Chapter 30: The Necklace

About an hour before the last chapter

Vox tended to lose track of his spent money whenever he and Velvet had dinner without Val.

Nearly an hour and a half of eating burgers and fries at WcDonald's. Go back to walk Vark. Clubbing at the newest joint Velvet deemed trending. Window shopping at some local drug stores. And finally, going to Velvet's favorite place in all of Hell to eat as much sweets as she wanted.

"Your Red Devil Strawberry Bathory Beauty with Chocolate Fudge and Blood Cherries, ma'am." Wen, the HateMen-Dazs waitress, placed the delight before Velvet. She immediately went back to the kitchen, not even caring about Vox. He questioned why he bothered ordering in an anti-man establishment. Wen still hadn't brought the milkshake he ordered fifteen minutes ago. Meanwhile, Velvet groaned in pleasure at each bite.

"Fuck… I really needed this!" Velvet spit a cherry pit out of her mouth. "I love this brand! The best one is clearly near your place, Voxxy, but any HateMen-Dazs has the best ice cream in all of Hell!" She tapped her spoon on the bowl, duplicating the utensil in her hand and giving its clone to Vox. Vox sighed and accepted it.

The ice cream WAS delicious.

"You know, I'm not gonna apologize for what I said earlier," Velvet said.

"That you love this brand?"

"What? No!" Velvet gobbled a spoonful of ice cream. "What I said back at my place. The whole backup-plan-in-case-Val-gets-the-boot."

Vox rolled the eyes in his screen and leaned on his chair. "Not this again…"

"OK, act like I didn't bring up the hotel!" Velvet waved her hand as she still ate her ice cream. "I'm only saying, a backup plan wouldn't kill us. The Overlord Protocols are clear. If any of us can't control our empires or if we cause damage to the sin polls, Lucifer can rip our status away and everything we own is fair game to the other Overlords. And Val being Val, well… Our triumvirate would lose a good chunk of its resources… And if one of the Three Vs is under threat of losing his title…"

The data in Vox's brain started to calculate a matching algorithm. "WE could be next on the fucking chopping block."

Velvet clicked her tongue. Her associate and friend scratched under his chin.

"Fuck, I underestimated your logic, Vel. If Val goes out of business, WE will in a matter of time. The whole point of the triumvirate is to protect ourselves and our resources by expanding our media empires. The others know better than to attack us, but if we start losing in numbers." His screen briefly flickered. Shaking it, he turned to look at Velvet. "What did you have in mind?"

Velvet finished her ice cream. Her fingers scooped the bowl for melted ice cream, coating them with red devil colors. Velvet looked like she had dipped her fingers in blood and relished in her gluttony.

"Just two." Velvet held up two fingers covered in ice cream. "ONE, whatever is causing the butterfly infestation, we find it. Exterminate it. Or TWO, we find a backup for Val. Someone to replace him if he falls. Someone with enough resources to get us back on track. Someone who'd remind the other Overlords who's in charge."

Vox nearly choked on his glass. "What? That's one of your backup plans? Vel, the rest of the Overlords either dislike us, hate us, or only speak to us for business. None of them in their right minds would…" Before him, Velvet was snickering. Resting her chin on one hand and twirling one of her pigtails with her spare fingers, her smile showed off her fangs soaking in red-colored ice cream.

Vox connected the dots again and chuckled. "Oh! Velvet, you are the worst! So talented!"

"Well, duh!" Velvet sat up. "It's like I always say! When they don't wanna join, ya use your arsenal of drugs and potions and THEN they wanna join you!"

Vox clapped his hands. "Nice! I can search our data for which…"

"Yeah, no." Velvet grabbed the upper left corner of his screen. "I need a backup replacement for Val to keep the triumvirate and our reps ongoing…" Since they were sitting at a booth table by HateMen-Dazs' front window, Velvet turned his attention to the window. They weren't in the HateMen-Dazs in Pentagram City's Envy District but at one bordering the Pride and Gluttony District.

Just across the street from the ice cream shop, between an old antique shop and a butcher's shop, stood a Latin American bakery.

Out of the shop came Alastor, shopping bag in hand, giving a nice farewell to the agitated shopkeeper before making his usual way with a smile.

