Chapter Text
It was the afternoon of the next day, the day after “baseball day.” Everything has been normal, or at the very least slightly a bit normal, as usual.
Anastasia wore another different outfit today. She wore a black long-sleeve shirt, a grey tank top with a single yellow flower print in the center above the black shirt, beige pants, and white shoes.
A hand was rubbing and petting the head of a small pig-like creature, skin brushing against skin.
“This little fella is cute. Where did you get him?” Anastasia, the one petting the pig, asked.
“My boss gave him to me as a present. I call him “Fat Nuggets,”” Angel Dust said, holding the little pig, Fat Nuggets, in his hands.
“”Fat Nuggets?”” Anastasia asked.
“A silly name, huh?” Angel Dust asked.
“Oh, no. On Earth, people gave all kinds of silly names to their pets. One example is “Goldie,” which I mostly hear is given to pet goldfish,” Anastasia said.
“Did you have any pets back home?” Angel Dust asked.
“No. My mom wouldn't let me have any pets ever since money became a sort of a tight thing ever since my dad passed away a few years ago,” Anastasia said.
“Sorry to hear about that,” Angel Dust said in sympathy as he rubbed Fat Nuggets head with his hand.
“Well, the only pets I ever really had were pet rocks. And they're not alive like actual pets,” Anastasia said.
“You mean like you just decorate a rock and stuff and call it a “pet?”” Angel Dust asked
“Yeah,” Anastasia replied.
“Kind of a bummer,” Angel Dust said. Anastasia nods in agreement in response.
Anastasia pulls out her phone from her pocket and she presses her thumb on the screen, opening the Sinstagram app. She scrolls through posts and images on her “For You” page.
“You seemed to have been on that app a lot,” Angel Dust said.
“Only when I'm bored,” Anastasia replied. She scrolls on her phone for a few seconds before she stands up from the couch. “I'm heading out for a little bit.”
“Wait, by yourself? Don't you need me to come with you?” Angel Dust asked.
“No thanks. I can handle myself. Plus, I'm bringing this with me,” Anastasia said as she picked up a baseball bat that was conveniently standing by. She puts it behind her back, like it was put behind her and suddenly disappeared.
“Where are ya going, anyways?” Angel Dust asked.
“Just to this cafe I saw on its Sinstagram page,” Anastasia said as she walked to the entrance. “I'll be back as soon as possible. So, don't wait up too long for me. And if it makes you feel better, I'll call if anything happens.”
Angel Dust, although still unsure of this, decided to give an “okay” thumbs up gesture to Anastasia before she slid her blue coat over her arms and shoulders, pulled up her hood over her head, and waltzed out the door and shut it behind her.
“So, you really just let her go outside? Alone?” Husk asked from the bar as he looked over at a beer bottle.
“She said she'd be fine. Plus, she's got a weapon on her,” Angel Dust said.
“Uh-huh.. You really believe it's wise to let a live human, who's weaker and more fragile than us, out in the chaotic shithole that is Hell, where any demon could waltz up to her and hurt or even kill her?” Husk said.
“Hey. She's tougher than she looks, asshole. But, of course, I can text her every now and then to check on her,” Angel Dust said as he pulled out his phone and decided to walk away. “Ya know, just to make sure for sure.”
Several, several minutes have passed. Anastasia was at the cafe she saw on Sinstagram; “Latte Up Your Day.”
Latte Up Your Day had quite a reputation for being “one of the few “actually good” cafes in the entirety of Pentagram City”; the interior was casual and yet classy, the furniture was in good shape, the business’ cleanliness was exemplary, and even the food and beverages were worthy of meeting with one's taste buds.
“Do you serve mocha cinnamon lattes?” Anastasia, standing at the counter, asked the barista.
“Sure. I can make that,” the barista, a dog-looking demon replied before he walked towards the coffee machines and supplies.
