"Thank you for picking me up," Stella told the driver of the car as she leaned back into her seat.
Even with her and Helsa's newfound partner/friendship, the avian noble still needed to attend her rehab programs, for if she didn't, then damnation awaited her.
"You're welcome. Miss Eldritch assumed you'd want to relax afterward." He responded.
"She's right on the money..." She sighed while closing her eyes, "I swear all of those programs are the same with just slight differences, they can all be summarized as love yourself, don't give up, and it's okay to cry." She said.
"Sounds... mind-numbing." He replied, trying to think of the best way to describe it.
"Mhm, which is why I am looking forward to stretching out on a couch when we get back to the estate." She revealed.
After that, the conversation ended, the driver-focused one getting them back as quickly as possible, while she nearly fell asleep due to how nice the seats felt. It'd only take a few minutes until they reached their destination, but when they did, what stirred Stella from her state of bliss wasn't the vehicle stopping.
"Holy shit, is that an angel?" She heard the driver ask out loud.
"Is it one of the Authorities?..." She questioned, not caring enough to open her eyes. "No, it's an ACTUAL angel! Bright shining clothes and everything!" He replied.
That detail alone made Stella's eyes shoot wide open instantly, and as she rolled down her window so she could see for herself, she was stunned at what she found.
"It's...it's him! The angel from the hotel!" She recognized, which caused her to pull herself back in, "Driver, stop the car!" She ordered.
Doing as he was told, the driver slammed down on the brakes and brought the car to an immediate halt, which didn't go unnoticed by the figure who stood on the stairs leading to the estate a few feet away.
"Hm? Oh, miss Eldritch!" He called out to her before heading that way.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the FUCK is he doing here?!" Stella wondered in a panic, too freaked out to realize he mistook who was in the car.
Unfortunately for her, she forgot to do something, and as he reached the vehicle and looked in at her, she discovered what it was.
"I FORGOT TO ROLL UP THE FUCKING WINDOW!" She screamed in her mind as her eyes widened.
"Oh, it's you, the nice woman who helped me the other night at the hotel." In a surprised manner, he said, not expecting to find her either in the car or at the estate.
She had to say something, literally ANYTHING in response; if she didn't, she'd just be staring at
him stiff-necked like a lobotomized giraffe.
"...Who are you?" She inquired, only to then immediately scream once more in her head, "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" She thought.
However, instead of being offended or insulted, which is how she assumed he'd react, he seemed to be amused by her question.
"Do you know so many angels that you've forgotten our interaction?" He asked.
"N-No! I mean, that's not, I..." She stammered like a fool trying to regain her composure, "It's just, you never gave me your name, is all." She answered.
"Huh, you're right. I never did share that information; my apologies." He replied as he then reached into the car to shake her hand, "My name is Gabriel, and I am the archangel of justice." He introduced.
Holy fucking shit, an archangel, like an ACTUAL archangel, was currently in Hell, standing in the Eldritch estate, had healed her wounds back at the hotel, and was now trying to shake her hand; what the fuck.
"S-Stella." She responded while grabbing onto his hand and shaking it, slowly but surely getting her nerves back.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stella." He told her before pulling his hand away, "So, do you also have business with Helsa Von Eldritch? I've come to discuss some things with her. If you'd like, we could go in together so she can see both of us at the same time." He offered.
"Oh...oh no...I couldn't possibly take advantage of such courtesy from a high-ranking official in Heaven such as yourself. I'll just stay out here and wait in the car until you're done." She said.
Hearing that made him chuckle, which put a lump in her throat because she didn't know what it meant.
"I'm starting to see you have a rather difficult time accepting kindness from others." He told her before he then opened her door, "Please. I insist. There's no sense in you waiting out here for me to be finished when I myself do not know how long it will take." He argued.
Damn it, he made a good point, and if she refused him again, she may seem like she was hiding something or didn't care for him, which in her mind was the WORST way she could come off as towards an archangel.
"You're right. I'm sorry." She apologized before stepping out.
"There's no need for an apology. I'm just pleased to see you accept my assistance this time." He admitted.
