ear, making Aria jerk her head away from him as she found him too close to her, again, her body unable to move away from him because she was still partially buried under a huge pile of paper. "I figured that, given enough time and patience, I'll have you agreeing to my terms in no time! After all, what does it say about you when you point out the fact that you've made a deal with a demon and allowed your immortality to be stripped from you in a single evening?"
Aria had no answers as she stopped struggling against the mound of paper, her head and arms the only things that had escaped the mound of papers as she put a hand to her head and sighed tiredly. What was she supposed to do? Aria wondered about her precarious situation as she prayed to know what to do, but no answer came to her as she put her hands down on the paper mound and stared at them, lost in thought.
Despite Alastor trying to get her to doubt herself, Aria knew God had used the deal for a greater purpose. Still, that didn't make it easier to process as she really wished she knew how it would work out to her advantage in the end. Her new sense of mortality really made her feel particularly vulnerable at the moment. To top it all off, her Intention Force Field obviously had technical limitations, which really made her wonder just how much Alastor really knew about angels!
What bothered her the most, however, was Alastor's incessant pestering! She needed to get away from him and get some much needed rest, but Alastor was having none of it! For all she knew, he had a limitless supply of paper he could just pelt her with. How was she going to stop this endless cycle of torment Alastor was adamant she suffer through?
Aria felt the comforting presence of the Holy Ghost as he reminded her that she'd be alright. Alastor may think he had her right where he wanted her, but Aria wasn't alone. Then, as she looked at Alastor's smug, toothy grin, something occurred to her.
"Alastor? Why do you want me to adhere to your authority so badly?" Aria suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she struggled to get herself out of the pile of paper, but the papers kept on shifting.
"Why, you ask? Isn't it obvious?" Alastor stated with a smug grin, turning away from her as he waved a hand and the paper she pushed off her piled on top of her once more, making her groan angrily in annoyance! "The sooner you realize you're out of your league, the sooner I can actually help you on this wacky mission of yours! Frankly, I can already tell you're a poor tactician, you're pitifully harmless, and if you didn't have that disguise to hide your true face from every other demon in Hell, you'd have turned out as someone's main course! Of course, we both know that would've been the best case scenario!"
"You're confidence in me is so very reassuring," Aria muttered dryly under the pile of paper, a sigh escaping her as she forced the layer on top of her head and shoulders off of her, revealing Alastor's amused grin as he stood over her with his hands behind his back, his posture perfect in every way. "You know, I really think you're pushing your luck trying to get me to ease up and trust you! To be fair, you're a demon and I'm an angel, so there's going to be a lot of disagreements on how to do things. However, I can't deny that you do make some valid points about some of my weaknesses. So sure, I'll bite. What do I get out of giving up my Intention Force Field you insist is pretty much worthless?"
"The assurance that my trustworthiness is sound," Alastor answered carefully, his smile ambiguous as his tone grew softer, each syllable punctuated by how he weighed every word with a delicate emphasis. "Make no mistake that I have carefully considered your odds and I can say with utter certainty that you will not succeed unless you can allow yourself to trust me. If you can bring yourself to fully and completely trust my counsel and judgement, however, I can assure you that your odds for success are almost guaranteed."
"You're serious?" Aria said in disbelief, the idea that she had to drop all her defenses around Alastor to succeed in her mission not only sounding insane to her, but down right dangerous! "You want me to just open myself up to you, no strings attached, and with the power of our unlikely friendship, we'll just save all of Hell? Seriously!? This has got to be a joke! Why in the world would I just let you in like that, knowing what you've done to me tonight!? You haven't even been able to lay a finger on me since I put up my Intention Force Field! That's proof enough that you can't be trusted!"
"If I remember correctly, didn't Jesus Christ open himself up and take all the sins of the world on his shoulders because he loved the world?" Alastor pointed out with a sly grin, his accurate comment on the life of the Savior flooring Aria, leaving her utterly speechless! "It's a dangerous game, my dear, to try and save Hell and yes, because of our deal, my intentions ultimately end in your eventual demise, so naturally, your pitiful excuse for a force field registers me as hostile! Yet you must admit that you haven't been able to get the upper hand on me all evening and this is just the beginning! If you can't allow yourself to fully trust me, a demon who has willingly struck a deal with you to help you with your cause, do you really think anyone else in Hell will help you? Isn't the very vulnerability you fear the only way I can actually, physically prove I'm able to be trusted?"
