Track 06: Fire and Forgive - Powerwolf
"I think so, too!" Charlie said excitedly, clapping her hands, "That's why we get to go first!"
Adam stopped laughing. "…Say what?"
It was Vaggie's turn to laugh, as did Angel Dust. "You said 'lead by example,' remember?" The fallen pointed out, recalling the announcement the First Man had made a little more than a week ago. She had dreaded it then, but it was pretty damn funny now.
Adam frowned and thought back. "…Shit, I did say that." After a second, he shrugged. "Alright, fine. What's the fuckin' deal then, Ministar?" He stepped back as Nifty jumped at his leg, letting the tiny cyclops crash into Husk instead.
"Glad you asked!" The Princess cheered, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as she scurried up the thirty-foot ladder. "It's simple!" she called from the top, "I've got a random selector going on my ring so that everyone pairs up! One goes up the ladder, says something they like or trust about the other person- not sexual characteristics, Angel! -and then they fall! Like this: Adam, it makes me really happy that you're here!" With that, she turned around and crossed her arms, tilting backwards off the end of the board with no hesitation.
"Babe, wai-"
Charlie landed in Adam's arms with a thump, the impact making the hem of his robe flutter. "See?!" She said happily, "It's that simple! Everyone likes compliments, and you begin to build bonds of trust by knowing they won't let you hit the ground, and you'll do the same for them! It's a small step, but every step counts on the long road to redemption!"
Husk winced slightly, rubbing one of his wings. "Er, not to be that guy, Princess-"
"-Charlie," The Princess insisted firmly, "Everyone should call me Charlie."
"…Charlie," Husk continued awkwardly, giving Alastor a side-eyed glance, "I think there's a big problem you might be overlooking…and you're still in his arms."
Vaggie did not look particularly happy about that, either.
"What, Adam?" Charlie glanced up at the First Man, his face deadpan, "I mean, he caught me. Unless you're talking about his wings?"
Adam set her down, ignoring her pout as he put a hand on top of her head, then lifted it to the top of his and held it out to showcase the height disparity. "I'm fuckin' 10'2", Ministar, how the Here is anyone supposed to be able to catch me without snapping like a twig under all this awesome?" He jerked a thumb towards Nifty, who wasn't even as tall as his knees, "Especially that one. I've killed Sinners in some weird ways, but I've never actually goomba-stomped one…although now I kinda want to."
He wasn't going to tell them he could change his size at will, that was a secret he'd keep until it was necessary to share, if ever. All the Seraphim could, but most defaulted to a usual nine-to-ten foot height.
Charlie looked disturbed for a second. "Why are you so tall?" She asked, rubbing her chin in thought, tilting her head at an angle, looking up and to the left, eyes narrowed.
It was such a Lucifer pose that Adam had to resist the urge to summon his axe; that was perhaps one of the unfortunate things about the Princess, that she resembled her parents much in looks and unconscious action. Too much. The pouts, the crossed arms and jutting lip, that was all Lilith. Her smiles, though, were all her own. Bright, cheery and at times nervous. The Whore had a small subtle sort of expression that could convey a lot with a quirk of the lips and the arch of a brow; The Bastard was all-in, either he looked smug and punchable after a scheme, or as if he were scheming and should be punched preemptively before he became smug.
"Humans were supposed to be this tall, why the fuck're y'all so short?" Adam replied, crossing his arms.
"I don't mind being held in some big strong arms or being pressed down," Angel Dust chimed in with a smirk, "But I don't do snuff. And having all ten feet of that on top of me," he waved a hand at Adam, "Would definitely not be a fun time. Not from that height, anyway."
"Calling me fat?" The First Man asked dryly.
"There issss no need to be ashamed of your sssshape," Pentious quickly added, "We come in all sssizes!"
Angel rolled his eyes. "And now we know who wasn't paying attention at breakfast," the pornstar sighed, lighting a cigarette, "By the way, daddy, what's with the robe? I liked the sleeveless look much better."
Adam gave the spider demon a flat look, silently reaching out and snuffing the smoke with a pinch. "Don't call me 'daddy' ever again," he said, "And my completely kick-ass robe is one of the most comfortable things to exist."
"Aha!" Charlie exclaimed in realization, snapping her fingers, her ring glinting in the light, "We'll just use magic to make you less heavy!"
It was the obvious solution, so obvious Adam had figured it would be overlooked so he wouldn't have to take part…or at least, make up some sort of bungee system which would be fun. "Alright, I can fuckin' see I'm not getting out of this one," he sighed, lightly flapping his wings and flying up to the board. He tapped his chin in thought.
"Don't worry Adam, I'll definitely catch you!" Charlie called from below.
"Not worried about that, Princess! Just trying to think of something!" He yelled.
"…Hey!"
Not what I meant, but whatever.
He'd had more hugs in the past week than almost any time before, except when almost every one of his kids had come around after Eve had died, and most of them had come from Charlie. He never expected to hug a Sinner more than once because usually they would be dead after, and she'd gone and done it four times, each longer than the last. It was a little disturbing how comfortable he was becoming, holding the literal Spawn of Satan and his Whore Wife in his arms.
