FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

They took turns listening to music and playing games for the next two hours and some minutes... and then Zerrex took the headphones off and put the other pair on his head as the pilot began the landing procedures, listening in as he said clearly: "-Fifteen seconds to full touchdown, we have the subject and one bodyguard, maintain radio silence and secrecy, over. Code Alpha-Alpha-Theta-Gamma."

"Frequency change in ten seconds. You are cleared to land." replied another voice, and Zerrex wondered absently how all radio operators sounded the exact same. He figured voice modulation, but he wouldn't put it past Ire to hire a bunch of people just for voice talent and put them in the military. "Five seconds to frequency change."

Zerrex counted in his head, and sure enough there was a buzzing, then silence... and the moment later, they touched down with a gentle bump, and the pilot toggled a few switches before he leaned over from his seat, giving Zerrex a thumbs-up and a smile before he exited the cockpit. Zerrex and Cherry exchanged a look, and then the doors opened as the chopper blades whirred to a halt, invading their ears for only a moment before they shut down entirely, and now all Zerrex could see was a dark sky above, a few clouds visible against the velvet glow of the night.

Cherry handed him back his game player, and Zerrex turned it off before he stood up and hopped out of the plane with the demoness, and the two looked around. Four soldiers, all of them wearing Scanner armor... and they saluted as the pilot took off his helmet and threw it through the open door, talking with a male in a black uniform who quickly approached, the symbol of Ire on one breast and a bunch of military medals and credentials on the other. The canine nodded and the two saluted each other after a moment of talk, and then he approached Zerrex and bowed deeply, saying clearly: "Your majesty."

"Please, just Zerrex is fine." the Drakkaren glanced over him, figuring he was a General or Admiral or something big and important. He extended a hand, and the dog looked at him with surprise as the reptile said mildly: "So, I have to say I'm pretty impressed."

The black lab smiled, looking relieved, and then he took Zerrex's hand and pumped it firmly a few times: his grip was strong, but his palms were sweaty... although the reptile didn't blame him for being anxious. "Major-General Jonathan Fredericks, at your service, sir. I am glad to hear that my troops provided adequate welcome to you... but please, follow me. The President is very eager to meet with you, and he has some very high hopes for this meeting."

"So do I." Zerrex nodded, then he and Cherry followed him, the Drakkaren realizing a moment later they literally were on top of the Senate building, as they headed for an elevator built into a large white dome on the roof of the structure. He remembered this place... and although a few additions had been added, it was still the same tall, self-righteous structure it had been when Zerrex and the others had snuck inside, on their search for the so-called 'Sanctuary' where the Republic Council of Ire had hidden. There were bad memories here... especially since a lot of them led up to Zerrex's death.

Two guards saluted them by the elevator, then both turned and slid card keys through electronic locks at the same time, activating it. The doors slid open, and the General bowed for the two demons to enter first... and they both did so before he followed inside, where another soldier in BAD gear was already standing. The General exchanged a salute with him, and then the armored soldier turned and slid his own keycard through another lock, the doors sliding closed and a button panel appearing.

Zerrex looked thoughtfully at the soldier as he entered a code, looking over his armor: it looked thick and clunky, black metal overlaid with white plates and the BAD insignia in gold on the limbs and both front and back... but it was also very serious and very dangerous technology. The armor had a control system wired into their arms, and they were capable of hovering with cold thruster technology built into the boosters on their backs and feet, and of generating concentrated electrical charges in their hands that could be fired off like Zerrex's energy spheres and that could damage even demons.

There was also another variation of the BAD that could full-out fly, called the ABAD: Aerial Battle Augmentation Devices. The Drakkaren wondered for a moment if there would be more BAD and their permutations wherever they were going... and then the elevator dinged and the doors opened, and the General led them out into a plush, red-carpeted hallway with golden walls and expensive paintings hanging everywhere, soldiers posted at every doorway... and even the doors themselves looked like they probably cost as much as Zerrex's house did. "Please, this way."

Fredericks led them around the gentle curve of the hallway, then he stopped and turned around to bow to them, gesturing with both hands at a door guarded by soldiers in full BAD gear. Zerrex nodded and bowed slightly in return, and then he opened it as Cherry followed close behind, stepping into a white room with walls that were made of metal, BADs posted at all four corners of the room and two scientists white uniforms at a computer terminal attached to a body scanner device.

"For caution's sake, we'd like to scan both of you... this will also let us know what weaponry you are carrying." The scientist who was standing said mildly, looking down at his clipboard and jotting a note as Cherry looked back and forth with distaste. The other scientist was already tapping at the computer, and the scanner flickered before a green glow appeared between the bars. "Please, if you wouldn't mind? It's harmless, and we promise you we will not disarm you."

"Let me go first, Boss." Cherry muttered, and she stepped in front of Zerrex, gently pushing him back and walking fearlessly into the scanner... and her eyes roved back and forth as the glow intensified and the computer beeped a few times. The scientists examined this and muttered to each other, and then the scanner beeped... and Cherry looked back and forth in surprise as the scientist gestured for her to step away.

Zerrex stepped forwards without any hesitation, leaning on his cane... and when the scanning began, he felt a strange warmth on his scales, but also a buzzing almost inside his mind. Then it was over, and he stepped free... and the BADs standing by the doorway both turned and slid keycards through electronic readers, and the armored door opened to reveal a room beyond. Zerrex looked at the scientists, but they were muttering away and reading calculations out... and he shrugged a bit before motioning for Cherry to go ahead as she looked at him anxiously, obviously wanting to take the lead.

They walked through and into a room with a low, gentle lighting, and there were security guards in here standing with earpieces and sunglasses on, wearing tight suits overtop buff bodies that were probably also clad in bulletproof vests. The room was shaped like a bottle, and they were walking down the hall that formed the neck, Zerrex looking at the hand-woven red carpet underfoot and the gold-and-brown patterned walls, then up to the ceiling, where beautifully-shaped glass lights hung... before his eyes turned forwards again as Cherry was stopped by two large agents, one of them saying curtly as he gestured at a table: "Please put down all your weapons."

"Fuck you." Cherry replied mildly, but they remained impassive... and when she looked at Zerrex, she sighed and muttered something as she took off her jacket, shoving it into one to make him hold it as he winced and stumbled backwards, before she drew her guns and put them down on the table, followed by her whip. She crossed her arms, glaring up at the security agent, and the bear shrugged before he easily folded her jacket into a square and put it down.

Cherry rolled her eyes, then she stepped past them to moodily stand with her arms crossed, leaning against a wall beside another agent as Zerrex glanced down at his cane, and the agents traded a look before the Drakkaren took off his jacket and put it down, revealing that he didn't have anything else on him. He stepped forwards, and the agents looked uncertain, one of them muttering into the microphone on his collar... but then a mild voice said, from behind a curtain of hanging beads: "What matters not is the weapons in the hands of the warrior, but the weapons in his heart. Let him through."

The agents parted, and Zerrex stepped into the widened, open space: the body of the bottle. He looked curiously at the curtain of beads that hung halfway across the room, making a neat divide guarded by two agents on one side... and on the other, two more in some sort of enhanced BAD gear stood next to a figure sitting cross-legged on a pillow, smoking a cigarette on the end of a long, straight black holder. He held it nimbly between two fingers, and when he cleared his throat, the agents in front of the curtain quickly drew it back, before Travis Balthazar stood and smiled, bowing his head politely to Zerrex. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Zerrex Narrius... we've heard a lot about you. Now boys, I'd like to speak to the High King in quiet... you can all leave." He paused, then added with a sideways smile to Cherry. "Of course, your lovely consort can stay, if she desires."

The soldiers looked at each other nervously... and then Balthazar motioned at them impatiently, adding mildly: "If he wanted to kill me, we'd all be dead and none of you heroes could have laid a finger on him. Now please, get out, I'm anxious to get down to business."

With that, the agents finally filed out, and Cherry released a sigh of relief, immediately walking over to the table to start putting her weapons back on her body and wrinkling up her jacket before she slipped it on, looking pleased with herself. Balthazar and Zerrex, meanwhile, sized each other up, before the elderly male ferret sat back on his pillow, puffing quietly at his cigarette pipe before he put it aside, and he smiled as he reached down to pick up the end of a beautiful, glass and gold hookah pipe that sat in front of him, gesturing at the cushions piled at the side of the room. "May I offer you a seat? And please, do join me if you like: the nargile's pleasures are much different from the sour tobacco of the cigarette."

"Boss, can we, can we?" Cherry looked at Zerrex with childish, hopeful eyes, and the Drakkaren rolled his own before he smiled slightly and nodded, genuinely surprised. He knew little about customs, but this one he figured was a gesture of friendship from wherever the ferret was from originally... and he sat down, gazing over the ornate, beautiful pipe and the twisting design it took on leading up to a half-domed top with what Zerrex wasn't sure was the entrance or the exit to the device.

