Hotels, they're so lovely, with their freshly cleaned sheets and blankets adorning the beds accompanied by well-furnished rooms that typically offer impressive views at their windows, staying in one for nearly every kind of person is a pleasant experience. Then you have the most premium and luxurious hotels that offered all kinds of amenities, things like an indoor pool, a spa, a bar, and so many other great things that add to the joy of the customer's stay. Yet one step further past those hotels you had the Happy Hotel, which had everything previously listed and then some such as the rehabilitation programs, long term residency, and both staff and manager that cared oh so deeply to making sure every resident or guest had whatever they needed to be well, happy. Yes sir, the Happy Hotel despite being based in a circle of Hell was honestly the best hotel you could hope to find in all of creation, truly earning its name as it was impossible for ANYONE staying there to not be filled with joy.
Unless of course, you hated everything about the place, how it looked, what it stood for, who founded it and who worked there, if somehow you despised with every fiber of your being what made the Happy Hotel what it was, then you'd feel only hatred mixed together with disgust. This proved to be the case for a demon named Stella, a natural-born denizen of the circle who not long ago was a part of the noble class. But now as she sat down on the edge of the bed given to her along with the room it was in, having sat there already for ten minutes without moving or speaking, she didn't feel like a noble or even a simple celebrity.
"...How...How am I here?..." She asked herself quietly, her hands slowly starting to grip the blanket beneath her, "This is not right...I don't deserve this...I am a fucking noble not some worthless Imp or mortal filth from earth...so why am I being treated like this?..." She continued to question.
The silence that filled her room allowed her to focus entirely on her thoughts and memories, all of which were consumed by the voice and visage of the person she believed was to blame for her current situation.
"Stolas...you bastard...I gave you everything including a child and THIS is how I am repaid? You get to keep OUR home and OUR bed while I am stuck HERE in this worthless hovel for sex addicts like you? All the while you...you...sleep with that fucking IMP!" She shouted followed by a yell.
No longer caring about her appearance or that she was causing a disturbance, she stood from her bed to pace around the room and continued to voice her frustration.
"NO ONE FUCKING CARES HOW I FEEL! OOOOOOH NO! THEY ALL JUST GLOSS OVER THE FACT MY HUSBAND FUCKING CHEATED ON ME WITH A BARGAIN BIN ASSASSIN WHO ONLY SLEPT WITH HIM SO HE COULD USE HIS FUCKING BOOK!" She
ranted while picking up a lamp from one of the bedside tables, "WHY ISN'T HE JUDGED?! WHY DOES HE GET EVERYTHING WHEN HE WAS THE ONE WHO RUINED OUR FUCKING
MARRIAGE?! THIS ISN'T FUCKING FAIR!" She yelled as loudly as she could before throwing the appliance at the nearby closet.
The closet itself was hidden by a sliding door that had a full body mirror as part of it, so when the lamp made contact with how hard it had been thrown both shattered into countless pieces. And whether it was the loud sound caused by both objects breaking or that she was simply at her end, as the final pieces of glass from the mirror hit the floor she had nothing left to say. In fact, as she stared down at the shards which allowed her to see multiple reflections of herself, all that burning rage inside of her fizzled out and was quickly being replaced with a soul-crushing sadness.
"It's...it's not fair..." She repeated softly as a few tears managed to form and fall from her eyes, "I have nothing...no home...no money...no status...no family..." She continued before slowly sitting back down on the bed, "Even my own daughter hates me...but Stolas? She loves him...even though this...this is..."
She tried her best to finish that sentence, the very same she had been repeating over and over again both in her head and out loud, for it was much easier to put all the blame on her husband. But now as she continued to look at her reflections, seeing the tears in her eyes and the ruined mascara trail down her feathered face, she couldn't keep believing her own lie anymore. He was right, even though he did sleep with someone else that wasn't what actually upset her, it was that he slept with someone who could ruin their image. Because that's all she ever actually cared about, the family portraits where they looked like they were happy, the few meals they shared to try and make it seem like they were happy, and how the only time they ever had any sex themselves was to conceive a child but then never again.