"… And YOU want HIM for yourself, don't ya?" Velvet mischievously grinned. "Media demon. A bit old-school, but with millions in a mandatory audience. One of Lucifer's top favorite Overlords. Really rich in money, wealth, and fans. Extra bonus: if we use him as backup and GET HIM to join us… Bye-bye, Hazbin Hotel." Velvet's grin widened. "Maybe once it's shut down, we can turn it into a venue…"

Vox pulled out a breath spray and shot some onto his static mouth. Sparks flew out of his mouth while his fingers smoothened his antennas. Vox got up, straightened his bowtie, and posed before Velvet. "How do I look?"

"You smell like a car accident. You'll do great!" Velvet searched under her shirt and pulled out a red handkerchief and a bottle of clear GHB. Pink spots appeared on the handkerchief after she sprinkled the fabric with the drug. "Just in case your dear deer doesn't accept your invitation for midnight coffee at my place."

"Velvet, you always think of everything!" Vox gratefully took the drugged handkerchief and tucked it in his waistcoat pocket. He rushed out the door. "See you at your place… with our new associate!"

Honestly, Vox thought that Velvet was a psychotic sadist, but she knew how to kill her birds with one stone. One bird being her contribution to the triumvirate, the other being her friendship with Vox.

The eternal red sky of the Pride Ring darkened as it got late. Lights were flashing from restaurants, nightclubs, and wherever demons went for nightly activities. Vox didn't get lost easily. Travelling by the electric cables, tracking the areas where demons ran away in a panic, and stepping in the flesh to smell the perfume of a cemetery, Vox knew how to track Alastor. He could spot his shadowy figure lurking the streets. The scream of a foolish pickpocket got his attention. The ripping flesh. The trail of blood staining the street as Alastor dragged his evening snack into an alley.

Goody. Vox recognized it as a dead-end alley with no fire escape.

He heard bones crunching.

The blood splattered on his leather shoes.

Alastor's back faced Vox, a ten-foot distance separating them. The unlucky lynx demon that foolishly tried to snatch from his pockets was now dead, his brain, heart, and liver ripped off and cast aside. The deer ferociously pulled the bloody flesh, not leaving an ounce of fat on a bone, and relished in his chewing. Blood soaked his jacket, showing his form…

Vox shuddered.

He was aware since the first day of Alastor's cannibal tendencies. The Cannibal Colony and Rosie's subordinates adored him. Meat shops in the Pride Ring were successful due to his promotions. In all the fear he caused, Alastor's bloodshed broadcasts did earn him a grand amount of popularity among cannibals and other demons with a thirst for blood. The prey was a predator. Fierce.

Up until now, Hell's greatest cannibal was desired by anyone.

The ongoing public rivalry was Vox's best option to hide his lust for the master of radio broadcast. His perspective on the entertaining, yet old-fashioned monster of negotiations. His recordings of Alastor's marvelous voice. His boiling wires for the handsome demon of eternal thirties to his eternal 47.

The absolute ambition for the video to not just kill the radio, but to make the radio star his. To have the deer hang up his past on Vox's trophy shelf and make his new present with Vox. Make him Vox's private video star. Have him rip off his concealed persona and replace it with a new, revealing persona…

Replace the old with a new, evolved Alastor. One who'd sit by Vox as the TV triumphed over all through their medias… One who'd be everything Vox never got from Valentino: control.

The only white rose in all the Overlords and Vox wanted to be the first and only one to make that white rose turn red.

Desperate for his ambition, Vox took advantage of Alastor's gluttonous snack to sneak from behind and harshly kick him behind the knee.

Interrupted from his late snack, Alastor released a loud static warble. The hard, electric kick had pierced his skin enough to give him a fracture. Not waiting to be polite, Vox forced Alastor's hands behind the latter's back and pulled out Velvet's little trick. With his spare hand, Vox forced the GHB-sprinkled handkerchief over Alastor's nose. Symbols floated over the Radio Demon's head as a dark aura coated him. Vox could feel the magic within his prize attempt to fight off the drug.

Vox thought Alastor wouldn't fight off the drug. He was too powerful. Velvet always bought drugs imported from the Sloth Ring. Those were truly powerful.

Vox had his prize.

That was before his screen got shattered by bullets shot from behind. And whoever had intervened had taken Alastor with them.

The next day

The texture of the mattress he slept on woke Alastor a bit. His fluttering eyes were heavy…

He saw the greyish pink bedsheets covering him. The poster print of Angel Dust's pet pig, a neon pink spiderweb lamp, several string lights, the neon LOVE sign, and the snores finally woke him up.

Sitting up made Alastor tense at the feeling of his leg's pain. He cringed, realizing that he wasn't in the Radio Tower…

The snores caught his attention. He turned to his right…

Why am I on Angel Dust's bed?