As Anastasia waited, she directed her eyes towards her phone screen. She swipes and slides her fingers on the screen while looking at photos on Sinstagram. On her “For You” page were a bunch of posts and pictures from other demons in Hell. She saw a few posts with a familiar face; that Velvette person from that poster at the FashionVilla store she, Angel Dust, and Cherri Bomb shopped at a few days back. One post was some form of advertisement or preview of a new line of clothing coming to "Velvetté.” Anastasia’s eyes spoke and reflected disinterest. She was used to seeing these kinds of things on Earth on Earth social media, and she didn't show that much interest in these things, as she wasn't that much interested in being "fashionable” and she would rather choose her own style.
A brown coffee cup with a black lid and white label was placed on the white marble counter.
“That’ll be $6.78,” the barista said.
Anastasia puts her hand in her pocket and she pulls out a green ten-dollar bill and she puts it on the counter in front of the barista.
“Keep the change as a tip,” Anastasia said before she picked up the brown cup with her hand.
“Sure,” the barista said as he took the bill from the counter and inspected it.
The door swung open backwards and the bell above rang. The door swung back closed and the bell rang once again. Anastasia stood outside of the door, holding the cup in her left hand and her phone in her right hand. She sips from her cup as she walks to the left direction amongst the sidewalk. She opens her texting app, presses Angel Dust's contact, and she taps her thumb repeatedly along the screen on the keyboard, writing; “On my way back. CU shortly.” Then, she pressed the send button next to the text as she walked step by step.
The sound of wheels emerged from the air; four wheels made of plastic or polyurethane of some sorts. Rushing along the concrete sidewalks, speeding and speeding, sliding and sliding, rolling and rolling, tumbling and tumbling…
“Heads up!” A voice yelled out. It was coming from behind. Alerted, Anastasia turned around, darting her attention to behind her and she immediately dove to the side after seeing a kid on a skateboard.
The kid zoomed past her and stopped a few feet away.
“What the heck?! Watch it!” Anastasia yelled from where she was sitting, her drink spilled on the concrete and not a drop on her or her clothing.
“My bad,” the kid said before he hops off and dismounts on his skateboard. He stomped his foot on the edge and the board flips up and he grabs it and hold it under his right arm. “Was in the zone there for a moment.”
Anastasia looked at the kid. He didn't look like any normal kid Anastasia had seen, at least in Hell. This kid had white hair, red skin, a pair black and white striped horns, red eyes with yellow sclera, sharp-looking teeth, and a long tail with an arrow-shaped tip. He was wearing a blue sweater with the picture of an orange skateboard, a red short-sleeve hoodie, black pants with one hole in them, black fingerless gloves, and red and orange sneakers.
“Elijah!” a voice said from a distance. It was a lady, perhaps in her 40s or 50s, and she looked similar to the boy, but her skin was a darker red with white freckles, her eyes were black with yellow sclera, her hair was black, and her horns were all black with white rims. She wore a green dress, brown sweater, blue leggings, black boots, and blue glasses. She approached Elijah and Anastasia from where they stood. “You wandered off again. I told you for the hundredth time you need to stay with the group!”
“Sorry, teach. I was getting bored,” Elijah said, shameless and blunt.
“Sorry you felt that way, ‘cause the rest of the field trip is gonna be boring,” the lady said.
“Not with me around, it won't,” Elijah shamelessly said again as he points at himself with his left thumb, gaining laughter from all the similarly-looking children from the bus nearby. The lady growled in irritation.
Anastasia stands up and brushes dirt off of herself. The lady looked over at her, a light bulb over her head, an idea..
The lady approaches Anastasia.
“Hey, miss. You interested in adopting a kid?” She asked.
“What? No,” Anastasia replied.
“It's not that big a price, I promise,” the lady immediately switches from a persuasive tone to a pleading one. “Please, for the love of Satan, I can't handle this brat anymore than the eleven years I've had him..”
“Wait, eleven? You look like you're at least seven,” Anastasia said, surprised at Elijah's age despite his height.
“Imps heights don't always match their age, ma'am,” Elijah said.
“Please, just take him off my hands for me, please,” the lady pleaded, her knees on the ground and her hands clasped together.
