Chapter Text
A lot of humans die within 10000 years. Hell is ever expanding, growing to fit every one, but sometimes it feels like it’s filled faster than it can generate.
Even if Heaven changes its strict guidelines little by little on what’s considered a sin and what isn’t, it still never seems enough. Even if Heaven fills far slower than Hell, it always seems overwhelmed too
There are four categories for Hells denizens:
The Sins: Those who first fell from Heaven in the first revolt, changing and shaping the land and rings of Hell to their whims
Hellborn: Those originally created by the Sins as slaves in the beginning, but fought for their rights to live as anybody else. Now it’s anyone born within any of Hells rings, free to do as they wish. Though weaker than sinners, they’re often taken advantage of even still
Sinners: Those who were originally human on earth, but souls became corrupted in some way. Heaven turned its back on them, so they were sent below for eternal punishment. Their souls are considered more powerful and more valuable than a Hellborns. Though they can travel between rings freely, their souls are forever owned by the Sin that owns the ring they were banished to first.
And Fallen Angels: A rare archetype. Those who were born to or made it to Heaven, but made some sort of fault against its structure, and was forced down here to atone like the rest of the sinners. Angels and Demons always clash, so a weak Angel could easily be ganged up on by a couple demons. They’re treated as both prized trophy, and an infected creature. While they can’t die, they could still be tortured by other means, so they blend in within the sinner population
A Hellborn stereotype is that it will adhere to whichever ring it hails from, naturally fitting into Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Envy, or Sloth. And this is not entirely untrue, for those who live by their original sins tend to live longer, up to 300 years. But there are also those who tend to break from their molds, and rewrite something else entirely
A racing car skids to a stop, one wheel propping up against the curb haphazardly. A Hellhound, originally hailing from Greed, yet coming to embrace Lust, steps out of the car and smoothed his fur back, as though preparing for a photoshoot nobody asked for
“Thanks for the fun time, Hot stuff”
The lanky hound turns to look at the Sinner, smiling and leaning against the car
“Yeah, yeah, listen…” he shuts the door, and speaks through the lowered window “Keep this discreet, you hear me? I can’t let it get out I’m offering my services to randos on the street. It was a quick cash grab” He then grins wide, pointing both finger guns at the customer “You got it?”
The sinner scoffs, rolling his eyes “Pfft, okay, whatever you say slut” before laughing
His tail flicked once-annoyed or flattered, even he wasn’t sure. But he was still going to play
“Ouch! Ohh!” The hounds head hangs before giving large wet eyes “Such an insult!” He huffs, before standing straight again, immediately grinning again “Let me know when you come up with something creative to call me you sack of poorly packaged horse shit!”
He reaches in, yanking the sinner closer by the tie before smiling sweetly
“Tell the misses I said hi, Shnookums” he kisses his cheek, before taking a step from the car and leaving the sinner grumbling to himself. He watches as they drive off, tires almost squealing, before looking around with a little hum. He spots a vending machine, and grins as he skitters over. He scans through the list with a little hum before feeding the machine and selecting his favorite
Molly
The very thing he named himself after
The little bag of capsules plop down and Molly reaches in to grab it, before grinning proudly as he stands straight again. Oh will he enjoy sneaking these into the-
His thought is immediately cut off as someone shouts a “Yoink!” Grabbing the bag from his hands and bolting
Molly barks out a “HEY!” As the sinner continues to run
They shout out an “Up yours, drag show!”
Hell itself did a perfect comedic pause.
Then-THUD. A boulder tumbles onto them from the barely put together building above
Molly stares with wide eyes before gasping out “OH MY MAMMON” and falling to his knees in front of the rubble. He snatches the broken bag from the twitching hand of the crushed sinner, shouting “My drugs!” Before throwing the remnants down with a “Damn it!”
He stares at the crushed capsules sprinkled across the street for a moment, considering how worth it it would be to snort it with residual asphalt. It’s still good if you scrape the top layer off… probably. A low rumble rolled over the street-too deep to be construction, too rhythmic to be natural. His attention is torn soon as he looks up, a zeppelin traveling above, explosions surrounding it
From inside an Envy hellborn cackles in joy, his little robotic Tadpolez running around as the lasers on his machine freely blast wherever. Though it appears wrathful, this Kelpie had turned to Greed
“Those cowardly sinners dare not hinder my territorial takeover! Wise decision, the power of my machines are unmatched!” His fins dripped oily water as he threw his head back in a laugh, droplets hissing where they hit exposed wires.
He grins wide as he pushes his levers forward
“No other demon can compare to the likes of I!”
A Tadpole comes waddling over, ready to feed into its creators ego “Gee! That was pretty swell, Boss!”
“Yeah!” Another hops over, before one pulls itself onto the console he’s working on
“You really showed them whatfor! I like when you shot them with your raygun!”
Their voices had that tinny pre-programmed cheer, like someone installed ego-affirmation software and set it to “clingy.”
He huffs in annoyance, smacking the Tadpole away before it could cause any damage. The bot skittered away, shedding two screws like loose teeth.
One of the little machines waddle over with a sigh, saying sadly “I wish he’d shoot ME with his ray gun…” before getting pat by another.
He rolls his eyes tiredly, before going straight back into performance “At this rate, I will seize control of the entire west side of this pentagram by days end!” His eyes focus intently on the screen showing below “And nothing, not a single beast in this infernal of suffering will be able to take back this empire from my constrictive grasp!”
Every bolt, every brick, every miserable sinner and hellborn alike will owe him tribute
A couple Tadpolez cheer, one grabbing a bottle and popping its cork, nailing the Kelpie in the head. The cork bounced off his forehead with a hollow thunk, spraying cheap demon champagne down his snout. He gives a snarl and starts smacking around bots as others around them still cheer
“Hell will be mine!” He shouts out, gripping the console “And everyone will know the name of Nautilus-!”
There’s a muffled “Hey EDGELORD!” Before he whips his head around
“Pardon!? Who just said that!” Nautilus growls before approaching a couple shivering Tadpolez “WHAT did you just say to me, you half cooked caviar rejects!? Speak up!”
“That wasn’t us Mr Bossman…” one hesitantly states, before there’s a smash against the glass window of the zeppelin. Everyone turns in confusion, as a single ball comes through and hits the Ground. It bounces along, Nautilus watching in confusion. Once he realizes it’s a bomb, there’s no time to react before it explodes.
Smoke fills the area, Nautilus coughing and hacking out glitter from his lungs. He wheezes, before a fluffy figure steps in as the smoke clears. Her silhouette sharpened as glitter settled onto her fur like party dust.
“You lookin for a fight!?” The hellhound smirks, taking a step forward “Old man~?”