…And she smells nice, too. Wait, FUCK.
"Charlie, I think your determination to follow your dream is admirable." There, that was complimentary without being too nice. Taking a moment to tuck his wings against his back, he let himself fall backwards, hands folded behind his head.
Adam landed in Charlie's arms and true to how they had expected it, the six-foot tall Hellborne carrying the ten-foot tall First Man was a ridiculous image. "Thanks, Adam!" She chirped, turning to the others while still holding him. "And now it's your turn!" She set him down, looked down at her ring and smiled again, "Actually, it's my turn again! You and me, Vaggie!"
…
Immaculara, 2.13;
"Vagatha!" Adam called as the young angel clumsily stabbed a dummy with a spear, "Come! I will show you all what I know of our enemy!"
Vagatha ceased her exercise and joined the other volunteers with a flap of her wings, standing next to her sister. Each carried a spear, though some with more trepidation than others.
Adam stood before them, holding forth a prism from Metatron's archives. A wave of light rolled forth, revealing a demon with the rough shape of a man, but the head of a bull. "Our enemies are twisted creatures, though they share many weaknesses of their previous form," the First Man began, "Puncturing the skull, removing the head, and impaling the heart were our keys to victory, though our greatest boon was the voice of the Heavenly Choir."
Lute and Vagatha straightened, as did the other angels.
"These base demons rely on the power of their Prince," the image shifted to a mantis in the form of twisted flesh and bone, "Without them, their Sin is burned away by the light of Heaven. Even then, the Choir deafens them and leaves them vulnerable."
"If they are so vulnerable to the Choir, should we not simply sing at their gates, to deafen them until they die?" Vagatha asked, stroking her silver wing with wrath burning in her eyes.
"They know of their weakness and possess the cunning to invade Heaven, we must be prepared for them to adapt," Adam frowned, disapproving. "I understand your desire for vengeance, Vagatha," he said softly, "But our enemies are creatures of suffering and hatred. It is better for us to gift them a swift death, and a deliverance from that pain."
…Pain.
…Pain!
"-Yay, Pain!" Nifty shouted as she plummeted towards the floor with an excited squeal, only to jerk to a stop as Adam reached out to snatch her from the air.
The First Man blinked and looked around, seeing that the other Sinners were standing back from where she would've landed. "…Whose turn was it? I wasn't paying attention."
Charlie smiled brightly and clapped. "It's already working, look! I told you Adam literally wouldn't let her down!"
Vaggie was much less optimistic, crossing her arms. "More like he just heard she likes pain and decided to stop her enjoying herself…which I actually agree with in this case."
Adam nodded. "Yeah, that tracks. I can't Eradicate any of you fucks right now and my babes aren't here, so trolling is just about all the stress relief I have." He made to drop the tiny Sinner, but she was clutching onto his hand with a confused look on her face. "Get. The fuck. Off. If you start dry-humping-"
"Nifty is confused," the maid said, tilting her head, "I've always liked bad, dirty boys, but Adam is a good boy, a clean boy-"
"-The fuck I am!"
"-Sometimes," Nifty continued, uninterrupted, then grinned, "Nifty doesn't know what to feel…and Nifty likes it." She started struggling in his hand and reaching for his face.
"No," Adam said simply, summoning a hat stand and hanging her from it by the back of her dress, "I will and have stuck my dick in crazy, but never a Sinner and definitely never one that's shorter than my fully erect cock. There's 'fucked up' and then there's fucked up."
Angel Dust raised a hand. "...You know saying shit like that only makes me more determined, right?" He said with complete honesty.
"I do not fuckin' care even slightly," Adam replied, reaching up to ping his halo, sending a chat request to Charlie, who jumped like she'd been stung.
"Oh, er, Nifty's supposed to catch you now," she said, checking her ring then looking up at the tiny demon who was still struggling to escape the hat stand, "…We can come back to that later. Next is Angel Dust and Vaggie!"
Dickmaster has sent (Charlie Morningstar) a chat request.
DM: Ministar, I'm thinking involving me in this shit was a bad fuckin' idea.
(Charlie Morningstar): Why would you say that? You caught me, I caught you, you caught Nifty, it seems to be working out well to me! …Also how do I change my name on this?
"Vaggie, I…like that you're dedicated to Charlie. I think it's sweet."
Angel Dust meant well, but he didn't see the wince his words caused Vaggie…though Alastor did.
DM: Pest Control was reflex. And I can change it.
Hellspawn: See?! You reflexively stopped a Sinner from getting injured…even though she wanted to-Hellspawn?!
DM: You fuckin' are.
"Angel Dust…" Vaggie thought for a second, then grinned, "I admire your dedication to your goals! I hope never let up until you fucking get it, and get it hard!"
"Oh honey, you know I will!"
Hellspawn: It's still mean. :( Hey I can do emojis!
DM: Ah shit.
Hellspawn: :) :D 3 o7 \o/
Charlie blinked and looked down at her ring. "Good job babe, Angel! Next is…Alastor and Husk."
