Blue Rose

Blue Rose 1

There are many weird and different places in Hell, some are full of cannibals, some are filled with nothing but screams and nightmares, though after spending some time in Hell nothing truly freaks a sinner out like a place which is completely free of such nastiness.

There are only a few of those that exist there and most of them are build just to lure the newly arrived residents of Pentagram city into a trap. Tens of thousands have entered these places only to have their organs stolen or be used as playthings, but there is one small exception called Behemoth's Playground.

Behemoth's Playground or just Playground as most call it, is an area about the size of the Coney Island and probably the only district in the entirety of Hell that can be considered as truly luxurious. There are stores, restaurants, bars and even a few office buildings.

Most people are confounded, when they first lay their eyes on this small yet thriving community. How could something like this exist in such a place for more than a century now? And there is a simple answer to that question.

Blue Rose pub and its owner Blue Benny.

The legend says that Blue Benny appeared in Hell back in 1882 as a tall and chubby demon with light blue skin, two short horns and a big black beard styled into friendly mutton chops. One day he moved into the Playground which back then was just another smouldering area full of ruins and destruction from the recent extermination. He picked a building, buried its original owner, whom he found dead inside and began a three-month long renovation process at the end of which, the two-story building turned into a proper pub.

At first there were only a few customers and the alcohol served there could make even a moonshiner blind for a while, but then the impossible happened. One day Lucifer the king of Hell himself walked in and heavy tension fell on the place, yet Benny was unaffected and served the devil as he would any other customer.

Lucifer finished his drink and lit himself a cigar and that's when then the proverbial shit hit the fan.

"Sir, as you might have noticed, when you walked here, this is a smoke-free pub and I need to ask you to put that thing out." Benny said calmly and without a hint of fear, Lucifer however just smiled and sent a puff of smoke directly into the pubkeeper's face. In most other instances, that would be, where the story ends, but no one, not even Lucifer could predict, what would happen next.

Benny quickly snatched the devil's cigar out of his mouth and swiftly extinguished it in a glass, which he was just cleaning.

When other customers saw this event take place, silence overtook the entire scene and once they noticed the anger on Lucifer's face, they all stood up and quickly left the building, with Benny shouting "Alright lads, I'll put it on your tab!" as he watched them run away.

The group of patrons watched from the outside as blinding lights began to shine ominously through the windows and smoke began to drift out from under the closed door, but after a few seconds it all stopped, then there was more silence.

They stood and waited there for what was about to transpire for maybe thirty long minutes, before the door finally opened and the king of hell came out with a relaxed smile on his face and walked away down the street.

There was and still is this custom in Hell, that when someone dies, their property is up for grabs for anyone who finds it first and so naturally every single demon ran inside to take anything they could only to see Benny still behind bar cleaning glass after glass with the same calm expression as if nothing out of the ordinary transpired there.

Unsurprisingly they were all shocked to see the pubkeeper still intact and they flogged around him to ask what happened after they left. The blue-skinned demon just slowly looked up from his work before speaking.

"We talked, he paid, and he left unlike you lot." He answered nonchalantly, before putting the last glass away to dry on a dishrag.

Once they heard this, they of course wanted details and Benny was bombarded with questions from all sides most of which concerned his survival and mental state, but his stern look soon silenced everyone.

"It is not a secret if it is known by three people." He said those now legendary words firmly and refused to discuss this event any further.

The word of this event quickly spread all over Hell and many soon wished to visit the pub, where the devil was so rudely disrespected, and the legend soon began to bring in more and more people. The success of this establishment soon led to a wave of renovations in the area and many new businesses opened.

The pub was renamed "Blue Rose" a name fitting for something which in the eyes of many shouldn't exist anymore. Over time, the quality of both the alcohol and furniture in the inn improved, Benny even started offering food and before long he found a cook and a few waitresses to help him run it.

The place became so iconic and legendary that no one ever dared to charge the bearded guy protection money and it was also never touched by any ongoing turf war. The Rose became a neutral ground where gangs and mobs settled their feuds and sometimes even a sanctuary for those who feared for their safety.

Benny however became the main attraction. Not only did he forbid smoking, he also made sure that there would be no guns and no drug deals going on in his establishment. With these policies, Blue Rose became the most sought-after pub in the Pentagram City. It was probably the only place in Hell where you could feel safe and enjoy a bit of normalcy.

Even Lucifer visited the place a few times for a drink, but luckily there was no one stupid enough to ask him, what happened all those years ago.

Benny turned into a sort of a celebrity but was still grounded and approachable enough. This started a weird trend in Hell.

People would come from far and wide to share their troubles, stories and sometimes even deepest secrets with the pubkeeper and they knew, that what they said would always stay between them and Benny.

And that is the story of the Blue rose and its owner. To this day he still wakes up at 6 AM only to open his business at eight and to lend an ear to anyone who needs it.

And now it's up to you my dear readers to decide, who will enter the Rose and discuss their thoughts with Benny, write your suggestions in the comments/review section and I hope to see you again soon.