"Angel, please, walks us through what went on in your head that made this make sense." Lilith requested.
After getting to see every inch of the horny arachnid, a series of events unfolded that led to the present. Lilith, who was the only one able to think rationally and do her best to get a handle on things before it went belly-side up, ran into the room and picked up Angel Dust's clothes from the floor near his person and gave them to him. Then as he got dressed while also cleaning the articles of food on his body off, she moved the others into the dining hall and sat them down so they could process this comfortably. When that was finished, she reentered the kitchen finding Angel Dust half-clothed and fairly wet from washing himself, allowing her to grab him by his arm and take him into the next room before sitting him down.
As for where the Slayer was, Angel Dust explained that he "accidentally" spilled some food on his suit in a very messy fashion, forcing the marine to go clean it off in the kitchen staff's restroom. So they had until the Slayer's return to sort this out, talk to Angel Dust and understand his reasoning, then possibly strangle him depending on what they learned.
"He and I were alone together; I want him to pick me up and slam me down on his dick; made sense that the best way to get it done was to show myself as an irresistible treat." He said with a shrug, still putting on the top half of his attire.
"But we were only a room away, did you not consider that?" She asked.
"I did. But I figured whatever the others did in the lobby would be so messy that it'd keep you all in there for a while. And even if say Katie came to check on me, I thought I could talk her into a threesome since she wants to bone him too." He answered.
"At WHAT point in time have I EVER eluded to being comfortable with a threesome?!" Katie questioned, that statement snapping her to her senses.
"Never. But like I said, I figured it wouldn't take much to convince you, especially if I managed to get Will's pants off and his cock hard; at that point, you'd just be like entranced or something." He replied with a shrug.
"There...is SO MUCH that is wrong with that I...I can't even..." Vagatha muttered, staring wide-eyed at the table with her head in her hands.
"Angel, I thought you wanted to do things differently with Will? Not immediately jump to sex like it was just a one-night stand?" Lilith questioned.
"I do. But Lilith, and try to stay with me here, ALL. I KNOW. IS FUCKING SEX!" He shouted with eyes fully open, which caught her and the others off guard, "I've spent the last SIX. MONTHS. Thinking about Will when I'm not focusing on my work or other shit! And I always wonder, gee, how the fuck am I gonna swoon a guy who cuts demons in half with a fucking chainsaw for a living?! And no matter what, it always came back to SEX. BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I'M GOOD AT BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!" He continued to shout before pointing to Katie, "BUT LOOK AT HER! SHE'S GOT CLASS; SHE'S GOT SMARTS, SHE'S GOT EVERY FUCKING THING! I'M JUST A SLUT! WHAT THE FUCK ELSE CAN I DO OTHER THAN SUCK HIM OFF OR HAVE HIM FUCK ME LIKE IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD?!" He questioned.
Slumping in his chair and letting his arms drape over the sides, even though his top wasn't buttoned yet, Angel threw his head back and let out a long heavy sigh. Lilith and the others were shocked seeing him react like that, sure there were times when Angel Dust could get a little rowdy, but that was passionate and came from a deep place.
"Angel, I had no idea you felt that way," Lilith said, now adorning a look of concern rather than one of anger mixed with disappointment.
"Yeah, dude, what the fuck? Why haven't you ever told me this before? I'm your fucking best friend!" Cherri exclaimed, focusing entirely on the wrong thing.
"Because, and again stay with me here, WHO actually FUCKING CARES?" He responded as he looked back at them, "This is HELL! We curse, we drink, we get high, we have sex, we kill each other, and we don't give a shit about anything. So why does it matter that some former pornstar who still could make a man's toes curl just by winking at them is struggling with that fickle bitch called love? How is it important in the fucking slightest?" He asked.
"We do! We're your friends Angel!" Charlie answered, now also concerned.
