Author's notes: some of you might be expecting a big fight scene coming up but you will be disappointed because this is not meant to be an action story.
—
Odette and Clara Carmine were in the foyer of their home, awaiting arrivals from heaven to show up. Two days ago while they were having dinner, a letter popped through a very small portal and dropped onto the table. The letter mentioned personal details about them and claimed to be written by their mother who is still alive and imprisoned in heaven. The letter went on to say that she would be escaping soon and bringing with her an Angel named Emily who would be living with them from now if Emily needed to because Carmilla had promised her refuge in exchange for breaking her out of heaven. Lastly, the letter told them to come up with an argument that would prove that since the sinners are now capable of killing angels, it would be in heaven's best interest to leave hell alone so they wouldn't suffer casualties.
The Carmine sisters weren't sure what to make of this. The personal details mentioned in the letter and the handwriting being a positive match for their mother's implied it was truthful but they had seen her body. Odette countered that she'd probably been buried on Earth but that hadn't stopped her from arriving in hell. After some debate, the sisters reached the conclusion that since they were in no position to stop people from heaven visiting them, they would receive whoever arrived from heaven and deal with what came afterwards.
The golden portal appeared in front of the sisters and two people stepped out: a young looking angel with six wings and someone who looked like an angelic version of their mother. The sisters could tell from how she carried herself that this was no imposter: it was their mother who had somehow survived being slayed by an exorcist and arrived in heaven.
Odette and Clara went up to Carmella as the portal closed. They hugged Carmilla as she placed her arms around both of them.
"How is this possible?" Odette asked on the verge of tears.
"I have a theory on that," Emily spoke up and the sisters faced her. "Introductions first: I'm Emily. But you can call me E, EM, Emmy. I'm fine with whatever."
"This is your rescuer?" Clara asked her mother snarkily.
"Do not underestimate her," Carmilla said. "The only reason I'm here right now is because heaven already did that. You were saying, Emily?"
"Right," Emily started to resume. "I know that your mother died ready to sacrifice herself to protect the two of you. But while it didn't happen the way she thought it would, I think that act of selflessness was enough of a redeeming quality to get her into heaven after she died at the hands of an exorcist."
"But you don't know that for certain?" Odette asked.
"I don't," Emily answered. "I hate to interrupt the heartfelt reunion but we're about to have another visitor soon."
"Who are we expecting?"
"My older sister and now ex-boss: Sera, the high Seraphim of Heaven and the one who ordered the exterminations. I'm enlisting you as representatives of hell to help me talk her out of that."
"No pressure," Carmilla replied sarcastically.
"I would like to point out," Odette began, "the irony in asking us, arms manufacturers, to argue in favor of peace. Having said that, I have a strong argument prepared."
Even stronger than expected, Odette thought. After hearing Emily's theory regarding her mother's survival, Odette was now able to propose an alternative to the exterminations.
Roughly forty minutes later, another golden portal appeared in the Carmine residence. Sera stepped out of the portal now, wearing a suit of angelic armor that she had commissioned from the exorcist armory. She closed the portal behind her.
"Emily," Sera called out.
"Over here," Emily replied from a nearby room. Sera walked towards where Emily's voice came from, her armor clanking along the way and entered the home's parlor. Emily, Carmela and her daughters were waiting for her, the Carmines wearing bladed shoes like the ones that Sera knew Carmilla used to make the first casualty against the exorcists. Sera looked at Emily and noticed that she did not look any different.
She has not fallen, Sera thought. She realized that this meant Emily was right to break out Carmilla. Or rather, Emily would see it that way and Sera was in no position to argue otherwise.
"My compliments to whoever crafted your armor," Carmilla greeted.
No way my popgun is getting through that, Odette thought in regards to the small pistol she had in her white coat. Though if I hit the helmet, the shot reverberating might daze her long enough for mom and Clara to strike at the joints, where the armor is the thinnest.