On the bright side, the spider wasn't sleeping next to him. On the strangest side of things, he saw the mattress lying down on the ground, tucked between the bed and the wall. Alastor almost thought he saw a demon-sized spider egg sac until he saw the pillow shapes and well-knitted white and pink blankets. He saw Angel Dust, head resting on a pillow and body curled under a blanket. Under all the pillows and blankets, a cocooned Indigo was sleeping, hugging the toy Alastor had bought for her. Fat Nuggets slept between both insects, enjoying the warmth from their cuddled sleep.

Alastor sighed.

How long have these two been sleeping like this?

A knock came from the door. Alastor feigned to sleep after he noticed Angel Dust giving out a moan as an answer.

"Angel? It's Charlie! May I come in?"

Alastor stiffened. Leaving his eye slightly open, he saw Angel Dust bolting off his makeshift bed and force the door shut.

"Shush! Indy's still sleeping!" The spider whispered to the princess on the other side of the door.

"Why is she with you?"

"She cried a lot, OK? I let her sleep in my room. Last minute slumber party, ya know? Look, don't wait for us. I'll wait until she wakes up to cook up breakfast!"

Alastor could hear Indigo's snoring as Angel Dust gave his excuses.

"Oh, OK! Oh, do you have any updates on Al? He didn't make breakfast today."

Alastor nearly gritted his teeth.

"What, the strawberry pimp?" Angel faked a shudder. "Didn't eat something right when he hung out with his pals at the colony. He's in bed… in his room… recovering from cannibal food poisoning."

Alastor would roll his eyes if they weren't shut. Cannibal food poisoning? Really? Who would buy that?

"Why can't Al just TRY only once to not eat people?" Charlie sighed. "Well, I'll make sure Nifty drops off some soup and water for him. Thanks for respecting his boundaries, Angel!"

"Well, ya know me! Staying away from the bedroom of the guy who could turn my baby into bacon! See ya later!" Angel Dust quietly dismissed Charlie. When the footsteps' sounds faded away, he gave out an exasperated sigh. Alastor couldn't hear what happened. The spider had managed to silently tiptoe back to Indigo.

Hit the town for the night, everything's on me.

Shout out to all my girls, are you ready, ready?

Both male demons jumped from their positions. Indigo groaned in her cocoon of blankets and pillows, pulled herself up, and checked her phone ringing that loud, atrocious dance ringtone. Indigo squinted her eyes and answered her phone. "Via? It's 7am… What did your mom do this time?"

Alastor and Angel finally realized their presence. They exchanged awkward glances with one another.

"I'm OK." Indigo obliviously continued her call. "Had a late slumber party with Angel… Nabs?"

Angry muttering could be heard from across the line. Indigo, now energized, started to get angry. "Nabs, stop having Shax hack into other people's phone calls! And no, for the hundredth time, I AM NOT THE RADIO DEMON AND THE PORN STAR'S KID!" Several red admirals flew out of her hair as she angrily hung up. Indigo bolted up and stormed for the door, muttering some angry compilation of French and Spanish words.

"Good morning, Indigo," Alastor bluntly said.

"Al, shut the fuck up." The teenager slammed the door behind her.

Angel Dust blinked. "Did Indy just call you Al?"

"Did she just use foul language?" Alastor tilted his head.

Angel Dust walked over and slapped Alastor on the face. "Puttana dalle orecchie d'asino!" (You donkey-eared bitch!) The spider snapped. "Why'd you watch her get dragged to the Seventeenth Brunch?"

"Refrain from touching or blaming me," Alastor rubbed his sore cheek. The spider could really hit people hard; the blood on the deer's cheek sent tingling sensations down his neck. "Paimon Goetia was the one who made her presence mandatory with his granddaughter."

Angel Dust nearly clawed the fur off his cheeks. "Alastor…" He groaned angrily. "An OVERLORD or an ARS GOETIA inviting a sinner at the Seventeenth Brunch… is like portando il tuo giocattolo preferito e lasciando che tutte le altre femmine lo rompano!" (Bringing your favorite toy and letting all the other bitches break it!) "I should know! Val always drags me when it's his turn!"

Alastor silenced himself. It had only now occurred to him that in the Seventeenth Brunches he wasn't invited to in February, May, August, and November, he never really knew what Valentino did. He knew what Velvet and Vox did…

He tensed.

Last night was a whole new…

He got off from the bed. The insects hadn't touched the rest of him aside from his coat, so Alastor felt the sweat under his fabrics and smelled…

He tripped.