This hellhound…well she’s still attached to her biological sin of Greed, nothings changed
“Why don’t you get that tinker toy bullshit off my turf before I smash it!” She tosses an unlit bomb up and catches it, before they look over as a hunk of metal hits the floor, and she grows a taunting smirk “…more”
“Oh!” Nautilus’s chest puffs “You want to go Missy!? Well I’m happy to oblige!” He cackles out again as Tadpolez approach with weaponry spanning from blowtorch to wrench
A sinner made of smoldering paper grins as she taps papers against her desk, grinning to the camera. As she taps the papers, tiny embers shake loose from her fingertips, drifting down like malicious confetti
“Good afternoon! I’m Cinder Snap-”
A TV headed sinner grins wide for the camera, sitting straight and not noticing Cinders sharp eyes flicking to him as he interrupts
“And I’m Pip Trenlow! Chaos at the pentagram city today as a turf war is raging on the west side, between notable hellborns kingpin Nautilus the Kelpie and self proclaimed spunky powerhouse Hellhound Glitta Bomb!”
“Thats right Pip!” Cinder cuts in “Demons all over Hell are still duking it out to gain territory”
The screen cuts to the fight, shots whizzing by Glitta as she grabs a Tadpole, chucking it at Nautilus’s face
He catches it safely, but in heat of battle just throws it right back at her. She stuffs a bomb inside it’s mouth and gives another throw, exploding once Nautilus caught it again
“Those two seem to really be going at it!” Pip chimes
“Looks like they’re fighting tooth AND nail for that hot spot!”
“I’d sure like to nail her hot spot” Pip chuckles “Ho Hoh-“
Cinder’s smile tightened by one millimeter-a dangerous distance for a paper demon. As she glances to Pip she forces out a laugh “You are a limp dicked jackass Pip! Or should I say…”
Cinder’s flame flickered sharp at the edges, the paper-crackle equivalent of grinding teeth. She grabs the mug of coffee in front of her, hand flaring to boil it as she reaches out, dumping it into his lap. Pip’s screen flickered static as the boiling coffee hit
“…No dick!”
Pip doubles over with a pained grunt as the camera focuses on Cinder, a more genuine grin now
“And up next, we have an exclusive interview with some desperate hellborn who won’t stop calling us, who’s here to discuss her brand new passion project!”
The camera zooms out, Pip still whimpering with his screen against the desk, and Cinder continuing
“All that and more after our break!” And at the very last second, Cinder is seen whipping to Pip and growling out “Suck it up you little bi-“ before it cuts to commercial
Baphomets are the rarest to break their mold. From Sloth, they’re known for being laid back, relaxed, and constantly worn out. But one bounces on her hooves backstage, watching the screen switch to commercial. She turns to her close imp friend, who adjusts the collar of her shirt gently
“Okay. You remember what to say?”
The baphomet takes a deep breath, before smiling wide and putting her hooves on her hips “Yes! Let’s do this!”
“Just-look at me and I’ll map it to you-“
She groans out, completely flopping for a moment like a deflated balloon. This Baphomets gained sin…was pride
“Come ON Kaida! I know what to say! I just feel like we need to uhh…” She trots over to the snack table, leaning against it casually “I don’t know-make things sound more…exciting?” She picks up a stale donut and inspects it, before gasping and tossing it aside “Ooohhhh-what if I-“
“Sing a song about it?” Kaida growls as her eye twitched-a haunted twitch, the twitch of someone who had lived through too many spontaneous power ballads. The other squishes up to her with a wagging tail
“You knew I was gonna say that~” she happily pokes the end of the imps short snout.
“Because I know you. But…please don’t sing.” She holds the others shoulders in desperation, shaking gently “this is serious!”
“You know I’m better at expressing myself and my goals through song!” She happily hops up onto the table, theatrically holding out her arms
Kaida has to take a moment, taking a breath. Imps sin is originally Pride, but Kaidas breed had made her far more subjected to Wrath. Often the only one who could calm her was this damn goat. Even if it took a couple breaths
“But life isn’t a musical Liora…”
“Fine…” she huffs, hopping off the table before digging into her pockets “BUT I have these other ideas of what to say!” She hands over the crinkled papers, flame on her candle brightening as she bounces “The highlighted bits are the best parts~”
Kaida takes the paper and scans it, eye shutting for a moment “…It’s all highlighted…” she opens it to look again, before it narrows “is this a drawing…?”
“Yes!” Liora wraps an arm around her to pull her close “thats the happy ending, see!?”
Every time she got confident, that candle burned one shade brighter-Pride literally leaking out of her skull. Kaida absolutely feels it all coming down around her as she stares at the childlike drawing of a rainbow with hearts scribbled around it, and stick demon figures holding hands underneath. It’s hard not to grimace as she looks to Liora, her jaw clenching so tight the hinge clicked.
“Everyone’s smiling and happy in heaven!”
They’re doomed
“I don’t think it’s that simple-just! Please! Follow the talking points we went over!” The tip of her tail twitched like a fuse that refused to stay lit
Liora takes the paper and stares down at it for a moment. Kaida stares before tugging her close by the collar, snout to snout to ensure her attention “And! Do! Not! Sing!”
Liora almost glares before huffing and rolling her eyes “okaayyyy, fine!” The bell rings and she separates, beginning to strut to the stage. Kaida feels her soul leave her body. “I’ll just have to result to my impeccable improv skills!”
Kaida watches her go, crossing her arms as her anger drained, and only worry weighted in her chest
“Hi!” Liora chimes as she bounds up to Cinder, who’s currently smoking a cigarette after using her own embers to light it “I’m Liora-“ and she holds out her hoof
“Cinder Snap” She scoffs, cigarette snapping between her fingers “I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie” she carelessly tosses the still burning stick away. A thin curl of smoke trailed from her fingertips, like she was one irritated blink away from combusting. “and you can put that away. I don’t touch the gays. I have standards”
Liora blinks and glances to Kaida, who just has her face in her hands, before turning back to Cinder and just looking confused. Did she think they were…? “Yeah…? How’s uh…how’s that working out for you…?” She struggles to try to save this. Liora’s smile twitched in the fragile way paper burns-one wrong breath and she’d combust too
“Look-my time is money so I’ll keep this short. You’re not here because we wanted you here. You’re here because Jeffery couldn’t make it for his cannibal cooking segment! You might be some big shot with the Sloth scum, but that doesn’t mean shit to me.”
