Author note - hi there, so sorry for not posting in a while, I was thrown into an unplanned hiatus by a sudden loss, and it's been a trip clawing my way out of that dark hole. But I'm ready to get back to writing again. Thanks for your continued support. And wow! 44/50 favorites and followers to this story, simply amazing! Now to thank all you lovely people: AlchemyWriter, Asmadey, Bud200, Byziks1, CaosD, Clexa300, Darkillion, Distrubed1991, Doc fossil, EpsilonW, Fus Ro Duh, GeekyGirl183, George Zimmerman, Gerden360, GodShynin300, Halopro, IAmAbyss, ImpossibleGirl96, Jessika The Insane, KunoichiBeastKnightress, LocomotiveClown, Luan Furtado, MrFoxHoundSir, Park1117, Shadow Queen 579, Slashxii, Spiked29, SplatoonFriend, Tarandongirl1, TheRedPheasnt, The Shadowscythe, Twiphase, Vampmire, Wolfpup59, Xerzes01, avatarange, bryne40k, falloutaki, fanalis1995, grapejuice101, kimurakosama, kyrogue23, mineluck87, 10, rejajali272, summering, victoriashivers724, Jopro47, Starlog246, The Literary Lord, akira45, disturganbekov54, , and pilitaangomas! Welcome to the new faces since my last posting: hrigler, ordoniojustin02, coociedu, StarryNightMusic1315, Oliviian, and acj290!
Chapter 53: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Taylor tossed the last piece of paperwork onto the finished pile with a satisfying slap. Stretching their arms above them, a sigh escaped them as a sense of accomplishment hit them.
Since moving their base of operations, a segment of their former clients had returned asking to set up businesses and seek their protection as an Overlord in return for Taylor becoming a co-owner and receiving a cut of profits. Although unsure about being up to the task at first, thanks to Antonio's business acumen and Melanie's people skills, the trio worked together to establish a small territory under their purview. While not as charming as Cannibal Town by any means, the no soul-dealing policy that was strictly enforced kept the shadier demons from frequenting the area.
Their cellphone buzzed and they saw Charlie's name appear on the screen. Grimacing, they let the call go to voicemail, silently hoping she would assume they were just busy and not actively avoiding her calls and messages.
They had been trying to keep their spirits up, but each day was getting harder to shake the dread in the back of their mind. The very idea of their patron's next visit haunted them, a fact that kept them from sleeping for more an hour or two a day. Charlie kept pressing for them to open up and share their worries with her or someone from the hotel, but their inability to be frank just left them agitated and guilty. To cope, they had busied themselves with work; focusing on giving as many people as possible a fresh start, chasing the euphoria and temporary energy boost that came from breaking contracts, and preparing for their next dealmaker job. As a result, they had been away from the hotel for several days.
Feeling their anxiety creep up, they quickly sought to distract themselves. Opening one of their desk drawers, they retrieved a taser they "confiscated" from one of Sir Pentious's Egg Boiz and set it on the desk. Lifting their hand, they ignited their palm with a flickering yellow-orange flame. Adding energy, the flame got hotter, shifting to blue, then white, and then finally a toasty violet. Furrowing their brow, they continued.
As they focused, the flame's gentle movements grew erratic, leaping out in arcs and snapping like it was trying to escape its confines, but Taylor reined it in through sheer force of will. With a series of flashes, the wild ball of flames took on the appearance of a fluid-like blob, humming and oscillating across their palm, reminded them of a giant glowing bead of water rippling from a constant tremor.
'Keep it together. One, two…' Taylor counted tensely as they gingerly moved their fingers and fought to maintain control of the jerking mass of energy for as long as possible. After some time, they could keep the blob intact without staring directly at it and decided to move to the next step. They swallowed dryly when the taser powered up, the sound of electricity crackling filling the room.
"Alright, here we go. You got this, just focus and it'll be fine." Taylor coached themselves as they nervously brought the weapon near the globule in their hand. They watched in wary excitement as the arc of electricity stretched out toward the vibrating blob before the two forces connected and oscillated in tandem. The best part was they felt nothing more than a thrumming on their hand.
'Hell yeah! Finally!' They thought giddily. Inching the taser closer, the sensation shifted to an uncomfortable tingling, but they pressed on.
Suddenly their arm was pulled back, breaking their focus and the blob went out in black smoke. Taylor turned to see an exasperated-looking Antonio.