Once she was out and her car door was closed, both Stella and Gabriel headed towards the manor side by side. But as they went, he couldn't help but notice how timid she seemed, for she kept her distance from him by a fair amount and avoided looking in his direction.
"Miss Stella." He spoke to get her attention, which made her jump slightly, "Do I intimidate you? If so, it is not my intention." He assured.
"It's not you, I mean it is you, but not you specifically, more so that I'm a natural-born demon of Hell and you're an archangel from Heaven, that's what I meant." She explained though doing so in a rather hasty and nervous fashion.
"Ah, of course, how foolish of me." He said, now understanding her trepidation, "But if I may ask, what would the point be in treating you so kindly if I planned to harm you in any way?" He asked.
Shit, another good argument, one that hadn't donned on her until he pointed it out.
"I...suppose that's true." She answered, followed by a sigh, "Forgive me, I've been under a lot of stress lately. My mind's not in the right space it normally is." She explained, as her behavior so far in his presence was anything but refined.
"You also seem to apologize quite a bit, even though you've nothing to be sorry for." He noted, which managed to make her laugh.
"Another unfortunate side effect of my current mental state." She replied though she did so in a jovial tone to make it seem less serious.
Now standing at the door as they reached it during their conversation, Gabriel delivered a few knocks that were strong enough to alert the people inside that they were there. To only Stella's surprise, it wasn't a servant who opened one of the opulent doors; it was actually Helsa herself as she'd been waiting for her return.
"There you are. I was wondering what was taking you so-" She greeted but stopped halfway once she saw who stood beside her partner.
"Hello, Helsa Von Eldritch, I assume?" Gabriel inquired before putting a hand to his chest, "I am Gabriel, archangel of justice, brother to Lord Lucifer who reigns over this circle, I apologize for my sudden appearance, but I have urgent business that I must discuss with you." He explained.
A few seconds went by where nothing more was said, though both Stella and Gabriel could see the gears in Helsa's head slowly turning as she processed that information.
"...Ah, I see. Well, I can't say I expected an angel to be sent by the Magne family to talk with me, but a response is welcome nonetheless." She replied, amazingly keeping her composure and acting as if this was normal, "Unfortunately though I have business with the noblewoman standing beside you, would it be alright if I spoke with her first before you?" She asked.
"Of course, I am not here to intrude or disrupt your-" SLAM
Jumping back a small distance as he hadn't expected the door to be shut so suddenly and forcefully,
when he looked to his side he noticed that Stella was pulled into the building before it closed by Helsa.
"I...guess I'll wait out here..." He said to himself, still stunned by how fast that whole interaction transpired.
Meanwhile, happening simultaneously on the inside.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" Helsa shouted at Stella, though it was purely out of shock and not anger, "WHY IS THERE AN ARCHANGEL, WHO HAPPENS TO BE LUCIFER'S BROTHER, STANDING OUTSIDE WANTING TO SPEAK WITH ME?!" She questioned.
"I don't know! A few minutes ago, I pulled up in the car and saw him standing there! I know just as much as you do!" Stella swore.
Taking a moment to gather herself by breathing in deeply, once she was certain she wouldn't have a panic attack, Helsa quickly got work figuring this out.
"Okay, so, there's only one logical reason he'd be here, it's because Lilith, who was there yesterday at Slayer Studios, told her husband about us knowing about Will and because he's definitely in Heaven's good graces, he's here." She stated as she put her hands in front of her face, "And, because he happens to be the archangel of justice, which I assume means he's like the judge for all creation or something, he's here to make sure we're not trying any underhanded shit." She deduced.
"That makes sense." Stella agreed, simply going along with whatever she said.
"So our best course of action is to keep our cool, not freak out, and assure him we just want to talk and see if perhaps he can help us establish a bridge of communication with the Magnes about the reform and how it could be improved, we do that, and we don't buy ourselves a one-way ticket to fuckedville." She explained.
"Good plan." Stella complimented.
"Alright, we got it all figured out now. Let's do this." She told her with a look of determination, receiving a nod in response.
Grabbing onto the door's handle, she casually opened it again, greeting the archangel a second time though with a newfound welcoming smile.
