Paris, October 27, 1923
The City of Light. Verosika could never really tell why but, every time she set foot in the capital of France, she felt like she had been there her whole life. Like a part of her soul was- or at least had been, in another life, in a different world- Parisian...
No doubt it was the city's own magic at work, carrying strange feelings and memories that the smallest, most mundane and mysterious things would reveal; like the sight of a black cat, or that of a ladybug...
But these were idle thoughts, and right now, on a chill autumn evening, Verosika had come to Paris unexpectedly, on a rather strange business. She had been summoned for unknown reasons by Princess Charlie, who had requested she came to Earth because she was taking care of important matters there and could not return to Hell for a few days.
Charlie was staying in the mortal realm with her girlfriend, of course, as she had been for months now. It was no secret why, not in Hell anyway; all the Rings of Hell had been undergoing sudden changes since the beginning of the war, since it became clear that the Masquerade would soon be over- that their existence would soon be exposed to mankind...
...And no one could tell how it was going to happen...
Princess Charlie had quickly become Hell's foremost diplomat on Earth, even though only a few select humans knew who she really was. She had first revealed herself at the court of the Great Khan, and she had gone a long way from there to the heart of the 'civilized' world...
In her mind, Verosika went through the major events that had brought Charlie to Paris, and the story behind her "Chinese endeavour"...
...
One can scarcely imagine the journalistic sensation that had been sparked, a few months prior, by Charlie's arrival in Europe from the Far East. A young, beautiful white woman (allegedly American) was accompanying a completely unexpected Mongolian delegation on a diplomatic mission to Geneva, where the headquarters of the League of Nations were located. Not only that, but famed Austrian explorer Adolf Hitler was also part of this "Imperial mission to Europe".
The delegation had arrived from Mongolia to Irkutsk, on the shores of Lake Bajkal, and from there they had travelled westward on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Europe.
Everyone was eager to learn why these exotic, Oriental characters- who looked straight out of Marco Polo's Milione- had been sent by the mysterious Great Khan, and why the remote, nearly inaccessible Mongol Empire was suddenly reaching for the wider world, beyond its neighbors of Russia and China...
Those reasons were made clear in Geneva, where the Mongolians, Charlie and Adolf officially met the representatives of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan- to present and discuss a daring proposal from the Great Khan himself...
...
The political situation in China, Mongolia's troublesome neighbour, was dire to say the least- and Charlie had witnessed but a glimpse of that when she encountered the captured Chinese in the Mongol capital of Urga. What she learned from them would had been enough to paint a blood-curling, gut-wrenching picture of the darkest chapter in modern Chinese history- the Warlord Era.
In hindsight, it would be remarked that the warlords (or junfa, as they were called by the Chinese) had brought more carnage and devastation to China in a decade than all the foreign gunboats could have done in a hundred years. Their reign of chaos was borne out of the rampant corruption of the regime of Yuan Shikai, who had liberally placed his fellow generals in command of various provinces as military governors. After Yuan Shikai's fall, those provinces became fiefdoms, each ruled by one of many coalitions of generals (the cliques) that controlled the splintered remnants of the Chinese military.
As far as the rest of the world was concerned, there was a legimitate, internationally recognized government of the Republic of China, known as the Beiyang government. In actuality, the warlord in control of Beijing at any given moment was also in charge of that government, one that held no real power whatsoever in most of the country.
Warlord Era China was a hotbed for foreign intrigue, as various powers supported the warlord of their choice with weapons and ammunitions to protect their considerable economic interests in China- and to expand their competing spheres of influence...
The struggle for dominance between the Zhili clique and the Annhui clique had only resulted in tremendous losses for both sides, which made them easy prey for the Fengtian clique in the north and Republican forces in the south. Some warlords (particularly in the far western provinces) had been defeated by the Mongols, but the most populous regions of China were still a battleground. And to make matters even worse, Beijing itself had been taken by Fengtian forces...
