Husk

**Husk**, or **Husker**, is a supporting protagonist in the *Divine Comedy*.

He is the bartender and host of the Angst Bar in Charlie's hotel as well as being one Alastor's contracted minions alongside Niffty. In life, Husk was once an aspiring magician in Las Vegas but after sailing out to fight in war he became a husk of his former self and later dying in the 1970s.

After his rebirth in Hell, he became one of the many victims of Alastor's deals, and after he sunk himself into the Radio Demon's game, he was forced to serve him indefinitely, effectively becoming his slave.

## History

### Background

Husk was known as Humphrey Appleton when he was alive and grew up during the Cold War era. He was an aspiring magician who sought to make a name for himself in the glamourous city of Las Vegas. Despite his talents he would only be overshadowed by some of the greatest celebrities of that time making his skills look mediocre in comparison. Moreover, Las Vegas was owned and controlled by the mob which made it dangerous for him as they do not take kindly to those who perform clown acts in their city.

Seeking to prove himself, Husk would join the army in World War II but the war had a profound effect on Husk's mentality and personality. He became cynical, anxious, aggressive, and in his words "not the type of fucker you'd wanna bump in the street". He only became worse when his wife left him, was not rewarded for his efforts or services in the wars, and was now in deep debt to "very bad people" after he struggled greatly to make a living and took loan from said people. He would get into various gambling games, in which he was surprisingly very skilled at, and also developed an addiction to alcohol to drown out his sorrows. Husk states that he lived by the game's rules which is "you win some, you lose some" even when it was rigged.

### Arrival in Hell

Desperate for funds, Husk acquires a storage room lot belonging to a recently deceased old man and searches for valuable items. However, he would only meet his end when his apartment was shot up by the members of the gang he owed a debt to and died from his gunshot wounds. He would then be condemned to Hell and placed in the Greed Circle, reborn as a cat-like demon.

Husk would be approached by Alastor himself who took an interest in the alcoholic veteran. Alastor would tempt Husk to be in his employ, promising to reignite the spark he once lost during his mortal days and was cruelly taken from him by an unjust and corrupt world. Husk of course eagerly accepted and signed a Devil's Pact with the Radio Demon. Under the service of Alastor, Husk took advantage of the contract's benefits by engaging in various gambles and taking back what was stolen from him in life. However, like all victims of Alastor's deals as well as history repeating itself, Husk's greed had sunk himself too deep into Alastor's schemes and he was from that forward forced to serve the Radio Demon and pay off his debt.

## Trivia

* His name "Husk" is symbolic of his character, reflecting how he has become a mere remnant of the person he once was, dried up and devoid of worth.
* Husk claims that while in Greed he sharpened his poker skills as well as his talent for cocktail recipes courtesy of Cognac and Brandy.
* Being a war veteran Husk states that he lost his hearing in his right ear and is only accompanied by a continuous ringing noise.
* According to Mephisto, Husk is one of the best saxophone players.
* He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and assumes a flight or fight response to any noise that is comparable to that of a bomb going off. In addition, he also suffers from night terrors like all sinners, bolting from even the slightest sound to the point of nearly attacking whoever is near him.