"No! Yes! I mean...I don't know!" Aria cried out, unable to find a logical way out of this, since Alastor had her lock, stock, and barrel with his argument and it terrified her!
As Aria struggled to get out of that stupid pile of paper, her mind racing to figure out what to do, she heard a sigh come from Alastor. Looking up at him curiously, she saw him turn and face the fire once more, making it difficult to read his face. She watched Alastor tap the ground a few times with his staff, clearly lost in thought as the radio frequency adjusted so quickly around The Radio Demon that it was just a jumble of radio noise.
With Alastor momentarily distracted, Aria finally struggled out of the pile of paper as she successfully shifted the pile to unbalance it, spilling her onto the floor. Quickly jumping to her feet, hoping that Alastor didn't notice, she looked at Alastor to make sure he was still distracted before she tried to put the papers back up into a pile. However, the more she tried, the more she realized it was a lost cause. Clearly, if Niffty were here, Aria would've had to use her angelic powers just to preserve herself, making her feel guilty at the mess as she mentally promised herself that she'd clean it up later once her business with Alastor was over.
"I can see you'll need a little more context to seriously consider my offer," Alastor finally said with a pensive smile, a slow, thoughtful, old-timey tune playing lazily in the background for a moment as Alastor turned to face her. "I also imagine you need a little assurance that I'm serious in helping you, despite how much I've mentioned watching you fail would be quite enjoyable. I actually have a personal reason for your success. Call it a wager, if you will."
"Great, so now I'm the insurance you need in a long standing bet?" Aria stated with annoyance, but there was a hint of curiosity behind her complaint as she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at Alastor. "Let me guess. You and the three V's got together and made a bet with each other to see who can catch an angel. You're the supposed ally, while the three V's are the opposition. Winner gets to keep the angel as a trophy, or they get to kill her or something."
"It's a little more complicated than that," Alastor answered cryptically, a smirk of amusement on his face as he rolled his eyes at her, while the sound of cards shuffled in the background for a moment. "Let's just say I have a lot to lose if I don't help you in your mission. I wasn't going to mention it, given you already have our deal as a binding contract, but given your growing fear and anxiety around me, which is fun to watch, but is rather counter-productive of what I'm trying to achieve, I figured you deserved a metaphorical olive branch!"
"How big are the stakes?" Aria asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she rested her chin in one hand and looked at Alastor with interest, while she held her elbow with her other hand.
"Let's just say I'd lose a great deal more than just my reputation," Alastor commented darkly, his smile unreadable as he twirled his staff in one hand before pointing it at Aria, the sound of foreboding music in the background suddenly creating dramatic suspense. "You are the key to my continuing success here in Hell, Miss Aria! Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but I have my own reasons to make sure you reach your...laughable objectives!"
"So you're saying your own life may be at stake as well?" Aria asked, her curiosity reaching its peak as her eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion, while she folded her arms in front of her. "Let's say I actually believe you. Who would profit from me fixing up Hell, but put you in a position of life or death if I were to fail? It makes no sense why you'd get punished for not helping me. In fact, I would've expected some sort of reward for my quick and untimely demise!"
"Well, I'm afraid that's all I have to say on the matter," Alastor stated frankly with a careless grin, a shrug coming over him as he snapped his fingers, making the pile of paper disappear from the couch and reappear over Aria, burying her once again. "Either you believe I genuinely want to help you or you don't! Either way, it's clear to me that there isn't much left I can do to influence you further with the exception of one simple thing: persistence!"
A muffled scream came from the pile of papers, followed by a groan, while Alastor leaned on the pile of papers, humming to himself! Aria had to fight through a slew of negative emotions as she mentally reminded herself to talk to the Lord about improving the capabilities of the Intention Force Field! Anger, anxiety, helplessness, and a lot of frustration burned through her as she tried to slow down her breathing and just think for a second!