"Yeah, but my shit ain't your concern. Neither is how I go about trying to deal with the crap I am." He said, moving into an upright position, "So, while I'm sorry yall saw me at my best, which is EXACTLY what that was, and I promise never to do it again when you're only two rooms over, I'm going to approach this problem of mine my way. Got it?" He told them.
At that exact moment, the door to the kitchen pushed open, and to no one's surprise, as they all looked in its direction, they saw the Slayer coming out.
"...Did I miss something?..." He asked after a few seconds, finding it weird how they were all sitting in the dining room.
"No. We were just about to get the meeting for your party started, right guys?" Angel Dust asked, looking at everyone with a fairly mean glare.
Though most of them did want to continue talking about what happened and what the spider demon just shared, he did remind them why they were all even gathered, to begin with. And seeing as how they lost a whole day of planning yesterday thanks to Helsa, they didn't want to ruin this one, too, by not going along with that.
"Er, yeah, what Angel said," Vagatha spoke up with a smile, though it seemed nervous, "The lobby's in shambles right now, so we had to move in here. That okay with you, Will?" She asked.
Something was up; that much was as obvious as the red dimples on Charlie's face. But by just their expressions alone, the Slayer could tell no good would come from pressing the matter; if it was something of importance, he knew they'd share it, meaning this was personal and it was none of his business.
"Sure..." He answered short and sweet before sitting down by himself at one of the tables closeby.
"Great. So, Charlie, you wanna kick things off?" Angel Dust suggested.
"Hm? Oh, right." She replied before rising from her seat, then proceeding to get the planning underway.
Elsewhere...
Lucifer was a father, a proud one at that, but even proud parents had moments where their children disappointed them in some way. For him, it was when his daughter first shared her dream of a hotel for sinners and how she wanted to rehabilitate the damned of creation so they could enter Heaven. This is important, for it is because of this experience and a few others over the course of her life that Lucifer knew how to convey his disappointment through just his expression alone. For this talent, Gabriel, his brother, knew his sibling was not happy with the information he just shared as he sat across from him at his desk in his office.
That, and the fact they'd been sitting in silence for the past twenty minutes.
"...Lucifer, are we having a staring contest?" Gabriel questioned, finally breaking the quiet.
"No." The devil replied.
"Are we trying to read each other's minds then?" Gabriel asked.
"No." He repeated.
"Ah, alright, then what I was thinking is correct. You are displeased with how I handled my interactions with miss Eldritch and yet, for some reason, refuse to share why because you are an ass." Gabriel Said.
"Oh, I'M the ass? Really? You sure about that?" He questioned.
"Yes, because I handled my task as I would in any other situation based on how she interacted with me," Gabriel replied, defending himself.
"Gabriel, the entire point of you going there was to stop this. Just by seeing an archangel here in Hell, regardless if he is my brother or not, would've settled things. And yet somehow, not only did that not happen, you will be meeting with Stella, someone who is staying at the hotel and is not on the best terms with me, my family, and some of our friends at the moment. Do you actually not see how this is the worst possible outcome?" He asked.
"Don't blame me. The reason why I acted so civil towards them is for two significant reasons. The first, that they were just as civil towards me. The second, I learned that the Slayer agreed to speak with them further. And if he has willingly chosen to see their side of things further, then I must do the same." Gabriel explained before crossing his arms, "Unless YOU'D like to try telling him what to do or who he isn't allowed to speak with." He suggested.
"Of course not. And I wouldn't want to to make you do that because I like you again, and I don't want to see you be tossed around like a sack of stones." Lucifer said with a sigh, "All I want is things to be normal. I want to be able to wake up next to my wife, both of us relaxed and well-rested, and even though it's getting close to noon, we both say fuck it and sleep in. But that keeps getting further and further away with every new little bump in the road that appears..." He complained.
"As someone who was made a puppet and tortured without pause for the last six months, you have my empathy," Gabriel said. "But keeping on the matter, is there anything else you'd like me to do besides continuing my investigation into the Eldritch family's affairs?" He asked.
