Author's Note: My dear viewers, welcome to the thirtieth chapter of this humble fanfic known as Drifters.
In a rare occurrence, this week's replies will be located in the end note. Since, for better or worse, the long wait is over.
So without further adieu, besides my traditional apology revolving around any grammatical mistakes that may pop up along the way, I welcome you back too….
Drifters
A Hazbin Hotel Fanfic
Chapter 30:
One Fell out of the Cuckoo's Nest
"Gav? Come on, don't be this way dude." Much like the steady flow of lights in the opposite lane, the driver's words rode a constant sigh over to the passenger, "Gavin!"
Unavoidable until the ride along's own title crashed into him. Causing a wreck that nearly sent his fingers through the leather seat he strangled.
"..." the first portion of his silent remark was in response to his own shock, "…"
When he recomposed himself into a vexed state, the second part was produced by a huff.
"We're getting too old for this man." The driver took a deep breath. Though the calm gesture only infuriated Gavin further.
"Speak for yourself Lance." the brunette finally turned to face himself. His whispered words steamed the would-be compliment into an insult.
"No, I mean both of us." only for the driver's eyes to reflect the jest back.
With their chestnut hair and emerald eyes being a product of two branches splitting off the same trunk, it was moments like these Gavin hated having Lance for a twin. And the fact he'd rather die than not have him as a brother.
"You had four years to prepare for this dude." Lance turned whatever groan he was about to let out into a steadfast inhale. His well kept locks, build, and even lazy day attire reflected all the maturity Gavin lacked.
'And before that, it was eighteen.' Gavin's mind sneered at the rest of his brother's point.
And a twisted part of his thought just wished the driver had said it out loud.
That way, he could blame Lance for starting the inevitable conflict between them.
"Because the first thing everybody does when they move into their dorm," Gavin whispered beneath his breath instead, "is start searching for an apartment halfway across the country."
"…believe it or not," Lance's zen-like breath leaked out his nostrils. With his deflated head dipping towards the steering wheel soon after, "that's the main reason people go to college."
"That's not why I went."
"No kidding-" Lance tried to cut his mutter off before it reached Gavin's level.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Unfortunately, the unkempt brunette snagged the words from under his brother's breath.
"…" the driver's eyes darted a sideways gaze. His brows furrowed in regret, "Just forget about it."
Normally, Gavin would have. Well, he wouldn't have forgotten about it as much as he would have simply stressed over it in silence. Worrying about every possible outcome, until his face was permitting locked with the guilty expression Lance hoped to make brief.
But the chance for normalcy this evening was lost the moment the civil twin turned their trip home into an announcement he wouldn't be there for long. And if Gavin had any chance for his brother's reveal to disperse an illusion, he needed to make sure Lance ended up being the one imprisoned by shame.
"I see how it is." The messy brunette crossed his arms.
"You really don't." The driver groaned in exhaustion.
"No, seriously I get." an action that made Gavin's eyes dart to the side. The self deprivation in his voice came far easier now that his brother was making fun of it, "All our lives, you've been smarter than me."
"Tell that to the last half of High School," Lance's logic escaped his mouth, "and all dad's 'identical average' jokes."
Each word pounded Gavin like a heart attack.
"How could I forget," and his lips beat themselves into a frown so Lance could hear every off beat rhythm, "it was the first time he and mom thought I was something more than an idiot."
"The only one in the family who's ever thought that," the driver spoke as if he wanted to hammer his head against the horn, "is you."
"For most of my life, getting a report card meant being sent to my room in tears!" Gavin's sigh turned into a cracked yelp.
"No, every year they'd gently try to encourage you to do better." Lance uttering a comment in annoyance wasn't uncommon. The tone of his conviction to keep making them on the other hand… Well, that was an anomaly that triggered all of Gavin's future palpitations to appear early. "You're the one who always ran away from their supportive smiles to lock yourself in our room."
"That's not-" Gavin's stream of panic was flooded into a river
"Question your own memories all you want." Lance spoke upon the dam he put before his brother's sentence, "But I've had to camp out in the hall so many times, I know better than anyone that the key to my bed was convincing you everything was all right."
At most points in a disagreement, that's what Lance would be doing right now. A fact that made Gavin's breath hitch.
"Where I'd tell you that mom and dad are just trying to help because they know how smart you are. That the reason they're confused about your grades, is because they know you're the smarter twin."
