I paced back and forth in the lobby, eagerly awaiting daddy's response to Miss Charlie about our brunch meet while rubbing my hands anxiously. "Keep that up you'll chap your hands. Nervous deadbeat is gonna let you down?" Husk asked, cleaning glasses. "Yes, and.... Well...." I replied, looking between the room they conversed in, and the grandfather clock nervously as Husker asked, "Well?" I couldn't keep it to myself anymore... I needed advice on how to go about the topic of the crowd yesterday! "See, it's precisely this.... There was a rally on my way to the market yesterday for your liquor pick up voicing their concerns about the Exorcists, and planning to overthrow the Overlords and Royal family because they feel there's a lack of effort being given to protect the denizens. I wanted to know more as to why because I kinda promised I'd do everything I could to ease their worries, and make a definitive plan that gets something done without offending Heaven's Agents, but I'm not quite sure how to go about that without my father going off the handle or suspecting me to be a traitor! I just hope he can explain to me what I don't know so that I may be just a tad bit more informed before acting on such a broad idea..." Husk stopped cleaning his wine glasses while keeping a wide eyed gaze affixed to me- seemingly stunned by my plight as he started, "That's... One heck of a thing to promise people alright! See, when it comes to your daddy dearest, you gotta get him at JUST the right time when he's in a certain mood. You come in heavy like that, he's sure to shoot you down at any time during the meet. You come in too subtle, he'll think you're up to something fishy, and he will keep relentless eyes on you until he figures out the plan! He gets this glimmer in his eye when he's feeling bored of a topic, and I feel like if you casually slide it in when he gets that glimmer, you'll not only have his full attention, but he might just give you the answers you seek!" Husk informed, and I couldn't be MORE grateful to him as I thanked him for the tip, and he tipped his hat to me. I sat on a cushioned chair, still awaiting Miss Charlie's answer when she finally appeared in the lobby, and leaned against the wall exhaustedly. I jumped up, and ran over to her as I asked, "Well? Did he say anything?" "I swear it's ALWAYS a fight with him! But, yes... He said he was willing to have brunch with you." She replied with a sigh, and I jumped for joy as I thanked her, and ran upstairs to my room to get ready for our brunch. "No." I said, snapping my fingers to choose between outfits. "No. No. Oh, GOODNESS no! Uggggghhhh! It's nary noon, and I have NOTHING to put on for a brunch?! This is too much." I groaned, flopping onto my bed face first when a knock came. "Yes? Who is it?" I asked, lifting my head from the blanket as Angel opened the door. Sliding in he asked, "Ya good in here?" "I suppose. I've swiped through everything I can conjure, and I've got NOTHING for a casual brunch! I can't go to my father to have a serious discussion if I've got not ONE serious outfit." I lamented, sitting up as he sat himself down beside me; cupping my hands to my face as I sighed, "This means SO much to me.... I can't just throw this opportunity away!" "Can I help?" Angel asked, and I parted my fingers over my left eye to look at him as I stated, "You're an entertainer of the adult variety, Angel. What could you POSSIBLY know about a casual brunch look?" "Honey, PLEASE! You're lookin' at someone who wore rich silk for sophistication, or leather for a hottie look- I KNOW what I'm doin' toots." He replied, giving a confident smile as he crossed two of his arms, and rested the others on his hips. I was hesitant, after all, taking advice from one who gave himself to others for profit wouldn't be a choice any wise person would do, but to show that I wouldn't hold his past against him, and his reputation, I agreed to listen as he threw open my closet, and began throwing outfits onto my bed that he felt would fit the bill. "Alright sweets," he began, picking up one of the outfits to observe, "You're lookin' for a serious cas', right? Howzabout stripes?" "S-Stripes?" "Yeah! Like this romper here. It's cute, not too childish, and not to mention stripes would go REALLY well with your skin!" "But wouldn't I freeze? As I hear, dad likes to keep his room quite cold..." I inquired, making him think a bit before taking all the hot day outfits, and placing them back into my wardrobe. "Okay, something casual and serious, yet will keep off the cold. How about this black suit jacket here, and pair it with a nice crimson blouse with matching skirt that stops at the knees? Not only will it keep off the cold, but it's casual enough, AND speaks business!" He