"Wow, that was shit." The demon said causing the entire studio audience to erupt into laughter and mockery. All the demons around Thorne started chuckling, but soon started to peel away when they all felt the shiver down their spines and the static in the air. Thorne remained rooted to the spot, not out of fear, but he wasn't going to let anyone dictate rules to him.
In order to calm his mind, Thorne focused on his reflection in the glass of the TV Store. While he had been very successful in the five years since his death, rising to the position of overlord, it was the last few months that had ruined him. His long, tangled white fur and black suit were grimy, his red eyes ringed and half lidded. The small locket that clung to his fur was the only thing from his first day that he still had. Well, that and his tremor.
His mind calm, Thorne turned and met the grinning face of the strawberry-jacket dressed radio demon, Alastor.
"Never anything good on is there Thorne? My fine fellow." Alastor remarked, his eyes narrowing menacingly.
Thorne, sensing that arguing with a fellow overlord, especially one as powerful and twisted as the radio demon was a very stupid thing to do. Decided to parrot Alastor's remarks.
"No, never anything good." Thorne echoed, his voice cracking.
"Luckily for me, I know of a great place for entertainment. And I plan on making the most of it. Cheerio!" Alastor enunciated, before turning and making his way down the street. The static in the air dropping but the malice remained.
Seeing Alastor turn the corner, Thorne took off down the closest alleyway, weaving between the vomit, the addicts and the unconscious drunks before coming to an intersection. There he waited for his associate. He found the notion ironic. An overlord waiting for a lackey. Although, truth be told, Thorne didn't see Corvus as a lackey. He was a friend, one of his best.
"Sir?" Came a young male voice from behind the older demon.
Thorne turned about and the speaker emerged. It was a tall and lanky teenage owl demon. Dressed head to toe in black. An unkempt mop of black hair covering his birdish face and scarlet eyes. Thorne had yet to find out what had landed the young man here but he wasn't going to press the issue.
"How is the hospital Corvus?" Thorne asked, folding his arms, ensuring to put his left out of sight. As the head of the IT services at St Judas', Corvus was responsible for keeping the systems of the hospital running. Something he did very well.
"Missing you, sir. When are you coming back?" Corvus replied, diving his hands into his pockets.
"Eventually, I hope." Thorne muttered, thinking of all the despondent patients and staff that would be awaiting him should he return. He then thought of the Hotel the naive princess was running. The desperate patients looking for salvation. Now while he thought of the notion as ludicrous, there would be souls there in pain. He could help them.
"Corvus, get my bag ready." Thorne smiled, "I'll have a quick shower then change."
"You're coming back?" The teen gasped hopefully.
"Yes" Thorne replied proudly, "But first I have to make a house call."
Charlie poked at her Jambalaya, eyeing it nervously. It was very kind of Alastor to have made dinner for everyone, but with his reputation it would be better to check everything you ate. She looked around at everyone at the dinner table. Vaggie was glaring at Angel who was trying to poke Husk with a spoon, who just growled and shot daggers at Alastor for bringing him to the hotel. Niffty was just sitting happily munching while Alastor, somehow managing to finish his entire meal without anyone seeing him was relaxing in his chair reading the newspaper.
Charlie wondered about the future of the hotel. Her parents had almost certainly seen her TV debacle. How long would it take before they came to shut her down? What would happen to everyone? What would happen to her people come the next extermination?
There were three knocks on the front door stopping the argument between Husk and Angel before it spiralled into something physical. Vaggie slowly rose from the table, her hand going for one of her blades. Charlie stood and put her hand out steadying her girlfriend's hand.
"Let me get it Vaggie." Charlie smiled as she made her way out of the dining room and to the front door. Vagatha not wanting to leave her girlfriend and boss, walked slowly behind her.
Charlie opened the door and was met by Thorne. His suit now clean and neatly pressed. His once long and tangled fur clean, trimmed and brushed, showing the small thorns that had, over the years worked their way out of his body.
"Hello?" Charlie asked.
"Hello." Thorne replied, smiling softly. "I am Doctor Thorne; I take it you are Princess Charlotte Magne."
"So, Thorne, how long have you been a doctor?" Charlie asked, lifting an eyebrow. Sitting in her office chair, Vagatha eyeing the white furred demon who sat patiently in the chair reserved for guests.
