Chapter 6: The Swarm
A few minutes after breakfast was done, Indigo had received the Overlords' permission to go explore the emporium's gardening department while they had their own matters to discuss. Rosie had a door directly accessing it.
Indigo marveled at the sight of the department. A whole room of glass walls and insulated heat, untethering it from the rest of the emporium. A hexagon-shaped room, six stories tall, with catwalks of metalwork fashioned like spiderwebs. She marveled at the sight of everything the department had to offer as she went down the catwalk to reach the seeds section on the main floor. Potted carnivorous plants, medicinal herbs, potted vines hanging from the ceiling that moved items around, bookshelves about Hell's flora, fidgeting bonsais, corpse-scented mulch, a variety of vases and pots, deadly gardening tools, and glass tanks sealing swarms of bugs within. Even though Rosie encouraged her to help herself on the house, Alastor had given money just in case.
The Overlord of Radio might as well be a walking bank.
She got to the main floor. The gardening department didn't really have anyone other than some winged and horned, fuchsia-colored demoness boringly going over paperwork at the front desk and a bulky alligator demon lifting some crates, probably a delivery boy. The seed aisles turned out to be more complex than Indigo had anticipated. Like paints at a Home Depot store, all the seeds were color-coordinated. And some of the flowers she wanted came in various colors…
She accidentally blinked and her vision shifted to that blasted sin-tracking. To her shock, she was seeing sins glowing from inside the packages.
"That's weird…" She muttered. "I wonder…" She closed her eyes. "I can't believe I'm trying this… Envy in brooms?" When she opened her eyes again, she suddenly saw a trail of ghostly purple flies leading her towards three different packages of brooms, each glowing with envy. Why they glowed with envy, Indigo wasn't sure, but she was glad it helped her pick out the best of the stack. On the package, the image showed the yellow plants with tiny pale dots at the petals' tips. Very beautiful indeed.
Oddly enough, Indigo used this… newfound ability to collect the next seed packs: purple alliums with black outlined flowers shaped like pentagrams, neutral pink azaleas, tear-shaped balm, pink lotuses with blue tipped petals shaped like clouds, hundred-petaled magnolias, and bluish purple speedwells meant to grown in a triangular formation. Pleased with her selections, Indigo tried but failed to find mistletoe. She spotted the demons at the front desk, took a deep breath, and approached them.
"Hi!" She waved at the fuchsia demoness behind the cash register. The alligator demon was chatting with her. Both looked at Indigo with stone glares. Right. I'm in Hell, Indigo thought. Remember, Ines. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
"I don't accept tips in quickies," the demoness snapped. "If you think you can shop at the Emporium and just hope to get away tax-free by having me show my pussy, then get lost!" She pointed at the exit door.
"What?" Indigo was confused.
"You heard me! Sexual favors are NOT part of my paycheck!"
"Um… no thank you." Indigo shook her head. She did her best to stay calm, unless she wanted Rosie's workers to see her explode butterflies out of her body from embarrassment. "I hope Miss Rosie doesn't include… that kind of thing in your paycheck…" Indigo then saw the demoness' nametag. "Miss Carmen?"
"It's Carman. Not Carmen."
"I'm sorry. Thank you for clarifying, Miss Carman. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you, but I was wondering where your mistletoe was. Not to hang over doorways but to grow on outdoor surfaces."
Miss Carman frowned at her. "The emporium doesn't get any mistletoe in stock until the second week of December. Imports come from the Sloth Ring."
"Shoot!" Indigo shrugged. She put the seed packets on the counter. "Well, I might as well proceed with my purchase. How much?"
Miss Carman looked at the seed packets. "That's an unusual selection. Most customers at this department go crazy for the roses. And are those magnolia seeds? You realize it takes years for those trees to really branch out?"
"I can attest that." The alligator demon nodded.
"I don't exactly have a time deadline and I'm technically paying with Mister Alastor's money…"
The demons' eyes widened at her.
"Oh, are you with him?" The alligator demon smiled, his fanged mouth revealing a tongue piercing. "The man's legit! Did I tell you, Carman, that he buys my sausages for his jambalaya?"