He soon realized the bowl structure held not tobacco, but some kind of herb, as he rose the end of what he supposed was the thing he was supposed to inhale through: it was on the end of a long, beautifully-decorated rose, shaped like a small pipe. Four of these sat around the pipe, one on each compass point, and the reptile noted there was also a little glass nozzle near the top of the bell-shaped pipe, where it led into that cyclone-shaped glass cylinder.

He watched the way Balthazar aligned his fingers on his own tube at the end of his hose, as Cherry took a pillow and sat down at the side, before she put one across from Balthazar and Zerrex sat down there, putting his cane aside... and he wondered for a moment if he was about to be poisoned before he watched Balthazar inhale deeply, then sigh contentedly as he exhaled, a bit of sweet-smelling smoke filling the air. Cherry went next, sucking on her pipe with little reserve and causing her cheeks to puff out, before she coughed a few times and hammered on her chest, but the good-natured ferret only favored her with a softly-amused look, before she asked curiously: "Is this drugs?"

"No, no, not at all." Balthazar laughed as Zerrex rose the pipe to his own muzzle, inhaling curiously... and a sweet, strange taste flooded his muzzle, tangy and yet gentle. He held it for a moment, then exhaled through his nostrils, and the ferret nodded to him as the reptile looked across at the President with interest. "The nargile is not a bong, miss, but it is a device from the home country of my forefathers... and it is customary to invite new friends to enjoy its gentle pleasures. The herbs are very hard to come by, but the hours of enjoyment they can give is well worth the effort... not that I can complain, with the surroundings you find me in."

He laughed a bit, and like the rest of his temperament, it was a good-natured, soft but easy laugh... and Zerrex smiled as he took another inhale, Balthazar looking across at him expectantly before the reptile said softly: "It's a very pleasant taste... I'm surprised to find out you aren't one of Ire's patriots, though, to be honest. And you'll have to excuse Cherry... she's a bit... excitable."

"Fuck you." Cherry said flatly, then she went back to sucking greedily on the pipe, and Zerrex only hoped she didn't break the damn thing before his eyes went back to Balthazar. He was taking it well, though... and he didn't seem at all disturbed by her behavior, as he absently smoothed out some wrinkles in his off-the-rack dress shirt, before he adjusted his seat... and the Drakkaren guessed he had to be around sixty years old, from the wrinkles in his face... but he could be younger or older. Gods knew what public office did to a person, after all.

"I don't wish to rush you towards business... Zerrex?" Balthazar said hesitantly, and when the reptile nodded, the President smiled warmly and nodded back. "Excellent. Zerrex, let us... take our time with things, if you have the time to spare. I can order us in anything you like as we talk to make negotiations more comfortable... tea, or coffee if you prefer, and perhaps a meal later on."

"That sounds good to me... besides, I like to get to know people." Zerrex replied with a slight smile, as Balthazar took a slow inhale on the pipe. The reptile looked at his hazel eyes, seeing both wisdom and intelligence in them... and of course, calculation, but it wasn't of a malicious kind. "Tell me a bit about yourself... I heard you were a professor, for example."

"Yes, of socioeconomics... my specialty being cultural conflict, which is part of why I believe I was appointed." the ferret said in his soft voice, nodding slowly. He took a slow draw on the pipe, held it for a moment, then continued on, a bit of a smile spreading over his features. "Teaching has always been my passion... well, that and my enthusiasm to... better the world. Of course, now that I am here, I find out that bettering the world is a very hard thing to do."

He chuckled a bit, shaking his head slowly. "But before I digress, yes. I was just finishing my degree when Hez'Rannan war broke out... and I ended up teaching at the university I finished my degree at, living mostly underground like many of the other scared students. Of course, once the war reached us, nothing could stop the Dragokkaren from tearing apart the tunnels like they were so much paper, whether the walls were stone or steel. We were all boxed up, I remember, inside our own university... the guards fed us regularly, and I did the only thing I could do to keep sane: I studied them, and studied the environment, and continued to teach. Not socioeconomics, of course, since such things in the time of war are interesting only to the outsider. That war taught me a lot, you see, Zerrex: it taught me that our academic study of wars, whether they be cultural, religious, or wars of simple, uninspired hatred... is crueler than the iron blade or even the fiery bomb. We have looked too long and too hard at war merely as the events which transpired once upon a time, that we can now analyze to gain 'understanding' from, when it is not understanding we seek... but academic qualification of circumstance, to back our own essays and beliefs."

He paused for a moment to draw on the pipe, Zerrex taking his own slow pull before the ferret smiled at him again: it was a sad smile, however. "I must admit, that at first I tried to consider the social contrast, change in climate, and other variables... that I have notes I keep still to this day, in an old binder I found in those ghostly halls, that are purely academic and speculative... and I realize that back then, I was without reverence. I became too mixed-up in the value of... words over actions, and that I was justified in my thoughts because I could argue with strong rhetoric for or against a topic. Yet once I have heard it said, that a person who has the ability to speak, should always speak on behalf of what is good and just: he who uses his talent to speak against the innocent and twist the minds of others into unfit positions is himself, an unfit being.

"Telling you that the Great War was caused by certain social paradigms that developed after the stigmatization of the Hez'Rannan locale sounds intelligent. Saying that the Hez'Rannan war was caused by a very bad person who did some very bad things, on the other hand, is a little more correct, and benefits from being simple." Balthazar tapped on his temple, and Cherry grunted in agreement as Zerrex nodded grimly. "I hear from a certain auspicious friend of mine that you had some part in that war yourself, Zerrex... so I am sure you are well-aware of the conditions that Hez'Ranna endured during that time itself, although I have seen from most of the old history books that Ire has... created a one-sided mirror on that issue."

Cherry snorted and grinned, leaning back as she exhaled a ridiculous amount of smoke, saying amusedly: "Yeah, that's putting it lightly. Dude, the Boss was the one who killed Narrius and dropped Paradise like the fucking bomb it was." She paused and winced away at Zerrex's sour look. "He's uh. A little touchy about that sorta shit though. Yeah. Hey, continue, you've got a nice voice and I feel all mellow and shit. I can see why people dig your drugs."

Balthazar didn't look the slightest bit perturbed as he nodded, then he glanced across at Zerrex with a bit of a smile. "So you see, in short, the Great War taught me something important... although I lost many friends, I gained a new insight into the world, and am careful to not overanalyze what is real. I am still told by my friends, of course, that sometimes I take movies and books a little bit too seriously... but I believe we all have our flaws, do we not?"

"Flaws are what make people people." Zerrex replied with soft entertainment, and he took another slow draw of the pipe as the ferret chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. So far, Zerrex liked him... and Balthazar didn't set off any of his usual alarms politicians or teachers in general usually did.

"This is true. But after the Great War, I went back to teaching... not only my usual classes, but I also began to teach Dragokkaren from Hez'Ranna about Irenic culture and how to adapt to the world in general. Although at first I was scared of them, I also wanted to make a difference... and furthermore, once I began to know them better, from a point of view apart from Ire's clouded glass eyes, I realized they too, were victims. Victims of a tyrant, oppressed and controlled... and so I became more confident in my teaching, and more steadfast in my want to improve their lives.

"When the Demon War began, I was out of the danger zone... you see, Lochaber University is to the south of here, and when it was repaired and fortified after the Great War, it was built into almost a fortress. It was very safe, and now, of course, only the exceptional and the privileged were in attendance, and my classes were especially small, with the classes I taught." He paused meditatively, adding softly: "Of course, I can only wish as a professor that my classes had been more the exceptional than those with disposable income... but sadly, that was not the case. So when the Demon War began, the parents of those children wanted their young progeny to be kept safe... and the university's defenses were built up and up and up.

"Of course, mortal walls are of little use against a demon, as I am sure you know..." He smiled a bit, nodding to them with a look of soft entertainment. "But they made the students feel more secure... as did the security details that the university hired. Questionable people, with questionable principles... and only after the war did I discover they were private military soldiers, trained by corporations owned by the parents of several of the students, with the children of many more investors also in attendance at said institution. They were despicable people for the most part... and those whom did display a glimmer of goodness were, of course, summarily removed from duty by means I to this very day fear to discover."

He paused to take a gentle draw on his pipe, and Cherry frowned, tilting her head forwards as Zerrex played his pipe between his fingers, remembering how vicious those mercenaries had been. Then the ferret cleared his throat and looked from one to the other, saying softly: "The university became a military compound. Not true military, but a base for those PMCs... and when Ire turned upon itself like a rabid and hungry animal, thus did the PMCs turn on us. Those mercenaries destroyed countless works of art, ravaged the halls of what had once been a glorious place of learning, and subjugated most of us. There were more than enough rooms in the old dorms for all of us, professors and students both, and the dormitories became our prisons, often putting us in several to a single room despite there being space for a small city amongst all the buildings.

"And from our plush and crowded cell, we were able to watch as they captured both demons and other people, as they took some of us out to kill and others to rape and others to simply beat when they were bored, and that became our life." He halted, then shook his head slowly. "The barbarity of a savage animal has never left our bodies, I think some days... and ironic that those close to nature are the most civilized, while those who live in these technological marvels furthest from it that are among the most brutish.