"About a decade. Five on Earth and five here" Thorne said, his smile widening. "As a Psychiatrist, and before you ask, no I didn't lose my license or harm any of my patients."
"Then how did you end up down here?" Vagatha demanded, her lip curling.
"Oh, I never said that I didn't do anything wrong. I killed people. People who hurt and abused my patients." Thorne continued unnerved by the moth's display of aggression. "But I would never harm a patient. Even down here, those under my care are looked after."
"Why do you want to work here?" Charlie pressed.
"I promised that I would." Thorne replied softly, running his fingers along the locket chain. "I promised my daughter that I would be a doctor."
"But sinners can't have…" Charlie started to protest.
"Adopted" Thorne replied solemnly.
Thorne reached into his jacket pocket, Vagatha's movement was both swift and graceful. Her lance just under Thorne's chin. The man just sighed.
"Be careful not to cut yourself on this lethal contract." Thorne remarked, pulling a folded sheet of paper, smoothing it out and handing it to Charlie to examine. The princess of Hell, quickly read through it.
"Were I to die by an angel's lance." Thorne continued, locking eyes with Vagatha his smile unwavering, "It would be for something I care about."
"There are somethings I don't get Thorne." Charlie stated, rising from her chair and walking over. "You said that you won't charge residents of the hotel for your services. But you don't say how much I should be paying you."
"St Judas' pay me" The feline looking demon said proudly. "Owning the hospital helps to. Which reminds me, I will need every Friday off, in order to work there."
"Makes sense to me." Charlie beamed, walking to the door. "I'll show you your room and office then it will be time to meet the staff, and our first patron."
"Okay everyone." Charlie called out to the residents of the hotel, who were hanging around the bar. "We have a new member of staff. This is…"
"Thorne?!" Husk called out, his eyes widening, alarmed at seeing the latest member of staff.
"Wait" Charlie said, confused, "How do you two know each other?"
"Oh… Husk and I… often drank together." Thorne muttered, looking at the top hat wearing cat behind the bar. Remembering the nights of drinking, getting wasted and… other stuff.
"Right, well the doctor here is going to be helping out." Charlie proclaimed excitedly.
"Yo Doc!" Angel Dust shouted from the bar, an impish looking grin on his face before turning round and bending over. "I got this massive swelling right here." Patting his backside. "Think you can help?"
"Angel" An exasperated Charlie muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. Thorne just smiled and made his way to the bar.
"Does it hurt terribly Angel?" Thorne asked feigning concern.
Angel whimpered and nodded, looking at the doctor with his mismatched puppy-dog eyes, his bottom lip quivering.
With his trembling hand, Thorne reached into his pocket and drew out a syringe filled with an unlabelled liquid.
"Woah, where ya sticking that y'quack?" Angel remarked, standing with a look of concern.
"Quite the recovery, Angel." Thorne sneered, "I should write a paper." Putting the syringe back in his pocket.
Raucous laughter came from the other side of the room as Alastor rose from his chair and put his newspaper down.
"I think that you are going to fit in here." The radio demon grinned.
"Alastor?!" Thorne said surprised.
"Hello, my fellow overlord. Are you another who believes in the nonsense of redemption?"
"Wait you're an overlord?" Vagatha said in shocked surprise.
"Only as of today." Alastor declared, throwing his arms up in delight.
"Well, all the same." Charlie continued, "Everyone will be having meetings with Thorne immediately."
"No" Thorne interjected. Raising a hand. "You can't force people to see me. I'll be in my office, anyone who wants to talk to me can find me there."
Thorne had just finished setting up his office, Nifty had just left. All his books were flush against the wall, but no bookcases, he would have to ask Alastor about summing items out of thin air. Guess Overlord-ship had its privileges. There was a small knock at the door.
"Come in Husk" Thorne said, turning to face the door as it opened, revealing the tall feline.
"How ya know it was me?" Husk asked, looking a little concerned. As if the doctor could read his thoughts.
"Nifty just left, and she never leaves a room until it is exactly how she wants it. Charlie wouldn't want to go first. Alastor doesn't think he needs to talk to anyone. Vaggie doesn't trust me. And Angel wouldn't knock." Thorne stated, as if were reading from a shopping list.
"Fuck you're still as good as you were when we…" Husk started, but then stopped himself before looking at the floor. "You got a minute?" He continued.
"For you, Husk. As much time as you need." Thorne smiled offering a chair.
