Running Into Hellfire

## Content Information

With a nervous sigh, Burgundy looks up at the Hellfire House through their car windshield as they pull into an open spot to park across the street. They carefully rearrange the remainder of their boxed belongings to make sure that it’s concealed from potential theft. The rest of their belongings reside at a friendly coworker’s spot where they’ve been crashing for the moment.

Burg checks their appearance in the mirror quickly before they step out of the car and pocket their keys. They sling their small backpack over their shoulder and clutch an ancient book under one arm. With anxiety building up in their body, Burgundy jogs across the street to the Hellfire grounds. Immediately they begin second guessing their decisions in thoughts like: *Should I have called first? Is this a good idea? Would they even want me??*

As their mental health counselor instructed them, Burgundy takes a moment to ground themselves as they approach the door. They take in the smell of the lawn and sounds from inside the building. Before they know it, their anxiety begins to subside as they rap their knuckles against the front door.

Pyrrah checked the security camera and yelled at Selene who was painting her toenails “Yo, Selene It’s Burgundy want me to send Lezly?”

The girl jumped up and mentioned “No, I can grab her if Burgundy is here for her, let me check what’s up first.”

The girl was very curious about what was going down, she knew Burgundy held Lezly in high regard but what reason would he have to come visit? She went down the stairs flying on her demon wings and landed at the front door, shapeshifting her silk pink PJs to a more glamorous dress, she preferred to put on actual clothing but it was an outfit from her closet.

The girl opened up the door and asked with a happy smirk across her face “Welcome, what brings you to The Hellfire House?”

As if rehearsed, Burgundy kneels to the ground in a groveling manner. “I believe I have discovered a danger to the monsters in Night Falls. I am alone in my kind and would like to live in Hellfire’s protection. I am willing to work in exchange for this safety.”

Selene looked at Burgundy, the kneeling was a nice touch, kind of a turn on, dammit Selene get your mind out of the gutter, she could sense desire and knew that wasn’t at all the intent. Plus that was a very serious claim. She motions “Get up, I like the respect but please come in and have a seat.”

The succubus motioned forward and guided Burgundy to the main dining room table, took a seat pointing at the seat next to her and then asked “So what is this threat?”

Her human form faded as she turned into her succubus form not playing games with this and wanting the monster to understand that he was with a fellow monster.Selene was worried about this situation. It had to be rather dangerous that Burgundy would feel threatened enough to come to her for protection.

Burgundy hugs the book to their chest as they take in the sights of this home, to what they assume is, of monsters. The tension in their shoulders lowers as they begin to feel safe for the first time in the past week.

They carefully sit down in the chair provided and set their bag down on the ground. It’s a bit of a struggle to not stare at Selene’s new form so they opt to stare at the ground. Burgundy feels like they’ve been thrust into a whole new world they should’ve known the whole time and seeing their first demon is part of that.

“Based on our interactions at the beach last Friday, I take it you are familiar with Arsling Broganson, yes?” They grip the book a little tighter as they say the name of the monster slayer.

Selene held back a giggle seeing the shyness from Burgundy.  They were sweet but she wouldn't tease. The demon scooted closer curious on what Arsling had to do with this "I imagine less than you, you two seemed to be closer than me and her but I do know her."

Burg’s legs start to shake as they continue on, “What about her curse? Or the monsters she’s allegedly killed?” If Selene doesn’t interrupt him, Burgundy continues on to recount their conversation with Arsling that Friday. It details what they were told of the curse, the concept of innocence, Arsling’s remorse, but also an estimate of how many monsters were murdered by her hand. “... fae folk, vampires, and packs of werewolves.”

By this point Burgundy’s expression is warped by fear. Their eyes well up with tears. This is the first time they really let themselves feel the fear of the situation rather than attempt to combat it.

Selene stood up after the story was told, it was scary for sure, any normal person would be afraid.For Selene though she was angry, not necessarily even at Arsling but at the foolish action of deciding to become a monster murderer. Selene hugged Burg, wanting her to feel comforted although she would let go right away if it made her uncomfortable.

Selene assured the protector of the cove “Don’t worry Arsling won’t be able to hurt anyone here, I’ll alert Hellfires to be on guard around Arsling, I’ll be sure to personally keep an eye on her too.”

