Chapter 4: Sour and Sweet
She was beginning to wonder if waking up in new places after collapsing from a bender was going to be a continuing trend in this new realm.
The Lamb rubbed her head as she made her way around this new building. The pale young woman that had greeted her upon her awakening had taken her leave to clean herself with a very strained smile.
Hey it was her fault; she stood in front of her after she woke up. Rule #127: Never stand in front of leader after she drank 20 rounds of Brog Brew. Granted it wasn't Brog Brew, but the rule stands.
Now with a throbbing headache, The Lamb sought out a source of water to make camellia tea with.
Slowly she trudged through what looked to be some grand lobby that was in a similar, if not worse, state of disrepair as the infirmary.
"I still can't believe this," a voice grumbled behind The Lamb.
Following the Infant God was another young woman of grey skin and long, pale white hair. She was garbed in a red blouse with dark trimmings and buttons along with a dark grey miniskirt separated by a waistband. Long fingerless gloves adorned her arms and thigh-high stockings with little white shoes covered her legs. Additionally a red bow was tided in her hair and a red "X" eye patch occasionally showed itself over her left eye when her hair shifted. She was shorter than the other by maybe a head and carried herself like a guard.
The Lamb guessed she still sported that grumpy face she's had on since walking out of the infirmary.
"All that worry just to pick up some random drunk off the street. I swear Charlie and I are going to have a serious talk about this." Oh, and she was still muttering to herself.
The Lamb's head throbbed some more from the hangover and annoyance from her little tag along. When she approached a doorway that looked like it lead to a kitchen the grumpy lady caught her shoulder and stood in front of her.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked sourly, "Charlie said you could walk around if you were feeling up to it, but you don't get free rein of the place."
The Lamb looked up at the narrowed eye of the woman before her and roughly shoved her aside as she squawked a "Wha- Hey!" and proceeded forward.
The woman was lucky that The Lamb wanted to be rid of her headache as soon as possible otherwise she would have punished the taller female for her transgression upon her divine form.
The room was a kitchen (a dirty and unkempt one, but that was on par for the course by this point) and conveniently sitting on the metal stove was a tea kettle. Reaching up and checking it proved that it had some water in it so with a snap of her fingers The Lamb superheated the kettle in an instant, brining the water inside to a boil.
By this time the annoying lady rounded the walkway into the kitchen with a scowl on her face. "Alright, listen here you perra, you can't just go and- are you making tea?"
The Lamb ignored her as she prepared her tea by pulling out a camellia flower and crushing it in her grip. Once crushed, she dropped the broken petals into a cup she found and grabbed the whistling tea kettle and poured the boiling water in the cup.
The Crown shifted into a spoon in its master's hand who proceeded to swirl it around the cup quickly turning the water to a murky red.
When deemed mixed enough the Crown shifted back to her head and the cult leader downed the entire cup in one go, seemingly unaffected by the still hot tea. Once it was all drank she shuttered at the tea's bitter taste before letting out a pleased sigh as the flowers healing effects took hold.
With her headache now gone, The Lamb placed the cup back onto the counter and turned around taking note of the young woman standing in the doorway arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently.
"Ya done?"
The Infant God only raised an eyebrow at the impatient woman. What was she on about? Thankfully the Crown was more than happy to do a bit of sleuthing and what it found gave The Lamb a better understanding of the grey skinned woman's thoughts.
The Lamb's gaze softened a little as an apologetic look graced her face. It seemed to work as the woman eased her stance a little."I'm gonna say this once: right now you are a guest here a guest for the princess of Hell in fact. So regardless of whatever up brining you came from you're going to have to show Charlie some respect or I will throw you out of this hotel, got it?" The long haired woman pinched the bridge of her nose with a hand and let out an aggravated sigh. "Okay look. Charlie is the sweetest thing to ever exist in Hell and she is taking a risk helping out some random drunk off the street that got into some gang fight, or whatever. She didn't need to do that. So when she comes back down here I want you to keep in mind that she helped you out of the kindness of her heart. Don't take that for granted."
