The bar titled "The Gates of Hell" was quiet. The establishment was nearly empty, with only the neon signs and the candles at each table illuminating the premises. The stench of tobacco and alcohol permeated the air as a muscular man in sunglasses was cleaning glasses behind the counter. Suddenly, two tall, beautiful women walked in, quickly taking a seat right in from of the fallen angel.
"Rodin, please tell me that there is another job coming up! The last few weeks have been absolutely dreadful in terms of boredom." The raven-haired woman said. "There has to be something going on!"
"And as I have told you before, Cereza, if you really are that bored, you could help me grade papers. Or pick up a hobby. Or anything other than binge shopping to keep yourself entertained."
"Please, Jeanne. You already know how much I hate crying babies and cockroaches. And I know for a fact that schools are filled to the brim with both," the first woman, now known as Cereza, said with exasperation in her tone. "And for the record, I'm trying to get ready for the holiday season. I haven't thrown a party in nearly 500 years, and I'm going to make sure it's going to be fantastic."
"Well," Rodin, the bartender said, "ever since you two ladies took down Jubileus and prevented Armageddon, both sides have been pretty quiet. Not much occult or angelic activity to speak of in terms of direct influence."
"Not even any new toys to try on the Applauds?" Cereza asked.
"Sorry Bayonetta, I've got nothin'." Rodin replied. "Although," he added, "I did receive something for you. One of my little devils brought this here earlier. I didn't recognize the name right away, but then I remembered that you go through identities pretty regularly. Thought that it might be from your recent past"
"I know I talk about having fans, but getting mail from anyone is new for me," Cereza, also called Bayonetta, said.
"Are you sure it isn't a trap? I mean, getting messages is one thing, but getting them hand-delivered by those things is just too suspicious," asked Jeanne, both curious and hesitant about an unexpected message to her Umbran Sister.
"There is some faint energy on it, but from what I could tell, it's only from the lifesource of whoever sent it. No traps or anything dangerous otherwise."
Rodin proceeded to bend down underneath the counter, pull out a nondescript envelope, and handed it over to Bayonetta. She then looked at the front of the envelope. Surprise was the primary feature to be found on her face, her glasses momentarily skewed and nearly falling off her nose. She nearly dropped the letter from the shock.
"Cereza, what's the matter?!" cried Jeanne. She had never seen Cereza with that look on her face outside of what happened several weeks ago.
"The way the sender addressed me," Bayonetta whispered, "I haven't been called this since I left my first position as a nun."
Jeanne took a closer look at the envelope, addressed to "Luna"
"What's so special about this identity anyway? Haven't you gone through at least three different orders?"
"Yes," Bayonetta said, starting to regain some of her composure. "But for that time, my name was Sister Mary Edith. Only one person ever called me Luna." She quickly opened the letter and read its contents.
Dear Luna,
I know you told me that I needed to learn to fend for myself, but I can't anymore. The monsters are coming for me, and the orphanage no longer protects me. Please, I need you to come to this address as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer this place can hold. You're the only one I know that can even see them.
Please, hurry!
Little One
Beneath the message, an address was hastily written. Faint burn marks were noticeable from where the small infernal held it.
Bayonetta then set the letter down and schooled her features into one of pure determination. She quickly stood up and started walking out of the bar.
"Jeanne, we need to go. Now. I'll explain everything on the way over." she said.
"Right," Jeanne replied. She grabbed her keys to the motorcycle and followed Bayonetta towards the exit. "Rodin, get everything prepared in case shit hits the fan."
"Right on," Rodin replied, "just know that this is going on her tab," he added.
Jeanne sighs impatiently but doesn't respond, already running to catch up with Bayonetta.
"This should be interesting," Rodin says to himself, quietly chuckling as he picks up another glass to continue cleaning.