Scarlet Quest

Scarlet sighs as she watches her once-former and now current companion. "You don't have to look like the world is ending all the time, you know."

The black-haired woman looks up at the thief, her eyes almost empty.

"Oh, for…" She sighs, hopping seats so that she sits next to the priestess. "Look, Lita. I get it."

"Do you, Scarlet?" Lita asks. "Or are you just trying to make me feel like less of a piece of garbage?"

"Both?" She replies. "I'm not going to lie and pretend you didn't deserve that ass chewing Ariel gave you. But I'm not going to pretend like everything was your fault, either. I'm just as at fault, I've just had longer to dwell on things than you have."

Lita doesn't answer her, instead hanging her head once more. "You don't understand. I caused an angel to…" She stops, shaking her head. "There's no making up for that."

Scarlet frowns. She's got a pretty good idea of Ariel's secret — she was never the most diligent member of Justicia's faithful, but she knows enough. Like that normal angels don't come in four-winged varieties, for example.

Still, Ariel had been very lenient with her and Lita both, especially if she really had Fallen because of them.

"Maybe not." She tells Lita, patting her back gently. "Damn it, Lita. I'm not good at this sort of thing." Leaning back, she thinks for a moment. "Look, just because you can't make up for something doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

"I know that." Lita mutters. "But… I can't…" The priestess goes silent for a while.

"Do you know that she was the closest thing to an actual mom I've ever had?"

Scarlet blinks, surprised. Lita had never really spoken of her past before — not even to Ariel herself, if the angel's words had been any indication. "No."

"Well, she was." The priestess lifts her torn tabard with a couple of fingers. "My mothers only wanted one daughter, but the Goddess gave them twins. They 'took it as a sign' and handed me off to the church. Along with a 'generous' donation."

"Ah."

"Yeah. I always figured if I did well enough they'd welcome me back, but… I guess they ended up giving away the right kid." She laughs a little. "Fuck."

Scarlet winces. Lita never swore.

"Ariel was the first person to ever really tell me off, even if I never listened. I kinda figured she thought she was better than me, being an angel and all…" The laugh breaks free again. "Too up my own ass to see she was trying to take care of me, I guess. And now she hates me. Can't blame her. I would too."

"Maybe." The thief says softly. "I'm no mind reader, Lita. But if it makes you feel any better… I think she gave you the punishment she did because she still does care for you in some way. I mean, she basically said she never wanted to see that wyrm again, right? She hates her more than anything, I think. But you and me… well, she gave us a chance. Maybe we never see her again. Maybe we prove it was worth giving us a chance anyways."

"Fuck, I don't know!" She leans back and scrambles her hair furiously, accidentally swapping back to her native tongue. "Ah, sorry." She says as Lita looks at her in surprise. "Wasn't saying anything bad about you, promise. I just… look, let's take things one step at a time, yeah?"

"… alright." Lita nods.

"Good." The thief sighs. "Look, since you spilled to me I'll spill to you. Scarlet isn't my name, I changed it because people kept getting it wrong."

"What, really?" Lita actually smiles a little.

"Yes, really." She grumbles. "Don't laugh, it was super annoying when I first got here. It's Humaira."

"That's not even hard to say." Lita frowns.

"Right?! But you'd think it was Huhikalsidgfegwa with how often people fuck it up. I mean, seriously, the amount of times—"

Humaira goes off on a calculated rant, watching as the cloud of despair surrounding her once and current companion fades. Maybe she was wrong, and Ariel truly did despise Lita… but even so, the thief isn't about to let the priestess waste her chance by wallowing in self pity.

Humaira Quest END


Khel Quest

"Khii, have ye seen the lingerie?" Khel shouts across the storeroom to her sister.

Khiila pops her little horned head over a few boxes marked FRAGILE. "I think mom moved them over with th'other non-adventuring stuff. Why?"

"No reason." Khel lies, turning her face away so that her sister can't see her cheeks redden. "Just saw they weren't in the old spot."

"Uh-huh." Khii replies, clearly not believing a word. "Jus' remember what mam said about getting a priestess after, aye? She doesn't want grandkids yet."

