The dinner was amazing; everything was cooked to perfection, seasoned with just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness.
As we ate, I noticed a few demons glancing at me. Lilith, for one, was directly staring at me, while Lucifer just seemed to take a quick glance at my face before going back to his meal.
"Is there something on my face?" I asked Lilith.
"No, it's just... your teeth... they look so soft. How are you eating that without breaking or chipping a tooth?"
"I don't know. It just seemed natural to me."
"Well, as long as you're not forcing yourself to eat, then it's quite alright. Now, why don't you try this?" She used a large fork to pass me a boar steak.
"I heard they're quite a delicacy. I heard they taste quite spicy," she said while placing a piece of steak on my plate.
"They are quite a delicacy," Satan said from across the table.
"Though it's quite annoying to harvest. Most of the meat is either inedible or would melt and liquefy," he said before munching on his meal once more.
I looked at the steak in front of me and started digging in. The taste was incredible; it had a slight sting to it thanks to the spice.
I looked over to Charlie and saw her dying—her pale face was now bright red and her eyes were tearing up.
"Oh honey, you don't have to eat it if you can't," Lilith said to Charlie.
"No! If Mr. Knight can eat it, so can I!" she said with tears in her eyes as she continued to chew and eat.
I just stared for a second and went back to my meal.
Once we all finished eating, Charlie had only finished half the steak and was now slumped on her chair.
"Ma... mama, my tummy hurts," Charlie said, holding her stomach.
"Oh, don't worry, baby. Mommy will make it all better." She then picked Charlie up and carried her outside the dining hall, leaving me, Lucifer, and Satan alone.
---
An awkward silence hung in the air, no one really speaking. This lasted for a while before Lucifer got up from the table.
"Well, I better go! Got to see if my baby's alright!" he said before turning into a duck and flying away.
Now it was just me and Satan alone, and not wanting to be rude and just leave, I tried starting a conversation with him.
"Thank you for the meal, Lord Satan. It was quite delicious," I said to him.
Satan looked towards me and genuinely looked happy.
"You're welcome. It has been a while since I've had visitors, so having proper food for guests was essential."
"And for that, I am thankful... and I'm really sorry for stabbing you in the eye," I said, shifting a bit in my seat.
Satan only gave a loud, booming laugh. I was quite confused—why was he laughing?
Once he had composed himself, he looked towards me with a smirk.
"Don't be. You fought like a seasoned warrior from my army, and I would be more than happy to fight you once more."
"Thank you for the compliment, but I think I'll pass on that for now. I wouldn't want to get you riled up and furious again."
Satan looked at me and began rubbing his chin in thought.
"Yes, that is a problem. My anger does make me less tactical. I wouldn't want to kill my sparring partner in a blind rage."
"If you would allow me, might I suggest a therapist to help you get over that?"
"That... would be an excellent idea. Why haven't I thought of that?"
We continued to talk for a few minutes before Satan began asking me how old I was. He wanted to know where I learned to fight like that.
"Well, I'm currently 45 and—" I was cut off by Satan slamming his hands down on the table.
The force was enough to crack the table and make all the food drop to the ground.
"You're... 45?" Satan said, looking bewildered.
"Uh... yes?" I said, looking at him.
"I let my guard down... to a toddler?" he said, looking almost... disappointed.
Satan took a deep breath and walked out of the dining hall and into the hallway. From where I was sitting, I swear I could hear Satan yelling profanities and breaking and burning things.
Once he came back and opened the door, I saw the hallway was scorched and damaged, and the maids were already cleaning up.
He sat back down, more composed, and spoke.
"Apologies. Now please, enjoy your stay."
"I... will. Thank you for your hospitality."
I got off my chair and began walking out of the room and into the hallway. Once I was outside and closed the door behind me, Satan began throwing stuff and breaking anything he could get his hands on.
I ignored this and walked back to the room I was in. Once I got back, Charlie was lying down on her bed, sleeping with Lilith.
Lucifer was sitting on a chair, holding a children's storybook.
I slowly closed the door behind me, not wanting to wake the two. Lucifer noticed me and gave me a small wave.
He got up from his chair and walked toward a door leading into another room. He motioned for me to follow him, so moving slowly across the room, I went inside and saw a spacious room with a balcony.
And on that balcony, Lucifer stood outside, watching as the sun set. I walked over to him to see what he wanted to say.
Once I was right beside him, he looked down and spoke.
"I know I've probably said this a lot by now, but I wanted to say thank you for saving my daughter."
"It was no problem. She needed help, and I only did what I thought was right."
He smiled at that and got on one knee, facing me.
"I know, and I'm thankful that you did. Most of the denizens here are still... savages. Whenever Charlie has her little tantrums and runs off to one of her aunts or uncles, we always worry for her safety."
He reached for my shoulder and placed his hand on it.
"But thanks to you, my baby's safe. And weirdly, I feel Charlie's safe in your hands... or claws—I don't know what those are supposed to be."
"Thank you?" I said, a bit confused where this conversation was headed.
"Which is why..." He got up and stood tall.
He snapped his fingers, and fireworks began firing into the sky as the moon slowly rose behind him.
"I'm adopting you!" A firework exploded behind him that read: SURPRISE ADOPTION.
...
"WHAT?"