The aftermath of the TV station debacle had been rough on Gem. For days now, whispers echoed throughout the different regions of Pride, and her name had become synonymous with drama—something she loathed more than anything. The mirror in her room, which she had kept meticulously clear for years, now buzzed with an unwelcome energy. The sponsors, the demons in charge of various media outlets, and the power players all seemed to think they could bring her down with their chatter and ridicule.
"I like how a lot of those sponsors think they'll ruin me when they ruin everyone else—including their coworkers—because they're bored," Gem muttered, snapping the mirror off with a sharp flick of her wrist. The glass darkened immediately as a shroud of silence had fallen over her room.
The niece, lounging on her vanity chair, giggled. She was flipping through a glossy magazine she'd snagged during the chaotic scene at the studio, seemingly unfazed by the looming tension. "My parents always got spam mail because they were complete defuses on the internet," she quipped, laughing to herself.
Gem let out an exasperated sigh. "Glad I died before that," she replied, her tone tinged with a dry bitterness. The idea of modern-day Hell's reliance on social media, emails, and digital influencers was one of the many things she found abhorrent. Internet wasn't much of a necessity when she was alive aside from having a landline, but in Hell, where everything was turned up to its highest degree, it felt even more suffocating.
Niece turned another page in the magazine, her eyes scanning the text with a distracted curiosity. "Hey, who's Asmodeus?" she asked casually, glancing up from the magazine.
Gem nearly cracked at the name—her face subtly tightening as if a bitter memory had suddenly resurfaced. It was a name she wished to forget, and hearing it again made her skin crawl. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure. "Asmodeus?" she repeated as if testing the sound of it. "He's one of Hell's princes. The prince of the Ring of Lust. And I refuse to ever go back there."
The mention of Lust, of his domain, caused Gem's gaze to darken, her expression turning grim. She pulled her knees up to her chest as she leaned back on the couch, her mind replaying images of things she'd seen during her brief time there—things that no demon should ever have to witness. It wasn't just debauchery; it was a success. And she hated it.
Niece raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the hint of vulnerability in Gem's tone. "What's so bad about it? I mean, c'mon, how bad could it be? Can't be worse than all the other gross stuff we've seen, right?"
Gem blinked, her posture stiffening. "If you saw how much debauchery I've witnessed—how many times I had to close my eyes just to avoid seeing something truly repulsive—you wouldn't want to go there either. Even if it was just a table shaking from underneath." She shuddered slightly at the memory.
The niece couldn't hold back her laughter, clearly enjoying the fact that her aunt was uncomfortable. "Oh, come on! You're just too innocent, Aunty. You don't know how to have a good time."
Gem shot her a pointed glare, though there was an edge of amusement in her expression. "Innocent? Please. I've seen things you couldn't even imagine in your wildest dreams." She gave a dramatic wave of her hand as if trying to brush the memory aside. "But I'm not going back there. Trust me, some things are better left untouched."
The niece grinned mischievously. "I bet you'd just have to look to see what's going on. Not like you'd do anything, right?"
Gem snorted, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not stupid, kid. You don't go looking for trouble if you don't want it to find you." But her niece was already playfully tapping her hoove, clearly not letting it go.
"Aw, come on! You're just scared. All you do is hide in here all day. When was the last time you lived, huh?" The imp smirked, clearly enjoying pushing her aunt's buttons. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little fun ."
Gem stiffened, her pride pricked. "Afraid? Of Lust?" she repeated with a tone that could freeze lava. "Please. Fine. I'll go. I'll show you what a good time looks like. Bring it on, Lust."
The niece's eyes widened in delight, clearly overjoyed that she had finally won. "Really? You're going? Awesome!"
Gem rolled her eyes, standing up and brushing off her green dress as if preparing for a battle. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered under her breath. "But if anything strange or weird happens—I'm dragging you out of there so fast, you won't know it."
The niece bounced up from the chair, almost skipping with excitement. "I promise, no weird stuff—just fun, okay? I'll take care of you, Aunt Gem."
As they prepared to leave, Gem glanced at the shards of the rest mirrors showing no sighs of Alastor's magic or anyone seeming trying to get through. Thankfully his only reflections were of her own and the niece's. The realm beyond her domain—beyond the comfort of her own space—was a mess. But for her niece, for once, Gem felt like she could step out of that world and into the unknown.
As they walked toward the mirror that would lead them to the Ring of Lust, Gem couldn't shake the feeling that something unexpected would happen. She didn't know if it was going to be the chaos of Lust itself or something even more bizarre, but she was ready for it— for better or worse.
And with a final glance back at her now-quiet room, she whispered to herself, "Let's hope I don't regret this."
—
The Ring of Lust was the same as ever. It was garish and brightly lit with neon sighs, the ground slick with past rain or something more nefarious she wished not to imagine. Distant sounds of clubs while incubus and succubus floated amongst the streets with drinking cups in hand. Lust was a place of excess in all things: sight, touch, sound, and sensation. The streets pulsed with the beat of strange music, and bodies moved in rhythms that were far too intimate.
As they stepped into the heart of the Ring, Gem could feel the overwhelming presence of something. A tingle at the base of her spine. The pull of that temptation, the suffocating weight of desire that hung in the air like smoke.
Niece, however, looked around with wide eyes, clearly awestruck. "This is... wow. Everything's so—wow."
Gem shot her a warning glance. "Don't get too comfortable, kid. Remember, I'm only here because you pushed me into it."
Niece smiled sweetly, batting her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll remember. But you can't blame me for wanting to have a little fun, right?"
Gem grumbled, but there was no turning back now. "Fine. We'll do this, but we do it my way. And when I say leave, we leave."
The niece nodded eagerly, pulling Gem deeper into the fray of Lust's vibrant chaos. And even though Gem tried to pretend like it didn't bother her, something told her that this time, maybe—just maybe—she wouldn't regret it after all.