"I know you just got back, but could you please go back to Urdak and ask father to come here and explain what is going on? Despite all that's happened, I know about as much as my people do. Which isn't good when they're asking me for answers." Lucifer replied.
Within an instant, Gabriel summoned a portal behind his seat, having expected that would still be on his brother's mind.
"Thank you, Gabriel," Lucifer said with a smile, albeit a tired one.
"It's no issue." He assured as he rose from his seat, "And perhaps try to get some rest. You deserve a break." He suggested before making his exit.
Meanwhile, On Urdak...
"Holy shit, that feels so good..." Husk nearly moaned as he closed his eyes.
Being confined to a hospital bed sucks; having a full-body futuristic cast that restricts your movements sucks, but not being able to scratch yourself REALLY fucking sucks. This is why, nervously, Husk asked Azrael if she wouldn't mind scratching his arm, as it was the most exposed part of himself. She agreed, and it only took a few seconds for the feline to turn into jelly, as he hadn't realized until she started just HOW bothered his appendage was.
"You look so cute, Husk." She said with a smile and a small laugh, never seeing the other with such a pure happy smile before.
"I'm not fucking cute." He told her, but he did so in a laid back, nonchalant way, which only added to his adorableness in her eyes, "And you try laying here for two days unable to scratch your arm, it BLOWS." He said.
"I bet. But you have me here to make it just a little better." She replied.
Continuing to scratch his arm, though, at this point, it was admittedly for his own desire to see him continue making cute expressions, the two of them were still managing to get along well and enjoying each other's company immensely. Sadly this ended abruptly as a portal opened a few feet from them, but Azrael knew who it belongs to before its owner even stepped out.
"Hello Gabriel, so nice of you to join us again." Azrael greeted with a sigh as she stopped what she was doing, knowing well if her brother saw it, he'd make some scene out of it.
"Hello Azrael, as warm to me as ever I see." He replied as he stepped through.
"What're you doing back here so soon? I thought you were helping Lucifer?" She asked.
"I am. But at the moment, that particular duty doesn't need attention. However, our brother, who is dealing with a surprising amount of things, requested I fetch father. After all, Lucifer still doesn't really know the full scope of our current affairs." He explained.
"That is true. Much like the two of us, we were suddenly thrown into this without warning." She mentioned referring to herself and Husk.
"Oh right, him." He remembered, "How're you doing, demon? Not dead yet?" He asked, now looking past her.
"Uh...no...not yet at least..." Husk answered, still nervous around him.
"Gabriel..." Azrael warned, not in the mood for her brother's bullshit, which is how'd she describe it at this point, given how tired of it she was.
"What? I'm just referring to him as what he is." He replied.
An immediate tension then formed between the two, with Husk uncomfortably off to the side.
"...So...uh...about that business you had..." Husk said, trying to move things along.
"Right. I should get to that." He responded.
"You should." Azrael agreed.
Staring down each other a few seconds more, eventually, the archangel left the room, leaving them alone again.
"He'll kill me in my sleep one day, I know it." Husk said once he was gone.
"If he so much as flicks your nose, I'll have my attendants bind him in their chains and drag him down to the worst circle of Hell." She assured.
"That one ruled by one of your siblings? Or by one of the devils that just sort of happened?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"Sibling. But I can easily say that out of all our kin who became corrupted and took part in Hell's creation; she is the one who embraced it the most, even more than Lucifer who started it all." She answered.
"She sounds...dedicated..." He replied, trying to find a nice way to put it.
"To the point, you'd think she was meant to become what she is now." She muttered herself, before changing her demeanor back to happy, "But enough on that, let's get back to scratching your arm." She said.
"Actually, I-" He began to say, only to stop once she started doing it, "Ooooooooh." He groaned as it still felt so nice.
Having her smile return as he laid back, sinking into his bed and pillow, they returned to their peaceful, relaxed selves in no time at all.
Elsewhere...