"I'm going to ask that you don't go electrocuting yourself, please. We don't have any more clients today and I'd rather not break out the defibrillator again." Antonio deadpanned, plucking the taser from their grip before dropping their arm.
"That only happened once, sheesh." Taylor grumbled, putting out their hand. "And there wasn't going to be a need for it, I just made a solid breakthrough. Now give it back, I gotta try again."
"Later, right now we got a problem." Antonio replied, his tone serious.
Taylor's attention began to drift.
They stood in the middle of the street, hands in their pockets, waiting impatiently for Wynn, a haughty mink demoness in a blue form-fitting dress and fur stole, to finish her speech. Apparently, she was vying for control of Overlord Caesar's now leaderless gambling empire, and Taylor's territory once fell under his flag, so Wynn was taking it back by force.
Taylor sighed; they knew they were being rude, but she just kept droning on and on. Their eyes wandered over to one of the many demons standing behind Wynn, a catfish demon who shrank back slightly when Taylor quirked an eyebrow at it. Noting that Wynn still wasn't finished, they began looking around the area languidly. Wynn's horde had gone hog-wild, breaking the storefront windows before looting the wares, leaving glass, trash, and debris scattered all over the place.
'This is gonna be expensive. I wonder if there's still time to call the construction contractors before they close for the day.' Taylor thought with annoyance, seeing dollar signs as they mentally assessed the damages.
"—Are you even listening?" They heard Wynn's shrill voice call out indignantly.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure. I'm an upstart, this place is yours by right, yada yada. Are we done? I have things to do." Taylor said brightly, returning their gaze forward and feigning attention.
Wynn's face contorted with rage.
"As a matter of fact, we are!" She snapped, signaling to her soldiers to ready their firearms. "Light 'em up, boys!"
With a tilt of their head, Taylor raised a vortex of fire around them just as a thunderous eruption of fusillade rang out. Using the flames as cover, they redirected the bullets such that upon hitting the fiery shield, they followed the path of the spiraling flames before slowing to a stop and clattering to the ground. But to their opponents, it appeared as if the bullets were being swallowed up, leaving Taylor unaffected by the barrage.
When all rounds were expended, Taylor dropped the shield and heard frightened cries ripple through Wynn's forces.
"Those were angelic bullets…"
"—Like it was nothing!"
"Screw this! I choose life!"
"Hold your positions!" Wynn screamed, putting an end to her group's unrest. "This isn't over!"
"Isn't it?" Taylor cut in curtly, eyes glowing as an oppressively hot wind picked up and flaming symbols appeared around their head. "Aren't you wondering why I haven't set you all ablaze yet?" They posited, pausing for effect. Taking their hands out of their pockets, they took a few slow strides to the side. "The fact of the matter is, I don't need to." They gave the crowd a sidelong glance. "For someone wanting to be an Overlord, I expected a bit more than this sad display."
They saw Wynn shake with fury as the insult hit. Turning on their heel, they began to slowly pace along the line of invaders.
"Let's try to resolve this without any more violence. I will forgive your trespass if you apologize an-"
BANG!
Taylor was cut off as Wynn unholstered a concealed pistol and fired a round at short range. To the mink demoness's disbelief, Taylor diverted the bullet into a flaming claw, using it like a baseball mitt to catch the bullet. Reducing the flame size to ferry the bullet into their fingers, they examined the projectile, noting the unmistakable glint of angelic steel.
"That was rude. I listened to your spiel; can't you do the same?" They admonished, shooting her a withering stare.
"Fuck you ." Wynn spat venomously.
"Then I'll spell it out plainly." Taylor shrugged, continuing to admire the bullet in mock dismissiveness. "You're going to quietly get off the premises, leaving all the goods you stole and those angelic weapons behind to pay off the damages to this lovely business center here. Sound good?"
There was a short pause as Taylor pocketed the bullet and waited for an answer.
"I have a counteroffer." Wynn said, a smug tone in her voice that made Taylor quickly scan for something amiss. Their eyes landed on movement coming from the trucks parked at the back of the demoness's forces, namely the silver barrels turning on turrets.
Their eyes widened when several high-speed streams of water barreling straight to them. With little time to react, they put up a shield and brought up their arms before they were slammed with a torrent of water, their shoes scraping along the pavement as the force of the assault pushed them back from where they stood.
