OPERATION: ENCORE (Part III)
BARISTA: JENNI HEPBURN
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE JUNE
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-64
Like a Phoenix, I am reborn from the flames of my past. Death, they say, is often only a minor inconvenience at best. That, and it is damn hard to kill a number.
Now, the question on everyone's lips must be, "who lit the match?" Typically, an advantage of arson is that it leaves little evidence behind. But I find it all too convenient that I would be set ablaze only to have my most talented baristas stolen away by the Indigos. Seems like corporate espionage to me. Sure, it is a baseless accusation, but I find it hard to believe three of my previously most trusted allies would find themselves in the murky, not entirely blue, not entirely violet waters of the Indigo Organizations.
To my knowledge, Nick Langley has gotten himself tied up with the North American branch, Astoria 23. Sahir Bali has found himself in the South Asian chapter of Yaksha. And Salenna Whitaker has somehow managed to end up working for the Ozhog Morozil'noy Kamery, also known as the Freezer out in... well, somewhere in Russia. While I have lost track of Aelan Analu and Alex Gálvez, I doubt either of them is working for IRIS, the European branch of the Indigos. That leaves only Nicole Langley and Felix Blackwood. Nicole has been seen "performing" at a local palmistry place here in L.A., and Felix, well, last I heard, retired. However, if that was just old coffee, I think we all know where he would go if he were to return to the Indigos. If he could return to the Indigos.
So, where does that leave me? Well, there isn't much I can do on my own. Not yet. Not like this. Well, to say that I am entirely alone, that wouldn't be true. I do have a co-owner of sorts. Well, a co-owner and an investor into our renewed operations. Though as I understand it, our investor prefers to stay hands-off. And my co-owner is not too keen on picking fights either. So it would seem that my next move would be to find some new employees who don't mind getting their hands dirty. Or some old employees. If... well. Maybe not. Maybe some fresh faces could be nice. Needn't pick at that wound.
Yours again,
Infinitely Turning Sideways
BARISTA: SHAKA OF ZULU
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: EARLY JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-65
I applaud your leadership, young 8. Very tactful. Though, if you would allow it, I also believe investigating the scene of the fire is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources. In fact, I believe it might be one of the most pressing matters we need to attend to. Now, I know you don't know me well either, though don't take that personally. Very few know me well. But I feel you could trust me if. See, if I wanted to see the ashes, I would do so with or without your permission. I sincerely hope you don't take that as a challenge to your authority. Instead, take it as a sign of my respect for you and the title you hold. If the answer remains no, I will keep my nose out of your old business, by my word.
However, if all signs point towards yes, well, I can supervise young Julius. I fully agree that he should not venture to the remains alone. Who knows what he might do? However, I also see why Belphegor brought him aboard. He has a fire burning within him, a wretched, wicked yellow flame. As such, he knows about fire in a way few could ever hope to know of it. I guarantee if you allow us to investigate the remains, it will illuminate new insights. I doubt it will reveal who lit the match, but perhaps it can show us how the match was lit in the first place. If not the who or how, perhaps it might clue us in on the when or what. Where, I think we can agree, is pretty nailed down. Or is it? Ah, see, this is why I would like to take a trip to find out.
Failing that, I suppose I can ask around about this enigmatic "Poet" everyone seems so concerned about. I wonder, who could that be? Ah, if it matters, in any case. Though I doubt I know where your Poet is, I know where mine is. And mine is a chatterbox if ever there was one. He might be worth having a sit down with. Though I firmly believe that he hasn't been living up to his name lately. This brings me back around to my desire to investigate the fire with Julius. Tamper is in your court, young 8. Press it or not. Either way, I'm at your command.
BARISTA: BELPHEGOR OUROBOROS
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: EARLY JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-66
Wow, Lucy sure was harsh on Asmi. Though, I get it. They’re sorta opposites, I guess. Lucy is light and life, and Asmi is darkness and death. They are also the youngest Princes, and they both have a very different view on the fundamental role of being Princes. Eh, it’s not really my place to try and steer either of them “right,” I’ll leave that Sisyphean task to Bez.
