## Aurelian POV A musical swell from the television woke me, or perhaps it was the shaking from Isha from underneath our shared blanket. I must have passed out from the exhaustion of last night. Beads of cold sweat formed on Isha’s brow. She was murmuring something. Panicked statements against the background noise of vows of eternal love of a birdwatcher and lumberjack from the movie playing. It was disconcerting to see her so unlike her usual brash self. I shook her awake. “A nightmare?” I asked. “...are you afraid of Egelon?” Admittedly, I was asking the both of us that though I know my own answer. Her eyes darted away at the question: “He could send me back to Miss Munchies.” A pit formed in my stomach. It was only about a month ago I suggested to Egelon that Isha be on the chopping block if need be for the diner. Better her than me, right? No, no, I only wanted what was best for the diner, of course. I saw my reflection in her wide red eyes–broken halo, leathery wings; my hair became undone during the events at GreenHaven. The dominance training was aligned with my nature after all. My own survival and obsessions over anything else. Some manager I’ve been. “I will try my best to make sure that Egelon doesn't do that,” I affirmed to her. She looked touched for a moment, but her eyes narrowed once again. “You don't believe I can do it?” “yes. you are someone who is fearful and anxious,” she replied, which is true enough. It was entirely possible I was going to be fired that morning. There wasn't anything I could say to convince her otherwise. I asked, “At least everything's resolved with Pris now, right?” I suppose I will have to do more with my actions if I want anyone to trust me given recent events. “Yes, she's currently possessing Emil.” She looked smug with her response. I rushed to the break room. This couldn't be good. How did it come to this? Was he tricked or something? The most reliable of our staff as a sacrifice for a dream demon didn't sit right with me. I threw open the door to find Emil sleeping on the couch as still as usual. I couldn't tell whether he was currently possessed or not from this, so I shook him awake. His eyes shot open in response. After his explanation, my heart felt more settled about the situation although I still had my uneasiness surrounding any deals with a devil. Especially if it involved Emil’s wellbeing. We were soon picking up the consequential pieces of this deal in discussing the details of the possession exchange. Yet another hurdle popped up that morning: Cherry hadn't yet arrived for her shift, which would of course reflect poorly on me to Egelon during his morning call. My call had gone to voicemail. In the middle of our discussion regarding meeting the Morax gang came Egelon’s daily morning call. We quickly dropped the topic, and I braced myself for reprimand. He looked drained, but his words were still very strong. In short, I've been demoted to being solely the operational manager of The Deviled Egg, while Leslie (better him than Solomon) became the special projects manager for the much needed Greenhaven heist for their artifact. I sincerely hope that Leslie can make good on this operation. It would be good riddance. Additionally, I was now limited to a 500 foot range of the diner and its truck, and Emil and Isha were extended to that range. I consider this a light punishment considering my misbehavior, but I suppose Egelon didn't know the full extent of my shortcomings (including Cherry’s tardiness). All that needed to be done was to complete the possession exchange and heist, and then, all of this could be swept under the rug. This could all be resolved. Greenhaven would be but a small annoying blip in the career of The Deviled Egg. Regarding the further discussion for the meeting, I pulled Cherry aside to affirm to her that she shouldn't be getting involved in any potential relations between the diner and the Morax gang. I can't lose another person to possession or something possibly worse. What if it's the thing that kills her? I've pulled her into this world, and now, I was unsure if leaving it entirely would save her or doom her. She then voiced her annoyance about everything I’ve been keeping from her, but I'm unsure if telling her the truth would be beneficial. Maybe I am merely afraid of my sins catching up to me. Hell’s influence on me I'm sure. Thankfully, or so I thought, I convinced Jonny and Isha to remain at the diner with Cherry during the gang meeting, so the rest of us filed into the food truck onto location. The park was an inconspicuous enough rendezvous point and also allowed us to cater the meeting, which was an excellent marketing choice. Upon our arrival, it was evident that if things went hairy, we were almost certainly damned: Lenny Lombardi with his chained devils, another fallen angel, an ominous devil dubbed the tax collector, an occultist, and various other human lackeys. In the moment, I was sure hoping that Leslie and Solomon knew what they were doing, and I was cursing that I didn't know any better than them.