“Look, I can't adopt him. I'm way too young to be a parent,” Anastasia said, attempting to reason.
“Not adopting him as your son, but more like a… Little brother. Yeah, a little brother,” the lady said.
“It's a “no.” I'm sorry. Now, if you don't mind, I need to go and get back to my place,” Anastasia said. She directed her attention away from them for a second as she went to pick up her spilled coffee cup and dropped it in the trash can near the door. Elijah taps on her shoulder.
“They just left,” Elijah said.
Anastasia turned and she saw that the lady and the bus had vanished already. She looked incredulous, not believing that they seriously just left Elijah with her.
“They also left this,” Elijah said, holding up a paper for Anastasia to see. It was a pre-signed certification of adoption.
“Oh for the love of…” Anastasia mumbled as she facepalmed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
“So, it looks like I'm stuck with you now, “sis,”” Elijah said, a small smile on his face.
“Look, uh, “Eliza,” was it? Isn't that a girl's name?” Anastasia asked.
“That's just how my name is pronounced. It's spelled E-l-i-j-a-h, but pronounced as “Eliza.” Weird, huh?” Elijah said.
“A little. So, look, uh,” Anastasia sighs. “Hand me that certificate and let me look it over.”
Elijah gives Anastasia the paper and she holds it in her hands and reads it. Ther certificate had the title and location of the orphanage; the “Imp Child Orphanage” in the Gluttony Ring. There was information about Elijah, including his birthday. There were even lines of signatures; the lady's name and a signature written as “Bee.” There was even an empty line, most likely for the signature of the “adopter.”
“Need this?” Elijah asked, holding up a black fountain pen.
“Where did you even get that?” Anastasia asked.
“I took it from the teacher when she wasn't looking,” Elijah replied with a mischievous smile. Anastasia had a disapproving look on her face. She rolls her eyes, sighs, and she grabs the pen with her right hand before she writes down her name in cursive upon the empty line in black ink. Elijah peeks over at her name.
“”Anastasia Winfield…” That's a nice name. Well, the first name is nice. Last name is just.. eh..” Elijah said, tilting his hand in a side-to-side gesture.
“It’s.. mostly a family name,” Anastasia said.
“So! Now that I’m officially your new little brother, what should we do next?” Elijah asked, his arrow-pointed tail whipped/wagged one time.
“I don't know,” Anastasia replied, still feeling a little irritable.
“How about ice cream? I’ve been having cravings the whole bus ride,” Elijah said.
“Okay, that works,” Anastasia said.
“Neat!” Elijah said. He sprints behind Anastasia as she walks along the sidewalk.
The next moment, Anastasia and Elijah exited an ice cream parlor called “Creamy Bites.”
Anastasia had a small cup of vanilla ice cream while Elijah had a waffle cone of rainbow sherbet ice cream.
“Hey, how come you got the most boring flavor?” Elijah asked.
“Why does it matter?” Anastasia asked in response.
“That's fair,” Elijah said. “And the ice cream here isn't as good as what they had in Gluttony. Gluttony always had the good sweets.”
“Gluttony?” Anastasia asked.
“The Gluttony Ring, my old home. Never heard of it?” Elijah asked.
“No,” Anastasia replied before her phone began to ring and ring. She reaches into her pocket and pulls her phone out.
“Who's calling ya?” Elijah asked.
“It's just a friend,” Anastasia replied before she pressed her thumb on the screen onto the green circle button. She holds it up to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, Anna. I just wanted to call in and check on you,” Angel Dust said through the phone.
“But I just said earlier that I'd call you if something happened,” Anastasia said.
“Well, Husk pressured me,” Angel Dust said, glaring irritatedly at Husk, to which Husk replied with nothing but disinterest. “So, anyways, what's going on with you right now?”
“Long story. I’ll, uh-” Anastasia noticed that Elijah had suddenly vanished.
“Anna?” Angel Dust said.
