Lusting for Livery

David’s thumb brushed up against the bedframe. He wondered how far he was actually going to make it. Even if he managed to survive the last two rings, there was a whole section he didn’t know about yet, the Malebolge, and the center where Morgan’s father remained.

Lucifer… He thought, gripping the frame tighter. Just the thought of the original Devil filled David with worry. Was he good enough? Did he do a good enough job so far to win him over?

Listen to yourself, his mind cut in. Getting worried about what the former Devil thinks of you. You’re pathetic.

David shook his head. He really needed to stop listening to those voices of doubt. It was starting to make him regret his decision. Then again, why did he agree to this? What was the benefit besides not ending the world? Didn’t at one point, he became so miserable that death was preferable?

With a deep breath, he sat up, looking out the window. He was met by another visage of blue in the distance. However, instead of the light blue, almost teal fog from before, he saw a rich, deep blue. It was almost like an ocean, but he knew those lights all too well. This was a city like all the others, and whatever was in there wanted him dead.

“So, what exactly is the next one again? I know of the two remaining-”

“Three.”

“Huh?” David looked to Morgan as she sipped her tea.

“Three. There’s Lust, Envy, and Pride. Three.”

“Yeah, but I already know Pride’s at the end. What I don’t know is what’s coming next. That’s why I said two.” He held up two fingers to emphasize his point, which earned a furrowed brow from Morgan.

“You really can’t control the urge to correct people, can you?”

“You’re just figuring this out now?”

Sighing, Morgan sipped her tea. “Well, as I stated, it is the Lust ring. It’s for those with intense desire who have given way to them. Normally, the lost souls are playthings for the demons, but we shouldn’t be worrying about them. We just need to get what we need from Lily.”

“Dare I ask what we’re going to be getting from this place again…?” David watched her as she stood up and gazed at the window with a coy smirk.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s something on us every day.”

Oh, I don’t like the sound of that.

She gave an adorable twirl, her midnight purple dress flowing with her. “My wedding dress, of course! What were you thinking~?” The teasing tone in Morgan’s voice made David’s cheeks flush. It prompted a giggle from the Devil, who waved out a hand. “Oh, I’m just playing, silly~ I know your mind well enough, and you don’t think about that kind of thing!”

David blinked. I… I don’t… He looked down a bit in thought. She’s… Not wrong. I can’t even remember the last time I looked at anyone in that kind of way. I’ve just been so focused on my work… His eyes shot open as he gripped his head tight. Have I… Become boring???

As he spiraled into a crisis about his mediocrity, the train slowly came to a stop. When the doors opened to the sound of the conductor’s announcement, David covered his nose. Carnal smells filled his nose and made him feel dizzy and slightly nauseous. Jolting up from the bed and looking outside, he discovered the source.

In no magazine he had read, no website he traveled to, or club he frequented, had he met figures that came close to these demons. Their bodies were like statues of the finest marble, carved by the finest hands of the Renaissance and draped in outfits that barely qualified as clothing.

David’s toes curled at the sight of the men and women eyeing him sultrily, feeling like he was close to hyperventilating. However, the sight of a male imp in a too-tight secretary uniform approached them.

“Morgan and David, right…” The feminine-looking imp said in a very gruff, deep voice. “Come with me.”

David was a bit shocked but definitely less so. Moreover, he was just confused and flustered. Keeping his head down, he tried his best to avoid any attention. From a place like this, especially being called “cutie”, “sweetheart”, and other names that made him feel more flustered than ever, he didn’t want to know what they were planning to do to him.

As they entered the limo and drove through the neon blue city, the human could finally calm down, his mind returning to him. His ears picked up the conversation between Sebastion and this new imp brother of his.

“So, Cupid. It appears as if Mistress Lily has decided to change the wardrobe once more.”

“Okay, don’t call her “mistress” okay? This is just a job, and I was unlucky enough to get stuck with Lady Horn-Pants. The minute one of our cousins can get the job, I’m out.”

“Cupid, this is more than our job. We are quite literally bred for this job.”

“Yeah, well honestly, I’d rather be cattle feed. At least then, I can be put to good use.”

David could hear Sebastian sigh. “I long for the day you will understand… Anyways, be grateful. Last year, those fishnet stockings were hideous.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“A truly tacky endeavor.”

“Okay, I get it!”