"… clearly I wasn't." Gavin rasped out.
"You were reading chapter books before I could pronounce the video games rotting my brain." Lance shook his head as he continued, "You would drag me to the couch to watch documentaries 'for fun'. And your love for all that Indiana Jones stuff was so obvious, that half our birthdays took place in a museum."
"I only did all that because I didn't want to be a disappointment." Gavin lied to himself until it left his mouth the truth, "If I was good at it, I would have done better in school."
"No, you would have done better in school if you had a reason to do better." Lance continued.
"Why the fuck," Gavin's hoarse voice stung his eyes, "would you say that?"
"Because when we were juniors, your grades shot up way higher than mine. Hell, you did so well that when senior year rolled around, mom couldn't get our schedules to align because of your AP classes." Lance laughed. The pity in his tone was aimed at Gavin, while the sarcastic undercurrent washed over himself.
"I was just- mom probably convinced the school to go easy on me so I could go to college-"
"Don't even try Gav." The well kept brunette scoffed in disappointment, "Mom's name isn't 'Karen', and 'B' doesn't translate to 'bad' for most colleges."
Lance didn't let the silence that followed his reply last for long. For within the second that ticked by, Gavin's cheeks didn't even have the time to lose color.
"You know, at first I was over the moon you were doing so well. I really was man." When the tension between them had first broken, the driver's tone barely rose or fell. But now, the messy twin had to strain his ears to hear the words Lance pushed out upon shallow breaths, "We joke about those few minutes, but I've always taken the protective big bro role seriously."
Gavin wanted to say the best way to protect him right now was to shut up. That for things to stay the way they were, they just needed to forget today and this car ride ever happened. But with his pale face frozen over, no words left the younger twin's lips.
"From the second week of kindergarten till the day I got my license, mom drove us to school. Because when the older kids made a game out of flicking their snot at your head, I got us banned from the bus when I peed on their backpacks."
Normally that memory was something Gavin and Lance would bring up whenever they wanted a good laugh… Right now, the nostalgia only brought in a new feeling of discomfort.
"When your anxiety started getting really bad, and you were too nervous to talk to anybody you didn't know, I started making friends on your behalf." Lance continued, "And as we got older, I even turned down invites to hang out with other people, because I knew you weren't really comfortable with the guys we knew unless I was around."
The lights from the other cars began to merge together. But as the world outside sped up, Lance's words took their time stabbing Gavin.
"And whenever mom or dad got mad at you for forgetting a chore, I'd always go out of my way to take the blame." Lance let out a long breath, "And I was happy to do so, hell, as your older brother I was proud to. But the fact I could never help you get your grades up, was always something I thought of as my failure not yours."
The river of cars started to blend together. And on instinct, Gavin's body strobed the lights in his eyes so he couldn't see the obvious destination they were heading towards.
"So when I saw you finally succeed in school, I was thrilled beyond belief." Lance adopted a brief smile just to give it away a moment later, "Then our senior year rolled around, college applications went out, and my first choice sent me two letters."
"It just made sense for us to go to the same school." Gavin gave the same reason he provided four years ago, although this time his voice was far quieter, "We'd have the same tuition, the same breaks, and mom and dad wouldn't have to pick which kid they wanted to help move in-"
"Just because something you say is true Gav, doesn't mean you're being honest." Lance interrupted. And as if the universe itself was out to get him, Gavin swore he felt the highway's surface become uneven, "College made that pretty clear. When I realized I'd have to continue rooming with my sibling because there's no way he'd be up for living with a random stranger. When I found myself having to make friends twice, because my nineteen year old brother needed me to introduce him to all the people he'd hang out with. When I understood he had kept his grades below mine so he'd have the same schedule as me, and only raised them to make sure that norm continued past graduation."
The belt around Gavin's chest tightened. As even his heavy breath began to feel trapped when Lance sounded, less angry and more, like he had finally accepted a fact he had realized a long time ago.
"And I think even you've got to admit, the sibling dynamic we got going on isn't healthy. Not when I had to avoid telling you my internship had turned into a job offer." Lance's words traversed into the unkempt twin's ear. With the world unfortunately growing clear again, just to showcase the driver's exhaustion. "Because I knew you were going to do…"
Silence filled the car as Lance motioned around it, but the oncoming traffic refused to let the tension settle.