"Thank you so much for your patience. I'm sorry that I slammed the door in your face. I just REALLY needed to talk to Stella." She explained.
"You're done already?" He asked though he looked at Stella when he did, "I assumed you'd be speaking with her for quite a while." He admitted.
"Oh no, the business I had with her was just...arranging a schedule so we could have lunch later and discuss more business." She lied terribly.
"So...you needed to speak with her to figure out when you could speak to her?" He questioned.
"You'd be surprised how hectic and spontaneous the life of a noble can be here in Hell." She lied again.
"Anyway!" Helsa exclaimed while clapping her hands to regain his attention, "You said you needed to speak to me about the reform, correct?" She asked.
"Indeed, though what I have to say isn't terribly long, I just need a moment of your time." He answered.
"Even so, you should come inside! No reason we can't relax and maybe have a cup of tea or something, right?" She suggested as she stepped to the side to let him in.
"Oh, thank you for the hospitality." He replied before entering.
Shutting the door behind him, Helsa led them to the nearby living room. Over the next few minutes, they made themselves comfortable, waited for her servants to get some tea ready, and when they had both the beverage and their cups, they began their conversation.
"So archangel, may I call you Gabriel?" She asked, receiving a nod in response, "What brings such an important person all the way down from the cloudy paradise to our circle of Hell? Besides the fact, your brother rules it." She asked while pouring his tea.
"I think we both know the reason for my visit, a certain stoic killer of ravenous hordes?"He answered.
"Oh, you mean Will!" She exclaimed right as she finished filling his cup, "Has something happened? Is he okay?" She inquired.
"He's allowed you to call him by his name?" He questioned, finding that detail intriguing.
"Oh yes, we hit it off like...a hyperactive five-year-old hopped up on soda at a tee-ball game." She informed.
"Hm, that's unusual. He's normally very selective of who gets that privilege." He admitted.
"As I said, we hit it off, we made small talk and had a few good laughs." She said, not even trying to be honest about how it actually went.
A pause then happened as everyone decided to take a sip of their tea, which also served as a means for both parties to get a read on the other.
"From how it sounds, it seems that you and the Slayer were very friendly with each other." He noted to resume the conversation.
"That we were, in fact, it went so well that he agreed to have another meeting with us." She revealed.
"Us?" He questioned, now looking towards Stella.
"Uh...yes, us, you see I'm...in charge of Helsa's PR, so if the Sla-I MEAN WILL, decides he would like to work with us, I need to be informed to help...mold his image with our...thing," Stella explained nervously, hoping he'd believe her.
"Huh, this is news to me. I was under the assumption you hadn't convinced him and would be pursuing further interaction." He admitted.
"Nope, we not only got him to hear us out but he's also curious to see what else we have to share." Helsa said proudly, which caused an idea to appear in her mind, "Actually, that is the business Stella was hoping to talk with me about later today, so if you want to learn more about that, she'd be more than happy; to fill you in." She offered.
Suddenly on her left side, Helsa felt a biting cold, which was caused by Stella, who looked at her with a stare of "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!".
"You'd be willing to divulge such information to me?" He asked, now looking at her.
"APPARENTLY," Stella answered, though it was low and almost like a growl, for she was still staring at Helsa.
"Well then. Thank you, Stella." He said as a chuckle escaped him, "Seems we'll be spending even more time together." He commented.
"Wait, what?" Helsa questioned, "You two already know each other?" She asked. "Know is...a bit strong," Stella answered, which caught her by surprise.
"We met each other at the hotel a few days ago, she came into the lobby with injuries on her feet, so in return for helping me locate the staff who were on break nearby, I healed her wounds." He explained.
"Is that so?" Helsa inquired as she looked at Stella, a deviously smug smirk present on her face.
"Mhm, we also ran into each other outside before I knocked on your door. Where she brought it to my attention, I hadn't shared with her my name yet. An unintentional oversight on my part." He continued.
"To be fair, I hadn't shared my name with you either until then," Stella said.
"Right, but you said that you are going through some stressful times at the moment." He reminded.
"And when did she say that?" Helsa asked, her smirk becoming a grin.