Up until now though she never thought twice about how she acted, for the Hell she was born and raised in prided status and reputation more than anything, and the only ways to have such things was through power or through connections. However things had changed so much in the span of half a year, now there were rules, laws, morals, and an overall higher standard everyone was being held to, so things like that and much more weren't nearly as important. Which to her, someone who had based their entire life and self-worth around them as she believed it would always be that way, left her with one simple truth that terrified her. Take away the status, the wealth, the influence, and everything else that came with being a noble, the only thing she had as an identity was her name.
This led to a complete and total breakdown, where for the first time that she could remember she let how she really felt come out, no concern at all for how it made her look or what someone else might think. She cried uncontrollably with no end in sight, feeling so weighed down by her emotions that she laid down on her bed and even went so far as to get under the covers, trying her hardest to find some comfort to help her feel better. Sadly neither the blankets nor the pillow she buried her face in did anything, she continued to sob to the point of exhaustion where she then fell asleep, tears still leaking from her eyes as their lids grew heavy and took her into darkness.
.
.
.
Light poured in through the nearby window, able to do so freely as the curtains that hanged nearby hadn't been moved in the slightest. Though this illumination wasn't from the sun that had been up hours earlier, it came from one of the hotel's many outside lights that turned on once it got dark enough. The color it possessed was a nice cool whiteish light blue, which when combined with the darkness of the room it entered reflected the feelings of its tenant quite well. However it wouldn't be the light potentially hitting her eyes or even its gentle warmth touching her body that'd stir her awake, that privilege went to her own stomach as it hadn't been fed in nearly a day.
"...Ngh..." She barely grunted while just barely turning her head so she could look down at herself, internally debating whether or not she even felt like moving to try and find some food.
Her mood was in such a state that she actually wasn't bothered by the idea of going hungry, all she wanted was to lay there in her wetted pillow and believe that she no longer existed. But her stomach didn't care about what she wanted or how she felt, it would continue to make unpleasant noises as loud as it could until it was listened to. Even so, she did her best to drown it out, going so far as the shut her eyes even tighter than they already had been and bury her face further into the
pillow, but ultimately the organ won this battle of will. Letting out a heavy sigh she slowly pulled herself up from the bed, taking a quick look around her room to see if there was something there for her to eat so she wouldn't need to leave.
Unfortunately, the mini-fridge that was in her room had no food, which she knew thanks to a small sign on top of it that read "Please visit the front desk and tell us what you'd like!", followed by a cartoonish depiction of the princess's face that was meant to be saying it. Releasing another sigh as this meant she'd need to go to the dining area to get some food when she turned herself so her feet touched the floor she felt pieces of broken glass beneath them. However she didn't react to that at all, she didn't try to avoid it or move her feet to a different part of the floor, with no care at all stood up and let the moderately sharp pieces dig into her feet.
Yet still, she had no reaction, not even when she made her way to the door and out of the room where she felt the warmth of blood coming from cuts the glass made. If anything in a weird way she welcomed the sensation of pain, she felt so cold and empty that anything other than them helped her ignore the existential thoughts that were trying to creep into her mind. Still, she had only reason to be walking right now, and once she got whatever seemed good to her stomach she'd return to her room and her bed to hopefully fall asleep, a part of her hoping that this time she wouldn't wake up.
"Excuse me." A deep voice called out to her as she entered the lobby, not having noticed anyone else besides herself present until then due to her lack of care for the world around her.
Slowly turning her head to see who had spoken to her, if this had been at any other time in her life she would be amazed at what she was seeing. From the glowing white garb that hid his body and the general holy aura that surrounded him, it was clear to literally anyone anywhere that this mysterious individual was of divine origin. But as said in her current state she didn't care in the slightest, even as he came closer clearly intent on speaking with her.