So… Asmi. Lucy did a pretty good job covering her general deal, but she didn’t really dig into her many, many schemes of the past, present, and future. Woah, the future? I know, right? Let’s put it this way, I’ve seen Asmi try a thousand schemes, and I’ve seen her fail about nine hundred ninety-nine of them. And before we start demonizing… well… no, we can probably accurately demonize a Prince of Hell, but before we start being unfair to Asmi, I’ve also seen Lucy try just as many, if not more hair-brained plots. I’d also like to point out that when Asmi tries something, usually the universe doesn’t end. Just saying. However, just because the universe doesn’t end doesn’t mean life is safe as we know it. Asmi only stands to gain from a mass extinction type event. Souls are power, after all, and Asmi’s got a lot of them.
And if it wasn’t obvious or clear to anyone else yet, that’s what she’s planning. A total wipe of all life here and now. Well, not exactly… and that’s the part that worries me. It’s not Asmi who’s planning an apocalypse this time around. She’s just planning to benefit from it. Due to how things have played out, will play out, and should play out, Asmi is in a position to benefit from the current course of Fate. Which surprisingly works out well enough for us too. See, Asmi has to go down next if we’re going to get things roughly back to where they should be. Of course, we aren’t going to kill her or anything… we just need to take her out of the greater picture. Though it’s a bit trickier than with Satan. See, Satan can go missing, and not many things change. But if Asmi goes missing? That is a considerable power void. So, we need to debilitate her. Make it so she can’t do anything but paperwork.
BARISTA: SHAKA OF ZULU
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: MID JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-67
Ah, my many thanks, young 8, for allowing such an expedition to occur. I assure you it will be most illuminating indeed. In fact, I would dare to say I almost have a complete idea of the who, what, when, where, and why. I could be wrong, of course; I am only human—though, I have seen fires like this one before. That, and with Julius' assistance, I feel confident in my findings.
So, as for the who: This is still up for debate. Though I am practically almost sold on the one who struck the match being a demonic entity. Hauntaurskaldian, specifically. No surprises there. And perhaps it could be the Nain Rouge? After all, fires are his thing, and the evidence clumsily left behind certainly points towards the little red imp. It'd be a very easy cup of coffee to drink, yes?
As for the what: The Cafe and Diner was burnt to the ground, with its owner still inside. It is unclear whether or not he died in the fire, but he has been missing ever since.
As for the when: October 31st, 1997, around 8:00 p.m. PST.
As for the where: Obviously, the location of the original Cafe and Diner in "Long Beach," though I would argue it was actually in Santa Ana, technically. Though I understand why one might wish to obscure the true location.
Finally, as for the why: The Cafe and Diner had made strong enemies of Satan, the Astoria 23rd Agency, and various other supernatural and paranormal entities.
Now throw all of that out of the window. The fire was caused by the original owner. Of this, I am certain. Which, yes, I suppose, creates an entirely new "why," though I am not a mind reader, especially of the dead. Julius has described the fire as a "pure" fire, which could mean many things, all of which are probably concerning. Though this smokescreen is rather sloppy. I'm sure Belphegor would agree to that. If anything, it certainly casts doubt over whether or not the original owner actually died or simply fled.
BARISTA: BELPHEGOR OUROBOROS
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: MID JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-68
Clever wording there, Shaka. There is certainly a big difference between “caused by” and “started by,” huh? Guess it wouldn’t hurt to throw my two cents in here, seeing as I know what happened and all that jazz. Besides, I’m pretty sure you already know all this, right? Regardless, let’s keep this between you and me for now. Shaka, too, I guess. It won’t surprise me if he is able to find this via Secret. Pesky little ability that grants him. But it’s not like Shaka will just go blabbing about this to Jenni. Kinda antithetical to the whole Secret thing. Which reminds me… how much does she actually know? I can’t get a good read on her.