"As if I would step into the home," Sera began to retort, "of an angelic arms dealer without a little protection. I commissioned this weeks ago so that when you brought war to heaven's doorstep, I would be able to personally aid in its defense."
"About that," Clara spoke up. "Hell currently has no plans to march into heaven."
"Lies," Sera shouted. "When I first met your mother, she was absolutely convinced that you and your sister would spread word throughout hell about how angels can be harmed with their own weapons and the two of you would stoke the flames of war to avenge her. Even though she's not actually dead, I imagine that process is far too far along to be stopped."
"That was our idea of plan A," Odette began, "but hell is in a very non-ideal position of being dependent on salvaged angelic metal for any prolonged warfare. As such, it would be best for salvaging efforts if any fighting takes place in hell."
"Also," Clara decided to jump in, "the overlords realized that we were willing to use them and their forces as cannon fodder to put the maximum hurt on heaven and have no interest in cooperating with that plan."
"Which means," Emily chimed in, "that hell has no interest in marching into Heaven so all that needs to be done to prevent war is for heaven to leave them alone."
"Not possible," Sera disagreed. "If Hell's population continues to expand unimpeded, it will get to the point where the Pride ring gets filled to the brim with sinners. At that point hell will march into heaven in an attempt to annex it or have large sections of their population culled failing to do so: either way, their over-population problem is solved and they have nothing to lose by trying."
"There may be an alternative," Odette began, "that doesn't involve an immeasurably huge death toll. Assuming that's something you're interested in."
"And what is this alternative?" Sera replied skeptically. Normally, Sera would have no interest in what any sinners in hell had to tell her but she knew that if it meant regaining some of Emily's trust, there was no harm in hearing what Odette had to say.
Odette picked up a tablet from a nearby table and brought up the video of Charlie Morningstar's interview with channel 666 news where she told hell of her hotel program.
"Three months ago," Odette began once the video finished, "I would've thought the idea of redeeming sinners was ridiculous. But now," Odette paused as she looked at her mother, "I don't know what I think."
"We don't know for certain," Sera began to loudly disagree, "that that is why your mother arrived in heaven after dying."
"So now it's a problem," Emily injected, "that we don't know the specific reason why a soul arrives in heaven?"
"What are you talking about?" Carmilla asked.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you," Emily chastised herself. "In trying to find out why you arrived in heaven, I made a discovery. Turns out that while heaven knows whether a soul goes to hell or heaven, they don't know the specific reasons why." Emily then faced Sera. "Considering it's been this way for all of human existence, it seems immensely hypocritical to suddenly act like not knowing why someone arrived in heaven is suddenly a major issue."
"Wait a second," Clara interjected and glared at Sera. "So you just blindly accept that someone deserves to be where they end up without knowing what led to that outcome."
"I'm positive," Sera began, "that heaven is the paradise it is because everyone there deserves to be there."
"So heaven," Carmilla said, "Accepts on blind faith that every soul goes where it deserves. Meanwhile, I'm sure that many have wound up in hell for following orders with that kind of blind obedience. Seems extremely inconsistent."
Sera was grateful that she chosen to put on the helmet for this meeting because it hid her troubled expression. She truly believed that deference to authority was a virtue, but she had no counter argument for Carmela's point that many in hell deservedly wound up there for that same kind of difference. bringing up that those sent to hell wound up there because they chose to follow the wrong authority would be a weak argument because according to Sera's logic, choice shouldn't factor in with doing what's expected of you.
"We're starting to get off topic," Odette spoke up, seeing as how this was a very complicated subject and they wouldn't reach an understanding in one conversation. "If the exterminations continue, we have nothing to lose by trying to fight back."
Not completely true, Sera thought. She could counter that by fighting back, heaven could decide to punish hell by expanding the exterminations to include the hellborn. She knew not to bring this up because that would be seriously overestimating how much the sinners cared for the hellborn. As a result, attempting to hold the hellborn hostage would likely only succeed in further entrenching Emily against her.
