Author note: Hello again, loyal readers! I think I rewrote this chapter three times before I felt it was right enough. There is a heads up for less than pleasant physical things happening to our protagonist. Soon enough we will get out of the weeklong interlude between the pilot episode and the first episode of the main series, and I can bring in some more of the main cast of the hotel into the fold. Enjoy and back to writing for me!

Chapter 8: Baseline Gauging

Elsewhere, Alastor walked tensely back to the hotel after a visit to the Cannibal Colony. He had begrudgingly sought out Rosie to perform one of her healing spells. She was more experienced in such things and his hand was bothering him more than he cared for and didn't want to wait the for it to heal on its own. Rosie was understandably curious about who could inflict such a wound on the infamous Radio Demon, but Alastor lied and said that it didn't matter, as they were gone now.

Just then, an Imp ran past Alastor, looking roughed up and dried tears around her eyes. If he hadn't already had an appointment to procure more radios to distribute around the city, he'd take the time to find her aggressor and dine on his flesh while they screamed in sweet agony. But, alas, there was still so much to do if he was going to get his return to the airways of Pentagram City to happen on time for after the Extermination. In addition, he had planned to make dinner for the hotel residents, and he would not disappoint on that front either. So, he continued with a gritted smile, as he imagined the tortuous ways to make that insolent firebrand regret wounding him. He wasn't allowed to hurt hotel residents, but if he could trick them into making a deal, he would have a back door to exploit mercilessly.

That evening at the hotel, things were uneventful. Upon arriving, Taylor helped Nifty set the table for dinner and called everyone over when the food was ready. Alastor had decided to serve Shrimp Étouffée and rice, and as much as Taylor didn't want to admit it, it tasted amazing. Afterwards, Taylor spent the rest of the evening with Husk and Angel playing cards at the bar. Taylor was outmatched at poker but won a fair percentage of the time at blackjack. Alastor stayed up in his room, which suited everyone just fine. Taylor ended the night with the best Manhattan they'd ever had, while Angel drank a martini and Husk nursed his trademark bottle of cheap booze. Taylor tipped Husk for his impressive drink track record and bade them a good night.

Taylor prepared for bed, a little apprehensive but hoped the nightcap would be enough to get them to sleep. After turning off the lights and relaxing in bed, Taylor yawned and closed their eyes.

"Well, it's about time, little one," sang out a mellifluous voice nearby.

Taylor's body jerked at the voice, and they sat up, looking around. They were still in their room, but this time a young boy of around seven with blonde buzz cut hair wearing shorts, an orange T-shirt, and sneakers was sitting in the armchair while pouring over a tome laid over their lap. Taylor clambered out of bed and waited, heart pounding as they felt a sense of foreboding.

The boy closed the book and as he jumped off the armchair it disappeared with a poof. They looked up at Taylor, a childish grin on their face, and started talking amicably.

"Well, now that you're here, let's get to some pleasantries before business! I can sense that you've gone and broken another soul contract, what a go-getter you are!" they extolled.

"T-Thank you, Patron." replied Taylor, a bit unsure on whether to tell them about the development of being able to see unsummoned soul chains.

"But I will command you to refrain from going out and seeking more targets until after that Extermination business concludes, wouldn't want you out in that, no sir!" they warned, wagging their finger to emphasize.

"Yes, Patron."

"Excellent! Now with that out of the way, business! Tonight, I will be putting you through a thorough evaluation of your skills and knowledge!" they chirped happily as a clipboard appeared in their hands with a pop.

"Skills and knowledge?" Taylor questioned.

"Oh, yes! Any thrall of mine should be well versed in a variety of topics and be in peak physical shape! Anything less just won't do!" they grinned proudly. "So, let us begin!"

What followed was the most extensive assessment Taylor had ever experienced. The first section was an exhaustive series of questions testing Taylor's background in history, science, history, the arts, literature, and many more topics. Most of which Taylor couldn't respond to their patron's satisfaction, but they seemed to take it in stride and moved on to the next section. When their patron demanded that Taylor sing a piece for them, insisting that singing was a vital part of Hell culture, both were dismayed at how poorly Taylor couldn't carry a tune, causing the boy to write furiously in their clipboard as they winced.

Once that was complete, they moved on to an appraisal of Taylor's pyrokinesis, starting with Taylor demonstrating their ability to change their appearance with the blue flames and heating their hands to searing hot temperatures. Their patron seemed unimpressed but conceded it could be useful in certain situations. They then asked Taylor to try to perform certain feats, such as summoning different colored fire, shooting fire from their hands, manipulating the flames to form weapons, and forming defensive fire barriers. Taylor could do some of the requests, but the flames were weak or lacking control. The boy stood with their hand on their chin, contemplating as they watched Taylor's form. By the time the boy had determined they'd seen enough, Taylor was sweating and feeling winded.