"At the end of the war, when all was lost for the corporations that had spent all their money building and training these raiders and barbarians, it was not just the military that saved us, but vigilantes... most of them demons. They stood up to the PMCs and their diminishing ammo supplies, and rescued us from what had become prison complexes before the slime could blow apart the entire university, campus to dormitories to anything else they could wire with explosives." He shook his head in slow disgust, his eyes sad. "But all of us survived, and that was what mattered."

He stopped, and for a few moments there was silence before he smiled, looking up and saying softly: "But I cannot say it's been all bad, obviously... my occupation now is that of President, after all, and of Ire... a country that hated my kind and my people ever since my ancestors made their presence in the shifting sands known. My evolution to this position has taught me many things, and I discover now that every day, my fur grows a bit greyer as I try to figure out what to do with this once-proudly-intolerant country, to... if you will pardon the expression... bring mortal values to a place that was once hellish."

"You have a noble pursuit..." Zerrex said softly, and he nodded slowly as he sat back a bit, before he automatically rubbed slowly at his right arm. He paused, then rolled up his sleeve, showing the ferret the tattoo as he smiled a bit. "Once, I was a prisoner too, in Hez'Ranna, of a person named Mengele Tstegi. This swastika is his signature... and although once a lucky star, a symbol of righteousness, the ancient and crumbled Nazi regime brought all that to an end. Whenever people look at me, the first thing they always think is that I'm some kind of monster, just like if they find out I'm a demon. But I'm not going to scrape the scales from my arm and change who I am just to change people's assumptions about me... I am who I am, and that's that. This tattoo... it's... part of me now, part of my character. And why can't it mean good again? Many lives were lost... but many more lives than that were lost in the pursuit of the Unity religion, and the sacred cowl and their colors and their churches are still everywhere throughout the land. When I look at this, I remember those who suffered in all the wars I have fought... and when I look at this and see that it sits upon my body as well as the enemy's, I think about how... they have suffered too, and the cruelties we did them as much as the pain they have caused us."

The ferret nodded slowly, and then he said with soft entertainment: "You are every bit as Commander Albatross said you would be, Zerrex... a philosopher to the last, a warrior-poet and friend to those in need. I too, have seen suffering on either side... when I was only a child, I have seen my father beaten and my home burnt down by those who would blame us for the actions of a small few of my people, who did terrible things for terrible reasons that I do not and never shall agree with." Balthazar paused, then he gestured at him, asking curiously: "If I may ask, how did you become the High King?"

"In Hell, there's a place called the Central Spire... it's the dead-center of Hell, and it rises literally to our sky above." Zerrex said quietly, smiling a bit. "At the very top of this spire, near the ceiling of the sky - because in Hell, the sky is like a rooftop, instead of space - there was a sealed Throne, the Central Throne. Whoever could break the pillar would become the High King... and I..."

He stopped, trying to get his thoughts in order, and he inhaled some of the sweet stuff from the nargile, closing his eyes and making his thoughts align as the sweet smoke wafted through his nostrils. "I touched it, but nothing happened. But... when things... came to a head, and I fought and defeated the people who had started this whole war, and then a... my son, who had been born a ruthless killer with terrible power... I dunno. The pillar cracked apart the next time I touched it." He shook his head, smiling a bit. "It all sounds so surreal and ridiculous. It was predicted by some prophecy, and..."

He broke off, looking lame and rubbing at his head, but the ferret only nodded, saying kindly: "So in a way, we were both chosen for our attempts to better society as a whole, were we not? I feel that while you and I have great differences between us, we are also similar, Zerrex. Yet I also fear that you have a courage I do not understand... and that your strength of will, perhaps, is the characteristic that has carried you through many things I am very well aware not I, nor any other, could survive."

"Dude, I don't understand half the shit you say, but I'm glad to hear you dig the Boss." Cherry said amiably, sitting back and nodding before she rose the pipe to her muzzle, and she inhaled greedily again, before she let out a sigh of pleasure, looking giddy. "Holy fuck, this is some good shit, though. But hey, have you two ladies gotten to know each other good enough yet, or you gonna get down to business?"

"Although she displays a... very particular use of words, I feel Miss Cherry makes an important point." Balthazar said, giving Cherry a quietly-entertained look. "Shall we begin negotiations concerning the current list of issues confronting both the supernatural planes and the mortal one, Zerrex? I full well understand, of course, that you cannot speak for Heaven... but angels concern me less at this point than demons, by which I mean you no offense: it is only that angels are greeted more often with favorable responses than negative, while demons..."

The reptile nodded, making a bit of a face. "No, no, believe me, I agree. I have some issues of my own I feel I should bring to your attention, though... concerning not only demons, however, but mortals as well."

Balthazar didn't look surprised, nodding as he sat up and said calmly: "I wish I could say that it shocked me... but after witnessing that which mortals are capable of doing to each other, I must say I would be more concerned if you had no qualms with mortals to discuss with me." He paused, then smiled a bit, tilting his head towards Zerrex. "But I do not wish to be a rude host, either... shall I order us a small meal? Often, a discussion goes better with a light snack."

Cherry opened her mouth, and Zerrex held up a hand, immediately saying: "Not that I don't appreciate it, but demons don't need to eat-"

"And I don't need to smoke, but I often feel far more comfortable when I do. It's no trouble at all, truly." Balthazar replied eloquently, and Zerrex couldn't figure out a way to argue with this reasoning, before he smiled amusedly as the ferret added: "Besides, I'm sure by now my security team is attempting to run all manner of illegal scans upon this fortified room. Much as I appreciate their concern, they are also remnants of Ire's old training program... and trust is something they used to work very hard at stomping out in their soldiers. If we order something, then they will have a chance to check up on us and their worries may be soothed."

"Fuck yeah they did." Cherry snorted, then she shoved Zerrex over when he opened his mouth, the reptile blushing deeply at her behavior as she began to list things off on her fingers. "So we need coffee, burgers, something chocolaty, I really crave chocolate right now, uh... more of this shit right here, this is damn good shit, and uh-"

"Pardon me, Miss Cherry, I was inquiring as to what Zerrex would like first." Balthazar said gently, and the Drakkaren sat up and grinned at the expression on her face as she was so easily overridden by the soft but strong voice of the ferret; it was even enough to make him forget his embarrassment. "Shall I order us something light, then? Coffee and garlic bread, perhaps, to start with: we can always ask them for more later."

Zerrex nodded, smiling across at him before he reached out and grabbed Cherry's muzzle, shutting it firmly before she could do something stupid again. "That would be perfect, yes. Thank you, Balthazar."

"Balthazar... I haven't been called by my last name alone since high school." The ferret looked at Zerrex with a quiet laugh, nodding as reached for a radio wired into the wall, taking it down and depressing a button on the side. "It brings back pleasant memories... pardon me, would you be so kind as to bring us up some garlic bread and coffee from the kitchens? And excuse me, Zerrex... would you like melted cheese as well?"

The reptile nodded, and Balthazar affirmed this into the radio... and even before he could replace the radio in the wall, there was a knock at the door before two agents entered, one carrying a large covered tray and the other a large carafe of coffee and three mugs. They set both of these down near the President, then left as suddenly as they'd appeared, closing the door behind themselves as Zerrex looked at the ferret, who shrugged and smiled, although there was a hint of ruefulness in it. "It happens to be my favorite snack, I must selfishly admit..."

It would have been suspicious if Zerrex didn't know how Ire worked... and Cherry jerked a thumb at the door, saying hopefully: "Can I go see if they got more food out there?"

"Go right ahead, Cherry." Zerrex said mildly, knowing that would at least keep the guards busy... and more importantly, Cherry occupied. The demonesses nodded and leapt up to her feet, heading quickly for the door, and then the Drakkarne turned his eyes back to Balthazar, saying mildly: "I hope you don't mind. It's probably better for everyone if she's able to make mischief somewhere."

"It's understandable." Balthazar poured two mugs of coffee, and then he held one of these out to Zerrex, saying apologetically: "Sorry. No cream and sugar. Apparently it's too easy to hide poison in them, and the bodyguards constantly fret about my safety."

"No worries. And I'm surprised you don't... demons roaming the world, undead crawling out of graves, political activists making trouble and all sorts of crazy things abound in this world..." Zerrex sipped at his coffee, then he smiled slightly, tilting his head. "Or are you one of those people who's anxious to die?"

The ferret simply shrugged at this, however, smiling placidly. "When I die, I shall die... and nothing shall stop that. But until I die, I plan to live... and I find that all these safeguards and bodyguards and such simply get in the way of permitting me to do that. I've already spent too many years either as a prisoner of war or trapped inside a fortress, and I truly have no wish to continue to be a prisoner in my own home."

Zerrex nodded back at this after a moment, and then Balthazar cleared his throat, saying kindly: "But perhaps we should move on to business, while we have the room to ourselves. Since I was the one who called this meeting, perhaps you should put your business on the table first, and we can discuss them and work out a fair deal."