On the one hand, if she truly believes he is dead and, in the Necropolis or Otherside, great—we’re on track. If she thinks he isn’t dead… well, that puts a wrench in the flow of things, doesn’t it? Either way, I doubt she’ll be able to find him where we’ve hidden him away. I doubt even Shaka could find him. Sorry, Shaka.
Just so we’re on the same page, Wicked finally got to the original owner. Almost. It got real close this time around, huh? On the bright side, the Blight has left him mostly in one piece. On the less bright side, the Blight isn’t something that tends to just go away even after an explosive outburst. Hard to say who it will infect next, though that’s why I wanted Julius as a part of this Cafe this time around. Spoilers, Julius is an acolyte of the Wicked and is or will be the Spark for the Wicked after he enters his mortal vessel. Or, well, I doubt that’ll end up happening. Even without my personal interference, my little wigglewyrm has that group covered.
Now, with the original owner being, you know, not dead, things are going to change in a fairly dramatic way. Hell, things are already changing in a pretty dramatic way. Nick is no longer working for A23… or, well, he is but as a double-agent this time around. Nikki, mm, might die again? Well, would that be worth avoiding? I mean, I could probably make things work out so she doesn’t die, but saving people from death tends to have weird consequences down the line. Though, without Nikki… Hm. Eh, I’ll work that out later. Jenni still became 8, though, so that’s gr8. You’re still sticking around, and we’re still going after Asmi. Cool. However, it seems like there’s some bigger threat than Asmi looming, which, you know, isn’t supposed to be happening right now. In any case, I assume with the original owner's not-death, the original apocalypse has been avoided. Oh, and as a bonus, Mammon is currently none the wiser. Probably can’t keep it that way for long, but it gives us some time to figure out our next moves.
BARISTA: LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: MID JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-69
So, I'm glad that Shaka and Julius were able to check out the remains of the original Cafe, thanks, guys. Not to mention, you had some interesting revelations which have brought up some serious questions about the nature of events. Oh, and you mentioned that Julius described the fire as a "pure" fire, right? Only "pure fire" I can think of is a certain type of fire known as "wicked fire" or "blighted fire." So, if this is truly "blighted fire," well, that is concerning. Though… not unsurprising. For those who were unaware, the original Owner of the Cafe and Diner was inflicted by the Blight. Exactly what the Blight is, well, it's hard to say.
Taking a step back and looking at things in reverse… The Blight is some sort of illness. Or perhaps a curse with physical ramifications. The original Owner purposefully inflicted himself with the Blight both to study its effects and to gain the minor benefits it brings. And… I guess I should probably mention that I'm the one who helped him become infected. Not our best idea, admittedly. Anyway, once inflicted with the Blight, the original Owner gained the ability to see into the Otherside, Topside, Underside, and beyond. Of course, doing so only worsened his condition, but it certainly helped his and my understanding of the world at large.
The original Owner wanted this knowledge to aid his quest to find the culprit who struck the match. No, not the match that set the original Cafe a light, but the match that burned down his childhood home in Detroit, killing his parents. From what he recalls of the event, the fire that killed his parents was started by a small red impish figure, likely believed to be Miss. Cadillac. I had assumed that the Nain Rouge set this fire too, but I'm unsure, especially if Julius says the flame was "pure." It could be that the original Owner's Blight finally consumed him. In any case, right now, it's not what we need to focus on. We'll find the original Owner in the Necropolis, and then we can ask him ourselves. But to do that, we need to stay focused on Asmodeus. So, I'm calling this tab closed.