"But you're also worried," Odette continued, "that if the population continues to expand unimpeded, then we'll have nothing to lose by attacking heaven. I propose that the best course of action is for you to support Princess Morningstar's hotel project and offer hell the hope of no longer having to worry about the exterminations so that we're put in a situation where we do have something to lose."
"A compelling argument," Sera admitted. "The one thing you left out is where would your mother fit in this? I imagine you want to tell all of hell about how she serves as proof of concept for princess morningstar's mission so that other sinners will be willing to join the hotel. But I imagine that you also want to see your mother to stay in hell with you and continue running your company which would detract from the message that redemption might turn their lives around."
"That reminds me of something I forgot to go over with you," Clara said to her mother. "Odette and I have sold off all but 30% of our stockpile of angelic weapons at heavily discounted prices since our main goal was arming hell to avenge you. Between that and how it looks like we might not be getting any new angelic metal, the company's future isn't looking all that bright."
"I understand," Carmilla said, "that the situation has changed quickly, drastically and in ways you cannot have expected. I'm honestly surprised there's that much of our stockpile left."
"We're being careful," Clara began to explain, "to make sure we're not selling large batches of weapons and materials to only a few individuals that will likely try to sell them for a profit later which would undermine the sense of unity needed for a successful counter offensive. As a result, any sales to companies or individuals we are unfamiliar with go slowly to assure proper vetting. I'm currently working on determining the identity of a buyer who's trying to conceal the purchase through a Russian nesting doll of shell companies. It's most likely Vox: with his technological abilities, it'd be easy for him to create companies that only exist on digital paper."
"Very good," Carmilla complemented then faced Sera. "Sinse remaining head of Carmine Industries no longer seems like a great career path, it would appear I will need a new job. I would like to apply for the position of heavenly ambassador to hell."
"Really?" Sera asked with almost tangible skepticism. "And why would I think it'd be a good idea to trust that a soon to be former arms dealer wants to be an agent of peace?"
"I went into the arms business," Carmilla began, "originally because it was profitable. I stayed with it to ensure I'd be able to take care of my daughters when they arrived in hell. Now, taking care of my daughters means putting an end to the exterminations which makes me more dedicated to peace than whoever you have running things at the heavenly embassy."
"We have an embassy here in hell?" Emily asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Odette began to answer, "but I'm sure very little actual diplomacy happens there."
"Sounds like," Emily began as she faced Sera, "a staff change up would make for a show of good faith."
"Indeed," Sera agreed and then faced Carmilla. "But for you to be the ambassador to hell, you must have at least some loyalty to heaven."
"Lift my house arrest and let me visit my daughters from time to time," Carmilla countered, "and I will be very loyal to heaven."
Sera paused as she considered things.
"That can be arranged," Sera replied. "But in exchange, you must not spread word throughout heaven about the exterminations or your nature as a redeemed sinner."
"Agreed," Carmilla said.
That is a battle for another time, Carmilla mentally added. Emily let out a sound like the squeaking of a rubber duck and smiled from ear to ear.
"Oh I can't wait to show you around heaven," Emily said joyfully. "I can show you the petting zoo and my favorite sushi place. I could even introduce you to Glip-Glorp if you want. "
"What's a Glip-Glorp?" Clara asked.
"Long story," Carmilla deflected. "I'll explain later."
"So you're leaving again," Odette said with a painted expression. "After we just got you back."
"I'm sorry Odette," Carmela said as she placed a hand on the spectacled blonde's shoulder. "It has to be this way. Protecting you and Clara means making sure there's never a next extermination which means I need to get this ambassador job so that means I need to go along with Sera's terms and that includes me moving to heaven."
"I'll make sure Sera honors her end of the deal," Emily said.
And break your mother out again if she doesn't, Emily thought.
"Thank you," Odette said to Emily and she was on the verge of tearing up. "For so much."
Sera formed a new portal. Emily, Camilla and herself walked through it to re-enter heaven.