"Yes, the same guy who waltzed around the colony, buys from every meat shop there, and loves the andouille sausages sold at Shreveport's Sausages," Carman spoke sarcastically. "I heard it a million times, Shreveport!" She rolled her eyes and looked at Indigo. "You're his new gardener or something? You know he doesn't exactly have a green thumb, right?" Carman wiggled her right thumb.
"I did not know that. And I'm not his gardener. But I am technically the gardener at the Hazbin Hotel."
Carman and Shreveport did what they could to hold back their snickers. Indigo just crossed her arms and stared at them. Miss Charlie really needed to work on her branding! And now Indigo was dealing with common demons laughing at how pathetic it was!
"Christ! What is she having you do? Build a fucking community garden?" Carman laughed. "Ooh, maybe build a mini Eden's Garden filled with apple trees that no one can touch? I'm sure the head honcho will find it hilarious!"
"I demolished the dead ones they already had. Apple trees are too clichéd." Indigo didn't know what she was thinking, but she confidently pulled her sketching draft from her pocket and placed it on the counter. "Feel free to make fun of my idea. Maybe you can tell me what I should be doing?"
To Indigo's surprise, the two demons stopped laughing. Shreveport even pulled out some dark green reading glasses from his black trousers' pockets and put them over his reptilian nose for a better look. Carman even laid out the seed packs to match the floral layouts in her sketch. Out of the two of them, Shreveport was the one to mumble and think out loud to himself the most.
"Damn…" He lifted his glasses up. "The hotel's a fucked up deal, but this? Pure gold!"
His comment surprised Indigo. She looked at Carman, asking for an explanation.
"Shreveport's a freelancing landscape designer," the fuchsia-skinned demoness explained. "Besides his sausage shop in the Cannibal Colony and delivering his products for the emporium's meat department, he also designs gardens."
"I'm not really an expert," Shreveport said dismissively. "I just design one garden every year."
"Since 1918!" Carman nudged him.
"You designed 103 gardens? That's awesome!" Indigo smiled.
"Look, it's nothing! I just design gardens for cafés and outdoor clubs! Materials are expensive to come by, that's why I only do it once a year!" Shreveport protested. His scales blushed lime green in embarrassment.
"Are you kidding?" Carman insisted. "That Colonial Revival garden you came up with for the Misanthropic Miller & Music made the joint so popular, even Miss Rosie and Mister Alastor go there for outings! Verosika Mayday even rated it five pentagram stars just for how awesome her private garden concert was back in 2016!"
"Shut up, Carman…" Shreveport hissed, his tail moving in more embarrassment.
"I think it's great how modest you are about your work, Mister Shreveport," Indigo said nicely. "Look, even I am uncertain about Miss Charlie's plans, but I don't really have anything to lose. Plus, I'd rather deal with an actual professional's insight than…" She groaned, "have her turn it into a babyproofed sandbox. What if you just stopped by to, you know, have a look at it and provide your insight? If you think it's something you can work with, I'll talk to Mister Alastor and Miss Charlie to properly pay you for your help. If you think it's not worth it, I promise not to bother you ever again."
Indigo must have been really insane. What did she think, negotiating with a demonic being? Get extra points in being a new laughingstock after Charlie? Add her first sin by trying to make a deal?
Shreveport looked hesitant.
"Come on, Shreveport! For once, it's not an Overlord bogus deal! She's not asking for your damn soul!" Carman encouraged. "Besides, it's not like you're being forced to join the program."
"I'm not forcing anyone," Indigo said, confused.
Carman ignored her and kept talking to the alligator demon. "Think of it. Designing an actual hotel garden. Changing from cafés and clubs to hotels! You could be recognized for more than your sausages!"
"I don't know, Carman. I've never designed gardens for hotels before…" Shreveport decided.
Indigo pondered. She then came up with an idea. "Say, if I were to dig up a pond for the lotuses, should I use a teaspoon or a shovel? Does it matter what kind of mineral I use? And if I decided to put fish in the pond, can I go for a 1-foot depth?" She asked, doing her best to sound dumb.
Her fakery through dumb questions had its effect. Carman smirked at her cleverness as it caused Shreveport to twitch his eyes.
"I'll be there at 4pm," he grumbled. "And I want a free vodka bottle for your shitty manipulation!"