Angel Dust helped him sit on the ground.

"A… Al…"

"I…" Alastor strained to hold up his smile. "I was just minding my own business…"

"You were."

Alastor's nail nearly cut the floor.

"I was just minding my own business…" Alastor felt something rubbing against his leg. Fat Nuggets was rubbing his head against him, Indigo's new plushie in the piglet's mouth. The creature dropped the plushie on his lap.

"You were knocked out, but… Indigo really liked the plushie," Angel Dust said quietly. "She almost cried. You hate TV shows…"

"I don't hate picture shows… Just any picture shows that came after my death."

"Dude, suck it up. I was gonna say that you hate modern television… yet you still went ahead and bought something Indigo liked."

Alastor bit his lip and put the plushie on top of the spider's bed. "I stopped at a Latin American bakery after Rosie received a telephone call from the princess..." Alastor couldn't return to his static filter for some reason. "I wanted to treat the child to some sweets…" He hugged himself in a fetal position. "Why did I have to eat that fool who thought himself clever enough to reach my pocket?"

"Well… addictions ARE challenging," Angel Dust pointed out.

"I'm a cannibal, not an addict!" Alastor snapped, sending Angel crawling back a few feet. "When I feast, I don't rapidly rip apart the flesh! I relish it! I eat as if it will be my last meal…"

Alastor felt the spider's fingers rest on his head, freezing him. He watched Angel Dust inhale…

"I need you to go to your room… And give yourself some space." Angel Dust calmly opened the door. "I'll let Charlie know you're not feeling well."

Alastor could only nod. He walked towards the doorway.

His fingers couldn't resist and gently stroked the spider's cheek. Alastor never thought the spider would feel so soft. Angel Dust's eyes were widened and staring at his…

Until he slowly pulled away, shook his head, and closed the door.

Alastor knew why, though.

Sunday morning

Indigo stomped her foot impatiently.

"Husk…"

"Shut up and give me a min."

Indigo forgot how long they'd been at it. It was a miracle that Angel Dust and Charlie were giving Indigo the option of going outside by herself. Not with Alastor. Not with her friends. Not with the shitty Goetia nobles. Just herself.

All because she wanted to go to the Cannibal Colony to get some protein treats from Rosie to bring back to Alastor. They'd fought about it over dinner last night and would have continued until midnight if Mad Mats, who'd stopped by to recheck the garden before Monday's garden party, had them shut up.

"She's been hanging around fucking Overlords, Goetia bitches, and the Devil's daughter. She could break a building with her teenage hormones, and you're worried that she'll get eaten?" the floral demoness had said.

It was the agreement. Indigo could go to the Colony to see Rosie as long as A, she returned immediately, B, she didn't engage in cannibalism, and C, she didn't bring any demon flesh back to the hotel. Right now, Husk was putting whatever could be used as a self-defense weapon into her hair. Such items included a broken Malbec bottle, one of Vaggie's daggers, a syringe, one of Cherri's grenades, and…

"How are playing cards supposed to be self-defense?" Indigo frowned as the cat hid the card game behind her ear.

"Trust me. Ya might need them." Once he was done, he shoved her cloche hat on her head (she was returning to the Colony in the same attire as the first time). "OK. You don't say shit to anyone you don't know, you don't engage in turf wars, you don't do deals, you don't accept free stuff, you don't talk to whores, you don't jaywalk, and if ya see an Overlord or gang boss that ya don't know, what do you do?"

"Go the opposite direction, take six different turns, and go back to the main route," Indigo said.

Husk grunted and poked Indigo's nose. "Just don't do any bullshit that WE'D pull, kid! Ya don't want to clean my litter box if ya don't come back."

"Geez, what are you, my uncle?" Indigo could already imagine that whatever Husk used for his litter had to include broken glass shards of Malbec bottles. "I'll be fine."

Husk grumbled something about her picking up on Angel Dust's attitude. Indigo felt his eyes on her as she made out the door, past the fence, and towards the streets. Knowing eyes weren't on her anymore, Indigo was alone.

To ensure that there would be no chances, Indigo had to take the bigger streets. Bigger streets meant more cars, more shops, and more open spaces where kick crimes couldn't be approached. Bigger streets meant more demons going around for Sunday brunch or shopping. In the distance, the clocktower indicated that Extermination would come in 11 days.

Last month, Indigo had landed, a terrified, helpless teenager. She still had no clue on the reason behind her fall. However, when she noticed a car hitting a passerby, breaking the body in half and for the vehicle to crash into a fire hydrant… that irrationally set the automobile on fire… Indigo had shrugged it off.

