Of Rings And Circles
“Lute, uh, can we talk?”
Lute rolled her eyes, glaring up at Abel from where he stood in the doorway. Ever since Adam had died, the meek idiot had started hanging around the Exorcist dorms more and more. At first, she tolerated it, his presence a soothing piece of the man she had loved so much. Of the daring and dominating leader of the army the First Man had built. But it didn’t last long.
Abel was like a kid, gullible and infuriatingly kind. His best friend was St. Peter of all people, which was proof enough that he would never be like his dad, who was had been strong and dependable. He couldn’t even raise his voice without apologizing like an idiot. He was not meant to be an Exorcist.
Yet, he kept trying to be let in and even was petitioning to be allowed to take over as leader.
“Why?” Lute snarled. “Finally convince the Council to let you steal my job?”
Abel fidgeted with his robes because, of course, he would be. “Um, no, they are still trying to figure out what to do with the Exorcists, given redemption looking possible and all…”
Ah, yes, the deal with the princess. Of course.
“Well, they’ll see reason in 18 months when the redemption project fails,” Lute spat. “It was a fluke, and everyone knows it. Hell is forever, and one Sinner getting a pass is an anomaly, not a pattern. The Council won’t disband our only army against Hell.”
Abel shrugged. “If you say so.” He was quiet, fidgeting again. Lute ignored him, turning back to her spear, polishing it for the hundredth time. It soothed her when her mind was spinning. Kept a certain doll out of her head, for a little bit longer. So Abel’s next question caught her completely off guard. “If Sinners can be redeemed and come up here… Does that mean Winners can be condemned and go down there?”
Lute dropped her spear and blinked up at him. “What the fuck did you just say!?” she whispered.
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Stitches looked over the outfits lying on the bed and groaned. She had been trying to piece together outfits for her new job, but she simply didn’t have the wardrobe to accommodate a decent office presence. Not that she needed anything close to the stuffy clothes of her old life when it came to office wear, but she wanted to look good and still have flair.
Unfortunately, all of her current clothes were more about comfort and ease of wear, far too casual for working in. She had a few nice pieces, a top or two, and one dress. But that wasn’t nearly enough!
She groaned and flopped down on top of all the clothes in defeat. She would just have to talk to Lucifer about how to access her Magne funds. It wasn’t that she was against using the money, it just felt strange having everything at her fingertips! She had been born into near poverty, raised in the middle class, and then went back and forth between the two her whole life. She was used to working for every cent, doing without, and skating by on her wit and charm. It felt so wrong to now be in a position of power, one of the elite, and so she had avoided learning how to take advantage of her new status.
But she was starting an unpaid job with no money to her name. The last of what she had earned helping around the hotel had gone into her interview outfit. So, off to her royal Dad to get her allowance!
She pushed herself up and dragged herself to the elevator, pushing the button for the 13th floor. It was still morning, lunch still an hour or so away, so she knew he would be in his suite, working through tedious paperwork, like he did most days. He had settled into a good rhythm, spending mornings working on kingly duties (paperwork, mostly, as he was still avoiding public appearances and in-person meetings), then afternoons helping out around the hotel. He spent meal times with her and Charlie, and evenings after dinner socializing with the staff. Nights, of course, were reserved for Alastor, which was kinda cute, if she was honest.
Before she knew it, she was standing in front of his door, ready to knock. But she hesitated. Maybe she shouldn’t be so picky? She could make her current wardrobe work, it was fine! Yeah, no, she would just go back to her room…
Suddenly the door opened, causing her to stumble back at the abruptness of it with a gasp. Lucifer smiled fondly at her and stepped aside, motioning her to enter, with a slight smug on his face. “Sorry, Duckling! I didn’t mean to startle you. Shade just alerted me that you were standing out here, and I didn’t want you to run off.”
She started to protest, but she ended up just blushing at being caught and stomping over to the loveseat by the fireplace, flopping herself down with a huff. Lucifer chuckled as he closed the door and made his way over, summoning some tea and a tin of her butter cookies. Shade pulled itself from the wall, becoming more solid, and glided to the love seat, slipping under her legs and resting them on its cool lap. The shadow began to gently massage her calves, chittering happily at her presence, which she finally relented and giggled at.
Lucifer handed her a cup of ginger and turmeric tea, before settling back with his own cup. “So, what brings you here, Brandi? Must be important if you were standing out there for so long.”
“It’s really not,” she mumbled into her cup. She took a sip, letting the warm liquid soothe her stomach and nerves, before setting it back down on the coffee table. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I was debating going out clothes shopping for some work clothes, but I am broke. I was wondering if I could have some access to the Magne funds…” She covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.