The reptile nodded, and for the next few hours, the two talked: they were half-interrupted some forty minutes later by Cherry coming back inside with a large assortment of different food on a plate, but once she saw they were talking seriously, she only sat back and didn't interrupt. Zerrex was glad that Balthazar's intelligence extended to his negotiating skills, and that was he was generous and kind... and although he asked a few things in return the reptile thought would be a bit difficult... he was willing to try and follow through with them, because he knew some of the things he wanted in return were probably a bit troubling.

In return for demons obtaining travel papers and some kind of special license, Balthazar was willing to grant a limited amount of demons the freedom to move back and forth between the planes... but only on the condition that initially, only non-threatening demons be permitted through. Demons with limited abilities on the mortal planes and who didn't look exceptionally dangerous... but after a trial run, Balthazar said he'd be willing to meet me with Hell's High Thrones, if only to demonstrate that they weren't dangerous monsters.

The ferret also wanted a certain number of demons to return to Hell through the portals... and for Zerrex to take the demonic prisoners that the Scanners had captured back down to Hell. This last, he noted, wasn't just for the safety of the people, but for the safety of the demons themselves: he was well aware that in several areas of Ire, the Scanners had taken to using tactics that were not exactly in accordance with most world conventions.

Zerrex had rules of his own he wanted to lay down, however, which included better monitoring and training of the Scanners, and he wanted to create a legal import-export ring, as Hell had plenty of crops and food and other goods it could share with the mortal realm in return for some electronic luxuries. Balthazar liked this idea, and they broke off on a tangent for a little while about farming down in Hell... and then there was quiet except for the sound of Cherry loudly chewing up a hamburger, before Balthazar asked him gently: "And was there an issue you mentioned you wanted to bring up? Something you had a personal stake in, I believe, but thought I would benefit from hearing about."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, rubbing at his forehead slowly before he sighed and shook his head. "Many years ago, mortal magicians found a way to condense demonic energy into crystallized format: by treating their bodies to a process, they were able to make these crystals that let them use demonic magic on the physical plane, and the art was never discovered by either demons or angels. It was thought lost... but now, here we are millennia later, and it turns out that someone's been making demons into crystal again, probably using technology to amplify the process or just speed things up.

"Whoever's behind this is at Wulfe Pharmaceuticals... I've found crates of their stuff all around Hell, and they've been hiding crystals in pieces of crappy art, among other things." Zerrex made a face, shaking his head slowly. "They've also been shipping very sensitive, very immoral, and very illegal technologies way downstairs... cloning machinery, high-grade weapon systems, and a few other things demons shouldn't be playing with."

"Things no one should be playing with, it sounds like." Balthazar said thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his cheek slowly. "Wulfe Pharmaceuticals... they're based in Lunis, correct? If Ire makes any sort of move against Lunis, even to blockade a company with a questionable reputation from making sales inside our borders, the World Council will come down on us with all manner of sanctions, whether we're correct or not. Too many wounds are still open, you must understand: no one is willing to forgive what our predecessors did."

Zerrex nodded, feeling unsurprised before he continued quietly: "Lately, we've been putting a stop to smuggling rings down in Hell... not just items, but people and demons too. The rings we've stopped have all had lots of Wulfe company stuff, from crates to weapons and equipment, and I think they're exploiting demons for cheap labor or just kidnapping them to turn their bodies into crystal. Either way, I need to get to Lunis quickly and quietly, and I was hoping you could help me with that."

Balthazar looked troubled, rubbing slowly at his chin. "Zerrex... that sounds more like a military operation than I like to think. These things take time, the consequences of our actions must be weighed, and I don't wish to appear like my predecessors to have a 'shoot first, ask questions later' mentality. Lunis, in any case, is nearly inaccessible even for Ire... they would quickly discover you're a demon and we'd all end up in a whole new mess."

The Drakkaren took a calming breath, and then he looked at the ferret and said quietly: "My daughter made a mistake, and hurt a little friend of mine... and she ran away, upset with herself. She went through one of the smuggling bases, and I need to save her. I want to do this a proper way instead of my ugly old-fashioned way, Balthazar... and you can help me. This is a personal favor, and I'll owe you big time... and this isn't just for me and her. This is for all those demons who've been tricked into following the flashing lights right to the slaughterhouse. Can't we work this out?"

The ferret took a few minutes to smoke quietly at the nargile, frowning in thought as he patted a hand quietly against his knee... and then finally, he sighed as he relented, saying across to Zerrex softly: "You're as difficult as Commander Albatross said you would be, Zerrex... bullheaded, childish, determined, and painfully right when it comes to questions of morals, whatever logic decrees otherwise. I am unfamiliar with military operations, however, so you'll have to guide me through this process... and much as I dislike the idea of them, I suppose as President of Ire, I should have a working knowledge."

"It's a simpler thing than you might think. I don't need much, just something with enough stealth to get us past the borders... or that will create enough interference their special scanning devices won't be able to pick us up." Zerrex smiled a bit at the ferret, who still looked troubled. "If it bothers you so much, just patch me through to Albatross... it's been a while since we've talked but he'll know what to do."

Balthazar nodded a bit, murmuring thoughtfully: "Hez'Ranna and Lunis have developed a good relationship... it feels underhanded to abuse their trust, however." He paused, looking at Zerrex for a few moments with a measuring draw of his eyes. "Tell me, Zerrex. Are things always so complex?"

"We lie to avoid hurting the people we care about. Countries aren't a whole lot different..." The Drakkaren shrugged, looking faintly amused. "The problems are communication and control. Countries naturally don't trust each other, and politicians... at least in the past... have been delighted when they can blame another country for one of their own failings, since it means that they don't have to take the heat themselves. Terrorism, for example... it's easy to say: 'all the terrorists come from Lailland, they harbor them there' when in fact we all know that terrorists following their own sects and beliefs and that they're often harbored by political extremists with money and power... or large-size corporations. Both of which, of course, provide them with all the money they need to purchase training equipment."

"And they frequently purchase their gear in the same country they're engaged in attacking, from companies looking to make a large profit from under-the-tables sales of equipment they can they get additional reimbursement from or treat as a tax write-off by saying it was stolen." Balthazar continued calmly, nodding slowly. "Terrorist culture was what my original thesis was on for when I applied for my honors courses... most of it understanding that terrorists are not only people who believe very strongly in a religious or philosophical ideal, but often victims of manipulation from a powerful, charismatic leader whose interest isn't to actually propagate that ideal, but to fuel hatred and violence and use as a means to gain power, affluence and wealth."

Zerrex nodded, then he said quietly: "But back to the point... see, if you told Lunis that you had discovered a serious issue with Wulfe Pharmaceuticals, and that you were sending two demons over to investigate their claims... Tobias Wulfe would lock his corporation down, summon his private military, and create a media storm that would make all of Lunis want to lynch us. Sometimes, when you're dealing with a disease, the best method is to move in quickly and quietly in order to exterminate it before the patient realizes what's happening. I don't want to put you in an awkward position, Balthazar... but equally, I... gotta do what I gotta do."

"I understand, Zerrex... and I only wish you all the best of luck in this endeavor." Balthazar took another short inhale on his pipe, and he held it for a few moments in his mouth before he blew a smoke ring, and he smiled tiredly as he looked across at the Drakkaren. "You have the look of a person who feels that they have betrayed a friend on your face, Zerrex... but I myself feel like more like a hypocrite with every passing moment. Too afraid to do anything, and yet wanting always to change the world; I'm beginning to fear I see the reason why I was put into this position of power."

"Don't be hard on yourself, Balthazar... this is a hell of a thing I'm asking, and from what I've seen, you've done incredibly well with Ire, considering what you had to start with." Zerrex replied quietly but firmly, and it earned him a small smile from the ferret before the Drakkaren glanced over his shoulder at Cherry, who nodded as she shoved a taco into her muzzle and chewed it up, swallowing with a wince as the male looked back at the President. "I think we've taken up enough of your time, though... unless you have anything else to add, of course. We can always get back to things later."

"Then please, be my guests and stay the night here in the city... I've taken the liberty of reserving you two rooms at the Burgundy Resort Hotel, the nicest place I could find within an acceptable distance." The ferret stood up as Zerrex and Cherry did the same, and then he extended a hand, saying softly: "It was a pleasure to meet you, Zerrex... and you as well, Cherry. I'm hoping we can continue our discussion tomorrow with better things in mind."

"Me too." Zerrex took his hand gently and shook it, and then he motioned for Cherry to go ahead as he picked up his cane and turned around, smiling a bit as Balthazar reached up to grasp his shoulder amiably, walking with him towards the exit. The lizard snagged his jacket as they passed it, and then he added softly: "It's nice to see someone competent in charge for a change, Balthazar. I'm sure you'll do fine with the nastier aspects of the job once you get to learn them."

