Although she was expecting to go to class with Mammon, he seemed to have other plans. As soon as they were on school grounds he handed her a paper, "Lucifer wanted me to go over the list of classes with you, give you a rundown of when and where to go… but here's the thing," he flashed her a grin, "Not only do I not care enough to do so, you seem like a capable enough human to find everything. And technically it wasn't referring to you as "human" but as a human. So you can't control my tongue this time Stella!" Before she could protest he had run off down the hallway to who knows where and was out of sight. Exasperated at his antics, Stella wandered around asking other students where she needed to go or at least tried to.
After the news of her making a pact with Mammon became public knowledge, most of the demons either feared her or tried to ignore her lest she tried to make a pact with them too. Stella almost couldn't blame them, if a random stranger came to her university and was capable of swindling her into a deal against her will she would be wary of them as well.
Suddenly an unfamiliar and yet gentle voice spoke up behind her, "When we make announcements they fall on deaf ears… but rumors and gossip seem to spread like wildfire…" Stella jumped back startled, a trio of demons had gathered to see her, Lord Diavolo, Lucifer, and a new face she didn't quite recognize. She faced Diavolo and gave a small curtsey, "Good morning Lord Diavolo, it is a pleasure to see you…" Diavolo chuckled while the unfamiliar demon smiled, "It's almost refreshing to see someone treat you with reverence, young Master," Diavolo turned to him still smiling, "I know! These past hundreds of years I've tried familiarizing myself with my subjects but it is nice every once in a while to be reminded I'm royalty,"
Lucifer looked over Stella's shoulder and tutted, "I see Mammon has abandoned you… no doubt to go fool around somewhere…" he let out a small exasperated sigh and shook his head, "Sometimes I wish I could trade him for someone much more dependable, like you Barbatos," Lucifer turned to the dark-haired servant who was smiling modestly, "You flatter me, Lucifer. Oh my apologies Stella it seems by your looks that I have forgotten to introduce myself. Brabatos, servant of Lord Diavolo, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Stella blushed heavily at being called out but shook his hand politely anyway. She was sure she downplayed her recognition but it seemed that he was a detective as well as a butler for Diavolo. "Y-yes it's nice to meet you as well Barbatos…"
"I hear that you've managed to make a pact with Mammon, Stella. That's no small feat, I'm very impressed you did so in a short time," Stella blushed as Diavolo praised her, "It was honestly an accident… but thank you…" Barbatos smiled and leaned forward, "No need to be so modest. It is sometimes said that a truly wise man does not flaunt his talents, but keeps them secret. However, I agree that this feat is worth praising, well done," Lucifer sighed and shook his head, "If only Mammon had some talents to speak of, the only one that comes to mind is his ability to get himself into trouble. That and his thick-headedness," Diavolo chuckled and smiled, "Well, I've heard it said that the most thick-headed child is always the cutest," Stella stifled a giggle as she agreed with both the premise and the fact that Mammon fit the bill all around.
Without missing a beat, a charming voice piped up behind her, "It seems that Mammon is the textbook example for that statement, isn't that right Lucifer?" Stella squeaked quietly as she stepped aside to see a darker-skinned man in a slightly revealing attire. She blushed heavily and turned towards the floor embarrassed as Lucifer responded to the man, who seemed to be named "Simeon". When she looked down, however, she noticed a small, blond bombshell young boy in a white and gold outfit with a small beret to match. He was, in a word, absolutely adorable. Along with his cuteness, he seemed to possess a fiery temper as well. The boy had barely appeared and was already in an argument with Lucifer, seemingly about the nickname "chihuahua" and its usage towards him.
"Allow me to introduce these gentlemen to you, Stella. Simeon and Luke are our foreign exchange students from the celestial realm, that is to say, they are angels," Simeon smiled as he gently grabbed Stella's hand, "A pleasure to meet the subject of the many rumors," He brought her hand up to his level as he gave it a small kiss, causing Stella to blush. Luke puffed up his chest and strode up to Stella, "Don't be fooled by my appearance, I'm older than your grandparents. Even if you look down on me I'm no small fry! I'll have you know that in the Celestial Realm, I report directly to Michael the Archangel, as-"
Simeon turned and patted Luke on the head, "Luke, calm down. You need to learn not to make such a huge fuss about everything. I'm sure she respects you and doesn't need convincing," Lucifer gave a sadistic smirk, "He's right. That's exactly why people call you a chihuahua, you know?" Luke growled and scowled at him, "Usually the only one who calls me 'chihuahua' is YOU Lucifer!"