Liora blinks, glancing over at Pip, who’s just shaking his head
“I’m too rich and too influential to give a flying fuck about what some vest wearing candlehead wants to advertise”
“But I-“
Liora is immediately cut off as Cinder jabs a finger to her chest. Liora’s candle flame jolted-offended, but trying not to flare. “so don’t get cute with me honey or I’ll. Fucking. Bury you.”
Someone on crew shouts “and we’re live!” Before Cinder practically teleports back to her seat. A few embers scattered where she’d been standing she’d moved that fast.
“Welcome back! So, Lioramora-“
Liora grins nervously as she settles into the seat next to Cinder, scooting away just a little “It’s Liora-“
“Whatever. Tell us about this new passion project you’ve been insistently pestering our news station about!”
Cinder gives a too wide toothy grin, making Liora shrink back. Her flame dwindles a little as she clears her throat
“W well-“
She glances off to the side, searching for Kaida. She’s next to the cameraman, and motions for her to take a breath. And she does, taking a deep breath before sitting up a little straighter
“Well. As most of you know I was born here in Hell, and growing up I always tried to see the good in everything around me. Hell is my home and-“
Cinder eagerly stabs a pen through some sort of bug that crawled up on the desk, popping like a grape and making Liora wince. She wipes her cheek of a little splash of bug blood with flattened ears
“I’m not a sinner, but there’s a whole lot of you. There’s so many hurt souls and it breaks my heart to see you all slaughter eachother every day!” Her voice cracked before she pushed through. Cinder has totally fallen asleep in boredom. Liora looks to Kaida again, who nods fast and gives two thumbs up. She places the paper down, standing up
“No one has even given anyone a chance!” She slams her hoof down, Cinder waking back up with a jolt. “I can’t stand idly by while the place I live is subjected to such violence!”
She begins to walk around the desk, Cinder leaning curiously as she approaches the live audience, her candle flaring in desperation
“Sooo, I’ve been thinking! Isn’t there a…humane way to endure overpopulation here in Hell?” She paces in front of the crowd, eyes watching closely as more passion pours from her “Perhaps we can create an alternative way to change souls through…redemption?” It’s silent for a moment, before she throws her hooves up
“Well I think yes! So that’s what this project aims to achieve! Ladies and gentlemen-“ she marches proudly back up to the desk “I’m opening the first of its kind! A hotel that rehabilitates sinners!”
It’s completely silent, not one demon, sinner or hellborn, giving any reaction. Somewhere in the audience, someone coughed. Once. Loudly.
Liora gulps, shifting as her flame dwindles back down and she lowers back into the seat “Yknow…because…hotels are for…people passing through…temporarily…”
She swallows as judgement seeps into her, nobody taking this seriously. Nobody listening to her.
“I figured it would serve a purpose-a place to work towards redemption…!”
She trembles, sweating under the studio lights
“…yay…!”
There’s murmurs through the crowd, Kaida watching in discomfort as she watches the despair take on Liora. The cameraman scoffs with a little “Stupid bitch-“ making Kaida immediately snap towards him and swing, knocking him to the ground
Liora winces, before sighing out “Look…every single one of you has something good deep down inside…! I…I know you do…” Her hooves curled over the desk edge, knuckles white. she leans forward, trying to think of what else she can do to convince these people to take her seriously
The only way she knows how
And that Pride rears its head again
“Maybe I’m not getting through to you.” She rose onto the desk like a performer hitting her mark, even though her knees were shaking
Kaida brings her hands to her cheeks, groaning out an “Oh no-“
The flame on her candle lifts like a spotlight warming up
“I have a dream, I'm here to tell! About a wonderful, fantastic new hotel!”
Demons in the audience glance at eachother in confusion as she starts to sing. Cinder’s eyelid twitched-the only crack in her perfectly hateful composure.
“Yes, it's one of a kind, right here in Hell! Catering to a specific clientele!” She motions to the crowd, grin wide. At least she’s in her element, even if Kaidas face is flushing in embarrassment
Even Cinder and Pip are locked in, just filled with confusion. Pip’s screen fuzzed with static for a moment-his system couldn’t compute whatever was happening.
“Inside of every demon is a rainbow! Inside every sinner is a shiny smile!” She starts to happily walk among the crowd, as if trying to get others to join in…they definitely do not “Inside of every creepy hatchet wielding maniac is a jolly, happy, cupcake loving child!”
She marches back up to the stage
“We can turn them 'round! They'll be Heaven bound! With just a little time down at the Happy Hotel!”
She takes a deep breath as she hops back onto the desk, Kaida rubbing her temples
“So, all you junkies, freaks, and weirdos, creepers, fuck-ups, crooks, and zeroes, and downfallen superheroes, hope is here!” She sings rapidly, just sort of…mentally listing off the people she’s seen today on the way here
“All of you cretins, sluts, and losers, sexual deviants and boozers, and prescription drug abusers need not fear! Forever again we'll cure your sin! We'll make you well, you'll feel so swell, right here in Hell, at the Happy Hotel!”
She slides a little against the desk as she sits onto it, flame at its brightest as she slows back down a little
“There'll be no more fire, and no more screams! Just puppy dog kisses, and cotton candy dreams, and puffywuffy clouds, you're gonna be like "Wow!" Once you check in with meeeee~!”
Kaida has gone to totally covering her face in shame, Liora back to wandering the crowd excitedly
“So, all your cartoon porn addictions, vegan rants, psychic predictions, ancient Roman crucifixions end right here! All you monsters, thieves, and crazies, cannibals and crying babies, frothing mouth that's full of rabies, filled with cheer!”
There’s a sense of relief from Kaida as she recognizes Liora is starting to run out of breath as she goes back to standing on the desk, Cinder and Pip completely leaned away
“You'll be complete! It'll be so neat! Our service can't be beat! You'll be on easy street! Yes! Life will be sweet at the Happy Hoteeeeeel~! Yeah!”
She throws her arms out, panting heavily as she’s exhausted, spilling out everything she’s had. Even the studio lights seemed to hum louder, as if trying to fill the dead air. Truly that must have done it, she’s never felt better, she’s finally convinced-
“Wow!” One sinner perks up with wide eyes before grinning wide in amusement “That was shit!”
Lioras face immediately falls as the entire studio erupts into laughter, all of Hell making fun of her performance. The flame on her head sputtered, then shrank into itself like a dying ember. She slowly lowers back down, a little sniffle coming from her as she holds her knees to her chest and looks away in shame. Kaida’s hands curled into fists, claws digging into her palms, but she didn’t move. Not yet.
“WHAT in the seven circles makes YOU think a SINGLE denizen of HELL would give two shits about becoming a better person!” Cinder manages to sputter out between her laughter. Liora winces, hollow as she curls a little tighter and her tail tucks completely
“You have no PROOF that this little experiment even works! You want people to be GOOD!? Just…because!?”