suggested, putting the pieces before me. "It's serious alright, but I feel like as soon as he saw me in it he'd be ignoring me worse than an animal whose had rat poison poured into their food bowl." I replied, simply imagining my father pretending to listen as I sat like a business woman at the table. "Okay so the suit look is out. We need cute, cas', fun, warm- AHA! What about THIS one?" He asked, holding up a two in one blouse dress with long, jacquard sleeves. The pointedness of the collar screamed casual and business, while the dress portion seemed to catch one's attention with the white paisley on blue cloth. I took the dress in hand, went to my bathroom, and quickly changed from my sleep attire into the dress before showing Angel, and he stood back in observation as he instructed, "Turn the top part black, and make the dress a nice bubble gum pink with black paisley." "But it seems nice as it is. Why change it?" "Doll, imma be honest with ya. The blue is too loud, and takes away from the beauty of things like your skin, hair, eyes, all of that. So while it's a pretty dress, we can't see the pretty girl IN the pretty dress. The black will make you pop more, and pink being related to red on the color wheel will compliment your beautiful hair. Change please?" Taking his words into consideration, I tapped the white top, and slid my hand from the peak of the sweetheart seam down to the skirt, changing it to the desired colors as Angel said jokingly, "Oh my God, THERE you are!" "Okay, okay." I laughed, waving him off as he said, "Let's do that pretty hair up in a braid." "One step ahead of you there, Angel Dust." I replied, taking my hair in my hand and sliding it over my shoulder, and down to my upper thigh before placing my hands behind my back. "Looking good! Now your old man HAS to listen to ya." "Thank you so much Angel. You're a lifesaver!" I replied, pecking him on the cheek before racing out the door. It was now noon sharp, and I was standing before my father's room as I quickly dusted myself off, and knocked on the door. "Who iiiiiiiiissssss iiiiiiiit?" I heard my father reply on the other side in a sing song tone, and I replied the same, "It's meeeee daddyyyy!" He opened the door to greet me, his smile ever wide and posture never faltering as he asked, "And what is it that I can do for you today, my dear?" "Just here for a chinwag while we have our brunch if you're up for it." I replied sheepishly, keeping up my best smile as he stepped aside to let me in. Father's room was just as eccentric as he was, with the room being nicely decorated before blending itself into a woodland like area on the far end with a neatly set table. "Oh father, I never realized you had such taste in decor!" I breathed, stopping to enjoy the sounds of birds chirping in the distance as he briskly joined my side. "I find it quite comforting to think of home- the screams were like music to my ears!" He exclaimed, giving me a gentle push to get me walking again as he kept a steady pace with me. As I looked about the place, I began to think carefully about Husker's signs to speak with him, and very carefully selected a few topics to start off with- starting with the idea he brought up. "What WAS your home on Earth like?" "Must you really ask that? I feel like people don't just WILLINGLY come here, unless they're a Satanist to which then I have no point to stand on." "So you never wished to end up in the underlands?" I asked, stopping at the table as he used his abilities to pull out one of the chairs for me to seat myself in. I thanked him as he strode to the other side of the table, and took a seat before me as he asked, "Tea, child?" "Yes sir." I replied, and he poofed a cup, saucer, and Tea pot before us before pouring a light, greenish tea into the cup. "Green tea?" I asked, looking at him quizzically, causing him to laugh as he replied, "No, simple Gensing. But to answer your question, fire and brimstone is the last place ANYONE would like to be, especially for someone whose done nothing but do the dirty work for Heaven's Angels." "So you were a vigilante?" "Yes, but apparently making the right decisions still constitutes for "Thou shalt not murder". Besides, who needs backwards rules and overbearing spectators when you can cause as much suffering to those that deserve it down here?" My Father replied as he poured his own cup, and placed a lump of sugar into it. That statement unnerved me a bit, and I stated defensively, "Th-There are good folk down here- that's like saying that all of us deserve to be erased simply because a few bad apples spoiled the basket!" "Everyone down here are rotten apples- Jen, was it? Ah, from the mentally unstable to the most selfish and abrasive sinners on the planet, but