The level of devotion that this Charlie had over the grey skinned woman was, in The Lamb's honest opinion, impressive. Much like how she groomed her own followers, this woman's master had a complete chokehold on her mind if her concern was any indication.
Her attitude could use a little work though.
To her words though The Lamb simply nodded respectfully, making the grey skinned woman raise an eyebrow, but she accepted the gesture nonetheless.
And to be fair to her, her words did speak truth. Now with a clear head and having replayed the last 20 minutes in her mind the Infant God realized that once again she had been taken care of after passing out.
She didn't know why these strangers would do this but it was something that she, a god of infinite grace and divinity, would never take for granted.
After all, mortals should always feel honored to have a god grace them with her presence.
It was then familiar chipper voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Oh good your awake!" Looking to the stairs of the lobby, the really happy young woman was walking down the steps looking and smelling VERY clean and wearing an identical red suit. You know just not covered in vomit n' stuff. "I'm so happy to see you up and about, especially after….what happened, but I hope Vaggie has been accommodating."
That wasn't the word the Infant God would have used, but regardless she switched her expression to a pleasant smile.
"If you mean having to follow her around to make sure she didn't steal or break anything while being ignored as she made herself tea, then yeah," the now named Vaggie responded with no shortage of sarcasm.
The pale woman quirked an eyebrow.
"You made yourself tea?" she asked, "Why would yo-OH, for your hangover right?"
The Lamb nodded.
"Well I'm glad you where able to help yourself." The pale lady stood next to Vaggie and held a hand out to shake. "Anyway, my name is Charlie. It's really nice to finally meet you properly!"
The Infant God gently took Charlie's hand and gave her an inviting smile. She always appreciated those with manners, reminded her of Lev-NO! No. Happy thoughts.
"I hope waking up somewhere you didn't expect wasn't too disorienting, but allow me to be the first one to welcome you to the Happy Hotel: The first hotel dedicated to getting sinner out of Hell!" The smile on Charlie's face was so bright that both The Lamb and Vaggie had to squint as to not be blinded.
When The Lamb's eyes adjusted she gave Charlie a questioning look with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head. It was possible that the pale woman misinterpreted her body language as she quickly tired explaining what she meant.
"N-now I know it sounds a little…much, but it has always been my dream to get my people to a better life and what better way than to get them all to Heaven!" she proudly proclaimed throwing her arms wide in the air. "So that's why Vaggie and I established the Happy Hotel!" A ceiling tile then to the moment to fall to the ground between the three lobby occupants with a loud *ka-thunk*.
Vaggie looked down at the piece of roof with a pained grimace at its poor timing.
The Lamb looked at the tile for a moment before shifting her eyes back to Charlie who had a couple beads of sweat on her forehead. "I-It's a work in progress." A tired sigh left her mouth as she nervously put her palms together. "Yeah so we kinda just got everything together, but rest assured we'll have patrons in this place in no time! We just…need to…find them is all." She then looked as if an idea popped into her head. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be interested it in redemption, would you Ms…actually now that I think about it we never got your name."
Vaggie looked at her with a flat expression. "Are now just realizing that?" She shook her head causing her long locks to wave before looking down at The Lamb. "Look, we dragged your drunken ass out of that alley so the least you can do is tell us your name."
The Lamb didn't appreciate the rude attitude that Vaggie had, but conceded that introductions were in order. Ignoring Charlie's admonishing "Babe!" the Infant God bleated her name.
There was a moment of silence as the two taller women looked at her with confused eyes. "Excuse me?" Charlie asked.
The Lamb stared back at them funny before she slapped the side of her head. Right, language barrier, starting to become a problem. She looked around for something to maybe write on before the Red Crown rumbled in her head. She looked up at her companion as it shared more of its infinite knowledge with its newest owner.
She wondered what it was going to shar-Oh! Well that was mighty convenient.
With new knowledge at her disposal, The Lamb turned to Charlie and beckoned her closer. Confused, the pale woman did so and now stood right in front of the wooly cult leader while Vaggie's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Now with in arms reach of the red clad woman The Lamb motioned her to kneel down because she had like two feet on her, geez. Now Charlie was very confused, but decided to see where this was going and got to eye level with.
