"Damn, you make a mean coffee." Angel Dust said, complimenting the Devil.
Angel Dust, Cherri Bomb, and I.M.P. had joined the others in the lobby. After waking up, they first went to the dining room, hoping someone had made some delicious brown brew to help start the day. Amazingly, it was none other than Lucifer who created the magic elixir that could put a pep in most people's steps. Even more shocking, the man was DAMN good at it.
"The best beans in all of Hell." Lucifer began, explaining the process. "We Magnes do NOT engage with store-bought coffee. If necessary, we'll grow the beans ourselves in the estate's garden. With everything we have to deal with, we're not going to wake up every morning and have the first thing we taste be shit." He told them.
"How come you've never made it taste so good?" Angel Dust questioned, speaking to Charlie.
"Even now, Dad has yet to share his secrets. How to make the best coffee in Hell is one of them." Charlie sighed with a smile.
"A man has to keep SOME things close to his chest," Lucifer commented before taking a sip from his mug.
During this delightful banter, Azrael, who was still unresponsive, stared blankly at a cup of the bean-based juice that was set before her at the front desk.
"Azrael, please, snap out of it." Gabriel requested. After being told by the others what transpired before his and the Goetias' arrival, he'd been trying to bring her to her senses.
"No use, Big G." Blitzo chimed in. "That woman's in outer space now." He said.
"...Big G?..." Paimon, who sat on one of the lobby's couches with Stella and Octavia, questioned in bewilderment. The others also looked at the lanky Imp with similar expressions.
"Oh, come on. After EVERYTHING we've seen and learned, are we REALLY going to continue the formalities?" Blitzo asked while pointing at the Archangel with his thumb. "His Dad's not even God anymore." He argued.
Before responding, Paimon set down his drink and put his face into his hands. He then began massaging his skull with his fingers.
"What?" Blitzo challenged, annoyed by this reaction.
"Have you, SOMEHOW, forgotten that while Samur is not the Creator, Khan, GABRIEL'S GRANDMOTHER, IS?!" Paimon inquired, unable to keep from shouting. "Furthermore, REGARDLESS of Samur's TRUE status, he is on a FAR greater level of existence than most of us!" He exclaimed.
"...Eh, I guess.." Blitzo said with a shrug, followed by a sip of his coffee.
Everyone, excluding Azrael, stared in disbelief at the Imp. Moxxie sighed while squinting and pinching the bridge of his nose. Mille had an awkward expression of amusement at their boss. Loona, even more than Paimon, stared daggers at her adoptive Father for being so consistently embarrassing. But before this conversation could continue, a familiar set of heavy footsteps was heard from the ground floor hallway.
"Hey, there he is." Cherri greeted the space marine with a wave when she saw him. "What's going on, big guy? Did you meet the new people?" She asked.
Interestingly, Doomguy didn't respond to the mono-eyed Sinner. Instead, he directed all of his focus at the Devil, which didn't go unnoticed.
"Um, yes?" Lucifer said, unsure of why the mute man was staring at him so intensely.
"Is there a way to subdue Beelzebub's power? Specifically, her empathic abilities." Doomguy wrote after producing his notepad and pen.
"...Ah. Something happened, didn't it?" Lucifer guessed, able to piece together a general idea of what transpired.
"Yes. But I'm not asking because it bothered me. It's for her safety and health." Doomguy wrote.
"Doomguy, that's very considerate of you." Lilith complimented him. She stood beside her Husband, allowing her to see the front of the notepad.
"What's going on?" Angel Dust inquired as he got closer. Charlie, Vagatha, Cherri, and Gabriel did the same.
"As I tried to warn Beelzebub, she experienced a negative reaction when assessing Doomguy's soul," Lucifer told them before raising his hand. "Should you not know, Beelzebub's abilities regarding the soul differ from my Sister's or Brother's. They can examine the contents of the soul in their entirety. Gabriel, as he's shared before, can obtain much information from a mere glance alone. Beelzebub, specifically, is an empath. Meaning that she is VERY sensitive and aware of others' emotions. Yet, like my siblings, if she establishes a proper connection to a soul, the feedback is delivered in full. I'm sure you can figure out the rest yourselves." He explained.
"But...that would mean Doomguy let her do that." Vagatha realized.
Before anyone could ask, Doomguy nodded to confirm.
"Hey! This is progress!" Charlie exclaimed with a grin.
"You call the Queen of Gluttony getting rattled from Doomguy's soul progress?" Cherri questioned.
"I mean, Samuel had to restrain Doomguy for Auntie Az to learn about his past. So, him willingly letting Beelzebub do something similar is MASSIVE." Charlie said. "Of course, that doesn't mean I suddenly approve of what Samuel did." She added, not wanting that to sound bad. In reply, Doomguy gave her a thumbs up to assure her he understood.
