The night air outside Asmodeus's house. Gem's gaze was fixed on the dark blue sky. Sometimes she thought maybe the sky was always fake just like the rest of the rings given they were on top of one another.
A sigh escaped her lips. The moment was soon ruined as shadows started to stretch unnaturally across the ground amongst the darker corners of the streets. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Her eyes narrowed, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of her attention just yet.
"Alastor, Hell's greatest pest," she muttered, her voice dripping with disdain. She didn't even break her stride as she turned and started walking back toward the mansion.
A familiar, mocking chuckle echoed from behind her, though she couldn't see him. His presence had always been felt through the darkness—through the oppressive, ever-present shadows that seemed to move of their own accord.
"No need for such language, my dear," came Alastor's annoying static voice, laced with that unnerving, malicious edge she had known him for.
She stopped in her tracks, claws twitching, and then slowly turned to face the shadows, her posture still stiff with irritation. "I made it clear to you once before," she said, her voice tight with control. "I am not the one you are looking for. And we never met when either of us was alive. Do I need to repeat myself?"
The shadow seemed to grin wider, neon green stretching unnaturally across the cobblestones beneath her feet, contorting in ways that only made it more unsettling. "What about your little Imp, darling?" Alastor's voice scratched through the darkness, his tone light and taunting.
Her body tensed at the mention of her niece. Her eyes flashed with warning, her claws now fully extended as she faced the shadow head-on, her body tensed. "You know better than to take things that don't belong to you."
The shadow merely shrugged, as though unfazed by her warning. "You think I care about your little pet?" The voice, dripping with amusement, seemed to echo through the air, but Gem could feel the weight of his words. Alastor was always playing his games, and there was a dangerous edge to the way he spoke. "But I've seen you before, Gem. And I know you have more to hide than you're letting on."
Her chest tightened at his words, but she forced herself to stay calm, pushing down the rising anger that threatened to bubble over. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her lose control.
The shadow twisted and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, fading back into the depths of the night like a snake slithering away into the underbrush. The oppressive weight of Alastor's presence lifted with his departure, but Gem could feel his gaze lingering somewhere in the back of her mind, sharp and calculating. He wouldn't let this go.
She shook her head, muttering a curse under her breath as she walked back into the mansion. Her eyes immediately sought out her niece, who was still sitting at the table, blissfully unaware of the conversation she'd just had with Alastor. The younger sinner was happily finishing off her dessert, humming to herself, oblivious to the shadows lurking in the corners of the room.
Gem's irritation flared again. She didn't want to linger here any longer than necessary, especially with Alastor still lurking in the background.
"Alright, we're leaving now," Gem said, her tone clipped as she approached her niece.
The niece groaned, her lip curling in displeasure as she slouched in her seat. "Aww, come on, Aunty, I was just about to have dessert!"
Gem wasn't in the mood to argue. She could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on her, her nerves already frayed from the encounter outside. "No. We're leaving."
Her hand shot out and grabbed the leftovers the niece had been snacking on, stuffing it into a takeout bag with little care. Then, without another word, she tugged her niece toward the exit.
As they neared the door, Gem paused for a moment, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of danger. She felt her claws twitch again, instinctively, but nothing more came. No more shadows were creeping out of corners. No more whispering voices. Still, she wasn't taking any chances.
Even with how brightly lit everything was inside she wasn't taking chances.
"Come on, hurry up," she muttered, already growing impatient.
The niece followed, a pout still on her face, but she was no match for Gem's sharp gaze.
Before the incubus fairing those goodbyes at the exit could give Gem her goodbye, the mirror woman pulled her niece through the entrance, and out into the night. Once outside, her eyes darted back toward the buildings one last time before she turned her attention fully to the pocket mirror at her side.
"Get in," Gem ordered, her voice sharp with no room for hesitation.
The niece sighed, clearly reluctant, but stepped into the compact without a second thought. Before she could voice her complaints, Gem quickly slapped her hand down, closing the mirror with a soft click as the portal snapped shut behind her.
Gem exhaled deeply, her shoulders relaxing for the first time since the whole fiasco began. She knew her niece wouldn't understand, but she wasn't about to let her be a target for Alastor or anyone else. Not in this place. Not now.
As the mirror clicked shut, her thoughts shifted back to the shadows outside.
"Do not answer any of the mirrors until I get back," she muttered under her breath, a warning that would keep her niece safe, at least for now. "And don't make a sound. Stay quiet. We don't want to attract any more unwanted attention."
With that, Gem moved to leave. But as she took a step away, a chill ran down her spine, feeling the familiar sense of being watched. She paused, hesitating to look down at her pocket mirror she had just sealed the niece inside.
No shadows. No whispers.
Still, the nagging feeling wouldn't go away.
Gem pushed the feeling aside, walking away from the mansion as quickly as she could. She wasn't sure what was worse—the memory of the lustful decadence of Asmodeus's Ring, or the growing realization that Alastor's attention on her wasn't just some fleeting nuisance. It was a warning.
She had no idea what game he was playing, but she could already tell it wasn't one she was going to enjoy.