Standing from the chair he'd been watching from, Alastor tapped his cane on the ground, smile ever-present. "Pardon me, but did I hear my name in my ears?" His elk/deer ears twitched among his hair, "That can't be right, I'm merely here for the entertainment, not to-"
"Period Piece, if I gotta take part, so the fuck do you," Adam said flatly, with the Princess nodding in agreement.
The Radio demon sighed. "…Oh very well." He set his cane against the table and started up the ladder with a look of distaste.
Princess of Ls: What's 'Period Piece' mean in this context? Also, that's better but I don't like being referred to as 'Princess' all the time. -_-
DM: Isn't someone picky. I'm calling him that 'cause radio hasn't been the medium for a long-ass time.
PL: Oh, that makes sense. Even in Hell, we just used magic projections and stuff like that with sound for movies instead.
"…You actually trust me to catch you?" Husk called, an unsure expression on his face.
"I trust you won't enjoy what happens if you don't!" Alastor said cheerfully, tipping back and falling from the board. Instead of landing in a pair of arms, he impacted the floor with a grunt of surprise and irritation. Sitting up, he looked over at his minion only to find that the cat demon had been stopped by one of Adam's wings.
"Yeah, that don't fuckin' cut it for me," Adam said icily.
"Alastor!" Charlie said reproachfully, hands on her hips, "You can't threaten someone into catching you, that goes against the whole spirit of the exercise!"
"The spirit of this exercise is pointless, Princess," the Radio demon replied, straightening his bow tie, "Forcing trust is just as bad as demanding it."
The Princess narrowed her eyes. "Alastor, I want you to put in a legitimate effort to these exercises, or else…I'll make every single thing you eat a well done burger, with only ketchup."
Alastor lost his smile, aghast. "You wouldn't…" He whispered, horrified.
Charlie held up her ring. "You bet your red ass I can and I will, Period Piece." She pointed at the board firmly, "Now get back up there, say something nice about Husk and do the fucking trust fall!"
The Radio demon grumbled under his breath and climbed the board again. "Fine…Husk, I…suppose I trust in your skills as a bartender." He fell back and this time, Husk caught him.
Ministar: Was that mean? It felt mean. Oh hey, I like this name! \o/
DM: Who gives a fuck if it was mean?! That shit was sexy, you should do that more often!
MS: …sexy? O-o
DM: Hey I'm not the only one.
True to his words, Vaggie was smiling as she whispered something in Charlie's ear that made the Hellborne blush and giggle. As she turned to give her girlfriend a kiss, Adam grinned and sent her a message.
DM: I also call him 'Period Piece' because he looks like a giant heavily used tampon.
Charlie burst into laughter against Vaggie's lips, missing what Husk said before Alastor caught him. The fallen blinked, looking surprised and a little hurt. "I-I just thought of something funny babe," the Princess said, kissing her breathlessly and shooting Adam an amused glare.
MS: You did that on purpose you jerk! :)
DM: Fuck yeah I did, she's told the pornstar to keep chasing my ass!
Charlie smirked wickedly, and Adam tried to pretend it wasn't also a sexy look on her. "Angel Dust and Adam, you're next!"
"WOOHOO!" Angel pumped all four fists even as Adam shouted, "What?!"
DM:...You bitch.
That Bitch: that's what you-Hey!
Adam growled under his breath as he flew up to the board. "Let's get this shit over with," he muttered, "Angel, I trust that you'll catch me because you want to get your hands on my body!"
"Adam!" Charlie called, disapprovingly.
"It's factually fuckin' correct and that's all you're getting from me!"
Angel shrugged at the Princess. "I mean, he ain't wrong." He turned just as Adam fell, all four arms wrapping around the First Man. "Alright, I knew you'd fall into my arms at som-aww…"
Adam had teleported away before the spider demon could get more than a single squeeze of his buttcheek. "You're lucky I didn't take a couple fingers with me!" He growled.
The pornstar shrugged as he rapidly climbed the ladder. "Worth it!" He called, standing on the board, "Now, what do I like most?"
"No sexual characteristics, Angel!" Charlie yelled.
That Bitch: See, it wasn't that bad. Also change my name back, please? :'(
DM: no.
"Ooh, I got one! Adam, I like that you cooked for your loved ones!" Angel crossed his arms and fell back and to his slight surprise, Adam actually caught him. "And by that I mean…" He paused, still sitting in Adam's arms but not trying to grab the First Man.
"…You okay, pornstar?" Adam asked cautiously after a minute of silence.
Angel Dust blinked, a little misty-eyed. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah." He subtly wiped his eyes as he climbed down, oddly subdued, "I was gonna say, and by that I mean I like a man who knows how to handle his meat."
Adam scoffed. "That's what I fuckin' figured. Alright, who's next?"
Charlie looked between the Scourge of Hell and the pornstar. "Uh, it's Adam and Pentious next."
DM: Me twice? What the shit?
TB: Well you were kinda out of it for a while and it's not actually random, you're the only one left. Please change my name back! *_*
DM: NO.
"Um, Sir Adam?" He looked up and somehow the snake Sinner had climbed the ladder in a few seconds, "I, uh…I like your wingsss! I think they're very beautiful!"