Gavin's own lungs stuttered as if the vehicles were striking him. He would say his mind was blank, but in truth, his oncoming panic attack was all but certain. Because he knew the words that would exit his mouth were the wrong ones to say.
"So because you think I'm some sort of waste of space, you're leaving me to fend for myself?" The messy brunette's saddened tone was naturally forced. The coldness of his words aimed to bite both Lance and himself, "Don't worry, I don't blame you."
Unfortunately, the sigh that left Lance did not mist the air.
"Gavin-"
"No, I'd say I'd leave a loser like me too." the passenger hissed at his name to cut off his brother, "But there are no losers compared to me. I mean, I've always been such a shitty sibling, and you can't trust me to-"
"Gavin!" Lance's stern tone welded the unkempt brunette's interruptions close, "The worst part about all this, is that you aren't always a shitty brother!"
The driver snapped at the passenger.
"You weren't a shitty brother when you defended me from mom after the whole bus fiasco. You weren't a shitty brother when you'd stop arguments between me and the other guys from going too far. And as far as trust goes, I mean for fuck sakes, why do you think Mike and I came out too you before our parents?"
"Because you were afraid mom's idea of support would turn our car into a Pride Float?'" the messy brunette rhetorically grumbled.
Lance took a deep breath. And the Earth almost seemed to rattle beneath the road as the brothers sped past a convoy.
"Part of the reason I'm the person I am today is because I know you've got my back dude." The older brother ignored Gavin's venom, and began to wrap up his point, "The problem is, the reason you are who you are, is because I've always been your spine. You've had to depend on me for everything, and maybe as kids that wasn't a bad thing."
Gavin's lungs felt punctured with all the air escaping. Each one of Lance's words speared a new breach.
"But as adults, it has just made the life you're living dependent on mine. And that's not healthy, for either of us." The older brother stared at the road instead of at the younger one a thousand yards away, "I'm sorry I'm dropping the east coast move on you out of the blue dude. But instead of cawing at me until I come back home, maybe you'll finally realize you've got to fly out too."
The trucks continued to go by. The highway continued to rattle. And the lights continued to blind the passengers in illumination and darkness.
The words Lance said were true. And perhaps deep down, even Gavin knew they were always true.
Yet, the brunette also knew the hopeful smile that creeped onto the older one's face wouldn't last. For just like the pattern of traffic, his mind would forever understand what the right thing to say was, but his words would continue to come out incorrect.
"How? Parasites don't have wings." Gavin whispered, breaking the loud silence. Not caring about the slap it painted on Lance's face, "And that's what you've described me as right?"
The passenger's words no longer held sorrow or self pity. Now, there was only a harsh undertow of a hurt he wished the driver to feel.
"Come on, I'm not asking you to like this or anything-"
"Of course I like it!" the younger brunette mocked, "I think it's great you're going to New York! The same way I'd think it would be awesome if you were packing your things and heading to Europe!"
"Dude…" Lance hiss came out with concern. But, as the hand he took off the wheel offered reassurance to both Gavin and his own steadfast choice, the younger brother's voice grew more infuriated.
"No dude, it's totally fine. You could go to the moon and never come back, and I'd be thrilled for you!" Gavin recoiled at the arm coming to pat his shoulder.
Grabbing it like it was some sort of snake, the passenger's anger all but possessed him. As the fear of being left without support caused him to violently throw the one that was leaving away.
In one swing, Gavin all but chucked, punched, and slapped his brother's hand.
"In fact, you could go to fucking Hell for all I care!-"
The passenger's swat hardly had enough force to actually cause Lance harm. However, whiplashed back, the appendage struck the steering wheel with a loud slap.
"Crap-" and the skid of the leather beneath the older brother's first turned the conversation away from Gavin. And towards the overcorrected tires that had been abruptly angled away from momentum.
Hand darting for the handle, the younger brother's shock at the shift in inertia was so sudden, he actually turned to apologize. More so on instinct than him regretting his own anger.
But when his hardened eyes broke themselves wide, a bright light erupted from behind Gavin's window. And within Lance's dilated pupils, both twins' argument of the past was made null and void by the truck ramming into the present.
"SHIT!-"
As the small car was launched, kinetic energy lifted the words from Gavin's, Lance's, and maybe even the truck driver's throat.