BARISTA: BELPHEGOR OUROBOROS
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-70
Why does everything always fall on me? Ugh. I was trying to avoid having to go to an obnoxious nightclub, but here we are. I found Naberius at Perversion, thanks to Doppio’s charm. We had a brief conversation which you can check out below. I’m not sure how much I trust him. At least when it comes to Asmi’s involvement in all of this. The apocalypse thing? That I actually believe him about. We’re overdue for an apocalyptic shake-up.
Belphegor: Naberius?
Naberius: And who might you be, my dear?
Belphegor: Does it matter? I have some questi—
Naberius: Of course, it matters. It would be rude if I didn’t know your name, seeing as you know mine.
Belphegor: Sophie. Charmed.
Naberius: Sophie? Mm, interesting. I thought it was Sara? Sabrina? Scarlet? Summer? Sage? No, was it Solomon? Surely not just Belphegor these days?
Belphegor: Fine. Let’s start over. Hi, my name is Sophie. What’s yours?
Naberius: Sophie, charmed. My name is Nathaniel. How may I help you?
Belphegor: I have some questions about your clubs.
Naberius: Of course, of course. I’m more than happy to discuss our little operation with one of my "favorite" princes.
Belphegor: Listen—
Naberius: No, my dear, no need to worry. The past is in the past, as I am sure you are aware. There is no need for hostility Sol- Sophie. Now, what brings you out of your cavern? Your sister’s Flipside clubs? That can’t be it.
Belphegor: I just wanted to know why she was pushing so heavily into the Flipside.
Naberius: Can I get you a drink?
Belphegor: I’m fine.
Naberius: Suit yourself. Well, you see, my dear, the Apocalypse is drawing near.
Belphegor: The Apocalypse?
Naberius: Armageddon, Doomsday, Rapture, Seven Trumpets, Judgment Day, Catastrophe, the End of the World. I could go on. Surely, you, of all people, know what an Apocalypse is.
Belphegor: From the top?
Naberius: Where else? Unless there is something, you know that-
Belphegor: No. Nothing. I just hadn’t heard that the end was coming.
Naberius: Really? You do need to get out more.
Belphegor: So, what, this whole cycle is getting purged?
Naberius: Seems so. And as you can imagine, six billion or so new souls would take quite a toll on the Necropolis. So, we’re looking to expand out in the Flipside. Get some demons set up here to make room for the oncoming gens-diabolique.
Belphegor: Surely the Necropolis has enough room? Couldn’t Asmodeus just keep expanding it?
Naberius: Where are we left to go? If we build any taller, it’s sure to collapse, and if we build any wider, we’ll encroach upon the Shadows in the pits.
Belphegor: Well, yeah, but the Necropolis isn’t exactly Euclidian, right?
Naberius: We’re just making some comfortable space for our elites. Is that a problem, Sophie? Why do you care about any single cycle?
Belphegor: Who said I care? I’m just checking in.
Naberius: Of course. Silly me for thinking you, of all people, care. It has been lovely, but I have business to attend to, and I am sure you have some excuse you can think up to leave.
BARISTA: SHAKA OF ZULU
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE JULY
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-71
It is exactly as I feared. Julius Mendoza is deeply infected with the Wicked Yellow King’s Blight. Again, seems like we’re playing with fire here, Belphegor. Though, am I really one to speak about the influence of the Cold penetrating into the Cafe? No, I suppose not. Though, I will say the Wicked is a bit less cordial than Secret. As I understand it, Julius is the Spark for the Wicked, not yet one of the Flame. Or, sorry, let me rephrase that he isn’t the Flame. Just the Spark. To this end, Julius isn’t a 1:1 connection to the Wicked, and I doubt the Wicked is using him as some sort of spy. What worries me is his powers and their influence on the Blight. The Blight feeds off of magic, so if Julius continues to fuel this fire, there is no saying what will become of him.