"Charlie, don't just do what some random person wants you to do!" the other woman in the room chastised paying very close attention now.
Charlie tried to reassure her, "It's okay Vaggie. I don't think she means any har-Oop!"
Charlie was cut off as The Lamb squished her cheeks together giving her goldfish lips and holding her head in place. The grey skinned woman jumped and pulled a spear from out of nowhere and was about to intervene when Charlie just held up a hand. The hold wasn't hard and she wasn't being hurt so there wasn't any alarm to be had…probably.
Seeing the pale woman calmly cooperate the Infant God smiled in thanks before closing her eyes and lowering her head slightly, bringing the Red Crown forward. Charlie's eyes couldn't help but look at the red glow of the crown's single eye as it stared straight into her pupils.
The two stayed like this for a moment before the Infant God opened her eyes again and gently let go of Charlie's surprisingly squishy face. The woman seemed a little dazed as the cult leader stepped back and was helped up Vaggie, who glared daggers and pointed her weapon threateningly at The Lamb.
"Okay what the hell was that about?!" The aggressive woman demanded.
Charlie shook her head as she stood at full height, "Babe I'm fine. My head just fells a little woozy."
The hotel's apparent guard dog turned to the other woman while keeping her spear trained on The Lamb. "Charlie! You can't just let anyone do stuff to you like that, especially a sinner!"
"Vaggie, its fine."
"If I wanted it to hurt then you would be able to tell," a new voice cut in.
Both froze at the third voice in the room and slowly turned their heads to the source. The Lamb smiled at them pleasantly and waved.
"For now you may call me Lamb. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
With a voice that she have many, many years to perfect it was always fun to see people's reactions to it. The Crown just looked down at her with a questioning look.
-XXXX-
If you were to look at a person before you hear them your brain tends to try and guess certain traits that they may have, voice most predominantly.
When Charlie first laded eyes on the short lamb like sinner she had found and rescued from that alley her mind had sorta put a voice to her guest. Given the almost child friendly appearance the short sinner processed the Princess had assumed that they would sound small, adorable, cute even. What she did not expect was the being with gentle features and such soft looking wool to have a voice of that of a very mature and wisdomed woman. A mother.
Even more so, she didn't expect her to have a voice so similar to her mother's while holding power like her father's.
While obviously different, the sinner's voice had a similar tone of the Queen of Hell. Like silk every word that passed her lips slipped into your ears and gracefully slid into your mind. She and the queen even shared the same subtle demand for your attention that was laced in every syllable.
And similarly to her father seven years ago, the words of the lamb sinner was backed with a demand for respect that to the average person would never pick up on, but unconsciously understand and obey.
With Lilith, Queen of Hell, being her mother, Charlie knew her mother's voice. When she spoke you gave her all your attention. In contrast her father's voice once displayed power because he was king and held supreme authority. Charlie found that out when her parents came back from a brief trip to Wrath a century and a half ago and found their daughter standing in the kitchen with her cheeks full of her dad's freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. So when someone she's never met in her life has a voice that could take the notable traits of her mom and dad and wield both was quite jarring.
On top of that; the princess felt a sad pang in her heart with the sinner's voice leaning closer to her mother's. A voice she hadn't heard in seven years.
Sad Charlie thoughts were interrupted, however, by Vaggie's sudden question. "Wait, you could talk this entire time?" Her girlfriend raised an eyebrow and it twitched. Oh dear she was getting mad again.
The lamb sinner, "Lamb" Charlie reminded herself (weird name to go by), wiggled her hand in a so-so gesture. "Yes and no. I can speak like any other being with a mind, but I wasn't able to recite your language since I arrived here. It was just then that I realized that I could…'acquire' the ability to copy your own understanding," she then bowed her head in apology, "I apologize for the shock and uninvited intrusion."
Vaggie opened her mouth to likely snap at Lamb, but the princess was quick to cut her off. "It's okay! It was just a surprise is all no need to worry! Although it is a bit weird that you couldn't talk like everyone else. I thought all sinners in Pride all understood each other?"