ALL of them end up here no matter the reason- seems hardly fair, hmmm?" "I-I suppose..." I replied, a little disheartened by the turn the conversation took as I searched to change it. "D-Did you have any family? Siblings? O-Or parents?" I asked, wanting to know about the grand people my blood derived from as my father sighed, "Ah, a mother I had. Such a kind hearted soul- so weak and helpless when it came to anything that didn't involve food." "Oh yeah! The Jamablama that you showed to Mum!" "Jambalaya.... JAM-BAL-AY-A!" He replied, seemingly annoyed by my lack of being able to pronounce the word. "But you said your mother had a special recipe? I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of making some for our little get together. I can't really say wether or no I matched it to Gran's skill, but I feel it should taste fine all around." I continued, snapping a large pot into existence with a small tray of home baked rolls. A nostalgic look seemed to cross my daddy's face before returning back to his regular composure, and I stood up as I spooned some into a bowl for him to try. He blew on the surface of his spoon to cool the rice mixture, and took a quick bite before shrugging, "Not like my mother's at all, but still an interesting first attempt." "O-Oh.... Is it terrible?" "Meh, good for the most part- needs a tad bit more practice. Say you want to be an Overlord, right?" "Y-Yes sir. I want to be able to fill in for you when you can no longer be able to! It's the least I can do for you, father." I replied wholeheartedly as I sat back at the end of my table as he poofed up a tray of chopped Liver steak- Ms. Rosie's FAVOURITE speciality! "Thank you." I replied, taking my plate, and taking a slice of the steak from the tray to place before me, followed by some mash and gravy, topped with an herb and garlic butter and a dinner roll I baked. The steak was superb, being cooked at exactly the right doneness while still maintaining the juiciness of the fat and sweetness of the Liver in a perfect balance! While I was enjoying the fine cut, father asked, "Pray tell, dear, WHAT do YOU suppose it means to be an Overlord?" "Eh? Ummm....." I sat a while in careful thought, trying to peice together what I thought it meant to be an Overlord as I answered slowly, "To be an Overlord means cunning, right? You must be refined, yet careful that you don't get tangled up in a contract yourself. You must also do what you must for the sake of the inhabitants of your district- Overlords ARE Lucifer's underlings after all." "Wrong about the last bit, my dear." My Father chuckled in amusement before saying in a teasing sort of tone, "Even the freshest soul can tell you that we do things on our OWN whim. WE appoint OURSELVES as a cut above the rest- Forget about the royal priss and her, shall we say, princess of a father? He has NOTHING over the power us Overlords possess- collecting our debts from the poor and unfortunate that were desperate for that of which they couldn't achieve themselves! You are FAR away from being that refined cut, especially if you only feel sympathy for the-" "Father, STOP! These people are OUR people too!" "Dead wrong on THAT! Sinners do not care if sympathy is given or taken." He left his seat, strode around the table until he got to where I sat, and placed both his hands on my shoulders before leaning down face level to hiss in my ear, "And they DEFINITELY do not care wether your intentions are good. In the end, all of them get what they deserve- to stop the inevitable is foolish and hopeless." I kept my gaze averted from him as I hung my head in sorrow, prompting him to sigh as he straightened his back, and took my chin lightly in hand to make me look up at him. His crimson eyes gleamed with malice, and his yellowed, sharpened teeth bore that same, calloused grin as he playfully moved my bangs from my face, commenting, "I WOULD say you looked like a beautiful young lady like your mother- if I remembered her of course!" "Strange, she seemed to remember YOU fondly..." I shot back, looking towards the tip of my nose where he took one of his claws, and lightly tapped. "Ugh! Dad....." I whined, taking his hand from my chin before looking back away from him. He simply laughed as he taunted, "You're nowhere NEAR ready for a responsibility like mine!" "Says you! I could probably collect more around your district in a second than YOU can in a day!" "A challenge?" My father gasped, and an evil glare came across his face as he held out his hand, and proposed, "How about we shake on it?" "You know just as well as I do that making deals with and collecting your offspring's soul is prohibited by ALL accounts under the laws of an Overlord." I grumbled knowledgeably, causing his smile to grow