Sin was everywhere, Belial knew, they didn’t bother hard to hide their transgressions. The place was huge to lose themselves into their vice without being bothered – it was alright as long they keep it among strangers. Even the police had lost credibility after Los Angeles had become No Man’s Land. Pride swelled within the demon’s chest. Such a self-indulgent hole of offences cities had become. That had been the fruit of hir influence for, in the past, cities glistened as center of cultural enlightenment and prayer. The exaltation turned into decadence every since Hatter had made a stop, visiting two beautiful cities at the shore of the Dead Sea.
God had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah far too late; their debauchery had survived and infected everything in the vicinity. Even their most pious survivors had spread themselves through incest.
That was long ago, this was the present. Belial’s attention was focused in the boy, seemly empty, but sie could see the clear anger his heart harbored, tied with a deep buried envy. Anger belonged to that hysteric shortsighted Baal, who presumed herself the Queen of all Satans. Envy to the Baroness of dragons, Leviathan, who bit her own tail and ate her own innards. Though all had the same rots, all came to the source – pride. All returned to the Jester’s swindling tongue that scattered lies and discontent once, long ago, in a time lost for men.
Ohhh. So the boy had finally noticed hir modest self? Belial grinned inwardly. There was a fleeting resemblance to Arachne, but it was a passing nostalgic thought. It was their age in all likeness, although the false prince of Gehenna had been far older to count in human years. A fool who had served a greater fool, Mad Hatter dismissed his memory and focused in this young man who was tilting his head in greeting. Without blinking, hir hand reached out for a balloon. It shone crimson like fresh blood he had spilled, like the caramel apples served in the food booths around them – and it smelled to both.
From the crowd and bright lights, a young boy emerged, listening to a song from his portable radio. The screams and laughs, the screeching of the games, the noise of water being boiled to heat food; everything appeared to mute when Mad Hatter pressed hir index finger to hir lips. Ssh…
A modern song, of that music sie never played but made a point better than any introduction stood from the eerie stillness.
“In a city of devils we live A city of devils we live Find somebody to learn Boy you gotta love someone more than yourself I can feel the fire of the city lights burn It's hard to find angels in hell ~♪"
The boy passed them in slow motion and, when he finally walked away, the sound returned immediately. Mad Hatter tipped hir hat and offered the balloon to Michael, eyes boring into his. Wherever he accepted it or not wasn’t the point of the offer. Sie released the rest and they flew up into the sky; then the jester let go of the red one but it didn’t leave, it was grounded in front of the black-hearted boy.
And, just as sie curled hir lips up, in a pearly white smile, hir body became transparent and was gone, bit by bit, the head lastly and only leaving hir grin and then nothing at all. The balloon would guide him to hir, if Michael chose to search and find the jester. It would know what his heart longed for.