Chapter 5
Empowering Stroll
After a bit more deliberation, the contract was signed, and Eliza was officially hired. They still had plenty of time to wait before more guests would come to them, but she already had her first patient: Angel Dust.
Eliza called him over, asking if Alastor would move to the other table for a few minutes. He agreed, and the two demons changed places.
"What's up, shrink?" he asked, turning the chair backwards and sitting down, leaning on the back.
"Now that I'm officially hired, I have a few questions for Vaggie and Charlie, then I'll need your input on ideas." The demoness turned to the business-owner and manager with a polite smile. "I assume, given your goal, that this is to be a non-profit organization, correct?"
"That's the plan," Vaggie answered. "That's why I said room and board first, payment maybe. Money could be a problem."
"You didn't call me ova to ask if I'd strip for cash, didja?" Angel asked, half-joking.
"No, of course not!" Eliza said, giggling. "But if it's non-profit, I would recommend that sessions with me should be mandatory."
"Why?" Vaggie asked, raising a distrustful brow.
"Ooooh, I get it," Angel said after a moment. "Makes it seem more legit. Plus keeps the loafers away."
"Exactly," Eliza confirmed. "Not everyone will come here to give redemption a legitimate chance. Many will come to take advantage of the free room and board."
"That's… a good point," Charlie concurred. "Alright, so we should make therapy sessions a requirement for the guests. But how often should they come to see you?"
Eliza turned to Angel. "You've been here a long time and have a good idea how to deal with the demons here. How often would you recommend across the board? Keep in mind a person can come more often if they feel the need to."
"Hmm…" Angel looked thoughtful for a moment. "Every otha week. Enough to keep 'em honest, not enough to scare 'em. Too much and you're cuttin' their balls off. Not enough an' they're ridin' ya raw."
"That sounds fair," Eliza agreed. "Every other week, then." As long as Angel was with them, Eliza discussed other guest-related ideas for scheduling, such as how long a guest can stay at the hotel. This is where Charlie started to get a bit nervous, as she wanted guests to be able to take their time and be given a generous chance to reach redemption. Vaggie supported her, but tried to find a middle-ground.
"Maybe we should have some sort of bi-monthly exam?" she suggested. "You know, make sure actual progress is being made. That way there's no real time limit on how long they can stay, but they are being supervised to make sure they're really trying." Eliza was supportive of the idea, and Angel thought every other month sounded reasonable.
"I may make another contract, then," Eliza thoughtfully. "Something requiring them to give honest answers for a set amount of time, or perhaps for a specific set of questions, each exam. If they're unwilling to sign, we could take that as an indication of dishonest intentions!"
"Oooor we could just give them a chance to choose to be honest," Charlie argued carefully. "No more signing contracts and such."
"Yea, that's gonna fuckin' work!" Angel mocked, laughing sharply. "The honor system don't work down here, toots. Granted, not a fan o' signing shit, but…"
"The questions they would need to answer honestly would be listed on the contract," Eliza clarified. "They would be very aware of what they're signing for. I would get them approved through you two long before introducing them to any patients, but once we get them out of the way, the contract would be concluded, and they can go back to their dishonest and defensive selves once more. Is that agreeable?"
"We'll think about it," Vaggie answered flatly.
"Also, there's another matter I'd like to discuss." Eliza cleared her throat before continuing. "If anyone outside the hotel wishes for my services, they will be made available, but not during work hours, nor will I make use of the hotel's designated therapy room for personal clients. Personal clients means anyone who is not a member of the hotel's rehabilitation program, which includes non-participating hotel staff such as yourselves, Husk and Niffty."
"You'd really be willing to see us as well?" Charlie asked, surprised.
"Yes, though all personal clients will be required to pay for my services."
"Fair enough!" Charlie agreed. "Alright, I think that's everything with the therapy, right? Anything else you need to ask?"
Eliza looked down to think. "No, that's all. Thank you." She turned to Alastor, who met her gaze questioningly. "I assume you wish to speak with them now. I apologize for taking so long."
"Not at all, sweetheart!" The two of them stood up, Eliza grabbing her half-eaten breakfast and switching tables. Angel removed himself from the room entirely, saying he had work to do.
The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful, at least for Hell's newest therapist. The three at the top spent the whole day planning and bickering, so Eliza decided to turn her attention to something she pushed to the back of her mind the day before: what did she look like? She had yet to actually see her new form, assuming she had one. Everything had happened so quickly that she never even had a chance to consider what she must look like now. After all, everyone around her looked less than human for sure, so it came to reason that she did, too. And so she went to her room, hiding away in the bathroom to become accustomed to whatever changes were in store.
