I was proud of myself for waking up the next morning at nine, bright, ready, and as always, slightly sore. My bed was bad and bodies really aren't supposed to sleep for as long as I had learned to.

Blake was weary and stiff, but continued to obey, and after watching the morning's gossip and eating breakfast, I walked him to the cross section of offices and half lights that housed my office.

I stared at the doorway. Above it was a little libra sign, the part of the zodiac that had be appropriated to Kell's position. It was a bit more forbidding than it had any right to be.

He wasn't technically an accountant, it seems necessary to note- his proper title was 'executive of finances' or something, and his job was managing Hell's fragile economy. A lot was managed in-house, but Hell still needed to import much of their food and almost all their material goods. This was significantly difficult to achieve, and Kell's job involved traveling around Earth to various rich families Hell had a demon in, making sure the money kept flowing, aid was coming in on time, and various world governments kept off Hell's tail.

Calling him an accountant was a bit of a joke. I'm not sure what else we'd call him. Important seemed to be one word for it.

After taking a few steps forward, I paused, and looked to Blake behind me.

He raised his eyebrows. "As wonderfully exciting as this morning has been, I'm disappointed to learn you're going to just shuttle me back to your room again. That is what that look is for, right?"

He was correct. I wanted to have this conversation with Kell in private. Whenever that was going to be, of course. I dropped off a grumpy Blake to my room, promised him it'd be the last time he'd have to stay there, and went to Kell's office.

Christina was sitting at her desk, and Kell was absent. "Hey Mannie," Christina said. "Kell's at lunch. You should try coming here at a different time of day."

"It's way too early for lunch."

"He said he was going out for lunch. I think it might be codeword for 'having a secret meeting', but usually it's around lunch time, so I can't really say."

"When will he be back," I said dully.

"Eh," Christina responded.

"Right."

"I haven't seen him this morning, so he could just be lying as an excuse for being late."

"He's been claiming to have been at lunch since eight? Kell is so..."

"Like I said, it's probably some secret thing. Or else just a really bad hangover."

"Ugh. This is really slowing my plans down."

"What are your plans?" Christina asked with genuine interest.

"Quitting."

"Oh yeah, right. Kell's a pretty understanding guy, you know, he'd probably be fine with you just writing him an email. Besides, you don't technically... work for him...?"

"That's why I want to do it in person." I nervously knocked on the wall, a bit jittery with built up energy. I had a lot of patience for waiting, but only when it was expected. "I'll wait here."

"Okay." Christina shrugged, and soon focused again on her computer. I sat on the floor by Kell's desk, and stared straight ahead. This lasted for an hour and seventeen minutes, right until I heard footsteps outside the door.

Kell entered, looking exhausted enough that I briefly considered Christina's hangover theory. "Mannie." He examined me with heavy eyes. "I need to speak with Christina in private."

"Do you? I have to speak with you in private."

His eyes slowly panned between the two of us. "Can Christina be here for it."

"Has something happened?" I asked him.

"I have to discuss a serious matter with Christina. Please, Mannie."

"I take it I'm not a serious matter then?" Kell pulled a face that made it clear he didn't have patience for me right now, and I sighed, "I'm quitting."

"Your job?"

"Yes."

"Well, at least that was quick." Kell gave a sarcastic smile and stood up, gathering a few papers on his desk. "Now get out."

"Aren't you angry? Upset? ...Mildly irritated?"

"Are you done?" He raised his eyebrows in a way that suggested I ought to get going.

"No," I said, "This isn't it. How it should go."

"You don't have to throw a fit every time something doesn't go how you thought it would, you know." He dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

"I-"

"Mannie." Christina warned, and I backed out of Kell's office.

Sometimes I felt like an idiot for allowing myself to get caught up in my emotions. And often I'd find a certain shame in anything petty I let myself indulge in. So I was truly and honestly embarrassed to say that I didn't want to go because I wanted Kell to care a little bit more that I was leaving.

Not like a teary, heartfelt goodbye. That was never going to happen. But, you know, some sort of fist shake at the heavens, some dangerous parting words. He didn't even have to remember my name, years from now. Just something.

"This is serious." I insisted.

"Get going already." Kell said with a smile. "We have actual business to attend to."

"But-"

"I get it. You're quitting your job. Congratulations, Mannie."

I ran back to my room in a hurry. Time to grab Blake and leave. Kell would be impressed with me once he saw me on the news. Would I be on the news at some point? Probably?

There was still dirt on my clothes from cleaning all those books, and the state of my clothes further degenerated when I fell down a few feet from my dorm. Someone grabbed me by the arm and lifted me back up.

"Found you!" A woman said, and it took me a second to recognize the voice as belonging to Sydney.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"What, you're asking about my job? I'm a military general. Only time I work is when I'm deployed to the battleground." I was about to question that idea when Sydney spoke again. "Anyways, I'm super bored. You seem like a sneaky type. Getting into mischief and all that. I could probably help, having full security clearance and all that."