"The Madame said they've got folk on the spot who handle that sort o' thin—" Khel's jaw snaps shut as she realizes she may have given away too much, but luckily Khiila seems to have lost interest in the conversation and wandered off.

Looking around to be sure there aren't any other family members who may ask uncomfortable questions nearby, Khel slinks over to the lingerie and takes a look at their selection.

"Damn it, mam. Why's there nothin' fer a woman with a tail here? Fer… oh, that works." Spotting a set with a resizable hole on the bottom, she plucks it up and tucks it into a bag. Mam would kill her if she didn't mark it off and pay for it, so she stops by the front to do just that, praying that nobody thinks too hard about why this particular set was bought up just as they close up for the night.

--

Khel stands in front of her mirror, thankful that her mam is well off enough to afford such a luxury for each member of the family. The lingerie fits her well enough, the sheer black complimenting her tan skin nicely. "Matches me scales, too." She mutters.

"Dressin' up fer someone in particular?"

Khel screams as her mother pops up behind her, cursing her dwarven mother's small stature. How else had she managed to sneak up on her like that?

"Ha! Noticed ye sneakin' that out o' the storeroom, girly." Khazi laughs as Khel stammers out excuses. "Relax, Khel. I know ye paid fer it. I'da let you have it fer free, t'be honest, but I appreciate ye doin' yer due diligence."

"Y… yer not mad?" Khel asks, looking guilty.

"Nay, lass. Ye've been an adult fer a while now. T'be honest with ye, I'm more surprised it took ye so long to show interest in this sort o' thing."

"Wasn't that it took long, it's just…"

"Ye had someone in specific in mind." Khazi nods knowingly. "Aye, I know. Quite the beauty, that angel."

"Aye." Khel mutters, blushing at the memory of the raven-winged woman. "But, eh… I dunno. Figured it might be better t'get some experience first, aye? Even if I did get the chance, I mean."

"Oh, I get ye. Nearly cried my first time, I did so bad." Her mam laughs. "Ye'll do fine, Khel. Who's the lucky lass, by the way?"

"Er…" Khel looks away nervously. "I don't know."

Khazi frowns. "What d'ye mean ye don't know?"

"I mean… it's a job, aye? The Madame said she'd set me up with someone experienced for me first go." Someone with black wings, incidentally. Apparently harpies with that particular trait have gotten rather popular, recently.

"The Madame… Eona?!" Khazi starts in shock, making Khel wince.

"… aye?"

"Ye…" Khazi opens her mouth to say something, but then stops herself. "Well, I suppose it might be different fer ye. Yer ma' was always pretty casual abou' this sort o' thing, after all…"

Khel tries not to think about the implications of that too much. She knows her parents are still pretty active, of course, but it's another thing to give it actual thought.

"Well, so long as yer safe. Tell Eona if ye aren't I'll burn her whole business t'the ground." Khazi finishes, reaching up to squeeze Khel's hand. "Be careful, Khel. I love ye."

"Love ye too, mam." Khel mumbles, struggling to push the knowledge that she's still in her lingerie to the back of her mind.

Later that night, as she walks to her first night at her new place of work, she can't help but think about the rumors that a certain black-winged angel happens to go in and out of it fairly often.

She can dream, can't she?

Khel Quest END


Rosie Quest

Rosiaven sings to herself as she sits at her post, watching as the latest set of adventurers go into the dungeon. Well, not really to herself, but kind of? Technically Watchers can sing whatever they want, but generally they try to keep in-tune.

Rosiaven just happens to be one of the best, and so the others more-or-less sing what she does when she's on duty… something she forgets, sometimes.

"'sup, Rosie?" Haley flaps over. Rosie doesn't know her actual name, of course — outside of family members, telling someone your actual name is generally a big no-no… unless you're getting married. Then you'll totes be family anyways, so it's whatever.

"Haley." Rosie stops singing for a moment. "Need somethin'?"

"Nope. Just wondering if you're alright. This is, like, the hundredth sad song you've had us sing today, girl. What's up?"