It was incomprehensible, but it was a fact. Indigo Caligo couldn't deny it. Barely a month and she'd gotten used to being in Hell.

A little too much.

After minutes of walking, Indigo reached a steep hill. Looking down, she could see that the Cannibal Colony was still dozens of minutes away. Walking down streets was always faster…

Then she spotted the jewels on the window display.

Not typical plastic or sterling steel from Stylish Occult in Hell or whatever trinkets you'd find in human retail express lanes. Actual gemstones shining under the rays of the sky's pentagram and the window's yellow lights. Polished nazars. Jade pendants. Diamond necklaces. Spinel cuff bracelets. Individual pearls. Corals of compressed golden nuggets. Beautiful amethyst geodes. Even copies of the infamous necklace scandal were on display.

Gemstones that made customers come in with glee while unbeknownst to the commoners, they were shining in several colors to Indigo. And several, particularly the amethyst geodes, soaked in envy.

She knew she didn't have the money. However, dismissing the envy radiating from those gems… Five minutes of glancing indoors weren't going to hurt her, would they?

Indigo dared to step inside. After the closing door's bell stroke, she was greeted by a broomstick and the angry griffin demon janitor sweeping the shop. Aside from three or four customers and the dragon demon cashier, nobody else was here. A lot of half-price sales stickers coated the displays.

"No shoplifters!" The griffin barked. "And keep ya sticky shit fingers out of your pocket!"

Indigo nodded. Pulling her hands out of her pockets, she walked around the store. The dust on the furniture would have made Nifty gag. The envious aura of a basket filled with amethyst geodes lured her to the display by the cash register.

Envy Ring Geodes! Now 50 souls per pound!

The real price tag under the sales sticker indicated otherwise. One pound was supposed to be worth 200…

"Excuse me?" Indigo asked the cashier. "Why are those geodes so cheap if they're from the Envy Ring? I thought the Envy Ring specialized in luxury items."

"Manager said the same thing." The dragon demon grumbled as they flipped through their phone. "But with that shitty doll overlord going around deciding what's trendy in jewelry, our clients go elsewhere to get fancy jewels. Manager's thinking of shutting this place if we don't make big cash soon."

Indigo gritted her teeth.

Velvet…

"I'll buy you a pound. For the original price." Indigo pulled out her wallet.

"Read the fucking label." The dragon demon cashier pointed at the price tag with their tail. "50 souls per pound. Ya wanna pay a hundred souls, buy something else that also costs 50."

Well, that was unexpected. Growing up in a bookstore, Ines had gained exposure to various merchants' arts in haggling. They knew how to make profits based on how much customers were willing to pay for. And as stereotypical as it sounded, Indigo had expected the dragon demon to be, well… greedy. He wouldn't gain more money for his workplace and he wasn't greedy enough to con her cash out.

He did, however, have a heart spiced with envy and wrath and boiling in sloth. And right by the amethyst geodes basket was a basket filled with kunzite pendants of various shapes and styles. 50 souls per pendant.

And the kunzite was glowing pink. Sloth pink.

Purely out of instinct, Indigo's fingers explored the pendants until she found the most sloth. A perfectly carved beetle pendant. Indigo put it down on the counter and started placing the geodes next to it. Drool slowly came out of the cashier's lips as they stared at the pendant. The janitor and some customers were slowly starting to come see.

Some hair strands were plucked off. Indigo stepped back to see some unidentifiable butterflies drag her hair strands around the jewels. Rainbow hues glittered from the strands while the bugs weaved the geodes and pendant together. Two butterflies froze on the last two geodes, creating matching clasps. The rest of the flock carried the new necklace to their creator's hands. The pendant's Sloth glow shined, but the true beauty to Indigo was the constellation radiating from the geodes' envious stars.

Even stranger were the eyes on the new necklace. On her.

"What a beautiful necklace…" The cashier shuddered.

"Oh… my gosh! I totally want a necklace just like this!"

"Dude, no way! The thing's prettier on her! If you get it, you'll look like a jackass!"

"I want something like that!"

Tensions were rising. Indigo paid the dragon, put the necklace on, and left. She could hear the customers yelling at the poor cashier, demanding necklaces just like hers… Only not as good as hers.

It wasn't cold outside, yet Indigo shuddered. Not in an unpleasant way.

Whatever was happening, it didn't end when she reached the Cannibal Colony. Demons whispered, gasped, and ripped their hairs behind her back.