The hug is accepted and reciprocated for a long couple of minutes. “Thank you,” they mumbled into Selene’s shoulder.

Burg settles back into their seat and quickly wipes their eyes. They clear their throat as they pick up the book they brought with them. The old gold bound book is opened and a new piece of printer paper is taken out and then handed to Selene.

“I said I was willing to work … that’s my resume with all of my organization running experience in addition to other things,” they say a little sheepishly. Though Burg is very early in their twenties it has ten years worth of varying clubs, organization running, and funding projects.

Selene giggled a bit at the application, Burg was a real sweetie pie, they thought all this was needed but it was to be expected, the requirements to join weren’t public or consistent. Selene handed back the application “Joining the Hellfire’s is complicated, in that I make the rules as I see fit for every individual person so I can test if they are safe for the group and they would get on here.”

Selene looked over Burgundy “Yup, you are safe, you clearly care about the people who live here’s safety not just your own.”

Then she thought for a moment “Now tests, I’d say coming to me with information on a curse and a potential serial killer is passing a test.”

Selene snapped her fingers and Lezly came out of the kitchen holding a cup of coffee and some pink scrunchies “So it seems that all that’s required is some showing team spirit and finding you a room.”

Of course having Burgundy work for her or having him do tasks would be useful but why ask for that in exchange, wasn’t it better to let Burgundy be a part of the group and just want to contribute to its success, plus if she needed a favor she could just ask for it.

Lezly did mention though “I could use help with Pool cleaning but like, I can rope anyone into that.”

Burgundy begins to attempt to protest with the sudden acceptance but is immediately shut up by Lezly’s presence. They immediately stand as she enters the room and bow with formality. It’s clear that Lezly will continue to receive the royal treatment from Burgundy for the near future.

“I could assist you with that, at least for this time. And it would be nice to see where the pool is,” Burgundy says as their gaze shifts between Lezly and Selene for approval.

Selene grinned at Lezly, was she trying to get closer to Burg, just enjoyed the worship, or wanted someone to do her chores for her, regardless she wasn’t going to stop her. Selene approved “That seems like a fine task for you if you feel the need to do work. Other then that if any other threats appear on campus I would like to have your help in researching, you seem good at it.”

The head of the sorority stood up and said “This way to the backyard.”

Heading to the backyard was an extremely well kept garden around a much smaller building then the sorority house. She opens the door to the pool and shows off the fancy pool she had installed a while back. She mentioned “The roof of this building can actually be taken off with a button for actual sun beams and stuff but we wanted it to be able to run year round for people who needed water and we can control temperature a lot better this way.”

Lezly dipped her toes into the water and was making a smile which was rather rare for the girl but the pool seemed to hold some sort of happy memory.

Burgundy was still adjusting their backpack in their arms by the time they all approached the pool. In complete awestruck, the bag falls to the ground. Burg fails to notice and just stares wide eyed with a growing grin.

“This is amazing … wow … I … wow,” they trail off as they look about the indoor pool. Their eyes well up again but this time from a budding sense of security and relief from the fear. They very quickly wipe their eyes and just hope the other two didn’t notice.

The two noticed but neither comments on it letting Burg have a moment to himself. Selene did eventually turn to the new Hellfire and asked “Okay, do you want ground rules and stuff now or do you want a bed and to pass out? I can only imagine how scared you must have been.”

“Ground rules, for sure,” they say as they finally notice their bag on the ground. They fix the strap buckle on it properly and put the backpack on. Even the ancient book that was acting as a security blanket in their arms goes into the bag. This leaves them free to put their hands in their coat pocket.

Selene waved her hand and like magic Berry had hoped over to the pool with a clipboard then walked away. Selene wanted to make sure she went over everything properly “Alright, well we got guidelines and we got harder rules and unwritten rules.”

Lezly made a one with bubbles behind Selene and followed up by changing the numbers as she explains the rules “Rule 1. Hellfire’s take care of each other. We share a home, we need to be there for each other and try to spread our sororities influence to make sure we stay safe.”

Selene flaps her demon wings taking a bit of flight “Rule 2 there is no outing any other monsters, we know how dangerous the world is and people can chose to come out on their own, as a group, whatever but never without consent unless they give consent in advance or it’s for someone’s safety, like Arsling curse situations.”