"I'd prefer for you to leave me alone."

"Yeah, whatever, I wasn't asking. You work for Kell, right? Let's head there right now."

She grabbed my arm to pull me back in the direction I had come from. "I was just there. Not returning anytime ever. Plus, he's busy having some dire meeting with his secretary."

"Her? Ah, Christina McKean? They're having a serious meeting? On what?"

"I don't know. I mean, she's terrible anyway. She thinks she's the center of the fucking world since she lives with some angel."

"Angel?" Sydney raised her eyebrows. "Non-fallen?"

"Yeah, some guy named Percy. The two of them are evidently friends or something, and now she thinks she has the right to fear for her life."

Sydney seemed to be half questioning my words and half very, very curious about them. "That's a crime, you know. Glenn'll stick about two life sentences just for conversing with an angel. And then send you out as bait on the battlefield," she said quietly, and then let go of my arm, "I'll leave you be, but I'll be back for you tomorrow. We can hang out then."

I made sure she ran off before I went to my dorm.

"You could've just left me outside the door, you know." Blake got off my bed. I would have remarked on his aggressive rule breaking, but it wasn't like I was going to be sleeping there again. I gathered my collection of collectables- pens, coins, and still a single pretty scale from Kell.

"How fast of a walker are you?" I asked Blake, stepping back outside.

"Aren't we just taking some express elevator out of here? I distinctly remember you mentioning something like that, and while I'll admit I'm having a ball looking at all these adorable demons, I'd be happiest back on Earth."

"Something's caught my eye," I said.

"Oh, you really don't do 'mysterious' well, do you?"

"Shut up. There's something going on between Christina, Kell, and Pepper, and I want to know what it is. Just going to swing by the file room and see if there's anything there."

"How long of a detour is that?" He sighed dejectedly.

"Depends on how fast you walk."

I started walking as fast as my short little legs would carry me, just to prove my point. Blake easily ambled beside me, seemingly amused. "So what exactly is 'the file room'? I mean, besides the obvious. Anything you can inform a young tourist like me on?"

"It's a lot of files up in the Alexander library in Envy. Logan Doyle is in charge of watching it when he isn't on duty, and with my luck, he will be."

"Whoah, is this illegal?"

"No, I just hate him."

He was an old and stocky guy. Once I had swung by the library to check it out, and he had been present in the maze of shelves. I tried to avoid crossing his path, figuring he was someone also interested in reading, but it turned out he was actively seeking me out-

And then he found me. And managed to shift a conversation on the book he was holding straight into his entire life story, which I sat through stone faced. God, he got right into it, incorporating hand gestures to help illustrate this tragic tale of how he sold his soul for strength and ended up killing a bunch of shit by touch.

I had taken a few steps back from him and nodded a little. He continued to regale himself with his tale, and once or twice I nodded. I don't think he noticed.

"I'm starting to notice a trend in your personal relationships."

I didn't have the dignity to respond to that.

There was an elevator to Envy, but it wasn't a very long walk, and just because I was a spiteful beast I made Blake walk it with me. Along the way, he seemed to hum with energy, though he made sure to mention how hungry he was every few minutes.

At some point he started talking, and it didn't stop, "I feel like Hell's really lived up to my expectations so far. I just worry it's lacking creativity. It's almost too close to what I've thought it would be. Like, where's the unknowable anguish? The terrible things beyond human comprehension? So far it's really more like a TV spot on what Hell is going to be like. You demons aren't even that scary. I've even seen a few who look downright adorable- cat ears and big fluffy tails and the like. I mean, what am I supposed to be scared of? I just want to give them a little pat on the head. I've been more scared at a haunted house run by a bunch of drunk teenagers."

"I'm not sure we're supposed to be scary."

"Yeah, I'm getting that. And no offense, but you and everyone else are very human around here."

"At some point, it'll hit you that none of us are. But you're right, it's pretty... stupid."

"It's interesting." Blake stretched, wringing his hands around his neck. "I'm only now getting that you name all your floors after sins. It's so dramatic! You work in Greed- I mean, try saying 'I work in Greed' without sounding a like a cheesy drama film. You just can't do it." He laughed. "But you just, file taxes I guess? I never really got what being an accountant was. Wrath is for suffering and Envy is a library... is there subtle link between names and their floors, or is it all just a marketing move?"

"I think the guy who named it was trying to have some fun."

"You know, if I was a dictator, that's what I'd do too," Blake said thoughtfully, "You are run by a dictator, right?"

"Oligarchy."

"Not so different from the surface then, eh?" He clicked his tongue and shot me finger guns. "You know what? I'm sorry. I am just really not funny. There is a reason comedy was never a viable path for my life to head down. But then again, who would've guessed damnation?"

"We're here," I said, stopping at the doors to the library. On the outside was its proper, name in frosted text on the window- since for some reason, the library did have windows. It was a nice touch, offering a slightly blurry glance into a cathedral-esque labyrinth of literature, but also seemed like a pointless expense.