"Good evening miss, though I suppose by now it would be good night." They began, from the tone of their voice she could tell they were a man, "I was hoping you could tell me where the owner of the hotel is? Her name is Charlotte Magne though she prefers to go by Charlie." He asked.
"...No..." She answered before pointing towards a nearby door, "I think that's a lounge or...something for the staff to gather in...try asking someone there if that's true..." She directed.
"Thank you miss, your aid is most appreciated." He replied with a bow of his head to show respect.
"Mhm..." She sounded in return, already ignoring him as her focus went back to the dining hall.
Taking a few more steps closer to the entire reason she was even out here before she reached the door she was stopped again by the same person.
"Wait!" He called out before coming back over to her, "Your feet are bleeding." He told her as he pointed to the floor, showing her the small but noticeable smears of blood that she had left.
"Hm?...Oh yeah...it's no big deal..." She said while looking away.
Expecting him to say something else either of concern for her injury or a question of why she didn't seem to mind, instead he responded by grabbing firmly onto her arm. This managed to briefly bring her out of her melancholic mood, immediately turning back towards him so she could say as bluntly as possible, fuck off. But she didn't, for to her surprise the reason why he grabbed was to heal her
wounds, able to do so thanks to some kind of power he wielded which appeared as a golden light from his hand.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to be so forceful." He apologized after he was done. "Why did you do that?..." She questioned as he pulled his hand away.
"Because you were injured, no reason for you to be walking around with wounds on your feet." He replied.
"But you don't even know me, and on top of that you're clearly an angel whilst I am a demon, shouldn't you be trying to kill me?" She asked.
"Heh, not so long ago you'd be right in assuming that was true." He answered with a
chuckle, "But...due to recent events I have come to realize that life, regardless if it is divine or sinful, should be treated the same both in good ways and bad, so regardless of whether or not you're a demon if I saw that you were injured yet didn't heal your wounds, especially after you were so kind to help direct me towards the hotel staff, then I'd not only insult the position I hold but would fall back to a version of myself that I am now glad is in the past." He explained.
For a moment after she heard that she felt something akin to joy appear inside of her, as this was the first time in what felt like an eternity that anyone had shown her any kindness or respect. But that moment lasts only a second, as she quickly went back to her sullen expression, and the despair she felt consumed her soul.
"Thank you...that was...considerate." She said still at the very least wanting to be polite.
"Think nothing of it, I'm glad to have helped." He replied before turning his back to
her, "Again thank you for your assistance, have a pleasant night." He bid farewell with a wave.
Waiting until he was across the lobby and entered the room she pointed at to be sure he'd say nothing else, once he was gone completely she finally went inside the dining hall to get her something to eat.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Fine...the food's...actually pretty good..." She admitted to herself before putting another bite into her mouth, having tried her best to refuse to give any compliments about this hotel.
Although she intended only to go in and grab a quick snack, when the aroma of the many varieties of food they had available hit her nostrils she was trapped. On top of that, it turned out she was much hungrier than she thought, as plate after plate after plate she kept getting more food, though not to the point where it was alarming or she'd gain serious weight. Still, this unplanned dinner of hers lasted almost an hour, coming out to exactly forty-five minutes as she was currently finishing her last meal, which was paired with a very tasty strawberry-flavored wine that helped her feel a little better.
"I might take a bottle or two with me back to the room.." She suggested while lightly swirling the alcohol in her glass, "After all this IS the happy hotel, and I'm pretty sure more of this at the very
least will...keep me from slitting my wrists..." She said with a chuckle, finding amusement in that rather dark possibility.
Bringing the glass to her beak she finished what was in it so she could pour some more, though in all honesty she was contemplating just drinking straight from the bottle. But right as she set the glass down and was about to reach for the wine, she nearly fell backward in her seat onto the floor thanks to a voice suddenly shouting from the lobby.
"THAT FUCKING BITCH!" The voice of the princess yelled violently, followed by the loud sound of what seemed to be a television exploding, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DOES SHE KNOW?! WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK DOES SHE THINK SHE KNOWS ABOUT
ANYTHING?!" She asked.