'What the actual shit?!' They seethed angrily, cranking up the heat. 'She wants to play with the big kids? Fine! Charlie, I tried to be nice, but they've forced my hand!'
Wynn watched with barely contained glee as the fiery Overlord was shoved back from the water cannons she wisely brought along for this confrontation. Water always bested fire, and with this wanna-be at her mercy, she would get that final recognition boost to stamp out her competition and become the new head of Caesar's gambling empire. Overlord Wynn, she liked the ring of it.
A hiss akin to that of a thousand snakes shook her from her planning as a cloud of steam ballooned skyward and descended into the street, blanketing the area in a painfully hot fog. Shrinking into herself, she covered her face with her stole and scrunched her eyes shut as exposed areas burned. Several crackling noises zoomed above her before a series of loud creaks and muffled thuds resounded out where the water cannon trucks were positioned. She realized something was wrong when the outcries of her troops scrambling to get away seemed to all blend together.
Before Wynn could retreat to relative safety, an ear-piercing screech permeated the clamor, silencing the tumult and forcing her to crack an eye open. Seeing her subordinates staring upwards with looks of shock, she followed their gazes and a whimper escaped as fear rooted her to the spot.
Three stories up, two huge yellow beacons of light cut through the fog, scanning the area like searchlights. Even from afar, Wynn could feel the sheer heat emanating from the thing, making her break into a cold sweat despite the boiling murk around her. Recoiling when the spotlights stopped on her, she screwed her eyes shut when a strong gust of wind made her hair and fur stole billow wildly when a series of heavy thumps approached.
Blinking the spots out of her eyes, the steamy mist had dissipated, and a fearsome sight came into focus. It was as if a raging wildfire had gained sentience and turned into a giant monstrous being. A swirling mass of flames, blackened at the edges but burning a candlelight yellow from within towered over all, with argent flames streaking along its body that pulsed lightly. Six black hooked claws, two of which gripped the asphalt, left red-hot patches at the point of contact. The remaining four limbs sported broad fiery yellow wings, with the feather-tips a red so dark, it was almost black.
Two almond-shaped golden sclerae shone brightly as it regarded them with an unreadable expression, unnerving Wynn to her bones. Atop its head, two crimson plumes traveled along its nape, reflecting the flaming light, and a long flowy bifurcating tail trailed behind it like a train. The creature's pointed maw opened, and a roaring inferno could be heard churning inside before it gave another ear-splitting screech. Descending from its imposing height by putting all its limbs on the ground, it shook the ground to loom over Wynn and her forces.
There was a tense silence, save for the crackling sound of fire and the shuddered breathing of the intimidated masses. It was suddenly broken when one of Wynn's soldiers brought up a weapon on pure reflex, causing the golden eyes to snap towards the offending party and narrowing angrily.
An overlap of numerous voices, man and woman, old and young, high and low, penetrated the space.
" Fall ."
It was more of a command than a statement, when all at once, the invaders groaned and crumpled to the ground or their knees. Wynn followed suit as she became suddenly lightheaded and the world began to spin beneath her.
Wynn ground her teeth in frustration as she tried and failed to move, but her limbs felt weighed down. She'd been in Hell for almost twenty years now, stepped over so many people to claw her way to up where she was today, only to meet her demise anyway. A sense of resignation washed over her; she had no hope of fighting back in this state, let alone trying to run. Not that it would make a lick of difference. Unless… she stared up at the Overlord's full demon form.
"We're sorry!" Wynn cried out, wincing slightly as the radiating heat hurt her throat. "We'll leave! You won't ever see us again, promise! Take the weapons, they're yours! Just… please…mercy." She said, voice tight as she swallowed her pride and begged.
A loud peal of laughter echoed as the acrid smell of smoke became overwhelming.
" After the shit you pulled? It's too late for that now!" A silvery overlay that played over Taylor's voice replied savagely before the creature opened its maw and the air grew blisteringly hot.
"Please! What else do you want? Money, territory, souls? What will it take?!"
" Tempting, but no. My mind is set." The roar of flames grew to deafening levels as the creature inhaled deeply, casting an ominous yellow glow upon the terrified masses.
"It wasn't our fault; we were following orders!" Wynn pleaded desperately.
The creature paused its action before closing its mouth and tilting its head to the side.
" Mind running that by me again?" They asked, sounding mildly annoyed.
Wynn sighed as the temperature had gone down to a tolerable level of uncomfortable.