"They've been up there for ages." Charlie mused.
"Probs giving Husky a full body exam!" Angel laughed. Getting a glare from Vagatha. Charlie fearing the worst remembering that Thorne never actually signed the contract he showed her, went up the stairs but bumped into Husk coming back the other way, he had obviously been crying.
"Husk, are you alright?" Charlie asked, concerned.
"Always am." Husk replied sniffing, pushing past her, "I'm going back to work."
Charlie barged her way into Thorne's office as her newest staff member was busy scribbling something into a notebook.
"How can I help you princess?" Thorne asked, not lifting his gaze to meet hers, miffed that she had the audacity to enter his office without permission. Probably there to chew him out for the state that Husk had returned to work in. He told Husk that he could stay in his office as long as he wanted, but Husk never wanted people to see him vulnerable, which was kind of ironic since Husk had just decided to return to work crying.
"What did you do to Husk?" Charlie demanded.
"I did what I always do with my patients." Thorne replied, his voice deepening as he remaining composed yet still irritated at being questioned in this manner. "I talked to him."
"What about?" Charlie pressed.
"We suffer not from the events in our lives, but from our judgements about them." Thorne said flippantly.
"What specifically." Charlie insisted.
Thorne frowned, "Can't tell you." He said, "The contract I drew up made that very clear."
"Yes, a contract that you didn't actually sign." The princess retorted bringing out the document.
"I'll make you a deal." Thorne said. "I'll agree to sign it, if you talk with me, once a week, at a time that is convenient for you. What do you say?" He lifted his pen.
Vagatha waited anxiously outside Thorne's office door with Angel since Charlie hadn't left it for over half-an-hour. A soft click came from the door, and Charlie emerged, exhausted but otherwise fine.
"Hun?!" Vagatha exclaimed. Rushing to her girlfriend. Holding her hand and steadying her.
"I'm fine Vaggie." Charlie reassured, "It was good, but mentally exhausting."
"Wow," Angel said excited. "Made Husk cry and can bring a princess to her knees. This I gotta see." Making his way in and shutting the door.
Thorne was calmly standing in the centre of the room, with his usual soft smile. A pair of spectacles perched on his nose.
"Angel" he said calmly. "Please have a seat."
Without hesitation, the spider demon made his way to one of the corner chairs and sat himself down, crossing his legs and folding both sets of his arms.
"Before we start Angel, you should know that everything you tell me is just between us. The only time I would tell Charlie, is if I thought either; you, the hotel or any of its inhabitants were in danger."
"You know I don't actually need to see you right." Angel sniffed, his voice dripping with sass.
"Of course not" Thorne replied, "You want to know what I said to Husk and Charlie. But since that isn't going to happen why don't we talk about you instead?"
"Shrinking me ain't gonna work busta." Angel sniffed again, "Ma pops already tried doing that when I was alive. Trying to 'cure' me."
"Why emphasise that word?" Thorne asked
"Huh?"
"Cure, why emphasise that word."
"Pops thought that being gay would damn me to hell." Angel chortled, "Course what dear ol'dad didn't know was that the big JC aint too happy about killing people neither." The spider demon, quickly rose from his seat. "Sorry that you didn't get anything out of me doc." Angel sniffed again.
"Oh I wouldn't say that." Thorne replied, his smile broadening.
"Why, I said nothing."
"I actually got a lot of information from what you didn't say."
Angel's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"You sat in the corner of the room, the shows you want to be in control, you need to know where the exits are. You don't want to feel vulnerable and worry that someone could come up behind you." Thorned said, removing his glasses and wiping them on a small cloth. "You folded your arms and legs, that is a closed body position, showing that you are not comfortable with me, but that is something we can work on. Your constant sniffing tells me that you snort substances to get high, you wear your personality as a mask. And you also have issues with your father."
"All that from me saying that my father tried to 'straighten' me out." Angel sneered.
"Nope" Thorne continued. "We're in Hell because we all had issues with authority. And the ultimate authority figure is the father. Therefore, we all have daddy-issues."
Angel's expression softened. He turned to leave before saying.
"I can tell you anything right doc?"
"Of course, you can Angel." Thorne insisted, taking a small step towards him. "Whenever you want."
"Tomorrow at eight?" Angel asked hopefully, rubbing his arms.
A small nod from Thorne, elicited a small smile from Angel who turned and left the room.