Lioras eyes narrow as Cinder erupts into cackles again, before uncurling slowly “W Well…! We have another employee already who believes in our cause, AND he’s shown incredible progress on himself too!”
“Oh?” Cinder grins wide as she looks over, leaning in interest “and who might that be?”
Liora looks at her fingers nonchalantly, hooves gently kicking over the desk “Oh…just a Hellhound named…Molly?”
Pip immediately leans over with wide eyes “The pornstar!?”
Cinder blinks, grin forced before turning slowly to him “You fucking WOULD Pip” as he turns away, a blush rising to his screen. She turns quickly back to Liora “In any case! Thats not even an accomplishment. I’m sure you can get that hooker to do anything with enough booger sugar and lube”
Liora huffs, a goatlike stomp of her hoof echoed-sharp, involuntary. She leans forward with her candle flaring, offended on Mollys behalf and forging a smug grin “Oh I beg to differ! He’s been behaved. Clean. AND out of trouble for two weeks now!”
Cinder opens her mouth to respond before hearing “Breaking news!” She grins wide before Liora is shoved off the table and she whips to the camera
“We are receiving word that a new player has entered the ongoing turf war! Let’s go to the live feed!”
The green screen behind them lights up, static for a moment before it tunes in. Molly smashes a Tadpole under his boot, before throwing a grenade out of camera
Liora goes slack, whispering out an “Ooohh shit……..” in defeat
Cinder immediately scoots closer to her “oh shit indeed! It looks like the one who just joined the battle is none other than porn actor Molly the Hellhound!” She looks to the camera for only a moment before smirking wide “What a juicy coincidence! You must feel REALLY stupid right now~”
Cinder and Pip erupt into laughter again, before cheering “Ratings~!” With excited jazz hands
Liora hops up, desperately trying to get in front of the video playing of Molly firing guns-but with it edited in, she only ends up behind it
“Don’t look at this!!”
“Well it sure looks like your little project is dead on arrival!” Cinder hums arrogantly, before standing slowly to loom over Liora intimidatingly “Tell us. How does it feel to be such a total failure!”
Before the entire studio is back to degrading laughter. Every cackle in the studio felt like it scraped against her candle flame, shrinking it further.
“Y yeah well-!” Liora has rage flare up in her this time, flame letting off a couple sparks. Her hoof suddenly reaches forward, snatching “How does it feel that I got your pen, huh?” Her eyes widen as she snarls out “Bitch!”
Pips eyes widen before glancing to Cinder, who’s frozen for a moment, staring at Liora with intense eyes. Liora hesitates, laughing nervously and dropping the pen
“…Oops?”
Cinders eyes narrow, and Pip flees the scene. She stands from her chair slowly, embers beginning to crackle at every edge. The air around her dried out instantly, heat prickling Liora’s fur. Cinder looms over Liora, who can only gulp
“Thanks for the backup Molls!” Glitta grins, shooting off a launcher before crouching down beside Molly under rubble used as a barricade
“You kiddin!?” He laughs “this is the best action I’ve seen in ages!”
A bomb lands near them, wind only blowing Glittas thick fur before she pops back up, unhooking a grenade and throwing “Where ya been anyway!? I thought you up and died or some shit!”
“Oh I wish!” He groans, lighting a bomb with a match and tossing it behind himself over the blockade “I’ve been stayin at this crappy hotel on the other side of town! That broad who helped out with the contract is letting me stay rent free if I play nice.” He watches as Glitta crouches by him again, shoulders bumping. They grin at eachother before hopping out, Molly grabbing a Tommy gun
“Yknow, no fights, no pranks, no problematic language! Their words, not mine!” Molly continues, almost lazily shooting the gun as Tadpolez ricochet from the bullets, exploding from the damage “Crazy bitches are no fun! I’ve been clean for two WEEKS!”
“Holy shit!” Glitta chuckles as she races back over, series of explosions behind her
“Well, sorta clean” Molly shrugs with a chuckle, watching her run back out “As clean as you can be on a shitload of Bolivian marching powder!”
They grin to eachother, before a chain snaps out, wrapping around Molly and tugging him back with a surprised yelp. Nautilus swings, slamming him into debris. Molly lands with a grunt, before moaning out “Oohhh~! Harder Daddy!”
Nautilus gasps, eyes widening a little “Son!?”
Molly blinks in disbelief, only raising a brow before Glitta comes in like a train, slamming the Kelpie to the ground
He snarls before quickly rising again “You whores have no class! In war, the side remembered is the side with the most…” he tugs proudly at his sash “Style!”
“Or the side that ain’t dead!” Glitta laughs, pulling a Tadpole apart
Molly hops back to his feet, untangled from the chains before Nautilus growls
“I’m going to blow you to bits!”
“Mm, kinky!” Molly purrs
Nautilus almost vibrates in anger “NOT like that! Pervert!”
Molly only smirks before a Tadpole hops up, weapon pointed to Glitta. He shoves her out of the way, before it catches him, wrapping him up in mechanical arms
“Not so cocky now!” Nautilus taunts “Are we!”
“Really gotta watch what comes outta ya mouth…” Molly sighs in exasperation “I’ve been makin these sex jokes the whole time!”
Molly yelps a little as a Tadpole runs by with a blade, almost hitting him, but continues as if it didn’t happen
“And it’s obvious ya ain’t catching on! I mean…” he sighs before grinning, tail whipping as he kicks Nautilus in the chest, sending him backwards and kicking the Tadpole holding the arms like a soccer ball “It’s just SAD!”
He just playfully flips him off before Glitta pops back over
“So you gonna get in a lot of trouble for this?”
“Eh, what’s one little brawl gonna cause?” Molly shrugs, not knowing the state of the news station.
Cinder has Liora pinned, who jerks her head to splash her with hot wax. Cinder let’s go with a hiss, giving Liora time to duck behind the desk. She only snarls before Liora leaps at her with an enraged battle cry. The studio is torn apart, lights flashing, Pip running around just totally lit in flames calling for help, his TV screen flickering between “HELP” and a test pattern.
Kaida is off-screen somewhere, screaming into her hands and possibly also fighting off a couple audience members that want to gang up on Liora
“Well glad ya haven’t changed!” Glitta laughs, playfully punching his arm “You know you’re my favorite guy to party with!”
“You know it Sugartits!” Molly grins wide, both hounds wagging their tails so hard the back of their shirts are blown upwards a bit
“You ready to finish this?” Glitta asks, rolling a bomb down her arms
“Born ready, Baby” Molly purrs, cocking the Tommy gun smoothly
They both scream as they run to Nautilus, their claws tearing up the pavement as they sprinted.