The leader of the Fengtian clique, Zhang Zongchang, was the most notorious, the most wicked of all the warlords. Backed by the Russian Empire, he had conquered Beijing and dissolved the Beiyang government. He now ruled as Emperor in all but name, with the former child Emperor Puiy (now a teenager) reduced to a glorified prisoner in his own palace.
The rest of the world could only watch helplessly in utter shock and horror: not long after Baron Ungern's rise to power as the Great Khan, another warlord had built yet another fantastical, neo-medieval kingdom in the Far East! But while the Great Khan appeared to many westerners as a barbaric but honorable ruler, Zhang had no moral scruples whatsoever.
Ruling from his fabulously decadent court in the Forbidden City, Zhang would keep himself occupied with arms dealing, drug trafficking and, of course, extravagant parties with his dozens of wives and concubines...
Meanwhile, in the streets of Beijing, the bodies of dissidents would often be seen hanging from telegraph poles, as a warning to others...
With the Beiyang government gone, the League of Nations was in the embarassing position of having to recognize another Chinese government as the legitimate one. They ultimately chose to recognize the Republic of China led by President Sun Yat-sen, based in the southern city of Guangzhou.
...
All of this led to the "Chinese endeavour", the plan that Charlie had proposed to the Great Khan, and that he had decided to bring before the League of Nations.
The Mongols had already liberated the Chinese farmers they had captured and enslaved, and that for Charlie was already a win. It was, however, a calculated political move, a token of the Great Khan's willingness to earnestly seek an understanding with the Chinese government for the benefit of both nations; it made the Chinese delegates in Geneva willing to listen, if nothing else...
The plan itself may have been simple on paper- but it was a though sell by any measure. A trilateral agreement and alliance between the Mongol Empire, the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan against the Fengtian clique to liberate Beijing, stabilize China and foster international cooperation and understanding in the region.
Of course, any bilateral agreement between China and Japan against the warlords would have been utterly ludicrous. On the Chinese side of things, Japanese involvement was the greatest foreign threat to China; Tokyo had even backed the Fengtian clique before the Russophile Zhang took over. The only point in their favor was that Imperial Japanese Army forces had recently left Shandong, as promised.
For the Japanese, there was no point in even considering an alliance; they looked down on the Chinese as militarily incompetent, unfit for ruling themselves without Japanese protection or guidance. Following their intervention in the Russian Civil War, the IJA still had troops in Manchuria, due to the threat posed by the Mongol Empire to the west...
But Charlie, thinking outside the box, proposed that the Mongols would play a crucial role in making the alliance work. Since President Sun Yat-sen and Prime Minister Kato clearly didn't trust each other, and the Great Khan was inclined to trust neither of them, the Mongols would make sure that the other two sides stick to their end of the deal.
Neither Guangzhou nor Tokyo wanted a war with the Mongol Empire- and their help would be invaluable. Mongol armies were close enough to Beijing to pose a threat to the city; even if they could not take the city itself, Zhang would have to divide his forces just to react to a major Mongol incursion.
Moreover, Republican and Japanese forces would benefit greatly from working together; the Japanese had a vastly superior military, and they would gain Republican protection for Japanese civilians in Shandong in exchange for their help. A more stable China would benefit Tokyo in the long run- everyone in Japan could see that (everyone but the deranged ultramilitarist fringe, that is).
Naturally, everyone opposed the plan at first. Charlie was used to it at this point, having worked hard for years to promote a Hotel nobody but her and Vaggie believed in.
But at least she was taken seriously: she spoke with such earnestness, displayed such knowledge of the Chinese situation that everyone was bound to be impressed, not least because she was a foreigner. She was impartial, and only wanted to help people.
She gained promises that there would be further meetings to discuss the proposal in depth- and telegrams were quickly sent to and from Guangzhou and Tokyo afterwards- but not before she had passionately appealed to both sides.