"Really? Hmm, well I just arrived and I assumed that not everyone had the ability. No wait, that nice lady I met said the same thing." Lamb tilted her head and held her chin in her hand in thought, she looked really cute combined with her small size and fluffy wool. Charlie wondered if she would let her touch it-wait what?
"Wait, you said you just arrived in Hell?" Vaggie asked as if hearing Charlie's thoughts.
"Oh yes. According to the lovely lady I met, I arrived just yesterday."
She just arrived in Hell and she could read people's minds? Wait wasn't her hat alive too?!
"Okay, there's no way you arrived yesterday, sinners can't do anything like read minds right out the bat."
"Her hat is also alive," the princess added helpfully.
"And your hat's ali-what?"
Vaggie could only look at her girlfriend, who just shrugged unhelpfully.
Lamb looked at the two with a calm smile and furrowed brows. "Well I don't know what to tell you, but I've been able to do such things since arrival. Some would say I'm a natural at it." The tilted head, closed eyes, and the smile should have been a red flag for Charlie having attempted to go on a horror movie binge with Vaggie just a month ago, but she wasn't getting any bad feelings from her wooly guest.
"Well regardless of what you can do and how long you've been here it's nice to hear your voice!"
Lamb perked up at the compliment her ears rising a bit, "Well thank you! It took decades to work my voice to be pleasing to the ears."
Their conversation began to fall into a lull, but before it could fully settle in Charlie remembered that there was a sinner standing in her hotel! "Heyyyy," is trailed off suddenly, "Seeing you're new here in Hell n' all you wouldn't happen to be interested in redemption at all would you?"
The lamb sinner's head whipped back as if struck and balked at the sudden question. Ignoring Vaggie's groaning "Hon" Lamb raised and eyebrow. "Redemption?" She asked slowly, "As in being redeemed for past wrongs kind of redemption?"
"Yes! Yes exactly that!"
"Okay, so where this would redemption lead too?" She looked almost ready to scoff.
The princess began to sweat a bit as Vaggie's eyes narrowed. "To Heaven of course!"
"Heaven. I assume 'Heaven' is the better alternative to this place?"
"Um yes?" Did this sinner not know what Heaven was?
She crossed her arms and nodded in understanding, "Alright. So you know how to get someone to Heaven then."
Now Charlie began to shuffle uncomfortably and Vaggie looked away under Lamb's scrutinizing gaze. Geez she really felt like she was talking to her mother. "W-well, we don't have any exact proof of it," she said but quickly shifted to a false reassurance, "but I'm sure we'll find out along the way!"
Her attempt to reassure the sinner standing before the two didn't seem to work as she closed her eyes and shook her head in disappointment.
"I should feel insulted that you think you can sway me with false promises and empty reassurances, do you think so little of me?" Charlie wanted to reply but couldn't get a word in edge wise as Lamb continued. "The audacity to come to someone like me and claim to offer redemption when you yourself have no way of knowing whether or not it is even possible. Shame upon you Charlie."
The target of Lamb's chastisement's shoulders slumped as she looked down in shame while nervously tapping her index fingers together.
Ever loyal and supportive, Vaggie tried to rebuff the sinner's words. "Who do you think you are to say that to Charlie? At least she's trying to do something for the better in Hell! Besides what would you know of anything about redeeming stuff?"
"More than either of you could possibly know," Lamb said resolutely. "What you are doing is not advertizing a better life, you are trying to sell a…cult…" Her words seemed to trail off as her eyes slowly began to widen. Then she slapped her hands to the sides of her head in a panic. "AH! I totally forgot about them! I need to get back now!"
The lamb sinner looked to Vaggie and Charlie and bowed, "Apologies, but I just remembered I need to take care of something important!" She then dashed toward the hotel's front doors in a panic.
Charlie chased with after her Vaggie following, "Hey wait, what's wrong?!"
She didn't get a reply as Lamb threw the doors open and dashed off to a section of the hotel's barren garden as if she were looking for something.
"Come on! Come on! I can feel you around here. Ah-ha!"