Nautilus screams as he and the Tadpolez run to them
Liora and Cinder both scream at eachother as they brawl
And Pip is still screaming because he’s on fire
The limo ride back to the hotel is one long, awkward silence. Liora is staring at the window, adrenaline gone into a crash and trying to hold it all in, candle flickering weakly. She glances to Kaida, who’s staring at Molly with a twitching eye like she’s trying to explode him with her mind. And Molly is chilling, playing with the switch to open and close the window. His tail wags as the only noise between the three of them is the whirring of the glass pane moving up and down.
Finally he registers being stared at, Kaidas snout wrinkling once they meet eyes. He blinks for a moment before asking “…What?”
“What?” Kaida sputters out, appalled “WHAT!?” Her voice raises immediately claws digging at her scalp as her Wrath pours out “WHAT WERE YOU DOING!?”
“I owed my girl buddy a solid!” Molly sighs out, rolling his eyes like he doesn’t see the issue “isn’t that a redeeming quality? Helping friends with stuff!?”
“NOT with TURF WARS that result in TERRITORIAL GENOCIDE!”
Liora just glances between the two as they argue, not able to will herself to get between them
“Ehh! You win some, you lose a few hundred!” Molly grins before laughing loudly at his joke. “It wasn’t that bad anyway!” He happily leans back against the plush seating, hands behind his head. He smiles gleefully as for a moment he starts flicking the window seat with his toes. Suddenly a knife flies through the air, centimeters from slicing into Mollys leg and into the seat, stuffing pouring out. He jumps and looks at Kaida in shock, eye narrowing with bared teeth as her arm lowers from throwing position
Molly sputters for a moment before groaning out “Oh come ON! I had to! My credibility was on the line! I mean-!” He holds the bridge of his snout for a moment with a huff “what kind of reputation would I have if people found out I was tryin to go clean!?” His paws scramble in the air for a moment “It just-throws off my entire persona!”
His paws find their place, pushing up the fluff on his chest to make himself bustier
“YOUR credibility!” Kaida responds immediately “What about the hotel!” She motions to Liora, who just looks out the window again, clearly not wanting to be looked at anymore, her reflection in the window shaking a little as the candle on her head guttered. “YOUR little STUNT made us look like a FUCKING JOKE!”
Mollys ears drooped for half a second before he scoffs out a little laugh and shakes his head quickly “No no no Babe!” He lays onto his stomach, head propped with a paw “Jokes are funny! I made you look…” he rolls onto his back, paw spinning in the air as he tries to think “…sad! And pathetic! Like an orphan!”
He sits up, not seeing how Liora winces at his words “With no arms…or legs! Uh…oh! With progeria!”
Liora covers her face with a barely concealed whimper
“Great! Now IM bummed thinking about it!” He hangs upside down on a seat for a moment, before rolling to his front and crawling, looking under seats to ask “this thing have any liquor?”
Kaida covers her face for a moment, failing to calm down “Can you PLEASE just TRY to take this seriously!?”
Molly pulls out empty bottles and flicks a wrapper before sighing, reclining on the seats “Fiiine, I’ll try. Don’t get your taco in a twist, Baby”
Kaida blinks, before standing and asking “Was that you trying to be sexist?”
“If it pisses you off” Molly says with a huff, Kaida seething as he tries digging around the seats again before groaning. “Is there seriously no liquor in here!?”
Kaida plops back into the seat, vibrating in rage and growling “I’m gonna kill him”
Liora sits up more and leans towards her, wanting to comfort her
“Sorry, you’re stuck with me Bitch!” Molly laughs, crossing his arms “Get used to it!”
Kaida snarls and growls out words incomprehensibly under her breath
“Listen!” Molly waves dismissively “Who cares if some jackoffs got hurt! Most of them are ugly freaks, look around!” He leans to the window, gazing outside of it with a chuckle “got a bunch of fuckin harlequin babies round here”
Molly starts to laugh, but catches Kaida saying “You’re one to talk…” before immediately gasping
“Hey! This body is flawless!” He grins proudly, kicking out his legs and posing “Everyone wants some of me. And I have the creepy fan letters to prove it~” he pulls out a folded paper and flicks it open, the letter opening to read “SHOW ME YOUR TOE BEANS-Bryrin #1 fan/critic” with an attatched photo of a nude sinner clinging to a body pillow with Molly on it
Kaida growls again, and Liora puts a hoof on her shoulder, finally ready to speak up
“…That was really uncool you know, Molly-”
“-UNCOOL!?” Kaida shouts to Liora “After THAT trainwreck there is NO way ANYONE is going to want to stay at the hotel!” Her head snaps to Molly as Liora glances aside again “All thanks to you and your! Selfish! BULLSHIT!”
Molly stares for a moment before his head tilts “Does…that mean I don’t have free room anymore?”
Kaida just goes solid, absolutely speechless, letting out a strangled sound
Molly leans back with a sigh “Ah, shucks…”
Liora takes a breath, before trying to smile “Hey, come on…we don’t know if things are over yet…! try to relax Kaida…it’ll be okay”
Liora puts her hoof on Kaidas shoulder again, this time watching as she softens slightly, and the two give a gentle smile to eachother, Kaida’s tail stopping its lashing for the first time since they came in here
They arrive back to the hotel, shoes clicking against dusty wood and echoing through the lobby. There’s banners and streamers littered around the area, reminders of how hopeful Liora was that this was going to be a success. The first thing Kaida does is flop onto one of the couches with a low groan, Liora watching her and rubbing her arm gently.
Molly steps into the kitchen, opening up the half broken freezer with a little hum, picking up a soggy box of popsicles. He considers his options, before shrugging and finding one that wasn’t totally melted. He looks to Liora, smiling as he turns towards her
“It’s probably a good idea to get some actual food in this place. Yknow, to feed all the wayward souls you got in here!”
He laughs, and it slowly tapers off when he realizes Liora is just gazing forward emptily. He goes silent before taking a couple steps forward, hesitantly reaching out with the paw not holding the popsicle. He pauses with a little wince, paw hovered above her shoulder for a second…then he slowly curled his claws, unsure if he’d make it better or worse. He turns and sits on one of the other couches in silence
Liora glances up before to the doors leading outside to the back area, and slowly gets up, dragging herself over to outside. Kaida lifted her head as Liora left, guilt flickering across her face, but doesn’t have the energy anymore to go after her, deciding to give her space.