She could try and go along with Alastor's whims and see how that went for a day, but she wasn't ready to put her trust in a total stranger, much less a demon who'd been underhanded more than once that day! She could unleash a ton of her angelic powers, but she really didn't want Alastor knowing all that she could do, especially given his prowess in turning things around in his favor, anyway. She could try using delay tactics herself, but she felt like that would be a jerk move on her part. Then she thought about what she'd done during the deal and realized that it just might work! Thanking the Lord for helping her think things through, she took a breath, prayed for inspiration, and took a leap of faith!
"Hey, Alastor?" Aria asked, her voice muffled as she heard Alastor stop humming as she felt his weight shift off the top of the pile of paper.
"Yes, my dear Aria?" Alastor asked with an air of innocence in his tone, that smile still in his voice as Aria pushed the upper layer of paper off her, revealing her brown hair, her brown eyes, her nose and mouth, and then her upper arms.
"I think I get it, now," Aria answered softly, a look of hesitant concern on her face as she let out a sigh before she looked up at him, his smile curious. "You're scared you'll lose it all if I don't succeed in my mission, and I'm scared you'll take advantage of me once I take down my Intention Force Field. I don't understand why you're in trouble and frankly, it could all just be a pack of lies, but for now, I'll choose to believe you actually want to help me. You're right. I don't have a lot of options and, frankly, with how much you know about me, already, I really can't afford to have you as an enemy. We have a lot riding on this mission and we don't want the other one to get in our way and mess everything up!"
"Thank goodness! I wondered how long it would take for you to finally get there, but here we are!" Alastor announced enthusiastically, making Aria frown in exasperation as she rolled her eyes at him, while she rested her chin on one hand. "I commend you for how quickly you came to your senses! So, am I to assume you're willing to accept my offer, then?"
"Not with a handshake," Aria said carefully, an edge of caution in her voice as she pushed her hands in front of her in an expression of nervous rejection before she let them rest on top of the pile of papers still engulfing the rest of her body. "I'm thinking if you want me to drop my Intention Force Field, you're going to have to give up something in return. It doesn't have to be permanent, but a trial run would be a nicer way of easing into a more...trusting partnership Like, for example, for a whole day tomorrow, I could keep my Intention Force Field down with the exception of emergencies, which we'll work together to agree on, while you, let's say, quit using your shadow on me, whither for shadow magic, spying, or otherwise unless we both can agree on why it may be wise to use it. So, what do you think? Does that sound fair to you?"
"How am I to know you'll keep your end of the bargain, hmm?" Alastor mused with a grin, clearly interested, but a bit skeptical as a gloved hand brushed mere inches away from where her hands rested on top of the pile of paper before he took back his hand as he slowly circled her. "Forgive me, but you angels aren't as trustworthy as you make yourselves out to be and frankly, I don't want a repeat of what happened last time!"
"Ok, I really want to know the angel that gave you such a hard time because this is the third or fourth time you've mentioned having trouble dealing with angels!" Aria said in exasperation, her need to know really distracting her at the moment as Aria put a fist down on the pile of paper for emphasis, since she really wanted to wrap this up quickly and just go to bed! "Who's the guy that's ruining it for me in my attempts to gain your trust? Tell me and I'll put your worries to rest, along with this troublemaking angel, if he's even still alive!"
"Oh, he's very much alive, my dear!" Alastor declared easily, making Aria's eyes widen in shock as his amused smirk came back with a vengeance, but it changed to a sneer as a tone of disgust came over his radio voice. "However, take me at my word when I say you really don't want to see what's left of the pathetic, loathsome coward!"
"There's a ministering angel still alive here in Hell from a hundred years ago and only now you thought it would be a good idea to mention it!?" Aria cried out in indignation, a wave of angelic force bursting from her, which scattered the humongous pile of pacers violently into different directions, leaving her standing in front of Alastor, angelic power emanating from her! "Where is he!?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" Alastor asked carefully, a bit of caution in his smile as he adjusted his monocle, making a tuning sound emanate from him, while the smell of burnt paper came from the fireplace. "I'm being incredibly honest with you when I say you really shouldn't look for him. He has chosen to hide in his disgusting prison for all these years and I personally believe he should just rot in it! Believe me, I did try to help him in a round-a-bout way to escape, since he still owes me for our little deal, but he chose to refuse my help! I'm convinced you'll wish I never told you about him if you're still foolish enough to look for him."