She reminded everyone that such efforts to further the cause of peace were what the League of Nations had been made for. She reminded the Japanese that this was their opportunity to correct the world's perception of Japan as a predatory power in China- one that had been cemented by the infamous Twenty-One Demands of 1915. And she reminded the Chinese that- after so many decades of national humiliation and catastrophe ever since the First Opium War- no people on the face of the Earth had placed greater hopes in the League of Nations than the people of China.
To fail to seize this opportunity, Charlie argued, would be nothing short of a betrayal of everything the Republic of China had ever stood for; and worse yet, it would be a betrayal of the people of China- of the millions who were suffering under the rule of Zhang and his ilk.
...
Charlie was now in Paris, to garner more international support- since many countries, like France, had interests in China.
All those talks of distant Asian wars seemed extremely remote, theoretical to Verosika Mayday among the pleasant streets of Paris.
She was familiar with the place Charlie was staying at (the Hotel Agreste near the Place du Chatelet). On the way there, accompanied by the ever dutiful Vortex, she saw that the city was rather busy with the preparations for the Paris Olympic Games of 1924. She even glimpsed a 'ballon dirigeable' going on its slow, majestic path in the air past the Tour Eiffel...
The two demons arrived at the Hotel Agreste to find Charlie and Vaggie there...
"Hi! It's so nice to finally meet you!" Charlie greeted Verosika, "My friend Angel Dust told me all about you, he's such a great fan..."
"And I'm a fan of his..." Verosika said, bowing slightly, "To what do I owe your summon, Princess?"
"It's about the... situation here on Earth..." Charlie started, "...We know you have connections among human occultists... people who are aware of certain prophecies Prince Stolas told us about."
"Far from me to doubt the wisdom of the Royal Astrologer... in the astral matters anyway..." She punctuated her sly remark with a frown, "He figured out your place in the prophecy, did he not? He must have figured out mine as well..."
"So, you are telling us you actually are the Whore of Babylon?" Vaggie asked, sounding skeptical.
"All I'm saying, honey, is that my dear fuckboy Aleister has told me all about it..." She smirked, "We are destined to be on the same side... I hope my loyalty to Hell is not in doubt..."
"No! Of course not!" Charlie exclaimed.
"That's a relief, Princess. Speaking of politics, I have a question for you, if you don't mind me asking. Now that we are at war with Heaven, why are you going through so much trouble with this "Chinese endeavour"? Why should we care about some human conflict-"
"Because the Authority does not!" Charlie interrupted her, "We must take a stand for peace, against the lawlesness and banditry of the warlords! So that when the Authority comes to this planet, with his warships and his threats of war, acting like a warlord himself, humans will turn to us..."
"We cannot just tell people that we want what is best for them," Vaggie added, "...our actions must speak for us."
...
"There is one more thing I wish to discuss with you..." Charlie said.
"Anything, Princess..."
"Please, call me Charlie. I've learned that each Halloween you host a, uh... "Anti-Blitzo party", yes? I was wondering if you could host the party at a different location this year..."
Pentagram City, October 31, 1923
"Why the FUCK are they having the party HERE!?"
Blitz's van came to a stop near the Happy Hotel. Not only his exes were all in one place, but for some reason they were hanging with his daughter!? Some shit was up...
Entering, Blitz quickly grabbed a tablecloth to wrap himself with- it would have been quite the ludicrous disguise were it any time of the year but Halloween.
He looked around to see just how crammed the place was...
"W-o-ow, have I fucked this many people? Christ on a stick, I should start keeping count."
Loona was indeed there, not looking perturbed by all the vitriol being poured on her dad. She was hanging with Verosika and Angel Dust, who were having the time of their lives getting to know each other. And there was...
...Stolas. Looking miserable.
...Shit...
"He made soooo many people mad..." Nifty looked ecstatic, smiling dreamily, "...what a Bad Boy..."
"Say, Loona..." Verosika inquired, "Are your imp friends joining us, Millie and Moxxie?"
"They're having a party on Earth. Sallie May invited 'em- she's Millie's sis."
