Those Devils that's don't know how to temp teach? HA! Temptel got her possession at the Golden School Diabolical Professor by having the most disastrous reputation and by luring the former professor into a bloody retirement. The catseys-glasses wearing Devil could've been the guardian to Prime Ministers and dictators but she wanted to see a firing squad instead of her lone gun. That goal was why she got tenure.
"Kabale, you should encourage your Terresterial to 'help' their self-destructive friend as much as possible. Misery loves company and you can use Wenshawn's good intention to pave a road to her personal hell." Temptel said to her student.
Kabale grinned, "Gotcha, Prof, there's also this guy who treats her horribly and she's confusing it for flirting."
"What do you think is more wicked, Kabale? Falling into self-loathing alone or spreading it through the air?" Temptel asked, she was delighted to see so many of her students had fallen asleep during this discussion.
"Spray it, Professor." An adult Devil said from the door. "I like a power-play and if it were my Terrestrial I'd rather see her breaking the hearts."
The awake students turned around to see a curvy woman with long, spiky blackish-blue hair. Her red horns curved like a ram and one of her wings had a bitemark-shaped chunk missing. She had a red tattoo over her mouth that appeared as unwiped blood stains from a carnivorous lunch. Her narrow yellow eyes darted excitedly from Devil child to Devil child.
"Magda, what a hideous surprise. Class, be afraid." Temptel said with a smile.
"Let me put my two cents into this, doll," Magda said as she leaned over Kabale's chair, "Give your Terrestrial the power so she can fly high then burn in the sun."
Kabale stared with full pupils at the crooked grin of this Devil woman. She seemed unhinged, confident and totally manipulative at the same time. Kabale also liked the full view of her cleavage. Kabale's bedbug, Cabiria who was jealous already, was gushily staring with her.
Magda giggled and took a seat on Temptel's desk, "You're doing terrible work, Tempy."
"Don't be modest, Magda, I owe some of my best quotes from you." Temptel said as she held Magda's gaze; her eyes focusing for a full sixty-six minutes.
Gas, Temptel's not-so-secret admirer, couldn't decide if he was jealous or totally into seeing the Professor gaze at the stranger. Magda licked her lips and clicked her teeth then zipped her head around to look for one student in particular.
"Tempy, where's my handsome pet? Was he thrown out again?" Magda asked hopefully.
"Fret not, he's been horrible but Sulfus is presently observing his Terrestrial." Temptel said, taking a quiet sniff of Magda's wild hair.
Magda jumped off the desk and clapped her hands, "Time for a matinee then! Anybody got popcorn?"
Gas, Cabiria and Kabale shot up their hands to offer to steal popcorn for her.
George, Sulfus and Raf's Terrestrial, was contemplating on quitting his job. The job took twice as much work than what it paid but George had bills that were past due.
"He can get another job, let him leave that rat-trap." Sulfus said to his Angel Adversary.
"He should look for a better work place but he needs to stay with this until he can replace it." Raf said to her Devil Adversary.
"If he leaves now he can catch a movie."
"George has to learn to be responsible!" Raf said, she felt sorry that George had been in the same spot for thirteen hours straight but she didn't see him making a better option yet.
"Before I accept your challenge let me ask, what movie would you want to see? I know you love those martial art B movies and there's one playing soon." Sulfus said with a friendly gesture to the door.
"I admire Earthly Ones making a plot work on a budget, plus the jump kicks are hilarious." Raf admitted with a hand to her chin. "But I'm taking you down first."
Sulfus was about to say something he thought was funny when he was interrupted with,
"That sounds like a blowie offer to me."
Ice went up Sulfus' spine and almost froze his flapping wings. Raf had never seen him so surprised before; gritting his teeth and slowly turning around as his eye twitched.
"Magda! What out of hell are you doing here!" Sulfus said the Devil laughed and hugged his neck.
The Angel felt annoyance as this creature hugged Sulfus and rubbed her cheek against his. She didn't think all Devils looked alike but there was strong resemblance between Sulfus' face and this older stranger.
"Always expect the worse, babe, and Temptel might believe in you going on your own but I'm here to watch you at work. Now what are we talking? Arson, pillaging or grand theft auto?" Magda's eyes twinkled.