"Our boss Bellagio sent us. Thought that since you're the newest Overlord, you'd also be the weakest. Spare us and we'll tell them that you're no pushover." She explained, hopeful that it would be enough to quell the being's anger.
The fiery creature raised a claw and Wynn flinched, expecting the worst. But instead of slashing her to searing ribbons, it continued upwards before tapping its chin in contemplation.
" You do that." The monster said after a moment.
"R-really?"
" I've proved my point, and I'd prefer not to add corpse removal and fire damage to the cleanup expenses. Which you'll still be covering, by the way."
Wynn couldn't believe her luck.
"Oh, thank you, thank you! Of course, take the weapons, it's only fair!" She thanked profusely. "We'll just get going and— "
" Hmm… no."
Wynn froze.
"But you said— "
" I don't think your word alone will leave enough of an… impression." The fiery being answered, a mischievous glint in its eyes.
Raising itself back onto its back legs, the flaming monster reached over the interlopers and grasped the trucks in their claws, the metal hissing and popping from the heat. The harsh squealing sound of metal-on-metal filled the air as the creature ripped open the trucks like bags of chips and deftly bent and fused the metal sheets together, constructing an sphere of metal with an opening at the top.
Turning its attention back to the group, the fiery Overlord swung its long tail around in a sweeping motion, quickly collecting all the wailing interlopers and tossed them into the metal container.
"Consider this your and Bellagio's only warning. Next time I catch you on my turf, I won't be so keen on listening."
Clenching a claw over the top, it sealed the invaders inside before taking to the sky with a few powerful flaps.
" Now get the fuck out of my sight!" The being snarled before winding up and hurling the screaming ball of metal out toward a large black pyramid far in the distance, the central base of operations for Caesar's empire, where it landed with a booming crash.
Satisfied with their work, the being descended back down to the ground with a heavy thump. Folding its arms around its body and tucking its head into its chest, its physical form dissolved into flames before the essence drew back and coalesced down in size before extinguishing, reverting Taylor back to their normal fire demon form.
Taylor groaned lightly as they massaged the back of their neck. Being only recently able to go into their full demon form, the reversion process still gave them a bit of grief. Feeling a tickle in their throat, they hunched over and began coughing forcefully just as some of their associates ran up to them.
"Boss, you doing okay?" A blue gecko demon asked, hands hovering above them warily.
"One sec." Taylor coughed before a small blast of fire erupted from their mouth. Clearing their throat, they straightened back up and spoke a bit hoarsely. "I'm fine, something stuck in my craw." Taking a moment to finish clearing their airway, they then gestured to the street. "Good timing. I need you all to comb over what our friends left behind and collect any weapons, especially the angelic steel-based items. Don't forget the bullets, either. Once you're done, take them back to the base and we'll sell them back to Carmilla to pay for repairs and whatever else we need."
"Like a new outfit maybe?" The gecko demon indicated gently.
Taylor pulled a face when they glanced at their arms. The long sleeves had burned away up to their shoulders and there were blackened patches all over. In their haste to protect themselves, they didn't have time to keep their clothes from burning.
'Guess I can't put it off any longer. Time to go back to the Hotel.' Taylor thought with a tired sigh.
Taylor lingered at the front door as they tried to come up with a penitent enough apology to Charlie for their absence. They couldn't depend on their peace offering to do all the work, but everything they came up with didn't quite sound right. With an exasperated groan, they decided to wing it and hope for the best.
Stepping into the lobby, they saw the hotel residents milling about in the parlor before a loud gasp and a white and red blur rushed at them. Before they could register what was happening, they were crushed into one of Charlie's signature hugs as she spoke a mile a minute.
"You're back! We waited for you to come back when you were ready, but I got impatient and I'm sorry if I bothered you with my calls, I know your work is important to you! But I'm sooo happy and proud of you right now! Angel showed us the video of you getting rid of those rude demons and even after they pissed you off and tried to kill you, you were the bigger demon —both literally and figuratively— and made them leave without killing anyone! The lessons on conflict resolution and setting boundaries are working! You'll be a great example of a soul improving and worthy of redemption! Just wait until Heaven hears—" She stopped to take a giant deep breath.
"What? … Charlie, are you joking? I'm the one who should be sorry here, not you." Taylor cut in before turning their gaze away in shame. "Yes, things have been crazy at work, I have people to protect now, kinda like you, Vaggie," they gave a wry chuckle, "and yes, even Alastor, do for the hotel. But it's no excuse; I've been neglecting my friends here, and for that I'm sorry." Taylor admitted when they felt Charlie release them and give their shoulder a warm squeeze.