"I see that. But you never answered my hypothetical ques- Whoah."

I got a little kick out of Blake's surprise. Envy was actually amazing. Amazingly needless, mind you, but lovely to look at.

More books than I think anyone knew what to do with lined every wall. Instead of something that made sense, shelves of various sizes were at random angles throughout the already giant room. Many of them were metal, or else assembled from many parts, but there was a surprising number of real wooded bookcases here, tall and embellished.

The outer rim of the library had shelves going up for three stories, with a narrow black scaffolding hanging precariously in the air for anyone who wanted to risk it. There was no real entrance to the place, just a start- in all honestly, we weren't technically allowed in here without explicit permission.

"Is there some sort of organization to this place?"

"I only know that if you keep walking straight, you can eventually reach the other side and get to the files," I said, leading the way, "Also, if you yell a lot a child will occasionally tell you to stop from somewhere in the room."

"Like an actual kid? Hey, can demons have kids?"

"Yeah, though God knows what one is doing down here."

Sometimes I wanted to wander these shelves and find out how many of the books here were repeats. They were collected from every cycle, biographies with slight changes and bundles of newspapers from every country.

"So this file room has info on every demon?" Blake asked.

"You're very curious today."

"Most days I try to be. I think it was my new year's resolution a few years ago."

"Yes, all the demons, all the buildings, all the humans."

"Oh! Hey! Me! My memory's actually super foggy. Can we check out my file too? I know I was at college, and I can sort of remember my mom and my sisters but... a lot of stuff seems weird. I can't even remember what I sold my soul for in the first place."

"If I can find it, I will."

"Thanks. I think I had a coin collection."

"Telling me these things does nothing to help."

"My girlfriend's name was Katie, and I was writing this book about... oh god, I forget! Man, that book was going to be my ticket into the big leagues, and now I'll never finish it!"

"I think you should be more concerned about telling your parents that you're back from the dead."

"Oh. Forgot about that part." He chuckled. "Seems like less of a big deal in some ways."

"I don't get that."

"Yeah, it's okay. I'm not sure it's a legitimate thing to feel."

I had the dullest sort of sense of repetition as I navigated towards the opposite wall. I'd been here once before, just to check, and I'd occasionally feel like I recognized something.

We arrived at the file room, another real wood door that looked right at home in the library, with smoky glass and a printed sign in front that kicked up some sense of nostalgia within me.

Inside was dim, lit by a hanging bulb that didn't quite work. A sleek modern computer sat on the desk, screensaver running. Beside it was an ancient computer and a giant pile of dirty files. The rest of the room was file cabinets and loose files, and everything smelt like microwave pizza.

"You're good with computers. Can you find Christina's file?" I said.

"What makes you assume that?" He asked, as he sat down.

"You're young."

He made sure to turn around so I could see his expression after that remark. He woke the screen up, and it already seemed to be on some sort of catalog- a few keystrokes and he had brought up a plain text file labeled with Christina's name.

I leaned over his shoulder and read. Right off the bat there was something weird with her- no listed cubi or hellhound. Those were on every file, the succubus or incubus who made the soul sell possible and the hellhound who harvested. No one didn't have one.

A few paragraphs down related why: it had been a rogue dealing, some nasty bastard who killed her family for fun and then forced her to sell her soul. I wasn't quite sure how you could get any real kicks from that, but this guy evidently enjoyed himself. A few months later, a hellhound came for her.

She had filed reports on who she said had attacked her, but there were no leads.

"Hey, she's pretty young."

"Hm." I continued reading. So far, nothing of note. These files were both a short, required history and one's personal record. She had a couple notes from her introductory therapist, as well as from Kell.

At the very bottom were the most recent inclusions. All from Kell, he noted that he had given her charge of a house on Earth- some private meeting place The Few frequented. She had taken in two house mates, much to his disapproval, both noted as fallen angels.

Percy was described as a tall, blonde man with a haphazard understanding of human fashion. Kell had a couple concerns about him, but the doc soon ended, leaving me no better off.

"Search the database for Percy."

"You're a very fast reader." Blake did as I requested. "...And I'm a total idiot for not realizing that wouldn't work. This is just a list of everyone named 'Percy' in Hell."

"Can you look for something on the 'Brothers of Blood'?"

"Who are they?" Blake asked, typing. "...Uh, looks like there is something. But it's-"

It was just the words 'coming soon'.

"Michael Lexington."

"Should I ask who that is, or is it not worth the effort?" There was again just one file and two words. 'See me'. "Are we going to be launching down that particular side quest then? I kind of want-"

"Get your own file. The other thing... isn't important."

"Thanks." A few clicks later: "Nothing's here. Is it still in paper? Should I be worried?"

"You're too new to not be in the computer. There might be something wonky with you that you're not aware about. Cycles tend to fuck with things, I don't know, maybe you're-"

Interrupting the both of us was a sharp knock on the door.