Faye, in Hell.

[7twistedwishes]

[[ From here. ]]



On the other side of the door...

Hell...

No, no fire and brimstone. A large room, half living room, half office, tastefully decorated and furnished. Thick carpet, a big couch, several recliners, an old-style desk, bookshelves, filing cabinets... and a computer too.

Classical music plays in the background and the delicate scent of incense hangs in the air.

"Welcome dear, welcome to my house. Enter freely and of your own free will! Go safely when you must, and leave something of the happiness you bring!"

The Devil steps aside to let Faye enter.

Comments

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

Faye steps in and looks around. It's surprisingly pleasant for being the home of the Devil.

"Your home is very nice," she says, quietly. She's still gazing around in wonder.

[7twistedwishes]

"Oh, this is just my lounge and office. Abandon here, ye who enter, all hope of having your preconceived notions justified..." She grins, moving to the desk. "Let me just get my keys. What you would like to see first?"

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"Well, it isn't like I've ever been to Hell before," she says with a smirk.

"Is it in levels, a la Dante's Inferno, or something else?"

[7twistedwishes]

"Levels, tiers, layers, sections. It is a while universe inside a universe and it exists based on my whim and will. Right now, I will it to make things easy for you." She picks a keyring that holds only three keys... and a keycard. "So... pick what you would like to see first."

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"Can I get a description of what I'm choosing, please?"

[7twistedwishes]

"Well, you can see it divided by sin, you can check if someone is here or not, and how they are faring, you can have the scenic tour of the lake of fire and the nine tiers and seven layers of punishment... or I can just show how my favorites 'live' here." Seriously, up to her what to see first.

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"I'll take the scenic tour, I guess." Faye is so far out of her depth here.

[7twistedwishes]

The Devil smiles and nods, taking her to the door, opening it to a hallway. Colored lines move along the floor. "If for any reason we get separated, just follow the blue line back here."

Dwon the hallway to a large door, that she opens with the keycard.

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"This is... really efficient," she says. Deep down, she's impressed and a little frightened. But she smiles, nods, and looks around a bit.

"So--um, should I brace for anything?"

[7twistedwishes]

"Hmm... the screams of the damned. Wailing, gnashing of teeth, and suchlike." The door opens, and a wave of heat greets them, reddish glow and the stench of sulphur and brimstone.

Casually, the Devil offers a gas mask to Faye.

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"Uhh... right." She accepts, putting it on.

"I... admit this is a first for me, though. So forgive me if I act in a manner that seems... foolish to you."

[7twistedwishes]

"Dear, you are just human." They walk along a path... a cliff trail, a low wall separating them from the drop From below comes the endless wailing of the damned.

"The lake of fire is around and inside the pits of hell. There I keep the petty wretched, the malicious nobodies who do not even deserve personalized punishment." The sound is quite unnerving; if she happens to look down, the sight of people burning, diving, surfaving trashing, clawing at each other trying to rise above the torture... is very unsettling.

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

She shudders and, without realizing it, pulls herself closer to the Morning Star.

"These are just the people who were horrible in life? Not murderers, but just generally terrible people?" Faye's voice trembles as she looks down.

[7twistedwishes]

"Oh, some were murderers, but their reasons were petty and small." The Devil slips an arm around Faye. "That one, Genevieve I think. She beat a maid to death with a brass candlestick in 1718, because the girl was late bringing the tea. She lived to age 98, all the time thinking the murder was plenty justified." She indicates a burning form, clawing at the walls of the cliff.

"Now, that other, Roger if I remember right, was just a nasty man who loved to make people feel bad. He insulted servers, demanded privileges, had employees of several business fired because they did not cater to his wishes... absolutely self-centered nastyness, that never gave him any advantage. Schadenfraude, I think the germans call it."

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"I'm well aware of schadenfreude," she murmurs. Perhaps the Devil could feel her trembling. She was suddenly afraid for her mortal soul.

"Are--are there--are there caveats? Like--if--if it's a defense mechanism--if something bad happened, and that's why you're mean?"

[7twistedwishes]

The Devil strokes her hair. "You wwnt to know how you can not end down there, dear?"

The tone is lightly humored.

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

She swallows hard. "Yes."

And she hates herself for it, the good little southern belle, but she can't say no, because ending up in Hell is the worst thing she can think of, even worse than watching her father die, worse than losing her mind, worse than Dora and Marty being together...

[7twistedwishes]

The Devil stops and turns to Faye, looking into her eyes. "I did not bring you here to scare you into doing this or that. Just, look inside yourself and ask yourself, why you do what you do?"

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

"It's a defense mechanism," she says quietly. "After my dad died, I--"

She pauses, swallows, looks away for a moment before turning to look at the Devil once more.

"After my father killed himself in front of me, I kind of shut down. I'm getting better, slowly, but interactions with everyday people still scares the hell out of me. No pun intended."

[7twistedwishes]

"So you have your answer, dear." The Devil pulls her close and unfurls large dark-feathered wings. "I think you saw enough of the punishment. Hold on."

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

Faye kind of clings to the Devil, feeling emotionally drained. Hah, emotionally drained already and it's just the beginning of the trip!

"Ready when you are."

[7twistedwishes]

Up, up they go, above the fire and brimstone, towards a flat ahea wrapped in gentle darkness. The field is covered in spheres of blue light, each one maybe three feet across and hovering a foot off the ground.

"I think you will find this more interesting." The Devil lands at the edge of the field of lights.

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

Faye lets go and steps away, looking around. She's still shaking, but--hey, she'll get better.

[7twistedwishes]

The gestures at the lights. "Each one of those is a small world... where one of my favorites, those humans who impressed me for some reason, live. Some I rescued from Limbo, even. Touch one and take a look."

[burbonmilkshake.livejournal.com]

She looks at the Devil for a moment, and then walks to the nearest sphere and touches it hesitantly.