She spent more time in front of a mirror that day than she did her entire life, or so it felt. Her gaze initially lingered on her eyes, white as snow with vertical black slits. Her skin was a bit of a surprise as well, almost albino quality white, but upon closer inspection seemed to be made up of miniscule scales. Her body was a bit thin, though she didn't remember having this level of curvature while she was alive. She wasn't quite hourglass shape, but she had filled out a bit, though that could just be because certain parts of her body lost their natural, thicker shape. Her hair seemed to carry the same shade of brown she had when alive, and it was the same thickness, though far less unruly. She used to have to keep it in a ponytail or bun at all times to contain it, but now it seemed to sit nicely, falling just below her shoulders without any frizzy chaos. She was still wearing the same clothes as when she died, which came as a bit of a surprise, but the flower…
She went to remove it, but it was actually attached to the skin. A vine was bent over the top of her blouse like a clip, so that she could still remove her clothes, but the roots of the vine were deeply ingrained into her chest, right above her heart.
"That must be where the bullet went through," she mused out loud. Then, satisfied that she had seen everything she could in her current state, she began to undress, carefully maneuvering the rose so as to not catch on the blouse. Once it was removed, the vine pulled back and disappeared entirely, placing the rose petals right up against her scaly flesh. Her hands were slender and seemed slightly pointed, but were soft like human fingers in spite of this. As of now, she didn't appear to even have nails, something that seemed rather curious.
When she stripped down the rest of the way, she turned to get a look at her back, discovering a V that reminded her of a monokini, though it didn't extend past her shoulder blades and came to a point at her tailbone. It was made up of glossy black scales, larger than the ones found on the rest of her body. She continued down her legs, which were a typical human shape, but the feet were a bit… odd. They held a mostly human shape, but she only had three toes, and they ended in decently large black talons. In their current state, the talons shaped themselves into a single point, as if creating the illusion of a normal pointed shoe. Not having to wear shoes all the time may not be so bad.
She returned her attention to her face, and all she could think of is what dictated the shape of a soul. Was this her only form? If she decided to change who she was, like taking the path to redemption, would her appearance change accordingly?
But most importantly, where had those wings come from? She had caught a brief glimpse of them before they seemingly vanished into shadowy tendrils. Where had they gone? Her mind remembered the black V on her back, and wondered if they were something she could summon at will.
Deciding to give it a try, she returned to the room, locking the door as she had decided to remain in the nude. She sat cross-legged on her bed and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she ran through her mantra:
"I am who I choose to be," she chanted. "Genetics do not control me. My past does not define me. My heart will not deceive me. My mind is my own to shape." She repeated this several times, taking a single deep breath between each time. Once her mind was focused, she pictured wings. Large, glorious wings spread out, folding slightly to dome around her. When she had the image firmly in mind, she opened her eyes and looked around. Nothing. A little frustrated, she tried one more time. The result was the same.
She decided to forgo the definition of insanity and give up for the time being. Their appearance had been so sporadic, but she remembered picturing wings as she fell. She had been falling at the time. Maybe that was relevant.
As she sat there thinking, she began to feel an incessant need to wander; to just to let her feet take her somewhere. Now that she was dead and currently waiting for her new job to begin, she had nothing but time, so she threw her clothes back on and left the hotel, telling Husk that she'd return soon. He just grunted, sitting at the table and shuffling cards around.
Outside, she took a breath of fresh, Hellish air. It smelled slightly sulphuric, and carried a smokey heat like being near a bonfire. This is the air she'll be breathing for the rest of her afterlife, so she felt the need to get accustomed quickly. Now that her focus was no longer on the building, she noticed a nice stone drive-around at the entrance surrounded by a red, pointy fence. Further down, where the black mark of an explosion rested, Niffty was hard at work sweeping up the soot and tossing out all the rubbish left behind. Eliza waved as she walked by, and the cyclops returned the gesture excitedly before going right back to work.
The fence eventually opened up to a street, and she had already reached the city. Across the street were many small buildings. Some looked to be personal housing, while others looked like small shops. There looked to be carnage in the streets, with people still cleaning up after what appeared to be mass genicide. Eliza felt a little confused. Was it possible to die in Hell? It seemed unlikely, seeing as this was supposed to be an eternity of damnation. She would ask Charlie or Vaggie upon her return. Probably Vaggie, since she'd just give her a straight-forward answer rather than a confusingly emotional monologue. Or maybe Angel could tell her, if he would return from work eventually. Although if she was right about him being a prostitute, maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he wouldn't be seen again until tomorrow. Depends on how much money his 'sugar daddy' was expecting. Porn, frankly, would have the same resulting time-consumption.
She rounded a corner, looking down a side-street, and saw a small rodent-like demon being mugged. The attacker really wasn't trying to stay hidden or keep quiet, and no one was coming to help from the street. Another thing she was right about: Hell is a cutthroat place. If it's possible to truly die, and probably just cease to exist entirely, she would have to be careful.
