| Canon Story | ||||||||
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| Side Arc I: Right Here Waiting | ||||||||
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| Artist | Writer | |||||||
| Candy Dewalt | Candy Dewalt | |||||||
| Previous | Next | |||||||
| N/A | Side Arc II: Bashful's Loooove Connection | |||||||
Plot[]
In Hell, Vinci is being followed by Bashful, a yumar hanger-on that is following him around asking questions. He considers Vinci dull, spending his time baking muffins and cookies in his bakery and wonders if Vinci ever did anything exciting while alive. Vinci admits to getting a tattoo on his "jollies" and threatens Bashful to never call him chicken again.
Before the conversation can go much further, Vinci notices a mysterious being approaching and sends Bashful running away. It first appears Emily, the sin of Vanity, has taken an interest in Vinci as a "pretty thing" and wishes to take him, but Vinci manages to fight his assailant off only to remove the cloak and reveal it was Arty in disguise. Vinci admits he knew it was Arty all along from the donut breath, something that kills the mood for Arty.
Vinci calls Bash back to introduce him, but the young man's random behavior seems to frighten and bewilder Arty, and they depart in separate directions. When Bash asks if they're going to "do it," Vinci is embarrassed and Arty smirks and admit that he likes the kid. Alone, Vinci inquires about Arty's wing, that was injured last time they met. Arty admits it's healed up just fine, and when Vinci tries to apologize, Arty tries to brush off Vinci's guilt by telling him he holds no grudges over it. Dialogue between the two suggests Arty died saving a woman's life, which led to Vinci's depression. His guilt over surviving Arty, his feelings of failure in raising their daughter Greer and the return of his cancer led Vinci to take his own life with an intentional pill overdose.
Vinci regrets his choices, especially when Jack told him that he had at least another 10 years of life of which to look forward. Knowing that he wishes he could try again, Arty asks Vinci why he doesn't try life again, to which Vinci laughs off the possibility of leaving Hell. When Arty let's Vinci know you can leave Hell, Vinci becomes upset.
He demands to know why the forces of Heaven haven't told people how to leave Hell, and Arty insists he's not allowed to share this information to the unsaved as to not influence their trajectory toward forgiveness and salvation. Arty angrily tries to defend himself and explain that he's tormented by not having Vinci up in Heaven with him.
Vinci however sees their paths as crossroads, and that their afterlives will be separate. Since he was a teacher in life, he plans to help the lost in Hell find their ways out of Hell. When he tells Arty to go back to Heaven, Arty complies, but makes a final promise to not give up on Vinci. Arty flies away and Vinci sobs as he goes.
After some time, Bashful returns to check on Vinci. Vinci, feeling better, decides to go back to his bakery with Bashful, who ruins the mood again by asking if Vinci scored.
Characters[]
Locations[]
Trivia[]
- This storyline originally ran in a special section on the Pholph.com archives. Vinci's adventures and Hell and beyond ran from February 2, 2008 through December 12, 2010.