“Truly an appearance most foul.”

“SHUT UP!!”

What followed next were the sounds of a slight brawl followed by a slight swerve in the streets. The fight ended soon after, and David sighed with a smile. The familial bond present made him more at ease.

When they arrived at the center of the city, what they found brought David’s anxiety up high. It was a massive tower, similar to one would find in a city. However, the tower’s structure, top, and lighting resembling veins made David blurt out in sheer aggression.

“Seriously??? Why does everything in this place need a censor bar???”

The others looked at him while he took slow, deep breaths. Morgan put a hand on his shoulder. “Honey… It’s the Lust Ring.”

“Ugh… I know…” David grumbled as he buried his face in his hands. The group would arrive in the parking lot and towards a luxurious elevator. Unlike the others, this one was carpeted with mood lighting. However, the stickiness of the floors told David not to touch anything.

“Morgan, do you have any gloves?”

“I left them on the train, sorry…”

Groaning in the back of his throat, the elevator doors slowly opened up to reveal an office, from which a blue demon was in the middle of sewing up a dress. Unlike everyone outside, she wore a dress that could actually be mildly conservative. At the very least, she wasn’t barely clothed like the other demons. Her horns were odd as well. They looked almost like a pair of rabbit ears that curled into goat horns.

As the Lust Lord hummed to herself while working, Morgan approached her. “Ummm… Lily, it’s-”

“Hello, Morgan. Give me a moment, I’m very close here…”

She focused as she patched up the last of a particularly nasty-looking hole in the dress. That done, she stood up and smiled at Morgan. With a simple hug, all of the tension was wiped away.

“Thank goodness, it’s good to see that you aren’t attempting to brutalize my husband?”

“Oh, that? Yeah, Uncle Luci got super upset about your situation that he forced us to do something to get rid of him.” She turned to the window and walked towards it. “I wanted to refuse and just give you your dress, but your father-”

“Insisted.”

“Insisted.”

“Yeah, he’s always been that way. Don’t take it personally.”

“Ummm…” David spoke up, raising a hand. “So, should we do introductions before the challenge, or…”

“Hehe… A straightforward, polite guy. I hope this one sticks, Morgy~”

Blushing in frustration, Morgan looked away. That done, Lily held out a hand. “The name’s Lily. I am Asmodeus’s daughter and the current Lord of Hell. And if I presume, you are David Moreno. The lucky husband to be…~”

Getting a bit flustered, David rubbed the back of his head and looked away. “W-Well, thank you. I appreciate it.” With a shake of his head, he refocused. “S-So, what did you want me to do for the challenge?”

“Oh, that? Oh yeah, I hid the dress.”

“Ah! So like, you want me to go hunting for it, solving clues, and-”

“Oh no. I hid it at the dry cleaners across the city.”

“Aha! So you want me to solve the clues on how to-”

“No, you just have to go pick it up. It’s an easy trip back and forth. A literal straight line.”

The room got stiff for a second. “S-So you wanna-”

“No, I just want you to go across town and grab it, then come back.”

The two stayed quiet for some time before David finally spoke up. “You’re not as fun as I thought you were.”

Lily giggled and pointed in a direction. “Well, it’s not going to be that easy. From what I heard, the people there are quite fond of your appearance. They haven’t had a fresh human in quite some time too.”

David froze, looking away as Lily continued. “In fact, I think they’ll do anything to try and seduce you into their homes~ You do that though, and… Well…” She clapped her hands and from a door, a shriveled-up creature staggered in donning some sort of dress. It didn’t take David long to understand what Lily was getting at.

“Just… Down the street, right?” His voice wavered as he looked at where Lily pointed to.

“Yep! A straight shot as soon as you leave the tower! Oh, and you have to do it alone. Morgan can stay here with me in the meantime! Oh, and take this.” She held out a ticket stub. “They won’t give you the dress without it.”

David kept quiet for a moment, looking around the room. As he wandered, he put his hand on one of the work tables. “Alright…” He moved the hand back into his pocket and took the stub. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he walked out and went down the elevator.

Morgan sat in a chair as Lily returned to her dress. She felt worried. David was never one to be particularly perverse, but she knew of those who were practically celibate that broke in the Lust Ring. She bit her thumb in thought, holding herself back from praying to Grandpa.

