Thou shalt make love a blade. Thou shalt feed thyself upon devotion, and call destruction affection.
Voice from Beyond
Lust is a flight of stairs down from the gates themselves. But you don’t have any other option now, do you? Charlie descends, each step warmer than the last, until the Circle opens before her.
The land stretches wide like a desert bathed in a soft, obscene pink. The ground seems to be nothing but sand at a first glance, but closer inspection reveals it to be of crushed bone, ground so fine it drifts with every step. The air is thick with the scent of bitter almond and marzipan, sweet like a lie.
Demons roam the dunes in idle clusters. Each looks wrong. Like two lives sewn together, mismatched limbs and faces fused into a single, limping humanoid form. One notices her. It detaches from the crowd and approaches.
Sitiri
All reverence upon thee!! Oh radiant heir, oh mirrored crown, oh Secondcoming of Pride Most Resplendent and Loud....
Charlie
Uh...what? Sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong person. That’s… not my name.
Sitiri
Not thy name? Curious. Suspicious, how queer even. Then...by what syllables does Her Magnificence wish to be shattered into sound?
Charlie
Just… Charlie. Charlie’s fine.
Sitiri
Charlie. How… small. How dangerously humble. You carry much humility for one crowned in Pride. But who are we?! Who are we at all to question the strange hobbies of nobility?
Charlie
Right...
Voice from Beyond
The demon rummages within its own ribcage, fingers slipping between seams, before producing a stiff card edged in gold. The wax seal glistens wetly as it is pressed into Charlie’s hand.
Sitiri
An invitation to the Feast of Lust. Love optional. Attendance mandatory.
Charlie
Oh- um. Thanks, but I’m actually not really hungry.
Voice from Beyond
Both of the demon’s faces frown, offended by the concept.
Sitiri
Hunger is irrelevant. Thou must attend all six dinners, and then the final feast, or thou shalt remain here forever. Possibly sideways.
Charlie
Sideways????… Fine. If it gets me to heaven. So...where does the Lord Asmodeus live?
Sitiri
Ah. The Lady of Want. The Crowned Desire. The OneWithManyNamesButHatesHerRealOnes. Lady Cynthia or Lady Vienna! Whatever!
Charlie
Wha-
Voice from Beyond
Sitiri offers an arm. It has 2 thumbs and 5 fingers.
Sitiri
Come then, Lady Charlie of Questionable Pride. We shall lead thee to Her Grace!... and try not to lose any parts along the way.