Having to take a few quick breaths to calm her now rapidly beating heart, when she was sure she was calm she slowly got up from her seat and walked over to the dining hall door. But she didn't go through it, instead, she pushed it up ever so slightly so she could see and hear what was going on. This would prove to be a surprisingly informative decision for her, as over the next ten to twenty minutes she managed to learn a LOT of interesting things. Yet there was one thing in particular that stood out to her more than any, one piece of news that if it were to be shared with anyone it'd spread through the circle like a wildfire in a dry forest.
Though they referred to him by a name she didn't recognize, as they continued talking about and describing him there was no mistaking this "Will" was the Slayer, leading her to assume it had to be his first name or something like that. However, another thing she managed to pick up on was that they were talking as if he was still around, or that they were trying to figure out a way to bring him back. All of this information and everything else she learned was mind-blowing even to someone like her, which is why she listened as best she could so she'd remember every single word spoken. Eventually, everyone would say goodbyes and part ways, but she chose to wait twenty minutes more before doing anything to be sure she wouldn't draw any attention to herself.
With the coast clear she hurried out of the dining hall, through the ground floor hallway, and went back inside of her room, accomplishing all of this in less than a minute due to how fast she was going. Though in a rush she made sure to closer her door carefully and quietly, not wanting to wake any other guests up or possibly get the attention of one of the people who had been in the lobby not long ago. Now inside the privacy of her quarters, she moved over to the bed and sat down, actually being careful this time as to avoid cutting her feet on the broken glass again.
"This is huge..." She said to herself in a low volume while staring at the floor, "From how they were talking it sounds like this is a secret...I mean that makes sense since every demon in Hell would lose their minds if they knew...still...I wonder if I could somehow use this?..." She pondered.
With a hand to her chin, she spent an unknown amount of time thinking on this, unknown because she was so lost in thought she didn't keep track. Unfortunately despite her giving all she had to this no idea, at least none that were especially incredible or beneficial came to mind. So she let out a defeated sigh before falling down onto her bed, landing on her back so she could look up at the ceiling.
"There's no point in sharing this information if I can't benefit from it..." She reasoned as she placed one of her legs atop of the other, "But holding onto it and not telling anyone seems pointless, so what the fuck do I do?..." She asked.
Even with a stomach now full of food and this shocking revelation bouncing around in her head, she still felt fatigued from the day she had. So seeing as how she wasn't going to be able to figure
this out right now, she reached over to her right to grab her room's television remote that rested on her other bedside table. Turning it on and immediately lowering the volume to the lowest point where it was still audible, she didn't actually plan to watch anything but just wanted some background noise to help keep her mind off of this while she tried to go back to sleep. But then she heard it, right as she turned to lay on her side two voices came from the TV that she recognized.
"Well it's just about time for us to call it a night as usual, but before we go there's one more thing I'd like to ask you miss Helsa if that's alright with you." Tom Trench, the newscaster for channel 666 news asked.
"Of course Tom, ask away." Helsa Von Eldritch, a woman belonging to one of the most powerful and influential noble houses in all of Hell answered.
"Most of tonight's discussion has been about the reform as well as what you and your family's opinion of the Slayer are, now this last question is actually something sent in from a lot of our viewers, thankfully not porn this time, and they all want to know your thoughts on the following." He began, taking a moment to gather his breath and clear his throat, "So as we've talked about the current status of our home, the reform, and everything else, not just tonight but in all of our televised conversations, you've made your position and that of your supporters and associates clear, however, the single cause for all of the change we've seen can be traced back to one individual, The Slayer, who came here with the mission of cleansing creation of the vilest and wicked souls as we now know thanks to his documentary and the museum built in his honor, so what many of our viewers and admittedly myself want to hear from you is what would you do if he was still here? Or if somehow he ever managed to come back? For what you're trying to accomplish in returning our home to the way it once was albeit with some of the improvements the reform has brought, do you think he'd agree with you or would he be in full support of the reform?" He asked.