"I want you to know that as long as you're here, if you need anything, anything at all, we'll be right there in your corner to help." She said gently.
'You're too good for this world, Charlie. I don't deserve it.' Taylor thought as they felt a surge of emotion start to come to the surface. But they shook their head, refusing to let it win out for now. Quickly rummaging through their pocket, they brought out a piece of paper and held it out to Charlie.
"It won't make up for it…" Taylor paused, trying to push down the maelstrom within between shaky breaths. "But some of my former clients are interested in staying at the hotel during the next Extermination."
They saw Charlie's eyes widen in shock before Vaggie joined her at her side and took the paper warily.
"Granted, most aren't interested in redemption, but you'll have a captive audience for 24 hours, so maybe you'll inspire some to stay…" Taylor trailed off when a loud squeal made them wince.
"Oh my gosh, this is amaaazing~!" She exclaimed as she rubbed her cheeks in excitement. "You hear that, Vaggie? We'll have to get more rooms ready, and lesson plans set up, and—" Charlie cried, practically bouncing of the walls.
"Not to mention the hotel has the endorsement of an Overlord that doesn't think the whole thing is a joke." Vaggie added with a pointed look back toward Alastor. There was a hiss of angry static as the deer demon's eyes narrowed at being called out. Taylor felt their hands be grasped as Charlie pulled them toward the parlor.
"This is a great start to the evening! We were getting ready for movie night! You gotta join us!" She said chipperly.
"Charlie…" Taylor started, getting the princess's attention. They felt exhausted and just wanted to wind down after a long day, but after seeing her expectant face, they sighed. "Sounds great. Let me go freshen up and I'll be back in time for it to start."
Taking perhaps the most efficient shower in history, Taylor walked out of their bathroom, feeling a bit refreshed. Angel Dust had decided to keep them company by lounging on the bed while Niffty zoomed around the place, insisting on cleaning up the already immaculate room that was, in her words, in an "unacceptable" state. As Taylor listened to Angel's play-by-plays of his latest shoots and workplace incidents at the studio, laughing along and talking shit about Valentino, they discretely eyed the makeup expertly applied to conceal Angel's extra bruises and cuts, along with the winces he tried to hide when he shifted. Not knowing the best way to bring it up, Taylor pulled a vial with a clear liquid from inside from their dresser and took a seat next to the spider demon.
"Here." They offered, handing him the vial.
They saw Angel inspect the vial, uncapping it and sniffing the contents.
"Ya didn't need to get me anything to win me over. That video of you showing those goons what happens when they fuck around and find out was plenty!" He said with a cackle. "Ya practically made those fuckers piss their pants! It was hilarious!"
Niffty started to laugh maniacally at the foot of the bed.
"I liked when you swept them up and then threw them away like trash! But the water was so rude! Was it painful?" She commented with a crazed look.
"I know, ya totally got hosed down, and not in a good way!" Angel Dust snickered.
Taylor gave a dry chuckle.
"Yeah, that part was a blast and a half. But, seriously, it's a healing potion. Just dab where it hurts, and it'll help. For… you know… rough shoots." They said quietly, not wanting to delve into the hazards of his profession and who was the most likely source of his injuries. Feeling awkward, they blathered on. "It's all natural, so it won't mess up your progress staying clean. And if you need more, let me know and I'll stop by the apothecary on my way home from work. If you're still unsure, I can take you to show they're legit, and— "
They were put out of their misery when their hair was mussed playfully.
"Say no more. I'll let you know when I need a refill." He said simply, a wide grin on his face. Taylor swatted his hand away lightly and smiled as they went to smooth back their locks. With a small groan, Angel Dust pushed off the bed and stiffly made his way out of the room, vial in hand. "I'm gonna go test drive this, but I'll be down before the movie starts! Whoa! Watch where yer going, ya crazy cat!" He cried as he narrowly avoided running over KeeKee, who was sitting in the doorway.
Charlie's one-eyed pet cat reared up at the near hit-and-run before bounding into the room and coming to a stop at Taylor's feet.
"Um, hi KeeKee." They greeted hesitantly. From what they gathered, the cat seemed to be particular in who she wanted to be around, with Charlie being the only person she seemed to gravitate toward. Not ever having a pet in their time alive, they didn't know how to act around a cat. Their only experience was with Fat Nuggets, and Angel had to wrangle him before Taylor could handle the piglet.