"After I helped her out of her car, we continued our introductions as we approached your home." He answered.
"Yes, but it was ONLY introductions. NOTHING more." Stella stressed, not liking that look Helsa had in her eyes.
"Oh, what a shame." She said with a feigned look of sadness, "But hey, look on the bright side, so long as Will is interested in what we have to say, that gives you two a reason to keep seeing each other. If anything, I'd say fate is trying to tell you both something." She told them.
"Really? What?" He asked.
"Don't mind her!" Stella interjected as she put her hand over her mouth, "She's just saying things to try and make the conversation more interesting, which she DOESN'T. NEED. TO." She explained in a firm tone of voice while staring daggers at her.
"Ah, forgive me, I've not had much practice when it comes to socializing with others. So it's not easy for me to notice such things." He confessed.
"You're fine. TRUST ME." She assured before looking over at a nearby clock, "Oh dear, look at how time flies when you're having such a pleasant exchange, I hate to be the one to end it so abruptly, but we do have a lot to talk about later, and we really should get on top of that." She lied.
"That's quite alright. I should be going anyways. Based on what you've told me, I need to have a talk with the Slayer and learn what his perspective on all of this is." He replied as he finished his tea, "Again, thank you for your hospitality, miss Helsa. And I look forward to
speaking with you more, Stella, even if it is purely business." He told them before departing.
Waiting until they heard one of the front doors be opened then closed before they did anything else, Stella took her hand off of Helsa's mouth and went limp into the couch they sat on, a slow, heavy sigh escaping her beak as she did.
"From a cheating gay husband to one of God's children, hot damn Stella, you gotta give me some tips," Helsa said to her with a shit-eating grin, which earned her a pillow to the face.
Elsewhere...
Breakfast time in Slayer Studios was arguably the best time of day for everyone in the building, for as the employees all got to wake up and have their own meals with each other before starting the workday, the heads of the company gathered in Angel Dust's office for their own get-together. But today was particularly special; not only did they have the Slayer joining them but also Sir Pentious, who of course sat between the two Vs. As for where the space marine sat, it was actually near the center of the table, so this way, everyone could talk to him without having to lean out of their seat or speak up in a louder volume.
"So Will, what did you think of the game?" Vox asked to get things started as he cut off a piece of his meal with his knife and fork, "Keep in mind that is a work in progress build. And if you experienced any issues whatsoever that falls entirely on my incompetent staff, Velvet excluded of course." He said.
Instead of replying verbally, the Slayer held out his hand across the table to him and summoned a notepad in his palm similar to how he would with his weapons.
"Here are the notes..." He told him as the Overlord took them.
"Holy shit, this is remarkably detailed." Vox said, astonished by what he saw on the first page alone, "I didn't know you had such extensive knowledge of programming." He added.
"I was an engineer..." The Slayer revealed, which brought everyone to a stop. "YOU, the dude who's the size of a car, were an engineer?" Loona questioned.
"Had to be before you became a marine in the UAC." He said, "Since there weren't any more wars to fight, anyone who chose to become a soldier or a member of security detail had to have a wide range of knowledge on several different things, one of which was engineering, which is where I learned how to build and maintain a variety of UAC made machines and equipment, as well as how to program certain things like spider turrets or automated simulations for training..." He explained.
"Jesus fucking christ, how many more secret talents are you hiding from us?" Blitzo asked in amazement.
"I dunno...don't really consider that to be a talent..." He answered.
"You know what would be? If you took off your helmet so you can eat." Stolas suggested. "I'm not hungry..." He replied.
"No, I do not want to hear it." Stolas said firmly as his dad mode activated, "You've been without a proper meal for a whole six months. Now I know you don't NEED to eat, Will, but that doesn't
mean you shouldn't." He told him, "Also, and I hope you aren't offended by this, but while your armor is imposing and is certainly scary, it desperately needs to be cleaned, and on top of that, it's hard to converse with you when we are staring at a helmet with teeth. So if only for us, would you kindly remove it?" He requested.
Almost like a stubborn child, the Slayer sat there in silence, debating whether or not he would bow to the whim of this helicopter parent. But he couldn't deny the truth in his words, so he did as he was told and took off his helmet, even being so polite as to set it down on the floor rather than on the table.