"Don't make me repeat myself, Alastor," Aria answered quietly with deadly seriousness in her tone, her eyes glowing bright white with righteous fury she barely managed to contain!
"I'm going to have to decline, Miss Aria, until we can both agree on an arrangement," Alastor said simply, his smile very toothy as he ignored her angelic temper tantrum as he snapped his fingers, the pile of paper manifesting again over Aria, but this time, she'd had enough!
"No!" Aria shouted, waving a hand at the pile of paper as she stopped it in its tracks, making it hang over her head in midair! "No more! Either you take my offer and we do this like civilized people or you're going to find out how it feels to be at the receiving end of a very angry angel!"
"Ha! I hardly think you have the nerve to do any harm to me, my dear!" Alastor said with a laugh, his grin confident and amused as he looked at a gloved hand nonchalantly, completely unfazed by Aria's behavior. "I've lived in Hell for a very long time and I've got to say that, from where I'm standing, you have no chance of intimidating me!"
"I don't have to," Aria said coldly, her eyes glowing brightly as she dumped the pile of paper behind the couch. "There's a name above every name which has always had power over demons. You know what I'm talking about, Alastor, or am I going to have to invoke the name of God to make you play nice?"
"Oho! Is that what you're playing at?" Alastor asked with a wicked grin, the smugness in his voice so rich, Aria could practically feel it emanate from him as he stopped in front of her, his body leaning forward until he was face to face with her. "Well, my dear, go right ahead! Let's see what happens, shall we?"
"Fine! You leave me no choice!" Aria said defiantly, standing taller as her glowing, white eyes met his red, glowing ones. "In the name of Jesus Christ, my master, I order you to accept my offer and tell me the location of the last angel you tried to help!"
The order hung between them as Alastor stood there, unusually still as his smile slowly curled wider and wider until it filled his face. Aria waited, wondering what was taking so long as the only sound in the room was the fire crackling in the fireplace. Yet, as she stood there, watching Alastor and waiting for her order to be carried out, the light in her eyes died away as it slowly began to sink in that something was very, very wrong.
"Hmm," Alastor mused with a very pompous grin, raising an eyebrow at Aria as that sinking feeling deepened inside of her. "Was something supposed to happen?"
Aria couldn't breath. Her body felt frozen in place, her eyes locked on Alastor's face, but not really seeing it as her mind reeled! No...this was impossible, Aria thought! The name of Christ had always had the power to banish demons on Earth! Even her guardian angel training had taught her that difficult demons couldn't resist the authority of Almighty God, no matter how powerful they were! She'd seen it work first hand herself on her very first day of work!
"Miss Aria? Hello? You know, I would think an angel like yourself would know it's incredibly rude to ignore someone who's speaking to you!" Alastor reprimanded lightly with a smile, waving a gloved hand in front of her that jogged her out of her freeze as she stumbled back, her face filled with shock, while her heart filled with unimaginable, helpless terror!
"No...you...you should've…" Aria gasped, unable to put together a sentence as her mind tried to get her to see what this could mean, but everything inside of her was screaming in panic!
"What's the matter, my dear?" Alastor asked with a curious, amused smirk, his long stride bringing him closer to her, forcing her to stumble back as she watched him close in on her. "Are you surprised your little command fell on deaf ears?"
Aria kept on retreating, the helplessness she felt overwhelming her as her back hit the couch, making her sidestep it haphazardly! Aria didn't dare look away from Alastor as she tried to maneuver herself towards the elevator, but as she neared it, Alastor's shadow instantly appeared from the darkness, its smile far more wicked and deadly to her as she found herself slowly being boxed in! Looking around her, she realized she found herself in a corner where two bookshelves met! There was no way out as Aria looked up at Alastor in terror as despair began to grip her very soul!
