"Now I have to be honest, while logically this makes sense, I'm emotionally not very ready for this." Max meekly points out as he stands in front of the door. After his introduction to the six members of the hotel, the question was where to go from there. Charlie admitted she had no idea how to help, Alastor was quite coy but seemed adamant in that he had no way to take Max home, not that he particularly wanted to since Max seemed like a nice bonus of entertainment for the hotel. With little options presented, they figured the best choice was to go to head honcho of hell itself.
"Don't worry, you're not alone in this." Charlie gently grasps his shoulder to comfort him.
"He's threatening but in the end he's still been surprisingly just and fair. I had dinner with the guy once and other than a sense of unease, nothing bad happened." Vaggie added, shuddering a little remembering the awkward meal when she met Charlie's family.
"Fair enough, let's hope he's in a good mood though." Max lastly comments before taking a breath. "Let's do this." Charlie nods to him before finally knocking on the door.
"Come in!" A voice calls out, already sending a jolt through Max's body, but the human is still standing straight. Charlie opens the door, feeling uneasy herself but keeping a smile on her face while holding Vaggie's hand for a bit of support. Finally the trio enters the room, finding a strange man reclining in a chair behind a lavish desk as he bites into a scrumptious looking caramel apple on a stick, a shudder going through the fallen angel's body as if the treat was orgasmic. "Has there ever been a song about caramel apples? Hmm, maybe I'll keep an eye out for a lyricist and maybe make it into an anthem, Hell is sorely lacking in a good anthem."
Now Max felt that he should have calmed down, Lucifer wasn't all that intimidating. He had a similar face to Charlie, white coloration, red cheeks, and a charming smile. Heck, he even looked shorter than all three of them. He saw all of this and knew the natural reaction would be to relax, so why does his very being seem to yell at him to stay alert? The answer was simple, he had the same if not stronger presence that Alastor had. Again Maxwell felt like his soul was engulfed in a raging fire, fear slowly being overshadowed by an overwhelming amount of wrath inside him.
"Well don't just stand there, come closer! Let me see what the fuss is about." Even his voice just made his vision go red, his breathing a little unsteady as he can barely think of anything other than attacking. Yet as he saw Charlie look at him with concern, he felt his will strengthen enough to make him stay polite. They all step forward until he raises one hand in the air. "Hold it…" A wave of authority exudes out of him, Lucifer's word almost sounding like law...just for the man to suddenly have his face scrunch up and give a little sneeze. "Oof, gesundheit! Okay, continue."
Once in front of his desk, Charlie began, completely unfazed by his behavior albeit holding back a little giggle, her father's goofy side always being a pleasant part of her life. "Hey Dad, it's been a while."
"Yes it has! Though honestly I was expecting you to have given up on that hotel sooner, but it was just a matter of time."
"What? Dad no, I'm still going through with my plan!"
"Oh?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, his smile not lowering in the slightest though the slight squint of his eyes shows he wasn't completely pleased with the news. "Then please explain, why else would you come to me if not to crawl back home by my side?" Vaggie grit her teeth a little, knowing she can't fight an overlord like Lucifer, but she still hated to hear him think so little of his own daughter, her lover.
Charlie just takes a moment to breathe before forcing her smile to stay strong. "Look, something big has happened, something that I feel could mean bad news for hell."
"Oh don't be so dramatic, it's hell, everything is bad news. Come on, out with it." He waves his hands, motioning her to get to the point.
"...Dad, meet Maxwell." She finally brings the attention to Max, who was standing a little straighter, his hands at his sides albeit still tight in a fist. At first Lucifer was completely unimpressed, he looked like an everyday human...wait… "As you can see, this isn't a sinner who has died and became a demon like every other resident of hell…but an actual human."
The silence was deafening, Lucifer's eyes wide as he finally let it sink in what he was staring at. "I see, you're right. This IS bad news."
Max winces at that, momentarily forgetting his strange anger as he hears that his presence could be bad enough to shake even Lucifer. "I'm sorry sir. If I may explain, coming to hell wasn't my intention."
"Oh and you think every resident here intended to go to hell?" Lucifer quipped, seeming just fine now despite the bomb drop.