"Thank you so much!" Indigo shook hands with him. The alligator grumbled something before Carman patted him on the shoulder. Shreveport just shrugged and left to continue his deliveries.
"Not bad," Carman nodded to Indigo. "If the hotel doesn't work out for you, you might make it in Hell as a dealmaker. You still want to buy those seeds?"
Indigo nodded. For some reason, money in Hell was referred as 'souls' rather than 'dollars' and all portrayed the same clown-face. Indigo frowned at the money as she handed it to Carman, who noticed her staring at the cash.
"How long have ya been in Hell? You smell like a newbie sinner," she asked.
"Monday night." Indigo sighed.
"Damn. Sorry to hear that. How did you die?"
"I really don't know and don't want to talk about it," Indigo shook her head. "What about you?"
"Me?" Carman chuckled. "Missy, I'm a Hellborn! Unlike you, Shreveport, and nearly everyone in the Pride Ring, I'm a damn succubus born 22 years ago in the Lust Ring."
"Oh. Sorry for the confusion." Indigo took the change and the seed packs now placed in a paper shopping bag. "What's the Lust Ring like?"
"Like shit." Carman scowled. The succubus then shrugged. "But you don't need to give a fuck about it. The head honcho of Hell made sinners unable to leave the Pride Ring. Unless you want to fall into the abyss of primordial chaos, you will never go anywhere past the mountains that surround this ring."
Indigo groaned. "Fantastic."
"Honestly, you're not missing out much. The other rings are just a bunch of shitty circuses. Imports are brought from the rings to further reinforce the sins of sinners in the Pride Ring. That way, if they die, their essence gives Hell an extra booster in its fuel to further fuck up the next generations of demons."
Indigo listened to Carman's description with curiosity. So the imports of the Rings of Hell influenced sinners to add more sins to their actions so that their deceased essences would empower Hell? No wonder there was an overpopulation crisis. "If I may ask, what are each of the Rings' imports?"
"Let me think…" Carman tapped her black nail polished fingers against the counter. "Pride does human culture, Wrath is in charge of farming, Gluttony brings the main labor in food industries and also trains Hellhounds, Greed controls the banks and casinos for money, Lust obviously brings the whores and sex products, Sloth sends plants, and Envy brings luxury items."
"Why does Envy bring luxury items?" Indigo was confused. "It sounds more like a thing for Greed. What, with capitalism these days."
"I know, right? But you need to get this, especially since you're new. The Envy Ring is messed up as fuck. If they specialize in luxury items, it's because the Ring's royal family expects demons to fight over their products out of envy. You know, like, why don't I have this guy's awesome convertible? Why don't I have her watch? Why can't I be as awesome as her, she's so rich, she buys just the best! And if it's not luxury items, it's luxury minerals to build luxury items! That way, contractors and designers fight one another to get the goods! Trust me with this shit, the Envy Ring is dangerous! That's why the Rings are organized in color-code. Purple being envy, it's the furthest from Pride. Rumors among the Hellborns are that Lucifer trusts Leviathan the least among the other Deadly Sins who rule the Rings." Carman shuddered. "I would never put my toes in that ring! Uh, are you OK?"
Indigo wasn't OK. She turned her back to hide her frozen expression. She didn't want the succubus to see her recall that ghastly memory of Ines being traumatized by the theologist's lecture on Leviathan. She didn't want to imagine that the Ring of Envy was real. She didn't want to think about her inexplicable hunger for envy. She didn't want to think about how one accidental blink could cause her to spot the envy in any demon or damned object.
She didn't want to think that somewhere in Hell, Leviathan existed…
Indigo started to pace, a panic attack growing in her and the locust-headed butterflies in a nearby tank started to form a tornado to march her growing anxiety.
"Miss? I think you're…" Carman began to step out of the front desk.
Indigo suddenly felt someone running into her. It stopped her panic attack as she briefly stumbled but got back on her feet. Years of ice skating would certainly teach someone to keep their composure. A pot crashing alerted her that whoever bumped on her landed on a nearby stash of terracotta statuettes.
"I'm so sorry!" She ran and helped the avian demon get up. "Are you OK?"