She felt Lucifer place a kiss on her forehead, and she peeked out through her fingers. He chuckled and patted her hand fondly. “Sweetie, you don’t have to be embarrassed! You are a Magne. Everything that comes with that title, everything that comes with being my child, is yours to take. It’s your right as Stitches Magne.”
Stitches sighed and closed her eyes, covering her face again. “It feels so wrong, though!”
She felt Lucifer pick her up, seating himself on the love seat, and laying her back down so her head was in his lap, her legs still on Shade’s. He began to comb through her hair with his claws, gently untangling it. Eventually, her hands fell away and she laid them on her stomach, relaxing into the pampering.
“Why does it feel wrong, Duckling?” Lucifer murmured. “You seemed happy to get the Mark.”
Stitches frowned. “I am happy to have the Mark, to be a Magne. It makes me an official part of the family, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t regret it one bit, Dad.” She sighed and opened her eyes, looking into his gold and red ones. “It’s just the, uh, perks that come with it. The status, the power, the money. I just feel like I haven’t earned it! Like I’m… an imposter.”
There was no judgment in Lucifer’’s eyes as he nodded slowly, digesting what she said. He used magic to summon the tin of cookies from the table, placing it in her hands. She smiled her thanks and opened it, retrieving one at random and nibbling on it. Finally, Lucifer sighed.
“Brandi, I wish I could just wave a hand and make you more comfortable with everything. Hell, I wish I could just tell you how to overcome those doubts! But the truth is, I have always had those doubts too. I wasn’t supposed to be a king, and I certainly never asked for it! For all the downsides Falling brought, there are a lot of perks that come with it too, and I struggle with it still sometimes, accepting that I do have the right to those perks.” He smiled softly. “It isn’t about what we deserve, Duckling, it’s about what we do with it. Speaking from experience, it gets easier over time, and you can choose how much or little you rely on your advantages.”
Stitches sighed. “So, basically, I need to swallow my pride and stop being so stubborn about my independent nature, and just let myself use my royal perks?”
Lucifer chuckled. “I think you should start small and go on a shopping spree with Angel Dust.” He summoned a golden credit card with her name etched on it in the corner, handing it to her. “Though, I was wondering if I could talk to you about this whole job thing…”
Stitches raised her eyebrow.
Lucifer shook his head. “Hey, I am not fighting you on it, I promise! I accept you found the job you want, and I am fully supportive! But, I was wondering if maybe you would be open to a second job… One that pays?”
She mulled it over. “I mean, I guess? What are you proposing?”
“Belphagor thought you might like to help her as a personal assistant a few times a week. With Vaggie helping you learn combat and self-defense, she thought it might be helpful to teach you some medical and first aid basics. You always seemed curious about it anyway, and with you insisting on these investigations… I would feel better knowing you had some training in those areas.”
Stitches giggled. “So, less about the money, more about increasing my bag of tricks?”
Lucifer chuckled. “Also, it keeps you somewhere I know you will be safe a few days a week. So, call me selfish, but I think it would be good for you. Surely your boss in Imp City won’t mind you decreasing your days there, right?”
“Considering he isn’t paying me? Yeah, I don’t think he cares.” Stitches rolled her eyes. “Fine, how about this? I will work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at I.M.P. and then I will work Tuesday and Thursday in Sloth. I have to leave Saturday and Sunday open for hotel stuff.”
Lucifer sighed. “Charlie?”
“Charlie,” she confirmed. She sighed. “I talked to her at breakfast and got her to agree to stay out of my business during the week, so long as I lead an art therapy lesson on Saturday and attend at least two group activities at some point on Sunday. I also told her I would help with some errands and such after work once in a while or help around the hotel when I have time or energy.”
“That was very generous of you, Sweetie. I appreciate you being the bigger person.”
Stitches laughed. “I’m really not. I am just trying to compromise with her so she won’t interfere or fight with me anymore. You are already stressing about me going to work, I don’t need you having a heart attack from us fighting. I DEFINITELY don’t need her messing up my investigations!”
Lucifer leaned forward and kissed her forehead again. “I know, Duckling. Still, I appreciate it all the same. Just don't stretch yourself too thin.”
She let Lucifer change the topic to some gossip around the hotel, enjoying her Dad’s claws through her hair and Shade’s gentle leg massages. She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but she dreamt of family dinners and vacations with her hotel family, and it was a very nice nap indeed.
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“Fucking finally, Vox!” Velvette growled as Vox entered the meeting room. “Where the Hell have you been? Callin’ a meeting and then not even bein’ on time is rude as shit, yeah?”
