Inside 71: All I Want For Thanksmas Is You

[Rebonack]

[Brimstone Park]

Oh yeah.

The hell portal.

"I know," Rose says, a hint of resolution in her voice. "I needed to make myself lava-proof to rescue Charcoal and rooting in this park was the only way to do it. But this is good! It's good that the portal is part of me instead of just some portal at the bottom of the caldera. It's probably just a matter of time before a devil notices it. But if it's part of me then I can control it. As Alexander I had lots of experience with infernal magic. I can do this. I can be the portal's gatekeeper."

It sounds like Rose knew more or less what she was getting into. It's an important job and someone has to do it. May as well be someone who's already tainted with infernal magic, right?

"Thank you, Sekhmet. You saved me from losing myself," Rose says as the world fades in once more.

Ugh.

Rose feels like she got run over by a truck. "I'm okay..." she replies, her voice shaky. She doesn't sound okay. But she doesn't feel all goopy anymore. Nor does she feel completely unearned loyalty to Sapphira, either. And she doesn't feel like being a giant meany for no good reason. Her joy and kindness and niceness and positivity all feel a little bit gloomier than they should, but that's better than having them turned into a gross squelching black pit of corruption. She feels like something is different...

What...

She spread out one devilish wing connected to the shoulders of her lower body. Then glances back at the spade at the end of her tail. Her figure isn't just one of classical nymph-like beauty, it's alluring and enticing in the fashion typical of Sapphira's succubus servants. Much of her body is covered in pebbly, green stone scales so dark they're nearly black. Here and there her scales are speckled with lime green crystal, especially on her back hips. The scales cover her back and shoulders completely, but they leave the front of her body completely exposed, framing her bare chest, face, neck and belly. Ridges of overlapping scales run down the length of her spine both above and below, molten orange light shining out between them.

Rose is definitely a devil still. Even more so than she was before. But she's definitely still fae, too. She's both?

Standing, she runs her fingers through her hair, which reaches nearly down to her lower body now. The single blossom above her ear remains, but now there are a dozen or more new roses growing where the hair cascades over her back. Each is dark burgundy, the heart of the blossom glowing like an ember. Rose beats her wings a few times experimentally, frowning at them.

Then?

She smiles and reaches out with her great big wings to pull her three friends into a group hug.

"I'm fine. Way better than I was before. Thank you, Sekhmet for helping us. And Ember, Charcoal? Thank you for being worried for me. I want to be a good, responsible gaiad for the park and I would love having you two helping me. It might stink a little of brimstone here but I think we can make it really nice if we work together!"