Raf fluttered close to them and firmly said, "Excuse me, but George is doing none of those things."
"He's starting off with skipping his job. I can handle that, Magda." Sulfus said pushing her off.
Magda blew a raspberry, "Baby steps. Where's the jump into straight up debauchery?"
"Hey, I'm laying down a foundation for wrong choices. Bad today and worse tomorrow." Sulfus said, hating that he had to defend himself to anybody but especially her.
Raf flew up to him, "Let me beat you in the Challenge Room first so your plan can fail."
Magda looked up and down at the Angel child. "Little firefly, aren't you?"
"Excuse me, but who do you think you are butting into our territory?" Raf asked meeting Magda's loony stare.
Magda's grin dropped then spread wide to reveal her shark-like mouth, "A professional Hellraiser and the woman who taught this boy everything he knows."
Magda said this while pinching Sulfus' cheek. He slapped her away with a growl, which made her giggle proudly. "But to the Challenge Room we go!"
Magda flew off towards the Golden School and told them to follow her. Sulfus wanted to kick her back down to the Low Sphere but knew she could kick him harder.
Raf's aggravation her halo vibrating, "Sulfus, if that is an old girlfriend I will scream."
The Devil gagged, "Don't make me sick. That's evil old hag does anything with a pulse, or not, but even the idea of me and my…uggh, that's disgusting."
The Angel thought about his squeamishness as they flew behind Magda. She also wondered why an older woman would pinch his cheeks and care how he was doing in school
"Oh my halo, that's your mother!" Raf exclaimed.
"Unfortunately. " Sulfus said with a low growl.
Raf blushed, "And I was so rude to her! Please forgive me."
Sulfus looked at her with shock, "What are you talking about?"
"I mean, I'm guessing she doesn't know about us but I'd be mortified if she didn't like me." Raf said, thinking of how to make a better impression in front of Magda.
The Angel had no end of kindness in her heart. Too bad she liked to place in where it didn't deserve, Sulfus thought as they flew.
"Raf, I appreciate your care but I'm keeping Magda very far away from you. I'm going to find away to send her back to the Low Sphere and never return." Sulfus swore.
"Sufus, she's your mom! I wish my mom could visit me." Raf said, then wondered if she meant her adopted mom or biological mom. She felt guilty for wanting Angelie more because they'd just met recently.
"Okay, you can get to know your new mother but I know Magda well enough. " Sulfus said as they entered the school.
Magda was waiting at the Challenge Room door with a big smile and thumbs up at Sulfus. Sulfus rolled his eyes and watched in horror as Raf jumped in front of Magda.
"Magda, I should have said this earlier. It is an honor to meet you. You'd be very proud of Sulfus, he's great at, well, making nice people do bad things but he's also a good friend." Raf said, she didn't know if this was appropriate but she felt it important to be heard.
Magda titled her head and looked at Raf. "You're weird."
Devils often talked in backwards tongues; Raf thought and said, "Thank you. By the way, that is a very nice corset."
Magda stepped closer to Raf and one eye popped out, "What are you playing at, Angel? Are you the 'kill with kindness' type? Sulfus, I've dealt with those, aim for the head." Magda said looking over Raf's feathery wings over to her son.
Sulfus laughed nervously, "Yeah, I'll do that. Angel, let's get started on me bashing in your pretty head."
"Yeah, that's not happening. I'm not going easy on you cause your mom is watching." Raf said, "He's a lethal opponent, I promise."
"Raf, stop it." Sulfus whispered harshly.
Magda put her hands on her hips and looked back and forth at Sulfus and the Angel he was staring at. She realized very few Devils would call an Angel by their name. Know and tease your enemies but don't say the name like a friend, or look at someone like they owe you something. Damn, the boy looked thirsty looking at the natural blonde Angel girl.
"Hell in a handbasket." Magda shouted then bent over in laughter. After a split second she raised her head to give Raf a furious glare.
"The boy seduced you with the smexy I gave him." Magda said with a finger at Raf's nose. Raf blushed but didn't look away. Her eyes cooled and she nodded calmly.
Sulfus felt his face get paler, "Magda, step away from her!"
Magda pointed a long nail at her son, "I taught you to lure in fools not drown in the illusion!"