"I hope not. I'd prefer to only be good at the more-pleasant parts of it." the ferret nodded politely to him, and Zerrex nodded ruefully, looking entertained before they paused at the open door, and Balthazar smiled a bit, saying with soft entertainment: "Well, Zerrex, I'd best return to my padded prison cell before the agents grow suspicious. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." Zerrex nodded again as the ferret turned around, and then he threw his jacket over his shoulder as the agents glared at him, the reptile leaning a bit on his cane as he looked mildly around at them all. Cherry, thankfully, was already waiting at the open door ahead, whistling a bit but her eyes dark and suspicious of the Irenic bodyguards... and then the Drakkaren calmly strode past them and out into the hall, where another uniformed soldier was waiting for them.

"Sir and madam, please, follow me. There's a car waiting out front for you." With the cultured accent of his voice, Zerrex felt like he and Cherry were being led to a table by a waiter, despite his black uniform and the medals of honor on his chest... and Cherry was already grinning widely, her eyes full of mischief as they followed the serious-looking rabbit down the hallway.

Thankfully, Zerrex managed to keep her from doing anything too stupid before they exited the Marble Dome, but he thought that the fact they both found it extremely weird to be walking down these front steps and be perfectly accepted by the BAD guards on either side of them had something to do with Cherry behaving herself. Neither of them wanted to tangle with platoons of soldiers at the moment, after all... even if that was mostly because it would be an insult to their generous host.

Zerrex was somehow unsurprised to find that the 'car' waiting for them was an armored limousine, and a driver in a pristine suit opened the door for them, his expression calm and serious and placid, as if this was just like every other job he'd ever had. The two climbed into the back, and immediately, Cherry made for the television and mini-fridge, which was stocked with all manner of beverages. "Hey, Boss, you want a Frost?"

"Sure." Zerrex caught one when Cherry tossed it to him, and then she pulled out a bottle of apple juice. It made the reptile frown a bit, wondering what she was doing... and then he winced when she next pulled out a small box of cream from the fridge, and the Drakkaren snapped: "Don't even think about it!"

Cherry looked at him defiantly... and then winced when he glared at her, quickly putting both away and mumbling about how he ruined all her fun before she finally pulled out a bottle of some sort of energy drink, closing the door and sitting on the floor as she began to poke at the television controls. The driver, meanwhile, rolled down the armored window that separated them as Zerrex leaned back to glance at the controls on the roof. "Twenty minutes to destination, sir and madam... would you like to make any stops on the way?"

"Dude, let's go through a drive-thru!" Cherry looked up with a grin, and Zerrex tried to glare at her... but then he finally shrugged and nodded, feeling entertained. The driver ahead of them looked surprised at this... and then Cherry got up on her knees, grabbing the edge of the divider and grinning at him as she said cheerfully: "Come on, dude, take us to get some stellar coffee somewhere first, and then we're totally ridin' this thing through a Happy Burger or whatever."

"Well, you heard the lady. Or bitch, whichever you want to call her." Zerrex said mildly, shrugging a bit as he reached down and checked his wallet. "What the hell, we might as well find the nearest Donut Republic. I'll even buy you a coffee."

"Uh... thank you, sir?" The driver looked confused for a moment, and then he smiled hesitantly when he realized the two weren't kidding, driving away from the Senate Building as he tapped something into the GPS on his headboard and saying clearly: "Fifteen minutes to destination."

The ride was smooth and pleasant, and the bloodhound driving them loosened up considerably as he expertly guided the limousine through the two drive-thru locations they settled on. In what felt like no time, the driver - Walker Parkers was his name, from deep southern Ire - Cherry, and Zerrex were all sitting placidly on the armored limo, parked in a parking lot across from the Burgundy Resort, where a uniformed guard standing by the golden doors leading in was watching them suspiciously. They were all munching on hamburgers and drinking coffee - and Zerrex had an extra-large cola nearby, while Cherry had a milkshake - and then Walker looked up, asking again with a grin: "So seriously, you guys are demons?"

"Zerrex, do the tentacle thing." Cherry said through a mouthful of food, and Zerrex made a face at her before he rolled his eyes. Then, instead, he held his right hand out in front of Walker... and a moment later, his scales fell away and peeled back as the thick, warped rocky structure of the stuff beneath emerged, forming into a twisted claw for a moment before it returned to normal.

"Holy shit." Walker stared, then he looked up at Zerrex, then over at Cherry, asking dumbly: "And you guys are important, right?"

"My tits are important. Me, I'm more like. Super-important. Awesome-important." Cherry said proudly, then she winced when Zerrex reached out and flicked her fins, making her grunt and then huff. "Dickhead."

The Drakkaren shrugged, then he said mildly: "We're important enough. More envoys of Hell than anything else... you know, discussing stuff with the president, but not acting on a whole lot, just uh... laying a groundwork, that's the fancy catchphrase the politicians use, right?" He glanced over at Walker curiously, who just shrugged, still looking enthralled. "Anyway, neither of us is pureblood demon... we were both mortals a long time ago. Well... not that long ago in mortal years, but a long time ago for me and her."

Walker nodded a few times, then he asked bluntly: "So what do you do with people who go and do bad shit just so they can become demons when they die?"

Zerrex paused at this, and Cherry cleared her throat and looked awkwardly away, before the reptile admitted finally: "We haven't really thought of anything good for that, yet... I mean, like. Everyone gets punished in Hell for doin' bad stuff, and that's enough for a lot of them... but its hard dealing with the really stupid ones, you know? The best we've come up with so far is putting them into a prison or denying them demonhood... and it's not that it's all that complicated, it's just that it's..."

"Like dealin' with someone who likes punishment, you don't know what the hell to do with them 'cause yelling at them or slapping them just gives them that attention they want." Walker supplied, and Zerrex nodded, smiling slightly as he finished up his cheeseburger. "I used to have a friend like that way back at home. People did everything they could to deal with him, but he was just a pain in the ass. Finally, an old priest came to town, on some pilgrimage, and when my friend messed with his saddlebag, all the priest did was pat him on the head, told him he wasn't mad, and walked away. And damn did that ever upset Hal, and he went chasin' after him, wanting to know what the hell that was for and all this stuff... so when the priest did talk to him, kid listened. He actually listened, and started feeling bad about what he did, you know? It's all about-"

"Understanding." Zerrex finished, nodding and smiling warmly across at Walker as he slapped his own knee lightly, ignoring the bolt of pain it sent through him and pretending it was due to the fact his hand was rock covered by scale, not because his bad leg was acting up again. "That's exactly it! You know... you might have a really good idea there. I'm going to make sure I suggest we start doing treatments based around that with a sample group in Hell and see how they take to it... you have a hell of a head on your shoulders for a driver, Walker."

"Well, you know how it is... after the war, you take whatever job you can get." The dog smiled at them, then he slipped off the hood of the limo and stretched, tossing his now-empty burger wrapper on the ground and wiping his hands together as he gazed over at Zerrex admiringly. "Thanks for the good time well spent, you two. I'd better head back to work now, though, before they miss me too much... I'm supposed to drive President Balthazar home and I wanna make sure I get back to the Marble Dome in time to pick him up."

Zerrex nodded, and the two rose their hands to the dog as they crossed the street, the reptile glancing back over his shoulder to watch as the bloodhound got into the limo and pulled after a few moments. Then they both turned their attention back to the attendant at the door, who was staring at them with horror as Cherry stuck her tongue out at him before proudly stomping past and shoving her way into the lobby, the Drakkaren sighing as he followed and absently flicking a quarter to the attendant as he passed.

The lobby itself was grand and sprawling, with a completely unnecessary fountain near the middle of the broad, slanted rectangular room and several massive glass chandeliers hanging from a high ceiling. The two looked back and forth, and then a canine of some kind in a suit approached them, clapping his hands twice as he said distastefully: "We have a policy here about loitering..."

Two burly security guards appeared beside him in moments, both of them wearing riot gear and heavy Kevlar helms, and Zerrex glanced over his shoulder as he felt the presence of two more behind them. They had guns in holsters at their sides, and one of them was beating the metal end of a stun rod slowly against a rubber-gloved hand... and then Zerrex said pleasantly, as a few of the milling, idle rich around them watched with interest: "President Balthazar made a reservation for us here... Cherry and Zerrex Narrius. Why don't you check the registry?"

"Phillip!" The tuxedoed dog turned, grimacing at the youth in a similar suit behind the counter, who immediately turned beet red and quailed. "Phillip, check the registry for the name 'Narrius,' and be quick about it!" He paused, then turned his eyes back to Zerrex, saying in a cold voice: "If you're lying, I'd hasten out of here... my staff are very anxious to ensure this stays a five-star resort, and we don't need your kind around here."

"Dude, you don't even know what kind we are yet." Cherry replied darkly, her eyes flashing... and then a security guard reached out and grabbed her shoulder, and she immediately slammed an elbow back into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him before she threw her fist backwards to connect solidly with his vulnerable muzzle, sending up a spray of blood as his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed in a heap. Immediately the other security guards went for their guns, but Zerrex reached out a hand and snagged the handgun of the soldier in front, holding it by the slide to stop the weapon from firing even as the guard tried to pull the trigger, as with his other hand he swept his cane out behind him to smash in the leg of another.