"No…" The avian demoness groaned as Indigo helped her get up. She froze when she saw Indigo, who immediately went to pick off the terracotta shards off her messy black hair… surprising Indigo when feathers fell of. Indigo dismissed that. Who was she to judge anyway? She hiccupped butterflies, for crying out loud.
"Good thing you don't have any cuts." Indigo plucked the last shard off the demoness' black shawl. "You really shouldn't run around a gardening department. I don't really want to find out what they do to broken legs in the Cannibal Colony. Please be careful next time, OK?"
"Uh… I… thanks?" A pink blush appeared on the demoness' porcelain white owl face, the pupil-less white irises widening in her pink eyes. Far from the two teenagers, Carman had a big smirk on her face as she watched the two interact.
Obviously, Indigo had no idea who she was talking to.
Same moment, different perspective
Octavia Goetia wasn't having the best of days.
Things just had to worsen. Her parents divorcing, being stuck spending weekends with her mother at pathetic elite events, her father hiding his weird depression behind smiles every time Octavia was with him, but the press following her? For weeks, magazine reporters tried to snatch pictures of 'the emo princess's depression following her family fiasco'. She couldn't even enjoy shopping at Stylish Occult in peace. The press just wanted to rub it in her face that her family was damaged because of her father, the Ars Goetia prince Stolas, and his affair with a bottom-class imp.
Her idea wasn't that stupid initially. Risk a ride to the Cannibal Colony, go to Rosie's Emporium to explore their taxidermy and cursed relic departments, and avoid the presses. As an Ars Goetia, people are supposed to leave her alone in an Overlord's turf. Obviously, she didn't expect that Katie Douchebag and Tom Wench (she really didn't like them) would be crazy enough to stalk her limo and then try following her into the Emporium. That blonde bitch would do anything to get credit from Vox. Octavia knew that the Overlord would do anything to share royal humiliations on TV for the sake of ratings.
Octavia tried to dodge them the best way she could, but the two anchormen followed her. Eventually, she cracked and came up with the dumbest idea: shouting at the top of her lungs like a maniac fangirl that the Radio Demon was going to take out for dinner the first cannibal who assaulted Katie Killjoy. Octavia managed to make an escape as hundreds of cannibals spread throughout the emporium targeted the anchormen.
Octavia didn't expect to run into the garden department. She also didn't expect to collide with another demon and land on some terracotta statuettes.
But the real thing she didn't expect? The kindness from the butterfly demoness.
Octavia was a bit too speechless, not sure why she fucking blushed like a perky goth girl when the demoness, probably close to her age, casually plucked the terracotta shards off her. She didn't even treat Octavia as if she were above her. Or maybe the demoness really had no idea who she was talking to.
And why was Octavia stuttering?
"Are you sure you're OK?" The demoness asked. Her black-and-blue eyes were like Neptune and Pluto floating in outer space.
"I'm…" Why was Octavia gulping? "I'm Octavia."
The terracotta shards in the butterfly demoness' hands suddenly glowed. The girls stared in awe as the pieces transformed from lifeless minerals into black butterflies with splashes of blue and orange on their wings. The butterflies' sizes varied depending on the shard they emerged from. If one of the bugs was no bigger than its creator's thumbnail, another was as big as her cute nose.
"Damn…" The succubus from the front desk gasped.
"Precis Octavia." The butterfly demoness smiled. "Gaudy commodores. They only live in Africa… I just created gaudy commodores out of terracotta just from hearing your name. This is insane!"
"Wow…" Octavia gasped in awe.
She was amazed by the butterflies, Octavia realized too late that the fucking anchormen had managed to find her. Worse, they had a camera man recording the whole thing.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning! I'm Katie Killjoy!"
"And I'm Tom Trench!"
"We are live at Rosie's Emporium, here to get an exclusive on the daughter of Ars Goetia Prince Stolas!" Katie Killjoy shoved a microphone in front of Octavia's face. "Tell us! How does it feel to be in a family humiliated by the patriarch fucking around with a bottom-pit imp? How horrible is it to support your mother? How DEVASTATING must it be to know that your royal daddy is the sugar daddy to some imp?"
Octavia found herself against the tank of Lapis Locustia. She bit her lips, struggling to hold back tears.
Then the glass above her suddenly broke.