"Hey!" Husk called, looking offended, "You said that about me!" His wings fluttered in agitation.
"Your wingsss are different, Sir Husk!" Pentious replied.
The cat demon gave Charlie a look, who shrugged.
As a treat, as Pentious fell, Adam reached up and grabbed the slithery inventor with his wings, cushioning the Sinner with his soft golden feathers. "My wings are, in fact, beautiful, thank you for noticing."
"Ooh, ssso sssoft!" Pentious smiled as he snuggled deeper into the feathery appendages, his Egg Boiz hopping out of his pockets to do the same. He froze as Adam glared at him. "Er…ssssorry?"
The First Man sniffed. "You got ten seconds." He jerked away as Charlie reached out to touch them. "Not you, I'm still mad."
"Aww…" Charlie sighed longingly, recalling the feeling of being wrapped in those wings earlier.
"Alright, my turn," Adam set the snake down gently and flew up to the board. "Pentious, hmm…I…appreciate that you are partly a snake."
"I'll take it!" Pentious cheered as Adam fell into his arms, again snuggling the warm golden wings.
"Uh, no offense," Husk started, taking a bracing swig from his flask, "Shouldn't you, well, hate snakes?" Pentious whipped around to glare at the cat demon incredulously. "Sorry."
"I Created snakes," Adam said casually, pulling an Egg Boi out from under the joint of his wing and tossing him back to the snake Sinner.
The Sinners, even Alastor, traded surprised looks. "…You did?" Charlie asked with naked interest in her voice.
"Yeah, have you seen the little fuckers? They're the most adorable animals ever made, with those huge eyes, the goofy yawning, the scenting with the tongue…" Adam smiled in fond nostalgia, his eyes glazing slightly, "Ever seen a sidewinder travel? Or a python climbing a tree? Even when they hunt, everything they do is a hug! And they're smooth without being slimy, seek out warmth…of course that's why that motherfucker used one to de-gah!" He roared in anger, wings becoming jets of golden flames as his eyes glowed solid gold. "Fuck you for ruining snakes for me you MIDGET TWINK FUCK! AAAAGGGHHH!"
Adam was panting, literally steaming angry. A hand tapped his arm and he whipped around to find a pale, shaking Husk silently offering his flask. He took the offered alcohol and drank deeply.
Ministar: Are you okay? …Do you need a hug?
DM: No…
MS: I saw that. Do you…want a hug? 3
DM: …No.
He drained the flask, then snapped his fingers to refill it before handing it back. "Lagavulin," Adam grunted in approval.
"The good stuff," Husk nodded, taking a drink himself.
"Okay, next is Husk and Adam," Charlie announced, smiling slightly as the grumpy cat demon perked up.
Adam nodded and flew up to the board. "Alright, let me think…" He thought back, watching the cat demon go about his business with the air of a depressive drunk. Despite this, Husk had never taken it out on anyone, even easy targets. "Husk, I think you would make a good drinking buddy, and not just because I like your voice."
Husk caught him, looking surprised. "… You like my voice?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm a little envious, to be honest," Adam said honestly as he stood up.
"It's true, Husker, you've got a voice for radio," Alastor chimed in with an echoing chuckle.
As the others chimed in to agree, Husk ducked his head, rubbing his cheek shyly. It was a rather adorable look on the otherwise drunk, surly and burly cat demon. "A-alright," he coughed, climbing up the ladder.
"Why aren't you flying?" Adam called.
The cat demon nearly slipped. "I uh, don't fly that much!" He called back, muttering to himself, "Not that I've got anywhere to go…" Shaking himself, Husk stood on the end of the board. "Adam, you've only been here a few days, and I already know this is going to be the best year I've ever had in Hell. At the very least, it's going to be memorable."
Adam caught him. "You're damn right," he nodded, before his eyes narrowed on Husk's wings, "The fuck…your feathers are all messy! Do you never preen or some shit?" Without waiting for an answer, he summoned a chair, turned it around and pushed the bartender down on it, combing his fingers through the Sinners wings.
Husk opened his mouth to protest, but quietened down as Adam went to work. His eyes glazed as the First Man neatened his feathers, moving down the length of his leftmost wing and closer to his back.
Adam clicked his tongue, fittingly, like some sort of big bird. "Your pinions are all crooked…no wonder you don't fly much," the cat demon shuddered as Adam straightened the feathers, "You should fly more, flying fucking kicks ass. It's the best part about having wings."
Charlie watched the First Father fussing over the bartender and couldn't help but smile even as she cursed her own lack of wings. Glancing over, she found Vaggie wearing a mixed expression of longing, envy, and something like…nostalgia.
The Princess of Hell began to get an idea. "Not to interrupt-"
"And yet you are," Adam shot back with a mild rebuke in his tone as he started on Husk's left wing.
She winced slightly. "Next is Adam and Vaggie!" Even having been away from her father for so long, she recognized the 'dad voice' immediately.