"Lady what are you doing?" Vaggie called out as she and Charlie stood a distance away from the odd behaving sinner. She didn't get a reply as Lamb suddenly began to chant some weird words before she levitated in the air as she splayed her arms out. Rocks in the garden began to gather themselves into the shape of a pentagram.
"Sorry!" the sinner called out, "I have to go and make sure my followers haven't destroyed anything in my absence! I'll be back in a day or two and we can continue where we left off!"
With that her eyes turned red and began to leak what looked like blood as a pool of ominous black liquid pooled under her. The hat on Lamb's head looked at the two women standing in utter bewilderment at the scene before them and blinked? It had one eye and they both felt like it winked at them. The sinner then fell into the black goo and vanished from sight.
Vaggie and Charlie stood there with mouths agape at what had just unfolded before them, the black goo slowly vanished into nothing and left the newly arranged pentagram of rocks in its wake.
…
"Hon?"
"Yes Vaggie?"
"I thinks she's another radio demon."
"…oh shit…"
…
*Whistling wind sound effect*
…
"Hey Vaggie?"
"Yeah?"
"What did she mean by 'someone like her?'"
-XXXX-
When she reformed into being, The Lamb was greeted by the familiar scent of the forest surrounding her home compound. When the power of her incantation faded she fell to the ground and onto her hands and knees from the surprising amount of power required to teleport from Hell.
Sucking in the last bit of breath to calm her rapidly beating heart from her sudden panic. She got to her feet and dusted her clothing off and adjusted her fleece. Looking more presentable for her flock she schooled her expression and prepared to march in.
"Greetings to you, Leader."
Only to let out an undignified yelp at the sudden soft spoken voice next to her and collapse into the dirt once more.
Standing next to and still on her feet was a spotted cow woman with a gentle smile. She was tall, as most cows from the Darkwood were, and dressed in the traditional white and black robes (fancy robes) of The Lamb's inner circle with her arms folded within the clothing's sleeves. The cow's clothing, however, did little to hide her rather "generous" body that she was blessed with and many of the common followers tended to steal looks at.
Along with her robes was the ever present glowing halo that marked her as a holy disciple of The Lamb herself. Around her neck was a golden skull hanging from a chain of gold and red gems. And finally, as customary for all married cows from the Darkwood, a golden marriage nose piercing in the shape of a ring hung proudly from her nostrils.
From the ground The Lamb glared up at her disciple who had a suspiciously pleased smile on her lips. "Babble."
"I take it you crusade was a success?" The cow, Babble, asked as she watched her lord clamor back to her feet.
Shaking off pebbles and dirt in her wool the Infant God replied, "It was…enlightening. It appears that I have discovered the ability to cross my way to a 'new realm' of sorts."
Babble's ears perked up in that adorable way The Lamb loved. "Oh, somewhere new? Do tell my Lamb."
"Figured you'd be interested," the cult leader smirked as they began walking to the compound, "Well it was after Marty's birthday celebration came to an end I had decided to spend the night with a stroll through the woods-"
"So you got befuddled and stumbled onto the telapoint again," Babble interpreted.
The Lamb, destroyer of the false bishops of the Old Faith and newest god to grace the lands, sputtered at Babbles words. "W-what me befuddled!? Pffft, I would never-you must have been seeing things!"
That knowing smile of hers came back, "Mmm, so that wasn't you who was singing at the top of her lungs and shattering windows two nights ago?"
"What me singing? Babble you know I don't sing."
"Not well at least."
"Hey!"
The two walked down the hill to the compound leaving behind the stone pentagram at the teleport site. The warm air of the forests and the sounds of lesser life was all that remained surrounding the mossy grey stones.
But slowly, quietly a giggle echoed through the trees.
The veil has been crossed once more.
Children lost, shall be returned home.
For a heart remembers. A mother shan't forget.
*Crawls out of dank hole*
Been to long.
Whelp, our plucky hero has made contact with the other plucky hero and her vicious tag along. What could possibly go wrong? (He says, clutching a bottle of aspirin)
So tell me what you guys think. Pretty please? See you guys in the reviews is always a good motivator for me.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. A little gift from me to you.
*Crawls back into even danker hole*