Like a carny shot from a canon, the younger brunette felt himself spiral high into the air. His seatbelt was the one thing that kept his body from rattling like his head.
Whether due to increased neural activity or the new height they had simply achieved, a sea of stars flooded Gavin's vision. Almost seeming to have stopped their dance through the sky, as the smaller vehicle reached its apex, and the noise of the crash faded into a rest.
Glass, luggage, and broken scraps of plastic floated around weightless in the air. A fireworks show made up of debris launched from the airbags. That had exploded into the crimson and white clouds of safety before Gavin and his brother-
'Wait… Crimson?' the younger brother stared at the oddly toned fabric before him. Only to see the new hue drip off.
"Gav-" in the space between seconds, Lance's voice seemed to ring out with a panic that was more horrified than shocked.
And as the pieces of shrapnel slowly started to rain themselves down onto the street, Gavin's eyes had just enough time to dart over towards his brother's.
Stupidly, the younger sibling was going to tell the older one to save his concern.
But the passenger's words came out a geyser of blood.
And within irises that mirrored his own, Gavin saw his crack had come from the spine erupting out his rib cage.
Without enough time passing to feel pain. Without enough seconds gone by to experience the terror of what he saw. Without the ability to go back and correct his first mistake with his second, Gavin's world began to tunnel.
The last thing he saw being the perfected version of himself. His hair shaken but able to be made kept again, his body bruised but able to heal, and his clothes stained red, but not with its wearer's blood.
And as the two brothers hurdled towards the Earth. The only solace the younger could have, was that he wasn't going to have to carry the burden of survival.
XxxxxxX
Despite her best effort, the light on Velvette's waist continued to buzz even as the story before her faded into darkness.
The dim setting of the amphitheater was hardly pitch black. But in the moment it would take for the court to switch from dusk to dawn, the Vee stared blankly ahead.
Using the artificial blink as a way to make sense of all the thoughts that bounced around her cranium.
Both in gruesomeness and behavior, Velvette witnessed far worse atrocities in Hell on a daily basis. And if she had walked past a Demon with his spine piercing his own chest just a mere twenty four hours earlier, she'd likely believe such a minor flesh wound had been caused by a pat on the back.
And given she was just as much of a manipulative fuck as the two other sociopaths she worked with, the pinkette had a hard time considering the conversation she just heard an argument.
There had certainly been a lot of bitching coming from the passenger side. But if Vox had ever responded to Vel or Val with the same level of relative zen the driver had, she wouldn't be able to sneer her 'dad' remark with irony.
Nothing about the display had left her shocked. Nothing about it had left her appalled. And nothing about the events that had transpired had left her in disgust.
And now that it was finished, Velvette thought the name 'Gavin' having become popular enough to cross the pond was more tragic than the death of the person called it.
When the lights illuminated themselves into glory, they weighed down on the Vee a deep guilt. As the uncomfortable thought she had was reflected into her eyes three times.
The first came in the form of Emily's pale face. The Seraph's wide eyes and mouth, stunned into silence, reminded Velvette how shocking the scene truly was.
The second came in the form of Sera's head's soft shake. Her holy disapproval for the memory's inevitably, the embodiment of the natural appalled aura the court emitted.
The third came in the form of Adam's victorious smirk. A smile that was written upon the disgusted sneer he sent to the defendant who had caused everything.
All of these emotions they emitted, spoke of the tragedy they watched.
The mere idea she had become so accustomed to the horrors of damnation, spoke of the subtle tragedy it had inflicted upon her.
And though she had vainly tried to silence its signal, the fact Velvette had insulted the true name she just broadcasted to all of Hell, spoke of the second tragedy that was to befall Gavin.
In some cruel twist of fate, all of these tragedies were a product of her own pride.
Testaments showcasing her determination's ruthlessness and ability to accomplish any task it was given.
For God's sake, the reason Vox had sent her to sabotage the hotel in the first place was because of the paradoxically polite Demon Charlie had dragged in all those months ago.
And being the obsessive over achiever she was, Velvette had accomplished that mission in the most spectacular way possible. For not only was Heaven about to permanently nip Charlie's Redemption idea in the bud, they did so by showing Hell the horrendous actions of the heiress' prodigal student.
In a perfect world, the influencer would be leaning back in her chair thinking about what she'd do with the next thirty days off.
In reality, a long distant surge of regret straightened her spine. The tide of guilt pushed her head towards its source.