"What I do is none of your concern." Sulfus said in a furious growl. He jumped infront of Raf.
Magda threw up her hands and screamed. "Where did I go wrong? I gave you the best guillotine on our block. I encouraged all of your worse tantrums. I gave you everything you could ask for then took it away!"
"Okay, is that healthy for Devils or…" Raf knew they worked on a different mind-set. At best she could tell that Magda cared a lot for her son.
"You need to die." Magda said, raising a hand towards Raf's head.
Sulfus pinned his mother's wrist to the wall.
"Do. Not. Touch. Her." Sulfus warned with savagely low voice.
Magda looked sadly at her son, "Oh, you've got it bad."
Before he could blink Sulfus was thrown against the opposite wall.
"Sulfus!" Raf loudly said as she ran to him. He looked shaken but not hurt.
"My pet, it's your life to ruin as you want but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't help you in every way I could." Magda said, she used her wings to push a gust of air at Raf and pin her back to the wall.
Raf opened her eyes to see Magda's shaky irises; the color was exact to her love's.
"I'm not letting my first born run off with just any skinny blonde and like Hell a birdbrain! I challenge you, Rif-Raf." Magda said; Sulfus yelled a refusal but she covered his mouth with her hand.
Raf gritted her teeth. "I accept, Mom."
Magda laughed in her face, the shrill voice hurt Raf's ears.
Raf chose the challenge to be life-size board game. She doubted she could take on an adult Devil's physical strength or a mind that twisted farther around than Sulfus'. Death threat or not Raf really did want Magda to like her so, like she had to with Sulfus, she had to wait out the tantrum and get to Magda's soft side and talk our their problems. The Challenge Room became bright, happy colors. Angels would see it as a sweet Sunday afternoon.
Magda lifted the two-ton dice piece in the air and swung it at Raf's halo head.
Raf's feathery blye wings flapped past the landed die and yelled, "Okay, you can move five spaces forward."
"As soon as we're on the same square I'm going to twist you like a pretzel." Magda said as she walked up the rainbow path. Her pink square was two spaces behind Raf's lime-green square.
"Ma'am," Raf felt a sweat drop as Magda glared through her skull," Uh, Magda, I understand why you're upset about me and Sulfus, we've tried stopping it because we know it'll upset so many but we can't lie about how we feel."
"Oh come on! Yes you can! Angels love lying to themselves, how else would any sensible being force humans to get dressed in the morning?" Magda said she watch Raf spin kick the die pieces on to their sides.
"We call it faith, but we're talking about my relationship with Sulfus and how I need a better relationship with you."
"I'll make it a quick death, how about that?"
"Is it really so horrible that Sulfus loves me? He's still doing terrible things to others but he's happy with himself and me. Isn't that what you want for him?"
"Cherub, of course I want him to be happy and you won't be happy forever. Satan forbid you kids decide to get married how will you do it? Sign in blood or drink from glass challises? Where will you live cause he needs somewhere hot! What will the babies look like! Even if you adopt do you want to put a an infant in the middle of your unholy war against both sides of Creation?" Magda thought of all this in the minute she saw Sulfus look at the Angel.
"Our plan is to leave the Eternal world and live together as humans. It'll be a short life but the rules against us will be gone." Raf admitted for the first time ever out loud.
"Geez, that is stupid. I said I'd support whatever kink he'd get into but this is just dumb." Magda said as she stepped ahead of Raf into the sky-blue square. "The second I cross that finish line you and my son are done-zo."
Raf had already considered living without Sulfus. The Angel knew she could if she must. That choice was between her and him and no one else.
"Think of us however you want but know this," Raf said sternly, "I love him and would give him up if I had to. I just don't want to."
Magda studied Raf's face then sneered, "Gross."
"I have one last roll!" Raf reached from the bottom of the die and threw them over Magda's head. They landed in front of the Devil. "I got a six, which means I can use my 'send the opponent to the pokey' card and win the game!"
"Nerd." Magda stated, she flicked the die with the lightest of breezes. They split in half and crumbled before the jaw-dropped Raf. The Eternal ladies were back in the basic outline of the Challenge Room.
"I don't care if you won I'm still going to make you eat your own skin." Magda said checking her nails for chipped paint.