“You’re worried about him…”

Morgan looked up at her cousin and nodded. “Yeah… I’ve not met one person who could withstand the Ring’s power. Your demons really are something else.”

“Hehehe, thank you…” Lily nodded with a smile. “Although, if he could make it this far, I think that he will probably do well.”

Morgan tilted her head as she watched Lily work. “Hmmm? What do you mean?”

“Well, I did cheat during the competition.”

Jolting up, violet flames jumped from Morgan’s body, but Lily held out a hand. “Relax. It’s less cheating and more cheating against someone else’s cheating. I swapped out Shiva’s PEDs with sensitivity pills.”

“Wait, you did…” Morgan looked up. She remembered how Shiva seemed to be off during the competition, even as she steamrolled the competition. That meant…

“If you hadn’t done that… She might have actually won the seat back for Wrath.”

“Bingo, and you’re welcome.”

Flumping back in her chair, Morgan looked at Lily. “Why? Why have you been helping me?”

“Well, I know prideful people, and they can be great producers of Lust. In my opinion, it’s better that you’re in charge instead of her.” Lily smiled as she stitched some fabric together. “Can you hand me the violet ribbon on the work table?”

Sighing, Morgan nodded as she walked over to the table, looking around at the assortment of ribbons. “Ummm… Lily, where is it?”

~~~

David wasn’t sure if being blindfolded in a city of perverts was a good idea, but if he wanted to focus, he needed to keep his vision smothered. Fortunately, the purple ribbon covering his eyes blocked most stuff while letting him see stuff directly below him. He used this as a means of stopping just short of running into someone or running into a wall.

He did his best to ignore the damp sounds and the audible carnal noises that followed them, along with the flirtatious requests. Whenever someone tried to grab him and drag him into one of the buildings, he slipped out and tried his best to reorient himself. Little did he realize that a number of the demons were following him out of pure curiosity.

When he eventually did arrive, he was greeted by the sound of an older woman who seemed fed up. “Listen, sweetcheeks, if you want to have a party here, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

“Huh?” He was confused for a second but dropped the matter. He produced the stub and clumsily placed it on the counter. “I’m here to pick up a dress.”

“A dress, huh? So you planning on going out in it?”

“What? N-No, it’s not for me!” He waved his hands, flustered. “It’s for my fiancé!”

“Of course. Another shotgun wedding based on some whim, right?”

“N-No, it’s not like that!” He felt himself in a corner, and so desperately began to speak. He told the counter lady, and indirectly so to the listening crowd, his story. The bar, the dates, his history. Although he did omit the angels purely for the sake of not wanting to start anything.

By the time he finished, the many demons were in tears. The counter lady rubbed her eyes. “That… Is so sweet… You truly care for our Queen…”

David said nothing, but internally, he said yes. Caring for Morgan, there was no doubt in that.

“Romance… We haven’t had that in this Ring for so long. It’s all just physical compulsions and chemical reactions. You though… You’ve got something here. Especially after that botch.” She smiled, moving off the counter. “Let me get the dress, dear.”

David got the dress and bowed in gratitude. “Thank you… This actually means a lot.”

“Anytime dear. We’ll be watching the wedding when it happens!”

“Huh? We?” As David turned to exit, he suddenly noticed a ton of feet standing behind him. The demons all parted the path, letting him through. They cheered him on as he passed through. David felt so much support that he couldn’t help but smile.

~~~

When he returned to the top floor, he was instantly grabbed by Lily, who did her best not to tear the purple ribbon into shreds as she quickly removed it. “Who said you could use that???”

“Uhhh…” David blinked slowly. “No one, but no one said I couldn’t.”

“Ugh! You are frustrating, I swear!” Lily stomped back as Morgan approached her fiancé with a smile.

“I told you,” She said to her cousin while looking down at her future husband. “You did wonderfully, dear.”

“Thanks…” Angel nodded with a smile. As he waved goodbye to an irate Lily, Cupid gave him a stoic nod and thumbs up. Angel chuckled as they left.

When they would return to the train, David would sit back on the bed. “... Morgan? Do you think I’m boring?”

Morgan blinked as she sat in one of the chairs. “Boring…? No, honestly. It’s true that you’re not quite at the same level of excitement as the demons, but I would much prefer being with you than them. You are peaceful, yet engaging. Plus, our lives have been quite eventful.”