Where slowly but surely, the embodiment of it came into view as a statue. One adorned with chestnut feathers that grew out an unkept mane, two frozen auburn lakes that were painted over emerald seas, and a dried quill that had no more ink to request help.
And much like in his last moments, it was only when he had run out of self pity, that Gavin looked like he deserved empathy.
"… Nester." The concern in Velvette's voice surprised even herself. And where they were even going, she did not know, "I-"
For Husk's paw covered any lie she was about to say.
"Feather's, don't say a word." The receptionist's low tone spoke itself into a shield the avian needed to equip, "Not to her."
The harsh tone pointed towards her an arrow.
"Not to this sadistic fucking court."
Unsurprisingly, the turn it took towards Adam passed over Sera.
"And not to me."
The cat's sharp hiss circled all the way around. Signaling himself as the example of what would happen if Nester didn't heed the command.
"As of this moment, you do not have a last name. And you are going to keep telling yourself that, until it becomes the truth."
Starring ahead with all the sentience of a corpse, Velvette wasn't sure if they should be anxious that Nester hadn't heard a word of the warning, or contempt knowing his mind was already as empty as it could be… Of course, knowing the half truth that awaited the bird back in Hell, the Vee knew which option she'd have to pick.
"W-would it be bad if he said it?" and despite not knowing why, Emily's concerned tone came to the same conclusion.
Barely holding herself back from flying down, the Seraph's eyes darted at the same speed her wings fluttered.
And if nothing else, the final piece of evidence hadn't deterred Emily from being the Angel on Nester's shoulder.
"Depends," Husk's sarcastic snarl trained itself onto the two prosecutors who didn't look like they'd stop being the other one's 'devil' anytime soon, "is becoming a slave to the first Demon who guesses your name bad?"
Given the lack of knowledge Heaven had given them about their rules, Emily's gasp of horrors about one of Hell's wasn't surprising.
"Oh that's kick ass!" Neither was Adam's instinctual praise of it, "Do you think the same thing would happen if an Angel said it?"
The wannabe rock star's smile darted between an ever more feral Husk, and a pinched bridged Sera.
"Screw it, I've always wanted a dog who can string my guitar! Let's fast forward to the little shits funeral and I'll test it out-"
"Adam." Sera harshly sighed her tired interruption.
"You're right, unless they wanted a grave to piss on, this family might have just chucked him in the furnace." Adam merely continued on a different route, "Just scroll back to his graduation, we'll get the name there-"
"We don't need any further evidence." Sera's voice echoed the first man's into a ditch.
"Why not?" he whined. Shoulders going lax as he craned his head upwards.
"Because his death showcases his unforgivable nature well enough." The head Seraph made her decree. Although even if her stare bore down on Adam, her words struck Velvette's ears as the true target.
A warning for the defense to stay quiet. And that the quick ending of the case was, much to Vox's electronic high, not up for discussion.
"Unforgivable?!" a decree that did not sit well with Emily. Who reflected the aura of the jury away from the Sinners, and onto her sister, "Nester hasn't even been given a chance to defend himself!"
The six winged being's widened eyes pushed her mouth into a scowl. One she flew right in front of her taller sibling.
"Not to mention all the progress we saw him make in the hotel came after his death!"
"… be that as it may," as if to confirm the sight before them, Sera's eyelids shuttered twice. And if nothing else, Velvette's could at least hope the two Seraph's family drama was distracting Hell from Nester's title, "no kind words or gestures the Morningstar's daughter teaches this Sinner will ever cover up his original crime."
Sera's harsh words dulled themselves from a blade into a cold slab of stone.
"Like the very horrid creature he has turned into, he utilized his self pity to emotionally manipulate his own brother's familial bond. Subjecting his sibling to a lifetime of mental abuse and emotional servitude. And the moment his hold over his twin started to fade, Gavin batted his chance of Redemption away."
Velvette was not sure if Sera's eyes darted to Nester's in disgust, or if they fled from Emily's in shame.
"For instead of making amends, he attempted to kill his own brother." Her words chiseled a judgment that finally got the bird to stutter out a breath, "And whether he achieved it or not, he has rightfully been condemned for the Sin of fratricide."
"Oh don't give us that crap!"
Although, adding to the chaos, Velvette wasn't expecting Husk's exhale to come out so violent.