Barbatos then stepped between the duo and gently chastised them, "It's nearly time for the first bell to sound, you must be off to classes…" Simeon smiled and nodded, "Yes you're right, Barbatos…" He turned to the rest of the group, "I apologize for any trouble we've caused and hope to make it up to you somehow. Perhaps over tea or another event?" Diavolo smiled, "Sounds delightful, I'm relieved to see that you are adjusting well here…" The group slowly disparted leaving only Stella and Luke behind.
"Never trust… hmmhmm…" Stella leaned down and looked confused, "Sorry, could you repeat that, Luke?" He went all pink and shouted out angrily, "Hey! Don't lean down toward me like an adult listening to a child! You didn't need to come down to my level! I'm not a kid!" Startled by his outburst she took a step back, "S-sorry… noted for the future… What did you say?" He took a deep breath and glanced around before finally speaking up, "... Never trust a demon. Especially when that demon is Lucifer!"
Stella was shocked by such an outburst, but Luke either didn't care or didn't notice as he continued, "Listen to me. He's a monster and a brute. He's uncivilized, immoral, and… and also…" Poor Luke seemed to be at a loss for words to describe how awful Lucifer apparently was. Despite being exasperated he continued angrily, "I was against this from the beginning! What were they thinking, bringing humans and us angels to the Devildom as exchange students? It's complete insanity and goes against everything we stand for!"
He took one last breath and looked at Stella in the eyes, "You've been warned, Stella. You get what I'm saying right? You can't trust any of these demons, their whole point to their existence is to thwart us angels and make humans miserable, understand?" She hesitated for a moment, then nodded quietly. Luke nodded curtly and looked around once more, "Okay. Now let me escort you to class. I can't believe they're letting you be unsupervised… What if a demon eats you? I would never be able to go back home without feeling I failed my duty…" Without another moment to spare, the small angel grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. Normally, Stella would never agree to be led away by a stranger, especially by someone who just trash-talked people she held in mildly high regard. But this was an angel, and angels were the good guys… Right?
After the school day was over, Stella, anxious about the cherub's warning, decided that she was going to get her mind off of things by exploring the city. The only downside was that she was familiar with only one person: Mammon. As far as Stella was concerned, Mammon despised her 40%, tolerated her 40%, and the last 20% was undecided but leaning more towards thinking she was incompetent. She took a deep breath before pulling out her D.D.D. and pressing the call button. It took a few rings but he eventually answered, "You better have a da## good reason for calling me hu… Stella… Da## I still need to get used to that. Stupid pact…" Stella looked at the "sky" nervously. She had been quite surprised when she looked up and noticed that the Devildom seemed to be in a perpetual state of nighttime with unusual star patterns scattered in the "heavens". It was beautiful sure but she missed being able to feel the sunlight on her skin and see the gorgeous rays of light peering out from the mountain range.
"Hey! Earth to Stella! If you don't say anything I'm hanging up, don't care if Lucifer himself strings me up. It'll be your fault for not speaking up," Stella cleared her throat and stuttered embarrassed, "S-sorry! Sorry… Got lost in thought… But um if you're not busy-" She was cut off by sneering laughter on the other end of the line, "Course I'm busy, I'm Mammon. But I might just change my mind for the right price~" Stella paused and looked down at her phone, "Mammon… I'm- Nevermind. Look I was wondering if you could show me around the city. I need a job and-" Once again Mammon interrupted her rather than letting her finish her thought. "Oh, so you're wanting me to be your tour guide eh? Fat chance. Go ask Asmo or Satan or something… Heck even Levi might be willing to come out of his room, what with you two being buddy-buddy and forcing me into this pact with you!"
