"Hatter! I hadn't realized anyone was in here."

Belial tried not to grind hir teeth. "One was just finishing," se said, stepping up out of the water. "Don't let one interrupt you."

"Not at all." Alexiel slid into the water with a pleased sigh. "It can be nice to have company."

Belial made a noncommittal noise, wondering a bit grumpily how Alexiel had retained Setsuna's obliviousness.

Belial's estimation of Alexiel rose. Maybe this would fail to be a catastrophe after all.

"Remind me again why we're bothering to talk to anyone else about this little project of yours?" Arariel asked as she strode back to him.

Lucifer's eyes were hooded. "I am very dedicated to a stable world for all of us, but I'm doing it out of spite towards the dead. I'm not going to kill you off with unwarranted optimism."

"The land is... refracting. Structures are appearing that aren't quite like anything ever created in either Heaven or Hell, and they seem remarkably resistant to being changed. I don't know who first started calling the new area Abe, but it's very fitting. The land grows like a living thing."

"You are not fit to carry the weight of Pride," hir lord said, evenly. "You have none. Not really."

The fog around his senses was thinning. He was waking. The soft words that he caught in bits and pieces told him this was unlikely to be enjoyable. When he finally opened his eyes he could only reflect on the accuracy of his instincts, because he recognized the person leaning against the glass above him.