Killian

Hotel Sanguine's Jazz Lounge Musician (Pianist)

> *"I can't help but wonder who lit that flame...*
> The inferno I see so deep inside of you."
>
>

## Storyline

The Listener meets Killian the charming piano player in the restaurant while exploring the Hotel Sanguine. Though he is intrigued by a newcomer he treats them civilly, giving the usual advice to avoid the darker parts of the hotel but they will come to no harm for it is also a refuge for those who are lost.

He invites the Listener to sit at the piano with him, pleased to have such an attractive person to spend his time with, and introduces himself as the hotel's musician. To help the Listener feel more at ease he proposes they play a game of question and answer, the only rule being they must tell the truth.

Through this game they learn a lot of his background. He's been a musician all his life and though celestially, classically trained he plays his own compositions to suit the mood. Music is his true passion and one of the few good things he carries from his childhood. He's amused to be called a demon though he does carry a grudge against the Divine, so much so that he compares the Listener's fiery spirit to his own hatred of them.

He offers to teach them to play the piano and the Listener reluctantly agrees. They play music together and continue their game where Killian clarifies that he is a devil, a fallen angel who decided to write his own melodies rather than follow someone else's. He finds the human world more fascinating than even Hell, especially humanity's definitions of good and bad. The Listener in particular, he muses, is special beyond their beautiful physical appearance; they are someone who doesn't fit in among their own kind. He pegs them as someone who wants to make beautiful music with another who will guide them and he is a perfect candidate.

The Listener becomes flustered and they stop playing. Killian assures them that he admires people who give in to their impulses for he's long since rejected the idea that pleasure for its own sake is a sin. He regretfully ends their lesson but expresses that he looks forward to continuing it in the future.

The Listener returns to the restaurant and Killian is in a less cheerful mood than before. The devil is discomfited by his wings which are visible and in a poor state of health. The Listener insists that they want to help him so he bargains with them: if he continues their piano lesson they may help with his wings. The Listener adds that they would like to play their game again, which amuses and encourages Killian who agrees.

The music and game resumes and the Listener asks what happens to his wings. He explains that they are broken from the fall. They are one of the few things he loves from his life as an angel but he would have sacrificed them for the sake of his freedom. Killian allows the Listener to preen his wings as he plays (a painful but relieving process based on his reactions) and takes his turn in the game. He questions the Listener's motivations for helping him and they admit they want to take care of him. He promises to reward them for their kindness.

He's darkly amused when they ask if it hurt when he fell from Heaven and replies that the flesh-searing pain from the fall remains to this day. What he considers even crueler was that they played his music as he fell, his creation turned against him. He claims that his descent from Heaven was an escape to the place where he truly belongs. Earth and the hotel might have their own rules but they have people who want to break them, full of temptation and fun.

He reveals that the music he's been playing this whole time is a composition inspired by the Listener, their desires, sins, and memories made manifest. Killian admits that this piece is one of his best and hopes that they will stay in the hotel permanently. They have become his muse and compares their absence to taking away one of his piano keys.

He ends the lesson with a final answer: the reason he fell. He was exiled for giving divine music to Earth and allowing humanity to create beautiful, corrupt music, improving it beyond what angels could and causing chaos in Heaven. Gifting mankind with creativity is his greatest achievement and he endlessly amazed by what humanity has created. The lesson ends and the musician promises that they will meet up again.

## Personality

Killian the devil is endlessly charismatic with a natural charm that people are drawn to though he says he's no good at emotional stuff. Some people (Heaven) label this magnetic charm as temptation but he's undecided if it's truly evil. He appears to tempt people to giving into their desires without shame through his words and music. Creating music is his reason for living, the one holdover from his former life along with his wings.

He describes Heaven as a strict place where angels create the same music every day. He never fit and found the chaos of Hell and vast potential of humans so captivating that he chose to suffer eternal pain to escape and give Earth divine music, a power so strong that he caused Heaven to erupt into utter chaos. He considers restricting one's freedom and creativity more evil than any temptation and hates Heaven for imposing it upon him in the first place.

Killian likes to tease the people he's attracted to and is rather good at it. He finds the Listener unique above all others he's met, quite a feat for someone who's possibly lived for decades if not centuries. They're the first person he's ever found alluring and he is as drawn to their rebellious, fiery spirit just like the other residents of the hotel. Their kindness and desire to take care of him is something he rarely, if ever, encounters and he adores them even more for it.

## Trivia

### Killian

* Uses "cherub" as a term of endearment, first calling the Listener "my little cherub" then "my darling cherub".
* He disdains modern music in favor of his own compositions though he would never deny someone the chance to create something of their own.

* His feathered wings are sensitive to touch and he is unable to keep them groomed by himself, broken and excruciating as they are. They are in quite a state when the Listener sees them for the first time. They are flexible enough to be kept under his waistcoat but he prefers to keep them hidden.
* One of Levi's favored residents along with Briar.
* This character was created by the amazing Kirby who has provided a lot of background info that is not in the episodes.
	+ Killian is a fallen angel and a late descendant of the archangel Rafael. His family is of a high status in heaven which is one of the reasons he was prompted to fall. From the time he was a small child Killian had to conform to what was expected of him, he was give no freedom or any ability to express himself. He started deviating at a young age. During his music lessons he would sneak off to play songs he had heard from Earth, an action seen as very taboo by the angels.
	+ The first time he saw the human world his mind was set on visiting there, but he knew he wouldn't be able to leave unless he was to fall. So he did the most beautiful chaotic and dramatic thing he could: giving Earth Heaven's music.
	+ The fall was harsh on him, severely damaging his wings. The longer he stayed on Earth elements of himself started to change such as the colour of his left eye (blue to red) to his wings, which have a habit of flaring up and shedding every now and again.
	+ After wandering around Earth, Killian was found and taken in by Levi. He found a new home in the Hotel Sanguine as the hotel's musician.
	+ Killian has only good intentions towards the Listener. Knowing what it's like being the outcast and restricted he has only two goals, to spread deviance and enjoy his life. Although his actions may affect others he has no negative intentions towards anyone but the angels.

### Fan Theories

* Killian presumably plays jazz though he's not played it in any of his audios.

## Audio References

All audios can be found in the updated **Hotel Sanguine** playlist here.

1. ↑ Romanced By a Devilish Musician
2. ↑ An Evening With a Devilish Musician