To both Tom and Stella's surprise, Helsa seemed taken aback for a moment, apparently, that was one question she hadn't prepared for or believed would appear. But the very next second her confident demeanor returned, which she showed by looking at Tom with the most determine yet proud smile and expression she could physically make.
"Honestly Tom, I think he'd be completely against us at first." She started off while crossing her legs, "He'd think that what we're trying to do is make things just as bad or even worse than they were before, let anarchy have total reign where babies get stabbed in their strollers and pets are riddled with bullet holes while out on walks with their owners, and from his position because of the life he's had he'd be entirely justified in assuming that was true, I mean what truly makes us different from the monsters he deals with? Sure we can talk and act like people but that isn't to say we can't be savage and cruel." She told him, "But if there's one thing that we've all come to learn is that he is a person of reason, if he weren't he would've just slaughtered all of us the moment he came here, which is why I can say with the utmost confidence that if I could sit him down, talk with him openly and with respect for who he is and what he's been through, he'll come to agree that the Hell we want to make is better than that of the reform's." She concluded.
"My, that's a rather confident statement, you're really so sure you could change his personal view and belief regarding the sinful?" He inquired.
"One hundred percent, as I've been telling you Tom the only reason he bothered helping Charlotte, or Charlie as most of you probably know her by, is because she seemed to be his only option, but if the Slayer ever managed to return somehow from Doom, one sit down with me and his entire outlook on life would be different." She assured.
After that the two of them exchanged a few more pleasantries before she then got up and left the
set, leaving Tom to inform the public of a few more things before the news broadcast ended. But Stella had already turned the TV off before that happened, followed by her getting up from her bed and leaving her room for a second time.
.
.
.
"Aaah...now this is nice~..." Helsa sighed in bliss, submerging herself ever so slightly in the bath her servants prepared for her.
Six months ago her life was as laid back and stress-free as anyone could ever dream of, never did she have to worry about anything or manage any sort of tasking business or organization. But then it all happened, the Slayer's arrival, the invasion of Doom, and of course the very reason her muscles were tense and her bones slightly ached, the reform. However as strange as it may sound she was actually coming to love it, sure she always loved to be the center of attention and have people eating out of the palm of her hand, but this was different. People now looked and listened to her not just because she was a noble or because she made them, they saw her as their voice and their leader to try and get their circle of Hell back on track.
And sure, she did have the support of her parents, her brother, the other Nobles, and Overlords to help make things easier. But by the end of every day when she got to be alone and soak herself in her tub, she couldn't help but feel proud and happy by all that she was doing and accomplishing herself.
"Mmm...the water's so warm..." She practically moaned due to how wonderful it felt, "Working so hard all the time is worth it just to experience this every night~" She said while raising one of her legs out of the water.
"Miss Eldritch?" The voice of one of her personal maids called out, followed by a few light knocks at her bathroom door.
"She isn't here right now." She replied as she closed her eyes, "Come back in...oh say ten or twenty minutes when she's had a good enough soak and her beautiful ebony skin starts to prune." She instructed.
"I would miss, but you have someone here who is desperate to speak with you, and she refuses to wait as what she has to say, her words not mine, is the single most important thing you'll ever hear in your life." The maid informed.
"Is that so? Tell me then, who is so determined to see me they're recklessly putting their life in danger by interrupting my me time?" She asked.
"Lady Stella, wife of Lord Stolas." The maid answered.
A few seconds went by where Helsa didn't say anything, as the identity of her guest was...excitingly interesting.
"Miss Eldritch?" The maid called out, unsure of why her mistress had gone quiet.
"...Send her in." She spoke up while reopening her eyes, "I'm eager to know what has brought her to my abode so late in the night." She added.
