Grandpa Morningstar decided to wake up the next morning a little early, not that he exactly needed sleep due to him being the creator of the known universe. He just thought it was a nice way to relax and recharge.

But much to his surprise, a familiar face was already at the bar.

"Oh! Henrik!" GM smiled. "Good morning, my friend!"

The avian cat grunted, taking out bottles of alcohol for the day. "Er...mornin', Lord."

"You can just call me Jehovah...or Grandpa Morningstar...actually! 'Boss' has a nice ring to it!" GM smiled.

Husk shrugged, wiping down glasses that needed cleaning. "Okay, Boss."

GM then walked over. "So, what are you doing up so early? I can't imagine 6 AM is the proper time for a drink."

Husk sighed, looking at the glass.

"I...couldn't sleep."

GM's four eyes softened and he suddenly stepped inside of the bar, now the one sitting behind the table instead of the other way around. "Am I allowed to ask why?"

Husk hesitated. "Er...don't you know everything? Mama used to say you do."

GM chuckled. "See...that's the tricky part. So, I am capable of seeing everything and hearing everything. Understand?"

Husk nodded. "I...think so."

"That means I literally see and hear everything...all at once." GM sighed. "And unfortunately the lifeforms of Earth, Heaven, Hell, and even the souls of Purgatory don't often wait for me to process all the information. Even a being such as myself has trouble making it all out. So, I tend to 'shut off' my omniscience. It makes it much easier to do anything without something that is more painful than a bad hangover."

Husk winced. "That sounds like overstimulation on steroids, damn."

GM chuckled. "I suppose that is an accurate description. And that is not the only thing I limit on myself. For example, I may like to use my powers to 'show off' so to speak, but...there really is so much meddling I can do."

His face then lost its smile. "Many humans often pray for people or pray for a better life. I hear all of it and I always have to convince myself not to intervene in such a big way...because if I do? I'd be doing what I did with Adam, Lilith, and Eve, essentially controlling every aspect of their life. And if I used my control over reality to grant every single wish or solve every single problem...they wouldn't learn not to do it again."

Husk chuckled, but it was a weak sound. "Some never learn. Not until it's way too late."

"Precisely." GM said before his eyes softened even more when he heard the weakness in his voice. "...is there something you wish to talk about? I understand bartenders are often the ones with wisdom...but..."

His fancy tuxedo and cape then transformed into that of a simple button up shirt and golden suspenders. He now looked like a bartender himself. "That doesn't mean they don't have their own problems that need a listening ear."

Husk sighed, gnawing on his bottom lip. He wasn't sure if he should say, but...

The others were asleep.

Fuck it.

"I, uh...always knew I was different from my family." He admitted. "Especially when I was a dumbass teenager, I knew it. I...always kinda knew that I was...y'know..."

GM tilted his head. "Preferred a bit of both?"

"Yeah. Or anyone of gender, I guess. I'm thinking that I'm, uh, pansexual. Um...my father...he wasn't very proud of me. But, I wanted to prove him wrong, so, when I was in my thirties, I got myself drafted."

GM's eyes widened a bit. "You're a soldier? While I knew your name and tidbits of your history, I didn't know you had fought in a war."

Husk sighed. "World War II...it was Hell on Earth. I...I-I made friends, and I thought I was doing the right thing...but..."

GM just nodded, trying to show he was listening.

"Then...shit started getting bad. My friends were dying, other people were dying...not just soldiers. Citizens. Women, children...I just couldn't understand why people hated others for being different."

The Father of Heaven sighed. "I can't understand either. Some say it's fear of what they don't fully know and others say it's just how some are. I don't really know myself because everyone has a different answer to the question...so, what happened after the war ended?"

Husk sighed. "I was on the verge of becoming homeless. 'Honor to those who sacrificed' my ass. So, I had an idea. I always wanted to be a magician when I was a kid, and I was good at it, too. So, I kinda became a street performer."

"And I take it this helped your eventual casino career?" GM hummed, summoning a small stack of playing cards and sliding them over to Husk, almost as if he wanted to see some of the tricks he could do.