Oh, hell. She's right. Rosie hadn't even really stopped to think about it, she just sang what felt right. "Nothing. Just, like, lonely, I guess."

"What, missing Izzie and Millie?"

Rosie smiles proudly at the mention of Izenvela and Miliandri. "No. They're cute though, right? Like, I'm glad they made a friend. Izzie especially, we were kinda worried about her for a bit..."

"Yeah, she's, like, pretty shy, huh? But I think it's more than just a friend, girl." Haley gossips, waggling her eyebrows. "You saw how they look at that Soniel chick, right?"

She did indeed. Not that she could blame them — Soniel is pretty cute. A bit too young for Rosie's tastes though, and she'd never dream of stealing a march on her own family anyways. Soniel's sire, on the other hand…

It had been one thing when Ariel was off-limits as an angel. She didn't know a ton about the daughters of Justicia, but she knew that much. Now, though… she sighs aloud.

"Ah, see?! Like, I knew it. You're all depressed about something, Rosie. Spill."

"There's nothing to spill. Like, I said it earlier, didn't I? I'm just lonely."

Haley is silent for a whole five seconds, which is basically an eternity as far as harpies are concerned. "You'll find someone, Rosie. It's just, like… you're too good, you know? For most people. They don't even realize how good you are."

"Thanks, Haley." Rosie smiles. If she didn't know any better she'd think Haley's flirting with her, but she knows for a fact the other harpy is married, and that her human wife didn't take kindly to the idea of multiple mates. Which… like, not a thing Rosie really got herself, but she wasn't about to push someone else's boundaries like that.

"I mean it. Say, Chloe's got family visiting the city soon. Maybe one of them's looking for someone? I'll ask."

Chloe was the name of Haley's wife, a merchant woman who had been exploring a few business opportunities in the dungeon. Well, it can't hurt to see…

Even if an image of Ariel appears in her mind as she says that.

"'kay. Do they, like, have a name?" Rosie asks, then holds up a wing to pause the convo' as she spots an adventurer group trotting up to the dungeon-side of the wall. With a quick trill, she commands a few of the other Watchers to meet them for liftoff.

"Oh, yeah. Lemme think…" Haley pokes her tongue out of one corner of her lips as she thinks. "I think it was… Stella? Yeah. So, like… I think she's got the same family name thing as Chloe, so that'd be…"

The other harpy rubs at her temples as she tries to remember her wife's surname. "Oh, right! Delaroux. Stella Delaroux. Like, it sounds kinda cute, doesn't it?"

Rosie Quest END


Lailah Quest

The sudden buzz of activity in her normally quiet family estate is the first indication that it's true master has returned. Lailah has to work to quell the sudden thrill that surges through her own heart — when was the last time she saw her mother in person? A decade? Longer?

Lailah ponders what the occasion is as she does her best not to visibly skip to her mother's quarters. As much as she'd like to imagine that Sidon has returned to her House just for a break, the truth is that she knows better. The Whore-Queen, as some of the eldest Devils called her, rarely has a spare moment for such frivolities.

As much as Lailah may resent her mother for that, she knows it's for the best. Sidon works hard to maintain some semblance of balance and cordiality between the Great Houses of Pandaemonium, a task that consumes much of her time… and it doesn't help when Lailah's sire actively makes things harder on her.

An ugly mix of emotions stirs in her stomach as she thinks of her sire. Most devils love the bond they share, but in Lailah's case… well. Some sires' idea of 'love' may as well be hate for all the good it does their children, and secretly Lailah believes that her sire is outright incapable of bonding with her own children. Not that there are any other known examples to test that theory, mind…

"Young mistress." One of the House servants bows to Lailah and she has to fight not to roll her eyes. Lailiah is anything but young, after all, but as the only official member of the House other than her mother she gets the title regardless. "Lady Sidon awaits you."

Her breath hitches as she enters the room and sees her mother for the first time in what feels like an age. All the features are as she remembers from their last encounter — raven-black hair, matching wings, a quartet of horns at her temples, an overall motherly softness… even her spectacles, which she insists are part of her charm, are the same as they ever were.