Stella winced and muttered quietly, "I'm sorry about the pact Mammon. I don't-" "Don't what? Want to control me? Make me look like more of an idiot than normal? I hear the rumors too, Stella… 'Mammon got wrapped up in a pact by a human, how pathetic! So glad I'm not Mammon right now. Mammon is a disgrace to all of us demons! It's a good thing Mammon sets the bar so low so the rest of us don't even have to try!' I get made out to be a loser while you get to be a legend! What gives you the power to tell me what to do, huh?"
Stella felt that she had been verbally slapped in the face. Sure she knew that Mammon was mad at her, but this? This was a whole new level of anger and hurt. She looked down at the ground, willing herself not to cry as she feebly responded to him, "...You're right. I shouldn't be telling you what to do. I'm sorry for wasting your time, Mammon," Bringing the phone away from her face, she heard Mammon about to say something but hung up the call anyway. Stella wiped her nose with her sleeve and looked through her short list of contacts before eventually giving up and heading towards town by herself, "I'll just bother whoever I call. I'll be alright… how bad can it be?"
If anyone had a stopwatch to see how long it took before one got lost in the Devildom, Stella would have had the record for at least the next hundred years. Although Stella had convinced herself that she could retrace her steps and make it out of the city safely, she had sorely underestimated the size of the Devildom. She passed by dozens of stores, most of which were restaurants, fine dining, or delectable-smelling bakeries. Stella tried going into some asking about part-time positions, but once they learned who she was they either laughed her out or firmly showed her the door. No one wanted to hire a human who was woefully underprepared for the Devildom and its citizens.
She eventually found her way to a small "park" area and sat down on a bench, defeated, lost, and utterly alone. Stella closed her eyes and rested her head in her lap, "I'm way over my head here… Why did I accept the invitation…" Her mind started to wander as she sat on the bench; unwanted memories swirling in her mind: the whispering of classmates in the human realm and the Devildom, the sneers and haughty looks from others who thought they knew better, like Cleo… Then came the dreams.
When she was younger she had nightmares about being in large crowds of angry shouting people. She would do her best to get away from the mob when she would find herself falling from the clouds. She never knew how she got up so high but it didn't make her plummet any less terrifying. She noticed the dreams became more frequent at times of immense stress or when she had let her mental guard down, letting the dreams slip through and plague her psyche. She gripped the sides of her head and tried to will herself to calm down, 'Calm down Stella! Breathe! You're not in danger you're just-'
"Stella. There you are," Stella nearly jumped out of her seat when her thoughts were interrupted so suddenly. She looked up to see a pair of red eyes sternly staring back down at her, it was Lucifer. Despite her mixed feeling for him, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's you, Mister Lucifer. Hello… Sorry, I got lost I-" He waved his hand as she tried to speak, "I know of the situation with Mammon…" He gave a sadistic smile at her confused look, "He told me himself, Stella," Lucifer extended a hand and raised Stella from her seated position, "After your phone call with him he ran into me while desperately searching for you in the city. You're lucky I was out buying food for the house or else you would have ended up on someone's platter…"
He gave a sadistic smirk as he led her away, "What were you even doing out here anyway? Mammon left those details quite vague," Stella blushed in embarrassment and followed him, facing away from him, "I… wanted to get… a job…" Lucifer raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, "A… job? I suppose Mammon left out that'd you be receiving a weekly allowance. One I'll be delivering to you personally on account of Mammon being untrustworthy with such things…" Stella shook her head, "I didn't… but even then I still would like to have a stable job. Feel like I have some self-worth you know?" Lucifer paused a moment, then nodded, "If it's that much of an issue I can personally escort you. I happen to know a place that will be grateful for some extra help,"
Stella smiled and turned to him gratefully, "I would appreciate that immensely, Mister Lucifer, thank you," They continued walking down the streets, Lucifer pointing out the shops and diners while giving extensive detail on each one's history. What Stella wasn't aware of, however, was a certain greedy demon tailing them from not so far away, fuming silently to himself for reasons he didn't quite understand. Or at least, reasons he wouldn't understand for the time being.