"Stay away from me!" Aria shouted, but it barely came out as a breathless gasp, her body trembling as she tried to fill her hands with angelic light, but nothing came to her as she realized her despair was draining her of her faith at an alarming rate!
"Warning! Critical despair levels detected!" a new automated, female voice announced, making Aria jump as it filled her ears, almost giving her a heart attack as an image of a red warning sign popped up into the right corner of her vision, making her realize her choker came with guardian angel power-analysis programming. "Shut-down of Intention Force Field eminent! Re-establish faith in Christ immediately or risk full shut down of Intention Force Field and additional angelic powers!"
"No!" Aria cried out, her heart going out to God in supplication, but she felt so empty as her faith began to become consumed by her despair as she looked at the warning sign in her peripheral vision while Alastor's face loomed too close as he closed the gap between them! "Please! This isn't how it's supposed to be! The corruption of Hell's laws can't be this broken! It just can't!"
"Oh, my dear, it is far worse than you can possibly imagine," Alastor commented darkly, his smile thin and toothy as his eyes narrowed, his head tilting at an impossible angle as he considered her while he fiddled with his staff in his left hand. "Do you really think that little trick you just tried on me hasn't already been attempted? Do you honestly think whoever changed the laws of Hell would let the angels keep such a powerful name in their grasp? It stands to reason that your little trump card was taken care of well before this trouble you've come to clean up even started!"
Aria had no words to say as Alastor's words pierced right through her as her mind vividly imagined how the streets of Hell must've run red with the blood of angels. It made so much sense, now, as her mind put together the natural series of events that would've unfolded. No help could be attained by invoking God's name, anymore, which would've severely weakened the power of the ministering angels. Angelic powers would have still been functional, but only if the angels could keep back the poison of despair from clouding their faith.
With how hard it was right now for Aria to function after finding out she didn't have Jesus Christ's name as a sword and shield, anymore, Aria could see how angels would've been much easier to deal with in Hell as she held her arms firmly to try and stop them from shaking! Aria could even imagine some of the angels who didn't know about the corruption of the eternal laws may very well have lost themselves to their own poisonous despair! Without faith, an angel is just an immortal being with no powers and with the further corruption of the eternal laws in Hell, a despairing ministering angel didn't stand a chance!
"How, then?" Aria choked out pitifully as she stared up at Alastor before looking away in fear and shame, the despair heavy in her voice as her heart clung to the last hope she had left, which was that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost still watched over her, albeit in a much weaker state here in Hell. "How can I dare walk the streets of Hell, then, knowing I have no way of guaranteeing a demon won't just-"
Aria suddenly stopped talking as she helplessly felt her Intention Force Field finally give out! Her body froze up in fear, afraid to say or do anything as she realized she was utterly powerless! She didn't dare say it out loud or it would become all too real to her as tears of helplessness suddenly ran down her cheeks!
Alastor stood there for a moment, watching her silently before he took a step towards her. They were now a mere inch or two away from each other as Aria refused to look up at him, her brown eyes snapping shut with fear and desperation as she pleaded with God to save her! She felt nothing come to her as she felt utterly abandoned, her hands reaching for a book to throw at him, but to her horror, the books in the bookshelves behind her were totally fake! Her hands felt nothing but chipped paint and carved wood as she mentally cursed the devil who designed a library where a part of it wasn't even real!
Without a word, Alastor reached out to her with his right hand, placed his fingers under her chin, and gently forced her to look up at him. Aria's body trembled as everything inside her told her to stop him, to fight, but the despair won out as her will to fight died inside of her. She had nothing left as she opened her eyes and saw him, his smiling image a blur to her in the sea of tears she drowned in.
Alastor's smiling face was unreadable to her, his red eyes looking into her own before he lifted his left hand. With an elegant flick of the wrist, Alastor summoned a blood-red handkerchief and without a word, he gently began to wipe Aria's tears away. Aria just stood there, the shock of it surprising her, making her wonder if he was just baiting her with kindness before he crushed her under his heel! And yet, as he moved to gently wipe the tears away from her other cheek, the realization that he was actually being incredibly kind to her in her most vulnerable moment broke her as she fell to her knees before him, covered her face, and sobbed.