He went down with a scream, his shin-guard shattering as he dropped to one knee and clutched at his broken leg, and then Zerrex twisted the handgun the other guard had tried to pull on him out of his hand and spun it easily around to point it at the tall dragon's face, the male holding up both of his hands instantly with a wince. Cherry, meanwhile, was grinning savagely, one of her revolvers shoved up into the throat of the other guard and his stun rod gripped in her hand, sending sparks of electricity uselessly along the female's arm as she grunted, making her fingers and muscles flex and spasm even as she held on gamely. "Shit like this just pisses me off, motherfucker... now turn it off before I rip your goddamn intestines out."

The canine in the tuxedo didn't look impressed... but there was fear in his eyes, as he backed up and muttered something into a microphone hidden in his collar, and Zerrex's own eyes sharpened before he made a face as armored soldiers streamed out of doors marked 'Employees Only' within a few seconds, both himself and Cherry stepping backwards but keeping their aim on the security guards in front of themselves. The soldiers were all dressed the same, clad in tactical gear more police-issue than military... but all of them were holding heavy, cheap rifles, and they completely encircled the two as Cherry flicked her fingers a few times before she let her arm hang loosely at her side, black burns visible on the scale as she muttered: "Dude, I don't think we're welcome here."

"They are on the guest registry, sir." Phillip, the little male at the desk murmured, but in the silence, his voice carried throughout the entire lobby... as did the hard slap of his boss, which was enough to knock the small male out of the chair at the desk. Cherry snarled at this, but Zerrex shook his head slightly, despite his own eyes visibly darkening: he wanted to bide his time and see what the tuxedoed canine did about this situation first. There are other ways than direct, indiscriminate violence to solve a confrontation.

The canine composed himself after a moment, and then he turned towards them, leaning on the counter as he said in a calm, cold voice: "The Burgundy Resort reserves the right to refuse problematic clients to its establishment. You two are very obviously problematic, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately."

"No. You attacked us. The problem here is with you... or do you make it a habit to assault your clientele?" Zerrex asked, he and Cherry still holding their aim at the disarmed security guards. With the dark blush that suffused the canine's cheeks at his words, however, he felt like he had more cards than the two obviously-expendable soldiers of fortune; and then he smiled grimly, glancing at some of the gawking rich people still watching the events unfolding. Much as he hated them, they were also powerful gambits if used properly... and he asked mildly: "How about you, ma'am? I'm on direct orders here from the President, and you saw what they tried to do to me. How long until they go after your fortunes?"

"I never!" the female exclaimed, but simple-minded instincts were now kicking in: the lizard, however uncouth and rough he appeared to be, knew the President, which automatically made him important. And this important person just warned her about the far-scarier - at the moment, anyway - security guards and their nasty-looking boss possibly stealing her money. It made her suddenly seem apprehensive... and then she took off with several of the other rich people for the elevators, and Zerrex grinned as he recognized he'd just successfully smeared the hotel. And to the canine, the hotel and its reputation was obviously everything, as he trembled with rage and snarled furiously at the Drakkaren.

Then, before the reptile could plot his next move, the doors were thrown open and a cadre of armored soldiers with far-better equipment than the security guards marched inside, and the wolf stared in horror as two of them immediately ran up to the closest guards and grabbed them before slamming them into the ground, the other guards looking confused and shocked as the soldiers took aim at them as they flooded through the gap the first two assaulters had made, expertly forming a protective circle around the two reptiles.

A moment later, the general they had met earlier at the Marble Dome walked in, and he quickly approached Cherry and Zerrex before striking a rigid salute to them, saying clearly: "President Balthazar sends his regards, sir! He decided a military patrol might be in order in this area to benefit your safety, and I am very glad to have arrived in time to offer you assistance, sir!"

General Fredericks paused, then the black lab excused himself before he stomped past the soldiers to the tuxedoed canine, who was standing at the elevator and hammering the up button as hard as he could, before he paled when the General grabbed him by the lapels of his suit and shoved him hard back into the wall, shouting: "You disrespect your country, you disrespect the President, and you disrespect me by disrespecting those two! How dare you treat these dignitaries like trash, you elitist scum!"

The tuxedoed canine yelped, and then the General spun him around and motioned to a soldier, who immediately approached and produced a pair of handcuffs, locking them around the male's wrists and taking him into custody as he flushed in embarrassment. He was immediately shoved off towards the doors, half-dragged past Cherry and Zerrex as they both relaxed and the former grinned widely, her eyes sparking in entertainment. The guards looked stupidly back and forth, and then Fredericks cleared his throat, saying clearly: "I am commandeering this facility until such time as a suitable replacement can be found. No military operations will be conducted in this area but soldiers will be patrolling the premises, to ensure your safety. Any retaliation for this takeover will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly: now, everyone, lower your weapons and back to work."

He glared back and forth, and soldiers and security guards both relaxed, the latter mumbling amongst themselves disconsolately as they scattered in all directions. Then the General smiled as he walked behind the desk and helped the youth to his feet, glancing at the registry before turning around and plucking a key from the cubbyholes. "Here, sir. And President Balthazar sends his regards and requests a meeting with you at eleven tomorrow morning. With any luck we won't have any trouble."

"Tell him I look forwards to it." Zerrex took the key with a smile, then he added: "And thanks for the assist. It stopped things from getting messy."

"I'll deal with that pond scum myself later. For now, rest assured, the hotel's in good hands." The General nodded, then he saluted them both and Cherry half-returned it as Zerrex nodded politely, the two heading for the elevator. The doors binged open after a moment, and they both stepped into the empty car with relief, Zerrex leaning on his cane before he glanced down at keycard for the floor number, and he tapped the six after a moment.

He slipped the card into his pocket as Cherry flexed her hand slowly, her scales slowly returning to normal as she looked over at Zerrex with a slight grin. "So I guess that our powers really are a lot more limited on this plane, huh? But it looks like I still got enough juice left to take some nasty... juice." She coughed lamely, clearing her throat after a moment. "Anyway, like. Seriously, that didn't hurt half as much as I thought it would."

"I think you make my brain hurt. You really had no reason to be such a tool." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry huffed at this, crossing her arms before the elevator paused and the doors opened, a tired-looking mouse getting in and pressing the button marked 'G' before he walked to the back of the elevator.

Zerrex hesitated to speak, but Cherry was glad to talk as if there was no one else around. "Oh, fuck you, Boss. You and I both know that the degradation from passing between planes shouldn't be shit-all for you and me, 'cause we at least have mortal experience and had powers as mortals. Yet it kinda is, and even though powers we got that are suppressed in Hell are tremendously mondo-powerful out here, they're still like. Not up to par, you dig?"

"Not really." Zerrex said flatly, but he thought he might be beginning to grasp Cherry's concept. Then he sighed and shook his head, holding up a hand as he added mildly: "But think of it this way. You never technically died. I did, remember? And you have inherited abilities while a lot of mine are synthetic."

Now the mouse was staring at them awkwardly, but the two ignored him as Cherry pointed at the Drakkaren and retorted: "Your problem, Boss, is that you're a big pussy. Pussy pussy pussy. You never show off the stunts you can do, and you never really use your damn brain 'cause you seem to think bein' dumb is the greatest thing in the world. But you ain't a fool, you're like... brainy and shit."

"I am not and we both know it." Zerrex said flatly, as the doors opened on the sixth floor, and he stepped out as Cherry quickly followed behind him, the Drakkaren checking the keycard for the room number and muttering: "Come on, we're in the 'Rose Suite Rooms.'"

"Sweet, romance." Cherry said cheerfully, and then she ran on ahead as Zerrex rolled his eyes, before she found the door to the room and halted in front of it, booting it firmly. The reptile winced at the sound it made, but Cherry nodded approvingly, crossing her arms. "Armor plated, very nice. Dude, we're being treated like we're actually dignitaries and shit."

"That would be because we are." Zerrex said flatly, looking at her mildly, and Cherry pushed a finger into her chin dumbly as she stared at him. "We're here representing Hell. Did you not get that from the fact we met with the President? And furthermore, we're both qualified for the job... you're the Fifth Sister and I'm uh... kinda important, I guess."

He slid the keycard through the electronic lock, and the door beeped, Zerrex quickly twisting the handle and opening it. The argument Cherry was about to make was cut off as she stared past his shoulder into the room, and then the two entered, the Drakkaren kicking the door closed behind him before he took off his combat boots in the entranceway as Cherry stepped straight ahead into the beautiful dining room setup, mouthing wordlessly before she looked back and forth, then straight ahead towards two archways that led into a small kitchen and a cozy den. "Dude, this is better than our fucking house."

Zerrex walked into the dining room and he winced, touching the long, rectangular table, feeling morbidly that it was probably true. Then the two exchanged looks before going left and right towards the doors at either end of the dining area, and they both found themselves in bedrooms: they were almost perfect mirror images, including the private bathrooms both had, with the only difference being that the room Cherry entered had the television menu in it and numbers for private room services.