into a cold scowl as he replied, "Very well.... But don't think I won't let that slip THAT easily, child. I'll hold you to that claim, and I'll make sure you remember every single day until you PROVE it!" He took his other hand off my shoulder, and returned to his seat; taking a sip of his tea as I noticed a small gleam of mischief in his eyes.... Was THIS the moment Husker spoke of..? I took a deep, trembling breath, trying to find where to start when my father asked, "Something the matter? You REEK of fear my dear." "Hm?!" I replied, and quickly gave myself a check.... I really DID smell.... "Well I'm perspiring quite, and... N-NO WAIT! THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED TO SAY!" I exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment as I slammed my hands on the table, and let rip the whole story about the plaza as I closed my eyes, explaining him the citizen's rally to overthrow the government of the underlands, and take matters into their own, all the way to my promise that I made while my father presumably listened. "I just... I don't get why it is that there haven't been more EXSTENSIVE measures to ensure the little security the Sinners may have left. Not everyone WANTS to go to heaven, you know! And all the while Miss Charlie builds the Hotel's purpose and rep, the others outside are still at the mercy of the Agents of GOD. There must be SOMETHING we could do, right?" I finished, taking a breath to calm myself as I opened my eyes, and found my father looking at me intently. I hoped he wasn't angry with me as he set his cuppa down, and rested his chin on the backs of his hands, his regular, mischievous smile returning as he mused, "Is THAT all your worried about?" "I-I mean look around at how EMPTY this hotel is! As valiant, and noble Miss Charlie's deeds as well as her valid reason of doing so, it's as some of them had stated: "They don't WANT help"! So what are we to do?" "Silly girl, it's a simple solution! Just give them what they ask, and don't help them." Father laughed, pushing his empty bowl away and summoning the liver steak to him. "Y-You mean do absolutely NOTHING?" I asked, shocked. My father nodded in agreement, and replied callously, "If they want to brave it on their own, so be it. This hotel is, unfortunately, the ONLY chance they have at not getting erased, but I suppose luxury isn't everyone's Forte. And this rally maker from the Greed Ring- she sounds like she's brewing up some trouble for cash; I'll speak to the Overlord of that district to see what can be done, so don't worry that pretty little head of yours!" I was stunned, but his logic was on point as I simply hung my jaw agape. "Do close your mouth, you don't want anything icky to enter do you?" My father added, and as he instructed, I quickly shut it tight as I sat back down to finish my meal. Once the brunch was over, and I had helped father clean up, I bade him farewell before going downstairs to the lobby to talk to Husk alone. Spotting me in my state of disbelief and discomfort, he knitted his brows before quickly pouring me a non-alcoholic drink, and asking, "Mock spirit to lift one?" "Th-Thank you..." I replied graciously, taking the cup into my hands before taking a swig. Husk leaned over the counter worriedly, and sighed, "Meeting not go well?" "Oh, Husker..... It went smoother than expected but....." "But?" "He says he'll do nothing, and so I should do nothing as well.... Who can just sit idle while others and their loved ones who don't want salvation be at the mercy of the Exorcists? Tis most unfair, I say..." "Charlie tries her best, kid, but some people just gotta find the nerve to, ya know, meet her in the middle instead of a quarter. We can't force em', sure, and we can't even tangle ourselves with those hard heads outside this place, but for the sake of Lucifer's kid we all do our parts wether we agree or not." "So you agree with father when he says to do nothing?" "That petrified turd may be oblivious and soulless, but he ain't stupid. I know that first hand!" Confused, I raised my brow to him, and he simply laughed before setting his paw atop my head. "Don't worry about all that- a story for a different time. Just trust in Satan, and you'll find that things may start lookin' up for you. You'll find your answers, and you'll keep your promise; even become stronger than your old man one day!" He said with a wink, and my mood brightened ever so slightly as I asked, "You really think so?" "Of course I do. And ole Husk here knows more than you think, kid!" He went back to cleaning his glasses, and I let his words sink in as I crept a smile across my face. Husker was right- I may not be able to do anything now, but tomorrow holds a different story. Here's to a new dawn!