Intermission-A Demon Explains

Early Saturday Morning

"You are going to let someone go?" Paisley was visibly trying to control herself. "A key foundation of Harem Hotel is NO ONE GETS TO LEAVE! How did you even get out of the magic that binds the Harem together?"

Vizrokoth waited, patiently, as Paisley screamed out her frustration. The conversation had started with the assistant barging into the room demanding answers when she caught the draft for the upcoming transformations. This last set of screams and questions were the tail end of a litany of complaints about the demon's sloppiness, disregard of Harem Hotel fundamentals, and so on. In the demon's experience, it was better to let the complainer tire themselves out before replying, especially when one had hit a nerve in the course of their behavior.

Once sure that Paisley was done, the demon replied, "The rules you are talking about describe a contestant, not a piece of a contestant. Kei Winters is not the contestant, but merely a piece of Jamina who, at this point, will be taking the place of Winters on their original Earth. That does not violate the rules."

That gave Paisley pause, and the demon could tell it wasn't what the assistant expected to hear. Vizrokoth took the opening to continue. "As for why, Kei Winters has served her purpose as a training wheel for Jamina. They know how to be a woman, and what is expected of them as a contestant on Harem Hotel. It is time for that contestant to stand, or fall, on their own ability, not that of another."

The demon's office returned to its mostly silent nature as Paisley paced around the room considering that. "It is true that, as part of a dyad, and as a being that is a fusion of multiple souls, Kei Winters is not a separate contestant. In a sense, sending her back is like sending the clothes a contestant was wearing back, and not the contestant themselves. However, I then must ask something very important. But first, a recording."

Paisley paused to deploy a hologram that was a recording of Vizrokoth's final meeting with the network before they greenlit her show. She fast forwarded until the final exchange, and the demon realized why she wanted to focus on it.

"I must ask, why do you want this job?" The manager asked. "You seem so powerful already?"

"You should know the joys of corruption and transformation never gets old."

"How does that coincide with you sending someone back to Earth in order to either massively increase the pace of robotics development, or introduce magic to a realm that didn't have it otherwise," Paisley said. "That sounds like you're plotting something, and using the power of Harem Hotel to facilitate it. Care to explain?"

It was a difficult question for Vizrokoth to answer, as she didn't want to lie, but her true answer would be tricky. "Two reasons, one of which is selfish. The other is that Felix and his harem are going to be altered substantially, to the point where for them to go back home to Earth would require that their Earth become a very different place. This is really for the good of the harem, and the master."

"The selfish reason?" Paisley asked. "I must warn you that hosts who've tried to **** Harem Hotel for other ends have met... dark ends."

"Corruption and Transformation are my primary sources of joy," Vizrokoth beamed while reciting the line. "Kei Winter's changes just apply to the scale of society, not just individuals."

Paisley sighed before replying. "I'll accept that answer, but here's the deal. You've been sloppy, gone off the rails, etc., a few too many times. I even had to bail you out last week to get the dates to work properly because you seemed to confuse a round for a week, which are not the same thing."

The glare from the assistant with the last one made even Vizrokoth embarrassed. "I was exc-"

"Yes yes, you were excited, but sloppiness like that is why freelancers go through a lot of vetting before becoming hosts," Paisley replied before continuing. "There are two conditions you will need to accept going forwards. Next week, I'm not only going to setup the challenge, but I'm also going to run things a bit more around here. You'll still be in charge of the transformations, and other long term stuff to go with your season plan, but we're going to have a normal week of Harem Hotel. Understand?"

While not a great condition, it was one the demon could live with. Vizrokoth nodded before asking, "You had another condition?"

"Assuming you manage to get this season to an acceptable conclusion, I'm going to need an assistant of my own soon," Paisley said. "One who knows how to do transformations, and can intimidate contestants so I can focus on the master of my first season. Consider it a learning opportunity so that you're a bit more polished for your next season..."

Paisley had someone else to meet besides Vizrokoth. Someone she chose to talk to while the contestants had their transformations voted on, and the rest of the demon's strange season went into climax. An entity that most hosts were scared to meet in person, but that as an assistant brought in with the purpose of getting seasons back on the rails, she had to meet all of the time. It was time to meet Vizrokoth's producer. She just hadn't expected it to be someone so dear to her.

"Paisley," A voice that sounded both beautiful and terrifying said when Paisley entered the room. "I'm surprised it took you so long to meet with me. You usually meet a producer long before entering a season."

It was one of her creators. Paisley should've expected it, given they were in a perverse cathedral, and the voice emanated from where the choir would've been in a normal church. The grandiose interior, the stained glass windows depicting orgies of sex and ****, and the many statues whose eyes seemed to follow whoever entered. This was a place she had been many times, yet it always changed just enough that she could never be sure whether she was back there again.

