Page 28 of Hellfire & Bowties
Which was a huge problem for his innocent ass.
He sighed, pushing those thoughts away for more productive ones. He could concentrate on the here and now.
“Well?” he chirped, watching as Luc came back to himself.
“There might be a room right next to this one,” Luc said, looking to the left.
“Might be?” Oren frowned, following his line of sight.
“No, there is one, it’s just… it’s in an even worse state than this.”
Oren blinked at Luc, because he had no idea how it could possibly be worse than this place. “Is it a portal to a demon dimension?”
“We’reinthe demon dimension, hon.” Luc smiled, and Oren fidgeted, feeling his cheeks flush.
“No, I know that. But, like, an actually terrible one where bad things happen to good people who don’t deserve it.”
“Ah.” Luc chuckled. “That kind. And no, it’s not a portal to anywhere. Just extremely cluttered and forgotten because of it.”
“What’s in there?” Oren asked.
Luc shrugged. “About everything we had no idea where to put.”
“Anything important in there?”
“Probably.” Luc used his tail to scratch his head. “There are several things I’m missing that I can’t seem to find anywhere. My best guess is they’re in there.”
“All the more reason to get it in order then.”
“It’d take days to even empty it.”
“In that case we might need reinforcements,” Oren said. “How many of your demons could you call to help us, do you think?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You said sinners have a daily routine, and this place mimics their old life. So I’m guessing the demons are also free when the sinners sleep.”
“Yes, but you said they need breaks too,” Luc said, and Oren scowled.
“And you chose NOW to take my word as gospel?” He scoffed. “Just tell them there will be fresh flesh for anyone who helps.”
Luc tilted his head then gave a small nod. “Okay,” he said, standing up from the chair. “I’ll let them know.”
“Perfect, thank you.” Oren plucked his list off the clipboard. “And in the meantime, here’s what we’ll need.”
Luc took the paper and scanned it.
“We’re not due for an office supply order for a while, though,” Luc said.
“Who decides?” he asked, and Luc just pointed his finger toward the ceiling. “Right. Well, they put an innocent soul in Hell and caused him distress and emotional damage. I feel like getting me these things is the least they can do to improve my fragile mental health.”
Luc stared at him, mouth agape and wings stiff behind his back.
“Your mental health is suffering?” he asked. “Why didn’t you say anything? Is there something I can do?”
Oren chuckled at the bewilderment on Luc’s face and shook his head. He walked over and placed his palm in the middle of Luc’s chest, doing his best to ignore the warmth of his skin.
“I’m perfectly okay,” Oren said, “but if I have to play that card to get us things, I will. Nothing stands between me and a good laminating machine.”