She came back a few moments later with this in one hand and the phone in the other, grinning widely, and Zerrex looked at her sourly before wincing as she said cheerfully: "Hey, yeah, can you send me up a masseuse? I know it's kinda late, but I'm just so in need of a good backrub..." She paused, then soured, saying flatly: "Well fuck you too, I know that they ain't prostitutes. Seriously, send someone up here."

Then she hung up before clearing her throat as Zerrex glared at her, Cherry saying dumbly: "Hey, I'm sure Balthazar won't mind. And it's not like I'm looking for a whore or anything."

"I wish you'd stop causing trouble." Zerrex said tiredly, and Cherry shrugged amiably before she took her jacket off and tossed it aside to where Zerrex had already thrown his, before she piled her weapons up as well. Then she watched as the Drakkaren tapped a short order into the keypad on his armlet, and the hat on his head vanished, seeming to rapidly decay before her eyes before it slipped back down to the machine that covered his forearm, and Cherry whistled through her teeth as the Drakkaren smiled a bit at her. "Thing's goddamn useful."

"Priest is a good kid." Cherry said softly, and then she sat on the bed as Zerrex did the same, and there was quiet for a bit. Eventually, there was a knocking at the door... and Cherry brightened as she bounced over to it before throwing it open as Zerrex walked out, leaning a bit on his cane and favoring his bad leg as he watched a large elk in a white uniform wheel a portable massage bed inside, and once he saw the Drakkaren, relief flooded his features for a moment before Cherry lecherously slapped his rear, making him jump.

"Dude, if you don't want to be treated like a prostitute, then maybe you should take up a different profession or make your body less appealing." Cherry said in response to a glare he gave her , crossing her arms and looking huffy.

"And here I thought you were probably a lesbian." he muttered, and Cherry looked stung before the elk said dryly: "Stereotypes suck, huh? Anyway, my name is Richard McNeal. I assume you're Cherry, and you must be Zerrex..." He paused and double-checked a small plastic card that was dangling around his wrist, before he nodded and took it off, informing them curtly: "I charge by the hour and the service, you can pay me in cash now or as part of the overall room fees at the end of the visit."

He paused, looking sourly at Cherry as she giggled behind her hands, her eyes wide, and then she burst out into laughter, throwing her head back and holding her sides before she grinned and said cheerfully: "Dude, that's exactly what whores say! And believe me, I'd damn well know." She winked, then looked with entertainment at Zerrex ,waving a hand. "Anyway, dude's got a bad leg. Rub it or put some lotion on it or something."

"Hey, I'm fine." Zerrex protested, and the elk did not look amused as his eyes glanced over him, before the Drakkaren pointed at Cherry. "She's the one who ordered you."

"I have other clients, and I really want to go to bed. Either one of you gets on the bed or I go and lay a fifty dollar service charge on you anyway." Richard said bad-temperedly, as he unfolded the bed, and Cherry threw her arms up dramatically, which only made him even more irritable. "I have to deal with people like you all the time. Now please."

"Fine, fine." Cherry reached back and took her shirt off, and the elk stared before she undid her bra, letting her huge breasts hang free before she walked over and climbed up on the bed unabashedly, laying on her back and cross her arms under her head as she grinned and looked over her shoulder at him, saying teasingly: "Just pay extra attention to my breasts when you get there, huh?"

The elk sighed as he adjusted the bed for her size and rolled it carefully to the side, muttering about the setup of the rooms before plucking some sort of moisturizer off the cart and applying it to his palms. Zerrex rolled his eyes and left the room, heading back to his own as he let Richard work in peace as Cherry made exaggerated sounds with every touch of his hands, and the Drakkaren busied himself with a video game for the next two hours, looking out occasionally to make sure Cherry wasn't attempting to rape the poor elk.

She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself and the attention, however, and finally, when she got off the table - now naked except for her boxers, but she did have the courtesy to at least put her bra back on - she bounced over to Zerrex's room, grinning widely and saying brightly: "Dude, you gotta try this guy. Seriously."

Zerrex was pessimistic... but he went with it, stripping down to his boxers and feeling embarrassed at the way the elk inspected his scars more than he did the tattoo, especially when a subtle tremble travelled through the Drakkaren's right leg. Then he paused as he realized he was still wearing the armlet, and he took this off and handed it to Cherry, before getting up on the table with a grunt and laying down on his stomach.

The elk went to work without saying much, his fingers strong yet gentle, pushing firmly in all the right places. At first Zerrex felt his body automatically tensing with every touch, wincing a bit and disliking the contact... but soon enough, he began to truly relax, and he just went with it.

The masseuse did know his stuff, he definitely gave him that: Richard spent a lot of time on his bad leg, loosening up the muscles and tendons and inspecting the scars, mumbling to himself and acting almost like Zerrex was just a research study. Cherry, meanwhile, had vanished off to one of the rooms... and the Drakkaren just hoped she wasn't screwing around too much with the armlet. Then again, usually she gentle enough with his things... at least when those things were gifts from his family down in Hell. And on top of that, it's a gift from Priest... but for all her precognitive powers, she can be goddamn clumsy sometimes.

An hour and a half later, the reptile sat up feeling much better, the pain gone from his leg for a moment as Richard scribbled something on a pad... and then the deer tore two sheets off it and thrusted them at Zerrex, the Drakkaren blinking as he took both and the elk said mildly: "These are muscle relaxants and a special gel I want you to use daily for the next little while to try and do something about that problem with your leg. It feels a bit atrophied, and this will help with the problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

"Uh... thanks." Zerrex slid off the table, and the elk immediately went about the process of folding it back down into a cart shape before he pulled it towards the exit wordlessly, and in a few moments, he was gone as Cherry came back, looking curiously at the prescriptions in Zerrex's hand. He glanced over at her, and the two shrugged before the Drakkaren rolled his eyes as Cherry reached down, tapped at the armlet, and then promptly winced when it buzzed and zapped her. "Priest did say it was maximized for my use."

"Fucking thing." Cherry huffed, then she pulled it off and handed it over to Zerrex, who gladly took it and slipped it on. He flexed as it locked into his arm, and then he tapped a short command line in, and almost immediately he found himself wearing coal-black pants, the demoness poking at these. "Bastard. So what are those? How you feeling, Boss?"

The Drakkaren shrugged a bit, smiling slightly over at Cherry as he said softly: "Not too bad, actually... and well, these are apparently prescriptions. I'll get Cindy to look at them and fill them for me when we go back home... but for now, we need to occupy ourselves and I think it's only polite we come up with a proper plan for Lunis to present to Balthazar, in case he's interested in discussing that, and we think about the other stuff he was talking about and how we can make all of this tangible reality."

"Yeah, you do that." Cherry snorted amusedly, still in only her underwear as she walked over to the dining room table and sat down with a grunt, sighing and lounging back in a chair. "Boss, see, you worry way too goddamn much. Balthazar's a good guy, the fucker could put up with me and make me feel like a stupid little numbskull student, so you know. Guy's got somethin' goin' on upstairs. 'Sides, every time you make some big-ass fancy plan, shit happens and it turns out you really didn't need a big-ass fancy plan. Can't we just enjoy the luxuriousness of this fugly place for a little while and... I dunno... like... hang out?"

Cherry gave him a look that was almost pleading, and Zerrex smiled faintly after a moment before he nodded, saying mildly: "You're almost as bad as Sammy." He paused at her look, and then he shrugged, tilting his head. "What?"

"Speaking of that little bastard, where the fuck is he? You were gonna bring him with you, right?" Cherry asked curiously, tilting her head... and then she narrowed her eyes at Zerrex when he closed his eyes and concentrated, stretching outwards with his mind. "The fuck are you doing?"

A moment later, Sammy appeared out of nowhere on the table, and he squeaked loudly at Cherry, who yelped and flailed before the chair she was in tilted over and she fell, catching herself on the ground on her hands and going into a handspring that sent her across the room, landing neatly in a ready position with her fists raised, before a tic went off in her eyes as Sammy leapt up to his hind legs and bounced around in a circle, chirping cheerfully. Zerrex laughed, and then Cherry pointed at them and shouted: "You two shut the fuck up! Totally not cool!" A pause, and then she huffed, mumbling grudgingly as she relaxed and approached: "Okay, maybe a little cool... how the fuck did he do that?"

"Sammy can teleport anywhere I am... it's called a homing ability." Zerrex shrugged a bit as he reached down to gently stroke along the pseudodragon's back, making him chirp softly with an expression of pleasure on his features. "He also isn't slowed down at all by the lack of corruption... a lot of the 'magic' abilities he has are just his own powers, meaning that he always has access to them, although I think that his teleporting is otherwise limited on this plane."

Sammy nodded, then he tensed himself before he vanished and reappeared at the end of the table, but then the pseudodragon slumped and panted a bit, looking dazed before he shook his head and quickly padded back over to Zerrex. He paused as he realized the Drakkaren and Cherry were only in their boxers, looking from one to the other, then he cocked his head at the reptile, and Zerrex held up his hands, saying flatly: "It's not what you think, pervert. See, I even have the prescriptions here to prove it. We just got a massage... registered masseuse, thank you very much. He was very bitchy about that point."