"Dude! That's the gal who got that necklace at Sapphie's Gems!"

"My girlfriend was in the store! She now wants a necklace EXACTLY like her!"

"You can't have a necklace like hers! You look like a bitch!"

"I don't know why, but I need to go to Sapphie's Gems NOW!"

"Man, why am I not shopping there? I should have been there yesterday!"

"My accessories are WAY out of season! I can't be seen on Voxtagram like this! I need to fucking shop at Sapphie's Shop!"

As the shuddering continued, Indigo found herself running towards her meetup point with Rosie. It wasn't hard to find, since Rosie had given her the address and the strict instructions to use the backdoor, take the flight of stairs up to the third floor, and reach the second door on the left. She slammed the door shut and started hyperventilating.

"Indigo Caligo?" Rosie got up from her seat and set aside her teacup. "You're late by a minute!"

Indigo checked her Hellphone. 11:01am? Seriously? The long truly wasn't that long! She quickly shoved her phone back into her purse and chuckled nervously. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Rosie! Sunday traffic…"

Rosie didn't seem convinced, but went along with it. "Punctuality, child. Traffic or not." She shook her head. A door behind a folding screen popped open and a plump demoness in 1920s flapper strutted in with cabernet bottles. "Rosie, darling! I found that vintage Rouge you recommended…" She almost dropped the bottles when she saw Rosie with Indigo. "Rosie! Warn me when you're busy!"

"Even I have standards!" Rosie scoffed. She waited for the demoness to put the bottles on the nearby desk and motioned towards Indigo. "Indigo Caligo, this is my and Alastor's associate and friend, Mimzy. The proprietor and manager of this fine establishment. Mimzy, darling, this is Alastor's little protégée."

Indigo curtsied. Too much time with the Goetia nobles and now she knew how to properly curtsy before a woman. "How do you do, Miss…"

She felt Mimzy's thick arms squeeze her tightly in a hug.

"What a darling girl! Alastor clearly fed you well!" Mimzy let her go and cupped her cheeks to the point of squishing. "You're just as pretty as a peach, aren't ya? No wonder demons think your Alastor's child, darling!"

Indigo shook her head after Mimzy let go of her and dragged her to the nearest chair. "Oh, it's a misunderstanding! He's just my mentor at the hotel. Those rumors were an accident, it's not what you think!"

Mimzy sighed and looked at Rosie. "She's just as charismatic as him! No wonder he took this sweetie under his wing! And he knows I've been dying to meet her!"

"And it's very nice to meet you two, Ms. Mimzy," Indigo said. "Unfortunately, I was sent here out of formality. Mister Alastor is expecting some get-better-soon treats from Ms. Rosie."

"Oh, please! We're friends now! Call us Rosie and Mimzy" Mimzy giggled, a bit too much in Indigo's tastes.

"Certainly, Indigo." Rosie clasped her hands together. "I set aside from homemade mini quiches for Alastor. If the princess asks, tell her the quiches have no garlic. Nobody likes quiches without garlic in Hell, it's awfully flavorless! So the princess and the staff won't touch it; only Alastor enjoys garlic-free quiches!"

And if I had to guess, 'garlic-free' is a demon innuendo for 'this quiche has demon flesh in it', Indigo thought. "I'm sure Mister Alastor will love it. Thank you again for making them. I'll get out of your hair…"

"What? No need to rush like a horse at thunderstrike!" Mimzy threw her arm over Indigo's shoulders. "The staff started prepping some crabcakes! It's frozen for tonight, but why I don't I treat ya and Rosie to some heated up ones for lunch?"

Indigo did enjoy crabcakes. Not to mention that growing up outside of Baltimore meant days when she and her father would go shopping during crab season or ordering blue crabs in summer. Alastor had always bragged that Mimzy served good crabcakes to her clients…

Then she remembered she was nearly violating rules B and C.

Don't engage in cannibalism and don't bring any demon flesh to the hotel.

You better not eat any flesh there, Vaggie had warned. Not just because you might get kicked out of the hotel, but because cannibalism is addictive in Hell. Once first-timers take a bite, they can't stop.

Indigo had to be careful. Cannibals in Hell could get angry if you denied them food for no valid reason. So, she thought of the dumbest lie that first popped to her.

"It's very generous of you to invite me for lunch, but my friend Octavia is planning on coming at the hotel around 1 and I still need to clean things up before she comes over," Indigo lied.