A pool folate was thrown into the water and Selene landed on it sitting cross legged “Rule 3. If you bring a guest into the sorority make sure to check them in and note if they are staying overnight. Notes of other things that might be important are nice but not required.”

Then she pointed to herself and noted “Final rule, I am the boss, what I say goes it’s not a democracy but I do listen to people and we have suggestion boxes and stuff and I try to listen to anyone who has any needs.”

Burgundy immediately grabs a pen and a journal from their bag to take quick notes of these rules. They take a seat on the ground once Selene is sitting in her majesty’s floating throne. Burg’s mind is racing with just joy. They immediately think about inviting Didi over to have a tiny housewarming.

After the final rule, they reread their notes, then nod in satisfaction. “Where do I go to sign in and out guests?”

Selene notes "we got a sign in sheet when in doubt but finding me, Berry, Lezly or Pyrrah to tell us in person is always appreciated. Oh and oh Flora is great at keeping the books she does a lot of the gardening so she tends to be back here often."

The girl wished she had brought a drink with her to sip but such is life when you improve a show. The demon paddled the floaty towards the end of the pool to get out and added "since you're taking notes, Hellfire’s mostly keep something pink on their person when in public. Helps us find each other and let's people know you're part of the house."

Selene added "we don't monster up during public parties but we do private monster parties. Not everyone here is a monster but all the humans are affirming to monsters."

Burgundy nods and makes note of the new details. They very clearly grin at the concept of a monster specific party. They take their phone from their pocket and check the time quickly. It’s very obviously an old flip phone - the Motorola Razr to be specific.

“Okay noted. I think I have a few scarves like the one I’m wearing with some pink on it. But would it be ok to take some of those hair ties and use those until I can get a hold on some more pink clothes?”

Burgundy’s wardrobe is all earth tones, predominantly in the brown and green ranges. That is clearly evident with today’s outfit: a brown plaid wool coat, a scarf tucked into it striped with beige with the occasional green, dark brown cuffed slacks, and matching vintage leather chelsea boots.

Lezly handed Burgundy some of the scrunchies and assured him “You don’t need to break the bank. I'm a fashion designer, I can give you some free stuff that fits your style but has the color.”

Selene adds “It really can just be a small thing, some people even just give themselves a pink highlight, and me I got this whole head of pink hair. Wear what you like, we wouldn’t want a strict dress code that could make people dysphoric and stuff.”

Burgundy accepts the scrunchies with a quiet, “Thanks.” They immediately wear all of them on one arm.

The faintest sign of red appears on Burgundy’s cheeks when Lezly offers her talents. “Oh I- you Uh don’t have to at all don’t- pshh,” Burgundy says with evident fluster. They wave their hand dismissively and quickly turn to face Selene again.

“We talked about a ro*om* for me?” Burg asks with an abrupt voice crack.

This one was gonna be fun, the head bitch of the sorority could tell. She offered a hand to help Burg up and said “Ya, you can room with someone or take an empty room if you have some kind of need for it or need the space right now.”

Selene led Burg back to the main building while they talked, Lezly staying behind for now.

Burg accepts the hand from Selene and uses it to pull themselves up to their feet. They follow obediently but look over their shoulder with a little surprise to see that Lezly isn’t following. They start to raise a hand to wave goodbye but catch themselves and bow instead. Then they hurriedly turn back around to catch up with Selene.

Selene went for a room as close to the pool as was available for an empty room and walked inside opening the door “Here you go Burg, your new home, if you need help moving things in I can call some Hellfire’s over and get them to help you.”

The leader whispers after looking around “Lezly likes having you around so don’t be afraid to hang out with her.”

With that Selene was done explaining things, she leaned against the door and awaited any questions that the sea creature might have for her but otherwise was good to get back to her relaxing.

That red tinge makes its return as Lezly is mentioned again. “Oh wow uhm, that’s awesome …,” they say as they nervously rub the back of their neck. “I didn’t know that … coool …”

“But uh, thank you so much, Selene. I feel like I can actually breathe again. Thank you.”

Selene had an honest smile with no hidden intention, she just said “Everyone deserves that, at least sometimes. I’ll be in my room if you need me to knock.”

Then she adds in a more serious tone “Oh ya, a rule I forgot to mention, only my approved people can come into my room.”

With that the succubus left returning to her human guise and yelling “someone make me a Marg and bring it to my room, Mama’s thirsty.”