"What are you doing here?" Paisley asked. "I thought you had other responsibilities?"

A laugh emanated, one that sent many running in terror, but for Paisley was warm, like the chuckle of a parent reassuring you that things weren't so bad. "One of my projects became so well managed that I was unnecessary. I still keep tabs on it, but you well know what I do when I grow bored."

It didn't take long for Paisley to understand the season being referenced. The season in question was quite long, being in its eighth week of ten, and was a vaguely classical themed season about oily hunks fucking each other. There was an entire section of Harem Hotel most didn't see for fans of stuff like yaoi, and this producer had helped crank out another season for it. More than that, it was being headed by the rare male host, who this producer had been carefully shepherding to ensure the audience liked them, and the first step was having them run a season whose audience was straight women and gay men.

"Well, to answer your question, I needed to see things on the ground level," Paisley said. "Last time I think I was..."

"Too focused on the producer and the network?" The voice finished for Paisley. "Indeed you were. I think you have gotten too used to seasons that just need a bit of oil to get running again."

Of course an implicit dirty joke, said in a voice that would send most screaming. Paisley was very familiar, and despite being chided, didn't feel at risk. She knew well what her creators expected of her, and they otherwise gave her wide latitude. "Hence, why this time I chose to meet the host, and their contestants, at the ground level."

"A wise change," The voice continued. "But you seemed surprised to hear me. Why?"

"I'm surprised you chose to take on a newbie," Paisley said while moving closer to where the voice seemed to be coming from. "I'm used to you having..."

While talking to the voice, Paisley usually let the entity finish sentences for her. This was a mixture of deference and because she noticed how this producer preferred it that way.

"Higher standards?" The voice replied with a question, as it often did. "You confuse me with others child, I choose what's unique over what's refined. The songs and dances that haven't been run into the ground through sheer repetition. And contestants getting to dominate the master fits that criteria."

Indeed, she should've known better. This entity had once been a deity of music, especially singing, and the appreciation for the arts had made them an excellent producer for Harem Hotel. Still, it was strange to Paisley for them to choose this season, as while it did have unique aspects, it was at the end of the day a **** season. That was hardly a rare topic for Harem Hotel, with new seasons focused on just that being greenlit quite recently. Was femdom really enough to make a theme that must have been banal for this deity interesting again?

"But uniqueness isn't the only thing you seek," Paisley asserted, far more comfortable with this being than most. "You want beauty, art and-"

"Remember why I created you child," The voice interrupted, insistent. "There was too many seasons that might as well have been re-runs, and with you, I could change at least a few of them to go off script. I at times worry you've lost that, and see your job too much like that of a technician."

Despite how terrifying of a being Paisley knew this deity could be, she couldn't help but feel loved in their presence. Their voice was one of the first things she heard, and their insistence on creativity mattered. She knew all about seasons that suffered for not daring to alter the script... especially with her most recent one.

"You're right of course," Paisley said looking downcast. "But this is a season also focused on ****. With either forgiveness or punishment, you are very familiar with outcomes to that. That's what confuses me here the most."

The voice was the sole surviving deity of a pantheon destroyed by a roaming eldritch monster, and they survived by pretending to die through sacrificing their body. They managed to kill the being that did it in the process, which was no small feat, even for a deity, given it was an eldritch abomination, and specifically the type known to eat universes one world at a time. However, in the process, according to former worshipers trying to comfort themselves anyway, the deity went mad. They became a voice in the wind that always seemed to break the minds of mere mortals who heard it, and caused chaos where ever they showed up. Whether they had gone mad, or as Paisley suspected, simply asserted themselves in a way they couldn't before, the deity chose to become a producer in large part because it was a better use of their talents than dealing with a world that often didn't appreciate them.

"You're not wrong," The voice replied. "But this season has a kindred spirit to me in the demon. She too was frustrated by the limitations of her role, to the point of escaping her hell three separate times. Once to punish, once to trick, and once finally to liberate herself so she could be devoted to the art she cared about most."

"Well, if she is a kindred spirit, she has a lot to learn," Paisley said. "Perhaps just like you once did. I assume you know about my plan?"

Such a challenge was never tried by most, but Paisley knew she could do so with one of her creators. In the case of the voice, challenging it was important because such challenges could stimulate new ideas, and inspiration was something she knew this producer cared a lot about.

"I do," The voice replied. "I sent for you, because even I could tell that the demon's song was off key, and needed corrections. Also because if you are to step into her role, even for a season, you will need the kind of assistance she can provide..."