"Hey, doll," a thick, brutish voice called, dragging her attention away from the assault she was passing by. "What're you up to?" A few feet in front of her stood a tall, red lizard-like demon, with two dark-brown horns protruding from his crown and pointing straight up. He had a thick chest and strong jaw-line, and was looking at her like she was meat. He had a lackey on either side. On his left stood a tall, lanky blue lizard with four eyes and 6 small horns along his brow, and on his right was a green bird-like girl wearing torn clothes and covered in gold chains and facial piercings.
"Taking a stroll," she answered politely.
"Oh yea?" He chuckled, and the girl next to him looked at Eliza with half-lidded fuck-me eyes. "How 'bout you 'stroll' with us? We'll show you some of the best places."
"Unfortunately I must decline," she said, though her polite face showed no trace of apology. She stood her ground, not daring to turn her back on them, though she felt the need to watch her back. She didn't know if the two beside him were his only 'friends' currently with him.
"Is that so?" The bird-like girl stepped forward, her eyes narrowed from the obvious slight. "Think you're too good for us, girl?"
"I merely don't travel with those I don't know," she replied.
"Oh, but we'd love to get to know you." She raised two fingers to her beak and licked between them, the message clear as day.
"Then I'm afraid I must disappoint you. The answer is no."
"Never said we were asking," the red one growled. Stepping past the bird and looking like he would charge.
"I suppose you're correct," she agreed. "You never did. But I still refuse."
"Well fuck you, then!" The large red demon charged, clearing the distance quickly. But not quickly enough. She side-stepped, and he ran past her, stopping only once he realized he had run too far.
"Come here, bitch!" the blue lizard lunged, and she side-stepped again, but this one had better control and took a swing. She ducked slightly, choosing to twirl away. Behind her, the green bird reached out with her talons, and Eliza caught herself mid-dodge, resulting in a stumble to the side. While she did have to waste time catching herself, the result was helpful as the bird grabbed the blue lizard's face, resulting in a screech of pain as her talons scratched down his snout.
Unfortunately, the red lizard charged again, and she was still stopping her convenient stumble. She shot the lizard a side-long, wide-eyed stare. If she were stronger, she could reach out and-
THUD!
She watched as black tendrils formed behind her, taking the form of a large black wing. It looked like a normal arm and hand with fingers and a thumb, and a flowing membrane that unfurled even further like a scaly cloak. The hand caught the charging demon by the head, enveloping his face and squeezing, resulting in a sickening squish. The lizard's body crumpled into a useless heap. His lackeys stared at their boss' corpse for a moment, backed up slightly, and then turned to flee. Whatever kind of fight they anticipated, that wasn't it.
Though, frankly, the same could be said for Eliza, who stared at the wing as if star-struck. She didn't get to look long before it deformed into retracting, writhing tendrils that disappeared into her back once more, just like when she first arrived. On-lookers took notice before going back to their daily lives as if nothing had happened. A rather plump lady got up from a nearby table and waltzed over to the demoness with a wide, sharp-toothed grin. She had blonde hair, and her eyes had black sclera and silver irises.
"Excuse me~!" she called in a sing-song voice. "Are you going to keep that?"
Eliza cocked her head in confusion. "Keep what?"
"That lizard's body, of course!" She pointed down at the corpse excitedly. "If not, may I have it? Wouldn't want it to go to waste and all!"
Understanding dawned on Eliza's face as she smiled sweetly. "I see. No, I don't want it. Feel free to it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it far more anyway."
"Oh, thank you dear!" She turned to the table she left behind and waved to her friends. "Come here girls! We have to get this meat back to the restaurant!" Her girlfriends came over and helped her carry the body away, all of whom thanked her once more and waved goodbye. Eliza returned the gesture before continuing on her stroll. She wondered briefly if she should visit such a clearly cannibalistic restaurant, if only to say she tried it at least once. Her repulsion drove the thought away quickly. She walked on, eyeing for a moment where the wing had been moments ago before disappearing. It was as though it had never existed, and it irritated her that she couldn't consciously summon it. Relying on it appearing on impulse didn't sit well with her.
She walked by a nice looking café before finding what looked like another main road perpendicular to the one she currently walked upon. Down at the end was a very large clock tower, and she decided she wanted to see it up close. As she strode along she noticed corpses were being collected, as well as a couple women walking around. One was carrying a handful of strange spears, while the other had a clipboard.
As she walked up to an alleyway, she was almost taken out by a demon flying through the air. She stopped in her tracks and watched as he crashed into the street, and was promptly run over by a speeding car. Laughter drew her attention back to the alleyway, where a tall cyclops stood doubled over, deeply amused by the carnage he caused. He noticed the demoness watching him with a raised eyebrow.