"Thank you." Stolas said with a smile before reaching out to one of the platters that had eggs on it, "Now you can enjoy this wonderfully prepared meal like the rest of us." He added as he scooped some up with the present tongs and put them on his plate, which had been empty up until now.
"I can't tell if your dad has the biggest balls in Hell or if he just doesn't care who he talks to like they're his kid too," Loona whispered to Octavia.
"Luck favors the fool." She replied in the same volume before taking a bite of her food.
"Hey, Will!" Velvet called out to get his attention, "What'd you think of the demons' designs?" She asked.
"Did you do them?..." He inquired.
"Mhm! I wanted to keep them looking kinda the same, but at the same time give them their own unique, interesting look ya know?" She said.
"You did a great job..." He complimented answering her question, which caused her face to light up with joy.
"Really? You think so?" She pressed, wanting to hear more.
"Yeah...you have a great imagination for how they could look...you should be proud..." He told her before eating some of his eggs.
Unable to keep herself from giggling when she heard that, she then nudged Vox with her elbow. "I knew he'd like the designs." She said.
"Of course, you're the only one on this project who knows what the hell they're doing." He replied as he looked past her at Sir Pentious, "But now that you're back, we should be able to get this game finished in the next two months or so, maybe even in the coming weeks." He estimated.
"With my genius, it'll be done in days!" The snake demon boasted proudly, much to the amusement of his companions.
As everyone continued to talk among themselves or say something to the Slayer, Moxxie, a rather observant fellow, noticed something peculiar.
"Psst, Millie." He whispered to his wife, which got her to look at him, "Do you notice anything weird?" He asked.
"So you noticed it too? Glad I wasn't the only one." She answered before switching her gaze to Sir Pentious, "I can't stop staring at his hat. Is it alive? Is it part of him? But if it is, then how does the mouth work? Does it need to be fed? When he feeds it, does the food go straight to his brain? Or
does it travel through a bunch of tubes to get to his stomach?" She questioned.
"...I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about." He told her bluntly, "I was referring to them." He clarified as he pointed to Angel Dust, Cherri, and Katie, all of whom sat at the end of the table closest to them.
Looking at the trio, Millie immediately understood what her husband was saying. Unlike usual, those three weren't their center of attention selves, they were creepily quiet, and they kept their eyes focused solely on their plates.
"Oh yeah, something's definitely off there." She agreed.
"But what could it be? If anything, you'd think they'd be the happiest that Will's sitting here eating breakfast with us." He pointed out.
"Hmm, we should try and get them to talk." She decided. "Wait, what are you going to-"
"Ahem, excuse me." She interrupted him by speaking loudly in their direction, which got them to look up at her, "Why do you three look so down this morning?" She asked.
"Okay, guess we're going with the direct approach..." He muttered to himself. "We're just tired." Katie was the first to answer.
"Oh, come on now, I know that's not true." She said as she pointed at her face, "You've got yourself all dolled up more so than usual, wouldn't have gone through that extra effort if you were exhausted." She argued.
"She makes a good point." Vox chimed in as he and the others got involved in the conversation, "Even on your best days, you don't make yourself look THAT good, and I think we can all guess the reason why this morning is so special." He said, referring to the Slayer.
"Yeah, how come you and Angel aren't trying to break his pelvis?" Blitzo asked.
"Is it so weird that we're not trying to have sex with him during breakfast?" Angel Dust asked.
In response to that, everyone, except the Slayer, stopped what they were doing and just looked at him seriously.
"...Yeah, I knew that was bullshit the moment it left my mouth." He admitted.
"Look, guys, we're just feeling a little off today, okay?" Cherri told them, hoping they'd leave it at that.
"Maybe we could help you feel better? If you tell us what's wrong." Stolas suggested. "Believe me; you can't help with this." She assured.
"Is it syphilis? Cause if so, I know a guy." Loona told her.
"Loony, have you had syphilis before?" Stolas asked, which made her blush. "W-What the fuck?! Why did you call me that?!" She questioned.