Demons freaked out at the sight of the Hellborn butterflies, the Lapis Locustia, legendarily believed to have been prototypes for the Egyptians' locust plague. Flesh-eating bugs that swarmed in tornado formation over the blue butterfly demoness who had helped Octavia get up earlier. The Precis Octavia grew to the size of Hellhounds, hissing vapor at Katie Killjoy. The female anchorman tried to stay on her feet while Tom Trench panicked behind her.
"Bad idea, Katie!" He exclaimed.
This was something Octavia never really got to witness. A sinner's first demonic transformation, usually instigated by wrath. But this girl? She did it in pure, tranquil fury. Red admiral butterflies emerged from her to join the swarm, which started flying into a formation outlining titanic butterfly wings. The giant wings flapped, creating a gust of wind that knocked the anchormen into a stack of rakes. The cameraman couldn't resist filming their looks of terror as the monstrous wings stopped flapping, the swarm never breaking its flying formation. The butterfly demoness marched towards them, the department's lights shifting into amethyst hues as she glared at them, a purple aura surrounding her mismatched eyes. She bared her teeth at them, sending butterflies of vapor at the anchormen's faces.
"Get… out…" She said. "Please."
Octavia smiled a bit. Even in her first transformation, the girl was polite.
"W…W… Well, yo… you see… we…" Katie Killjoy stuttered as if she had just stepped out of a bathtub full of Arctic water.
"GET OUT!"
All the other glass tanks broke. Dragonflies, mantises, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, and flies buzzed in clouds. They screeched in agony as their bodies transformed into butterflies, retaining aspects of their previous forms: wings, patterns, pinchers, and stingers. The hybrid butterflies joined the swarm, enlarging the wings. The butterfly demoness' widened her mouth to reveal her fangs sharpening into whale teeth. The walls shook violently. Her screams sounded like a hurricane.
"GET OUT!" She screamed.
Tom Trench screamed hysterically and ran out the gardening department.
"My fucking headline!" Katie Killjoy exclaimed.
"YOUR NEXT EVENING NEWS HEADLINE WILL BE ABOUT YOUR SCREAMS WHEN YOU GET MY FLESH-EATING SWARM TO GIVE YOU PERMANENT SCARS ABOUT EVERY PATHETIC SECRET IN YOUR HUMAN LIFE, EVEN PLASTIC SURGERY WON'T HEAL YOUR DISFIGURED BODY! YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO RUN LIKE THE COWARD YOU ARE BEFORE YOU SEE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE BUTTERFLIES MUD-PUDDLING YOUR BLOOD! GET OUT!"
Octavia's eyes beamed when Katie Killjoy finally ran away from the gardening department. The demoness who scared off the anchormen glared at the cameraman, who immediately threw the camera on the ground and stomped it under his foot. He whistled his way out casually.
The swarm dissolved and flew around to put the gardening department back in place. The butterfly demoness regained her senses, blinked, and looked around her. She looked mortified at the butterflies cleaning the mess up. "What did I just do?"
The succubus at the front desk clapped her hands. "That… was AWESOME! You put that bitchy Katie Killjoy back in her place! YOU were FUCKING AWESOME!" She jumped on the counter and spoke to Octavia. "You saw that, right? Newbie shows her up! No diplomacy, just… BEWARE THE SWARM!" The succubus jumped on the ground and pulled out a Hellphone from her breastpocket. "Remind me, the Hazbin Hotel doesn't have merchandise, right?"
"Uh, actually…" The butterfly demoness couldn't get to the succubus as the latter started talking on her phone.
"Queenie? Yeah, it's Carman. Listen, you know that john from marketing? We're finally gonna offer a fucking gift shop!" Leaving the bugs to do all the cleaning, Carman just left and kept talking on the phone. The butterfly demoness just stared on incredulously.
Octavia walked up to her. She picked up the hat the demoness had dropped during her transformation, revealing her Neptune-blue hair. "So… like… thanks?" She stuttered again. "You didn't have to do that. You know, stick up for me." She handed the hat to the demoness. "You know… it was pretty cool… the way you scared Katie and Tom off."
"Aren't they the same news anchormen who interviewed Miss Charlie for the hotel?" The demoness took her hat back. "I can't believe they're so mean!"