Finally, the boy tested Taylor's physical fitness. With a wave of their hands, the bedroom swirled away, and they were on a rooftop in what could have been a deserted part of Pentagram City. The boy had Taylor run laps, perform calisthenics such as pushups, squats, and pull ups, followed by rooftop jumps between buildings. Taylor performed well enough for the boy to nod in muted approval. Finally, they summoned a figure made up of fire to spar with Taylor. At first, Taylor could hold their own by dodging and getting the odd jab in, but once it got serious, Taylor received many blows and kicks before being grappled. Taylor managed to wriggle free using a well-placed elbow jab, earning an eyebrow quirk from the boy. At last, Taylor's patron bade the flame figure to stop, and Taylor collapsed, entirely spent physically and mentally.

While Taylor was prone on the ground, breathing heavily in exhaustion, the boy snapped their fingers and the rooftop melted away as they the bedroom returned. The boy stood for a moment, finishing writing something on the clipboard, before dismissing it with a pop. They then padded over to Taylor, crouched down near their head, and mussed their hair playfully.

"Well now, wasn't that fun? You did a good job, little one! Now we know where to focus our efforts on!" They said jovially. "Your flame control needs work, but you've only had this ability for three days now, so that is understandable." They frowned as they crossed their arms. "But didn't you get a proper education? You hardly knew about anything I asked! And your singing is atrocious! We will have to work on those deficiencies." Grasping Taylor gently and pulling them to a sitting position as if Taylor were made of nothing, the boy stood over them as they continued. "I'm glad you have good baseline physical form! We won't have too much to work on there, but your sparring skills need serious attention, I know they say a good defense is a good offense, but you can't rely solely on that!" They laughed as Taylor stared back tiredly.

Snapping their fingers, they produced a water bottle for Taylor and handed it to them. Taylor thanked them and drank greedily as the boy waited.

"Now, a few more things before I let you go. My next orders for you are as follows: I want you to follow the Princess very closely, as I want updates on any meetings or arrivals at the hotel." Their smile turned into a scowl as they warned, "Second, I forbid you from telling anyone about our arrangement, my nightly visits, or your soul contract nullifying ability. I don't need interlopers poking into my business. If asked, deflect, or lie, I don't care." Their smile returned as they paced around Taylor. "Lastly, I don't need you worrying about money, so as your benefactor I am going to provide you a stipend to fund your needs. I want you to focus on our training, the Princess, and developing your contract breaking ability. If needed, say you got a job in security or something of that nature."

Taylor was pleasantly surprised at the freedom their patron was giving them but nodded as their patron stopped in front of them.

The boy smiled warmly at Taylor before their eyes turned dark and the smile dropped. They sighed heavily as they mused, "Now, the unpleasant part for you."

'What?' Taylor shuddered as their blood ran cold. The boy gestured to the flame figure, who Taylor realized was still there as they ordered brusquely, "hold them still." Taylor was seized from behind by the hair and wrenched up to a kneeling position, causing Taylor to cry out. They tried to grab at the flame figure's hands to free themselves, but the figure produced another set of arms and held Taylor's hands over their head. Taylor struggled as they heard their patron pace around them, thinking aloud. "Now, where to put it? Can't be in a spot that's too conspicuous… Ah! There should be good! Move aside, you."

Taylor felt the flame figure move from behind them to be at their side as they craned their head to look in the mirror in the bathroom. In the reflection they focused on the boy, who now had blazing red eyes with white pupils and long orange claws. Taylor felt their patron move behind them and lift their shirt and a bit of their pants away to expose the small of their back. Taylor flinched as they tried to move away.

"W-what are you doing?" they stammered.

"I'm going to mark you to imbue you with a bit of my power. It'll make our lessons go so much smoother, plus the mark will serve as a physical warning if you go against my wishes when I'm not around." They said matter-of-factly. "Now hold still or I'll summon the chains to secure you further and have to start over." Pausing for a moment, their pupils constricted as they smiled sadistically. "But do feel free to scream all you like, that's a kind of music I thoroughly enjoy!" The patron used their claws to cut their palm and dipped their finger in their black blood like it was some macabre finger paint. Taylor felt a clawed hand on their hip to steady them.

Taylor's panic rose as they felt like their heart was in their throat and their whole body was on high alert. The flame figure held them tighter to still them as they felt a strong searing pain in their lower back. Taylor screamed shrilly as it felt like they were being cut with a blazing knife. They heard their patron chuckle in appreciation as they kept going, slowly dragging their claws along, drawing lines across and over, stabbing dots that caused Taylor to scream more as tears fell freely. After a few minutes of excruciating pain, they felt the blistering pain stop and Taylor went limp, breathing heavily and voice hoarse.

Taylor felt the flaming arms release them as they crumpled to the floor heavily and they painfully scrunched into a fetal position. They dry heaved and started coughing, causing jolts of pain in their back. They heard their patron speak cheerfully from above them.

"Well, that went well! The marking should take full effect in 24 hours, so by our next meeting things should run much more easily for you!" They crouched down next to Taylor's tear-stricken face and gently turned it to face the demon child. Their eyes and hands had returned to normal as they stared at Taylor with a mock sympathetic look. "Oh, little one, you did so well tonight. Since you're looking so pitiful, I'll do you a favor and give you tomorrow night off so you can heal, and the mark has enough time to take effect." They simpered.