"Did you need something? Should I get Charlie to feed you? Wait a minute, do you eat?" Taylor questioned, as if the cat could respond.
Tilting her head, KeeKee watched them for a moment before leaping onto the bed and sitting at their side with an expectant look.
"Do you want to be pet?" Taylor wondered as their hand hesitantly hovered over the cat, asking for permission. To their delight, KeeKee met their hand and Taylor stroked the cat's soft fur. "Aww, I can see why Lucifer gushed over you."
They sighed contentedly as they pet KeeKee and watched Niffty finish her sprucing up. The little housekeeper zoomed to and from places at breakneck speed, making Taylor ponder how much they could get done with a smidge of that swiftness. Their gut twisted slightly when they watched the little cyclops lift their armchair to check for bugs. At their side, KeeKee started to rear up at the sight.
"Hey, Niffty?"
"What is it? Do you see a bug somewhere? They are winning now, but not for long!" She answered ominously, still holding the piece of furniture as her eye roving around the room in search of any would-be victims.
"No, no, you got that area covered, Niffty." They assured her. "It's just…" they trailed off. "Can you maybe, get that out of here?"
Niffty frowned. "Why? Is it messy?" She began to inspect the armchair for stains.
"Nothing like that. It's just… not to my taste. I'd rather not have it in the room, if possible." They explained, their expression steeling as painful memories of their patron rose up, unbidden.
There was a beat of uncomfortable silence as Taylor buried their discontent deep while using KeeKee as pet therapy.
"You got it!" Niffty chirped with a toothy grin. "Do you need anything else? What about your clothes? Should I clean them?" She asked eagerly as she spotted the pile they'd set aside.
Taylor shrugged. "I mean, you're welcome to try, but burnt clothes aren't exactly easy to mend. If you can't, don't worry about it."
Niffty seemed to bounce on the spot at the challenge. "Of course! I'll make them good as new when I'm done with them!" She said with an ecstatic giggle.
Taylor got up and laid the clothes on top of the armchair. "Thanks, Niffty, you're the best."
They watched the little cyclops nod so hard that surely she'd get whiplash before she dashed out the door, carrying the armchair away like it weighed nothing. Feeling a trickle of relief, they lingered at the doorway before gesturing to the hallway.
"Come along KeeKee, let's not keep the others waiting." They called to the cat, who scampered off the bed and out of the room with them.
A couple hours later, all the hotel residents sat together in front of the television, watching a murder mystery whodunit movie. Angel Dust had the idea for a drinking game whenever someone was murdered, a piece of evidence was discovered, or accusations were thrown, leaving many of the watchers a bit tipsy.
"Ya see, it has to be the butler! It's always the butler!" Angel declared, words slurring a bit from his spot on the floor, propped up against the couch.
"No way, look at how the assistant didn't so much as flinch when she saw the body. That's a disgruntled worker if I ever saw one!" Taylor scoffed, popping some popcorn in their mouth.
"The both of you are dead wrong. It's definitely the son, he stands to inherit the whole damn fortune with the count out of the way!" Husk reasoned from the other side of the couch.
"Ooh, that makes him a bad boy!" Niffty giggled admiringly from her spot on Taylor's lap. An odd choice, but they didn't mind.
"The doctor seemssss awfully susssspicous to me." Sir Pentious offered, eyes narrowing as Taylor glanced to the side and saw the gears turning in his head.
"It's obvious that this is an amateur or a crime of passion; their technique is sloppy at best." Alastor hummed, mostly to himself, from his armchair.
"Would you all keep it down? Don't make me come over there." Vaggie snapped in annoyance. She and Charlie were snuggled on a loveseat together, but there was no need for her to move, as Charlie drew close lovingly, melting the demoness's anger and she went back to watching the movie with her girlfriend.
Taylor stifled a yawn before they took a moment to look around the room. Surrounded by friends. Happy, laughing, together. It was at that time Taylor wished they could exchange their fire powers for the ability to freeze time. To stay in this moment, or even have a Groundhog Day situation and keep repeating this day over and over. They'd willingly endure the water cannons again just for that. Leaning back against the couch, they rested their head in their hand and returned their attention to the movie.
At some point, the movie ended, and everyone started to get up to head up to their rooms for the night.