Now, why is any of this interesting or important? Julius isn’t supposed to be the Flame. Again, just the Spark. But if he gives in to the Blight too heavily, well, a spark becomes a flame, no? Then we would indeed have a 1:1 living vessel of the Wicked walking around. And “knock, knock...” Oh right, no one is home to deal with that. Seriously, Belphegor, is putting Julius in a prime position to fall to the Blight your most well-thought-out plan? Is it even a plan? Or were you just trying to fill seats? Regardless, I cannot recommend letting Julius experiment further with his powers. In fact, I would do everything in my power to prevent it. Well. I would. But I won’t interfere with this mess directly. I still have to keep up appearances.
Though, excellent news, I have found my replacement. He’s a quick wit, capable with the coffee trade, and he should be able to fill my day-to-day role more consistently than I can. I can’t be in two places at once. Well… Regardless, I think you should all get along with "Oliver" just fine. Of course, I’d say you could expect to see him soon, but then again, there is no physical location yet, is there? I’ll have to fix that. Thankfully, I know of a mysterious benefactor who is quite adept with Cafe-related real estate.
BARISTA: SHAKA OF ZULU
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-72
The ever-helpful Hypatia has once more come through for me. She is quite the wonder, is she not? And with that Astrolabe, I suspect you should have no trouble at all navigating the twists and turns of the stygian Labyrinth. However, the beast Hypatia mentioned does concern me. Its ilk is not to be underestimated. I’ve filled "Oliver" in on what I can share about it. I have full confidence you’ll all make it out just fine, and I’ll be seeing you again soon on the Flipside.
Shaka: How have you been, Hypatia?
Hypatia: The same as ever, I suppose. How has the glamor been working?
Shaka: Mm… I would say well. I don’t believe anyone has seen through it yet.
Hypatia: Is it?
Shaka: Oh yes.
Hypatia: Ah. Well, thank you for finally bringing the Cafe and Diner here. I’ve been trying to get their attention, but—
[Hypatia gestured to a silver disk lodged in her chest.]
Nikki: So that thing is a glamor?
Hypatia: In a sense, yes. It makes me appear to be anyone and everyone that I am not. However, it is very easy to see through once you know who I am—but until then, I am no better than a figment or a whisper.
Lucifer: Why did you…?
Hypatia: I didn’t intend to actually have it fused into myself. That much was an accident. I made it to avoid Asmodeus’ many eyes and ears in the Necropolis.
Jenni: Why are you hiding from Asmodeus?
Hypatia: Inquisitive bunch, aren’t you? That’s good. Good to be curious. But that doesn’t matter. What does is getting you all back to the Flipside. And, as I’ve been trying to tell you, the taglocked portals are hidden in the Labyrinth.
Oliver: Oh! Now that you mention it, I do remember you saying that.
Nikki: …Yeah, me too. And there’s uh… a thing we needed to avoid, right?
Hypatia: Yes. Among the many things that lurk in the Labyrinth, the taglocked portals are being guarded by an ancient demon.
Lucifer: Who?
[Hypatia shook her head.]
Hypatia: What. It’s some sort of beast older than the Necropolis itself. But, if you can sneak past it, you should find the singular Flipside taglocked portal. Here, this will show you the way through the Labyrinth.
[Hypatia procured a small astrolabe.]
Shaka: Fantastic. A simple and straightforward way home. Of course, I will go my own way back. Though, Oliver, a quick word before I depart?
Oliver: Yeah, sure.
Shaka: And thank you again, Hypatia, for the glamor and your aid.
Hypatia: Of course. Though, I expect you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?
Shaka: On all my ill-intents.
BARISTA: OLIVER WEST (ALEX GÁLVEZ)
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-73
Okay, so Shaka has filled me in on what he believes the creature in the Labyrinth might be—a “protodemon.” Basically, demons before there were demons. A demon of a time long since passed. Technically, it’s not actually anything like a demon that you or I would know today. It’s an entirely different species. According to Shaka, they come from a place that no longer exists. As such, they are an oddity in the Universe. They can’t exactly be killed either unless we can return them to their original dimension… which doesn’t exist.
