Down.

Heading down the stairs the singing gets ever so slightly louder as you progress. Pushing the door open you see it leads into first a landing with a large full bookcase then three open archways open left to right into a kitchen, a hall leading directly away, and a large dining room with a wooden table with 8 chairs. All are lit with burning lanterns more powerful than the one in the room you woke up in. In the kitchen is a lovely woman in a sort of steam punk style long flowing dress, leather corset, and white ruffled undershirt. Her black hair is sort of high on top with a long ponytail in back. She has a old west style revolver in a holster on her hip but no other obvious weapons. She is singing quietly, rather well you decide, and appears to be making a large pie, a meat pie by the looks of the ingredients on the counter in ceramic bowls. She sees you peeking in and smiles, “Hey there sleepy head. Bout time you rejoined the living. You hungry?”

“Very.” You answer and step in the room. “Where am I? Where are my things?” You ask.

She opens a very old looking refrigerator, you see no electricity to power it, and sticks her head in, “Beer, honey mead, or wine?”

“Beer I suppose. You heard my questions right?”

She simply says, “The duck pie will be ready in an hour or so, if you’d like I have some bread, grapes, a bit of cheese, or some leftover pasta I could heat up for you while you are waiting for the pie.” She looks back for an answer as she pulls out two bottles of beer.

“Bread and pasta actually sounds quite nice.” You answer and walk forward to take the beer.

She sets a pot on the 1800’s era wood burning stove, dumps in a bag of reddish looking pasta and sauce, and sets a plate in front of a tall chair like you might find in a bar. She sets the chunk of bread and cheese on the plate, then begins stirring the pasta a bit before returning to her preparations for the pie. Once you have sat down and taken a drink she asks, “It’s Riley right?”

“It is.” You answer realizing whatever information you are getting out of her will be on her terms.

“A very old friend drops off a cute girl and asks me to make sure she is okay. Not exactly an every day occurrence you know. Especially when this girl is armed, demon blooded, and apparently very resistant to charm and mind control. A woman has to be careful about people like that don’t they?”

“Of course. Demon blooded you say?”

“Oh you didn’t know that? I suppose that isn’t impossible but it does make me question my zone of truth spell you are sitting in.”

“Zone of... oh so I can’t lie. Well go ahead ask me anything.”

“How did you get to Hell?”

“Evil witch.”

“Where did you get all the gold?”

“Same answer.”

“Okay, I’ll bite, why did an evil witch send you to hell with a ton of money and magic amulet that creates a portal to exactly one point in hell?” She asks.

“Well she tricked me into selling her my body. Everything I had and this body was the payment.”

She seems genuinely surprised by that answer. Then a lightbulb lights in her mind, “Oh I see so the legends are true. How interesting. Well I see. That is a new one. My friend said you basically **** him to **** you, what’s that about?”

“That. Huh. I don’t know exactly. When I saw him I just sort of needed him to dominate me. I’m not sure why. I mean I’m actually a man. I don’t find men attractive. Hell, before that day I have never even worn women’s clothes and now this dress feels so normal, and when you referred to me as a girl I didn’t even have the slightest interest in correcting you. Yet I just needed him inside of me so very badly.” After answering you take a drink then chomp a piece of bread.

“How do you feel now?”

“Now. I guess I feel great actually. This has been a very confusing week or so. I think I am supposed to go kill some evil army of undead or something.” You take another drink.

“Well why don’t you pick out a good book and go in the study and relax. I’ll get you when dinner is ready. Okay?”