Hearing the footsteps of her maid walk away until they could no longer be heard, soon another set appeared coming towards the bathroom door. And from the other side entered her unexpected yet now welcomed guess, the fairly tall and somewhat imposing figure of the owl demon Stella. After closing the door behind her the two women said not a word nor move an inch, both choosing to look at each other to try and assess what they were dealing with exactly. For Stella she saw someone who couldn't be more at ease, not care nor trouble in the entire world plagued her and she relished that fact.
Whereas for Helsa she saw a person who demanded control, not necessarily over others though she more than likely wouldn't be opposed to that. To her Stella wanted absolute control over her life, she never wanted any sort of chance or unexpected occurrence to take place that disrupted how she chose to live. But even if you were a lowly drug dealer who peddled some cheap knock-off crap that'd kill its customers more than it'd get them high, you'd still know everything Helsa and the rest of the upper echelon did of her recent misfortunes. However, she wouldn't mention or try and use them against her in a way to come off as superior, for even with the other trying her best to appear as she always has it was clear it was an act, to what extent Helsa hoped to find out.
"I must say, out of every person I'd expect to want to see me while I'm naked and in a bathtub, you never crossed my mind." She started things off with a bit of humor.
"Thank you for seeing me." Stella replied politely, which threw Helsa for a loop as she NEVER heard of the owl demon ever being so respectful, "I know it's late and that you're indisposed, but what I have to share with you is quite possibly the most valuable information you'll ever hear in your life." She claimed.
"Is that so? Let me guess you want something in exchange right? After all, it's no secret that you've...fallen on some hard times lately." Helsa mentioned, doing her best to be subtle about it in the hope she'd just come out and explain why she was there.
To her surprise, this seemed like it was going to work, as Stella walked further into the room until she was a few feet away from her and the tub.
"You're right, my life as of late has been nothing short of terrible." She began as she looked to the floor, "I've lost my status, my home, most of my possessions, and my family." She said while closing her eyes, "But I'm not here to blackmail you, even if my life were the same as before that'd be the single stupidest thing I could try and do with what I know, the reason I'm here Helsa is that I just need something to make me feel good again, something that'll take this emptiness I feel inside and get rid of it, or at the very least help me to ignore it for a while." She admitted.
Okay, that was not at all what she was expecting, no sarcasm or sass or even an attempt to come across as superior and strong, to Helsa's knowledge this was the first time that Stella had ever shown any kind of humility, which left her befuddled and unsure of what to think.
"So...what exactly do you want from me then?" She asked, moving closer to the edge of the tub as she was now invested in her motivation.
"Money, some kind of renewed reputation, anything to make it seem like I'm still living the life I've always had rather than the one I've been forced to face now, I have absolutely nothing to my name and that scares me...I just...I need something to make me feel like I'm not worthless..." Stella confessed.
The sound of water hitting the tiled floor of the bathroom then went out through the air, yet it didn't come from Helsa's soaked hair or person. Though holding back her emotions to not seem entirely pathetic a few tears still managed to get past Stella's eyes, which she quickly wiped away with her
arm.
"I'm...I'm sorry." She apologized right after while letting out a sigh, "I didn't intend to be in such a state when I came to see you, I thought I'd be able to control myself better than this." She explained.
Preparing herself to be mocked or belittled because she showed what most nobility considered a weakness, she was startled when she felt Helsa reach out and grab onto her hand with her own.
"Hey, there's no reason to be sorry, you've been through a lot." She assured offering her a comforting smile, "I know you probably think I'm one of the biggest bitches in Hell, which isn't ENTIRELY untrue, but you're not the only one whose life was changed because of what happened six months ago." She said.
"What do you mean?" Stella inquired.
"For the most part my family and all that we have to our name remained perfectly intact even after the invasion, but when the buildings all got rebuilt and the Exterminators became the Authorities, that's when Lucifer came out with his family and revealed the reform." She began as she leaned back against the tub, "Believe it or not none of this is a PR stunt, we're not just blowing whistles and starting fires so to speak all because we're bored, everything from our everyday lives to our business practices and our hierarchy of power has been affected, and while my family is still very close with the Magnes and we hold our positions of power, I'd be lying if I told you that relationship wasn't strained because of this new vision of what Hell can be." She explained, "So many Overlords and Nobles have either been forced into hiding as they refuse to change their ways or like you they've been cast aside like nothing or in the more extreme cases sentenced to Damnation, so you don't need to apologize for being upset or distraught as I know exactly how you feel." She told her.