So! For all intents and purposes, Protodemons are more or less a strange subclass of Elders. Extracyclical Elders, to be precise. Of course, they aren’t actually immortal like Elders are, but Shaka heavily implied we’d be wasting our efforts to try and kill it. Assuming it is a protodemon, anyway. It could also be a strange Everdark beast—though shadows of the Everdark are also notoriously hard to kill and border on being Elders themselves. Shaka also implied that shadows and protodemons are closer related than demons and protodemons are… but he stopped his thought there. Always enigmatic.
The point is we need a plan that involves running like hell if we see this creature. According to the good lady of Alexandria, the beast is known to lurk very close to the taglocked portal back to the Flipside. It’s probably why Asmodeus chose that spot to put it. So, we just need to be ready to run and run fast should things get scary and/or hairy. Additionally, we need to be wary (love the rhymes) of its shadow spores and detachable exploding limbs. Sounds like a great time!
BARISTA: LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE SEPTEMBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-74
Protodemons… I’ve heard the term before, though I’ve never seen one myself. Or, well, I haven’t seen one in a very, very, very long time. I’m sure at some point I’ve come across one, but between the various lifetimes I’ve lived, it gets hard to remember. Plus, it’s not like they wear a nametag that says, “Hi, I’m a protodemon!” so I’ve probably encountered a few without knowing it too. They are more or less similar to Elders, after all. Though… even by Elder standards, protodemons are allegedly very strange and alien.
It is said that they come from the Eighth Plane of the Otherside, a plane that has been lost since around the beginning of beginnings, the genesis of the Universe. The Eighth Plane has certainly been a source of fascination for many occultists and the like. Unfortunately, there is little I remember of it. It’s been so far removed now that all I really remember about it was its beautiful sky and its endless fields of dandelions. I don’t remember it being filled with horrifying creatures, but I suppose I was young and fairly sheltered.
Though… perhaps it was the violent way in which it was torn from the Universe that twisted those who still lived there into “protodemons.” It would make sense, in a way. There had to be a price to pay to remove an entire Plane, after all. And, in part, removing the Eighth Plane is what led to the capture and imprisonment of my father, the Devil. And it is the Devil who has fathered countless of the regular demons we have now. I wish I could just ask him what happened, but, you know, he’s probably safer behind the Gates of Hell.
BARISTA: JENNI HEPBURN
CAFE: SECOND CAFE
DATE: LATE OCTOBER
RECEIPT ID: RE:CORE-75
It is certainly good to be home. It’s been a long time. A month and 23 or so days. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how long it has actually felt to me—perhaps closer to two weeks? Though, I can tell that things have certainly changed since we left. In little ways, of course. The Cafe is now coated in dust in cobwebs. In expected ways, as well. We’re now deep into autumn, though the changes are as subtle as they usually are in SoCal. And in large and unpredictable ways. Things that were certainly always out of our control.
It’ll take time to adjust. Time is such a precious resource, even if it seems like we’ve been swimming in an endless supply of it lately. In the time we’ve been gone, Asmodeus has opened up several new nightclubs around Long Beach and Los Angeles. She must’ve seen the writing on the wall with the Gossamer Ballast and began planning for its next iterations. Worse, from what I’ve heard, tourists have been flocking to these nightclubs as they can hardly sleep at night anyway. There’s been a plague of paranoia and nightmares taking hold—no doubt the Sandman's work.
We still need to find a way to safely cut off Asmodeus' tags at their source. We also need to help Lucifer reconnect with her missing light. There was also a rare flower Belphegor wanted us to look into, though it would be quite the trip. And so long as she can stay focused, we do still have Nikki on the inside. And… perhaps an uneasy ally in Naberius. His loyalties may be fierce, but his heart seems to be in the right place. Regardless, we’ve been through one hell of an extended vacation, and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to get back to business as usual.
Yours Never-ending,
8