"Nobody here is gonna deny that Nester," The cat motioned over to the bird emphasizing his new name, "was a guilt tripping piece of shit who abused the fuck out of his brother's kindness."
In light of Nester's inability to function, Velvette joined Emily's confused gaze at Husk's 'help'.
"But only an idiot would think that accident was an attempt at murder! You've already just damned him again by giving away his name! Are you seriously not even gonna let us point out all the stupid fucking flaws of your argument!"
"Cease your vulgarity!" Sera raised her posture up on the hands she slammed down. "I have spoken!"
"Not for Heaven you haven't!" Emily flew through the intimidation, "We promised these souls a fair trial, but through our ignorance we have endangered one's safety, and now demand the others accept the verdict of a case they didn't get to finish!"
Almost in awe at the celestial beings clashing wrath, Velvette hadn't been aware Emily could become even more like Charlie until the former snapped. As the smaller Angel circled around the court at the speed of the Morningstar's erupting horn.
"Heaven is supposed to be a sanctuary for the souls we have saved!" The six winged Angel pleaded to the jury, "Yet here we are, willfully about to send one back into a danger of our own making! Is that what we stand for? Is this what our limitless mercy looks like?"
Velvette had to give Emily credit. Maybe the drama she produced would be enough to distract Hell. God knows the show she was putting on had left the influencer silent for a good while.
"Emily…" Sera whispered an exhale. Before the murmurs about the court caused the breath to become a loaded rocket, "Stop this questioning at once!"
"Not until you tell me why you won't hear theirs out?!" Emily shot back.
"Because my commands transcend pointless arguments!"
And with that, the amphitheater went quiet. The only movement coming from the rage vibrating in Sera's eye as all the alien ones of Heaven stared at her answer in disbelief.
'Holy shit.' Velvette's own orbs started to vibrate in shock. As the thoughts of Emily actually swaying the court filled her mind… along with the image of Vox's screen cracking at the sight of their plan falling to pieces.
A failure he'd no doubt put on her despite her attempt to cut the stream when they had the advantage. But considering the stress this outing was causing her, she honestly found the back of her brain rooting for Emily to win. If tonight was going to end with somebody getting fucked over, it may as well be everybody-
From the silence, an electronic beat tapped its way from the prosecutor's stand.
"With all do respect Ma'am~"
And to the underlying pluck of wafted strings, Lute discarded her mask as if it was a mic to raise. All eyes fixating themselves onto the genesis of music she created.
"Your sister's shed light on an old point of view~"
Although her wings did hit the beat, the gray feathered Exorcist marched up towards the two Seraphs on her feet.
"We can't ignore the Sinners first sham~"
Velvette watched, as the short haired Warrior twisted her silver sword till its tip pointed down from the court onto her.
"When her words about Em have been proven true~"
Just as sharp, the lesser Angel flew her blade right in front of the six winged being's shocked gaze.
"The most trusting among us~"
"Created to welcomes the righteous and just~"
"Yet when left with three Demons fuss~"
"She now stands here corrupt~"
The exorcist slashed the air, traversing along the arrow of her sword into Nester.
"Her kindness twisted by a manipulative coward~"
"Who cares not for blood or the divine~"
"Your sister's pleas are the lies he empowered~"
"So upon the defense's decree, she must resign~"
Emily's eyes shrank into a narrow shield. Seeing what Lute was trying to do, Velvette watched this six wing Angel swat the Exorcist's sword aside.
The rising tension of the electronic beat stretched out a sudden low strung string.
"My words are my own, and my sense of truth shall not be belittled by you~"
"Whose just a weapon made for the fantasy of subjugation~"
"Arguing on behalf of the man who invented it too~"
"You wield your blade as if it's a temptation~"
Emily made herself a shield. Flying before the defense desk. Arms spread wide as if she was signaling the invisible orchestra to quicken its pace.
"Craving a violence Heaven has never allowed~"
"For true justice comes through peace~"
"So it's blunt point aside, your sword must stowed~"
"Now put your weapon down before I make you cease~"
And upon the pinnacle of the crescendo, the smaller Angel made her position known to the head Seraph with the use of her own promise.
Until Adam violently launched himself into the number. Shooting himself upwards upon the guitar riff that he made physical enough to bounce off of.