"I said it'd be alright." Blitzo responded as he looked at Octavia, "After he told me I could call you Via." He revealed.
"Ooooooooh no, no no no, that is WAY too weird," Octavia said, horrified.
"But why? We've been living with each other for half a year now. If anything, you should be comfortable calling him dad just like me." Stolas argued.
"WHOA THERE, slow down!" Loona exclaimed as she looked at him, "Just because we've been living under the same roof doesn't mean we call each other...shit like that." She said.
"I think we're getting off-topic here," Millie spoke up as they seemed to forget about Angel Dust, Cherri, and Katie.
"So when exactly are we going to start acting like a family then?" Stolas questioned, all four ignoring her.
"We aren't a family," Octavia said.
"So you don't enjoy having Loona around all the time?" He asked. "...No comment." She answered.
"Nuh-uh, you HAVE to answer that!" Blitzo exclaimed while pointing at her. "Yeah! Don't you like having a sister?" Velvet asked, joining in.
"Guys," Millie spoke again, hoping this time it'd work. "As I said, no comment," Octavia repeated.
"Fine, then what about you, Loona? Do you enjoy having Octavia as a sister?" Velvet asked the Hellhound.
"Same response as hers." She answered.
"You do know we could interpret that in a bunch of different ways, like maybe you two are a couple~" Velvet tested.
"We are NOT a couple." She refuted firmly.
"Are you sure? Maybe you're just pretending not to be because it'd be weird." Velvet argued.
"NO. WE ARE NOT A COUPLE. BECAUSE I AM STRAIGHT." She told her, quickly getting angry.
"If that's true, then that could just mean that you hate her." Velvet pointed out.
"Fer the love of, I DON'T FUCKING HATE HER, OKAY?!" She responded while slamming her fist on the table, "What do you want me to say, huh? That I like having her around? That she's my best friend? WILL THAT GET YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP?!" She asked.
After that, the whole room got quiet, but not because they were shocked by her outburst, at least in the sense it bothered them. And as the seconds went by and they all just stared at her in surprise, except for the Slayer, she realized what she just said.
"God fucking damn it!" She cursed before slamming her head down on the table.
"I'm your best friend?" Octavia questioned, a mixture of shock and joy slowly building up inside her.
"It was a slip of the tongue..." She said, hoping that they'd believe it.
"Aww, Loony!" Blitzo exclaimed with big eyes, proud to see his daughter finally have a friend. "No! Fucking stop!" She demanded, now looking up from the table at him.
"Oh, this is wonderful! We're finally breaking through your emotional barriers!" Stolas said with glee as he clasped his hands together.
"Will! PLEASE FUCKING SHOOT ME!" She begged, looking to him for help.
However, when he heard her say that, the room's entire mood changed. The reason why is because he was in the process of lifting another bite of eggs off of his plate to his mouth, but when those words hit his ears, he suddenly applied so much force to his fork that it snapped in half.
"...Will?" Loona spoke a few seconds after; the only sound before her voice was the top portion of his now broken utensil hitting the table.
"I'm...sorry..." He apologized as he set the other half down, "I...it was...I'm sorry..." He repeated for he couldn't think of any other response.
But before anyone could say or ask something else, he pushed out his chair, stood up, and started walking towards the door, picking his helmet up from the floor as he did. Yet no one stopped him; they didn't speak up or try and reach out to him; the aura he gave off wasn't the anger they were familiar with. It was closer to how one would feel visiting a forgotten graveyard with no headstones; on the surface, everything seems normal, but underneath, it's a completely different story.
"Fuck, it's worse than we thought..." Katie said quietly, though because of the lack of any noise, it didn't go unnoticed.
"Hold on, do you guys know something?" Moxxie asked as everyone turned to look at the trio, "Is that why you've been so quiet?" He added.
"We didn't want to say anything because we didn't know if it was actually something to worry about or not." Angel Dust answered.
"When we all started working and having these meals together, we agreed that there'd be no secrets," Stolas told them with a serious expression.
"You're right, and we should've said something; there just wasn't a good opportunity to." Cherri said with a sigh, "But now that he's gone, we'll tell you." She promised.