"Mind your own business, lady," he warned, his voice surprisingly deep for such a lanky figure. He opened a door to his right and entered the building, slamming it shut behind him. Eliza was about to continue on when she saw something move at the end of the alley. A trashbag fell out of the dumpster, and something stuck out of the container that was shiny.
Feeling strangely empowered after her accidental victory, she decided to investigate. She walked cautiously by the door the cyclops had entered, listening for a hint of someone on the other side. Upon hearing nothing, she ghosted past as quietly as she could and made her way to the dump. It was one of the strange spears those women were collecting, stuck through a demon's corpse and lodged into the wall.
She reached out and took hold of the shaft, giving it a pull. It didn't budge. She took a hold of it with both hands and pulled harder, but still nothing. She even tried leveraging her weight to see if she could wiggle it up and down to loosen it, but the wall kept its hold.
She remembered how the wings only seemed to pop up when she needed them and thought briefly about her two successes. The first time she had been falling, and wished she could spread her wings and fly. The second time she was caught off guard and needed something strong enough to stop a charging demon.
"This time," she hissed, grabbing the shaft with both hands and pulling with all her might. "I need more… strength…!" She felt a slight twinge in her back, the wings responding as she had hoped. However, she underestimated the strength of the shadowy appendages. They matched her effort and pulled, and the sheer force of it sent her flying backwards, landing half-way down the alley. Her grip held the spear, but she was severely winded and lay there for a quiet moment, hoping no one noticed.
This time, it seemed that luck had favored her, for she was able to slowly rise to her feet without incident. She looked at the spear, not bothering to watch the wings retract once again. She would have to figure out more about how to keep them out on a later date. For now, she had a clock tower to inspect.
She returned to the street and finished walking toward the tower. The front of the building had a spooky face on it, as well as posters of concerts, strange warnings and more. At the top was the giant clock, counting down the seconds, minutes and hours of every day for all around to see. But under it was something that caught her attention.
"Next cleanse," she read aloud. It said there were 364 days until the next one. Did that mean she just barely missed it? She showed up to Hell just yesterday, and if it's a yearly thing… Yet another question for her bosses. She decided to wander around freely, especially since demons seemed to give her a wide berth now that she had the strange spear. She took more chances and discovered more spears in hard-to-see places. One was almost completely buried in rubble, while another had the shaft broken almost entirely to the spearhead. After collecting 4 more, she was having hard time holding on to them, and since her wings were once again deaf to her demands, she decided that she was all wandered out and wanted to return to the hotel.
The walk back was uneventful, and she entered the building with a sigh. Husk grunted his greeting, no longer playing with cards in favor of emptying a bottle of booze. However, he noticed all the spears she was carrying, and choked on his drink.
"What the fuck?" he demanded.
"Excuse me?" she responded, not understanding.
"Why do you fucking have-" he cleared his throat and tried again, calming down slightly. "Where'd you find those?"
"They're scattered everywhere in hard-to-reach places," she answered simply. "A couple ladies were walking around collecting them, but they missed a few. I collected them. I figured they might be worth something, so I'm taking them to Charlie to get more money for the hotel."
Husk raised an eyebrow as he realized she had no idea what she was holding. "Alright, girl, you gotta know something before you start fucking carrying that shit around. Those are angels' spears, and they ain't fucking toys."
"Ok, but what does that mean, exactly?" Eliza inquired, her ignorance plain for all to see. She wasn't sure why belonging to an angel was important, though why an angel would be in Hell to begin with was beyond her at that moment. "They seem like normal weapons to me."
"Not just any weapons," he corrected. "Those spears kill souls. Gone. Erased. You don't come back from that, ya hear? So be careful where you point the damn things."
Eliza looked at the spears in surprise. They looked like such simple and unassuming weapons to be so powerful. "So, demons normally can't die unless stabbed by one of these?"
"Pretty much," he confirmed. "Demons heal fast. Kill one, they respawn somewhere else. Stab 'em with one of those, they won't come back. Got it?"
She took one final impressed look at the spears. "Thank you, Husk," she said with a bow, which wasn't easy with an armful of spears. "I apologize for frightening you."
"You'd be scared too if ya had some fuckin' sense," he grumbled. Irritated, he returned to his bottle, only to find that it was empty. "...God dammit."
"Oh, since I'm here, I have one more question."
"Might have an answer."
"What's the Cleanse?"
Husk was suddenly glad he ran out of booze, or else he would have choked again. That was proof if he ever heard it that she just dropped yesterday, or else she'd know exactly what that fucking was. Before explaining, he felt the need to express his previous sentiment: "...God dammit."
Right after Husk finished telling her about Angels exterminating Demons every year to solve Hell's overpopulation, Eliza thought to herself, 'Maybe I should keep one of these spears… Just in case.'