"What I mean is, I literally woke up and left my house, only to end up here in hell. No death, no meeting whoever gives the thumbs up or thumbs down when in the afterlife, nothing! I'm still in my casual wear and as you can see, still 100% human."
"Hmm, that is quite the conundrum. Though why come to me?"
"Well, after getting involved in a dispute, and may or may not have injured an overlord in the process, then narrowly finding sanctuary in your daughter's hotel, I was hoping you could be the key to helping me get back home, and if not exactly there, then at least the surface world."
With Maxwell's explanation done, Lucifer simply tapped his chin in thought, the trio looking at him with bated breath. "This is certainly a problem, with the blood of a human, there's no telling what power some of my citizens can gain. We may even get more than a turf war, but an actual full scale war on our hands. I worked too hard on making hell the way it is today, and I'd prefer if we kept all damage done to it at its current level, with the occasional explosion, murder, and sin galore, not just endless bloodshed that would make it impossible for me or any of my servants to go and get my dry cleaning."
Max pales at the idea of a war of sinners, fighting over him as if he was a weapon. "Y-yes that would be very bad. And not to mention, whoever wins the war, won't there be a major power shift? Another overlord, or possibly an overlord even stronger than before could really shake things up."
"On that we agree. So then, the question is why shouldn't I kill you here and now." Just how casually he mentions killing sent all three into a state of shock, Maxwell fearing for his life, yet the rage from before was swelling again and tempting him to fight. Charlie is aghast, not wanting to see a new friend of hers murdered in cold blood, even if it was for the greater good of hell, there had to be another choice. Vaggie couldn't help but move closer to Charlie, her arm a little in front of her as if worried he'd even attack her. "Well the answer is simple really, I can't!" With that statement shocking them, he uses that opportunity to make a golden 500 magnum revolver manifest in his hand before taking aim in a split second and firing.
BANG
Max gasps out, Charlie puts her hands over her mouth, and Vaggie looks in utter disbelief. Lucifer just kept smiling as he put the handgun down and pointed to Max. Max looks down at his body, seeing a new hole in his tank top...but the bullet was flattened, as if it just hit a wall of titanium instead of flesh. "As a fallen angel, and with the bastard upstairs keeping an eye on me, I cannot directly interfere with mortals. Anyone who dies and ends up here is free game, but you haven't died yet." Max lets out a sigh of relief, nearly collapsing after that scare, Vaggie and Charlie both relaxing as well. "So, until I can find someone or some way to send you back home, I suggest you stay with my daughter at her hotel. While I still think it's doomed to fail, it admittedly will be the safest place you can reside in. And thanks to its poor publicity, you will be able to keep a low profile! It's absolutely perfect."
Charlie certainly could have done without the jabs at her dream and hotel, but was more happy to know that her new friend would be safe. Vaggie certainly didn't like the comments, but couldn't say he was wrong, other than Angel Dust, they have no tenants, no one to spread any gossip about a human or have a desire to use him for their own gains. Max just looks at the two girls and nods. "Sounds like a plan."
"Now then, Charlie, Vaggie, please leave the room. The human and I need to discuss something. And before you protest, remember I cannot kill him." While he did say 'please', there was something in his voice that told Charlie that there was no room for discussion. She nods her head slowly and looks at Maxwell.
"I'll be okay, he literally just shot me with a gun, can't get much worse than that." He was mostly trying to convince himself, but put on a brave face and smiled at her. With that, Charlie and Vaggie left the room. "So Mr. Magne, what did you want to talk about?" He looks back to the ruler of hell only to feel a clawed hand around his throat, gasping for air.
"Now while I can't kill you, I can still hurt you. I have many connections, and even if I can't kill you directly, I can easily get someone else too. I've lived since the beginning, I'm a master of manipulation. A simple whisper from my lips to someone's ear, and you'll be suffering a fate worse than death." As he speaks, Maxwell knew he should have been terrified, instead that rage was coming back with a vengeance. His teeth were grit, his blood felt as if it was flowing with magma, and his heart was beating like a drum of war.
"RAAAH!" In a massive burst of strength, Maxwell roars out, grasping Lucifer's arm and tears it away from his throat then grabs his other arm. Lucifer arches an eyebrow as he takes in Maxwell's current state. On the surface he looks completely human except for slight differences, his irises were red, his teeth were a tad sharper, and the veins of his arms have a soft scarlet glow, as if instead of flowing with blood, something else was in them.