"Your naivety's cute kid, but your innocent's wrong~"
"These dumb little shits deserve only sulfur and bombs~"
And with Lute having shifted the lead prosecutor into the chorus, Adam finally presented something that could be heard as convincing.
As he spun around his solo until the notes started raining down as bullets onto the defense.
"Born uncool losers~"
"Lived like tools sirs-"
"Died as fools y'all~"
"So to Hell's the rule girl~"
If nothing else, the first man jam pushed the problems in Velvette's mind to the corner. As the sight of him actually presenting a challenge for once caused her to break her silence.
Her fist struck the desk with enough force to launch her onto her feet, and uppercutted Adam's rock opera away with a percussion combo.
"That's some big freaking talk coming from Earth's first fucking arse~"
"Forget the Gemini's mistake, you're just a Genesis farce~"
"A control freak spouse, a deadbeat dad, and an abusive shit all wrapped in one~"
"If salvation's trick is to be a dick, then know that Hell has a ton~"
Her words struck Adam a repeated thunder. And while no part of the storm going on had shocked Nester back to reality, the Vee's counter attack struck a chord with her other defendant.
With Husk snorts of approval rippling out an added melody to their case.
"You don't think I'm aware when I'm looking at three~"
Lute arced down on her low note, ramming her stare through Emily and into the pinkette.
"This court's for the divine, you filth our slime, so fuck off and leave~"
Before Velvette's hand could reach out and ring the Exorcist's neck, Lute raised her hands to the court and followed them upward.
Her anger boiling over, the Vee's lips could only offer an enraged whistle. In her place, Emily tried to fly herself into the center of the court to offer a retort.
Only for her volume to be lowered when the judge firmly grasped her arm. As, much to the smaller Seraph's furrowed shock, Sera reeled in her decree.
"Unrefined points aside, the prosecution does speak the truth~"
"With yours misguided by the defense, it must be deemed mute~"
Perhaps not able to take the repulsed look her six winged sibling gave her, Sera directed her divine wrath onto Velvette and the other two Sinners.
"You Demons took our kindness, mercy, and grace and offered nothing but Sin~"
With a wave of her free hand, the celestial judge flickered the hologram back to life. Its images illuminated the court turned concert. As videos of Sera greeting the defense with a warm welcome, leniency when it came to the rules, and allowance of Velvette's video evidence popped onto the screen.
"I take no pleasure in my action, and your damnation will leave us with no grin~"
Only for her high notes to begin shattering when selective pictures of their earlier actions at the hotel, their less than PG accusations, and Nester's hand pushing his brother into a crash filled the screen.
"Nor will I weep for evil souls, who seek redemption as a cowl~"
"Too infiltrate Heaven, and taint brightness with fowl~"
To the loud crack of her gavel, Sera's rang in the song's conclusion. Her power blew the notes away like a typhoon.
Being at the center of the storms, the high Seraph turned to Emily. As if the calm atmosphere was just what her younger sister needed to truly understand and accept her final words.
Needless to say, the smaller Angel's slack jaw beneath shattered eyelids did not offer the sort of epiphany the judge had wanted.
Probably because the chaos of the divine power she had just used was obviously still whipping across the room.
And unlike the other inhabitants who only faced a brief battle with gale force winds, the hurricane that struck the defense only increased. As Velvette found her legs soon blown out from under her. On instinct, her nails bit into the desk. Acting as a flag's final piece of cloth attached to a pole as her body began to flutter.
From the corner of her eye, the Vee could see Husk's grip on the banner was even worse.
On top of his unwanted pedicure having made things harder, he could only glue one hand to the wood. While his other was in the horrible position of having to have snatched Nester. Whose limp body and wings made Husk look like he was flying a kite in a tornado.
"I am sorry Emily." Sera sighed, as Velvette struggled to see and hear the ongoing family feud through the stinging and howling wind, "You'll see that once distance frees you from their corruption."
"All she's gonna see is yours, you fucking hypocrite!" Husk roared over the wind. Most of his rage and animation coming from the pain of his arms muscles being ripped to shreds, "The only things you fucks gave us was a fixed trail!"
"Don't be a sore loser just because we out lawyered you!" Adam victoriously flipped them off from the prosecutors box.
"Like Hell you did!" to conquer the storm, Velvette's growl came out a roar.
"She's right Sera!" Emily snapped her arm away from her sister, "Nester didn't make the right choices in the end, but did he die any worse than how Adam lived?!"
