“Whew, I honestly thought I was going to be queuing for a whole lot longer then I had been expecting…” Ben said to himself, the big, blue, alien lizard lugging behind a suitcase full of clothes and other assorted accessories through the lobby of the Hilton. After spending a few hours travelling via a plane between different countries and having to get through registration so he could attend the events at ConFuzzled, he was looking forward to spending a couple of hours relaxing in his hotel room - maybe he’d do some unpacking or see what was on the British TV stations. “Can’t wait to get this gear off as well!” He added - the convention had a fashion theme to it this year, but given his size and bulk, conventional clothing wasn’t going to fit him, so he enlisted the help of some friends to craft a getup that he could wear which, while it might not be on-point with the main theme, was still a fashion statement to begin with. He had chosen to wear some of his gear on the flight to allow him to pack a little bit more in his case, but given that the mock barbarian gear he was wearing had some small amount of metal in it, he got caught out by the metal detectors on his way to boarding, and that was frustrating enough to deal with as it is. Ben approached the lifts in the hotel lobby, and to his surprise - and frustration - he was greeted with an all-too-familiar sight. “Oh come on, they’re already broken?!” He gawked at the three lifts, either sealed off with caution tape or an ‘out of order’ sign placed in front of the doors. The lifts at the convention did have a tendency to break given the amount of usage they got throughout the five days ConFuzzled ran for (or seven, for the early arrival/late departure crowd), but it was definitely a new record to see that they were currently out of service the day before the convention properly started. “How did they even manage that?!” He took a look over at his suitcase - thankfully he was big enough and strong enough to lug it up the stairs, but being as tall and wide as he was, he knew he’d have some trouble navigating the stairwell, not to mention that people wouldn’t be able to get past him that easily on the stairs if they were making their way down as he ascended with his luggage. “Guess I’ve still got one more bit of exercise before I can take a break…” “Ugh, fucking REALLY?!” A female voice squawked in equal frustration. “And I thought the lifts at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow were a complete mess!” Ben turned to his side, seeing a tall, female creature standing next to him, a fusion of raven and hellhound. Her tail brushed around behind her, talons clicking against the floor. She was wearing a matching red-and-gold jacket and shorts combo along with a black top with a heart-shaped boob window, the fluff on her chest poking through it. “Shade? Is that you?” “Hrm?” She turned to face the reptile. “Ben, long time no see~” She stepped forwards, embracing him in a hug. “Same to you, though you honestly look a little bit different than what I remember!” He returned the hug. “What happened to you?” “Eh, a few small changes here and there. Kinda what happens when you find yourself in literal Hell!” She chuckled. “If it helps, I could shift back to the classic look.” “You’re fine, it actually matches your clothing!” He responded. “Also, literal Hell?” “Oh yeah - fire, brimstone, imps, hellhounds. A LOT different from how the bible described it!” Shade cawed. “It’s got its problems and rough spots, but you quickly grow to love it~” “I see..” Ben didn’t really know how to respond or follow up to that. “Anyway, I meant to ask you if you had already checked into the room since you got here a few hours before I did!” “Yup, I did that almost immediately after I registered!” She flashed her ID badge, which was buried between the chest fluff and her breasts. “I thought I’d go and get some dinner since I didn’t know what time you’d get in, but it seems like in the short time I’ve been gone, the lifts crapped out. Either they’ve been used too many times in quick succession, or a few chucklefucks decided to overload the damn things…” “Mmhhm… I suppose on the plus side, they’re usually quite swift at getting these things fixed. Doesn’t really help me and my luggage, though.” Ben sighed. “Hey, I wouldn’t worry too much about that - I already set up a couple of emergency portals that are connected to our room!” “Really?” He perked up a little - he knew Shade had some experience with portals, and he figured that after being held up departing from the previous convention trip she attended due to the lifts buggering up, it made sense that she’d set up a quick access point. “Oh yeah! Allow me to show you~” She approached one of the lifts, flicking her wrist, flames quickly erupting around the door as the portal opened up. Ben was expecting to see the hotel room he and Shade had booked into, but instead he was looking into Hell, various demons and hellhounds of various shapes and sizes walking the streets. “Err… that looks like Hell to me…” Ben blinked. “That’s because it IS Hell, sweetie!” She grinned from ear to ear. “I could have set the portal up to go straight to our room, but if I do it THIS way, it allows me to make a quick stop by my residence down below to grab a few supplies. I needed to make a stop by there on the way to the room so I could grab a few drinks!” “You do remember that there’s a bar here, right? If you want something to drink, wouldn’t it be easier to head there instead of Hell?” “Maybe, if I only fancied a Coke. If I fancy something harder, though, I’m not gonna settle for the weak stuff you put up with up here. If I make a quick trip down, I can come back up here with some Beelzejuice - the really good shit! You people don’t know what you’re missing out on!” “It’s that good, huh?” “Good is putting it mildly - if you want a party to go absolutely fucking NUTS, that’s the stuff you bring out!” She made her way towards the portal. “You’d be more than welcome to try some, but I don’t know what effects, if any, it’ll have on residents of the living world. Still, it’d be fun to find out - maybe it’ll bring out a more beastly side to ya!” She teased him, growling softly. “So what do you say, wanna make a quick trip through Hell to get to our room? I’d be more than willing to show you the sights and sounds the seven rings have to offer~” “Hrm…” Ben was weary about doing so - he’d already gone through hell once today in regards to his travel, he didn’t have a clue what the actual Hell would be like. “Trust me, big blue, you already cut an imposing figure with those muscles - and that mock armor you’re wearing just screams ‘I’m gonna bury you in the goddamn ground if you try anything!’” “Well… you haven’t led me astray before, so I guess I can trust you on my descent into Hell. If anything happens to me, though…” “Nothing will happen to you, sweetie - I’m the absolute LAST person you want to piss off, so the chances of anyone trying anything with you whilst I’m around is quite low. For added protection, you COULD give me your soul~” Shade whispered, running her tongue along her sharp beak. “I don’t think I need to do that!” He had to laugh. “True, true, no point in condemning yourself for the sake of a quick inter-realm hop!” She beckoned him closer. “So, do you wanna go to Hell with me, hun?” “As much as I have my reservations with the idea… what floor are we on?” “The fourth!” “...Yeah, I REALLY don’t want to have to carry this up four flights of stairs!” Ben grabbed his case and chucked it through the portal. “Lead the way, Shade!” “That’s the spirit!” She grinned, her tail brushing against his thigh as the duo made their way through the portal, the flames flickering as it slowly shut behind them. “Just remind me to grab the random junk I brought along for the CultFuzzled table whilst I’m in the bedroom, saves me having to make another trip if the lifts are still screwed up!” She cackled.