"Out of curiosity, would there even be a need to prevent Beelzebub from sensing his aura? Now that she's gotten a hard dose, shouldn't that help build resistance?" Angel Dust inquired.
"Yes, that is true. Plus, if she refrains from making another attempt so quickly, simply being in proximity to Doomguy will also help to normalize it." Lucifer responded.
To prevent anyone from saying something else, Doomguy quickly raised his hand. Then, with attention back on him, he scribbled on his notepad.
"I wasn't asking solely for myself. Remember, everyone, there's now someone in our group who has had a FAR worse life than me. If Beelzebub feels his soul, even just the aura, it could harm her." Doomguy wrote.
...
...Oh, Doomguy was right. None of them had even considered the Wretch and how Beelzebub would react when in his presence. It is a DAMN good stroke of fortune that the Wretch stayed at the construction site. Without exaggeration, if he had been here when Beelzebub arrived, it would've SERIOUSLY fucked her up.
"Alright. I'll go speak to her immediately." Lucifer decided, setting down his mug. "If we can't figure out something on our end, we may need to talk with Samuel or Father to see if they can provide a solution." He told them before departing.
"Good call there, big guy." Angel Dust praised him while patting his shoulder. "Looking out for us even when there's nothing to shoot." He added.
"It's no big deal." Doomguy wrote.
"Modest, too. You're getting harder to resist~" Angel Dust joked.
However, that remark did cause Cherri's face to contort into a grin. Fortunately for the Spider Demon, he caught it before she could say anything. Seeing his "DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY SHIT!" glare was more than enough to satisfy her.
FWOOSH
With a burst of wind, Nifty appeared. You'd think, even for her, running around for so long would tire her out. But nope. She was, quite literally, a Speed Demon.
"Hey, there's Shorty." Angel Dust greeted her. Admittedly, he did so to further prevent Cherri from saying something. "How's it been, pint-size? Did you manage to ditch the pissed off hairball?" He inquired. He and the others had been told why Azrael was a statue and why Husk wasn't at the front desk. So, they knew what was up.
"FINALLY," Nifty replied with emphasis and an eye roll. "He hit the floor from exhaustion a few minutes ago. I spent that time ensuring the cameras were secured." She explained.
"How'd you do that?" Vagatha asked.
"I ran around the hotel looking for Al. When I found him, I told him what was on the cameras. He was MORE than happy to help." Nifty answered. Credit where it's due, that was a stroke of genius. It was also incredibly evil. "Oh! I also noticed that we have some new faces!" She remembered to mention.
"Speaking of, how was Beelzebub? For clarity, she's the fox with wings." Cherri inquired.
"...OH. Yeah, that makes sense." Nifty said. She thought that the new trio's appearances were particularly interesting. "From what it seemed like, she was okay. She was sitting in a chair while everyone else checked on her. But she didn't look too bad or anything." She informed them before looking at the frozen Angel of Death. "I guess the same can't be said about Azrael, though." She noted.
"On that note." Gabriel suddenly spoke, followed by him moving toward his Sister.
Everyone watched the Archangel of Justice go behind the front desk and stand beside Azrael. Once in position, he...
SMACK
"UNCLE GABE?!" Charlie yelled in alarm. Everyone, including Doomguy, was surprised to see Gabriel so casually slap his sibling.
"...OW!" Azrael shouted. It took a few minutes for the shock of the action to subside and the pain to set in. "GABRIEL?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" She yelled at him while rubbing her cheek. It didn't take much deducing that he'd been the one to strike her face since he was RIGHT next to her.
"I did what was needed to bring you back to your senses." Gabriel casually responded, now looking at the still-full mug of coffee before her. "Your beverage is likely cold by now. Would you like me to-"
SPLASH
"AUNTIE AZ!" Charlie yelled again in disbelief. Also, as previously, everyone, including the mute, was baffled by what they just witnessed. Azrael, with No hesitation, threw her coffee onto her Brother. Afterward, she rose from her seat and stormed off.
"Auntie, wait!" Charlie called out before pursuing. Vagatha and Lilith accompanied her.
"..." Gabriel was silent, and his eyes were shut. "...The coffee...was still hot..." He informed the others. Honestly, that was more surprising than his Sister's reaction.
"Are you okay?" Nifty asked. Even though he was an Archangel, no one would appreciate having something as hot as coffee thrown at them.
"Fortunately, as you can tell from my face, I've not committed to a corporal appearance. Be rest assured, I suffered no injury." Gabriel answered, then looked down at himself. "Sadly, it would appear my Brother's coffee-making talents go beyond the taste. This is the first time in ages my garments have been stained by anything." He shared.