Husk nodded, taking the cards, putting them into two rows. And then, he slowly turned them over.

Amazingly, he managed to somehow separate the red and black cards, despite each of them being in a random row.

GM, despite being able to do all kinds of actual magic tricks, looked rather impressed. "And if I recall correctly, you became quite the skilled gambler...is there anything or anyone else I'm missing before...well. You began your new career down here?"

Husk took a deep breath. His breath was a little shaky.

"...I had a daughter."

GM's eyes widened and he used a tiny bit of his all-seeingness to get a visual on what his daughter looked like. "...what was her name?"

"Minnie. I always called her 'mouse.' She hated it." Husk chuckled softly. His eyes were filled with fondness. "She was just a baby I found on my doorstep, something like out of a damn movie. I didn't have the heart to just put her in an orphanage. I...I felt lonely. I was selfish. Still kinda am."

GM hummed. "You know, when someone often blames themselves for being a 'selfish person', it implies that selfish in itself is a bad word. A bad idea. It's not really. Self-care and mental health are quite important, especially in this modern day. But much like the Seven Deadly Sins, the problem is when you do too much of it. When you're too selfish, too greedy, too lustful, too wrathful, too lazy, too jealous. The list goes on...so I don't think you're selfish. At least, not in the way that makes it bad."

"Maybe not back then, but...when Minnie got older, I started gambling more. Started drinking more. I really thought I could stop, but...I didn't. My mind and body wouldn't let me. Withdrawal isn't just mental. It's physical, too. I felt like I needed it. So, I kept doing it. And, eventually, I began cheating so I could just bring food to the table for my baby."

GM's eyes softened. "And then...you died because someone found out you cheated and wasn't very happy...I would ask how old your daughter was, but...it doesn't matter. It's always too young."

Husk sighed shakily, running his hand over his face. "I never forgave myself. I let her down. She needed me, and instead she became an orphan all over again. I wouldn't blame her if she cremated my body and threw my ashes into a lake somewhere."

GM then gently slid Husk a glass of water and gently took one of the cards. "I know better than anyone what that feels like...I have 9 children. One of them hates me and one of them was crucified...but in a way, I still feel like I let all of them down...and even if I had the power to turn back time itself, there isn't any changing the past."

He then turned the king on the playing card to that of Lucifer. He then did the same with all the other cards, each of them showing his sons and daughters. "But...if there's anything I've learned? It's that you can change the future. And while you may not be here for redemption..."

One of the cards then changed to Angel Dust. "You've already helped someone reach that path. Someone who hated himself and his life so much...you made him feel seen. You made him feel wanted...and if it brings you any comfort at all?"

He then changed the card to that of Minnie, showing both what she looked like as a human...and what she was in Heaven. A wolf of some kind. "She never forgot you...nor does she resent you. No matter how much you think she should."

Husk's eyes widened and he stared at Minnie's card in awe. He covered his mouth, taking in her pink hair and her punk rock outfit. Tears beaded in his eyes, and he struggled not to break down then and there, sobbing quietly into his hand.

"It's alright, my friend. Just let it out." GM said. "There's no one up but you and me."

Husk sobbed. He had to sit down, weeping into his hand. And GM could sense it.

Relief. So much relief and regret and sadness. He was relieved that Minnie made it to Heaven, but saddened that he couldn't just hold her in his arms.

And one more thing that Husk had regretted, one that he had not said because it was a well known fact...

GM could see a bright green chain around Husk's neck, leading all the way to Alastor's room. He reached over gently, actually loosening the chain just a little to give him more comfort.

"It's not too late for you, Henrik Skylar." GM whispered. "And if there is any reason to keep trying...it's those you care for."

Husk's eyes watered, but he slowly nodded. He hesitantly reached for Minnie's card. "Can...can I...?"

"Go right ahead. I have an infinite supply." GM said with a nod.

Husk smiled and took Minnie's card, gently holding it as if it were valuable, or even fragile. This was the gentlest he'd been yet.

His eyes landed on Angel's card, and his face flushed pink.