The boy waved as the world started spinning. "So, until next time!"

Taylor awoke in a heap on the floor with someone shouting at them, though it sounded muffled. They felt a sharp slap to their face, shocking them and things started coming into focus. They looked up with lidded eyes and saw Angel Dust staring down at them with an agitated look.

"Fuoco, you awake now? What happened?! I just got back to my room, and I heard screaming and sobbing. Used my credit card to jimmy ya door open and you're on the floor unconscious but crying. Jeez, ya back is bleeding!" Angel anxiously questioned.

Taylor painfully sat themselves up and took a moment to catch their breath.

'Shit, I can't tell him the truth! But maybe a half-truth will be fine?' They thought, their mind in overdrive. They took a deep breath before looking up at Angel. "I'm fine, Angel. I had a flashback nightmare of my death and I guess I fell off my bed and hit my back on the way down." Trying to keep the shakiness in their voice from showing, they put a hand on Angel's arm. "Don't worry, I'll clean myself up. You go on to bed, it's late."

Angel stared at Taylor unconvinced.

"I know we ain't exactly know each other long, but do ya want to talk about it? I can get Husk or Charlie instead if ya want."

"N-no, it's still fresh and I don't want to go back there so soon." Taylor replied, voice trembling.

"Well, I gotta at least patch ya up, it's not like you can reach that spot easily." Angel insisted. When he saw Taylor's look of terror, he added, "Don't worry, I'm a professional. It's not like it's anything I ain't seen before! Come on, up ya get!" Angel picked Taylor up gingerly, causing them to gasp in pain, and took them to the bathroom, knocked the lid down with one arm, and placed them on the toilet. He left the room, giving Taylor a moment to reflect. They surprisingly didn't feel sore from their physical assessment earlier and didn't have any bruises from the hits they took from the sparring match with the flame figure. The only pain was from their throat and lower back. They took their hand and gently felt their back and felt a sticky warm sensation. Bringing their hand back, it was covered in crimson and black blood, causing Taylor to blanch in disgust as their stomach turned. Reaching over to rinse the blood off in the sink, they held their face in their hands as they recalled all the events of the night. 'Just when I think things couldn't get any worse. This really is Hell!' They thought hopelessly.

Angel returned with a first aid kit and placed it in the sink as he fished around noisily.

"Take off yer shirt so I can clean up ya boo-boo, Fuoco." Angel asked teasingly.

"Why do you call me that?" Taylor asked, not moving.

"It means fire in Italian, boo. Ya look like a walking bonfire with an attitude to boot. Not many people can goad the Radio Demon and live to tell the tale, or so I've been told. Now c'mon, I ain't got all night." They explained.

Taylor sighed as they took off their shirt and turned away so Angel could get access. "Huh, flat as a board. I may win that bet after all." they said to themselves.

"What was that?"

"Err, nothing, now I'm gonna wipe things down with alcohol, so it might sting." Angel responded quickly. He sanitized the area, causing Taylor to wince and flinch, applied pain cream and a bandage patch. "All done! But you might want to change ya sleep wear; ya got blood on them." He said, removing his gloves and tossing things in the trash can.

"Thanks, Angel." Taylor said as they got up carefully and moved into the bedroom. They grabbed a nightgown from the dresser and saw Angel was waiting for them. "What?" Taylor asked.

"Nothing. Just curious." Angel asked, eyebrows quirked up.

"Shut up and wait outside, please. I'm really not in the mood or headspace for your flirting." Taylor said exasperated.

"I gotcha, I'll be right outside if ya need help." Taylor changed into the nightgown and came out of the bathroom to see Angel idly poking around the closet. "So, I gotta ask, are ya a dude or a chick? Ya look so androgynous and look damn sexy in everything you wear."

Groaning, Taylor said, aggravated. "Not a good time Angel. Just go on back to your room. Thanks for helping me out, but I'm not entertaining this topic right now."

Holding his arms up in defeat, Angel answered. "All right, I gotcha" His tone then turned serious. "But seriously, ya okay? You still look pretty rattled."

Taylor felt mentally exhausted but didn't want to make anyone worry. They smiled tiredly.

"I'll be fine, it was just a bad dream and some bad luck with the tumble. Good night, Angel."

Angel shrugged and started heading out. He stopped before closing the door and looked back before saying, "the first few weeks were tough for us all. If you need to have a sleepover or someone to vent to, I'm ya guy. And I promise to keep things PG, I'm real big on consent, okay?"

Taylor was touched by the sentiment.

"Thanks Angel. I might take you up on that." Angel nodded as they left, closing the door behind them. Once Taylor heard the opposite door open and close and was sure the hallway was quiet, they fell to their knees, hugged themselves and cried quiet demoralized tears as the gravity of their situation washed over them anew.

Beside the door, a glowing yellow smile and red radio dials appeared in the shadows as Alastor materialized. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in amusement and intrigue. 'Interesting.' He thought maliciously. He chuckled darkly as he made his way down the hallway and back to his room.