The tiny dragon huffed, then he leapt up onto Zerrex's shoulders and curled around them, nibbling at his hair as Cherry looked at the two thoughtfully for a moment. Then she pointed at Zerrex and asked mildly: "So you're saying that you could like... pull off the greatest diamond heist ever."

"We are not using our superpowers for personal gain, Cherry. We're not even going to use them for good, either, unless absolutely necessary." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry huffed and mumbled under her breath, pouting as she crossed her muscular, powerful arms. "Anyway, like. Come on. Help me plan at least a little, and then I promise we can do whatever you want."

"Ugh, fine. But only if we get to do like... anything of whatever the hell I want afterwards." Cherry finally relented, pointing at him threateningly. "Don't pull any of that 'but we're supposed to be all polite and important' crap on me later when I say what I wanna do. And uh... I totally am not getting into little details with you on this shit, got it?"

"Understood." Zerrex replied with mild amusement, looking across at Cherry and shaking his head slowly with entertainment before he sat down at the elongated table, and Cherry sighed and did the same, looking at him with a visible frown of distaste. "Okay, first off, I think it won't be as hard as it seems to start regulating things... I think that some of the portals in-"

"No specifics!" Cherry shouted, flailing her arms, and Zerrex winced before he looked at her acridly, and Cherry looked back with an equally-acidic expression on her face. "Dude, we're streamlining this shit. No super-duper plans."

"Fine." Zerrex huffed, then he said mildly: "I think taking over some of the immigration portals is the first thing. They obviously already lead to bases that have likely can hold a multitude of people in them, and where they forge papers. We just have to kick out the criminals currently running the operations... you know, not because we want credit for it, because I don't want them shipping some unwitting demons off to get turned into crystal."

Cherry nodded, then she said pointedly: "A lot of the licenses these days that demons hold are fake. How the hell do we figure out which ones are real, and which ones aren't?"

Zerrex looked across at her with faint entertainment. "I think once we open up a few portals back to Hell, a good number of demons will be glad to go back home. The mortal plane might not be the paradise they were led to believe it was... I think the big problem will be ensuring no mortals go down to Hell."

The demonesses nodded thoughtfully, then she asked curiously: "Okay then, genius. What about mortals that are cleared to go down to Hell? And like, Balthazar wants to meet the Thrones, which means dude's either gonna need to wear a special anti-corruption biosuit or risk a crapload of exposure to corruption, so how the fuck do we get the big four up here or him down there?"

At this the Drakkaren grinned, and Cherry's face curled up as if she'd bitten into a lemon when he said pompously: "No specifics yet, Cherry. We'll figure things out with Balthazar when it comes to that."

Cherry punched him in the shoulder, and Zerrex rocked backwards before Sammy squeaked and spat a short, thin blast of flame over the female's face, making her squawk and flail wildly for a moment before she glowered at them. It wasn't like the demoness could actually be hurt by flames, even on the mortal plane... but she still wiped at her eyes grouchily before she said dryly: "Okay, then what about this problem. Making sure no crazy-powerful demons sneak through the lineups and onto the physical plane."

"We'll have to set ground rules with Balthazar about that." Zerrex said slowly, and at first Cherry looked like she was about to punch him in the crotch before she realized that the Drakkaren was being serious, as he continued: "See, the problem is this. Wentaku, for instance, can be insanely-powerful mages in Hell... but up here on the physical world, the most they can manage under normal circumstances is a few pathetic sparks that wouldn't even kill a fly. We'll have to make it clear that magic has a lot of limitations and that magic-users should not be a threat unless a corruption is created."

Cherry nodded at this, making a face. "I totally never even thought of that. So like. I guess what Balthazar really means is shit like Gigataurs, and demons like you and me... ones that don't need to rely on magic to do some whopping damage and shit. Then again, even some natural demonic abilities function differently on the physical plane, I remember, from way back when we fought in the Demon Wars... oh, those were some messy times."

Cherry was quiet for a moment, then she shook her head and smiled at Zerrex, looking up and poking his nose firmly. "It's a good thing you're back here with us, and that we know that... you know, even in Hell, you're okay. Me and your other chicks are like, pretty much worthless without you, after all... we don't get along, we beat each other up, and Cindy starts PMSing really bad."

Zerrex rolled his eyes, and Cherry shrugged amiably. "I dunno what else to call it. Anyway, like. Come on, that's enough bullshit for now. Let's go watch a movie... I'll meet you in your room, I wanna go snag shit from mine."

The Drakkaren didn't bother to argue, only getting up and shaking his head in amusement as he walked towards the open door, then he climbed into bed with a grunt, enjoying how relaxed his leg felt. He moved it around a little, and he was distinctly glad that Cherry had made him get that massage... and then he looked up as the demoness trundled back with an armload of blankets and pillows, dropping them on top of Zerrex before she said clearly: "You totally felt glad just now about something I did, admit it. My Cherry senses tell me so."

"Go away." Zerrex muttered from beneath the blankets piled on top of him, and then Cherry tackled him back onto the bed, knocking Sammy flying with a screech out from under the blankets as the Drakkaren was flattened with a yelp. He wiggled his head free from the blankets after a moment to glare at her, but she had already snatched up the remote and was enraptured with the television menus. "I'm going to-"

"Oh, eat me." Cherry grumbled, then she grinned down at him... before snorting when the reptile only continued to look at her darkly, turning her attention back to the television. "Fine, mister I'm-too-good-for-sex. We'll just watch some porn... or... hey, that movie about the princess is on here, we can totally watch that instead!"

"You mean the children's cartoon?" Zerrex wiggled himself enough to look at the screen, and Cherry glared down at him before he snorted in amusement. "What? I wasn't complaining. Sure, fine, let's watch that."

Cherry nodded approvingly at this, then she selected it and hit 'Play,' and Zerrex hoped Balthazar wouldn't mind paying for all these extras as Cherry busily piled pillows up into a triangular formation against the headboard, then flopped herself down on them before grabbing the Drakkaren and pulling him onto her body, the reptile's head resting on her breasts as he blinked dumbly before she pulled all the blankets over him and curled one around her shoulders, effectively cocooning them both together as she wrapped her arms around his naked chest with a grin. Zerrex looked up at her dryly, and she shrugged amiably, nestling him closer against her huge bust as she said mildly: "What can I say? You're as cuddly as a... uh... something cuddly."

The Drakkaren sighed, but he didn't complain as he reached up to take her hand, and she smiled down at him before they settled in to watch the film. By the end of the movie, they were laying side-by-side, and Cherry turned off the movie when the credits rolled before she leaned up to order: "Little dragon thing, go turn off all the lights."

Sammy glared at her and growled, and then he squeaked sourly when Zerrex gave him a look and a shrug. The pseudodragon got up from where he'd been laying on a pillow Zerrex had tossed him, stretched, then ran off to go and do this as the two curled up together and Cherry nestled herself against her master and father and lover, closing her eyes as she murmured: "You know, most of the real princesses were butt-ugly."

"I know." Zerrex stroked her face gently, and Cherry smiled a bit as she curled herself closer, the two relaxing together in soft silence before he kissed her forehead softly. "Got anything on your mind?"

"Nah, not really. I ain't tired, though, either, and this place gives me the willies. I think I'll probably end up laying here on you all night... not that I mind. I like the feeling." Cherry glanced up at him with a bit of a smile, and then she kissed his cheek softy, murmuring: "We got so soft and gentle, didn't we, Boss? How the fuck did that happen?"

"Years passed, years wore on us... so did our experiences. You can't love to hate forever." Zerrex said softly, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her body, squeezing her down against him as he murmured: "I still wish I never really knew the meaning of fear, desperation, suffering... but I do. We all learn these things and... we can never unlearn them. I envy the normal mortal born in peaceful times... and I want to make a peaceful world for them, but I don't want to do it in the example of Narrius, or any other tyrant that's ever lived throughout Heaven, Hell, or any of the other planes..."

"We'll make it happen. One way or the other." Cherry said quietly, and Zerrex felt a chill run through his spine as he looked down at her. Her eyes were closed, however, and her head against his chest... but he could feel her claws digging loosely into his sides as she added softly: "I think sometimes Marina's right, you know, about everything..."

"Marina's crazy." Zerrex said with soft entertainment, but there was still a distinct chill of nervousness running through his body. Marina, after all, could become a little more than insane when it came to the subjects of peace and her father... and he wondered if after so many years of being around her, Marina's thoughts had somehow ebbed into Cherry's head.

Cherry snorted in quiet entertainment, half-opening one eye to look at him with entertainment. "Dude, I know she is. But crazy don't mean wrong, dig? I dunno... I'm babbling. Shut up, I should pretend to get some sleep."

Cherry shifted a bit, settling herself more firmly against the Drakkaren... and Zerrex looked down at her softly and quietly, wondering just what thoughts were dancing around in the muscular female's head.