The First Man sighed as Vaggie climbed the ladder, pressing his hands to Husk's back between the wings, and pushed. There was a pop, and the cat demon slumped over the back of the chair, humming deep in his chest. "I'm not done with your wings yet," he said firmly, gently manipulating one more pinion straight before stepping away. He looked up at the fallen, who was looking down at him.
Vaggie gulped. "I, uh…I appreciate that you've given Charlie this chance," she said, steeling herself and falling back.
…
Immaculara, 2.14;
A feathered form fell into Adam's outstretched arms, cheering as she embraced him around the neck. "Adam, did you see?!" Vagatha beamed, eyes alight with joy, "I hit all of my targets!"
"Indeed, Vagatha," Adam said proudly, "You are a natural with the bow, standing or flying."
Lute landed next to them, downtrodden and wings dragging. "You are an excellent shot, sister," she praised, though her eyes were sad. "Much better than I…"
"Sister, you wield a spear as if you were born with it, while I tripped Megosi twice on accident," Vagatha replied, reaching out to lay her hand on her twins' shoulder.
"Indeed, Lute, you are as formidable with the spear as Vagatha is with the bow," Adam declared proudly, "I am exceedingly proud of you both!"
"Proud enough to grant me a kiss?" Vagatha asked boldly.
"Sister!" Lute gasped, though there was longing in her eyes.
Adam hummed and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Lute's forehead. The young angel blushed and clutched her spear as if it would hide her blushing cheeks. "Yes, I would grant such a thing," he teased, brushing Vagatha's white hair aside and kissing her forehead as well, "You need only ask. I give my affection freely."
Lute cleared her throat. "But Adam," she said, "My sister and I are twins. Shouldn't we be as the same?"
Adam thought of his first twins. One of his sons, so gentle-hearted that he could not stand the cries of animals as they gave birth, who wept when they were slaughtered and ate only what was required.
That same son, eyes mad with rage and grief after he had bashed his brother's skull in with a rock.
"No, Lute. To be twins, sisters or brothers, no two should be alike entirely," he brushed his hand through her white hair, her yellow eyes wide, "You compliment one another, filling in gaps to become superior as two. Which leads to our next training. We will pair together to learn to fight as one even as two. I feel you shall be naturals."
Vagatha boldly cupped Adam's cheek. "If we are, will you kiss us again?"
Adam kissed her forehead once more. "My affection is free, as I said. Now, volunteers! To me!"
…Me.
…Me?
"-A-are you gonna let go of me?" Vaggie stuttered, refusing to look Adam in the eye.
Adam blinked, and thought hard. He had caught Vaggie, and then…his eyes found the color in her cheeks, and he set her down without a word.
Again, he'd caught her with his wings so Charlie hadn't seen the initial impact, but through the feathers what she had seen was…well, it brought a few conflicting feelings to the young Morningstar. Seeing Adam holding Vaggie so tenderly, kissing her forehead and smiling down at her so warmly had set off feelings of jealousy, envy, and…well, desire. For both of them. Charlie smirked to herself. Alright, that's it, new personal project: threesome.
"…Is he purring?" Angel Dust asked, lightly poking Husk's shoulder.
The bartender flared his wing sluggishly. "No, 'm just…sleepy."
Pentious cocked an ear on the other side of the cat demon. "I do believe he isss, in fact, purring!"
"Fuggof," Husk slurred, barely moving from his slump, "G'way…"
Adam tapped his chin in thought. "Vaggie, I think your devotion is admirable," he nodded and fell back, the fallen angel catching him with a surprised look on her face. "Let's just hope this oath lasts longer than the previous, hm?" He whispered in her ear.
Vaggie tried not to let her expression change, setting the First Man down and hurrying back to Charlie's side, hiding her face in her hair. Charlie nodded firmly to herself. "Okay, we're almost done, everyone! The last ones are Adam and Alastor-!"
The Radio demon looked over at the First Man. Adam glanced over at Alastor. "No." They said in concert.
"Aw, but guys-!"
"No!"
The Princess scowled to herself but nodded grudgingly. Signed off or not, Adam had yoinked Alastor's property out from under him. "Alright, I guess we're done then…I-hold on, there was something more…" As Charlie consulted the notes on her ring, Adam looked over at Nifty.
The tiny demon had apparently given up on escaping the prison that was the coat rack, kicking her legs back and forth to swing herself. She noticed his approach and grinned. "Bad boy!" She purred.
"Tiny fuckin' weirdo," he replied, leaning in and lowering his voice, "Let's make a deal."
"Nifty already made deal," she said factually, pointing at Alastor who was poking Husk with his cane.
"Not that kinda deal," Adam shook his head and whispered, "If you swear to stop trying to hump my leg, I'll…" he sighed gustily, "I'll send you pictures of…me. That you can use however you want, except showing other people. Then we can do this trust fall shit. Deal?"
She peered at him with a narrow eye. "Hmmmm," she hummed, rubbing her chin. "Deal!" She stuck her hand out and Adam shook it carefully, then pulled her off of the coat rack and set her on the floor.
"Don't even fuckin' bother trying to catch me, just my head," he muttered, rolling his neck, "Don't wanna spend an hour cleaning Sinner blood out of my robes."
"Purge the unclean," Nifty growled in agreement.