Raf gulped but put her fists up and wings spread. "Bring it. You are terrifying, I can't lie, but I'm fighting for my love."
The Angel transformed into a knight in sliver armor and held a sword made of Holy Water. She knew it hurt Devils like a human allergy. She hoped it would give the worst hives to Magda.
Magda giggled and curled her fingers for Raf to 'come at her'. She dodged Raf's sword swipes while yawning and slapped her back ten feet with a snap of her Devilish wings.
"Firefly, you really don't want to end. You're young, they'll be other boys." Magda said with a shrug.
"This isn't just about Sulfus, it's about you knowing me." Raf said she shot from the sky to smite Magda. "I do not give in."
Magda zoomed to Raf in mid flight, Raf saw her for a split second, and felt the slam in her chest push her back twenty feet. Raf clenched her jaw and felt her anger fuel her adrenaline. The Angel split the sword in two and twirled the blades in her hands. Out of curiosity Magda let the Angel swing close to observe her style. Hands up to protect her face, typical Angel Defense, and intense speed in the shuffle of her flight.
This foolish Angel was giving her all to pain to protect her pleasure. The romantic in the Devil sighed. The mother in the Devil sighed as well.
She grabbed Raf's blades between her thumb and index fingers. Raf saw her fingers bubble and ooze but her expression was as if she were holding ribbons. Even if Raf did land a blow nothing hurt Magda. She'd given birth thirteen times before; she could not remember to differentiate pain and pleasure.
"Okay, okay I get you." Magda said with a crooked grin. She threw the blade behind Raf's head. "We're cool."
Raf kept her fists up as she waited for Magda to pull a riffle out of her corset.
"White flag, firefly, I'm not gonna crack open flat stomach and spill your shinning organs on the floor. Swearies." Magda said with a bow.
The Devil's honey yellow eyes cooled and the expression reminded Raf of Sulfus when he was in a good mood. That Devil paced in a rut his fuming feet made in the hall of the Challenge Room. If Raf killed his mother he'd be grateful but who would take care of his sisters and three fathers? If his mother killed Raf he'd die trying to avenge his Angelic love, unless his mother cruelly allowed him to live. Either way he cracked his knuckles and planned a roast.
The doors opened and his heart stopped beating. The scariest sound was both ladies were laughing as they walked towards him.
"By the horns of a thousand Devils!" Sulfus said pulling Raf's bracelets, he twirled her around to check for bruising or lost limbs. She was beautiful and in the same perfect condition, he wanted to linger on her backside but went to see if her eyes were horror stricken. Her eyes were fine and, dare he say, jolly.
"Hello to you too, darling." Raf said with a warm smile.
"What did she do to you?" Sulfus asked, blocking Raf from his mother.
Raf put a hand on his shoulder, "We got to talking, and everything is fine."
Sulfus put his arms out and mumbled, "Yeah right."
"Why so serious, my babe?" Magda asked and shared a smile with the Angel.
"I know better." Sulfus said with a stone face. He softened when Raf pecked a tiny kiss on his cheek.
"This is new for everyone, Sulfus. We have to be grateful for what allies come our way." Raf said with serenity.
He didn't want to crush his Angel's hope because he knew her mind held alternatives to them being together. The young Devil man decided to take a win when he saw one. He never imagined a chance would look remotely like his trickster mother.
"Thank you, Magda." Sulfus said as he hugged her for the first time in two hundred human years.
"Of course, the hate of my life." Magda cheered as she wrapped around his red wings, they were shaped just like two of his fathers'.
"You're bluffing." Sulfus whispered in her ear.
"Either this is reverse psychology or your mama supports your independence." Magda said in a sing-song voice. "Can you wait to see which? I can't!"
Raf couldn't hear them but twitch as Magda's lips curled up to her ears. She shook her head and held onto the idea of a Devil, besides Sulfus, who liked her.
Sulfus let go of this mother and stepped beside Raf. With constant practice the VETO's burn hurt less when they held hands.
"Sulfus, be a gentledevil and get us some lunch while I show Raf your sisters' baby pictures." Magda said pulling a stack of pictures out of her corset.
The Devil groaned and felt a gentle push from his Angel.
"Please." Raf asked batting her long lashes. She smirked when her Devil looked dazzled.