She slides out the doors and takes a breath for a moment. It’s filled with pollution, as the Greed ring the hotel resides in tends to be, but it’s air. She pulls out her phone, looking down at it hesitantly before tapping the screen, and putting it up to her ear. It rings for only a moment, before going to voice mail
“Hey mom…!” Liora tries to out on her cheeriest tone “Uhm-I know I keep calling-and you must be busy…really busy…but uhm-“ she paces back and forth as she speaks “The interview didn’t go well…and I don’t know…if I’m…”
She sinks to the Ground slowly, tone wavering
“…going to make a difference…I don’t know what I’m doing I…” she shakily rubs an eye “I could really use some advice, Mom…” she hesitates, looking up at the green sky above “I think…Dad was right about me…” she swallows hard before wiping her eyes again with a shaken laugh “Haha, oof, anyway, I’ll stop talking before this gets too long…love you…!” She pauses before giving a soft “Bye…” and hanging up
She scrapes away a little bit of wax that began to drip down her face before slipping back inside. For a moment she just leans on the doors, shutting her eyes.
And it’s only a couple seconds before there’s a polite knock
Liora has a chill shoot through her spine as she quickly gets up from the door, spinning to face it. There’s a pause as the knock happens again, just a little louder in an effort to get someone’s attention.
At this point, it could be anyone. Her hoof shakes a little as she places it unsurely on the handle, opening it slowly
A red deer, looking like a sinner, stands at the door, wearing a wide, sharptoothed grin, and holding a microphone staff. His head tilts slightly as he gazes down at Liora, the microphone staff gives a buzz like a calling card, Lioras eyes widening and her flame flares a little at the sight
“HEL-“
The door slams into his face, Liora leaning against it and blinking
She opens it again, peeking, as if hallucinating
“-LO!”
It’s slammed again
Liora gulps before leaning away and turning to the lobby
“…Hey Kaida…!” She calls out nervously, voice wobbling like her flame
“Whaaat…” Kaida groans out slightly. Happy to hear Liora speak, but it doesn’t help her migraine…
“There’s a radio demon at the door…!” Liora puts on a wide grin only to hint at who she means, and points to the back door
Kaida shoots up with a “WHAT”
Mollys head tilts, pulling the popsicle from his mouth to ask “…what?”
“What should I do!?”
“Wha-“ Kaida scoffs “Well don’t let him in!!”
Liora nervously glances between the two, and back to the door. She approaches cautiously, gathering courage before opening.
“…May I speak now?” The deer asks
Lioras chest puffs, confidently saying “You may-“ before her hoof is suddenly grabbed into his, pulling her close in and talking so quickly she can barely keep up
“Caspian! Pleasure to be meeting you sweetheart, quite a pleasure!”
He breezes by her before she even has the chance to attempt stopping him
“Excuse my sudden visit but I saw your fiasco on the picture show! And I just couldn’t resist, what a performance!”
Caspian turns, examining the surroundings of the hotel with a laugh “Why, I haven’t been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929!” He laughs excitedly, tail wagging a little before sighing out a reminiscent “So many orphans…”
He only takes a couple steps forward before a spear is pointed to him, Kaida growling out “Stop right there!”
He keeps his grin, head only tilting as she threatens him
“I know your game. And I’m NOT going to let you hurt anyone here! You pompous, cheesy, talk show shitlord-“
Caspian laughs, shaking his head and lowering her spear slowly “Dear, if I wanted to hurt anybody here, I would have done so already.” His head tilts slowly, voice coming to a growl as his eyes shift and tick like radio dials, air around him crackling as his grin grows unnaturally. His microphone makes sounds of interference, lights flickering around them and almost seeming red for a moment
Liora hides behind Kaida as they both gaze up at him, frozen in place with wide eyes.
Immediately he stands up straight again, grin back to…mostly normal width and eyes back to horizontal pupils
“Now! I’m here because I want to help!”
The two stare for a moment before Liora lets out an incredulous “Say what now…?”
“Help!” Caspian laughs, raising the microphone to his sharp snout “Hellooooo! In this thing on? Testing, testing!” He gives it a couple taps “I can hear myself loud and clear!”
The two hellborns glance at eachother unsurely, before back up at Caspian
“…Uhm…” Liora shifts uncomfortably before looking back up at him “You…want…to help…? With…?”
Caspian disappears into a shadow for a moment, before popping back up behind them with a static click and getting between them
“This ridiculous thing you’re trying to do! This hotel! I want to help you run it”
Liora blinks, head tilting slowly in her overwhelming amount of confusion
“…but…why?”
“Why does anyone do anything!” Caspian chuckles “Sheer, absolute boredom!” He gets into her face, ears wiggling a little as she flinches away
“I’ve lacked inspiration for decades!” He sighs, pulling away and walking, hands politely behind his back and glancing at the dumbfounded Baphomet “My work became mundane, lacking focus…” he leans his elbow onto Kaida, who growls lowly, before she’s suddenly shoved away “Aimless! I’ve come to crave a new form of entertainment!” He laughs, throwing his arms out
Lioras lips purse as she nods a little, Kaida trudging over to her
“Does…getting into a fistfight with a reporter count as entertainment…?”
Caspian laughs, nodding excitedly “it’s the purest kind my dear! Reality! True passion! After all, the world is a stage!” He leans down to be eye to eye “And the stage is a world of entertainment”
He stands upright again, head tilting with a little hum
Liora nods slowly “Soooooo…does this mean that you think it’s possible to rehabilitate a demon…?” She rubs her arm, tail starting to flick to life
Caspian cackles, waving his hand and shaking his head “Of course not! Thats all wacky nonsense!”
The wag is short lived, Liora slouching with a little huff
“Redemption-oh the nonexistent humanity! No no no no-I don’t think there’s anything left that could save such loathsome sinners.” He glances to a window, before smiling wider again “The chance given was the life they’ve lived before! The punishment is-!” He throws his arms open again “This! There is no undoing what is done”
Liora frowns before her eyes narrow “Then…why do you want to help me if you don’t believe in my cause?”
Caspians microphone crackles again before fully facing her “Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!” He wraps an arm around Liora, tugging her close into himself “I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment!” He playfully twirls her as she scowls in annoyance, voice lowering to a growl “Only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure”
Liora blinks and stares up at him, arm still around her shoulders, before slowly removing his hand “…Right…”
“Yes indeedy!” He nods quick “I see big things coming your way! And who better to help you than I-“
Caspian begins to drag Liora around, Kaida and Molly left behind on the couch
Kaida grumbles on the couch with a pout, tail flicking in aggravation as Caspian rambles to Liora. Molly glances over before leaning a little closer
“…Soooo uhh…what’s the deal with Smiles over there?”
Kaida blinks and quickly turns to face him “Wait-You’ve never heard of a radio demon before? You know way more sinners than me!”