"They're mean to everyone. Katie's the worst." Octavia sighed. "She dragged Tom along to get me to open up about…" Octavia felt herself breaking on the inside.
The butterfly demoness just put a gentle hand on Octavia's shoulder, causing the Ars Goetia heir to look at her. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to," she shook her head. "It's not really my business, anyway. I just hope I didn't freak you out with… whatever I just did 5 seconds. Are you sure you're OK, Octavia?"
She called her Octavia. Not Princess Octavia. Not Miss Octavia Goetia. Not 'The-Girl-Whose- Daddy-Fucked-With- An- Imp'. Just… Octavia. Like the sinner didn't really pay attention to what Katie Killjoy had said. And she was speaking to her in such a comforting tone.
"W… What's your name?" Octavia dared to ask.
"Indigo Caligo." Octavia felt like pellets were forming a knot within her. "I'm new in Hell. I just got a job as gardener of the Hazbin Hotel."
"Really nice to meet you, Indigo." Octavia hid her hands behind her back to hide her fidgeting fingers. "Uh… I'm really bad at asking this, but… do you want to, maybe… uh… hang out for a bit around the emporium?"
Indigo giggled. "Sure, why not?"
Octavia walked out of the gardening department, Indigo joining her. It felt like a new, decent change.
Meanwhile
No one would have imagined that on the other side of the glass walls of the gardening department, Rosie and Alastor had witnessed the commotion.
And Alastor, of all the demons, had lost his smile at the destruction that occurred with Indigo's first demonic transformation. Even Rosie was horrified, which didn't help when she saw her friend and old protégé lose his smile at what his new protégée had done. They had to rush back to Rosie's office, locking the doors and windows and pulling the curtains around them.
"What in Heavens' name was that, Alastor?" Rosie exclaimed.
"I'm just as speechless as you are! My young acquaintance has already proven herself to be a tad bit emotional…"
"Tad bit emotional sinners do not command swarms of insects to become one species! Not every sinner comes to Hell as powerful as you were when you first fell! And she frightened on sight two of Vox's slaves, which doesn't make me feel better after what you told me of Valentino's butterfly infestation! And she's a sin devourer, Alastor! This is serious, Alastor!" Rosie warned Alastor. "She's under YOUR WING, therefor, you must have her keep those powers under check!"
"She is a mere adolescent for eternity, Rosie." Alastor said calmly. "A very weak period when humans grow, what with their need of fitting in and following silly trends. And as I stated, she passed away under mysterious circumstances on her birthday. The poor thing has no clue as to how she died and why she is in Hell. You sensed it yourself, Rosie. Not a single sinful bone in her body yet condemned to feast on others' sins without reveling in said sins." Voodoo signs started floating around him in ghostly hazes. "As for her bug infestation on that revolting cockroach's studio, she was defending herself in hiding. Valentino sensed her presence… and publicly mocked her. She referred to him as 'acephobic'. It's disgusting that he'd target an uninterested, young arrival…"
Rosie took a deep breath. "Alastor, all I am advising is that you keep a good eye on her. I don't disagree with you. I think she's a very darling girl with great potential… just dangerous."
"I was darling, with great potential, and dangerous when I first arrived, my dear." Alastor adjusted his bowtie. "After all, you mentored me in my earliest days."
Rosie smiled as she sat down by her desk. "And you turned out brilliant." Her dark eyes beamed with an idea. "Perhaps Indigo could use you as a mentor. Her capacities could be a great asset when properly tamed."
"It could come in handy if the princess realizes that Heaven might not be welcoming to those who haven't finished their education!" Alastor twirled his cane.
"A tutor. Someone highly cultured, and you're the only one in the silly hotel." Rosie pointed at Alastor. "Proper guidance… and she could wipe out the other unnecessary Overlords."
Alastor's smile widened. "I can already imagine the destruction of our rivals!"
"And perhaps…" Rosie tapped her fingers together. "If the hotel's staff deems her useless or incapable of redemption… Lucifer would be pleased by the new Overlord."