"Ok, rude." Adam scoffed, as Emily passed him to assist the Sinners. Caring just as much for the remark as Velvette's bleeding nails, "Sorry that I spend my time up here making sure you're safe from all those 'better people'."
"Adam!" Sera certainly didn't ignore them, as her voice rose with the strength of the portal's gravity.
"Oh yeah! On the topic of corruption," Velvette's throat felt like it was being spun out like silk, "can we talk about how fucked up it is that you guys made the prosecution for our case, the same sociopaths who are coming down to slaughter us in a month!"
"Why wouldn't they pick the guy who knows how to kick your demonic asses best?-" Adam asked, genuinely confused… until his slip up ushered in an actual shriek of horror.
"WHAT?!" Emily's face morphed into horror at the news.
Which Velvette would have found perplexing… if the gateway behind her hadn't suddenly turned into a black hole.
As Sera's response to the rule being broken was, evidently, banishment. With Vel's grip finally failing, if only because the dead anchor attached to her began to go with her to Hell.
Papers flyings, panic aura filling the room, and Husk's curses following the Vee through the portal, Velvette knew she was just going from one chaotic inferno to another.
But, as Sera's hand waved the gateway closed, the pinkette suddenly found herself smiling.
For in her haste to slam the door, the high judge hadn't been aware of just how close her prisoner was to it.
And with wings folded back, a determined expression leaned forward, and the graceful posture of a fighter jet adorned… Emily darted herself after the three Sinners just before the dimensional waypoint pinched itself closed.
And despite all the shit she was about to land in, Velvette managed to find some form of solace. Knowing that her last sight of Heaven was the frozen horror Sera wore. When she realized the Sinners may have never been able to win the battle they were sent on, but they had fought it well enough to turn an enemy's coat inside out.
XxxxxxX
Phew. It only took, give or take, 185,000 words, but Nester's name has finally been revealed… well the first half of it at least.
Sorry to delay the reviews to the end… but having them at the beginning would mean the replies would be 'Stay tune, because that's Alastor territory' XD
That being said, time for some proper responses!
An Angry Green Boss: Lol, regretfully book one will end before AngelHusk gets its proper time in the limelight… however, since it's not much of a spoiler given all the chemistry between the two, that will certainly not be the case in book two.
I do hope the Nester/Gavin reveal was worth the hype (and the dialogue between him and his brother didn't come off too expositionally). I based Nester's character off a Cuckoo bird hatchling, so hopefully his backstory was able to represent that well.
Gamer of Action 44D: Hmm, Torterra is the best quadrupedal and 4th generation starter… and while Sinnoh is only my second favorite region, I will admit Hisui has made it a close second.
I do hope the Nester back story landed with you as well. I mentioned it awhile back, but when I make OC's I try to make it so they don't come off as Gary Sue's.
And for Drifter's, I took it a step further.
After Hazbin had come out, I watched the creator answer some questions. And when asked about what she thought a good message of the show would be, she talked about how setting the show in Hell, with the main character as Sinners, showcased how we could find understanding and forgiveness even in the worst type of people.
So, after hearing that, I began to wonder. Wonder if I could create a main character who wasn't a bad guy because he's an 'asshole' with a tragic, or at least understandable backstory. No, he's a bag guy because he's 'just a toxic douche'.
And at the start of his journey, that's what Nester is. In most stories, Nester's role is to be an emotional obstacle the main character or their companions have to overcome and move on from. While he's destined to waste away in his own toxicity for the rest of his life.
And, from the point of view of Lance's story, that happens. Gavin refuses to acknowledge the harm he's done to his brother, he doubles down on it when he fears his control over Lance is going to break, and, accidental or not, he ends up dying from his selfishness.
The only catch is… Gavin's story continues after he gets his comeuppance. And, he is left having to answer the basic question of 'Can I be a better person?'.
… lol… sorry about the word vomit there, and I do hope it can convey some degree of sense.
More importantly, thank you for the reviews guys. And thank you to everybody who has tuned into the thirtieth installment of Drifters!
I will try my best to upload a chapter every Friday. But until next week, please feel free to leave a comment! Criticism is always welcomed, so long as there's an attempt for it to be constructive.
As of this moment I am still looking for a beta reader. So to anyone interested, please feel free to shoot me a PM.