Mollys lips purse, just giving her a little shrug
“A radio demon? The last one was of the most powerful beings Hell has ever seen?”
Molly stares for a moment before crossing his arms and leaning back “Eh! Not big on politics”
Kaida watches him before sighing out, preparing to explain
“Decades ago Castor manifested in Hell seemingly overnight. He began to topple the most powerful sinners who’ve been dominant for centuries. That kind of raw power had never been harnessed by a mortal soul before. Then? He broadcasted his carnage all throughout Hell. Just so everyone could witness his ability”
Molly stares as she tells the story, shrinking into the cushions slightly as he listens closely. Her tail lashed so hard the couch rattled
“Sinners started calling him the radio demon…as lazy as that is”
Molly only shrugs. It’s how sinners were in his opinion
“Many have speculated what unimaginable force enabled him to rival our world’s most ancient and destructive evils. But one thing is for sure.”
Her single eye narrows, fixed intensely on Molly-unblinking, demanding understanding.
“But he dissapeared. And now this new supposed Sinner with his exact aesthetic is here? He could be an unpredictable source of danger. A wicked spirit of mystery. And a violent monster of chaos the likes of which we CANT risk getting involved with unless we want to end up erased!”
“…Done?” Mollys head tilts before he looks at Caspian with a little laugh “He looks like a strawberry pimp!”
Kaida glances between the two before her arms cross “Well I don’t trust him!”
“To be fair…” Molly hums, examining his claws “Do you trust ANY man?” He glances at her with a smirk “Any men? Just men?”
She rolls her eye before getting off the couch and going back over to the two. She remembers the demon being physically described differently, but this is still a chance that can’t be risked. “Liora listen to me-“ she yanks over Liora, who just blinks in surprise from the sudden tug “you CANT believe this creep-he isn’t just a happy face…! He’s a deal maker, pure evil…! He can’t be redeemed…”
She pauses
“And is most likely looking for a way to destroy everything we’re trying to do…”
“I…” Liora glances aside in guilt before sighing out “We-we don’t know that. Look-I know he’s bad and I know he probably doesn’t WANT to change. But the whole point of this is to give people a chance, and have faith things will be better…!”
They look to Caspian who seems to just be singing little radio singles to himself and looking at the decor
“How can I turn someone away? I can’t. It goes against everything I’m trying to do, everything I believe in…”
Kaida softens from her words, concern etched on her features as Liora takes her shoulders softly
“Just…trust me” Liora gives a soft, reassuring smile “I can take care of myself…”
Kaida winces, hesitating “Liora-whatever you do. Do not make a deal with him.”
The two glance over to him. Hellborns don’t have the souls to make life binding contracts…
But anything is possible
“Don’t worry…” Liora shakes her head “I picked up ONE thing from my dad!” And she starts to march over to Caspian “You don’t take shit from other demons!”
Kaida watches her go, letting out a scared sigh
“Okay!” Liora gives a little stomp as she stands in front of Caspian again, candle flaring tall “…Cas. You’re sketchy as fuck and you clearly see what I’m trying to do here as a joke.”
Caspian only gives her a couple nods
“…but I don’t!” She puts her hooves on her hips “I think everyone deserves a chance. To prove they can be better. So…I’m taking your offer to help!” She smiles proudly, before hesitating “…on the condition that there be no…trickster-voodoo-strings attached!”
His grin turns sly as he flips his microphone, and then holds out his hoof
“So it’s a deal then?”
Liora watches green magic surround his hoof, ominous wind blowing around the room. One of the streamers fluttered violently against the wall, even though no door was open. She hops backwards, shaking her head
“Nope! No shaking! No deals!”
His smile dipped by a millimeter, the closest thing to displeasure he’d shown. He hums before shrugging “Fair enough!” And takes his hoof back, magic disappearing and wind stopping, and starts to trot by
“C…cool beans…” Liora gives a weak thumbs up as he does
He hums to himself and begins to walk past Kaida, who just looks away. His grin sharpens before his fingers brush under her chin
“Smile my dear! You’re never fully dressed without one!”
She immediately yanks her head away with a snarl, before he just brushes past and heads back to Liora
“So where IS your other staff?” He asks, leaning in
“Aauughh well…” She grins nervously, before the two look at Kaida and Molly
“Oohh, you’re going to need more than that…” He chuckles, shaking his head and walking to Molly
“What can you do my effeminate fellow!”
Molly smirks wide, scanning over him “I can suck your dick-“
“HA-“ Caspian laughs immediately before walking away “No!”
“Your loss” Molly shrugs, leaning on the counter
“This just won’t do!” Caspian sighs and shakes his head before tilting his head “I suppose I can cash in a few favors to liven things up!” Before snapping his fingers
The fireplace in the lobby sparks to life, flame overflowing the small space until it puffs out, a smaller heighted Hellborn appearing in soot. Caspian steps over, picking her up by the back of the shirt and gives her a little shake off, revealing a succubus.
“This little darling is Vivian!”
Lioras ears perk in recognition. This was a woman she had once helped house, aiding her in getting off the streets. She’s a succubus who’s sin had shifted from Lust, to Sloth
Caspian drops her, and she quickly gets to her feet
“Hi! I’m Vivi!” She waves to the three, tail swaying behind her before looking at Kaida and Molly. “It’s nice to meet you! It’s been a while since I’ve made new friends!” She scans over them before frowning “Why are you all women-“ before her gaze snaps around and she practically lifts Liora to look behind her “ARE THERE ANY MEN HERE-“ she puts her back down with a “Sorry thats rude-“ and gives her a quick hug. Liora smiles and returns it, but Vivi seperates immediately. Liora knew that she was excitable now, but was only a matter of time until other duties were shirked-likely only thing she could do would be cleaning. And speaking of cleaning-
“Oohhh MAN this place is filthy-“ she darts around “It really needs a ladies touch-which is weird because you’re all ladies-no offense-OH MY GOSH THIS IS AWFUL-“
She whips out a duster, practically teleporting as she skitters like a cockroach going “No-no-no-“ She dusted in little spirals, tail curling like a heart shape every time she spotted a mess, and she suddenly grabs a mouse nobody saw, aggressively whispering “Nope.”
A few shiver before there’s a deep “HA! Read em and weep, boys! Full-“
A kobold suddenly appears hunched over the table, cards scattered across the table. He gives a low “oohhuhh-“ as vertigo kicks in with his transportation. He grips the table, and blinks once it’s over “What the hell-what the fuck is this-“ he spots Caspian, before growling with a low “You…”
Liora blinks as she recognizes this one as well, a kobold she had found half dead in the Wrath ring and was able to transport to the Greed ring upon request
…apparently he got into gambling
“Vessel my good friend!” Caspian greets him, putting a hand in his shoulder
“Don’t you Vessel me you son of a bitch-I was about to win the whole damn pot!”