“Look, I’ll tell you back at the hotel. Right now, I need to deal with something. Bye,” Anastasia hung up and slid her phone back in her pocket. She hears clattering from a nearby alley next to the parlor. She approached the alley and looked in it. She looked unamused and annoyed.
“Elijah,” Anastasia called out, annoyed.
Elijah sticks his head out of the open dumpster lid.
“What the hell are you doing?” Anastasia asked as she approached him and the dumpster he was sitting in.
“Just a little dumpster diving. I do it whenever I snuck away during field trips whenever I get bored out of my mind. You wouldn't believe the crazy insane things people just throw away,” Elijah said before he sunk himself back down into the dumpster.
Anastasia rolls her eyes.
Elijah pops back up out of the trash holding a plush raccoon in his arms.
“Like this thing. A racoon wearing a tophat. I wonder why someone would even throw this charming little guy away,” Elijah said, before making a voice impression while playing with the plush raccoon. “”Ello gov’nor, how do you like my mona-kle?””
“It’s pronounced “monocle,”” Anastasia said.
“Whatever,” Elijah said before he oogles plush raccoon again.
“And you do realize that thing could be real? And it’s probably stuffed with sawdust,” Anastasia said, adding a sense of logic to the reason why a plush raccoon would have been thrown away.
Elijah, his mind filled with the idea of the plush raccoon being a taxidermied raccoon, became disgusted and horrified.
“EW, SICK!” Elijah said, hopping out of the dumpster and throwing the plush raccoon away, it hit a bunch of trash cans and clatter, before he quickly brushed his hands off on his shirt. Anastasia looked uninterested.
Anastasia sighs. “Let's just go.”
“Yeah.. Hear ya loud and clear..” Elijah said.
Both Anastasia and Elijah walked step by step along the sidewalk as they walked off, Anastasia at the front and Elijah at the back.
After a long walk, they made it back to the hotel.
“And who are you?” Charlie asked, crouching down to Elijah's height, a smile present on her face, happy to meet someone new.
“I’m Elijah. Pronounced as “Eliza,” spelt as “E-l-i-j-a-h,”” Elijah said.
“I’m Charlie,” Charlie said.
“Anna,” Vaggie sighed a bit as she approached the four. “Where did this kid come from?”
“He ran into me and then his teacher and his friends left him with me in town,” Anastasia replied.
“Wow, they must’ve not wanted him around anymore,” Husk said.
“Husk,” Vaggie said.
“I’m also this gal’s little brother now,” Elijah said before he pulled out the adoption certificate. “See? It’s written here.”
Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, Angel Dust, Niffty, and Sir Pentious look over at the certificate.
“I didn't have any other choice,” Anastasia said.
“Well, good luck, ‘cause the kid’s your responsibility now,” Husk said.
“I’m well aware. Wait, where’d he go?” Anastasia said, looking around for Elijah. Everyone else, except for Alastor, looked around for him, turning their heads and bodies in circles.
“Crap, he just vanished!” Angel Dust said.
“Fucking great, just leave him out of your sight for even one second and he just runs away,” Husk said.
“Don't worry, we’ll find him!” Charlie reassured.
Then, a pool of black matter emerges from the floor.
“Nevermind. I think I know where he went…” Vaggie said with her arms crossed.
A tall black silhouette emerges from the black pool before Alastor reveals himself. On a plus side, he had Elijah with him, holding him up from the back of his shirt collar.
“Pardon me, but does this little miscreant belong to anyone here? I was in my quarters when I caught him sneaking inside and I figured that one of you brought him into this establishment,” Alastor said.
“That’s, uh.. He’s with me,” Anastasia said, a hand raised in mid.
“Oh? And here I assume that a human would be more responsible than this,” Alastor said, much to Anastasia’s annoyance.
“Wait, human??” Elijah asked.
Anastasia sighs and she pulls down her jacket’s hood off of her head, revealing herself.
“Yes, that's me, Anastasia Winfield, the human. You caught me,” Anastasia said, a sarcastic tone present despite her lack of sarcastic intent.
Elijah gasps in shock and awe. Then, he raised and pointed a finger at her. “You’re where Sinners come from!”