Vox’s screen glitched at her tone, but he quickly got it under control. “Velvette, babe, don’t worry about it! I just got a little tied up on the way here, that’s all.” He hurried to the front of the table, but didn’t sit down, instead choosing to push the chair out of the way so he could comfortably stand there. He looked around the table at the odd collection of demons, Hellborn on one side and Sinners on the other, and smiled. “Thank you very much for waiting, everyone. Time is money, so I will cut to the chase.” Dramatic pause. “We are looking for the best of the best to help us find or create some dirt on a certain little doll demon.”
A succubus raised her hand. She was hot, and tall, with pink skin that was almost red and white hair with hot pink and back streaks in it. She looked sultry and dangerous, known for her ‘black widow’ MO of seducing and killing her victims. “I’m sorry, why have you hired so many assassin types if you are just looking for some gossip? Our skills are fairly… specialized. Work like this would be a waste of our talents.”
“Oh, I have no doubts about your skill, Miss Fable!” Vox assured her. “However, I am more than happy to double the usual fees for your trouble, and I need people who are willing to get their hands dirty.”
“How dirty we talking?” a weasel-looking Sinner sneered. “You have your eyes and ears all over Pentagram City, so it’s gotta be something big if you are dragging all of us into it. Why turn to Hellborn, anyway?”
The Hellborn demons growled in offense, and Vox swallowed a groan. “Now now, Chadwick, no need to start bickering. We are all on the same side here.” He narrowed his eyes at the troublemaker, who gave a curt nod and leaned back in his seat. Vox relaxed again and smiled around the table. “As for why we need so many players, our target has been getting chummy with certain demons of a rarer breeding, and with her starting to go to other Circles, we need to cover all our bases.”
He pressed a button and the wall of screens behind him filled up with clips of the doll demon he had gathered over the last year’s worth of footage. Her at the store with Angel Dust, walking down the street with Charlie, training with Vaggie on the roof of the Hazbin Hotel, at LuLu World with Lucifer, visiting Cannabal Town with Alastor, alone in Imp City, at the club with Cherri Bomb… hundreds of clips cycling through the screen. Gasps and shouts erupted from the table.
“Oh my Satan, are you fucking INSANE!?” Miss Fable screamed, standing up and knocking her chair over. “She’s cozy with the King and Princess!” She met Vox’s eyes. “Nuh-uh, nope, you are fucking messing with someone who is being doted on by the fucking royal family? Oh, fuck no, that is fucking suicide!”
“Please,” Vox scoffed. “The Morningstars are royal in name only! They barely even make public appearances anymore. I have been here for nearly 70 years, and they haven’t done shit except self-indulge and start up a stupid hotel.”
An imp shot up this time, a short little man in a mob suit. “You may get Sinners to buy into that propaganda, but not Hellborn. We have respect for all 7 of the Sins, in our own ways. Very few are willing to go up against them, but Lucifer? Nah, we don’t fuck with him, not one bit. He makes the other Sins look like bugs. You new Sinners need to learn your history. That goofy facade of his hides a monster of power, and he has rained fire and blood upon Pride off and on since the beginning. Pissing him off is asking for trouble!”
“Speak for yourself, partner,” a tall imp-hybrid cut in. “Some of us don’t give a shit about some fancy-ass royals. If you are too chicken shit, then leave so those of us with some actual balls can step up.”
“Ah, well put, Mr….?” Vox asked.
“Striker, compadre.”
“Striker, yes of course!” Vox grinned widely. “As Mr. Striker said, you are welcome to leave if this venture isn’t up to your standards or lacks the thrill you seek. We only want people who are committed to seeing this through! We have plans for this little doll demon, and we need to gather intel and dirt on her so we can move forward with our plans. If you are up for the task, then stay. If not, we here at Vee Tower appreciate your time and consideration, and would be happy to see you for future endeavors.”
Both sides talked among themselves, and Vox took the chaos to motion for Velvette and Valentino to follow him to a corner for a moment. Turning to them, he spoke low so those at the table didn’t hear. “Have you gotten your people in position?” he whispered.
Velvette scoffed but kept her voice low. “Fucking of course! Got two of my best models and one assistant checked into the bloody hotel. All three know their objectives and are decent actors. If there is dirt to be found, they’ll get it.”
Valentino chuckled. “Voxy, you know better than to doubt me! I have two of my whores in now, and three ready to go in within the next week. Spacing them out should keep the princessa and her papito from getting suspicious.”
“Good!” Vox laughed. “Once we get some inside information, we can use some of these people to get us more information and dirt on that freaking doll!” He watched about half the table, more Hellborn than Sinners, leave the table. He chuckled darkly. “Now that the wheat has been separated from the chaff, let’s get this party started, shall we?”