With the drones working so fast and efficiently, the facility's construction was already at its halfway point; it'd only be a few hours left until it was complete. Because of this, preparations were already being made to transport the Dark One's power, a process attended to only by angels, which The Father himself was overseeing. Now, you'd think given the fact The Father was god, he could just pick it up in his hand like a basketball and carry wherever it needed to be no problem, and you'd be right. But the concern wasn't for him; it was for the structures of Urdak, the Maykrs themselves, and the demons who were in the nearby infirmary; once the soul sphere left this area where it was controlled, there were countless ways things could go bad instantly.
So while there was no danger to him when the time came to move and handle the soul sphere, they were working on a much smaller containment, sort of like a pure lead box for radiation as a comparison, for the sake of transport.
"It should be complete within the hour, father." An angel who stood beside him informed.
"Excellent. Now I won't have to worry about accidentally turning some of you into demons." He replied.
"We'll still need to run some tests once it is inside to be sure there are no fallacies. But as it stands, it appears the Wretch's design is full proof." The angel said.
"As expected of someone who is Samur's intellectual equal." He responded.
With that exchange done, the angel went back to its station, leaving The Father to continue his silent observation. That is until the door to the room suddenly opened a few moments late, and in came someone he wasn't expecting to see for some time.
"Ah, Gabriel, did you miss us so soon?" Vega asked as his son approached.
"Afraid not, father. The reason for my return is a bit more serious than that." He answered.
"Lucifer, I assume?" Vega inquired, receiving a nod in response, "I know, I know, I need to tell him everything. We've just been so busy here that it's been hard to find the right moment to stop by and talk." He explained, "How is he holding up?" He asked.
"Managing, but it's clear even for him this is starting to weigh heavy on his shoulders. He desperately needs some time away from all this insanity." Gabriel answered.
"Oh dear, worse than I thought then." He replied, "Well, once we have the soul sphere moved into the new facility, which should be done in the next two to three hours, I'll dedicate the rest of my time that is available to talking with him." He promised.
"On that note, I didn't see the Wretch outside with the Khans and Samur, and that he isn't present here either," Gabriel said.
"The Khan and the Sentinels made a disturbing discovery in Doom, not long after she contacted us and requested him as he'd be able to provide some insight." He informed.
"Is it serious?" Gabriel questioned, now on alert as any discovery made in Doom was never good.
"Hard to say at the moment. We have to wait for the Wretch's return." He replied.
Meanwhile, In Doom...
The Wretch had seen many terrifying things; he was one of them, but what he saw now deep beneath the Dark One's sanctum was by far the most gut-wrenching. Blood, viscera, death, in general, he was used to thanks to what his life had been, so if the demon corpses waiting for him to look over were in a mutilated state, he'd feel nothing towards them. But they weren't; they were perfectly fine, not some as one small spec of the skin or natural armor were out of place; if he'd been told these were simply replicas of the beasts, he'd be none the wiser at a cursory glance. Replicas they were not; however, they were the flesh and bones of these monsters, and motionless, they laid on the ground next to a machine that shouldn't exist.
"You've been quiet for some time now. May I know what you're thinking?" The Khan spoke as she came to his side.
"This is impossible...it's not possible...he shouldn't have access to this technology..." He muttered to himself.
"I'm afraid I don't understand; you were the one who gave him his inventions, correct?" She inquired.
"Yes, but I swear to you I only ever gave him the means to augment the demons when he made them through his power; I never gave him the knowledge of how to build something like this...creator...please forgive me..." He responded, whispering that last part to himself.
"Wretch, what is this device for? Is it what I fear?" She asked.
"If what you fear...is five of the most powerful of Doom's legions...walking around in new bodies meant to hide their souls from us...then yes...that is exactly what it is..." He answered as he looked to the machine, "This device...the same I made in secret to give myself new forms when I began my insurrection...he somehow learned of it...and has used it for himself..." He revealed.