Hearing this it was Stella's turn to be left speechless, she never could've imagined she'd receive such compassion and understanding when she came here.
"I...I don't know what to say...other than thank you of course..." She said.
"It's no big deal, we true Hellspawn have to stick together, and I don't just mean those who were born here." Helsa replied, "Both natural born and those who arrive from earth who share the same beliefs we do of what Hell should be must band together, otherwise we'll just have to swallow this reform bullshit and smile like we're out of our fucking minds, so however we can help each other we should without hesitation." She decided.
Feeling a smile come to her face which she thought wouldn't happen for a long time, Stella was beyond glad that she decided to come to her.
"Oh right." She said with widened eyes as she just then remembered why they were even having this conversation, "I still haven't told you the whole reason for why I'm here, I'm so sorry." She apologized.
"Hey it's alright, you don't need to keep apologizing like this." Helsa replied before looking at her with a slightly amused expression, "It really has been hard for you huh?" She asked.
"Does throwing a lamp into a full-body mirror then walking on the broken glass just to feel something come across as hard?" Stella answered with her own question.
"DAMN GIRL!" She exclaimed, now staring at her with a look of shock, "That's...some really
depressing shit..." She said before gesturing to her bath, "You need some R&R, why don't you join me?" She suggested.
"W-What?!" Stella questioned while taking a step back, "D-Don't you think that's a bit improper?!" She asked.
"Pfft, why?" Helsa responded, her expression going back to one of amusement, "I'm a woman, you're a woman, the tub is big enough to where neither of us will touch the other." She listed before giving her a once-over, "Plus, and I don't mean to offend you, you look like you could use a good soak." She commented.
Though caught off guard by the offer as it just came out of nowhere, as Stella looked at the bath and how nice the water and the oils inside of it seemed, her tired aching body ultimately beat out her reservations.
"You're...sure this isn't a problem?..." She asked needing further confirmation.
"Either you get in the tub right now and unwind or I grab you and pull you in, only in one outcome do your clothes not get ruined," Helsa answered.
Definitely not wanting that Stella really only had one choice, so with some reluctance she removed her attire and stepped into the bath. And the moment her body was fully submerged and everything hit her at once, the moan that came out of her sounded so pleasure you could've sworn she just had some AMAZING sex.
"Oooooooooooh my..." Stella breathed out while throwing her head back, which caused Helsa to let out a few laughs.
"See? I knew you needed this." She said before reaching over the left side of the tub, doing so to pick up what looked to be some kind of old styled telephone, "Attention to all members of the staff, I'm going to need a fully cooked meal with a bottle of our finest to drink, some of you to come to fetch our guest's clothes and give them a proper cleaning, while the rest of you also come to pamper the both us." She instructed, her voice being sent out through the entirety of her abode.
"You don't need to do all that." Stella spoke up as she looked at her, "You're already letting me enjoy this bath with you, that's far too much." She added.
"Ah ah ah, I don't want to hear it." Helsa replied as she set the device down back on the floor next to the tub, "You and I aren't going to leave this bathroom until we're full, pretty, and ready to take on all of Hell." She told her firmly, "Speaking of what was it you wanted to share with me?" She asked.
"Um...would it be alright if I waited to say anything until the wine at least arrives? Because trust me you're not going to want to be entirely sober for this." Stella answered.
"Are you sure it's not just because you want to enjoy yourself?" She questioned with a smirk. "...Maybe..." Stella replied with a small smile.
From that point on the two women spent the rest of the night in decadence, being waited on hand and foot by Helsa's servants all the while enjoying a pleasant conversation with each other, a newfound friend and partnership being made.