"Oh, that's right! You're the darling of the Goetia family! Rosie told me all about it after she returned from the Seventeenth Brunch!" Indigo couldn't believe that Mimzy bought her lie. "Well, that's alright! I'm sure you would have been more comfortable than a dormouse in a teapot if Alastor were here anyway."

"I'll get the quiches." Rosie got up.

"And I have some fresh rodents our janitor caught. He's not as fast as Nifty, but he can catch a dozen! I'm sure your Goetia friend would love some rodents!"

Indigo could only agree on that one thing with Ms. Mimzy.

After sharing some quick good-byes and a promise to dine soon with Rosie and Mimzy, Indigo left the building with a bag full of dead rodents and a box of Rosie's clearly-cannibal-mini-quiches. On the way out of the Cannibal Colony, she spotted the yellow and green sinful auras of demonesses greedily devouring a bear demon.

The quiches radiated from the yellow sin of Gluttony.

Without hesitating once, Indigo approached the demonesses.

"Back off, slut!"

"This is our prey!"

"Perhaps your prey will taste even better with some finger foods?" Indigo showed them the box of mini quiches.

Once the cannibals ripped the box out of her hands and ignored her departure, Indigo had the confirmation that there was demon flesh in the quiches.

"Via? Hi, it's me." Indigo called her friend on the phone, effortlessly dodging a speeding car. "So, I kinda told a really big lie to Rosie that you were coming over to the hotel at 1pm. Just in case anybody wonders, do you think you can come and pretend you wanted to surprise visit me?" Indigo was surprised by Octavia's quick response. "OK! See you soon!"

The next thing was to find a shop that sold mini quiches WITHOUT demon flesh. Fortunately, on the way back up the steep hill, she spotted mini quiches on a window display. With just the same amount of Gluttony as Rosie's.

As Indigo made her purchase, she had no idea that across the street, Sapphie's Gems was packed with hundreds of customers by the minute.

Much later

A rainstorm finally struck the Seven Rings of Hell after Indigo had returned to the hotel.

The Prince of Envy always found creative storms to unleash upon the commoners and lesser nobles. A practice drill for the upcoming Extermination, if you would. But while the weather app indicated that the Envy Ring was experiencing saltwater rain, Sloth flooded in chemical rain, the streets of Lust cleansed by detergent rain, the banks of Greed threatened by mercury rain, Gluttony and Wrath experiencing ludicrous rains of boiling honey and cold lava respectively, and to top the cake with a cherry, the Pride Ring experienced a boiling rain that caused boils on sinners' skins.

Alastor chuckled a bit when he heard the distant screams of sinners trying to run away from the rain.

He was recovering smoothly. The staff and the princess had given him his space. However, he still couldn't determine what were his thoughts on the spider…

The door to his radio station knocked. He looked away from his window and went to sit at his desk. The young butterfly demoness carried in a tray bearing coffee and mini quiches. The smell gave away that the mini quiches were regular meat filled baked goods and not Rosie's demon fleshed delicacies. However, Alastor couldn't be angry with Indigo.

"I'm really sorry those aren't Ms. Rosie's original quiches, but Charlie and Vaggie were clear that I couldn't bring in cannibal food, so I gave the original quiches to some ladies at the colony and bought these." Indigo put the tray on the desk. "I'm sorry this isn't what you expected, Mr. Alastor."

"Quite alright, my child. After all, the best way for a non-cannibal to make friends with a cannibal without being feasted on is by sacrificing another's flesh to the cannibal!" Alastor chuckled. "Although I guarantee your new acquaintances will soon recognize you as a provider."

"I'd rather not be a provider." Indigo shook her head.

Alastor took a bite out of a mini quiche. A fairly simple cooking method, based on what he could taste, but very fine meat and well-chopped herbs. Quite delicious. They weren't like Rosie's but savory enough for him to finish them all. As if his protégée knew what to get to redeem herself for disposing of what was intended for him.

He drank his coffee and noticed Indigo fiddling with something hidden under her collar. His shadow crawled behind the child and pulled the necklace up.

"Went out shopping, I see," Alastor noted. "Never thought of you as a beetle admirer…"

"So… about that…" Indigo sighed and pulled a chair over to sit on. "You know the whole… thing I have with my emotions turning to butterflies out of my hair… that I also happen to use to put whatever I want in there?"

"Yes, how you manage to wash yourself and still keep your hair up perplexes me," Alastor sarcastically stated. "How does this relate to the cheap trinket?"