"I see..." She replied, letting show but a hint of disappointment in her voice...
Charlie and Vaggie suddenly arrived, to be greeted by Verosika.
"Can I have a word, everyone..." Charlie asked the crowd, which was curious to learn why she honored them with her presence, "Thank you! As you know, I always wanted this Hotel to be a home of healing, a resort of restoration. While I don't exactly approve the, uh... enthusiasm Verosika has put into this party, I appreciate her intent..."
"Whaaaat?" Blitz was dumbfounded.
"...to help you cope with some really bad stuff, to help you heal while giving you a good time."
"Oh yeah, that makes sense... Shit..."
"YEAH! FUCK BLITZO!" Someone yelled, and the rest cheered.
"About that..." Charlie continued, "We have two special guests tonight whom, like myself, are attending this party for the first time! Let's welcome Stolas..."
"Oh, no. No, no, no, Princess- uh, I really shouldn't..." the Prince said, suddenly embarassed.
"...and Blitz!"
Everyone turned, in shock, to see that Blitz was standing right there. How in the actual Hell had they not noticed him!?
"The Bad Boy is back!" a delighted Nifty exclaimed.
"Blitz! What are you doing here!?" Stolas sounded worried to death.
"SOMEBODY SEIZE HIM!" A voice went out...
...and Loona growled, "THE FIRST ONE WHO TOUCHES HIM FUCKING DIES!"
Blitz quickly run to safety next to Loona and Stolas...
"Why is the little PRICK here!?" Verosika was mad.
"BECAUSE I'M SORRY, OKAY!? YOU BITCH!I'M SORRY FOR DUMPING YA, SORRY FOR NOT FALLING HEAD OVER HEELS FOR YOU- I'M SORRY AND FUCKING TIRED OF ALWAYS BEING THE BAD GUY!"
The room suddenly fell silent.
Blitz collapsed to the floor, like his outburst had left him empty...
"...I'm sorry for messing everything up with you, Stolas..."
Verosika scoffed. Stolas looked away, crying...
"Blitz..."
It was Charlie.
Blitz looked up to see her hand reaching for him...
As she started to sing...
It starts with sorry
That's your foot in the door, one simple sorry
Spoken straight from your core
The Path to Forgiveness
Is a twisting trail of hearts
But sorry is where it starts
Blitz: Who could forgive a dirtbag like me?
I don't deserve your amnesty
Verosika: Can't we just kill him?
Shoot him and spill his blood?
Charlie: That's an option you could choose...
Verosika: Works for us!
Charlie: But who hasn't been in his shoes?
IT STARTS WITH SORRY
Blitz: Sorry
Charlie: Dig down deeper and say
One sincere sorry
Blitz: I'm so sorry
Charlie: And you journey's underway!
It'll take time to cover your vast multitude of sins
But sorry is where it begins
It starts with sorry
watch?v=8bVo4VTGTIY
"I hated that song!" Nifty cried, "Why are you so lame!?"
She kicked Biltz and walked away, pouting, "Not a Bad Boy!"
...
Later, as the party went on, Blitz was seated alone. Charlie walked over to check on him.
"So, was all of this your master plan, Princess?" Blitz started.
"In fact, no. It was Octavia and Loona; they couldn't stand seeing their dads miserable..."
"Yeah, they're amazing, right? Stolas..." he paused...
"...Stolas wants us to have what they have... But we just don't, and it's all on me...
...I- I don't want to be this way. Not forever."
After a short while, Blitz spoke again, "How do you do it, Princess? How do you still care for people while carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?"
"Well," she answered, "I suppose the secret is... sharing the weight of the world with the people who live in it."
They were both silent for a while...
"Princess, I know this Hotel is for the redemption of human souls and all that, but... I wondered if you would let me stay- maybe just for a while..."
"Of course! Anyone is welcome to stay, Blitz!"
He smiled, "Thank you, Princess."
"Please, call me Charlie."