"Lailah!" Sidon opens her arms and wings wide, rushing across the garishly-furnished room to sweep her daughter into an embrace. "Oh, look at you! Did you get taller? Are your breasts bigger? I swear these feel at least a millimeter larger…"


Lailah indulges in her mother's affection for as long as she can — who knows when she'll get another chance?

Sadly, it's over all too soon, and Sidon releases the embrace and ceases her questioning, gesturing towards the couch. "Come on, you. Sit."

Lailah does as she's bidden, trying to not just immediately sink her head into her mother's lap… but failing utterly. "Oh, Lailah." Sidon sighs. "What I wouldn't give to be able to see you more. You and all your sisters."

"I know." She replies, closing her eyes so she doesn't see her mother's eyes mist over. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. It will never be okay." Sidon replies firmly. "But what can I do? It's far, far too late for regrets now."

Sidon's role in Pandaemonium is basically as a broodmare for hire. As one of the most powerful devils in history (enough so that she claims to be a direct daughter of Asmodeus despite the other known daughters disputing that claim), her children are typically born stronger than most, though of course the sire plays some part in that.

Instead of doing what most would expect and building her own Great House up, however, she offers her womb to the other Houses, both Great and Lesser, in order to ensure that no one House gains a significant advantage over the others. Few understand why she does this or why she cares, but Lailah knows… and that thought brings her an equal amount of joy and terror, for she may be the only person in Pandaemonium aside from Sidon herself to bear the weight of that particular nugget of information.

As part of the consequence of this, however, Sidon has no children other than Lailah herself to her House's name, and that's only because Lailah's sire couldn't possibly care less about her.

Lailah has literally hundreds if not thousands of siblings, but she doubts any of them are even aware of her… not that she particularly minds, for the most part. Sibling rivalries in Pandaemonium are notoriously brutal, after all.

A single name breaks Lailah from her contemplations by sending a surge of poisonous hatred straight through her veins.

"Helel has been poking around Gaea." Sidon says somberly.

"Let her." Lailah spits in response. "Maybe she'll finally get herself killed by—"

"Lailah." Sidon says gently, brushing her hair to calm her down. "Enough. I know what she's after, and I also know that we can't let her have it. She's unstable enough already."

Lailah frowns. What could possibly appeal to that monster enough to risk the wrath of Heaven? The only thing Helel truly cares about is Asmodeus, to such a degree that the fool is utterly blind to anything not directly relating to Her… and even some things that are, for that matter.

"So what are we supposed to do about it?" Lailah asks. "Do you want me to get to it first? Break it?"

"Oh, absolutely not!" Sidon replies, horrified. "No, if I know Helel — and I do know her — then she's extended an offer to someone. We simply need to be there to provide her target a safe haven while she's here."

"Are you going to tell me who exactly we're offering safe haven?"

"Well, I was going to show her to you…" Sidon sighs. "But someone has set up some sort of anti-scrying measure around her home. Here, I'll show you."

"What, strong enough to block you? The only beings capable of that—"

"Would be Goddesses, Mikael, or someone of similar strength, yes." Sidon finishes, a note of admiration in her voice. "Really, a Fallen earning the favor of any of them is… well. Unbelievable."

"A Fallen?" Lailah sits up, a frown on her face. "Helel is after one of the Fallen?" That's odd. Generally speaking, Helel loathes her sisters.

"Oh, yes." Sidon replies cheerfully as she snaps her fingers, making a large blurry-mirror appear before them. "You see, Ariel happens to have an unfortunate resemblance to… oh, well isn't that lucky? She's away from home."

Lailah's jaw drops as she takes in the sight of the angel wandering the streets of a city she doesn't recognize, accompanied by a blurry pair of figures that the spell isn't targeting and therefore doesn't care about rendering. The resemblance is unmistakable — the only things she lacks are a pair of wings and the horns. Otherwise, this 'Ariel' is the spitting image of Asmodeus, Mother of Devils… and Helel's one true obsession.

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh." Sidon replies. "So, if you could get the guest rooms set up for her while I'm away…"

Lailah Quest END