"Hm." Alastor tilted his head. "Very entertaining idea and I admire the prospects. But I might refrain from interfering with her direct relationships. She has an… interesting positive influence."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Nothing to fuss over, Rosie." Alastor didn't want to admit to Rosie that he'd seen Angel Dust's sudden shift of responsibility. It was hard to explain, but the moment Indigo Caligo was found in the lobby, Angel Dust acted like the only responsible adult near her. Alastor was amazed by the unexpected patience the adult film star had with and even verbally putting down the princess and her lover when their respective personalities overwhelmed the young butterfly. Why, when Alastor was doing a final stroll around the hotel before the lights went out the previous night, he was surprised to find Angel Dust dragging a garbage bag full of alcohol bottles and drug bags.
Still full.
Every single thing he secretly hid in his room.
And he just threw it out in the dumpster.
Confused, Alastor had sent his shadow to check Angel Dust's room. To his shock, the spider demon had really cleared out his hidden stash. And he didn't even boast about it. Obviously, Alastor had approached him about it when the spider came back up.
"Suddenly decided to extinguish your supplies, my effeminate fellow?"
"We have a kid in the hotel! I ain't exposing her to my shit!"
"My apologies, I must have misheard. You are throwing away the temptations that satisfy your hedonistic pleasures or distract you from your employment woes… because of our newest arrival? Is this your idea of falsely entertaining me?"
Angel Dust had slapped him. "For a minute, I thought you were the same demon who saved me from Debauchery Street. I even thought you were the only other bitch smart here enough to know that she needs us. Guess I was wrong."
Alastor merely shook his head. "Just trust in me, Rosie dear. Our dear Indigo Caligo will bring a new wave of entertainment!"
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Hell
Rosie and Alastor couldn't imagine that somewhere past their reach, the Great Underdweller was watching them.
If anything, it was a mistake for the Overlord of Retail to have spices fueled by demons' envy on her shelves. The leader of the Cannibal Colony had no way of nothing that just the presence of envy was enough to give the Great Underdweller something to spy on.
He wasn't in his throne room but a private heptagon room. The amethyst-colored glass walls went all the way up to a sky-high ceiling of whale spines. On the other side of the walls swam all the sea beasts and monsters mankind feared throughout history, swimming around the Great Underdweller like the true eye of the storm he was. Each glass wall glowed in different colors to show him what was happening everywhere in Hell. Right now, he was observing what the glass spying on the Pride Ring had to offer.
And he was very pleased.
The door to his private chamber opened. In came his favorite son-in-law, now wearing an amethyst-colored suit. "Your daughter will be here in a few minutes, Oh Great Underdweller."
"Good. A punishment awaits her." As he kept his hands behind his back, the Great Underdweller clenched his claws.
"Sir?"
"Did you manage to pay the imps their silence? To turn their eye on her silly requests?"
"Indeed… along with sending them off to murder some livestock farmers on Earth to keep them busy. Why?"
The Great Underdweller shook the room by stomping his tail angrily. "The sinner she had them kill… The one you brought to its mortal paternal…"
The son-in-law widened his eyes in horror. "No… She didn't… She promised me."
"What?" The Great Underdweller turned to face his favorite son-in-law, the split expression patterns on his collar glowing, as if to emphasize that internally, the massive demon was scowling and laughing. "You thought she was going to get over her envy to her own bastard? Dear me, you realized that you're married to my youngest daughter, right? The Grand Duchess of the Evil Eye? Did you honestly think that just because you asked, she wasn't going to do it? My poor fellow, I know when my children never get over their envy, especially when they envy another family member. And you thought that Invidia Ithomia, my youngest daughter, would get over it?"
"Well… it's been sixteen years… I thought she'd get over it… Or at least forget her. The child did nothing wrong to her," the son-in-law said.
"Besides gaining my favoritism upon birth. You of all people should know what it's like to kill a relative when a parent plays favorite."
The son-in-law lowered his head in shame.
"Oh, don't give me that look! It was a success! My glorious kingdom of envy was created thanks to you!" The Great Underdweller patted his son-in-law's head as if he were a mere dogfish rather than his daughter's husband. Vapor flowed out of his chuckles as he stared at the amethyst aquarium glass showing the Pride Ring.
Specifically, as it showed him the blue butterfly demoness hanging out with an Ars Goetia at a clothing department.
"And Ines Coeurdor is the key to purging Hell, leaving nothing but glorious envy…"