Adam had an idea as he teleported to the board. "Nifty," he announced, making the Sinners look up at him, Charlie gaining a bright smile and sparkling eyes, "I find that your drive to purge the unclean, to rip the heart from the infestation and punish the wicked as both extremely valid, and very understandable." He folded his wings against his back and fell backwards.
As expected, Nifty could only really catch his head, but for Charlie that counted. "You guys!" She cheered, nearly dancing in place, "I knew it!"
Adam looked up (the only time he'd ever be able to) at Nifty, who was smiling softly while she held his head. "See? Good deal, yes?"
"Finally," the tiny demon said, her usual mania gone, her eye almost swimming with tears, "Someone understands!" And then she kissed him full on the lips.
"Mmmm! Mmmghghg!" Adam rolled around on the ground, frantically trying to remove the cyclopean maid from where she had practically vacuum-sealed herself to his mouth.
Ministar sent you a picture.
MS: Awww! 3 I knew you'd get along!
DM: GET. HER. OFF.
MS: I think she's doing that already! ;D
The Sinners all had a good laugh at the smallest demon clinging to the largest human's face, at least until he teleported away, his eyes wild and hair messy. "Do not," Adam warned, pointing a glowing finger at Nifty, his other hand summoning a bottle that he swished the liquid from within. It burned away with painfully bright blue flames as he spat it out.
"Alright, everyone!" Charlie cheered, "We can call this first exercise a success! Hooray for the Happy Hotel!" Only Vaggie actually did the hooray, as the others weren't the kind for that and Adam was still rinsing his mouth out with holy water. "Okay…so, uh, there was supposed to be more, but we kinda used the introductory ideas yesterday, so…does anyone have any ideas? We're going freeform, oh yeah!"
Adam threw the bottle over his shoulder. "Yeah, we already did that 'I like' stuff just now, and if you'd tried to get me in some shitty play, I'd drown someone in popcorn butter." He blinked and licked his lips, "Speaking of, the fuck was that play supposed to be about? What was that stuff about premarital sex? You know that's not a sin, right?"
"It isn't?" Angel Dust and Charlie asked at the same time.
"No, and neither is the gay stuff. Love is love, and love is good. It's consent that's the problem," the First Man instructed, "Love is like a mountain brook; if it's pure at the source, then no matter the ups and downs, highs and lows, rapids and streams, then it's good all the way even if it never reaches the ocean. If it's poisoned at the source, then it's poison all the way. Simple as that."
The pornstar hummed thoughtfully. "Well, speaking of…in a sense, I've got an idea for a place we can…" he waggled his eyebrows, "Build some bonds."
"...It's a sex den, isn't it?" Charlie said flatly. Vaggie frowned, as did Husk though it was far more relaxed than before. Alastor's smile hadn't changed.
"Well~ not just a sex den," Angel wheedled unconvincingly.
"A bondage sex den," Adam concluded, making the pornstar nod.
Charlie sighed. "No. I appreciate your enthusiasm, Angel, but no. The reason the hotel's supposed to be cut off from the rest of Hell is to give the guests space and remove the temptation to Sin further. I know-I've read," she corrected, "That habits and addictions are hard to break wholesale, which is why you can visit the rest of Hell, but you're supposed to be avoiding Sin, not…being tied to it."
The spider demon tried not to look too disappointed. "Well, if the idea well's run dry, perhaps I can be of assistance?" Alastor offered, grin present and toothy.
Ministar: …this is gonna be a cannibal thing, isn't it?
DM: Learning already.
MS: On one hand, ew. xP On the other, I mean…he's offered and that's more than before, so…couldn't hurt?
DM: Might as well at least see it.
"…Okay, Alastor, thanks for participating," Charlie said with a wary smile, tapping her ring with her thumb to let the Radio demon access the wards. "Alright everyone, here we go!"
Alastor chuckled as he tapped his cane on the ground, black and red tendrils emerging from his shadow to engulf the group in a cloud of darkness. The darkness peeled away and it was quite literally like night and day, despite being around noon.
The clean, spacious, lit-by-the-sun ballroom was replaced…by a clean, well-maintained suburb of Hell that looked a lot like a section of 1950's America had been cleanly transferred down. Except that everything was red.
"Man," Adam said casually, withdrawing a scrap of paper and a pen from his sleeve, "It's a good thing color-blindness gets fixed when you die, otherwise this place would be entirely greyscale for some people."
"At least it's clean," Husk offered with a shrug, taking a drink from his flask as he eyed their surroundings.
"Ah, home sweet home," Alastor breathed deeply and sighed, "Nothing builds bonds like flesh and bone-"
"No, Alastor!" Charlie rebuked sharply, "Fuck no! Eat what you want, but no one else is a cannibal!"
"That explains the lack of streetwalkers, at least," Angel Dust added.
The Radio demon sucked his teeth disapprovingly as Vaggie eyed a pair of Sinners in the shape of children with unsettlingly wide smiles and pure black eyes. He noticed Adam looking around with interest, making notes on his paper. "Ah, good sir, perhaps you're interested in a little raw experience? A little…bite curious, maybe?" He chuckled at his own joke.