"I can't believe we were all wrong! Fuoco, when did—shit!" Angel's question died when he turned and forcibly slapped a hand over his mouth.
Taylor was fast asleep on the couch, face relaxed and mouth slightly agape. At the sudden noise, their brows furrowed and they muttered something intelligible before their face fell back into the stillness of sleep. The others sighed in relief.
"What do we do now? Just leave them here?" Angel asked apprehensively.
Charlie shook her head. "It's too risky to leave them alone, their dealmaker could come back."
"Why not jussst wake them up? They could spend the night with me and my Egg Boiz." Sir Pentious put forward.
"I think it best to let them rest. They're probably only sleeping as soundly as they are because they feel safe being around us." Vaggie said.
"Well, we can't exactly carry them up, not when there's a risk of getting burnt." Husk grumbled, flashing Angel a look. The spider demon rubbed their arms with their hands guiltily.
"I'd be happy to keep watch over our burgeoning Overlord here! I'm sure I can quite easily handle any wandering boogeyman that would seek to harm a hotel guest!" Alastor preened.
"NO!" Several voices shouted before they froze. Taylor shifted before settling back to sleep.
"No way we'd let a shit ass like you alone with them! You'd probably try to eat them or use them for your form of sick entertainment!" Vaggie said, shooting Alastor a death glare.
Alastor just smiled, teeth and eyes gleaming in the darkness before he wordlessly departed into the shadows. Vaggie rubbed her temples and grumbled expletives in Spanish.
"I'll wait for them to wake up." Niffty spoke up from the couch. The others turned to see the little demoness sitting next to Taylor, hand waving in the air.
"Niffty? Are you sure?" Charlie asked.
"Oh yes! I have something I can work on in the meantime!" She declared as she produced a sewing kit and some clothes on her lap. She gazed up at the others with a crazed look in her eye. "And if any rude people come to bother them, well… mother bugs won't be the only ones who will serve as a warning to others." Niffty said sinisterly, quietly giggling and getting to work when her fit ended.
Issue seemingly resolved; everyone began to quietly disperse.
"Can we really leave Taylor alone with Little Miss Stabby? She works fer Smiles after all." Angel asked Charlie, still unsure.
"Well… it should be fine, I'm about eighty percent sure she's harmless." Charlie admitted.
Rays of light shining across their eyelids forced Taylor to awake from a thick and dreamless slumber. Sleepily creaking their eyes open, they felt a freshness and clarity of thought that a good night's rest brought. It was then they realized they were still on the couch from last night, and feeling a weight on their lap, they looked down. To their surprise, Niffty was dozing on their lap with her head resting on their chest. They smiled when they saw her lip curled as she giggled quietly to herself, like she was dreaming. Not wanting to disturb the little demoness, they quietly got their phone out and checked their messages while they waited for her to wake up on her own. Most of the missives were ordinary; construction and repair estimates, scheduling updates, and invoices, but one notification from Antonio got their attention.
"We have confirmation for when to strike for the next job. Also, Melanie and I have made the executive decision that until then, you're barred from overnight stays at the office. Get some rest, you workaholic!"
Taylor couldn't help but chuckle at the lighthearted jab, but they couldn't deny how much better they felt compared to the last few days.
"All done!" A happy voice chirped.
They looked over and Niffty held their mended shirt proudly over her head, waiting for Taylor's approval. Taylor couldn't help but be impressed at her work; all evidence of burn holes were gone, and she had refashioned the shirt into a stylish sleeveless blouse.
"Oh wow! How did you manage to do this? You're amazing Niffty, thank you!" Taylor commended, taking the repaired garment appreciably.
Niffty beamed at the compliment, her toothsome grin stretching wide. "Of course! I told you I'd make it good as new!" She said proudly before a thought struck her. "Oooh man, the others will be up soon, and breakfast isn't ready!" She gasped before jumping off their lap in a flash. Taylor, feeling bad, quickly answered before she could dart away.
"Let me help. It's the least I can do for slowing you down." Taylor insisted, getting up from the couch and pocketing their phone.
"Okay!" Niffty cried happily before taking their hand and dragging them toward the kitchen with inhuman strength. "I'll have you start with the pancake batter, then we have to prepare some toast, bacon, a few dozen eggs, and ooh! We can't forget the coffee! Mister Alastor likes his black!" Niffty prattled on as Taylor was thankful for the rest as they got themselves ready to hit the ground running.