"Oh, no! We have to work fast!" Nifty exclaimed, hurrying over. "Come with me! You need to take it off!" She ordered.
For a moment, everyone looked at Nifty with astoundment. Did she REALLY just say that?
"Don't look at me like that!" Nifty scolded, putting her hands on her hips. "Gabriel's outfit is BEAUTIFUL! We can't let a coffee stain ruin it!" She exclaimed.
"I appreciate your concern, Miss Nifty. But I can handle-"
"Do YOU know how to wash clothes?" Nifty interrupted him with a stern look. "Do you know the FIRST thing about laundry? Hm? Do you?" She challenged.
...Damn. Nifty got the Archangel on that one. He never needed to clean his clothes before. In his youth, his Father handled that. In his maturity, Gabriel had never made a mess of himself. Or, as it was in this instance, had someone done so to him.
"Very well. Your argument is flawless." Gabriel conceded, much to her joy.
"Thank you," Nifty said with a smile, only to immediately change her expression. "WAIT. WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" She shouted in alarm.
After his previous statement, Gabriel UNHESITATINGLY started disrobing. Nearly everyone felt their eyes widen and the need to cover them. The sole exceptions were Doomguy and Blitzo. The former wouldn't be bothered by whatever the Archangel's "natural" self looked like. The latter was a shameless pervert MORE than eager to see what the Archangel was hiding under there.
"You emphasized the importance of taking off my clothes with haste," Gabriel replied, confused by the reaction he got. "Did I misinterpret?" He inquired.
"N-No..." Nifty said with her hands covering her eye. "But...you'll be naked...with all of us here..." She told him.
"Yes, Gabriel," Paimon spoke, doing the same. "I don't think it's proper in ANY sense for us to see someone naked. Let alone a member of the Creator's family." He stated.
"Speak for yourselves," Blitzo commented with an amused grin.
THUNK
THUD
With flawless accuracy, even with his eyes covered, Paimon fucking NAILED the Imp with his coffee mug. Yet, unlike with everything else so far, only one person reacted to Blitzo being knocked out by the flying container. Whereas the others were AMAZED it hadn't happened sooner.
"I...appreciate your manners, everyone," Gabriel said after a second. He was the only one taken aback by that scene. "But I assure you, there's no need to feel embarrassed. Please, restore your vision. You'll understand." He assured them.
Although hesitant, the others slowly uncovered and opened their eyes. When they were finished, so, too, was the Archangel. With his outfit in his arms, he was fully exposed. What stood there was...little more than a shadow.
Truly, that's the only way you could describe Gabriel. He was this mostly shapeless mass of darkness. Coincidentally, the general shape of his ethereal form was comparable to the Maykrs, Samur, and Khan. The only thing different from the shifting blackness was the blue flames that were his eyes.
"...Oh." Angel Dust was the first to speak as they discovered this. "...You know what? That makes sense, given what you said earlier." He admitted.
"See? There's nothing inappropriate." Gabriel stated before handing the clothes to Nifty. "Are you sure you can handle all of that? It's bigger than you." He asked, hoping he didn't offend her.
"Mhm! I might be small, but I'm much stronger than I look! Running around and constantly working is the best way to stay fit, toned, and improve your muscles!" Nifty proudly answered, albeit muffled. Hilariously, she was buried beneath the Archangel's articles. They completely covered her head and a fair bit of her upper torso.
Despite how funny that visual was, Nifty showed she was telling the truth. Without any issues, she zoomed out of the lobby and to the laundry room. Knowing her, it'd likely take a LONG time before she returned. She would be as thorough as possible to ensure those robes shined even brighter than before.
"...Ahem." Gabriel sounded, getting the attention back on him. "Would...it be awkward for all of you if I sat down? If it is, I can go somewhere else." He inquired.
"N-No! Of course not!" Paimon quickly exclaimed. His unintended stutter slightly betrayed his words. "Please, come sit with us. We can chat to pass the time until everyone returns." He suggested.
Although detecting the stutter, Gabriel could see that the Goetian King was sincere. However, when he moved to the vacant couch across from the Goetian family, everyone slowly gathered around him. As the Archangel sat down, he felt nearly every set of eyes studying his unique appearance. The only exception, if you can believe it, was Doomguy.
"...So...what...shall we talk about?" Gabriel asked. He did his best not to make things more awkward by sounding uncomfortable. Honestly, he wasn't bothered by their examination of him. He was used to usually being the center of attention. It was just...different this time, you know?
As the others began conversing, Doomguy would use their fixation on the Archangel to slip away. He'd summon a portal with his suit in the nearby hallway and walk through it. He was going to see the Wretch and inform him of Beelzebub and her abilities.