"Nah, but I have been looking for Cannibal Town so thanks for showing me," the First Man replied, "Now we know where to head first, next E-Day."
Alastor's smile dimmed. "…Ah. I did not think this through."
"Oh, oh!" Nifty bounced in place, a hand stretched above her head, eye bright, "Nifty has idea! Nifty has best idea!"
MS: …I have no idea what this might possibly be. -_ -
DM: I've got an idea, but let's see what comes up first.
Alastor chuckled again. "Ah, I know just the place she has in mind," he tapped his cane on the ground and teleported them away, deeper into Pride City.
They appeared before a particularly run-down laundromat that was seemingly entirely abandoned despite being relatively whole. "I know thisss place," Pentious muttered, rubbing his tail, "I usssed to go here to ssshed my ssskin…the wash cyclesss are ssssurprisingly nice."
"That's both kinda disturbing and very funny," Adam nodded, looking down at the tiny demon, "So, the fuck are we doing here? Laundry? My clothes are dry-clean only." They weren't.
"Even better," Nifty growled, prowling into the store with the First Man and the slightly confused Sinners following after her. Alastor parked himself on a nearby bench and allowed himself to relax slightly as nearby Sinner recognized him and proceeded to run headlong into traffic. "This is my hunting grounds…things lurk here, darker and more dangerous than anything else in Hell…"
Adam perked up even as Charlie practically climbed onto Vaggie's shoulders as something skittered around the cracked tile under her feet. "Really now?"
"This where the Prince of Bones lives?" Angel asked, idly pushing a dryer closed only for the door to swing back open with an echoing creak, "Honestly, I can almost see it. Though I'd hoped it would be a bit more sexy."
"Don't mention that here!" Husk mumbled frantically, eyes darting about as the flickering lights flickered more, "There's…something watching us."
"It knows why we're here," the tiny cyclops snarled under her breath, withdrawing a pair of knives from somewhere in her apron, "You hear me, filth?! You drove me off last time, but now…!"
Something rumbled in the darkness of the laundromat, the lights loudly snapping on and off, a deep, rhythmic thumping echoing from nowhere.
Angel and Husk had grabbed each other, looking around in fear as heavy, labored breathing could be heard. "Is that…music?" The pornstar whimpered.
"M-maybe it's friendly?" Charlie asked from atop Vaggie's shoulders, the fallen angel gripping her angelic spear as she spun around, eye looking around frantically. "If i-it understands music, m-maybe…maybe…" She gasped, and they all turned to follow her terrified gaze.
Looming out of the darkness…was a thing. Congealed from roaches, spiders, worms and centipedes, given shape by the long-dried bones of rats and bats and mice. A cluster of writhing yellow glowing maggots formed the eyes. It opened its maw and shook the building with an echoing roar.
THE GREAT UNCLEAN ONE
Filth Personified
"I BROUGHT FRIENDS!" Nifty roared right back even as Angel, Charlie, Husk, Pentious and Vaggie shrilly screamed in fear, "THE PURGE BEGINS!" She howled a warcry and dove at the beast, slashing wildly with her knives.
"SorryNiftywe'regonnaleaveyoutoithavefunbye!" Charlie babbled as she led the charge out of the laundromat, the Sinners nearly scrambling over one another to avoid a tidal wave of insects as they burst out onto the sidewalk where an amused Alastor was idly drinking.
"Enjoying Nifty's hunting grounds, I see!" He cheered them with his teacup and took a deep drink, "And oh my, she sounds like she's having fun!"
"You-you knew?!" Vaggie shrieked, pointing her spear at him with a wild look in her eye, before shuddering and slapping at herself, "Something's in my dress! Get it out get it out getitoutgetitout!"
Charlie lit herself on fire, rolling back and forth on the concrete a few times before hopping up to her feet and shaking out the crisped corpses of bugs from her jacket. "Oh god, I'm so unclean!" She shivered theatrically, "I'm gonna need so many showers to…" She looked around and realized someone besides Nifty wasn't there. "…Where's Adam?"
"Halo-ken!" There was a burst of fire and the shrill screaming of incinerating vermin from the laundromat, "Hahahahahahaha!"
"Race traitor!" Angel growled as he pulled a silver-dollar sized spider out of his chest fur and crushed it against the pavement, "At least someone's enjoying themselves." He turned to help Husk, who was frantically trying to bat the insects clinging to his wings.
Pentious had stripped his jacket off and was beating it against a nearby twisted tree, ignoring the squeaks of his Egg Boiz as they were still in his pockets.
Adam shouted gibberish as lightning crackled from his palms and laughed as insects fried and popped. "Go towards the light! Hahaha!" He formed a fireball between his hands and chucked it at the beast, blasting a chunk from the body as it shrieked, chittering forms writhing around Nifty even as she stabbed and slashed in a frenzy. "Regroup!"
"Cleanse the Rot! Purge the Unclean!" Nifty screamed in response.