Alastor promptly drops Elijah, causing him to hit the carpeted floor with a thud. His usual smirk present on his face.
“Oof!” Elijah grunted when he hit the floor.
“That is correct there, little lad,” Alastor spoke. Then, he walked over and stood next to Anastasia, facing Elijah. “This one here is one of the many, many humans from up above, where every Sinner has descended.”
Elijah stood up on his feet.
“Also, I'm impressed that a lad your age would be aware of us,” Alastor commended.
“Yeah. Me and the other kids back in Gluttony were taught about your kind,” Elijah said.
“Oh, you're from the Gluttony Ring?” Charlie asked.
“Yep,” Elijah replied.
“Charlie, I thought you said that Imps were from this "Wrath Ring" place,” Angel Dust said.
“They're more native there. But that doesn't mean they can't live anywhere else in Hell,” Charlie said as she walked over to Elijah and pats him on the head.
“Psh, lucky. He and the rest of his Hellborn kind get to go to wherever other Ring they want in Hell while we're stuck in Pride,” Husk said.
“Well, I don't blame Hell for having that rule. Your kind has always caused nothing but trouble. In fact, I think Hell’d be better if your kind didn't exist,” Elijah said, naive and insensitive. Husk, Sir Pentious, Alastor, and Angel Dust look visibly offended, Anastasia looked partly offended, Niffty just had a blank yet adorable expression like she didn't even understand a word Elijah said, and Vaggie and Charlie looked irritated over Elijah's insensitive comment.
“Look, Elijah.. Here, we watch our words and we think about how our words could make others feel,” Charlie said.
“But what I said was the truth. Isn't the truth always the right thing to say?” Elijah said.
“Yes, but not if it hurts someone else’s feelings,” Vaggie said.
“They're both right, Elijah. I think you owe these guys an apology,” Anastasia said.
“But-” Elijah tried to protest.
“Now,” Anastasia said.
“I'm sorry..,” Elijah said begrudgingly, a small pout on his face.
“Good, Elijah. Now, uh.. Hey Charlie. You wanna help get him a room?” Anastasia asked.
“Oh, yes, yeah. You can stay in the room next to Anastasias, how's that sound?” Charlie said, looking over at Elijah.
“Yeah, that sounds superb!” Elijah responded.
“Of course, we'll have to establish a few ground rules,” Vaggie said.
“Ugh, here we go..,” Angel Dust sighed in annoyance.
At least over half an hour had passed. Thirty-five? Forty-five minutes? Vaggie had been explaining the hotel rules for at least around that time, boring the heck out of Elijah and making him almost doze off, only for him to receive a short and small smack on the head by Anastasia’s hand.
“Do you understand?” Vaggie asked.
“Uh-huh,” Elijah replied with a nod, a bored look on his face.
“Okay, let's go and get ya settled,” Charlie spoke with a wave as she approached the stairs, where Anastasia and Elijah followed suit.
It took some time, but Elijah was introduced to a room on the left side of Anastasia's room, where he looked around and rushed and hopped on the bed.
Anastasia sighed as Charlie closed the door.
“You okay?” Charlie asked.
“I didn't expect to be an older sister. At least, not like this,” Anastasia said.
“Oh.. Well, uh, when I was younger, I asked my mom and dad for another sibling, but they said “no.” I’m sure you'll get the hang of this new big sister role,” Charlie said.
Anastasia sighed a bit. “Yeah, I guess you're right.”
Charlie showed Anastasia a warm smile before she walked away.
Anastasia peeked through the crack in the door and she looked over at Elijah, who was on his new bed, having tired himself out and is now laying on his stomach on the bed. Anastasia knocks and enters.
“You tired?” Anastasia asked.
“Yup..” Elijah responded tiredly, half his face pressed against the beds sheets. Anastasia chuckled a bit.
“Okay, I’ll leave you alone for now,” Anastasia said.
“Cool..” Elijah responded tiredly again.
Anastasia turns, opens the door, and she steps foot out of the room, closing the door behind her.