Indigo gasped. "Excuse me? Cheap? I paid 100 souls to make this 'trinket'! OK, the shop was trying to sell it for cheap due to economic issues…" The butterfly shook her head. "Point is, I don't know how or why, my butterflies used my hair strands to weave the individual gems into THIS!" Indigo waved at the necklace the shadow was dangling around. "And ever since, weirdos have been spotting me on the streets talking about how 'I was amazing with the necklace' and they 'just NEEDED to get the EXACT one'! And after I left the place where I bought you quiches, I finally noticed the jewelry shop get packed with customers! And next thing you know, by the time I got back to the hotel, my butterflies brought me… this!"

Indigo pulled out a bunch of opened letters from her hair. Alastor took it off her hands without asking. The context startled him.

Printed screenshots of Sapphie's Gems growing popularity. An hour-old newspaper article that the store was going to expand to Pentagram City's Envy and Sloth Districts. A letter from Rosie thanking her for the rise of mini-quiche orders she had been receiving all afternoon. An annual discount from the pastry shop so Indigo could buy all the mini quiches she desired.

Endless letters addressed to the unnamed butterfly street celebrity who made ANYTHING look so good, EVERYONE just HAD to get copies of her ANYTHING.

"Modern demons will say anything to lure innocent prey." Alastor burned the letters with his flame magic. "Flattery won't get anyone anywhere but dissatisfaction. That is why I consider myself the charmer, not the charmed. You'll eventually learn to push away the empty compliments."

Indigo frowned. "But… That would mean all your compliments are emptier than your jambalaya pot after dinner."

Alastor just stared at her. A smiling laugh escaped him. Her joke was certainly entertaining.

"Goodness me, how I missed your presence!" Alastor stopped laughing when he noticed Indigo rubbing her hands anxiously. "Something troubling you, my dear?"

Indigo looked away.

"Indigo?" He cautiously approached her, giving her his five-foot space.

"I know I did my part, but…" Indigo sniffed. "After everything that's happened… I don't think I want to be there for the hotel garden party tomorrow."

Alastor kept smiling, but he was shocked internally.

Indigo had been at her most energetic with the garden project. She helped Charlie narrow down a list of guests. She and Queenie had gone over social media promotions. She even illustrated a poster with Angel Dust as a model and the crocodilian demons had helped her spread several copies to staple on nearby shops' boards. Even the magnolia branches that were once potted in his office were now blooming up his wall, Alastor had to stay as far away from the indoor tree to not accidentally touch it. The hotel now had colorful clouds in each room and hallway due to the new bouquets that gave nectar for Indigo's butterflies to drink.

And now she didn't want to attend the event that was a technical thank-you to her?

Alastor knew things had been challenging… No.

Just how blind had he been?

An adolescent dying on her birthday. Barely finding redemption in the establishment she worked at by technicality. Forced in an unusual diet. Inexplicably powerful. Unintentionally bringing her childhood toy to life as a sycophant servant. Getting intertwined with the mental horrors of Hell's upper crust. Her emotions continuously manifesting as inexplicable swarms of what humans would deem harmless insects. The week she spent away from the hotel at the mercy of the decadent Goetia nobles.

The Devil and His Queen had been too close to her.

Velvet hated her at first sight.

Strangers acting like fans around her…

That necklace…

Why didn't he think back in 1934 to not get too close to the Lust District?

Why didn't he expect that Overlord to come prepared?

Why couldn't he force those magic nullification darts away from him?

What would have happened if Rosie hadn't stumbled onto the scene?

What if that Overlord had forced that courtesan necklace on him?

What if Rosie hadn't…

"Alastor? You stopped smiling."

Alastor hated himself for falling into one of his panic attacks.

What made you think Angel Dust would return what you think of him?

Alastor turned his back to Indigo. "You don't need to worry, my child…" He bit his lip at those last two words. "You don't need to attend if you don't feel comfortable…"

He felt arms softly wrap around him.

"You know I don't like being touched…" He tried to say.

"I know…" Indigo said behind him. "But I don't know how else to comfort you." She sniffed. "This week was horrible… My worst one in Hell… I… I never realized how much I'd miss you all at the hotel. Charlie. Vaggie. Husk. Nifty. Fat Nuggets. You and Angel Dust…" He heard her sniff a sob. "I hate that I didn't speak to you at the Seventeenth Brunch. I would have rather spent time on our lessons than be near Paimon's peers. I was scared when you were hurt… Please smile again, Alastor…"

Unluckily for him, she probably heard his tear.

Alastor really hated himself at the moment.

It had taken a century for him to meet someone like her in death.

Why couldn't this child… be HIS child?