Scorching the floor around him, Adam pulled another bottle of holy water from his sleeve and poured it in a circle. As the water began to burn, golden chains formed in his fist that wrapped around the tiny demon, driving the grasping, skittering vermin away. He yanked her back and the holy water lit up in blue flames, making The Great Unclean one wail in fear and recoil, but not retreat.
"That should give us a moment," Adam muttered, shaking out his shoulders before turning to Nifty, "Alright, short shit, you wanna keep chipping away at that beast or do you wanna kill the fucker?"
She looked up at him, stained with juices of various bugs, eye wide. "You…you think we can kill it?" There was a painful sort of hope in her voice even as the holy flames began to burn low.
"I know we can!" He replied, resting his hand on her head, "We must cleanse this infection…together! As One! And the best way to cleanse anything…" He summoned a double-barreled flamethrower from nothing and handed it to the tiny demon, with the weapon being bigger than she was, "FIRE!"
"PURGE IN FLAMES!" Nifty cackled, hugging the weapon before grabbing the grip and testing it, delighting in the heavy spray of flames that reduced a mass of insects to ash in an instant.
"We must show them forgiveness, sister!" Adam called, getting a confused look from the demon, "Forgiveness…through fire!" Burning yellow flames spilled from his palms like water as he began to cackle insanely, "Forgiveness and fire! Fire…and FORGIVE!"
They began to laugh as they liberally sprayed the beast with flames, making it shriek and attack wildly, the scent of burning insects filling the air along with smoke. "PURGE!"
"CLEANSE!"
"BUUUUURN!" The beast screamed and made to retreat, only for Adam to sharply gesture, a wall of fire covering the perimeter of the laundromat. Realizing it was trapped, it turned to them and roared, pulling every insect it could find into its mass. Adam launched a fireball into its maw and the head exploded, the wave of vermin collapsing around itself to reveal what seemed to be a human heart, grotesquely swollen and a sickly-yellow green with four eyeballs on it, the severed aorta desperately pumping out more insects as it beat.
"The core!" Nifty shouted in triumph, vaporizing a panicked, skittering wave of vermin, "We must destroy it!"
Adam laughed as the skittering creatures began to reform around the heart in a desperate whorl. "I have just the thing!" He called, holding a hand out with two fingers extended as he began to chant, "In bombine nostrae, explodium fragmentum deus…boooomb 'emmmm!" He traced a cross and circled it with light, and coalesced into a golden orb, lined with diamonds and topped with a cross. "Fuck yes! Pull the pin, count exactly to three, two being too few and four being too many, and five is right out! Toss it towards thy enemy that our tiny foes may be blown into tinier bits and, being naughty in my sight, shall fucking snuff it!"
Nifty nearly dropped her flamer as Adam handed the grenade to her, a tear forming in her eye as she beheld the Holy Armament. "You-you would give Nifty the honors?" She asked with a sniffle, lightly stroking the golden shell, cradling it as if it were a precious child.
"Of course, sister! Let us cleanse them…forever!" Adam cackled triumphantly, standing behind the tiny demon as the Great Unclean One began to reform, "Now!"
Nifty twisted the cross from the top of the orb and hurled it into the mass of bugs as it coalesced around the Hellish Heart, the beast beginning to reform with a roar. "Holy Hand Grenade!"
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(Message from the future: this fic is up to chapter 8 on AO3 and chapters 9, 10 and 11 have already been completed)
A/N: Yup. Adam handed Nifty a flamer and a Holy Hand Grenade, and it took me longer than I should to realize I'd basically made her an honorary Adeptus Sororitas. But hell, if the flamer fits!
You might've realized this is only part one, which is a little unfortunate because it wasn't supposed to be, but this Actual First Day got away from me a bit. But here we go, getting into the thrust of the story, Adam as part The Happy Few! Already, relationships are starting to get built, though a few are fairly surface-level…for now.
I did say I'd be doing deep dives into the characters, right?
That was, in fact, a threat.
Yup, I've got backstories, built a bit off of existing knowledge but otherwise completely original for basically every character, and we're going to get knee deep in the damned.
I hope you're looking forward to it, because I damn well am as well.
The irony is, I was actually struggling a bit with this chapter until I had the idea for the DMs (heh) between Adam and Charlie, and then it just flowed way better. Those characters just bounced off of each other so well.
By the way, the next chapter is already done and it's titled:
Track 07 - Master Exploder
So yeah. Heheheh.
Big thanks as always to the peeps in the Discord, my own and the one I just joined, First Man Collective.
And, naturally, thanks to NSG for being the goddamn man. Why not give his stories a look and tell him I sent you?
And lastly but certainly not leastly, thank you for spending some of your time reading this chapter. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. If you enjoyed yourself, why not follow for future updates and leave a comment/review? Those are always nice.
Stay Awesome!
~Soleneus
P.S.: Yeah, I know the chapter title doesn't match with the music selection, but Disposal unit just fit too perfectly to use anything else, and you simply can't understand the struggle of not using a PowerWolf song for every chapter title.
Anywho, hope your summer's going all good for you and yours. It's been a hot one, but a good one for me so far. Stay hydrated, stay hyped, and stay safe, yeah?
Stay Awesome Some More.
~still Soleneus