“Good to see you too!” Caspian coos, Vess covering his face with a low growl
“What the hell do you want with me this time?” He grumbles, claws dragging down his scaled face
“My friend!” Caspian wraps an arm around him and pulls him close “I’m doing some charity work so I took it upon myself to volunteer your services!” He gives the sweetest smile he can muster “I hope thats okay?”
Vess growls before trying to pull away “Are you shittin me!”
Caspian hums before shaking his head “No I don’t think so”
Vess shoves him away, both hands clenching to fists “You think it would be some kind of big fuckin riot to just pull me out of nowhere! You think I’m some kinda fuckin clown!?”
Caspian dusts himself off before grinning playfully “Mmmmmaybe!”
Studio audience laughter plays from the microphone as Caspian walks past Vess “I ain’t doin no fucking Charity job.”
Caspian pops up behind him, pulling him close again “Well I figured you would be the perfect face to man the front desk of this fine establishment!”
Caspian motions to the front desk-it groaned as it reshaped, wood folding like paper under Caspian’s will, forming into a bar
“With your charming smile and welcoming energy THIS job was MADE for you!” He tries to use his fingers to make Vess smile, but it only drops back to a scowl. “Don’t worry my friend! I can make this more welcoming…” Caspian hums as he steps up to the bar, before using the microphone and making a bottle appear on the counter
“If you wish~”
Vess blinks and stares at the bottle, before glaring at Caspian “What, you think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze!?”
He pauses, looking at the bottle for a moment
“…well you can!”
Before he starts to chug it down, his stomach audibly growling the moment he slammed the empty bottle down.
Liora lets out a disappointed little sigh. Evidently, his sin had shifted from Wrath to Gluttony.
“Hey! Hey! Hey hey!” Kaida scolds, hopping over and blocking the bar “No! No bar! No alcohol! This is supposed to be a place that discourages sin! Not some kind of-!” She huffs in anger “Now…brothel…man cave-!”
“Shut up!” Molly shouts, almost tackling her down. He’s scrawny enough where she can stand her ground though. He grips her cheeks in his paws, giving her eye the most intense gaze she’s seen him give
“…We are keeping this.”
There’s a pause before he goes and leans against the bar with a “Heyyyy~”
Vess scoffs, turning away with an “Oh go fuck yourself…”
“Only if you watch me~” Molly purrs-but is pushed aside by Liora
“My gosh! Hi! Welcome to the Happy Hotel! You’re going to LOVE IT HERE!” She gives a wide grin, at least excited to see the Kobold alive
“Lost the ability to love years ago” he huffs, continuing to drink down a bottle
She watches with a little pout before Caspian comes back over
“Well what do you think!”
“This is amazing!!” She hops over to him, tail wagging wildly behind her
“It’s…okay” Kaida huffs beside them, tip of her tail flicking in annoyance
Caspian laughs, wrapping his arms around both and pulling them in “Ohoho-this is going to be VERY entertaining!!”
Kaida squirms out of his grasp with a hiss, and Caspian just chuckles and adjusts his monocle. He suddenly shoves her aside hard enough to make her go flying, sliding across the floor, boots screeching, not because she lacked strength-but because he simply didn’t obey physics. Music begins to play from his microphone as he faces Liora fully
“You have a dream, you wish to tell!” He eagerly grabs her hands, giving her a spin and this time making her giggle
“And it's just laughable, but, hey kid, what the hell!”
He scoops her up into his arms and tosses her, before catching her on top of the staircase. He takes her hands again, the two starting to swing dance, her candle flaring excitedly
“Cause you're one of a kind, A charming Slothian belle!” He pulls her onto the railing, both sliding down back to the lobby, Lioras candle stretching into a comet-tail as she landed.
“Now, let's give these burning fools a place to dwell! Take it, boys!”
Molly is actively holding back Kaida from going after Caspian, before the image of the place shifts to a 1920s speakeasy and makes everyone freeze
“Inside of every demon is a lost cause!” He pops up between Molly and Vess, ruffling both their heads. Vess growls and flips him off, while Molly grabs a martini and winks to him as he passes
“But we'll dress them up for now with just a smile!” A hat and scarf pops onto Kaida, making her look down in stunned confusion. He suddenly slaps her on the back, making her tear it off and shred it like a raccoon playing dressup
“And we'll chlorinate this cesspool with some old redemption flair! And show these simpletons some proper class and style!”
He begins to dance with Liora again, Kaida watching with contempt as they swing eachother around
“Here below the ground, I'm sure your plan is sound! They'll spend a little time down at this Hellborn Ho-!”
Suddenly the doors blow open, knocking them off the wall and blasting one into Vivian-making her laugh
Everyone peeks out, the familiar zeppelin above the hotel. Nautilus pops out with a “HA” before grinning smugly down at the ground “Look who’s harboring the radio freak! We meet yet again Caspian!”
Caspians head tilts, an ear flicking in curiosity “Do I know you?”
Nautilus deflates before snarling down “Oh YES you do!! And this time I have the element of surprise!”
A giant turbo missile laser drops from the zeppelin, gusting air everywhere as it fires up.
“GAHAHA! IM SO EVIL!” Nautilus cackles
Kaida grabs her spear in defense, ready to attack-but Caspian is faster
A hole opens up below, thorned vines reaching up to grab the aircraft. Nautilus and the Tadpolez are thrown around inside as its tilted about, the missile misfiring to…who knows where
All that’s heard from outside is the shouting from them all as it’s dragged under like a starving carnivorous plant finding its meal. Caspians eyes flash as he directs the staff, and all thats left behind is bellows of smoke.
Everyone stares in varying amounts of shock, fear, and awe. Caspians grin takes up his entire face, before the clouds dissipate. He shuts his eyes and his smile calms, taking a deep breath. Before he spins around, the entire group jumping a little
“Well I’m starved! Who wants some jambalaya! My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for jambalaya! In fact, it nearly killed her!”
He starts to walk back to the building, Vivi excitedly following behind.
Molly glances to Vess, giving him a wink and blowing a kiss before tagging along, Vess just growling and rolling his eyes
Kaida frowns, but looks over to see Liora bouncing and giggling. Happy to see her happy, she can’t help but smile as she’s tugged along, only softening to a frown once her back is turned
Stepping inside, with a last flourish of the microphone, the sign morphs, going from the “Happy Hotel” to the “Hellborn Hotel”