"Oh my, quite the temper on you. Imagine what Charlie would think if she saw you like this, attacking her own father."
"The same bastard who shits on her dream in front of her face? It's only because of the blood between you two that I don't do God a favor and end you myself!" Max roars in his face, Lucifer unfazed though despite the grip on his arms becoming uncomfortable.
"Hmm...maybe there's more to you than I thought. Now would you kindly let go? I still have a present for you." Max was dumbfounded, a gift for threatening to kill the lord of hell. In the confusion he does as requested and let's him go, his eyes returning to their normal color, his teeth in proper shape, and his veins losing their glow.
"...what's happening to me? Again with that strange rage, the bloodlust, I felt it when I attacked Valentino, when I was in front of Alastor, and now you."
"My best guess is that your sinful human nature is just more potent when facing powerful denizens of hell. Greed, gluttony, lust, everyone has a sin they seem to favor more than others. Apparently yours is wrath, though I've never seen a human with one as strong as that, then again such power is limited on Earth, and in hell you already have a demon form that compliments it. Maybe your human form mixed with the demonic energy of hell and its overlords just makes your wrath overflow."
"Makes sense...but why doesn't it show up when I'm around Charlie? If anything I feel calmer around her."
"Excellent question, one I don't have an answer to though. Maybe it's her succubus heritage mixing with my angelic genes, making her weaken your sin instead of empowering it. Maybe her rebellion against me has caused her to be some sort of sin repellent for humans. So many factors to take in, and I just don't have the time or care enough to really find out. Though it is assuring to know you won't be attacking her, I may not encourage her dream but she is my daughter. Hurt her, and my threat becomes a promise you'll never escape. Sound fair?" Lucifer ends by grabbing the golden revolver, aiming it at Max again and making him flinch, only to suddenly flip it and hand it over to the human handle first.
"Uh, absolutely. I wouldn't dream of hurting her." He accepts the gun, not wanting to be rude and deny a present from the devil himself. "Why the gun though?"
"Like I said before, I want you to keep a low profile, but if anyone finds out what you are and tries to use you for power, you'll need a way to defend yourself."
"I'm grateful...but I've never used a gun in my life."
"Really? Could have sworn you were American." For once in the entire conversation, Lucifer looks flabbergasted, Maxwell meanwhile just deadpans.
"Oh fuck off, yes I'm American but that doesn't mean I praise guns like they're Jesus or something."
"Well then, you learn something new everyday. Anyways, while demons technically cannot die in hell unless a holy weapon is involved, any other lethal attacks will still leave them incapacitated but will walk it off just fine, unless it's something like being put into a meat grinder, then they will painfully regain their body the next day. This gun has 6 shots only and refills every 24 hours, so make them count. I'm sure someone can teach you how to not shoot yourself in the foot, I doubt that would do anything. The gun is crafted with some of my angelic energy, so that the bullets won't even hurt the previous owners, the list only being me though." Lucifer takes his time explaining.
"Why hand me such a magnificent weapon?"
"Simple, you don't have a demonic form like every other citizen here, and only one mortal wound is all it takes to kill you, so I felt a weapon like this would even the odds for you."
"...thank you sir. I'm sorry for losing my temper." Maxwell apologizes shamefully with a small bow of his head which Lucifer waves off.
"Oh it's nothing, you couldn't have really controlled it and I've had worse meetings. I did want to see what you were capable of, and there is not a drop of blood on my belongings so I consider this a win. Just make sure to never fucking try that again or you'll see just what I'm capable of, are we clear?" Another straight faced threat and all Max can do is nod before putting the handgun in his pocket, making sure the safety is on. "Good! Glad we had this talk!" Back in his cheery mood, he waves off the exasperated human.
As Max exits the room, Lucifer looks toward his wrists where he was grabbed, his eyebrows furrowing as he notices a light bruise forming. "Strong grip… I'll remember to keep a closer eye on him, what makes him so special that he of all people would be sent here?" He looks out a window to the red sky above. "Works in mysterious ways...scheming bastard, what are you up to?"